Republic Records
Jack Johnson to Perform at City Of Hope’s ‘Spirit Of Life’ Gala
Jack Johnson will perform at City Of Hope’s Spirit Of Life gala, which this year salutes Republic Records founders Monte and Avery Lipman. “I’m excited to be part of City of Hope’s gala honoring my friends Monte and Avery Lipman,” Johnson says in a statement, confirming his participation. “Over the past 20 years, they have always been there for me. Now it’s my turn to shine the spotlight on them and the important work they do with City of Hope.” The singer, songwriter and professional surfer has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, and is readying the release of an eighth studio LP, Meet The Moonlight, due out June 24. Johnson headlines the performers for the fundraising event, which marks its return after a two-year hiatus due to the health crisis. In its 49-year history, the proje...
How Post Malone Kept His Momentum Going With ‘Twelve Carat Toothache’
Last week, Post Malone returned with his first album in three years, Twelve Carat Toothache, which also marked his first album with newly relaunched Republic Records imprint Mercury Records. And this week, that album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 — his fourth straight top five album on the chart — and at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, maintaining a streak of No. 1s that dates back to his debut album, 2016’s Stoney. It’s a success for both Post and his label Mercury, which is run by his longtime A&R Tyler Arnold as president, as well as parent label Republic. And it’s another win for Republic’s executive vp of global commerce and digital strategy Kevin Lipson, who oversaw the rollout and the marketing moments that touched almost every aspect of physical and digit...
Republic Records Names Wendy Goldstein, Jim Roppo Co-Presidents
Jim Roppo and Wendy Goldstein have been named co-presidents of Republic Records, the label announced today (Nov. 24). The two long-serving executives were named to their posts by label co-founders Monte and Avery Lipman. “Wendy and Roppo together are the ultimate dynamic duo,” chairman/CEO Monte Lipman said in a statement. “Their leadership spearheading groundbreaking releases and historic campaigns has captured the imagination of our industry while making a tremendous impact on popular culture. I’m thrilled to make this announcement as we embark on the next chapter of Republic Records.” Added Avery Lipman, “We can always rely on Roppo and Wendy to not only exceed expectations, but shatter them entirely. They’ve been integral to our success up to this point and will be even more crucial to...
Drake Raps About Owning His Masters on ‘Certified Lover Boy,’ His First Full OVO Album
Scorpion from 2018 was the project that allowed Drake to fulfill his contractual obligations to Young Money/Cash Money, which he rapped about on “Is There More,” the final track on Side A: “Soon as this album drop I’m out of the deal.” On Certified Lover Boy‘s final track, “The Remorse,” he boasts, “And you know what I’m on, blowing past ya, owning masters,” which indeed seems to be the case for the OVO rapper. For the new album, Drake also partnered with Republic Records — which is home to major superstars like Taylor Swift, who started releasing her studio albums starting with 2019’s Lover and beyond under the UMG label following her departure from Big Machine Label Group — to distribute&nb...
SG Lewis Announces Upcoming 2021 North American Headlining Tour
SG Lewis is riding high off his critically acclaimed debut album times. The LP was so good that it even caught the attention of the legendary Elton John, who desperately wants to work with him. The London-based singer-songwriter and producer is now ready to take the album on the road, announcing a run of North American headlining tour dates. The tour will kick off in Los Angeles on October 15th and will continue on to Oakland and Chicago before its final stop in Brooklyn on December 3rd. No other artists have been announced to join SG Lewis at this time. “It feels super surreal to be announcing any form of shows, let alone headline shows for this year,” SG Lewis said in a press release. “The pandemic has separated me from a country that had become a home ...
Republic Records Forms New Arab Music-Focused Label With The Weeknd Manager Sal Slaiby
Slaiby, who has been pushing on other fronts to boost the profile of Middle Eastern music, founded the new label and will serve as CEO. “It’s been my dream to highlight the talent and culture of Arabic music on a global level with partners that I trust and admire,” he said in a press release. The label, unveiled on Tuesday by Slaiby, UMG Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge and Republic Records founder and CEO Monte Lipman, will seek to give Middle Eastern music — both from the region and from the diaspora around the world — a more global platform to reach the widest possible audience. Slaiby, a refugee or the Lebanese Civil War who immigrated to Canada at 15, has dramatically raised his profile in the music industry in the past few years. In addition to managing The Weeknd, who had the top son...
Lil Tecca and Skrillex Announce New Single “Selection” Releasing on Friday
Blossoming hip-hop star Lil Tecca has shared the official tracklist for his upcoming debut studio album, Virgo World. Nestled in a sea of high-profile collaborators is none other than Skrillex, who features on a cut called “Selection” along with DJ Scheme of the red-hot “Members Only” hip-hop collective. Skrillex was spotted in the studio with the viral “Ransom” rapper in early July shortly after the release of Ty Dolla $ign‘s “Ego Death,” another major hip-hop collaboration that also features Kanye West and FKA twigs. Reddit via u/allanviana In addition to Skrillex, Virgo World features a slew of prominent collaborators, including Lil Uzi Vert, Polo G, Lil Durk, Internet Money, Guwop Reign, and Grammy Award-nom...
Republic Records Will No Longer Use the Word “Urban” to Describe Music
In a move that could be described as woefully overdue, Republic Records will stop using the term “urban” as a synonym for hip-hop, R&B, and other music pioneered by black artists. Republic is the home of such artists as The Weeknd, James Blake, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande. In a social media statement, the label indicated that, “Effective immediately, Republic Records will remove “Urban” from our verbiage in describing departments, employee titles and music genres.” The post continued, “We encourage the rest of the music industry to follow suit as it is important to shape the future of what we want it to look like, and not adhere to the outdated structures of the past.” Via Billboard, the term “urban” comes from legendary black DJ Frankie Crocker, who developed the urban ...
