Inflo Wants To Establish A Base Rate And Royalty For Young Producers

Inflo, the reigning BRIT Awards Producer Of The Year, has been absolutely on fire as of late with his work as the creative force behind Sault, producing tracks for Adele’s latest album, 30, and for British R&B singer Cleo Sol. But as the London producer (whose real name is Dean Josiah Cover) sees his success skyrocketing, he has his mind on protecting the interests of aspiring creatives who are looking to follow in his footsteps.

In a recent Instagram post, Inflo indicated that he and Nathan Burke, his partner on the Forever Living Originals label (that releases Sault and Cleo Sol’s music), are trying to establish a base rate and royalty structure for up and coming producers in the UK. Inflo said that they’ve been engaged in talks with music industry leaders in hopes of changing the paradigm.

“This will ensure young producers are protected on any major label releases and have a code of conduct to go by,” he said.

He acknowledged the significance of being the first Black person since 1977 to win the Producer Of The Year award at the BRITs and notes, “Most young producers, especially young black producers, come into the business really pure, with friends as management and no real guidance, protection or understanding.”

You can read the entire statement from Inflo below and power to him and this effort.

“Nathan & I have been on a mission to introduce a base rate and royalty for young producers in the UK.

This will ensure young producers are protected on any major label releases and have a code of conduct to go by.

We’ve been having conversations with producers, artists, labels and lawyers to see what that rate can be. Everyone agrees no young or upcoming producers should be exploited, and the artist shouldn’t have to give up any further royalty share than they already have been.

Most young producers, especially young black producers, come into the business really pure, with friends as management and no real guidance, protection or understanding. They’re often eager for placements and would sign without fully understanding contracts, in desperation of life-changing opportunities.

I honestly feel most of us have come into the music business to make it a better place creatively and economically, for the opportunity to leave a legacy that our children and children’s children can be proud of.

I didn’t want to speak on my award without any real progress being made, but we are now at the halfway point and I wanted to acknowledge the moment.

Thanks to the Brits for acknowledging me as Producer of the Year. I feel very humbled and grateful to be the first black producer to win in this category since 1977. Big up all the Black British producers before I & I and killing it right now everywhere, so inspiring!!

Love to Nathan & my Forever Living Originals team for supporting me in every way.

Love to Mummy, DD Cleo & Little Man

Love to God.”

Sault Just Dropped A Surprise New Album Out Of Nowhere Called ‘Air’

Everything Sault has ever done has come with an aura of mystique, so dropping a new album out of nowhere should surprise nobody. Their last album, Nine, was only available for 90 days and they dropped two albums in both 2019 and 2020, including their crown jewel, Untitled (Black Is). We know that the group is largely the brainchild of British producer Inflo, who came up working with Michael Kiwanuka, Jungle, Cleo Sol, Little Simz, and most recently, producing three songs off of Adele’s 30. Sault’s first five albums have featured vocals from Sol and Monica Young (aka Kid Sister), but Air, the newest addition to the groups quickly growing discography, sounds nothing like the others.

The group purged every post from their Instagram page and then today started fresh by posting the Air album cover and then five subsequent previews of some of the album’s tracks. Everything on Air feels incredible cinematic, almost like it’s earmarked as a soundtrack for a visual component that’s yet to come. The opening track “Reality” establishes chamber orchestra-like instrumentals with a vocal chant as a motif through each of the seven tracks. The title track feels like the score of a movie where springtime is in bloom, as strings unfurl, cymbals crash and an indistinct female vocal comes in midway through the song. At the end of the fifth track, “Time is Precious,” we hear the first distinct lyrics from what pretty clearly sounds like Cleo Sol backed by a choir as she hums the song’s title in ethereal fashion. Album closer “Luos Higher” introduces spaghetti western strings and the whole album comes across like an interlude towards whatever the next step is. Whatever the next move is for Sault, it’ll certainly be a calculated one. For now, listen to Air in full below, with the album artwork in the player and the tracklist at the bottom.

1. “Reality”
2. “Air”
3. “Heart”
4. “Solar”
5. “Time Is Precious”
6. “June 55”
7. “Luos Higher”

Tyler The Creator Names Songs By Ye, Baby Keem, Himself, And More As His Favorites From 2021

Many people spent the end of 2021 reminiscing about the year’s highs and lows. Whether it was through recap videos shared through Instagram or favorite tweets reposted on Twitter, people happily took trips down memory lane. Among them was Tyler The Creator, who shared his favorite songs from last year. It came in the midst of a recap from the rapper, which included some music videos and performances from 2021. As for his list, Tyler made sure to highlight some popular names as well as some up-and-coming acts as well.

Tyler’s list includes popular songs like Kanye West’s “Life Of The Party” with Andre 3000, Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar’s “Family Ties,” Snoh Aalegra’s “In Your Eyes,” Babyface Ray’s “If You Know You Know” with Moneybagg Yo, and Tyler’s own track “Sweet/I Thought You Wanted To Dance,” featuring Brent Faiyaz and Fana Hues. Other songs include Faye Webster’s “A Dream With A Baseball Player,” DJ Harrison’s “Know Names,” Ricochet’s “Make Love (Remix),” Air’s “I Never Want To Be Without You,” and Sault’s “Bitter Streets.”

Tyler’s list comes after he refuted reports that said he was going to go by a new alias. “I NEVER SAID I WAS CHANGING MY NAME, ARE YOU STUPID? YES,” he wrote in a tweet. The reports came after he called his stage name “really dumb” during an interview, which he later said was nothing more than a joke.

Jay-Z’s Latest Tidal Playlist Highlights Mach-Hommy, MF DOOM, And Vince Staples

Jay-Z’s playlists on Tidal have become a tradition of sorts, not just allowing him to stay in touch with fans — something he obviously cares very much about, judging from his recent drop-in on Twitter Spaces — but also to show off his musical knowledge, which he also seems to care about a lot.

His latest list has arrived to commemorate the renaming of financial services tech company Square to Block, as soon-to-be-former Twitter CEO and Square co-founder Jack Dorsey announced on Wednesday this week (after roasting Facebook’s re-brand, no less). Square also recently purchased Tidal, which helped Jay-Z secure a seat on Square’s board of directors. Therefore, the new playlist, “Block Vibes,” is a celebration of the change, of sorts, as well as an interesting marketing ploy, introducing the new name and demonstrating synergy across the new brand, which also encircles Cash App.

The list once again showcases Jay’s expansive tastes, including up-and-coming rappers like Mach-Hommy and Vince Staples, backpack rap stalwarts Madlib and MF DOOM, eclectic bands Haitus Kaiyote and Khruangbin, and rising Afrobeats stars Tems and Wizkid.

In addition to being folded into Block’s overall corporate structure, Tidal also recently revamped its artist payment system and added a free tier to allow for ads and better payouts to the artists that make the business all its money.

Listen to Jay-Z’s new “Block Vibes” playlist below.

British Collective Sault Announced A New Record, ‘NINE,’ That Will Only Be Available For 99 Days

The secretive British music collective, Sault, have announced a new album — but it will only be available for a limited time. The project will be called NINE and it will only be available for listeners to hear for 99 days. The group revealed the setup on Instagram earlier today, elating fans who had been looking forward to new music after the 2020 release of two albums, Untitled (Black Is) and Untitled (Rise), earned them international acclaim.

Their first release of 2020, in particular, fared well in our Uproxx Critic’s Poll last year, and the reflection of the Black experience that the record covered, utilizing funk, R&B, house and other varied forms of electronic production was praised for its resonance during a year that dealt with America’s track record when it comes to racism and white supremacy. This 2021 release, then, is a further extension of the experimental and progressive spirit of the group, truncating the window with which listeners can engage with the work and demanding attention. In 2019 they released the albums Five and Seven, so this new project’s name is a logical progression, though the limited window is new.

On their Instagram, Sault made it clear that while the album would only be available for ninety-nine days, it would also be available for purchase on vinyl. “Nine will only exist for ninety nine days. You can download from www.sault.global. Available on vinyl and all streaming platforms,” they wrote.

Another post from a few days prior revealed the album artwork. Before that, their last grid post on the platform was the album cover of Untitled (Rise).

Currently, the Sault website reads “107 days left of Nine,” and simple math indicates that means the record will be released in eight days, a week from tomorrow, on June 25. Keep an eye out for more updates. If you’re unfamiliar with their music, check out a playlist of Untitled (Black Is) tracks above.