The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

We’re at the point where it’s both reductive and inadequate to call Rico Nasty just a rapper. And Rico’s new mixtape, Las Ruinas, is exhibit A in the argument that what the Maryland artist does is way too expansive, creative, and intriguing to be constrained to the labels it has been given so far. Some of those labels include punk-rap, emo-trap, scream-rap, and sugar trap – the last term Rico’s own, coined on one of her first mixtapes. Las Ruinas explodes those paradigms, throwing Paramore, Run-DMC, Lil Uzi Vert, and Nicki Minaj into a blender and letting it rip, creating something entirely different from any of its influences.

In the run-up to the release, Rico insinuated that the tape would show a softer side of the brash, ‘80s-inspired artist than her debut album, Nightmare Vacation. Insomuch as it accomplishes this mission, there’s still a lot of yelling – which is actually a good thing. When artists try to get confessional, they can sometimes lean too heavily into the emotion, making for a mawkish, melodramatic affair. Rather than getting bogged down by maudlin ballads, Las Ruinas opts to expand the sonic palette of its predecessor, which in turn allows Rico to try new things without really leaving her lane. It’s a neat trick.

Part of it is that Rico’s lane is really wide. She’s already established herself in the hyperpop lane, where plenty of these new tracks reside. The album opens with “Intrusive,” all warped-synths and overblown bass kicks, with Rico rasping her way through the uptempo track, occasionally embellished with spacey vocal effects. “Black Punk,” meanwhile, takes the tempo down a tick and adds some Korn-ish guitar – it’s not exactly punk, or nu-metal, but it’s clearly influenced by both. The flavor of Rico’s own secret sauce is what ties it all together and keeps any single element from dominating the mix.

The closest she comes to a recognizable, single genre effort is the emphatic “Blow Me,” which borrows the thumping drums of Memphis trap with a hypnotic instrumental loop from the Atlanta strain, then finds Rico splitting the difference between her “Own It” flow and the one from “Fashion Week” for a cavalier call-out to challengers. It’s an impressive show of her improvement since Nightmare Vacation, as she mocks, “Your bitch ain’t bad, she a eyesore / Truth hurts, baby, you should lie more.” It’s just one of a litany of guffaw-worthy rhymes on the album, and you can almost hear her snickering as she says them.

Rico even manages to put her own specific twist on a rising trend with “Jungle,” Rico’s remix of Fred Again..’s pulse-pounding house jam. Remember when I said Black people were coming back to reclaim dance music? Rico definitely got the memo. What’s truly awesome about the confidence and comfort she displays on this track is that she appears just as cozy on Nirvana-esque ballad “Easy,” the dreamy “Focus On Me,” and the album’s closer, “Chicken Nugget.”

The latter, an ode to her son Cameron, is a true triumph; in it, Rico opens up about how Cam opened up her own world. “Now I see why my mama yelled at me,” she reflects. “I can see how she was obsessed with me.” It’s exactly the sort of vulnerability peeking out of the thrash-rapper facade that strengthens her image as a badass. There’s real passion and heartache – the kind born of the implied and well-known struggles of motherhood, highlighted by the usual teenage angst – fueling her outbursts. At the same time, by pulling off the mask, even slightly, Rico makes herself more relatable, more endearing, and more human than many of her peers in the SoundCloud-bred, screamo-rap scene, whose “rage” has always struck me as at least a little bit manufactured.

The eclecticism displayed on Las Ruinas might leech some of its replay value or turn off listeners looking for a more consistent listening experience. It’s cohesive but chaotic, so throwing it on when you’re in one mood might mean you have to skip around to find the tracks that suit that mood. While it’s far from a road trip staple or a surefire party starter, there’s lots here to love – most of all, its star, who proudly made this album for herself, doing exactly what she wanted to do. Its real value might be in once again pushing open the boundaries for the next weird little kid who doesn’t want to stick to one thing but take up every available inch of whatever lane they drive in.

Las Ruinas is out now on Atlantic Records. Get it here.

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

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Louisiana rapper JayDaYoungan (real name Javorius Scott) is dead at 24 years old after getting shot on Wednesday (July 17) morning, according to New Orleans’ Fox 8.

JayDaYoungan and his father, Kenyatta Scott Sr., were both shot in a Bogalusa double shooting, which took place at around 5:50 p.m. in the 600 block of Superior Avenue. Scott was transported to a hospital and is in stable condition.

Last night, the Bogalusa Police Department shared a Facebook post that reads, “We can now identify the victims as Javorius Scott, A.K.A. JayDaYoungan and close family member Kenyatta Scott Sr. We can also confirm that Javorius Scott has died as a result of his injuries. Kenyatta Scott Sr. has been transported to another facility and we have been told he is in stable condition. Detectives are currently conducting interviews and working leads. Further information will follow as it becomes available.”

Mindy West, the manager of a Bogalusa gas station, told Fox 8 of the rapper, “He’s been in here often. He was never rude or anything when he came in here. He was really friendly. He’s really popular out this way for sure.”

CBS WWL reports in recent months, investigators connected JayDaYoungan to gang-related crimes in rural Louisiana, and that he was sentenced to prison in June for possession of a firearm while under indictment or felony. He was under indictment for a felony crime in Harris County, Texas. In the Louisiana case, a judge sentenced the rapper to time served after seven months in prison.

The rapper’s most-streamed song on Spotify is the Platinum single “23 Island,” a track from the 2019 mixtape Misunderstood that has over 120 million plays. The song’s YouTube video also has over 173 million views. Other noteworthy songs include “Elimination” and “Opps.” The rapper has collaborated with artists including Latto, Dej Loaf, Moneybagg Yo, Kevin Gates, YFN Lucci, Boosie Badazz, and Lil Durk. JayDaYoungan’s biggest chart success was Misunderstood, which peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard 200.

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

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Back in May, Cara Delevingne stole the show at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, whether she was taking not-so-great photos of Doja Cat or having enthusiastic interactions with Megan Thee Stallion, which led to accusations of her “fetishizing Black women” and just being a bit too much. Now, Delevingne has spoken about that fateful night on The Tonight Show.

During an interview yesterday, Jimmy Fallon showed a photo of the Only Murders In The Building actor holding the train of Megan’s dress on the BBMAs red carpet and asked for the story there. Delevingne noted Megan invited her to join her at the show and help her memorize an acceptance speech, but Delevingne didn’t think she’d end up being a noticeable part of the proceedings. On the red carpet, Delevingne noticed Megan struggling with her train, so she helped out by moving it around for her.

She then spoke about that aforementioned Doja photo (not directly but seemingly so based on context), saying, “I walked in and I had a seat in the front row. I’m like, ‘I’m not meant to be here.’ So I was like, ‘Hi!’ And then I was getting on the floor, taking pictures. That’s what what I do because I’m like, I don’t know, I was just really excited. I was like, ‘Let me get my angle, guys, I’m a photographer!’”

She added, “I was living my best life, but people found it a bit odd, which… people find me odd, but that’s me. No shame!”

Check out the interview above.

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

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Nearly a year after they released their fourth album Culture III, breakup rumors regarding Migos began to swirl around the industry. It started after Offset unfollowed both Quavo and Takeoff on Instagram after the latter two announced their “Hotel Lobby” track under the moniker Unc And Phew. Both of these things pushed many fans to believe that Migos’ time together was nearing an end. Last month, the group canceled their scheduled performance at Governors Ball which only added fuel to the rumors, but it seems like all could be well in Migos land as the trio will headline Pepsi’s 2022 National Battle Of The Bands.

The National Battle Of The Bands is an annual music showcase that focuses on spotlighting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their marching bands. This year, the showcase will take place on August 27 and Migos’ performance will occur after the final band competition for the battle. The addition of Migos for the National Battle Of The Bands is a big one for the showcase as it marks the first time that a major internationally-known artist has performed at the competition.

Migos’ addition to the National Battle Of The Bands showcase comes after Quavo said that Migos’ solo endeavors help to keep the group together. “I feel like every group member has to establish themselves,” he said during an interview with GQ. “Their own body of work. If not, you start losing members.”

For more information about the National Battle Of The Bands, tickets, and the full listing of events, click here.

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Donnell Russell, who described himself as disgraced singer R. Kelly’s manager has pled guilty to stalking and harassing one of the singer’s sexual abuse victims, according to Rolling Stone. The 47-year-old was accused of harassing and intimidating a Jane Doe victim and her mother using emails, phone calls, and text messages to keep her from pursuing justice against Kelly. Russell was previously accused of making gun threats in an attempt to stop a screening of Surviving R. Kelly in New York City. Last week, he was convicted on those charges.

In a statement, United States Attorney Breon Peace said, “Russell used threats, harassment and intimidation in a deliberate effort to silence one of R. Kelly’s victims and prevent her voice from being heard. When his initial effort failed, he continued his vile campaign by sending threatening messages to Jane Doe and her mother, and publishing explicit photos of the victim on the internet before and after Kelly was indicted. As this prosecution makes clear, the defendant’s conduct was not only reprehensible, but it was also criminal and will not be tolerated.”

Among the tactics that Russell used were threats to post explicit photos of Jane Doe online if she didn’t withdraw her civil suit against him. He apparently followed through after over a year of threats, posting the photos to Facebook in 2020. He might have found a better use for his time; Kelly was found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering last year and was sentenced last month to 30 years in prison.

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Earlier this month, Frank Ocean‘s first proper album Channel Orange turned 10, which naturally prompted writers to sing the praises of the highly acclaimed 2010s landmark. Except the critical love was curiously qualified in the same, specific way. For instance, Rolling Stone noted that Ocean’s second LP, 2016’s Blonde, has “arguably outshined Channel Orange in scope and impact.” Similarly, Stereogum also suggested that Blonde has “arguably eclipsed [Channel Orange] in terms of influence and prestige.”

For those keeping score, Channel Orange “arguably” is now down to Blonde in scope, impact, influence, and prestige. That’s four — count ’em four! — indicators of “greatness,” all leaning in the opposite direction away from Channel Orange. Actually, as far as critical consensus goes, “arguably” almost seems unnecessary at this point. Initially released to enthusiastic but somewhat reticent reviews — many critics, including yours truly, found it to be somewhere between a masterpiece and an incomplete mess — Blonde has indeed over time overshadowed (or “outshined” or “eclipsed”) its predecessor.

Consider that Pitchfork rated Blonde a 9.0 upon release – a stellar but slightly worse score than Channel Orange‘s 9.5 — only to rank it as the best album of the 2010s three years later. (Channel Orange came in at No. 10, a stellar but of course slightly worse placement.) Over at Rolling Stone, Blonde came out over Channel Orange on its Best Albums Of The Decade list, popping up at No. 12 vs. Channel Orange‘s (far too low) No. 37 ranking. But on the magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time list, compiled just one year later, Blonde rose all the way to No. 79 — only three albums from the 2010s (Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, and Beyoncé’s Lemonade) did better, so perhaps Blonde is now considered that decade’s fourth best record. (Channel Orange meanwhile lagged behind at No. 148, ahead of John Prine’s self-titled debut and just below Jeff Buckley’s Grace.)

Two things appear to be true in terms of how Channel Orange is now perceived — first, it’s indisputably a classic album of its era and, second, it seems to be regarded as a bit worse than Blonde. But is this really about these Frank Ocean albums, or does it actually say more about the people who write about music for a living? I have a theory that there are actually two 2010s — early 2010s and late 2010s — and these adjacent micro-generations are defined musically in part by Channel Orange and Blonde.

I have a clear memory of when Channel Orange was released in the summer of 2012. Like almost anyone who cared about popular music at the time, I was primed for this record. I had enjoyed and reviewed 2011’s Nostalgia, Ultra, a mixtape (not technically an album) that showed Ocean to be a singer-songwriter with tremendous potential he was just coming to realize. Now all signs were pointing toward a major breakthrough.

Ocean appeared the night before the release on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and performed a startling rendition of one of the album’s most emotional tracks, “Bad Religion.” The song touched on the themes of unrequited love and personal identity that Ocean discussed in a widely read Tumblr post from one week prior, in which he revealed in heartfelt and poetic language that he had fallen in love with a man in 2009. This letter would inform how Channel Orange was subsequently heard and written about. First and foremost, it made Frank Ocean an artist that people wanted to see succeed.

Also on Fallon, it was announced that Channel Orange was actually out right now, a week earlier than expected. As this was the early 2010s, during the lull before streaming took hold, the rush release was intended to briefly circumvent piracy. And it worked: Many of us really did purchase the album download immediately after Fallon. We wanted to hear Orange as soon as possible, and it instantly became one of the first “event” albums of the social media era. In 2012, it was still novel for “everyone” to experience an album for the first time simultaneously online, and the impromptu late-night listening party undoubtedly added to Channel Orange‘s sense of importance.

Looked at more broadly, Channel Orange came out in the waning days of Barack Obama’s first term, and it pointed toward a future in which America’s first Black commander-in-chief became the first Democrat to win two presidential elections with a majority of the vote since FDR. In Ocean, many people saw a different kind of transformational figure, a forward-thinking paradigm-shifter whose sudden rise seemed to indicate real social progress for queer Americans. (Even Obama, who entered the White House officially opposed to gay marriage, had only changed his public position two months before Channel Orange was released.) This made Channel Orange in its time more than just an excellent album; it was also a feel-good story, an optimistic bellwether portending positive change on the horizon, a quintessential Obama-era cultural signifier.

Is it possible that these short-term attributes have somehow dated Channel Orange in retrospect? There are aspects of Channel Orange that feel much older than just a decade, especially when you compare it to Blonde. The circumstances of each album’s release have a striking yin-yang quality — while Channel Orange came out at a time when it appeared as though recent progressive gains would be impossible to reverse, Blonde arrived (along with the even more radical Endless) at the end of the Obama era, as the dread-inducing murk of Trump’s America loomed. This has shaped how both albums sound in 2022.

When Pitchfork placed Blonde at the top of its best of the 2010s list, the music site effectively retconned it as a record that expressed how it felt to be alive in the cursed late 2010s better than any other work of art. “The year 2016 crystallized the political disaster right under the surface.” writer Doreen St. Felix noted. “People theorized that we needed anthems to get us through the dark night. Big choruses, hooks as wide as highway signs, regular percussion that could gird us from chaos. But our mood was languorous; jingoism was the problem in the first place. We wanted the blurred, the softened, the existential.”

Channel Orange had once also seemed “blurred,” “softened” and “existential.” Upon its release, the album felt insular, strange, and willfully anti-commercial. That was part of Orange‘s progressive appeal. But in the wake of Blonde‘s much more extreme fragmentation — in which drums and most other instrumentation were eschewed to intensify the spotlight on Ocean’s pained, introspective isolation — Orange suddenly seemed relatively buoyant and accessible, if also (perhaps) less “real.” Whereas the relatively hopeful period that Channel Orange evokes seems further away each day, the alienated interior soundscapes of Blonde feel as new as the morning sunrise, not just in terms of influence — which has been immense on pop music, which is more vibey than ever — but emotional relevance. If Channel Orange hits like a happy but distant memory, Blonde feels as present as your latest breath.

I’ve spent a lot of time listening to Channel Orange and Blonde lately, and it should be noted, before anything else, that pitting them against each other is foolish. They are, again, highly complementary albums that offer distinctly different (but equally masterful) experiences. While my feelings about Blonde were initially mixed, I now hear it as an album that feels wholly unique to Ocean’s sensibility. With Channel Orange, critics were quick to put Ocean in a continuum of icons that included shapeshifters like Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, and Prince, all of whom managed to make wildly successful pop on their own intensely eccentric terms. But with Blonde, Ocean made the case for starting his own continuum, in which future musicians would follow a path charted by him and him alone in the 2010s and beyond.

This is why Blonde, I’m sure, now gets the edge over Channel Orange in the minds of music writers. It feels more important. But while I acknowledge the musical ingenuity and power of that record, my recent spins tell me my heart still resides with Channel Orange. I just think the songs are better, while also registering more fully as songs as opposed to vibe-y setpieces. (You can’t convince me Frank has yet topped “Pyramids,” unless you want to make a case for “Thinkin’ Bout You” or “Forrest Gump.”) As an album, it is more dynamic and well rounded — it has the stripped-down gut-punches (“Bad Religion,” “Pink Matter”) that point toward Blonde, but it also has the catchy bangers (“Super Rich Kids,” “Lost”) that Frank mostly left behind on his second album.

Above all, Blonde would not exist without Channel Orange. First, Frank Ocean assembled his original masterpiece. Then he disassembled it in order to create a pared-down second masterpiece. Together, they represent a singular journey through an uncertain and tumultuous era.

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A Detroit rap duo is accusing Megan Thee Stallion of copyright infringement, claiming that a song from her 2020 debut Good News copies major elements of their own 2012, including its chorus, tempo, and tune. According to Complex, which acquired the court documents after rumors sprang up about the lawsuit on gossip blogs earlier this week, the lawsuit was filed by Duawn Payne and Harrell James, who go by Go Hard Major and H-Matic, and compares Megan’s track “Go Crazy” with their own song “Go Crazy.”

The lawsuit also names Big Sean, a featured artist on “Go Crazy,” as well as 1501 Certified Entertainment, 300 Entertainment, and Universal Music Publishing. Oddly enough, though, Complex notes that 2 Chainz, who also features on the song, is not named. Here’s the original “Go Crazy,” which you can compare to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Go Crazy” below:

Go Hard Major and H-Matic say they performed their song at multiple nightclubs in Detroit, Big Sean’s hometown, that he would have frequented. They also claim they’ve sold “thousands” of physical copies of the track on CD, creating plenty of opportunities for Sean to access the track. They’re seeking unspecified damages for copyright infringement and say they’ve sent cease and desist letters to both Megan and Sean.

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

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Earlier this month, Kodak Black once again found himself in legal trouble when he was arrested on drug charges in Florida. Police officers pulled him over for a possible illegal window tint, and when they approached his car, they smelled a strong scent of marijuana, which led to a vehicle search. They discovered 31 oxycodone pills and $74,960 in cash. Kodak was then charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and trafficking oxycodone. Days after he was released from jail after posting $75,000 in bond, Kodak took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the arrest, which he called an attempt at “character assassination.”

“This Sh*t bogus Af,” Kodak began in one tweet. “I feel like This a character assassination issue [cause there’s] no way I should be getting harassed bout my tag being expired, that’s no reason to even search my car in the first place and going to jail about having my medication in the car is insane.” In a second post, he continued, “Ima Sue these people for every dollar I gotta spend bout this sh*t !”

Kodak went further with his thoughts about the arrest in future tweets. “I’m being racially profiled and as a black man in America,” he wrote. “I deserve my freedom especially with everything I do for my community I should be getting love , respect and support from the authorities ! To move freely , not getting arrested for expired tag and dark windows.” In a final message, Kodak accepted some blame in the matter, but still labeled the situation as an attack on him.

“This a self inflicted wound that coulda been prevented !” he added. “My people posta made sure my tags stay up and my tints Just right but @ da same time I should have a pass to drive with tints due to my status AT LEAST !!! I show all this love round here just to get slapped in the face [sad face emoji].”

You can view the tweets from Kodak above.

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

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Usher is taking to television: The Grammy Award-winning vocalist has signed on as an executive producer for an upcoming television series called Storyville, as reported by Variety.

The series, set in New Orleans, will tell the story of five brothel madams seeking to gain control over the city’s Red Light District. It is a music-centered series which will be focused on the beginning of the Jazz Age in New Orleans.

“Storyville is an epic tale sparked by the origins of the sound that inspired my career — a story that touches the nerve of social and cultural relevance today,” Usher said in a statement.

At the time of reporting, the series is currently in development by Starlings Television and is targeted for global sale to various networks. Starlings TV President/EP Chris Philip and CEO Karine Martin are also set to co-executive produce the show, alongside Usher, as well as creators and showrunners Bill Macdonald and Walt Becker, and Marcus Morton.

“Usher’s massive global appeal, musical and acting genius will propel this unique and compelling original series into must-see viewing worldwide,” Philip said in a statement. “His invaluable creative and musical contributions to Storyville fulfill our vision of contrasting the gritty, sometimes brutal sides of New Orleans life with it giving birth to a beautiful, diverse and defining new artform.”

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A couple weeks ago on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” parked itself at No. 2, right behind Harry Styles’ “As It Was” at No. 1. The week after, that stayed the same when “As It Was” remained on top for a tenth total week. On this week’s chart, though, “About Damn Time” finally soared high enough to overtake the top spot from Styles’ hit, demoting it to the silver-medal spot.

If Styles is feeling bitter about all this, he’s not showing it, as he graciously accepted his defeat by sending Lizzo a colorful arrangement of flowers. Lizzo showed them off in a TikTok video, in which she holds them and says, “Thanks for the flowers, Harry,” before smelling them and flashing a smile. She wrote in the post caption, “Yall harry got me flowers congratulating me on about damn time going #1 [crying emojis].”

Lizzo and Styles have some history together: In 2020, they hosted a joint concert on Super Bowl weekend. In April, Lizzo popped up as a surprise guest at Styles’ Coachella set. Lizzo also showed her love for Styles’ new album Harry’s House in June, declaring, “He put the whole Harrussy into that album. I love his new album.”

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

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