Welcome to this week’s Notables, Boardroom’s overview of the buzziest bits circulating in the music industry.
Over the weekend, Bad Bunny took over the Bronx, packing Yankee Stadium on two nights in a row on the heels of the release of his music video for “Neverita,” and the news that his record-breaking album, Un Verano Sin Ti , had returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a ninth week, tying the Encanto soundtrack for the most total, non-consecutive weeks atop the chart in 2022.
It all culminated Sunday at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Alongside an iconic guest list that included Romeo Santos, Jowell & Randy, the Marias, Diplo and more, it didn’t stop there for Bunny, as former New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony made a surprise appearance to present him with his Artist of the Year award.
Speaking of the VMAs, Nicki Minaj took home the coveted Video Vanguard Award after earning her first solo No. 1 song with “Super Freaky Girl” just last week.
However, it was Lisa of BLACKPINK who ultimately stole the show. The group won the award for Best K-Pop Video, and she led them in a stellar performance of their latest single, “Pink Venom,” that has since garnered over nine million views. It’s the highest-charting song by a female Korean act in Billboard Hot 100 history and additionally debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200.
And of course, DJ Khaled has done it again. For his 13th studio album, the 18-track GOD DID, the star-studded list of guest appearances includes Drake, Jay-Z, Ye, Future, Travis Scott, Rick Ross, 21 Savage, Kodak Black, Nardo Wick, SZA, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Gunna, Quavo, Takeoff, Jadakiss, John Legend and the late Juice WRLD.
Below, Boardroom’s Megan Armstrong and Nate Louis make sure you don’t miss anything else under the sun worth hitting your group chat(s) about, from Taylor Swift’s new album and Big Sean’s latest work with the Detroit Pistons to Lil Tjay’s next music release.
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Big Sean and The Detroit Pistons
Big Sean loves Detroit. It’s why he’s named two of his most classic mixtapes after the city.
He also loves his role as Creative Director of Innovation for the Detroit Pistons, and it’s showing.
The Detroit-born rapper first added his “Don Life” logo to the teams practice jerseys almost two years ago. Now, it’s all come full circle as Sean announced that uniforms he’d designed would be revealed in October.
“Imagine being from Detroit n having the @detroitpistons wear your logo on their jerseys like this man, iconic. Grateful! #DONLIFE 🌍,” Sean wrote on Instagram.
The news came prior to the rapper’s celebrity kickball game, which has become a community staple as part of Sean’s annual DON Weekend, a community-based charity event that aims to provide resources to support the youth of Detroit. Rising Pistons rookie Jaden Ivey and third-year guard Saben Lee were in attendance and joined in on the game as team captains.
— Nate Louis
Taylor Swift Announces Next Album
Several A-listers were notably absent from the Prudential Center in Newark for this year’s VMAs, but Taylor Swift made the most of a rare night out. She claimed three awards for last November’s “All Too Well: The Short Film” (Video of the Year, Best Longform Video, and Best Direction) — and the prolific star used her acceptance speech for Video of the Year to announce she has a new album dropping a new album, Midnights, on Oct. 21.
Shortly afterward, Swift divulged more about her forthcoming 10th studio LP. There are 13 tracks — a number that several fans were quick to connect to when and where she announced Midnights.
Suffice to say that Swift is coming for the Sad Girl Autumn crown. Again. — Megan Armstrong
Snoop, Eminem Bring the Metaverse to the VMAs
Snoop Dogg and Eminem took to the VMA stage together for the first time in two decades — only this time, they were Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs.
Marking a first at the VMAs, their Web3-powered performance of “From the D 2 the LBC” featured a mix of live stage presence and pre-recorded Bored Ape-inspired animation from the two legends.
Both Snoop and Eminem are notable NFT collectors, with Snoop having his hand in an increasing number of different cross-platform projects and IP collaborations. And though the metaverse-charged Em and Snoop performance received mixed reviews, we’re sure it won’t be the last of its kind. — NL
Lil Tjay Returns to Rap
Lil Tjay is back after surviving a near-fatal shooting in New Jersey in late June.
Last week, the artist took to Instagram for the first time in months to provide an update on his health:
“I’m just checking in with y’all. I just wanna say thanks for the love, thanks for the support. I been looking at the DMs, the comments and everything else and I feel love. Seven shots — it was tough, you know? Most people don’t survive it, but I’m here. Here for a reason, and new music coming soon. We’re gonna come back stronger than ever. Love y’all.”
His latest single, “Beat The Odds,” dropped on Friday. Its music video showcases the 21-year-old Bronx artist in a neck brace on its cover. The production intercuts with footage Tjay recorded from his hospital bed.
“Beat the Odds” marks the rapper’s first release since the incident and since April’s “Goin Up.” Lil Tjay put out his last full-length album, Destined 2 Win, back in 2021. — NL
Demi Lovato: Holy Fvck, Indeed
Demi Lovato returned to their rock-fueled roots with Holy Fvck, which released on Aug. 19, and authenticity pays off. Lovato has battled more significant things than the charts, and arriving in a creatively free place after all of that is the true win — but it’s still worth celebrating their eighth studio album topping Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, and Top Alternative Albums charts.
According to Billboard, this marks the first No. 1 on each chart for Lovato, and the album moved 33,000 equivalent album units (20,000 album sales) in its first week. — MA
Givéon, Tres Gen Tequila Launch “Get Up Tres”
R&B singer Givéon has teamed up with Tres Generaciones Tequila for a new partnership that honors the next generation of artists, creatives and fans alike called “Get Up Tres.”
The tequila brand is going on the road with Givéon for the artist’s Give or Take Tour, capturing an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the rigors of tour life and releasing a series of videos throughout the process.
Tres Gen will also serve as the official sponsor of the tour, hosting cocktail events en route.
The Give or Take Tour, which shares its name with the singer’s latest album, kicked off back on Aug. 16 at Philadelphia’s Metropolitan Opera House and finishes in Toronto on Oct. 19. — NL
Offset Goes Solo
Have we reached the end of the Migos era? Rumors have flown around regarding the Atlanta trio’s alleged breakup, but whatever the truth ultimately turns out to be, Offset’s solo career is in full effect.
Offset famously filed a lawsuit against Migos’ label, Quality Control Music, accusing the company of not honoring a deal they made back in January of 2021 by which he negotiated and paid for his artist rights. He added that QC tried to claim ownership of his single “54321″ produced by Baby Keem.
He is now asking the court to declare that QC does not own any material he’s created since Jan. 15, 2021. He has since signed to Motown Records as a solo artist.
His Migos’ counterparts, Quavo and Takeoff, have seemingly moved on as well, operating as the duo Unc & Phew. The pair has released three songs this year, most recently ”Big Stunna,” dedicated to (and featuring) Cash Money co-founder Birdman.
Offset also reunited with Moneybagg Yo on a new collaborative track called “Code,” directed by Claire Arnold and starring supermodel Bella Hadid (with whom he attended Serena Williams’ first-round match of the US Open).
Let’s just hope QC doesn’t try to claim that one, too. — NL
Pi’erre Bourne Makes a Good Movie
Queens-raised artist Pi’erre Bourne has enjoyed the fruits of his labor from his impressive last album, TLOP5, which has catapulted him into the upper echelon of rappers today.
Now, he’s looking to keep a good thing going with the announcement of his forthcoming studio album, Good Movie, set to premiere everywhere on Friday.
Bourne rolled out the project by delivering its “theme song” last week alongside the album’s lead single, tracklist, and cover art.
Previously teasing his collab with Don Toliver, Bourne shared a few clips from the track’s video shoot on Instagram. Along with Toliver, Young Nudy is also slated to join the 23-track project. His Good Movie World Tour kicks off next month at House Of Blues in Houston, Texas. — NL
Final Notes
- Dreamville artist JID released his first studio album in four years,The Forever Story
- Lil Baby’s UNTRAPPED documentary, directed by Karam Gill, is now available on Amazon.
- Megan Thee Stallion joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She’s set to appear in new Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law after landing a double cover inThe Cut, alongside Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.
- Yeat announced his upcoming project, the 12-song EP entitled Lyfë. Its first single drops this Friday
- Rising alt star Jean Dawson is ready to deliver his third full LP, CHAOS NOW*, confirming a release date of Nov. 29.
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