The ruckus inside Diddy’s Holmby Hills neighborhood wasn’t limited to Diddy’s property, either. On Monday, law enforcement who descended upon the scene apparently blocked a chunk of the neighborhood, which prevented Napoleon and Alien director Ridley Scott from reaching his nearby home. TMZ has published multiple photos close to where the feds carried out the raid, and Scott is seen standing outside his vehicle and not looking terribly amused (and who could blame him?) by the inconvenience:
As police taped off the neighborhood street near Diddy’s $40 million mansion, the filmmaker was spotted stuck in traffic amid the chaos.
Ridley’s no different from the average looky-loo, though … in one pic he seems to be taking a closer look at the situation, but ya gotta imagine he’s also frustrated he can’t get where he’s trying to go.
Not only does Scott live in the neighborhood, but fellow nearby home owners include Kylie Jenner and Rod Stewart. The absolutely enormous Spelling Manor (of Aaron and Candy Spelling fame, although it has since changed hands) isn’t located too terribly far away, either.
As mentioned above, Diddy was not in Los Angeles at the time that feds conducted their raid of his property. Beyond the apparent legal troubles involved with this development, Diddy is also embroiled in multiple lawsuits that revolve around allegations of sexual assault/sexual harassment — accusations that are potentially connected to the reasons for law enforcement’s raids on his home. Throughout this legal saga, Diddy has maintained his innocence, although it’s clear that ongoing investigations are underway.
Rabbit Hole has carved out quite a niche within the Kentucky bourbon community. Their Kentucky bourbon and rye whiskey has become some of the most beloved stuff sold nationwide. That’s not by accident, either. The whiskey in the bottle is stellar yet approachable and covers a broad range.
Coming off an incredible event thrown in partnership with Rabbit Hole at SXSW, we decided to break down every expression from the distillery. Rabbit Hole has grown massively in the past years, to the point that they’re no longer even one single label — they added “Mary Dowling” along with a flavored whiskey just last year. And while Kentucky bourbon is their focus, they also have a rye whiskey that we love.
Below, we’re ranking all 10 bottles from Rabbit Hole Distillery. The throughline here is simple — taste. While all of these whiskeys are quality products, some go deeper than others. As with any brand, you have to start somewhere on your journey so let’s start ours right now!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This flavored whiskey is made from a mash of 97% corn and 3% rye whiskeys. Flavors are added to create an essence of s’mores that are still warm from the backyard firepit.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a deep sense of buttery Graham Cracker with soft marshmallow, milk chocolate, and mild oak.
Palate: The taste is very sweet with a honeyed sense of Graham Crackers next to singed marshmallow with a hint of campfire smoke, vanilla, and caramel over more of that milk chocolate.
Finish: The end leans into the sweetness with a touch of singed oak, toasted marshmallow, and vanilla candy.
Bottom Line:
The butteriness of the Graham Cracker on the nose sells this as a well-made flavored whiskey. It feels real. That all said, this is a very sweet whiskey — your mileage with it may vary depending on your sweet tooth.
This four-grain Kentucky bourbon is made with 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% honey malted barley, and 10% malted barley. That spirit is then aged for three years in toasted and charred barrels before it’s small batched from only 15 barrels, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has a lot of apple cobbler on the nose with sweet and bright stewed apples, plenty of dark brown spices, brown sugar, buttery pastry cobbles, and a touch of honey sweetness.
Palate: The honey becomes creamy and spiked with orange zest as the malt shines through as a digestive cookie with a hint of fresh mint and more of that honey with a flake of salt.
Finish: The finish brings about that spice again with a little more of a peppery edge this time as the fade slowly falls off, leaving you with a creamy vanilla tobacco feeling.
Bottom Line:
This is the entry point to the wider world of Rabbit Hole bourbon. This is a nice and very classic fruit-forward Kentucky bourbon with a balance of woody spice. All that makes this your best candidate for mixing cocktails.
This Louisville whiskey is made with a “double malted” mash bill. The recipe calls for 70% corn, 25% malted German rye, and 5% malted barley. The hot juice goes into the barrels at a lower entry proof and rests for just over three years in toasted and charred Kelvin barrels (from the Louisville cooperage that many consider the best in the game). Only 15 of those barrels go into the final batch.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This nose is classic bourbon with deep and dark cherry, burnt orange, old vanilla pods, and a hint of licorice layered into cream soda with a sprig of fresh mint.
Palate: There’s a sense of fancy Almond Joy next to clove-studded orange candies, vanilla cake with caramel frosting, and a light mint tobacco in a cedar humidor with a twinge of leather.
Finish: The cedar, dark cherry, singe orange, and bold woody spice all pop in the finish and fade slowly away, leaving you with a well-rounded “bourbon” experience.
Bottom Line:
This is an essential “high-rye” bourbon with a nice balance of grassy warmth and caramel bourbon notes. The overall vibe is “easy sipper” which also makes a killer Manhattan or old fashioned.
This crafty distillery makes its rye with 95% rye and malted barley right in Louisville (and via contract distilling). The 95/5 rye hot juice is aged for three years in heavily toasted and charred barrels before batching, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This has an interesting nose that’s part spicy pork stew (chili, umami, fat) with bright peaches, vanilla, and summer wildflowers as a counterpoint.
Palate: The palate has a hint of old cedar next to cream soda, white pepper, and crusty rye bread with a hint of caraway seed and maybe some dry fennel.
Finish: The finish brings in heavily spiced chewy tobacco packed into an old cedar box with creamy vanilla and a dash more of that powdery white pepper.
Bottom Line:
Rabbit Hole’s rye whiskey is everything that you could ever want from rye whiskey. It’s grassy, herbal, peppery, and deeply fatty with a hint of sweet fruit. In short, a complex rye that works as well as a sipper as it does as a cocktail base.
6. Mary Dowling Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tequila Barrels
This new whiskey celebrates Mary Dowling, who helped create and then save the whiskey industry in Kentucky back in the early 20th century. The whiskey in the bottle is a three-year-old bourbon from Rabbit Hole. Those barrels are batched and the whiskey is rested again, this time in reposado tequila barrels, until just right.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Floral honey and soft black licorice lean toward fresh and real root beer on the nose with a light moment of white pepper and roasted agave that’s accented by bold winter spice barks and berries with a whisper of orange rind.
Palate: That orange drives the bright palate toward a moment of smoked winter spices (smoldering barks if you will) before creamy eggnog and vanilla buttercream drive the palate back toward warming winter spice and a fleeting note of pepper.
Finish: That pepper builds towards sharp black peppercorns on the finish with sharp winter spice, a hint of buttermilk, and softly spoken notes of roasted agave attached to candied orange and vanilla paste.
Bottom Line:
This is a great candidate for citrus-forward cocktails and on-the-rocks pours on a sunny day.
5. Mary Dowling Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Toasted Double Oak Barrel
This is Rabbit Hole’s classic wheated bourbon recipe with a special finish. The whiskey is “Double Oaked” with an initial rest in Kelven barrels with a heavy char and light toast before being re-barreled into a very lightly charred barrel with a heavy toast. Once just right, the barrels are batched and bottled 100% as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a deep sense of mulled wine spices on the nose next to peach pits, warming winter spice cakes, rum raisin, and soft chocolate tobacco with a hint of espresso cream.
Palate: A touch of cherry and nutmeg lead on the taste with deep woody winter spices — clove, anise, cinnamon — before a touch of fresh pipe tobacco and cedar bark merge with smudging sage and a twinge of soft oakiness.
Finish: The smoothes toward vanilla beans, toffee, salted orange peels, and soft cherry with a hint of that tobacco adding a warming buzz on the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is a very nice sipper that works wonders in a cocktail (especially if you’re looking for natural spiciness).
This is a four-year-old single-barrel version of Rabbit Hole’s beloved Heigold expression. That’s the brand’s double malt (malted rye and malted barley) that has a high-rye bourbon mash bill (70/25/5 corn/malted rye/malted barley).
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose is lush with deep layers of maple syrup over pecan waffles with a good hit of salted butter (really good butter) next to dark chocolate chips, old boot leather, smudging sage that’s just smoldering, and a fleeting sense of old rickhouses on a crisp fall day.
Palate: The palate follows the nose’s path with caramelized pecans finished with floral honey and dusted with candied orange peels, ground pear chips, and very dark chocolate with a pinch of salt and apple blossom before the sharp and woody winter spice kicks in.
Finish: The end leans into the dryness of the winter spice mix before silky marzipan and maple syrup creamed with butter create a luscious finish that slowly fades from warm to comforting.
Bottom Line:
This is where we blast off into space with Rabbit Hole. Their single barrels tend to be fire. They’re deep, balanced, and offer a nice kick without feeling overwhelming. Overall, pour this over a big rock and sip it slowly. You will be rewarded with a great experience.
This contract-distilled wheated bourbon — 68% corn, 18% wheat, and 14% malted barley — is very reminiscent of wheated bourbons from the iconic Heaven Hill. The whiskey spends an undisclosed amount of years aging before it goes into only 15 Casknolia Pedro Ximenez sherry casks per batch (a truly small batch of bourbon). Those barrels are then blended and touched with that soft Kentucky limestone water before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fruit shines through on the nose with fresh raspberries mingling with strawberry jam, Bing cherries, and dried plums and apricots with a hint of leather and winter spice baking that fruit up.
Palate: The palate really embraces those fruits with a tart and sour vibe to the cherries and red berries while the leather leans raw and the spices lean toward cinnamon and tobacco with a caramel mid-palate.
Finish: The sweetness fades quickly as the finish continues with berries and spice while the cherry attaches to the tobacco and soft cedar on the end.
Bottom Line:
This is the best overall sipper on the list. Buy this one if you want something reliable and very deep and rewarding as a sipper. This is also very approachable with a subtle demeanor that turns dark and warming at the end.
2. Rabbit Hole Mizunara Founder’s Collection Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Japanese Oak
The latest addition to the Founder’s Collection is a very small batch of 15-year-old whiskey. The bourbon rested for 15 long years in Kentucky in new oak before being transferred to fresh Japanese Mizunara casks from the famed Ariake Snagyo cooperage in Shochu Island. Only 1,403 bottles were filled for this limited release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose reveals the age in that the profile turned back toward its fruity yeast with bruised banana, tart apple, and soft pear leading to sour salted cherries, a touch of mint, and deep vanilla.
Palate: A deep sense of forest moss and cedar bark leads toward eggnog pudding, cinnamon bark, and honey cut with florals before a tart red berry arrives with a touch of tobacco leaf.
Finish: The end leans into the soft forest moss with a twinge of pipe tobacco dipped in cherry and vanilla before a fleeting sense of fresh rose petals flutters in the background at the very end.
Bottom Line:
This is a complex whiskey and an excellent example of the high-end of Rabbit Hole’s line. This is an educational whiskey — meaning it will expand your palate while giving you deep satisfaction. Pour this one neat and take it slowly, it’ll take you on a journey.
This special release from Rabbit Hole is their Distillery Only release. The whiskey is their classic wheated bourbon mash that’s been finished in an Apera cask (an Australian wine similar to sherry). The whiskey was only in a few barrels and bottled at cask strength for this very limited release.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A rich sense of winter spice cakes brimming with real vanilla oils, allspice, clove, and rum raisin drives the nose toward hints of mint chocolate cream, Nutella, and candied citrus.
Palate: Salted caramel opens the taste toward soft black licorice, fatty roasting herbs, eggnog creaminess, and a touch of black peppercorn with a faint whisper of cedar kindling.
Finish: Dank wine cellars and cedar barks round out the finish with a deep sense of salted caramel tobacco just kissed with blood orange, holiday cakes, and mince meat pies next to a touch of star anise, mulled wine, and marzipan.
Bottom Line:
This is the deepest and most satisfying pour on the list. It’s heavy on winter nostalgia but goes beyond with a dark sense of old Kentucky bourbon. This is the pour that you save for a special occasion.
HIDDEN BONUS TRACK: Blackened x Rabbit Hole A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Distilled in Tennessee & Kentucky Finished in Calvados Casks Cask Strength
This collaboration between Metallica’s Blackened and Rabbit Hole is masterful whiskey. The blend is a 13-year-old Tennessee high-rye bourbon batched with Rabbit Hole Heigold High-Rye Double Malt Bourbon (with malted rye and malted barley). Once batched, the whiskey was re-barreled into Calvados casks (an apple brandy) for a final rest before 100% as-is bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a nice sense of chili pepper warmth on the nose with a hint of macadamia cookie nuttiness, honey Graham Crackers, light summer florals, and a whisper of darkly stewed apple.
Palate: Cinnamon-infused pear brandy sparks on the palate with a sense of clover honey, walnut loaf, and this thin line of smoked applewood with a good sense of barrel warmth.
Finish: The honey and walnut drive the finish toward a soft warmth that leaves the gentlest of numbness on the senses.
Bottom Line:
This was a great release from 2023. It’s still on the shelves! It’s also a great sipper to have on hand for when you’re spinning some Metallica and in need of a slow sipper with great nuance that’s a little funky and fresh.
Editor’s Note: This story discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is in need of help, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
Being a teenager is hard enough on its own but when you couple it with the rise of social media and sites like Omegle, it becomes even harder. Omegle is a real-time video platform that’s sort of like pulling the lever on a slot machine. You never know who will appear in the little box in front of you, nor do you know what they’ll say or do.
Cyber experts have warned parents of the dangers of websites like Omegle but as long as the site exists, teens will find a way to use it. A recorded video of an Omegle interaction recently went viral when posted on the Instagram page Soul Seeds for All. A young teen named Jesse, who looks uncannily like a young Corey Feldman, appears on the screen of a guy that appears to be early to mid-20s.
As soon as the Omegle video appears, Jesse informs the man, “the last person I talked to immediately told me to kill myself and then left.”
Ashraf, the man listening to the boy responding in such a kind way that it’s bringing people to tears. Instead of closing out the window or dismissing what the teen said, Ashraf says, “don’t do that,” then proceeded to intentionally build him up. He engaged the Jesse in conversation about his interests and enthusiastically told him that he looked like a cool guy, ending the video call by saying, “I hope you have an amazing life.”
You could visibly seen Jesse’s demeanor change the longer her talked to Ashraf. People in the comments were inspired by the man’s interaction with the teen, some were even brought to tears.
“He just saved that boys life! So beautiful! Ash, you’re a beautiful soul,” another writes.
“Well, sh*t, this has me sobbing crying. Beautiful words and a great example of just simply being kind to others,” someone praises.
“I’m crying at how powerful this is. You could see the light come back into his eyes by the end of the conversation,” a commenter writes.
“Ashraf in Arabic means most noble one. I’d say that fits,” one person says.
Sometimes all people need is for someone to show they care. You can watch the entire wholesome exchange below.
In preparation for an upcoming neo-Nazi march in the small Bavarian town of Wunsiedel, local residents decided to fight back in a hilariously perfect way: by sponsoring each of the 250 fascist participants.
According to Heeb Magazine, “For every metre they walked, €10 went to a programme called EXIT Deutschland, which helps people escape extremist groups.”
The anti-semitic walkers didn’t figure out the town’s scheme until they had already started their march, and by that time, it was too late to turn back. The end result? The neo-Nazis raised more than $12,000 to fund programs to put an end to neo-Nazis.
As part of an experiment, a man asks for help translating a Facebook message he has received.
There’s a man in Lithuania who speaks only English. The message is in Lithuanian. He can’t read it, so he asks some locals to translate it for him.
As he asks one person after another to translate the message for him, two things become obvious.
1. He’s received a message full of hate speech.
2. Translating it for him is breaking people’s hearts.
It’s nearly more than these people can bear.
There’s a sudden, powerful connection between the translators and the man they’re translating for. They want to protect him, telling him not to bother with the message.
They apologize for the message.
They look like they want to cry.
Words hurt.
Most of us would never think of saying such horrible things. This video shows people realizing in their gut what it must feel like when those words are pointed at them — it’s all right on their faces. And so is their compassion.
The Facebook message is horrible, but their empathy is beautiful. The video’s emotional power is what makes it unique, and so worth watching and passing around.
Here it is.
The video’s in English, subtitled in Lithuanian. Just watch the faces.
Young kids don’t always pick the best times to have emotional meltdowns.
Just ask any parent.
Grocery stores, malls, and restaurants (or any place with lots of people around) in particular seem to bring out the worst in our little ones, prompting explosive tantrums that can make even the most stoic parent turn red-faced with embarrassment.
But why be embarrassed? It’s just kids being kids, after all.
Actor Justin Baldoni recently shared a poignant photo with his own daughter and the big lesson he learned from his dad about such moments.
Baldoni, best known for his role on the show “Jane the Virgin,” shared a photo his wife, Emily, took while the family was shopping at the local Whole Foods.
In it, Baldoni, along with his father, stares down at his daughter, Maiya. She’s crying and/or wailing on the floor. Who knows about what. Her body is twisted into classic tantrum pose.
The two men look calm. Almost amused, but not in a mocking way.
They certainly are not embarrassed despite a horde of people around them in the store.
When Baldoni posted the photo to his Facebook, he recalled the way his father used to act during the actor’s own tantrums, and how it helped shape him into the man he is today.
I tried to stay off social media yesterday to connect with my family without distraction so I’m posting this today…. Posted by Justin Baldoni on Monday, June 19, 2017
“My dad always let me feel what I needed to feel, even if it was in public and embarrassing,” he wrote.
The post continued:
“I don’t remember him ever saying ‘You’re embarrassing me!’ or ‘Dont cry!’ It wasn’t until recently that I realized how paramount that was for my own emotional development. Our children are learning and processing so much information and they don’t know what to do with all of these new feelings that come up. I try to remember to make sure my daughter knows it’s OK that she feels deeply. It’s not embarrassing to me when she throw tantrums in the grocery store, or screams on a plane. I’m her dad…not yours.
Let’s not be embarrassed for our children. It doesn’t reflect on you. In fact.. we should probably be a little more kind and patient with ourselves too. If we got out everything we were feeling and allowed ourselves to throw tantrums and cry when we felt the need to then maybe we’d could also let ourselves feel more joy and happiness. And that is something this world could definitely use a little more of.”
The photo, which Baldoni calls one of his favorites ever, shows the advice in action.
There’s a lot of pressure out there on both men and women to be the perfect parents at all times.
But being the perfect parent doesn’t mean your kid never gets angry or frustrated or confused. As Baldoni writes, toddlers are really just beginning to learn and explore the world’s boundaries. There’s naturally going to be a lot of swirling emotions as they encounter things and situations they can’t understand.
What’s important is we don’t teach them to hide those feelings or push them down for fear of ridicule — that kind of emotion-management can come back to haunt us as adults. Working through our feelings, or just having a good cry right there in the middle of the grocery store, is an important skill to learn.
The emotional health of our children is certainly worth a few weird stares from people we’ll never seen again.
Six years ago, a high school student named Christopher Justice eloquently explained the multiple problems with flying the Confederate flag. A video clip of Justice’s truth bomb has made the viral rounds a few times since then, and here it is once again getting the attention it deserves.
Justice doesn’t just explain why the flag is seen as a symbol of racism. He also explains the history of when the flag originated and why flying a Confederate flag makes no sense for people who claim to be loyal Americans.
This high school student, Christopher Justice, does a great job at explaining the Confederate flag and its problems.pic.twitter.com/CcOXHCB8GQ
But that clip, as great as it is, is a small part of the whole story. Knowing how the discussion came about and seeing the full debate in context is even more impressive.
In 2015, a student at Shawnee Mission East High School outside of Kansas City came up with the idea to have student journalists document students engaging in open discussions about various topics. In support of this idea, history teacher David Muhammad helped arrange a debate about the use of the Confederate flag in American society in his classroom.
According to the Shawnee Mission Post, Muhammad had prepared a basic outline and some basic guiding questions for the discussion, but mainly let the students debate freely. And the result was one of the most interesting debates about the Confederate flag you’ll ever see—one that both reflects the perspectives in American society at large and serves as an example of how to hold a respectful conversation on a controversial topic.
The full discussion is definitely worth a watch. Justice had quite a few Confederacy defenders to contend with, and he skillfully responded to each point with facts and logic. Other students also chimed in, and the discussion is wildly familiar to anyone who has engaged in debate on this topic. For his part, Mr. Muhammad did an excellent job of guiding the students through the debate.
“I had Chris in class, so I knew he was super intelligent and that he read a lot,” Muhammad told the Shawnee Mission Post in 2018. “But that really came out of left-field. He was never out there very much socially, so I didn’t expect for him to want to speak in front of a crowd like that.”
(In case you’re wondering, according to LinkedIn, Christopher Justice is now studying political science at Wichita State University after switching his major from sports management. David Muhammad is now Dean of Students at Pembroke Middle School and also serves as a Diversity Consultant.)
Thanks, SM East, for documenting and sharing such a great discussion.
Early in the morning on Tuesday, March 26th, Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship. A number of construction workers were on the bridge during the crash, and many of the workers remain missing.
On social media, fans of crime drama The Wirewere quick to share a scene from season 2, which focused on a handful of characters working in the Baltimore Port area.
David Simon not only created The Wire but also worked as a police reporter at The Baltimore Times for over a decade, and he is not happy with the amount of conspiracy theories surrounding the catastrophe.
Simon took to Twitter/X to debunk some theories that the crash was intentional. Most notably, he called Marjorie Taylor Green a “complete submoronic pratfall of a human being.”
Are you intentional or just an accident? You complete submoronic pratfall of a human being. https://t.co/c2Fhe55PJ3
Congrats. You’ve interposed in my city’s tragedy and on a thread about it to make a random, simple, stupid political remark that convinces me nothing will be lost by blocking you now. https://t.co/XbjxCKhzdZ
There are already video and radio transmissions online suggesting a series of power failures and loss of steering on the vessel. You can certainly speculate wildly and no one can stop you, but doing so doesn’t make you any less the asshole here. As for my job, I do okay, I guess. https://t.co/cOBw08AaKg
It’s possible that you’re a useless shitheel rando on an internet hellsite speculating wildly and without regard to what is already known by authorities in Baltimore. Quick, have someone fund your podcast. You’ll go far. https://t.co/xIPueKuB1G
Even though there are reports that the crash was caused by a power failure, according to CNN, the cause of the crash has not yet been confirmed. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said, “We have been made aware of those same reports about there being a power outage. I’ve also seen statements, media releases from Singapore as well. It’s something that we take in, but something that we have to verify through our investigation that that was what was part of the contributing cause here. So too early to tell,” she said. For now, their efforts are focused on looking for the missing construction workers.
Whether Sean “Diddy” Combs was caught trying to “flee the country” or not, it’s getting harder to argue that things don’t look bad for him right now. After his properties in Los Angeles and Miami were both raided by federal agents on Monday (March 25), news broke today that the mogul also sold all his shares in Revolt Revolt Media & TV, the company he helped found in 2013.
According to TMZ, Combs sold all of his shares to an anonymous buyer for an undisclosed sum but that the company is still Black-owned. The new owner also plans to make themselves known in future weeks.
Combs stepped down as chairman of Revolt in November 2023. A statement from the company read, “While Mr. Combs has previously had no operational or day-to-day role in the business, this decision helps to ensure that Revolt remains steadfastly focused on our mission to create meaningful content for the culture and amplify the voices of all Black people throughout this country and the African diaspora.”
Combs stepped down in the wake of a November 2023 lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura alleging sexual assault and abuse at his hands over the course of their decade-long relationship. Since then, three more lawsuits were filed by separate women with similar allegations, and while Diddy maintains his innocence, a sex-trafficking investigation appears to be ongoing, despite authorities initially denying it in November.
HYBE, the company behind BTS, NewJeans, and other K-pop groups, has now reached a 10-year deal with Universal Music Group, according to Variety. This partnership will provide HYBE’s artists with resources through the label’s “leading global network.”
Meanwhile, UMG will utilize HYBE’s Weverse social media platform to further promote their own artists. In North America, per the outlet, Scooter Braun will continue to be in charge as the CEO of HYBE America, helping to “collaborate on artist promotions and marketing activities.”
“A partnership of this magnitude only comes together when both sides are equally committed to continued growth,” Bang Si-Hyuk, HYBE’s chairman, shared. “UMG is an iconic music company and together with HYBE, the potential is endless. We are certain that this will expand our global footprint while benefiting our fans, artists, and labels.”
“Chairman Bang, Scooter Braun, and Park Jiwon have brought an innovative and progressive vision to the industry that underscores music’s global power,” Lucian Grainge, UMG’s CEO and chairman, added. “With the opportunities in engaging the superfan via their groundbreaking Weverse model, we’re thrilled to grow and expand our platform business collaboration as we evolve together leading the music industry’s evolution.”
This deal serves as a continuation of the two companies working together, as HYBE and UMG connected in 2017 for a “distribution agreement in Japan.” Yesterday, Hybe revealed their new K-pop girl group Illit, with a forthcoming debut album titled Super Real Me. Another new band called KATSEYE also will be debuting later this year.
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