Diddy Reveals Release Date + Trailer for ‘The Love Album: Off The Grid’
Diddy has unveiled the official release date for his upcoming album, “The Love Album: Off the Grid.” The founder of Bad Boy Records took to Instagram on Tuesday (August 22), declaring that his first independent album in nearly two decades will be released on September 15.
The upcoming project, slated for launch under his new Love Records imprint, marks Puff’s first solo venture in more than 15 years, succeeding his 2006 album, “Press Play.”
The cinematic trailer for the album featured cameos from many big names including The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Busta Rhymes, Justin Bieber, French Montana, Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, Swae Lee and Summer Walker. Other potential features were hinted in the Instagram post, tagging Yung Miami, Babyface, Teyana Taylor and Jozzy.
In May 2022, the iconic music exec. launched Love Records. The label’s inaugural release was singer/songwriter Jozzy’s “Songs For Women, Free Game For N-ggas,” which was released back in February.
“Music has always been my first love, Love Records is the next chapter is about getting back to the love and making the best music of my life.”
“For the label, I’m focused on creating timeless R&B music with the next generation of artists and producers. Motown is the perfect partner for my album and I’m excited to add to its legacy.”
Diddy further explained his “Love” era and why his new record label would be focused on R&B during an interview with Vanity Fair in August 2021.
“[The ‘Love’ era is about] my people taking time to feel like it’s all right to love,” he said. “Take time to huddle up your tribe, take time to communicate and know your power. Take time to heal. [Taking care of] yourself without feeling like, oh, you’re going to be labeled a racist now because you talk about taking care of yourself.”
“I feel like R&B was abandoned and it’s a part of our African-American culture. And I’m not signing any artists. Because if you know better, you do better. I’m doing 50–50 partnerships with pure transparency. That’s the thing. [The new label is so that] we can own the genre.”
“We don’t own Hip Hop right now. We have a chance to — and I’m going to make sure that we own R&B.”
Three singles from “The Love Album: Off The Grid” by Diddy have since been released. These include “Act Bad” featuring City Girls and Fabolous, “Gotta Move On” a collaboration with Bryson Tiller, and “Sex in the Porsche“, which sees PARTYNEXTDOOR lending his talents.
News has surfaced that Lauryn Hill will embark on a tour accompanied by The Fugees, celebrating a quarter-century since the release of her debut, classic album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”
The news was announced this past Tuesday (August 22), confirming that the globally acclaimed Grammy artist will perform in numerous locations, similar to her tour in 2018, which commemorated the album’s 20-year milestone.
This monumental tour, courtesy of L Boogie, is set to commence on September 28 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, followed by other major cities including New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles, before wrapping up in Seattle on November 9. The Fugees will be tour’s opening act, with Jamaican reggae artist Koffee making appearances at several spots as well.
Simultaneously, the tour marks the first time Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel will tour as a group in many years. They initially intended to tour in 2021 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their first album “The Score,” but this was later called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the cancellation, the New Jersey trio managed to reunite on stage at The Roots Picnic in Philadelphia this past June.
In a recent press release, Lauryn stated;
“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is and was a love song to my parents, my family, my people, my musical and cultural forebears, my teachers, my loves, my Creator.”
“I wrote love songs and protest songs— (still love songs) about the subjects and interests that inspired and moved me. I was confident that what inspired me would resonate with an audience that had been led to believe that songs of that kind could only live in the past.”
“I loved music, I loved people, I truly felt grateful to God for my life, and genuinely blessed to have a platform where I could share wisdom and perspective through music.”
“I felt a charge to challenge the idea that certain kinds of expression and/or certain kinds of people didn’t belong in certain places. I loved showing what could work or happen provided there was imagination, creativity and LOVE leading the way.”
Check out the dates for the tour below:
9/8 | Minneapolis, MN @ Mystic Lake
9/23 | New York, NY @ Global Citizen Festival
10/1 | Gold Coast, AUS @ Promiseland Festival
10/3 | Melbourne, AUS @ Rod Laver Arena (with Koffee)
10/5 | Sydney, AUS @ Kudos Banks Arena (with Koffee)
10/7 | Auckland, NZ @ Eden Festival
10/17 | Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center (with Fugees)
10/19 | Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays (with Fugees)
10/21 | Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena (with Fugees)
10/23 | Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Arena (with Fugees)
10/26 | Toronto, ON – Scotia (with Fugees)
10/28 | Chicago, IL @ United Center (with Fugees)
10/30 | Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena (with Fugees)
11/2 | Denver, CO – Ball Arena (with Fugees)
11/5 | Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (with Fugees)
11/7 | Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena (with Fugees)
11/9 | Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena (with Fugees)
Presale tickets are set to be available on Friday (August 25) at 10 a.m. local time. Ticket purchases can be made here.
Hip-Hop icons Cam’ron and Ma$e just secured the bag for their ‘It Is What Is‘ sports talk show. The iconic duo disclosed on Monday (August 21) that they have finalized a lucrative eight-figure contract with Underdog Fantasy.
Underdog Fantasy is known for not shying away from contentious collaborations, as they previously partnered with ex-NBA athlete Gilbert Arenas for his audacious podcast, ‘Gil’s Arena.’
Back in March, Cam’ron set forth the requirements for possible agreements, stating that they should present something he doesn’t already possess.
“A lot of n-ggas hollerin’ at me to try and buy my show or make my show a part of what they’re doing. And listen, I appreciate the love, I appreciate the interest and everything else. This is fully funded by me. I didn’t go get no help. I ain’t got no partners. I ain’t got no bank.”
“They came and did all this shit and y’all gonna have to offer something I ain’t got. Now you don’t know what I got, but you could assume what I got. I’m not gon’ be unreasonable but you gotta be fair. But right now, with the time being, we gon’ have fun.”
The collaboration with Underdog will kick off in September, right in time for the football season, with an agreement that spans 18 months. Despite the move, fans can still catch the vibrant discussions on the show’s original platform, the ‘Come and Talk 2 Me‘ YouTube page.
Over the weekend, MMG rapper Gunplay found himself in police custody after allegedly pointing a rifle in the direction of his spouse and their infant child.
The Miami-based rapper was apprehended on Saturday evening (August 19). He faces charges including severe assault with a lethal weapon, domestic abuse, false detainment, and child endangerment. This incident was supposedly sparked by his wife’s request for him to lower his volume while engaged in an Xbox game.
Gunplay, whose legal name is Richard Morales Jr., has reportedly refuted all allegations. He is currently incarcerated with bail set at $20,000.
On Monday (August 20), Gunplay’s wife, Vonshae Taylor-Morales, take to Instagram to recount the harrowing experience. She accused him of frightening their child during a game of Call of Duty. She further claimed that he struggles with alcoholism and disclosed her intentions to seek a divorce for the safety of herself and their daughter.
“I just want everyone to know my daughter and I are safe,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, Richard is back using and developed a very bad drinking problem. I’ve tried everything in my power to help him and love him.”
“To summarize last night event. I asked Richard to quiet down as he scared the baby sleeping by yelling playing call of duty. He started going off on me for asking him to be quiet.”
“I tried to collect a bag so my daughter and I can go to a room while he sobers up. He didn’t want us to leave and things went left fast.”
“He was arrested last night, the weapon is in police custody. I have a restraining order, my daughter is in my custody and I am filing for divorce. He will never get the chance to disrespect us again.”
She concluded saying;
“Thank you all for the well wishes and prayers. This is a very traumatizing experience please keep me in your prayers.”
Stay tuned as more details emerge.
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