Warner Music Group has unveiled a new Asian label based in Hong Kong, Asiatic Records, which will focus on signing hip-hop and rap talent across the region, with a special emphasis on supporting female artists in the region.

While WMG has launched country-specific hip-hop labels in the past, the new label is the first Warner imprint to have as its mission the creation of “truly cross-Asian — and worldwide — superstars in the genre,” the company says in a press release.

Rival music companies have also established hip-hop-focused labels in Asia in recent years. In 2019, Universal launched Def Jam South East Asia, which is based in Singapore and has teams in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. That year UMG also started Mass Appeal India with New York-based Mass Appeal, to focus on India’s thriving hip-hop scene.

Warner says it plans for Asiatic to “lean heavily into supporting female artists,” noting what it sees as an underrepresentation in recorded music of female talent from Asia working in the hip-hop genre.

“The label will seek to provide a home for these artists, and a platform for them to reach the widest audience possible,” the label says.

Asiatic’s first signing is Indonesian artist RAMENGVRL (real name: Putri Estiani), who just released the singles “I’m Ugly” and “Ain’t No MF Like Me” featuring pH-1 on the new imprint. The Jakarta native released her debut studio album, Can’t Speak English, in 2020 on Empire, and won Hip-Hop Song of the Year in 2018 and 2019 at the Anugerah Musik Indonesia Awards for “Decide” and “Ca$hmere,” respectively. Forbes Indonesia also featured her in its latest “30-Under-30” edition.

“She is just one example of the cutting-edge, multi-lingual artists breaking out in the region,” says David Stouck, vp A&R Asia, Warner Music. “We really see an opportunity at Asiatic to amplify top-tier talent from across Asia and to provide a launchpad for their worldwide success.”

In a statement, RAMENGVRL says that “making it in Indonesia with music that defies conservative views is one crazy accomplishment. Now with Warner Music’s support, I’m ready to make my mark across the rest of Asia, and beyond. I’m so glad that the team at Asiatic Records is fully in line with this vision and my unapologetic f-what you think style.”

The new owners of the long-mythologized Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan’s single-copy album that sold to Martin Shkreli in 2015, have finally been revealed, Rolling Stone reports. The one-of-a-kind physical album was purchased in July for $4 million by a decentralized autonomous organization called PleasrDAO, a 74-member group of crypto-heads, best known for acquiring high-profile digital goods, including a multi-million dollar purchase of the “Doge” meme NFT (non-fungible token) last month.

Though the Wu-Tang album is only available in one physical copy, shrouded in an ornate silver box, all of PleasrDAO’s members will share collective ownership of the good.

A DAO is a community of members who make collective decisions without hierarchies or centralization. Commonly, these communities convene on private Discord channels and their access is gated to those who hold a certain crypto token or NFT to be inducted.

This sale marks PleasrDAO’s first foray into acquiring a physical good. Although it may seem antithetical for a DAO to want to purchase an item outside of the Web3 cannon, Jamis Johnson, PleasrDAO’s Chief Pleasing Officer — yes, you read that correctly — and longtime Wu-Tang fan, sees Once Upon a Time in Shaolin as one of NFT’s physical predecessors.

Prior to the minting of the first NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain in 2017, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin proved the merits of creating an intentionally scarce good, driven by hype and public anticipation. NFTs, Johnson believes, are just the blockchain-powered extension of such an ethos.

Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’s initial $2 million dollar sale to Shkreli, who was then best known for jacking up the prices of life-saving pharmaceuticals like insulin by as much as 5,000%, provoked outrage among fans. But by 2018, the mysterious WuTang work was forfeited to the federal government in an attempt to satisfy the $7.4 million that Shkreli was ordered to pay as part of his sentencing on two counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiring to commit securities fraud, placing Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’s future uncertain.

PleasrDAO purchased the album in July, effectively doubling the price of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’s initial sale to Shkreli. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, in Brooklyn, announced its sale soon after but refused to provide details about its new owner or selling point at that time.

By Sept. 10, PleasrDAO took possession of the one-of-a-kind album and relocated it to an undisclosed location in New York City, according to the New York Times. Protected in a vault, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is closely guarded under its new ownership. Along with taking physical possession, the DAO also minted Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’s ownership deed as an NFT, enshrouding its sale on the blockchain with the help of crypto-savvy attorney Peter Scoolidge.

Though Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’s creators set strict rules for the album’s use, like forbidding any consumption or distribution of the album to the public for 88 years, Johnson and the other members of the DAO say they hope to find a way to exhibit their new rarity to the world, as long as they get the blessing of WuTang leader RZA and producer Cilvaringz.

Jeff Tweedy has shared a cover of Neil Young‘s ‘The Old Country Waltz’ – you can listen to it below.

The Wilco frontman’s new take on the 1977 song will appear on a forthcoming deluxe edition of his 2020 album, ‘Love Is The King’. Set for release on December 10 via dBpm Records, the collection comprises live versions of tracks from the original record.

READ MORE: Wilco – ‘An Ode to Joy’ review: a quietly triumphant return to form

You can pre-order ‘Love Is The King / Live Is The King’ from here, with Tweedy’s rendition of ‘The Old Country Waltz’ available as an instant download.

An official performance video is also available on YouTube. The live backing band featured in the clip will play with Tweedy as his upcoming shows in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, which run between December and January (some of the concerts will be solo).

Tickets go on general sale here at 10am local time this Friday (October 22). Tweedy’s official website allows fans to “request a song” for him to perform at their chosen gig.

The deluxe set features the original LITK tracks alongside live versions of the songs, plus a bonus cover of Neil Young’s “Old Country Waltz.”

Preorder now:
US: https://t.co/TDzzZ28eYV
EU: https://t.co/KhT8IVoUHh
AUS: https://t.co/6Lf0hQG2dc pic.twitter.com/3fpzL6n4Jw

— Jeff Tweedy (@JeffTweedy) October 19, 2021

The full ‘Live Is The King’ tracklist is as follows:

01. ‘Love Is The King’ (Live)
02. ‘Opaline’ (Live)
03. ‘A Robin or A Wren’ (Live)
04. ‘Gwendolyn’ (Live)
05. ‘Bad Day Lately’ (Live)
06. ‘Even I Can See’ (Live)
07. ‘Natural Disaster’ (Live)
08. ‘Save It For Me’ (Live)
09. ‘Guess Again’ (Live)
10. ‘Troubled’ (Live)
11. ‘Half-Asleep’ (Live)
12. ‘The Old Country Waltz’ (Live)

Last week saw Jeff Tweedy release two new songs for the Sub Pop Singles Club series, ‘C’mon America’ and ‘UR-60 Unsent’.

Wilco, meanwhile, hit the road for their COVID-delayed US tour in August. The lengthy run of dates is scheduled to wrap up in Los Angeles on October 26.

The post Listen to Jeff Tweedy’s cover of Neil Young’s ‘The Old Country Waltz’ appeared first on NME.

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs have covered ‘Hot Stuff by Donna Summer – listen below.

The Newcastle band’s spin of the disco classic will help raise money for Sunderland record store Pop Recs, which was co-owned by the late Frankie & The Heartstrings drummer Dave Harper.

Harper died in August aged 43, prompting an outpouring of tributes from the likes of The Cribs, Nadine Shah, Tim Burgess and Self Esteem.

Pigs’ Adam Ian Sykes explained: “Dave was a hero to a lot of people and rightly so, his contributions to music in the north east were enormous. Pop Recs is such an important place to the area and a legacy that needs and deserves a great deal of support.”

Lancaster duo The Lovely Eggs provide guest vocals on the ‘Hot Stuff’ cover. “[They’re] just as their name suggests,” Sykes said. “So easy to work with to boot. They were exactly what we needed.”

As for their choice of track, the musician explained: “When we’re writing we always begin with a single riff, it seems to us that ‘Hot Stuff began’ life the same way. It’s an untouchable song in a lot of ways but well, here we are.”

You can purchase the song on Bandcamp via its “name your price” option. “All profits [go] to help raise money for Pop Recs in memory of Dave Harper,” an official description reads.

In the wake of Dave Harper’s death, Frankie & The Heartstrings launched a crowdfunder to help support his family. The page raised £25,510 from 727 supporters over the course of 28 days.

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs released their third album, ‘Viscerals’, in April 2020. They are set to hit the road between October 23-December 19, taking in dates in Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, London, Leeds and other cities.

You can find the full schedule and remaining tickets here.

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If you watched NBA basketball during the peak T-Mac era, then you know he was a once-in-a-generation athlete. Only hindered by injuries to himself (later on in his career) and to teammates (imagine a healthy Grant Hill and Yao Ming at 100%), T-Mac was an absolute beast on the offensive end with nobody in the league worthy enough to check him. Even the late Kobe Bryant consistently praised the guy during and after their careers, lauding his abilities and likening the fellow prep-to-pro star to a bigger version of himself.

Thusly his adidas T-Mac signature shoe line took off in popularity, and while everyone has a different favorite, we can all agree that the messaging behind adidas’ ad campaigns for the shoe were spot on. For the T-Mac 3, adidas stripped it down and focused on multiple layers of McGrady performing his offensive on-court moves – each move being its own individual lesson. His two-handed tomahawks, his pull-up Js, his post-moves were all top-level lectures in the school of basketball, but above all was his reiteration of winning being of paramount importance. What good is dropping 50 if your team takes an L?

This upcoming adidas T-Mac 3 is currently scheduled to release on November 1st, 2021, although release dates as a whole are flimsy due to ongoing shipping issues. Stay tuned for potential updates and check out the official photos and the old-school ads below.

After MarketAvailable Now

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Lana Del Rey has released a music video for the title track from her upcoming album Blue Banisters — her second 2021 project, following March’s Chemtrails Over the Country Club. Her eighth studio album will be released this Friday.

In the rustic new video, Del Rey is surrounded by her girlfriends as they paint some banisters (and each other) blue. They also bake up some desserts and sit atop a John Deere tractor in the gauzy visual.

In addition to the title track, Blue Banisters will also include the previously released songs “Wildflower Wildfire,” “Text Book” and “Arcadia,” whose music video was released earlier this month.

Blue Banisters will be available at digital retailers, and can be purchased via CD and cassette with various exclusive vinyl formats found at www.lanadelrey.com.

Watch the video and see full track list below.

Blue Banisters track list

Text Book
Blue Banisters
Arcadia
Interlude – The Trio
Black Bathing Suit
If You Lie Down With Me
Beautiful
Violets for Roses
Dealer
Thunder
Wildflower Wildfire
Nectar of the Gods
Living Legend
Cherry Blossom
Sweet Carolina

The Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Jumbo is a women’s-exclusive take on the brand’s first basketball sneaker. Recently, the silhouette has appeared in a predominantly “Sail” colorway complete with pastel accents.

As if the exaggerated profile logos weren’t deviation enough from the model’s original design, synthetic leather construction is coupled with elastic fabric around the heel for fashion-forwardness and easy on-and-off functionality. Detailing on the laces and tip of the toe deviate from their “colorless” surroundings in shades of pink and purple, with the latter color also animating the jumbo branding at the profiles and spines. Underfoot, the Nike Blazer forgoes eye-catching hues in favor of a muted color palette. Yet, outsoles make a statement with their aggressive, reworked tread.

No stateside Nike.com release date has been confirmed, but that might change in the coming weeks. In any case, enjoy official images of the pair here below.

Elsewhere, the Nike Air Huarache is celebrating its 30th anniversary in style.

Images: Nike

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Kacey Musgraves ranks in the top 10 of a Billboard airplay chart for the first time in over eight years with “Justified,” which jumps 13-10 on the Adult Alternative Airplay tally dated Oct. 23.

“Justified” is Musgraves’ second airplay top 10, after “Merry Go ‘Round,” which peaked at No. 10 on Country Airplay in March 2013, tying her best rank on an airplay survey.

After “Merry Go ‘Round,” Musgraves appeared on Country Airplay with six songs in 2013-19, hitting a No. 23 best with “Blowin’ Smoke” in June 2013. She also began to cross over to other formats in the late ’10s and early ’20s, reaching No. 39 on Adult Pop Airplay with “High Horse” in August 2018, No. 16 on Adult Contemporary with “Rainbow” (March 2019) and No. 31 on Adult Alternative Airplay with “Oh, What a World 2.0″ (September 2020).

Concurrently, “Justified” rises 28-26 on Adult Pop Airplay and marks Musgraves’ first entry on Pop Airplay, bowing at No. 39.

While “Justified” has drawn nominal exposure on country radio thus far, it has spent seven weeks on the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart. After peaking at No. 22 in September, it currently places at No. 35, driven by 2.2 million U.S. streams and 1,000 sold in the week ending Oct. 14, according to MRC Data.

Star-Crossed, Musgraves’ fifth studio album, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 dated Sept. 25 and has earned 157,000 equivalent album units since its release. The album has made headlines recently after a Recording Academy subcommittee ruled it ineligible to compete for the best country album award at the 2022 Grammys.

Chris Brown is supporting Kyrie Irving’s decision to forego the COVID-19 vaccine. Brown took to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday (Oct. 20) to voice his approval of the NBA star’s decision to not get vaccinated — a choice that has caused the Brooklyn Nets star to be barred from playing in any games.

“THE REAL HERO!!! I stand with my brother,” the R&B singer wrote over a picture of the basketball player. “WHOEVER DONT LIKE IT… Go live your damn life.. ITS HIS CHOICE AND A DAMN GOOD ONE. ALWAYS IN MY BROTHERS CORNER.”

Brown has yet to make an official statement on whether he’s been vaccinated against COVID-19, but Irving recently revealed that he is neither pro-vaccine nor anti-vaccine during an Instagram Live on Oct. 14.

“The financial consequences, I know I do not want to even do that,” Irving said. “But it is reality that in order to be in New York City, in order to be on a team, I have to be vaccinated. I chose to be unvaccinated, and that was my choice, and I would ask you all to just respect that choice.”

The Brooklyn Nets player added, “I am going to just continue to stay in shape, be ready to play, be ready to rock out with my teammates and just be part of this whole thing. This is not a political thing; this is not about the NBA, not about any organization. This is about my life and what I am choosing to do.”

Brown — who recently achieved a No. 3 hit in March on the Billboard Hot 100 with his and Young Thug’s “Go Crazy” — is currently being sued for copyright infringement for his 2019 hit “No Guidance,” alongside Drake, for the  similarities to the 2016 track “I Love Your Dress” by Braidon Cooper (performing as Mr. Cooper) and Timothy Valentine (credited as Drum’N Skillz).

On Oct. 25, Garth Brooks will join the Recording Industry Association of America in honoring late country music legend Charley Pride with the RIAA’s lifetime achievement award. The event will take place at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tenn.

“Sometimes the greatest honor you can receive is being part of honoring someone else – this is an honor,” Brooks said via a statement.

Pride’s son Dion will accept the honor on behalf of his late father. Brooks will also speak with songwriter, author and Vanderbilt University faculty member Alice Randall as part of a Q&A session centering on the impact of Pride’s influence on country music. Randall penned the Trisha Yearwood hit “XXX’s and OOO’s,” consulted on and appeared in the Ken Burns documentary Country Music and appeared in Pride’s PBS documentary I’m Just Me.

In September 2020, just months before his death in December, Pride collaborated with Brooks on the duet “Where the Cross Don’t Burn,” written by Troy Jones and Phil Thomas. Brooks traveled to Pride’s Dallas studio to record the duet, a musical tale that chronicles the friendship between a young white boy and an older Black man during segregation.

In August, Pride was feted by CMT with the 90-minute special CMT Giants: Charley Pride, which featured Pride’s wife Rozene, as well as a sterling lineup of artists including Brooks, Jimmie Allen, Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Luke Combs, Mickey Guyton, George Strait, Wynonna, Ronnie Milsap, Reyna Roberts, Gladys Knight and more. In addition to artists performing their favorite Pride hits, the special also included rare, older interview footage with Pride.

Singer and actress Shoshana Bean is reviving a holiday tradition with the announcement of three holiday concerts this December. Tickets to the dates, dubbed the “Sing Your Hallelujah” concert are available now online.

The three dates come after last year’s scheduled shows were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Bean pivoted to a virtual holiday concert, which was filmed live at the Apollo Theater in New York City and streamed online. (Bean previously performed holiday concerts in 2018 and 2019.)

Bean brings her “Sing Your Hallelujah” show to London, New York and Los Angeles this year, with her first show on Dec. 4 in London’s West End at Cadogan Hall. She will then return to where it all began, and where last year’s streamed concert was filmed, with a Dec. 13 date at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. The final date sees Bean in LA, performing at the Immanuel Presbyterian Cathedral for a Dec. 18 concert. Organizers have teased special guests joining Bean in each city, though no names have been released thus far. Last year’s virtual concert featured performances from Broadway star Gavin Creel, TV and film star Jeremy Jordan, singer Shayna Steele, tap dancer Jared Grimes and 2020 Tony Award nominee Daniel J. Watts, who was nominated for his role as Ike Turner in the hit musical, Tina.

Bean promoted the concerts on her Instagram this week, teasing that it would celebrate “Christmas (and a lil Hanukkah).” According to a press release, “Sing Your Hallelujah uniquely captures that spirit with fresh interpretations of holiday classics, intimate collaborations with special guests and honest reflections as we strive to overcome loss and separation endured during this unprecedented time in history.”

Sing Your Hallelujah is produced by For the Record (FTR) in New York and Los Angeles, and co-produced by For the Record and Fourth Wall Live in London. Other FTR productions include the recent “Tarantino Live” cabaret in Hollywood, and the forthcoming “Love Actually Live,” which returns to LA this holiday season.

A new compilation album by the Ghanaian record label Essiebons has been announced.

The work, which celebrates the label’s founder, the Ghanaian producer Dick Essilfie-Bondzie, is released on December 3 via Analog Africa. It features previously unreleased Highlife instrumentals from some of his label’s biggest hitters.

Titled ‘Essiebons Special 1973 – 1984 // Ghana Music Power House’, the 14-track compilation album features songs by Ebo Taylor, Ernest Honny, C.K. Mann, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Kofi Papa Yankson, and Rob ‘Roy’ Raindorf.

Essilfie-Bondzie died before the compilation of was finished. For most of the 1970s his Dix and Essiebon labels were synonymous with the best in modern Highlife music.

Album artwork for ‘Essiebons Special 1973 – 1984 // Ghana Music Power House’. CREDIT: Press

‘Essiebons Special 1973 – 1984 // Ghana Music Power House’ track list:

01. Ernest Honny – ‘Kofi Psych (Interlude 1)’ 04:28
02. Joe Meah – ‘Dee Mmaa Pe’ 06:13
03. C.K. Mann & His Carousel 7 – ‘Yeaba’ 04:28
04. Santrofi-Ansa – ‘Shakabula’ 04:13
05. Seaboy & Nyame Bekyere – ‘Tinitini’ 04:16
06. Joe Meah – ‘Ahwene Pa Nkasa’ 06:59
07. Ernest Honny – ‘Ernest Special’ 04:00
08. Seaboy – ‘Africa’ 06:27
09. Nyame Bekyere – ‘Medley’ 10:41
10. Ernest Honny – ‘Say The Truth’ 06:11
11. Black Masters Band – ‘Wonnin A Bisa’ 05:33
12. Sawaaba Soundz – ‘Egye Tu Gbe’ 03:45
13. C.K. Mann Big Band – ‘Fa W‘akoma Ma Me’ 04:12
14. Ernest Honny – ‘Odo Mframa’ 06:11

The first single, ‘Africa’ by Seaboy, is out now. The album will be released as a double LP pressed on 140g virgin vinyl with a gatefold cover and a full colour 12-page booklet (AALP 093).

It’s also available on CD with a full colour 28-pages booklet (AACD 093) as well as digital download and streaming. Pre-orders are available via Bandcamp.

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