What The Hell Just Happened In Music This Week?

J. Cole plans the release of his third album, Jaden Smith drops a new project, and more.

November 22, 2014

Image via Complex Original

Earlier this week, Complex dropped two major cover stories for our December 2014/January 2015 issue—and we've still got one more coming out soon. One features inimitable Nicki Minaj, who detailed her upcoming album, The Pinkprint and struggling with fame, while the other stars Wale and Jerry Seinfeld, which serves as a precursor to Wale's The Album About Nothing.

J. Cole made headlines this week when the 29-year-old rapper revealed he will be releasing his album 2014 Forest Hills Drive in December. Cole is planning a minimal rollout for his third studio release, a move several artists have embraced after Beyoncé dropped her self-titled album completely out of nowhere last year. However, he's been making the rounds and giving fans some private listening sessions before it drops in full on Dec. 9.

Jaden and Willow Smith sat down with the New York Times for their first ever joint interview, Migos and members of GBE got into a physical altercation at a strip club, and Solange was married in New Orleans. Check out all that and more in What the Hell Just Happened in Music This Week?

Solange tied the knot with video director Alan Ferguson in New Orleans.

Date: November 16

The wedding bells were ringing in New Orleans for the Knowles family. Solange married music video director Alan Ferguson in a small ceremony involving friends and family. Jay Z, Beyoncé, and Blue Ivy were all in attendance, further proving the ugly elevator incident is in their past.

To go along with their white attire, Solange and Ferguson, who did Jay Z's video for “I'm Feelin' It,” ditched the limo and showed up to the ceremony riding white bicycles.

Official wedding photos have been posted online, including an epic shot of the bridal party. Solange and her wedding party walked a second line in New Orleans after tying the knot. One Instagram video captures Solange killing it while dancing to the brass band, and another shows Jay Z acknowledging the crowd in presidential fashion while enjoying the show with Beyoncé. —Ian Servantes

J. Cole revealed plans to releases his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

Date: November 16

Speculation has been swirling, but the man himself has now confirmed it: J. Cole will release a new album entitled 2014 Forest Hills Drive on Dec. 9. The rapper tweeted out the announcement along with a seven-minute trailer. In the description for the clip, which finds J. Cole back in his hometown of Fayetteville, N.C., he announces there will be no singles ahead of the album's release. —Ian Servantes

Wale announced dates for his upcoming “#simplyNothing” tour.

Date: November 17

Wale has an insane amount of momentum going right now, with the hype for his The Album About Nothing project with Jerry Seinfeld growing by the day. Building on that momentum, Wale has taken to his Twitter account to announce that he is heading back out on the road for his upcoming “#simplyNothing” tour, brought to you by Simple Mobile.

The tour will take Wale across the United States to a total of 32 cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York City, and more. —Zach Frydenlund

Footage of Migos and GBE members fighting surfaced, with Quavo allegedly getting his chain snatched.

Date: November 17

The tension between GBE and Migos escalated when a dispute at Stadium Club in Washington, D.C. resulted in Migos member Quavo allegedly getting his chain snatched.

The popular strip club recently made headlines when Drake stormed into the venue after a member of his crew was allegedly attacked by a club patron. While details on what exactly went down between GBE and Migos are still limited, low-res footage of a brief portion of the scuffle made it's way on to Vine. Naturally.

An image of the supposedly ganked jewelry appeared on Chief Keef's Instagram, but was later removed.

This confrontation marks the second reported altercation between the two collectives this month; a fight between GBE member Capo and Migos affiliates took place in a Chicago restaurant. That dispute spilled out over Twitter, and has fueled some to believe that Fredo Santana's recently released “Go to War,” although recorded prior to the beef, is a statement aimed partially at Migos. —Brandon Jenkins

Rick Ross shared an early stream of his album Hood Billionaire.

Date: November 17

Rick Ross has teamed with “iTunes First Play” for an early stream of his project, Hood Billionaire. This is already Rozay's second album release of the year, with the well-received Mastermind being the other, though, Ross went a different route on this project, channeling his soulful side with tracks like “Nickel Rock” and “Trap Luv.” In total, the project features appearances from Jay Z, Yo Gotti, Lil Boosie, K. Michelle, R. Kelly, and more. —Zach Frydenlund

Jaden Smith released Cool Tape Vol. 2 and gave an intriguing interview with his sister, Willow.

Date: November 17

Jaden and Willow Smith are two of the busiest teenage artists out right now. Considering their age, each has been releasing music at a prolific rate for much of the year. Jaden just released a three-track album to celebrate Kendall Jenner's birthday, while Willow dropped her own EP. Needless to say, the Smith children have this music thing poppin' for them right now.

But as revealed in their first ever joint interview with The New York Times, they don't really care about whether or not things are blowing up right now—they're two rather autonomous teenagers who are, at juncture in their young lives, wholly concerned with their own thoughts, expressions, and how those two things result in music. To them, that independence has made for better music.

“Caring less what everybody else thinks, but also caring less and less about what your own mind thinks, because what your own mind thinks, sometimes, is the thing that makes you sad,” Willow says. Jaden reciprocated Willow's quote, but also went off to address any questions others may have about whether or not music is a career for him. “That’s another thing: What’s your job, what’s your career? Nah, I am,” Jaden says. “I’m going to imprint myself on everything in this world."

Bold words from a young man, but you can't front on the ambition. “Here’s the deal: School is not authentic because it ends,” Jaden adds. “It’s not true, it’s not real. Our learning will never end. The school that we go to every single morning, we will continue to go to.” As for what they spent their time reading? “Quantum physics. Osho,” Willow says. “The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life” and ancient texts; things that can’t be pre-dated,” Jaden adds.

Either way, the most impressive part of this interview is Jaden's thoughts on duality:

Exactly. Because your mind has a duality to it. So when one thought goes into your mind, it’s not just one thought, it has to bounce off both hemispheres of the brain. When you’re thinking about something happy, you’re thinking about something sad. When you think about an apple, you also think about the opposite of an apple. It’s a tool for understanding mathematics and things with two separate realities. But for creativity: That comes from a place of oneness. That’s not a duality consciousness. And you can’t listen to your mind in those times — it’ll tell you what you think and also what other people think.

Jaden topped off the day by pulling a fast one and dropping his new project, Cool Tape Vol. 2, via his own brand new app, "Jaden Experience." In total, the album features eight brand new songs from the young MC. —Justin Block

Pusha T dropped the Kanye West-produced record “Lunch Money.”

Date: November 18

Pusha T's new Kanye West-produced track, “Lunch Money,” was recently released via Google Play, but was soon deleted, though, not before someone was able to rip the track and upload it. No matter where it came from or where it will end up, Pusha is at his highest level, rapping over a funky, experimental beat while bringing forth his always tough raps and menacing flow. Lyrically, Pusha is as good as ever, spitting notable lines like, “This is crime by design, if the crown ain't mine, tell me who am I behind?"

Pusha has been hard at work on his new album, King Push, for most of the year, though, it's not known if this drop will make its way onto the album. —Zach Frydenlund