Drake's celebrated mixtape So Far Gone hits ten years old while 21 Savage has been released from custody.
DRAKE’S SO FAR GONE MIXTAPE TURNS 10, HITS STREAMING SERVICES
Drake has been doing a lot of reflecting over the weekend, as his seminal So Far Gone mixtape not only turned 10, but hit streaming services for the first time.
Celebrating the milestone, Drake thanked contributors and influencers on the mixtape and undoubtedly his career, including Kanye West (“…Even though you stay wildin’ on Twitter these days, I will never forget what you contributed to the game and my career”) and Lil Wayne (“A decade ago you took me out of Toronto and gave me the biggest blessing anyone has ever given me”).
The mixtape features some classic early Drake cuts in ‘Best I Ever Had’, ‘Lust For Life’ and ‘Successful’, while also featuring an impressive list of guest vocalists including Lil Wayne, Lykke Li, Trey Songz and Bun B. Compared to his later releases, So Far Gone is not the strongest Drake record, but perhaps one of the most important, showcasing his versatility and early signs of his explored dynamism.
JA RULE PLANNING AN EVENT SIMILAR TO ILL-FATED FYRE FESTIVAL
You’ve gotta hand it to Ja Rule – even though the Fyre Festival turned out to be a catastrophic failure, his positivity and optimism when it comes to future ventures in the field of event management is undeniable. Recently cornered by TMZ, the rapper dropped some hints of new projects he has in the works, notably an experience with a similar ambition behind it.
“It was something that I really, really wanted to be special and amazing and it just didn’t turn out that way.” he told the cameras. “In the midst of chaos, there’s opportunity. So I’m working on a lot of new things. I got my new platform, Iconn. …[Fyre Fest] is the most iconic festival that never was, so I have plans to create the Iconnic music fest. But you ain’t hear that from me.”
Just to recap, Fyre Festival organiser Billy McFarland wound up with a six year prison sentence for wire fraud and currently faces a multimillion dollar lawsuit; surprisingly, Ja Rule has not been charged for anything in relation to Fyre Festival. So who knows? He might actually pull something off!
21 SAVAGE RELEASED FROM CUSTODY, DEPORTATION CASE STILL PENDING
We reported not long ago that rapper 21 Savage had been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after it was discovered the Atlanta based artist was living in the United States on an expired visa – he was actually born in the UK. Now, following much media swell and protesting against his arrest, 21 Savage (birth name She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph) has been released, posting a $100,000 bond last week. While he has been able to return to his family and has the backing of some of hip-hop’s most influential power players behind him – Jay Z has hired a top legal team to help his case – 21 Savage is still facing deportation.
21 Savage arrived in the United States at age 7 with his family, before returning to the United Kingdom in 2005. He returned as a teenager a year later, when he allegedly lost his legal immigration status.
