NEWS
R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe has shared fresh details about his long awaited first solo album, revealing that the process has taken more time than he originally planned.
Since R.E.M. officially went their separate ways in 2011 on good terms, Stipe has only put out a small number of tracks under his own name. Among them is ‘I Played The Fool’, which he recorded with Andrew Watt, Josh Klinghoffer and Travis Barker for the recently released series Rooster earlier this week.
Even so, he has quietly been developing his debut solo record for quite some time. Speaking recently with The Times, he offered fans a clearer picture of how the project is coming along.
“I’m working on a solo album,” he said. “But it’s taken longer than I wanted.”
Talking about what slowed things down, he explained: “Covid didn’t help, but I’m finishing it. When the band split, I just needed a break. I took five years but I got pulled back into music. It’s been a struggle. That’s the main thing. I want it to be great, but I’ve got the pressure of having been in R.E.M. and it’s a high bar, because I want this to be as good as that, and that’s near impossible.”
“So it’s fucking exciting but also terrifying, and I’m doing the music for the first time too, and I think I’m good at it but not great,” he added. “But I love my voice. I don’t like my speaking voice but I love my singing voice, and I so want to immerse myself back into offering music to the world.”
The conversation also confirmed that Stipe still has eight tracks left to complete before the album is finished. He mentioned that he is now working toward a target date and is aiming for a release sometime before the end of 2026. He also joked that the project could possibly carry the title ‘Meet THE Michael Stipe’.
Earlier solo material from Stipe includes the 2019 release ‘Your Capricious Soul’, followed by ‘Drive To The Ocean’ in 2020. That same year he also collaborated with Aaron Dessner’s Big Red Machine on the track ‘No Time For Love Like Now’.
Reports suggest that Stipe continues to have a positive relationship with his former R.E.M. bandmates Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry. The group reunited publicly in summer 2024 when they were honored with induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
During that event, the four musicians surprised the audience with an acoustic performance of their 1991 hit ‘Losing My Religion’. It was the first occasion they had performed together since their appearance at the 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.
Earlier this month, Stipe also made a guest appearance with Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy during one of their ‘Lifes Rich Pageant’ 40th anniversary shows in Brooklyn. Together they performed R.E.M. songs ‘These Days’ and ‘The Great Beyond’. The previous year he had also joined them for a performance of ‘Pretty Persuasion’.
Recently, Stipe has also been revisiting the lyrics of ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’ on Bluesky, pointing out that listeners have misunderstood several of the words for many years.
NEWS
Rappers are always debating who belongs on the greatest of all time lists, and now Max B is putting his own name beside some of New York’s biggest legends. Conversations about the GOATs of Hip Hop have been part of the culture for years, and during a recent sit down on Million Dollaz Worth of Game with Gillie and Wallo alongside French Montana, Max made it clear where he believes he stands among NYC rap icons.
“Look, after Big, Jay, and Nas, you can put me on that mothf*cker right after that,” Max said confidently. “That’s how I feel about it after that. I can prove it.” He continued by saying, “After them, you can’t really... put ’em up.” Wallo stepped in to make sure Max truly believed he deserved to be mentioned beside the heavyweights of Hip Hop.
“So, after Big, Jay, Nas, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane...” Wallo started to say before Max cut him off. Gillie then brought LL Cool J into the discussion as well. Max responded, “When it comes to creativity, or just consistent songwriting, I just don’t think anybody got the catalog to match me. Look at my catalog! Look at my tapes! Look at my domains!... Look at the Coke Wave!”
French Montana also jumped into the conversation, pointing out that some rappers only stay hot for a short moment before fading out. Wallo pushed back by mentioning that Big Daddy Kane has managed to remain respected for decades. Max quickly dismissed that argument. “Kane? I ain’t seen Kane? When’s the last time you seen Big Daddy Kane? N*gga, I just did 18 years, I ain’t seen Kane, he wasn’t even on the kiosk! Big Daddy Kane?!”
Do you think Max B’s legacy really puts him above some of the other legendary New York emcees? Watch the clip below and decide for yourself.
