partnership
The Lijadu Sisters and Numero Group have signed an expansive new partnership that seeks to bring justice to the legendary Nigerian duo’s catalog, it was announced on Wednesday (July 10).
Composed of identical twin sisters Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu — who are second cousins to Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti — the Lijadu Sisters arose as fearless and groundbreaking leaders in the male-dominated Nigerian pop music scene. The duo fused Afrobeat, pop, psychedelic rock, reggae, disco and jazz music with messages about gender equality, government corruption, love and more in both English and Yoruba. They toured with Nigerian jùjú musician King Sunny Adé, David Byrne, Ginger Baker and Art Blakey and, during a 2014 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performed in the Atomic Bomb! band tribute to Nigerian musician William Onyeabor.
The sisters, whose alté ethos paved the way for modern female African artists like Amaarae and Tems, released five albums in the 1970s under Decca Records’ Afrodisia imprint. That was followed by Double Trouble, a 1984 compilation featuring hits from those albums released by Shanachie Records. The Nigerian duo later signed a 10-year licensing agreement with Knitting Factory Records around 2011, according to a recent Rolling Stone profile, with four albums being reissued under the deal. They regained control of their catalog in 2021, two years after Kehinde died of metastatic breast cancer at age 71.
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While their work has inspired a wide range of artists, according to the Rolling Stone profile, the sisters’ music and likeness has been exploited for decades and they’ve struggled with copyright infringements and unpaid royalties. Nas‘ “Life’s Gone Low” track from his 2006 The Prophecy, Vol 2: The Beginning of the N mixtape contains an uncredited sample of the duo’s “Life’s Gone Down Low” from their 1976 album Danger. And Taiwo’s current manager, Eric Welles-Nyström, told Rolling Stone that Ayra Starr failed to properly clear “Orere-Elejigbo,” a song from the sisters’ 1979 album Horizon Unlimited that Starr sampled on her 2021 track “Sare”. He added that they’ve found more than 50 total infringements of the sisters’ work to date.
The new partnership with Numero Group is meant to honor the duo’s legacy through the launch of a multi-year, multi-record reissue campaign to finally — and rightfully — bring their entire discography to the masses.
Kicking off the campaign will be the release of a remastered and restored version of Horizon Unlimited, which contains the hit “Come On Home.” Five-time Grammy-winning engineer Michael Graves, who remastered Blondie‘s Against The Odds: 1974-1982 and Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos, is remastering the six-track album, which is currently available on DSPs and will be re-released on CD and vinyl on Sept. 20. The album’s physical packaging will include the first-ever transcription of the record’s lyrics in both Yoruba and English along with corrected album credits, original artwork and more.
Numero Group will eventually reissue all of the band’s albums as well as a collection of rediscovered, previously unavailable singles, promo EPs and rare recordings.
“I think one of the most exciting things about the reintroduction of Horizon Unlimited is the fact that young folk love our music and are surprised at the upbeat tempo and the lyrics, which are not only of today, but also very futuristic as well,” said Taiwo in a press release. “Horizon Unlimited was our last album with Decca that came out in 1979. It’s been a long time since then and this really is part of a much longer story, but amongst one of the most significant things I remember was that we, The Lijadu Sisters, paid for all the studio and band session fees. At the time, this was unusual, and not the arrangement we had with that record label. We were originally meant to record at Decca West Africa in Lagos, but when we got to the studio, no one had told us that it was being upgraded — from eight tracks to 24. So we brought everyone to London and made the album there instead.”
The Lijadu Sisters’ partnership with Numero Group “is allowing us to reach out to younger people. What’s going to come is creative collaborations with their music or their story, working with filmmakers and writers, trying to set stuff up creatively for Taiwo and younger artists,” Taiwo’s current manager, Eric Welles-Nyström, told Rolling Stone.
Tekno has formed a new strategic alliance with Mr. Eazi, with Tekno’s Cartel Music label and Mr. Eazi’s independent music company emPawa Africa striking a joint venture and Tekno joining emPawa Africa as an investor and a partner. “With this deal with Tekno and Cartel Music, we are ushering in a new phase of emPawa,” […]
Puma recently announced a long-term partnership with A$AP Rocky, who will serve as creative director for the motorsport business category “with a focus on the intersection of the sport and streetwear,” according to a press release.
Puma announced its long-term partnership with F1 earlier this year, which makes the sportswear brand the exclusive licensee and trackside retailer at all races. As creative director of the partnership, Rocky will take on an incubator-style approach to begin creative exploration. For the rest of the year, he will impact the brand’s visuals and video content. His first campaign explores American car culture and its impact on streetwear and fashion. Later this year, he’ll drop an exclusive Puma x F1 apparel and accessories collection, serving as a sneak peek into a series of capsule collections next year in regards to high-visibility F1 races.
In 2024, Rocky will shift creative focus to several Grand Prix races beginning in Miami. He will curate activations at each race and serve as the creative director for all of the marketing efforts surrounding these collections, which he designed in partnership with the Puma and F1 teams.
By 2025, he’ll fully immerse himself into the holistic product creative designs for all of the Puma x F1 product, spanning from racewear to fanwear to fashion. He’ll continue participating in marketing in an ongoing effort to bring disruption to the category via innovative product design and marketing concepts.
“Working with brands as iconic as Puma, and as innovative as F1, has been truly inspiring,” Rocky said in a press statement. “When the world sees what we’re doing, I believe a shift will happen with how brands approach taking risks and working with diverse creatives.”
But the rapper is not the only one with business ties to Puma in his household. His partner Rihanna, with whom he shares two children, recently got back in her Puma bag as the shoe brand’s Fenty label creative director and unveiled her new “Avanti” sneaker design last month.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be working with A$AP Rocky,” said Maria Valdes, Puma’s chief product officer. “He’s incredibly talented, deeply thoughtful and invested in our brand. He will showcase his vision with elevated F1 race capsules globally, which attract new audiences and undoubtably disrupt the track. In the future, he will influence the broader Puma x F1 range and will continue to help push sport and culture forward.”
Adds Oliver Boden, head of licensing and gaming at F1: “This announcement marks an exciting milestone in our partnership with PUMA. A$AP Rocky’s creativity and commitment to innovation aligns perfectly with F1’s vision and development in apparel. We look forward to collaborating with him to design and curate the PUMA and F1 range and insert F1 into new cultural and lifestyle spaces.”
Maryland rapper Joony and his 211 label have entered into a partnership with Red Bull Records and Blxst‘s Evgle imprint, Billboard can exclusively announce today (Sept. 22).
The 22-year-old artist (real name Jonathan Negero) initially started 211 as a collective in 2014 with his best friend Max Free, but he transformed it into a label in 2022 with his managers Jason Zeigler and Darren Xu. The other core members are fellow artist Swegah and photographer Gio Vaun. Joony has released two projects under 211, his 2022 album Pretty in Black and his 2023 album SHITUMISS.
“My team and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out who was the right fit for us, not only for me as an artist, but as a company as well. We ended up loving the synergy between us and the Evgle/Red Bull Records teams, and I’ve always been a fan of Blxst, so it’s huge getting to work with him,” Joony says in an exclusive statement to Billboard. “We arranged a one-of-a-kind deal that empowers the artist with terms that have substantial gain for everyone involved, and we’re excited to launch the partnership today.”
Joony made his Billboard Hot 100 debut last July due to his appearance on Brent Faiyaz‘s “FYTB” off his critically acclaimed sophomore album, Wasteland. The two previously collaborated on “Paper Soldier” from Faiyaz’s surprise three-pack Do Not Listen from 2021.
Prior to the Evgle partnership announcement, Jordan Ward and Joony’s “IDC” track was included on the NBA 2K23 season 7 soundtrack, which Blxst curated.
“At Evgle, we think Joony is a generational artist and songwriter, and he and 211 are building something we truly admire in terms of creativity and business,” says Karl Fowlkes, COO/co-founder of Evgle. “With additional resources of Evgle and Red Bull Records at their disposal, the sky is the limit. We look forward to helping Joony and 211 reach their heights.”
Joony also announced his upcoming EP MEMENTO today, which will be released this fall as his first project under Evgle/Red Bull Records. The 10-track project includes collaborations with Tony Shhnow, TTM Dawg, Lancey Foux and Lil Candy Paint. Ahead of MEMENTO, he dropped the first single, “Need It,” with an accompanying music video directed by Zaiem.
“This partnership will bring a better look into who I am as an artist and what I want to portray with my art. There are more resources for me to get as creative as possible and give my supporters more to grab onto — bigger and better art, visuals, and most importantly, music,” Joony says. “I’m excited for fans to finally get this new music and see all of the creative endeavors I’ve been working on over the past year and a half. My new EP MEMENTO is definitely one for the books, and I’m happy as hell that y’all get to hear the project soon and take it in with the visuals we worked so hard on, starting with ‘Need It.’”
Adds Kenny “Tick” Salcido, senior vp & head of A&R at Red Bull Records: “Evgle continues to identify culture-moving artists with the newest addition to our partnership in the signing of Joony. Joony has unlimited potential as he brings a different sound with his melodic delivery and unique sonic choices. He represents a career artist at its core and we’re thrilled to welcome him.”
Joony will also accompany Lil Tjay on nine dates of his Beat the Odds Tour’s European leg, which kicks off Nov. 2 at London’s OVO Arena Wembley and wraps on Nov. 11 at Vienna’s Gasometer.
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Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are teaming up once again to create a new program for high school students, this time in Atlanta.
On Tuesday (Aug. 28), the co-founder of Interscope Records introduced the “Iovine and Young Center” in a press conference held at Frederick Douglass High School in northwest Atlanta, according to Atlanta News First. The iconic producer wasn’t able to attend in person, so Iovine was joined by another legend and Atlanta native Dallas Austin.
The new magnet program created in partnership with Atlanta Public Schools is designed to give students a more innovative learning model with a focus on technology and leadership, something that Iovine and Dr. Dre aka Andre Young hope will ignite the students’ “superpowers.”
“We believe we’re going to give these kids an advantage, a different type of education,” Iovine said at the press event. “So, you all can sell these kids, go out there and say you want these kids. Because the modern job needs these kids. That’s why.” Interested students in the 9th grade STEAM academy at Frederick Douglass can enroll in the program next year at the school, which has an esteemed alumni list including former mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Killer Mike, T.I., Kilo Ali, and Lil Jon. It will be offered to all grade levels by the 2027-2028 school year.
Current sophomore Caleb Mitchell is eager to take part. “I think it will help bring out [the] potential of students and help them engage more… I think this will provide more opportunities for us,” he said. “Integrating the Iovine and Young Center at Frederick Douglass High School supports our ability to teach students how to design their thinking, brings student ideas to life, and further prepares our students for competitive careers that may not even exist yet,” said Forrestella Taylor, Frederick Douglass’ principal.
Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine created a similar magnet program in 2022 at Compton High School in Los Angeles, with The Chronic producer chipping in $10 million personally to aid the $200 million renovation of the campus. “Me and Dre think big,” Iovine would later add. “We think everybody in the world’s going to learn like this well, maybe! We never thought everybody in the world would wear our headphones, but they did.”
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The Weeknd is connecting with his Ethiopian roots and honoring his family with his new Samra Origins coffee brand and product line in partnership with Blue Bottle Coffee, which was announced Wednesday (May 3).
Named after his mother Samra, Samra Origins pays homage to the Canadian-Ethiopian singer’s heritage and motherland’s standing as the birthplace of coffee. The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) and Samra developed the first Samra Origins blend with Blue Bottle’s head of innovation & quality, Benjamin Brewer. Brewer selected some of Ethiopia’s best coffees to craft three blend variations, which The Weeknd and Samra tasted before selecting the offering most similar to the coffee Samra brews at home. Blue Bottle then worked with The Weeknd to carefully fine tune the blend and create a distinct flavor profile, which not only captures classic notes of fresh fruit and bright florals but upholds centuries of traditions originated and perfected by Ethiopian coffee farmers.
“Ethiopian culture is an important part of my identity and I’m proud to work alongside the Blue Bottle Coffee team to shine a light on Ethiopian traditions, values, and of course, coffee,” said The Weeknd in a press release. “Growing up, I watched my mother perform Buna Tetu, a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. This sensory experience helped shape my understanding of community and taught me to always honor my roots.”
In an exclusive statement to Billboard, he added: “Samra Origins is a true passion project of mine that Blue Bottle matched and understood as we developed the products together. I hope the result ignites curiosity about Ethiopia’s people and motivates others to give back to communities in need.”
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The Weeknd
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And to honor The Weeknd’s philanthropic efforts, Blue Bottle Coffee will donate to his XO Humanitarian Fund, which he launched in March 2022 alongside the United Nations World Food Programme. Since its launch last spring, the XO Humanitarian Fund has raised and pledged $5 million to provide food and support to millions of people experiencing hunger across the globe.
“We are grateful to have The Weeknd and Blue Bottle Coffee’s steadfast support as we work to feed families in hunger hotspots worldwide,” said Barron Segar, president and CEO of World Food Program USA, in a statement. “Private sector partners like Blue Bottle Coffee are critical in generating both public awareness and funding to save the 43 million people on the brink of starvation across 51 countries.”
Samra Origins will launch this month with a limited release of Exceedingly Rare Ethiopia Wolde Faye Koricha COE #7, which anyone can purchase for $65 (per 100g tin) exclusively online at samraorigins.com. Starting Wednesday, Blue Bottle guests can sign up for the online waitlist to be the first to know when Samra Origins officially drops next Tuesday, May 9.
“Ethiopian coffee is truly in a class of its own and the country holds a special place within our Blue Bottle community,” said Karl Strovink, CEO of Blue Bottle Coffee, in the release. “Since Blue Bottle Coffee’s inception in 2002, we’ve sourced coffee from Ethiopia. In 2023, Ethiopia is still consistently among our top origins by volume. I’m excited that we’re extending our commitment there with Samra Origins so we can continue to share the best of Ethiopian coffee and support our network of producers in the country.”
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