Sparkling Ice and UPROXX’s Sparkling Sessions 2.0 tour landed in Austin, Texas, over the weekend to turn what could’ve been just another Austin City Limits warm-up into a significant pop culture moment. With country-music breakout Adrien Nunez headlining and powerhouse DJs priming the crowd, the night hit every beat. During set breaks, fans moved between Sparkling-pong tables, a taco truck that stayed busy all night, and booths offering everything from custom bead necklaces to blind taste-test challenges, arcade games, and, of course, Sparkling Ice-infused cocktails for the hyped crowd to savor. And what a crowd it was! With lines wrapping around the block, the event rolled 750+ people deep with an electricity that buzzed from doors to close.
After incredible sets from Gabby Gomez and Douglas Ray, Nunez tore into a set full of hits like Low Road — each met with a wave of fans shouting every lyric. ACL favorite Le Chev closed the night with an energetic set that had fans flocking to the dance floor and the night’s venue, Austin Garden, thumping.
As Season 2 of our Sparkling Sessions tour winds down, this ACL stop felt less like a simple party and more like a showpiece — the crown jewel in what has become one of the most fun and exciting festival kickoff series in the country. From Coachella to Governor’s Ball, our Anything But Subtle run has slowly morphed into something bigger — a traveling, high-energy reminder that good music, great people, and cold Sparkling Ice can turn any night into something unforgettable.
Laufey fans know Mei Mei The Bunny, a character the artist has used to release alternate versions (instrumental, lo-fi, and sped-up) of her songs. Now, the rabbit’s lore is expanding as the titular star of Laufey’s new picture book. Laufey wrote Mei Mei The Bunny and the book features illustrations by Lauren O’Hara.
The book is set for release on April 21, 2026 via Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. The publisher’s description reads:
“From Grammy Award–winning musician Laufey comes a bewitching picture book about overcoming mistakes and believing in oneself.
Mei Mei is a little bunny with a big dream. She wants to make the world happy with her music! Her first recital at the H’Opera House is approaching, and she’s been practicing harder than any bunny ever has. But the butterflies in her stomach flit and flutter.
When Mei Mei plays the wrong note in front of everyone, will she be able to find the melody to make it right?”
Laufey also says in a statement, “I’m so excited to now share Mei Mei The Bunny in storybook form! Mei Mei has been a part of my life for over the last few years and opening up the world around her has been the most beautiful exploration. I hope that anyone at any age can find something in Mei Mei’s story that inspires them and connects them to the people in their lives.”
Check out the book cover below, along with Laufey’s upcoming tour dates.
Laufey’s Mei Mei The Bunny Book Cover
Penguin Workshop
Laufey’s 2025 & 2026 Tour Dates
10/15/2025 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
10/16/2025 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
10/19/2025 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena *
10/20/2025 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena *
10/21/2025 — Laval, QC @ Place Bell *
10/23/2025 — Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena *
10/24/2025 — Philadelphia, PA @ Xfinity Mobile Arena *
10/27/2025 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden *
12/12/2025 — New York, NY @ iHeartRadio Jingle Ball
12/14/2025 — Boston, MA @ iHeartRadio Jingle Ball
12/15/2025 — Philadelphia, PA @ iHeartRadio Jingle Ball
12/16/2025 — Washington, D.C. @ iHeartRadio Jingle Ball
02/18/2026 — Zürich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion
02/19/2026 — Düsseldorf, Germany @ Mitsubishi Electric Halle
02/22/2026 — Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena
02/24/2026 — Berlin, Germany @ Velodrom
02/26/2026 — Vienna, Austria @ Stadthalle
02/28/2026 — Brussels, Belgium @ ING Arena
03/01/2026 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
03/02/2026 — Paris, France @ Adidas Arena
03/04/2026 — Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live
03/06/2026 — Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena
03/08/2026 — London, UK @ The O2
03/09/2026 — London, UK @ The O2
03/14/2026 — Kópavogur, Iceland @ Kórinn Arena
03/15/2026 — Kópavogur, Iceland @ Kórinn Arena
04/12/2026 — Indio, CA @ Coachella Music and Arts Festival
04/19/2026 — Indio, CA @ Coachella Music and Arts Festival
Teyana Taylor observes that the aftermath of a breakup is the real “Hard Part” in her latest video from Escape Room. In the video, Taylor and guest singer Lucky Daye drive in a convertible through the desert, stopping to get gas and taking the time to reflect on the regrets they’ve left behind. If you’ve seen One Battle After Another, it’s easy to imagine that this is where her character ends up, hitchhiking her way down a Mexican highway as she escapes her past hardships — and leaves loved ones behind.
“Hard Part” follows “Bed Of Roses” and “Long Time” as the latest single, but according to its press release, sits at the emotional core of the album itself. As the album recounts the unraveling of a relationship and Taylor’s subsequent recovery, that makes a lot of sense; it’s the rock bottom after the split that provides the foundation for her to rebuild herself into the person she envisions.
Taylor’s album was accompanied by a short film written and directed by the singer herself, and mirrors this progression thanks to contributions on the album from fellow actors like Niecy Nash, Taraji P. Henson, Issa Rae, Kerry Washington, and Regina King.
Co-founded by DJ Natasha Diggs and producer D Prosper, the project grew organically from basement parties in Brooklyn to dance floors across continents, becoming a beacon for musical curation, live instrumentation, and community energy. Over time, what began as a niche gathering of crate-diggers and musical explorers grew in scale — and in spirit.
It has become a place where dancers testify that they’ve found freedom, connection, and even lifelong partnerships. It’s an institution that has consistently resisted superficial trends and clout-chasing, instead elevating artistry, intention, and curation above all. It’s now entering a new chapter with the release of a collector’s edition triple vinyl — part celebration, part archival statement.
To mark this moment, I sat down with Diggs, Prosper, and producer/DJ L3ni to trace the evolution, reveal the philosophy, and chart what the next decade looks like for this movement-driven community.
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What are we celebrating with this vinyl release? What is Soul In The Horn?
DJ Natasha Diggs: We’re celebrating ten years of Soul In The Horn — a community, an artist ecosystem, and a dance-floor energy that grew from a New York institution into a global movement. The anniversary vinyl captures that story: Some tracks were born from collaborators who met at the party itself.
For anyone new to it, Soul In The Horn began as a Prosper-curated playlist connecting every genre through one thread — the horn — spanning Afrobeat, jazz, disco, house, and hip-hop. From there, it evolved into a party where live horns and DJs pushed New York nightlife to dig deeper, and where the goal was bigger than a night out: a place to dance, connect, and make lasting memories.
Why does dancing and community still matter in an AI-and-social-media world?
Diggs: Because it reminds us we’re human. When we dance together, we become mirrors for each other. You feel your body, you connect. People tell me Soul In The Horn is their therapy, their church, their freedom. Since phones took over, that culture of actually dancing has been lost. Our intention was to bring it back.
If this vinyl were in a record store, where would it sit?
D Prosper: Behind the counter, in that $80-to-$100 section — the record they brag about having. It’s a DJ record you can open the night with, peak the night with, or close the night with. It bridges house, R&B, and hip-hop. It’s for true music lovers.
Listening through the album, it feels like each of you anchored a different act — Prosper brought the hip-hop energy, L3ni the dance-floor movement, and Natasha the experimental live-instrumentation vibe.
Diggs: Exactly. Act 1 leans R&B/hip-hop, Act 2 is more house, Act 3 has a spiritual, boundary-pushing energy. We curated it intentionally to move through those worlds.
Prosper: We made a lot of records to get there. Natasha’s track feels like Yusef Lateef or Bobby Hutcherson. L3ni’s is dance-centric. Mine nods to the Native Tongues era — Tribe, Slum Village, that lineage of storytelling and groove.
L3ni: I’d been making dance tracks, so that fit naturally. The one that made the cut was fully original — no samples to clear — and it just felt right. It’s called “Dance And Sweat,” and that’s really the message.
Soul In The Horn
What do younger DJs and promoters ask you most — and what do you tell them?
Diggs: People are inspired by what we’ve built and want to know how we’ve lasted a decade. My answer is: know your intention. If you’re doing it for community, not clout, the universe will open doors. It’s not easy — there are ups and downs — but purpose keeps you in it.
Prosper: Being a “lit” DJ is fine if that’s your intention. But if you want community, that’s a different calling. We built a safe, spiritual space — black, white, gay, straight, everyone together. Like the old Palladium or Limelight: multiple rooms, real connection. Somewhere along the way, people stopped dancing and started clout-chasing. We wanted to bring it back to music as experience, not spectacle.
There’s constant debate around gatekeeping versus openness in nightlife. How do you protect the vibe without closing people out?
Diggs: The vibe attracts the tribe. We’ve always been careful about who and what we partner with. We grew organically — from a Cuban-jazz basement to big venues — without outside promoters. It’s word-of-mouth and energy. We’ll never book someone just because they’ll sell tickets. If the energy’s not right, it’s not Soul In The Horn.
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Ever had someone with a big name come in and miss the vibe?
Diggs: [Laughs] Not really — but even legends adjust. When Grandmaster Flash played, he came to the party first to feel the room. I told him, “Bring us back to the block parties, 1982 Wild Style energy.” He nailed it. People take this crowd seriously — it’s an educated dance floor. If you’re playing shallow, safe stuff, they’ll know.
If the vibe dips, what records never fail at Soul In The Horn?
Prosper: Prince’s “Chelsea Rogers.” Horns, groove, and everyone moves.
What’s next?
Prosper: We’re expanding the label, putting out more music, and dreaming about a Soul In The Horn festival — something that bridges generations and genres. Think Esperanza Spalding, Just Blaze, Coco Roco, and Natasha Diggs all on one lineup. Real musicianship and frequency, not algorithms.
Where do you guys want people to cop this? You want them to go to their local record store?
Prosper: Cop it at your local record store. Fat Beats is distributing worldwide.
Diggs: And if you want the exclusive gold vinyl, that’s at soulinthehorn.com.
That’s where I’ll be going.
Soul In The HornSoul In The Horn
Soul In The Horn – The 10 Year Anniversary Edition is out 10/17 via Fat Beats. Find more information here.
It’s no secret Megan Thee Stallion loves Halloween; the Houston rapper gets into the spirit of Spooky Season like no other. A staunch fan of cosplay, creepies, crawlies, and everything in between, Thee Stallion’s annual Hottieween party has become a fall fixture. This year, she promises the biggest celebration yet, as she brings Hottieween back home to Texas.
“HOUSTON HOTTIES IM COMING HOME FOR HALLOWEEN,” she wrote in her Instagram announcement alongside a festive flyer. “This year Hottieween is gonna be BIGGER than ever!!! Tickets go on sale Wednesday October 15th.”
Meg’s enjoyment of all things horror-themed has run throughout her career, from writing a horror movie in 2019 to freaking fans out with her “Sweetest Pie” video. She’s gushed about her fondness for Friday The 13th killer Jason Voorhees, and since her debut, has kicked off October with a customary pumpkin photo, donning a Jack O’lantern to let everyone know it’s time to bundle up and throw on a scary movie or two. She always goes all-in on her costumes too; in 2023, she staged multiple photo shoots, which you check out here.
Hottieween 2025 will take place in Humble, Texas October 31st. Costumes are mandatory, and proceeds will go to the Pete & Thomas Foundation.
Michael Eugene Archer, better known as D’Angelo, has reportedly passed away at age 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. His death was first reported by journalist Marc Lamont Hill on Twitter, and later confirmed by TMZ.
D’Angelo was best recognized as one of the pioneers of the so-called “neo-soul” movement in contemporary R&B in the 1990s and 2000s, breaking out with his debut album Brown Sugar in 1995. That album’s singles, “Brown Sugar,” “Cruisin’,” and “Lady,” were credited with driving the nasent sub-genre’s popularity along with releases from Erykah Badu in the same year.
In 2000, D’Angelo followed up with Voodoo, which debuted at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 and garnered the Virginia native the Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the single, “Untitled (How Does It Feel).” However, the attention he received from the risqué video for that song prompted his discomfort with being considered a sex symbol; he subsequently shied away from the public eye, taking 14 years to release another album.
That album, Black Messiah, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and earned D’Angelo another Best R&B Album at the 58th Grammy Awards in 2015. In the interim, D’Angelo produced and wrote for other artists as a member of the lauded Soulquarians collective with Questlove, J Dilla, Roy Hargrove, Erykah Badu, James Poyser, Bilal, Q-Tip, and Mos Def (Yasiin Bey). As a group, they produced many of the standout hip-hop and soul projects of the 2000s, including The Roots’ Things Fall Apart, Badu’s Mama’s Gun, and Common’s Like Water for Chocolate. In September 2024, Raphael Saadiq told Billboard that he believed D’Angelo was working on a new album.
Ahead of kicking off his God Does Like World Tours world tour (ahem), JID stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform one of the standout tracks from his new album, God Does Like Ugly: “Glory.”
In keeping with the track’s spiritual themes, the performance took its cues from a Sunday service, complete with a choir and neon crosses dressing the set. “Early in the mornin’, got sun in my eyes,” JID raps. “Givin’ glory to God, I’m alert and alive / I ain’t even shleep, I been workin’, I’m tired / But it’s not gon’ deter my assignment.” As the performance reaches its midway point, the beat breaks down and the lighting changes to reflect the change in the song’s mood.
Even though JID will be on tour next month, he’ll still find time to honor some of his rap heroes when Outkast is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. JID’s billed as one of the ceremony’s performers alongside fellow ATL rap royalty, Killer Mike and Sleepy Brown. Meanwhile, he’s got fans already looking forward to 2026, and the potential release of his long-awaited album with Metro Boomin — and maybe even the one he recorded with J. Cole.
For now, you can watch JID perform “Glory” on the The Late Show above.
And still, the hype train only gains momentum. The Virginia duo stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night to perform the album’s lead single “So Be It,” taking over the stage with murky red lighting and their usual cocksure swagger. Check it out above.
Clipse’s performances weren’t just limited to the usual festivals, venues, television studios, and radio station office buildings this year, however. In September, the duo became the first rap act to ever grace His Grace at the Vatican, during the “Grace for the World” concert in St. Peter’s Square. They performed the emotional track, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” accompanied by John Legend and a live orchestra, in a set partially produced by their longtime collaborator Pharrell Williams.
Last week, as they reflected on the history-making performance, Malice told Billboard magazine, “It was definitely a moment for us. I think we definitely broke ground. It’s overdue and past time that people understand that hip-hop belongs everywhere. It’s expression, it’s communication, it teaches the world about our culture. It’s an art form that’s celebrated in every walk of life. It’s nothing that should be surprising — we should be celebrated everywhere.”
Pusha T echoed his point, saying, “I’ve been here for a long time with hip-hop, and I remember it not being seen as an art, and it not being televised. And like you said, now being at the Vatican — we do this so everyone can see how far it can go.”
You can watch Clipse’s Kimmel Live! performance of “So Be It” above.
Wet Leg are now a few months removed from the release of Moisturizer, one of 2025’s best indie albums so far. There’s still plenty of life left in the project, as today (October 14), the band shared a new video for “Mangetout.”
The visual stars the band’s Rhian Teasdale, which you can only really tell from her silver shorts, as she’s mostly wearing a gigantic wig that covers her face as she dances through corn fields. By the end of it, she removes the wig and finds herself in the back of a truck, covered in blood.
Meanwhile, the band has a busy tour schedule coming up. They’re concluding a run of US shows this week before heading to Europe at the end of the month, the UK in November, and Australia and Japan in February.
Watch the “Mangetout” video above and find the band’s upcoming tour dates below.
Wet Leg’s 2025 & 2026 Tour Dates
10/14/2025 — El Paso, TX @ The Lowbrow Palace
10/17/2025 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/27/2025 — Paris, France @ L’Olympia
10/28/2025 — Lyon, France @ Le Transbordeur
10/30/2025 — Paris, France @ L’Olympia
10/31/2025 — Düsseldorf, Germany @ New Fall Festival
11/02/2025 — Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique
11/03/2025 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
11/04/2025 — Utrecht, Netherlands @ TivoliVredenburg – Ronda
11/06/2025 — Lausanne, Switzerland @ Les Docks
11/07/2025 — Munich, Germany @ Theaterfabrik
11/09/2025 — Berlin, Germany @ Columbiahalle
11/10/2025 — Hamburg, Germany @ Docks
11/11/2025 — Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg @ Rockhal Club
11/13/2025 — London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall
11/14/2025 — Bristol, UK @ Bristol Beacon
11/15/2025 — Liverpool, UK @ Mountford Hall Uni
11/17/2025 — Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
11/19/2025 — Norwich, UK @ The Nick Rayns LCR, UEA
11/20/2025 — Portsmouth, UK @ Portsmouth Guildhall
11/21/2025 — Cardiff, UK @ Students Union Great Hall
11/23/2025 — Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy
11/24/2025 — Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy
11/26/2025 — Dublin, Ireland @ 3Olympia
11/27/2025 — Belfast, UK @ The Telegraph Building
12/01/2025 — Kingston, UK @ Pryzm
12/31/2025 — Edinburgh, UK @ Hogmanay, West Princes Street Gardens
02/05/2026 — Auckland, New Zealand @ Laneway Festival
02/07/2026 — Gold Coast, Australia @ Laneway Festival
02/08/2026 — Sydney, Australia @ Laneway Festival
02/09/2026 — Gadigal Land, Sydney, Australia @ Roundhouse
02/10/2026 — Wurundjeri Land, Melbourne, Australia @ Northcote Theatre
02/13/2026 — Melbourne, Australia @ Laneway Festival
02/14/2026 — Adelaide, Australia @ Laneway Festival
02/15/2026 — Perth, Australia @ Laneway Festival
02/18/2026 — Tokyo, Japan @ Toyosu Pit
02/19/2026 — Osaka, Japan @ Gorilla Hall
02/20/2026 — Nagoya, Japan @ Diamond Hall
04/12/2026 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/19/2026 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
06/03-07/2026 — Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound
06/18-21/2026 — Isle of Wight, UK @ Isle of Wight Festival
Moisturizer is out now via Domino. Find more information here.
Brat is an era-defining work, but for her next project, Charli XCX says she’s going in a different direction.
In a new Vanity Fair interview, Charli discusses writing songs for Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, which stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. She described the tone of her songs as having an “elegant and brutal sound palette,” adding, “It couldn’t be more different from Brat.”
Elsewhere in the piece, Charli reveals she said no to making a Brat tour documentary because the market is already saturated with those sorts of films. She said, “I feel like my problem with a lot of musician documentaries is it often shows the musician coming up against some kind of opposition and eventually overcoming it to be the hero. And that’s just not been my experience, you know? Maybe it has been a lot of other people’s, and that’s awesome.”
Of her upcoming movie The Moment, she added, “It’s not a tour documentary or a concert film in any way, but the seed of the idea was conceived from this idea of being pressured to make one. It’s fiction, but it’s the realest depiction of the music industry that I’ve ever seen.”
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