FEATURES
With Their Debut EP, Bimini Wants to Rebel
We’re waiting for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star, fashion icon, author, model, political and Queer activist, and now, recording artist Bimini to join us on the call. Then “Ello! You alright babes?” rings down the line, and we immediately knew were in good company. Bimini has an infectious quality. It’s what made them a standout, among many other talents they possess, on the BBC Three drag competition show two years ago – earning the title of Miss Congeniality, no less. And as is no secret, once you’re on the world’s biggest drag stage, it’s only up from there. With newfound fame comes hoards of fans, TikTok dance routines based on the legendary lipsync for your life challenges and “going out-out” looks based on the Queens’ often jaw-dropping ensembles. However, Bimini was one of the few Queen...
Styles P Is Advocating for Health in Underserved Urban Communities
Styles P is driven to make a change in his community. As a rapper himself, the common association between rap and substance abuse is something Styles P says he’s reflected on since opening the doors of his juice franchise, Juices For Life.Styles was born in Queens but moved with his mother and brother to Yonkers after his parents’ divorce. It was there that he says he observed the proliferation of substance abuse in low-income areas of New York City. More than a mere business opportunity, the rapper – who rose to fame in the mid-'90s as part of rap trio The Lox – was driven to open his first juice bar to fill the gaps in access to healthy, fresh food that individuals from his neighborhood often face.“If you grew up in the hood, there's a liquor store on every corner, there's a fast food pl...
Letter from the Editor: The Blur Cover Story
Damon Albarn reveals how years of change brought him back to Blur. Letter from the Editor: The Blur Cover Story Ben Kaye
Meet Min Woo Lee, the Pro Golfer of the Future
Min Woo Lee just crushed a drive 350 yards-plus down the middle of the fairway. Launch monitor technology recorded the ball coming off the club face at a speed of 193 miles per hour. Seconds later, a clip is uploaded to Instagram. The caption? "Let him cook." It's a phrase that not everybody in golf may be familiar with, but for the people who understand, it's a ringing endorsement.Crushing golf balls comes natural to him, and so does serving looks. Ever since The Players Championship this year when he first pulled a mock neck shirt over his head, the people can't get enough of him. Add in a mullet, mustache, and Flak Jacket Oakleys, and Min Woo starts looking more like an F1 driver than your average polo and khakis-clad PGA TOUR golfer. He's built for speed, and he has the fast ball to pr...
Ashley Monae on the Power of Storytelling as a Creative Director
Looking back, Ashley Monae acknowledges that it was a no-brainer for her to end up as a creative director. It wasn’t necessarily because she had set it as a particular goal, but rather because of her dedication to follow her love for music and visual art.School didn’t play a major role in her path, but it would be wrong to dismiss the story of how her past endeavors directly led her to become RCA Records’ Creative Director for Creative and Content Development. Monae went to school for Print Journalism and a minor in Film Theory — both of which focus on storytelling, which she describes as “an integral part of creative direction” — and kicked off her career in the industry as a music journalist for the likes of PAPER Magazine and Pitchfork. Her transition to an A&R role came at the sugg...
Meta Launched Threads and Twitter Reportedly Threatened To Sue in This Week’s Tech Roundup
This week, the tech industry was struck by the launch of Meta’s Threads, a text-based app set up to give Twitter a run for its money. Just a day after the launch, Twitter’s lawyer reportedly sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, accusing the Meta CEO of using “trade secrets” to build the app.Elsewhere in tech, OpenAI announced that it’ll be dedicating a team of engineers and computer scientists to control advanced AI with “superintelligent” properties. And on the product side, Nothing released its popular Ear (2) buds in a new black colorway.Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top tech stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.OpenAI Shared Its Assembling a Team To Control ‘Superintelligent’ AIOpenAI is working to address concerns about potential risks that excee...
Beyoncé’s “Renaissance World Tour” Is the Summer’s Hottest Dance Club
A dazzling two-and-a-half hour spectacle that incorporated all the elements of her creative genius. Beyoncé’s “Renaissance World Tour” Is the Summer’s Hottest Dance Club Karen Bliss
Best New Tracks: Mick Jenkins x JID, Dominic Fike 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 Mick Jenkins x JID and Dominic Fike, who dropped the single "Smoke Break-Dance" and the album Sunburn, respectively. Also joining this selection are offerings from JELEEL!, Coi Leray with David Guetta, Black Sherif, Conway the Machine, KennyHoopla and Little Dragon.Mick Jenkins x JID - "Smoke Break-Dance"Mick Jenkins announces The Patience, his first full-length effort in two years, with the release of "Smoke Break-Dance" featuring JID. "As best I can be, I am a person who does everything within his power to change his situation. I think with some level of consistency, that behavior inevitably leads you to a point where you have to wai...
Bktherula Manifests Her Dreams Through Mantra Music
From psychedelically melodic tracks like “Right NOW” and "okok/depressing" to high-energy party starters like "Uh Huh," Bktherula, is laying the groundwork for a career built on evolution. It's been only three years since the Atlanta native officially hopped on the scene with 2020’s Love Santana, but in that short time, she's already released four projects of what she calls “mantra music.”Whether it be Love Santana, 2020 follow-up Nirvana, 2021's Love Black or this year’s LVL5 P1, the attraction in Bktherula's music is her dance between balanced melodies and harder rap elements – making for an irrefutably versatile sound. Now the artist is adding to the versatility of her catalog with her newly released EP, Love Nirvana (Acoustic)."My sound is mantra music. I'm speaking to the world the sa...
Song of the Week: Taylor Swift and Hayley Williams Rebuild a Dynasty with “Castles Crumbling”
The new collaboration arrives on Speak Now (Taylor's Version). Song of the Week: Taylor Swift and Hayley Williams Rebuild a Dynasty with “Castles Crumbling” Mary Siroky
Hypeart Visits: Jakob Rowlinson’s Fusion of Fantasy and Reality
Jakob Rowlinson masterfully blends the natural world with medieval symbolism in his thought-provoking artworks, exploring the evolving perceptions of masculinity. Employing collage techniques and working with felt, he merges decorative patterns inspired by medieval designs and manuscript marginalia with organic iconography. These compositions are enriched by lush green moss, ferns, and foliage, harmoniously blending the natural and the symbolic. Within these captivating landscapes, Rowlinson incorporates contemporary stylized symbols.Rowlinson's creative inspiration stems from artbooks and fantasy artwork, including the alluring illustrations found on book covers and video games. Influenced by the Final Fantasy franchise and profoundly moved by Francis Bacon's emotional portraits, he devel...
True Techno: Why Kappa Futur Is More than Just a Music Festival
Kappa Futur Festival just celebrated its 10th anniversary, providing a techno utopia for thousands of attendees in a futuristic landscape to let go, express themselves, and become whoever they want to be.Based in the heart of Turin, Italy, Kappa Futur Festival provides an experience that sets it aside from other music festivals. Featuring cutting-edge lighting – designed by local artists and creatives – the venue also includes best-in-class sound systems, as well as an intricately chosen schedule that highlights the best in techno, house, and electronic music.Along with its immersive sound and ever-evolving line-ups yearly, Kappa Futur Festival is steeped in history. Held in the Parco Dora, a former car factory in the centre of Turin, the location is the result of the “most impressive post...
