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Did you know that Muni Long wrote these bangers?
11/24/2025
SZA’s SOS Deluxe: Lana, the deluxe edition of her 2022 album SOS, has set a new record as the album with the most tracks that have received Grammy nominations – a whopping nine tracks. These nominations have been spread out over four Grammy eligibility years. “Good Days,” which was released in December 2000, was nominated […]
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Corinne Bailey Rae has a certain affect on people. She’s the kind of artist that even a brief glimpse of can spark a musical memory even in the most public of places. “I’ll be in an elevator and people see me walk in and they just start whistling ‘Put Your Records On’ to themselves,” Rae laughs. “I don’t even think they notice they’re doing it! But I just love that it has that impact on people.”
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That particular record, first released in 2006 from her self-titled debut LP, burrows in deep. The song reached No. 2 on the U.K. Singles Chart, appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for two categories at the Grammys the following year: song of the year and record of the year. At almost a billion streams on Spotify alone, its place in the 21st century British pop canon is secure, and its gorgeous melody and empowering message resonate almost two decades down the line.
We meet Rae in her hometown of Leeds ahead of her performance at Billboard U.K. Live at Manchester’s Aviva Studios, home of Factory International. The intimate performance will kick off a series of 20th anniversary celebrations for the 46-year-old musician, which also includes the release of a children’s book Put Your Records On in March, and a show at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London in October 2026.
Her debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae, was released in February 2006 and peaked at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart, and at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, an astonishing feat for a British debut solo star. The LP featured another breakout song “Like a Star,” which showcased Rae’s gorgeous vocal capabilities and wistful, impactful songwriting style.
She was soon in the same studios as her heroes, working with them on new music and taking invaluable advice. Stevie Wonder, Prince, Herbie Hancock and Bill Withers, to name a few, all recognised Rae’s talent. Accolades continued to flow Rae’s way – a Grammy win for best R&B performance in 2012, for one – and her second studio LP The Sea (2010) was nominated for the U.K.’s Mercury Prize. Informed by the death of her husband Jason Rae in 2008, the record showcased moments of raw grief, but also hope and healing.
Photography by Shaun Peckham
Shaun Peckham
Her sound, soulful pop with nods to indie-rock and R&B, earned her placements on 50 Shades Darker soundtrack and a brief cameo on Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy LP. In 2023, she released Black Rainbows, a sprawling epic that was influenced by an exhibition held at Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago which focused on Black history in the city. Fans and critics alike were stunned by the LP, one that was packed in feminist punk (“New York Transit Queen”), spiritual jazz (“Before The Throne of the Invisible God”), and big tent rave (“Put It Down”). Reviewers commended the stark left-turn, and another Mercury Prize nod beckoned.
It was on that awards night – ultimately won by Leeds’ band English Teacher for This Could Be Texas – that Rae’s impact and longevity came into view for her. “For some reason I was behaving like such a mother hen… totally unsolicited, by the way,” she laughs, reminiscing on meeting fellow Yorkshire artist Nia Archives and country-pop crossover star CMAT. “I was going up to these cool young musicians like, ‘Hi, you don’t know me, but here’s some advice: don’t feel like you have to rush your second album, do your thing.’”
Rae’s advice, no doubt, was heeded. Her stellar career has thrown up situations that she could only have dreamed of when she was gigging in the indie-rock band Helen in Leeds in the early ‘00s, and seen her overcome the most difficult of challenges. Almost twenty years to the day since “Like A Star,” her debut single, was released, she reflects on the lessons she’s learned, the rewarding creative journey she’s been on – and what comes next.
We’re speaking around the anniversary of your debut single. How do you look back on that era?
I have really fond memories of making “Like A Star.” I think it was quite different for the time. It was more like my true voice, and quite conversational and small. It wasn’t what you might think is a ‘pop voice.’ A lot of doors had been opened by people like Björk or Martina Topley Bird [collaborator on Tricky’s Maxinquaye] and that made me realize there were all these different ways to sing. It didn’t have to be like Mariah Carey-style, with that unreachable big singing voice.
Once “Like A Star” was released, things moved quickly…
The pace of it was quite staggering. The residency I was performing at in London over the course of four Thursdays went from not being sold out in week one, to queues around the block, and then I ended up performing on [BBC Music show] Later… with Jools Holland so early on in my career. This was all before the album came out, so I thought, ‘Wow, I keep getting asked to do stuff, so I’ll just say yes to everything.’ The album came out and I remember being on tour and someone telling me that the LP had gone to No. 1. I was like, ‘Wait what?’ I just couldn’t believe it.
That’s all you want as a musician is to get somewhere. And I had tried for a few years with my band and we didn’t get much love. This was my first record and it felt like it’d gone from 0 to 100.
Did you cope with the attention OK?
I think I did, you know. I was a little bit older at 25, so it wasn’t like I was 19 and still figuring out who I was. I had good friends and had good advice from my manager and friends. I also feel like when I was in the US, certain people would look after me and lean into me and give some words of advice. Whether that was Questlove, Prince, Stevie Wonder, just these people who were gods of music, but also a lot older than me.
I remember Herbie Hancock specifically saying not to rush into the second record and to take a minute. I thought that was really good advice to not feel the pressure, or feel that everyone would fall out of love with me.
When I came to my second record I felt that I had a different thing to say. That was then the moment to keep pushing out. Even when we played live at that time, I always added in this Led Zeppelin cover of “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” I wanted people to see I could do other things, and make sure that I wasn’t in a box.
Photography by Shaun Peckham
Shaun Peckham
Your life changed quite significantly between album one and two, following the loss of your husband. How did that event inform what you were doing creatively?
“When I look back at [debut LP Corinne Bailey Rae], it’s on the other side of… not a wall, but a divide between my two adult lives. That moment [Jason’s death] felt like the end of what that first album term was. I felt like my life was divided between the before and after of that.
As well as changing my life, it also changed my career in a really big way. I knew that I wasn’t really robust enough to be in an industry ‘capitalizing’ on the big industry success of the first record, and setting up sessions with all these big names anyway. I just wasn’t in that place, and the label really knew that and I think that they really left me to it.
But by the time the third record came around [The Heart Speaks in Whispers, 2016] they were really on my case. That put so much pressure on me, which was really difficult. That made it take miles longer and it wasn’t what they wanted and it was more tricky.
In the past you mentioned that the press expected a certain response to Jason’s passing, but you didn’t give them what they wanted…
It was a very aggressive time journalistically, but I just feel really lucky that I’ve had good people around me. I knew Amy [Winehouse] and that was really frightening to see that side of people, and to see the vulnerability of going from being a cool jazz singer, to the biggest thing in British pop music. That is not a place you desire to be – no one wants to be there. Plus, there was a need to tear down successful people in this country, which has been so strong for years, and it was definitely like that for women at that time.
Photography by Shaun Peckham
Shaun Peckham
Black Rainbows was a record that really expanded your sonic palette. How do you look back on that record?
I love that album so much. It felt really special to me because it was so freeing. I’d just come out of my label deal and I wasn’t really looking for anything to do next.
But I was invited to come to the Stony Island Arts Bank [a Chicago-based archive of Black art and culture], and I was just so inspired. All the time we were in there, these people were coming in and all of these black performers, photographers, documentary-makers. I ended up writing about all of these images and stories from Chicago’s history just to try and make sense and process what I’d seen.
That LP was considered something of a ‘left-turn’ for you. Did you feel that was a fair assessment?
It was a left-turn in terms of what I would share, I guess. In my band , I used to play a lot of indie music and heavy stuff. And before that, I was in a church where I’d play these big wig-outs that stretched on for over 20 minutes. But sharing that felt very freeing and felt new.
Black Rainbows was initially going to be a side project, and it wasn’t going to have my name on it – I didn’t want to feel like I was messing up what I’d done before. But I like that music allows you room to grow to gather an audience that trusts you. 20 years is a long time in anyone’s life, and you don’t want to stay still and not change, or to be the same person at 46 that you were at 26.
What changes have you seen in the music industry over the past 20 years?
The biggest change is that people don’t think you should pay money to have music. It’s such a different paradigm, but music is almost a conceptual thing. There’s a generation of people who think that music just happens and appears on streaming services, their favorite shows or wherever. There’s a real disconnect between the people who make the music and the listener.
I can’t say how that might change but at the same time, if it doesn’t all we’re going to get is the music of a really narrow group of people: artists who can do a really good sponsorship with a trainer brand to fund their creative work, or rich people with privileged backgrounds. We’re missing out as a society on what working class people or struggling artists might think if we’re not going to pay artists to do what they do.
Tell us about the children’s book Put Your Records On that you’re releasing in 2026…
I was reading a lot of children’s books for my children when I came up with the idea – and I just thought that I could say something here. I wanted to speak about music and the feelings that different songs can conjure, and that there’s a song for every feeling that you’ll ever have. Music has always been a way to explore my feelings and a way to free me. I’m finding writing, with the pen and the words, really exciting and liberating. I’d love to do more in the future.
And musically, are you working on a new project at the moment?
I am working on new music. That’s the thing I’m really excited about is trying to work out: what the sound and direction is, what I want to say and who it’s going to be with. I feel really inspired right now, and Black Rainbows has really freed me into not overthinking things – that’s been really important.
Photography by Shaun Peckham
Shaun Peckham
Shoot production by WMA Studios. Photography by Shaun Peckham. Photography assistance by Jack Moss. Grooming by Bianca Simone. Shot at Light Space Studios, Leeds.
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Los Angeles’ live music club scene is amping up. And one of the energizers behind that push is Adam Blackstone, in his newly created role as creative director for the recently rebranded venue Live at The Sun Rose.
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Case in point: Earlier this month (Nov. 11), a long line of exuberant fans stretched down the block from the club’s entrance on Hollywood’s famed Sunset Strip. They were waiting to witness the Blackstone-led 30th anniversary salute to the star- and hit-filled 1995 film soundtrack Waiting to Exhale. Billed as a “special legacy experience,” the family reunion-vibed evening sparked lively singalongs — plus shoutouts and standing ovations — to songs such as Faith Evans’ “Kissing You,” Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”/”Why Does It Hurt So Bad,” Brandy’s “Sittin’ Up in My Room,” Mary J. Blige’s “Not Gon’ Cry” and Toni Braxton’s “Let It Flow.”
But it was done with a twist. Blackstone’s surprise guests for the affair was a cast of male singers who lent their own vocal insights to the soundtrack’s themes of love, hurt and friendship. Among the emerging and established artists on deck were TA Thomas, JayDon, Dixson and Darrel Walls. Also spotted in the audience: Waiting to Exhale star Lela Rochon, actor/producer Lena Waithe and Grammy-winning artist-musician Robert Glasper.
JayDon, Dixson, Lekhan, Eric Dawkins, Adam Blackstone and Darrel Walls at The Sun Rose West Hollywood, November 11, 2025.
David Coy II
The Waiting tribute is just one example of the kind of events Blackstone has in mind for Live at The Sun Rose. Nestled within The Sun Rose West Hollywood (formerly the Pendry hotel), the revamped 100-seat intimate space hosted a for-your-consideration chat in October between Blackstone and Teyana Taylor, who earlier this month received her first Grammy nomination. Recent and upcoming shows at the venue, which relaunched Aug. 1, include David Bowie’s Piano Man: Mike Garson featuring Judith Hill and Luke Spiller Presents — The Songs I Wrote for You (Dec. 5, 12-13).
Emmy winner Blackstone (Super Bowl LVI halftime show) won his first Grammy this year for best musical theater album (Hell’s Kitchen). The bassist, producer and musical director’s list of credits also includes Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Jay-Z and Eminem. Now he’s opening the door to a new era at the Sun Rose — and the Los Angeles club scene, which also welcomed Blue Note’s L.A. offshoot to town in August with Glasper as its partner/creative ambassador.
“It’s incredible to see and feel what’s going on in the city; there’s a lot happening now,” says Blackstone. “So I’m not taking this new role lightly. We’re going to push this new synergy of creativity forward at the Sun Rose.”
Below, Blackstone explains more about the vision behind the venue, and what inspired the unconventional Waiting to Exhale anniversary celebration.
How did this gig come about?
When my first album [2022’s Legacy] came out, I had been looking for a newish spot to set up shop. A friend of mine introduced me to a couple of people who told me about this brand new spot built over the House of Blues. I had so much nostalgia for that venue because one of the first albums I ever played on was with Jill Scott performing live at the House of Blues. So I went to see the room. It was incredible.
I feel that what we did that first night I played [promoting the new album] at Sun Rose in early 2023 set the precedent for what L.A. has become now jam session-wise. I really wanted to bring in some East Coast and Philadelphia flair: you invite people up onstage, it’s very impromptu. I think one of the things that people love about what happens at the Sun Rose, whether it’s me or not, is that it feels like a family safe space for people to mess up, to improv. That’s what jazz, blues and R&B are all about: to be in the moment, to be vulnerable, to tell stories.
I was very excited to be one of the first cats to make Sun Rose my home to do that type of music. So in making the transition from the Pendry, this job came about. I’m thankful to be a part of it. And we’re only going to get bigger and better as far as our reach.
Adam Blackmon with Lena Waithe and Lela Rochon at The Sun Rose West Hollywood, November 11, 2025.
David Coy II
What is your vision for achieving that mission?
My mission for Live at Sun Rose is to be a music venue that accepts all creative spaces, doing thing that other L.A. music venues can’t do. For example, we have sat down and talked about what 2026 looks like for Grammy Week, but also for NBA All Star Week, which might not just be music stuff but also installations. It could be glam things that are centered around music. All of these things our venue is able to do.
So the goal is to be anything live entertainment-oriented that allows people to have a safe space to come in and create whether that’s music, art, visual art, a podcast space [R&B Money taped a show there] or a glam space for hair, nails, makeup … there’s something to be said about the ambience and location that we provide alongside the history that’s already associated with Sun Rose.
Which prompted your staging a show celebrating the 30th anniversary of Waiting to Exhale?
The week we staged the show coincided with the Nov. 14 release date of the 1995 soundtrack. I had been talking to Babyface about the soundtrack, which produced several major hits and made such an impact on our culture. I asked him how he was able to write in the perspective of these four women. And Forest Whitaker directed the film.
So I got this genius idea that I hoped would translate. Because nobody speaks about such hurt from a man’s perspective, I wanted to surprise the audience by having all males sing the soundtrack’s songs. We’ve experienced and gone through some ish too. We hurt as well. And I felt this was the perfect time to do something like this in the intimate, safe space of the Sun Rose.
As creative director, how hands-on are you in organizing and slating shows at Sun Rose?
Ascreative director, I’m in it every day. We have calls, text threads and ideas that we present to one another. And artists are bringing me ideas. One of the things that we’re talking about now is developing immersive experiences for both the music venue and the hotel as well. Where people can stay over multiple days like during Grammy Week, NBA All Star Week or something like that and immerse themselves in the music and the culture without even having to leave the facility. That’s something that we can provide that another venue can’t.
Also, I’ll be doing probably five-six special concerts myself a year, or possibly more. But I’m there every day as creative director, helping to make decisions. Knowing the House of Blues was on this site, I feel a responsibility to uphold that great music tradition.
Trending on Billboard Donald Glover is opening up about a recent health scare that forced him to cancel his tour last year. At the time he described it as an “ailment,” but Glover said Saturday night (Nov. 22) at a performance that a doctor told him he’d had a stroke. Glover, who performs under the moniker Childish […]
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Alicia Keys had a busy Friday (Nov. 21). Not only did the 17-time Grammy winner release a new holiday song and guest on a single from an Italian vocal legend, but she made a special appearance alongside the cast of her semi-autobiographical Broadway musical, Hell’s Kitchen, at the Shubert Theatre. Keys was in the house to deliver a mini-set as part of an “encore sessions” performance, but she was also there salute to the Broadway debut of Grammy-winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams, who just joined the cast as Miss Liza Jane.
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After belting the “Empire State of Mind” finale with the cast, Keys and Adams took the stage together. “First of all, I’m grateful,” said Adams, hugging Keys. “All that dancing made me feel younger, but my feet say no. I have to thank Alicia for saying, ‘Hey, what do you think about…?’ And I’d already thought about it, and I tried it, and I love it.” When Adams left the stage, Keys was in her element, blissfully relaxed at an upright piano while crooning her cover of Prince’s “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?”, duetting with cast member Durrell “Tank” Babbs on a gorgeous cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and singing “Underdog” before sending the ecstatic audience out into the streets of Manhattan (incidentally, not far from Hell’s Kitchen).
Just hours before dazzling Broadway, Keys spoke to Billboard about “Hell’s Kitchen’s a Merry Little Christmas,” which hit DSPs on Friday. She says the idea of a holiday song for her Broadway musical Hell’s Kitchen was broached a year ago. “For different reasons it didn’t come together,” she tells Billboard. “This year we knew we wanted to do it, so we put it together now.”
“Hell’s Kitchen’s a Merry Little Christmas” mashes up the standard “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” with the musical’s opening number, Keys’ “The Gospel.” The recording features Adams along with principal performers including Amanda Reid, Phillip Johnson Richardson and Jessica Vosk.
“I love it so much,” Keys continues. “It’s such a beautiful version. Of course, the holidays are such a beautiful time to celebrate that warm, festive feeling. We wanted to bring some Hell’s Kitchen energy.”
The recording was produced by Adam Blackstone, Keys’ longtime collaborator who also serves as music supervisor and co-orchestrator for the musical. “Our process of bringing the music to life for Hell’s Kitchen has been so thrilling and exciting,” Keys says. “We had no idea that someone as phenomenal as Yolanda Adams would be joining the cast. The life of Hell’s Kitchen has just been such an incredible experience.”
With a book by Kristoffer Diaz, Hell’s Kitchen premiered at the Public Theater in late 2023, moving to the Shubert Theatre in March 2024. It was nominated for 13 Tonys, with Kecia Lewis, who played Miss Liza Jane, wining for best featured actress in a musical and Maleah Joi Moon, as Ali, taking home best actress in a musical at the 2024 Tony Awards. The original Broadway cast recording, featuring the three brand-new songs Keys penned for the musical, came out in 2024 and hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Cast Albums chart.
The first North American tour, meanwhile, kicked off during October in Cleveland, with 30 cities on the schedule for its first year.
“That’s such a huge accomplishment,” Keys says. “And I’m so excited the country will get to experience it — even if you can’t come to New York — in a city near you. And this cast is unreal. I just can’t believe how good they are.”
The holiday song isn’t Keys’ only new music to drop on Friday. It coincides with the release of her feature on “L’aurora,” a new single by Italian vocalist Eros Ramazzotti. “It’s my first time singing in Italian,” she says. “It’s such a beautiful process to continue to learn and try things that are new and different, so I’m really excited about that.” Keys is also working on new material as she works toward a follow-up to her last studio album, 2021’s Keys, and 2022’s holiday effort Santa Baby.
“I’m writing right now, creating new music,” she says. “It is very, very special. I just feel like I’m getting better and better, so that’s all happening. There’s a lot of phenomenal things bubbling, but I just take my time — just like Hell’s Kitchen, just take my time putting it all together. It’s just a beautiful time of no limits. That’s how I look at everything.”
Trending on Billboard In this week’s episode of Unfiltered, rappers Dave East & DreamDoll debate the best, top five strip club anthems of all time. Stay tuned to hear what their top picks are! What are your top five strip club anthems of all time? Let us know in the comments! Carl Lamarre: Hey! What’s […]
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The Weeknd‘s massive After Hours Til Dawn tour has racked up yet another huge record thanks to worldwide grosses topping $1 billion. According to a statement from Abel Tesfaye’s team, the grosses make the AHTD outing the top-earning tour by a male solo artist in history.
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The billion mark was crossed following the recent onsale dates for upcoming spring and summer 2026 dates in Mexico, Brazil, Europe and the U.K., which bumped the tour’s total ticket sales to more than 7.5 million to date across 153 shows since its July 14, 2022 kick-off at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
In mid-August, Billboard Boxscore reported that at that point the tour had grossed $635.5 million and sold 5.1 million tickets since launching, making it the biggest R&B tour in history. That meant that AHTD easily overtook Beyoncé’s 2023 Renaissance World Tour, which took in $579.8 million over 56 shows. The Weeknd lapped Queen Bey when it crossed the $600 million mark following two return performances at Philly’s Lincoln Financial Field on July 30-31.
The gaudy numbers for AHTD made it the ninth tour to hit the $600 million and above mark, with the Weeknd the only R&B and Black artist on a list that features pop and rock acts including Elton John and Harry Styles. The Weeknd’s attendance at the shows is also a record-setter according to Billboard Boxscore, making him the only genre act and only Black artist to sell more than five million tickets on a single tour, as well as just one of eight to sell more than five million tickets and gross more than $600 million.
In addition to the record-setting box office figures, the singer’s team said to date the Weeknd has donated more than $8.5 million to his XO Humanitarian Fund as well as to Global Citizen, with additional proceeds from the 2026 dates set to continue supporting World Food Program Global Citizen.
After the 2025 North American stadium leg featuring 40+ sold out shows set highest attendance records by a Black male artist at venues in New York, Denver, Santa Clara, Seattle, Edmonton, Montreal, Orlando, Arlington and Houston, as well as breaking the all-time record for the most shows by a male solo artist on a single tour with six performances at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, the trek will continue next year with 40 more dates in Mexico, Brazil, Europe and the U.K. The next leg kicks off on April 20 with the first of three stop at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City.
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Two more of Smokey Robinson’s former employees — a woman and a man — have come forward with claims that the 85-year-old Motown singer sexually assaulted them on the job.
Robinson was first accused of sexual misconduct in May, when four anonymous, female ex-housekeepers at his Los Angeles-area home brought a $50 million civil lawsuit alleging the singer forced them to have oral and vaginal sex dozens of times between 2007 and 2024. Robinson vehemently denied those claims and has countersued the housekeepers for defamation.
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Now, another anonymous female housekeeper and an unnamed male car mechanic want to join the lawsuit. A lawyer for the group, John Harris, argued in a motion to amend the lawsuit on Friday (Nov. 14) that all the claims involve “overlapping events under the same operative timeline.”
The fifth housekeeper, dubbed “Jane Doe 5,” claims Robinson groped her breasts, propositioned her for sex and forced her to scrub his back in the shower between 2007 and 2011. The mechanic, a man known as “John Doe 1,” says Robinson would masturbate while watching him work starting in 2013 and once tried to force him to touch Robinson’s penis.
In a statement shared with Billboard on Wednesday (Nov. 19), Harris said, “We commend these two courageous survivors for stepping forward and adding their voices to this case. We look forward to advocating for them vigorously as they pursue the justice they deserve.”
Robinson’s lawyer, Christopher Frost, responded in his own statement that the new claims are false and part of an “organized, avaricious campaign to extract money from an 85-year-old legend.”
“This group of people, who hide behind anonymity, and their attorneys seek global publicity while making the ugliest of false allegations,” added Frost. “Once the public can see the truth, their avaricious motives and fabricated claims will be revealed.”
The civil claims against Robinson are currently scheduled to go to trial in 2027. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department also opened a criminal investigation after the housekeepers made a police report, though no charges have been filed to date.
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Jill Scott, John Legend and Earth, Wind & Fire are among the stars who will be performing at the inaugural HBCU AWAREFEST. Billed as “the largest HBCU fundraiser ever,” the festival — a new joint partnership between Live Nation Urban and Student Freedom Initiative — will be staged at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on March 26.
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In addition to the aforementioned acts, the lineup includes Common, GloRilla, Tems, Metro Boomin, Kirk Franklin and others. Chris Paul, Angel Reese, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and entrepreneur-philanthropist Robert F. Smith are among the guest speakers who will be participating.
“At Student Freedom Initiative, we are incredibly excited about the coalition and movement that we are building to end the student loan debt crisis for our nation’s HBCU students,” said Keith Shoates, president and CEO of SFI, in a statement. “In addition to these amazing performers, we have enlisted AWAREFEST Ambassadors, showing the breadth of our ecosystem of mission-aligned partners. These individuals will help to spread the word and share the urgency of our mission to tackle the racial wealth gap through the lens of education.”
Shawn Gee, president of Live Nation Urban, commented, “Live Nation Urban is committed to Black excellence in music and culture, and today we are proud to stand with our partners at Student Freedom Initiative to build a national movement of allies, artists, activists and students to support the institutions that are the foundation of our culture.”
Serving as a nationwide call to action, HBCU AWAREFEST will also present workshops and panel discussions about the serious issue of student loan debt. Funds raised by Live Nation Urban and Student Freedom Initiative will benefit SFI’s Student Freedom Loan Agreement, described as “an affordable, income-contingent funding alternative to Parent PLUS Loans.”
Tickets for HBCU AWAREFEST are available for presale now, and then go on sale Nov. 21 (10 a.m. ET). For tickets and additional information, visit the event’s website.
