Here’s some great news for residents of the DMV area: Beloved hip-hop and R&B festival Broccoli City is returning for the first time in three years after being canceled due to COVID concerns in 2020 and 2021. The festival’s organizers announced the dates and lineup today after the two-year hiatus, bringing a worthy selection of both hometown heroes and national favorites to the RFK Festival Grounds in Washington DC on May 7 and 8.
From the local side of things, Broccoli City has booked Ari Lennox, Masego, Rico Nasty, and of course, festival mainstay and DC’s unofficial rap ambassador Wale. Elsewhere on the bill, trap rap faves 21 Savage, Gunna, and Jeezy will bring the Atlanta sound to the stage, while drill pioneers Lil Durk and Babyface Ray will bring that unique sound. Rising stars Alex Vaughn, Don Toliver, Joony, Joyce Wrice, Larry June, Muni Long, and Tems will bring a variety of vibes, with Nigerian superstar Wizkid contributing some Afrobeats to round things out.
Broccoli City Festival is Back Bigger Than Ever!! May 7-8th.
The last Broccoli City festival that actually went on as planned took place in 2019, headlined by Childish Gambino and Lil Wayne. Interestingly enough, it also featured Gunna and Wizkid on the bill, so it’s nice to see them returning and bringing the festival full circle in its return. You can get more information and tickets at bcfestival.com.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in February. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, February 4
2 Chainz — Dope Don’t Sell Itself (Def Jam)
A Place To Bury Strangers — See Through You (Dedstrange)
Adekunle Gold — Catch Me If You Can (Afro Urban Records)
Alai K — Kila Mara (On The Corner Records)
Animal Collective — Time Skiffs (Domino)
As It Is — I Went To Hell And Back (Fearless Records)
Azar Lawrence — New Sky (Trazar Records)
B.J. Thomas — In Remembrance: Love Songs & Lost Treasures (Real Gone Music)
Bastille — Give Me The Future (Virgin Records)
Black Country, New Road — Ants From Up There (Ninja Tune)
Carlie Hanson — Tough Boy (Warner Records)
Cate Le Bon — Pompeii (Mexican Summer)
The Districts — Great American Painting (Fat Possum)
Dylan Dunlap — Stranger In My Head EP (Nettwerk)
Eric Krasno — Always (Provogue)
Erin Rae — Lighten Up (Good Memory/Thirty Tigers)
Gracie Gray — anna (Hand In Hive)
Great Lakes — Contenders (HHBTM Records)
Hembree — It’s A Dream! (Thirty Tigers)
The High Water Marks — Proclaimer Of Things (Minty Fresh)
Hippo Campus — LP3 (Grand Jury)
Hollis Brown — In The Aftermath (Mascot Label Group/Cool Green Recordings)
Jolly Joker — Loud & Proud (Dark Rails Records)
Josienne Clarke — I Promised You Light EP (Corduroy Punk Records)
Korn — Requiem (Loma Vista)
Kristine Leschper — The Opening, Or Closing Of A Door (Anti)
Mac Gollehon — The End Is The Beginning EP (Nefarious Industries)
Marissa Nadler — The Wrath Of The Clouds EP (Sacred Bones/Bella Union)
Mason Jennings — Real Heart (Loosegroove Records)
Mikayla McVey — Time Turns Everything (The Long Road Society)
Mitski — Laurel Hell (Dead Oceans)
Nate Scheible — Fairfax (ACR)
Native Sun — Joy Theft EP (Radio Silence)
The Reds, Pinks & Purples — Summer At Land’s End (Slumberland)
Saba — Few Good Things (Pivot Gang)
Sam Weber — Get Free (Sonic Unyon Records)
The Slow Show — Still Life (Velveteen Records)
Sweat — Gotta Give It Up (Pirates Press Records)
Wild Rivers — Sidelines (Nettwerk)
WizTheMC — Where Silence Feels Good EP (10k Projects/Homemade Projects)
yeule — Glitch Princess (Bayonet Records)
Friday, February 11
Adam Miller — Gateway (Inner Magic)
alt-J — The Dream (Canvasback Music)
Amos Lee — Dreamland (Dualtone Records)
Anika — Change: The Remixes (Sacred Bones Records)
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (4AD)
The Cactus Blossoms — One Day (Walkie Talkie Records)
Dan Andriano & The Bygones — Dear Darkness (Epitaph)
Dead Tree Seeds — Back To The Seeds EP (Music Records)
The Delines — The Sea Drift (Jealous Butcher Records)
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio — Cold As Weiss (Colemine Records)
Donna Missal — in The mirror, In The night EP (Harvest Records)
Dream Fiend — Outland (Heavy Machinery Records)
Eddie Vedder — Earthling (Sony)
Emilie Zoé — Hello Future Me (Hummus Records)
Ethan Iverson — Every Note Is True (Blue Note)
Foxes — The Kick (PIAS Recordings)
Frank Turner — FTHC (Polydor)
Holo — In Limbo EP (Anjunadeep)
Home Counties — In A Middle English Town EP (Alcopop! Records)
In this new monthly column, we’re taking a look at five artists who are steadily rising and positively need to be on your radar this month. Our February picks are from across the musical spectrum, touching on hip-hop, pop, soul, jazz and R&B from all across the globe. These are artists who made their presence felt in January, have more in store in February, and genuinely merit your attention.
Raveena
A welcome Indian-American voice in R&B and pop, Raveena recently announced her major label debut, Asha’s Awakening, out February 11th. Whereas 2019’s Lucid, saw her sweet voice shining over shimmering, sugary bedroom R&B, she’s exploring new artistic horizons in pop on the new release. She further embraces her roots on “Rush,” a cinematic Bollywood-inspired song that came to her on a psychedelic acid trip through a museum. On the sexy “Secret,” she’s joined by Vince Staples for a provocative turn, on a tabla and sitar-soaked beat. And all her accompanying visuals have been can’t miss as well.
Bakar
Chances are you’ve likely heard Bakar’s hit “Hell N Back,” with it’s jazzy upbeat soul swing that’s tailor-made for the happy-go-lucky moments of the Euphoria generation. The Camden native said he’s “always wanted to be an alternative for the Black kids who don’t fit in,” and his approachable and uniquely energetic tunes have cross-cultural appeal no doubt. Speaking of Euphoria,Dominic Fike even collaborated with Bakar on the wistful “Stop Selling Her Drugs,” but it’s his latest output that hint at the bright road ahead for him. There’s the anthemic, “The Mission,” the reflective “Build Me A Way,” and the hopeful latest offering, “NW3,” that show the promise of his upcoming debut album, Nobody’s Home, out February 25th.
Lady Wray
Atlanta’s Nicole Wray is living a new life. In the late ’90s she was discovered by Missy Elliott (as “Nicole”) and scored a modest hit with the Elliott-featured sumptuous R&B jam “Make It Hot.” But life is anything but linear, especially in the music industry, and she is now re-born as Lady Wray. On her latest album, Piece Of Me, Lady Wray is a muse of sorts for the dynamic canvases laid down by retro soul producer Leon Michels (El Michels Affair, The Carters) and it’s one of the coolest, purest expressions of soul music you’ll hear this year. “Through It All” is uplifting soul nostalgia perfection and “Come On In” is tinged with gospel a lean that lets Wray’s booming voice soar. She performed the latter on Colbert last week and it sure as hell felt like the full circle moment she’s worked towards for over 20 years.
Central Cee
Central Cee is poised to be the next big UK rapper in the shape of Dave and AJ Tracey. This past November, the West Londoner got a major look, hopping on FKA Twigs’ “Measure Of A Man,” for the film The King’s Man. His breakthrough track, “A Day In The Life,” got a shout out from Big Sean when it first dropped in 2020 and now he’s high up on the newly announced lineup of the Parklife festival. His style has morphed from grime to drill as he spells out his rise in the ranks. “Take that risk and go independent, I just turned down six figures /
On the phone you was loud, now we’re in real life and you’re soundin’ timid,” he spits over drill bass and East Asian strings on “Pinging (6 Figures).” He’s been building a steady catalog, including 2021’s excellent Wild West mixtape as he continues to drop tracks from the upcoming 23 tape, out February 25th.
Moonchild
LA jazz and R&B trio Moonchild make distinctly warm and embracing tunes, led by Amber Navran’s angelic voice. They’ve been able to break through artsy jazz circles through collaborations with Robert Glasper and Rapsody in the past, and now have a stacked slate of guests on their upcoming album, Starfruit, out February 11th. On “Tell Him,” Navran and Lalah Hathaway dazzle on a beat awash with breezy bass, keys, and synths. Theirs is music to fall in love with, fall in love to, and make love alongside. Beyond Hathaway, the new album features Alex Isley, Tank & The Bangas, Rapsody, Ill Camille, and more.
Some of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Give Gunna credit for his ongoing DS4EVER rollout and the smooth way he’s been able to integrate his vision into his live performances. After delivering a pillowy performance of “Empire” on The Tonight Show, the Atlanta rapper employed a similar aesthetic for his appearance on The Late Late Show with James Cordon to perform the moody “Die Alone.”
This time, he hits the fog-covered stage standing up with an overhead mic and a massive fur coat, letting the stripped-down set highlight the somber sensibilities of the track itself. The cloud-shaped cutout in the wall behind him reveals a cloudy sunset, contributing to the overall reflective vibe and subtly suggesting that there’s always more going on beneath surface.
After sharing a few new tracks in 2021 with her re-released project Beam Me Up Scotty, Nicki Minaj is gearing up for her first new music of 2022. Last week, the rapper began teasing a joint track with Lil Baby and ahead of its official release Friday, Minaj dropped a cinematic trailer for the upcoming collab, “Do We Have A Problem?”
The trailer parodies a big-budget film and presents Minaj as a special agent tasked with interrogating someone who claims to be a “high-powered hitter.” He ominously informs Minaj that “the heads of the world’s top criminal organizations will meet” the following night, saying it’s possible to “acquire rare items that money can’t even buy.” After the trailer shows clips of Minaj’s fellow agents infiltrating an opulent building, the man leaves Minaj with one last message: “So you take out the target, you become the f*ckin’ target.” While Lil Baby doesn’t appear in the trailer, his verse is briefly previewed in the last few seconds of the clip.
Apparently, the trailer isn’t the only way Minaj is getting her stans to hype up the new single. She also set up a hotline where her fans can call in with problems they need Minaj’s help solving. “Did you guys leave a message on the hotline?” the rapper asked her fans on Twitter. “Tmrw when I go on live I’ll be responding to some of your voicemails & giving you advise about whatever the ‘problem’ is.”
Did you guys leave a message on the hotline? Tmrw when I go on live I’ll be responding to some of your voicemails & giving you advise about whatever the “problem” is.
Doja Cat has canceled yet another performance over COVID concerns, this time her upcoming set at the 2022 BRIT Awards, where she’s nominated international artist of the year and best international song for “Kiss Me More,” featuring SZA. Doja announced the cancelation in a tweet, revealing that “numerous” members of her crew had tested positive for COVID-19.
“Unfortunately, due to cases of COVID within my crew, I will no longer be performing at the Brits,” she wrote. “My team and I have been in rehearsals for weeks and despite taking the utmost caution, numerous members of my crew (both on and offstage) have tested positive for COVID. It’s simply not safe for us to continue to rehearse together and put each other in harm’s way. I can’t wait to perform for my UK fans as soon as I can. Take care of yourselves.”
Before this, Doja Cat’s participation in the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tour was also canceled after she tested positive herself. It was the second announced time she’d tested positive after contracting the bug in summer of 2020. Perhaps these cancelations could be a blessing in disguise, though, offering the blossoming star an opportunity for rest after expressing frustration with the pressures of her career. Hopefully, she’ll recover soon and be able to get back to doing what she loves, performing and making music.
Some in the music world are getting deep into NFTs, like Kyle, Nas, and Eminem. When it comes to Ye (aka Kanye West), though, it looks like he’s staying away from non-fungible tokens and would like people to stop asking him about them. That said, he doesn’t seem completely closed off to delving into NFTs some day.
On Instagram last night, Ye shared a photo of a handwritten message that reads, “My focus is on building real products in the real world. Real food, real clothes, real shelter. Do not ask me to do a f*cking NFT. Ye. Ask me later.” He reiterated his point in the post’s caption, writing, “STOP ASKING ME TO DO NFT’s I’M NOT FINNA CO-SIGN … FOR NOW I’M NOT ON THAT WAVE I MAKE MUSIC AND PRODUCTS IN THE REAL WORLD.”
Some notable folks took to the comments to share their thoughts. Wacka Flocka Flame commented, “It’s not a wave Ye.” Rapsody also dropped some diamond emojis and added, “Solid!” Keri Hilson wrote, “MOOOOOD! but… ‘ask me later’ [laughing emoji].” The NFL’s Dez Bryant also chimed in, “This message alone let’s me know he don’t understand the full capabilities of an NFT….”
19-year-old Memphis rapper NLE Choppa (born Bryson Lashun Potts) has come a long way in two years. After breaking out in a big way back in early 2019, then just 17, Choppa slowly but surely began to build out his discography beyond his viral hit “Shotta Flow.” Signing a deal with Warner Records, the teenage rapper released his Cottonwood EP in early 2020, along with his debut album, Top Shotta, and a mixtape shortly after called From Dark To Light. Given his output during that short one year span, it makes sense that Choppa held off on full-length releases last year, but came back in strong at the top of 2022 with his second album, Me Vs. Me just last Friday.
Now, he’s following up the album’s release with a new video for “Stompin,” in which he plays a whole host of characters, including none other than The Dark Knight himself. Switching gears for other visceral roles like a butcher tenderizing meat (with lots of blood splatter), and even finds himself in a similar situation to the lethal hypnotism that trapped Daniel Kaluuya’s character in Get Out. Check out the new video for “Stompin” above and stream the Me Vs. Me mixtape, which includes features from Young Thug, Polo G and G. Herbo, right here.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of January below.
Jonny Greenwood — The Power Of The Dog
Lakeshore Records/Invada Records
When Jonny Greenwood isn’t fulfilling his Radiohead duties, he’s become prominent in the scoring world. He provided the music for the Netflix film The Power Of The Dog, for example, and now his score is getting a vinyl release, which features a printed disc sleeve and the album pressed on high-fidelity black vinyl.
Burial kicked off 2022 with the Antidawn EP, which really veers into full-blown album territory with its 43-minute runtime. The vinyl edition is available on Bandcamp, which means that aside from the physical LP, you’ll get a digital download of the album to enjoy when you’re away from your turntable.
Toy, a previously unreleased David Bowie album, is legendary among fans, and now it’s finally widely available, as it got an official release earlier this month. It arrives as part of the Toy:Box set, the vinyl edition of which is pressed on six 10-inch vinyl records, which include the album, B-sides, and more extras.
As Grimes readies her Book 1 project, now isn’t a bad time to look back at what got Grimes to this point with a new Vinyl Me, Please reissue of Visions, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. VMP even got Grimes to write new liner notes for this exclusive edition. For example, she wrote of “Infinite Love Without Fulfillment,” “Wow, i can hear myself learning how to make music in this song. I remember doing the vocal over the drums and then randomly trying that baseline and being like whoa! And kinda spiralling into this experiment.”
Bonobo has established himself as one of this century’s most beloved electronic artists, and now he has returned with his esteemed seventh album, Fragments. If you want an uncommon edition of the LP to highlight your record shelf, Vinyl Me, Please has an exclusive version that’s pressed on gorgeous orange and red swirled vinyl.
PJ Harvey — Let England Shake (Reissue) and Let England Shake – Demos
UMe/Island
For a good while now, PJ Harvey has been going through her back catalog to give her albums fresh vinyl reissues, accompanied by companion albums that feature demos and other goodies. Now, Let England Shake, her revered 2011 album, has gotten the same treatment. While some releases (like the Bonobo one you just read about) come with vinyl pressed in fancy colors, the standard black LP is actually the perfect visual accompaniment to the monochrome album art here.
Get Let England Shakehere. Get Let England Shake – Demoshere.
The Weeknd — Dawn FM
Target
The Weeknd has one of the year’s biggest albums so far with Dawn FM, and now fans can secure their own uncommon piece of it: The album has gotten an exclusive vinyl edition that’s only available at Target and features alternative artwork and silver translucent vinyl.
Cat Power — Covers (Indie Exclusive Colored Vinyl)
Domino
Cat Power is one of the best cover artists we have, and she has nailed it once again on her latest collection of other folks’ songs, aptly and simply titled Covers. This edition of the album is pressed on gold vinyl, which looks lovely when paired with the denim-clad cover art.
The Zimbabwean-Australian singer wrapped up her storied Last Year Was Weird EP trilogy this month with the final installment, and if you were hoping to get a nice pressing of that for your collection, here we go. This is a real meat-and-potatoes edition, which comes pressed on classic black vinyl housed in a full-color printed inner sleeve.
Speedy Ortiz — The Death Of Speedy Ortiz & Cop Kicker… Forever
double LPs for ‘The Death of Speedy Ortiz & Cop Kicker …Forever’ are officially out today! i unboxed it; just getting into the box took 10 minutes; had to fast forward 3000% lol. @carparkrecords is long sold out but there’s still some “tour” stock at: https://t.co/d182mx9vtopic.twitter.com/FDEY7ljVEp
— speedy ortiz ÷ sad13 ÷ sadie dupuis ÷ haunted guy (@sad13) January 28, 2022
The Death Of Speedy Ortiz & Cop Kicker… Forever is a great collection for longtime Speedy Ortiz fans, as it compiles the band’s first album and EP (the ones mentioned in the release’s title) and some other goodies. As for what those goodies include, nobody can explain it better than Sadie Dupuis herself, and thankfully, she made an unboxing video that you can check out above.
At the upcoming Grammy Awards, Marilyn Manson secured himself a nomination thanks to his work on Kanye West’s album Donda. Ye received backlash for working with Manson in light of allegations of sexual assault and abuse he faces, but it appears that hasn’t deterred West from containing to work with Manson, who is reportedly involved in the making of the upcoming Donda 2.
Digital Nas, a producer who worked on the first Donda album, told Rolling Stone, “I see Marilyn a lot in the studio. Like, every day I go to the studio, Marilyn is there working on Donda 2.” He continued, “[West] doesn’t want Marilyn to play rap beats. He wants Marilyn to play what he makes, and then Ye will take parts of that and sample parts of that and use parts of that, like he did [generally when making] Yeezus. […] He has some producers from Yeezus working on Donda 2 this time around, [as well as] Marilyn, me, a bunch of producers from Donda 1.”
He also noted that West and Manson have “a crazy dynamic,” saying, “I would have never, ever thought that would happen, but it happened.”
Furthermore, Nas speculated why West decided to work with Manson, saying, “I think it’s moreso that Ye is coming from a standpoint of like, ‘We all make mistakes.’ I think that’s maybe why he had DaBaby and Marilyn at that one show. I’m just assuming it is from a standpoint of like, ‘We’re all sinners. We all make mistakes. We shouldn’t point the finger at someone for the mistakes they’ve made or something like that.’”
