In a long-overdue show of support for Black Lives Matter, on June 2, the music industry went silent as part of the #TheShowMustBePaused initiative. The aim was to reflect on the black communities from which it profits. While the gesture was just that, the hashtag got one thing right: music is indebted to black people. […]

East London rapper/poet Kojey Radical is celebrated for his melodic rhythms and masterful lyricism that fluctuates from song to spoken word to rap, dealing with topics of race, love, and mental health. Over the last two years, he’s been on a steady upwards trajectory, ending 2019 on a high after releasing his fourth EP Cashmere Tears, kicking […]

Sydney rapper The Kid Laroi just dropped his new track and video “GO!” — a posthumous collaboration with his late friend,  Juice WRLD. The Kid Laroi has been very outspoken about his close relationship with the deceased rapper since supporting Juice on his final tour last year and teased a collaboration months ago. Ahead of the single’s anticipated […]

At only 21 and 20 years old respectively, Chloe and Halle, the sister singing duo signed to Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment, have an almost preternatural poise and polish. You see it in on-camera interviews, their big smiles never breaking, or when they’re singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, their harmonies as sweeping and pristine […]

Stormzy and his Merky label have announced a sizable donation to pro-black causes. The British rapper is committing £10 million over 10 years to organizations, charities, and movements fighting racial inequality, justice reform, and black empowerment within the UK. “The uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit, is that black people […]

The Grammy Awards will cease using the term “urban” in its awards and language, amid growing criticism in the music industry over the word’s usage to refer to what is considered black music. The Recording Academy made the announcement in a statement shared yesterday. Most notably the Academy is changing its controversial “Urban Contemporary” award to “Progressive R&B.” The category was […]

Kanye West’s adidas YEEZY Foam Runner was first teased in September 2019, before A$AP Ferg unveiled a new all-red colorway in March. Now, in an I-D interview with Pharrell Williams, Kanye has confirmed that the Foam Runner will be released in June. Speaking to Pharrell, ’Ye said: “[We’re] sitting here in Wyoming figuring out how […]

Lil Peep‘s estate has released a new music video for the late rapper’s 2016 track, “crybaby,” taken from the mixtape of the same name. The clip opens up as Peep speaks about the tattoo on his forehead saying, “The ‘crybaby’ [tattoo] on my forehead — it was kind of a push to almost force myself […]

Takashi Murakami will release six limited-edition screen prints to raise funds for the Black Lives Matter movement. The exact pricing and launch details are to be announced in the following weeks, however, the total raised is expected to exceed $1 million in charitable contributions. Eschewing his signature palette of vibrant pop colors, Murakami instead depicts his classic […]

Three songwriters are suing Travis Scott and the other credited authors and producers on his hit song “Highest In the Room,” claiming that the song ripped off their distinctive guitar melody. According to Billboard, the suit accuses Scott and his collaborators of “pretending to be interested in a collaboration,” only to “intentionally [break] the rules by exploiting plaintiffs work […]