J Balvin
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It looks like Will Smith is officially out of the doghouse as far as fans are concerned. Years after alienating millions of his supporters for slapping Chris Rock, Smith is once again feeling the love and adoration whenever he takes the stage these days.
His latest surprise appearance came courtesy of J Balvin during his set at Coachella Sunday night (April 14) and much to the delight of the crowd, Will Smith burst on the scene in his Men In Black attire and performed the title track from the smash 1997 film. Why that song was chosen is anyone’s guess. Smith does have a few other songs that people would’ve grooved to like “Welcome To Miami,” Summertime” or even “Gettin’ Jiggy With It,” but nah, they decided “Men In Black” was the one.
According to Variety, the song turned out to be the right choice as not only did the crowd approve, but also appreciated the entire theme that overtook the stage for the surprise cameo.
Per Variety:
The appearance was brief but memorable, capping a UFO-themed set and concluding with Balvin being dragged off by black-suit-clad dancers as Smith pulled out a “Neuralyzer,” the famous memory-eraser device from the film.
Balvin returned for another song, however, and rocked energetically through a rousing version of his hit “In Da Ghetto” with his troupe of dancers, who were clad in comically stereotypical alien costumes, green with big black eyes.
Balvin’s concerts are always heavily thematic, and the interstellar theme was present throughout. It opened with a mock-1950s newsreel about an alien invasion (in English, with Spanish subtitles), eventually revealing that the alien was… Balvin, who then arose on a platform from beneath the stage, underneath a giant mock-UFO that looked like a cross between the evil spaceship in the film “Nope,” a pointer from a Ouija board and a cushioned toilet seat.
Who knew J Balvin was such a big Men In Black fan? We sure didn’t. Either way it was cool to see Will Smith back in his bag and getting love from the crowd. Whether or not that love once again extends to Chris Rock is anyone’s guess, but we wouldn’t bet on it.
Check out Will Smith’s performance at Coachella, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Source: @jbalvin / Instagram
The J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 was one of the most hyped releases of 2023 and now the black version of the sneakers and best believe these will not be an easy copp.
According to Sneakernews, the J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 “Rio” is set to release this May 22 and with the sneaker already getting all kinds of hype thanks to DJ Khaled forcing his security to carry him so he wouldn’t dirty his exclusive pair, you can expect to have a hard time coming by a pair for retail. Having made their debut on J Balvin’s feet himself not too long after the first cream colored pair released in September of 2023, sneakerheads were wondering if the black version would ever see the light of day with a general release.
Well, those prayers have been answered and heads will have an opportunity to copp what’s sure to be one of the most hyped drops of 2024.
Per Sneakernews:
Last September, J Balvin released what is undoubtedly his best project with Jordan Brand to date — the Air Jordan 3 inspired by the picturesque sunsets in his hometown of Medellín. As a follow-up to this applause-worthy collaboration, he’s teaming up with the Jumpman for a variation of the design inspired by his unbreakable bond with his son.
In fact, Balvin was so eager to show the public his upcoming release that he was spotted in them in New York City way back in Fall of last year. It wasn’t until an Instagram post from the Colombian superstar weeks later that revealed the true nature of the design; although primarily black in its color, the J Balvin Jordan 3 “Rio” is inspired by the light given to him by his son.
As of now the sneakers are set to drop on May 22nd for a cool $250, but don’t be surprised if Nike pushes that date back as they’re notorious for switching up release dates on hype sneakers.
Check out pics of the J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 “Rio”‘s and let us know if you’ll be trying your luck when these drop next month.
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Source: Christopher Polk / Getty / Coachella 2024
The Coachella 2024 lineup is here, and it’s stacked.
The official Coachella 2024 lineup is here, and this year’s headliners will include meanie Doja Cat, hater of top rapper lists Tyler, the creator, and Lana Del Rey.
The ridiculously expensive music festival that sees music fans, rich folks, and influencers flock to the Coachella Valley will take place over two weekends, April 12 to April 14 and April 19 to April 21.
Del Rey will headline two Fridays, Tyler will bring his unique energy on Saturdays, and Doja will shut it all down on Sundays.
Coachella 2024 attendees will also see No Doubt reunite. It will mark the first time the “Spiderwebs” band has taken the stage together in almost ten years.
Other big names on the incredibly stacked lineup include Hip-Hop’s new favorite booty shaker Ice Spice, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, J Balvin, Peso Pluma, Jhené Aiko, Jon Batiste, Skepta, Grimes, Victoria Monet, Tinashe, Blxst and more.
For those who don’t have the coins to be in the desert getting their “influency” flicks off, don’t worry because YouTube will once again be the official live stream partner of the musical festival.
Fans head to the official Coachella page to catch live streams of the performances and get exclusive backstage access without worrying about desert dust getting all in their mouths and eyes.
Like it always does, the entire festival will take place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, and ticket presale begins on January 19; good luck if you are attempting to make it out to California.
You can check out the entire Coachella 2024 lineup below.
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Source: Jordan Brand / Jordan Brand
The J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 “Medellín Sunset’s” are set to be one of the biggest sneaker releases of 2023. With a rumored stock of a measly 12,000 pairs, Jordan Brand is making sure sneakerheads feel pain and despair when that pending L hits the screen on your phone.
Still, we’re going to try our best to land a pair of these grails and according to Sneaker News the sneaker community will be able to try in vain to purchase a pair of the highly-anticipated kicks later this month. Originally set for a Sept. 2 release date, the kicks got pushed back a few weeks and will now see a Sept. 23 drop. Though, of course, Nike could change their minds again and push it back even further down the line.
Sneaker News reports:
The artist’s first collaborative encounter with MJ’s third signature — his second, the “Rio,” is already in the works as well — the J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 “Medellín Sunset” pays a heartfelt homage to Balvin’s hometown. It’s here where the Colombian singer elected to shoot the forthcoming campaign, intertwining his creative pursuits closely with his roots. Color-wise, the pair is visually emblematic of its namesake, as it applies a vibrant gradient atop not only the rear midsole but also underneath the co-branded emblems along the heels. Beige tones, then, run throughout the rest of the construction, from the premium leather upper to the midsole and hits of Elephant Print.
They’re only making a few thousand pairs so you’d think Nike would have these ready to go ASAP. But after the J Balvin x Air Jordan 2 bricked like a Russell Westbrook three-point shot (no shots), it feels like Jordan Brand is punishing sneakerheads for allowing that silhouette to sink straight down to Davey Jones’ locker.
No word on whether these kicks will be sold at tier 0 accounts or be exclusive to the SNKRS app, but we’re almost sure DJ Khaled’s SNIPE store in Miami will be bubbling these come release day.
Check out pics of the J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 “Medellín Sunset” below, and let us know if you’ll be taking that L come release day in the comments section below.
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Last year’s collaboration between J Balvin and Jordan Brand on the Air Jordan 2 pretty much bricked as pairs struggled to move off of digital shelves for weeks. But don’t expect the upcoming Air Jordan 3 “Medellin Sunset” to experience the same fate as hype has been gradually building around this particular release.
Tuesday (Aug. 29), things got more interesting in the sneaker world as J Balvin was caught playing a game of basketball in a pair of his unreleased black version of his Air Jordan 3s (blasphemy!) in New York City. Dubbed the “Rio’s,” the sneakers featured a black leather base with the classic elephant print overlays on the toes and heels. Making the pair really pop was the solar flare and total crimson abyss on the back midsoles and fading into the heel tab of the kicks.
These joints go hella hard, b, but we feel like the “Medellin Sunset” joints are a superior colorway.
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While the original release date for the Air Jordan 3 x J Balvin “Medellin Sunset” was supposed to drop Sept. 2, it’s been pushed back to Sept. 23 (it may get pushed back again). As for the black Air Jordan 3 x J Balvin “Rio” colorway, word is they’ll probably touch down in the summer of 2024.
Check out pics of the Air Jordan 3 “Medellin Sunset” below, and let us know if you’ll be trying to cop either colorway in the comments section below.
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The J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 collaboration still hasn’t hit the shelves or pavement yet, but already sneakerheads are calling them the best Balvin Jordans out of the three the reggaeton artist has created under the Jumpman logo.
While we await the release of these latest grails, the Colombian music artist took to social media to show off his latest creation and man, we cannot wait for our chance to slip these beauties on and stunt out on these streets. Giving the exclusive look to Hypebeast, J Balvin dubbed his latest Air Jordan sneakers the “Balvin Sunsets” and actually revealed that someone stole one of his samples. Can y’all blame them though? These joints are fire.
Hypebeast reports:
When comparing this installment to the reggaeton artist’s past Jumpman team-ups, the kicks are more demure and dial back their playful accents. He retains the silhouette’s crispy white leather uppers and grays out the cement print panels, but adds purple, orange and yellow accents to the heel counters and rear midsole molds. The latter is meant to reference the breathtaking sunsets that you can experience in his hometown of Medellín. In addition, the back splits its branding between translucent Nike Air hits on the left shoe and Balvin’s signature smiley insignia on the right.
Not gonna lie, these are way better than the Balvin x Air Jordan 1 and Air Jordan 2. No hate, just sayin‘.
Though there still isn’t an official release date, rumors have these releasing sometime in September. However, we don’t know just how limited they will be. Could be 100,000 pairs or 500,000, either way we needs these in our lives.
Check out the Air Jordan 3 “Balvin Sunsets” below and let us know if you’ll be trying to cop a pair when they drop sometime later this year.
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J Balvin’s most recent Instagram post is from September, when he’s all smiles at home with his baby boy Río, whom he had with his longtime partner, Argentine model Valentina Ferrer. The last single he released was the Ryan Castro-assisted “Nivel de Perreo” in June.
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Though he’s been spotted at events such as Paris Fashion Week and the Super Bowl, there’s a reason why the Colombian artist has decided to take a break from social media and from making music.
“Really right now, I’ve been focused on my family,” he tells Billboard. “I left social media to be connected to my reality and to my family. That has taught me a lot. To live more in the present. Obviously, I miss my fans, but when the time is right, I’ll be back.”
In spring 2022, Balvin postponed his 25-date José U.S. tour, which was scheduled to kick off April 19 in San Antonio, Texas, citing “unforeseen production challenges” due to COVID-19. That summer, he unveiled a seven-day “Niño Soñador” stint across South America, which made stops in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Peru and Paraguay. In August, he performed the reggaeton-heavy “Noche de Perreo” at the MTV Video Music Awards, and in September, he dropped his latest sneakers, the Air Balvin Jordan 2. Not that long ago, he reclaimed his crown as the artist with the most videos in YouTube’s Billion Views Club (he now ties with Ozuna with 12 entries each).
The year prior, the artist born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín captured his fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart with his ultra-personal set José (Sueños Globales/Universal Music Latino/UMLE). But despite his recent achievements, Balvin is not quite ready for a comeback.
“I have made music to have a good time as always, but I don’t have a concept or an album to make yet,” he says. “But it’s because I want to have a clear, different and fresh concept. Possibly these days, the muse arrives and the concept comes to me, and from there, an album is born. It may be this year, it may be the next.”
For the time being, Balvin, who helped propel the careers of artists such as Bad Bunny, Karol G, Rosalía and Feid, is excited about the new generation of Latin urban artists — most notably La Gabi, a young Dominican rapper he signed.
“I am totally in love with what she does,” he says. “In the future, I would like to work with her, but I want her to work hard to earn her space [in the industry]. I really love what Blessd and Ryan Castro are doing with Colombian reggaeton too, but at this moment, La Gabi interests me a lot. I will continue to see what other new artists come out, because I love collaborating and elevating that.”
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