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The palo santo was lit. A row of sneakers — HOKA, norda and ASICS among them — was neatly assembled on a shoe rack just outside the door, and a half-dozen sockless figures filed into a room at the back of USM Modular Furniture's New York City flagship room to take a seat. The sliding door was softly shut, and a reverent silence filled the room as the mammoth OJAS Listening Room installation hummed to life, seemingly buzzing with the energy of the surrounding Soho streets.It was time for two of Kokoroko's eight members (and a few interlopers, from publicists to label reps) to listen to the test press of Get The Message, the band's brand-new four-track EP and first full project since 2022's highly-regarded Could We Be More. The band was back in New York City to begin their first extended US ...

It’s a Friday afternoon in Harlem and Ferg is ready for a peanut butter protein shake. The rapper has invited Hypebeast to Harlem to show us his favorite hometown spots, and the first stop on the agenda is Juke Box Juice & Salads; the music-inspired smoothie and sandwich shop that Ferg has frequented ever since his first record deal.Ferg, born Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. and raised in Hamilton Heights (the northernmost part of West Harlem), may be a global figure but he’s in his old neighborhood almost daily. “If I leave the house, I’m comin’ to Harlem.”His uptown NYC neighborhood has always influenced his artistry, but on his next studio release Darold, which marks his first project since Floor Seats II in 2020, Ferg bleeds Harlem more than ever before. What he describes as his “...

As the week in music comes to a close, Hypebeast has rounded up the best projects for the latest installment of Best New Tracks.This week’s lineup is led by long-form releases from Bon Iver, Jean Dawson, Jaden, Yeat, Juice WRLD AUDREY NUNA and singles from Tyler, the Creator, 070 Shake, Drake x Chino Pacas x Fuerza Regida and FKA twigs.Bon Iver – SABLE,At last, Bon Iver has made its communally anticipated formal return. The Justin Vernon-led folk group has unveiled its first studio project since dropping i,i back in 2019, presenting a new EP entitled SABLE,. Complete with a triptych of tracks (as well as an introductory eleven-second cut), SABLE, signals a return to form for the group.Listen: Spotify | Apple MusicTyler, the Creator – "St. Chroma"Arguably the high point of this week's new r...

As the week in music comes to a close, Hypebeast has rounded up the best projects for the latest installment of Best New Tracks.This week’s lineup is led by albums from Charli XCX and Rich the Kid x Famous Dex x Jay Critch and singles from J. Cole, Skepta x Flo Milli, EARTHGANG x T-Pain x Spillage Village, Cordae, Ab-Soul, Flying Lotus, Bruiser Wolf x Zack Fox and The Kid LAROI.J. Cole – "Port Antonio"J. Cole laid it all out on the table in "Port Antonio." The first solo single from Cole since Might Delete Later, "Port Antonio" sees Cole pick back up right where he left off, making his stance on the rap beef clearer than ever before. The track has not yet made its way over to streaming services yet.Charli XCX – Brat and it’s completely different but also still bratBRAT season is never over...

When Bon Iver so much as alludes to having new music in the works, listeners go crazy.In September, Justin Vernon shared his first his first slice of solo music in four years (aside from Bon Iver’s 10th Anniversary re-release in 2022.) The 10-second snippet spawned engagement from a diverse crowd, uniting hip-hop heads with folk fans and country connoisseurs in the comments section.With recent collaborations ranging from Taylor Swift to Travis Scott, Bon Iver’s versatility knows no bounds, with the artist's esoteric music cementing itself in the collective cultural conscience. Hard to define and even harder to cleanly categorize, Bon Iver has never sacrificed the abstractness of his artistry, and this next stop on his sonic evolution is no exception.  The aforementioned snippet was reveale...