News

28 Jul 2023

Eric Prydz Signs With WME In All Areas

Eric Prydz is making moves.

The Swedish producer is now represented globally by WME. The news marks Prydz’s departure from North American representation with CAA, where he signed in 2021.

Prydz continues to be managed by Michael Sershall at London’s Sershall Management. Prydz’s team also includes global press by Infamous PR. Prydz is among a WME electronic roster that includes Gryffin, Black Coffee, Solomun, Galantis, Steve Aoki, Martin Garrix, Peggy Gou, Claptone, CamelPhat and TOKiMONSTA.

The pioneering artist is in the midst of a busy summer, with a current 10-week residency at Hï Ibiza and festival dates including this weekend’s Tomorrowland, Untold in Romania, Creamfields in the U.K., Chicago’s ARC Music Festival and a headlining slot at Portola in San Francisco this fall.

During his 20-year career, the producer has made various styles of electronic music — progressive house, house, techno and more — as Prydz and under his aliases Cirez D and Pryda. Major hits include the enduring “Pjanoo” and “Opus.”

Prydz latest releases are under his Pryda moniker, with “The Return” out last week and its B-side “Of Me” out today (July 28) via Prydz’s own Pryda Recordings. Listen to “The Return” below.

Prydz’s touring HOLO show, which debuted at Coachella this past April, is widely considered a technical and artistic triumph. The show incorporates massive holographic images that seem to float in mid air, with Prydz himself playing music from behind the screen used in the show. Prydz’s Portola performance in San Francisco will mark the debut of HOLO in the city.



28 Jul 2023

Neal Langford, Former Bassist for The Shins, Dies at Age 50

Neal Langford, former bassist for The Shins, has died at age 50. The group’s lead singer, James Mercer, confirmed the news in a Thursday (July 27) Instagram post to the band’s official account.

“Just want to let you guys know one of the best friends I’ve ever had has passed,” Mercer captioned a black-and-white photo of Langford playing his bass on stage. “He was in several bands with me including the Shins. A very important figure in my life you could say. I mean this is the guy who talked me into getting over my shyness and up on the stage. He put me in front of the microphone!”

Mercer continued, “He was the catholic school kid who showed me how to sneak into the back of the old El Rey theatre and get a ‘free’ beer. An invaluable person! Who turned me onto Dinosaur Jr. and Interview Magazine and the Cocteau Twins and countless other piles of cool stuff. … There’s too much to the story but I loved him. And I owe him a lot. Neal Langford you were always loved and you always will be.”

NBC affiliate WITN in North Carolina reports that the musician, who was also a well-known hot air balloonist and co-owner of IBX Balloon Flight, was found him dead in Bath Creek near a private dock on July 21 by law enforcement in Beaufort County. Foul play is not suspected, and a cause of death was not revealed.

The bassist’s last update on his Instagram account came on June 23, when he shared a certificate of completion for successfully finishing a treatment program at the Walter B. Jones Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center in Greenville, N.C.

Langford and Mercer played together in a band called Flake — eventually renamed Flake Music — in 1992 that was based in Albuquerque, N.M. The band released one album, 1997’s When You Land Here, It’s Time to Return, that was later reissued by Sub Pop Records. The Shins was developed as a side project by Mercer and Flake Music drummer Jesse Sandoval in 1996; Langford joined the band in 1999 after Flake Music disbanded and former Shins members Dave Hernandez and Ron Skrasek left the band.

The bassist notably played on the group’s debut album Oh! Inverted World. The release — now regarded as a classic of the indie rock genre — peaked at No. 19 on Billboard‘s Top Alternative Albums chart and was later certified platinum by RIAA. The LP’s lead single, “New Slang,” was featured in the 2004 movie Garden State starring Natalie Portman.

See Mercer’s tribute post to Langford below.

28 Jul 2023

New Music Latin: Listen to Releases From Darell, Kany Garcia, Caloncho, & More

New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Darell, Everybody Go to the Discotek (Sony Music Latin)

If the album’s title is any indication, Darell has just dropped an album that’s meant to dance and perrear, not all night long, but year-round. Everybody Go to the Discotek, named after his signature phrase, is home to 18 tracks that are not only crafted for a good time at the club but also showcases Darell’s musical versatility. At the core of each track is his distinct, deep, raspy vocals, but while some songs are hard-hitting perreos (“Deshidratado,” “Ponte Bonita,” and “Me Dice Daddy,” to name a few), the Puerto Rican act is as experimental as ever. “Lollipop” is a sensual merengue-bachata fusion, “Rulay” is a tribute to Dominican dembow “Funka” is a saucy Brazilian funk number and focus single “Wait Deh Man,” a reggae-infused collaboration with Nicky Jam, Wisin, and Luar La L. Other collaborators on Everybody Go to the Discotek include Ozuna, Myke Towers, Sech, Jory Boy, Maffio, Omar Courtz and Omar Montes. — JESSICA ROIZ

Kany García & Carin Leon, “Te Lo Agradezco” (5020 Records)

Kany García starts her new song with an imposing tuba beat that then gives space to a requinto-driven melody, with both instruments ultimately fusing to give life to this powerful pop ballad. For “Te Lo Agradezco,” the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter reels in regional Mexican star Carin Leon, whose signature vibrant vocals complement Kany’s equally potent voice, as they sing about being better off after ending a toxic relationship. “This love was too big for you, and you would say that I couldn’t live without you and now you’re looking for any reason to talk about me, oh love, you still have that urge to hurt my heart,” they sing, obviously striking a chord. — GRISELDA FLORES

Grupo Firme & Pipe Bueno, “Entre Botellas” (Music VIP Entertainment)

Pipe Bueno teamed up with Grupo Firme to create the ultimate heartbreak anthem, “Entre Botellas.” The unique vocals and fresh perspective of Pipe, along with the distinctive sound of Firme, reaffirms regional music’s ongoing success throughout the world, as “Entre Botellas” marks the debut collaboration between a Colombian artist and a renowned regional Mexican group. The song was penned by Eduin Caz and Abraham Hernández of Grupo Firme and narrates the tale of two friends who are catching up over drinks. As they discuss their recent love interests, they discover they have both fallen for the same woman. The duo then reminisce about their lost love while drowning their sorrows with a few more bottles. “Between bottles and already drunk, I don’t even remember that I love you and that I would like to be the owner of your kisses,” they sing in the chorus. — INGRID FAJARDO

Caloncho, “Wacha Checa” (Universal Music Mexico)

Caloncho brings us a romantic mid-tempo indie pop song with hints of reggae and folk that’s as “refreshing as mint,” to quote part of the lyrics. In “Wacha Checa,” the Mexican singer-songwriter invites us to open our eyes and appreciate the good things in life. “Let go of everything that weighs you down/ Leave behind everything that happened/ The occasion is so perfect, wacha, checa/ Where are you today,” he sings in his characteristic laid-back style, in Spanish. “[This song] is an attempt to make someone else see everything that is around them that it is beautiful, and that for some reason they are not seeing it from the correct angle,” the press notes say. The music video, starring Caloncho and his wife sharing everyday moments in their home, is just as sweet and serene. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS

Kurt, “Luz Prendida” (Universal Music Mexico)

Armed with an acoustic guitar and honest lyrics, Mexican singer-songwriter Kurt presents his new song “Luz Prendida.” Without embellishments or pretensions, Kurt describes the virtues and particularities of the muse of his inspiration that make him fall in love, creating a beautiful romantic ballad. “I didn’t think I would find you and that, instantly, you would teach me so many ways to love you/ You are the true proof, that love is not a waiting room/I want to be closer to you, seeing you already makes me happy/You are the true proof, that love takes time, but it always arrives,” he sings throughout the song. The video, set in an eclectic home where vintage and contemporary elements converge, shows the artist in his essence, accompanied by his instrument and his beloved. The song comes at a good time, as a friendly reminder not to lose hope and to keep believing that love can be found at the right time, even when breakup news takes over the headlines. — LUISA CALLE

Luiza Lian, 7 Estrelas | quem arrancou o céu? (ZZK Records)

Buoyed by psychedelic-leaning electronic music and experimental pop, Luiza Lian concocts a highly imaginative album on 7 Estrelas | quem arrancou o céu? (or 7 Stars | Who Ripped Out the Sky?) that twists and turns in unexpected ways. With unpredictable drum patterns, courtesy of longtime collaborator French/Brazilian producer Charles Tixier, and her ethereal voice (which can turn stormy in an instant), Lian’s fourth studio album puts a spotlight on her unflinching approach at making soul-stirring art. Languorous beats with occasional subtle distortions take the lead on “A Minha Música É,” while “Tecnicolor” displays a range of sound with vibrant vocal effects. “My music is a landscape for you to enter your own journey,” she sings in Portuguese on the intro track. As the press release notes, the album is “a profound reflection on how we distort our lives based on false reflections we see both digitally in our use of social media and materially in an increasingly consumerist society.” — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Check out more editor’s picks in the weekly playlist below!

28 Jul 2023

Travis Scott’s UTOPIA Sparks Album Of The Year Debate

HipHopWired Featured Video

CLOSE

Travis Scott Performs At E11EVEN

UTOPIA, the latest studio album from Travis Scott, dropped Friday (July 28) and the early discussions online around the album were naturally centered on a particular feature. However, others are claiming that the Texas rapper has the best album to release in 2023, sparking a spirited online debate.

UTOPIA is getting a lot of burn on its first day of release due to the appearance of past collaborator Drake on the track “MELTDOWN” and the jabs made toward Pusha T and Pharrell Williams, although they weren’t mentioned by name.

Aside from Drake, UTOPIA has features from Beyoncé, Bon Iver, SZA, Young Thug, Playboi Carti, Future, 21 Savage, and more. Scott also lends his production to a bulk of the project working with the likes of Mike Dean, Hit-Boy, The Alchemist, Metro Boomin, WondaGurl, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, James Blake, and more.

In our initial listen, the album borrows from some of the epic moments found on Scott’s previous studio album ASTROWORLD yet moves into the worlds of dance and electronic music without losing any of his usual punch.

It is too early for UTOPIA to claim the lofty title some are bestowing upon it, especially as some other heavy hitters are due to release albums this year including Drake.

For now, the chatter around the album is high as expected and we’ve got the reactions listed out below.

—

Photo: Alexander Tamargo / Getty

28 Jul 2023

Friday Dance Music Guide: The Best New Tracks From Calvin Harris & Sam Smith, DJ Koze & More

This week in dance music: Beatport announced that it’s awarding $150,000 in grants to initiatives supporting diversity and equality in dance music, and we went behind the scenes of Toolroom Records — the U.S. tech house label currently celebrating its 20-year anniversary — with the imprints founders Mark and Stuart Knight.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

New music? We’ve got it. These are the best new dance tracks of the week.

Calvin Harris with Sam Smith, “Desire”

The Label: Sony Music Entertainment

The Spiel: Harris continues on the trance tip started with his March Ellie Goulding collab “Miracle” by pairing up with another old pal, Sam Smith. Together the duo also delve deep into the trance realm, with flecks of piano giving hints of Robert Miles’ genre classic “Children” while a galloping beat serves as a foundation for Smith to breathily declare, “You are my desire, and just the thought of you is keeping me awake.” The star of the show here is the squiggly synth line that Harris inserts throughout, giving the song a very late night club vibe that nonetheless will surely work on the many mainstages Harris is playing this summer.

The Vibe: Urgent. Anthemic. Maybe also acid?

DJ Koze, “Candidasa”

The Label: Pampa Records

The Spiel: The press release for the German producer’s latest notes that it’s “the result of DJ Koze’s inspiring stay in a secluded Benedictine monastery on the enchanting island of Sulawesi. Amidst this idyllic setting, he found the perfect environment to unleash his musical vision. He composed all of the music of ‘Candidasa’ while lying on his stomach, in an act of deepest devotion and self-reflection. In doing so, he fed exclusively on so-called heroin kebabs to immerse himself in a trance-like state of creative flow.”

This all might be true, or none of it might be true, or some of it might be true. In any case, the 10-minute experimental production is the kind of hypnotic, inventive, playful, kind of mystic music one would create if they were indeed in such a stomach-down trance like creative flow. The song comes from the two-track Wespennest EP, which are together Koze’s first new music since 2018 and part of the lead up to a new album coming in 2024.

The Vibe: Deepest devotion and much dancing.

Jungle, “Back on 74”

The Label: Caiola Records

The Spiel: Jungle return with the same kind of tight, breezy, throwback production that’s become their signature. A warm summer afternoon of a song, “Back on 74” comes with one of the intricately choreographed music video’s that have become the duo’s signature — this one leveling up as a first-of-its-kind interactive music video made with WeTransfer. The clip functions like an interactive art gallery, with viewers able to download works of art as they watch. When the viewer claims an artwork they like, it is pulled from the video canvas in real time, revealing a blank canvas in its place. Every viewing of the video populates with six different art pieces, pulled from a bank of 10,000 unique works created by the duo’s J. Lloyd.

The concept creates a different viewing experience for each person, with tickets for Jungle’s upcoming tour hidden in some of the downloadable artwork. For the next two weeks, the video is available exclusively at junglejunglejungle.wetransfer.com. The song itself is from the U.K. duo’s forthcoming album Volcano, coming August 8.

The Vibe: The classiest gallery on the internet.

Mia Moretti, “Sweet Juju”

The Label: Spaghetti Moretti Records

The Spiel: Fresh off DJing the Barbie premiere party last weekend (check her playlist from the event here), DJ/producer Mia Morietti demonstrates why she was the woman for the gig with a fresh, fun, extremely effervescent new single, “Sweet Juju.” The song sounds exactly as its name suggests, with Moretti layering a funky guitar lick with loads of hand percussion and whistles and crowd sounds and an infectious vocal hook into a track that really does sound like a party.

The Artist Says: “‘Sweet Juju’ is a NYC summery disco bop,” Moretti says. “I made this track during a cold New York winter, dreaming of the days when it would be too hot to do anything but dance. Sweaty block parties, impromptu stoop hangs, boombox bicyclists, funky bodegas and dark basement clubs are the summer moments ‘Sweet Juju’ is made for. It’s infectious, delicious and full of summer soul.”

The Vibe: What she said.

SIDEPIECE, “What You Need”


https://youtube.com/watch?v=eTmLZpMb038&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

The Label: Big Beat Records

The Spiel: The SIDEPIECE guys just know what they’re doing, adding another hypnotic tech house anthem to their catalog with “What You Need.” The song’s success is largely a function of an earworm vocal that adds melody over the track’s thumping, scintillating percussion which builds to a perfectly effective build and release, altogether cultivating the kind of party anthem these guys have made their name on. The song is part of a two-track release that also includes the similarly effective “Stimulate.”

The Vibe: You do actually need it.

28 Jul 2023

Offset & Cardi B Make ‘Jealousy’ Video a Family Affair: See Kulture & Wave’s Cute Cameos

Families that make music videos together, stay together. In the self-directed visual for Offset‘s new song “Jealousy” featuring his wife, the one and only Cardi B, one of hip-hop’s biggest power couples works through their issues onscreen while keeping hold of what’s most important: their kids, each of whom makes a cute cameo in the project.

After walking out on a screaming match with Cardi, Offset indulges in some boy time with their almost 2-year-old son, Wave, while playing mini-basketball and riding bikes with his sons Jordan and Kody from previous relationships. Kulture, his 5-year-old daughter with Cardi, and 8-year-old Kalea, whom he shares with Shya L’amour, are later captured giggling adorably together in the front seat of a car.

But just because the video was a family function doesn’t mean it was strictly PG. One scene, for instance, featured Cardi crouching down to mimic a NSFW action on ‘Set, who is leaning against a vintage convertible.

All the while, the two superstars take turns getting things off their chest, both of them using their respective verses to call out haters who speculate on their relationship.

The couple first started teasing “Jealousy” earlier this week, enlisting Jamie Lee Curtis to play a reporter questioning their relationship drama in a spoof on James Brown‘s memorable 1988 CNN interview. Later, Cardi shared a video co-starring Taraji P. Henson, in which the “WAP” rapper rants about Offset’s past infidelity and Henson encourages her to stay with him.

“Jealousy” may or may not be Cardi and Offset’s response to their own recent real-life relationship issues, which went public last month after the Migos rapper accused his wife of cheating on him via Instagram Stories. Shortly afterward, Cardi jumped on Twitter Spaces to emphatically deny the accusations.

But based on a few public appearances in the weeks since, and now, their new collaboration, it definitely seems like the two have resolved the conflict. Plus, an insider tells Billboard that Offset’s family is “his No. 1 priority,” adding, “He’s making sure they are involved.”

Watch the “Jealousy” music video above.

28 Jul 2023

Spotify Study on ‘Super Listeners’: Small Numbers of Fans Drive Big Streaming Numbers

So-called “super listeners” make up an average of 2% of all artist’s listeners, but account for 18% of all streams for the artist — a figure that can grow to 30% of all streams for the biggest artists in the world, according to a new study released by Spotify For Artists.

That’s the headline takeaway from a new report by the leading digital service provider, which focuses on how an artist’s most dedicated fans drive streaming activity and engagement on the platform. For the study — which tracked listening behavior during several different periods across the first half of the year — Spotify broke down percentages for artists based on their monthly listeners, identifying how small segments of an artist’s fan base contribute higher percentages of streams than the majority of listeners. The company doesn’t explicitly lay out how it defines a “super listener,” other than to say that it is “your most dedicated active listeners in the past 28 days” who “are also the most likely to keep streaming your music.”

While the 18% figure is an overall average, super listeners tend to drive the highest percentage of streams for the biggest and the smallest artists, the company found. For artists with 0-10,000 monthly listeners, 1% of super listeners drove 22% of all monthly streams; for artists with 25 million or more monthly listeners, 5% of those fans drove 30% of all monthly streams. Artists with between 5 million and 25 million monthly listeners also scored highly, with 3% of super listeners driving 20% of all monthly streams, while those with between 1 million and 5 million saw 2% of listeners drive 16% of streams. Both the 10,000-100,000 range and the 100,000 to 1 million range saw 1% of listeners drive 13% of streams.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, those super listeners are also much more likely to purchase artist merch through Spotify, too. For artists with more than 10,000 monthly listeners, 2% of their super listeners accounted for 52% of all merch purchases, while the remaining 98% of listeners made up the remaining 48% of merch sales. And there is a top 10 market breakdown for where those super listeners come from, too: four of the top 10 markets are in Latin America (Chile at No. 1; Mexico at No. 2; Argentina at No. 6; and Colombia at No. 7) and three are in Asia (Hong Kong at No. 4; Japan at No. 8; the Philippines at No. 10). The remaining are Canada (No. 3), the United States (No. 5) and Poland (No. 9).

Other statistics in the report: new releases can boost the number of listeners to super-status by almost 20%, while retention of those fans appears to be high, with more than 2/3s of those new superfans still listening six months later. Check out the full report here.

The study comes amid an industry-wide conversation about streaming royalties, how exactly they should be allocated and whether a mechanism should exist to reward artists with dedicated fan bases, and how that should be implemented. But super fans are boosting artists in other ways in addition to streaming numbers — CD, cassette and vinyl sales are all up this year so far, according to Luminate’s mid-year report, which it attributes to superfans, with 15% of the U.S. population spending 80% more than the average fan in a given month.

28 Jul 2023

JoJo Siwa Doesn’t Regret Calling Out Candace Cameron Bure: ‘I Gotta Stand Up for My People’

In the months since internet star JoJo Siwa publicly called out Full House actress Candace Cameron Bure, she’s had a lot of time to reflect. Now, she’s ready to talk about why she doesn’t regret her statements.

During her appearance on the Thursday (July 27) episode of The Viall Files, Siwa looked back on her public spat with the actress and said that in hindsight, she stands by her statements. “It gave me a sense of, ‘OK, you and her are never going to agree, you and her are never going to be friends’ … I am never going to be able to change her,” she told host Nick Viall. “I wish she was able to be a little more open, a little more accepting. I’m OK with calling her out in the way that I did.”

The controversy began when Siwa posted a TikTok in July 2022 in which she quietly referred to Bure as the “rudest” celebrity she’d ever met. When fans pressed her for the story, Siwa shared that Bure refused to take a photo with her at the premiere of Fuller House when she was 11 years old, which hurt her feelings.

Eventually, Bure and Siwa talked and patched things up, with the YouTube star deciding that she would just not speak about the actress publicly anymore. “I actually had a little bit of [a thought] like, ‘Ah I shouldn’t have posted that,’” she told Viall. “She didn’t need that, I didn’t need that, so let’s learn the lesson for next time.”

Then in November, Bure did an interview with The Wall Street Journal, during which she said that her new slate of Christmas films on Great American Family would “keep traditional marriage at the core” by not including LGBTQ storylines. Siwa, at the time, responded to the news by calling her statement “rude and hurtful” to queer people everywhere. “Honestly, I can’t believe after everything that went down just a few months ago, that she would not only create a movie with intention of excluding LGBTQIA+ [people], but then also talk about it in the press,” Siwa wrote at the time.

Talking to Viall, Siwa said that the intention behind Bure’s exclusion is what got her particularly angry. “She wanted to do a movie about that to put down LGBTQIA [people], and that she was specifically going to make movies that had no representation of LGBTQIA [people],” she said. “When you’re doing it out of spite to say that, ‘Too much is about LGBTQIA [people] and you guys suck and I want to make a movie about traditional marriage and you’re not traditional,’ that got to me a little bit.”

While Siwa said that she once felt bad about her criticism of Bure, she’s since decided that she doesn’t need to apologize for disagreeing with someone who doesn’t support her community. “That’s my people,” she told Viall. “I gotta stand up for my people.”

Check out Siwa’s full interview on The Viall Files above.

28 Jul 2023

Drake Shoots At Pusha T & Pharrell On Travis Scott’s “MELTDOWN”

HipHopWired Featured Video

CLOSE

Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert

Drake and Pusha T‘s feud might not have the spotlight it once did but it appears to be far from over. The Canadian superstar took a light shot at King Push and Pharrell on Travis Scott’s new album UTOPIA, and fans have their thoughts per usual.

Travis Scott dropped UTOPIA on Friday (July 28) and so far the early returns on the album say that Cactus Jack has another one in the can. Among several standout features that include the likes of Beyoncé, 21 Savage, Future, SZA, Young Thug, Playboy Carti, and more, Drake is also part of that star-studded list. Drizzy shows up on the track “MELTDOWN” and the last few bars of his feature had the aforementioned targets.

From “MELTDOWN”:

My schedule is out, come spin us, for real
Man, f*ck all that spinnin’ the narrative sh*t
I melt down the chains that I bought from yo’ boss
Give a f*ck about all of that heritage sh*t
Since V not around, the members done hung up the Louis, they not even wearing that sh*t
Don’t come to the boy ’bout repairing some sh*t
Don’t come to the boy about sparing some sh*t
You lucky that Vogue was suing, ’cause I would’ve been with the Wassas in Paris and sh*t

As it stands, Drake is alerting his opposition that he’s on his “It’s All A Blur” tour and inviting the smoke in the first line of the lyrics quoted above. On Twitter and Genius alike, fans are noting that the “melt down the chains” line is directed towards Pharrell, who reportedly designed a series of chains the rapper wore in the “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” video from Her Loss, his collaborative album with 21 Savage.

The lyric that begins with “Since V not around” is a clear nod to the late Virgil Abloh, who was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear line, a role Pharrell now occupies.

On X (formerly known as Twitter), Drake, Pusha T, and Pharrell’s names are trending. We’ve got the best reactions below.

—

Photo: Getty

28 Jul 2023

Drake Takes Aim at Pharrell & Pusha T on Travis Scott’s ‘MELTDOWN’

Drake was the topic of conversation on Friday (July 28) after he linked with oft collaborator Travis Scott on La Flame’s fourth studio album, Utopia. Social media hummed when he unleashed shots aimed at Pusha T and Pharrell on the track “MELTDOWN.”

Drake fired scathing bars targeting Pharrell’s newly appointed position as men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton, a title held by the late Virgil Abloh — a friend of the OVO commander. “Man, f–k all that spinning the narrative s–t/ I melt down the chains that I bought from your boss,” spews Drake in the latter half of his verse, taking slight aim at Pusha’s relationship with Pharrell. “Give a f–k about all of that heritage s–t/ Since V not around the members done hung up the Louis/ They not even wearing that s–t.”

While promoting his joint album Her Loss with 21 Savage earlier this year, Drake flaunted his accessories that once belonged to Pharrell in the “Jumbotron Shit Poppin” video. From the iconic N.E.R.D. brain pendant to the famed skateboard pendant chain, Drake sported most of P’s auctioned pieces from last year’s Joopiter auction. 

In 2022, Joopiter — Pharrell’s first global auction house and content platform — presented different items once worn by the Virginia powerhouse, including a jeweled-out pair of Oakley glasses at the New York City pop-up. 

Later on in “MELTDOWN,” Drake continues with his verbal assault, rapping, “You lucky that Vogue was suing/ ‘Cause I would’ve been with the Wassas in Paris and s–t.”

In June, Pharrell hosted his debut Louis Vuitton fashion show at the French capital, where Jay-Z, LeBron James and more supported his endeavor. Pusha T was also on hand, performing a new track that took shots at Jim Jones — a staunch supporter of Drake. 

Drake and 21 settled with Vogue earlier this year after using a faux cover to promote their album, Her Loss, last November. 

Listen to “MELTDOWN” below.