NEWS
On July 25, GloRilla returned to Memphis not just as a rising star, but as the city’s new cultural cornerstone.
The inaugural Glo Bash at a sold-out FedExForum, the 26-year-old rapper turned her birthday into a full-scale hometown celebration. A spectacle of defiance, pride, and Southern rap supremacy.
The event revived a tradition cemented by her CMG label boss and mentor Yo Gotti, whose Birthday Bash concerts once defined the Memphis summer. From local theaters to sold-out arenas, Gotti’s annual shows united generations of Southern hip-hop fans. His retirement from the stage in 2022 left space for a new torchbearer—one GloRilla has stepped into with conviction.
The lead-up to Glo Bash wasn’t without headlines. Just days before the show, the rapper—born Gloria Hallelujah Woods—was arrested on felony drug charges in Georgia after police responding to a break-in at her Atlanta-area home allegedly found a large stash of marijuana.
But instead of shrinking from the attention, she capitalized on it. At the concert, fans snapped up limited-edition merch featuring her mugshot, flipping controversy into branding with savvy irreverence.
The show itself was pure theater. Opening with a biographical short film, GloRilla rose from a two-story platform in a black-and-gold ensemble, her energy electric from the first bar. Over the course of 20-plus songs, she delivered a performance as sharp as it was celebratory, commanding the stage with a mix of grit and charisma.
A parade of high-profile guests turned the concert into a Southern rap summit. Kodak Black, Rob49, and BossMan Dlow brought raw intensity. Muni Long slowed the pace with a duet on “Don’t Deserve.” Sexyy Red ignited a frenzy with “Whatchu Kno About Me,” while Big Boogie and Moneybagg Yo anchored key moments with Memphis pride. In the finale, Yo Gotti emerged for a blistering rendition of “Pull Up,” passing the torch in real time to his most dynamic protégé.
Glo Bash wasn’t just a birthday concert—it was a coronation. In a city that birthed legends, GloRilla now commands the main stage. Her voice is bold, her vision clear, and her moment is now.
NEWS
A$AP Rocky has revealed that it took years of persistence before Tim Burton agreed to create the cover artwork for his upcoming album, Don’t Be Dumb. The rapper reflected on how the unlikely collaboration finally came together during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday.
Going into detail about the process, Rocky confessed that he “basically had to stalk and harass him for a few years” before things clicked. He explained, “I reached out and told him I would love to hang out, play him some vibes and just connect. I ended up going to Malibu while he was on a break, and he was feeling it. I played him an early version of the album and he really liked it. That’s when I asked, ‘Do you think you might want to do the illustration for this?’ He was open to it, but then suddenly he had Wednesday and Beetlejuice 2 going on. I realized this was going to take a lot longer than I thought.”
A$AP Rocky went on to describe a moment that really stuck with him during that visit. “While I was there, I noticed a sketch sitting on the table and asked if he drew it,” he said. “He told me that every morning he and his daughter work on drawings together. He starts one, then she comes in and finishes it or changes it. It’s something they practice daily. I saw it as their bond, and to me, that felt priceless.”
On Tuesday, A$AP Rocky also released a double music video for his tracks “WHISKEY” and “BLACK DEMARCO.” Tim Burton appears in the visual and contributed multiple illustrations that tie into the project.
Alongside the release of the “WHISKEY” and “BLACK DEMARCO” video, Rocky officially unveiled the Don’t Be Dumb World Tour. The run will include 42 dates across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom, with shows scheduled throughout 2026.
