Afropunk Festival Moves Down South

The Afropunk Festival—Brooklyn’s late-summer intersection of Black eccentrics, neo-soul heads and rap-rockers—is on its way to Atlanta. After the festival hit its milestone 10th year last month, organizers say the former home of Freaknik is the perfect city for expansion. (Duh.) Can you imagine the Afrocentric expression and Spelman/Morehouse pride (and the twerking!) that will be on full display in the land of Goodie Mob, OutKast and Janelle Monáe? You can get a sneak taste on Sunday (October 5), when the kick-off party for next year’s fest goes down at an undisclosed ATL location, featuring performances by SZA, Baby Bash, Sofakingevil and Hollyweerd. There’s talk of the festival descending on Oakland in 2015, too.

Read it at The Fader.

Nas Is Definitely Not Rapper Your Old Droog

Nas is like half-man, half-amazing, but one thing is certain: He’s definitely not rapper Your Old Droog. Yet another hip-hop conspiracy theory came to a slow, agonizing demise yesterday when the Queens rap god told MTV News that he’s not responsible for the mysterious Your Old Droog EP that dropped in June featuring flows and nostalgic New York-flavored beats that sound strangely similar to Esco’s.

(The rumor may seem far-fetched, but it’s not like Nasir Jones hasn’t spit under a disguise alias before. Rewind to the songs “Live Now” and “Sekou Story” from his 2004 Streets Disciple double album, and you’ll remember the curious cameos by the female MC Scarlett, which was actually Nas’s voice synthesized to sound high-pitched. Sneaky guy.)

“I don’t want a secret EP,” said a bewildered Nas, chuckling off the Internet lore. “I want you to know it’s me when I drop.” The follow-up to 2012’s pristine Life Is Good is coming to your earlobes “soon,” but in the meantime, you can take a trip down memory lane with Nas when Time Is Illmatic (the documentary dissecting his classic 1994 debut) hits limited theaters tomorrow (October 1).

Read it at MTV News.

Aretha Franklin Bodies Adele on Her Own Song

So-called “blue-eyed soul” is cute and all, but there ain’t nothing like the real. So of course you won’t be surprised when you’re completely floored by singer Aretha Franklin’s rendition of Adele’s 2011 smash, “Rolling in the Deep.” The cover, which also interpolates “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” is a sampler from the 72-year-old legend’s upcoming album, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics (perhaps the most self-explanatory album title ever). After hearing her black out on Adele’s hit record, we can’t wait to hear how Aretha flips classics like Etta James’s “At Last,” Alicia Keys’s “No One” and Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.”

Hear it at Vulture.