Super-Producer Mike Dean Talks Touring With the Weeknd, New Compilation and Forthcoming All-Star Album — But Not Beyonce or Kid Cudi

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor With halftime shows featuring the Weeknd, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, and this year’s all-star combo of Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, the National Football League has tightened up its game in the entertainment space over the past few years, and that will definitely continue into the new season, judging by a new teaser video featuring Lil Wayne, Saweetie, Pusha T, Young Dylan and more — and even a cameo from the Seattle Seahawks’  DK Metcalf, playing piano on a hip-hop anthem that should be familiar. Also featured in the spots are TikTok/ YouTube star Frankie LaPenna, Buffalo Bills “Mafia” superfan Pinto Ron, pro boxer Ryan Garcia, the Los Angeles Chargers’ Derwin James and the New Orleans Saints’ Cam Jordan.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Presented in its worst possible light, the FN Meka controversy — in which Capitol signed, and then quickly dropped, a virtual rapper that used the N-word in its songs and was depicted in racially stereotypical scenarios in videos — seems like an inconceivable blunder. But a closer look at the details, along with conversations with sources close to the situation, suggests that, while inexcusable and loaded with oversights, Capitol’s role in the FN Meka fiasco may not have been as insensitive as it might seem. However, above all, it is yet another glaring result of the lack of diversity throughout the music industry — not just at Capitol, not just at major companies, but everywhere.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor On the anniversary of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts’ death, Mick Jagger posted a video combining photos of the two over the years, with a brief spoken passage and the group’s 1974 song “Till the Next Goodbye.” “I miss Charlie… because he had a great sense of humor,” Jagger says. “Outside of the band, we used to hang out quite a lot and have interesting times.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorA large fire erupted outside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas Saturday night as fans were leaving the Weekend’s concert at the venue. Local firefighters responded to the blaze shortly before 11 p.m.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Red Hot Chili Peppers will receive the prestigious Global Icon Award and perform live at the 2022 MTV VMAs, which air Sunday, August 28 at 8. p.m.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorHip-hop is getting a big look at the 2022 MTV VMAs as Video Vanguard Award recipients LL Cool J and Nicki Minaj, along with rising star Jack Harlow, are set to emcee the show which airs live from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Sunday, August 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.According to the announcement, the three MCs will announce the show’s star-studded lineup of performers, presenters and winners, “taking a more innovative and unique approach to the traditional ‘host’ gig seen in previous years.LL has a long history with the show, winning Best Rap Video in 1991 for “Mama Said Knock You Out”  and the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 1997.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWarner Recorded Music has announced a global joint venture with Lee Daniels Music, headed by the acclaimed director/writer/producer. Daniels was behind the films “Precious,” “The Butler” and “Monster’s Ball,” the long-running TV series “Empire” and many others.The agreement encompasses recorded music projects, including soundtracks, as well as artist signings. Its first project – the original motion picture soundtrack for “The United States vs.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMusically speaking, Norway is too often unfairly overshadowed by its neighbors, the overachieving Sweden — which has mastered the art of speaking modestly while flexing outrageously —  on the east, and the eccentric Iceland and Scotland to the west. But with a population of just under 5.5 million, the comparatively understated country punches far above its weight in both the world’s music scene and its economy, and its booming talent was on ample display at the latest installment of the long-running Oya Festival in Oslo last week.While there were plenty of Anglo and American acts — ranging from headliners Gorillaz, Florence + the Machine and Nick Cave to H.E.R., Little Simz, Freddie Gibbs, Remi Wolf and Perfume Genius — equally if not more compelling was the diverse array of home-grown talent.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBlackpink, Jack Harlow, Lizzo and Måneskin are the latest round of performers announced for MTV’s VMAs, airing live from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Sunday, August 28th at 8 p.m. ET/PT.They join previously announced performers Anitta, J Balvin, Marshmello x Khalid and Panic! at the DiscoBlackpink will deliver the first U.S.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn a surprise move, Recording Academy co-president Valeisha Butterfield Jones will leave the organization to return to Google, taking a new vice president role on the internet giant’s diversity team.Butterfield Jones joined the Academy in 2020 as chief diversity officer and became co-president with Panos Panay almost exactly a year ago. She played a key role in CEO Harvey Mason jr.’s “modernized leadership team” and oversaw the organization’s people and culture, membership, awards and related initiatives.The Academy will continue to be led by Mason as CEO and Panay as president; the org will not name an additional co-president at this time.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVeteran rapper and activist Meek Mill and talent agency WME have formed a strategic partnership focusing on the next wave of cultural leaders, according to an announcement issued Thursday. The agency will also represent Mill in all areas.The relationship is part of Meek’s new initiative Culture Currency, “designed to expand Meek’s business while identifying and supporting his network of artists, athletes, and entertainers so that they can take better advantage of their influence on culture, and open up more opportunities for them within the entertainment, brand and business space,” the announcement states.WME will represent Mill in all areas while working together to identify talent to potentially represent or partner with, and in turn who can benefit from the resources and global reach of the agency that spans film, television, music, books, digital, endorsements and more.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDespite some “headwinds” including an unusually strong dollar, a lighter-than-usual release schedule and several short-term expenses, Warner Music posted a solid third quarter of 2022, with a strong showing from its publishing division and 12% revenue growth that the company stressed would have been closer to 15% if not for the above factors. The company also announced a new deal with Meta (formerly Facebook) and several upcoming legal settlements that it says will bring in $25 million in OBITDA, both of which will have a strong impact on Q4.“We delivered solid double-digit growth on a constant-currency basis, even against the backdrop of a slowdown in the advertising market and some one-time items affecting year-over-year comparisons,” said Steve Cooper, CEO, Warner Music Group.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVeteran Russian musical collective and  activists Pussy Riot will be joined by some high-profile guests for their forthcoming concert at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theater on Wednesday: comic Sarah Silverman will be performing a full set, while Big Freedia — fresh from her prominent guest spot on Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” —  Salem Ilese, Josiah, Boyfriend, Slayyyter and Eva Elfie will be making special guest appearances, along with previously announced artist Rei Ami.The appearance is a rare high-profile slot for Silverman, who has been keeping a relatively low profile in recent months. Big Freedia and Salem Ilese both appear on Pussy Riot’s “Matriarchy” mixtape, which dropped on Friday. Ilese also released the viral hit “Crypto Boy,” and for which the group’s Nadya Tolokonnikova created the single artwork.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe ongoing feud between former friends and collaborators Kanye West and Kid Cudi took another turn on Monday, when West took a shot at his erstwhile pal as part of an elaborate online dig at Pete Davidson, who reports say has ended his relationship with West’s estranged wife Kim Kardashian. (Read that sentence again: Such is the life of a virtuoso internet troll.)The dig actually came a subheadline in a mock New York Times cover that is just the latest in West’s arguably abusive public behavior toward Davidson and Kardashian, which has ranged from verbal threats to elaborate jokes, such as West burying a Davidson effigy in the video for his song with the Game, “Eazy.” His latest “prank” came in the form of a fake headline reading “Skete Davidson Dead at 28” (“Skete” being his nickname for Davidson, derived from vulgar Chicago slang), with the bottom reading: “Kid Cudi meant to play funeral but fearful of bottle throwers.” The Cudi mention refers to a July 22 incident during the elaborate drama around the Rolling Loud Festival, where West was originally scheduled to be a headliner but abruptly pulled out just days before the event.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs New York discovered in no uncertain terms last summer when the star-studded “We Love NYC” concert in Central Park was abruptly canceled less than halfway before it was over, the threat of lightning is no joke when it comes to outdoor events. And although thunderclouds and some serious lightning flashes were a backdrop for Khruangbin and Vieux Farka Touré concert at a BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn concert in the New York borough’s Prospect Park, they passed to the south without a drop of rain, and the completely sold-out concert went on without incident from Mother Nature — except for some characteristically brutal NYC summer humidity.Khruangbin, a trio from Houston that plays mostly instrumental music, is a band as unusual as their name, and what was perhaps most remarkable about the concert was the size of the densely packed crowd — there aren’t many bands like them who are popular enough to sell out New York’s 6,000-seat Radio City Music Hall, which they did earlier this year.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMTV has announced the first round of performers for the 2022 VMAs, taking place live from New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Sunday, August 28th at 8PM ET/PT.Anitta, J Balvin, Marshmello x Khalid and Panic! at the Disco are the first round of announced artists, with more to follow in the coming weeks.Brazilian singer Anitta, who played a vivid 45-minute set of her hits at Coachella in April, will make her VMA debut with the TV  performance of her new single, “Envolver.” She is also up for her first VMAs award in the Best Latin category, making her the first Brazilian artist to be nominated for a Moon Person.Veteran Colombia artist Balvin will return to the VMA state with the TV premiere of “Nivel de Perreo” with Ryan Castro, returning for the first time since his epic on-stage collaboration with Bad Bunny for “Que Pretendes” in 2019. The five-time VMA winner is also nominated for Best Latin (for “In Da Getto” with Skrillex), which would make him as the most awarded Latin artist in VMAs history.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOne of the wonders of music streaming is its borderlessness. Back in the day, a person might never hear, let alone purchase, music outside their country or comfort zone if they didn’t happen to wander into that area of a record store or radio dial.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWith hits from a wildly diverse array of artists including Halsey, the Weeknd, Camila Cabello, Jon Batiste, Leon Bridges, Twenty One Pilots, SZA, Maren Morris, Maggie Rogers, Maroon 5, Bomba Estereo and many more, Ricky Reed is one of the most successful and ubiquitous songwriters of the past 15-odd years.But it’s his work with Lizzo, both as a musical collaborator and the head of Nice Life, the label to which signed along with Atlantic Records, that has made him Variety’s Hitmaker of the Month for July. The singer’s “Special” album features five songs co-produced by Reed — including the smash single “About That Time” and the closer, “Coldplay.”Reed (real name: Eric Frederic) began working with Lizzo (real name: Melissa Jefferson) in 2016.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Publishing has signed rising singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Em Beihold to a worldwide publishing agreement. Her gold-certified single “Numb Little Bug” has been on the Billboard Hot 100 for 24 weeks, and she released her debut EP “Egg in the Backseat: last week.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorApproximately 36 hours before its scheduled release at midnight ET on Thursday, Beyonce’s full album has apparently leaked.Social media was filled with comments on the leak and Variety was able to find high-quality flac files that certainly sound like the album within a matter of minutes. Some posts showed CD copies of the album for sale, apparently in Europe.Reps for Beyonce and the album’s distributor, Columbia Records, did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment.The leak came as a shock, as Beyonce’s operation is famously among the most secure in the business, renowned for the surprise drop of her 2013 self-titled album — which required countless non-disclosure agreements —  and an overall air of secrecy. The singer revealed the tracklist for her forthcoming seventh album “Renaissance” last week.