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HOT 97 has unveiled the performer lineup for its annual Summer Jam concert, with Summer Jam 2026 set to bring a mix of established stars, rising talent, and hometown favorites to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday, July 24.

Nigel Sylvester is in a state of gratitude. It’s an early afternoon in June, and the legendary BMX athlete is relishing his recent appearance on Power Book III: Raising Kanan. After making a cameo in the third episode (“Tricks”) of the hit Starz series’ final season, Sylvester expresses his appreciation for the experience and how far he’s come since first falling in love with a bike. “Growing up in Queens and riding my bike has now led me to opportunities like this,” Sylvester, 38, tells VIBE.

A first-of-its-kind residency is bringing together some of gospel’s biggest names. The Clark Sisters, Fred Hammond, and Deitrick Haddon will co-headline the Legends of Gospel: Vegas Residency, a new concert series at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The residency kicks off on October 8 and 9, 2026, with tickets going on sale Friday, July 17 at GospelVegas.com.

A few months ago, Grammy-winning Jamaican superstar Buju Banton hosted a private NYC listening session for a small group of DJs and media. Before running through his new album Too Too Bad, Buju delivered a passionate defense of dancehall and sound system culture, the often maligned genre and music that changed his life and brought his name to the world. “Our music is great,” Buju said. “It possesses the ability to teach… The painter, he paints on the canvas to capture what the eye beholds.

One of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Star Island estates in Miami has changed hands in a $55 million deal, as the music mogul continues to serve his federal prison sentence. The waterfront mansion, located at 1 Star Island Drive and purchased by Combs in 2021 for $35 million, has been sold in an off-market transaction. The buyer, John A. Franklin, is financing the purchase through an $18.5 million mortgage from San Diego-based Axos Bank.

Lil Durk won a significant court victory Tuesday when a federal judge agreed to separate newly filed racketeering charges from his upcoming trial over allegations he ordered a killing that resulted in an August 2022 murder in Los Angeles. In a brief ruling issued after a tense hearing, the judge said that a separate January 2022 killing in Chicago and an alleged February 2019 attempted murder in Atlanta would be off-limits at Durk’s Aug.

You can’t knock Teyana Taylor‘s hustle. On Monday, Taylor reflected on her career and thanked Jay-Z a day after sharing the stage with him during his third and final night of his Yankee Stadium residency on Sunday. Taylor helped kick off the “Extra Innings” show by coming out to do Mary J. Blige’s part on “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” the acclaimed track from Jay-Z’s 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt.

LL COOL J dropped The F.O.R.C.E. in 2024, his first solo effort since 2013’s Authentic. With the same ferocity he unleashed on albums like Bigger and Deffer and Mama Said Knock You Out, Mr. Ladies Love Cool James flexed his lyrical prowess alongside several other hip-hop vets, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Busta Rhymes and Fat Joe.

When it comes to setting a vibe or rockin’ a crowd, A$AP Rocky knows just what to do. In our latest Set a VIBE edition, our June 2026 cover star runs down the songs that send his audience into full mosh pit mayhem. When breaking down the songs that makes his fans go crazy, whether he’s on a festival stage or taking over a major city for his global Don’t Be Dumb Tour, he names the top 5 songs to make his list. “We’re gonna start with a no-brainer, “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2,” he said.

Sinatra was playing over the speakers at Yankee Stadium, but the night wasn’t over, not quite. No, as Frank’s voice rang out at 2:30 a.m., in the wee small hours of Monday morning — “I want to beee a part of it …” — Jay-Z still had a few more verses left in him.