Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, and D-Nice made a major impact on the music landscape in 2020, and now their efforts are being recognized: The three will be receiving the ASCAP Voice Of The Culture Award during the 2021 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, for their inventive and uniting virtual music events — namely Verzuz and Club Quarantine — during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The award celebrates the most-performed R&B/hip-hop, rap, and gospel songs from the previous year. The virtual celebration will be held on June 22 through June 24 via social media. Registration for the virtual chats and other events is available at the ASCAP Experience website.
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz’s Verzuz was the virtual singing competition series that gained instant claim on Instagram Live by pitting musical legends from all genres against each other, including Gladys Knight vs. Patti LaBelle, Erykah Badu vs. Jill Scott, Earth, Wind & Fire vs. the Isley Brothers, Snoop Dogg vs. DMX, and more. The two Grammy-winning producers and label founders created must-see spectacles that brought millions of isolated people together over music.
Similarly, the legendary DJ Derrick “D-Nice” Jones, turned his Instagram Live broadcasts into a virtual dance party with Club Quarantine. D-Nice’s DJ sets were praised as a much-needed respite by millions during the 2020 lockdowns. Even A-listers like Will Smith, Oprah, Michelle Obama, and Diddy tuned in for D-Nice’s heavy rotation of funk, disco, hip-hop, and R&B. D-Nice teamed up with Issa Rae’s Raedio to co-curate the official playlist of the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris inauguration. His full-length studio album is set to arrive later this year.
Lil Baby stole the show in 2020 and his sophomore album, My Turn is complete proof of that. The project grew to be the best-selling album of the year thanks to efforts like “We Paid” with 42 Dugg and “Sum 2 Prove,” and helped push the Atlanta rapper into a new tier among hip-hop acts. However, the pandemic-riddled year wasn’t a bright spot for Baby only. Nearly a thousand miles northwest, Chicago native Lil Durk also elevated his artistry. Throughout 2020, he dropped two projects, Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 and The Voice, with both debuting at No. 2 on the album charts, a career-high for him.
With the rappers’ respective success came a new height of popularity and more eyes on them. While some prefer to take advantage of the new attention for their benefit, Baby and Durk — who hatched some chemistry of their own through frequent collaborations — decided to make the most of their increased status for their newly-released album, Voice Of The Heroes. Just like the last however many collaborative hip-hop albums we’ve received over the past decade, the project looked to answer one question: Was it worth the hype?
Yes, but not by a significant margin. The thing with hip-hop joint albums over the past decade is most of them are either underwhelming or age poorly. Huncho Jack is an example of the former while Drake and Future’s What A Time To Be Alive — minus a few highlight tracks — fits the shoe of the latter. Voice Of The Heroes sits in the middle of these. It wasn’t a disappointment nor will it age poorly. The project did what it needed to in highlighting the rappers’ best talents while inviting each other to their respective worlds to experience it and try a hand at thriving in it.
Examples of this arrive fairly often throughout Voice Of The Heroes. “Who I Want” sees both rappers tell their side of a “hustle and love” story with production that allows Durk’s laxed and woozy bars to be palatable with Baby’s grittier approach to the subject. The same occurs on the project’s title track, which doubles as the intro to the album. “Voice Of The Heroes” creates a space for both Durk and Baby that allows them to deliver a melodic sermon about life’s past and current struggles, the things they’ve overcome along the way, and their legacy that takes shape through each release. While there are songs that certainly complement both rappers, there are others that see one of them at an advantage.
“Medical” carries a piano melody that would’ve made the song ideal for placement on Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 and Durk shines because of it. Elsewhere, “Man Of My Word” and “How It Feels” sound like they were cut from the cloth of Baby’s My Turn fabric and released with slight alterations. “That’s Facts” is by far the best song on Voice Of The Heroes and it’s a jacket that fits Baby extremely well, but let it be known that Durk slides with ease on the track as well. Lastly, Durk treats his supporters to a pair of “No Auto Durk” offerings — which finds him rapping without his trademark autotune filter — through his verses on “Still Runnin” and “Lying.”
Lil Baby and Lil Durk’s project could have been a slimmer release. Outside of their excellent collaboration with Rod Wave on “Rich Off Pain,” the last third of the album is a bit of a drag that makes the energetic and diverse offerings that arrive before it feels like a distant memory. While today’s streaming world welcomes lengthy projects for the sake of a boost in sales, this writer will rarely be fond of projects that push past the 40-45 minute duration mark. This isn’t to say that the music in that section is bad, but in almost all cases, even the best things in life get tiring after a while.
Voice Of The Heroes is not the career-altering release that Baby and Durk’s respective 2020 projects put forth, but that wasn’t the expectation set by the rappers or their fans before it was released. The project delivers a satisfactory showcase in collaboration between two of this generation’s best rappers. Just like Future and Young Thug did when they shared Super Slimey in 2017, Lil Baby and Lil Durk recognized the potential in joining forces at the relative heights of their careers. Unlike the Atlanta rappers’ effort, Voice Of The Heroes is much closer in proximity to Baby and Durk’s best work. While this project isn’t heroic in any sense, Voice Of The Heroes is certainly better suited to save the day than most of the joint hip-hop albums we’ve received in recent years.
Voice Of The Heroes is out now via Quality Control/Alamo/Motown. Get it here.
Hitmaking producer Pi’erre Bourne reunites with Lil Uzi Vert on “Sossboy 2,” the final single from his upcoming mixtape, The Life of Pi’erre 5, which is due this Friday, June 11. The track was accompanied by an animated visualizer depicting the two artists as Dragon Ball-inspired cartoon avatars as they both rap over the hypnotic, synthesizer-heavy beat.
“Sossboy 2” is one of three tracks featuring guest artists on the 16-song project, including, of course, Playboi Carti and newcomer Sharc, who is signed to Pi’erre’s label SossHouse. Although Pi’erre is focusing on highlighting his solo talents, the three features all make sense; it was Carti and Pi’erre’s collaboration “Magnolia” that launched both to stardom in 2017, while Pi’erre produced a number of tracks for both Carti and Uzi on their most recent outings, Eternal Atake and Whole Lotta Red.
Sossboy 2 last single before album, featuring Uzi Drops Wednesday. Full album Friday. And documentary Friday as well. There.
Pi’erre also produced the majority of Carti’s prior album Die Lit. Most recently, Pi’erre has promoted his SossHouse signees, producing three projects in 2020 for Chavo, Jelly, and Frazier Trill, as well as releasing a deluxe version of the last The Life Of Pi’erre tape, which included 15 new tracks.
Listen to “Sossboy 2” above.
The Life of Pi’erre 5 is due on 6/11 via Interscope Records. Pre-save it here.
Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Although Mariah Carey denied a report that she’d had an “explosive” falling out with longtime business partner Jay-Z over her Roc Nation management, it appears that she has indeed decided to part ways with Roc Nation. Billboard and Variety report Carey has moved from Roc Nation to Range Media Partners, following her former Roc Nation manager Melissa Ruderman, who switched companies in January.
Ruderman was Carey’s day-to-day manager in 2005 when the star was managed by Benny Medina, handling the rollout for the 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi. At Roc Nation, Ruderman helped put together deals for Carey’s Las Vegas residencies, the publishing contract that led to the bestselling memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, and a TV deal with Apple. Ruderman joined the recently formed Range Media Partners just a few short months after its launch in September last year.
The rumor that Mariah had switched management was first hinted at in a report in British tabloid The Sun, which wrote that a meeting between Carey and Jay-Z “did not go well at all” after the two disagreed on rollout plans for a more R&B-centered album. However, Mariah took the tabloid to task in a tweet recalling the success of Mariah and Jay’s no.1 hit “Heartbreaker.”
The only “explosive” situation I’d ever “get into” with Hov is a creative tangent, such as our #1 song “Heartbreaker”!! To the people who make up these lies I say “Poof! —Vamoose, sonofa*****”! pic.twitter.com/v8TGNuOAnZ
“The only ‘explosive’ situation I’d ever ‘get into’ with Hov is a creative tangent, such as our #1 song ‘Heartbreaker!!’” she wrote. “To the people who make up these lies I say ‘Poof! —Vamoose, sonofa*****”!’”
After taking a bit of time off, Megan Thee Stallion is back from her brief hiatus. She’s dropping “Thot Sh*t” this week, and soon, she’ll be back in the classroom: In partnership with the Roc Nation School Of Music, Sports, And Entertainment at Long Island University, she will be offering a full-tuition, four-year scholarship to one lucky student. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is July 15 and interested students can apply here.
Additionally, Megan will participate in Long Island University’s “Industry Expert Speaker Series,” where she will “delve deeper into her industry expertise” for Roc Nation School Of Music, Sports, And Entertainment students.
Meg says in a statement, “Getting an education is incredibly important to me. I still have academic goals that I want to achieve, so if I can use my resources to open doors and create opportunities for at least one student, then it’s a victory. It’s important that we encourage our students to pursue their passions and put them in positions to become the next game changer in whichever fields they choose.”
Megan is truly dedicated to academics: Alongside her mega-successful music career, she is also currently studying Health Care Administration at Texas Southern University.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Now that festivals are officially back, the biggest hip-hop event in Texas — where else would it be? — is expanding beyond the state’s borders come Fall 2021. JMBLYA Fest will now travel outside of its home in the Lone Star state, beginning with an initial date on Labor Day weekend near Fayetteville, Arkansas then move back to Texas for stops in Dallas and Austin, and finally begin a first-time run through hubs on both coasts in Boston, Maine and San Francisco, California with a final stop in Phoenix, Arizona.
Anchored by artists like Future, Gunna, and Lil Tecca, along with The Kid LaRoi and Flo Milli, the event has been one of the biggest and longest running hip-hop festivals in Texas since 2013. Festival organizers ScoreMore Shows are also behind Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston, and ScoreMore’s President & Founder Sascha Stone Guttfreund said a nationwide move is part of the event’s ethos.
“Our business has always been about providing something different,” he said in a press release. “JMBLYA going nationwide is the culmination of the idea of bringing an affordably priced festival experience to markets that don’t have something like it. We are known for curated events that pair big-name acts with future superstars. If you look back on our lineups, you’ll see that many of the openers we book later go on to become headliners. Save that lineup tee. See y’all soon.”
JMBLYA
Tickets for each individual stop will be available Friday, June 11 at local time. Pre-order will begin tomorrow, Wednesday June 9 at 10 AM. Sign up for JMBLYA’s newsletter here for access to pre-order, and check out the exact festival dates below.
2021 JMBLYA Festival dates:
Friday, September 3: Wal-Mart Amphitheater in Rogers, AR
Saturday, September 4: Dos Equis Pavillion in Dallas, TX
Sunday, September 5: Germania Amphitheater in Austin, TX
Saturday, September 25: Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix, AZ
Saturday, October 2: Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA
Saturday, October 9: Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA
Kanye West’s last album, Jesus Is King, came out in 2019. Before it arrived, the rapper said he would no longer make secular music, and the gospel-driven effort went on to win a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 2021 award show. It’s been nearly two years since its arrival, and his many fans are patiently waiting his next body of work, which Kanye has been teasing, now and again, ever since. Now West’s manager has finally arrived with some good news.
Abou “Bu” Thiam, said manager and who is also Akon’s brother, teased Kanye’s next album on Instagram. “WestDayEver. Album OTW.” he wrote under a post of a West’s first official release with Gap, with whom he partnered last summer for an upcoming collection.
It’s unknown if the title of West’s upcoming album is now titled West Day Ever, as the rapper was previously promoting a project under the title of Donda last summer. That effort was set to arrive on July 24, 2020, but the day came and went without any arrival. In March, after ten months of silence, frequent collaborator Cyhi The Prynce revealed that West had gotten back to work on the album around the end of 2020.
Two years ago, DaBaby stepped into the mainstream with his breakout single, “Suge,” which was also the highlight of his debut album, Baby On Baby. Since then, the North Carolina-bred rapper has gone on to become one of hip-hop’s most commercially successful rappers. His 2020 album, Blame It On Baby, and its No. 1 single “Rockstar” with Roddy Ricch are both proof of that. And they’ve only made DaBaby more confident as a rapper.
DaBaby took to his Instagram Story to send a message to his competition. “Best mf rapper & I’m on ALLLAT shit these n****s LIE about,” he declared. “I’m him frfr. If a n**** ain’t tryna work with the real thang he SCARED. The best supposed to compete w/ the best These n****s just TALK like they like dat SHUUUUT UP.”
It’s unknown what exactly DaBaby feels people are lying about, but whatever it is, this outburst may join a growing list of his controversial moments. Last week, one of his Billion Dollar Baby artists, Wisdom, was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm after he shot a man in the calf following a verbal altercation. On a lighter note, he recently joined Yo Gotti for their strip-club friendly track “Drop.”
After being shut for more than a year, some of the biggest musical festivals are preparing for a strong return this year. But few will be able to match the energy Rolling Loud, as the platform just announced its third festival for the year. The Miami-born showcase will come to New York in the fall for a bout headlined by J. Cole, Travis Scott, and 50 Cent.
Out of the three acts, Cole is the only one who’s recently dropped a project, having released The Off-Season last month. Scott could have new music on the way, with his upcoming album, rumored to be titled Utopia, in the works. 50 Cent getting the headliner spot gives the New York rap legend an opportunity to put on a great show for his hometown.
Rolling Loud’s New York festival, which takes place during the weekend of October 28-30, will also feature a special guest performance from the state’s own Bobby Shmurda, who was released from prison earlier this year after spending almost seven years behind bars. Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Lil Durk, Jack Harlow, Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, Polo G, Moneybagg Yo, Joey Badass, Playboi Carti, Wale, Young Dolph, Griselda Records, and many more will also hit its New York stage.
Prior to the show, J. Cole is set to headline Rolling Loud’s Los Angeles festival while Travis Scott signed on as a headliner for its Miami festival.
You can check out the full lineup in the post above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Migos’ Culture III rollout is going as well as could be expected with a global pandemic to deal with. Shortly after releasing lead single “Straightenin,” the Atlanta trio revealed the release date with a Michael Jordan-style statement, then announced a festival in Las Vegas to promote the project before sharing the avant-garde cover art. Today, they presented the next piece of the puzzle, revealing the tracklist and features, which naturally include Offset’s wife Cardi B and their longtime collaborator Drake.
The project also boasts the dubious distinction of hosting two posthumous appearances from Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke, as well as a potentially star-making performance for Youngboy Never Broke Again, and an eyebrow-raising guest spot from Justin Bieber, who has previously worked with Quavo on his song “Intentions” and DJ Khaled’s “I’m The One” and “No Brainer.” Future and Polo G round out the features on an 18-song tracklist that surprisingly does not include “Rolling Stone,” the song Offset told Billboard is the one he can’t stop playing from the album. Perhaps it was cut at the last minute or maybe the name was changed (or Offset misremembered it); we’ll find out this Friday.
Culture III is due 6/11 via Quality Control and Motown/Capitol. You can participate in their first listen Thursday at apple.co/FirstListenMigos.
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