As the clock struck midnight on Aug. 25th, EA Sports unveiled their latest release of Madden ’18 to the public, though hours prior, the gaming company held a countdown celebration at New York City’s Skylight Modern. The “Madden @ Midnight” event included cameos from former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson, Friday Night Lights star Scott Porter and The Night Shift’s JR Lemon -- all of whom star in the cinematic Longshot mode of the latest release to the Madden franchise. The soundtrack to the game boasts a bevy of talent ranging from French Montana to GoldLink, Vic Mensa, Steve Aoki and Travis Scott, as well as the cut “Bars Of Soap” from Mike WiLL Made-It featuring Swae Lee of dynamic duo Rae Sremmurd. Prior to the game’s official midnight drop, Rae Sremmurd graced the event’s stage with a solid run through their hits, including the colossal, chart-topping “Black Beatles.”
For Rae Sremmurd, everything changed, theoretically at least, almost a year ago to date. “Black Beatles,” which features Gucci Mane, became the catalyst, as the Tupelo, Miss. duo skyrocketed to the top of the Hot 100 within two months of the song’s release. The two also took home a Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Collaboration earlier this year. Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi have come a long way since their “No Flex Zone” days, when the consensus wrongfully assumed they’d be a flash in the pan group with one hot hit, and not an entire Ear Drummers movement in tow.
The latest feather in Swae Lee's bandana is a feature on French Montana’s “Unforgettable” -- the song has peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100, with 19 weeks on the chart -- yet another indication that Rae Sremmurd’s star is steadily rising. However, somewhere in the midst of Snapchat stories and solo projects sits a rumor that the group may part ways, with 2016’s SremmLife 2 as their final project. Both Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi dispelled that rumor as myth, though both are still readying solo works; Swae Lee’s Swaecation is still very much on the calendar, as is Slim Jxmmi’s Project Jxm (formerly Uncle Jxmmi).