Joey Bada$$ will be coming to a city near you. On Monday (August 19), the Harlem rapper/actor announced the launch of his  “The Dark Aura Tour” with Ab-Soul and Rapsody. He also dropped his new single “Dark Aura,” which the tour is named after. The tour is in promotion of his latest LP Lonely At The Top. Taking to Instagram, Joey shared his exciting news with his followers. “THE DARK AURA TOUR w/ @souloho3 & @rapsody | THIS FALL COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU,” his post read. The 25-stop tour begins on October 16 in Boston, then off to cities such as success Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, and more cities before wrapping up on November 20 in Philadelphia. Although he was slated to release Lonely At The Top on August 1, he put the blame on his record label, Columbia Records, “claiming that he fully completed the album on time.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by JOZIF BADMON (@joeybadass) “The album is not dropping Aug. 1. I’m f—king sorry. I’m ashamed, I’m f—king disappointed I wanted to take accountability and responsibility because I’m not ever gon’ leave y’all high and dry,” accroding to Billboard. “My s—t got pushed back because the label pushed my s—t back,” he claimed. “My album is signed, sealed and delivered over a month ago. This ain’t ‘cause of no sample clearances. This ain’t ‘cause of no features, this ain’t ‘cause of no clashing with another artist on the date. This is literally an Exhibit A of the label getting in the artist’s way … I’ve been moving on rogue time.” Tickcerts will be available on August 29. Tickets for The Dark Aura Tour will go on sale on Thursday, August 21.

The blessings don’t stop for Busta Rhymes. The hip-hop legend received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His most recent honor, Busta, who MTV described as “one of hip-hop’s greatest visual artists”, will receive the inaugural MTV VMA, Rock the Bells Visionary Award. According to Deadline, the prestige award will celebrate his “boundary-breaking cultural impact and indomitable musical career.” Busta will be awarded the honor at the 2025 VMAs on Sunday, Sept. 7. He also will give one of his signature live performances during the show. In his remarkable career, Busta has sold 20 million albums worldwide. He also received seven Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, 12 Grammy Award nominations, and has a catalog with over 60 million records certified gold and platinum. He was also the Global Icon honoree at the 2024 MTV Awards. The 2025 MTV Video Awards will be hosted by another legendary rapper, LL COOL J. He is returning to host the show, and this marks the second time LL will host the ceremony. In 2022, he co-hosted with Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow. The “Mama Said Knock You Out” has a long history with MTV. In 1991,  he won his first Moon Person for Best Rap and was the first rapper ever to receive the Video Vanguard Award in 1997. The MTV VMAs revealed their nominees for the upcoming awards show on August 5, and Kendrick Lamar and Bruno Mars have 11 nominations.  Lady Gaga, for the first time in her career,  is the most-nominated artist for the VMAs with 12 nominations.  ROSÉ and Sabrina Carpenter have eight nominations. Ariana Grande and The Weeknd have seven nominations. Billie Eilish has six nods, and Charli xcx received five nods. Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, who are both nominated for artist of the year. The 2025 MTV VMAs air live from UBS Arena in New York on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS (for the first time) and MTV. The ceremony will also stream on Paramount+.

Lil Yachty recently expressed his gratitude to Tyler, The Creator for being his mentor. On his Instagram, the Atlanta rapper paid tribute to to Tyler. “Last leg of this tour for me and I just want to take the time to thank you for your friendship, thanking you for giving me the praises i needed to push me on and holding me accountable when i do some / ignorant sh*t,” his post read. “All in all, i’m grateful.” “1 of the few mentors i have, always held me accountable, always challenged me,” wrote Yachty. “Forever grateful. Young men need mentors. Need a line of proper guidance. Thanks Tyyytyyy.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Complex Music (@complexmusic) Lil Yacty had been opening up for  Tyler on his Chromakopia album across North America. Outside of being thankful to Tyler, Yachty found himseilf embroiled in a controversy about his use of George Flyod in a song. Shared a snippet of a track during a recent Twitch livestream, Yachty rapped, ““Put my knee up on her neck, I went George Floyd,” Yachty rapped on the song.” Former NBA star Stephen Jackson took offense to lyric and blasted Yachthy in in a now-deleted Instagram post. He described the lyric as “demeaning.” “Don’t ever say his name, bro. None of y’all knew G. Nothing about him,” Jackson wrote. On Instragram Story, Jackson revealed that Yachty that apologized for the the song. “I took my post down about Yachty because I’m emotional about George. I apologized to him. We spoke and he apologized as well,” Jackson said. “I salute him. Not a lot of people like to own up to when they [expletive] up.”

On Saturday (Aug.16), Offset released a teaser for his third studio album, Kiari. Judging by the short trailer, Offset will confront one of his biggest enemies: himself. The clip begins with Offset sitting alone, in an all-white room—almost similar to a group therapy environment. However, all the chairs are empty, for some odd reason. A woman dressed in all white enters the room; she seems to be the rapper’s new therapist. “Kiari, it’s great to see you again,” she says. “So, tell me, how have things been?” The therapist’s attempts to connect with the rapper are seemingly thwarted by his inner thoughts. That said, when the therapist calls him “Offset,” he seems to perk up, looking at her with a devilish grin. “We’ll start when you’re ready,” the therapist says as she leans back in her chair. “Or when they are.” The camera pans out, and the chairs are now filled with different versions of the rapper— one donning a red hat covering his face, one with black sunglasses over his eyes, another who appears unbothered by the conversation on his phone, and a more emo-inspired Offset. Kiari is scheduled for release on Friday, August 22. The project works as a follow-up to 2023’s Set It Off. The album featured guest appearances from several industry heavyweights, including Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Future, and his now-estranged wife Cardi B. KIARI 8.22.25 pic.twitter.com/GoJ40Z5ugJ — OFFSET (@OffsetYRN) August 17, 2025 In other news, Offset recently caught up with The Ebro Show on Apple Music 1. While there, the rapper discussed the possibility of creating new music with Quavo. Specifically, he considered a tribute album for Takeoff — an idea which isn’t completely off the table for the rapper. “It’s possible,” Offset tells Ebro. “It’s [definitely] possible. No conversations about that tho’, but it’s possible.” That said, according to Offset, the pair are focused on solo projects. They are also making sure to check in with one another. “We just building us first, [and] like checking in with each other and see each other world, like, ‘You good?, ‘You good?” Despite Offset and Quavo’s past tension, the rapper makes it clear that their familial bond remains unbroken. “That’s family at the end of the day,” he told the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast in their latest episode. “You’re gonna bump heads with your family sometime,” he added. “In the day, a n*gga ain’t finna play with him, or a n*gga ain’t finna play with me.”

Mariah recently stopped by Pitchfork for a game of “Over/Under,” where she shared her opinions on everything from lab-grown diamonds and Labubus to self-driving vehicles and Crocs. However, her most surprising answer came when she shared her thoughts on the Grammy Awards. Despite having 34 nominations and 5 Grammy wins, the “Always Be My Baby” singer declared that the iconic award show and its awards are, in fact, overrated. “I think the Grammys are overrated,” she tells the outlet. “But we love everybody.” Mariah Carey Says New Album Is On The Way In other news, amid a recent interview at the 10th anniversary of Apple Music with Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden, Carey made the announcement. “I’m trying not to tell too much about the new album,” Carey said.  “It’s a special occasion/ Mimi’s emancipation- that’s a lyric from one of my songs. What is next? The album is coming out,” she continued. “I don’t wanna tell too much about it because I just don’t want to reveal the whole thing. It’s finished.”  Carey dropped the news following the release of her newest single, “Type Dangerous.” She went on to say that the track was a “heavy record” and that it has “real weight to it.” “We got some Mariah ballads,” she said, adding that a second single will be released soon. “I’m very excited about it. It’s very summery. I like the beat as well.” Sampling Eric B. and Rakim’s classic 1986 single, “Eric B. Is President”, she performed ”Type Dangerous,” alongside Rakim at the 2025 BET Awards.  “I’ve always loved ‘Eric B. Is President.’ It wasn’t something like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna flip this’- I just wouldn’t think of doing it,” she explained. “But then we were in this restaurant in Aspen, and they had different music on, and they played ‘Eric B. Is President,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! I love this song!’ We ended up in the studio a couple [of] months later and we did it.”

With multi-platinum singles and three Grammy nominations on her belt, GloRilla is the definition of an icon-in-the-making. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that True Religion picked the Memphis native as its newest campaign star for its ICONS collection. “True Religion stands out for its iconic designs and logos that speak for themselves, but it’s about way more than just style,” said GloRilla in a press release. “It’s about being confident and owning exactly who you are. I’m proud to partner with a brand that’s so real and inspires everyday with an authenticity that still hits.” The new collection will include a sexy twist on baby T-shirts, cropped varsity jackets, and cinched vests. As expected, the urban lifestyle brand known for its superior denim quality taps into the latest trends, offering both baggy and flared jeans. Prices typically range from $40 on the low end to over $200 on the high end. Popular Twitch streamer, Duke Dennis, was also tapped as the brand’s new campaign star alongside Glo. Before those two, the brand worked with two other female rap starlets: Megan Thee Stallion and Sexyy Red. View this post on Instagram A post shared by True Religion (@truereligion) On a more sour note, a Cleveland concert that was expected to feature GloRilla, Moneybagg Yo, and Skilla Baby has turned into the center of a major legal battle. Esmail Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against Shaw Management Enterprises, seeking $2.5 million in damages. The company claims Shaw submitted forged contracts tied to the event, which led to significant financial loss. According to AllHipHop, problems began almost immediately after tickets went on sale. Just two days after the launch, Shaw Management allegedly instructed Esmail to stop all promotion for the show. No explanation was provided, which raised concerns. Esmail then contacted GloRilla’s team and reportedly learned she had never agreed to perform. They say that contract negotiations were still ongoing when Shaw sent over what they now believe were falsified documents.

To help celebrate what would’ve been Nipsey Hussle’s 40th birthday (Aug.15), the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched a new campaign, aiming to honor the late rapper’s legacy. ABC7 Los Angeles reports along with temporarily renaming Hyde Park Station to “Nipsey Hussle Station,” LA Metro will also offer two limited edition TAP cards featuring the rapper. The effort is part of a new initiative — Metro x Culture — which aims to “connect the agency with the heart of Los Angeles’ vibrant cultural landscape by collaborating with prolific local artists, musicians, community heroes and influential brands.” “Hussle’s legacy goes far beyond music. He was a visionary who understood the power of community, connection, and opportunity. At Metro, we share his belief that public transportation is more than just a way to get around; it’s a vital lifeline that can unite neighborhoods, open doors, and uplift lives,” Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said in a statement. Two limited-edition Nipsey Hussle TAP cards will drop on August 15, Nipsey Hussle Day. The TAP cards are part of the Metro x Culture series celebrating Angelenos who’ve shaped LA culture, especially those whose journeys began on Metro buses and trains. pic.twitter.com/l54v84ngZj — Metro Los Angeles (@metrolosangeles) August 8, 2025 In a statement from Nipsey Hussle’s family, they said they were “proud to be partnering with Metro for the renaming of the station in honor of Nipsey for his 40th birthday. Access to Metro played a vital role in providing transportation from South Central to Watts to pursue his early musical aspirations.” The statement continues, “Metro helped bridge the gap, not just between neighborhoods, but between his vision and his future. Metro provides access and opportunity to so many people who, without this resource, wouldn’t be able to pursue their passions. The family hopes insight to Hussle’s early years utilizing the Metro will bring light to Hussle’s favorite quote, The highest human act is to inspire.” On March 31, 2019, Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed in front of his Marathon Clothing store. He was only 33 years old at the time of his death. Since then, the alleged shooter Eric Holder was found guilty and is currently serving a sentence of 60 years to Life.

For the first time in the history Vans, the brand has named an artistic director and its SZA! On Thursday (August 14), Vans made the announcement about SZA’s brand new role with company. “SZA is a revolutionary artist shaping the emotional tone of a generation. Through her genre-defying sound, she brings authenticity to the forefront, creating space for both softness and powerful expression,” the company’s statement read.  “She challenges fashion norms and cultural expectations that empower youth to own their story. In her, we see the essence of Off the Wall, an artist who leads with creative intention and self-acceptance, while encouraging others to do the same,” the statement continued View this post on Instagram A post shared by SZA (@sza) “In Vans, I feel free!” says SZA. “I’ve been wearing Knu Skools and other styles for years, they’ve always had an ethos I connect with. As Artistic Director, my mission is to show that joy, community, creativity, and fashion are all still intersectional.” “That humanity, culture, and connection are still the access points. I’ve learned that bravery and curiosity are the cures for uncertainty, it’s a lifestyle and Vans champions that spirit,” SZA continued. “They stand where I stand, and I’m honored to invite a whole bunch of people to stand Off the Wall with us. “ SZA also shared the news of her new role to all of her followers on Instagram. “Clocking in for Side quest 367889654591.. IM THE NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AT @vans YALL… we finna have a f**king ball,” her post read. During recent Vogue interview, SZA shared her love of Vans.  “If you think about Vans and me, it makes so much sense,” SZA expalined “I’ve always been about comfort and self-expression. I love feeling stable, sturdy—and also cute as f**k.” “Skate culture is so paramount [to Vans], but the ethos of skate culture is what I think is beautiful,” she added. “There is a lot of perseverance, trying and failing—a community that loves to take risks.”

Beyoncé is not only a skilled vocalist and performer, but she’s also ranked as the sixth top producer of the 21st Century, says Billboard. Earlier this week, the outlet released its “Top Producers of the 21st Century on the Hot 100” list. According to the publication,” before Beyoncé became a solo juggernaut, she was already helping shape the Destiny’s Child sound away from the mic.” Billboard reports that out of the 25 producers “who can claim credit for helping shape the sound of hit music since the turn of the century,” Queen Bey found herself among the top 10, with the likes of Jack Antonoff and Dr. Luke. Beyoncé earned her first No.1 as a producer on Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Woman Part I” in 2000. A year later, the group released “Bootylicious,” which gave the singer her second No.1 Hit, with her credited as a producer. “When she went solo, she continued to maintain control over the texture of her music, coproducing six more of her No. 1s: “Crazy in Love,” featuring Jay-Z; “Baby Boy,” featuring Sean Paul (both in 2003); “Check On It,” featuring Slim Thug (2006); “Irreplaceable” (2006-07), “Break My Soul” (2022); and “Texas Hold ‘Em” (2024),” the outlet wrote. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 01: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Beyoncé accepts the Innovator Award onstage during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on April 01, 2024. Broadcasted live on FOX. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio) “Her work behind the board proves that she’s not just the face of her music but also a creative force behind the whole enterprise,” Billboard continued. The criteria had been based on the “top 300-plus producers who led the Hot 100 from charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024.” To help avoid any ties, the outlet reports it “ranked which producers had the most Hot 100 top 10s in the tracking period, followed by the most overall entries on the chart.” Beyoncé wasn’t the only industry heavyweight to crack the list. Atlanta native and So So Def founder Jermaine Dupri landed at No.9. Timbaland followed right behind at No.10; however Kanye West dipped slightly below the iconic producer, landing at No.14. Below Ye sits The Weeknd at No.19 with Mariah Carey trailing behind at No.15. Boi-1da, the sound behind Rihanna’s smash hit, “Work,” which features Drake, earned a spot at No. 23. Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am ran closely behind at No.24.

The Weeknd’s native’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour has grossed over $600,000,000 and sold nearly five million tickets, according to Billboard. The outlet reports the singer-songwriter’s tour broke a Boxscore record, earning the title of “the biggest R&B tour in history.” Since kicking off nearly three years ago in July 2022, the After Hours Til Dawn tour has raked in $635.5 million. The outlet reports that this is the “ninth tour to hit this benchmark, and the only one by an R&B artist or a Black artist.” With that, now The “Star Boy” singer’s tour has eclipsed Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, which grossed $579.8 million, “over 56 shows in 2023.” He’s also surpassed Bruno Mars’ 3.6 million on his 2017-18’s 24K Magic World Tour. DETROIT, MICHIGAN – MAY 24: The Weeknd performs onstage during After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour at Ford Field on May 24, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images) Just last week, The Weeknd reached another record-breaking milestone by setting the record for most performances by a Canadian artist at one of Toronto’s biggest stadiums — the Rogers Centre, which also houses the Toronto Blue Jays. According to Billboard Canada, the singer performed four shows on his After Hours Til Dawn Tour at the Rogers Centre, which began on Thursday, August 7. The outlet also reported that he set the record for “most shows at the venue by a male solo artist on the same tour.” This trek would count as The Weeknd’s seventh concert tour. The stadium tour was in support of his fourth, fifth, and sixth studio albums: After Hours (2020), Dawn FM (2022), and Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025). This tour serves as a victory lap for the “Timeless” singer and marks the end of his Weeknd era. The good news doesn’t end there. Last month, The Weeknd was awarded the ultimate honor from his hometown of Toronto by receiving the Key to the City and a citywide proclamation of “The Weeknd Weekend” from July 26-27.