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On a balmy recent August evening, Gustavo Dudamel strode onto the stage of the Hollywood Bowl wearing a huge golden gauntlet on his left hand.
He wouldn’t get to use it. Dudamel is dramatic, but he’s no comic book villain; he’s the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and he was there to conduct the orchestra for the world premiere of Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience. So instead of wielding the power of assorted Infinity Stones to change the world, Dudamel accepted the “vibranium baton” presented to him by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige (a reference to the fictional metal of the Marvel universe) and performed some magic of his own, conducting two-plus hours of raucous music from 25 different Marvel movies, backed by gigantic video screens with 3D projections, dancers, fireworks and thousands of screaming fans.
The whole thing looked more like a rock show than a symphony concert. Then again, Dudamel is the closest thing to a rock star the classical music world has.
After nearly two decades in Los Angeles, Dudamel hobnobs with the likes of Chris Martin and John Williams, is close friends with Frank Gehry (who designed the stunning Walt Disney Concert Hall, the L.A. Phil’s home that opened a little over 20 years ago) and counts Billie Eilish, Gwen Stefani, Ricky Martin and Carlos Vives among the dozens of pop world luminaries who’ve guested under his (non-vibranium) baton. He has won five Grammy Awards (including, this year, best orchestral performance for the L.A. Phil’s recording of composer Thomas Adès’ Dante) and placed nine albums at No. 1 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical Albums chart. His life is the subject of the documentary Viva Maestro! And, though never officially confirmed, he was clearly the inspiration behind the character of the free-thinking, mercurial Latin maestro played by Gael García Bernal in the Amazon Prime series Mozart in the Jungle, in which he had a small role as a stage manager.
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In the span of just two weeks from the end of August to mid-September, Dudamel conducted Strauss with the Vienna Philharmonic in Salzburg, Austria, and then flew to Los Angeles where, including the two Marvel shows, he led the L.A. Phil in nine concerts, conducting Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and Beethoven’s Ninth; dances by living Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra; Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals and scenes from Bizet’s Carmen; plus two evenings of contemporary Latin music with Mexican pop/folk singer Natalia Lafourcade. It’s a staggering musical offering. All told, more than 100,000 people attended Dudamel’s nine summer concerts at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Phil, which he will again conduct on Oct. 8 at the opening night of Carnegie Hall’s 2024-25 season in New York.
“He is unique in the classical music world because not only does he lead the orchestra and elevate the work of the L.A. Phil in terms of excellence, but he also connects the orchestra with different kinds of music, collaborating with artists [in other genres] with which we wouldn’t typically perform,” L.A. Phil president/CEO Kim Noltemy says. “The result is he brings orchestra music to so many different people. That is one unbelievably unique piece that makes Gustavo special.”
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For Dudamel, it’s part of a deep-rooted belief that music as an art, with purpose, supersedes specific forms and genres. “As an orchestral musician, you value the work of these pop artists, and likewise, pop acts have the opportunity to see that the academicism of the other side isn’t overwhelming, but rather, it’s the same thing in a different style,” he says. “Yes, there’s a fascinating technical complexity [to classical music]. But in the end, what matters is what you feel and what people perceive. We have to erase people’s fears regarding classical music. It may be intellectual in execution, but music’s power is spiritual.”
Not since Leonard Bernstein has a conductor done as much as Dudamel to make classical music accessible — or so thoroughly captured the public imagination. The two maestros share a not just persuasive but borderline evangelical approach to relentlessly promoting music as a “fundamental human right,” not just by broadening what qualifies as “classical” repertoire but also broadening the concept of the orchestra itself. Bernstein’s televised Young People’s Concerts were central to his efforts to expand classical music’s audience; Dudamel has worked to create youth orchestras worldwide. And then, of course, there’s the hair: Bernstein’s silky pompadour flung about wildly as he conducted, and while Dudamel’s signature curly brown mop is perhaps a little less springy than when he made his U.S. conducting debut with the L.A. Phil in 2005 and is now peppered with gray, it still pops and sways with the music.
It’s a visible reminder of the personal stamp he continues to leave in a world of relatively staid personalities, and undoubtedly a factor in his broad recognizability. Dudamel is one of the few faces in classical music known far beyond the space, no doubt one of many reasons the L.A. Phil will miss him when his last season as music and artistic director ends and he officially takes over the New York Philharmonic in its 2026-27 season as music and artistic director.
When he does, Dudamel will become the first Latino to helm the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States, joining a pantheon of giants that includes Arturo Toscanini, Gustav Mahler and Bernstein himself. Expectations for his arrival are so heightened, says N.Y. Phil executive advisor and interim CEO Deborah Borda, that even though Dudamel will not formally join for another season, “we saw a record surge in subscription sales, as patrons are concerned they won’t be able to secure tickets once he starts.”
For Dudamel, being the first Latino to lead the N.Y. Phil long term is a matter of “immense pride. But I feel it doesn’t have to do with a race or a culture,” he says. Historically, he notes, the great symphony orchestras in the United States and beyond have been led mostly by European men who not only represented the music they performed, but also the European migration to this country and Latin America.
Dudamel’s story is completely different. The real triumph “is about where I come from,” he says. “I don’t come from a traditional music conservatory. I come from El Sistema de Orquestas, a program where you grow up playing music with your friends.”
It’s the morning after he has conducted Carnival of the Animals and Carmen, and Dudamel has joined me for coffee in an empty Hollywood Bowl meeting room. He has traded the formal white dinner jacket of the Marvel show for offstage casual — track pants, short-sleeved T-shirt and sneakers — and his trademark mix of impish humor (accentuated by his still-boyish dimples) and deep thoughtfulness. Born and raised in Venezuela, Dudamel learned English as an adult, and though it’s grammatically perfect — albeit with a clipped, precise accent — he prefers his native Spanish, which he speaks very quickly (as most Venezuelans do) and with the erudite lingo of an intellectual, often citing the likes of Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno or Mexican writer Octavio Paz.
Today, we’re talking not just about his new appointment and the legacy he’ll leave behind in L.A. as he begins to build another in New York, but also the legacy he grew up with — one that still defines him.
At 43, Dudamel is almost as old as El Sistema Nacional de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela (The National System of Venezuelan Youth and Children’s Choruses and Orchestras). Known simply as El Sistema, it was founded in 1975 by musician-economist José Antonio Abreu, who held several government appointments and built El Sistema as part of the government structure, guaranteeing its existence and funding regardless of who was in power.
El Sistema was created more than 20 years before the Hugo Chávez regime, built on the premise that music education should be free and accessible to all children, everywhere in the country. For Abreu, who died in 2018, the power of music was transformative, spiritual and lasting, particularly in a developing country rife with poverty. What started with a first rehearsal attended by 11 children eventually grew to 443 schools (each called a “nucleus” in Sistema terminology) and 1,700 satellite centers that teach over 1 million children in Venezuela’s 24 states, according to El Sistema’s official webpage.
Abreu’s philosophy — famously, he said that “a child who plays an instrument with a teacher is no longer poor; he is a child on the rise” — is one Dudamel not only espouses but assumes as his identity. He’s still the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and will tour Europe with it next year for El Sistema’s 50th anniversary. (The tour stops are connected to cities with which Dudamel has a personal history.) He has no plans to change his commitment to it. “I would give my life for the orchestra,” he states bluntly. “It gave me everything I’m living now, and that’s why I share it as much as I can.”
Gustavo Dudamel photographed September 3, 2024 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Joe Pugliese
But in the last few years, throughout Venezuela’s many political government crises and now, after the contested July reelection of President Nicolás Maduro — who has been in power since 2013 and whose latest reelection has been widely disclaimed both domestically and internationally as rigged — Dudamel has sometimes been criticized by other Venezuelans abroad for not speaking out more against the government.
Some critics have suggested that Maduro has used Venezuela’s youth orchestra to his political advantage. Renowned Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero has long called it a propaganda tool; when Dudamel conducted the ensemble at Carnegie Hall days after Maduro’s reelection, Human Rights Foundation parked a truck outside the venue displaying the message “Maduro Stole The Election” and asking Dudamel, “How long will you continue to serve as Maduro’s puppet and henchman?” The organization explained on social media that it wanted “to remind the world of Maduro’s fraud and to call out Dudamel for engaging in shameless propaganda and providing cover for the Venezuelan dictator.”
But, Dudamel points out, he has not been silent. He has written New York Times and Los Angeles Times op-eds calling for an end to repression in Venezuela and speaking against the government’s plans to rewrite the nation’s constitution. In 2017, after Venezuelan government forces killed a young violinist during a protest, Dudamel published an open letter, writing, “Nothing justifies bloodshed. We must stop ignoring the just cry of the people suffocated by an intolerable crisis. I urgently call on the President of the Republic and the national government to rectify and listen to the voice of the Venezuelan people.”
“I am one voice,” he says today. “People think if I speak out everything is going to change, but that’s not the case. There needs to be radical change, and that will take a lot of time.
“We live in a world of immediacy, where there’s always pressure to say something,” he adds when I ask why he hasn’t spoken out more in the wake of July’s contested election. “When do people actually reflect before speaking? You have to consider the entire situation. El Sistema de Orquestas represents all Venezuela, not just a part of it… El Sistema is focused on the neediest communities. That’s the truth. Isn’t that a way to change the country, far more than shouting? So you have to be prudent because you’re part of that. I’m not an individual speaking as an individual because that’s not how I grew up. I grew up in an orchestra.”
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This was Dudamel’s mindset during his own first El Sistema experience. He started music lessons at a school in his native Barquisimeto, a quaint city of under 1 million people in northwestern Venezuela. This was the mid-’80s, still years before Chávez took power, but a decade into the existence of El Sistema, which by then was thriving.
“I was only 5 years old, but I remember it perfectly,” Dudamel recalls. “It was the home of Doña Doralisa de Medina. It was a tiny colonial house where Maestro Abreu studied as a child. Doralisa was no longer alive, but El Sistema was there. The house had a red gate with musical notes. I walked in down a passageway and then to a patio, and I heard Chopin on the piano, a trumpet, violins. I fell in love with that cacophony.”
El Sistema didn’t pluck Dudamel out of abject poverty. His father is a working salsa trombonist; his mother, a voice teacher. His uncle, a doctor, was also a gifted cuatro player who taught Dudamel how to play popular Venezuelan music: waltzes, tangos, boleros — what Dudamel calls his very essence.
Perhaps because music flowed through his family, Dudamel’s own studies were encouraged but never imposed. He started conducting by accident, when his youth orchestra’s conductor arrived late for rehearsal and Dudamel took the podium, almost as if it was a game.
While no one ever told him he would make it big, his talent would have been impossible to miss. Abreu took an early interest in him, becoming a mentor and moral compass. He’s still very much alive in Dudamel’s head — he constantly begins sentences with “El Maestro Abreu…” — as are his teachings: to think long term, to learn from mistakes, to see music as a social instrument. It was Abreu, after all, who urged Dudamel, then in his early 20s, to enter Germany’s prestigious Mahler Competition, for conducting works by the vaunted composer, in 2004. When he won, it changed his life, catapulting him from local star to global wunderkind.
Among the jurors was Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Finnish composer and current San Francisco Symphony music director who was, at the time, music director of the L.A. Phil. “I was deeply impressed by the talent of this guy, but also, I felt he was such a good guy,” Salonen recalls. “I told him I wanted to invite him to L.A.” As he got to know Dudamel, he continues, “I became so convinced about him being my favorite person to take over in L.A. and become my successor, taking [the orchestra] in a different direction but keeping his curiosity and openness.” A mere three years later, Salonen’s wishes came true: the L.A. Phil — where Deborah Borda was then executive director — appointed Dudamel music director, effective with the 2009-10 season.
Dudamel’s personable demeanor and charismatic conducting style immediately enchanted L.A. audiences and the ensemble’s players alike — he is, after all, affectionately known as “The Dude” to both cohorts. But from the jump, his mission went far beyond the podium. “I was very young, and evidently there was a human and artistic connection with the orchestra and the administration,” he says. “But my first order of business was creating El Sistema here. That’s how YOLA began.”
YOLA is Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, the L.A. Phil’s music education program, that Dudamel created in 2007. It currently serves close to 1,700 young musicians across five sites in the city, providing them free instruments, intensive music instruction (up to 18 hours per week), academic support and leadership training. The program has inspired hundreds of versions around the world; in the United States alone, El Sistema USA serves 140 member programs, 6,000 teaching artists and 25,000 students. Dudamel also launched a mentorship program for young conductors in 2009 and now brings four each season to assist the L.A. Phil’s guest conductors.
But education and training are just part of the equation to “create identity and have people see themselves reflected in the [L.A.] Philharmonic,” Dudamel says. “Right or wrong, cultural artistic institutions are seen as elitist for many, especially those who don’t have resources. The adventure was to make of the [L.A.] Philharmonic an institution people could identify with.”
Dudamel began doing this gradually by being more experimental in his programming, adding more pop and jazz guest artists, bringing Hollywood into the mix (he has famously played multiple concerts of John Williams’ music, with Williams in attendance) and opening up the repertoire to new works and unexpected juxtapositions. A ticket buyer who might not want to hear a world-premiere commission might be lured in by Beethoven; one allergic to the idea of Beethoven might reconsider after seeing an orchestra perform with Ricky Martin.
“For me, it wasn’t only about building a good orchestra,” Dudamel says. “That already existed. But now we have one of the top orchestras in the world, respected as much for its technical level as for its proud acceptance of the repertoire and the way they perform it. This wasn’t ‘Oh, Gustavo, come in and do whatever you want.’ It was figuring out how to build it.” Dudamel had the Hollywood Bowl, Disney Hall and the orchestra. “All the elements were there,” he continues. “We just had to get the best out of them. And there’s still a lot to do.”
Gustavo Dudamel photographed September 3, 2024 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
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Dudamel conducted the L.A. Phil at the 2011 Latin Grammys and the 2019 Academy Awards. He led the orchestra alongside Billie Eilish and FINNEAS as part of the concert film experience Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, released on Disney+. And he performed at the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show with members of YOLA, alongside Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars.
“His authentic, warm connection with audiences really changes how people feel when watching a concert. Audiences are so excited to see him, and there’s a buzz around him,” Noltemy says, noting that pandemic era aside, attendance and audience diversity at the L.A. Phil have increased while the average age of concertgoers has decreased. “He’s certainly not the only conductor who has increased attendance and brought diversity, but he did so in L.A., a city that is so spread out. His concerts at Disney Hall tend to be sold out.”
Those results have occurred even as Dudamel has made a huge effort to foster contemporary composition (typically not an old-school orchestra subscriber’s favorite programming), commissioning music from composers around the world. During his tenure at the L.A. Phil, the orchestra has premiered “at least 300 new works” written specifically for the ensemble, he says, including many from Latin America.
“Latin American repertoire has to stop being [perceived as] exotic,” he says. “It’s not about ‘Wow, we’re playing Latin American music!’ No. It’s the fair thing to do. And the only way to include it in the repertoire is playing it but at the level it deserves, making it part of the regular repertoire of any orchestra.” Case in point: Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz, a Dudamel mentee who was just named Carnegie Hall’s composer-in-residence for the coming season. In July, Platoon released her first full album of orchestral works, Revolución Diamantina (performed by the L.A. Phil and conducted by Dudamel), which is being submitted for Grammy consideration.
Just how much of his approach with the L.A. Phil Dudamel will be able to replicate in New York remains to be seen; as he says, he has yet to formally arrive and experience the orchestra. But in recent months, he has been working with both orchestras to forge a connection between the two.
In April, when Dudamel conducted the N.Y. Phil’s Spring Gala at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, he featured rapper Common, former New York Yankee and classically trained guitarist Bernie Williams and student musicians from several New York music schools, performing a program that also included classical works by Villa-Lobos and Strauss, as well as a premiere commissioned by the N.Y. Phil and Bravo! Vail Music Festival.
It was the kind of bold, cross-genre programming that Dudamel delights in doing in L.A. and clearly wants to emphasize in New York. “It was something completely new and wonderful. For me, that’s the kind of thing that makes the music transcend beyond the sometimes strict academic and intellectual isolation that classical music represents,” he says. “We can develop a lot in terms of repertoire and go beyond Lincoln Center and connect more with the entire community.”
Gustavo Dudamel photographed September 3, 2024 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Joe Pugliese
The N.Y. Phil, for example, is known for its massive annual free outdoor concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park, which is always attended by no less than 50,000, and it also performs in all five boroughs during its annual Concerts in the Parks. But the L.A. Phil has the Hollywood Bowl, an outdoor venue that seats 18,000 and is the orchestra’s home for the entire summer. It’s a big difference that Dudamel would like to somehow bridge.
He also joins the N.Y. Phil after the 2022 reopening of Geffen Hall following a $550 million renovation that drastically improved its acoustics. He says the new venue did not factor into his decision to go to New York, “but it was very important, especially for the orchestra. It’s been a plus to elevate the morale. Now the orchestra is in the process of building its sound with the ‘instrument’ [that is the new hall].” Optimism is also high following the Sept. 20 finalization of a new labor contract that ensured 30% raises for the orchestra’s musicians over the next three years, bringing their base salary to $205,000.
Dudamel is also taking the reins of an institution that lately has had its share of highly publicized troubles. After just one year on the job, N.Y. Phil CEO Gary Ginstling stepped down in July amid rising tensions with the orchestra’s board, according to a New York Times report. And the orchestra’s public image has been tarnished after reports earlier this year resurfaced a 2010 sexual misconduct charge made against two of its musicians. Although charges were never filed against the two men, the controversy led to the musicians being put on leave; they then sued the N.Y. Phil for doing so.
As Dudamel is not yet officially the N.Y. Phil’s music director (for the 2025-26 season, he is music director designate), he won’t comment on administrative matters other than to acknowledge that “those are problems that need to be resolved.” And although the administration of the orchestra ultimately is not his purview, “Obviously the morale of the orchestra is my responsibility, and you have to keep that morale high, taking the best decisions and advocating for justice for everyone,” he says. “That’s essential. We’re not isolated from what happens around us.”
Whatever may have occurred before his tenure begins, Dudamel is without a doubt joining an orchestra that respects him as a conductor, whose musicians have a history and rapport with him. “There was an undeniable spontaneous connection between our musicians and Gustavo, so much so that he was literally their only choice to be our next music director,” Borda says. “Selling tickets is important, but we believe this is best accomplished when you have the right artistic leader.”
Dudamel is acutely aware of the expectations now surrounding him. “It’s a challenge, but life without challenge… it’s nothing!” he says with some relish. “But I’m not a savior here. I have nothing to save. What we have to do is build, and that’s not just up to me. We have a great team.” And after all, he’s Dudamel — and by now, he understands it comes with the territory.
“People want you to scream what they scream, but no. To me, change isn’t about screaming but about building things that last, as I learned from Maestro Abreu,” he says. “I sincerely believe artists should be symbols of unity … They must guarantee that cathartic, unifying space we all need — not just here or in Venezuela, but everywhere.”
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This fall, for example, Dudamel will lead the L.A. Phil in Mendelssohn’s music from A Midsummer’s Night Dream with his wife, Spanish actress María Valverde, providing narration — music by a German composer, written for the work of a British playwright who derived it from a Nordic story, now narrated in Spanish, conducted by a Venezuelan and performed by an American orchestra. Plus, the evening will feature the premiere of Ortiz’s new cello concerto.
“It’s the kind of thing you don’t even remark upon because it feels natural. But it’s a true reflection of diversity,” Dudamel says. “When you see all these elements come together, you realize, ‘Wow, this is powerful.’ ”
He speaks about this blend of so many seemingly disparate elements as if it’s destiny, or magic. But a moment like that — much like a career such as Dudamel’s — doesn’t occur by happenstance or without purpose.
“One thing about Gustavo I think needs to be said is that for someone who had a lot of success from very early on, he’s remarkable in that he never lost his center,” Salonen says. “He has never lost his ideals. He believes in music as a social cause, and he believes in music and the arts as a very central thing in keeping the fabric of society strong. And despite all the success and fame, he’s still the same guy I met all those years ago.”
This story appears in the Oct. 5, 2024, issue of Billboard.
For Ezra Collective, things rarely go according to plan. At the start of “Ajala,” the vibrant highlight of new album Dance, No One’s Watching, drummer Femi Koleoso jokingly calls out a crowd who didn’t quite get the memo to clap along. When the London jazz group collected the U.K.’s Mercury Prize in 2023 for their album Where I’m Meant To Be, they collapsed in a heap on the ground, shocked at the news.
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Therein lies the appeal of their group’s emotionally charged hits: it’s OK to be caught off-guard. “The dancefloor can be a reflection of life,” Koleoso tells Billboard just hours ahead of its release on Partisan Records last week (Sept. 27). “Life’s not meant to be perfect, it’s meant to be honest. You can’t have a perfect life because so much of life is not in your control, but you can be honest about every situation you go through and try and weather the storm in a genuine way… that’s what all of the record is about.”
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Long a leader in the U.K.’s storied jazz scene, their new album looks set to take them to new heights. Dance, No One’s Watching could see the band’s first top 10 entry on the U.K.’s Official Album Chart. Later this year, they head to Wembley Arena for their biggest ever show and one of the jazz scene’s largest headline shows in the capital.
Made up of Koleoso, brother TJ (bass), Joe Armon-Jones (synths), Ife Ogunjobi (trumpet) and James Mollison (saxophone), Ezra Collective fuse elements of jazz, highlife, Afrobeats, hip-hop and more in their varied songs. Since meeting at a youth club focused on musicianship and jazz in their native London, the band have released three albums and collaborated with Loyle Carner, Jorja Smith, Kojey Radical and rising U.K. pop star Olivia Dean (the latter guests on new song “No One’s Watching Me”).
They’re one of many venerable independent jazz acts in the U.K. releasing consistently and meeting growing audiences. Last month saxophonist Nubya Garcia released her second studio album Odyssey, as did Nala Sinephro with the gorgeous Endlessness. It’s a scene with Ezra Collective at its core, and one that continues to flourish.
Koleoso discusses his contemporaries, why he wants to retain the giddiness of releasing music and how The Beatles and Fela Kuti inspired their new record.
How are you feeling about the release of the album?
Just so happy. It’s the best part of the journey. My technique is that once the masters approved I won’t listen to the album again until it’s released. Honestly, I’ve forgotten most of it! So when midnight strikes I will open Spotify and listen to it like everyone else. And that helps my excitement levels match everyone else’s.
We’ve been doing it a little while now – 12 years as Ezra Collective – and I’ve been playing music for most of my life, but I’ve still got quite a juvenile innocence and get bare excited when I see my name on Spotify. Once you lose that excitement you’re done, you know?
How does this record compare to what you’ve done previously?
The most recent record [2022’s] Where I’m Meant To Be was very much a documentation of our lockdown and Dance, No One’s Watching is the documentation of being let out again. It was looking at the dancefloor on the Ezra Collective world tour and then writing a narrative for them. So the feeling was a lot of freedom and excitement to be outside again.
What were those gigs like for you?
It was wonderful. You could feel the anticipation of people turning up to Ezra Collective gigs like “I am here to have a good night.” I could feel it. People would come with a smile on their face and a pair of leggings and beat-up trainers, and I could look at them like “you’re here to dance.” People in baggy t-shirts and a pair of jeans and I’m thinking, “Yeah, you didn’t even bring a jacket and it’s November, you are here to dance.” I’m so grateful for that and we ended up mirroring that energy up on stage.
How did you end up recording the album at Abbey Road Studios?
We felt if we were going to make a record documenting the dancefloor the only way for it to sound authentic was for it to have people dancing while we made it, and we needed a studio that had the space. It was never meant to be a live album but it was meant to feel live but sound like a studio record. So we needed people in the room dancing and vibing, but at the same time we needed the equipment to record every instrument’s detail at the highest level and that was the place where it was made the most possible.
That must have provided a unique challenge…
Yeah, but if you look back, other people have also done that. The Beatles did something similar with when they recorded Let It Be; they played the gig on the rooftop, and the recording of some songs from the roof concert made the album. It was the same with J.J.D. by Fela Kuti – it just sounds both deep in quality, but occasionally you hear someone scream. We were taking big inspirations from those types of albums in how we approached it. I’m really proud of how it’s come and you can feel the live elements in the album, but it seems on the sound system like a studio record.
It’s such a beautiful space, but what’s important about Abbey Road is that it’s not reserved to those who can afford it. It has to be for the music of today. You need Nia Archives, Loyle Carner and Dave and the band that are still in sixth form that you’ve never heard of. It needs to be a space that musicians aren’t intimidated by as that’s where you’ll get the best art.
Our first ever EP Chapter 7 was actually recorded at Abbey Road, but we only got in because an engineer snuck us in in the middle of the night and told us “you’ve got one hour before they kick you out” and we just played the songs once and that was it. This time it was nice to have permission to be there.
You won the Mercury Prize in 2023, a shock evident to yourself and the band. What was that moment like?
It was a crazy moment. It couldn’t have gone better. Because we were just excited about the nomination! But we’d honestly not even thought about winning. I told everyone to compose themselves and when they say someone else’s name, don’t be all upset about it. So when they said our name it was pure shock. That’s why we ended up on the floor. It was an unexpectedly beautiful moment. But it was a moment and then it’s back to normal the next day, you know? Which I’m grateful for.
The name Ezra Collective was a bit more recognizable after that moment. I think most of the U.K. music industry was aware of the band if they weren’t beforehand, but in terms of the band, I feel exactly the same as I did when we were in school and just started out. It was just me and my friends making songs and I was just grateful for every ounce of attention they got.
Olivia Dean provides vocals on the wonderful “No One’s Watching Me.” What was that session like?
She is so beautifully talented. It’s the perfect kind of session. She came into the studio and we just spoke about life, about how she was, and I asked her to tell me a bit about what dancing meant to her, and she was attracted to the idea that no one’s watching so just move and get on with it. So we discussed that and she was in the booth on her own with a pen and paper and after a couple of hours she said she was ready to record.
I pressed the red button and this wonderful sound and most beautiful voice came out of her. And I remember instantly after she finished I was like “yeah, you can go home.” Like she didn’t need to add anything, it was so perfect. I think she was shocked at how quickly and easily she wanted to move on but I knew that perfection had been captured immediately.
We recently spoke to Gilles Peterson who featured you on the compilation We Out Here in 2018 alongside your contemporaries like Nubya Garcia, Moses Boyd and more. He discussed the fact that your scene knows the value of the community you’re creating that an outsider cannot replicate. Does that ring true to you?
Yeah that rings true. The word community and collective is more important than the name. It’s about how you’re investing into the community and people around you. That’s what the Ezra is all about, and that’s why I’m so proud to be considered a part of the U.K. jazz scene because it’s such a beautiful community.
Later this year you’re headlining Wembley Arena. How are you feeling about it?
I feel great! What a crazy thing to be doing, but I couldn’t be more excited. The game plan is the same it’s always been. There’s not an ounce of nerves. I’m sure on the day there might be a wobble but right now I’m feeling really great.
Was there any hesitation in leveling up to a venue like that?
Nah… we knew we’d be fine [laughs]. The moment we played outside of a pub full of my friends and my family and there were people we didn’t know, that was when we knew we could do anything. It’s the same feeling when we did Ronnie Scott’s, Islington Assembly Hall, the Roundhouse, Hammersmith Apollo, Royal Albert Hall, it’s all the same feeling: it’s like, “Wow, if we can do that then we can do this.” So that’s the energy we’re walking into it with.
Source: @conradclifton / Hip-Hop Wired
Legendary Hip-Hop icons Common and Pete Rock sat down for the latest edition of I Got Questions.
For Common and Pete Rock, their collaborations in the past have been a blessing for Hip-Hop culture. And the public got to see one of their dreams realized as the duo released The Auditorium, Vol. 1 as the summer began. Now, as the two are finishing off their tour in support of the album in New York City this week, HipHopWired got them both to sit down and discuss their careers and partnership in the latest edition of the digital series I Got Questions.
Source: @conradclifton / Hip-Hop Wired
The conversation starts with a bang as Common discusses their first collaboration, the scathing 1996 diss track “The B*tch In You,” which was part of the feud the Chicago rapper had with Ice Cube.
“That was a tough time, but what made you decide to do that beat?” Common asked. “Just being in your house at that time, meeting your moms, and being concerned. Like, calm down,” Pete Rock said with a laugh. At that point, Common revealed that a lot of producers had initially turned him down for that track, surprising Pete. “I know what it’s like to want to get something off your chest,” he replied, as Common agreed and said he’s glad the team up happened and that it’s now a part of Hip-Hop.
Both discussed their first steps into rap, with Common sharing how he started rhyming through his late cousin’s crew in Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as being part of a group with veteran producer No I.D. and opening for Big Daddy Kane and N.W.A. Pete Rock reminisced on when he first met C.L. Smooth in high school and getting signed off the strength of their demo tapes. “That bugs me out to this day,” he said, “because I was just learning how to formulate music, and to get signed off of that by a major label…it was cooking.”
Source: @conradclifton / Hip-Hop Wired
Other gems from the conversation include Common revealing that The Source had planned to do an album full of Unsigned Hype artists like himself including The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, and Eminem, as well as Pete Rock detailing how he and Nas got together with the help of Large Professor to make the classic “The World Is Yours” track from the Queensbridge MC’s Illmatic.
Check out the entire I Got Questions episode featuring Common and Pete Rock above.
09/20/2024
Mixtape Pluto has made his triumphant return.
09/20/2024
It’s been six days and I can’t stop listening to “Groupies & Goofies.”
Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and play it on my phone a couple times before going back to sleep. It’s one of the best rap album intros of the year, right up there with the opening tracks of Future & Metro Boomin’s back-to-back collaborative albums. I didn’t know what to expect when Babyface Ray‘s team sent me his latest album, The Kid That Did, but I was immediately grabbed by the intro.
After diving into the rest of the album, I came away thinking that this is the Detroit rapper’s most ambitious project to date. He sounds confident, and with confidence comes big swings. Songs like “I Need Some Motivation” and “Delusional” showcase his versatility, while others like “Watching My Page” and “Nights Like This” “Legacy” show more of his personal side.
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Ray has been prolific over the course of his decade-long career, releasing a slew of mixtapes and EPs as a solo artist and as a member of Team Eastside. The Kid That Did, released on September 13, is his fourth solo album and his first since his Wavy Gang label entered a partnership with Empire earlier this year. With 20 tracks clocking in at under an hour, the album’s already spawned six singles with accompanying videos with more on the way. One notable single is “Count Money,” with BossMan Dlow, which samples the iconic pause music from N64’s GoldenEye 007. “We got the original composer from GoldenEye to do the beat over,” he answers when asked how they managed to get the sample cleared. But there’s much more to the story.
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According to one of his A&Rs, Dre Edwards, Babyface Ray’s team had a hard time clearing the beat (made by producer Rich Treeze), so they decided to reach out to Grant Kirkhope, the original composer of the GoldenEye soundtrack, to see if they could get it cleared. Well, it turns out that Kirkhope was already familiar with Ray’s music and gladly offered to collaborate with Treeze to make a version of the beat that would work for all parties involved. He even posted the video on his Instagram.
I caught up with Ray at the Billboard‘s New York office, where we talked about the making of what is probably the most important album of his career, how his rap style is informed by his parents and how he managed to get Rich Paul on the outro. Check out the interview below.
This album feels like your most ambitious. There are some records that feel big on there. Would you agree?
Yeah, big for sure. I know what you mean. I was just trying to show a little more growth this time and make it sound different from the last projects I put out.
When you were making this album, did you go in with the approach that this was going to be an ambitious record?
I think the records I picked were just more along the lines of what you’re saying. I had other records that I wanted to use, but I went more with that type of style.
Yeah, because some of the beats are different from the stuff you usually rap over. Were you aiming for that sound? Or were they beats that you were coming across that happened to grab your attention?
Yeah, what I was coming across and what I felt like wanting to do at that time.
Detroit has had its rap moments with the likes of Eminem, Royce Da 5’9″, D12, and J Dilla, but the last few years have felt different. What is it about this era of Detroit rap that resonates with fans?
Probably the rawness. Probably being able to connect with the music a little bit more.
What are some of your favorite records from this album?
“Nights Like This,” “High Off Life,” the intro. I like “Delusional.” I like “Stuck in My Ways.” There’s a few on there.
There’s a couple of tracks that you get real personal on. You mentioned a couple of them. Can you talk about why you felt the need to go super personal on some of those?
Really, just updating people on what’s going on with me type stuff. And, really on all my projects, it’s always gonna be a song on there that’s kind of like super personal and I get deeper on what’s going on for real.
The way you rap, it’s like you put people on game. Can you credit your style to your father being a preacher?
Yeah, if you know my dad, it don’t got nothing to do with religion or him being a preacher. That’s just how he comes off, putting us on game and just schoolin’ us and kickin’ it with us since we were little. I can definitely credit that to him, for sure.
Did you spend a lot of time in church when you were younger?
Hell yeah. All the way up until eighth grade, I went to church every Sunday. I wasn’t really too much a fan of church, though. Nothing against religion, but the whole going to church thing — I would just feel burnt out.
Did your parents give you a hard time for wanting to be a rapper at first?
They ain’t know. So, it was like — once I got old enough to get out the house and do my own thing, I was just doin’ that on the low. But I wasn’t a bad kid, so they didn’t have to worry about me too much. I was just doing it. They didn’t really find out until I became poppin’. And then people was telling them, and by that time, it was already too late. They couldn’t really have a conversation with me about it.
How do they feel about it now that you’re successful?
I mean, they ain’t trippin’, they love it, and even my dad, he be talking about it. You know, back then he really didn’t understand, but now he sees what I’ve grown into as a man. He can understand and enjoy my music. He can see where I’m coming from.
When would you say you felt that you was poppin’ as a rapper? When it felt real.
My first feeling was around probably 2011 or 2012. We used to get booked in the city a lot with my group [Team Eastside.]
In earlier interviews you had mentioned that you dropped out of college. Around what year was that?
I graduated [high school] in 2009, so it had to be around 2010.
That’s around the time you said you started poppin’, so you were already rapping?
I was already rappin’ throughout high school and all that stuff. When I got out of school, I was still staying with my parents. My pops was like, “You either gonna get a job or you gonna go to school.” So, I ended up choosing college and when that didn’t work out I just left the house completely.
Word, and you had said that they used church money to help send you to college.
Yeah, for sure. No cap. That really happened.
Rich Paul is on the outro. Can you explain that relationship? How did you guys link up? Was he a fan of your music?
He was a fan of my music. I met him through my partner, V, who owns a clothing line called Jack Ripp. He called me and connected me with Rich Paul, and then we hit it off just conversating about music. He really just wanted to talk about music, for real.
Has he given you any business advice?
Not really, head on. I just watch and learn from what he’s doing.
How do you feel about this album compared to your other tapes?
I feel good. I feel like I got some good records on there. I think people are gonna enjoy it. I’m geeked for it to get out, so I can see how the feedback is going to be.
Gillie and Wallo had mentioned that they noticed the ladies rock with your music on social media. Explain why you like to make records for them.
It’s always good to have a record or two for the ladies when you put a project out, because they’re consumers. And, really, I feel like it’s the women that get the men hip sometimes. You gotta have something that the ladies enjoy too.
Bossman Dlow seems to have that effect too. The ladies use his stuff on social media all the time. He did a show with Teezo for us recently and when he hit the stage, mad shorties ran to see him perform.
That’s fire. Dlow got a strong presence on social media with the women. I feel like the women be on it more than the men these days.
And you guys linked up on this project over the GoldenEye beat. How did that come about?
I had never met him. I was on Live one time just poppin’ shit and I said something along the lines [of] somebody talking to me in the club while the music was loud, and I was saying, ‘Stop trying to talk to me, Bossman Dlow is playing’ blah, blah, blah. And then it reached him and that kind of went crazy and he said something to me, and he came to Detroit, and we met up. We kicked it off like that. I did a song for him first, and then I was sitting on “Count Money” and I was like, ‘I think Dlow would sound good on here.’ I sent it to him and he sent it back.
You’re a video game head, right? What games do you play?
2K, Madden, NCAA. But I had woke up from my sleep, and seen my kids watching some s–t on YouTube, and I ended up downloading this new game called Little Nightmares. S–t fire. It’s like some horror-mystery shit.
You don’t play Grand Theft Auto?
I used to play Grand Theft Auto RP on my PC, but I stopped playing it. l was gettin’ burnt out on it.
You weren’t in Tee Grizzley’s world?
Yeah, I was in there. I was the only one with the Ferrari truck in there. That s–t turnt, for real, but I was getting burnt out.
What else you got planned for this album? You going on tour?
Yeah, I’m going on tour. I’m announcing the tour on Friday with the album [release]. That’s pretty much it. Hopefully, I can get a deluxe out because I do got some more records, more features, some more vibes that I wanna add to it.
You gonna put out more videos?
For sure, 100 percent.
Yeah, because you put out mad s–t already for this album.
S–t, I was just telling them. I got like seven videos already in, but I’m still trying to get at least two or three more.
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Rich Homie Quan’s Funeral at World Changers Church [Photos]
On Tuesday, September 17th, 2024 beginning at 7:00 am The City of Atlanta will pay tribute to the legend Rich Homie Quan.
World Changers Church International will host a public viewing to honor the ATL legend the right way. Marking this as a “celebration of life.” The celebration of life will offer friends, family, and fans a chance to pay their respects and reflect on the Quan’s impact on music and culture of not only Atlanta but music, period.
The ‘Some Type of Way’ rapper was always known for his unique style and influential tracks that were a soundtrack to our childhoods. Rich Homie Quan’s passing has left a significant void in hip-hop. The public viewing will provide a space for celebration of his amazing career and long-lasting legacy.
WATCH: Livestream of Rich Homie Quans Funeral
Long Live RHQ
RELATED: Takeoff’s Funeral Hosted at State Farm Arena in Atlanta [Photos]
RELATED: LIVESTREAM | Celebration of Life for Justin ‘Beatking’ Riley
RELATED: Rich Homie Quan’s Longtime Girlfriend Speaks About His Passing
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This past Sunday (Sept. 8), Kendrick dropped news that sent the rap community into a frenzy. Standing at the 50-yard line as he worked a football throwing machine with a huge American flag behind him, the Compton MC announced that he will be headlining next year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. He also made sure to throw a subtle shot at his 2024 rival: “You know there’s only one opportunity to win a championship,” he said before loading another football into the machine. “No round twos.” Two weeks ago, Drake took to his finsta account, @plottttwistttttt, and posted an old video clip of NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace telling reporters that his Detroit Pistons “will win Game Two” after dropping the first game of the 2004 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Many believed that was Drake’s not-so-subtle way of telling fans that he’s not yet done with the battle. And despite talking heads like DJ Akademiks saying the Toronto rapper has no intention of continuing the back-and-forth, Drake alluded to a continuation on the song “No Face” (probably his best post-battle release) when he rapped lines like, “How you get lit off the n—a you hatin’ on?,” “This is the moment I know they been prayin’ on,” and “I’m just so happy that n—as who envied and held that s–t in got to finally show it/ I’m over the moon, yeah, we’ll see you boys soon.”
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Those lines don’t really hit the same post “round one,” but I get the sentiment. In boxing and pro wrestling, when the title holder loses their belt, they’re usually entitled to a rematch. He’s seemingly expressing that he doesn’t feel or want this battle for rap’s heavyweight title to be over. However, even after all that’s gone down, I’m still not sure he realizes who he’s dealing with. Lamar seems to have a darker side to him; a side he struggles to keep at bay, especially when he appears to despise his opponent so much.
Trending on Billboard
Enter last night’s loosie Lamar posted on his Instagram account. He’s not necessarily “dissing” Drake, but he’s indeed talking to him — and the rest of the mainstream rap community that promotes nonsense over substance. The song works as an exposé on the modern mainstream rap industry, and Drake serves as a symbol of both rap’s massive popularity and its devolving cultural significance in the eyes of fans familiar with the genre’s roots. To them, he has always been seen as a visitor, never to be taken too seriously. Yet, he’s proven that he’s willing to battle when tested. That coupled with his hit-making ability was able to buy him more cultural currency a little bit at a time. T
hat party seems to be coming to an end, though, considering Drake’s chart dominance has stalled since losing the battle. None of his recent releases have charted particularly well, at least judging by his own standards. The club just turned the lights on, and the DJ is playing “Poison.” The bar’s closing, where we going to for breakfast?
Dot starts off his latest with the lines, “I think it’s time to watch the party die/ This s–t done got too wicked to apologize,” before saying, “Just walk that man down, that’ll do everyone a solid/ It’s love, but tough love sometimes gotta result in violence.” In his mind, he did the hip-hop world a favor by exposing Drake and his so-called selfish, dirty mackin’, colonizing ways. He also takes aim at social media pundits who have served as mouthpieces for Drake, or at least claim to, throughout this battle.
Bars like, “Influencers talked down ’cause I’m not with the basic s–t/ But they don’t hate me, they hate the man that I represent/The type of man that never d–kride ’cause I want a favor” and “The radio personality pushin’ propaganda for salary/ Let me know when they turn up as a casualty, I want agony, assault, and battery,” are directed at them. At times, Kendrick comes across as someone who believes he has a moral superiority — but on this track, you can hear him wrestling with the angel and the devil on his shoulder on the chorus, as he pleads with God to give him peace, while also keeping the lames at bay.
Many fans and critics have described Drake as Thanos, because Rap Game Sinister Six had to team up to finally knock him off his pedestal. However, Kendrick has been Thanos this entire time: The Marvel supervillain’s whole philosophy was based on destroying and rebuilding, a philosophy Lamar mentions in this new song. He talks of burning down villages to start over and said one of his friends told him he must “burn it down to build it back up.” Lamar is grappling with the rationalization of what he’s done to Drake, so far, and he sounds like he doesn’t think the job is done just yet.
“Watch the Party Die” is essentially the scene from Avengers: Endgame where Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man try to walk Thanos down, and he spits some of the greatest dialogue a villain has ever spat. He looked them in the eyes and said: “You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought that by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you’ve shown me that’s impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist. I’m thankful, because now, I know what I must do. I will shred this universe down to its last atom and then, with the stones you collected for me, create a new one, teaming with life that knows not what it has lost, but what it has been given. A grateful universe.”
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The rap world stops when K. Dot drops. He doesn’t have to use streamers with questionable ties to the community to leak information. He simply tweets a link out or posts a song on Instagram with no title, and a picture of gnarled black Air Force One’s, and everything comes to a halt. Almost like a snap of the finger.
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Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced one another for their first presidential debate, and Hip-Hop Wired viewed the entire debate, capturing reactions from X, formerly Twitter.
On Tuesday (September 10), Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump met for their debate on ABC News. Trump seemed hesitant from the start, pausing in surprise as Vice President Harris strode over to greet him and introduce herself.
ABC News moderator David Muir opened the debate by asking Vice President Harris about the state of the economy and what she intends to create what she referred to as an “opportunity economy.”
“I believe in the ambition, the aspiration, the dreams of the American people,” Harris said. Trump retorted, reiterating his policy stance on employing tariffs against other countries, namely China.
Harris sagely stated that President Joe Biden’s administration had to “clean up Donald Trump’s mess”, taking digs at the business mogul over his assumed orchestration of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abortion proved to be one of the more intense exchanges of the debates as Harris championed more progressive policies as Trump again equivocated.
Her poise and strategy of prodding Trump into baffling rambles provided one of the more incredulous moments of the night after she spoke about his rallies. “You will see during the course of his rallies, he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter, he will talk about windmills cause cancer,” Harris began, “and what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom. And I will tell you the one thing you will not hear him talk about is you. You will not hear him talk about your needs, your dreams, and your desires.”
Trump angrily replied that his rallies were “the best, then repeated a false claim from his campaign about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” he yelled. He was swiftly fact-checked by Muir.
With the looming specter of Project 2025 hanging over this upcoming election, Trump distanced himself from the plan after Harris’ initial answers tying him to it, claiming he hadn’t even seen the controversial document.
“I have nothing to do with Project 2025,” Trump said. “That’s out there. I haven’t read it. I don’t want to read it, purposely. I’m not going to read it.”
Abortion is one of the touchier subjects of the race and one that Trump and his running mate JD Vance have faltered on regarding their messaging. ABC News moderator Linsey Davis’ question led to one of the more intense serve-and-volley moments of the debates with Harris leaning into the more progressive side of the debate while Trump seemed to display once more his changing stances on reproductive rights.
Seizing on conservative voters’ concerns that Harris would change the fabric of the country, Trump referred to the Vice President as a “Marxist” in a key moment in the debate. “If she ever got elected, she’d change it. And it will be the end of our country. She’s a Marxist everybody knows she’s a Marxist. Her father is a Marxist professor in economics, and he taught her well,” Trump quipped, referencing her father Donald J. Harris.
Muir also asked Trump about his repeated attacks on Harris’ racial identity. “I don’t care what she is,” he said before again saying that “I read where she was not Black”. Harris responded that it was a “tragedy” and a “disgrace” that he wouldresort to that, bringing up his calling for the death of the Exonerated Central Park Five as an example of his past bigotry.
The debate questions would move to foreign policy, where Trump criticized President Biden for his support of Ukraine. “You’re not running against Joe Biden, you’re running against me,” Harris said, turning to face Trump. Trump would jab Harris and the Biden administration on the withdrawal from Afghanistan, but she would counter by hammering him on his love for authoritarians such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Meme fans gathered plenty of fodder due to the expressions of incredulity from Harris, especially as Trump would get combative with Muir after several questions. While the microphones were muted, crosstalk could still be heard. The feature proved to be effective for Harris, allowing her to respond vividly through her facial expressions which could be criticized by certain pundits and outlets. There was also praise for Muir and Davis as moderators, who strived to give each candidate time to respond while working hard to avoid being steamrolled by Trump’s petulant moods after Harris’ answers.
Take a look at some of the best responses to the debate below.
With additional analysis from D.L. Chandler.
1. Nikole Hannah-Jones
2. Michael Beschloss
3. Jon Lovett
4. Tre Easton
5. Dave Itzkoff
6. Flavor Flav
7. Laura Bassett
8. Neha Shastry
9. Brooklyn Dad Defiant
10. Pablo Torre
Few songs withstand time, distinguished by their infectious beats, experimental sounds, poignant lyrics or enduring appeal, rendering them as classics. In partnership with Tres Generaciones Tequila, a brand that champions the journey and not just the destination, we’re on an exploration to roundup the top Get Up Anthems over this next year from these six cities: Houston, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. Guided by curated panels, we delve deep into each city’s sonic history, spotlighting tracks that embody resilience, authenticity, and innovation and celebrate the power music has to inspire listeners to get up and chase their passions, in the spirit of perseverance.
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The Get Up Anthems from New York were crafted through a blend of editorial expertise, data-driven analytics, social impact and personal sentiment, to create a stimulating conversation of the songs which inspired, captivated, and energized the city. In a historical dive from 1973 to present day, the city’s playlist [click HERE to play] features hometown hits that are synonymous with the city’s rich history and culture.
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RASHIDA ZAGON
Amidst the lively whirl of 5th Avenue, where the city’s heartbeat pulses through its bustling streets and perpetual traffic, a hidden enclave of artistic fervor thrives. In a secluded studio nestled in the heart of New York City, Method Man and Joey Bada$$ converged with Billboard editor, Carl Lamarre to celebrate the city’s unmatched musical heritage. As the conversation unfolded over Tres Generaciones Tequila’s signature serve for New York City: The Trespresso Martini, Rocsi Diaz expertly navigated the fervent conversation over some of the city’s most iconic anthems.
Take a look some of the discussed Get Up Anthems for New York City:
“Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” – Busta Rhymes (1997)
Produced by Shamello and Buddah, the beat is characterized by its sparse, hypnotic production, using subtle basslines and percussion rather than the bombastic sound typical of Busta’s earlier work. It was a stylistic departure, drawing inspiration from African rhythms and early funk influences, which complemented Busta’s smooth, almost whisper-like delivery. This shift in sound helped the track stand out on When Disaster Strikes and became a signature song in New York’s late ’90s club scene.
“Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” – Jay-Z (1998)
Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” is a brilliant fusion of Broadway and hip-hop that transformed the genre in 1998. Featured on the rapper’s third studio album, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, and produced by The 45 King, the song ingeniously samples “It’s the Hard Knock Life” from the musical Annie. Jay-Z’s sharp lyricism, detailing the trials and tribulations of street life, struck a chord with a wide audience, propelling the track to No. 15 on the Hot 100. This song not only expanded Jay-Z’s reach but also showcased his knack for innovative sampling and storytelling.
“I’ll Be There For You/ You’re All I Need to Get By” – Method Man feat. Mary J. Blige (1995)
“I’ll Be There For You/ You’re All I Need to Get By” is a timeless collaboration between Method Man and Mary J. Blige, released in 1995. Featured on Method Man’s debut album, Tical, this track, produced by RZA, Puffy, and Trackmasters, seamlessly blends hip-hop and R&B, sampling the classic Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell duet. The chemistry between Method Man’s gritty verses and Mary J. Blige’s soulful chorus created a magic that earned them a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, making it a beloved 90s classic.
“N.Y. State of Mind” – Nas (1994)
Nas’s “N.Y. State of Mind” from his landmark debut album, Illmatic, released in 1994, is a gritty, cinematic portrayal of life in New York City. Produced by DJ Premier, the track features a haunting piano loop and Nas’s razor-sharp lyricism, painting vivid pictures of urban struggle and resilience. Although not released as a single, “N.Y. State of Mind” is hailed as one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time, showcasing Nas’s storytelling prowess and the raw, unfiltered essence of the streets.
“Quiet Storm (Remix) – Mobb Deep feat. Lil Kim (1999)
The original “Quiet Storm” was produced by Havoc, one half of Mobb Deep, known for crafting dark, brooding beats with atmospheric tension, a hallmark of East Coast hardcore rap. The remix, featuring Lil’ Kim, brought new life to the song, adding her fierce delivery and solidifying her as a key figure in New York’s rap scene. The production, with its haunting loop, matched the raw street narratives that defined Mobb Deep’s Murda Muzik album, becoming a favorite in NYC radio and clubs.
“Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” – Cardi B (2017)
Produced by J. White Did It, the beat of “Bodak Yellow” was built around heavy 808s and a menacing piano riff, providing a hard-hitting, bass-heavy sound that matched Cardi B’s aggressive flow. The track was created while Cardi was still an emerging artist in the Bronx, and its minimalist, trap-style production echoed the sound of Southern hip-hop, which was dominating the charts at the time. “Bodak Yellow” became a historic hit, catapulting her from local fame to global stardom, marking a major moment in the city’s rap comeback.
“Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” – DMX (1998)
“Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” is an adrenaline-fueled rallying cry from DMX’s 1998 debut album, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot. Produced by Swizz Beatz, the track’s aggressive beat and DMX’s ferocious delivery captured the raw energy of the streets, making it an instant hit. Landing at No. 94 during its original rollout, the anthem re-entered the Hot 100 in 2021 following DMX’s untimely passing, reaching No. 16. This track remains a testament to DMX’s explosive talent and enduring influence in the genre.
“C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” – Wu-Tang Clan (1993)
A cornerstone of hip-hop, “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” by Wu-Tang Clan is an indelible part of their groundbreaking 1993 album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Produced by the genius of RZA, this track’s minimalist yet haunting piano riff underscores Raekwon and Inspectah Deck’s penetrating verses. The song’s exploration of economic struggle and ambition resonated with countless listeners, encapsulating the raw, unfiltered ethos of Wu-Tang Clan and the reality of street life.
“Still Not a Player” – Big Pun feat. Joe (1998)
Big Pun’s “Still Not a Player,” featuring Joe, is a quintessential late 90s hip-hop hit that radiates smooth charisma and undeniable swagger. Released in 1998 as part of his debut album, Capital Punishment, this track, produced by Knobody and Dahoud Darien, is a masterful blend of hardcore rap and R&B. Sampling Brenda Russell’s “A Little Bit of Love,” the song’s irresistible groove and Pun’s clever wordplay captivated audiences, propelling it to No. 24 on the Hot 100. This track is a testament to Big Pun’s larger-than-life persona and his extraordinary lyrical talent.
“Dior” – Pop Smoke (2019)
Features a signature dark, foreboding drill beat with pulsating 808s and a minimalist piano loop, the 2019 record, produced byUK drill producer 808Melo, set the tone for Pop Smoke’s deep, gruff vocals. This production style was instrumental in introducing the Brooklyn drill sound, heavily influenced by UK drill music, to a wider American audience. The track’s success played a pivotal role in popularizing drill music beyond New York and was a key track on Meet the Woo and Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.
“Paid In Full” – Eric B. & Rakim (1987)
The title track from Paid in Full revolutionized hip-hop production by pioneering the use of sampling. Eric B. sampled “Ashley’s Roachclip” by The Soul Searchers, adding a prominent bassline and minimalist percussion. Rakim’s smooth, complex lyricism was groundbreaking, moving away from the simpler rhymes of early rap and influencing a new generation of New York MCs. The song’s innovative production and lyrical sophistication helped establish the duo as legends in NYC’s golden age of hip-hop.
“Hot Boy” – Bobby Shmurda (2014)
Exploding onto the scene in 2014, Bobby Shmurda’s “Hot Boy” (often stylized as “Hot N—a”) was a nuclear hit in the hip-hop world, and throughout Brooklyn’s streets. Featured on his debut EP, Shmurda She Wrote, the track, produced by Jahlil Beats, showcases Bobby’s electrifying delivery over a beat that’s both infectious and relentless. The song’s virality was propelled by the iconic “Shmoney Dance,” which took social media by storm. Peaking at No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Hot Boy” wasn’t just a hit—it was a cultural phenomenon that marked Bobby Shmurda entry into the rap game.
“Lean Back” – Terror Squad feat. Fat Joe & Remy Ma (2004)
Produced by Scott Storch, the beat for “Lean Back” was built around a prominent Middle Eastern-inspired string melody and a heavy, slow-rolling bassline that made it instantly recognizable. Storch was known for blending hip-hop with cinematic, orchestral elements, and this track was no exception. The production’s simplicity and infectiousness helped it become a club anthem. Released on Terror Squad’s True Story album, the song’s success was pivotal in keeping New York on the hip-hop map during a time when Southern rap was dominating the charts.
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Former A&M Records executive Derek Taylor captured the sound of Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 in a few well-chosen phrases in in his liner notes to the group’s first album for the label. Taylor wrote excitedly about its “delicately-mixed blend of pianistic jazz, subtle Latin nuances, cool minor chords, a danceable beat, gentle laughter and a little sex.”
With all that going for it, how could it miss?
Mendes, who died on Thursday Sept. 5 at age 83, had the kind of career artists dream about. He had enormous success in the 1960s fronting Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, which had three top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. But Mendes’ success didn’t end when that group’s fortunes cooled. He enjoyed periodic comebacks and periods of rediscovery for decades to come.
He had a big comeback in 1983 with the Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil power ballad “Never Gonna Let You Go,” which reached the top five on the Hot 100. He enjoyed another rediscovery in 2006 when his album Timeless, which he co-produced with will.i.am, reached No. 44 on the Billboard 200 and received a pair of Grammy nods. (The album featured such guest artists as The Black Eyed Peas, Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Justin Timberlake.) In 2012, he was nominated for an Oscar for best original song for a song he co-wrote for the film Rio.
Mendes won a Grammy for best world music album for his 1992 album Brasileiro and two Latin Grammys for best Brazilian contemporary pop album for Bom Tempo and Timeless. He received a lifetime achievement award from the Latin Recording Academy in 2005.
In 1966, Mendes came to the attention of Herb Alpert, co-founder of A&M Records, and one of the top-selling album artists of the 1960s. Alpert produced the group’s first three albums, all of which went gold. Alpert also took Brasil ’66 on tour with him and even wrote an enthusiastic recommendation that appeared on the back cover of their debut album: “One afternoon recently, a friend of mine called to ask if I wanted to hear a new group. From the first note I was grinning like a kid who’d just found a new toy.” That album remained on the Billboard 200 for more than two years (a rarity in those days) and was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012.
Alpert was a close friend of Mendes’ for nearly 60 years. “Sergio Mendes, my brother from another country, passed away quietly and peacefully,” Alpert said in a statement on Friday. “He was a true friend and extremely gifted musician who brought Brazilian music in all its iterations to the entire world with elegance and joy.” (Another bond between the two musicians: Lani Hall, to whom Alpert has been married since 1973, was one of two female singers in Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66.)
The group’s sound was cool, yet hot, and brimming with confidence. Still, it was a new sound in 1966, so new that A&M took no chances and supplied parenthetical phonetic spellings for five song titles on the album, including “Mais Qu Nada (Ma-sh Kay Nada).” That pronunciation gambit may seem quaint in an era when Bad Bunny gives acceptance speeches on general-audience award shows in Spanish, but, hey, baby steps. One generation paves the way for the next.
The group’s music was often featured in “lounge music” compilations of pop songs from the 1960s, which were a forerunner to today’s “yacht rock” collections of pop songs from the 1970s and 1980s. Some people, it seems, can only enjoy pop music if they’re being ironic about it. (But they’re listening, so I’ll take it.)
Here are 10 Mendes tracks which will remind you of his greatness or give you a good place to start in exploring this talented and innovative musician.
I wrote the liner notes for a CD compilation, Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66-86, which was released in 1987 amid A&M’s 25th anniversary celebration. This piece draws some material from those notes.
“Acode” (2008)