Lil Uzi Vert season has returned. The eclectic Philly rapper announced plans for their EA2 album on Wednesday (Oct. 24), which will serve as the sequel to 2020’s Eternal Atake.

Uzi released an atmospheric trailer to accompany the project detailing his journey to another planet. “On March 6, 2020, Lil Uzi Vert mysteriously vanished,” the screen reads. “While it was never confirmed what happened that day, the faithful believed it to be the fulfillment of a long-awaited prophecy… Eternal Atake.”

The Generation Now signee is transported in a UFO to another dimension where their memory is extracted and wiped clean by a group of natives from this unknown planet, who are seemingly possessed with a purple-tinted gleam in their eyes. The clip comes to a close with Uzi rocking a pink fur hat waking up to their new life.

Lil Uzi Vert also revealed the EA2 cover art, which includes the possessed women seen in the trailer as their skin radiates with purple and a demonic smile.

According to a pre-save link on Apple Music, EA2 is expected to arrive on Nov. 1. Uzi’s first three albums all topped the Billboard 200 and they’ll look to make it four in a row later this year.

Uzi possibly teased the intro track to the album in the form of a TV theme song. The jolly 30-second teaser finds a woman singing, “Here’s the story of a guy named Uzi/ Who’s known for his diamonds and his style/ From the streets to the stage, boy is busy/ Making music that’ll make you smile/ Little Uzi Vert, he’s the one to see/ Bringing joy to you and me/ Little Uzi Vert, he’s the one to see.”

The 29-year-old previously said they’d be retiring after his next album, but it’s unclear if that’s the case. The Pink Tape arrived in June 2023 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 167,000 total album units sold.

As for the original Eternal Atake, the LP hit streaming services in March 2020 just ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown. EA sold 288,000 total album units in the first week. The project came in at No. 4 on Billboard‘s Top 20 Rap Albums of 2020 list.

Watch the outer space trailer below and find the EA2 cover art here.

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Seeing your favorite artist live can be a euphoric experience, but it also comes with high noise levels that are damaging to your ears. Exposure to loud environments can cause temporary to permanent ear damage, like tinnitus — even if it’s just a one time occurrence. Rather than succumb to prolonged ringing in your ears, concert earplugs brand Loop has released a sleek and luxurious pair of adjustable earplugs that let you control exactly how much noise reduction you want.

Hearing is measured in decibels (dB) with anything above 85dB being the point of ear damage range, according to Chicago Hearing Services. Most concerts tend to range from 90dB to more than 120 dB the site reports, which means whether or not you regularly attend festivals and tours, your ears (if unprotected) can become overwhelmed and suffer some major damage.

Loop’s Switch 2 lets you adjust the volume level between three settings depending on your desired noise level or type of environment you’re in. There are four metallic shades to choose from — black, green, gold or silver — offering an elevated take on the classic foam earplugs you have to twist and finagle into your ears. Plus, they’re reusable, meaning you don’t have to constantly invest in a new pack of concert earplugs, which will save you money over time.

Switch 2

Buy Now on loop $59.95

With a pair of Switch 2, all that you need to do is take each earplug out of the included compact carrying case, choose what size earbud you need and place them in your ears. There are three modes you can pick from, including Engage for chatting with friends while reducing background noise; Experience, which will protect ears during concerts and gigs without sacrificing sound quality; and Quiet mode, which offers the most noise reduction for a more calming environment whether you’re commuting or sleeping.

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Even professional DJs have given Loop their stamp of approval, with DJs Nostalgix and Oguz having used the brand at Tomorrowland 2024. ShopBillboard had the opportunity to review Loop’s Experience earplugs for the brand’s Tomorrowland collaboration and can attest that they’re not only effective at blocking out noise while maintaining crisp sound quality, but are also comfy for long time wear.

Reviewers also can’t stop raving over the Switch 2 claiming they’re “the most comfortable earplugs I’ve worn.” Having the ability to switch volume levels have been a game changer for shoppers who say, “I love being able to adjust the sound quality and volume for different circumstances without having to keep taking out and putting in earplugs constantly.”

For more product recommendations, check out ShopBillboard‘s roundups of the best venue-approved bags, travel necessities and commuter gadgets.

Pharrell Williams dropped the video for the title track to his animated biopic, Piece By Piece, on Thursday morning (Oct. 24). And like the Morgan Neville-directed film that’s in theaters now, the brightly colored, high-energy visual directed by Neville renders the singer/producer/rapper/fashionista in LEGO blocks, borrowing some scenes from the unique, blocky big screen trip through Williams’ career.

It finds Pharrell in his musical lab, cooking up beats and experiencing the synesthesia that allows him to “see” music. “When it was time I got butterflies/ Don’t look surprised girl/ With a dream this size,” Williams sings as a giant mini figure crowd at his signature Something in the Water festival bounces along while the white and blue brick ocean tides in his hometown of Virginia Beach lap at the shore.

The typically bouncy, funk-dusted beat from Skateboard P — who, of course, kicks some skateboard tricks in the video — soundtracks a three-minute clip in which Williams is joined by the Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers.

The full soundtrack for the film is also out now, featuring five new original songs from Williams — “It’s Happening,” “Piece By Piece,” “L’EGO Odyssey,” “VIRGINIA Boy (remix, feat. Tyler, the Creator) and “For Real” — as well as 16 previously released songs spanning Pharrell’s career, including collabs with Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake and the Clipse.

Watch the “Piece By Piece” video and see the full Piece By Piece soundtrack track list below.

Piece By Piece (Music From the Motion Picture) soundtrack:

Warner Chappell Music‘s Latin division has signed urbano music producer Jorge Milliano. A trusted collaborator for superstars like Peso Pluma, Myke Towers, Anitta, The Chainsmokers, Maluma, Manuel Turizo, Marshmello and Nicky Jam, Milliano is one of the top producers working in Latin music today.

Concord Music Publishing has announced the signing of poet, singer, songwriter and producer Kara Jackson. Signed in collaboration with Ark Publishing, a joint venture founded by Grammy-winning producer and songwriter, Noah Goldstein, the worldwide publishing deal includes Jackson’s catalog and all future works.

The Circuit Group has partnered with Kobalt globally for publishing administration. The Circuit Group was founded by Dean and Jessica Wilson, Brett Fischer, David Gray and Harvey Tadman with the aim to acquire ownership in artists’ IP portfolios and partner with them to build new monetization opportunities.

U.K. music supervision company 45RPM has launched a new music publishing arm with the support of Universal Music Publishing Group, which will administer the new publishing outfit. Founded in 2022 by top music supervisors Iain Cooke, Sarah Bridge, Catherine Grieves and Nick Angel, 45RPM offers a full service experience for clients, including soundtrack development, composer partnerships, rights negotiation, budget management and on-camera music supervision.

Spirit Music Group has joined a creative joint venture with Grammy-winner Autumn Rowe to form Rowe’s Honest Songs Music & Lyrics. A singer, songwriter and producer, Rowe has worked with Jon Batiste, Dua Lipa, Diana Ross, Pitbull, Zendaya, Ava Max, FKA Twigs and Leona Lewis, as well as released songs in her own right. When she’s not in sessions, Rowe sits on the board of Songwriters of North America (SONA) where she advocates for songwriter’s rights.

Sony Music Publishing Nashville today announced the signing of acclaimed songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Elysse Yulo. News of the deal comes just months after working with Lana Del Rey and Quavo on their song “Tough.” Along with her work with Del Rey and Quavo, Elysse has also worked with Nashville talents like Zach John King, and Maddox Batson. 

EJ Pasin has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Position Music. He is perhaps best known for producing the beat and guitar of the viral hit “Embrace It” by Ndorz, but the songwriter/producer has also released his own work via the names EJ Pasin and ptasinski (his side project). He is managed by Ewan Jenkins and Jack Mangan of E2J Management.

Warner Chappell Music (WCM) and Grammy-nominated duo, The Warren Brothers, have jointly signed a publishing deal with emerging country singer-songwriter Preston Cooper. An Ohio native, Cooper is currently one of the special guests on Riley Green’s ‘Damn Country Music’ Tour. He also has new music dropping in early 2025.

Jonathan Tester has launched Groove Bound Songs, a new independent publishing company, created via a joint venture with Bucks Music Group. As part of their agreement, Groove Bound Songs, founded by Bucks longtime Head of Sync, will benefit from Bucks’ leading back end administration, creative A&R, sync services and general expertise under the JV.

Sony Music Publishing Nashville has announced a new partnership with One4 Entertainment’s Brian Wright to sign breakthrough singer-songwriter Sadie Bass to a global publishing deal.

Megan Thee Stallion nabs her fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as “Mamushi,” featuring Yuki Chiba, captures the crown on the list dated Oct. 26. Despite a 4% drop in plays for the week compared to the week prior, “Mamushi” became the most played song on U.S. monitored rhythmic radio stations in the tracking week of Oct. 11 – 17, according to Luminate.

As “Mamushi” ascends, it knocks Jordan Adetunji’s “Kehlani” from the top spot after a three-week reign. The former champ slides to No. 5 after a 12% drop in plays for the week.

Thanks to “Mamushi,” Megan Thee Stallion secures her fifth Rhythmic Airplay leader, now part of this collection:

Featured artist Yuki Chiba — a Japanese rapper, singer and songwriter — achieves his first No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay through his first appearance on the list.

“Mamushi” appears on the Grammy Award winner’s latest album, Megan, which was released in June. The song proved a fan-favorite upon release, as the second-highest-streamed track (7.3 million clicks) from the album in its debut week. The track improved 40% to 10.3 million official U.S. streams in its second week, further suggesting viability. With strong streaming support, the tune became the album’s fourth single in July.

Elsewhere, “Mamushi” backtracks 5-6 on the plays-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart after two weeks anchoring the top five. There, the single suffers a 4% setback in plays for the week. Likewise, a one-spot reverse also occurs on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (6-7) and Rap Airplay (4-5), shedding 6% in audience impressions, to 9.6 million, on the former and 3% on the latter.