Rollout Roundup: Ranking and Critiquing the Best New Music Rollouts of the Week
Welcome back to Rollout Roundup, where I spotlight the best rollouts of the week and provide feedback on where they could have done better.
Flo Milli - You Still Here, Ho? [Album]
Strengths: STORYLINE. CONCEPT. CREATIVE. Flo encompassed all of the things that I look for in an interesting rollout. This stood out as the best rollout of the week so far, and possibly one of the best rollouts of the year. The title, You Still Here Ho? reprises her previous project Ho, Why Are You Here?! already alluding to Flo Milli’s world-building as an artist. She picked a theme of early 2000s for this rollout, and wove the theme in seamlessly with her current branding. She produced a beautiful, on-brand and exciting cover art piece with a set of new press photos to match (we love that here!).
The TV guide themed tracklist was the icing on the cake.
She had also activated a well-done and successful TikTok campaign prior to the album release, with a single “Conceited” that broke the internet as Flo Milli switched up her classic flow in an exciting way. The track’s popularity earned itself a slot in the top trending TikTok sounds and a dance challenge to match.
Weaknesses: Hard to think of any, honestly. Her digital footprint could have been stronger outside of TikTok. I want to see Flo Milli taking over on Twitter for this one. Could her team lean into a twitter activation, like a Billboard interview or an interactive Q&A to make this happen? I’m guessing we will see a post-rollout push here.
Yeat - TwizzyTalk by After Dark Digital [Activation]
The ultimate Yeat translator.
Strengths: Original, exciting, easy lift for fans. Continued the promotion of Yeat’s project months after it’s release, which I LOVE.
Weaknesses: Involvement from yeat himself. Would love to see a video of him reacting to the translator!
DaniLeigh - My Side [EP]
Dani tastefully and beautifully rolled out an EP about some of the most difficult and most beautiful times in her life.
Strengths: Let’s talk content. Once Dani made her comeback on social media, the accounts stayed ACTIVE. Content on all platforms at least once a day, heavily leaning into short-form video content, and if you follow me than you know how strongly I feel about short-form video content. It is the most consumed content on the internet right now. She leaned on her strengths: dancing and music, and made content centering both of those things, symbolizing her departure from the drama of last year and leaning into the music. This direction made me even more excited to hear the project, what has Dani been pouring herself into since?
Weaknesses: Can we get some more interviews Dani? We may see some post-rollout.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Looks like she has already announced a post-release Breakfast Club interview)
Rowdy Rebel - Rebel vs. Rowdy [Album]
Strengths: City-centered, community activation. Rowdy hosted a celebrity basketball game uptown in the neighborhood of Dykman, in New York City. The event was exciting and has some great guests who definitely made a splash in the city’s packed week of events. The album also featured fellow New York artists Fivio Foreign and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, a rising drill superstar and a Bronx-native melodic rap veteran. This was definitely in line with Rowdy’s brand, but I’m not sure it opened him up to new audiences like the Dreezy feature may have.
Weaknesses: The digital sphere. I feel like Rowdy’s team has mastered out-of-home activations, but has yet to catch up to the importance of a strong digital push for Rowdy. Leaning into TikTok for a song on the project, maybe the one with A Boogie given his success on the platform, could have taken it a long way. A seeding campaign could have been done better. While I did see some push on Instagram viral pages, listeners rarely live there now. Twitter and TikTok are where Rowdy is going to find his new wave of fans, and failing to lean in to those platforms is doing a disservice to the quality of music that he is making and his marketability as an artist.