Music

Isaiah Rashad releases IT'S BEEN AWFUL after five years

The third Isaiah Rashad album arrives five years after The House Is Burning — sober, introspective, and built around the kind of personal accounting most rappers his age aren't willing to do in public. The wait was the work.

Culture

Lady Gaga and Doechii drop "Runway" music video

Parris Goebel directed it. Viktor & Rolf and Gaurav Gupta dressed it. Bruno Mars, Andrew Watt, Cirkut, and D'Mile produced it. The Devil Wears Prada 2 doesn't open until Friday — but its actual cultural opening statement landed Monday night.

Culture

Jay-Z Makes the New York Times' 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters — and Pusha T Wrote the Tribute

The New York Times named Jay-Z one of the 30 greatest living American songwriters — and Pusha T, his most famous adversary, wrote the tribute.

Culture

Cardi B's Little Miss Drama Tour: $70 Million, 453,000 Tickets, and a New Record

The Little Miss Drama Tour ended with $70 million grossed and the record for highest-grossing debut arena tour by a female rapper. Here's what that number is actually measuring.

Culture

How Jay Songzio Designed BTS's ARIRANG Comeback Costumes Around Korean Heritage

Designer Jay Songzio built BTS's ARIRANG comeback costumes around Joseon-era armor, the concept of han, and Korean cultural archetypes. It wasn't just fashion. It was a deliberate argument about where global cultural authority belongs.

Intelligence Brief

Uristocrat Weekly Intelligence Brief — April 25, 2026

Kobe's anniversary month peaks with a Pau Gasol tribute pack. The NBA Playoffs deliver chaos and brilliance in equal measure. Michael opens to divided critics and massive crowds. DeepSeek returns — one year after it rewrote the rules.

Daily Roundup

The Daily Roundup: Air Jordan 5 White Metallic, Tatum's Playoff Return, Record Store Day, and Cursor's $50B Valuation — April 19, 2026

Jayson Tatum dropped 25 points and broke a Kobe Bryant playoff record in Boston's 123–91 rout of the 76ers, while the Air Jordan 5 'White Metallic' and Record Store Day filled out a packed Sunday.

Culture

New Music: Snoop Dogg, Joyner Lucas, Destin Conrad, and Everything Else Worth Hearing This Week

Three full-length albums landed today. The headliner is Snoop Dogg's 22nd solo album on Death Row, but the most compelling listen might be the one you haven't heard of yet.

Culture

Mixtape Is Live: Make One for Someone You Love

Mixtape is live. It brings back what streaming killed—the gesture of choosing songs in a specific order for a specific person. A mixtape was never a playlist. It was a letter written in other people's music.

Culture

Antoine Fuqua's "Michael" Opens April 24 with Record Musical Biopic Projections

Antoine Fuqua's Michael—three years in the making—opens April 24, 2026, tracking for a $60M+ domestic opening that would set a new record for musical biopics.

Music

ElevenLabs Wants to Be More Than a Voice Company with music generation app ElevenMusic

ElevenLabs launched ElevenMusic on April 1, 2026—an iOS app for AI-generated songs via text prompts. The $11 billion voice company is signaling it intends to be a full-stack audio platform.

Music

Gucci Mane Was Held at Gunpoint and Forced to Sign Papers Releasing Pooh Shiesty

In January 2026, Gucci Mane was held at gunpoint in a Dallas music studio and forced to sign papers releasing Pooh Shiesty from his record contract. Pooh Shiesty and Big30 were arrested in connection with the incident.