The Black Keys have announced they have signed to new management following a public split from their former team.
The band recently took to social media to claim they were “fucked” after their North American tour was cancelled and they split from their management on June 7. The Black Keys were due to play their ‘International Players Tour’ in the US and Canada from September to November this year, but it was reported late last month that the entire run of gigs had been abruptly scrapped, with no explanation provided.
Amidst speculation the cancellation was due to low ticket sales, the band opened up about the tour, saying it was axed and re-planned in favour of smaller theatre venues as featured on their recent European dates.
Billboard went on to report that the band had split from their management team, Irving Azoff and Steve Moir of Full Stop Management, in what was described as an “amicable parting”.
Now, Rolling Stone have reported that The Black Keys have signed to Red Light Management, whose clients include The Dave Matthews Band, The Strokes and Chris Stapleton. They cited a source “close to the situation”; CEO of Red Light Management Coran Capshaw did not immediately reply to a request for comment, whilst Azoff’s representative declined to comment.
Before then, The Black Keys spoke to NME last year and recalled their time working with the “incredible” Noel Gallagher in the studio.
“He’s hilarious and super talented,” said Carney. “We were referring to him as ‘The Chord Lord’ because he’s just a perfectionist with it.”
The band’s 12th studio album ‘Ohio Players’, which includes ‘On The Game’, was released on April 5. In a three-star review, NME wrote: “It feels like it’s about impact over depth, tamping down flyaway elements into a homogenised whole that more closely resembles last year’s ‘Dropout Boogie’ than any of the seven inch singles that got an airing during the writing process.
“The Black Keys might have a killer record collection but ‘Ohio Players’ is the work of a band who are perhaps too good at being themselves.”
In other Black Keys news, Dan Auerbach appeared on the new Johnny Cash song ‘Spotlight’, released last week.
The track features vocals from the country icon that were first recorded in 1993, with Auerbach one of a number of musicians that added new parts to the recording to bring it up to date. The song will feature on ‘Songwriter’, an entire album of unreleased songs by Cash, set to be released later this year.
Central Cee is a massive star. The UK rapper has been recording since 2014, but he blew up off the strength of his 2022 single "Doja." It's been one success after another for the rapper, who scored a number one UK single with "Sprinter" in 2023. It seems apparent that Central Cee is here to stay, and DJ Akademiks is one internet personality who is absolutely convinced. Akademiks not only praised Central Cee during a recent stream, but claimed Cee was one of the most relevant rappers in the world.
The bold proclamation was made on June 25. DJ Akademiks was trying to work out who the biggest rappers were in terms of success. Central Cee, in Ak's not-so-humble opinion, trumps most of the U.S. names at the moment. The cultural implications were not lost on the streamer. "Is this the first time," Ak asked his viewers. "That a UK rapper could arguably be in the top 5 of rap?" He asserted that if Cee was not already, then he will be very soon. "I think Central Cee might be knocking on that door," he asserted. "Top 5 relevant, right now."
Viewers were quick to shoot down Ak's ruling. That being said, Central Cee does have a lot going for him at the moment. He received a prestigious co-sign from Travis Scott in 2023, when the Texas rapper was seen dancing and rapping along to one of his tracks. Cee was the first UK rapper ever to land on the XXL Freshman List. He was also the first UK rapper to earn a billion streams in a single year on Spotify. These are not fluke achievements. The "Sprinter" hitmaker is doing, in many ways, what Bad Bunny did for the reggaeton genre during the first half of the decade.
Central Cee is keenly aware of American hip-hop. He told The Guardian that he listened to the greats when he was growing up, and attempting to bring a similar level of authenticity. “J Cole, Kendrick Lamar," he recalled. "I had to go and listen to these people for the first time. Even Jay-Z. So that was a fun time, because everything was clicking. I just remember lightbulbs." The rapper is adamant that he plans to stay true to his unique style, however. "When I rap, I’m in a neutral mood," he said. "I can relate to everything, every emotion that I’ve ever felt." Let's see if DJ Akademiks' claim proves true.
