Eryn Allen Kane

Killer Mike Shares A Tender Reimagining Of ‘Motherless’ Featuring Robert Glasper And Eryn Allen Kane

by

Killer Mike’s sixth studio album Michael has been out for around four months now, but true to his independent spirit, the Atlanta rapper is still finding new ways to promote his most personal project to date. The latest is a live studio reinterpretation of standout track “Motherless” remixed by Grammy-winning jazz revivalist Robert Glasper. In the video they shared today, Mike, Glasper, and guest vocalist Eryn Allen Kane perform the tender remix in the recording studio, with Glasper’s gentle keys enhancing the loving tone of Mike’s ode to his late mom.

In a statement about the remix, Mike wrote:

Two years ago I was asked to get on a “Black Superhero” by Robert Glasper. The song was incredible and he’d go on to win a Grammy for that album. My only regret was that we weren’t in the same room together when we made it. So when talks of him remixing “MOTHERLESS” came up it was a no brainer — only this time we wanted to be in studio together along with Eryn Allen Kane.

Someone was smart enough to have cameras there capturing us making this tribute to my mother, Druzella Denise Clonts aka OG Mama Niecy and Rob’s mother, Kim Yvette Glasper. Performing this song is never easy. I wept every night on tour.

The outpouring of emotions has been part of healing. To all those who belong to Motherless Club I pray this helps and to all those who are lucky enough to have their mothers: call them!

The song has been a go-to for Mike: On Friday, he performed the track with Glasper and Kane on The Tonight Show.

Noname Announced The Release Date For Her Next Single, ‘Balloons’ Featuring Jay Electronica

by
noname album
Getty Image

It seems like it’s been a long, long time since Chicago rapper/poet Noname put out a new song. However, the wait will soon come to an end, as the outspoken MC has announced the release date for her next single. It’s called “Balloons,” it features New Orleans rapper Jay Electronica and Detroit singer Eryn Allen Kane, and it’s due on July 21.

The track constitutes Noname’s first new single since 2021 when she released “Rainforest” without much fanfare. Prior to that, her last release was the fiery “Song 33,” her June 2020 response to J. Cole’s “Snow On The Bluff,” which criticized an unnamed commenter for shutting down questions online. Fans interpreted the song as a shot at Noname, and after the hype died down, it seemed that the Chicago rapper was exhausted by the scrutiny.

She announced that she was canceling her album Factory Baby in December 2021 to focus on her activism — namely the Radical Hood Library in Los Angeles — but after taking a few months away opted to return the stage at Afropunk in 2022. Then, this April, she told fans, “My new album is called Sundial. It will be released in July 2023. Thank you for everything.”

It looks like Noname’s aiming for a late-July release for the album if she’s releasing a single next week. Fingers crossed.

Killer Mike Leads A Dungeon Family Reunion With ‘Scientists & Engineers’ Featuring André 3000 And Future

by

Killer Mike leads a Dungeon Family reunion on his new single “Scientists & Engineers” which reunites Mike with OutKast’s Andre 3000 and DF affiliate Future. Over a gospel and funk-inflected instrumental straight from the late-90s Atlanta breakout, Mike, André, and Future deliver some of their hardest verses in a long time, while Eryn Allen Kane sings the soul-stirring chorus. “Scientists & Engineers” is due to appear on Mike’s upcoming album Michael, his first solo project in over a decade.

The song almost didn’t make the album, though. As Mike recounted during the annual Black Music Moguls Brunch in Atlanta, André initially wanted to nix the collaboration, right up until Mike sent him the completed version with Kane’s chorus. That was when he fully bought in, saving the track from the proverbial cutting room floor.

Mike also revealed in another interview that he’d spent $500,000 recording Michael, only managing to recoup the costs with an advance from Loma Vista Records. The reason the album is so important to him is that it’s his first time telling his full story, as he told Vulture’s Craig Jenkins. “There was never a moment where people got a chance to see the whole of Michael. They saw bits and pieces in the music… I wanted people to know that the character in Run the Jewels is a whole human being and a man who feels like there’s something that needs to be said.”

Listen to “Scientists & Engineers” above. Michael is due June 16 via VLNS/Loma Vista.

André 3000 Almost Told Killer Mike To Cancel Their Upcoming Collaboration But One Of The Features Changed His Mind

by
andre 3000
Getty Image

Killer Mike‘s new album Michael is due next week and one song fans are most excited about is his collaboration with former Outkast member and full-time recluse, Andre 3000. The song is called “Scientists & Engineers” and also features Future — a one-time Dungeon Family disciple, according to Atlanta rap lore — and singer Eryn Allen Kane. However, fans almost didn’t get to hear the track after Andre told Mike he wasn’t feeling it. Fortunately, Kane’s presence on the track convinced him to change his mind when he heard the final version.

Mike recounted the story during this year’s 4th Annual Black Music Moguls Brunch in Atlanta, sharing a video of the anecdote on Instagram. In it, he recalls, “André 3000, he’s in Japan right now as we talk, playing the flute. He called me, he’s like, ‘Kill, I don’t know about the song, man. We just got a good rap record, man.’ And then Cuz [Lightyear] was like, ‘You sent him the final record?’ I’m like, ‘Nah.’ I sent it over with Eryn’s hook and stuff. He hit back with, ‘Yeah, yeah, you got the record. Who is that?!’ So thank you, Eryn, I really appreciate you for that.”

In addition to the aforementioned features, the No ID-produced Michael will also include appearances from Dave Chappelle and Young Thug (on the previously-released “Run“), Mike’s longtime partner-in-rhyme El-P (“Don’t Let The Devil“), Lil Wayne, and more, along with the previous singles “Don’t Let The Devil” and “Motherless.” It’s due June 16 via VLNS/Loma Vista.

Here’s Everything To Know About JID’s Upcoming ‘The Forever Story’ Album

by
JID forever story
Getty Image

This Friday, Dreamville-signed Atlanta rapper JID will release his third studio album, The Forever Story, four years after the release of his last solo album, DiCaprio 2, and five after his debut, The Never Story. In the meantime, we’ve seen JID’s star rise with his participation in releases from Dreamville such as the 2019 group compilation Revenge Of The Dreamers III and the Gangsta Grillz mixtape D-Day earlier this year, and the 2020 Spillage Village group album Spilligion. Now, The Forever Story is on the way to solidifying his ascent, cementing him as a superstar.

In the lead-up to the album, JID has released two main singles, “Surround Sound” featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate and “Dance Now” with Kenny Mason. However, he also released an unofficial single, “2007,” which was left off the album due to sample clearance issues. When he shared the song, he revealed that it was originally the outro and is key to understanding the album’s narrative and themes. Later, he revealed the album’s tracklist — at first, with only the producer credits, then again with all the features included. The album’s guest artists are 21 Savage, Baby Tate, Ari Lennox, Earthgang, Eryn Allen Kane, Johnta Austin, Kenny Mason, Lil Durk Lil Wayne, Mustafa The Poet, Ravyn Lenae, and Yasiin Bey.

The Forever Story is out on 8/26 on Dreamville/Interscope. You can get it here and see the full tracklist below.

1. “Galaxy”
2. “Raydar”
3. “Dance Now” Feat. Kenny Mason
4. “Crack Sandwich”
5. “Can’t Punk Me” Feat. Earthgang
6. “Surround Sound” Feat. 21 Savage & Baby Tate
7. “Kody Blu 31”
8. “Bruddanem” Feat. Lil Durk & Mustafa The Poet
9. “Sistanem”
10. “Can’t Make You Change” Feat. Ari Lennox
11. “Stars” Feat. Yasiin Bey
12. “Just In Time” Feat. Lil Wayne & Kenny Mason
13. “Money”
14. “Better Days” Feat. Johnta Austin
15. “Lauder Too” Feat. Ravyn Lenae & Eryn Allen Kane