Jay-Z has sold half his Armand de Brignac champagne brand — aka Ace Of Spades — to LVMH’s Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, according to The Wall Street Journal. LVMH bought a 50% stake in the emerging brand to help grow Armand de Brignac with the help of LVMH’s global distribution network but no specific figures were given in the report.
Jay told The Wall Street Journal that his end of the move was motivated by the growth of his brand past the expectations and expertise it already had. “We were working really hard to maintain a brand that was growing faster than the staff we had and bigger than some of the expertise we had,” he said. “We’d been in this 15 years, not a hundred.”
He also noted that while global champagne sales are experiencing a downturn due to the pandemic, the timing is better now that luxury brands have become more comfortable working with artists whose roots are in hip-hop. The story specifically cites Rihanna’s Fenty brands with LVMH, which has plans to expand her Savage X Fenty line despite closing their joint luxury fashion house, and Gucci Mane, who recently worked with his namesake brand. As Jay said, “People have come to accept that these two worlds are a natural fit. In the beginning, it wasn’t a natural fit.”
Jay invested in Armand de Brignac in 2006 after an executive at Cristal’s parent company wondered whether the brand was being harmed by constant name-checking in hip-hop. It didn’t take long for hip-hop to turn on Cristal, and Jay eventually bought out his partners in 2014. Now, LVMH hopes that the association with hip-hop will provide a cool factor that’ll bring new consumers to the market and grow the segment as the market recovers.
Travis Barker does a ton of collaboration outside of Blink-182, but that doesn’t happen as frequently with the band. Barker has revealed, though, that for the next Blink album, they have been working on songs with Grimes, Lil Uzi Vert, and Pharrell.
On a recent episode of the Rock This With Allison Hagendorf podcast, Barker said the album is about “60 percent” done and added, “There’s a lot of cool stuff. There’s like a song with Grimes right now that’s really, really cool that I love. There’s a song with Uzi that’s really, really cool that we did with Pharrell.” He also said:
“I mean, it’s not like Blink’s making a rap song or anything. It’s like bringing Uzi over to our world. So it’s more of a punk kind of like reggae-feeling song. And yeah, I mean, I don’t think Blink will ever be anything but like a pop-punk band. I mean, that’s who we are. And I feel like our fans have kind of journeyed with us when we’ve done songs like ‘I Miss You’ or ballads like ‘Adam’s Song.’ But like we’re never going to veer too far off from what we are — like, I’m like a punk kid at heart, you know what I mean? Whether it’s like pop-punk with Blink or whatever with [Machine Gun Kelly] or whatever with Trippie [Redd], that’s where my heart’s at. Like, I was raised on rap music and punk rock music. It’s kind of all I know.”
Gucci Mane protege Foogiano lends an assist to burgeoning Quality Control star Duke Deuce on “Spin,” the latest single from the fancy footwork flaunting Memphis native. While both have largely come to be recognized for their love of thunderous, menacing production, on “Spin,” the beat is much more laid-back, with smooth piano chords and shimmying snares backing their boastful bars.
The two rappers are the latest in a long line of rappers from Atlanta and Memphis to team up over the years. Although Atlanta received much of the credit for the “crunk” movement in the early 2000s, in truth, the style originated 391 miles west of the ATL with groups like Three-6-Mafia and 8Ball & MJG. The stylistic similarities and relative close geography ensured strong chemistry between artists of both cities which continues today.
In fact, Duke Deuce first exploded onto the scene thanks to his insistence that “Crunk Ain’t Dead,” receiving big-name cosigns from pioneers of the subgenre like Juicy J, Lil Jon, and Project Pat on his song’s 2020 remix. Meanwhile, although Foogiano’s lineage stems from the trap movement propagated by his New 1017 bossman Gucci Mane, he fits right in on this lighter production, keeping the ATL-Memphis connection as strong as ever.
Foogiano is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Travis Scott has become one of the most marketable artists in hip-hop, with his brand becoming more and more ubiquitous with each passing deal. It’s likely his status as a household name will only grow, as the imminent release of his new hard seltzer Cacti — a collaborative partnership with Anheuser-Busch — is steadily approaching. Today, La Flame took a moment to tour the Cacti headquarters, a clip shared on the brand’s official Instagram page. In addition, he also confirmed that the anticipated brewed-in-Los-Angeles beverage will be hitting stores on March 15th.
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“We out in Cacti headquarters,” says Travis, pulling up to the spot. “This one of my locations.” From there, Scott can be seen exploring the brewing facilities, all while montage-style shots of his gear foreshadow the inevitable Cacti clothing capsule. He also samples a few of the flavors, which include strawberry, lime, pineapple, and more. “I’m telling you,” he teases, raising a glass. “It’s the best of the best right there.”
Upon initially announcing Cacti in December of 2020, Scott opened up about his decision to take the plunge into the specialized beverage world. “CACTI is something I’m really proud of and have put a ton of work into,” he explained. “Me and the team really went in, not only on getting the flavor right, but on thousands of creative protos on everything from the actual beverage, to the can concept, to the packaging and how it is presented to the world. We always try to convey a feeling in our products. I’m a big fan of tequila so I came at it from that angle, too. I’m really excited to put this out in 2021 and see other people be able to enjoy it.”
Look for Cacti to hit stores on March 15th, boasting a 7% ABV. And don’t be surprised to see the merch arriving shortly thereafter, with a rapid sellout all but guaranteed.
West Coast rapper Game has social media ready to push for his relationship goals. The hip-hop veteran has the Internet’s attention after appearing to shoot his shot at Southern rap artist Tokyo Vanity. Game Thirsts For Tokyo Vanity The Los Angeles native is going viral courtesy of his Instagram fingers. A screenshot is surfacing of […]
Even bosses take an L from time to time. For Atlanta rapper Young Thug, that happened this weekend after his latest trip to one of the many casinos in Las Vegas, telling the world about the exorbitant amount of money that he lost.
“Man, Vegas just won $800,000 from me, man,” said Thugger on Instagram, clearly upset by how reckless he was. While many people are pointing out that $800,000 isn’t that much money to Young Thug, you can tell in his tone that he knows it probably wasn’t the best move to go so hard at the casino. At the end of the day, that money adds up, even for a multi-millionaire with Thug’s wealth.
At the beginning of 2020, Florida rap legend Trick Daddy was arrested on charges of cocaine possession and driving under the influence, after being caught running red lights and allegedly hitting signs; police later reported that he appeared “asleep behind the wheel.” Though he agreed to a field sobriety test at the time, Trick Daddy was ultimately unable to complete it, leading to his arrest and subsequent booking.
Thaddaeus McAdams /FilmMagic/Getty Images
Now, TMZ has provided an update on Trick’s situation, one that signals a positive step for the rapper. Apparently, The District Attorney’s Office told the publication that Trick Daddy had taken a plea deal, pleading guilty to the charges and receiving time served in exchange. In another stroke of good fortune for Trick, probation was never on the table, though it does appear that a community service requirement of sorts was necessary. “As part of the plea he was also able to give back to the community he loves so much with a donation to Camillus House homeless shelter,” explains Trick Daddy’s attorney Harris Gilbert.
On the latest episode of BagFuel, Bay area R&B singer-on-the-rise, Journee, joined Hynaken and ES$O to discuss her upcoming album, her inspirations, and growing up surrounded by music.
Journee, a 22-year-old singer and model from San Jose, CA, recently signed to 1801 Records following the success of her single “Like That” released in July 2020. The songstress and her captivating melodies were endorsed by Hitmaka, formerly known as “Sexy Can I” rapper Yung Berg.
While discussing the rapid progression and success of her career, Hynaken asked Journee what motivates her to be a singer and pursue this art form, considering many people say music is basically a one-in-a-billion dream.
“My Dad used to rap so that’s how I started,” Journee answered, “He has a studio in the garage so he kinda just had me out there.” The California native added that she recorded her very first song when she was 10 years old. Growing up, she was surrounded by musicians, including her grandfather who was also a singer, and it pushed her to become an artist herself.
In addition to being influenced by her family, Journee named Beyonce as her idol. ES$O followed up asking if this meant she wanted to dance and act as well.
“I wanna explore the different realms of the creative world, but I definitely want to learn how to dance,” the songstress replied. Journee explained that she can move a little, but wants to learn how to follow choreography and do some real dancing. She mentioned possibly taking dance classes and pursuing acting as well.
However, Journee is currently focused on developing and honing her songwriting skills. On her upcoming album set to come out later this year, the songstress mentioned there are six songs: two songs she wrote completely by herself, two of them co-written, and the others were written for her. She also reveals that Ty Dolla $ign will be making an appearance on the project too.
ES$O applauded her work ethic saying that’s a lot of work that she got done during a pandemic, on top of her record deal and debut EP It’s Not You, It’s Me released on Valentine’s Day.
“We have a strong collection of work, but we’re still working on it though,” Journee said.
Lionel Richie has been linked to his longtime girlfriend Lisa Parigi for years, reportedly starting their relationship in 2014. They’ve made headlines over the years for events they’ve attended together but, for some reason, they began trending on Monday morning after people started reacting to their age difference.
Lionel Richie is 71-years-old and Lisa Parigi is allegedly 30-years-old. Parigi grew up in Switzerland and moved to Los Angeles as a young adult. Despite their age difference, Richie and Parigi have made their love work. This morning, fans were confused to see Richie’s name trending on Twitter. Upon clicking in and expanding the details, the reason why became evident as fans reacted to his relationship with Parigi, pointing out that she’s younger than half his age.
“Lionel Richie with his new Bae, he’s 71 and she’s 30, love wins,” said a viral tweeter, incorrectly referring to the model as his “new” girlfriend. A number of similar-worded posts have popped up, prompting people to react to their relationship with disbelief.
Despite Lisa only being eight years older than Lionel’s daughter Sofia, they’ve long been devoted to one another and often post each other on social media. Lionel and Lisa have not commented on the reason why they were trending this morning.
Scroll through some pictures of the beautiful couple below.
Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.
This week saw a Taylor Swift/Haim reunion and Ariana Grande expanding her latest beloved album. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
Haim — “Gasoline” Feat. Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift and Haim have a healthy professional relationship, which they extended last week with a Swift-featuring version of “Gasoline.” The collaboration was enough for Swift to proclaim herself the fourth Haim sister, so she has apparently snatched the title from Bernie Sanders.
Ariana Grande — Positions (Deluxe)
Deluxe editions of albums took on a new level of prominence in 2020 and Grande is keeping that going in 2021 with an expanded release of her own. Grande’s new deluxe version of Positions adds five new tracks, including her star-studded remix of “34+35” that features Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion.
Wild Pink — A Billion Little Lights
The band’s John Ross recently spoke with Uproxx about his new album, saying of the just-released effort, “I wanted to have something very lush and just bigger than anything that I’d done before. And I got to play with amazing players, that was my favorite part.”
The Hold Steady — Open Door Policy
The veteran indie rockers recently sat down with Uproxx to review all of their albums, and Craig Finn told us of his band’s latest, “I’m super excited about it, but I’ve struggled to tell people what’s different about it. I think there’s been a continuation of figuring out this six-piece line-up and where everything goes and I think that that’s a huge part of the story. It’s allowed us to be more expansive musically than maybe we have in the past. There’s maybe a little bit more of headphone moments. There’s this weird scraping of guitars, some weird little noises that brought something we haven’t done before.”
Another Michael — New Music And Big Pop
Another Michael’s Nick Sebastiano recently told Uproxx of the band’s free-wheeling new album, “I look back upon it as one work that’s like a big pizza: One song was like the cheese, another song was like the bread. And then we only saw it as that for a while.”
Kaytranada — “Caution”
Kaytranada and TikTok linked up to celebrate Black History Month with the groovy new single “Caution.” Elsewhere this month, TikTok is also set to drop a cover of 1971 gospel song “Like A Ship” by Leon Bridges, as well as a live concert featuring Saweetie, Snoop Dogg, and Tyga.
Curry and Beats highlighted 2020 with their collaborative project Unlocked, and now they’re getting ready to expand upon that effort for 2021. This year will bring a reworked version of the album titled Unlocked 1.5, which they previewed with a new version of “So.Incredible” with Smino and Robert Glasper.
CJ — Loyalty Over Royalty
Staten Island rapper CJ got a major taste of music industry success recently when his single “Whoopty” managed to crack the top ten of the Hot 100 chart. Now he’s dropped his debut project and he builds on his momentum by going at it totally feature-free save for a guest spot from French Montana.
Conan Gray — “Overdrive”
After a breakout 2020, Conan Gray has re-emerged in 2021 with “Overdrive.” Uproxx’s Caitlin White described the track well, calling it “classic, blockbuster pop with huge guitar riffs, soaring vocals, and the kind of chorus that makes you want to roll the windows down and scream it out into the night.”
