Limitless Live: The Music Festival Breaking Barriers Through Music and Celebrating Black British Talent

Limitless Live, the free music festival nurturing underground musical talent with social purpose at its core, returned to Camden Roundhouse on 4 May 2025 for its fourth year in a row.

Hosted in one of the most creative boroughs in London, Limitless Live lit up the Roundhouse with performances from young talent, Grime MC Ghetts, hip-hop duo Young T and Bugsey known for their hit single “Don’t Rush” that took TikTok by storm with a duet challenge and Luton native rapper, Nafe Smallz.

Founder Tolu Farinto unravelled the layered story behind the Limitless platform after being an avid music listener for as long as he could remember, stating: “I could listen to it every waking moment of the day.” A passionate advocate for culture, he sees music as a creative medium through which individuals can manifest and create change.

When asked about the premise of Limitless, Tolu described how he saw problems within the live music industry such as the accessibility of music events and festivals for young people and the continuing interest young people had in the music space: “Limitless is really how you use music as a mechanism to engage young people but to also solve the problem of how they access live music,” he explained. He continued: “That’s the reason why we created the live music show. I fundamentally believe that these experiences are a gateway to creativity, and I want as many young people to be able to take part, and for finance not to be a barrier.”

The phrase “Limitless” was coined after a moment of reflection with his uncle, who worked as a solicitor and posed the familiar question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Many professions raced through Tolu’s mind: astronaut, engineer and after a few pages of research, none of them felt quite right. He recalled: “When I told my uncle about these roles, he never once said no. It was always, let me know how you’re going to get there. I realised in that moment that I could be anything I wanted to be, with no limits to what I would go on to achieve.”

A pivotal moment came when he saw world-renowned artists Kanye West and Jay-Z in concert during their Watch the Throne tour. The idea for Limitless Live lit up like a lightbulb in his mind: “I’m watching them float up on cubes and something in my brain just went off, and all this creativity appeared.”

This concert proved to be a significant catalyst in the process of innovating the music event. It led him to realise the value of experiencing live music and reinforced his belief in ensuring that musical experiences remain accessible to all. It also opened a window that normally stays shut when young people aspire to start out in the music industry.

Looking ahead, Tolu sees Limitless Live with both a regional and international scope, aiming to expand the brand into not only a household name but also a platform that gives young people unforgettable experiences. “I feel like people are crying out for there to be some sort of footprint for British music in the States or Canada, for example,” he said. Elaborating on the current state of the industry, he added: “It is really challenging for artists to be able to tour because of the costs that follow. Now, if we are able to use our platform to connect them with their audiences overseas and present their fanbase with the chance to connect with their artists for free, I think there’s some real magic there for sure.”

Harnessing inspiration from reggae superstar Bob Marley and king of dancehall Vybz Kartel, the charismatic Nottingham natives Young T and Bugsey took us through their musical journey from early beginnings to the present day.

Their Brit-nominated Afro Swing hit “Don’t Rush,” off their debut mixtape Plead the 5th, peaked on the UK Singles Chart and inspired the infamous TikTok challenge associated with getting ‘glammed up.’ The track was sparked during a regular day at their usual recording studio while working with a producer: “It was just a normal day in the studio, and one of us came up with the hook and recorded it shortly after.”

When asked about the advice they would give to budding artists and musicians, the duo strongly emphasised the importance of being organised and having a strategy: “Plan to achieve those goals you have set out to achieve because if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

The duo also revealed that they have tracks with Loski and Zinoleesky dropping soon, and some exciting things lined up for their fans.