Hip Hop News
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Rapper Larry June’s latest project sees him teaming up with The Alchemist, with a large tour to take place after its release.
Larry June has been hard at work with the celebrated producer on his album The Great Escape. The Bay Area native posted teasers giving fans a look into his creative collaborative process with The Alchemist on social media, stoking the anticipation. “He’s been here watching the whole evolution of this shit and still in the game,” Larry said of the producer in a recent interview. “Al was somebody I looked up to musically, too. He’s done so much in hip-hop for him to be able to be relevant and jump on a new artist like myself and rap, make all the beats, and still got a crazy legacy.“
For the iconic producer, working with June was invigorating. “I find [that with] MCs that I could really mesh with, we got to find a way where we can find a sound that works,” he said. “I’ve discovered that he’s versatile. He can do a lot of shit, so when we got up it was easy. And he’s one of the easiest people that I’ve ever worked with and the most fun because his energy is positive and we going up every time. The album is set for release on March 31st.
On Tuesday (March 21st), he announced that there will be a tour for the new album as well, produced by Live Nation. The “Larry’s Market Run” Tour is a huge one, which will see him hit 47 cities across North America beginning on May 8th at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He’ll be hitting the road with Monroe Flow & DVME, stopping in major cities including Dallas, Chicago, and New York while making two stops in Canada when the tour hits Toronto and Vancouver. The tour will end at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California on July 23rd.
Tickets for the tour will be available on for presale audience purchase on Wednesday (March 22nd), and open to the general public on Friday (March 24th). There are already two singles that have been released, “60 Days” and “89 Earthquake” with more to follow in the days before the album’s release. In addition, the making of the album has been captured through a documentary produced by Miggs.
For more information on the tour dates (see below) and to purchase tickets, check out Larry June’s website. Check out The Great Escape documentary below.
LARRY’S MARKET RUN TOUR DATES
Mon May 08 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
Tue May 09 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
Wed May 10 – Columbia, MO – Blue Note
Fri May 12 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
Sun May 14 – St Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
Mon May 15 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
Tue May 16 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
Thu May 18 – Little Rock, AR – The Hall
Fri May 19 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
Sat May 20 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theater
Mon May 22 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Tue May 23 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
Fri May 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
Sun May 28 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
Mon May 29 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace
Tue May 30 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
Thu Jun 01 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
Sat Jun 03 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theater
Sun Jun 04 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
Mon Jun 05 – Seattle, WA – Neptune
Tue Jun 06 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
Sat Jun 10 – Denver, CO – Summit
Tue Jun 13 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Thu Jun 15 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
Sat Jun 17 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation
Sun Jun 18 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
Mon Jun 19 – Toronto, ON – Opera House
Wed Jun 21 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
Thu Jun 22 – New Haven, CT – Toads
Sat Jun 24 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
Sun Jun 25 – Philadelphia, PA – TLA
Tue Jun 27 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
Thu Jun 29 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
Fri Jun 30 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
Sat Jul 01 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
Mon Jul 03 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
Wed Jul 05 – Miami, FL – The Oasis
Thu Jul 06 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues Orlando
Sat Jul 08 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
Mon Jul 10 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore New Orleans
Wed Jul 12 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
Fri Jul 14 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
Sat Jul 15 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
Sun Jul 16 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
Wed Jul 19 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
Fri Jul 21 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
Sun Jul 23 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
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Just Blaze reveals how he stumbled upon vocals that Michael Jackson had recorded for one of Jay-Z’s greatest songs, which had been regarded as an “urban myth”.
The Grammy-nominated producer recently appeared as a guest for the latest episode of the Idea Generation series hosted by journalist Noah Callahan-Bever. As they talked, the discussion turned to what has been considered an urban legend in Hip-Hop – the fact that the legendary Michael Jackson had recorded vocals for Jay-Z’s smash hit “Girls, Girls, Girls”. Just Blaze confirmed that the vocals exist and how finding them surprised him as well.
“So Michael Jackson is on the Girls, Girls, Girls remix. The A version. And I never knew that,” he began. “I don’t know if I didn’t go to the studio that day. I thought it was an urban legend or something that Jay said like in jest one day or just was some kind of a myth. So one day I was looking for something on the server and I find this straight folder that says MJ vocals.”
Just Blaze then detailed what he found as he looked through the files from the recording sessions for Jackson’s “You Rock My World” remix from 2001 that he did with Jay-Z. “And I’m like MJ- don’t that mean Michael Jackson- oh whatever. And I’m thinking it’s probably stuff from- remember Jay had or remember they had the Rock My World- so I’m thinking it’s like takes from that session.”
He continued: “And I’m like I don’t think they recorded this at Baseline but let me take a listen and see what it is. And I realize as I’m listening to it, it’s him singing on Girls, Girls, Girls. And I’m like… it’s true. Like I never- the last 20 years- I just found it during quarantine. So all these years I’ve never known it was actually a real thing. And turns out the files had been sitting downstairs this entire time.”
The conversation with Callahan-Bever also covered how the first moniker Just Blaze was ever tagged with was “Just Hot”…which he turned down. “It came about during the Mase sessions actually. Super Sam and, rest in peace, Huddy Combs. They were like yo you gotta come up with a name. I was just DJ Just. They were like you can’t just be Just. You gotta be something better than that. I think it was Sam who was like yo, your name should be Just Hot. And I was like I am not naming myself Just Hot.”
Check out the entire Idea Generation episode below.
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Source: Amazon / Amazon Music
Two new shows set to premiere later this month on Amazon Music will focus on Hip-Hop and Latin music along with pop culture from the Latin perspective.
According to reports, the streaming music platform will be launching two new flagship music series. The first, “Rotation Roundtable,” will be presented in a hybrid format utilizing a podcast-style experience and a Twitch live stream inspired by the platform’s “Rap Rotation” and “R&B Rotation” playlists. The hour-long show will be hosted by Power 105.1 host/ producer Nyla Symone, journalist and executive producer Speedy Morman, “On the Radar” creator Gabe P and veteran journalist Rob Markman.
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In a press release about “Roundtable,” Symone expressed her delight about being a part of it. “I’m super excited to finally have a safe space to speak candidly amongst people who actually know the culture. My point of view is that culture isn’t about the clout or politics, it’s just about the music.” The show will debut March 15 at 9 p.m. and air each Wednesday on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel. Episodes will be available as audio podcasts on Amazon Music and all major services.
“La Semanal Live” will cover the biggest releases in Latin music and the most-discussed topics in Latin pop culture. Puerto Rican journalist and podcast host Gio Rosado will host the show from Miami, Florida. “The show will have a lot of energy, humor and debate. My goal is to create a show so captivating and engaging that you’ll regret not having tuned in,” he said.
“La Semanal Live” will debut March 24 on the Amazon Music on Vivo Channel on Twitch. Clips from the show will be available in the Amazon Music app. It will then air every Friday at 9 p.m. Platino DJ Mode radio host Grecia Lopez will also be a recurring guest on the show, which will feature artist interviews and spotlight segments. A special slate of programming for Women’s History Month is in the works for the show, with an in-depth spotlight on Karol G to be included.
Source: Amazon / Amazon Music
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Two of the biggest names in Hip-Hop, Drake and Lil Baby, might be teaming up on a future album according to a recent podcast appearance by a producer.
In a recent interview on the Podcast and Chill With Mac G which aired Monday (March 6), the producer Black Coffee was asked about the various celebrity encounters he’s had. The conversation soon turned to his linking up with Quality Control co-founder Keith “Coach K” Lee in Atlanta.
“We go to dinner. We got to the club. I play my sets,” Coffee added. “He’s like, ‘We’re going to my strip club.’ I have never been. And this is what Atlanta is known for. And he said to me, ‘Lil Baby and Drake are making an album. It’s possible that Drake is retiring.’” The interview concludes shortly after. Black Coffee recently worked with Drake on his last solo album, Honestly, Nevermind.
There has been no confirmation from representatives of Drake or Lil Baby. If it’s true that the two are collaborating on a new album, this would be the third joint musical venture the Canadian superstar has entered into with an Atlanta-based rapper. Drake is still enjoying the rave reviews from the Her Loss album he did with 21 Savage, which was released last November. And in 2015, he and Future teamed up to record and drop What a Time to be Alive.
The Certified Lover Boy has hinted at making an early exit from music, doing so in a recent interview with Lil Yachty. “I’m at the point now where I just want to, like, and I feel like maybe we talked about this the other day, but I feel like I’m kind of introducing the concept in my mind of a graceful exit,” he said at the time.
The interview with Black Coffee on the Podcast and Chill With Mac G can be seen in full below.
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Metro Boomin has joined the ranks of musical artists selling their publishing catalogs, recently making a deal that earns him $70 million.
According to reports, the producer behind hits from Migos, Kanye West, and Future has sold off part of his existing publishing catalog to the Shamrock Capital firm. Sources with knowledge of the deal estimate that the “Jumpman” producer received close to $70 million. Representatives for Metro Boomin’ declined to comment on the transaction, and Shamrock Capital didn’t respond to press inquiries.
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News of the deal comes as Metro Boomin’ has recently released a new album, HEROES & VILLAINS. The album contains features from Takeoff, Future, Chris Brown, 21 Savage, and The Weeknd. The deal is only for “part” of the catalog, but there is no information as to what that includes.
Music catalog purchases have held the attention of those in the music industry as well as observers. Last month, reports stated that the estate of the late superstar Michael Jackson is planning to sell half of its interests in his music catalog for an estimated price of $800 to $900 million. Hip-Hop artists are now finding themselves in the eyesight of interested firms – Dr. Dre sold a collection of music streams and other assets to Shamrock Holdings and Universal Music Group for a sum close to $250 million.Justin Bieber has also taken the plunge and sold the rights to his music catalog in January for an estimated $200 million.
The discussion over artists’ catalogs and Hip-Hop have also been in the spotlight due to the recent arrival of the entire catalog of the iconic group De La Soul last Friday (March 3rd). The catalog had been withheld from digital streaming platforms for years in a fight with their label, Tommy Boy Records and its parent company, Warner Music Group. In addition, the Quality Control independent label which is home to Migos, Lil Yachty and Lil Baby was acquired in a major deal by the South Korean entertainment firm Hybe America for $320 million.
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Source: handout / Bryan McDaniels
A public library system in New York City is launching a new program celebrating 50 years of Hip-Hop, with the guidance of the legendary “Uncle” Ralph McDaniels.
Last week, the Queens Public Library announced a partnership with over 30 libraries, colleges, and art institutions nationwide to honor the culture of Hip-Hop celebrating 50 years of existence. The partnership was made possible through funding via a $267,760 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) That has led to the launch of “Collections of Culture: 50 Years of Hip Hop Inside Libraries, Museums, and Archives,” which will be coordinated by the library’s Hip-Hop coordinator, Ralph McDaniels.
McDaniels, the beloved host of the iconic Video Music Box television show has been in that role with the library since 2015. As a venerable archivist of the culture, the Brooklyn native has been instrumental in providing education about all of the elements of Hip-Hop. “Hip-hop has been a learning tool for many years,” McDaniels said in the statement. “We are humbled by the IMLS grant and the response we have received from our partners and collaborators and excited that communities around the country will come together to deepen their understanding of Hip-Hop as it turns 50.”
The six-month program kicked off last Monday (February 27th) as Grammy Award-winner and Hip-Hop pioneer Chuck D joined McDaniels at the Central Branch of the QPL for a discussion on the culture turning 50 and the borough of Queens’ impact as well as other subjects. The QPL is also working with The Gates Preserve, a multimedia hip-hop archiving and preservation firm that is helping each institution create original programming along with creating a digital archive of each event for QPL’s Digital Hip-Hop Archive.
“QPL’s hip-hop program has drawn people of all ages and backgrounds to our spaces and has created a unique community connected by a love for music and knowledge,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott in the release. “We are thrilled to share our experience with libraries, museums, and other educational institutions across the country to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, and we are grateful to the Institute of Museum and Library Services and our partners for their tremendous support in making sure that hip hop remains part of our culture for generations to come.”
For more information on upcoming programs, check out the dedicated website here.
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Rap legends Chuck D and Daddy-O have united once more with a new project and movement featuring many of the big names in Hip-Hop to address the issues of the community.
Over 30 years since the original “Self Destruction” track was released, a new project helmed by Chuck D of Public Enemy and Daddy-O of Stetsasonic entitled “Stop Self Destruction,” was announced in a press release. The icons and longtime friends were part of the original song released in 1989, which brought together the greatest names in Hip-Hop on the East Coast to decry the rising violence in the Black community.
This time around, both MCs are partnering with the music label Opposition to create the track “Stop Self Destruction,” featuring some of the best artists from around the world. The song will be the spearhead of the initiative to spark meaningful discussions and actions regarding the state of Hip-Hop and the community, which has seen an alarming number of artists lost to violence, substance abuse, suicide and those lost to the penal system.
“Hip Hop has always helped each generation find its voice. Right now, there are more issues to speak about than ever before, but there are also more distractions. It’s our responsibility, as an artist-first label, to ensure that artists who speak about what’s really going on in their communities are getting the proper amount of attention and support. These artists will shape the voice of a generation,” said Opposition’s label head Shane Gil in the press release.
The new movement will also produce more documentaries and videos focusing on these issues and the culture. The collaboration with Opposition, whose mission is to be forward-thinking with respect to its artists, began in 2021 as Chuck D and Daddy-O were featured on a virtual panel discussion with Gil for the South by Southwest Festival that year. Shortly after, top artists from the Bay Area including E-40 and Too Short released a track called “8:46” referencing the length of time that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck in 2020, leading to his death.
Visit here to find out more about the Stop Self Destruction movement.
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The judge presiding over the racketeering case of Young Thug has ordered a probe over the release of a video showing a possible evidence leak.
According to reports, Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville ordered the investigation after a video was posted online where a witness was offering to provide information about the rapper for leniency. The footage was taken from an interview conducted in 2021.
On Wednesday (March 1), Judge Glanville issued a reminder to attorneys for the prosecution and the defense that certain evidence must be kept secret until the trial. “It affects everyone’s right to a fair trial,” the judge said. “I don’t know who did this but if this pertains to you, please amend your ways. You’re playing a very dangerous game with your six-digit bar number.”
Gina Bernard, the defense attorney for JayMan aka Jayden Myrick, filed a motion for a mistrial over the video leak citing that it “made it impossible for him to receive a fair trial, as well as a jury that is honestly and truly fair and impartial.”
Prosecutors countered that the video might’ve been leaked by the defense. “The state has absolutely no interest in leaking this video to members of the public, as its dissemination serves only to intimidate and harass witnesses called upon by the state to testify in a very serious and high-profile case,” they wrote.
Judge Glanville dismissed the motion and also warned that if more evidence makes it into the public eye that he will only let discovery evidence be shown in his chambers. “For me to have to deal with this at this point in the trial is just unacceptable,” he said. Currently, jury selection for the trial has been going on for two months and is expected to go on for another several months.
The highly-publicized trial of Young Thug and 13 of his YSL associates for racketeering and other criminal activities is projected to take six to nine months. Prosecutors claim that the group billed themselves as “Young Slime Life,” and operated a criminal enterprise associated with the Bloods gang in Atlanta, Georgia. Defense attorneys claim that YSL simply stands for “Young Stoner Life” and it represents a record label founded by Young Thug.
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In another bad sign for adidas after cutting ties with Ye aka Kanye West, their credit ratings have been cut by S&P Global due
to the company’s expectations of earnings losses for 2023.
In a disclosure statement that was published on Tuesday (February 21st), the noted agency that judges the ability of companies to pay back what they’ve borrowed declared that they were cutting the global athletic brand’s long and short-term credit rating from “A+” to “A-“. They based this on the company’s warnings that their earnings would take a serious hit after cutting ties with the controversial artist. Adidas had previously projected that the dissolution of their deal with Ye could cost them $1.3 billion.
“Adidas faces a multitude of business challenges, including the termination of its Yeezy partnership, ongoing competitive pressures in the Chinese market, and a contraction of consumer demand in Western countries,” it said in the statement. They went on to state that adidas’ warning had a tremendous effect on their decision, especially when it came to uncertainty over their remaining Yeezy stock that it could still write off and not refit for sale. “This estimate is materially worse than our previous base-case scenario.”
Adidas terminated its partnership with Ye in late October after the DONDA artist had made a string of antisemitic comments. This included an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast where he publicly challenged the brand over his behavior and comments taken from an unaired interview with Tucker Carlson of Fox News.
S&P Global Ratings is not the only group of its kind to have a gloomy outlook on adidas’ expected financial fortunes for the year. Bernstein Research published a report that the company might’ve experienced these struggles even if it maintained its ties with Ye. They also projected that Adidas could experience losses of $2 billion, more than the estimated figure expressed in their disclosure statement. “The sales decline is about more than just Yeezy,” Bernstein analyst Aneesha Sherman said in an internal note. “We are concerned about the underlying health of the business that would drive such a drastic guide-down, even after stripping out the Yeezy impact.”
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The artist known as Ye is expected to be the subject of an upcoming documentary and a podcast from the BBC.
Word has it that Mobeen Azhar will be the host of the We Need to Talk About Kanye documentary planned by the British network. (The title is tentative, per the network.) The BAFTA-winning investigative journalist will follow the “Flashing Lights” rapper as he sets out on his campaign to become president in 2024. Azhar has been lauded for his work as the lead journalist in the documentary The Battle for Britney, which covered the battle over pop star Britney Spears’ conservatorship in detail.
The one-off documentary will be accompanied by an eight-part podcast series entitled The Kanye Story. The series is expected to feature various figures from Ye’s life from his early days until now. Both projects were ordered by the newly-minted Head of Popular Music Jonathan Rothery. UK-based company Forest Sounds will be in charge of the production, with Abacus Media Rights handling the distribution. No date has been set for the documentary, which will air on BBC Two.
The news comes as Ye is dealing with the aftermath of his antisemitic remarks & behavior, which began on Twitter last October. Since then, he has suffered multiple setbacks on the business front, including the severing of ties with Adidas. It has not stopped him from associating with far-right figures like Nick Fuentes and meeting with former President Donald Trump last Thanksgiving.
Another project featuring the multi-hyphenate entertainer done in collaboration with MRC was shelved in October. MRC studio executives Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu and Scott Tenley released a statement at that time, saying:“Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3,000 years — the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain.”