J Balvin to Emcee This Year’s Beyond the Streets Virtual Art Fair

J Balvin is taking things beyond the streets… 

The 36-year-old Colombian singer/rapper will serve as the emcee for this year’s Beyond the Streets art fair, a celebration of graffiti and street art.

J Balvin

During the two-day virtual art fair, taking place on December 1 and December 2 on the NTWRK app, J Balvin will emcee different artwork drops and host various discussions with top artists.

“Balvin is a known art collector and has a clear vision for aesthetics. His home is a sanctuary where art is the protagonist, making him the perfect emcee for this year’s Beyond the Streets,” notes an official press statement.

Further expanding his partnership with the livestream shopping platform, Balvin’s integrated role will include daily episodes where he’ll be joined by Cleon Peterson, Beyond the Streets’ artistic director and L.A.-based photographer Estevan Oriol; in-depth art conversations with Peterson, Oriol, DABSMYLA, and Gustavo Zermeño Jr., that will dive deeper into today’s art landscape and the creative process behind their work; and exclusive limited-edition product releases by Balvin in collaboration with DABSMYLA.

This year’s Beyond the Streets, curated by graffiti historian Roger Gastman, will feature a lineup of artists, designers, and brands, including Bert Krak, CB Hoyo, DABSMYLA with Late Lunch, MADSAKI, Mike GIANT, Mister Cartoon, Takashi Murakami, POSE, Spacebrat and Wild Style with Vic Mensa, to name a few.

The virtual art festival, which is “mainstay for art fans and continues Gastman’s vision as a longtime champion of graffiti as a contemporary art form,” will also launch exclusive products across fine art, collectibles, apparel, and home goods.

Kid Cudi Partnering with Kanye West for Animated Show Inspired by Their Collaborative LP “Kids See Ghosts”

Kid Cudi is getting animated…

The 36-year-old half-Mexican American rapper/singer, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, and Kanye West will each voice characters in an upcoming animated show inspired by their 2018 collaborative LP Kids See Ghosts.

Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi and West shared a two-minute preview of the Takashi Murakami-directed show, which follows the wild adventures of Kanye Bear and Kid Fox

The clip opens with the two hopping off a school bus and, by preview’s end, sees the pair riding a spaceship and fighting in an alien world. 

The frenetic clip is soundtracked by the duo’s Kids See Ghosts cut “4th Dimension.” 

While no release date was announced, the rappers said the show is “coming soon.”