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12/18/2024
Another year of calm, cool and sexy in the R&B department.
12/18/2024
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Source: Nike / NIke
Nike Yardrunners returns with a new collection that once again bigs up the influence of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on culture.
The Yardrunners collection was started to highlight the deep history and heritage of (HBCUs), and their alumni, on the worlds of cultures and sports. 2024 is the 5th collection after its 2020 debut. That’s why the 2024 edition revisits the inaugural drop and features collaborations with Kahlana Barfield Brown and Dex Robinson on a new pair of AF1 Low styles.
Kahlana Barfield Brown is an influential fashion and beauty editor, and Howard alum, and the design of her Yardrunners “Ice Cream” Nike Air Force 1 is an ode to HBCU’s.
Per Nike:
The shoe’s deep brown colorway represents the shades of melanin and beauty that connect every student to their school, their roots, and the generations of Black excellence that came before them.
Its vintage cream leather upper is a nod to the rich history and heritage of HBCUs, starting with the first built in 1837.
Inspired by the timeless buildings that stand tall on HBCU campuses across the country, the brick sock liner reflects a strong foundation.
Latitude and longitude marks on the toe symbolize the coordinates of the heartbeat of each university, “The Yard,” a place where students connect with each other, as well as their shared culture and legacy.
Kahlana chose crimson red as an accent color to honor her alma mater and sorority in Washington D.C. and her late grandmother who was a lifelong member.
Capping off the design is Kahlana’s personal signature on the heel, embodying her pride in being a part of this legacy.
As for Dex Robinson, the fashion stylist and designer of menswear brand DIALLO, salutes his Virginia Union University alma mater with his AF1 ’07 Low VUU.
Inspired by the resilience and strength of VUU’s Panther mascot, the sneaker’s upper features a unique pony hair finish, embodying power and elegance.
Paying homage to VUU’s iconic colors, the sneaker features a maroon lace option and a subtle steel outline around the Nike Swoosh to accentuate the design.
The left heel tab reads “Dear Union,” a nod to Dex’s alma mater, while the right heel tab bears “With Love, Dex Rob” as a heartfelt gift to the university that shaped his journey.
Interchangeable pins, including the VUU logo, the Panther mascot, and the DIALLO feather icon, offer customizable elements for proud VUU representation.
The insole contains a personal letter from Dex, written on a silhouette background featuring an image of the university sign that highlights the colleges that merged to form Virginia Union University, symbolizing the unity and legacy VUU represents in his life.
The new Yardrunners 5.0 kicks will be available at select retailers starting December 18 and will hit the SNKRS App beginning December 20. Check out detailed photos below.
Source: Nike / NIke
Source: Nike / NIke
Source: Nike / NIke
Source: Nike / NIke
Jody Gerson, chairman/CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), is set to receive the 2025 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honor at The Recording Academy and Clive Davis‘ annual Pre-Grammy Gala, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 1, the night before the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. This is the 50th anniversary of the high-profile event.
Gerson is just the third woman to receive the honor, following Debra L. Lee (2017), then-chairman/CEO of BET Networks, and Julie Greenwald (2023), then-Atlantic Music Group chairman/CEO, who received the award in tandem with Craig Kallman, Atlantic Records chairman/CEO.
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“Jody is an inspirational leader who champions integrity and inclusivity in everything she does and is a revolutionary executive,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “She has opened doors for and propelled the careers of many of the world’s greatest songwriters, while simultaneously serving as one of the biggest advocates for women in music. We are thrilled to host an extraordinary evening that not only celebrates her remarkable impact but also marks the gala’s incredible 50-year milestone.”
“Jody Gerson is one of the music industry’s most illustrious leaders and I am thrilled that she will be this year’s Salute to Industry Icons honoree,” added Davis. “Jody’s longtime trailblazing commitment to supporting songwriters across the music spectrum as well as her tireless dedication to advocacy, diversity and equality in the music business are exemplary. Artists and the industry at large are fortunate to have a leader with such tremendous insight and passion at the helm.”
Davis originated the pre-Grammy Gala in 1976 when he was looking for a way to celebrate the success of Barry Manilow’s “Mandy,” Arista Records’ first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (and its first Grammy record of the year nominee).
Since joining UMPG in 2015, Gerson has transformed the company into a global powerhouse that owns and administers more than five million copyrights. She leads a global company with 48 offices in 40 countries and more than 850 employees. She made history as the first female chairman of a global music company and the first woman to be named CEO of a major music publisher.
Gerson is a member of Universal Music Group’s (UMG’s) executive management board.
Gerson ranked No. 14 on Billboard’s 2024 Power 100 list. Kristin Robinson, Billboard’s senior writer (publishing), led her essay about Gerson by saying, “As UMPG’s CEO, a National Music Publishers’ Association board member and co-founder of She Is the Music, an organization committed to empowering female creators, Gerson is one of the most trusted voices in music publishing.”
That was backed up with hard facts. From 2013 to 2023, UMPG’s U.S. revenue grew from $900 million to more than $1.9 billion. In that same time frame, the company narrowed the revenue gap between it and market leader Sony Music Publishing from $400 million to $188.5 million.
Gerson received a Primetime Emmy nod in 2021 as an executive producer of HBO’s The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, which was nominated for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special. A year ago, she received a Grammy nod as one of the video producers for 2Pac’s Dear Mama, which was nominated for best music film.
Gerson has signed and works with many of the world’s biggest music stars, including Adele, Bee Gees, Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande, Coldplay, Drake, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Elton John, Alicia Keys, Steve Lacy, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Maren Morris, the Prince estate, Rosalia, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, SZA and The Weeknd. She also led UMPG’s acquisitions of the hit-studded catalogs of Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond and Sting, among others.
As a champion for women in music and an advocate for education, Gerson co-founded the global nonprofit She Is The Music. She also serves on boards for the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the National Music Publishers Association, New Roads School and Project Healthy Minds.
Gerson jointly oversees Polygram Entertainment, a film and TV development and production division of UMG that produces feature-length films and music-centric series. In 2024 alone, she served as executive producer on a broad array of projects, including Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary; The Beach Boys; STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A.; and Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It. Other recent projects that Gerson executive produced include the aforementioned The Bee Gees: How to Mend a Broken Heart and HBO’s Music Box series. Among her and Polygram’s many projects in development are documentaries on Bernie Taupin and Prince.
In January 2020, Gerson became the first woman and first music publishing executive to be named Billboard’s executive of the year on its annual Power 100 list. She is the recipient of numerous other honors, including Billboard‘s Power Players’ Choice Award; Variety’s Hitmakers Executive of the Year; Billboard‘s 2015 Executive of the Year for its Women in Music issue; Rolling Stone’s “Future 25”; Variety’s Power of Women L.A.; and the 2016 March of Dimes Inspiring Woman of the Year.
The invitation-only Pre-Grammy Gala is sponsored by Hilton, Mastercard and IBM.
Jon Platt, Sony Music Publishing chairman/CEO, was last year’s Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honoree.
Here’s a complete list of previous honorees at the pre-Grammy Gala.
2005: Ahmet Ertegun
2006: Mo Ostin
2007: Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss
2008: Berry Gordy
2009: Clive Davis
2010: David Geffen
2011: Doug Morris
2012: Sir Richard Branson
2013: Antonio “L.A.” Reid
2014: Sir Lucian Grainge
2015: Martin Bandier
2016: Irving Azoff
2017: Debra L. Lee
2018: Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter
2019: Clarence Avant
2020: Sean “Diddy” Combs
2022: Rob Stringer
2023: Julie Greenwald & Craig Kallman
2024: Jon Platt
Mexican music hitmaker Tito Double P is set to go on his first-ever U.S. tour next year, Billboard can announce. The emerging música mexicana artist will kick off his Ay Mamá trek — produced by Live Nation — on March 13 in Dallas’ The Pavillion at Toyota Music Factory. The 13-date stint, plus a stop in Austin […]
Billie Eilish celebrated her 23rd birthday a day early on Tuesday (Dec. 17) at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles when she invited Charli XCX up on stage for a surprise collaboration on their “Guess” remix. The singers paired up to perform the Grammy-nominated, high-energy song from Charli’s remix album, Brat and It’s the Same […]
Rihanna was just a regular ol’ member of the Lambily on Tuesday night (Dec. 17) when she was spotted freaking out during Mariah Carey‘s final Christmas Time tour show at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The “Love on the Brain” singer was filmed having the time of her life at the gig where MC returned to […]
A crew of heavy hitters will be ringing in the new year on Apple Music, with Icelandic legend Björk, Swazi-born, South Africa-based DJ Uncle Waffles and British grime icon Skepta all set to play livestreamed New Year’s Eve events on the platform this New Year’s Eve. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest […]
No performers have been announced yet, but if the Oscars come calling, Ariana Grande says she’ll be there. The singer, who recently received her first-ever Golden Globe nomination as best supporting actress in Wicked, is a frontrunner for the same category at the Oscars in March. Though the songs from Wicked are not eligible for […]
Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten joined The Pogues on stage to perform “Streams Of Whiskey” in Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday night (Dec. 17). Watch fan-filmed footage here.
The Pogues played a one-off show at the city’s 3Arena yesterday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their 1984 debut LP, Red Roses For Me. The gig featured a wealth of special guests, including Nadine Shah, members of Lankum, rapper Kojaque and John Francis Flynn, among others. Fontaines D.C. drummer Tom Coll also performed as part of the live band.
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Following the death of singer Shane MacGowan last year, the current Pogues line-up consists of singer Spider Stacy, and founding members Jem Finer and James Fearnley. The band recently announced their first headline tour in 13 years – and first since MacGowan’s passing – to mark the 40th anniversary of their second album, Rum Sodomy & The Lash.
Scheduled for May 2025, the upcoming trek will include dates in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, and Newcastle. Further details and ticketing information can be found via The Pogues’ official website.
Chatten paid tribute to MacGowan after he died aged 65 last November. “So long North Star,” he wrote on Instagram. “I will love you forever.” Speaking to Billboard earlier this year, he explained the impact that the songwriter’s passing had on the recording process for Fontaines D.C.’s fourth LP, Romance.
“We were in the middle of recording the album when Shane died,” he said. “And I had to f–king take a break. I was really, deeply affected by it. Partly because he enhanced my relationship with my family! You know, he connected me to my Irishness maybe in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to do without him.”
In 2020, Fontaines D.C. shared a cover of “I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day,” a traditional Irish song made famous by The Pogues, for SiriusXM.
Kygo‘s work has long been the musical equivalent of a waterfront resort, and now he in his team have created the real thing.
Palm Tree Club is a hotel and restaurant project by Palm Tree Crew, the sprawling company created by the Norwegian producer and his manager Myles Shear. Set to open in Miami on Dec. 21, the property is in the former Shuckers Waterfront Bar & Grill, a 150-room hotel that’s been entirely remodeled to reflect Kygo and Palm Tree Crew’s laid-back, tropical aesthetic.
Built in the 1970s, the building reflects the Miami Modern (or MiMo) style of architecture common in the city and South Florida at large in the post World War II era. The hotel also embraces Art Deco with rooms styled in the aesthetic and also features a restaurant, a 24-hour fitness center, a 20-ship marina (so guests can cruise up in their boat for dinner) and other amenities.
See exclusive images of the property below.
Trending on Billboard
“Hospitality has always been at the heart of the live experiences produced by Palm Tree Crew,” Shear tells Billboard. “We’re thrilled to extend this ethos to a Palm Tree Crew venue, offering a curated year-round experience that combines exceptional hotel, dining and entertainment. Having grown up visiting Shuckers, I’m excited to honor its legacy while creating an elevated experience for both the local community and visitors.”
The resort opening also marks a new expansion the Palm Tree Crew empire, which also includes its ongoing Palm Tree Festival (which takes place in luxe locations like the Hamptons and Aspen), along with an artist management division, a record label and other food and beverage projects.
A resort has long been part of the plan, with Kygo and Shear telling Billboard in 2022 that they’ve taken inspiration from the late great Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville empire of music, resorts, restaurants, events and other lifestyle offerings.
“He created so many areas where [his fans] can come together — it doesn’t even need to be at his shows. It can be at his hotel or a Margaritaville bar,” Kygo said in 2022. “That’s what we’re trying to create: something that’s bigger than the music. A community, a movement.”
Palm Tree Club Miami is a collaboration between Palm Tree Crew, Miami-based management firm Think Hospitality and the Miami and New York City-based real estate development firm Continuum Company.
Palm Tree Club Miami
Courtesy of Palm Tree Club
Palm Tree Club Miami
Courtesy of Palm Tree Club
Palm Tree Club Miami
Courtesy of Palm Tree Club
Palm Tree Club Miami
Courtesy of Palm Tree Club
Palm Tree Club Miami
Courtesy of Palm Tree Club
Palm Tree Club Miami
Courtesy of Palm Tree Club
Palm Tree Club Miami
Courtesy of Palm Tree Club