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Ohana Hatake, the brand founded by legendary artist Takashi Murakami — renowned for his vibrant, Superflat aesthetic and artistic contributions to hip-hop culture — has unveiled its latest release: the Surippa Ohana slide.
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Takashi Murakami’s Legacy
If you’re unfamiliar with Takashi Murakami, now’s the time to get acquainted. His influence extends across hip-hop, high fashion and pop culture. From designing unforgettable album covers like Kanye West’s Graduation and Kids See Ghosts to doing work with Juice WRLD, Pharrell Williams and Billie Eilish, Murakami’s mark is indelible.
Most rap fans likely first heard of Murakami in 2007 when he designed the iconic Graduation album art, transforming Kanye West’s Dropout Bear into an animated masterpiece. This partnership stemmed from Kanye’s admiration of Murakami’s work with Louis Vuitton in 2003. Their collaboration continued to evolve as the two worked on the music video for “Good Morning,” which Murakami produced. His influence remains strong today, with ventures like the Supreme flower box logo that raised $1M in a COVID-19 fundraiser underscoring his cultural and social impact.
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Courtesy Ohana Hatake
Ohana Hatake and the Surippa Ohana Slide
Murakami’s latest venture, Ohana Hatake — meaning “field of flowers” — draws inspiration from a spell in the manga Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. This metaphor aligns beautifully with his signature floral motif.
The Surippa Ohana slide, available now on OhanaHatake.com and Kith, builds on the success of the Ohana Full-Bloom series, including the $500-reselling BLACKPINK collab. This new design comes in four colors — Espresso, Affogato, Cappuccino, and Rust — and features exposed cutouts for breathability. Made of soft EVA foam and priced at $70, the slides are built for comfort, style, and versatility.
Murakami’s signature flower, etched on the outsole and sides, steals the show, making this slide a true work of wearable art.
Flex, Trade, or Fade?
For me, the Surippa Ohana slide is an undeniable flex. It’s affordable, stylish, and perfect for everyday wear, indoors or out. But what about you? Are these slides a flex, trade, or fade? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
SURIPPA OHANA
Courtesy Ohana Hatake
Veteran rappers Bun B and Raekwon get together at the behest of HipHopWired and they dropped all the triple OG knowledge you should have expected.
The acclaimed digital series I Got Questions returns to ensure that it’s the gift that keeps on giving, as this episode features two of Hip-Hop’s most official and highly respected MCs—UGK’s Bun B and Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon. The two veteran rappers and good friends sat down to talk about their careers, influences, and vital moments.
One of the conversation’s highlights was all about fashion and swagger, centered on the famous “Snow Beach” pullover jacket by Ralph Lauren that Raekwon wore in Wu-Tang Clan’s classic video “Can It All Be So Simple.” Bun B displayed his own “Snow Beach” jacket, telling the Staten Island, New York, native, “You created the most sought-after Polo piece ever.” Raekwon then shared that since the Clan didn’t have a budget, he went to find the most colorful shirt ever for the video, stumbling upon the jacket in a downtown Brooklyn store. “I had to look around, like no way that s—t is sitting in here.”
Another key moment highlighted a tough time that proved to be a bonding moment between Bun B and Raekwon is when the former was struggling with the loss of his UGK bandmate Pimp C, and the RZA reached out to him. “We just talked about grief and loss, and that was my first conversation with that brother,” the Port Arthur, Texas, native said. “It was such a blessing. It was words like that, that really gave me strength in the moment – eventually, I’m going to find a way to deal with this and move forward.”
The conversation also features Bun B talking about how he and Pimp C almost didn’t do their iconic collaboration “Big Pimpin’” with Jay-Z, and Raekwon sharing about the formation of the Wu-Tang Clan, particularly about him being one of the group’s artists chosen to get a solo deal with another label.
Check out the entire episode of I Got Questions featuring Bun B and Raekwon above.
Source: Hip-Hop Wired / iOne Digital
A criminal investigation has been launched into suspected fraud at U.K. collecting society PPL after the organization discovered “suspicious activity” on a small number of member accounts.
PPL said one staff member had been dismissed following an internal investigation it carried out over several months earlier this year. The alleged crime is now being investigated by The Metropolitan Police, the CMO said in a short statement.
“We recently became aware of suspicious activity on a small number of member accounts. We immediately conducted an internal investigation, and one employee was dismissed,” said a spokesperson Thursday (Dec.19). The organization said it was “working with the limited number of impacted members to rectify accounts.”
PPL is the second largest of the United Kingdom’s two main collecting societies and licenses recorded music on behalf of labels and artists to U.K. radio and television broadcasters, as well as its use in bars, nightclubs, shops and offices.
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Last year, the 90-year-old organization — which has more than 110 neighboring rights agreements in place with international CMOs, including SoundExchange and the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC) in the United States — collected revenues of £285 million ($356 million), its highest ever annual total. In 2023, PPL paid out £247 million ($309 million) to almost 165,000 performers and recording rights holders.
Record industry sources tell Billboard that the suspected embezzlement is believed to have involved an individual or individuals posing as recording artists who were not registered as PPL members and then fraudulently claiming royalties on their behalf.
Billboard understands that PPL discovered the scheme when the real artists tried to register as members earlier this year. Sources say that the fraudulent royalty claims are believed to have taken place over a number of years, possibly as far back as 2016, with the fraudulent transactions believed to total around £500,000 ($625,000).
PPL said it was unable to comment on the case while a criminal investigation is underway and declined to answer questions on when it discovered the suspicious activity, the timeframe of the alleged offense or whether the impacted member accounts relate to U.K. artist members or overseas partner CMOs. The Metropolitan Police has been approached by Billboard for details.
The criminal investigation into suspected embezzlement at PPL comes as the music business battles on multiple fronts against fraudulent activity and rampant copyright infringement on a global scale.
In November, Universal Music Group (UMG), ABKCO and Concord Music Group filed a lawsuit against Believe and its distribution company TuneCore, accusing them of “massive ongoing infringements” of their sound recordings, seeking $500 million in damages (Believe refutes the claims). One month earlier, TikTok cited issues with “fraud” as its reason for walking away from renewing its license with Merlin, a digital licensing coalition representing thousands of indie labels and distributors.
There have also been several high-profile cases against individuals accused of defrauding streaming platforms, rights holders and collection societies in recent years.
In 2022, two men in Phoenix, Arizona pled guilty to claiming $23 million worth of YouTube royalties from unknowing Latin musicians like Julio Iglesias, Anuel AA, and Daddy Yankee despite having no actual ties to those artists.
More recently, a North Carolina musician was indicted by federal prosecutors in September in the first ever federal streaming fraud case. Prosecutors allege Michael Smith used two distributors to upload “hundreds of thousands” of AI-generated tracks, and then used bots to stream them, earning him more than $10 million since 2017.
To try and curb the rise in fraudulent activity the music business has been ramping up its efforts to stop money being illegally siphoned out of the royalty pool.
Last year, a coalition of digital music companies, including distributors including TuneCore, Distrokid and CD Baby, as well as streaming platforms Spotify and Amazon Music, launched the “Music Fights Fraud” task force. The past 12 months have additionally seen Spotify and Deezer change their royalty systems to include financial penalties for music distributors and labels associated with fraudulent activity.
12/20/2024
A look at chart highlights, by the numbers, from January through December.
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Modern holiday chestnuts by veterans of the long-running TV talent competition.
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HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / Getty
Pharrell Williams continues to be a champion for benevolence. UNESCO has appointed him a Goodwill Ambassador for Arts Education and Entrepreneurship.
As reported by The Associated Press, the multi-hyphenate has received yet another honor for his great work for the creative community. On Tuesday (Dec. 17), the Virginia Beach, Va., native was appointed as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Arts Education and Entrepreneurship at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris. The ceremony was followed by a screening of his LEGO biopic Piece by Piece. After the film, the In My Mind performer spoke to 800 secondary pupils who are studying music, art and fashion.
Pharrell Williams expressed his enthusiasm for the honor in a formal statement. “Words cannot describe how I feel about being chosen by UNESCO as a Goodwill Ambassador. Thank you to Director-General Audrey Azoulay for this opportunity” he said. “I’m honored to continue our work in evening the odds for children and adults through education with YELLOW and Black Ambition.”
UNESCO Director Audrey Azoulay detailed why the nomination made sense for the organization. “A complete artist, Pharrell Williams is also a humanist who works to put culture at the service of peace and bringing people together. He believes in the power of creativity and education to build a better future,” her statement read, according to a press release. “His commitments resonate with UNESCO’s mandate. I am delighted that he is joining UNESCO’s family of Goodwill Ambassadors today to support our action.”
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is an agency of the United Nations that promotes world peace via arts, education and the sciences.
Valentino Merlo & The La Planta paired up for Billboard Argentina as the 2024 No. 1 for Billboard’s ‘Global No. 1s’ series. The artists teamed up to create chart breaking “Hoy,” and they share how the song was created, how they knew it would be a hit and more!
Billboard is launching its inaugural ‘Global No. 1s’ series, an initiative to spotlight top-charting artists from around the world. Billboard has partnered with its ten-plus global editions to showcase distinct voices topping their local charts around the world in exclusive interviews. Stay tuned throughout the week to discover who’s No. 1 in the UK, Brazil, Korea, and more!
The La Planta:
What’s up, friends from Billboard? This is Nico, The La Planta.
Valentino Merlo:
And this is Valentino Merlo. We are the Global No. 1s cover.
The La Planta:
Well, thank you. Thanks for the warm welcome and the congratulations. It’s truly a pleasure. Honestly, we felt it. When we recorded it, there was something extra, an extra energy with the song. But personally, I didn’t expect to be, as I said, five months at No. 1 on Billboard Argentina. It was completely surprising.
Valentino Merlo:
For me, it was actually the opposite. I mean, really the opposite, right? I enjoyed it a lote, and it was a pleasure to work with Nico and his whole team. I’m also really happy to have been No. 1 on Billboard Argentina for such a long time. That song was incredible.
The La Planta:
The video is still no. 1 on YouTube, “Hoy.” It’s unbelievable, and it’s nearing 300 million views. It’s crazy, and it’s not stopping, so… it was amazing.
Valentino Merlo:
Honestly, I didn’t expect it to go so far, but he did. He did say, “When I wear this hat, it’s going to blow up.” And it did! It blew up because of the hat – the white hat he wore.
The La Planta:
You could feel it. The song was going to hit. I felt it. Like I said, it’s about sensations. They were overwhelming. It’s rare because that doesn’t happen with many songs I record. From the moment I recorded it, when I sent it over, I said, “If it works for you, let’s release it.”
12/20/2024
These artists made an instant impact with memorable debut full-length projects.
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Argentina and Uruguay are two nations with deep-rooted connections to cumbia. Throughout history, artists of the genre have emerged from both sides of the Río de la Plata, becoming the soundtrack of daily life for millions of families in both countries. This past year, that cultural legacy was further strengthened by Valentino Merlo and The […]
Spotify is firing back at Drake’s accusations that the streamer helped Universal Music Group artificially boost Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” calling the allegations “false” and blasting the rapper’s legal action as a “subversion of the normal judicial process.”
The new filing is the first response to a petition filed last month in which Drake accused UMG and Spotify of an illegal “scheme” involving bots, payola and other methods to pump up Lamar’s song — a track that savagely attacked Drake amid an ongoing feud between the two stars.
In a motion filed Friday in Manhattan court, the streaming giant says it has found zero evidence to support the claims of a bot attack, and flatly denies that it struck any deal with UMG to support Lamar’s song.
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“The predicate of Petitioner’s entire request for discovery from Spotify is false,” the company’s lawyers write. “Spotify and UMG have never had any such arrangement.”
Beyond denying the allegations, the filing repeatedly criticizes Drake for going to court in the first place — calling his claims of a conspiracy “far-fetched” and “speculative,” and questioning why Spotify (a “stranger” to the “long-running fued” between Drake, Kendrick and UMG) is even involved.
Spotify also criticized Drake for the way in which he brought his claims to court — not as a full-fledged lawsuit, but as an unusual “pre-action” petition aimed at demanding information. The company accused Drake of using that “extraordinary” procedure because his allegations are too flimsy to pass muster in an actual lawsuit and would have been quickly dismissed.
“What petitioner is seeking to do here … is to bypass the normal pleading requirements … and obtain by way of pre-action discovery that which it would only be entitled to seek were it to survive a motion to dismiss,” Spotify’s lawyers write. “This subversion of the normal judicial process should be rejected.”
A spokesperson for Drake and his legal team did not immediately return a request for comment on Spotify’s filings.
Drake went to court last month, accusing UMG of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the federal “RICO” statute often used against organized crime. He accused Spotify of participating in the scheme by charging reduced licensing fees in exchange for recommending the song to users. A day later, he filed a similar action in Texas, suggesting that UMG had legally defamed him by releasing a song that “falsely” accused him of being a “sex offender.”
The legal actions represent a remarkable twist in the high-profile beef between the two stars, which saw Drake and Lamar exchange stinging diss tracks over a period of months earlier this year. That a rapper would take such a dispute to court seemed almost unthinkable at the time, and Drake has been ridiculed in some corners of the hip-hop world for doing so.
The actions also represent a stunning rift between Drake and UMG, where the star has spent his entire career — first through signing a deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint, which was distributed by Republic Records, then by signing directly to Republic.
UMG has not yet filed a responded to the litigation in court. But in a statement issued at the time, the music giant called Drake’s allegations “offensive and untrue”: “No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
In Friday’s filing, Spotify echoed that criticism — arguing that civil RICO cases are difficult to prove even with ample evidence, and that Drake hardly has any: “The Petition asserts no specific facts of any kind in support of these alleged RICO and deceptive practices violations,” the company wrote. “Instead, it relies exclusively on speculation … or the claims of anonymous individuals on the internet.”
Spotify’s attorneys seemed particularly focused on disputing the idea that swarms of bots had been able to flood the platforms to fraudulently boost Lamar’s track — a hot-button issue in the modern music industry. In an affidavit attached to Friday’s filing, Spotify’s vp of music offered sworn testimony that the company “invests heavily” in efforts to “mitigate the impact of artificial streaming on our platform.”
“When we identify attempted stream manipulation, we take action that may include removing streaming numbers, withholding royalties and charging penalty fees,” David Kaefer wrote in the filing. “Confirmed and suspected artificial streams are also removed from our chart calculations. This helps us to protect royalty payouts for honest, hardworking artists.”