Travis Scott vs Egyptian Authorities in the Battle for ‘Utopia’ at the Pyramids

ICYMI, we’re giving away a pair of AirPods Max 🎧️ to one newsletter subscriber who completes this 3-min survey telling us about themselves. Simply use the email associated with your subscription, and you’ll be automatically entered. In other news today:

• Billboard Hot 100 & album chart 📈 

• Egypt authorities try to cancel Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia’ performance at the pyramids 🇪🇬 

• This witness testimony supports YNW Melly’s innocence 🤯 

• Lil Baby cancels tour dates as Gunna announces first live performance since jail 🎤 

• Discover new music with The Rap Index 🎵 

• Industry Insights 🔎 

Hot 100 Chart & Streams

The above chart shows Billboard’s Hot 100 ranking this week and the corresponding US song streams for July 7th to 13th, as reported by Hits Double Daily. Hot 100 ranks songs based on a combination of streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data—all measured by Luminate.

Rap’s Hot 100 drought worsens as country music dominates the top spots. By June 2022, Future’s “Wait For U” and Jack Harlow’s “Glamorous” had already hit #1.

Gunna’s “fukumean” overthrows Lil Durk’s “All My Life” as the most popular rap song moving up to #7 this week, tieing the highest position “Pushin P” reached last year. Lil Uzi Vert’s initial debut had a good 1-week run, but the highest charting song from Pink Tape currently is “Flooded The Face” at #60.

It’s Travis Scott vs. Egypt Authorities in the Battle for ‘Utopia’ at the Pyramids

Travis Scott’s plans to perform Utopia at the pyramids of Giza have not come to an unexpected halt, despite news that the Egyptian Syndicate of Musical Professions has revoked his license and canceled the performance. Live Nation issued a statement that nothing has changed, and Travis will carry out his Utopia performance and livestream on July 28th. So what happened? Find out below.

Following the announcement of Travis’ performance last week, controversy emerged online. The response was divided between fans of Travis’ music, excited by the idea of him coming to their country, and Egyptians who were not thrilled or approving of the event.

The Syndicate is the first Egyptian authority to address the planned performance, claiming they have “taken all legal measures to prevent this show.” Their official statement reads, “Based on research and documented information about strange rituals at Travis’ concerts that are inconsistent with our authentic societal values and traditions, the Board of Directors has decided to cancel the license issued to hold this type of concert.”

Many unspecified claims are tied to coverage of the news, implying that Travis has engaged in satanic rituals and expressed support for the Afrocentric movement—both of which conflict with Egyptian values and culture. None of these claims are verified or have ever been proven to be true.

Live Nation says the show will go on

About mid-day, Live Nation, who is organizing the performance, issued an official statement that read, “There have been no changes to Travis Scott’s show in Egypt; any reports to the contrary are false. We can’t wait to celebrate ‘Utopia’ with you in Egypt!”

It seems the initial headlines were false news and likely a reflection of the Syndicate’s sentiment toward the performance but not their authority. Three pages of Google searches later, I’m unable to find a clear answer on the Syndicate’s legal reach, they govern all musical acts within Egypt, but there’s no legislation on procedure for international artists.

However, news coverage in Egypt has mistaken Travis for Young Thug, Offset, and multiple rappers of color.

Context for those of you out touching grass

The Egyptian Syndicate of Musical Professions was founded in the mid-1940s to “build a musical society, ensure its development and conserve traditional art forms of importance to the Egyptian and Arab identity,” according to their Internal Rules of Procedure. They have judicial police powers, which allow them to issue warrants, conduct searches, and carry out arrests but reports of previous bans were in the context of musicians operating in Egypt.

Why this matters

The performance at the pyramids hasn’t even happened, and it’s causing controversy, but after the disastrous Astroworld, which Live Nation organized, it’s unlikely that pushback from the Egyptian community wasn’t foreseen. It would be the craziest marketing move of all time to leverage this controversy as publicity for the event if Travis and his team anticipated it in the rollout of Utopia.

It’s a potential move taken out of Kanye’s playbook, reminiscent of when he dominated news headlines for weeks with the livestreams of Donda. The Utopia rollout is already one of the best in recent years, and there’s more to come. Time will tell how much of the pyramid controversy was calculated or a case of all press is good press.

Shocking Witness Testimony Supports YNW Melly’s Innocence

The YNW Melly trial was expected to last for a few more weeks but in a surprising turn of events, Melly’s defense only called on a single witness to support their case. Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday before the jury heads into deliberation.

The defense called on Adrian Davis, a close friend of Juvy, Sakchaser, and Melly. They were all living together before the murders, and Davis claimed no fights ever took place between them. Davis was also at the studio session and re-iterated Treveon Glass’ testimony that everyone fell asleep at the studio and decided to go home.

Davis testified that he and Glass got into the red car while Melly, Bortlen, Juvy, and Sakchaser got into the Jeep. Davis remembers waking up during the drive because the car pulled over, and Melly got in. They went home and fell asleep, asserting that only Melly and Bortlen had keys to get into their shared home.

David and Melly were woken up by the news of Juvy and Sakchaser dying, prompting them to cry. Then, they went to Fredo Bang’s house and were met by Bortlen after he dropped the bodies of Juvy and Sakchaser at the hospital. Davis asserted that Melly couldn’t find his phone the morning of the shootings, and Bortlen told them it was a drive-by at Bang’s house.

The prosecution’s cross-examination was largely uneventful. Davis swore that all of his statements were true and said he had never met lead detective Mark Moretti. Melly announced that he would not be testifying, which brought the defense’s case to a close.

Context for those of you out touching grass

Prior to the start of the trial, there was nothing known about Melly having an alibi or Adrian Davis. On Monday, headlines about texts re-emerged where Melly answered a message from Peezy Gambino asking, “Are you ok?” and Melly responded, “I did that 🤫.” The defense questioned the validity of the text by showing 19 pages of texts where Melly spells “dat,” not “that,” and only once did he spell it correctly. “Unusual, don’t you think?” asked Melly’s defense lawyer.

Why this matters

Now that both sides have presented their cases, closing statements will be persuasive but not pivotal in the jury’s decision. There’s lots of conflicting testimony and a major lack of evidence, which may confuse the jury in deliberation. All 12 jurors would need to agree beyond a reasonable doubt on a guilty verdict, while only 8 need to vote for the death penalty to become the jury’s recommendation.

Lil Baby Cancels Tour Dates as Gunna Announces Surprise Shows

Lil Baby’s It’s Only Us tour is set to start in Texas next week, but he shocked fans this week by canceling 10 shows from the original 32-stop tour. Adding to the bad news, The Kid Laroi was removed as an opener, leaving GloRilla, Gloss Up, Rylo Rodriguez, and Hunxho as supporting acts.

The axed cities include Phoenix, San Diego, Las Vegas, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Denver, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Louisville. When Lil Baby posted the updated tour schedule, he offered no explanation for the cancellations and left fans frustrated.

Variety reported that ticket sales for the tour were lagging, with shows in Memphis and Seattle appearing to be less than half sold on Ticketmaster. It suggests that Lil Baby’s popularity since his blockbuster album My Turn in 2020 has dwindled, and the demand to see him live is lower than the supply.

Meanwhile, Gunna’s comeback run continues with his first live performance in 2 years. He announced 2 shows in LA on Sept. 8th and New York on Sept. 9th. Tickets go on sale to the general public on July 21st. The announcement comes off of the success of his 4th studio album, A Gift & A Curse, which debuted at #2, and secured his first Top 10 solo hit with the song “fukumean”.

Context for those of you out touching grass

Back in 2018, Gunna and Lil Baby were the Atlanta rap duo to beat, releasing their collab album Drip Harder. Their friendship was also akin to a brotherhood coming up together under the mentorship of Young Thug. “Drip Too Hard” with Lil Baby remains Gunna’s highest-charting Hot 100 song peaking at #4. After Gunna accepted a controversial plea deal in the YSL indictment, Lil Baby unfollowed Gunna on IG and appears to have ended the friendship.

Why this matters

The rap beef between Gunna and almost every peer in the industry has been a topic of conversation for months. A Gift & A Curse was his make-it-or-break-it album determining if he could make a comeback from industry cancellation. Live performances were the natural next step in his redemption plan. How fast tickets sell and the quality of the performance will either positively push Gunna up the hill or knock him down. But in the discussion of “who’s a better artist” among rap fans, Gunna stans just got more ammo.

The Rap Index ft. Quavo, Future, King Von, Lil Tjay & More

The Rap Index is a way to follow and discover new music. Divided into 4 categories, describing rap subgenres, songs are placed according to their style and sound—giving you a better idea of what songs will appeal to your musical taste. Only releases from the previous New Music Friday are included to help keep you up to date.

1. “Turn Yo Clic Up” by Quavo ft. Future (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

2. “100+” by EST Gee, EST Marti, Lil Baby (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

3. “Real Oppy” by King Von ft. G Herbo (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

4. “Good Girls Ain’t No Fun” by Sleepy Hallow (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

5. “Turn Your Phone Off” by Pink Pantheress, Destroy Lonely (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

6. “Long Way” by Dave East, Cordae (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

7. “Stressed by Lil Tjay, Summer Walker (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

8. “Masculine” by J Hus, Burna Boy (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

• TikTok launches global ‘Elevate’ rising artists program to “identify the next wave of emerging stars.” The program will provide meaningful support in-app and IRL to build careers beyond a trending hit.

• 50 Cent hypes his feature on Nas’ upcoming album Magic 2 as release date and cover art are revealed. Hit-Boy also supported the album, hinting at his production involvement.

• Kanye’s 2024 presidential campaign reportedly received zero donations in recent weeks. FEC filings showed no donations or debts, but the campaign only had 23K to spare by the end of June.

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