Culture

Young Guru Sponsors Full-Tuition Four-Year Scholarship at the Roc Nation School

Jay-Z's longtime engineer Young Guru is personally funding a full-tuition, four-year scholarship at the Roc Nation School at LIU, covering tuition plus year-long mentorship and Dolby Atmos studio access for one Fall 2026 enrollee.

Culture

New Music Friday: T.I., YoungBoy & Justin Bieber — June 26, 2026

This week's new music: T.I. closes his career with Kill the King, YoungBoy drops the surprise More Leaks 2, Maxo Kream returns with O.Y.N, and Justin Bieber turns the SWAG era into a live album.

Culture

HBO Sets 8-Part Jay-Z Docuseries 'Jay-Z in 8' Directed by Rick Rubin

HBO announced Jay-Z in 8, an eight-part documentary series directed by Rick Rubin and premiering this fall, with Jay-Z, Daniel Kaluuya, and Rubin executive producing.

Culture

Jay-Z's 'Reasonable Doubt' Turns 30 as Roc Nation Launches NYC Celebration

Jay-Z's debut Reasonable Doubt turns 30 on June 25, with Roc Nation launching NYC pop-ups, a Bowery Station takeover, and Yankee Stadium anniversary shows in July.

Culture

Brooklyn Public Library Releases Limited-Edition JAY-Z 30 Library Card on June 25

Brooklyn Public Library releases a limited-edition JAY-Z 30 library card on June 25, the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt, at all 61 branches.

Culture

Beyoncé Reveals the Story Behind Jay-Z's Afro in Cecred's 'The Blueprint' Film

Beyoncé narrates 'The Blueprint,' a Cecred short film revealing Jay-Z grew freeform locs for eight years so Blue Ivy could see her curl pattern in his hair — then had them combed out over six days.

Culture

Uptown Records Relaunches Under Republic With G Herbo and Yung Miami

Andre Harrell's Uptown Records relaunched under Republic Collective for its 40th anniversary, with a roster led by G Herbo, Yung Miami, and Trap Dickey, who signs via Top Dawg Entertainment.

Culture

WSJ Profiles How Charlamagne Tha God Mastered the Modern Media Era

A new WSJ feature charts how Charlamagne Tha God built a media empire beyond The Breakfast Club — the Black Effect Podcast Network, Black Privilege Publishing, Southland Stories, and a reported $200 million iHeart deal.

Culture

Drake Drops New Song 'Serious' in Oliver El-Khatib's SoundCloud Mix

Drake slipped a new song, 'Serious,' into OVO co-founder Oliver El-Khatib's SoundCloud 'Magician Mix (feat. Govi)' at the 3:40 mark — a loosie that lives in OVO's channels rather than on streaming.

Culture

New Music Friday: YG, Key Glock, and Tierra Whack Drop New Albums June 19

June 19's New Music Friday brings new albums from YG, Key Glock and Tierra Whack, Chris Brown's 'Chocolate Edition,' a Chlöe and Timbaland project, and singles from The Kid LAROI, Tyla and FKA Twigs.

Culture

Tay Keith, Grammy-Nominated Producer Behind 'Sicko Mode,' Dies at 29

Tay Keith, the Memphis producer behind Travis Scott's 'Sicko Mode' and Drake's 'Look Alive,' was found dead in his Nashville apartment on June 18 at age 29. Police say no foul play is suspected.

Culture

Drake Moves to Buy Back Full Ownership of OVO

Drake's OVO apparel brand, which generates more than $50 million in annual revenue, is in advanced talks to sell a 50 percent stake to a major licensing company — following the same playbook that turned Rocawear and Sean John into cautionary tales.