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How Takuya Kuroda Cut a Modern Jazz Classic (And Is Still Evolving 10 Years Later)
It’s a rainy January day in Brooklyn, and Takuya Kuroda has been afforded a brief respite from his packed schedule. With space to think, he gets to reminiscing. “It’s funny: I’ll still get DMs saying ‘I love your song! It’s so fresh!’” the trumpeter says, referring to the version of Roy Ayers Ubiquity track “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” that he reimagined alongside vocalist Jose James. “I’m like ‘It’s not my song! … It’s amazing that my arrangement of that song can open so many doors for people.”Kuroda is far from nostalgic. Miles Davis, one of his significant trumpet influences alongside Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard, once said, “If anyone wants to keep creating, they have to be about change.” That mindset has also been at the forefront of Kuroda's creative output over his nearly tw...
Louis Vuitton and Sony Launched Portable Speakers in This Week’s Tech Roundup
This week, the tech industry witnessed a series of new product launches. Sony’s portable surround sound system, the HT-AX7, is designed to deliver a home theater-style experience. Louis Vuitton had a speaker of its own, the Nanogram Speakers featuring an embossed LV logo on its grill.In the keyboard space, SteelSeries dropped a “White x Gold” edition of its Apex Pro Mini gaming board. And to round it off, CASETiFY launched a collection celebrating the hit anime, Jujutsu Kaisen.Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top tech stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.Sony's HT-AX7 is a Portable Surround Sound SystemSony has brought the experience of a surround sound system to those on the go. The company has a new speaker that contains three different speakers, de...
How Cole Bennett Built His Own World on ‘All Is Yellow’
Cole Bennett might be the most connected guy in the hip-hop industry – and probably the only guy to get Kid Cudi and Lil Durk on a song and music video together in matching three-piece suits. The man behind Lyrical Lemonade even gathered 34 artists for the multimedia collective’s long-awaited debut album, All Is Yellow. From OG Lyrical Lemonade homies like Lil Tecca, Lil Skies and Ski Mask The Slump God to some of Bennett’s most revered “musical pioneers” – Lil B, Cudi and Juicy J – All Is Yellow is an immersive audiovisual experience, one that makes stops at genres beyond Lyrical Lemonade’s standard scope and pairs musicians whom you’d never find on a track together anywhere else.After a year of coordinating worldwide shoots (bringing Jack Harlow to London to shoot with Dave) filled with ...
Song of the Week: Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss” Spits Venom at Nicki, Drake, and All Her Doubters
Other standout tunes came from Cakes da Killa, Chastity Belt, and more. Song of the Week: Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss” Spits Venom at Nicki, Drake, and All Her Doubters Eddie Fu and Consequence Staff
In the Know’s Zach Woods Explains How a Stop-Motion Puppet Interviews Real People
"I want to be Tegan and Sara when I grow up," also, the co-creator/star notes (relatably). In the Know’s Zach Woods Explains How a Stop-Motion Puppet Interviews Real People Liz Shannon Miller
Best New Tracks: Ice Spice, Megan Thee Stallion, Skepta 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 Megan Thee Stallion, Ice Spice and Skepta, who each released the singles "Hiss," "THINK U THE SHIT (FART)" and "Gas Me Up (Diligent)," respectively. Also joining this selection are offerings from Lyrical Lemonade, Chuck Strangers and The Alchemist, Lil Nas X, evilgiane, Justice and Tame Impala, SiR and Isaiah Rashad.Megan Thee Stallion - "HISS"Megan Thee Stallion continues her release of snake-themed music with "HISS." The track follows November 2023’s “Cobra,” which marked her first release since settling the lawsuit with her former label, 1501 Certified Entertainment. Megan makes it evident that she's shed her old skin to reveal a st...
Dial In to Hell Phone, Bushwick’s Underground Techno Hotspot
It’s 12am on a Saturday night in Bushwick, Brooklyn and the backroom of Ange Noir Cafe has been transformed into Hell. It’s dark, illuminated by a just few red-hued bulbs. A crowd occupies the floor, many of whom are dancing, some waiting for drinks or playing a round of pool. Others filter in and out of the room through an old-fashioned phone booth emblazoned with the words “Hell Phone.” A DJ is perched in the corner of the room a good 20 feet off the floor – their floating presence mimics that of an angel or a devil, depending on your perspective.Hell Phone, launched only six months ago, may have a strong name but its identity is amorphous. Founders Bree Olsson and Finlay Mangan refer to it as a “techno speakeasy,” though, more broadly speaking, it’s a DIY “multi-use space” for live musi...
How Tiger Woods and Nike’s Epic Partnership Fell Apart
That there could ever be a world in which Tiger Woods wasn’t sponsored by Nike seemed unspeakable. That was before April 3, 2022, the day when Woods arrived at Augusta National Golf Club, all 6′ 1″, 200 lbs of him (pins and nails included), and stepped on to the practice range in FootJoy shoes.“That's absolute sacrilege at a company like Nike,” says Jordan Rogers, a former brand marketing director at the company. Hindsight may be 20/20, but a seemingly spontaneous decision ultimately signaled the beginning of the end of the most celebrated brand/athlete partnership in the history of the game. The morning of January 8, 2024, Tiger Woods and Nike each confirmed what many had already suspected. “The days have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories,” wrote Tiger. “If I started n...
Samsung Announced its Latest Smartphone Series and Google CEO Told Employees To Expect More Layoffs in This Week’s Tech Roundup
This week, the tech industry saw Samsung reveal its latest range of smartphones, dubbed the Galaxy S24. Elsewhere, Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees to expect more layoffs to come in 2024.Apple made headlines as well this week for two key things, overtaking Samsung as the biggest smartphone manufacturer and, on the product front, opening its $3.5K USD Vision Pro up for pre-order.Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top tech stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.Samsung Announces its Latest Galaxy S24 Series of SmartphonesSamsung officially lifted the curtain on its imminent generation of smartphones, the Galaxy S24 series, which consists of Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 – all of which are powered by the latest chipset from Qualcomm, th...
Song of the Week: Kim Gordon’s “BYE BYE” Is a Fucking Banger
Other standout tracks from this week came from Yard Act, Lime Garden, and English Teacher Song of the Week: Kim Gordon’s “BYE BYE” Is a Fucking Banger Paolo Ragusa and Consequence Staff
Hypeart Visits: Will Child Breathes New Life Into Claymation
After bouncing around England, Will Child has found his niche. Trained as a graphic designer and now fully dedicated to the forgotten craft of claymation, the Leeds-born, Bristol-based artist is relishing his newfound career. It all started to form when he moved down to London to be closer to his girlfriend (now wife), where Child promised himself that he would try as many hand-made mediums as possible. “As soon as I started doing claymation, it all started to make sense,” he tells Hypeart. “I started to realize how much I loved the shows, films and comics I consumed as a kid — an amalgamation of things.”Browsing his Instagram and you’ll find loads of actors, rappers and footballers reimagined as chunky plasticine figures that are simply fun to look at, just like the films that inspired th...
Here Are All of the Performers at the 2024 Grammy Awards
Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Olivia Rodrigo are among the event's confirmed performers. Here Are All of the Performers at the 2024 Grammy Awards Paolo Ragusa
