Promoter Chris Wareing departs AEG Presents UK

Leading hip-hop, rap and R&B promoter Chris Wareing has departed AEG Presents UK after 18 months with the company.

Wareing moved to AEG in late 2022 as SVP for global touring, tasked with expanding the firm’s hip-hop and rap presence globally.

Previously, he spent 10 years with SJM Concerts, where he worked with the likes of Stormzy, Dave, Travis Scott and Little Simz, and founded the Gods of Rap tour. An AEG spokesperson confirmed that Wareing had resigned from his position.

Wareing declined to comment when approached by IQ. His appointment was part of a revamp of AEG’s UK operations by CEO Steve Homer, which also saw the hiring of ex-Live Nation veteran Lee Laborde as SVP, promoting division, Lucy Noble, previously of the Royal Albert Hall, as its inaugural artistic director and Paris Harding, formerly of SJM, as promoter.

The exapnsion also saw a handful of other appointments announced as part of its growth and development plans across the venues and touring business, while Georgie Donnelly was named as its first head of comedy.

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Tele2 Arena to host Sweden’s biggest hip-hop gig

Swedish rapper Ant Wan is set to perform the biggest hip-hop concert in the country’s history after selling close to 40,000 tickets in a matter of hours.

The 26-year-old will play Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena on 12 October this year, organised by FKP Scorpio Sweden.

Wan was due to play his first arena gig at the 8,300-cap Hovet in the Swedish capital last September, only for the show to be upgraded to the 15,000-cap Avicii Arena due to demand.

“Neither we nor the ticket supplier have previously seen tickets to Tele2 Arena sell so quickly,” says FKP senior creative curator and promotor Johanna Beckman. “First Hovet, then Avicii Arena and now Tele2 Arena. Ant Wan sells out everything he does. He is number one, a phenomenon.”

“Ant Wan has shown that he has the strongest fan base in the Nordics”

Real name Antwan Afram, Wan has reached No.1 in the Swedish albums chart with each of his last three studio LPs: 2021’s Leylas World and Wow 2, and 2022’s The Only Wan.

“Ant Wan has shown that he has the strongest fan base in the Nordics, so we are not surprised by the high pressure. Together with Ant Wan and FKP Scorpio, we are writing history once again,” adds Ninos Icho, co-founder of Swedish production firm Dopest.

Other upcoming artists slated to appear at the 45,000-cap Tele2 Arena include The 1975, John Mayer, J Balvin, Rod Stewart, Nicki Minaj, Tool and The World of Hans Zimmer.

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Metronome Prague adds rap stage for 2023 edition

Metronome Prague this year will feature a rap stage showcasing domestic and international talent from the hip-hop, grime and trap genres.

J.I.D (US), Kelvyn Colt (DE) and Frosti (PL) are among the international rappers that will perform on the new stage at the Czech Republic festival.

J.I.D’s performance will mark the first time an American artist has appeared on the main stage of Metronome Prague, which has so far spawned five editions.

J.I.D’s performance will mark the first time an American artist has performed on the main stage of Metronome Prague

The sixth edition of the festival will also see Czech artists such as Supercrooo, PSH live band, Sawsane, LU2 Vinyl Flexer, Annet X, Baby G, Gesto Booth, Pio Squad, DJ Doemixxx and DJ Noir join the female-heavy lineup for the rap stage.

They join previously confirmed artists Jamiroquai, M83, Moderat, ZAZ, Tove Lo, Aurora, Editors, Biig Piig and White Lies, who will perform at the festival between 22–24 June.

Taking place once again at the Prague Exhibition Grounds, the 2023 edition will comprise 80 concerts, taking place across four outdoor stages and three indoor stages.

Adult tickets for Metronome Prague currently start from €96 for a one-day ticket and €135 for a three-day ticket.

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Fatal stampede causes chaos at Venezuelan concert

A free concert held at Caracas’ Francisco de Miranda park on Saturday (9 November) resulted in tragedy, as a stampede left up to three dead and dozens injured.

Police estimated that 8,000 people – the vast majority minors – arrived to see the concert by Venezuelan trap artist Neutro Shorty, real name Liomar Acosta.

According to many reports, three minors were killed in the stampede. Other sources put the death toll at one, whereas online Venezuela TV channel VPI TV reports that four were killed.

Fans attempted “to climb over the entry barriers, which gave way, causing the stampede,” Miguel Balza, the coordinator of civil protection in the metropolitan area of Caracas told reporters at the AFP.

Fans attempted “to climb over the entry barriers, which gave way, causing the stampede”

The concert was later moved to an adjacent park. Speaking from the stage, the trap artist announced: “I didn’t come here to lie to you, or to cause any trouble. I came here to sing, and for free. What is going on is no good. Kids are fainting. I feel sick when I see their faces. I don’t want this to carry on.”

An investigation has launched into the incident. Neither the concert organiser or park authorities have claimed responsibility for the stampede.

A barricade collapse caused non-fatal issues at another live music event over the weekend. Three fans were hospitalised after sustaining minor injuries when an entry barrier collapsed at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival in Houston on Saturday, prompting a stampede.

No serious injuries or fatalities were reported.

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Krept and Konan tour on hold after knife attack

Krept, real name Casyo Johnson, the rapper who was stabbed backstage at a BBC Radio 1Xtra event, has postponed upcoming UK tour dates after receiving medical advice.

The rapper, one half of duo Krept and Konan, was due to embark on a seven-night run of shows in November at Stylus in Leeds (1,200-cap.), Manchester’s Albert Hall (2,290-cap.), Nottingham’s Rock City (2,000-cap.), O2 Academy Bristol (1,650-cap.) and Birmingham (3,000-cap.), Glasgow’s SWG3 (5,000-cap.) and the Olympia Theatre (1,240-cap.) in Dublin.

“I need to make a full recovery because on tour it gets wild and what we have planned requires 100% strength”

The rap duo will now perform the dates in January, with all original tickets remaining valid. A show at London’s 20,000-capacity O2 Arena will go ahead as planned on Thursday 5 December.

Referencing “complications” with his leg, Krept told fans that the seven back-to-back November shows were “not physically possible”.

“I need to make a full recovery because you know on tour it gets wild and what we have planned requires 100% strength,” reads a post on social media.

Investigations into the stabbing are ongoing. No arrests have been made so far.

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Music fans injured in screen, barricade collapses

Incidents at two separate live music events this weekend left around 50 fans injured.

Thirty people sustained injuries at a 20,000-capacity rap concert in Essen, Germany on Saturday night (31 August), when a large LED screen fell into the crowd. Police told reporters that two fans were left in a “critical condition” following the incident at the Marteria and Casper concert.

The concert was immediately cancelled and fans evacuated from the area of Seaside beach, Lake Baldeney. According to some reports, extreme weather contributed to the collapse.

The rappers later took to social media to thank “our crews, the emergency services and local authorities” for their professional response.

Incidents at two separate live music events this weekend left around 50 fans injured

In the United States, more than two dozen festivalgoers were injured at AEG-promoted Bumbershoot music festival at the Seattle Center. A steel barricade separating the crowd from the stage collapsed during a performance by DJ and producer Jai Wolf.

“Saturday night at Bumbershoot Festival there was a steel barricade failure that resulted in several non-life threatening injuries,” read a statement issued by festival organisers. “Those injured were handled by on-site medical teams and further treatment continued at an area hospital as deemed necessary.”

The show was rescheduled for the following evening, with entry granted to all those with Saturday Bumbershoot passes.

Tyler the Creator, Lizzo, the Lumineers and Her were among the acts to play at the three-day festival.

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Five killed in Algerian rap concert crush

A stampede at a concert by Algerian rapper Soolking in Algiers has left five dead and many more injured, reports local news outlet TSA Algerie.

Soolking, real name Abderraouf Derradji, was performing at the August 20, 1955 stadium in the Algerian capital last night (22 August), which has a seated capacity of 10,000. Reports estimate attendance to have been between 25,000 and 30,000.

According to Algerian journalist Akram Kharief, “four small entrances” were serving the concert. “This caused a stampede and people fell as they pushed to get inside before the start of the concert,” Kharief told reporters.

“There were so many people at the concert, that I’m not surprised an accident happened”

Journalist Linda Chebbah, who was at the concert, told BBC’s Newsday that “there were way too many people for this stadium.”

“On the pitch, people were jostling for space. There were so many people at the concert, that I’m not surprised an accident happened,” said Chebbah.

The concert went ahead as planned following the incident, with a 30-minute delay, and was broadcast live on Canal Algérie. Derradji has yet to comment on the incident.

Industry experts from around the world will discuss ways to ensure safety at live events, including effective crowd management techniques, at the Event Safety and Security Summit (E3S) on 8 October.

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Radar Station newcomer Stunna 4 Vegas July’s top act

North Carolina rapper Stunna 4 Vegas leads the Radar Station chart for July, followed by fellow rappers and Radar debutants Coi Leray and Blanco Brown.

Collaborations with the likes of DaBaby and Offset have seen Stunna 4 Vegas raise his profile since the release of debut album Big 4X in May.

Currently touring the United States, the rapper – who grew up listening to the likes of TI, Gucci and Lil Wayne – is best known for tracks ‘Ashley’ and ‘Animal’, both featuring fellow North Carolina dweller DaBaby.

The Radar Station algorithm calculates the fastest-growing new artists by combining data across a number of online platforms, including Spotify, Facebook, Songkick and Last.fm. Last month’s chart topper was Italian production trio Meduza.

Hot on Stunna 4 Vegas’ heels is Coi Leray, daughter of Boston-born rapper Benzino. Garnering fame via songs released on Soundcloud, Leray released her debut mixtape, EveryThingCoZ, in 2018. The follow-up, EC2, came earlier this year, preceding US and European tour dates.

Collaborations with the likes of DaBaby and Offset have seen Stunna 4 Vegas raise his profile

The artist played at festivals including Live Nation-promoted Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Country trap artist Blanco Brown is best known for breakthrough hit ‘The Git Up’, which saw the singer spend four weeks at the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The song currently has almost 59 million listens on Spotify.

The hybrid nature of Brown’s music is inspired by his childhood, listening to hip hop artists at home in Atlanta and spending summers surrounded by country music in rural Butler, Georgia.

The artist, represented by United Talent Agency worldwide, has produced for high-profile acts including Chris Brown and Pitbull.

See below for a Spotify playlist of this month’s top 20, as well as the full chart with links to artists’ Facebook pages and booking agency details.

For more details about the Radar Station, contact [email protected].

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Megan Thee Stallion tops Radar Station for April

American rapper Megan Thee Stallion has topped April’s chart, the first time a female artist has clinched the top spot in IQ Radar Station chart history.

Philadelphia singer-songwriter Pink Sweats and fellow rapper Tierra Whack take second and third place on the latests chart.

IQ’s monthly Radar Station chart uses an algorithm to identify the fastest-growing new artists by analysing data across a number of online platforms, including Spotify, Facebook, Songkick and Last.fm. The Brits Critics’ Choice award winner headed up last month’s chart, see March’s Radar Station here.

Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete, released her debut EP Make it Hot in 2017, followed by Tina Snow in June 2018. The latest EP is a reference to one of the rapper’s alter-egos, influenced by Pimp C’s alias Tony Snow.

The first female rapper to sign with 300 Entertainment, Megan Thee Stallion has often spoken out against the tendency to censor women in rap, whereas male artists have free reign to rap as explicitly or aggressively as they like.

Megan Thee Stallion has topped April’s chart, the first time a female artist has clinched the top spot in IQ Radar Station chart history

In February, the rapper released ‘Big Ole Freak’, a single from her Tina Show EP. The release of the artist’s debut album Fever was pushed back following the death of her mother and manager, Holly Thomas, in March and is expected to come out later this month.

Pink Sweats, aka David Bowden, started recording less than a year ago, releasing his first single ‘Honesty’ in July 2018. The single now has over 48 million streams on Spotify alone. Pink Sweats later released his debut EP Volume 1 in November, followed by Volume 2 last month.

Sweats’ acoustic, laid back RnB style takes its influences from artists such as Michael Jackson and Kanye West.

Fellow Philadelphia-native Tierra Whack is friend and mentor of Pink Sweats. Originally releasing music as Dizzle Dizz, the rapper debuted as Tierra Whack in 2017. She released debut album Whack World in May 2018, which is comprised of 15 one minute-long vignettes.

Whack’s single ‘Mumbo Jumbo’ received a nomination for best music video at the 2019 Grammy Awards. The rapper has released one track a week since February.

See the full chart, along with links to artists’ Facebook pages and booking agency details, below.

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Russian state must “lead and direct” rap music, says Putin

Amid growing censorship of Russian rap artists, Vladimir Putin has ordered advisers to devise a means of controlling hip-hop music.

Alarmed by the burgeoning popularity of rap among Russian youth, the president says the state must shape the direction of urban music in the country, while warning that an outright prohibition on rap performances could actually bolster the genre’s popularity.

“If it [the growth of rap music] is impossible to stop, then we must lead it and direct it,” he told cultural advisers on Saturday (15 December), according to AP.

Putin further noted that “rap is based on three pillars: sex, drugs and protest”, adding that his government is especially concerned with “drug propaganda”, which  “is a path to the degradation of the nation”.

“If it is impossible to stop, then we must lead it and direct it”

Putin’s intervention follows a crackdown by authorities on urban music in Russia, with various security agencies accused of pressuring artists and promoters to cancel planned hip-hop shows.

Husky, one of Russia’s most popular rappers, was this week jailed for 12 days for his impromptu, unsanctioned gig in the city of Krasnodar, which followed the cancellation of an official concert for alleged “extremism”.

According to AP, Husky climbed onto a car, surrounded by hundreds of fans, and chanted, “I will sing my music, the most honest music!”, before being taken away by police.

Other rappers forced to cancel shows in recent months include Gone Fludd and Allj, while authorities have also targeted punk bands such as Friendzona.

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