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.XXXTENTACION’S BARS
LIVE ON ‘FOREVER’
32
A little over
a year after
XXXTentacion
(born Jahseh
Onfroy) was
shot and killed outside a Florida motorcycle
dealership, his second posthumous album,
Bad Vibes Forever, will be released this fall.
X’s manager and Sounds Music Group CEO
Solomon Sobande describes it as “the love
child between 17 and ?,” the two albums X
released during his lifetime. Along with Nima
Etminan, vp at EMPIRE (which releases X’s
music), he spoke about
assembling Bad Vibes and
the artist’s complex legacy.
How did you approach
putting the album together?
SOBANDE A lot of records,
like “School Shooter” featuring Lil Wayne or
“Hearteater,” Jahseh saved for this point in
his career when he was more established,
so they would be better received. A lot of
things he had worked on, almost complete
ideas, weren’t finished — maybe [they] only
had one verse and a hook or only a beat. To
fill out those songs, a who’s who of the music
industry came out to help us.
Who did that include?
SOBANDE The executive producer is Cleopatra
Bernard, Jahseh’s mother, who pieced
everything together with the creatives who
worked with Jahseh. John Cunningham, Jah’s
right-hand man, produced the majority of the
album. There’s outside production from DJ
Carnage and JonFX. For “Royalty,” featuring
Ky-Mani Marley, Stefflon Don and Vybz Kartel,
Jah did the song with Ky-Mani, and after he
passed, his mom set it up so I could go to
Jamaica, visit Vybz in jail and get his verse.
Are there other features?
SOBANDE There’s a healthy amount. Tory
Lanez and Mavado; there’s a country song
featuring Lil Nas X. One of the most surprising
is Blink-182 — one of Jah’s favorite bands.
Did his mother have final approval?
ETMINAN His mother’s word remains the
most important thing, along with the people
who worked most closely with him. I was a
young hip-hop fan when 2Pac passed away.
I remember 2Pac albums coming out and
being upset about people who had no relation
to him being put on records. So now that I’m
working on a project for someone who was
taken away from us too early, I want to make
sure I satisfy the kids in the position I was in.
The domestic violence charges against X
heavily inform his legacy. How does that
influence you?
SOBANDE I knew him personally, and he
wasn’t the person those charges said he was.
He had his share of problems, mental health
issues. But he was making every effort to
change. Part of the responsibility for me and
his team is to expose that person who was
trying to be better. —DAVID PEISNER
COUNTRY GETS A MEGA-GROUP MOMENT
33
Nashville is chock-full of solo superstars these days, but many of the fall’s most exciting releases — from a fearless
foursome of women to an internationally flavored boy band — show there’s strength in numbers BY MELINDA NEWMAN
What We Know About
Missy
Elliott
31
It has been 14 years since her last
studio album, but affection for
Missy Elliott hasn’t waned. In June,
she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall
of Fame with a ceremony that featured
tributes from Lizzo and Michelle Obama; on
Aug. 26, she’ll receive the Video Vanguard
Award at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The only person who didn’t get the memo, it
seems, was Elliott herself: “For so long I was
hesitant to put out music in fear no1 would get
it because people said music has changed,”
she tweeted last fall. Now, after releasing
a handful of singles through the years —
including the Pharrell Williams team-up
“WTF” in 2015 — Elliott has confirmed she’ll
release a new body of work by year’s end.
Already she has tweeted about a new track
with Lizzo, whose “Tempo” she guested on
this year; posted dispatches from the studio
with longtime collaborator Timbaland,
describing a song called “Summer” as a
throwback to their ’90s work; and shared a
snippet of a feisty club-banger titled “Cool
Off.” But don’t be surprised if she keeps much
of the project under wraps until it’s ready.
“My fans are crazy ... if you tell them a date,
you better stick to it,” she told Billboard last
December. “For this album, I’m just trying
to make sure I give the best me that I can
possibly give.” —NOLAN FEENEY
35
Neil Young
reunites with
backing band Crazy Horse
on Colorado, due Oct. 25.
- WHO WILL BREAK OUT?
“Lennon Stella is a powerhouse female talent. She built a beginner
fan base with viral content, cut her teeth in songwriting and acting on
ABC’s Nashville, and her EP Love has songs that sneak onto most of
the playlists. Now that she’s supporting The Chainsmokers in front of
arena crowds, the switch is going to flip.” —MARCIE ALLEN, MAC PRESENTS Stella
XXXTentacion
PORTRAIT ILLUSTRATION BY JULIETTE TOMA
THE REBELS
THE NEW KIDS ON
THE BLOCKTHE POWER TRIO
THE CONTEMPORARY
COUNTRY KINGSTHE VERSATILE VETS
WHO The Highwomen King Calaway Lady Antebellum Old Dominion Zac Brown Band
WHAT’S
COMING
The Highwomen
(Low Country
Sound/Elektra
Records), Sept. 6
Rivers (Stoney
Creek Records/
BBR Music
Group), Oct. 4
As-yet-untitled
album (BMLG
Records), fall TBD
Old Dominion
(RCA Records
Nashville), Oct. 25
The Owl (BMG),
Sept. 20
THE
LOWDOWN
A movement
as much as a
supergroup,
Brandi Carlile,
Natalie Hemby,
Maren Morris and
Amanda Shires
are standing up
to gender inequity
in country.
Assembled by
music executives
who scouted the
globe, the sextet
(from the United
States, Scotland
and Gibraltar) all
play instruments
and sublimely
sing together.
The seven-time
Grammy winners
known for stirring
vocals start a
new chapter with
BMLG Records
after over a
decade (and nine
No. 1s) on Capitol
Nashville.
The reigning
Country Music
Association group
of the year has
gone from writing
for stars like
Luke Bryan and
Blake Shelton to
headlining its
own arena tours.
After a robust
round of touring,
including two
Fenway Park
dates in Boston —
and in the
wake of Brown’s
divorce — the
Southern-rocking
collective returns.
WHAT TO
EXPECT
Stunning
harmonies, smart
women-first
songwriting
and also
refreshing queer
love songs like
“If She Ever
Leaves Me.”
An Eagles-
meets-One
Direction sound
and tunes crafted
by the likes of
Josh Osborne
and Laura Veltz,
plus a cover of
“Love the One
You’re With.”
If first single
“What If I Never
Get Over You” is
any indication?
A return to “Need
You Now”-era
duets between
singers Charles
Kelley and
Hillary Scott.
The quintet
co-produces
for the first
time, working
with longtime
collaborator
Shane McAnally
on its clever,
compelling
songs.
It’s already
known for genre-
busting, but
collaborations
with Benny
Blanco, Skrillex
and Ryan Tedder
hint this could be
the group’s most
expansive set yet.
37
Brazilian pop star
and drag queen
Pabllo Vittar releases her new
album, 111 , in November.
38
U.K. rap sensation Stormzy is
set to conquer America with
new music from his #Merky Records
partnership with Atlantic Records.
36
Pore over hundreds of career-
spanning photos of Prince,
including many unseen images, in Randee St.
Nicholas’ book My Name Is Prince, out Nov. 19.