Hip-Hop
R.I.P. Gift of Gab, Blackalicious Rapper Dead at 50
Gift of Gab, who set a new standard for tongue-twisting lyricism as part of hip-hop duo Blackalicious, has died at 50. The artist also known as Timothy J. Parker passed away on June 18th. His exact cause of death has not been released publicly, though a statement from his family and crew noted that he had been diagnosed with kidney failure in 2014. He was undergoing dialysis three to four times a week even while on tour, and successfully received a new kidney in 2020. Born October 7th, 1971, Gift of Gab became a fixture in the Sacramento rap scene in the early 1990s. But with the formation of Blackalicious alongside DJ Chief Xcel (aka Xavier Mosley), he would change the trajectory of hip-hop forever. The pair’s first two albums, 1999’s Nia and 2002’s Blazing Arrow, ...
Tyler, the Creator Shares New Album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: Stream
Tyler, the Creator released his new album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, today. Stream it via Apple Music and Spotify below. The 16-track project follows his 2019 Grammy-winning album, IGOR, and features an impressive list of guests. Featured artists include Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, and Pharrell, as well as 42 Dugg, Ty Dolla $ign, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Odd Future member Domo Genesis also makes an appearance. In the lead-up to CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, Tyler shared “LUMBERJACK” and “WUSYANAME”. Word of new music from Tyler first surfaced earlier this month via mysterious billboards and an accompanying website. Both provided a phone number which initially played a conversation between the rapper and his mother. Related Video Tyler has lined up a number of festival appearances t...
Mick Jenkins Drops New Single “Truffles”: Stream
Mick Jenkins has unveiled his new single “Truffles”, produced by Monte Booker and available via Cinematic Music Group. The track serves as the rapper’s follow-up to his pair of 2020 one-offs, “Frontstreet Freestyle” and the Kojey Radical-assisted “Snakes”, as well as last year’s The Circus EP. The accompanying visual for “Truffles” — directed by Andre Muir — depicts Jenkins in an eerie suburban neighborhood filled with smiling, zombie-like residents that slowly transform from Black to white. “It was Goyard totes and Carhartt tees/ And atop the Coldplay carpet ’round my feet/ The Dolce scarf that’s ’round my face, forgot my mask/ Fuck,” he raps as he watches a jogger make her way down the street. Later, he’s surrounded by his creepy, dead-eyed neighbors as they invade his house, c...
New Pop Smoke Album On the Way, 1 Year After His Posthumous Debut Project
Indeed, Pop Smoke has been making history since the release of his first single, “MPR.” His posthumously released debut album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, which dropped July 3, 2020, topped the Billboard 200 and charted for 50 weeks. The hit also saw massive international success, hitting No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums tally, where it charted for 45 weeks. Pop Smoke’s debut studio album also charted in Greece, Germany, Australia and Italy. The Brooklyn native, né Bashar Barakah Jackson, died Feb. 19, 2020, at age 20. Ahead of his death, Smoke released the fan-favorite mixtapes Meet the Woo and Meet the Woo 2. The latter debuted Feb. 7, 2020, just two weeks before Pop Smoke was killed in a home invasion in Los Angeles. The star is...
Sony Germany’s Urban Music Chief Stresses Need For More ‘Diverse Styles of Music’
Omerbegovic was a street basketball star — including a year playing in Kentucky — before studying political communication in Düsseldorf, with a stint at the Harvard Business School . He subsequently started performing hip-hop as Slick One. He is founder of the clothing label Pusher Apparel and the co-founder of the Suckit frozen cocktail popsicle company. A joint venture with Universal Music followed in 2014, where he was President of Rap for UMG’s German subsidiary. Under the new linkup with Sony, Omerbegovic’s title is President of Urban Sony Music Germany. In March this year, RIN‘s anthem “Dior 2001” reached platinum status – his most successful single with over 120 million streams. “Dior 2001” was previously released via Groove Attack, as were Eros from 2017 and...
GZA, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah Announce “3 Chambers Tour”
Wu-Tang Clan members GZA, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah are uniting for the “3 Chambers Tour”, a “tri-headlining” outing which will see each rapper perform material from his respective classic solo album. GZA will perform tracks from Liquid Swords; Raekwon will run through Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, and Ghostface Killah will revisit Ironman. The “3 Chambers Tour” officially kicks off in Minneapolis on October 1st and visits 25 US cities through mid-December. Check out the full list of dates below. Related Video Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 23rd at 12 pm local time. “3 Chambers Tour” Dates:10/01 – Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre10/02 – Sauget, IL @ Pop’s10/03 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s10/16 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore10/20 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall10/22 – Chicago, IL @ Co...
Tyler, the Creator Is Smitten on New Song “WUSYANAME”: Stream
In case you missed the memo, Tyler, the Creator season is officially in full swing, culminating in the release of his new album Call Me If You Get Lost this Friday. The rapper has shared another preview of the record today with the lovesick track “WUSYANAME”. The song arrives with a dreamy, summery music video directed by Tyler under his Wolf Haley pseudonym. “WUSYANAME” is short and sweet, backed by a ‘90s R&B groove as Tyler tries to woo the apple of his eye. “Let’s go to Cannes and watch a couple indie movies that you’ve never heard of,” goes one of the track’s standout lyrics. “If you got a man, you should cut him off/ Get your passport, ’cause we runnin’ off.” The music video sees Tyler arrive at an outdoor European-style cafe, making futile attempts to pick up a pretty woman who ...
Tyler, the Creator Just Wants to Know ‘WUSYANAME’ in New Music Video
The visual may be a continuation of last week’s music video for “Lumberjack,” in which Tyler receives a manicure with the same mint-green nail polish that he sports in the new “WUSYANAME” (What’s Your Name) music video. As the new music video progresses, Tyler, the Creator finds himself in awe as he follows the striking woman, rapping, “Aw, you look malnourished/ Let’s get some bread/ Fry the egg yolk and drown it in syrup/ You pick a spot, I pick a tail number and we can be tourists.” He goes on, “Let’s go to Cannes and watch a couple indie movies that you never heard of/ Listen to bands, groove and we dance/ Disco in France, smell some perfume, head in the wind/ We can switch off.” Tyler late...
NFT Auction of Jay-Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Album Halted by Judge
An auction had been set for June 23-25, according to the complaint, but it was canceled after Roc-A-Fella sent a warning letter to SuperFarm. The label was concerned Dash might still pursue a sale, so it asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order. During a Tuesday morning hearing, U.S. District Court Judge John Cronan asked why monetary damages wouldn’t suffice. Alex Spiro, representing the record company, answered, “A lot of it has to do with the uniqueness added to the unique industry.” Dash and his lawyers didn’t show up for hearing, but Spiro said they were served papers and had previously responded to a cease and desist. Dash’s side has also commented about the dispute in the media where they said they really wanted to sell shares in Roc-A-Fella. Cronan said Jay-Z’s record...
Al Green, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube to Headline Once Upon a Time in LA Festival
Whoever said old-school hip-hop and R&B were dead hasn’t seen the lineup for Once Upon a Time in LA, an epic one-day fest going down at Banc of California & Exposition Park on December 18th, 2021. Al Green is the main headliner, and while that’s incredible enough on its own, the fest’s lineup is also stacked with West Coast icons like Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Ice Cube, The Game, Cypress Hill, E-40, and tons more. This is, in fact, not a fairytale. Along with the aforementioned artists, this fest will include additional veteran hip-hop favorites like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Three Six Mafia, DJ Quik, Warren G, Xzibit, and Too Short. There’s also a big pull for funk and soul fans, with performances by the Isley Brothers, Parliament-Funkadelic, War, Zapp, Brenton Wood, Mary Jane Girls, Morri...
Cordae Announces His New Record Label Hi Level: ‘I Know What It Takes to Make Artists Legendary’
“Hi Level [will house] artists, production, and management, where everyone elevates together, by way of working together,” says Cordae’s manager, Ace Christian. The label will offer in-house marketing and PR services, in addition to artist development. While Cordae has yet to sign any artists, he says that there are a few he has his eye on. “Everybody thinks my first artist is gonna rap like me, when that may not be the case at all,” says Cordae. “If we find the next Jazmine Sullivan, I’d be extremely happy.” Christian says Cordae’s vision spans beyond the music, centering the importance of signed artists’ personal and professional growth. “Hi Level was created to focus on the well-being of artists and creatives, even before the business,” says Christian. “Artist developme...
Lil Baby Announces 2021 Tour with Lil Durk
Lil Baby has detailed a 2021 tour, “The Back Outside Tour”, with Lil Durk as his special guest. The star rappers’ joint album, The Voice of the Heroes, debuted at No. 1 earlier this month. The fall trek kicks off on September 1st at the Xfinity Cente in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and includes stops in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn. It wraps up at iThink Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida on October 15th. Pre-sales have begun at Ticketmaster, with tickets opening to the general public on Friday, June 25th at 10:00 a.m. local time. Look for deals here once they sell out, and check out the full schedule of Lil Baby’s 2021 tour dates with Lil Durk below. Related Video Prior to The Voice of the Heroes, Baby released his chart-topping sophomore album, My Tu...
