With The Weeknd’s HBO series The Idol finally premiering soon, the promotion for the show has kicked into high gear. That means new music, and appropriately, the first single release from The Idol will reunite The Weeknd with his toxic twin Future. “Double Fantasy” is due for release this New Music Friday, perhaps giving us a glimpse at what the music for The Idol — which The Weeknd says is inspired by Prince and Pink Floyd — will sound like ahead of its premiere on June 4.

Future and The Weeknd first displayed their moody, anti-romantic chemistry on “Low Life” from Future’s 2016 album Evol and since then, fans have feverishly anticipated their collaborations. Also in 2016, they teamed up on “All I Know” and “Six Feet Under” from The Weeknd’s Starboy, while in 2017, they linked up again on “Comin Out Strong” from HNDRXX. “Double Fantasy” marks their first collaboration since then, so it’s sure to be one of the more talked-about releases of the (ahem) weekend.

The show it comes from has been similarly buzzed-about, but not always in a good way. Although its release is still months away, rumors of its troubled production and questionable content have fueled controversy online. It remains to be seen whether those rumors will amount to as much of a mess as it seems; for now, fans can look forward to seeing the responses from Cannes Film Festival, where it’s set to debut next month.

source https://uproxx.com/music/the-weeknd-future-double-fantasy-the-idol/

source https://trapbeats2023.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-weeknd-and-future-will-reunite-for.html

The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 album Life After Death, which was released just days after he was murdered, is an iconic piece of hip-hop history. Now, to coincide with the ongoing celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary this year, Warner Music Group’s WMX has announced the debut season of visual podcast series Iconic Records will focus on the landmark Biggie Smalls album.

The eight-episode run of the show, hosted by Radio Hall Of Fame member Angie Martinez, will premiere on April 29 at 8 p.m. ET, on the new WMX Hip-Hop channel on The Roku Channel (channel 1137). Further episodes will debut every Saturday after that. It will also be available on Biggie’s YouTube channel and on major audio podcast platforms starting May 1. Guests appearing over the course of the season will include Fat Joe, Pusha T, Rick Ross, Too Short, Lil Cease, and surprise guests yet to be revealed.

Martinez said in a statement, “Biggie was, and still is, one of the most important artists of our lifetime and Life After Death is a masterpiece! To collaborate with WMX on this series has been an incredible experience. It’s especially meaningful as we also pay homage to 50 years of hip-hop and how it’s changed the course of history.”

Ben Blank — WMX president, media & creative content — also noted, “We’re excited to be able to share stories about the albums that have shaped entire generations so profoundly – beginning with Biggie’s Life After Death. The launch of Iconic Records embraces the huge appetite and need for unique content tailored for genre-specific audiences. WMX lives at a crossroads where artists, content, and experiences converge to reach music fans where they are, and this exciting series is the first of many forums in which we will continue to tell the stories about the art that shapes and inspires our culture.”

Wayne Barrow, Biggie’s manager, added, “The Notorious B.I.G. is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. His work has been examined and reviewed before, but this series provides new stories and firsthand accounts by the people that were there. It’s something special.”

Check out the Iconic Records trailer above.

The Notorious B.I.G. is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

source https://uproxx.com/music/iconic-records-life-after-death-podcast-notorious-big-biggie-smalls/

source https://trapbeats2023.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-debut-season-of-iconic-records-will.html

source https://uproxx.com/music/moneybagg-yo-interview-cover-story/

source https://trapbeats2023.blogspot.com/2023/04/moneybagg-yo-is-chasing-dream.html

During her performance at Coachella this weekend, Latto brought out rising star TiaCorine to debut their remix to TiaCorine‘s breakout song, “Freaky T.” The song is the genre-bending North Carolina rapper’s most successful to date, generating well over 20 million combined streams across platforms. Today, she announced the official release date of the remix: this Friday, April 21.

The song is the latest remix in Latto’s growing catalog as she becomes one of the more sought-after feature artists in hip-hop today. Last month, she added a spark plug verse to viral sensation Lola Brooke’s breakout track “Don’t Play With It” after contributing another attention-grabbing appearance to Chicago rapper Mello Buckzz’s song “Boom, Pt. 2.” A preview clip of their video shoot for the song produced a viral moment in which Latto showed off her now-signature leopard-print Target panties.

And just before the end of 2022, Latto became one of the last artists to collaborate with southern rap legend Gangsta Boo, teaming up with yet another buzzy newcomer, GloRilla, for the bow-throwing anthem “FTCU.” She’s shown an ear for talent and a willingness to share her spotlight that bodes well for TiaCorine, who will get the perfect jumpstart for her own flourishing career when their collaboration drops on Friday.

source https://uproxx.com/music/tiacorine-latto-freaky-t-remix-release-date/

source https://trapbeats2023.blogspot.com/2023/04/tiacorine-and-latto-announce-release.html

Latto’s “Genius Of Love”-sampling 2021 single “Big Energy” has been her biggest hit to date. As it turns out, though, the song almost went to another artist, Cardi B. However, according to songwriter Theron Thomas, when the opportunity to put it into Latto’s capable hands arose, the original plans for the song changed quickly.

As a guest on the podcast See, The Thing Is… Thomas recounted how “Big Energy” wound up delivering a smash for Latto instead of Cardi B, its intended recipient. “We went to Hawaii, I wrote it to that beat, and met Latto, and she was like, ‘Yeah man, you know, I want to do some crossover sh*t,’” he recalled.

“When I meet an artist and they tell me they want to do something, it’s like, okay cool. Cardi never got to hear it. We didn’t get it to her.”

After premiering the song at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, Latto officially released it in September 2021. As it rose on the Billboard charts over the next six months, she was able to tap Mariah Carey, whose 1995 hit “Fantasy” also sampled “Genius Of Love” by Tom Tom Club, to appear on the remix. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance.

It was also the basis of Latto’s feud with Nicki Minaj after Nicki argued that “Big Energy” should be nominated for a pop award instead. Nicki’s own song, “Super Freaky Girl,” was shortlisted as a pop song, and she compared the two songs on Twitter. Latto responded, “Damn I can’t win for losing… all these awards/noms I can’t even celebrate,” leading to open hostilities between the two rappers that apparently even continued into a new song Latto debuted at Coachella. Just imagine if the song had gone to Cardi; that feud might have been even worse than it is already.

Watch the full episode of See, The Thing Is… above.

source https://uproxx.com/music/latto-big-energy-written-cardi-b/

source https://trapbeats2023.blogspot.com/2023/04/lattos-big-energy-was-originally.html

Frank Ocean’s highly-anticipated return to Coachella over the weekend didn’t quite pan out as most fans had imagined. To be fair, Justin Bieber thought he did a great job. However, shortly after the event ended, rumors began circulating on social media about what caused the disconnect. Well, now a hockey podcast, Empty Netters, is spilling the tea about what it was like behind the scenes at Coachella on the day of the singer’s headlining performance.

Hosted by former hockey players Dan and Chris Powers, the duo held nothing back regarding the chaotic set. Both gentlemen were slated to appear on stage with the “Pyramids” singer after being referred to Ocean’s creative team by former New Jersey Devils’ player-turned-Hollywood scout Chris Nelson.

Dan shared that for nearly a month, Chris, himself, and several dozens of skaters had rehearsed for the performance. “We’ve been hanging with Frank. We’ve been hanging with the other skaters. Hanging with these hanging figure skaters. Going through this whole process, it’s this huge ordeal.”

The commentator also revealed that rehearsals continued until the Tuesday before Coachella. But as it relates to the day of, Dan confessed that after the set pickup and call time for wardrobe and makeup was pushed back multiple times; he knew that “The wheels started to fall off.”

“We get to this hotel, and we’re told to be there by 12 noon. Then get a text that the runner’s not going to come until 1 pm,” said Dan.

Chris chimed in to say, “Then it was 2:15 pm. Then 3 pm.”

However, by the time they arrived at the designated area for wardrobe, “It was a nightmare.”

“At this hotel, we run into the figure skaters. The Olympic figure skaters, mind you, and they have disgruntled looks on their faces. And they mention to us that they’ve been cut from the show,” said Dan.

“We start to hear rumblings allegedly that Frank has been in an accident that has given him an ankle injury. So, people are saying, F’rank’s not in a good head space,’ and they. ‘don’t know what’s going on.’ And we’re sitting there, and it is becoming clear that things are not going well with this show.”

Eventually, the hosts are told the ice surface part of the set was scraped. They were asked to get in costume and walk around the stage, to which they responded, “F*ck no. No, thank you. I’m out of here.”

Chris interjects to say, “To be fair,r we both know how show business works in a lot of ways. Production is a mess in everything, all the time, but I will say it was a worthy experience if it had gone off correctly. But, I would say there were a lot of sunk time for the participants.”

He continued, “He really cares about the production. He had a very clear vision, and even though that vision changed a lot, he was always on us. Helping us. Making sure everyone hit what he was pitching in his mind.”

To which Dan pushed back to add, “It’s not like this fell apart, and he was, ‘Oh no.’ He was actively like, ‘I don’t want to f*cking do this anymore.’ Those figure skaters got cut not because there was an ice issue. Not because something went wrong. There was no malfunction. He was straight up like, ‘F*ck this. I’m not doing this anymore.’”

Watch the full podcast episode above.

source https://uproxx.com/music/hockey-podcast-spills-tea-on-frank-ocean-coachella-performance/

source https://trapbeats2023.blogspot.com/2023/04/a-hockey-podcast-spilled-tea-on-what-it.html

Ice Spice and Instagram might have some issues now. The “Bikini Bottom” rapper had her post removed, citing it represented “violence and dangerous organizations,” which went against the app’s community guidelines.

Her original post was a selfie, which she captioned “Ayo Isis,” along with an eye emoji. She then posted a screenshot of the deletion alert to her Instagram story, writing, “can’t type my name is ode,” with a crying emoji. Because the Bronx musician’s real name is Isis Naija Gaston.

While Ice Spice has millions of followers on the platform, you’d think it wouldn’t have gotten flagged for what it thought it was referencing, but the social media algorithms seem to just be… doing whatever these days.

As for her music, she recently collaborated with Nicki Minaj on “Princess Diana” and PinkPantheress on the “Boy’s A Liar” remix.

“I’m so excited to be collaborating with her because I’m really a huge fan, ever since I first heard of her I’ve been a fan,” Spice shared with Dazed about PinkPantheress earlier this year. “So for her to ask me to hop on ‘Boy’s a Liar,’ I’m really excited. And the video is fire too. It’s unexpected, but we still have a correlation to each other somehow. Even before the record, fans really wanted it. There was already requests for that.”

PinkPantheress is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

source https://uproxx.com/music/ice-spice-real-name-instagram/

source https://trapbeats2023.blogspot.com/2023/04/ice-spice-tried-using-her-real-name-in.html

Chlöe is keeping busy, as she’s still hot off the release of her solo debut album, In Pieces, and touring North America in support of the album. Equally busy is her sister, Halle Bailey, who is gearing up for the premiere of The Little Mermaid, in which she plays Ariel. But their tight schedules couldn’t stop them from reuniting last night (April 17) on Jimmy Fallon’s That’s My Jam.

During the episode’s “Mixtape Medley Showdown,” the two sang a musical montage of iconic break-up anthems. Chlöe kicked off the challenge with a smooth cover of Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor,” then, on Halle’s turn, she sang Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated.” The two went back and forth singing covers of songs by Kelly Rowland, Carrie Underwood, Fleetwood Mac, Olivia Rodrigo, and more.

Though the two are proving fruitful in their solo endeavors, nothing can break the bonds of sisterhood. Last month, in a campaign for ZyrTec, Halle said that the two are not finished making music together as Chloe X Halle.

“She’s my biggest supporter. I’m her biggest supporter. We’re just really excited to be able to be doing all of this together and for this all to be happening. I’m so proud of her,” said Halle.

You can see a clip above.

source https://uproxx.com/music/chloe-x-halle-thats-my-jam-covers/

source https://trapbeats2023.blogspot.com/2023/04/chloe-x-halle-reunited-on-thats-my-jam.html

Doja Cat is having fun messing around with her fans about her new album. The follow-up to 2021’s singular Planet Her is highly anticipated and rumors abound, mostly started by the singer herself. For instance, she has continuously backtracked on what genre it will be: rave-influenced, rap, R&B, punk, not pop.

As if that’s not enough, Doja has fans confused about what it will be called. She’s teased the title Hellmouth and then claimed it was “not Hellmouth anymore,” and instead Moist Holes. Of course, fans did not take that at face value.

Yesterday (April 17), the “Woman” performer shared an Instagram Story that seemed to unveil the LP tracklist, which included 19 songs. It displays questionable titles such as “Wet Vagina,” “Gun,” and “Ouchies.”

Afterward, she went on Instagram Live and played snippets of songs to build up the hype even further. Luckily, the stream has since been shared to YouTube and can be viewed. During it, she says, “You’re probably wondering how I’m hearing this for the first time when it’s my song, but whenever I make a song or an album, I’m so high that I forget what it sounds like until I come back to it.”

Watch the video of Doja’s livestream above. Look at the possible tracklist below.

1. “Love Life”
2. “Attention”
3. “Go Off Lil Mama”
4. “Paint The Town Red”
5. “Gun”
6. “Demons”
7. “Skull N Bones”
8. “Balut”
9. “Agora Hills”
10. “97”
11. “Wet Vagina”
12. “Loonie”
13. “Can’t Wait”
14. “Ouchies”
15. “Often”
16. “Disrespectful”
17. “NHIE”
18. “FTG”
19. “Seeing Stars”

source https://uproxx.com/music/doja-cat-new-album-snippets-tracklist/

source https://trapbeats2023.blogspot.com/2023/04/doja-cat-teases-snippets-of-her-new.html

Megan Thee Stallion, as part of a cover story for Elle Magazine, shared a powerful new personal essay that finds her reflecting on the Tory Lanez assault trial. (He was found guilty last year following the 2020 incident.)

In the piece, she spoke about the implications of the trial and how not being believed affected her:

“It never crossed my mind that people wouldn’t believe me. Still, I knew the truth and the indisputable facts would prevail. I had worked way too hard to reach this point in my career to let taunts deter me. When the guilty verdict came on Dec. 23, 2022, it was more than just vindication for me, it was a victory for every woman who has ever been shamed, dismissed, and blamed for a violent crime committed against them.

But my heart hurts for all the women around the world who are suffering in silence, especially if you’re a Black woman who doesn’t appear as if she needs help. So many times, people looked at me and thought, ‘You look strong. You’re outspoken. You’re tall. You don’t look like somebody who needs to be saved.’ They assumed that, per preconceived stigmas, ‘I didn’t fit the profile of a victim,’ and that I didn’t need support or protection.

Time after time, women are bullied with backlash for speaking out against their attackers, especially when they’re accusing someone who is famous and wealthy. They’re often accused of lying or attempting to make money from their trauma. From firsthand experience, I know why a lot of women don’t come forward. Any support and empathy that I received was drowned out by overwhelming doubt and criticism from so many others.”

Toward the end, she notes that she’s trying her best to heal by taking time off social media and instead hanging out with her dogs (or popping up at baseball games.) Megan has also turned to journaling and prayer. And that, with this piece, it will be the last time she speaks about the incident.

“My purpose is for these words to serve as the final time that I’ll address anything regarding this case in the press,” she wrote. “I understand the public intrigue, but for the sake of my mental health, I don’t plan to keep reliving the most traumatic experience of my life over and over again. I’m choosing to change the narrative because I’m more than just my trauma.”

Read Megan’s full essay here.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

source https://uproxx.com/music/megan-thee-stallion-tory-lanez-essay/

source https://trapbeats2023.blogspot.com/2023/04/megan-thee-stallion-opened-up-about.html