This Weekend: Here’s What to Watch, Listen to & Experience
When it comes to trying something new, it’s easy for many of us to lean into that good old thing, but being a true content connoisseur means being on top of what’s hot, what’s trending, and what’s next. Luckily, this guide is everything for your music, literary, film, TV, and live experiences needs.
Each week, yours truly, Kevin L. Clark, will be your go-to advocate, spotlighting all the content cravings worth devouring.
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For Friday, Apr. 29, This Weekend, provides you with some freshly-discovered treasures to get into and share with others. It contains a healthy dose of sonic vibes, BET’s Amplified Artist of The Month, and, of course, something streaming that’s a feast for the eyes.
So bon appétit to all those true savants who are purveyors of content culture out there.
For Listeners Only
Now that It’s Almost Dry is out, Pusha T has commanded everyone’s attention from late-night TV to the rap charts. “Call My Bluff,” the new single and video that follows “Neck and Wrist,” featuring Jay-Z, “Hear Me Clearly,” and “Diet Coke,” find the “Dr. Seuss of Dope” in a more sinister vibe. The Omar Jones & Onda-directed visual finds the rapper offering a nightmarish lullaby in the form of a cautionary tale to others in the game. Contrasted with the high life shown throughout, don’t get called out for not seeing this or hearing his new product.
Before You Go, the new hotness from Blxst has been bumping out of speakers in L.A., NYC, and Miami. The rising star has been gaining traction ever since his album, No Love Lost dropped with the song, “Every Good Girl,” sampling a classic LL Cool J record, “Around the Way Girl.” It’s infectiously delicious to the ears. To ring in the project, Blxst paired up with director madebyJAMES to create visuals for what looks like a perfect day with that special someone under that California sun. It is easily a strong candidate for “Song of the Summer,” but play it a few times and let us know what you think @BET on the socials.
IDK, a Maryland rap auteur with a growing appeal has been in the lab with another music phenom, Kaytranada. Together, the new single, “Dog Food,” which supports IDK’s new project Simple., convinces Denzel Curry to deliver angst-filled verses on the upbeat and elevating groove. It is an upper-level fusionist between all parties as IDK and Denzel swerve in and out of their sonics with a limber and interwoven flow. With Simple. out on May 6, listen above as IDK breaks new ground and pre-save the offering here.
Special Mentions: There is also some exceptionally dope work from the likes of MAHALIA (“In The Club”), Baby Tate (“Yasss Queen” / “Dancing Queen”), Sampa The Great featuring Denzel Curry (“Lane”), GIVĒON (“Lie To Me”) and Tanna Leone (“Death n’ Taxes” / “Nirvana”) that you cannot afford to miss.
Watch The Streams
Tonight, Apr. 29, the end of the line comes for the Byrde family as Ozark part 2 wraps up over at Netflix. The latter half presents another seven episodes, Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy (Laura Linney) are up to their necks in trouble and trying to escape. For fans who love Breaking Bad, this farewell is right up your alley to add to your watch queue. Also, Netflix will have a 30-minute retrospective entitled A Farewell to Ozark that goes behind the scenes of the series.
Michelle De Swarte (The Duchess) stars in this dark comedy about a woman named Natasha who, after years of insisting that she doesn’t want children, finds herself inconspicuously entering motherhood. The further she gets away from her former life, the closer Natasha gets to discovering the truth behind this ominous gift. It is a unique film to watch ahead of other horror noire showings by Jordan Peele and Nia DaCosta.
David Simon and George Pelecanos, the brains behind The Wire, continue their fruitful TV partnership with We Own The City. Jamie Hector, Jermaine Crawford, and Ian Duff join Jon Bernthal as members of the Gun Trace Task Force, a Baltimore Police Department initiative that spiraled into a mess of corruption and misinformation. Jumping back and forth in time, the six-episode series proves a little all over the place, with the death of Freddie Gray as a key touchstone. By the time Wunmi Mosaku (Loki) gets her investigation started, We Own The City is a compelling series that illustrates the deep roots of police and political excesses.
BET Amplified Artist of the Month Spotlight
It is This Weekend’s pleasure to announce BabyFace Ray as the BET Amplified Artist for April! The Detroit-based rapper has achieved national acclaim after releasing multiple, successful mixtape releases. Unf**kwitable, marked by his slice-of-life lyrics and guest features from EST Gee, Kash Doll, Wiz Khalifa, and Pusha T.
#TeamEastside is representing the right way as songs like “What The Business Is,” “Champions,” and “It Ain’t My Fault,” celebrated his Motor City ties, nonchalant, laid-back style, and his prolific output. As this month’s BET Amplified Artist, be sure to keep an eye out for an exclusive interview with the artist and learn why the Billboard charting artist has big plans for his first decade of dominance.
Live At The Experience
Lil Nas X continues his showstopping antics by announcing the Long Live Montero tour, which is also his first-ever headlining spectacle. Produced by Live Nation, audiophiles across North America and Europe will have a chance to witness the multi-platinum, award-winning superstar doing his thing.
Beginning at The Fillmore in Detroit on Tuesday, Sept. 6, people in Chicago, Nashville, Los Angeles, and more will have a chance to enjoy everything before Lil Nas X concludes his adventure in San Francisco at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Sunday, Oct. 23, a week ahead of the European leg of the show.
Long Live Montero will be the first to launch an exclusive ticket presale with Cash App. Taking place from Wednesday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m. through Thursday, April 28 at 10:00 p.m. local time, new and existing Cash App Cash Cardholders can unlock the presale and purchase tickets by using the first 9 numbers of their Cash Card on Ticketmaster and completing the purchase using their Cash Card. New users can download Cash App and sign up for a free Cash Card here.
You can watch the announcement video above and the full list of dates below.
Tue Sep 06 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
Sat Sep 10 - Chicago, IL - Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
Thu Sep 15 - Toronto, ON - HISTORY
Sun Sep 18 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Tue Sep 20 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
Thu Sep 22 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met
Sun Sep 25 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
Tue Sep 27 - Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy
Sat Oct 01 - Nashville, TN - Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Mon Oct 03 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
Tue Oct 04 - Miami, FL - James L Knight Center
Tue Oct 18 - Los Angeles, CA - YouTube Theater
Fri Oct 21 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Federal Theatre
Sun Oct 23 - San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Lil Nas X Long Live Montero European Tour Dates:
Tue Nov 08 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live
Wed Nov 09 - Berlin, Germany - Max-Schmeling Halle
Thu Nov 10 - Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle
Sat Nov 12 - London, UK - Eventim Apollo
Mon Nov 14 - Paris, France - Zenith
Tue Nov 15 - Brussels, Belgium - Palais 12
Thu Nov 17 - Barcelona, Spain - Sant Jordi Club
Check back to BET.com and BET Digital for more weekly installments of This Weekend.
Kevin L. Clark is a screenwriter and entertainment director for BET Digital, who covers the intersection of music, film, pop culture, and social justice. Follow him on @KevitoClark.