Welcome to this week’s Notables, Boardroom’s overview of the buzziest bits circulating in the music industry.
We’ve made it to August, but the heat still isn’t letting up. We can thank the music for that.
This past week, Beyoncé released her seventh studio album, RENAISSAINCE, her first solo effort since 2016’s hugely successful Lemonade. The project took the music world by storm with a Black House/Dance-inspired record reminiscent of Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind.
Similarly, Frank Ocean has been rumored to be making a dance record of his own, Lil Yachty is experimenting with alternative sounds, and Calvin Harris gets set to release the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 with Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2, which features including (but not limited to) Pharrell, 21 Savage, Dua Lipa, Young Thug, Coi Leray, Normani, Tinashe, Offset, Busta Rhymes, Halsey, Justin Timberlake, Jorja Smith, Latto, and Pusha T.
Below, Boardroom’s Megan Armstrong and Nate Louis make sure you don’t miss anything worth hitting your group chat(s) about, from IDK’s trademark dustup with Popeyes to Bobby Shmurda’s next project to Icewear Vezzo making things official with Quality Control.
Eyedress Takes Over London w/ RealYungPhil & Lucien Clarke
Indie darling singer-songwriter Eyedress and Connecticut rapper RealYungPhil have been getting in a ton of cardio running the streets of London. In their all-new video, “2 HEADED GOAT,” featuring Jamaican-born, UK native Lucien Clarke — the first skater to be Louis Vuitton-sponsored with a signature skate shoe — thanks to Virgil Abloh, of course.
Off his latest EP, A Good Life, “2 HEADED GOAT” is produced by Eyedress but sounds as if Quentin Tarantino sought out the Filipino artist to score a chase scene for one of his films. The result is a fast-paced build, assisted by Eyedress’ speedy guitar work, which finds the vigilante tandem taking a late-night cruise in the Maybach.
The song captures a motivational monologue from Clarke, too. As he states in a collect call, “There’s only a 1-of-1 of you and you ain’t gotta prove shit to no one but you, you see it?“
Eyedress’ album, FULL TIME LOVER, is expected to release Aug. 26. — Nate Louis
IDK Calls Out Popeyes
IDK knows his worth. In late July, Popeyes unveiled its $6 “IDK Meal.” Fans of the rapper naturally assumed it was a branded partnership, as with as KFC’s Jack Harlow Meal. Nope!
“Popeyes, y’all know I own the trademark for IDK?” IDK tweeted. “Ppl are confused and think I have something to do with this when no one reached out to me. Can we fix this?”
It would appear that the issue has not been fixed as of this writing:
Amidst the bizarre drama, IDK took it upon himself to tease a potential collaboration that is legitimate:
IDK signed with Nike in June 2021. — Megan Armstrong
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Bobby Shmurda’s First Post-Prison Album Under New Label
After serving six years of a seven-year sentence, Bobby Shmurda was released from Clinton Correctional Facility in February of last year.
Since then, Shmurda has done a slew of eye-opening and entertaining interviews, dropped two singles, and succeeded in getting out of a bad contract with Epic Records.
Now, with the announcement of his first post-prison project, Bodboy, Shmurda is officially back in the mix.
He also recently revealed his new label, GS9 Records, will operate in partnership with ONErpm.
Expected to release Friday, the nine-track EP includes single “Hoochie Daddy,” and will feature guest appearances from DaBaby, Meek Mill, Key Glock, Rowdy Rebel and Fat Tony. — NL
Amy Winehouse Biopic Takes Shape
It’s difficult to imagine any cinematic effort will top the 2015 Grammy-winning documentary Amy in capturing Amy Winehouse‘s tragically short life and career.
Even so, a new biopic titled Back to Black is reportedly in motion with “the full support of Mitch Winehouse,” Amy’s father, per Variety on July 11. That same report revealed Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson as the film’s director: “The film is believed to be very much a passion project for Taylor-Johnson, who was a close friend of Winehouse’s.”
The UK singer-songwriter died July 23, 2011 at the age of 27.
On July 28, Variety exclusively reported that Marisa Abela “is a frontrunner” to portray the late icon, though “a small group of other actors” are also believed to be in the mix. Abela stars in HBO and BBC drama Industry, which returned Monday for its second season. — MA
Icewear Vezzo Gifted QC Chain Along w/ New Deal
Icewear Vezzo was on stage at the Toronto stop of Lil Baby and Chris Brown’s One of Them Ones Tour when Quality Control CEO Pierre “P” Thomas appeared on stage and presented the Detroit rapper with a gift: a QC chain, officially marked his signing to P and Kevin “Coach K” Lee’s Atlanta-based label.
A powerhouse imprint already — QC’s lineup already includes Migos, City Girls, Lil Yachty, and Duke Deuce, as well as Cardi B on the management side of things — Vezzo won’t be the only Detroit native on the roster, as Baby Money additionally signed to Quality Control earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Quality Control continues to expand, with its own sports division now, an unscripted TV deal, and a Quavo-led Web3 Hollywood premiere.
The new deal comes on the heels of Vezzo’s latest album, Rich Off Pints 3, which peaked at #34 on the Billboard 200.
Vezzo became the first Detroit rapper ever to sign with Motown Records back in 2018 and has since gained steady momentum and interest over the last few years. — NL
Brent Faiyaz Re-ups Publishing Deal
Brent Faiyaz’s Wasteland album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 88,000 U.S. equivalent first-week album units.
The Maryland multi-hyphenate musician will continue to share his successes with PULSE Music Group, as he renewed his publishing deal originally signed in 2016.
Faiyaz remains an independent artist, which PULSE President and Head of Creative Ashley Calhoun previously told Boardroom has been a priority for Faiyaz from the start. — MA
Internet Money AnnouncesWE ALL WE GOT EP
Internet Money’s knack for recruiting the best and brightest acts of music’s rising generation cannot be understated.
Stemming from their star-studded 2020 album, B4 The Storm — which saw special guest verses from Trippie Redd, Juice WRLD, TyFontaine, and Cochise — the Los Angeles-based production collective, started by gifted producer Taz Taylor, now has its sights set on an underground tape for the ages.
Internet Money recently announced its all-new 6-track EP, WE ALL WE GOT , which is set to drop Aug. 19.
Soundcloud mainstays Yeat and LUCKI are set to appear, as well as Playboi Carti’s Opium signees Destroy Lonely and Ken Carson. Lil Yachty and Lil Tecca, who have been featured on previous IM tracks, return for another go.
While IM has already put out the lead single from the project with Yeat’s “No Handoutz,” they came back for more with Tecca and Ken Carson’s “She Wants Some More.” — NL
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