Shot in Paris by photographer Xiangyu Liu and themed around excess, Tommy joins the likes of Syd and Chris (of Christine & the Queens) as one of the Winter 2018-2019 issue’s cover stars.

Sipho the Gift makes his return to music in full force today with the majestic new track ‘Hold Up’, released via Pontoon.

'Hold Up’ is the first new music to come from the South African rapper and MC in 2018, following the release of 2017’s acclaimed sophomore collection ‘Kintsugi’, and sets the tone for his upcoming third project ‘INDIGO’ - with more tracks and videos to follow.

Sipho said:-

     “Hold Up is an exciting song about love. A resilient love that’s withstood, not only the test of time but, any obstacles thrown its way. I’m in love myself and this was a huge inspiration to me. I think not enough rappers talk about it for fear of appearing soft or wearing their hearts on their sleeves. The sound is fun, melodic and very rhythmic which is something I’m hoping to explore a lot more in the future as I play with more sounds”.

Initially setting out to make music that sounded like the artists he loved, Sipho quickly learnt that he wanted to tell his own story. On his first EP, Sterkspruit-born MC sought to distance himself from the pack. His skill-set betrayed his age; at 21 years young, eyes fixed upon an uncertain future, he released the self-produced Coming of Age EP (2015).

"I wanted to give a glimpse into the mind of a 20 year-old turning 21, measuring himself against the world and learning what it is to be a man while making your own destiny,” he says of it.

Coming of Age showcased Sipho’s ability to employ words, rhythm and melody to “tell people about themselves, while using myself as a mirror.” Following the release of this debut, Sipho suffered a period of depression - frustrated by the perceived lack of success for his music, and fueled by the loss of his laptop and two hard-drives worth of music.

It was two years until he would return with a palpable determination and the follow-up release ‘Kintsugi’ - the Japanese word a source of strength and sharpened focus.

As well as producing his own music, Sipho has also achieved production credits on music by the likes of Well$, Deniro Ferrar, and King Mez, who featured prominently on Dr. Dre’s Compton album.

'Hold Up’ is the result of Platoon’s incredible ‘Lab’ event in South Africa, bringing together rising artists and incredible talents from across the country to celebrate and create.

https://www.facebook.com/thexgift/
https://twitter.com/itsmesipho
https://www.instagram.com/siphothegift/

Jay-Z and Beyoncé are joining forces for the newly announced OTR II stadium tour. Kicking off Wednesday, June 6th in Cardiff, UK, the international outing will stop in 15 cities across the UK and Europe and 21 cities in North America. The full itinerary can be found below.The tour is presented by Live Nation Global Touring in association with Parkwood Entertainment and Roc Nation.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public starting Monday, March 19th at LiveNation.com and all usual outlets. On-sale dates and times vary (full on-sale schedule provided below).

Citi is the official credit card for the OTR II stadium tour and as such, Citi cardmembers can take advantage of a special pre-sale opportunity for show dates in the United States, Europe and the UK. For performances going on sale on Monday, March 19th in the US and Europe, Citi cardmembers may purchase tickets beginning Wednesday March 14th at noon through Saturday, March 17th at 5pm (Citi pre-sale in Paris ends Friday, March 16th at 6pm). For concerts in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Poland, Citi cardmembers may access tickets starting Monday, March 19th at noon through Thursday, March 22nd at 5pm prior to the general on-sale on Friday, March 23rd. For complete pre-sale details visit: citiprivatepass.com.

Beginning Wednesday, March 14th at 9am in North America and 10am in the UK and Europe (all times local), members of the Beyhive and TIDAL subscribers will have a pre-sale opportunity for all dates. To join the Beyhive and get access to tour pre-sales, go to Beyonce.com. TIDAL members can find details for purchasing  tickets on TIDAL.com or via the TIDAL mobile, web and desktop apps.
Watch the tour trailer now on TIDAL. Embed code available here: http://tdl.sh/OTRII.

In the summer of 2014, Beyoncé and Jay-Z performed six weeks of sold out stadium dates across North America with their highly anticipated 'On The Run' tour. The tour closed with two international dates in Paris, France that were filmed for an HBO special that received an Emmy nomination.   


OTR II UK/EUROPEAN TOUR DATES:

June 06                Cardiff, UK                   Principality Stadium                              On sale March 23
June 09                Glasgow, UK                Hampden Park                                     On sale March 23
June 13                Manchester, UK           Etihad Stadium                                    On sale March 23
June 15                  London, UK                 London Stadium                                  On sale March 23
June 19                Amsterdam, NL            Amsterdam Arena                                On sale March 19
June 23               Copenhagen, DK         Parken Stadium                                     On sale March 19
June 25               Stockholm, SW             Friends Arena                                      On sale March 23

June 28               Berlin, DE                     Olympiastadion                                    On sale March 19
June 30               Warsaw, PL                  Stadion Narodowy                                On sale March 23
July 03                Cologne, DE                RheinEnergieStadion                           On sale March 19
July 06               Milan, IT                       San Siro                                               On sale March 19
July 08                Rome, IT                      Stadio Olimpico                                  On sale March 19
July 11                Barcelona, ES              Olympic Stadium                                  On sale March 19
July 14                Paris, FR                      Stade de France                                  On sale March 19

July 17               Nice, FR                       Allianz Riviera                                       On sale March 19


OTR II NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

July 25                 Cleveland, OH              FirstEnergy Stadium                             On sale March 19
July 28                Washington, DC           FedEx Field                                          On sale March 19
July 30                 Philadelphia, PA          Lincoln Financial Field                          On sale March 19
Aug. 02                E. Rutherford, NJ         MetLife Stadium                                   On sale March 19
Aug. 05              Boston, MA                  Gillette Stadium                                     On sale March 19
Aug. 08               Minneapolis, MN           US Bank Stadium                                 On sale March 19
Aug. 10               Chicago, IL                  Soldier Field                                         On sale March 19

Aug. 13              Detroit, MI                    Ford Field                                             On sale March 19
Aug. 18                Buffalo, NY                  New Era Field                                       On sale March 19
Aug. 23                Nashville, TN                Vanderbilt Stadium                               On sale March 19
Aug. 25                Atlanta, GA                  Mercedes Benz Stadium                      On sale March 19
Aug. 29                Orlando, FL                  Camping World Stadium                       On sale March 19
Aug. 31               Miami, FL                     Hard Rock Stadium                              On sale March 19
Sept. 11              Arlington, TX                AT&T Stadium                                      On sale March 19

Sept. 13                New Orleans, LA          Mercedes-Benz Superdome                 On sale March 19
Sept. 15               Houston, TX                 NRG Stadium                                       On sale March 19
Sept. 19               Phoenix, AZ                 University of Phoenix Stadium              On sale March 19
Sept. 22              Los Angeles, CA          Rose Bowl                                            On sale March 19
Sept. 27              San Diego, CA             SDCCU Stadium                                   On sale March 19
Sept. 29               Santa Clara, CA           Levi's Stadium                                      On sale March 19
Oct. 02                Vancouver, BC             BC Place                                              On sale March 19


For complete tour and ticket information visit: www.livenation.com, www.beyonce.com & www.rocnation.com.

South London rapper Flohio shares the studio edit of her new single 'Bands'. The track is being independently released and is available to buy and stream now via all partners. Check it out HERE

Hailing from Bermondsey, Flohio (AKA Funmi Ohiosumah) is a British-Nigerian artist, rapper and songwriter. Building on the blueprints of grime and UK rap, Flohio's sound pulls in references that span electronic music. Her recent work with God Colony and L-Vis 1990 has already been championed by Julie Adenuga, Toddla T, Jamz Supernova and many others. On 'Bands', producer HLMNSRA provides the foundations for Flohio to deliver unrivalled flow and lyrical ability. The track was initially performed in session for Colors Studios in Berlin ahead of its official release today.

Starting on home turf, Flohio is soon to perform at Bermondsey Social Club on April 12th, having previously supported Princess Nokia. Among many accolades, Flohio was recently selected by Vogue's contributing editor Naomi Campbell as one of 'Ten Women Changing Our Future'. With more releases to come this year, she's seeking to surpass expectations.

SOUNDCLOUD / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

After months of anticipation, platinum-certified and critically-acclaimed Atlanta rapper and singer YFN Lucci announces March 9, 2018 as the release date of his anxiously awaited full-length debut, Ray Ray From Summer Hill [Think It’s A Game Records/Warner Bros. Records]. The announcement includes a reveal of Ray Ray From Summer Hill’s striking cover art, featuring YFN Lucci.

YFN Lucci introduced the forthcoming record with the red-hot single “Boss Life” [feat. Offset]. Earlier this month, Lucci brought the house down at the BET Social Awards with a high-energy and hard-hitting performance of the song. Online, it’s quickly nearing the 5-million mark on Spotify and 4 million views on YouTube. Additionally, the album boasts the brand new banger “Street Kings” [feat. Meek Mill].

However, these two anthems offer just a glimpse of what to expect from his very first offering.
It’s time to meet Ray Ray From Summer Hill.

February has been a banner month for YFN Lucci. He celebrated his 27th birthday by throwing an Instagram-worthy circus-themed “Trap Du Soleil” party, which TMZ called, “circus meets hood.” He also dropped the new Freda’s Son EP fueled by the standout posse cut “Propane” [feat. YFN Trae Pound & YFN Kay].

Celebrating the release of the album, YFN Lucci heads down to SXSW to perform at the Pandora showcase on March 14. If you’re in Austin, don’t miss it.

Singing and rapping with the same fiery force, YFN Lucci represents the next evolution of the Atlanta sound. Inking a deal with Think It’s A Game Records in 2014, he quietly developed into one of his city’s most powerful voices. Following the success of Wish Me Well, he unleashed Wish Me Well 2 in 2016. It yielded the platinum-certified smash “Key to the Streets” [feat. Migos & Trouble], which amassed over 43.2 million Spotify streams, turned up a high-profile remix with Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, and Quavo, and landed on XXL’s “50 Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2016” and Vibe’s “The 60 Best songs of 2016” list. Forbes proclaimed YFN Lucci among “5 Breakout Hip-Hop Artists to Watch This Summer” and Billboard dubbed him one of the “Top 10 Hip-Hop & R&B Artists to Watch in 2017”—he’s lived up to those claims with his EP Long Live Nut, and now Ray Ray From Summer Hill, (Think It’s A Game Records/Warner Bros. Records).

www.yfnlucci.com
www.instagram.com/yfnlucci
www.twitter.com/yfnlucci
www.facebook.com/yfnlucci

Grammy Award nominated recording artist and songwriter Remy Ma has found a new home with Columbia Records (RCA in the UK). One of the only female rappers to ever top the Billboard charts, Remy, who is fresh off the global smash hit “All The Way Up” is currently preparing a new album, titled 7 Winters & 6 Summers, which is set for an early 2018 release. The album will be her first full length, solo album post her time spent incarcerated in up-state New York and focuses on her life at large. The album fearlessly tackles multiple subjects including love, marriage, self-care, motherhood, identity and freedom, told from Remy’s point of view.

Says Shawn “Tubby” Holiday, the SVP of A&R, “Columbia Records is lucky to get to partner with Remy on this album. We could not be more proud to be her label home, and help provide a platform for the release of 7 Winters & 6 Summers. It is an incredible album detailing Remy’s story. She has so much to give her fans and this industry. Remy is a true hip hop Icon and we are beyond excited to share her music, and her vision, with the world.”

Remy released “Wake Me Up”, the first offering from 7 Winters & 6 Summers today. A blistering street record featuring Lil Kim, “Wake Me Up” premiered today as Zane Lowe’s World Record on Beats 1 to immediate fan reaction. Stream and purchase “Wake Me Up” here: http://smarturl.it/WMU

A music industry trailblazer, Remy Ma, who is managed by the Vincent Herbert Company, has multiple Grammy Award nominations and is the recipient of two Vibe awards, two Source awards, and one of only three multiple winners of The BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, which she won in 2005 and 2017 respectively. She is widely – and rightfully - recognized for paving the way for many young women recording artists. 

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Gorillaz share a surprise new track, Garage Palace featuring Little Simz. The song has already been raucously received at their live shows and now it comes accompanied by a brilliantly retro 8-bit video game visualiser. Collaborating with Little Simz’ illustrator McKay Felt and director Noah Harris, this video adds to their long run of innovative and ground-breaking work, with the game ingeniously following Simz through dark alleys and cloudy skies on a series of combats, missions and obstacles to reach the top of a tower block for her final battle, but not without the collective muscle of Gorillaz behind her. Level UP!
 
Even more excitingly, Little Simz will be supporting Gorillaz on the Humanz tour across European and U.K. dates this Autumn/Winter. European dates commence in November which will lead to their homecoming gigs in London’s O2 Arena on December 4th and 5th, with their usual line up of surprise special guests.
 
The Super Deluxe Vinyl Boxset consists of Gorillaz’ new album Humanz, presented across 14 individual pieces of 12-inch different coloured vinyl, packaged in individually art-worked sleeves. All tracks on Humanz are backed with a non-album bonus track, most of which are previously unreleased. The Boxset also Includes a 54-page, cloth-bound, foil-blocked, hardback book of Gorillaz artwork by Jamie Hewlett and a download card, all housed in a bespoke 12-inch vinyl carrying case.
 
Track listing:
 
No. 1   
A1. Intro: I Switched My Robot Off
A2. Ascension (feat. Vince Staples)
B1. Long Beach
                                              
No. 2    
A1. Strobelite (feat. Peven Everett)
B2. Colombians
                                              
No. 3    
A1. Saturnz Barz (feat. Popcaan)
B2. Duetz
                                              
No. 4    
A1. Momentz (feat. De La Soul)
B2. Midnite Float (feat. Azekel)
                                              
No. 5    
A1. Interlude: The Non-conformist Oath
A2. Submission (feat. Danny Brown & Kelela)
B1. Grilling With His Face
                                              
No. 6    
A1. Charger (feat. Grace Jones)
B1. Charger (Alternative Version feat. Pauline Black)
                                              
No. 7    
A1. Interlude: Elevator Going Up
A2. Andromeda (feat. D.R.A.M.)
B1. Andromeda (D.R.A.M. Special)                    
                                              
No. 8    
A1. Busted and Blue
B1. Busted and Blue (Faia Younan Special)
                                              
No. 9    
A1. Interlude: Talk Radio
A2. Carnival (feat. Anthony Hamilton)
B1. Carnival (2D Special feat. Anthony Hamilton)
                                              
No. 10  
A1. Let Me Out (feat. Mavis Staples & Pusha T)
B1. Five Whales In A Dream
                                              
No. 11  
A1. Interlude: Penthouse
A2. Sex Murder Party (feat. Jamie Principle & Zebra Katz)
B1. Garage Palace (feat. Little Simz)
                                              
No. 12  
A1. She's My Collar (feat. Kali Uchis)
B1. She's My Collar (Kali Uchis Spanish Special)
                                               
No. 13  
A1. Interlude: The Elephant
A2. Halleujah Money (feat. Benjamin Clementine)
B1.  Phoenix On The Hill (feat. Sidiki Diabaté)
                                              
No. 14  
A1. We Got The Power (feat. Jehnny Beth)
B1. Tranzformer
 
Gorillaz live shows – which all sold out in record time - have already been met with a rapturous response.  The band headlined the inaugural Demon Dayz festival in Margate earlier this summer and most recently continued their Humanz world tour across dates in the US. They will return to UK shores later this year for headline shows in November and December, be sure not to miss out.
 
The full list of EU/UK dates on the Humanz Tour:
 
November 2017:

1 ESCH SUR ALZETTE, LUXEMBOURG – Rockhal
2 VIENNA, AUSTRIA – Wiener Stadthalle
4 COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – Royal Arena
5  OSLO, NORWAY – Oslo Spectrum
6 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – Hovet
8 ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND – Samsung Hall
9 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Arena de Geneve

11 MUNICH, GERMANY – Zenith
13  BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – Arena
14 PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC – 02 Arena
17 BERLIN, GERMANY – Max-Schmeling-Halle
18 DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY – Mitsubishi Electric Halle
19 HAMBURG, GERMANY – Sporthalle Hamburg
21 AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Ziggo Dome

22 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – Forest National/Vorst Nationaal
24 PARIS, FRANCE – Zénith de Paris
25 PARIS, FRANCE – Zénith de Paris
27 BRIGHTON, UK – Brighton Centre 
29 GLASGOW, UK – The SSE Hydro

December 2017:

1 BIRMINGHAM, UK – Arena Birmingham
4 LONDON, UK – The 02 Arena       
5 LONDON, UK – The 02 Arena
13 MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY – Vélodromo Municipal