The Best Hip Hop Clubs and Parties London Has to Offer

Urban Klancnik

Oct 14, 2019

Start your Hip Hop bash at the Shaka Zulu, a club with some of the coolest decor in London. You’ll feel like a king or queen as you’re greeted by giant Zulu warrior statues at the entrance. The place is huge, the size of almost six basketball courts, and DJs mostly play Hip Hop and R&B. The parties are usually on Fridays and Saturdays until 2am, and most nights you’ll only pay about £10 to get inside.

Now take this party down the road to the Jazz Café in Camden. Don’t let the name fool you. Even though the Jazz Café also puts up Jazz and Rock concerts, their Hip Hop nights are legendary. Pioneers like DJ Premier and Blackstreet gigged here, so you know they mean business, but you can also catch new acts. It’s only 400 metres from Shaka, so just enough time to listen to this classic:

Take a breather and let’s get the party back on track. Next stop: Club 49 in Soho. Hop on the tube from Camden Town to Tottenham Court Road, or grab an Uber or a cab if you’re not on a budget. Club 49 offers a wide variety of music, and Hip Hop and R&B are regularly on the menu. Thirsty by now? Pick your favorite cocktail from almost 50 different options – you’ll need a little liquid courage before the next part.

You’ve been all around London and you suddenly feel like singing? The Thursday Hip Hop karaoke nights at Queen of Hoxton are legendary. Make sure you practice some of your go-to songs on the way. Whether you want to go old school with some Missy or Fugees, or kick it with Drake, Kanye or Post Malone, this is your chance to live out your rap fantasies. As they’ll tell you: Lose yourself! And maybe an actual celeb even surprises you on the stage.

London is a melting pot of genres, which makes its Hip Hop scene rich and ever-evolving. You can hear global superstars or simply walk into a club and discover a new talent about to blow up.

Your throat is sore from singing, you got a few record deals, and now you just want to relax and dance the night away. Let’s carry on to the Macbeth pub in Hoxton, located about a kilometer to the north. Hip Hop nights are regular here, with DJs playing tracks from the 1990s golden era all the way through to Migos and Cardi B.

If you aren’t ready to call it a night, check what’s on at XOYO, a club in Shoreditch that has seen the likes of Megan Thee Stallion, London On Da Track, and Bas.

After this night, you might even feel inspired to write your own song. Why not? Maybe next year we’ll be writing about you.

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