This weekend, all eyes were on Dr. Dre and special guests Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and Snoop Dogg for their Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, and Paul McCartney drop some new music this week, and Tyler, The Creator and Bad Bunny are pacing sales of vinyl LPs here on StockX. Find out which music and music-related releases are the most popular, which are the most expensive, and which are coming your way in this latest installment of The Spin.
Best New Music Releases
Dr. Dre The Chronic Target Exclusive 2xLP Vinyl Clear
This weekend, billions of eyes were set on the Super Bowl. Here at The Spin, our interest was on the Halftime Show curated by Dr. Dre, and featuring Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar. The performance delivered ’90s and 2000s nostalgia mixed with new music, but if that just wasn’t enough for you, we recommend the album that made Dre and Snoop household names, The Chronic. It’s hard to think that anyone could ever forget about Dre when he continues to be so ubiquitous.
Supreme Mary J. Blige Tee Slate
Mary J. Blige is having a moment. To celebrate one of the greatest who’s still doing it, we recommend the Supreme Mary J. Blige Tee. The tee dropped as part of Supreme’s Fall/Winter 2019 collection featuring a close-up MJB from her 1992 debut, What’s the 411? There’s no question this is a timeless tee featuring a matchless debut album from a peerless singer.
Interscope Records Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly by Lauren Halsey Gallery Vinyl Record (Signed, Edition of 100)
As we all wait impatiently for Kendrick Lamar’s reported final album with TDE, what is there to keep us going in the meantime? It’s been a minute since the release of DAMN., but you shouldn’t rush art. Now’s a good time to reconnect with his back catalog, especially the album that put his generational genius on full display, To Pimp A Butterly. The album takes on big themes: exploitation, living up to expectations, staying true to oneself, and staying strong in the face of adversity. And these themes are taken up and explored through free-form collisions of sounds and lyrics expressing Black history and art, an examination of US history, and macro and micro socioeconomic realities. Powerful, profound, prophetic.
Shady Con Eminem Action Figure
Just like his mentor Dr. Dre, Slim Shady was also having quite a week. His new song with Dr. Dre, “Gospel,” on the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto, was released, and Em was chosen as one of 17 finalists for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You may never be a hall of fame-worthy MC, but you can bask in some of the glory with the entire set of Shady Con Action Figures.
Shepard Fairey Snoop D-O Double G Print (Signed, Edition of 550)
Fresh off the Interscope Records Anniversary release of KAWS x Snoop Dogg Doggystyle, it was announced that Snoop Dogg had purchased Death Row Records with the plans to release a new album and related NFTs. Add this news to his recently released GTA single with Dr. Dre, and there was a wealth of music new and old for Snoop to draw on during the Super Bowl. Now that we’re on the precipice of a new Doggy Golden Age, Shepard Fairey‘s print of a classic Snoop makes an excellent bridge between eras.
New Music Releases
adidas x Beyoncé Ivy Park Ivy Heart
Thank god for Beyoncé. Last week saw two items come from the singer’s camp. Beyoncé released her latest adidas x Ivy Park collection, Ivy Heart. The collection arrives just in time for Valentine’s Day, featuring sneakers and gender and size-inclusive apparel in pink and red hues. And in EGOT-related news, Queen Bey was nominated for an Academy Award for her and Dixon’s song “Be Alive” from the movie King Richard.
Paul McCartney & Wings Wild Life (50th Anniversary – Indie Edition) (Half-Speed Mastering) 2XLP VinylBlack
Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney recorded Wild Life at legendary Abbey Road Records over eight days in 1971, releasing the album on December 7, 1971. Wild Life was the debut album of McCartney’s new band, Wings. Largely panned at release, Wild Life would start an incredible nine-year run for the band. Between 1971 and 1980. Wings released eight Top 10 albums, five of which were number one. All 23 of Wings’ singles scored Top 40 hits. Reexamined and approached from the critical distance of 50 years, Wild Life is a necessary record of change. It’s not The Beatles, but it was never meant to be The Beatles. This album is a light and beguiling set of songs marking the beginning of something new, something extraordinary.
Megan Thee Stallion “Flamin’ Hottie”
Megan Thee Stallion dropped her Salt-N-Pepa-sampling ode to Frito-Lay’s Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, appropriately titled “Flamin’ Hottie.”. Food and artists have been hot products as of late. In addition to the Hot Girl and the Hot Cheeto collab, we’ve seen KAWS x Reese’s Puffs Cereal, Lil Yachty x Reese’s Puffs Cereal, and Lil Durk Durkio’s Cereal, to name a few. And let’s not forget, she teamed up with StockX and Revlon for an awarding-winning makeup drop.
Saba Few Good Things
Chicago MC, Saba, is back with a new album exploring themes of family and home, wealth, and poverty. It is a complex album bubbling over with Saba’s ambivalence about his success stacked up against a family history of not always having enough. On tracks like “Fearmonger,” “Still,” and “Few Good Things,” Saba worries about turning his moment of success into an opportunity for generational wealth. Saba’s latest masterpiece is a tender, bruised heart of an album yearning for, finding, and protecting a few good things. While we wait for Saba to release Few Good Things on vinyl, check out his previous masterpiece, Care For Me.
Most Expensive Music Products
Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama and The Weeknd teamed up to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Weeknd’s third mixtape, Echoes of Silence. Released December 2021, the collaboration features a range of apparel, an art print, a special edition LP, and Bearbricks. The Sorayama x The Weeknd (2G Exclusive) 1000% sold for $1,500, making it the most expensive music product of the week. So far, Bearbricks have been the most expensive music-related product over the past two weeks. Will it remain on top next week?
Most Popular Products
Yeezy x Gap Hoodie Black
No surprise here that the Yeezy x Gap hoodies continue to be one of the most popular music-related products on StockX. These hoodies continue to be a relatively affordable entry point into the world of Yeezy, with the black hoodie averaging about £110. Last week, the Blue colourway held the number one spot, but the Black colourway wasn’t far behind. Fast forward a week, and the Black now reigns supreme. The only real question here is whether the Black or Blue hoodie will be most popular next week.
Bad Bunny Anniversary Trilogy 3XLP Vinyl Boxset
Released in December 2021, this Bad Bunny boxset collects his first three albums, X100PRE, YHLQMDLG, and EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO, all pressed as double LPs. The boxset marks the first time YHLQMDLG and EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO have received the vinyl treatment. Also included is a lithograph of all the albums’ cover art and a QR code for an AI experience. Go ahead and pick up the Bad Bunny boxset; they’ll pair nicely with his new adidas Forum Powerphase Bad Bunny Benito.
Tyler, The Creator Flower Boy LP Vinyl Black
Released in 2017, Flower Boy is Tyler, The Creator’s transition from OFWGKTA’s enfant terrible posturing to an artist capable of career highlights IGOR and CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. Restraint has never been a hallmark of Tyler’s oeuvre; however, Flower Boy finds Tyler doing just that. He pulls back on his tendency to overstuff and overload the production in favour of a more balanced approach giving his most revealing and inclusive lyrics the harmonic and melodic space to approach – and occasionally reach – the profound. This album is the work of an artist figuring it all out, and it’s a hell of a listen.
