Jak Knight, a comedian known for co-creating and acting on Peacock original series, Bust Down, has died at 28. In addition to Bust Down, Knight was a writer on shows like Blackish and Big Mouth, on the latter of which, he voiced DeVon. Although he proved to be a promising comedian, Knight was very much known and loved within the realm of music.
In 2018, Knight appeared in a live version of Zach Fox’s Bruh podcast, alongside rapper Amine. In one of his most iconic stand-ups, he hilariously detailed Chance The Rapper‘s career evolution and recounts a time when he saw the rapper perform at a music festival while on shrooms.
“I thought I was in The DaVinci Code, directed by Jordan Peele. This sh*t was crazy as hell,” he said in a Comedy Central special.
Following the news of his death, several musicians have taken to social media to mourn the loss of Knight.
“RIP to Jak Knight,” said Flying Lotus, “honestly was my fav comedian these days. Unapologetically bold and hilarious.”
RIP to Jak Knight, honestly was my fav comedian these days. Unapologetically bold and hilarious
Television personality and rapper Steelo Brim, who once had Knight as a guest on his Wine And Weed podcast, said “Truly don’t know what to say but Jak Knight was & is the man. He will be forever missed and loved, lit up every room and was as pure as they come. F*ck this one hurts.
Truly don’t know what to say but Jak Knight was & is the man. He will be forever missed and loved, lit up every room and was as pure as they come. Fuck this one hurts
While Flying Lotus is no stranger to vocal collaborations on his albums, the producer is best known for the prolific canvases he creates on his own. Sure, the Kendrick Lamar-featured “Never Catch Me” is considered by some as FlyLo’s magnum opus, but for some diehards, we’d love to hear more tunes like 2014’s “Your Potential//The Beyond,” where vocalist Niki Randa adds thick vocal textures to the tune. It seems as though FlyLo is indeed entering the point in his career where he’s leaning further into vocalists to help him bring new depths to his music. Look at his last album Flamagra, which featured notable collabs with vocalists in Anderson .Paak, George Clinton, Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano, Thundercat, and others. But those are all known commodities, which don’t have the same allure that someone like say, Randa, brought in the past, as perhaps his muse.
Enter Devin Tracy, a classically-trained future R&B vocalist, who released an EP in Soulection’s Black Label series in 2018 and last year’s Don’t Take It Personal EP, but is a relative unknown. Lotus discovered Tracy at a recent session and it seems as though a creative connection quickly blossomed between the pair. Now, FlyLo’s new singles, “The Room” and “You Don’t Know,” feature Tracy on vocals and the diehards will be pleased.
“The Room” kicks off the two movement release with those familiar FlyLo layered strings intertwined with snares, as Tracy ranges all over the map with his evocative delivery. “You Don’t Know” is definitely more drums focused, but Tracy is a revelation on both, going from high registers on down and back.
Flying Lotus will be performing at the Hollywood Bowl on August 21st, backed by the Bowl Orchestra, and this new release effectively whets the palate for more new tunes this year from the Grammy-winning producer.
2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. spit a legendary freestyle together at a 1993 Madison Square Garden concert.
Years before they succumbed to the infamous East Coast/West Coast rivalry, Tupac Shakur was often heard playing The Notorious B.I.G.’s early single “Party and Bullshit” on the set of Poetic Justice. Now both etched into pop culture, the fallen rappers not only shared a mutual respect for each other, but also surprisingly shared the MSG stage with R&B veteran Patti LaBelle and Fat Joe.
Big Daddy Kane cohort DJ Mister Cee reminisced about the historic night with MTV. “It was a concert me and Kane did back in 1993 at Madison Square Garden,” he stated. “We were the only rap group on the show. I think Patti LaBelle was on the show, Tony! Toni! Toné!.
Hyping up the crowd over thundering bass, Biggie Smalls delivered his classic “Where Brooklyn at?” freestyle before Pac followed with an equally razor-sharp verse. “[The freestyle] just came about backstage. ‘Pac, Big, the Rugged Child Shyheim. We just brought all of them onstage, and the magic happened,” Cee continued.
In an interview with HipHopDX, the DJ also revealed that he made it a priority to capture the momentous occasion on a 120-minute cassette, though it did take some coaxing. “I always had a habit of recording me and Kane’s live performances, especially when I knew different rappers were gonna come on,” he said. “The sound guy, I begged and pleaded with him to let me record. He was like, ‘Nah, it’s a union thing,’ but he finally let me record.”
Mister Cee went on to divulge a list of other MCs who rocked the crowd within a brief period of time. “The funny thing about that day is that when you hear the performance, you hear Biggie, you hear 2pac, but we also brought out Fat Joe that night,” he continued. “Positive K came out. Shyheim came out—that’s when he had ‘On and On’ out. We only had 10 minutes. So we brought all those rappers out, got them on and off and was able to do our hits within a 10-minute time frame.”
The freestyle was eventually transferred to vinyl and continues to be heralded as one of the greatest nights in hip-hop history. Shyheim still fondly remembers the once-in-a-lifetime performance by the rap demigods.
“They say that’s the greatest freestyle ever. It was really just having fun. Just out there having fun, having a good time,” he stated. “We always had ciphers and rapped with each other, so it was very natural. Rest in peace to 2pac, rest in peace to Biggie.”
Photo via Richard E. Aaron / Getty
Prince performs at one of the largest deaf universities in the country during his Purple Rain tour.
Like Oscar-winning films The Sound of Metal and CODA, late legend Prince also proved the transcendent power of music. As he soared among the pop stratosphere with Purple Rain boasting nearly $70 million at the box office and a chart-topping soundtrack, the unparalleled artist made a 1984 tour stop at one of the largest deaf institutions in the country, Gallaudet University.
“It was just one quiet afternoon in November,” Hlibrok told WUSA9 via an interpreter. “All the sudden everybody started chattering and saying ‘Go! Go to the field house! There’s going to be a concert there.’ I had no idea who was performing. I just thought, ‘You know – I should go.’”
When Hlibrok arrived, he was shocked to find a large stage draped in black along with giant, towering speakers. Playing a surprise, free show for 2,500 deaf and special needs students in the D.C. area, Prince electrified the building with renditions of his less racy material including “When Doves Cry,” “Little Red Corvette,” and “1999.” Blind students delighted in the aural experience while interpreters translated his lyrics for the deaf atop podiums.
“I had a lot of fun. I felt his music,” audience member Angela Maxey, 18, told The Washington Post. “I couldn’t hear the words, but I could feel the vibrations. Deaf people really appreciate and love loud music.”
According to interpreter and attendee Joyce Doblmier, “some deaf students have dim hearing ability“ when music permeates their eardrums. “They can’t feel the notes, but they can feel the rhythms.” The crowd expressed their gratitude with “I love you” gestures in sign language and presented him with gifts before he returned to the stage for a heartfelt encore of “Purple Rain.”
“I never seen so many hardcore road [crew] guys start crying,” renowned concert promoter Darryll Brooks shared in a retrospective interview. “I think even Prince broke a tear. It was one of those moments that those kids would never forget. And Prince wrote the check for the whole thing.”
Just two days prior to the unforgettable concert, Prince was also a featured guest at a fundraising reception for nonprofit mentorship organization Big Brothers of America. “He started doing more philanthropic things. We started playing at schools or doing food drives,” his guitarist Lisa Coleman told Rolling Stone.
Before his untimely demise, His Royal Badness went on to play several other shows for special needs children including a concert for disabled L.A. students that he didn’t want covered by the press.
Image via Jason Koerner/Getty Images
Flying Lotus reveals his identity as mysterious rapper Captain Murphy while performing with Earl Sweatshirt at The Low End Theory.
Rapping behind a cartoon image and a distorted voice, Murphy dropped a 35-minute album and accompanying visual entitled Duality later that fall. Backed by quirky and kaleidoscopic NSFW imagery, the vintage piece had social media platforms abuzz. With beats crafted by first-rate producers Madlib, Flying Lotus, Just Blaze, and TNGHT, fans theorized Captain Murphy to be either Earl, Tyler, The Creator, Flying Lotus or a combination of the three.
When the enigmatic lyricist announced a show at Los Angeles’ long-running music series The Low End Theory (where Odd Future made their performance debut), anticipation ran so high that concertgoers lined up outside The Airliner earlier that day. Crammed into the small venue filled with regulars and curious newcomers, host Nocando and DJ King Henry warmed up the crowd before the mystery man of the hour appeared. Donned in a ski mask and sequined gold cape, Captain Murphy grabbed the mic and proceeded to perform Duality.
The crowd erupted when Earl Sweatshirt stepped out on to the stage to perform alongside Murphy. After a performance of “The Prisoner,” the moment of truth finally arrived. “Just between us,” Murphy said, before he revealed himself to be genre-bending producer Flying Lotus. Met with fervent cheers, FlyLo basked in glory before L.A. rap crew Pac Div closed out the night.
In 2013, Flying Lotus told XXL why he created the alter ego. “I just wanted to pay dues in the way that I feel rappers should. Earn that shit. That was really the only reason why I was going with the mystery thing and trying to not tell people who I was out of the gate. I wanted people to take me seriously,” he explained.
“None of this is planned, man. I’m still kind of freaked out,” he said. “Then my buddy at Adult Swim heard the track. And this guy is one of my good friends. He really supported a lot of it. He was like, ‘You gotta put it out.’ So I put it out and at the same time I leaked this ‘Mighty Morphin’ Foreskin’ song.”
Years later, Flying Lotus shared that his work helped formulate Kendrick Lamar’s revolutionary To Pimp a Butterfly LP during an encounter on The Yeezus Tour. “I played him a folder of beats that I was keeping close for my next Captain Murphy project. Gave him all the beats …Later that night he told me he had the concept for the album,” he wrote on Twitter.
Coachella offers an abundance of entertainment options during its annual two-weekend event. The headliners are usually the primary focus, but this year, there’s going to be at least one compelling reason to spend some time away from the main stages: Thundercat and Flying Lotus are coming together for a joint performance set.
During Coachella’s first weekend (on April 16, specifically), the pair will take to the Heineken House venue on the Coachella festival grounds for the performance. Flying Lotus and Thundercat previously toured together in 2014 and they regularly collaborate on each other’s songs; For example, Thundercat has featured on every Flying Lotus album since 2010’s Cosmogramma.
Press materials describe the Heineken House experience, “Festival-goers are invited to focus on the present and notice the details unfolding around them with intentional reminders that ‘You Are Here.’ Music lovers will leave their texts on read in this immersive outdoor experience filled with eclectic beats and ice cold beverages April 15-17 and 22-24, 2022. The Heineken House is known for creating a dynamic music experience and will once again deliver an epic lineup of artists and DJs.
Christine Karimi, Senior Manager of Partnerships and Consumer Experience at Heineken USA, says, “This year’s festival is all about bringing people together for an experience unlike anything else. If we’ve learned anything over the past two years, it’s that spending time together is a gift we need to celebrate. Showing the importance of these unique and unforgettable moments through a creative lens was key to bringing festival-goers the most incredible Heineken House experience yet.”
Check out the full lineup for both weekends of Heineken House below.
Friday, April 15: Vegyn with additional performances from Acemo, Black Noise, American Dance Ghosts, Skinny Macho and others
Saturday, April 16: Flying Lotus and Thundercat performance set with additional performances from OG Ron C, Orion Sun, 454, and others
Sunday, April 17: Ms Nina with additional performances from Deej, Mia Carruci, Silent Addy, Bitter Babe, and others
Friday, April 22: Jacques Greene with additional performances from Acemo, Black Noise, Bae Bae, Alko, and others
Saturday, April 23: Shlohmo DJ set with additional performances from OG Ron C, Orion Sun, DJ Black Power, and others
Sunday, April 24: DBN Gogo with additional performances from Major League DJz, Pieri, Mawingo, TRYi, and others
One of the most important music festivals in the country, Detroit’s Movement Festival is a reminder of the undying influence of dance music culture. Some form of Movement has taken place in Detroit’s Hart Plaza for over 20 years, and over 100 acts will perform over this Memorial Day Weekend from May 28th – 30th, 2022. 2 Chainz and Flying Lotus have been added to a headlining slate that already included Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin, and Adam Beyer.
What Movement does best, is present a canvas of dance music mainstays from both electronic music’s beginnings and the contemporary artists that dominate the dance floor today. A Carl Craig B2B set with James Murphy illustrates this collision of the different ends of the spectrum the best and the thoroughly packed lineup builds from there.
Storied influential selectors are everywhere on this bill. From Detroit techno legends in Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson (performing under his E-Dancer moniker) to two of the greatest drum and bass producers of all time in LTJ Bukem and Goldie, who’ll be performing a B2B set for the first time ever. The slate of budding modern masters is deep, with Maya Jane Coles and Seth Troxler to Skrillex and Soulection founder Joe Kay.
It’s a loaded lineup for the return of this dynamic cultural function. peep the full lineup and get tickets are now on sale at www.movementfestival.com.
One of the most innovative producers in hip-hop, Grammy Award winner Flying Lotus (née Steven Ellison), is actually a graduate of the Los Angeles Film School too. He made his film debut with the grotesque 2017 horror comedy, Kuso, which he directed and co-wrote the screenplay for (along with Zack Fox and David Firth.) He then really hit his stride with Netflix’s anime series, Yasuke, about a real Black samurai from feudal Japan. He co-wrote the screenplay along with LeSean Thomas of The Boondocks and it starred Lakeith Stanfield as the voice of the titular role.
Yasuke was awesome, and showed that Ellison definitely has the chops to make creative film and visual entertainment (he also scored the music for the show, natch.) Now, he has signed a multi-picture deal via his Brainfeeder Films, with French company Logical Pictures and XYZ Films, to direct and produce a slew of upcoming films. The projects are said to be focused on horror, thriller, and sci-fi realms, and the first flick, Ash, has already been announced with production happening this year. “I’ve a strong desire to innovate in the sci-fi space and I really want to show the world something they’ve never seen before,” Ellison said in a previous statement about Ash.
Logical Pictures Group President Frédéric Fiore added that: “FlyLo is a highly talented and respected musician with such a unique creative universe,” and expressed his enthusiasm for the deal. The statement pretty much sums up who Steven Ellison is as an artist and we’ll look forward to the continued blossoming of his audiovisual universe.
Netflix’s new samurai anime Yasuke premieres at the end of the month but today, the show’s executive producer Flying Lotus released two new songs from its soundtrack, including “Black Gold” featuring fellow anime fan Thundercat. FlyLo also shared “Between Memories” featuring Niki Randa today. You can listen to both via the Spotify embeds below.
YasukeThe Boondocks and another Netflix anime, Cannon Busters. Speaking with Apple Music about the new show, Flying Lotus credited the creation process with helping him get through the pandemic:
Honestly, it kept me sane. It was the best thing I could ask for because I had to be home. If I had touring and stuff, it would have been a little bit funky to really engage with the project like I was able to. I got to just really focus on it and just be a samurai for a while. It was really nice to just have that to run to, this universe, especially when all that Trumpy stuff was going on and things were getting all crazy. I was so glad just to shut that off and get to business. I knew when they were starting to deliver visuals and stuff that it was about to get intense. I was like, “Ah,” and I still had to try to figure out what I wanted it all to sound like. So it was a lot of meditating on the vibe, and I found a lot of parallels between the Yasuke story and being part of this thing. Trying to make music in the Japanese anime system, it’s a different experience than scoring something here in America. It’s just their way of doing things is so different to ours. It took a minute to grow and it took them to be willing to accept us, to work with our schedule, and take on our story as well. So it was a lot of love from both sides really on that.
Listen to “Black Gold” and “Between Memories” above.
For three years, Flying Lotus has been hard at work as part of the team creating the upcoming Netflix anime series Yasuke. It’s lead is voiced by LaKeith Stanfield and follows the story of a Black samurai in war-torn feudal Japan who returns to service to protect a young girl from dark forces. The show is expected to be released at the end of April, and Flying Lotus has just shared a teaser.
Flying Lotus, who scored the entirety of the series, posted the first images from Yasuke to social media. “Proud to share these first images,” he wrote. “3 years in the making and we are finally here… Honor has a new name.”
The musician also revealed how much he’s enjoyed working on the project. “Working on anime is my new favorite thing,” he wrote. “I think imma try n stay a while. Can happily keep doin it. Makes sense to me.”
Working on anime is my new favorite thing. I think imma try n stay a while. Can happily keep doin it. Makes sense to me.
LeSean Thomas, executive producer and creator of Yasuke, described why the story line piqued his attention in a blog post for Netflix:
“There is a serendipitous nature about this project, how an African-American man goes to Japan to live and work amongst the very best in Japanese anime to create an anime about an African who goes to Japan to live amongst the Japanese elite and become a warrior. Yasuke is a fascinating, mysterious figure in Japanese history that’s drawn a growing interest in today’s media over the decades. I first learned of Yasuke’s role in Japanese history over a decade or so. The children’s book, Kuro-suke by Kurusu Yoshio, featured images that piqued my curiosity. To eventually learn that he wasn’t just a fictional character, but a real person, was exciting material for an adventure story.”
Check out some screengrabs from Netflix’s Yasuke above.
April 29th only on Netflix.