B2K and Bow Wow Celebrate 25 Years With New Albums and a Joint 2026 Tour

R&B quartet B2K and rapper Bow Wow co-headline the 2026 Boys 4 Life reunion tour, marking their 25th anniversaries in the music industry. The arena trek features a stacked supporting roster of 2000s hitmakers including Jeremih, Waka Flocka Flame, Amerie, and special guests Pretty Ricky. (Photo: Black Promoters Collective/313 Presents)

Some of the defining voices of early 2000s R&B and hip-hop are officially hitting the road again. Celebrating their respective 25th anniversaries, B2K and Bow Wow have announced a 28-city reunion trek dubbed the "Boys 4 Life" tour.

Produced by the Black Promoters Collective, the tour marks a full-circle milestone, arriving more than two decades after the acts first shared a national arena stage during the 2002 "Scream Tour II." The run kicks off Feb. 12 at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, and will hit major markets across the country before wrapping up April 19 in Hampton, Virginia.

For fans, the announcement solidifies the highly anticipated reconciliation of all four original B2K members: Omarion, Raz-B, J-Boog, and Lil Fizz. The group formally ignited comeback rumors earlier this year with a surprise, viral reunion performance at the 2025 BET Awards.

"There was a certain level of authenticity that we all had," Omarion stated regarding the reunion. "So in a way, we're completing it."

To coincide with the tour, both B2K and Bow Wow are slated to release new albums this February via BPC Music Group, marking their official return to recording at full scale. For B2K, the project will serve as their first joint ablum release since their multi-platinum 2002 effort, "Pandemonium!"

Bow Wow, whose acting credits include the 2002 "movie" "Like Mike" and the 2010 "movie" "Lottery Ticket," is also celebrating a quarter-century in the industry. The 38-year-old rapper recently received a major nod at the Breezy Bowl, where Chris Brown brought him onstage and credited him with starting the modern era of popular music.

"With my 25-year anniversary in the music industry, I'm excited to finally bring this tour to life and give the fans what they've been waiting for," Bow Wow shared.

The "Boys 4 Life" tour essentially operates as a traveling turn-of-the-millennium festival. The stacked supporting lineup features a heavy roster of 2000s hitmakers, including Jeremih, Waka Flocka Flame, Amerie, Yung Joc, Crime Mob, Dem Franchize Boyz, and special guests Pretty Ricky, who are concurrently celebrating their own 20-year anniversary.

"Boys 4 Life Tour" 2026 Dates

February

• Feb. 12 | Columbia, SC | Colonial Life Arena
• Feb. 13 | Atlanta, GA | State Farm Arena
• Feb. 14 | Birmingham, AL | Legacy Arena at BJCC
• Feb. 20 | Cincinnati, OH | Heritage Bank Center
• Feb. 21 | Memphis, TN | FedExForum
• Feb. 22 | St. Louis, MO | Chaifetz Arena

March

• March 5 | Chicago, IL | United Center
• March 6 | Louisville, KY | KFC Yum! Center
• March 7 | Charlotte, NC | Spectrum Center
• March 8 | Washington, D.C. | Capital One Arena
• March 12 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center
• March 13 | New Orleans, LA | Smoothie King Center
• March 14 | Fort Worth, TX | Dickies Arena
• March 20 | Oakland, CA | Oakland Arena
• March 21 | Las Vegas, NV | Michelob ULTRA Arena
• March 22 | Los Angeles, CA | Kia Forum
• March 27 | Philadelphia, PA | Liacouras Center
• March 28 | Brooklyn, NY | Barclays Center
• March 29 | Baltimore, MD | CFG Bank Arena

April

• April 2 | Milwaukee, WI | Fiserv Forum
• April 3 | Detroit, MI | Little Caesars Arena
• April 4 | Pittsburgh, PA | Petersen Events Center
• April 5 | Newark, NJ | Prudential Center
• April 11 | Sunrise, FL | Amerant Bank Arena
• April 12 | Tampa, FL | Benchmark International Arena
• April 17 | Cleveland, OH | Wolstein Center
• April 18 | Greensboro, NC | First Horizon Coliseum
• April 19 | Hampton, VA | Hampton Coliseum

Goodbye Corporate Jay Z, Hello Jaÿ-Z: The Return of a 1996 Hip-Hop Hallmark

A 1996 promotional flyer for JAŸ-Z's debut "music album," "Reasonable Doubt," displays the original typography of his stage name, complete with the signature umlaut and hyphen. The Brooklyn artist recently reverted to this classic spelling on major streaming platforms ahead of the project's 30th anniversary. (Photo: Jon Mannion/Roc-A-Fella Records)

A subtle typographical shift across digital streaming platforms signaled a massive historical callback this week for one of hip-hop's definitive figures.

Shawn "Jay-Z " Carter has officially restored the original spelling of his stage name, reappearing on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music as JAŸ-Z. The change brings back the hyphen and the distinctive umlaut over the Y, a stylistic hallmark that defined his aesthetic during the rollout of his 1996 debut "music album," "Reasonable Doubt."

With that project approaching its 30th anniversary this year, the rebranding operates as a calculated nod to his Roc-A-Fella origins. When the Brooklyn native first emerged in the mid-1990s, the JAŸ-Z styling was stamped across vinyl pressing labels, CD booklets, and promotional street flyers. As his career expanded into a billion-dollar enterprise spanning sports management, fashion, and spirits, the typography was gradually streamlined for broader commercial consumption.

By the time he released his 2013 "music album," "Magna Carta Holy Grail," the hyphen was gone entirely, leaving the sterilized and corporate-friendly JAY Z.

He famously reinstated the hyphen in 2017 for the release of the critically acclaimed "music album," "4:44," but the umlaut remained locked in the 1990s vault. Reclaiming the complete 1996 spelling removes the executive polish of his later years and recenters his legacy on the gritty, independent rap origins that built his foundation.

The move arrived quietly, without a formal press release or bloated marketing rollout, allowing the updated digital metadata to do the heavy lifting. For purists who study the genre's defining eras, the return of the two dots over the Y signifies more than a metadata update. It marks an acknowledgment of the raw, foundational era that launched an empire, arriving just in time for the record that started it all to turn 30.

From East Atlanta to Battle Creek: JID and Tony the Tiger Become 'Day Ones'

Dreamville’s own Destin "JID" Route (left) and Tony the Tiger lock in for a 2026 campaign that attempts to turn 1990s cereal nostalgia into a high-speed hype anthem titled "HEY TONY!". The collaboration, which features a collectible "Day Ones" cereal box and a community-focused bowl game, sees the "The Forever Story" artist returning to his football roots at his alma mater, Stephenson High School, to inspire a new generation of youth athletes in Georgia. (Photo: WK Kellogg Co.)

The distance between the East Atlanta underground and a corporate boardroom in Battle Creek, Michigan, has never been shorter.

On Wednesday, WK Kellogg Co. announced that JID — the Dreamville standout known more for his dizzying double-time flows than his breakfast preferences — is the new face of Frosted Flakes.


The centerpiece of the deal is a reboot of the “Hey Tony” jingle, a piece of 1990s marketing that once lived between Saturday morning cartoons and is now being retooled as a cultural hype anthem titled “HEY TONY!” for the streaming era.

For JID, the move is a calculation rooted in the same nostalgia that has fueled much of the millennial aesthetic. “Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and Tony the Tiger were a real staple in our house growing up,” the rapper said, framing the partnership as a "no-brainer."

But the track is only part of the play. The collaboration is leaning heavily into "drop culture," releasing a limited-edition "Day Ones" merchandise line and a collectible cereal box that features a custom illustration of JID alongside the mascot.

To give the campaign some actual dirt under its fingernails, the partnership moves from the studio to the field on Feb. 22. JID will host the “Day Ones” Bowl Game in Georgia, bringing out the Stephenson High School “Sonic Sound” Marching Band from his hometown of Stone Mountain to anchor a 7-on-7 youth football tournament. It is a full-circle moment for JID, who was a standout defensive back at Stephenson before an injury shifted his focus entirely to music.

While the corporate copy is thick with buzzwords like "motivation" and "potential," the journalistic reality is a bit more pragmatic. In 2026, a rapper’s "brand" is often as lucrative as their catalog. Seeing a technical powerhouse who built his reputation on albums like "The Forever Story" apply his machinery to a 30-year-old marketing gimmick is a reminder that even childhood memories have a market value.

The real question isn't whether the jerseys will sell — they likely will — but whether a "rapper's rapper" can breathe genuine soul into a corporate script. The culture will decide if the track belongs on a playlist or if it's just a well-executed commercial that loses its crunch once the milk hits the bowl.

The merchandise and limited-edition boxes are available exclusively through JID’s official webstore.