The 5 biggest music news stories of this week

From Rihanna’s baby girl to a rare Frank Ocean statement, this is what The FADER editors are talking about.

Frank Ocean shows proof of life

Frank Ocean doesn’t talk much so it’s always noteworthy when something comes directly from him. This week he took to the IG comments section to settle a discussion over an album rap blog @rap.rappity suggested he had shelved in 2019. That claim, it turns out, was false with Ocean going on to state that any leaked tracks purporting to be from that era are likely to be fake, too. “Either ai generated or holes in my memory,” Ocean said of the leaks. “I’m gonna have to go with the former.”

Say hello to Rocki Irish Mayers

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky introduced their newest addition to the world on Wednesday. Rocki Irish Mayers is the couple’s third child and their first daughter. The first name is a clear tribute to the baby’s father while it seems that “Irish” is a tribute to Rihanna’s late father, Ronald Fenty, who was of a Barbadian and Irish heritage.

Yung Miami spoke up in support of Diddy

Lawyers working for Sean “Diddy” Combs asked for “fairness” from the judge that will sentence him for his two felony convictions next month. Combs’ legal team asked for a 14-month prison term with time served ahead of his October 3 sentencing and presented the court with more than 75 letters of support from family and friends. Included in those was one from former partner Caresha Brownlee, a.k.a. City Girls rapper Yung Miami. Though the pair’s romantic relationship has seemingly ended, she described Combs as a “good man” that encouraged her to “dream bigger.”

Another name joins the Spotify boycott list

Deradoorian, a composer and former Dirty Projectors member, announced on Tuesday that she is removing all of her music from Spotify. She joins a growing group of musicians taking similar action in protest over CEO Daniel Ek’s investments in a company linked to AI drone technology. You can see a full list of the artists who have divested from Spotify here.

Concert tickets are too cheap, apparently

At least that is the view of Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino. In comments reported this week, Rapino told attendees of a recent industry conference that he thinks the huge demand for live events means prices should be higher. “Music has been underappreciated,” Rapino was quoted as saying. “In sports, I joke it’s like a badge of honor to spend 70 grand for a Knicks courtside [seat]. They beat me up if we charge $800 for Beyoncé.”