FEATURES
Ferg, Harlem’s Hometown Hero
It’s a Friday afternoon in Harlem and Ferg is ready for a peanut butter protein shake. The rapper has invited Hypebeast to Harlem to show us his favorite hometown spots, and the first stop on the agenda is Juke Box Juice & Salads; the music-inspired smoothie and sandwich shop that Ferg has frequented ever since his first record deal.Ferg, born Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. and raised in Hamilton Heights (the northernmost part of West Harlem), may be a global figure but he’s in his old neighborhood almost daily. “If I leave the house, I’m comin’ to Harlem.”His uptown NYC neighborhood has always influenced his artistry, but on his next studio release Darold, which marks his first project since Floor Seats II in 2020, Ferg bleeds Harlem more than ever before. What he describes as his “...
Best New Tracks: Bon Iver, AUDREY NUNA, Yeat and More
As the week in music comes to a close, Hypebeast has rounded up the best projects for the latest installment of Best New Tracks.This week’s lineup is led by long-form releases from Bon Iver, Jean Dawson, Jaden, Yeat, Juice WRLD AUDREY NUNA and singles from Tyler, the Creator, 070 Shake, Drake x Chino Pacas x Fuerza Regida and FKA twigs.Bon Iver – SABLE,At last, Bon Iver has made its communally anticipated formal return. The Justin Vernon-led folk group has unveiled its first studio project since dropping i,i back in 2019, presenting a new EP entitled SABLE,. Complete with a triptych of tracks (as well as an introductory eleven-second cut), SABLE, signals a return to form for the group.Listen: Spotify | Apple MusicTyler, the Creator – "St. Chroma"Arguably the high point of this week's new r...
Songs of the Week: Tyler, the Creator and FKA twigs Build Out Their New Concept Albums with Poise
Including other notable releases from Danny Brown, Deb Never, Lambrini Girls, and more. Songs of the Week: Tyler, the Creator and FKA twigs Build Out Their New Concept Albums with Poise Consequence Staff
Through the Lens: Theo Cottle
Theo Cottle’s images are rooted in reality, but altered to project a hallucinatory state — an “authentic” documentation, he tells Hypeart, of some of the world’s hard-to-access areas and underworlds, from the drum of Havana’s boxing clubs to the onsens frequented by Japan’s Yakuza.The Bristol-born, London-based photographer looks to “explore the unseen and the unheard,” whether in client work for adidas and C.P. Company to passion projects in Naples’ raucous alleyways. Cottle’s proclivities stem from early war photographs his father showed him as a child, such as the work of British photojournalist Don McCullin, as well as cultural pioneers like Larry Clark, whose films and photographs explore themes pertaining gender and masculinity — motifs that Cottle touches on within his own portfolio...
Fan Chant: KISS OF LIFE Talk Through New EP Lose Yourself Track by Track
The sparkling new project is the latest proof of KISS OF LIFE's growing dominance in the genre. Fan Chant: KISS OF LIFE Talk Through New EP Lose Yourself Track by Track Mary Siroky
Best New Tracks: Charli XCX, J. Cole, Cordae and More
As the week in music comes to a close, Hypebeast has rounded up the best projects for the latest installment of Best New Tracks.This week’s lineup is led by albums from Charli XCX and Rich the Kid x Famous Dex x Jay Critch and singles from J. Cole, Skepta x Flo Milli, EARTHGANG x T-Pain x Spillage Village, Cordae, Ab-Soul, Flying Lotus, Bruiser Wolf x Zack Fox and The Kid LAROI.J. Cole – "Port Antonio"J. Cole laid it all out on the table in "Port Antonio." The first solo single from Cole since Might Delete Later, "Port Antonio" sees Cole pick back up right where he left off, making his stance on the rap beef clearer than ever before. The track has not yet made its way over to streaming services yet.Charli XCX – Brat and it’s completely different but also still bratBRAT season is never over...
Song of the Week: Charli XCX Recruits Bon Iver to Face Her Fears on “I think about it all the time”
Including other notable releases from Lily Seabird, Ekko Astral, Jim Legxacy, and more. Song of the Week: Charli XCX Recruits Bon Iver to Face Her Fears on “I think about it all the time” Consequence Staff and Paolo Ragusa
Heavy Song of the Week: Dream Theater’s “Night Terror” Showcases the Return of Mike Portnoy
The prog metal band's first track with Portnoy since 2009. Heavy Song of the Week: Dream Theater’s “Night Terror” Showcases the Return of Drummer Mike Portnoy Jon Hadusek
Everything We Know About Bon Iver’s ‘SABLE,’
When Bon Iver so much as alludes to having new music in the works, listeners go crazy.In September, Justin Vernon shared his first his first slice of solo music in four years (aside from Bon Iver’s 10th Anniversary re-release in 2022.) The 10-second snippet spawned engagement from a diverse crowd, uniting hip-hop heads with folk fans and country connoisseurs in the comments section.With recent collaborations ranging from Taylor Swift to Travis Scott, Bon Iver’s versatility knows no bounds, with the artist's esoteric music cementing itself in the collective cultural conscience. Hard to define and even harder to cleanly categorize, Bon Iver has never sacrificed the abstractness of his artistry, and this next stop on his sonic evolution is no exception. The aforementioned snippet was reveale...
K-Pop Streams Have Increased Over 350% in Five Years
The power of the genre is visible in the latest numbers from Spotify Korea. Fan Chant: K-Pop Streams Have Increased Over 350% in Five Years Mary Siroky
Hypedrive and Jeff Staple Are Throwing Their First Ever “Cars & Kicks” Event
Hypedrive, the automotive arm of Hypebeast, is set to throw its next physical activation event – "Cars & Kicks." The night is in conjunction with both Jeff Staple – designer and founder of legendary streetwear label STAPLE – and premier Los Angeles automotive social club The Motoring Club. "Cars & Kicks" is to celebrate the thriving subcultures found within both automotive and sneaker culture, sharing the stories behind the collectors and their collections, while inviting newcomers to both genres through exploration and discovery. During the event, a rare pairing of both highly coveted sneakers and cars will be on display from curated collectors, diving deeper into their passionate collections. Guests will also be invited to show off their cars and sneakers as well, with food, drin...
RZA Talks Transforming Lost Pages Into Classical Melodies
RZA is rarely without something to do, but during the pandemic, like many, he found himself with more downtime than usual. He decided to dedicate himself to another project: cleaning out the closet of his home library.When you’re Bobby Digital, the urge to create can strike any moment. That day, inspiration arrived via a duffle bag stuffed in the back of his closet. Inside were old notebooks from his teenage years, each containing hundreds of lyrics written while growing up on Staten Island. Reading through them, now in his California outpost, the journals serve as a touchpoint in his story. “I saw the growth of myself as a person even, beyond my growth as just an artist or emcee,” RZA says.Those notebooks would form RZA’s latest project and first classical album, A Ballet Through Mud, whi...
