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.

Culture

Cash Money and No Limit Records Announce Joint Arena Tour

Cash Money and No Limit Records announced a 17-date fall arena tour with Master P, Birdman, Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, B.G., and Boosie — the first joint tour for the two New Orleans hip-hop dynasties.

Music

New Music: Blxst, Rhye, Joey B, and Everything Else Worth Hearing This Week

Two albums, an EP, a Wale mix, and a run of African singles worth knowing about. The names you know are Blxst and Rhye. The most interesting listen is one you might not: Joey B's Sexy Highlife.

Culture

JAY-Z and Roc Nation Add Paris and Los Angeles Dates to JAY-Z 30

JAY-Z and Roc Nation are taking the JAY-Z 30 anniversary run global, adding Stade de France in Paris (Sept 10) and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (Oct 23) to the 2026 celebration.

Culture

New Albums From Vince Staples, Freddie Gibbs, Aya Nakamura, and the FIFA World Cup Album

New music this week: Vince Staples' Cry Baby, Freddie Gibbs' You Only Die 1nce deluxe, Aya Nakamura's Destinée Supremacy, Brent Faiyaz's chopped Purple Icon, SPINALL's Africa Now mix, J.PERIOD's Marauders Mixtape, and the official FIFA World Cup 2026 album.

Culture

Jay-Z Headlines Roots Picnic in First Solo Show in Seven Years

Jay-Z headlined the 20th Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on May 30 — his first U.S. solo headlining show in over seven years — running through a 30-song set capped by a freestyle aimed at Drake and Nicki Minaj.