Tuggawar and Cory Gunz come from opposite sides of the Atlantic, but “Boom Dem” feels like a natural meeting point between London and New York hip hop. Built on production from veteran Brooklyn producer Domingo, the track brings together the Hackney-born Tuggawar and Bronx lyricist Cory Gunz for a record rooted in raw bars and street-level energy. Released as the fifth track from Hackney 2 East New York The Masterpiece, the song represents exactly what the album title promises: a bridge between two cities with deep hip hop histories.

At its core, “Boom Dem” is a lyrical statement record. There is no complicated concept driving the track. Instead, the focus stays on confidence, microphone skills, and competitive energy. Tuggawar approaches the record with the intensity of someone determined to prove his place alongside respected names, while Cory Gunz delivers the kind of technical performance that built his reputation long before his memorable appearances with Young Money. The title itself feels like a declaration of intent. “Boom Dem” is less about storytelling and more about making an impact every time a verse lands.

Domingo’s production plays a major role in making the collaboration work. The East New York producer has spent decades building a catalog that includes work with artists such as Kool G Rap, Rakim, Big Pun, and KRS-One. That experience shows here. The beat carries a traditional hip hop foundation while leaving enough room for both emcees to attack the track without stepping on one another.

Tierra Whack has never been an artist who fits neatly into one lane, and “Wax Paper” continues that tradition. On the surface, the song sounds like a lyrical showcase built around clever punchlines and sharp wordplay. Dig a little deeper, though, and it feels like a statement about recognition, self-worth, and the frustration of being overlooked despite years of innovation. Whack spends much of the record balancing confidence with irritation, reminding listeners of her talent while questioning why her name is not always included in conversations about the best lyricists in hip hop. The title itself suggests something people often overlook or discard, which fits the song’s underlying theme of demanding proper credit. With her upcoming project Whack’s Museum arriving soon, the single feels like both an introduction and a warning.

Musically, “Wax Paper” lands squarely in head-nod territory. The boom bap-inspired production gives Whack plenty of room to work, allowing the bars to take center stage. The contrast between the verses and the hook stands out immediately. While the chorus drifts along with a laid-back delivery, the verses come packed with dense rhymes, cultural references, and quick pivots in thought. Lines like “Wonder why I don’t rap much, ’cause when I rap, somebody’s bound to get wrapped up” summarize the energy perfectly. She is not claiming superiority through volume. She is doing it through skill. The beat never rushes her, and she uses every pocket available.

The writing is packed with the kind of humor and unpredictability that has become a trademark throughout Tierra Whack’s career. Since breaking through with projects like Whack World, she has built a reputation as one of hip hop’s most creative voices, capable of moving between comedy, introspection, surrealism, and technical rap without warning. “Wax Paper” leans heavily into the technical side. She references everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to Dr. Seuss while mixing personal history with braggadocio. One standout moment arrives near the end when she raps, “All the shit I’ve done for the culture, and they forget to mention my name like it’s so hard to pronounce. It’s W h a c k.” It is funny, but there is a real point underneath the joke.

The black-and-white visual reinforces the song’s stripped-down approach. There are no elaborate distractions pulling attention away from the bars. Instead, the focus stays on the performance and the music itself. “Wax Paper” succeeds on lyrical strength. The record feels like Tierra Whack stepping into a classic rap space and proving she belongs there as much as anyone. Between the sharp writing, relaxed confidence, and knocking production, the single serves as a strong reminder that while Tierra Whack is often celebrated for creativity and experimentation, she is also one of the sharper pens currently working in hip hop. If “Wax Paper” is any indication, Whack’s Museum is shaping up to be one of the more interesting releases on the horizon.

French producer DJ Mirage wasted no time after his debut. Just eight months after releasing Background Check, his first full-length beatmaker album, Mirage is back with a brand new project, this time joining forces with producer Loui$ Menace. Background Check featured an expansive guest list that included KRS-One, Action Bronson, Masta Ace, Lil Fame of M.O.P., and B-Real of Cypress Hill, establishing Mirage as a producer with both range and reach. The new collaboration, DARIUS, arrives now on all digital platforms alongside physical editions, and it represents a clear shift in focus toward a harder, darker corner of the underground.

DARIUS is a 13-track joint project built around what both producers describe as an East Coast foundation pushed into modern underground territory. The concept draws on imperial imagery and forgotten empires, with Persian influences folded into boom bap construction. The album is framed as a collector’s release, available digitally as well as in two exclusive vinyl pressings and a limited digipack CD edition. Where Background Check cast a wide net across generations and coasts, DARIUS reads as something more deliberate and contained, with every production credit and feature selection pointed in the same direction.

The roster on DARIUS is dense and specifically sourced. Eto, Flee Lord, Daniel Son, XP The Marxman, Jamal Gasol, and Yah Sin are among those on the album. The lead single, “Bass Out The Fortress,” features Eto, Flee Lord, and AZ. AZ’s presence on this project is well-timed. AZ released Doe or Die III, his eleventh studio album, on May 8, 2026, through Mass Appeal Records, completing a trilogy that began in 1995 and putting him back in active mode heading into the summer.

The album’s thematic frame, referencing ancient empires and street culture in the same breath, gives it a distinct visual and sonic identity. Whether listeners come to it through the single, the vinyl, or the stream, the project is positioned for an audience that treats rap as a serious listening practice. DARIUS is out now.

Dilla & Dres: No Words Is Finally Here. One Free Song at a Time.

The first track is called “Trains Go By.” It is the opening move in a weekly rollout that Dres, one half of Black Sheep, has been building toward for six years. The full video was posted to his Instagram and Facebook accounts on June 1, 2026. There is no YouTube upload yet. For now, Instagram and Facebook are where this project lives.

The song will be familiar to anyone who has been paying close attention. Around four years ago, Dres posted a snippet of “Trains Go By” to his LinkedIn page, tagging it with the DnD handle and flagging the Dilla and Dres pairing. It was a brief preview, the kind of thing that circulates in small pockets of the internet and then gets filed away. Now it has a full video and a formal release, and it is the first of more than ten tracks that Dres says he will drop, one per week, before making the complete album available as a free download.

Six years after Dres first announced it from a concert stage in Connecticut, the album is real and the rollout has started.

He announced the project in early 2020, telling a crowd assembled to watch De La Soul and Talib Kweli perform that he had gone through hundreds of folders of unreleased J Dilla beats, with Ma Dukes’s blessing, and assembled an album. He called it No Words. He called the project DnD, short for Dilla and Dres. He said it was dropping that spring.

It did not drop that spring. It did not drop in any of the years that followed, though Dres kept talking about it and kept teasing it. In November 2020, he put out two previews: “Bless the Life,” featuring Bun B, and “Dilla Drums,” featuring Chuck D of Public Enemy. A Paramount+ documentary in November 2023, The Choice Is Yours, followed the 56-year-old MC as he worked to put together the posthumous project. A preorder teaser, branded “Official Ma Dukes Presents,” surfaced on social media in September 2024. Then more silence.

Now the thing is actually moving. Dres confirmed in an April 2026 Instagram post what the rollout looks like: one free single and video per week, for more than ten weeks, released to the world at no cost. When the weekly run is complete, the full album follows as a free download from a dedicated website whose URL he has repeatedly described as “to be announced.” As of the June 1 launch, that URL is still not public. “Trains Go By” and whatever follows it will be posted to @blacksheepdres on Instagram and Facebook first. Watch those feeds.

What do we know about D&D (Dilla & Dres)?

What is confirmed and sourced: every track on the album comes from J Dilla’s personal vault of unreleased beats. Dres has said he had the chance to go through hundreds of folders with the goal of putting a project together, and that what he found was only a portion of what is stored away in Dilla’s collection. The connection to the material is not through any prior working relationship. Dres has said the two men met only once in passing before Dilla died in 2006. This is a posthumous pairing built entirely on trust between Dres and Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, who opened the vault to him.

The partnership with Ma Dukes is the through-line of the entire project. She is the credited partner on the rollout, and Dres has consistently used the phrase “Official Ma Dukes Presents” across the 2024 preorder materials and 2026 launch posts. For context on why that matters: in March 2023, the J Dilla Foundation’s legal representative told Rolling Stone that Dres did not have the Yancey family’s blessing to move forward with the project, and that lines of communication had been crossed. That dispute, whatever form it took internally, appears to have been resolved, given that Ma Dukes is now publicly attached to the rollout by name. The 2024 and 2026 materials make clear she is on board.

The free release model is worth noting on its own terms. There is no label. There is no streaming rollout, no pre-save campaign, no algorithm to feed. Dres has framed the entire project as a gift to fans who have been waiting since 2020, with the full album eventually downloadable from his own site at no charge. For a project built on some of the most sought-after unreleased material in hip-hop production history, that choice reflects the spirit in which Ma Dukes handed over the beats in the first place.

“Trains Go By” is the first one. Week two is coming. If the schedule holds, the full album lands sometime in mid-August.

Roots Picnic 2026 · Belmont Plateau, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia · Saturday, May 30, 2026

Hov reintroduced himself

More than seven years. That’s how long it had been since Jay-Z stepped to a stage as the solo headliner of his own show. On Saturday night at the Roots Picnic — relocated this year to the Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park — S Dot closed the book on a hiatus that had become its own kind of mythology, and opened a new chapter in the only way Hov ever has: rapping, mean-mugging, and dropping names.

The site was new to the festival but familiar to the city. Belmont Plateau is built to hold 40,000 people per day, and the energy in the air was less “concert” than “event.” A 90-minute set as the catalog kept unfolding, surprise after surprise stacking on top of surprise. The Roots backed him the entire way. Philadelphia showed up — both on the bill and in the crowd.

But the part of the night that will be debated all summer was the opening: a three-and-a-half-minute, a cappella freestyle that took direct aim at Drake, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Dame Dash, and Jaguar Wright — with bonus jabs that fans read as a shot at Tory Lanez — all delivered before Jay-Z had even played a single beat from the catalog. It was vintage Hov: a reminder that for all the billions, the businesses, and the role as the architect of the modern Super Bowl halftime show, the man can still rap at a clip that few MCs have ever flirted with.

The Look

Before the bars landed, the look did. Jay-Z walked out on the Belmont Plateau stage having ditched the freeform locs he’d been wearing for years in favor of a flowing, combed-out afro. Within minutes, social media was half-debating the bars and half-locating the barber. Hov stepped out looking like Macy Jay, which made many speculate that a new album was on the way.

Beyoncé, meanwhile, was not on stage — but she was in the building. The night before the festival, Jay-Z played a secret warm-up show at The Foundry at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, with The Roots as his backing band. Beyoncé was in attendance, marking one of the first public sightings of the Carters out together at a music event in some time.

The Freestyle

The freestyle was the headline. In a recent GQ interview, Jay-Z had questioned whether rap beefs still belonged in the culture in 2026. “I hate that I have this point of view on it. I do. Because I know what it sounds like. It’s just how I feel about it,” he said. In that same interview, though, he described the music he’d been making as an “angry offering” and stated plainly that “2026 is all offense.” Onstage in Philly, the elder-statesman posture evaporated in about three and a half minutes.

The bars read like a rogues’ gallery of everyone who’s had Jay-Z’s name in their mouth in the last year, and they were sequenced with surgical clarity.

On Drake: Hov opened by inverting Drake’s own bar from the Iceman project — “the jig is up” — and using it against him:

“The jig is up, n***a I’m up 10, wrong chart champ, n***as looked up to Hov, I never looked up to them. Them cr*ckers got your publishing checks, go talk tough to them. Don’t talk success to me, you n***as is workers — in perpetuity is how your contract is worded.”

The publishing line landed with the weight of a man who has spent two decades being the publisher, not the published. It was the cleanest, most quotable moment of the night — the kind of bar that gets screenshotted and argued over for the rest of the calendar year.

On Kanye West: Hov came out swinging at his former Watch the Throne partner, who has spent recent months lobbing increasingly erratic comments at the Carter family. After Ye publicly insinuated that Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s younger twins, Rumi and Sir, had special needs, Jay-Z responded with the protective energy of a father and the precision of a man who has buried larger enemies:

“You ever heard of a wunderkind? My children is some of them, have you n***as no shame? Y’all trying to get under skin, I really get under skin. Ask Un how I’m playin’. Y’all thugs with your thumbs again. Everybody thinks they’re the ones insane. You’re no maniac. Watch how sane he acts in my presence — n***as shrink.”

The “Un” line was a reference to Lance “Un” Rivera, the record executive Jay-Z stabbed at a 1999 industry party. Hov seems to be making it clear that people need to keep his family names out their mouths.

On Nicki Minaj: Hov used the verse to take on Minaj’s recent MAGA pivot and her husband Kenneth Petty’s legal troubles:

“That lady back on that stuff, she sound like she in love with ’em. Her Ken can’t even p…take they kids, enough of them. A rapper can’t be my opp, I got MAGA republicans. Them shots came from the very top of the government, good luck with ’em. I’m governed by God — you tried to break the covenant.”

On Dame Dash and Jaguar Wright: The freestyle also caught the longtime Roc-A-Fella tensions, with one widely quoted line that fans read as a response to his former business partner: “N***as teeth is tumbling out they mouth, and somehow I’m the one whodunnit.” He also took aim at singer Jaguar Wright, a frequent and vocal Jay-Z critic — “Quest introduced me to Jaguar, I don’t know why I still fuck with him.”

On Tory Lanez (speculated): One more line circulated widely in the hours after the show, with fans reading it as a response to Tory Lanez and his father, Sonstar Peterson: “The Roc’s not crumbling, the leprechauns have magically run out of pranks / Your son on the federal jail-line mumbling something about having too much in his drink.” The “leprechauns” bar is widely interpreted as a dig at Lanez’s reported 5’3″ stature, while the “too much in his drink” line is read as a callback to Lanez’s leaked jail call with Kelsey Harris, in which he blamed being drunk the night he shot Megan Thee Stallion.

I have to wonder if the “The Roc’s not crumbling” line coupled with the fact that State Property shared a stage with him, could mean something is in the works. It would be pretty messed up to say that on stage with them and then that’s it.

The Set List

The performance itself ran roughly 90 minutes on stage and touched on every era of Jay-Z’s catalog.

Jay-Z’s Roots Picnic 2026 Set List (in performance order):

1. Hovi Baby
2. Untitled A Cappella Freestyle
3. U Don’t Know
4. FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt
5. Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)
6. Run This Town
7. Jigga My Nigga
8. No Church in the Wild (with Bilal)
9. Where I’m From / Marcy Me
10. Empire State of Mind
11. Dirt Off Your Shoulder
12. I Know
13. Never Change
14. Feelin’ It (with Jazmine Sullivan)
15. Need U Bad (Jazmine Sullivan solo)
16. Can I Live
17. The Story of O.J.
18. Dead Presidents I & II
19. Excuse Me Miss / La La La
20. You, Me, Him and Her (with Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel)
21. Gotta Have It (with Beanie Sigel and Peedi Crakk)
22. Roc the Mic (with Freeway and Beanie Sigel)
23. Flipside (with Freeway and Peedi Crakk)
24. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop (with Young Gunz)
25. What We Do (with Freeway and Beanie Sigel)
26. Niggas in Paris
27. Dreams and Nightmares (with Meek Mill) / Meek Mill solo
28. Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)…
29. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) / Big Pimpin’
30. Public Service Announcement

The Guests

The Roots Picnic was billed as a collaboration, not a coronation — and the guest list made that clear. Almost every guest on the stage had ties to Philadelphia, which Questlove had reportedly teased in advance as a “custom one-of-one show.” Memphis Bleek, a Brooklyn native, was the one exception.

• Bilal — joined for “No Church in the Wild,” reprising the role Frank Ocean’s voice has played on the original track.
• Jazmine Sullivan — Philly’s own, performing the hook on “Feelin’ It” and taking a solo turn on her own classic “Need U Bad.”
• The State Property reunion — Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Peedi Crakk, Memphis Bleek, and Young Gunz all hopped on the mic at various points for a run of Roc-A-Fella classics. Hearing “You, Me, Him and Her,” “Roc the Mic,” “Gotta Have It,” “What We Do,” and “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” in that order, in that city, was a reminder of how much of Jay’s story is Philadelphia’s story.
• Meek Mill — performed “Dreams and Nightmares” and used the moment to repeatedly dub Jay-Z “the greatest of all time.”

“I Miss This Shit”

The line that lingered for many wasn’t in the freestyle. Toward the end of the show, in between verses of “Public Service Announcement”, Jay-Z stopped to say four words that were less diss track, more confession: “I miss this shit. I ain’t gon’ lie.”

This coming from a 56-year-old billionaire who has spent the better part of a decade being defined by everything that isn’t the music he’s most known for. That stage may have triggered nostalgia in Hov.

The summer is just starting. Yankee Stadium shows are next, in July, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint. But in Philly, on a Plateau in Fairmount Park, on the last Saturday in May, Jay-Z was simply a rapper again. He looked like he missed it as much as the crowd missed him.

Christopher Reid takes a deeply personal route on the “Tin Man Remix,” turning the record into a meditation on survival, mortality, and second chances in hip hop. The song centers around one major idea: why some artists make it through tragedy while so many others do not. Reid reflects on death inside the culture while positioning himself as someone who narrowly escaped becoming another name on the memorial list. The title “Tin Man” connects directly to his own real-life health scare from years back, when he underwent a heart transplant after suffering heart failure. In that context, the line “a stranger gave his life for mine” is not metaphor. It is the truth. The remix transforms the original record’s reflective tone into something louder, grittier, and more urgent.

This version carries far more energy than the earlier release. The tempo moves faster, the drums hit harder, and Reid changes his vocal delivery to match the intensity. Instead of sounding weighed down by memory, he sounds determined and fired up. That change works in the remix’s favor. There is pain in the lyrics, but there is also gratitude and defiance. He runs through a long list of fallen hip hop figures including Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Nipsey Hussle, MF DOOM, DMX, Prodigy, and Young Dolph while questioning the cost of fame and the violence tied to the culture. One of the strongest moments comes near the end when Reid says, “I knew that I didn’t want to join them and be a victim of circumstance.” It reframes the song from tribute into testimony.

For many listeners, Christopher Reid will always be linked to the playful image of Kid ‘n Play and films like House Party. “Tin Man Remix” reminds people there has always been more depth beneath the humor and high-top fade image. Reid approaches the song like someone looking back across decades of hip hop history with survivor’s guilt mixed together with appreciation for life. The record touches on aging within rap culture too. As he says, “we all shed a tear as hip hop ages.” That line feels important because many of the names he references were not distant celebrities to him. They were peers. Friends. Fellow travelers through the same industry.

The remix feels positioned for stronger traction because the added energy pulls the listener in faster. The original version leaned heavily into reflection, while this one balances reflection with momentum. The production pushes harder, the performance feels more alive, and the message lands cleaner because of it. Directed by Ryan “The Key” Belcher for Belcher Productions, the release shows Christopher Reid stepping into a different phase of his artistry, one rooted less in nostalgia and more in legacy. “Tin Man Remix” is not trying to recreate the past. It is about someone who survived long enough to speak honestly about what the culture has lost, and what it still has left.

Abyss and Cyrus Da Zine use “Dynamic Duo” to make a statement about persistence, loyalty, and underground identity. At its core, the song is about two artists who see themselves outside the mainstream system yet still fully confident in their skill and purpose. Tthe track feels rooted in the older underground rap tradition where lyricism, chemistry, and atmosphere mattered more than quick viral attention. Produced by DC The Midi Alien, the beat carries a warm dusty texture with gritty drums and soulful undertones that instantly bring back memories of early 2000s independent hip hop releases.

The chemistry between Abyss and Cyrus Da Zine is what gives the record its strength. The title “Dynamic Duo” is not random. The hook moves back and forth between them naturally, making the song feel collaborative instead of sounding like two separate verses stitched together. Abyss opens with layered wordplay and self-awareness, rapping, “The shoe fits, I spew hits that move hips,” before moving into reflections about struggle, ego, and authenticity. Cyrus follows with a more reflective energy, balancing ambition with realism as he talks about putting “life and soul” into the music. Together, they sound like artists who have spent years sharpening their craft outside the spotlight while staying committed to the culture.

The overall feel of the song carries the energy of a summertime cookout record for underground heads. The tempo stays smooth and even, never rushing itself, letting the bars breathe across the production. There is grit in the drums, but also warmth in the sample work. It feels like something you would hear coming out of car speakers during a late evening block gathering or from a basement cipher session packed with vinyl crates and old mixtapes. DJ Slipwax closing the record with cuts adds another layer of authenticity. That touch helps complete the golden era atmosphere the song is clearly aiming for without sounding forced or nostalgic for nostalgia’s sake.

The presentation surrounding the single also reflects the same hands-on underground spirit. Cyrus Da Zine handled the artwork himself with hand-drawn visuals, while Brian Life’s animated visualizers tie the release together with a raw independent aesthetic. “Dynamic Duo” feels familiar. In an era where a lot of rap music feels disposable after one week, “Dynamic Duo” stands out because it sounds built to last longer than a trending moment.

INCLUDING THE MICROPHONE ARETHA FRANKLIN USED TO RECORD “I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER”, ORIGINAL REELS FROM JAY-Z, DR. DRE, AALIYAH, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, DESTINY’S CHILD, NAS, AND HANDWRITTEN LYRICS FROM MISSY ELLIOTT, PLUS UNRELEASED DR. JOHN RECORDINGS AND MORE

Jay-Z “Big Pimpin” Reel

New York, NY (May 26, 2026) – Wax Poetics announces The Jimmy Douglass Hip-Hop and Jazz Archive, a new multi-part archival release drawn from the personal collection of legendary five-time Grammy Award-winning engineer, producer, and mixer Jimmy Douglass. 

The Telefunken U47 microphone used by Aretha Franklin on “I Say a Little Prayer.” Original studio reels from some of the most influential records ever made, including Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin,” Aaliyah’s “Try Again” (labeled as and originally named “Dust Yourself Off”), and Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me A River.” The original vocal reel for Dr. Dre’s “Forgot About Dre.” Handwritten lyrics from Missy Elliott. A digital master for Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name.” Master reels for Nas’ “You Owe Me Something” featuring Ginuwine, complete with handwritten chorus lyrics dated 1999.

Now surfaced from inside Jimmy Douglass’ personal archive.

Developed in collaboration with Douglass, the collection features studio artifacts, original master reels, demo tapes, handwritten lyrics, unreleased recordings, and memorabilia preserved across his decades-long career. Spanning jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop, and R&B, it offers a rare look into the recording process behind some of the most influential music of the last half century. 

Launching throughout June in a series of separate drops, The Jimmy Douglass Archive traces different lineages of recorded music history, beginning with a Jazz, Funk, and Soul collection now live via Wax Poetics, followed by a Hip-Hop and R&B release on June 8th at 3 PM ET.

Aretha Franklin’s Telefunken U47 Microphone

PART ONE: JAZZ / FUNK / SOUL

May 26 – June 21 | Bidding opens at 3 PM ET

Anchoring the collection is the original Telefunken U47 studio microphone used by Aretha Franklin during sessions for Young, Gifted and Black and “I Say a Little Prayer,” a piece directly tied to one of the defining recording eras in American music history. Additional highlights include a rare demo tape from Ann Peebles for “Somebody’s On Your Case,” alongside unreleased demo recordings and cassette material from Dr. Johnand King Curtis.

Aaliyah “Dust Yourself” (“Try Again”) Reel

PART TWO: HIP-HOP / R&B

June 08 – 28 | Bidding opens at 3 PM ET

Spotlighting Douglass’ role as one of modern music’s defining engineers, the second drop features original studio reels, vocal tapes, and digital masters connected to seminal recordings from the late 90s and early 2000s. Highlights include the original vocal tape for Dr. Dre’s “Forgot About Dre,” original studio reels for Aaliyah’s “Try Again,“ still bearing the reel title “Dust Yourself Off” and “Roses and Armour”, instrumental reels for Justin Timberlake recordings including “Cry Me a River”, “Ride 4 Me”, and “Take Me Now”, and a digital master for Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name.”

The release also includes master and slave reels for “You Owe Me Something” by Nas featuring Ginuwine, accompanied by handwritten chorus lyrics dated 1999. Several tapes retain original studio labeling, handwritten notes, and production markings from the sessions themselves, preserving the physical traces of the creative process behind era-defining recordings.

Beginning at Atlantic Records in the late 1960s, Douglass engineered recordings for Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Foreigner before helping shape a new era of music through his longtime partnership with Timbaland. His credits include landmark works by Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Björk, Kanye West, and more.

Alongside the auction, Wax Poetics will share exclusive editorial content and video features documenting the stories behind the archive and Douglass’ role in shaping generations of recorded music from inside the control room. 

“Discovering Jimmy’s archive has been an incredible privilege” says Alex Bruh, co-owner and CEO of Wax Poetics. “Jimmy helped shape the sound of multiple generations and genres and some of these items are truly historic.”

“I’m excited to give people access to my history through these items”, says Jimmy Douglass. “Some of them are tied to some of my biggest pieces of work and I’m looking forward to them finding a new home.”

The Jimmy Douglass Archive continues Wax Poetics’ evolution as the premier music memorabilia platform following the record-breaking Mariah Carey demo tape auction, Bootsy Collins, Louie Vega, Arthur Baker, and more.

ABOUT WAX POETICS

Since 2001 Wax Poetics has been delivering deep-dive journalism centered on record collecting culture and the stories behind influential music movements. Wax Poetics has since evolved into a premier music collectibles marketplace connecting artists, collectors, and fans through rare and historically significant memorabilia, archival releases, and editorial storytelling.

ABOUT JIMMY DOUGLASS

Jimmy Douglass, known throughout the music industry as “The Senator,” is a five-time Grammy Award-winning mixing engineer, producer, and mastering engineer whose career spans more than 50 years. His credits include recordings by Aretha Franklin, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and many others. 

Ludacris is back in full character mode on “Pull Over,” a record built around the same wild humor and animated energy that helped make him one of the biggest rap stars of the 2000s. The song plays like a modern update of the outrageous personality fans first heard during the Word of Mouf and Chicken-n-Beer era. The concept is simple. Luda sees a woman with a body so unbelievable that he tells the driver to slam the brakes and pull over immediately. From there, the record turns into a mix of flirtation, over-the-top punchlines, and booming Southern production.

The production knocks hard from the start. Heavy bass, clean drums, and a simple chant-driven hook give the record a loud car-system feel built for summer playlists and clubs. Ludacris never overcomplicates the formula. He leans fully into charisma, humor, and delivery. His flow bounces comfortably over the beat while he throws out lines like “Girl, that’s a monster truck from the waist down.” It is exaggerated, cartoonish, and intentionally larger than life. That style separated Ludacris from many of his peers during his rise out of Atlanta. While other rappers focused on street realism or introspection, Luda built records around personality and entertainment without sacrificing technical skill.

The video doubles down on that approach. Ludacris brings back the exaggerated visual comedy that became part of his signature style in videos like Stand Up and Get Back. Cartoon-style bugged-out eyes, exaggerated reactions, and playful edits appear throughout the clip. The visuals never take themselves too seriously, which fits the song perfectly. One thing longtime fans immediately noticed is the return of Ludacris’ afro, a look closely tied to his early run in hip hop. Seeing him back with the afro while delivering this kind of record feels almost like reconnecting with the version of himself that dominated rap radio twenty years ago.

“Pull Over” works because Ludacris understands exactly what people want from a Ludacris record. Humor. Quotable bars. Big production. Memorable visuals. Energy. The song does not chase trends or attempt to reinvent his image. Instead, it reminds listeners why he became one of Atlanta’s defining rap stars in the first place. Even after years focused on Hollywood and the Fast & Furious franchise, he still knows how to make records that feel fun, loud, and unmistakably his own.

Pete & Bas continue doing what almost nobody expected when the duo first went viral years ago. “Top Down” sounds polished, confident, funny, threatening, and strangely smooth all at once. The London pair built their reputation on the shock factor of two pensioners delivering gritty UK rap bars over modern production, but at this point the gimmick angle is long gone. The music stands on its own. “Top Down” is another example of why the duo still pulls millions of views. The song blends slick street talk, luxury rap imagery, and UK drill energy with a laid back melodic hook that sticks in your head after one listen. The hook rides softly over the beat while Pete and Bas slide through verses about money, movement, and old school criminal swagger. It sounds effortless, which is part of what makes the track hit.

The video leans directly into the Pete & Bas universe fans have come to expect. The whole pensioner crew appears throughout the visual, filling out scenes with older men dressed and moving like seasoned road veterans instead of retirees. Luxury cars and yachts woven into the clip with a tongue in cheek confidence. There is humor in the contrast, but the video never plays itself as a joke. Pete & Bas treat the performance seriously, which is why the novelty never fully overtakes the music.

Part of the duo’s appeal comes from how committed they are to the style. Pete & Bas rap with the same cadence and structure younger UK drill artists use, but they do it through the perspective of old men talking like lifelong kingpins. Bars about “cash in a glove box,” “packs I’m smuggling,” and “one hand on a pump” land differently because of who is delivering them. The subdued melodic hook helps balance the aggression. Instead of nonstop shouting or dark intensity, the song floats with a smoother bounce that gives it replay value outside the drill scene too.

What stands out most about “Top Down” is consistency. Pete & Bas have been releasing music for years now, and somehow the quality control rarely slips. The flows stay sharp. At this point, hearing a weak track from them would almost feel surprising. “Top Down” continues their streak of making songs that work both as entertainment and as legitimate UK rap records. The audience might first click out of curiosity, but tracks like this are why people keep coming back.