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Founded | 2010 in San Francisco, CA |
Founder | Ghazi Shami |
Headquarters | San Francisco, US |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Ghazi Shami (CEO) Nima Etminan (COO) Tina Davis (President) |
Number of employees | 200 (2024) |
Divisions | EMPIRE Distribution EMPIRE Publishing EMPIRE (label)
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Website | empi |
Empire Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. (stylized as EMPIRE) is an independent American record label, distribution and publishing company founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami. Based in San Francisco, EMPIRE has offices in New York, London, Lagos, and Johannesburg in addition to recording studios in San Francisco and New York.
Shami, a San Francisco native with a background in music and tech, founded Empire as a digital distribution company focused on hip-hop and rap. Developing proprietary software that allowed managers and artists to easily track airplay and sales, Empire paid monthly royalties to artists, many of whom had not previously earned digital revenue, and gained early support from the Bay Area's artist community.
In 2014, Shami, known as Ghazi, launched the Empire label. Empire Africa, Empire Latino, and Empire Nashville divisions were later established. Since its founding—in partnership with artists and artist labels—Empire has released music by artists including Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, Fat Joe, Tyga, Asake, Fireboy DML, XXXTentacion, Philthy Rich, Young Dolph, Key Glock, King Von, Tink, Black Sherif, Yung Bleu, D Smoke, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, DRAM,Cardi B and Emtee, among others. Empire Publishing was founded in 2020.
History
[edit]2010-2014: Founding, early success
[edit]Empire was founded in by Ghazi Shami. Raised in San Francisco, he grew up listening to Bay Area artists such as Too Short, Spice 1, RBL Posse, Souls of Mischief, Luniz, JT the Bigga Figga, and Rappin' 4-Tay. Equally interested in music and technology, in college he worked at the tech companies Sun Microsystems, Eloquent Technologies and Audio Highway; he later worked at Hyde Street Studios, where he engineered and mixed music by artists including Messy Marv, Planet Asia and Too Short.[1]
In 2006, he was hired at INgrooves Music Group, an independent distribution and marketing company. While he had written code and built out streaming media sites since he was a teenager, at INgrooves, he learned about the intricacies of digital distribution, artist contracts, and royalties. Helping to build the company's rap division, he signed DIY artists representative of the Bay Area sound and culture, often introducing them to online revenue streams.[2]
Ghazi founded Empire from his home in the Potrero neighborhood of San Francisco in 2010. In a 2019 interview, he said: "This company wouldn't exist if I wasn’t born and bred in the Bay; in SF and Silicon Valley. This company is as much a software company as it is a music company. It’d be a disservice to the roots, to the origin, to everything that I stand for, if this company wasn't firmly planted or rooted here."[3]
Initially focused on rap, Empire's backend technology bypassed the existing digital distribution system and delivered music directly to streaming and retail platforms quickly to capitalize on the viral momentum of the genre's traditional rapid-fire releases. Contracts were non-exclusive and proprietary software allowed managers and artists to easily track royalties, which were paid monthly.[4][5] The company's core practices, in addition to Ghazi's relationships, attracted artists, and as Empire gained traction, Ghazi hired Nima Etminan as his second-in-command.[3] Etminan later became the company's COO.[6]
2014-2020: Empire Records, Empire Latino, Empire Nashville
[edit]With its digital distribution platform successful, Empire established Empire Records. Among others, the label released Anderson .Paak’s album Malibu, which earned .Paak a Grammy nomination in the Best New Artist, category, as well as Fat Joe’s “All The Way Up” and DRAM’s “Broccoli.” Young Dolph turned down a $22 million major label deal to sign with Empire and remain independent. In an interview with Variety, Dolph said: "Empire is on deck with people who love to do this shit just as much as I do...whether you got money to deal with it or no money to deal with it, the best relationships are going to be the ones where you understand each other."[7]
In 2017, XXXTentacion's debut album, 17, was released on Empire. It charted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200. His sophomore album was released on Capitol. He returned to re-sign with Empire a month before his death; The New York Times reported that the deal was worth $10 million.[8] XXXTentacion's posthumous album, Skins, debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart.[9][10]
In 2018, Tina Davis, previously an artist manager and a head of A&R at Def Jam, was named SVP of A&R,[11] and a partnership with L.A. Reid's Hitco was announced.[12] King Von's Empire-distributed song "Crazy Story" was a 3x platinum viral hit.[13] He subsequently signed with Empire, releasing the mixtape, Grandson, which became one of the label's most successful releases.[14] Empire also worked with Tyga in 2018; the track "Taste", was 9x platinum as of 2023.[15]
Empire began working with Latino artists including Tego Calderón and Luis Enrique in 2012, and in 2018 established Empire Latino.[16] In 2019, Empire Latino had its first hit with Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Jay Wheeler; as of 2023, his song La Curiosidad was 8x platinum.[17]
A country music division, Empire Nashville, was founded in 2019.[18]
2020 - present: Empire Publishing, Empire Africa, Blackground
[edit]In 2020, after developing proprietary software specific to music publishing that provided transparency similar to Empire's royalty software, Empire established a publishing division. Initial signings included Illmind, Nebu Kiniza, Dr Zeus and Empire artists Young Dolph, Key Glock, Mozzy, Fireboy DML,Yung Bleu and RJMrLA.[19]
In partnership with Olamide and his label, YBNL Nation,[20] Empire Africa's first signing was Nigerian Afrobeats artist Fireboy DML.[6] His 2021 single "Peru", remixed by Ed Sheeran, was a global hit. With subsequent signings including Asake, Burna Boy, BNXN and Kizz Daniels, Empire Africa became a preeminent Afrobeats label; on Nigeria's year-end TurnTable Charts, Empire had the top three artists, the top two songs, and the top album. Empire releases held the #1 position on the Nigerian charts for 35 weeks over the course of the year.[6]
Empire began investing in the Detroit hip-hop scene not long after the company was founded. In a 2022 interview with Billboard, Ghazi said he felt a strong connection between San Francisco and Detroit. The label signed Babyface Ray in 2017, and by 2022 had signed 10 artists, including Peezy, Babytron, Payroll Giovanni, and Rio Da Yung OG.[21] Peezy’s "2 Million Up" went viral on TikTok and hit seven Billboard charts, including the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Rap Airplay and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[22]
In October 2022, Empire acquired the Bay area-founded dance label, Dirtybird.[23] In January 2023, a partnership with the Web3 investment platform, Nebula, was announced. It was also announced that Money Man, who was paid in Bitcoin when he signed with Empire in 2021,[24] would release his EP on the Nebula platform.[25]
In June 2023, Davis was named president of the company.[26]
Awards and nominations
[edit]Grammy Awards
[edit]Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | "Out of Many, One Music" (Shaggy) | Best Reggae Album | Nominated |
2016 | "Strictly Roots" (Morgan Heritage) | Best Reggae Album | Won |
2017 | "Malibu" (Anderson .Paak) | Best New Artist | Nominated |
"Malibu" (Anderson .Paak) | Best Urban Contemporary Album | Nominated | |
"All The Way Up" (Fat Joe & Remy Ma) | Best Rap Performance | Nominated | |
"All The Way Up" (Fat Joe & Remy Ma) | Best Rap Song | Nominated | |
"Broccoli" (DRAM) | Best Rap/Sung Performance | Nominated | |
"Rose Petals EP" (J Boog) | Best Reggae Album | Nominated |
Notable artists
[edit]- 2nd Nature
- 9th Wonder
- 50 Cent
- Aaliyah
- Ab-Soul
- A.Chal
- Adam Lambert
- Afgan
- Alexis & Fido
- Amanda Perez
- Amber Liu
- Anderson .Paak
- Andre Nickatina
- Asake
- Bankroll Mafia
- BabyTron
- B-Legit
- Berner
- B.o.B
- Bobby V
- Benny the Butcher
- Boosie Badazz
- Black Sherif
- BONES
- Brockhampton
- Busta Rhymes
- Che’Nelle
- Chronixx
- Clyde Carson
- Crooked I
- Daz Dillinger
- DRAM
- Diamond D
- Dinah Jane
- Dizzy Wright
- DJ Kay Slay
- DJ Pauly D
- Doe B
- Drakeo the Ruler
- Dounia
- Dru Hill
- D Smoke
- EarthGang
- Ellise
- Emilio Rojas
- Eric Bellinger
- Ester Dean
- Fashawn
- Fireboy DML
- Flipsyde
- Freddie Gibbs
- Glasses Malone
- Hayley Kiyoko
- Hopsin
- Hustle Gang
- Iamsu!
- Iggy Azalea
- Jacquees
- J Dilla
- J. Valentine
- Justina Valentine
- Jacob Latimore
- Jake Miller
- Jarren Benton
- Jesse Boykins III
- Jewel
- Jim Jones
- Jay Critch
- Joji
- Kanye West
- Keak Da Sneak
- Kilo Kish
- King Von
- Kizz Daniel
- Kankan
- KiDi
- Konshens
- Kurupt
- Kwengface
- Lamont Sincere
- Lil Duval
- Lloyd
- Lloyd Banks
- Loote
- Lyrica Anderson
- Lucki
- Mac Dre
- MAJOR.
- Mandy Rain
- Mann
- Mario
- Mars
- Members Only
- Messy Marv
- Mistah F.A.B.
- Mitchy Slick
- MO3
- Mozzy
- Mack Wilds
- NIKI
- Nef the Pharaoh
- Nefew
- No Malice
- Olamide
- Philthy Rich
- Pia Mia
- Phresher
- PnB Rock
- Popcaan
- Problem
- Pleasure P
- Raisa
- Rakeem Miles
- Rapper Big Pooh
- Rapsody
- Rayven Justice
- Riff Raff
- RBL Posse
- Remy Ma
- Rich Brian
- Rich Homie Quan
- Robin Thicke
- Robyn Ottolini
- Rocko
- Robb Banks
- Rob Run Corleone
- Rotimi
- Saba
- Sean Garrett
- Sean Kingston
- Selfish
- Shaboozey
- Shaggy
- Show Banga
- Skeme
- Skyzoo & Torae
- Slim Thug
- SOB X RBE
- SpaceGhostPurrp
- Supa Bwe
- Starlito
- Styles P
- Tank
- Tenille Arts
- The Alchemist
- The Foreign Exchange
- The Grouch & Eligh
- The Jacka
- Trae tha Truth
- Travis Garland
- Trevor Jackson
- Trinidad James
- Troy Ave
- Turf Talk
- Tyra B
- Tink
- Victoria Monet
- WC
- We Are Toonz
- Wande Coal
- XXXTentacion
- Yaw Tog
- Young Chop
- Young Dolph
- Yung Beef
- Yung Bleu
- Zion I
- Zion y Lennox
- Z-Ro
Selected discography
[edit]Year | Cat | Title | Artist(s) | Details | Certifications |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | ERE | Authenticity | The Foreign Exchange | Oct 12, 2010 | #145 on the Billboard 200 #23 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums |
2011 | ERE | Setbacks | ScHoolboy Q | Jan 11, 2011 | #100 on the US Billboard 200 |
ERE | Longterm Mentality | Ab-Soul | April 5, 2011 | #32 on the US Top Heatseekers #73 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |
ERE | Section.80 | Kendrick Lamar | July 2, 2011 | #113 on the US Billboard 200 #1 on the US Top Heatseekers Albums | |
ERE | Charity Starts At Home | Phonte | Sep 27, 2011 | ||
ERE | In None We Trust | Crooked I | Nov 17, 2011 | ||
ERE | Gift Of Gab 2 | Rocko | Nov 24, 2011 | ||
2012 | ERE | Dirty Slums | Slum Village | Mar 27, 2012 | |
ERE | Stoner's EP | Snoop Dogg | April 17, 2012 | #31 on the US Independent Albums #33 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |
ERE | Don't Be S.A.F.E. | Trinidad James | Sep 18, 2012 | #103 on the US Billboard 200 #8 on the US Top Heatseekers Albums | |
ERE | Baby Face Killa | Freddie Gibbs | Sep 25, 2012 | ||
2013 | ERE | Still Goin In (Reloaded) | Rich Homie Quan | Feb 8, 2013 | Named tenth best mixtape of 2013 by Rolling Stone. |
ERE | The Year of the Underdogz | Young Noble & Gage Gully | May 7, 2013 | ||
ERE | West Coast Gangsta Shit | Daz Dillinger and WC | June 19, 2013 | ||
ERE | ESGN (Evil Seeds Grow Naturally) | Freddie Gibbs | June 20, 2013 | #8 on US Top Heatseekers Albums[27] #24 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | |
ERE | Cold Turkey | Starlito | July 2, 2013 | ||
ERE108 | Apex Predator | Crooked I | July 30, 2013 | #33 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[28] | |
ERE110 | 3ChordFold | Terrace Martin | Aug 13, 2013 | #43 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #9 on US Top Heatseekers Albums | |
ERE | Travis Garland | Travis Garland | Sep 10, 2013 | ||
ERE | Gas Pedal EP | Sage The Gemini | Sep 10, 2013 | ||
ERE | O.K.E. (Deluxe Edition) | The Game | Oct 8, 2013 | #89 on the US Billboard 200 #19 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |
ERE | Knock Madness | Hopsin | Nov 24, 2013 | #1 on US Top Heatseekers Albums #7 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #6 on US Independent Albums | |
2014 | ERE135 | Tortoise and the Crow CD | Grouch, Eligh | Mar 04, 2014 | |
ERE139 | Phantom and the Ghost | Styles P | Apr 29, 2014 | #74 on US Billboard 200 #14 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #18 on US Independent Albums | |
ERE | Barrel Brothers | Skyzoo and Torae | May 27, 2014 | ||
ERE141 | Venice | Anderson .Paak | Oct 28, 2014 | ||
2015 | ERE | Strictly Roots | Morgan Heritage | June 8, 2015 | Grammy Award Winning : Best Reggae Album |
ERE141 | Fuk Wat They Talkin Bout | Tyga | Aug 24, 2015 | ||
ERE141 | Shadow of a Doubt | Freddie Gibbs | Nov 20, 2015 | #76 on US Billboard 200 | |
2016 | ERE141 | Malibu | Anderson .Paak | Jan 15, 2016 | #79 on US Billboard 200 |
ERE141 | King of Memphis | Young Dolph | Feb 19, 2016 | #49 on US Billboard 200 | |
2017 | ERE310 | Plata O Plomo | Fat Joe and Remy Ma | Feb 17, 2017 | #44 on US Billboard 200 |
ERE344 | Neva Left | Snoop Dogg | May 19, 2017 | #54 on US Billboard 200 | |
ERE | For Your Girl Too | Selfish | May 23, 2017 | ||
ERE | BitchImTheShit2 | Tyga | Jul 21, 2017 | ||
ERE | 17 | XXXTentacion | Aug 25, 2017 | #2 on US Billboard 200 | |
2018 | ERE381 | Kyoto | Tyga | Feb 16, 2018 | |
ERE453 | Tru LP | Lloyd | Aug 31, 2018 | ||
ERE | Dancing Shadows | Mario | Oct 5, 2018 | ||
ERE | Skins | XXXTentacion | Dec 7, 2018 | #1 on US Billboard 200 | |
2019 | ERE | Walk with Me | Rotimi | May 24, 2019 | |
ERE | Legendary | Tyga | Jun 7, 2019 | #17 on US Billboard 200 | |
ERE | In My Defense | Iggy Azalea | Jul 19, 2019 | #50 on US Billboard 200 | |
ERE524 | I Wanna Thank Me | Snoop Dogg | Aug 16, 2019 | #76 on US Billboard 200 | |
ERE | Wicked Lips | Iggy Azalea | Dec 2, 2019 | ||
ERE537 | Bad Vibes Forever | XXXTentacion | Dec 6, 2019 | #5 on US Billboard 200 |
Notable singles
[edit]- 2011
- 2012
- Hopsin – "Ill Mind of Hopsin 5"
- Trinidad James – "All Gold Everything"
- 2013
- Problem – "Like Whaaat"
- Rocko – "U.O.E.N.O."
- Sage The Gemini – "Red Nose"
- T.I. – "Memories Back Then"
- 2014
- Busta Rhymes – "Calm Down" ft. Eminem
- Rich Homie Quan – "Walk Thru"
- Sage The Gemini – "Gas Pedal"
- 2015
- D.R.A.M. – "Cha Cha"[29]
- Jermaine Dupri – "WYA" ft. Bow Wow[30]
- Kane Brown – "Used to Love You Sober"
- Nef the Pharaoh – "Big Tymin’"[31]
- Puff Daddy – "Finna Get Loose" ft. Pharrell
- Popcaan – "Never Sober"[32]
- Rich Homie Quan – "Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)"
- Tyga – "Stimulated"
- 2016
- Fat Joe & Remy Ma – "All The Way Up" ft. French Montana & Jay-Z (Remix)
- Lloyd – "Tru"
- Luke Nasty – "OTW"
- 2018
- Mario – "Drowning"
- Tyga - "Taste" ft. Offset
- Dinah Jane - "Bottled Up" ft. Ty Dolla Sign and Marc E. Bassy
- 2019
- Adam Lambert - "Feel Something"[33]
- Iggy Azalea - "Sally Walker"
- Adam Lambert - "New Eyes"
- Free Nationals - "Beauty & Essex" ft. Daniel Caesar & Unknown Mortal Orchestra[34]
- 2020
- King Von - "Took Her to the O"
- Young Dolph - "RNB" ft. Megan Thee Stallion
- Busta Rhymes - "YUUUU" with Anderson .Paak[35]
- T.I. - "Pardon" ft. Lil Baby
- French Montana - "Double G" ft. Pop Smoke
- King Von - "The Code" ft. Polo G
- Rich The Kid & YoungBoy Never Broke Again - "Bankroll"
- Yung Bleu - "You're Mines Still" ft. Drake
- Shapiro - "Fast Pace"
- Shapiro - "Red Handed"
- 2021
- 50 Cent - "Part of the Game" ft. NLE Choppa and Rileyy Lanez
- French Montana - "Hot Boy Bling" ft. Jack Harlow and Lil Durk
- Fat Joe - "Sunshine" (The Light) with DJ Amorphous
- Busta Rhymes - "Czar" ft. M.O.P. and CJ
- Yung Bleu - "Ghetto Love Birds" with A Boogie Wit da Hoodie
- Shapiro - "Never Change"
- Shelley FKA DRAM - "All Pride Aside" with Summer Walker
- T-Pain - "I Like Dat" with Kehlani
- OG Parker, Chris Brown - Rain Down ft. Latto and Layton Greene
- Yung Bleu - "Baddest" with Chris Brown and 2 Chainz
- Tyga - "Mrs. Bubblegum"
- Sean Kingston - "Love Is Wonderful" ft. Travis Barker
- 2023
- Majeeed and Tiwa Savage - "Gbese"
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Ruskin, Zack (February 6, 2019). "How Empire founder Ghazi Shami built San Francisco a new musical kingdom". Datebook | San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ Hunte, Justin (January 14, 2016). "EMPIRE: The Music Industry's Quiet Giant". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ a b "How EMPIRE Became A Music Industry Giant In An Unlikely City | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ Hissong, Samantha (October 29, 2020). "Empire's Founder Ghazi Shami -- Future 25". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ Rys, Dan (October 20, 2016). "Hip-Hop's Other EMPIRE: How Indie Distributor Is Quietly Owning the Rap Game". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c Rys, Dan (May 12, 2023). "From the Bay Area to Africa, How EMPIRE Became A Global Force". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ Ju, Shirley (October 21, 2019). "How Rappers Young Dolph and Key Glock Turned Street Smarts Into Business Savvy". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Sisario, Ben; Coscarelli, Joe (July 8, 2018). "XXXTentacion Signed $10 Million Album Deal Before His Death". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (December 17, 2018). "XXXTentacion's 'Skins' Album Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum certifications, Tyga". RIAA. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Needle on the Record". East Bay Express | Oakland, Berkeley & Alameda. October 31, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Karp, Hannah (March 26, 2018). "L.A. Reid's Hitco Ramps Up With 25 Hires and Handful Of New Acts". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ ""Crazy Story" certifications". RIAA. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Gage, Dewayne (March 4, 2022). "King Von Was One of Rap's Most Promising Stars. His Friends Want to Make Sure He Isn't Forgotten". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Tyga, Gold & Platinum certifications, "Taste"". RIAA. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Suarez, Gary (January 30, 2019). "After A Breakthrough Year, What's Next For Música Urbana?". VIBE.com. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ ""La Curiosidad" Gold & Platinum certification". RIAA. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Cantrell, L. B. (March 1, 2021). "EMPIRE Nashville's Eric Hurt And Heather Vassar Talk Early Success [Interview]". MusicRow.com. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (September 10, 2020). "Empire Launches Publishing Division". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Rys, Dan (March 2, 2022). "EMPIRE's Ghazi On Expansion Into Africa, Nashville and Crypto: 'We're The King Of The Multisector'". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Rouhani, Neena (October 12, 2022). "The Promise & Perseverance of Detroit Rap's Rising Stars". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Rouhani, Neena (May 1, 2023). "How Peezy Went 'Against the Grain' & Achieved a Top 10 Rap Hit". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Bain, Katie (October 20, 2022). "Claude VonStroke's Dirtybird Label Acquired By EMPIRE". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "Empire pays rapper Money Man's million-dollar advance in Bitcoin". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "EMPIRE partners with Web3 music investment platform Nebula". Music Business Worldwide. January 23, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Tina Davis promoted to President at EMPIRE". Music Business Worldwide. June 27, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Heatseekers Albums : Jul 06, 2013 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. July 6, 2013. Archived from the original on August 7, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
- ^ "Crooked I – Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 17, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ^ Cantor, Paul (October 30, 2015). "Singer-Rapper D.R.A.M. Explains Why He Feels Drake 'Jacked' His Record". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Weiner, Natalie (May 21, 2015). "Jermaine Dupri & Bow Wow Are Just Wondering 'WYA (Where You At?)': Exclusive Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "Nef the Pharaoh: "Big Tymin'"". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "Popcaan Is Gloriously Inebriated On "Never Sober"". The FADER. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Legaspi, Althea (February 22, 2019). "Hear Adam Lambert's Achingly Yearning New Song 'Feel Something'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ Black, Adrienne. "Free Nationals Drop Vivid "Beauty & Essex" Video f/ Daniel Caesar & Unknown Mortal Orchestra". Complex. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "Busta Rhymes And Anderson .Paak's 'Yuuuu' Portrays Them As Enemies". UPROXX. September 18, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2024.