Artist Archives - Rolling Out

Adrian Brandon is a Seattle-raised, Brooklyn-based visual artist who is using his creativity to capture attention, raise awareness and get people thinking. He is driven to make art that creates an understanding of Black culture, Black love and Black pain so that we can move forward together. Rolling out spoke with Brandon about his powerful…

As a visual artist, native Chicagoan Maxwell Emcays speaks a specific language. He speaks the language of creativity and purpose. His most recent visual art gallery, “Let Them Stay Home,” is an exploration in the stark difference in living conditions as it relates to the upper class and lower class. He examines the word “home”…

On Friday, June 5, 2020, D.C. residents woke up to the words “BLACK LIVES MATTER” painted on the street leading up to the White House. The bold yellow words could be seen via satellite and captured the attention of people across the country and around the world. The mural was commissioned by Washington, D.C., Mayor…

Trey Songz has written an emotional new record that speaks to the current climate in Black America. The song, titled “How Many Times,” was debuted on the famous DJ D-Nice’s Wednesday evening Instagram live mix on June 3, 2020, playing the song 14 minutes and 34 seconds into the 50-minute livestream. Songz opens the track…

V. Bozeman is a multitalented singer, record producer and actress, whose artistry shines in all facets of her creativity. She made her talents known on a national scale in her recurring role as Veronica on the hit Fox series “Empire.” Her vocals are powerful, and she is setting the stage to be a force in…

Drake sleeps on a one-of-a-kind luxury bed. The “One Dance” hitmaker made the admission to Architectural Digest about the hefty price tag of his very impressive bed, which includes a top-shelf bar built into the headboard. The article about the $395,000 bed explains why it’s so expensive: “The headboard, accented with antique mirror and channel-tufted…

Brandy is set to make a comeback with a major Chicago rapper this week. The R&B legend — who has sold more than 40 million records worldwide — will release the new single “Baby Mama” with Chance the Rapper on Friday, May 1, 2020. The track, which is produced by Hit-Boy, was teased on Instagram with…

Spotify is allowing artists to receive “tips” or donate money to charity. The music streaming platform has introduced a new feature where bands can display an “Artists Fundraising Pick” badge on their profile, which lets them spotlight a destination for fans to send cash. This can include artists fundraising for themselves, as well as being…

Ryan Alexander is an artist, producer and songwriter. The skillful Chicago musician has been playing piano and drums for more than 16 years and producing music for 11 years, bringing a mixture of hip-hop, R&B and soul to his performances through a genre he calls new wave soul. Rolling out spoke with Alexander about his…

Alicia Keys says motherhood made her stop caring about what other people think. The 39-year-old singer-songwriter has sons Egypt, 9, and Genesis, 5, with her husband Swizz Beatz and revealed that becoming a mom in 2010, helped her to focus more on her own happiness rather than worrying about the outside world. She told Clash magazine: “Honestly…

Erykah Badu didn’t make any profit on her first livestream from her Quarantine Concert Series. After most of the world went into lockdown last month due to the global health pandemic, Badu was worried about how canceling all of her shows would affect her band and crew, so she worked with a company to set…

Stevie Wonder was planning to hit the studio with late soul legend Bill Withers before his passing. The “Isn’t She Lovely” singer had been in constant contact with the “Ain’t No Sunshine” hitmaker right up until his death from heart complications at age 81 last week and has revealed the pair were planning to play…

Kanye West’s high school artwork has been appraised. The “Gold Digger” rapper’s cousin-in-law appeared on PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow” to show off the impressive collection, which Kim Kardashian West’s spouse created when he was just 17 years old. The program’s appraiser Laura Woolley priced up the largest art at $6,000 to $8,000, with the rest valued at…

Lizzo has stepped up to help frontline workers during this difficult time. The 31-year-old Grammy winner had lunch delivered to the ERs at the University of Washington and University of Minnesota medical centers on Monday, March 30, 2020, and the “Truth Hurts” singer is planning on sending more packages to other hospitals. A representative for…

Kanye West has likened his mental breakdown to that of Ryan Reynolds’ character in Deadpool. The “Bound 2” rapper, who canceled some tour dates in 2016 and was hospitalized, has now likened his experiences at the time to that of Reynolds’ character Wade Wilson — who, after undertaking an experimental cure for terminal cancer and…

Alicia Keys feels like she has been “putting on a mask” all of her life. The “No One” hitmaker was stuck trying to chase after this “image of perfection,” but she now realizes it was actually a really “oppressive.” She told People magazine: “I was building my life around this image of perfection, and it…

DJ Khaled shared how he’s spending his time in isolation. The “Wild Thoughts” rapper has admitted he hasn’t been to the gym for a while and is determined to put exercise back into his routine now that he’s spending most of his time at home eating and watching TV due to the COVID-19 crisis. On…

John Legend has released a new single titled “Actions.” The ballad singer has called on everyone to take “actions” as they “speak louder than love songs” on the first track taken from his upcoming album. He sings: “Here I go again/ With another love song/ That I wasted. “I wanna show my love is strong/…

Cardi B will donate to the global coronavirus pandemic. The “Bodak Yellow” hitmaker has found herself unintentionally creeping up through the charts this week after DJ iMarkkeyz turned her expletive-filled tirade, in which she fumed about the seriousness of the virus on her Instagram account, into a rap song. And the 27-year-old rapper is planning…

Normani opens up about people comparing her to Beyoncé. The former Fifth Harmony star has admitted that while the comparison is the “the biggest compliment” as the “Single Ladies” hitmaker is her idol, such an appraisal carries a lot of weight. In an interview for the latest issue of Wonderland magazine, of which she is…