Tycoon Music Festival: There's even more R&B star power joining the stacked line-up

Could you use a few more reasons to pull through for the star-studded Tycoon Music Festival next month? It’s all types of jam-packed powerhouse entertainers with R&B superstar Ashanti and Fridayy getting added to the line-up.

Tycoon Music Festival’s star-studded line-up expands with Ashanti and Fridayy

Just when you thought the event - which is already loaded with stars like Bryson Tiller and Monica on the billing - couldn’t get bigger, the addition of two hitmakers just made this February 13 showcase an even bigger must-attend.

Generational talent Chris Brown and R&B Power Player Anthony “Ant” Wilson announce the additions of R&B songstress Ashanti, fresh newcomer Fridayy, the legendary Tank, iconic DJ Mannie Fresh, the velvety vocalist Bryson Tiller, Power 105’s DJ Envy, the soulful 112, and hitmaker Jermaine Duprito the already star studded Tycoon Music Festival lineup. 

Now in its fifth year, Tycoon Music Festival, headlined by Chris Brown, with sets from Mario, Monica, and Ginuwine, revealed its all R&B roster in honor of Valentine’s Day. The concert, produced in collaboration with Live Nation, will be MC’d by Atlanta’s own DC Young Fly, who is returning as host. The highly anticipated concert will take place at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on February 13th. 

Past festivals included performances from R&B and Hip Hop greats including Kendrick Lamar, Young Thug, Fabolous, and 50 Cent. Ticket holders were given access to additional activities including comedy shows and exclusive parties. This year promises to be larger and grander with surprise guests. Tickets are on sale now. 

“We’re excited for Tycoon Music Festival and to present an idyllic lineup of R&B legends who’ve delivered timeless music. From Breezy, to Monica, to Mario, to Fridayy and everyone in between, this year’s Tycoon Music Festival is a showcase of the best in R&B,” said Anthony “Ant” Wilson.  

Fridayy: The Philly crooner talks JAY-Z, putting out a fire self-titled debut and the music biz grind

Need more reasons to have Apple Music in your life? How about getting first dibs on super solid interviews like the one Philadelphia’s own Fridayy gave Apple Music 1’s Ebro Darden?

Fridayy talks music biz, new album and JAY-Z with Apple Music 1

While the full-fledged interview is over on the streaming giant’s platform, some key quotes from the conversation between Fridayy and Ebro are definitely worth keeping tabs on.

Fridayy Tells Apple Music About Getting His Start in the Music Industry as a Songwriter...

I was an artist before a songwriter. I was pushing my music as an artist. But if you don't got no marketing and you don't got no plan, it's really not going to move. I remember I used to put hashtags on my posts. I don't know how he found me. He was like, "Bro, you hard. Send me some more records." And I sent him some more records. He was like, "Bro, if you song write it might be an easier way for you to get in. People need songs." If you meet an A&R right now and you say, "I'm an artist," and they go on your Instagram, or TikTok and you don't got nothing going on, they not really... Even if you talented, they don't really care, bro. That's most of the industry. But if you meet a A&R and say, "I got 20 hooks for your artist, I got 20 beats," he's going to call you in the studio the same night. Nowadays, they don't even care about the music. It's all the other stuff. Once he said that, all right, songwriting. But in my mind, I already had projects ready, bro. A lot of my music, I've been recording while I was writing. That's how I got in the game.

Fridayy Tells Apple Music Why He Self-Titled his Debut Album…

That's why I named the album Fridayy, bro. Because when people be asking me, "What genre are you?" I really can't put me in a box. I'm not R&B, I'm not gospel. You may hear the soulfulness, but it's not gospel. It's really just me though, all in one. And I'm putting everything I listen to and everything I've been through all in one song. Just like you said, I'm Haitian. Growing up Haitian, in Haitian parties, all we hear is Haitian music, Afrobeat and Jamaican. It's in me. Even when I talk to these Afro artists, I've been on them, you know what I'm saying? 2015. It's like second home to me type stuff. That song “Done For Me” is just, I look at it as a worldwide song, the way you say it, bro. Anybody could listen to it.

Fridayy Tells Apple Music About Performing “GOD DID” with Jay-Z at the Grammys…

That was special, bro. I remember Khaled told me we were going to be at the Grammys. He'd been telling me that, but it ain't really register yet. I think we got the call that I'm performing two weeks before the Grammys. My heart dropped, bro. I couldn't even sleep. I was just thinking, bro, I could mess up a Jay-Z performance. This could go bad. I was just thinking the wrong... The worst things, bro. I remember the week of the Grammys, I kept singing every day, that same hook, in the shower. And then right before, Khaled came, he came with his whole crew to me and put the instrumental in my ear and I just started singing. Everybody like, "You ready.” And I seen Hov, I just grabbed my mic and it was just history, bro. That was the first time the world got introduced to the face. Everybody knew the name, but that was the first time they got introduced to my face.

Fridayy Tells Apple Music About Picking His Artist Name…

When I was a youngin', I used to always see my cousins on Fridays. That was the day. I begged my mom, "When's Friday coming?" She just started calling me that. And then when I was started making music, I kind of stuck with that because at the time, The Weeknd and PartyNextDoor was my favorite artists. I just came up with the name, just so Drake could recognize me, when I was probably 15, 16.

Fridayy: It's only right a new music Friday is from the R&B star and his self-titled debut

What better way to celebrate the best weekday than listening to the self-titled new Fridayy album on a Friday, of course? The popular crooner is done putting out the sneak peeks and fire anthems and comes through in a big way with the new, must-hear studio effort.

Fridayy’s much-needed studio debut has officially arrived

With Chris Brown collaborations in the books and cinematic music videos, it’s finally time to let the entire world in on what he’s been crafting over the past few months and it all comes courtesy of the self-titled project.

Today, undisputed “Melody God” and Grammy nominated R&B phenomenon Fridayy proudly presents his highly anticipated self-titled full-length debut album, Fridayy, out now via Def Jam Recordings.

The 14-track opus traces a creative and personal journey for the rising superstar. It opens with the introspective piano-laden “Came Too Far” uplifted even higher by appearances courtesy of Maverick City Music and his Mom (who offers up a prayer straight from the heart). His booming baritone quivers with raw emotion on the admission, “I knew we would make it someday. I was fucked up couldn’t focus through them hard days. All the crazy shit I seen would make you lose your faith. I was 13 the first time I saw the cold face.”

On “Stand By Me,” Friday confesses “I know I ain’t perfect, but you know I’m still gonna try,” atop icy keys. He dips into Afrobeats on “You” alongside none other than Fireboy DML, while dancehall energy underscores “Mercy,” powered up by a showstopping Byron Messia-assist. The upbeat “Church on Sunday” shines with a warm steeple-size vocal turn, and the finale “I Won (Outro)” concludes with a moment of gratitude as he says, “If nothing else happens for me in life, I won, bro. I’m good. God is good enough,” in between ethereal electronic transmissions.

Fridayy set the stage for the album with standout ballad “When It Comes To You.” The track has already gathered over 6 million streams and counting. Of the song, American Songwriter proclaimed, “Everything about the singer’s appeal is put on full display and brought together in perfect harmony, literally and figuratively.” Rated R&B dubbed it “heartwarming,” and HotNewHipHopapplauded, “This song is a showcase of the Philadelphia artist’s vocal talents and penchant for gorgeous harmonies.” He also gave a heart-thumping performance of the track for “Press Play” on GRAMMY.com.

The album also includes “Don’t Give It Away” [feat. Chris Brown]. The latter has posted up 16.9 million streams to date  Beyond plugs from That Grape Juice and more, Rap Radar hailed it as “grown and sexy,” and Vibe noted, “Fridayy lures one in with the catchy groove.” XXL touted it among “The 13 Best New Hip-Hop Songs This Week.” Check out his XXL Freshman Freestyleas well!

Last year, Fridayy exploded onto the scene as the most sought after hook maestro and self-described “Melody God” in hip-hop and R&B, penning the chorus for DJ Khaled’s Grammy-nominated smash “God Did” (which he later performed to close out the Grammys), and Lil Baby’s “Forever,” which found Fridayy on SNL soon after releasing his debut EP. Recently named to XXL’s prestigious Freshmen class for 2023, Fridayy possesses an otherworldly and unmistakable baritone which absolutely soars over his deep stash of self-produced beats; sampling hip-hop,  R&B,  gospel, afrobeats and beyond. A self-taught musician, singer and producer - trained in his local church choir, having honed his craft in an ad-hoc basement studio in Philly - Fridayy’s approach is at one ethereal and deeply musical. Fridayy has struggled, and you can hear the urgency and pain of struggle and overcoming adversity throughout his work, both in his 2022 debut EP Lost In Melody and his brilliant, expansive forthcoming debut album.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Came Too Far [feat. Maverick City Music & My Mom]

2. Done For Me [feat. Adekunle Gold]

3. Stand By Me

4. Heart on the Line

5. When It Comes To You

6. You [feat. Fireboy DML]

7. Don’t Give It Away [feat. Chris Brown]

8. DGIA Pt. 2

9. 3AM In NY

10. Carry You (Interlude)

11. Mercy [feat. Byron Messia]

12. Lost My Way

13. Church On Sunday

14. I Won (Outro)

Fridayy: Chris Brown links with the R&B hitmaker for their 'Don't Give It Away' song

It’s only right rap crooner Fridayy would drop a certified anthem in the form of his new ‘Don’t Give It Away’ featuring Chris Brown on - you guessed it - a Friday, ay? The song hits hard and immediately begs the question for how long before we’re blessed with a must-see music video?

Fridayy and Chris Brown deliver ‘Don’t Give It Away’ to the masses

While we’ll have to settle for a lyric video before a vital cinematic release, the duo come through on dropping their hard-hitting R&B collaboration and keep expectations high for what the future holds.

Building on a whirlwind year of unprecedented momentum that saw Grammy-nominated collaborations and SNL performances with likes of DJ Khaled and Lil Baby respectively, quickly rising star Fridayy has grabbed the title of ‘Melody God’ and established himself as the go-to hitmaker in the hip-hop/R&B space. Now, Fridayy reveals a brand new single entitled “Don’t Give It Away” featuring Chris Brown via Def Jam Recordings today.

On “Don’t Give It Away” - the first salvo from Fridayy’s forthcoming debut LP - a slick guitar loop snakes around a glitchy beat. Fridayy leans into the groove as he reminds, “Shorty, you know you can have it your way.” His simmering delivery bubbles into a fiery falsetto only for Breezy to roll through with an equally hypnotic cameo. Together, they deliver what promises to be the summer’s most undeniable up-tempo R&B anthem. 

Need to know what else Fridayy has been up to? Still getting put onto the next big thing in R&B? Say less.

It arrives on the heels of “Know The Truth.” In addition to cracking 1 million streams, the music video has reeled in nearly 500K YouTube views. REVOLT praised it as “an ode to low inhibitions and sexually charged intentions,” and Attack The Culture raved, “His new ‘Know The Truth’ music video locks you in from the moment it starts up.”

Now, everything just sets the stage for a whole lot more to come from Fridayy.

Last year, Fridayy’s debut EP, Lost In Melody amassed millions of streams as well as praise from Billboard, XXL, Wonderland, Essence, BET, Revolt and UPROXX. Named by Ebony as one of  “6 Music Artists To Know Before 2023,” Fridayy also continues to prove himself as both a producer/songwriter with artists like Coco Jones, Lil Tjay, Rod Wave and Vedo all releasing songs crafted by the hitmaker in recent months.

Not to mention, he performed with DJ Khaled at the GRAMMYs this year and scored three GRAMMY Award nominations.  He also made his late-night TV debut on SNL with Lil Baby.

Already heralded in artist circles and being showered with accolades before the release of his first album, it's still just the beginning for Fridayy…stay tuned.

Could you use a little more deets about his background? What to know where his love for the music culture stems from? Of course.

Born Francis LeBlanc, Fridayy learned to play several instruments at a young age — including piano, guitar, drums, trumpet, and bass, at the encouragement of his father, a Haitian immigrant, and musician. Nurturing his love for music and instrumentation in a local church choir, where he’d begin to craft his spacious and evocative sound, a blend of alternative R&B and gospel that was also inspired by his favorite acts PartyNextDoor and The Weeknd. Between 2012 and 2013, Fridayy released a steady stream of music on SoundCloud, and while he worked on his art quietly, Fridayy actively pursued a career in basketball, but an injury derailed his NBA dream. He returned to his first love and set himself back on a path towards music full-time.
 
After years of building a solid reputation with high-profile industry executives and musicians, the Philadelphia artist and multi-instrumentalist breakthrough arrived in 2022 as a feature on DJ Khaled’s “GOD DID,” featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z. He has also recently written, produced, and collabed with countless artists, including Lil Baby, Chris Brown, Lil Tjay, and Rod Wave, to name a few.

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Fridayy goes full Idris Elba mode with 'Know The Truth' music video

It’s not quite Valentine’s Day but leave it to hip-hop singer Fridayy and you’ll start to feel like it’s time to get the chocolate and flowers ready for bae. His new ‘Know The Truth’ music video locks you in from the moment it starts up.

Fridayy reveals the ‘Truth’ in his new music video

With the new year in full gear, Fri delivers with his must-see new music video. The clip comes through at the height of cuffing season fully activated.

In celebration of his upcoming SNL debut this Saturday alongside Lil Baby, Fridayy surprises fans with another visual to start the year off with a bang. Watch as Fridayy and his lover both have cake and want to eat it too in the JakeTheShooter (Wiz Khalifa, BIA) directed video. 

Written and produced by the Philly artist himself, “Know The Truth'' is taken from Fridayy’s debut EP, Lost In Melody, which has amassed millions of streams as well as praise from Billboard, XXL, Wonderland, Essence, BET, Revolt and UPROXX. Named by Ebony as one of  “6 Music Artists To Know Before 2023,” Fridayy also continues to prove himself as both a producer/songwriter with artists like Coco Jones, Lil Tjay, Rod Wave and Vedo all releasing songs crafted by the hitmaker in recent months. 
 
With his late-night TV debut on SNL this weekend, GRAMMYs around the corner, and numerous big collaborations on the way, it’s safe to say Fridayy is taking 2023 by storm!