And more hip hop news this week.
New Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) album ‘Negus’ due for unconventional release
Though Yasiin Bey has been in relative retirement and laying low, fans haven’t been long without the concept of new music from the artist formerly known as Mos Def. The news of two records (previously titled Negus in Natural Person and As Promised) has become almost mythological as we’ve been waiting for more developments. Now, thanks to a social media post by producer Steven Julien from FunkinEven, we know the new Yasiin Bey record, now titled Negus, has been completed and will surface soon. It won’t be debuting via a conventional album release however; the album, produced by Julien, Lord Tusk and Acyde, will be unveiled to an audience via a special media installation in Hong Kong. Bey’s new work is seen to be a follow on from lessons learned at a recent event in New York, a project is rooted in the idea of ‘society’s inability to focus on anything because of technology’. It would seem that the wait is – somewhat – over.
Jay-Z takes home the 2019 ‘President’s Award’ at the NAACP Gala
Another big night for the Carters, with both Beyonce and Jay-Z taking home huge awards at this year’s NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) Gala. While Beyonce was crowned ‘Entertainer of the Year’, Jay-Z was given the ‘President’s Award’ – the two most prestigious awards of the event. Thanking the women in his life, Jay-Z acknowledged the importance of his grandmother and mother in shaping his identity – “It’s not the amount of years in your life. It’s the amount of life in your years that count in the end. That quote, it embodies my beautiful grandmother, who I would like to dedicate this award to …I grew believing I could do anything. That I could accomplish anything because of those strong women in my house, I would like to dedicate this award to those beautiful women.” Beyonce also took to the stage in accepting her award, complimenting the achievements of her fellow nominees actress/director Regina King, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, Lebron James and Chadwick Boseman.
Usher and Jermaine Dupri working on Confessions II
15 years on from the release of Confessions, Usher has returned to the So So Def studios with Jermaine Dupri to work on what looks to be a long awaited follow up record. Taking to the ‘gram (as everyone seems to do nowadays) to start stirring excitement, Usher posted a shot from the studio with a whiteboard in the background that simply read, “Confessions 2”. The original record was Usher’s fourth and has since been regarded as one of the R&B singer’s best. It won the Best Contemporary R&B Album Grammy in 2004 and sold over 1.1 million copies in its first week alone. This new release would mark Usher’s first solo record since 2016’s Hard II Love, though he did put new music out with Zaytoven in 2017, simply titled A.
Kanye West brings his Sunday Service to Coachella
If you’re planning on heading out to Coachella this year or like many of us, plan on streaming the festival from the comfort of home, then you may very well be able to be part of Kanye West’s new religion. A few weeks out from the festival, Kanye has dropped news he will in fact be heading to Coachella (this comes after the news that he had originally pulled out of headlining), instead bringing his ‘Sunday Service’ to the event. If you’ve not checked them out yet, get to the internet and find the videos, where Kanye has built a little cult-like gathering out in LA. The initial indoor jams have now evolved to full on outdoor mini concert/church sessions. Kanye’s Sunday Service is scheduled to go down on Easter Sunday, on the second weekend of Coachella this year – come wearing your Sunday Best.
Unlock the stories of Australian hip hop at the Australian Music Vault, a free exhibition open daily at Arts Centre Melbourne.
