New Edition Recruits Boyz II Men and Toni Braxton for Joint 30-City Arena Tour

Promotional artwork for “The New Edition Way Tour 2026,” featuring New Edition with Boyz II Men and Toni Braxton. The 30-city arena run kicks off Jan. 28 in Oakland, Calif., and concludes April 4 in Houston. (Courtesy Black Promoters Collective)

Three pillars of R&B are teaming up for a cross country arena run in 2026. New Edition, Boyz II Men and Toni Braxton will hit the road together on “The New Edition Way Tour,” a 30-city trek produced by the Black Promoters Collective. The run is scheduled to kick off Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at Oakland Arena in California and wrap Saturday, April 4, 2026, at Toyota Center in Houston.

The tour is being billed by organizers as a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration: all three acts sharing the same stage in an immersive 360-degree setup, performing together instead of rotating separate opening and headlining slots. Fans are being promised “no barriers, no separation — an original music experience” built around legacy, harmony and nostalgia.

 

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It’s also a first. Even though Boyz II Men was originally discovered and championed by New Edition’s Michael Bivins, this marks the first time the two groups will tour together in a full joint production.

In a video announcement shared to their social channels, New Edition members talk about wanting to “take it to another level” after their recent Las Vegas run, then FaceTime Boyz II Men to pitch the idea. The conversation turns to adding “feminine energy,” and Toni Braxton pops up on-screen with a grin: “Y’all already know I’m the honorary seventh member of New Edition. So it’s only right that we hit the road together.”

All six members of New Edition — Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill — are billed for the tour. The lineup also features Boyz II Men’s Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris, and seven-time Grammy winner Toni Braxton.

The Black Promoters Collective says the goal is bigger than nostalgia. “You’re seeing artists who’ve shaped the culture come together to celebrate music that continues to stand the test of time,” said Gary Guidry, CEO of the Black Promoters Collective. “This tour represents the spirit of collaboration, excellence, and respect for pristine artistry,” added Shelby Joyner, the company’s president.

The tour name itself is personal. “The New Edition Way Tour” salutes New Edition’s hometown honor in Boston, where a street was recently renamed New Edition Way to recognize the group’s four-decade impact on R&B, pop and performance.

New Edition’s story is the blueprint for much of modern R&B and pop. Out of the core group came Bobby Brown’s solo superstardom (“My Prerogative,” “Every Little Step”), Ralph Tresvant’s silky ballads like “Sensitivity,” Bell Biv DeVoe’s New Jack Swing classic “Poison,” and Johnny Gill’s powerhouse slow jams “My, My, My” and “Rub You the Right Way.” Collectively, the members have sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, won American Music and Soul Train Awards, and received lifetime achievement honors from BET, Soul Train and the NAACP Image Awards.

Boyz II Men arrive with four Grammy Awards and slow jams that defined ‘90s radio, including “End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” and “One Sweet Day,” their record-breaking duet with Mariah Carey. The trio remains one of the best-selling R&B groups of all time, with over 64 million albums sold globally.

Toni Braxton adds what the tour calls its “queen” energy. The seven-time Grammy winner helped shape adult R&B in the ‘90s with “Un-Break My Heart,” “Breathe Again,” and “You’re Makin’ Me High,” and has sold more than 70 million records worldwide.

Between them, New Edition, Boyz II Men and Braxton have combined to sell nearly 200 million albums, earn dozens of major awards and influence multiple generations of artists.

Tickets for “The New Edition Way Tour” go on sale to the general public Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, at 10 a.m. local time through Ticketmaster and participating venue box offices. Multiple presales will run Oct. 27–30, including an American Express presale, a New Edition fan presale (password: WAYTOUR26), a Spotify presale (NE4LIFE), and additional Black Promoters Collective, Boyz II Men and venue presales. All presales begin at 10 a.m. local time and close Thursday, Oct. 30, at 11:59 p.m.

The 30-city routing includes major stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Boston and Houston, with the finale set for April 4, 2026, in Houston.

🎟️ How to get tickets

General on-sale: Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster and participating venue box offices.

Presales (all begin 10 a.m. local time):
• American Express Presale: Monday, Oct. 27
• New Edition Presale (code: WAYTOUR26): Tuesday, Oct. 28
• Spotify Presale (code: NE4LIFE): Wednesday, Oct. 29
• BPC / Boyz II Men / Venue Presales (codes: BPC / BIIMBLVD): Thursday, Oct. 30

All presales end Thursday, Oct. 30, at 11:59 p.m. local time.

Ll Cool J’s Songwriting Legacy Honored With Hall of Fame Nomination

LL Cool J attends the 2023 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Phoenix Awards at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. The Grammy-winning rapper and actor is among the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame nominees. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

The Songwriters Hall of Fame has revealed its list of 2026 nominees, and LL Cool J stands tall among a lineup that blends eras, genres, and creative legacies. The Queens-born rapper — one of hip-hop’s first global stars — joins Taylor Swift, P!nk, David Byrne and Kenny Loggins as nominees for induction at next year’s gala in New York City.

For LL, the recognition goes beyond chart success; it’s an overdue acknowledgment of a writer who helped define the emotional and lyrical range of modern rap. The Songwriters Hall of Fame honors those whose words and melodies have shaped the sound of popular music. His nomination follows the earlier inductions of Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and The Neptunes, further carving hip-hop’s rightful place in the songwriting canon.

Eligibility begins twenty years after an artist’s first commercial release — a milestone LL passed long ago, after exploding onto the scene in 1985 with Radio, his Def Jam debut that made a teenage James Todd Smith a household name. “I Need Love,” “Around the Way Girl,” “Mama Said Knock You Out,” “Going Back to Cali,” and “Illegal Search” — the five songs highlighted in his nomination — span his versatility, from the first mainstream rap love ballad to battle-ready anthems that redefined hip-hop’s toughness.

The 2026 ballot, announced this week, also nods to pop titans Taylor Swift and Sarah McLachlan, rock innovators David Byrne and the Go-Go’s, glam icons Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss, and hit-making producer-songwriters like Pete Bellotte and Andreas Carlsson. It’s a class that connects disco’s glitter, rock’s rebellion, and hip-hop’s lyricism under one roof — a reflection of how much songwriting itself has evolved. Ballots are due by midnight December 4, 2025, with the official induction gala scheduled for next year in New York City.

Complete nominee list

Representative songs are a sample from each catalog.

Performing songwriters ▶

• Gerry Beckley & Dewey Bunnell (America)
  “A Horse with No Name,” “Ventura Highway,” “Sister Golden Hair,” “I Need You,” “Tin Man.”
• David Byrne
  “Once in a Lifetime,” “Psycho Killer,” “Burning Down the House,” “This Must Be the Place,” “Strange Overtones.”
• Richard Carpenter
  “Goodbye to Love,” “Top of the World,” “Yesterday Once More,” “Only Yesterday,” “Merry Christmas Darling.”
• Harry Wayne Casey (KC and the Sunshine Band)
  “Rock Your Baby,” “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s the Way (I Like It),” “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty,” “Please Don’t Go.”
• Randy Bachman & Burton Cummings (The Guess Who)
  “These Eyes,” “Laughing,” “No Time,” “American Woman,” “No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature.”
• Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley (Kiss)
  “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “I Love It Loud,” “Calling Dr. Love,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “Christine 16.”
• Kenny Loggins
  “Danny’s Song,” “Footloose,” “Celebrate Me Home,” “Return to Pooh Corner,” “What a Fool Believes.”
• Sarah McLachlan
  “Angel,” “Sweet Surrender,” “I Will Remember You,” “Building a Mystery,” “Adia.”
• Alecia B. Moore (P!nk)
  “Glitter in the Air,” “Just Like a Pill,” “Raise Your Glass,” “So What,” “What About Us.”
• Boz Scaggs
  “Lido Shuffle,” “Lowdown,” “We’re All Alone,” “Thanks to You,” “Look What You’ve Done to Me.”
• James Todd Smith (LL Cool J)
  “Mama Said Knock You Out,” “I Need Love,” “Around the Way Girl,” “Going Back to Cali,” “Illegal Search.”
• Taylor Swift
  “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” “Blank Space,” “Anti-Hero,” “Love Story,” “The Last Great American Dynasty.”
• Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine & Jane Wiedlin (The Go-Go’s)
  “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” “Head over Heels,” “This Town.”

Songwriters ▶

• Walter Afanasieff
  “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “My All,” “Hero,” “Love Will Survive,” “One Sweet Day.”
• Pete Bellotte
  “Hot Stuff,” “I Feel Love,” “Love to Love You Baby,” “Heaven Knows,” “Push It to the Limit.”
• Andreas Carlsson
  “I Want It That Way,” “Bye Bye Bye,” “It’s Gonna Be Me,” “That’s the Way It Is,” “Waking Up in Vegas.”
• Steve Kipner
  “Physical,” “Hard Habit to Break,” “Genie in a Bottle,” “These Words,” “Breakeven.”
• Jeffrey Le Vasseur (Jeffrey Steele)
  “What Hurts the Most,” “My Wish,” “Knee Deep,” “The Cowboy in Me,” “I’d Give Anything / She’d Give Anything.”
• Patrick Leonard
  “Like a Prayer,” “Live to Tell,” “Nevermind,” “You Want It Darker,” “Yet Another Movie.”
• Terry Britten & Graham Lyle
  “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” “Typical Male,” “Devil Woman,” “I Should Have Known Better.”
• Bob McDill
  “Everything That Glitters Is Not Gold,” “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” “Gone Country,” “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” “Song of the South.”
• Kenny Nolan
  “Lady Marmalade,” “My Eyes Adored You,” “I Like Dreamin’,” “Masterpiece,” “Get Dancin’.”
• Martin Page
  “We Built This City,” “These Dreams,” “King of Wishful Thinking,” “Faithful,” “Fallen Angel.”
• Vini Poncia
  “Do I Love You,” “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” “Oh My My,” “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” “Just Too Many People.”
• Tom Snow
  “He’s So Shy,” “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” “Dreaming of You,” “Don’t Know Much,” “After All.”
• Christopher “Tricky” Stewart
  “Umbrella,” “Single Ladies,” “Obsessed,” “Just Fine,” “Break My Soul.”
• Larry Weiss
  “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Bend Me, Shape Me,” “Hi Ho Silver Lining,” “Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore,” “Darling Take Me Back.”

Future Adds Winemaker to His Legacy With Launch of Roué Brand

Grammy-winning artist and entrepreneur Future unveils Roué, a fine-wine and cocktail label inspired by his artistry and cultural influence. (Photo by Virgile Guinard / Courtesy of Roué)

Future has never been afraid to rewrite the rules — not in trap music, fashion, or now, the wine aisle.
The Grammy-winning rapper and entrepreneur, born Nayvadius Wilburn, has unveiled Roué, a new line of fine wines and ready-to-drink cocktails that fuses creativity, culture, and craftsmanship into a single pour.

The move feels on brand for an artist who’s turned every era of his career into a reinvention — from his early "Dirty Sprite" mixtape run to his Grammy win for “King’s Dead” and chart-topping dominance with “Mask Off” and “Life Is Good.” Now, he’s setting his sights on the beverage world with the same blend of precision and ambition that made him one of hip-hop’s most influential figures.

“I enjoy wine, but couldn’t find a brand that truly reflected me — something current, innovative and connected to the culture,” Future said in a statement. “So, I created it. Roué is about bringing diversity into the wine world and showing what’s possible when creativity and culture collide.”

Roué launches with two premium wines — a 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon made from 100 percent organic grapes in Paso Robles, California, and a 2024 Sauvignon Blanc from Lake County — alongside two ready-to-drink cocktails: Ruby Passion and Lemon Lust. Each bottle arrives in custom multifaceted packaging, a visual nod to Future’s own evolution from mixtape trailblazer to global tastemaker.

The wines are rooted in sustainability as much as style according to the brand. Roué’s California growers use eco-friendly methods and high-altitude harvests to emphasize texture, aroma, and a clean, fruit-forward finish. For the cocktails, Future’s team blends premium wine with real fruit essences and natural juices, bottled in embossed glass rather than the standard aluminum can — another quiet rejection of convention.

Co-founded with beverage industry veteran Ryan Ayotte, Roué partners with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and Georgia Crown Distributing Co., giving it instant reach in both national and local markets. It will launch first in Georgia, Florida and California through major retailers such as BevMo, GoPuff and Total Wine, and will be available for direct purchase in 44 states via drinkroue.com. The suggested retail prices: $29.99 for the wines and $14.99 for a four-pack of cocktails.

“Roué represents a commitment to quality and a contemporary approach to how wine and ready-to-drink beverages are perceived and enjoyed,” Ayotte said. “It’s for the dreamers, the disruptors, and the trailblazers who refuse to be defined by convention.”

From the trap house to the tasting room, Future has built a career on making audacious moves look effortless. But Roué isn’t just a flex — it’s a statement of intent. The design mirrors his shape-shifting artistry, the product reflects his pursuit of perfection and the mission folds his cultural DNA into an industry that rarely makes room for it.

'I Just Want My Son Back': Finesse2tymes’ Mother Reacts to His Latest Arrest

Finesse2Tymes, born Ricky Leshay Hampton, was booked into Harrison County Jail in East Texas on Monday after being arrested on multiple counts including possession of controlled substances, marijuana and tampering with evidence. (Photo Credit: Harris County Sheriff's Office)

The comeback keeps getting interrupted.

Memphis rapper Finesse2Tymes — real name Ricky Hampton — was arrested Monday in East Texas on a series of drug and tampering charges, marking yet another collision between fame and the life he’s long tried to outrun.

According to Harrison County jail records, the 33-year-old rapper was charged with multiple counts of possession of a controlled substance — including two counts for less than a gram and two counts for between one and four grams — as well as possession of less than two ounces of marijuana and possession of a “dangerous drug,” a Texas charge often linked to medications such as Xanax or Vicodin.

Police also accused Hampton of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and of bringing a prohibited substance into a correctional facility. He was booked Monday and released Tuesday, according to jail documents.

Case File

Finesse2Tymes — What We Know

Legal name: Ricky Leshay Hampton
Arresting authority: Texas Dept. of Public Safety (Harrison County)
Booking location: Harrison County Jail, Texas
Booking day: Monday (local time)
Custody status: Released Tuesday, per jail records

Charges noted by authorities:

• Possession of a controlled substance < 1 gram (2 counts)
• Possession of a controlled substance 1–4 grams (2 counts)
• Possession of marijuana < 2 ounces
• Possession of a “dangerous drug” (prescription-only medication)
• Prohibited substance in a correctional facility
• Tampering with or fabricating physical evidence

Context: The new arrest follows prior legal issues unrelated to this case. Court dates and filings for the current charges were not posted publicly at press time.

Source: Harrison County Jail records; Texas DPS briefing notes provided to local agencies.

The arrest adds another chapter to a turbulent story. Hampton, who has spoken publicly about trying to move past his time in federal prison for a weapons charge, was freed in 2022 and seemed to be rebuilding his career. But his recent years have been marked by controversy, personal struggles, and social media storms that sometimes overshadow his music.

On Tuesday, the artist’s mother, Pluria Alexander, took to Facebook to post an emotional message about her son’s arrest. “It breaks me to see my son losing himself — mentally unstable, going through breakdowns, on drugs, in and out of jail,” she wrote. “I love him with everything in me, but it hurts so bad watching him self-destruct. I know that’s not the real him… that’s the pain, the trauma, and the demons he’s fighting.”

Her words hit with the kind of raw truth that’s hard to ignore. In August, Alexander had launched a GoFundMe after alleging her son’s choices had left her facing eviction for the third time.

For fans, it’s another painful moment in a career that’s always balanced resilience and self-sabotage. Hampton’s 2022 breakout “Back End” cemented his street appeal, while collaborations with Moneybagg Yo and Gucci Mane hinted at a possible mainstream rise. But each brush with the law seems to drag him back into the world he’s been rapping about since the beginning — a world of contradictions, survival, and second chances that never quite stick.

Brandy Cites Dehydration After Abruptly Ending Chicago Concert With Monica

The reunion Windy City fans had waited decades for took an unexpected turn Saturday night when Brandy Norwood abruptly left the stage during “The Boy Is Mine Tour” stop with Monica at Chicago’s United Center — and never returned.

Midway through her set, Brandy paused and told the crowd, “Give me one second, y’all, I gotta get my—,” before walking backstage. She never came back, leaving Monica to finish the concert solo. Their 1998 hit “The Boy Is Mine,” the duet that defined late ’90s R&B and inspired the tour’s name, went unperformed.

pic.twitter.com/sWWB9YeWz7

— b r a n d y (@4everBrandy) October 19, 2025

By Sunday morning, Brandy broke her silence. “After weeks of nonstop rehearsals, last night I experienced dehydration and feelings of wanting to faint,” the Grammy winner wrote in a verified Instagram post. “Everyone involved agreed that prioritizing my well-being was of the utmost importance.”

She continued, “I attempted to return to the stage but found it impossible to fully connect sonically with the production. I want to thank my fans for your overwhelming love, support, and—most importantly—your prayers. I also want to thank Monica for stepping up with such grace and professionalism.”

@newzonetv Prayers up for @brandy she left the stage abruptly and @MONICA🤎 speaks to the crowd and gives Brandy her flowers! Two Queens wishing them the best on the rest of the tour! #theboyismine #brandy #monica #chicago ♬ original sound - Jaz

Brandy confirmed she received medical attention immediately after leaving the venue and was advised to rest before continuing the tour. “I’m okay now,” she said, adding that she plans to rejoin the tour this week.

The Chicago stop was the third show on Brandy and Monica’s co-headlining tour — their first in more than 25 years. The tour opened Oct. 16 in Cincinnati and continues through mid-November with stops in Atlanta, Houston and Los Angeles.

Months After ‘Lightyear’ Remarks Drew Criticism, Snoop Dogg Drops ‘Love Is Love’ for Glaad’s Spirit Day

Snoop Dogg has spent a career flipping expectations. But this week’s move — dropping a children’s song about LGBTQ+ families after publicly stumbling on the same topic months ago — might be one of his most unexpected reversals yet.

Earlier this year, Snoop said a screening of Disney’s “Lightyear” with his grandson “threw [him] for a loop” when the boy asked about the film’s lesbian couple. “I didn’t come here for this,” he told a podcast host, adding that he didn’t have the answers. The backlash came quick: how could a man who’s preached love, unity, and evolution be so uneasy about a Pixar kiss?

Fast-forward to October. Snoop partnered with GLAAD to release “Love Is Love,” a new song from his YouTube series "Doggyland," timed with Spirit Day — the organization’s national anti-bullying campaign for LGBTQ youth. The track, sung by cartoon dogs with preschool-friendly beats, insists that “no two parents are the same, but the love won’t change.” It’s deliberately simple — not an apology, but a public correction.

“I felt like this music is a beautiful bridge to bringing understanding,” Snoop said in a filmed conversation with Jeremy Beloate, an openly queer artist who competed on his Voice team. “These are things kids have questions about. Now hopefully we can help them live a happy life and understand that love is love.”

That humility may surprise some longtime fans. For decades, Snoop has represented a particular brand of West Coast masculinity — smooth, funny, charismatic, but grounded in the coded norms of old-school rap. So when he faced criticism for how he handled "Lightyear," his response wasn’t to double down but to recalibrate in public. It’s not brand management; it’s self-education.

What’s striking is the medium. Hip-hop has had plenty of protest songs, but almost no bedtime stories about inclusion. "Doggyland," Snoop’s kid-focused series, already promoted kindness and literacy; now it’s modeling empathy. That’s not something you can fake in a market where kids notice contradictions faster than adults.

Still, the gesture comes with baggage. Some fans see “Love Is Love” as image rehab — a late pivot after months of social-media dragging. But even that tension speaks to something bigger. When an artist as visible as Snoop evolves on camera, it says more about generational change inside hip-hop itself. The culture that once defined toughness through resistance is now old enough to define it through growth.

In his GLAAD statement, Snoop put it plainly: “Spreading love and respect for everybody is what real gangstas do. We’re showing the next generation that kindness is cool, inclusion is powerful, and love always wins.” It’s both a wink and a warning — that empathy, in 2025, might be the hardest flex of all.

Because hip-hop doesn’t need another PSA. It needs its elders to keep learning out loud.

Mickey Factz Takes Over Black Thought’s 'Art of the MC' Course at NYU

Rapper and educator Mickey Factz, newly appointed adjunct professor at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, will teach “The Art of the MC” beginning Oct. 23. The course, previously taught by Black Thought of The Roots, explores the craft and culture of lyricism in hip-hop. (Photo courtesy of NYU Clive Davis Institute)

Mickey Factz is headed back to class — this time at the front of it. New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music has appointed the Bronx lyricist as an adjunct professor to teach The Art of the MC, a seven-week fall course that digs into the craft, culture and history of emceeing.

The class begins Oct. 23 and, according to the institute, picks up a lineage previously carried by Black Thought of The Roots, bringing a working pen from hip-hop’s blog era into a university room where students write, perform and defend their bars.

“It’s an honor to continue the legacy of MCs that preceded me to teach at the Clive Davis Institute,” Mickey said in the program’s announcement. “I’ll be bringing my expertise, wealth of knowledge and mentoring to a historic space such as NYU… Long, live, lyricism. Class is in session. Literally.”

The institute’s performance area head, JD Samson, put it plainly: “His dedication to teaching and his artistic vision will be a massive asset to our students and community,” calling his approach “groundbreaking hip-hop pedagogy.”

Mickey Factz — Career Highlights

A concise, verified snapshot for readers

Profile

• Full name: Mark Anthony Williams Jr. (aka Mickey Factz); Bronx, New York.
• Known for: elite lyricism, meticulous craft, and bridging hip-hop and academia.

Breakthroughs

• Mid/late-2000s blog-era run with mixtapes including “In Search of N*E*R*D,” “The Leak Vol. 1 & 2,” and “Mickey MauSe.”
• XXL Freshman Class (2009), spotlighting rising artists of the moment.
• Collaborative ties over the years include Drake, Lupe Fiasco, and others.

Selected Releases & Projects

• Notable projects: “The Achievement,” “The New Museum,” “Love.Lust.Lost,” “#Y,” and “the dark phoenix #ALPHA.”
• Signed with Battery/Jive (2010) during his major-label chapter.

Education & Teaching

• Co-founder of Pendulum Ink, a rap academy focused on lyricism, performance, and craft discipline.
• Adjunct Professor, NYU Clive Davis Institute (course: “The Art of the MC,” fall 2025), continuing a lineage that has included Black Thought, Questlove, Pharrell Williams and Swizz Beatz.

Cultural Impact

• Advocates for “long live lyricism”: treating MC’ing as a rigorous discipline with history, theory, and technique.
• Active in battle-rap circles; brings stagecraft, structure, and bar-for-bar analysis into the classroom.

The curriculum reads like a cipher with a syllabus: lyrical analysis, freestyle development, song structure, breath and projection, stage presence, and the evolution of rap as both art form and culture. Students are expected to trace a line from the pioneers to today’s streaming-first scene, then apply the lessons in original work that can actually hold weight in a room full of peers. The idea isn’t to canonize a single “right” way to rhyme — it’s to make students conversant in form, fearless in performance, and precise on the page.

Factz, who broke through as a 2009 XXL Freshman and built a catalog of densely written projects during the blog era, comes to NYU with more than two decades of writing, touring and teaching behind him. His extracurriculars underscore the fit: Pendulum Ink, the rap-craft academy he co-founded, has been training MCs in storytelling, rhythm and delivery — essentially, the same muscles this class intends to develop. If the university is where industry meets inquiry, a practitioner-teacher who lives the work is the point.

There’s a larger story here, too. The Clive Davis Institute has spent the past decade normalizing hip-hop in higher ed not as case study or museum piece but as living practice. Q-Tip co-taught a course on the intersection of jazz and hip-hop in 2018; Swizz Beatz has held a faculty role guiding production and mentoring; Questlove and Pharrell Williams have led seminars on history, creation and business. Each appointment pushes the idea that the people who shaped the music are best positioned to teach its language and its ethics.

Following Black Thought in this specific course also matters. It signals continuity of a high bar: technical excellence married to context. Where Thought is an exemplar of breath control, pocket and live-band poise, Mickey’s value add is micro-surgical writing and workshop rigor — skills that can move a verse from “good” to “publishable,” whether the dream is a Tiny Desk or a festival slot. For students, that continuity is the difference between a guest lecture and a real pipeline.

It’s also part of a broader shift: hip-hop’s elders and working artists are claiming educational spaces on their own terms. The move legitimizes what fans already know — that MCing is a discipline with theory, technique and lineage — and it forces institutions to meet the culture where it lives. An NYU classroom won’t make an artist, but a serious class can shorten the distance between taste and technique, and between potential and performance.

Hip-Hop Takes Center Stage as Outkast and Salt-N-Pepa Prepare to Join Rock Hall

The Atlanta duo is among this year’s inductees, joining Salt-N-Pepa and other music legends in a ceremony streamed live on Disney+ Nov. 8, 2025. (Courtesy Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

For years, fans argued that hip-hop had rewritten the rules of rock & roll. This fall, the Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame made it official. Outkast and Salt-N-Pepa will be inducted November 8 at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater in a 40th anniversary ceremony that brings the South, the streets and the sisterhood to the Hall’s biggest stage.

The lineup, confirmed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, marks a breakthrough for Black music and culture. Outkast — André 3000 and Big Boi — will enter the Performer category alongside Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes. Salt-N-Pepa, the groundbreaking Queens duo of Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, will receive the Musical Influence Award, a nod to how “Push It,” “Shoop,” and “Whatta Man” redefined empowerment in hip-hop and pop.

“This year’s inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps.”

The ceremony — streaming live coast to coast on Disney+ at 8 p.m. EST (5 p.m. PST) and later airing on ABC on January 1, 2026 — promises a star-studded celebration of rock’s evolution. Among the presenters and performers are Missy Elliott, Killer Mike, Questlove, Maxwell, Doja Cat, Brandi Carlile, Elton John, Flea, J.I.D, Sleepy Brown, Iggy Pop, Olivia Rodrigo, and others. Together, they represent every era of rebellion and reinvention that defines the Rock Hall’s expanding universe.

While the full list of inductors has yet to be released, insiders close to the ceremony expect Southern hip-hop peers and collaborators — including Killer Mike and J.I.D — to play major roles in Outkast’s tribute. For Salt-N-Pepa, the night is expected to draw appearances from Missy Elliott and Doja Cat, both of whom have cited the duo as foundational influences.

Outkast’s induction is more than a career milestone; it’s the formal recognition of a movement. From Atlanta’s Dungeon Family collective to Grammy glory, the duo brought the world the sound of the modern South — blending funk, gospel, and social consciousness into genre-defying records like “Aquemini” and “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.” The Rock Hall’s 2025 exhibit will include André 3000’s lime-green outfit from the “Hey Ya!” video, displayed alongside memorabilia from The White Stripes and Cyndi Lauper.

Sandra “Pepa” Denton, Deidre “Spinderella” Roper, and Cheryl “Salt” James of Salt-N-Pepa pose for their 1987 album in New York. The trailblazing hip-hop trio will receive the Musical Influence Award as part of the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class. (Photo by Janette Beckman/Getty Images, courtesy Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

For Salt-N-Pepa, the honor closes a circle that began in the mid-1980s when two nursing students decided to rap about what women actually thought. They turned dance floors into classrooms of confidence, changing the language of mainstream pop in the process. Their induction alongside Warren Zevon (Musical Influence), Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins, and Carol Kaye (Musical Excellence), and Lenny Waronker (Ahmet Ertegun Award) underscores the Hall’s ongoing shift toward inclusivity and a broader definition of what “rock” truly means.

The 2025 ceremony’s range — from Chubby Checker’s twist to Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” — will illustrate that rock & roll’s essence was never about guitars alone. It was about defiance, self-expression, and the urge to push sound forward. In that sense, the voices from Atlanta and Queens belong here as much as anyone who ever picked up a Les Paul.

For hip-hop fans, it’s validation long overdue. For music history, it’s a reminder: rock & roll isn’t a sound. It’s a spirit. And it’s still evolving — with a Southern drawl, a bassline from Queens, and a groove that never dies.