Words by Ricardo Medley
If you listened to our “New Music Mondays” roundup earlier this week, you might’ve spotted a new joint album by way of rappers Anderson .Paak & Cordae. With Heavy Is The Crown, the dynamic duo was able to establish a lyrical synchronicity that comes off surprisingly seamless.
In short, we can’t imagine how this collaborative album didn’t happen sooner!
To promote the project, both emcees embarked on a multi-city pop-up shop tour where fans could shop merch, pick up exclusive vinyl editions and even get it signed during a meet-and-greet session.
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After already hitting up Los Angeles, London, San Francisco, Chicago and a special Fatburger block party in West Hollywood, Cordae and Anderson. Paak turned up the streets of New York City to close out their run. Just as the sun was setting on mundane passersby via East 14th Street, the fellas pulled up on wheels to a sea of fans who’d been waiting for hours. The crowd was lured to their impromptu-yet-well-met live performance like a fly to a lamp, both rocking as unified masters of ceremony while beckoning the crowd with a hand wave in the classic “Hey! Ho!” fashion — the moment fit perfectly as we head into Hip-Hop History Month. Amidst the crowd were phones raised with hands in solidarity to capture the scene, as even those unbeknownst to the events at hand shifted their daily schedule to get a piece of the viral moment in our digital age of fast capture and post haste content.
Those in attendance were treated to a live performance of the album’s lead single, “A Good Day,” which bridges the hard-to-miss sample of Bill Withers’ 1977 hit, “Lovely Day,” with a song title nod to Ice Cube’s 1993 cool classic, “It Was A Good Day.” Their collective spin of flair and lyricism painted a modernized picture of what a good day looks like in present day 2026. The atmosphere was undeniably infectious, and performing out the back of a moving vehicle made the once-in-a-lifetime moment feel almost surreal against the normal flow of commuter traffic. For many curious passersby, the impromptu excitement helped truly make it a good, if not better day.
The evening closed out with the duo meeting patient fans, some who had been waiting since noon or earlier to see their two favorite rap stars. In addition to a hoodie, two t-shirts and a set of drumsticks, vinyl editions of the album were also available on site for purchase with additional autographing opportunities.
Keep scrolling for more images from the NYC pop-up stop for Heavy Is The Crown by Anderson .Paak and Cordae, now available on vinyl and streaming, as well as clips from stops in previous cities:
