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

Peabo Bryson, Grammy-Winning Singer of 'Beauty and the Beast,' Dies at 75

Peabo Bryson, the velvet-voiced R&B balladeer who won Grammys for the Disney duets 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'A Whole New World,' died June 2 at 75 after a stroke.

Culture

Music Catalog Buying Rebounds in 2026 With Valuation Multiples Back at 12-18x

Sony's 45,000-song Recognition purchase, the $1.4 billion Warner-Bain venture and Primary Wave's $200 million Britney Spears deal mark a 2026 rebound in music-catalog buying, with valuation multiples back to 12-18x.

Culture

Sony Music Publishing to Buy Blackstone's Recognition Music Catalog of 45,000 Songs

Sony Music Publishing agreed to acquire Blackstone's Recognition Music Group — more than 45,000 songs tied to Beyoncé, Fleetwood Mac, Rihanna and Lady Gaga — in a deal Bloomberg reported at $3.5–4 billion.

Culture

BTS Win Artist of the Year at the 2026 American Music Awards

The 52nd AMAs at MGM Grand Garden Arena named BTS Artist of the Year, gave Album of the Year to Sabrina Carpenter for Man's Best Friend, and crowned KATSEYE New Artist of the Year.

Culture

Netflix Adds 'The Breakfast Club' Live Stream as First Daily Live Show Starting June 1

Netflix will livestream "The Breakfast Club" with Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, and Jess Hilarious worldwide starting June 1 at 6 a.m. ET — its first daily live show, a three-hour ad-free simulcast of the iHeartMedia radio program with bonus content during commercial breaks.

Culture

Sonny Rollins, Jazz Saxophonist Behind 'Saxophone Colossus,' Dies at 95

Sonny Rollins, the Harlem-born tenor saxophonist whose 1956 album "Saxophone Colossus" became the title and the verdict on a six-decade career, died Monday at his home in Woodstock, New York. He was 95. No cause was reported.

Culture

MGK and Wiz Khalifa Release Nine-Track Mixtape 'Blog Era Boyz' on Lost Americana Tour

Machine Gun Kelly and Wiz Khalifa dropped 'Blog Era Boyz,' a nine-track joint mixtape, on May 22 — a deliberate return to the 2010-era blog scene that produced both artists.

Culture

Bleachers Releases Fifth Album 'Everyone for Ten Minutes' With 11 Tracks

Jack Antonoff's Bleachers released its fifth studio album 'everyone for ten minutes' on May 22 — 11 tracks, 39 minutes, and a thesis Antonoff sums up bluntly: "This version of modernity is trash."

Culture

JPEGMAFIA Releases 25-Track 'Experimental Rap' as Sixth Studio Album

JPEGMAFIA released his sixth studio album 'Experimental Rap' on May 21 via AWAL — 25 tracks, self-produced, no press copies. A North American tour follows in September.

Culture

French Montana and Max B Release 'Wave Gods 2: Cosmos Brothers'

A 26-track Coke Wave reunion: Max B's first full-length collaboration with French Montana since his 16-year prison sentence. Features Kanye, Rick Ross, Ron Isley, Ty Dolla $ign, and the late Chinx. The series that built melodic New York rap gets its long-overdue second chapter.

Culture

Joé Dwèt Filé Releases 15-Track 'Hatelove' Album

The Franco-Haitian singer's new album runs Caribbean rhythms into international rap across 15 tracks, with features from Shenseea, Rich the Kid, SDM, and KLN. His December date at Paris La Défense Arena, Europe's largest indoor venue, is already sold out.