List of Pride Month events in Houston area

New Music Friday: Marco Plus, Flau'jae, Lil Yachty, Megan Thee Stallion

We are at the peak point of the year in terms of quality and quantity of music dropping. Here are some of the top releases of the week of June 28.

MARCO PLUS released SOLACE, which includes some of the best rapping you'll hear this year and what he calls the "album of the year."

Megan Thee Stallion released MEGAN, which features the likes of GloRilla and Victoria Monét.

Flau'jae released Best Of Both Worlds, which includes her highly-anticipated collaboration with Lil Wayne and the previously-released "AMF" single with NLE Choppa.

A week after Normani released her album, fellow Fith Harmony member Camila Cabello released C,XOXO, which features Drake, Playboi Carti, City Girls and Lil Nas X.

Lil Yachty and James Blake released Bad Cameo, one of the many collaboration albums Blake is expected to be a part of. SwaVay is expected to be another one coming out this year.

Raury released Southern Mystic, his second of four albums that he announced he would release this year.

Offset and Gunna released "Style Rare."

Latto released "Big Mama."

Shaquille O'Neal has continued his run of re-releases with "No Love Lost," which features Jay-Z, Nas and Lord Tariq.

Coming off his performance at Kendrick Lamar's "Ken And Friends Pop Out Concert," Roddy Ricch released "911."

Chance The Rapper released "Stars Out (2024)."

Lupe Fiasco released Samurai.

Boldy James and Conductor Williams released Across The Tracks.

Doechii released "ROCKET."

Lucky Daye released Algorithm, which features RAYE.

Channel Tres released Head Rush, which features Thundercat, Teezo Touchdown, Ravyn Lenae, Ty Dolla $ign and Toro Y Moi.

Marsha Ambrosius released CASABLANCO.

Teezo Touchdown released "None of Your Business," from Despicable Me 4.

Devin Malik released DEADSTOCK, which features ScHoolboy Q.

B Jet released "8am in Augusta," a freestyle over Drake's "8AM in Charlotte."

Tinashe released "Getting No Sleep."

DC The Don released 2012.

Rich Amiri released "OUT MY MIND."

Lazer Dim 700 released "Futon."

Hiatus Kaiyote released Love Heart Cheat Code.

Denzel Curry and That Mexican OT released "Black Flag Freestyle."

Lil Gotit released Shut The Door, Nobody Listening.

Blxckie released "pull up."

Jae Stephens released "Girls Don't Cheat."

Ebony Riley released "Where They At."

Adrian Marcel released "Lovin Me."

JHart released "Us."

TA Thomas released "Risky."

42 Dugg released "N.P.O.," featuring Sexyy Red.

Mudbaby Ru released "Watch How You Step."

MGK released a cover of Zach Bryan's "Sun to Me."

Karri released "chasing u."

The Foreign Exchange released "The Grey."

theMIND released "GINA."

K Carbon released "Get Money."

Snakehips and Earthgang released "Been a Minute…," which features Sinéad Harnett.

Virtual Concerts Are A Rising Trend

During Covid-19, big concerts and music festivals were postponed. Consequently, virtual concerts saw a sharp rise in popularity. The purpose of online concerts was to maintain audience engagement. The stage design possibilities were endless, thanks to augmented reality. 

The K-pop band SHINee (SM Entertainment) reinvented virtual concerts in Seoul during the pandemic. Artistes from across the world have held concerts on platforms such as Fortnite, Wave and Roblox. American rappers Travis Scott and Lil Nas X gained a viewership of 45.8 million and 37 million viewers respectively. American singer Ariana Grande had 27 million attendees. 

Concert films

In 2023, when the K-pop band BTS's 'Yet to come' concert film was streamed in theatres, fans of the band popularly called 'Army' attended the show in large numbers. The tickets were priced at Rs 1,400. The show was in 4DX and theatres were fully booked in India. Sanjivani and Neha Beno, two BTS fans said "I've attended two such virtual concerts and it's always a fun experience because you are surrounded by people who are as excited as you are. I love how virtual concerts can break the wall between people who cannot afford to attend the live concerts. But being a part of a huge crowd would be a different experience altogether."

The Taylor Swift Eras Tour last year became popular among the fans of the singer across the world. Swift hasn't performed in India so far. So the Eras Tour Concert film gave an opportunity to many fans to be a part of the show. Jhalak Puri, a fan of Swift who attended the show said, "I loved it. Being there felt like I was at the actual concert." Jhalak who even made friends at the theatre said, "Just like any other concert, even a virtual concert can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It can be seen as a better alternative and consumes less effort, time and money." She looks forward to attending more such concerts.

Artiste connection

Sarthak Mehta, a resident of Indore prefers live concerts. "Audiences will have a direct connection with the artistes," he added, also saying, "Some fans want to enjoy low key and some want to have a banger."

Pramod Gowda who oversees and executes pre-production activities for P B studios thinks the concept of virtual concerts is a great idea. "It's an easy way to meet the audience's needs, increase revenue, and it even requires less work," he added.

"When we plan musical performances, we would coordinate with the guitarist and tabla player, oversee the process, and make sure everything is ready before the crowd shows up. A performance is not complete unless you truly witness and experience the emotions of watching someone perform live," he opined.

However, Pramod also thinks a virtual concert is a compromise. "It's easy for us to book a theatre and play a pre-recorded concert. But live editing is a highly challenging task if live concerts are to be played. There are a lot of dos and don'ts to remember, and we should be extremely careful." 

Why Lil Wayne Doesn't Perform 'Mona Lisa' In Concert

Fans of the iconic rapper Lil Wayne have often pondered why the track "Mona Lisa" from his 2018 album Tha Carter V is conspicuously absent from his live performances. The song, which features a collaboration with the talented Kendrick Lamar, has sparked speculation that perhaps ongoing tensions between Lamar and fellow artist Drake might be behind its absence on stage.

Lil Wayne's lyric amnesia

Dispelling the rumors, Lil Wayne himself has provided a much simpler explanation for the omission of "Mona Lisa" during his concerts: he doesn't remember the lyrics. During a recent headlining performance, Wayne addressed the curiosity head-on, revealing a candid insight into his relationship with his discography. "This is the second time I've seen this within my last three shows. Somebody had a sign that said, 'Mona Lisa' […] If y'all real Lil Wayne fans, you know I don't know the lyrics to my shit," Wayne expressed to the crowd. He further reassured his fans, "I don't like to rap the words, but I'm going to learn that shit. I'm going to learn it. I got you." This statement not only highlights his authenticity but also his commitment to delivering for his fans.

A history of lyric googling

The issue of lyric retention isn't a new one for Lil Wayne. He has previously admitted to having to Google his lyrics to avoid repetition. In a conversation with Eminem on Young Money Radio back in 2020, Wayne shared, "If you go through my phone history, my Google history and you press L, first thing that will come up is 'Lil Wayne lyrics.' I literally have to Google my lyrics to make sure I didn't say certain stuff before."

While some artists might be embarrassed by such admissions, Lil Wayne's transparency about his creative process and performance challenges endears him further to his audience, reinforcing his status as a relatable and down-to-earth legend in the rap game.

In conclusion, while fans may be eager to hear "Mona Lisa" live, they'll have to wait until Lil Wayne masters the lyrics again. Until then, they can appreciate the honesty and humor with which he approaches his craft.

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