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01 Nov 2023

Colombian Authorities Searched French Montana’s Plane For Contraband

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French Montana has a history of rapping about flipping keys and moving weight on his songs and it seems like Colombian authorities might’ve heard a track or two as the Bronx rapper had a run-in with la policia while visiting the homeland of Pablo Escobar.

According to TMZ, the “Pop That” rapper had a slight problem this week when he was done taking in the sights in Colombia and attempted to leave the country on his private jet. Apparently his flight was delayed after Colombian authorities hopped on his jet and combed the premises searching for narcotics that might have been stashed on the plane. Using a drug sniffing dog to help with the effort, authorities ultimately found nothing as French would know better than to risk his lavish life of a rap star to make a few bucks on the block with that Colombian work.

TMZ reports:

French posted video of his encounter with law enforcement, and you see a handful of police officers going through the plane along with a drug-sniffing dog.

He’s keeping a cool head about it, for the most part, even petting the K-9 in front of officers. He’s also proclaiming his innocence … saying la policia got the wrong idea about him.
Yes, he named his label (and mixtape series) Cokeboys, but French declares there’s no contraband on his ride.
Despite the hard time from Colombian police, French says he’s still got love for the country … though he adds, “you don’t have to do me like this!!!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzFBw6GOQLK/?img_index=1

Did they scan his body for balloons though? That’s the real question. Imagine French Montana getting interviewed for a new episode of Locked Up Abroad? The whole Hip-Hop world would tune in for that one. Luckily it didn’t come to that though.

As to why Colombian authorities thought it was necessary to search a rap star’s plane for cocaine is anyone’s guess (they aren’t saying), but we’re sure someone in the South American country is familiar with the rapper’s music content and decided to throw a Hail Mary in hopes of catching him redhanded. Just an educated guess.

What do y’all think of French Montana’s run-in with the Colombian policia? Let us know in the comment section below.

01 Nov 2023

D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince to Reunite at ‘A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop’

D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince are set to reunite at A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop, which will tape on Nov. 8 at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif. It will mark one of Will Smith’s first major public events since his infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 94th annual Academy Awards in March 2022.

During the ceremony, Smith walked onstage and slapped Rock across the face after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, whose head was shaved due to alopecia areata. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences banned Smith from attending its events for a decade as punishment.

Here, the mood will be strictly celebratory, which could make it a safe space for Smith to begin his gradual re-emergence into the public eye. D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince joins a packed line-up of performers that includes: Arrested Development, Big Daddy Kane, Black Sheep, Cypress Hill, Digable Planets, DJ Quik, E-40, GloRilla, Gunna, Jeezy, Juvenile, Latto, Luniz, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté, Spinderella, Three 6 Mafia, T.I., Too $hort, 2 Chainz, Warren G, YG, Black Thought, Bun B, Common, De La Soul, Jermaine Dupri, J.J. Fad, Talib Kweli, The Lady Of Rage, LL COOL J, MC Sha-Rock, Monie Love, The Pharcyde, Queen Latifah, Questlove, Rakim, Remy Ma, Uncle Luke and Yo-Yo.

D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince made Grammy hip-hop history twice. The awards show didn’t have a dedicated category for rap or hip-hop until the 1988 awards, which were presented Feb. 22, 1989. The duo’s genial pop hit “Parents Just Don’t Understand” was the first hip-hop recording to win a Grammy (best rap performance). But they weren’t invited to perform on the show that year.

A year later, on Feb. 21, 1990, the duo became the first hip-hop act to perform on the Grammys. “We’d like to dedicate this performance to all the rappers last year that stood with us and helped us to earn the right to be on this stage tonight,” Smith said at the time before he and D.J. Jazzy Jeff launched into “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson.”

The tribute special will air Dec. 10 from 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop is produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. Collins, Shawn Gee, Dionne Harmon, Claudine Joseph, LL COOL J, Fatima Robinson, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson for Two One Five Entertainment will serve as executive producers and Marcelo Gama as director of the special.

An extended “50 Years of 50-Hop” segment was one of the highlights of the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5. That kicked off a year of hip-hop celebrations that has underscored the importance and dominance of the genre.

The segment drew universal praise. Billboard’s Joe Lynch pegged it as the best performance on the 2023 Grammys telecast. “While it’s an impossible task to sum up 50 years of any genre (much less one that fought for decades to get a modicum of mainstream respect and eventually became the dominant genre in American music), this electrifying medley brought to vivid life the charged personalities, thumping grooves, deft deliveries and unpredictable flourishes that make hip-hop a global force.”

Questlove curated the 15-minute spot on the Grammy telecast, which featured three dozen rap acts. Collins, Robinson and Gee (Questlove’s manager and president of LNU) were also among the producers of that segment.

While many will assume that the success of the spot on the Grammy telecast led CBS to hurry a special into production, the special was in the works before anyone knew there would be a segment on the telecast, according to a source.

Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, hinted at the upcoming special in a statement announcing the telecast segment. “For five decades, Hip Hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” he said. “Its contributions to art, fashion, sport, politics, and society cannot be overstated. I’m so proud that we are honoring it in such a spectacular way on the Grammy stage. It is just the beginning of our year-long celebration of this essential genre of music.”

The show was originally set to tape on Aug. 11, which was the 50th anniversary (to the day!) of a back-to-school party in The Bronx that many point to as the beginning of hip-hop culture. CBS, which has broadcast the Grammy telecast since 1973, aired another Grammy-branded special – A Grammy Salute to The Beach Boys – on April 9. That special was taped on Feb. 8 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Doors open for the Nov. 8 taping at 6 p.m. PT. The concert is set to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are available to the public now at Ticketmaster.com. The YouTube Theater is located at 1011 Stadium Dr., Inglewood, CA 90305.

01 Nov 2023

Lil Nas X’s NSFW Halloween Costume Is This Year’s Wildest… Period

There is no subtle way to say this: Lil Nas X managed to outdo himself, and just about everyone else with his Halloween costume this year. The “Industry Baby” rapper loves to push our buttons with outrageous stage outfits and sets, but on Tuesday (Oct. 31) Montero took things to a whole new level with a get-up that you have to see to believe.

Lil Nas posted a 20-second video on his socials that opened with an image of a portal with a string hanging out of it. When the camera zoomed out, though, it revealed Nas dressed in a white wig, white tights and matching high heels topped by a white jacket stained red from the shoulders to the waist.

Yes, he was dressed as a bloody tampon and the portal was… you get it.

The comments on X (formerly Twitter) said it all: “this is unreal,” “is tha_,” “oh that’s not-” and “you won Halloween for sure. Walk that dog!!!” On Instagram some commenters were offended by the costume, though one said Lil Nas may have actually done his fans a service.

“A lot of people in the comments are annoying, saying ‘you don’t know how badly it hurts so don’t dress like period’ but please, can we agree that, besides the fact that it’s freaking funny, it’s also important to TALK ABOUT PERIODS??” read the comment. “Like this is a big taboo for a lot of people (women, men or everyone else). My personal first reaction was (to laugh) like ‘yeah yeah yeah, periods are something important, thanks for showing it !!’ So please, stop crying that ‘periods are a subject forbidden to men’ or ‘you laugh about our pain’ cause NO. It is funny, and it might help to talk about it.”

While Lil Nas may have divided some people with his tampon take, his other Halloween look paid homage to queer rock and roll pioneer: Little Richard. “lil richard x… this man created rock and roll and doesn’t get enough credit for it. thank u for paving the way for me in many ways little richard. fly high ? wooooo,” Lil Nas wrote on Tuesday in an Instagram post in which he was dressed as the “Tutti Frutti” singer in five classic looks. In a second post, Lil Nas mouthed along to one of Richard’s classic not-so-humble brags about inventing rock.

Check out Lil Nas’ costumes below.

01 Nov 2023

Morgan Stanley Invests Over $700 Million to Buy Catalogs With Kobalt

Kobalt, the digital-focused publishing administration company, has teamed up with investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Tactical Value to invest more than $700 million into music IP in the next few years. The partnership will see Kobalt managing the creative, sync, licensing, administration and investment services for the copyrights that are purchased.

The deal, which was advised by Goldman Sachs, marks Kobalt’s return to managing investment for outside capital. Previously, Kobalt had two funds it worked with under Kobalt Capital, its investment management arm, both of which were sold in recent years. Kobalt’s first fund contained over 33,000 songs, including songs recorded by Lindsey Buckingham, Steve Winwood, the B52’s, 50 Cent, George Benson, Bonnie McKee, Nelly and Skrillex. It sold to Hipgnosis Songs Fund in late 2020 for a price tag of $323 million or 18.3 times the net publishers share, and it realized a $20 million gain for Kobalt. While it was the biggest sale for Kobalt at the time, the first fund represented less than 30% of Kobalt’s IP holdings at the time.

The second fund, Kobalt Music Royalty Fund II, sold to an investment group comprising of KKR and Dundee Partners the following year for $1.1 billion. To manage the investments of the royalty fund as well as other IP previously acquired by KKR, the partners formed a platform Chord Music Partners, which tapped Kobalt Music Publishing to continue to handle publishing administration for the works. The fund is believed to have included the SONGS publishing catalog, Insieme Music catalog, which it acquired from Glassnote, and the David Hodges catalog.

Since that sale, Kobalt has not worked with outside money for catalog acquisition.

Outside of Kobalt Capital, the publishing administrator, helmed by chief executive Laurent Hubert, has made a number of other major changes in its business. In 2021, it also sold off AWAL, the artist services company and distributor to some of music’s most successful independent talent, and its neighboring rights operations to Sony. In September 2022, following reports of its first-ever profitable year, Kobalt sold a majority stake to Francisco Partners.

“Kobalt is a pioneer in investing in music, increasing the value of copyrights, and creating music as a viable asset class,” says Hubert. “Morgan Stanley Tactical Value’s trust in Kobalt is a testament to our platform and leadership in the music industry. We are proud to form this unique partnership.”

“Morgan Stanley Tactical Value has profound respect for songwriters and the immense value of their art,” said Cameron Smalls, managing director, Morgan Stanley Tactical Value. “We are thrilled to partner with the leading creator-first publisher that is a pioneer in maximizing royalty collections for songwriters and rightsholders. Together with Kobalt’s infrastructure and deep commitment to bettering the music industry, we are excited about our partnership and the opportunities ahead.”

01 Nov 2023

Chayanne Talks New Album ‘Bailemos Otra Vez,’ 2024 Tour and Power of Romance

You could understand why Chayanne was a little nervous. The Puerto Rican superstar was about to formally release the aptly-titled Bailemos otra vez (Let’s Dance Again, out Oct. 27 on Sony U.S. Latin), his first studio album in nine years. In anticipation, he was going to sit for a live Q&A in Miami before an audience of press from the U.S. and Latin America.

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“It’s like coming to see a girlfriend, that’s how nervous I am!” he said with a shy smile as he took his seat onstage. “It always feels like the first time. It’s not bad nerves, but it’s about wanting to do a good job.”

At 55 years old, dressed in a sharp blue suit and starched white shirt that clung to his athletic frame, Chayanne looked youthful and handsome, still the definition of a heartthrob with his gleaming smile and self-effacing, confident charm.

“We all wanted to have your children, Chayanne,” one reporter said loudly, to collective laughter.  t’s the kind of reaction Chayanne still elicits when he shows up somewhere or performs: Grandmothers, mothers, daughters and granddaughters all melt at his feet.  

“I see four generations in my shows. I’m full of gratitude,” he said. Now that his album is finally out, he’s ready to give back with a region-wide tour of North and South America.

“We are planning for next year,” he said, adding quickly that a launch month wasn’t set yet. But a set list is already in the works. “For me a show is in the present; it’s not the past or the future. So it will have a lot of the new album: “Bailemos otra vez,” “Necesito un Segundo,” maybe “Bailando bachata.” I’ve been thinking about it, but I haven’t told anyone yet.”

Chayanne’s last studio album, 2014’s En todo estaré, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart at a time when pop albums dominated the chart. But the release of Bailemos has coincided with the start of a resurgence for pop (and romance).

The album is signature Chayanne in its inclusion of up-tempo, Latin dance fare like the title track and the single “Bailando Bachata,” which topped Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, as well as romantic cut-your-veins ballads like “De tanto,” with special attention paid to beautifully-crafted lyrics and tasteful arrangements with a contemporary edge (listen to the free-form slow intro of “Bailemos”). Chayanne has also managed to dabble into other genres; aside from “Bailando bachata,” his new single is the poignant ranchera-tinged  “Necesito un Segundo,” written with a stellar cast of songwriters: Edgar Barrera, Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo.

“Romantic songs will always exist and that’s what I’ve devoted my career to,” he said. “I think it’s fantastic to release it as a body of work.”

Do you believe in signs? I was told you saw something different this morning while you had breakfast before coming here…

You touched my sentimental vein. There was an eagle poised by the pool at home. They represent messages from people who maybe aren’t with you anymore, so I remembered my mother, who died 14 years ago. When I talk about her, it’s not to get melancholy, but as a reflection of all the happiness with what I’ve done all this time with my life; how blessed I am and all the beautiful things that have happened.

The focus track is “Necesito un Segundo.” Tell us about it?

It’s a medium tempo track. I’ve gone my entire life to Mexico, a country that embraced me from my first time there. And I’ve always sung ranchera, mariachi, I’ve performed mariachi in shows, even if I hadn’t recorded it in an album. But the liberty that pop gives to do fusions with other genres allowed us to flirt this time with Mexican music. It’s a tough song about a split. That line, “Tu no eres pa’ tanto y yo no soy tan poco” (You’re not that much and I’m not that little), it’s tough!  It’s the kind of song I haven’t lived but I love to sing.

I feel like in this album you got more involved with the writing and the production than in the past. Is that correct?

I was involved in the entire process. I had the opportunity and the time. It’s the first time I’ve ever stopped in my life. The pandemic allowed me to do something I hand’t done before: Be at home. I joke that the dog finally got to know me! I was always or recording an album, or touring, or doing a film or a series. I had never actually stopped working.

And team Sony has always been by my side. I’m a label artist. Afo [Verde, chairan of Sony] has always been with me. Rafa [Arcaute]. I want to mention all of them. I was able to be with the producers and the arrangers and explain where I found myself, and how happy I am with everything I’ve received. You get up every morning, and as my father says, the sun comes out, no matter what happens.

You talk a lot about the pandemic. During that stay at home time, did you think about retiring?

No. But I did think carefully about the next step. It was like starting again. Baby steps. That’s where my team came in and the many conversations I had with Afo.

In two sentences, describe this album.

Organic. From the heart. It’s been done with a lot of emotion and excitement. It’s a thank you to everyone for all they’ve given me, because you can’t buy what you receive, and I’ve received so much. It’s a responsibility.

You’ve told me before that when you record songs, you’re already thinking how they’ll work on stage. Are you kicking off your tour with “Bailemos otra vez?”

We’re planning the tour for next year. We don’t know the month yet, but we’re building the stage, the concept, preparing. A show for me is the present. You’re not thinking of the past or the future, so it will have a lot of the album in it.

You recently played sets in two different shows. What had you missed about being onstage?

Being onstage and receiving all that love, is something you can’t describe. It’s like your life flashing before your eyes, because it has been my life. I’m a professional, but that person is the human being who’s dedicated his life to music, with hope. Being onstage and receiving that from people is beautiful.

As an artist and a family man, you appear to be exceptionally balanced. What do you do for your mental health? What has helped you?

We have a family chat with my siblings and my dad. And even though I always talk about my immediate family, I can also mention the pyramid [of people] we’ve created based on core values and beliefs; on being as healthy as possible, realizing no one is perfect, that you learn from your mistakes. All of that is in the conversation more than in the volume of the conversation. That’s it. Talking to each other, being thankful and being in harmony and peace. I think that’s what’s helped me live my day to day both personally and professionally.

01 Nov 2023

Listen to the Ultimate Day of the Dead Latin Playlist

Day of the Dead, celebrated Nov. 1-2, is one of the oldest traditions in Mexico and a beloved holiday where the community commemorates the deceased with offerings, altars, and more.

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Often associated with sugar skulls, visits to the graveyards, and colorful altars, it’s believed that people return from the dead to coexist with their loved ones and celebrate life after death on these dates.

As tradition holds, altars are placed in family homes or at graveyards and are decorated with orange Cempasúchil flowers known as “las flores de los muertos” (the flowers of the dead). A photo of the late loved one, their belongings, food (such as pan de muerto and buñuelos), and a cup of water that signifies purity are also placed on the altar.

In honor of Day of the Dead, Spotify curated the ultimate playlist, including more than 100 songs fit for the Mexican holiday.

One of the most emblematic tracks on the playlist is Angela Aguilar’s melancholic rendition of “La Llorona.” The popular Mexican folk song has been around since the 1940s and sheds light on the urban legend of a wailing woman who drowned her children in a river as a revenge to her unfaithful husband, and later, as a spirit, she walked to shores of the river, crying and searching for her kids.

Other Día de los Muertos-themed songs in the over six-hour-long playlist include Julieta Venega’s “Mis Muertos,” Carlos Rivera’s “Recuerdame,” Los Angeles Negros “Murió La Flor,” Los Fabulosos Cadillacs‘ “Calaveras y Diablitos,” La Santa Cecilia’s “Calaverita,” and many more.

Listen to it below:

01 Nov 2023

Cardi B Weighs In On Atlanta Restaurant Scene, Agrees It’s Mid

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Cardi B is not the one to hold her tongue. She recently chimed in on controversy surrounding the Atlanta food scene.

The Bronx, New York, native has been living in Atlanta for some time after marrying Offset. According to HipHopDox, last week a popular social media food critic named Keith Lee recently conducted several reviews of the city’s most frequented eateries and while some locations hit the mark, many did not. As expected his content quickly went viral, and it seems that it landed on Bardi’s radar prompting her to give her two cents on the matter.

Last weekend she addressed the situation on Instagram Live. “I feel like Atlanta restaurants, they don’t like to make money,” she stated. “I feel like they don’t like people, they don’t like they customers, they just don’t f*cking like it. You could barely order in Atlanta restaurants.” Cardi B went on to further detail her struggles with getting food. “It gets to the point that I have to tell people that order food for me, ‘Can you just name-drop my name?’ Because they don’t do no pick up orders, they don’t do deliveries, they just don’t do sh*t.”

The “Press” rapper also made it clear the customer service also needs course correcting. “Even with the bougie restaurants, it’s not as bad as the Atlanta service. It’s like they treat you like they doing you a favor! Like, y’all want mothaf*ckas to come back?”

You can see Cardi’s rant below.



01 Nov 2023

Meek Mill Doesn’t Want To Be Labeled A “Rapper” Anymore After Kodak Black Explains His Collaboration With Tekashi 6ix9ine

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Kodak Black might’ve had no problem collaborating with well-known snitch Tekashi 6ix9ine on a song, but that act alone now has Meek Mill rethinking his career title and ready to give up the label of being a “rapper.”

Fans of the Philadelphia rapper took notice of Meek Mill’s recent comment on one of DJ Akademiks’ post in which Kodak Black explained why he decided to collaborate with Tekashi on the track “Shaka Laka” (money of course). Taking to the comments section to express his feelings on the clip, Meek bluntly stated “I damn near don’t even wanna be labeled a rapper nomore.”

Meek must feel like being a “rapper” means the code of the streets gets thrown out the window when it comes to securing the almighty bag.

He’s not wrong as Kodak explained to N.O.R.E. on a recent episode of Drink Champs that at the end of the day it was all about that cool million he pocketed to get on a track with someone who infamously testified against his old crew and sent many of them to prison.

Saying he immediately agreed to do the song when approached by Tekashi 6ix9ine’s camp, Kodak revealed that another rapper also agreed but backed out of the collaboration after some people convinced him it would be a bad look. Black ain’t care what people thought about it, though as he wasn’t going to let seven digits pass him by.

“They f*ck with me because I gave my answer and that was that. Ain’t nothing to think about. That’s an M homie. One song. Like what the f*ck? I understand the value of a dollar. $100 is still $100. A band is still a band. I don’t even know the n*ggas he told on and I ain’t even from other there. N*gga, that’s y’all rat!”

Well, when you put it like that, Kodak. Funny enough on his original verse of the “Shaka Laka,” Kodak actually snuck in a 6ix9ine diss saying “I’m so raw I got a rat giving me cheese.” Ultimately the line was removed, but Kodak tried it. Regardless he did the song, got paid a million and didn’t lose any sleep over it.

Now Meek Mill doesn’t wanna be labeled a rapper anymore.

What do y’all think of Kodak’s collaboration with Tekashi and Meek Mill’s reaction to his justification? Let us know in the comments section below.



01 Nov 2023

Q-Tip Tapped As Music Producer For Muhammad Ali Broadway Musical

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There’s a musical based on the life and achievements of boxing legend Muhammad Ali on its way to Broadway in fall 2024, and one of the artists tapped to work on the music for the stage play is none other than rapper, producer, songwriter and Hip-Hop legend Q-Tip.

According to Deadline, Richard Willis, the lead producer of the musical titled Ali, signed Q-Tip, whose real name is Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, as the play’s music producer, co-lyricist and cast album producer. Besides being part of the team that brings to melodic life the story of arguably the greatest boxer in history, Q-Tip gets the privilege of working alongside director, author and deputy artistic director of UK’s National Theatre Clint Dyer, who directed Othello as well as Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical. The “Vivrant Thing” rapper will also work with the show’s composer Teddy Abrams, whose past work bringing music and Ali’s legacy together inspired the new production.

From Deadline:

Back in 2017, Abrams wrote multimedia opera-rap-oratorio mashup The Greatest: Muhammad Ali, which premiered with the Louisville Orchestra at the Kentucky Center in Louisville.

That production got Abrams, and others, thinking that there should be a full-scale Broadway musical about the pivotal historical figure who transcended his sporting achievements.

“I am very excited to be collaborating with Teddy, Clint, Casey and Sean in telling The Greatest’s story on stage,” Q-Tip told Deadline. “Muhammad Ali has always been a hero to me!”

And the show’s producer is just as excited to have the A Tribe Called Quest veteran on board.

“We want to take the traditional musical theater structure that works and then tip it on its ear a little bit,” Willis said. “Q-Tip produces songs and albums for a massive audience so he knows how to do that thing that’s slightly different than what normal musical theater is. So we tip it, and make it original and fresh and new and hummable. All that energy in the right direction is the job, right?”

Dyer agrees.

“Q-Tip has proven himself as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of his generation and beyond,” he said. “Having his talents onboard will give this musical every possibility to honor Ali’s greatness. I could not be happier with this appointment.”

“We’ll use his hip-hop beats, and his talents will be used in other areas as well,” Dyer continued. “This show’s covering a lot of areas of music and we’ll exhaust all of Q-Tip’s knowledge. You’ve got to remember that Q-Tip’s into all kinds of music, not just jazz and hip-hop. For instance, his next album is all rock ‘n’ roll, so hold on. Let’s see what he comes up with for Ali!”

Actually, back in 2020, Q-Tip teased the future releases of three new albums, but as of now, his last solo studio album is still 2009’s Kamaal The Abstract. So, it looks like Dyer might know something we don’t. Either way, it’s always great to see Q-Tip out here doing big things as both a solo artist and collaborator. Salute!

01 Nov 2023

Andrés Cepeda Signs With Warner Music Mexico

Colombian star Andrés Cepeda has signed a deal with Warner Music México, Billboard can announce today (Nov. 1).

With this new alliance, the singer-songwriter of hits like “Desesperado” and “El Mensaje” seeks to continue developing his musical career in the coming years, according to a press release.

“I feel very excited to start this new stage in my career with the support of this magnificent team of WMM and WMC who today accompany me to continue reaching new goals and carry out great musical projects, to share with my usual followers and with new audiences the love I feel for this art that I have been passionate about since I stepped on stage for the first time,” Cepeda says in the release.

“We are very happy with the arrival of an artist as iconic as Andrés to the Warner Music family,” says Tomás Rodríguez, managing director of Warner Music Mexico & Central America. “We are sure that by working with Andrés and his team we can make his music travel beyond Latin America.”

Adds Daniel Mora, managing director of Warner Music Andes: “A career like Andrés Cepeda’s deserves standing applause. His songs have transcended generations and he has achieved the affection and recognition of all of Colombia. We are proud that he and his team have trusted us to bring all their successes and their new music to Latin America and the world.”

A three-time Latin Grammy winner, Cepeda began his career with the rock band Poligamia in the early 90s before debuting as a solo artist in 1999 with the album Sé Morir. Since then, he has released 11 studio albums and seven live albums, first with FM Records (1999-2013) and then with Sony Music (2013-2023.)

On the Billboard charts, he has had two songs on Latin Pop Airplay: “El Mensaje” from 2013 (at No. 38), and “Magia” with Sebastián Yatra, in 2018 (No. 37).

Over the last year, Cepeda gave more than 100 shows around the world with La Ruta Púrpura, Me Importas Tour, his Symphonic format and his Big Band. He recently announced on his social media 15 dates in the United States to kick off his new Tengo Ganas World Tour in April 2024.

Andrés Cepeda signs with Warner Music México.

Andrés Cepeda signs with Warner Music México.

WARNER MEXICO