Business moves quick, and that's no exception for the rap world. From the hottest new signings, to movie deals, to album pushbacks, the industry is constantly in motion. It can be hard to keep up with at times, so we've consolidated all of the must-hear information from the past month, all in one place. Be on the look out for this monthly recap of news-worthy items you may have missed to stay afloat with the industry.
Jeremih's "Late Nights: The Album" Pushed Back
Originally supposed to drop at the end of September, the album has no new release date set yet.
Run The Jewels Confirm "Run The Jewels 3"
The critically acclaimed collaboration between Killer Mike and El-P isn't over yet. The duo confirmed that RTJ3 will happen earlier this month.
Angie Martinez Signs With Roc Nation
Angie Martinez made the crazy switch from Hot 97 to Power 105.1, but more recently she got picked up by Roc Nation Management.
Lil B Spoke at MIT
Not quite sure how the dude does it, but he always does it big. Lil B spoke at one of the world's most prestigious universities, video below.
Tyga & Drake Engage In Light Beef
After T-Raww aired his true feelings for Drake at the end of October, the two engaged in subtle shots towards each other into November. This included a bit of back-and-forth on Instagram centered around Kylie Jenner and Blac Chyna, and Tyga hiring Drake's ex-girl for his own music video.
Tupac Amaru Foundation Reportedly Prepping Single & Mixtape
We may get new music from 'Pac posthumously, as the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation has plans for a single and mixtape, with the funds going to benefit the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Jay Z Acquires Champagne Brand Armand de Brignac
The last time Jay Z acquired an alcohol brand, we all got an earful of branding in the form of a truly terrible pun that graced (or besmirched?) his and Beyoncé's "Drunk In Love," but with his latest acquisition, he'll have a much harder time incorporating the brand name into some wordplay
Tyler, The Creator To Release Documentary On Making Of "Wolf"
Tyler, The Creator is planning to give us an inside look into the creation of his third album Wolf, which dropped last April. However, this is going to be a pretty exclusive documentary, as only 100 copies will be made, and 50 of them will be available at the upcoming Odd Future Camp Flog Gnaw (which goes down in two days). Your boy also cried when N.E.R.D. reunited at his festival.
Mister Cee Retires From Hot 97
This time it's for real. Veteran DJ, Mister Cee (who's had his fair share of drama this past year) at the staple hip-hop radio station Hot 97 announced his retirement earlier this month. You can hear his final mix here.
Joey Bada$$ Announces Debut Album Release Date
This one's been a long time coming. New York native Joey Bada$$ revealed the release date for his debut album B4.DA.$$ earlier this month. It'll impact on January 20th 2015.
Jhene Aiko To Tour With SZA For "Enter The Void" Tour
Peep the tour dates here.
Kid Cudi & Method Man To Appear In CBS Drama "Scorpion"
As a musician, Kid Cudi's been called a lot of things, but "pop genius" might not be one of them. As an actor, that's a different story entirely, as he's just been tapped to appear as a "brilliant musical prodigy" in the CBS show "Scorpion."What's more, veteran rapper/actor Method Man will also appear in the episode as Lucky The King, a "hard core hip-hop manager with an intimidating, dismissive demeanor."
Jeezy Speaks At Juvenile Detention Center In Detroit
Lil B got MIT and Jeezy got a juvenile detention center. Coming out of early legal troubles, Jeezy was able to persevere and make a successful career for himself. This week, he shared advice with some young men at Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center in Detroit, when he decided to pay them a surprise visit.
Freddie Gibbs Got Shot At In Brooklyn
Freddie Gibbs saw a bit of drama after ending a successful performance at Rough Trade in Brooklyn. After the show ended, the rapper was shot at multiple times although thankfully he suffered no significant injuries, but two members of his entourage can't say the same.
Frank Ocean Denied Legal Name Change
Frank Ocean has taken a back seat when it comes to social media and all the drama it entails. He's also been low-key when it comes to music. Today the singer pops up in the news not because of any new music (although we hope that's on the way), but because he wants to legally change his name to Frank Ocean. Alas, the government did not side with Frank Ocean, real name Christopher Breaux.
City Of Chicago Names Chance The Rapper "Outstanding Youth of the Year"
"It was this group of 100 Chicago teens that nominated and chose me as the recipient of the Outstanding Youth Award. The plaque is awarded to those who earned it based on youth leadership and an ear for the common issues that plague young Chicagoans. I consider it an honor to teach and a duty to learn, so I plan to wear this proudly and continue to lead the city in conjuction with the Evangel World Outreach Center and other organizations devoted to the next generation. I was ecstatic to see how pleased everyone was with my win, but let me clear to those who speculated. I was chosen by the children, the mayor was only in attendance. #LongLiveTheYoung"
- Chance The Rapper
Tyga Reportedly Arrested While Shooting Music Video
Do you ever wonder how people in music videos are often able to drive cars at seemingly illegal speeds without getting caught? Well, it seems like Tyga was trying to do just that, but was thwarted by the police.
Chris Brown, Trey Songz, & Tyga Announce "Between The Sheets" Tour
YG Announces Short Film & Soundtrack "Blame It On The Streets"
YG is prepping a big follow-up to his debut album My Krazy Life, with, not only a new catalogue of tunes, but a short film to go along with it. The West Coast gangsta rapper announced today that he'll be dropping his first film and accompanying soundtrack, titled Blame It On The Streets.
Rick Ross Signs Yowda To Maybach Music Group
When he’s not busy betting ridiculous bets like the Miami Heat will have more wins than the Cavs, Rick Ross is busy handling business transactions to strengthen his MMG label. Earlier today, The MMG bawse announced that Las Vegas-rapper, Yowda, is officially the newest member of Maybach Music Group.
Ghostface Killah Announces New Album "36 Seasons"
With a last-minute album announcement, Ghostface has released some really impressive singles so far off 36 Seasons, due out in just a few days.
J. Cole Announces "2014 Forest Hills Drive" Album, Releases Artwork & Tracklist
There was some speculation made earlier today that J. Cole would be releasing a new album before the year was out. Those predictions have been confirmed. Now available for pre-order on iTunes, 2014 Forest Hills Drive is officially slated for a December 9th release date, putting Cole head-to-head with Lil Wayne's Tha Carter V (if that doesn't get pushed back again). We also just received an official tracklist here.
Andre 3000's Outkast Jumpsuits To Be Featured At Miami Art Exhibit
Andre 3000’s infamous jumpsuits from Outkast’s recent 20th anniversary tour will be displayed during the Art Basil Show in Miami next month. All of Andre’s 47 jumpsuits will make their way down to South Beach where they will be featured in the upcoming Art show titled “i feel ya: SCAD + André 3000 Benjamin.”
Joey Bada$$ Donates $10,000 To His Old High School's Music Program
Joey Bada$$ got famous young; young enough that he didn't get to finish his senior year of high school. While he had to move on early, the Brooklyn rapper certainly had nothing but great memories from Edward R. Murrow High School, as he decided to give back to the institution the other week.
The Hip Hop Community Responds To No Indictment For Darren Wilson
Kendrick Lamar's "m.A.A.d" Film To Air At MOCA In 2015
The film will be shown at MOCA from March 21st until July 21st 2015. MOCA described the film along with the announcement of their 2015 exhibition schedule.
RZA Invested A Lot Of His Own Money In Wu-Tang Clan's "A Better Tomorrow"
Wu-Tang Clan's reunion album, A Better Tomorrow, is still awaiting official release, meanwhile we've been fed gritty singles like "Necklace" and "Ruckus In B Minor." The entire group isn't going heavy on the promo route for this album though, so it's likely to impact relatively quietly.
Rae Sremmurd Reveal "SremmLife" EP Release Date
SremmLife drops on January 9th. Look out for the single "Throw Sum Mo" featuring Nicki Minaj & Young Thug.
Mike WiLL Made It Announces "Ransom" Mixtape Release
After a long wait, Mike WiLL has finally revealed when we can expect his entirely original mixtape Ransom-- December 15th.
Ginuwine Announces New Album Produced By Timbaland
Over the weekend, we found out Ginuwine will be making a return in 2015 with a new Timbaland-produced LP.
OG Maco Releases Debut Self-Titled EP
Quality Control artist OG Maco dropped off his 15-track EP OG Maco and released a stream for it on November 28th.
Ne-Yo Announces "Non-Fiction" Album Release Date
Ne-Yo let fans know that his upcoming album Non-Fiction is slated to drop in the New Year, on January 27th 2015. It'll feature his singles "Money Can't Buy" with Jeezy, "She Knows" with Juicy J and the as-of-yet unreleased "Run" with ScHoolboy Q.
Upcoming December Releases
Dec 2
Wu-Tang Clan - A Better Tomorrow
Yung Lean - Unknown Memory
Mary J Blidge - London Sessions
PM - Self EP
Thelonious Martin - Wunderkid
Omar Linx - M.O.R.
Shy Glizzy - Law 3
Dec 9
Ghostface Killah - 36 Seasons
J Cole - 2014 Forest Hills Drive
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter V
JMSN - JMSN (Blue Album)
DJ Premier & Royce Da 5’9″ – PRhyme
E-40 - Sharp On All 4 Corners Vol 1 & 2
Termanology - Shut Up And Rap
Dec 15
Nicki Minaj - The Pinkprint
Mike Will Made It - Ransom
YG - Blame it on the Streets
Dec 16
French Montana - Mac & Cheese 4
Kevin Gates - Luca Brasi 2
Dec 23
Tyga - The Gold Album
Dec 25
Gucci Mane - EastAtlantaSanta