Just a few days ago, Billie Eilish named Sufjan Stevens’Carrie & Lowell her best album to cry to. Well, the 2015 project turns a decade old this year, and if you’d like to join Eilish in squeezing out a few tears, Asthmatic Kitty just announced a 2LP anniversary edition of the album.
Included most notably are seven previously unreleased bonus tracks, which are demos and alternate versions. Ahead of the reissue’s release on May 30, Stevens has shared a demo of “Mystery Of Love,” which was recorded during the Carrie & Lowell sessions but ended up being used in the movie Call Me By Your Name.
Also included are a 40-page art book and a new essay from Stevens. In the booklet, per a press release, are “various collages of vintage family photos spanning four generations interfused with artwork and drawings (on themes of death, dying, grief and the state of Oregon) as well as landscape photos Sufjan took while traveling across the western US over a decade ago.”
Listen to the “Mystery Of Love” demo above and find the Carrie & Lowell (10th Anniversary Edition) cover art and tracklist below.
Disc 1
1. “Death With Dignity”
2. “Should Have Known Better”
3. “All Of Me Wants All Of You”
4. “Drawn To The Blood”
5. “Eugene”
6. “Fourth Of July”
7. “The Only Thing”
8. “Carrie & Lowell”
9. “John My Beloved”
10. “No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross”
11. “Blue Bucket Of Gold”
Disc 2”
1. “Death With Dignity (Demo)”
2. “Should Have Known Better (Demo)”
3. “Eugene (Demo)”
4. “The Only Thing (Demo)”
5. “Mystery Of Love (Demo)”
6. “Wallowa Lake Monster (Version 2)”
7. “Fourth Of July (Version 4)”
Located in downtown Louisville, Rabbit Hole Distillery, which opened in 2018, is finally hitting its groove. It owes its success to the contracted distillate it started with, key partnerships, and the tireless work of its Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame founder, Kaveh Zamanian.
With nearly 3,000 whiskey distilleries in America, up from roughly 150 just 15 years ago, it’s more important than ever to have an edge to help your brand stand out from the pack. Kaveh’s unique background motivated him to highlight other inspiring, seldom-heard stories in the whiskey industry.
Kaveh Zamanian is an Iranian immigrant who earned his Ph.D. here in America before falling in love with his wife, a native Kentuckian who introduced him to the bourbon industry. There, he fell in love yet again—this time with the spirit’s tradition and production process. In his words, “Bourbon is what we like to call 51% corn, 49% possibility.”
Speaking to the “possibility” component, we have to talk about one of the key partnerships Kaveh most recently forged. Last year at the Sundance Film Festival, a chance meeting with Insecure breakout star Jay Ellis birthed an intriguing question: what if they could align their respective appreciation for creative spirits in a way that united the world of film and whiskey? Thus, the Creative Spirits Challenge was born.
“One of the barriers for a lot of people is (a lack of) equipment,” Ellis intimated in an exclusive interview with UPROXX, “so Kaveh and his team put together this idea of providing cameras to emerging filmmakers so that everyone can tell us their story.” For aspiring creatives, it’s an opportunity that could change their lives in the same way that Kaveh’s daring has changed the face of the whiskey industry.
As part of the partnership, Ellis also collaborated with Kaveh and the Rabbit Hole team to create a limited-edition whiskey that will be available in stores this spring. The full details of the release have not yet been announced, but it will feature custom artwork, and a portion of the proceeds from the bottle will go towards further supporting young filmmakers looking to develop their first project. The challenge is on.
While we await our first taste of that new release here at UPROXX, we thought it would be a perfect time to put Rabbit Hole’s core lineup to our challenge.
I tasted through Rabbit Hole’s “core four” expressions and ranked them in order of deliciousness. Let’s dive in and find out which Rabbit Hole whiskey you should get your hands on ahead of the release of their liquid collaboration with Jay Ellis!
Cavehill from Rabbit Hole is technically a four-grain bourbon made from a mash bill of 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% malted barley, and 10% honey malted barley. The brand’s entry-level offering uses liquid matured for at least 3 years, produced in small batches of no more than 15 barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nosing notes are grain forward, with floral notes balancing out the aromas of corn husk, black pepper, and white sugar. It has a generally light and slightly youthful nose that beckons an initial sip courtesy of that sweet approachability.
Palate: That grain-forward nose perfectly sets the stage for the sipping experience with this whiskey, as notes of corn husk, sweet butterscotch, green apples, and peaches form the base of the flavor profile on this one. The mouthfeel is a tad bit restrained, but it’s a very balanced, borderline refreshing sip.
Finish: The finish on Cavehill is short-to-medium, which helps support its generally refreshing impression.
Bottom Line:
This is a great introduction to the Rabbit Hole portfolio. It’s a crowd-pleaser that casts enough intrigue to raise the eyebrows of enthusiasts, while newcomers to the world of whiskey will instantly fall in love with its sweet, approachable flavor profile.
Rabbit Hole Heigold treads a slightly different path than Cavehill thanks to its mash bill of 70% corn, 25% rye, and 5% malted barley. That high rye grain recipe gives it an added depth and some extra spice notes for an end result that is similarly aged at least 3 years and made in batches of 15 barrels or less.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This bourbon opens with nosing notes of butterscotch, stewed apples, and maple syrup. Star anise comes sweeping in on a second pass of the glass, with earthy cinnamon bark notes further fleshing out the aroma base.
Palate: Once on the palate, the flavors of smoked honey, mellow rye spice, and star anise grace the tip of the tongue and slowly unfold towards the middle of the palate. Once at mid-palate, more notes of red apples and a nice dash of black pepper round things out. The mouthfeel on this one is denser than Cavehill, which helps it support those additional baking spice notes.
Finish: This one has a medium-to-long finish where the apple notes play an important role along with that sweet honey flavor, which combines with a touch of cornbread, sage smudge, and white pepper.
Bottom Line:
While Cavehill is Rabbit Hole’s crowd-pleaser, Heigold is a slightly more serious expression with multiple layers of flavor and some intriguing spice notes that will make you want to savor each sip. If taking your time with a whiskey and teasing out all of the flavors is your type of experience, then Heigold is the bottle for you.
While whiskey fans are certainly familiar with the 95/5 rye recipe made famous by Indiana’s MGP (95% rye, 5% malted barley), Rabbit Hole Boxergrail Rye features a take on the grain recipe produced in Kentucky. Like its two predecessors, this whiskey is made in small batches using distillate that is aged for at least 3 years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Green apples, spearmint, and black tea stand out immediately on the nose of this whiskey. Despite clocking in at the same ABV as Cavehill and Heigold, Boxergrail comes across as a bit higher-proofed, which is likely due to its more robust black peppercorn notes.
Palate: On the palate, this whiskey is at once familiar (thanks to its 95/5 grain recipe) but also offers a bit more edge than its Indiana counterparts at this age. The mouthfeel is robust to start, with the flavors of green candy apples, allspice, and black pepper doing the heavy lifting before it demures at midpalate.
Finish: Despite losing steam at midpalate, this whiskey perks up texturally on the medium-length finish where freshly cracked black pepper notes join green apples, barrel char, lavender honey, and thyme.
Bottom Line:
While the drinking experience with Rabbit Hole’s Boxergrail Rye is roughly on par with that of Heigold, it offers additional insight into the differences between Indiana’s and Kentucky’s takes on the 95/5 rye recipe. With a slightly sterner backbone thanks to a more assertive infusion of black pepper spice, this is a precocious young rye that serves well as either a neat sipper or a cocktail base.
For the final expression in the Rabbit Hole core four, we have Derringer, which utilizes its own unique mash bill of 68% corn, 18% wheat, and 14% malted barley. That whiskey is then finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry Casks from Spain’s Casknolia Cooperage. Finally, the whiskey is bottled without chill-filtration to preserve all of the flavors that the secondary maturation cask imparts.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fruit cake notes come leaping out of the glass with this whiskey as the aroma of mulled wine melds with stewed red berries, cinnamon bark, dark chocolate, and shelled walnuts.
Palate: On the palate, Dareringer springs to life as all of its nosing notes dance on the palate in a slightly riper form. The stewed red berries come across more so as red berry preserves, while the walnuts lose their shell, the cinnamon has become dust, and the dark chocolate gets slightly sweeter and tastes more like milk chocolate.
Finish: This whiskey is the sweetest overall, underlined by its sweet short-to-medium-length finish, which is loaded with red raisins, a faint amaretto note, moderate oak tones, and freshly cracked black pepper.
Bottom Line:
Dareringer, the priciest of Rabbit Hole’s core four, is worth every penny as it delivers a delightful sweetness coupled with assertive baking spice notes that all enhance, rather than distract from, the base whiskey. While this is the most challenging whiskey of the bunch on the palate, offering an array of well-integrated flavors, it’s also the most rewarding for the very same reason.
Final Thoughts
Despite its youth, Rabbit Hole is delivering some delicious whiskeys throughout its core lineup. By developing an appreciation for younger whiskey, discerning drinkers will find a whole new world opening in front of their eyes. While Cavehill was a tad bland, the Heigold expression kicks things up several notches before the surprisingly multifaceted rye and the magnificent Dareringer offering steal the show.
Simply put, if you aren’t already enjoying younger American whiskeys, then Rabbit Hole is an ideal jumping-off point.
To enter the Creative Spirits Challenge, aspiring filmmakers simply need to submit a video sharing their story and make a case for why they deserve to win. The grand prize winner will receive a professional-grade Canon camera and a one-on-one mentoring session with Jay Ellis, an invaluable opportunity to learn from an award-winning actor with over 20 years of experience in Hollywood. Three runners-up will also receive professional-grade Canon cameras to assist in bringing their creative visions to life.
Interested participants must be 21+ and the brand is accepting submissions until 3/31/2025.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of March below.
Wings — Venus And Mars (50th Anniversary Edition)
MPL/UMe
Paul McCartney made the most of life after The Beatles with Wings, and the band was really hitting its stride by the time they released 1975’s Venus And Mars. The album turns 50 years old this year, so there’s a new vinyl edition that was cut at half speed using a high-resolution transfer of the original master tapes, meaning it sounds terrific.
Black Sabbath is coming to an end, but we’ll always have the music. Paranoid is one of the band’s defining releases, of course, and now it sounds better than ever on a new Rhino High Fidelity reissue.
Alice Cooper also just got the Rhino Hi-Fi treatment with a rerelease of Love It To Death. The album, the band’s third, was a critical one for them, as it was their big breakout after a pair of albums that underwhelmed commercially.
Ariana Grande — Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead
Republic Records
Even with Ariana Grande being primarily in Wicked mode at the moment, she’s still been delivering new music at a solid clip. The deluxe edition of Eternal Sunshine dropped last week, as did a short film and, of course, new vinyl.
Eli Roth’s Red Light Disco: Dancefloor Seductions From Italian Sexploitation Cinema
CAM Sugar/UMe
Director Eli Roth has a passion for Italian “sexploitation” movies from the ’70s and ’80s, and that applies to the films’ songs that often aren’t available outside of the movies themselves. Well, Roth went ahead, rounded up a bunch of his favorites, and honored the era with a carefully considered new compilation.
Fleetwood Mac had a legendary run in the ’70s and ’80s, highlighted by Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Tusk, Mirage, and Tango In The Night. Those iconic projects have now all been collected in a box set, that also comes with a clear 12-inch of “Silver Springs” and “Go Your Own Way,” and that’s limited to just 1,000 copies. If you’re missing any of these classics in your collection, this is an ideal way to finish off that period from one of music’s greatest bands.
Never before has Kraftwerk officially released a picture disc vinyl. Now, though, in celebration of a half-century of Autobahn, it’s gotten a lovely blue picture disc reissue, and the minimal original artwork is a great fit for this format.
It’s also been 50 years since one of Bowie’s biggest classics, Young Americans. You can choose your flavor with this reissue, as there’s a picture disc version, as well as a half-speed mastered LP edition.
Motown has been on a tear with reissues over the past year or so, busting out a few exemplary releases from the archives monthly. As the title suggests, it’s more psychedelic than most Motown releases, making it a fascinating outlier in the label’s history.
Sun Ra — Space Is The Place (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
In case you missed it, Vinyl Me, Please recently moved away from their Records Of The Month format. That’s not necessarily bad news, though, as they continue to frequently release snazzy new reissues, one of the latest of which being this Sun Ra favorite.
Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.
This week saw Ariana Grande expand Eternal Sunshine and Little Simz forging ahead with more artistic hip-hop. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
Ariana Grande adds a heaping handful of songs to her latest album with the Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead deluxe edition (not to mention the short film). Among the highlights from the fresh batch is the soaring “Twilight Zone.”
Lucy Dacus and Hozier — “Bullseye”
The breakout success of Boygenius is a tough act to follow, and that’s just what Lucy Dacus was tasked with on her new album, Forever Is A Feeling. She mostly goes about the project alone, but she did get a boost from Hozier on the soothing “Bullseye.”
Nav — “Pain Away”
It’s been nearly a year since Nav announcedOn My Way 2 Rexdale, an eternity in modern music industry terms. But, at long last, the project is finally here, led by tracks like the vulnerable “Pain Away.”
Perfume Genius — “Clean Heart”
Perfume Genius (who recently told Uproxx the stories behind all of his album covers) his a new LP under his belt, Glory. Among the highlights is “Clean Heart,” which is subtle and understated, but also lush and lovely if you pay attention.
Kali Uchis — “Sunshine & Rain…”
Uchis just released one of 2024’s best albums last year, but she’s already following Orquídeas with a new LP, Sincerely. This one arrives in May and she previewed it last week with the smooth and serene “Sunshine & Rain…”
d4vd — “What Are You Waiting For?”
Ahead of his April album Withered, d4vd has offered an advance look at the project with the lively and pleading “What Are You Waiting For?.” (Also, credit where it’s due: “Fortnite montage” is definitely a new way to officially share a new song.)
Lil Durk — “1000 Times” Feat. Lil Baby
Durk’s new album Deep Thoughts is out now and it boasts features from Future, Hunxho, and Jhené Aiko. Most notably, though, the project sees him reunite with Voice Of The Heroes collaborator Lil Baby on the autobiographical “1000 Times.”
Little Simz — “Free”
UK hip-hop auteur Little Simz considers the different meanings of love on a new single from her upcoming album Lotus, “Free“: “I think that love is forgiving yourself / I think that love is offering your immediate help / I think that love is everything that we need in this world / I think the key is being honest and being yourself.”
Ari Lennox — “Soft Girl Era”
Happy belated birthday, Ari Lennox! Her big day was last week, and she celebrated by dropping “Soft Girl Era,” a bouncy, confident, and instantly catchy number.
Rico Nasty — “On The Low”
More than just about anybody in music, Rico Nasty is always in her own lane, whatever that lane may be. Rico’s currently signed to Fueled By Ramen, a label best known for pop-punk and alternative rock, and her latest single “On The Low” is a melding of electronic and trap influences.
Last year, from the ashes of the Sound On Sound festival rose a new event, Soundside Music Festival. Year 1 started out strong with Noah Kahan and Foo Fighters (who later canceled) as headliners. Year 2 is looking good, too: The 2025 lineup was announced today and leading the way are The Killers and Hozier.
Other lineup highlights include Weezer, Vampire Weekend, The Backseat Lovers, Djo, Remi Wolf, Japanese Breakfast, Inhaler, Rachel Chinouriri, and The Last Dinner Party. They’ll all be heading to Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut from September 27 to 28.
The fest features a “unique rotating single-stage set up,” per a press release, as well as “gourmet food options from some of Connecticut and surrounding area’s best establishments, including a curated selection of cocktails, craft beer and wine options and much more.”
Pre-sale tickets are available starting April 3 at 10 a.m. ET, and the public on-sale will start an hour later, at which point ticket prices will increase from the pre-sale rate. More ticket information is available on the festival website.
Check out the full day-by-day lineup below.
Soundside Music Festival 2025 Lineup For Saturday, September 27
The Killers
Weezer
Djo
Japanese Breakfast
The Last Dinner Party
Inhaler
Rachel Chinouriri
Wild Rivers
Hollow Coves
Dipsea Flower
Soundside Music Festival 2025 Lineup For Sunday, September 28
Hozier
Vampire Weekend
The Backseat Lovers
Remi Wolf
Chelsea Cutler
Alex Warren
Gigi Perez
Brenn!
Vundabar
Happy Landing
It feels like I’ve written some variation on the title of this post at least five times since Travis Scott entered the ring at WWE’s Elimation Chamber and delivered a thunderous slap to the head of prone champion Cody Rhodes at the beginning of the month. The devastating attack resulted insome truly iconic merch, it also reportedly left some brutal-looking bruises on the wrestler’s face — and Travis might want to think twice about setting foot in a WWE ring for the foreseeable future.
While Rhodes apparently shrugged off the injury, telling Complex in a new interview “that’s wrestling,” that doesn’t mean Scott’s safe from retaliation. “I am not mad so much, but I am looking, and my eyes are open for what we inevitably, what we’ll call a ‘receipt’,” Cody said. “If Travis Scott ever makes his way back into the WWE fray, maybe there’s a receipt for Travis. Prior to this though, by the way, I was a Travis Scott fan. I bought those sneakers on [Sneaker Shopping].”
A “receipt,” in behind-the-curtain wrestling parlance, is given to a performer who puts a little too much mustard into an attack. While most wrestling strikes, holds, and throws are at the very least pre-planned or practiced to ensure the performers’ safety, many are very real and painful to the recipient. So, if a blow is delivered with more force than is strictly necessary or agreed-upon to get the point across to the cheap seats, a receipt is a way to let the offender know, “Hey, I felt that. Bring it down a notch.” While Rhodes praised Travis’s enthusiasm, it sounds like the rapper has a reminder to keep it show business coming his way.
As for those Travis Scott Nikes? Cody joked he hasn’t seen them in the house since. Maybe his wife and daughter weren’t too fond of watching Mr. “4×4” smack the champ quite that hard.
Last year, I called Tyler The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw the best music festival in today’s market. In two reviews running, I wrote that the Los Angeles-based fest set the standard by focusing on fan experience, highlighting local music, food, and overall vibes, and maintaining a close-knit feel among the artists on stage.
So it makes sense that one of the few other festivals hitting all those high points would be another artist-owned and curated festival, J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival. Now in its fifth and final year, Dreamville Festival has rightfully earned a reputation as one of the best-in-class festivals around, and with its end, it’s leaving behind a void that few other festivals can fill. It also leaves behind a blueprint for other mid-size festivals to follow, and perhaps its success can be duplicated in the future by other artist-fronted festivals.
The number-one tenet of Dreamville’s success over the past year is baked into the concept. Unlike other artist-owned festivals or hip-hop festivals that rely on organizing principles like a sound or an era, Dreamville is based around the stable of artists on J. Cole’s label, Dreamville Records. Since the label already includes an array of artists with different but thematically similar sounds and overlapping fanbases, Cole has already created a draw that makes the price of admission much more appealing.
Think about a wide-ranging lineup for a festival like Coachella. For a casual fan, maybe only the top line artists are interesting enough to warrant a ticket, so if the headliners don’t appeal, the surrounding experience might not feel worth it. For a hip-hop-oriented event like Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash, the diversity of sounds on the lineup could draw a wider range of fans — or, a fan of, say, Saba would simply not find it worth the price since there aren’t too many other acts of his ilk on the flyer.
With Dreamville, the odds of a J. Cole fan also enjoying a frequent collaborator like Ari Lennox or Bas is higher. Likewise, the lesser-known artists like Cozz or Lute get the halo effect of sharing certain stylistic aesthetics with JID or Earthgang. The “family-first” concept ensures that there’s a solid enough foundation to build on that there’s always been a core of “day-one” fans willing to buy-in on the strength of the brand name before any glitzy stars are added to the bill. This is similar to Flog Gnaw, in that many of Tyler’s Odd Future cohorts are practically guaranteed to show up.
When those big names are booked, though, there’s a relatively easy to grasp throughline: These are Cole’s faves, his friends, and his extended family. Bold-print names like Big Sean and 21 Savage from the first year were folks Cole shares multiple or recent songs with. Likewise, Drake’s appearance in 2023 presaged the two blog-era faves’ eventual joint tour — which really was a good idea before Drake decided to take shots at you-know-who on “First Person Shooter.”
Older acts like Lil Wayne, Nelly, and Usher are clear influences on J. Cole, and were the top names in the game as he rose through the ranks. It makes sense some of his biggest fans would also look up to those artists. This is family-first, extended to include older branches and roots of the family tree that spawned Cole and his Dreamville compatriots, as well as musical “cousins” like SZA and Summer Walker, Ari Lennox’s fellow descendants of Erykah Badu — who is, fittingly, also performing at this year’s final festival.
Even the food options at the festival each year put more focus on local businesses from J. Cole’s home state, North Carolina. The upcoming final festival boasts a 30% increase in vendors, with over 76 local eateries offering everything from barbecue (the state’s signature) to Filipino finger foods. It’s clear that care and intention was put into every aspect of the festival experience, all with keeping the theme of family and community at the forefront of the festival’s strategy. With this year’s food lineup growing and the music lineup coming full circle, Dreamville Festival is going out with a bang. Hopefully, any new fests that crop up to fill the space will take its family-first outlook to heart.
The headline about Miley Cyrus’ upcoming album Something Beautiful so far is that it’s a high-production, Pink Floyd-inspired concept album. Well, she just shared the video for the title track today (March 31), and Cyrus isn’t kidding. The visual is essentially a performance video, albeit one with high-effort set design and serious production value, while the song itself swings back and forth between reclined and in-your-face.
Cyrus co-wrote the song with her boyfriend, Liily’s Maxx Morando, who also produced multiple tracks on the album. Cyrus previously said of him, “He looks at life really differently than I do. He grew up with a laptop. I had a desktop computer that I shared with my brothers and sisters. […] Honestly, he’s raised our dog off Reddit. I’m like, ‘Are you sure we’re supposed to be doing this?’ And he’s like, ‘On Reddit it says blah, blah, blah.’”
Hours earlier, Cyrus also shared a video for “Prelude.”
Cyrus also described the album as “hypnotizing and glamorous” and said of it, “It’s a concept album that’s an attempt to medicate somewhat of a sick culture through music. […] It was inspired by Pink Floyd’s The Wall. […] My idea was making The Wall, but with a better wardrobe and more glamorous and filled with pop culture.”
Watch the “Something Beautiful” and “Prelude” videos above.
Something Beautiful is out 5/30 via Columbia Records. Find more information here.
We’re a quarter of the way through the 21st century and it’s a great time to take stock in how hip-hop has evolved over that time. Every year, it feels like a different artist takes their turn at the rap crown, while a new producer comes up with the sound of the moment.
To etch this in stone, I’ve gone year by year to declare the best artist, producer, song, verse, beat, and album for each year of the century so far. Do some rappers dominate? Of course they do: There isn’t that much room at the top. But this exercise also shines a light on hip-hop’s constant flux, and how easy it is to slip from the peak.
2000
Best Artist:Eminem Best Producer: Dr. Dre Best Song: Nelly — “Country Grammar (Hot Shit)” Best Verse: Jay-Z — “Intro” from The Dynasty: Roc La Familia Best Beat: M.O.P. — “Ante Up” (producer: DR Period) Best Album: Outkast — Stankonia
2001
Best Artist:Jay-Z Best Producer: Kanye West Best Song: Nas — “Ether” Best Verse: Jadakiss — “We Gonna Make It” Feat. Styles P Best Beat: Ludacris — “Move Bitch” (producer: KLC) Best Album: Jay-Z — The Blueprint
2002
Best Artist: Eminem Best Producer: The Neptunes Best Song: Eminem — “Lose Yourself” Best Verse: Eminem — “Till I Collapse” Best Beat: Nas — “Made You Look” (producer: Salaam Remi) Best Album: Eminem — The Eminem Show
2003
Best Artist:50 Cent Best Producer: Lil Jon Best Song: 50 Cent — “In Da Club” Best Verse: Jay-Z — “Public Service Announcement” Best Beat: Joe Budden — “Pump It Up” (producer: Just Blaze) Best Album: 50 Cent — Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
2004
Best Artist: Kanye West Best Producer: Kanye West Best Song: Snoop Dogg — “Drop It Like It’s Hot” Feat. Pharrell Best Verse: Ja Rule — “New York” Best Beat: De La Soul — “Rock Co.Kane Flow” (producer: Jake One) Best Album: Kanye West — The College Dropout
2005
Best Artist: Kanye West Best Producer: Kanye West Best Song: The Game — “Hate It or Love It” Feat. 50 Cent Best Verse: Jay-Z on Kanye West’s “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)” Best Beat: Young Jeezy — “Go Crazy” Feat. Jay-Z (producer: Don Cannon) Best Album: Kanye West — Late Registration
2006
Best Artist: T.I. Best Producer: Toomp Best Song: Lupe Fiasco — “Kick, Push” Best Verse: Pusha T on Clipse’s “Mr. Me Too” Best Beat: T.I. — “What You Know” (producer: Toomp) Best Album: T.I. — King
2007
Best Artist: Kanye West Best Producer: Kanye West Best Song: 50 Cent — “I Get Money” Best Verse: Kanye West — “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” Best Beat: Kanye West — “Flashing Lights” (producers: Kanye West and Eric Hudson) Best Album: Kanye West — Graduation
2008
Best Artist:Lil Wayne Best Producer: Drumma Boy Best Song: Lil Wayne — “A Milli” Best Verse: Lil Wayne — “A Milli” Best Beat: Lil Wayne — “Let The Beat Build” (producers: Kanye West and Deezle) Best Album: Lil Wayne — Tha Carter III
2009
Best Artist: Jay-Z Best Producer: Noah “40” Shebib Best Song: Drake — “Best I Ever Had” Best Verse: Kanye West on Jay-Z’s “Run This Town” Best Beat: Gucci Mane — “Lemonade” (producer: Bangladesh) Best Album: Jay-Z — The Blueprint 3
2010
Best Artist: Kanye West Best Producer: Kanye West Best Song: Rick Ross — “B.M.F. (Blowin Money Fast)” Feat. Styles P Best Verse: Nicki Minaj on Kanye West’s “Monster” Best Beat: Kanye West — “Devil In A New Dress” (producer: Bink & Mike Dean) Best Album: Kanye West — My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
2011
Best Artist: Drake Best Producer: Noah “40” Shebib Best Song: Jay-Z and Kanye West — “N****s In Paris” Best Verse: Drake on DJ Khaled’s “I’m On One” Best Beat: Drake — “Lord Knows” Feat. Rick Ross (producer: Just Blaze) Best Album: Drake — Take Care
2012
Best Artist: Kendrick Lamar Best Producer: Mike Will Made-It Best Song: Meek Mill — “Dreams And Nightmares” Best Verse: Drake on Rick Ross’ “Stay Schemin” Best Beat: Kendrick Lamar — “Money Trees” Feat. Jay Rock (producer: DJ Dahi) Best Album: Kendrick Lamar — Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City
2013
Best Artist: Drake Best Producer: Noah “40” Shebib Best Song: J. Cole — “Power Trip” Feat. Miguel Best Verse: Kendrick Lamar on Big Sean’s “Control” Best Beat: Migos — “Versace” (producer: Zaytoven) Best Album: Drake — Nothing Was The Same
2014
Best Artist: J. Cole Best Producer: DJ Mustard Best Song: Big Sean — “I Don’t Fuck With You” Feat. E-40 Best Verse: Young Thug on Rich Gang’s “Lifestyle” Best Beat: YG — “My N****” Feat. Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan (producer: DJ Mustard & Mike Free) Best Album: J. Cole — 2014 Forest Hills Drive
2015
Best Artist: Drake Best Producer: Metro Boomin Best Song: Future — “Thought It Was A Drought” Best Verse: Drake — “Back To Back” Best Beat: Future — “Stick Talk” (producer: Southside) Best Album: Kendrick Lamar — To Pimp A Butterfly
2016
Best Artist: Drake Best Producer: Metro Boomin Best Song: Migos — “Bad And Boujee” Feat. Lil Uzi Vert Best Verse: Chance The Rapper on Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam” Best Beat: Kanye West — “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1” (producers: Kanye West, Metro Boomin, Mike Dean, and Rick Rubin) Best Album: Drake — Views
2017
Best Artist: Kendrick Lamar Best Producer: No I.D. Best Song: Cardi B — “Bodak Yellow” Best Verse: Drake — “Do Not Disturb” Best Beat: Future — “Mask Off” (producer: Metro Boomin) Best Album: Kendrick Lamar — Damn
2018
Best Artist: Drake Best Producer: Kanye West Best Song: Travis Scott — “Sicko Mode” Feat. Drake Best Verse: Pusha T — “If You Know You Know” Best Beat: Pusha T — “Infrared” (producer: Kanye West) Best Album: Cardi B — Invasion Of Privacy
2019
Best Artist: Tyler, The Creator Best Producer: Madlib Best Song: Young Thug — “Hot” Feat. Gunna Best Verse: J. Cole — “Middle Child” Best Beat: 21 Savage — “A Lot” Feat. J. Cole (producers: DJ Dahi and J. White Did It) Best Album: Tyler The Creator — Igor
2020
Best Artist: Lil Baby Best Producer: Hit-Boy Best Song: Roddy Ricch — “The Box” Best Verse: Freddie Gibbs — “Scottie Beam” Best Beat: Jay Electronica — “A.P.I.D.T.A.” Feat. Jay-Z (producer: Khruangbin) Best Album: Lil Baby — My Turn
2021
Best Artist: Tyler The Creator Best Producer: Tyler The Creator Best Song: Baby Keem — “Family Ties” Feat. Kendrick Lamar Best Verse: Lil Baby on Drake’s “Wants And Needs” Best Beat: Drake — “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” (producers: Austin Powerz, Boi-1da, FNZ, and Keanu Beats) Feat. Rick Ross Best Album: Tyler The Creator — Call Me If You Get Lost
2022
Best Artist: Drake Best Producer: Metro Boomin Best Song: Drake — “Jimmy Cooks” Feat. 21 Savage Best Verse: Drake on Jack Harlow’s “Churchill Downs” Best Beat: Pusha T — “Dreamin’ Of The Past” (producer: Kanye West) Best Album: Drake and 21 Savage — Her Loss
2023
Best Artist: J. Cole Best Producer: Tay Keith Best Song: Drake & J. Cole — “First Person Shooter” Best Verse: J. Cole on Lil Yachty’s “The Secret Recipe” Best Beat: Larry June — “60 Days” (producer: The Alchemist) Best Album: Gunna — A Gift & A Curse
2024
Best Artist: Kendrick Lamar Best Producer: Metro Boomin Best Song: Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us” Best Verse: Kendrick Lamar on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” Best Beat: Future and Metro Boomin — “Like That” Feat. Kendrick Lamar (producer: Metro Boomin) Best Album: Kendrick Lamar — GNX
HOT 97’s Summer Jam is typically one of the biggest hip-hop events to look forward to every summer, and that’ll be true again this year, too. The one-day show goes down at June 20 at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center, and the lineup was announced today (March 31).
The lineup includes Gunna, GloRilla, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Muni Long, Asake, Ayra Starr, Ja Rule & Friends: A Tribute To Irv Gotti, Kash Doll, Bobby Konders & Jabba Feat. Masicka, Jim Jones & Friends, Cash Cobain, 41 (Kyle Rich, Jenn Carter, Tata), and more. A press release also teases “surprises, special guests, and unforgettable moments.”
The general on-sale starts on April 4 at 10 a.m. ET. Pre-sales start with an American Express pre-sale starting on April 1 at 10 a.m. ET. There’s also a Boost Mobile pre-sale and a promoter pre-sale, both of which start on April 2 at 10 a.m. ET. More information can be found here.
The festival is produced by The Black Promoters Collective and is part of the Prudential North To Shore Festival. Shelby Joyner, Founder of SJ Presents and President of The Black Promoters Collective, says in a statement, “Summer Jam is the pinnacle of hip-hop culture, and we’re honored to bring this electrifying experience to fans once again. This year’s lineup is a testament to the genre’s evolution, featuring both chart-topping superstars and rising talent who are shaping the future of hip-hop.”
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