Roc Nation, the full-service entertainment company founded by Jay-Z, is getting into the startup game with an investment into the financial trading platform Robinhood.
The investment comes from Roc Nation’s startup branch Arrive, started in March of last year. Neil Sirni, president of Arrive said in a statement of the subsidiary’s founding:
“ARRIVE was created to leverage our experience and resources in building brands, developing consumer facing businesses, managing artists and representing athletes. We’ve opened that diversified, global range of expertise to a new vertical: entrepreneurs and their early stage businesses.”
As for Robinhood, the app allows users to make investments without any surcharge or extra fees.
The platform seeks to democratize the financial markets and make investing and trading more seamless and user friendly. Robinhood is valued at around $1.3 billion and has already raised $176 million in funding, according to Tech Crunch.
Sirni said of Robinhood in a statement:
“We believe in Baiju and Vlad’s mission to make the financial markets more accessible and cost-efficient for customers of all sizes. Robinhood will have our support as they execute the long-term vision of their company.”
According to Tech Crunch, this is Arrive’s third investment, along with Devialet, an audio tech company and InSite Applications, a location-sharing service.
Devialet is a speaker company that offers high-end audio technology. With speakers priced in the thousands, Devialet is for the most intense music connoisseurs.
It makes sense that Jay-Z, who is obviously music-obsessed, would invest in a company like Devialet, positioned on the cutting edge of music technology.
But Devialet contrasts Robinhood in the fact that their products cater to users with already-established bank accounts, whereas Robinhood is very much for the young, inexperienced investor.
InSite Applications
InSite Applications is a company founded by 24-year-old Diesel Peltz. The application is designed to help friends find each other at a crowded event or festival. Peltz told The Wall Street Journal about the idea behind his company.
“We wanted to answer the most frequently asked question of your friends: ‘Where are you and what are you doing?'”
Along with Arrive, InSite has investments from prominent backers in Madison Square Garden Co., Live Nation Entertainment, and Tao Group.
These partnerships with concert promoters and venue owners like Madison Square Garden and Tao Group have allowed InSite to test their product at sports games, night-life venues, and concerts.
InSite is definitely for the young, festival-going millennials who would use an app to find their friends.
With InSite, Devialet, and now Robinhood, Arrive and Roc Nation have a pretty intriguing and diverse investment selection thus far.
As Arrive’s portfolio expands, it’ll be interesting to see what spaces and investments Jay and his team take on.
Nue Agency, a company that brings artists, brands, and technology together, reestablished their CRWN series in an expansive interview with Migos on the release date of their third studio album Culture II.
I exchanged a couple of emails with Jesse Kirshbaum, CEO of Nue Agency and co-creator/executive producer of the CRWN series, about bringing their program back.
“CRWN is about getting the hottest, most relevant artists at their hottest, most relevant times. Occasionally we like to go left of center with some nostalgia to keep the people on their toes and pay homage to some legends, but for the most part we stay in our lane with CRWN and keep it the #1 interview show in the culture.”
@rapradar
Jesse explained to me why the Migos were the ideal artists for this inaugural (re-inaugural?) event:
“Migos were the perfect fit to bring back CRWN with! They’re on top of the game right now and the #1 group in hip-hop, so it was only right we kicked off the year by CRWN-ing the Kings. Stay tuned to see what else we have cooking for 2018!”
As for the event itself, Elliott Wilson spoke to the Migos about Culture II, expanding their sound, their relationship with their Quality Control label, and Offset’s recent engagement.
I’ve seen a bunch of Migos interviews before, but for whatever reason, the CRWN event was the most effective and engaged interview of the North Atlanta trio that I’ve seen.
I was lucky enough to be one of the roughly 100 people in the SubCulture venue on Bleecker a couple of Fridays ago, here are some of the best gems from the interview.
It was time to give the fans what they needed on Culture II
@rapradar
Culture II was released almost a year to the date after Culture and in the meantime Migos had individually jumped on features and made collaboration albums outside the group. Elliott Wilson asked Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset about a “click” that told them they need to get back in the booth as a group.
Offset was quick to say there wasn’t a specific moment, everyone knew it was time to get back to work together:
“It wasn’t no click, it’s just been a year since we gave our fans we love what they want, we needed to give them a new product. We been doing a lot of features, we did our own little projects real quick, but it’s time to get back to the basics where it started and where it begun because every time it comes to this, ain’t nothing bigger than this.”
Having Nicki Minaj and Cardi B together on “Motorsport”
@rapradar
As for putting Nicki and Cardi on the same track, Migos said they were the perfect group to make it happen. Quavo said of “Motorsport”:
“Just the girl power is so strong on that record. We just had to make it happen. You know my boy [Off]Set having the flavor and having the queen so we had to do what we had to do.”
Wilson pressed Migos about supposed drama that would come from having Nicki and Cardi on “Motorsport”. Offset was quick to nip that in the bud:
“Wasn’t no drama around the record, I feel like it was a ‘Had-To-Do’ record, everyone knew they had a job to be done and we got the job done.”
Quavo went on to claim that Migos aren’t scared of teaming up with huge stars:
“Only ones to do it. Everybody else was probably scared to make that happen, we up for the challenges, up for making the big moments and up for getting all the All-Stars in one room.”
When Wilson asked Migos about Pharrell’s “Stir Fry” beat, Quavo said that Pharrell had been holding the beat since 2008…
“Pharrell said, let me tell you what he said. He said ‘I been saving this beat for y’all ever since 2008.’ So some for some reason, he probably had a dream that Migos gon’ pull up 2k17 in they crazy suits and all they ice… he was waiting on it.”
Wild.
Quality Control giving the foundation
@rapradar
Speaking about their label Quality Control, Migos explained how teaming up with Coach K and Pee took their career to the next level. Quavo explained:
“[Migos were] on the North Side and then a little buzz got up then they came in and when they came in, they made it global. We could have been local but the shit was global. And solid foundation, and they kept it 100 with us the whole time.”
Takeoff (who is notably the quietest member of the group) further explained their dynamic with QC:
“They real family, they showed us things, taught us a whole bunch of things that we didn’t know, and showed us the way.”
Quavo continued:
“Show you really the the inside of the game, know what I mean, let you know what’s real and fake. It’s important to get information from people and big dogs.”
Wilson asked Migos if Budden’s previous treatment of Lil Yachty was the reason for their rather, uh, unenthusiastic interview at the BET Awards.
Offset confirmed that to be the case:
“That’s the main source to everything, that’s our little brother. Ain’t no pickin’ on goin’ on. We’re just not tolerating no aims at QC. We worked too hard for that, for you to try to tear it down.”
One listen to Mannywellz’s music reveals a depth of soul, a collision of genres and sounds, and songwriting that touches on loss, love, and identity.
Mannywellz is an incredibly intriguing artist – his recent EP SoulFro has rocketed up R&B charts, gathering up streams and accolades from critics.”
He recently returned from a nationwide tour opening for Jidenna, and plans on taking off abroad with Jidenna on a complete world tour (despite issues with DACA, more on that later).
Now, Mannywellz is dropping the visuals for his single “Watermelon”, a video that holds as much emotional weight as his music does.
I recently chopped it up with Mannywellz to talk about his “Watermelon” visuals, his sound, and having his musical career threatened by Trumpian immigration policies.
Mannywellz described his sound as SoulFro, both by and for the soul, and spoke on his inspirations:
“My music is genre-less. I use the term SoulFro because It’s music from my soul, and for the soul – I incorporate elements of R&B, Hip Hop and Afrobeats into my music, taking influence from artists like Asa, Lauryn Hill, Kendrick Lamar, Bob Marley, Ryan Leslie, Kanye, Sunny Ade, and Fela Kuti. The list goes on, but i draw inspiration things from all of those individuals.”
I asked Mannywellz about the creative process for the “Watermelon” video and that hilarious discussion of “badness” at the Thanksgiving table.
He revealed that it was part of a larger concept:
“We actually created a full, seven-part anthology for SoulFro to really illustrate the themes and emotions of the project in a unique way, and the ‘Watermelon’ video was one of my personal favorites. The ‘badness’ discussion was added to inject some humor into the video and to demonstrate the generational gap and how certain words have different meanings to different people.”
And as for themes of Blackness in Mannywellz’s art, he explained that’s just naturally a part of his identity as a Nigerian immigrant growing up in PG County.
“For me it’s all over my art – its unforced and natural. I’m a young black man, born in Nigeria and raised in PG county Maryland. It influences all of my art.”
He told me about going on tour with Jidenna and the vital experience he received from playing big crowds and learning from his fellow Nigerian artist:
“The tour was amazing! Jidenna and his team were dope – they’re like family now and we’re still in touch. It was amazing being on the the road with a fellow Nigerian – I gained a lot of experience being out there with Jidenna and his team and now I feel like I’m better equipped to go on the road and perform SoulFro.”
But Mannwellz finds himself in a difficult situation with Trump’s recent attempt to end the Dreamers program for young immigrants.
I asked him about this situation, which as it currently stands would bar the artist from going on a world tour:
“It’s not even me being skeptical – I can’t even travel! Advance Parole isn’t available to DACA folks anymore – I wasn’t even able to perform in Canada when we were traveling with Jidenna. The longer this goes on, the harder it’s going to be for all of the other DACA kids dealing with this same uncertainty. I just want to be able to share my music with kids all over the world. But I believe something good is going to happen very soon for individuals all over the country like me, and I just want to continue to inspire all the kids that are facing the same thing that I’m facing.”
It’s a testament to the kind of person Mannywellz is that as he finds his musical career threatened by the horrifying immigration policies of our government, his attitude remains positive.
As for what we can expect for Mannywellz for the rest of 2018, he’s got some big moves in store:
“Going to produce & write for other dope artists that I love and believe in. I’m also going to create more visual installments, telling stories visually inspired by music and my everyday life experiences.”
Peep the “Watermelon” video, listen to SoulFro, and support our Dreamers.
Miguel Perez Jr., a 39-year-old US Army veteran who has been in the United States for 30 years and served two tours of service in Afghanistan, is being held in an ICE detainment center with possible deportation to Mexico.
Much has been made of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since Trump took office over a year ago. The government agency has taken up aggressive and ideological tactics, deporting people who have lived in the country for decades, separating families, and neglecting detainees in custody.
For Perez, who is being held in a detainment center near Kenosha, Wisconsin, deportation means taking him away from his family, losing necessary treatment for PTSD and anxiety, and the threat of violence in Mexico.
Perez, who started a hunger strike last week to protest his case, told CNN about what awaits him if he is deported:
“If they are sentencing me to a certain death, and I am going to die, then why die in a place that I have not considered my home in a long time? There is a saying that goes, ‘I’d rather die like a man than live like a coward.’ In Mexico, I will have to live in fear, like a coward. No. I’d rather die right here, like a man fighting against something that makes no sense — this thing of deporting veterans does not make sense even if they try to justify with the law.”
The veteran’s situation is complicated by the fact that he was convicted of felony drug trafficking and discharged from the army for drug use. In 2010, Perez delivered over two pounds of cocaine to an undercover officer and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
But in prison, Perez was actually able to get the proper treatment for his PTSD, substance abuse, and finish his associate’s degree. Perez told CNN:
“It was in prison that I was finally able to get the treatment I needed for my PTSD. They had a lot of substance abuse programs, and now is when I finally feel like the person I used to be. I won’t say a new person, but like when I was younger.”
Perez’s frustration with his situation is obvious, and pretty damn understandable:
“I went through the system and I accepted all of the consequences that came with declaring myself guilty of a crime, the way it should be. And now they want to deport me with nothing, without thinking to themselves that I sacrificed my life fighting for this country.”
ICE said in a statement that they take military service into account on a case-by-case basis:
“Respects the service and sacrifice of those in military service, and is very deliberate in its review of cases involving US military veterans. Any action taken by ICE that may result in the removal of an alien with military service must be authorized by the senior leadership in a field office, following an evaluation by the office of chief counsel… ICE exercises prosecutorial discretion, when appropriate, on a case-by-case basis for members of the armed forces who have served our country. ICE specifically identifies service in the US military as a positive factor that is considered when deciding whether or not prosecutorial discretion should be exercised.”
Surely even the most intense border hawks in our country don’t think deporting a veteran suffering with PTSD back to violence in Mexico is a reasonable policy. Perez’s case has sparked outrage, especially with the optics of Trump’s own military deferral for “bone spurs.”
The intergenerational friction in hip-hop seems to have reached a fever pitch. Old heads label everything new as “mumble rap,” young rappers claim to have not listened to Jay-Z or say 21 Savage is better than Nas, everyone bugs out, rinse, repeat.
But the reality is that there isn’t a genre of music with more interesting, artistically progressive, and diverse sounds than hip-hop right now. And it’s not even a distinctly American phenomenon, hip-hop has now washed up on the far shores of countries like Iceland and Macedonia.
It is the most omnipresent and important style of music in the world today. That’s a wild fact in and of itself. The massive amount of rap music right now is a testament to how damn pervasive the style of music is.
With all of that said, I gathered a couple artists that I’m listening to heavily right now and I think that you should too. Consider it like my own little Freshmen list, although these artists are at various stages of their careers and all may not qualify for the “Freshmen” but whatever, it’s my list.
Maxo Kream
The Houston, Texas native Maxo Kream released his debut album Punken in January, confirming years of boiling hype after mixtapes in 2016 and 2017 had gained him a pretty intense following. “I bridge the gap between street n****s and the SoundCloud shit. I’m just a hybrid,” Maxo told Mass Appeal in a perfect encapsulation of his style.
Maxo is a breath of fresh air in the current hip-hop landscape. His deep, Houston twang voice sticks out in the era of ATL trap rap.
And while his content often touches on some of the most familiar themes of rap in 2018, he’s also an impressive storyteller of the Slick Rick or Nas mold. It’s the result of a broad set of influences ranging from Pimp C to Tupac to The Cool Kids to Gucci Mane.
Punken is full of Maxo Kream’s tales of gang banging and its discontents. While he’s making money on robberies and drug dealing, there are also corresponding consequences to these actions.
Maxo’s penchant for storytelling is all over tracks like “Grannies”, “ATW”, and “Janky” and makes him an extremely intriguing artist going forward. His music is fun, raw, and vicious all at the same time.
While he just released the (very impressive) Punken and it’s hard to expect more new music from the H-Town native soon, he’ll surely be dotting many of 2018’s most relevant hip-hop releases.
G Perico
G Perico’s jheri curl, G-Funk delivery, and flanneled-out style all recall a bygone era, but he’s set up for massive success in 2018 with a huge West Coast-based following.
And while many G Perico tracks sound like they could’ve come out in 1993, he’s pushing the Los Angeles sound forward by returning to its roots, far away from trap rap.
He’s also one of the most prolific rappers in the game, dropping off a long series of mixtapes and albums. Perico often randomly drops off loosie tracks or “G-Style” remixes of classic tracks.
His most recent drop Really Livin had G-Style remixes of “If I Ruled The World” and “400 Degreez”. Perico’s combination of new school and old creates a truly compelling artist.
There will be some East Coasters who can’t stomach Perico’s voice, his West Coast accent is pretty intense, but if you’re willing to relax a little bit and try something made outside the Tri-State Area, Perico is a treat.
Dude is making moves.
Young Nudy
Nudy’s Nudy Land was one of my favorite projects of 2017. The East Atlanta artist’s stream of consciousness raps recalled early Gucci Mane.
Teaming up with Pi’erre Bourne of “Magnolia” fame made up one of the wildest young partnerships in hip-hop.
After dropping a couple mixtapes over the last two years built up some buzz, last September’s Nudy Land cemented Nudy as one of the hottest names out of Atlanta.
Young Nudy, who is 21 Savage’s cousin, has a similar horror movie aesthetic of his cousin’s early releases as Chuckie imagery dots all of Nudy’s album artwork.
Nudy’s raps are a sort of confessional about what he had to do in order to survive growing up in extreme poverty. On Nudy Land‘s intro track “Judge Scott Convicted”, Nudy explains what he was up against.
“Did what I did what I had to n****
I done robbed a lot of niggas ’cause I had to n****
I ain’t have no food on the table n****
I ain’t have no motherfucking cable n****
Mama didn’t have no job, we wasn’t stable n****”
The rawness in Nudy’s subject matter makes for some compelling listening. After posting the artwork to Slime Ball 3 last week, it appears that Nudy is looking to keep his momentum going. He’s about to have a big 2018.
Drakeo The Ruler
I don’t even know if “rapper” is the right word for what Drakeo The Ruler does. Every Drakeo track starts with a brief monologue, which are full of ridiculous (and hilarious) boasts and putdowns.
These monologues often just sort of unfold into a verse as the beat tries to catch up with Drakeo’s LA accent. Suddenly we’re in the middle of the song, but Drakeo’s attitude remains the same.
His bars are full of brags about his own wealth and general bossness, mud walking (walking while on lean), and shitting on struggle rappers in both hilarious and menacing fashion.
Any “hip-hop head” will tell you that wordplay is dead, but one listen to Drakeo The Ruler reveals that just flat out wrong.
Dude takes wordplay to its most literal extreme, making up words (you’ll hear constant reference to “Flu Flamming” and “Big Bank Uchies”), naming his gun “Pippy Long Stockin”, and generally blending the line between just talking shit and rapping.
Drakeo’s been out here for a couple years now and he has a pretty loyal and intense fanbase around LA. His bizarre and unique style means that he’s also birthed a whole grip of imitators around the city trying to copy his laissez-faire monotone delivery.
After some legal issues put a brief pause on his output for most of 2017, Drakeo dropped his most recent project Cold Devil immediately upon getting out.
With legal troubles behind him, a seemingly limitless work rate, and a building fanbase growing beyond Southern California, Drakeo might just fuck around and take over.
Gunna
Atlanta rapper Gunna describes his music as “hood melody”, which is a pretty perfect label as he sing-raps over trap production.
He sounds like a slightly less unhinged Young Thug, which isn’t a coincidence.
Thug’s YSL label has released three of Gunna’s projects to date and gave Gunna his first major feature on Jeffrey‘s “Floyd Mayweather”.
It’s been a quick rise for Gunna, who has released three of those projects in the last year, the most recent of which, Drip Season 3, came out on Friday.
Gunna’s clearly tapped into the fact that in this day in age listeners have a frustratingly short attention span, especially in Atlanta, where a new trap rapper pops up seemingly every day.
The Atlanta rapper has the individual style and people behind him to continue rising. He also has some great life advice, as he told The Fader about his life mantra:
“Keep going, grind for what you want, pray, listen to your mama.”
It’s unclear if this is real, 6ix9ine’s entire persona seems to be one big troll. He posted another Instagram a couple weeks ago with a similar claim of being signed, this time for $7.5 million.
Regardless of the validity of the claim, 6ix9ine and Rich Gang seems like a partnership forged in hotboy heaven. In his brief career, 6ix9ine has caused quite the stir and Birdman is one of the most infamous characters in the music industry.
6ix9ine’s first hit “Gummo” has been embroiled in controversy since it was released. The song’s beat was made by Pi’erre Bourne, who apparently gave the instrumental to Trippie Redd. Trippie Redd showed the beat to 6ix9ine, who took it for himself, which Pi’erre Bourne was not so pleased about.
Pie’rre wrote on Instagram, “Y’all n****s is opps, no more trippie n pierre y’all ruined it.”
Beyond his music, the wild accompanying visuals, and the rainbow hair and grills, 6ix9ine also finds himself in legal trouble for allegations of sex with a minor.
It’s unclear whether 6ix9ine’s claim that he signed with Rich Gang is actually the case, but Birdman’s label has been no stranger to controversy over the years.
The disappearance of Rich Homie Quan, the blackballing of Lil Wayne, unpaid producers, and Rick Ross constantly talking shit have made Rich Gang one of the sketchiest labels in hip-hop.
6ix9ine embraces the sketch. As does Rich Gang. Seems like an ideal place for the BK rapper to keep making weird ass viral hits and eventually get fucked over by a dubious contract.
The Philadelphia Eagles are at the pinnacle of the sporting world today after their Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots, but this team is as notable for their moves off the field as on it.
Players like Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Long, and Torrey Smith have been involved in various causes of social activism including education, prison reform, and improving police-community relations.
Jenkins, Long, and Smith have all had various programs and charities set up for years, including Long’s Water Boys foundation that focuses on bringing potable water to underserved areas of Africa.
But the political and social climate of the past year has encouraged these players to take their work further this season. Jenkins and Smith both raised their fists in a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement while Long, who is white, put his arm around his teammates in a show of solidarity.
Last week, Smith spoke about the protest, he was clear to point out that these players aren’t protesting the anthem, rather certain conditions within the country.
“They call it the anthem protest. We’re not protesting the anthem. It’s a protest during the anthem. I understand why people are mad, or may be offended when someone takes a knee. My father, when he dies, is going to be buried with an American flag draped around his casket, being that he served in the Army.”
But these players aren’t just taking a public stand, they’re using their platform to speak with lawmakers and higher-ups in various spaces to push forward actual legislation.
In October, Jenkins, Smith, and Long went to the Pennsylvania state Capitol in Harrisburg to support “Clean Slate” policies that expunge “criminal records of those convicted of low-level, non-violent misdemeanors automatically sealed after ten years if they remain crime-free,” according to CBS.
Jenkins became the unofficial spokesman for the NFL’s Player Coalition, which was formed to bridge the gap between players and the NFL offices. When the coalition struck an $89 million deal with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to fund various causes, Jenkins suddenly had to defend his decision to work with the NFL in an open letter.
“Many of us – Doug Baldwin, Chris Long, Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin, Rodney McLeod and others – have spent time in cities and towns talking with these people about these issues and pushing these legislators to right these wrongs. What we’ve learned is that this is not a Democrat or a Republican issue. It’s an American issue – and an American problem. That is why we are moving forward with our efforts in the Coalition, to drive forward initiatives, campaigns and advocacy efforts to force legislators to make this a priority.”
As attractive as extremism is in situations like these, sometimes a little diplomacy is in order.
Bunch compared Jenkins’ brand of activism to that of Colin Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback who has been blackballed from the NFL over his protests.
“In pro football’s justice wars, Kaepernick became the fiery but divisive Malcolm X while Jenkins was more of a Martin Luther King-style figure, not willing to compromise on his principles but willing to negotiate with the other side.”
Maybe the comparison is slightly hyperbolic, but Bunch’s point about the different strategies of activism remains.
Jenkins is specifically passionate about the issue of police reform and mass incarceration and he has familiarized himself with every aspect of the issue as part of his activism. He has ridden along with Philadelphia police, worked closely with the ACLU, and visited prisons to speak with inmates.
Jenkins accompanied Bill Cobb, a former inmate turned activist at the ACLU, to Graterford Prison, the same facility where Cobb was previously incarcerated.
“Sitting with those inmates and meeting many others, you realize just how much potential we’ve just locked away. And then, when you read the research, it’s clear that our punitive system of justice raises the recidivism rate and damages people, making it harder for them to live in society when they get out.”
Cobb spoke to Will Bunch about Jenkins’ leadership.
“What I like about his leadership, is that Malcolm gets people to understand that their leadership is possible.”
As for Chris Long, who was motivated to get socially active after the white supremacist marches in his hometown of Charlottesville, the defensive lineman donated his entire year’s salary to various educational programs to help kids in underserved communities in the three cities he has played in, in St. Louis, Boston, and Philadelphia.
Long’s work was praised by President Barack Obama as an example of “what’s best about America.”
Chris Long gave his paychecks from the first six games of the NFL season to fund scholarships in Charlottesville, VA. He wanted to do more, so he decided to give away an entire season’s salary. That’s a story from 2017. https://t.co/NL0RoARkan
Long also told the Pardon My Take Podcast last week that he would not be going to the White House if the Eagles won, saying, “No, I’m not going to the White House. Are you kidding me?”
It’ll be interesting to see how many of the Eagles do indeed show up to Trump’s crib. I’d take the under.
After the year-long month that was January, we’re into the safe confines of a new month, far away from the new year, the holidays, and all the other shit that keeps you from listening to new music.
This week we’ve got some interesting drops from the Black Panther soundtrack, Rich Brian’s debut album, Ricky Rozay, Lykke Li covering Jim Croce, and some other dope releases.
Let’s jump into it.
The Weeknd – “Pray For Me” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
The star-studded Black Panther soundtrack, compiled and curated by TDE, is sure to be full of hits with some pretty wild collaborations.
“Pray For Me”, featuring The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar, is definitely going to be everywhere. This track is a banger, we’re trying to hear this whole Black Panther OST right damn now.
Rich Brian – “Occupied”
Rich Brian’s career started as a joke. Now, after a (very necessary) name change, he’s dropped his first full project, Amen, and it’s anything but funny.
This is a very legitimate record from the Indonesian rapper. “Occupied” and “Attention” with Offset (yes he got a Migos feature) bang.
Rick Ross – “Florida Boy” (ft. T-Pain & Kodak Black)
Rozay teams up with fellow Florida natives T-Pain (Tallahassee) and Kodak Black (Pompano Beach) for this soul-sampling banger in typical Ross fashion.
Does this mean there’s a new Rick Ross project on the way?
Lykke Li – “Time In A Bottle”
Everyone’s favorite Swedish dream-pop star Lykke Li has covered Jim Croce’s “Time In A Bottle”, adding her evocative spin to the track.
It’s cool to have some new Lykke material, she’s recently been working with Miike Snow and others for her LIV supergroup.
Smokepurpp – “Geek A Lot”
Florida rapper Smokepurpp joined up with producer Ronny J for this distorted, apocalyptic banger. If you’re of the “lyrical” rap mold, you will not enjoy this.
If you don’t take yourself too seriously, mosh out to this one.
Thunderpussy – “Torpedo Love”
Thunderpussy, the Seattle band with perhaps the best band name ever, dropped “Torpedo Love”, a slow-boiling rock ballad that unfolds into a massive wall of sound.
Montgomery, Alabama teenage rapper YBN Nahmir became a viral star after last year’s “Rubbin’ Off The Paint”.
He’s been backing up the success of “Rubbin Off The Paint” since then, this time with the bumping “Bounce Out With That”.
Gunna – “Helluva Price”
Seems like there’s a new popping ATL trap rapper everyday. Gunna, who dropped Drip Season 3 today, could easily be the next up.
“Helluva Price”, produced by Metro Boomin, covers on many of the familiar sounds and tropes of trap rap. Shit is hot.
Rejjie Snow – “The Ends” (ft. Jesse James Solomon)
Rejjie Snow, the Irish rapper who has previously worked with Joey Bada$$, dropped the second part of his Dear Annie project today.
It’s some very interesting, musical hip-hop, drawing from the Dublin native’s a massive selection of influences. Snow is one to check out if you haven’t yet.
The Kid Daytona – “Litcoin” (ft. Mid-Nite)
New York rappers Daytona and Mid-Nite teamed up on this bop “Litcoin”. Backed by some funky-ass, wailing horns, Daytona and Mid-Nite trade hilarious punchlines and boasts.
It’s a great partnership, gotta hear more from Daytona and Mid-Nite.
Compton rapper Nipsey Hussle recently stopped by Big Boy’s ‘The Neighborhood’ radio show to talk about his Too Big To Fail initiative, focused on bringing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) programs to inner-city and underserved areas.
Nipsey has teamed up with business partner Dave Gross, a real estate developer and entrepreneur who also hails from inner-city LA to develop the program.
The rapper told Big Boy that he wants the program to be a “bridge between Silicon Valley and the inner-city.”
Nipsey and Gross will start their program in Los Angeles, but want to expand across the country to Washington DC, Atlanta, and Baltimore.
The “Too Big To Fail” moniker comes from financial terminology used to describe our biggest banking institutions, but Nipsey and co. are taking that phrase into the inner-city.
“Our inner-cities are ‘Too Big To Fail’, but despite their size and potential, have yet to receive the necessary support.
“Too Big To Fail is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) center and Maker Space that encourages design thinking and innovation in local youth. In partnership with Vector90, we’re creating impact hubs where neighborhood youth can feed off of each other’s talent, creativity, and support.”
This is just the latest in a long list of innovative moves from Nipsey Hussle.
From teaming up with a blockchain tech company to find new ways to monetize his music, to providing a select amount of fans hard copies of his albums, to bringing business to his native Compton, Nipsey Hussle stays trying to find inventive solutions to old problems.
He’s a dope artist, but Nipsey Hussle is also a shrewd mind when it comes to business or social initiatives to better his community.
“After three years of persistent drought, the government is warning that “Day Zero” — when it will be forced to turn off most faucets — will be April 16. That’s when reservoirs and water sources are forecast to hit 13.5% capacity, at which point the city is expected to move most residents to a strict water-rationing system.”
With a population of 4 million people, Cape Town officials are struggling to find solutions as massive drought dries up the city’s water reservoirs.
Cape Town, South Africa is projected to run out of water in 3 months and become the first major industrialized city to be completely without water as a result of Climate Change.
This is no longer a distant threat, it's happening now and our politicians need to act!
“As Cape Town’s reservoirs of fresh water get dangerously close to dry, locals are beginning to store water in jugs and fill up at spring-fed taps set up by local breweries. Those who can afford it are boring mini backyard wells to collect private water stashes, and some hotels are investing in pricey desalination plants to make ocean water drinkable.”
One of the more worrying aspects of the drought and subsequent water shortage is that forecasting models that would previously prove accurate are basically useless with climate change throwing off any meteorological predictions. Forecasters can no longer predict whether rain will come or not.
South African publication Daily Maverick reported on the uselessness of the models:
“On Friday, the SA Weather service told us bluntly: We cannot predict whether or when rain will come. Previous forecasting models have proved useless in the era of climate change.”
As the threat of Day Zero looms for Cape Town, officials are urging citizens to save water at home. The Government has distributed materials to encourage water preservation.
This is a pretty apocalyptic situation for Cape Town, a modern, cosmopolitan city. But this isn’t a one-off, the World Wildlife Fund forecasts that by 2025, two-thirds of the planet will be dealing with similar water shortage issues to Cape Town.
Sometimes the effects of climate change aren’t tangible enough for us to understand or see. We don’t watch the polar ice caps melting in realtime, but this is a very real and terrifying example of how climate change effects our planet.
There’s still time for Cape Town to figure out their water issue before Day Zero, but this kind of situation may become more and more common in the coming years.
