Universal Music Group has elevated Ethiopia Habtemariam to chairman & CEO of Motown, reporting directly to UMG Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge. She had been president of the label since 2014. According to the announcement, in connection with Habtemariam’s promotion, Motown will have “greater creative and commercial independence to advance its mission of…
By Jess Clavero Lil Baby hits the road again for another much anticipated tour, The New Generation, not more than six months after his last Harder Than Ever Tour wrapped up. City Girls return to accompany Lil Baby, who brings even more bubbling talent on tour including Blueface, Jordan…
Photos by Elizabeth Miranda By: Jess Clavero Motown kicked off Grammy’s week with a bang at its New Faces of Motown Showcase at the Peppermint Club in West Hollywood. The label hosted an intimate show for industry tastemakers featuring its developing acts Jordan Hollywood, JAMESDAVIS, Njomza, and Yung Miami…
Photos provided by Icewear Vezzo’s team and The Dirt Label By: Jess Clavero Icewear Vezzo has today’s buzz around Detroit bubbling again. In his first year signed to Motown Records, he has already secured multiple partnerships with local brands, like The Dirt Label, and reputable brands like Puma and…
By Tristin Marshall Motown Records brings life to the Netflix series ‘Motown Magic.’ Based off music from the classic label, the soundtrack includes feature vocals from Motown artists BJ The Chicago Kid, NE-YO, and Smokey Robinson. Other artists on the soundtrack include Calum Scott, Becky G, and Trombone Shorty. Remakes of…
By Tristin Marshall Rapper Icewear Vezzo announced signing with Motown Records on his birthday, October 31, on Instagram. The 29-year-old is the first Detroit native signed to the label since it has found its groove in hip-hop over the last few years. “It feels like I play for the…
Photo via Getty/Prince Williams By Tristin Marshall Rising rap superstars Lil Baby and Gunna announced their upcoming joint project, ‘Drip Harder’, coinciding with the release of the lead single off the project ‘Drip Too Hard.’ This year, Lil Baby released ‘Harder Than Ever’ which debuted at No. 3 on…
By Tristin Marshall Lil Yachty took to Instagram to announce The Disrespect Tour, which he will be headlining with rapper Bhad Bhabie. The tour will stop in cities including Baltimore, Cleveland, and New Orleans. The rapper announced this tour on his 21st birthday, along with a new song that…
By Tristin Marshall Quality Control Music rapper Lil Baby recently took to Instagram to announce the tour that will support his album ‘Harder Than Ever,’ which will span across cities including Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago. Guests on the tour will include YK Osiris, Kollision, B LA B, 24 Heavy, and Quality…
Image: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images By Tristin Marshall It’s no surprise that Migos continues to dominate 2018 after the release of their epic video “Walk It Talk It” featuring Drake, the good time they had at NASCAR, and their sophomore album ‘Culture II’ which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard…
By Tristin Marshall “Hurtin’ Me” singer Stefflon Don makes the 2018 XXL Freshman class list. Don, who is the only woman on the cover, is also only the fourth woman in the magazine’s history to hold a spot on the list. She is joined by fellow Capitol Music Group…
By Tristin Marshall Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter NE-YO released his seventh studio album ‘Good Man’. The album is an open confession about his past and his intentions to be a “Good Man” to everyone in his life, and especially his wife. The lead singles from the album include “Good Man”…
By Tristin Marshall Atlanta rapper Lil Baby released his debut album ‘Harder Than Ever’ on Friday. This album hosts a bevy of heavyweight features, including Offset, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, and more. This project follows the release of four mixtapes in 2017 and his breakout single “My Dawg”. Although…
By Tristin Marshall Migos and Stefflon Don received nominations for the 2018 BET awards. Migos’ nominations include Best Group, Video of the Year for “Walk It Talk It”, Album of the Year for ‘Culture II’, and the Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award, while Stefflon Don has been nominated for Best…
By Tristin Marshall R&B crooner BJ The Chicago Kid released ‘The Opening Ceremony,’ a three-song bundle that debuted ahead of his album that will drop later this year. The bundle features the soulful melodies and meaningful lyrics that fans expect from BJ The Chicago Kid, reminiscent of his sophomore…
By Tristin Marshall Rich Homie Quan announced on social media that he will hitting the road for the ‘Rich As In Spirit Tour’ beginning in June. He will headline multiple shows in states including California, New York, Florida, Texas, and will end the tour in his home city Atlanta. …
By Tristin Marshall NE-YO premiered the video for his single “Push Back” featuring Stefflon Don and Bebe Rexha on Tuesday, April 10. The legendary singer/songwriter known for writing R&B hits for artists including Beyoncé and Rihanna, plans to bring the love back into R&B with his upcoming album ‘Good…
By Tristin Marshall BJ the Chicago Kid took to Instagram to release the official “The R&B Tour” dates with fellow R&B crooner Ro James. The pair also released a cover of the 1991 Jodeci single “Come and Talk to Me” via SoundCloud in celebration of the tour announcement. BJ…
By Tristin Marshall NE-YO released his new single “Push Back” featuring label mate Stefflon Don and singer, songwriter, and record producer Bebe Rexha. This is the second single released by the singer/songwriter this year, following “Good Man,” which premiered just before Valentine’s Day. NE-YO, known for his swoon-worthy melodies and…
By Tristin Marshall Lil Yachty released the visual for “Count Me In,” which serve as the first single and video to come from his ‘Lil Boat 2’ mixtape. The video, set in a trailer park in the desert, features Yachty and his crew of friends–including viral sensation-turned-rapper Bhad Bhabie–hanging among…
By Tristin Marshall Migos surprised fans on Sunday with the release of a Soul Train-inspired video for “Walk It Talk It” featuring rapper Drake. The video highlights moments from the original show, including skater and flexible dancers on the dance floor, the performance stage, and the classic scramble board. Fans have…
By Tristin Marshall Rich Homie Quan released his full-length debut album ‘Rich As In Spirit’ on March 16. The Atlanta rapper released this album nearly one year after the release of the ‘Back To The Basics’ mixtape. Rich Homie Quan’s 19-track debut focuses the attention largely on his skills,…
By Tristin Marshall Lil Yachty released his highly-anticipated mixtape, ‘Lil Boat 2′ on March 9. This follow-up comes on the two-years anniversary of his first mixtape ‘Lil Boat,’ released in 2016. Features on ‘Lil Boat 2’ include label mates Quavo and Offset, 2 Chainz, Tee Grizzley, Lil Pump, and…
By Tristin Marshall Legendary producer Zaytoven announces the Trap Holizay Tour to coincide with the release of his upcoming album ‘Trap Holizay’, which he said will be out May 25 in a tweet. The tour will make its first stop in Denver, and will move across Canada, California, Texas,…
By Tristin Marshall Quality Control Music graces the cover of Complex’s February issue with CEOs Pierre “Pee” Thomas and Kevin “Coach K” Lee, rap supergroup Migos, and the self-proclaimed “King of the Youth” Lil Yachty. The interview details the triumph and success of the Atlanta-based, independent, Black-owned label, their place…
By Tristin Marshall Lil Yachty took to Instagram on February 20 to reveal the album artwork and release date for his mixtape ‘Lil Boat 2,’ coming March 9. This mixtape comes just months after his debut album ‘Teenage Emotions’ released in May 2017. Singles on the album include the RIAA-certified…
By Tristin Marshall Migos scores a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 chart with their sophomore album ‘Culture II.’ This the second No. 1 album for the group since the release of the ‘Culture’ in 2017. Dubbed as the “Three Kings of Hip-Hop” on the cover of Rolling Stone,…
By Tristin Marshall Migos releases their highly-anticipated sophomore album, ‘Culture II,’ just one day before the one-year anniversary of the release of their debut album ‘Culture.’ The album leads with the two singles “MotorSport” featuring Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, and “Stir Fry” produced by Pharrell Williams, which will…
By Tristin Marshall Migos announced the release date for their highly anticipated sophomore album, ‘Culture II.’ The members, along with other Quality Control Music artists including Lil Yachty, posted the photo on Instagram after Migos announced their sneaker collaboration with Finish Line at the Cleveland Cavaliers vs the Golden…
By Tristin Marshall The Recording Academy has inducted three classic Motown singles into the Grammy Hall of Fame. “Fight The Power” by Public Enemy (1989), “I Can’t Help Myself” by the Four Tops (1965), and “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Gladys Knight and the Pips (1967) have…
Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia By Tristin Marshall The much-anticipated collaboration album between Quavo and Travis Scott ‘Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho’ debuts at #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap album charts, according to Billboard. Quavo and Scott, who call their duo “Huncho Jack” had been teasing the album…
By Tristin Marshall Migos joined forces with NBA All Star to release an exclusive video for their new single “Stir Fry,” produced by legendary hip-hop producer Pharrell Williams. The video premiered on Christmas day and is the official song of the NBA All Star weekend on TNT, which will…
By Tristin Marshall Motown R&B singer Kevin Ross has been nominated by the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist. Ross released his debut album ‘The Awakening’ earlier this year and headlined ‘The Awakening Tour’ in support of the album. Ross also released the EP ‘Drive’ this fall, which includes…
Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for Billboard By Tristin Marshall President of Motown Records Ethiopia Habtemariam, has been named on Billboard’s esteemed list of Women in Music for 2017. Habtemariam, who is also president of urban music/co-head of creative at Universal Music Publishing Group, is credited for bringing Atlanta…
By Tristin Marshall Comedian Kevin Hart is nominated for Best Comedy Album for the 60th GRAMMY awards. ‘Kevin Hart: What Now? The Comedy Album’ is the audio version of his national stand-up tour of the same name. Hart sold out the 53,000 seat Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia along…
By Tristin Marshall Migos was named on Forbes 30 Under 30 list, released today (Nov. 14). Migos dropped their debut album ‘Culture’ at the top of 2017, and has dominated the music scene since. “Bad and Boujee” and “T Shirt” were top hits from the album, and the group…
By Tristin Marshall UK rapper, singer, and songwriter Stefflon Don has been nominated for three 2017 MOBO Awards, including “Best Female,” “Best Newcomer,” and “Best Hip Hop Act.” Her latest single “Hurtin’ Me” featuring French Montana has gone #1 on the UK Shazam chart and has been in heavy…
By Tristin Marshall R&B singer Kevin Ross has been nominated for Soul Train’s “Best New Artist” award. “I was on the red carpet last year promoting ‘Long Song Away,’ and to fast forward to this year and to be nominated for “Best New Artist,” it’s a blessing,” Ross tells…
By Tristin Marshall Chaz French will join J.I.D and EarthGang for the East Coast leg of their ‘Never Had Sh!t Tour’ this fall. The Washington D.C. native has been heating up all year, releasing his debut album ‘True Colors’ this past summer. French joined Motown early 2017 with 368…
By Tristin Marshall MTV has announced that Lil Yachty and Migos have a combined five nominations for the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. Lil Yachty has been nominated for Best Collaboration with D.R.A.M for “Broccoli” and Best Visual with Kyle for “iSpy.” Both Yachty and Migos have been nominated for…
By Tristin Marshall Chaz French released his debut album, ‘True Colors’ this Friday, June 14. The album artwork features a sketch of French’s profile surrounded by many other sketches, which he considers his “True Colors.” The D.C. rapper preceded the album with the singles “Way Out,” “Pops,” and “Invite…
By Tristin Marshall Motown Records is pleased to announce the release of the soundtrack for the film DETROIT coming this July. DETROIT captures one of the most terrifying events during the riots that took place over five tumultuous summer days in 1967. The soundtrack will feature a song by…
By Tristin Marshall Chaz French announced his debut album ‘True Colors,’ yesterday (June 15). The next single off the album “Pops” also debuted alongside the album announcement–just in time for Father’s Day this Sunday. The track pays tribute to French’s father, who was imprisoned during the War on Drugs in…
By Tristin Marshall NE-YO is back with his new single, “Another Love Song.” His newest single in two years, the R&B veteran is back with a classic, feel-good song that celebrates the blinding bliss of falling in love. Paralleling the announcement of the single, NE-YO will also be a judge on the…
By Tristin Marshall Lil Yachty released his album ‘Teenage Emotions’ today, May 26. This is the first official studio album for the nineteen-year-old whose career blew up on Soundcloud just two years ago. The album offers a wide variety of sounds that hit across different genres, with tracks including “Harley,”…
By Tristin Marshall Tickets for Lil Yachty’s U.S. “Teenage Tour” are on sale now! The “King of Teens” will begin the tour on August 11 in Dallas, Texas, which will span until October 20. The tour will support his first studio album ‘Teenage Emotions,’ with hits including “Peek A…
Lil Yachty announces the dates for his North American summer headline tour—the “Teenage Tour.” The GRAMMY® Award-nominated multi-platinum artist, fashion disruptor, and “King of Teens” heads out on the road beginning August 11 in Dallas, TX and wraps October 20 in Atlanta, GA. Tickets go on-sale Friday, May 12th at 10AM local…
By Tristin Marshall Singer Kevin Ross is making headlines in the industry! Rolling Stone named Ross one of “10 New Artists You Need to Know Now” last week. The singer/songwriter, known for his viral “90s R&B MashUps,” was recognized by the magazine for his “quiet and bare” sound matched with…
LIL YACHTY ANNOUNCES MAY 26th, 2017 RELEASE DATE FOR TEENAGE EMOTIONS UNVEILS ALBUM ART AND TRACKLISTING April 20th, 2017 — GRAMMY® Award-nominated multiplatinum artist, fashion disruptor, “King of Teens” Lil Yachty will release his full-length massively-anticipated debut album, Teenage Emotions on May 26th, 2017. Teenage Emotions merges Lil…
CHAZ FRENCH ANNOUNCES JOINT MAJOR LABEL DEAL WITH THREE SIX EIGHT AND MOTOWN/CAPITOL RECORDS NEW SINGLE “WAY OUT” PREMIERES TODAY VIA BILLBOARD DEBUT ALBUM SET TO BE RELEASED THIS SPRING! Today, Billboard charting DC lyricist Chaz French announces his exciting new major joint label deal with ThreeSixEight and Motown…
AS AN EXTENSION OF QUALITY CONTROL MUSIC’S JOINT VENTURE WITH CAPITOL MUSIC GROUP ATLANTA HIP-HOP TRIO MIGOS JOINS WITH MOTOWN AND CAPITOL RECORDS TO RELEASE NEW MUSIC As an extension of Quality Control Music’s (QC) joint venture with Capitol Music Group (CMG), Atlanta-based hip-hop trio Migos – whose…
Lil Yachty just dropped his “Shoot Out The Roof” video featuring 90s rap motifs like uniforms, sports and ski goggles. Watch Yachty and his sailing team make a colorfully cool mess of an all-white warehouse in the official video now:
Welcome to the new Motown.com. Explore our world-renowned artist roster, learn about the Motown lifestyle, shop limited edition swag, vinyl & more. With artists such as 19-year old rapping sensation Lil Yachty, the iconic Erykah Badu, Grammy-nominated BJ The Chicago Kid and more, Motown continues to be the new definition of soul. 2016 was an…
Kevin Ross dropped a video today for his “Be Great” remix featuring Motown Family and GRAMMY-nominated BJ The Chicago Kid. Watch below and stay tuned for new music from Kevin Ross this Spring!
Congrats to BJ The Chicago Kid on his three 2017 Grammys nominations: Best R&B Performance: “Turnin’ Me Up” Best Traditional R&B Performance: “Woman’s World” Best R&B Album: ‘In My Mind’ Watch BJ’s 1 Mic 1 Take shot at the famous Capitol Studios here:
Last month, Chocolate Droppa unleashed his fire mixtape, “What Now?” Today he drops the official video for “Push It On Me” with Trey Songz. Watch below and grab his mixtape here!
Watch La’Porsha Renae perform “Good Woman” live below and stay tuned for new music from her this Spring!