Tuma Basa, the curator of the hit RapCaviar playlist, has left his position as global programming head of hip-hop at Spotify.
“Tuma has been an incredible asset to the RapCaviar team, and we thank him for his contributions,” the company said in a statement, Billboard reports. “The RapCaviar team, which is rapidly expanding with boots on the ground globally, is committed to building the brand and giving its users the best hip hop experience on the platform.”
As the global head of hip-hop programming at Spotify, Basa helped the platform’s RapCaviar playlist reach nearly 9 million followers. The playlist has been attributed as a big role in the success of artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Rae Sremmurd and others. Before Spotify, Basa worked at BET and MTV2, helped build MTV Jams, and launched music programming here at REVOLT TV.
The circumstances surrounding Basa’s exit have not been made public by Spotify or by Basa himself. The news comes a day after Spotify filed to list on the New York Stock Exchange.
Along with the news of Basa’s exit from the company, Spotify announced new dates for its “RapCaviar Live” tour, and plans to include local curators “in an effort to highlight the power of different genres within the hip hop landscape.”
A lineup of Migos, 2 Chainz, Tory Lanez, DJ Mustard, Lil Pimp and more will have a 13-show tour, starting on Tuesday, March 27 at the Palladium in Los Angeles. Migos will headline additional “RapCaviar Live” shows in Charlotte, North Carolina, Southaven, Miss., and Philadelphia, Penn., along with Trippie Redd. PnB Rock will also perform at the show in Philly.