Shirley Ju: Last News

Shirley Ju Director X knows a thing or two about music videos. From working under Hype Williams on the set of the 1998 classic movie “Belly,” to directing music videos for hip-hop heavyweights like Kendrick Lamar and Drake, the visual artist — whose real name is Julien Christian Lutz — has been delivering outstanding visuals for three decades and counting. Today, Lutz’s production company Fela teams up with Insight Production in announcing the launch of a new series dubbed “Video Star.” The show will explore the behind-the-scenes process and cultural impact of the most groundbreaking, innovative music videos dating back to the ’70s. It will additionally spotlight videos of the ’90s (when seven-figure budgets were introduced) leading up to modern-day examples, including some of Director X’s own innovative creations.

Shirley Ju Jessie Reyez marked the release of her highly-anticipated sophomore album, “YESSIE,” by hosting an exclusive album release party at No Vacancy in Los Angeles on Thursday night (Sept. 15), which drew the likes of Drake, Diddy, Yung Miami from CityGirls, Cordae, Diplo, Murda Beatz, Ty Dolla $ign and many more. A post shared by Shirley Ju (@shirju) While the Canada connection was immediately apparent as Drake made his entrance, the two Toronto artists connected on a leaked track by Drizzy called “Zodiac Sign.” Reyez, whose album is out via FMLY / Island Records, has been making waves in the industry since first arriving on the scene, thanks to ger unique voice, intense lyrics and WYSIWYG personality. She was nominated for a Grammy for her sophomore album, “Being Human In Public,” and took home four Juno Awards for R&B/Soul recording of the year, best video and best new artist in 2019. Reyez also boasts a cameo in Beyonce’s “Black is King” visual album.

Shirley Ju Rapper PnB Rock was reportedly shot today in Los Angeles as a result of a robbery attempt. An explicit and graphic video is currently circulating online purportedly depicting Rock, whose real name is Rakim Allen, on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood. The incident took place inside the Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles restaurant located in Inglewood, as Rock was dining with his girlfriend. According to reports, law enforcement was called around 1:23 p.m. to respond to a shooting resulting in life-threatening injuries, per the Los Angeles Times.  While many took to Twitter to send hopeful messages to PnB Rock, some also speculated that the shooter was aware of the rapper’s location due to his girlfriend posting — and tagging Roscoe’s — on her Instagram story. One source cited by TMZ claimed the shooter took all of PnB Rock’s jewelry before fleeing the scene.

Shirley Ju “I can’t believe I went there,” says Armen Keleshian, the photographer who shot Sean “Diddy” Combs’ first studio session with Dr. Dre. “It’s like going to the White House.” Keleshian’s photos captured the two moguls in their happy place — recording, creating, vibing and making history. As Diddy himself wrote in a lengthy caption: “I remember the first time I heard @DrDre’s production. It gave me clear direction on the level of Producer that I wanted to be. Last night, I got the chance to work with this man and to see his genius as he coached me through vocals. He reminded me of myself, but with a different style and way more focused. I gotta step my focus up! lol But it was a great experience and I thank God for it. I hope one day ya’ll get to have the same experience with someone that you always looked up to as a hero.”

Shirley Ju Kendrick Lamar’s fifth studio album, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” is already the biggest first-week debut of 2022. With its arrival comes 18 tracks of introspection touching on everything from racism to transphobia to generational trauma.One of those tracks, “Purple Hearts” featuring R&B queen Summer Walker and Wu-Tang Clan alum Ghostface Killah, came to life with the help of Westside Boogie, the Shady Records signee who co-wrote it.

Shirley Ju When it comes to Drake’s music, producer Noah “40” Shebib has been a key architect of the rapper’s sound, and the city of Toronto has served as the backdrop of their work together. Both of those narratives come together in the form of a just-released 13-minute mini-documentary titled “Toronto Rising – 40’s Very Own.”Released today on the Grammy-winning producer’s YouTube channel, in partnership with Native Instruments, the short film offers a rare look into 40’s process as he reflects on his own success story.Boasting archived footage and never-before-seen home videos, Alim Sabir directed the mini-documentary, which chronicles 40’s early days with Drake, particularly the making of his 2007 mixtape “Comeback Season,” as the reclusive producer provides a first-person account of his rise in the rap scene.

Shirley Ju The rapper Russ headlined Los Angeles’ iconic Hollywood Bowl on Thursday night, performing to the biggest crowd of his career so far. It’s a long way from his days at the Echoplex in L.A.’s east side, a venue which held a few hundred, and even more impressive that he filled the 17,000-seat bowl as an independent artist.Knowing that it was a celebratory gig for the 29-year-old, surprise guests were in store and included Ty Dolla $ign, who popped out for “3AM”; and BLXST, who performed “Chosen,” which also features Ty$ and is, per Russ, his mom’s favorite song.

Shirley Ju When Eesean Bolden first met Saweetie, he was impressed with her work ethic as the Bay Area rapper cut short a dinner at Boa  to go to the studio. The senior vice president of A&R for Warner Records was sold on her star power, and has spent the last couple years working her three biggest records: the platinum-certified “ICY GRL,” two-times-platinum “My Type” and the still building — but already gold-certified — “Tap In.” Already outpacing “My Type” at radio, “Tap In” has registered more than 101,000 spins, the bulk at the urban, where it hit No.

Shirley Ju Hit-Boy is at the pinnacle of his career having executive produced Nas’ latest release, the well-received “King’s Disease,” as well as Big Sean’s “D2” (alongside Sean and Kanye West), which currently stands as the No. 1 album in the U.S.

Shirley Ju DJ iMarkKeyz, who famously remixed Cardi B’s coronavirus rant back in March, has taken on Ben Shapiro’s straight-faced lyric recitation of “WAP,” the NSFW (or even WFH) track by Cardi and Megan Thee Stallion, which dropped on Friday (Aug. 7).The Brooklyn-born and bred iMarkKeyz, whose real name is Brandon Davidson, is a local DJ and producer well-known for remixing videos and memes.

Shirley Ju Mr. Criminal sounds like the moniker of a lifelong man of crime, but these days, that’s firmly in the past for the Chicano rapper.

Shirley Ju New Jersey-born, Atlanta-bred artist Russ first came onto the scene in 2015 with the track “What They Want,” an underground hit that led him a major label deal with Columbia Records and the release of his platinum-certified debut, “There’s Really a Wolf.”But it was a major cosign from Rihanna, who shouted out his “Best On Earth” — with the lyrics: “She knows what the f– is up / I don’t gotta dumb it down / Tatted like Rihanna / P–y singing like it’s Run The Town” — as her “new fav song” to more than 80 million Instagram followers, that truly launched him into the Zeitgeist.A prolific writer who hails from a musical household, Russ’ rap and R&B-flavored tracks have contributed in no small part to his ever-growing fanbase, but the