Hey Young World,
This is the July 2025 edition of 1520’s Record Report, our series of monthly articles in which we recommend things we’re currently into.
We’ve picked the name Record Report in honor of Hip Hop magazine The Source, which’s album review section went under that name and, when we were growing up, told us what was worth copping and what wasn’t. In our own small way, we hope to do the same.
AJ Tracey - Don’t Die Before You’re Dead (Album)
AJ Tracey’s ‘Don’t Die Before You’re Dead’ is sharp, confident, and distinctly UK. The production blends grime, drill, and other influences, and AJ Tracey floes over it with ease and charm. It’s a global record, but the roots are London through and through.
Past Lives (Movie)
‘Past Lives’ is a quiet, emotionally layered indie movie about love, memory, and the paths we don’t take. Set between Seoul and New York, it follows two childhood friends reconnecting years later, caught between past connection and present reality. It’s tender, restrained, and full of unspoken weight. It’s the kind of story that lingers long after the credits.
Hanako Footman - Mongrel (Novel)
Mongrel is a sharp, intimate debut about identity, desire, and growing up mixed-race in London. Footman writes with clarity and bite. It’s raw but compose. A novel that feels current, personal, and hard to put down.
One Love,
Marius | 1520