Every once in a while, an artist arrives at just the right time with a record that speaks truth to the world. In 2023, that artist is Maryland rapper IDK. That album is F65—which releases today via Clue/Warner Records. Listen HERE.
The 22-track opus traverses a thrilling landscape as it explores the experiences of people of color around the world – and what that reality means. Given this overarching theme’s provocative, poetic, and powerful nature, IDK also chose to incite discourse with often upbeat, always thoughtful songcraft covering a spectrum of vibes. The result is a dramatic, dynamic, danceable, and definitive hip-hop epic.
He jumpstarted the conversation with “Mr. Police,” which notably made its global debut on The Beat With Ari Melber. Lauded from the jump, HYPEBEAST applauded, “‘Mr. Police’ is a powerful single about police violence and the fear that people of color live with on a daily basis,” The FADER attested, “IDK turns the tempo down for a Steve Wonder-indebted ballad lamenting the police violence epidemic. It’s quite beautiful and enraging all at once,” and REVOLT summed it up best as “powerful.”
Following stellar performances at Coachella last month, IDK announced his upcoming 22-date “65 Tour.” He hits the road on June 23rd in Paris, France, and will make landfall across major U.S. cities including New York, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, and more before wrapping up in Toronto, ON October 29th. The full list of dates can be found below — for more information please visit www.Thr33Dot.com.
Across F65’s 22 tracks, IDK exudes the kind of introspection that few rappers can emulate, teaming up with legendary composer Jim Lang (who’s known for scoring the Nickelodeon series Hey Arnold!) to display the full breadth of his artistic vision. In addition to the album, IDK is also gearing up for the fall return of his tuition-free music business seminar at Harvard University, No Label Academy, Saturday, Aug 19 – Sunday, Aug 27, 2023.
On top of all this, the multi-dimensional artist unveiled his limited-edition Nike Air Max Pro 97 collab – the “Free Coast” F&F sneaker, as Hypebeast details, which is a standout from the staple collection. With one of Coachella’s most invigorating performances, IDK made his debut in style, donning a custom Lanvin race suit and helmet to match his custom Mercedes AMG.
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Photo: Levi Berlin
