For those who had plans to attend this year’s Rolling Loud Festival in Miami, the hope was to see a great set from Kanye West as it would be his first big performance since his Larry Hoover Benefit Concert at the end of last year. Kanye’s first big show of the year should’ve been during Coachella back in April, but he dropped out of his headlining slot at the last minute. While Kanye signed on to headline day one of Miami’s Rolling Loud Festival, he once again dropped out at the last second leaving the showcase to replace him with Kid Cudi. However, Kanye still opted to make an appearance during the night.
During Lil Durk’s set on Friday, which interestingly enough, took place after Cudi’s headlining set at a different stage, Kanye West surprised fans by coming out for a brief performance of “Father Strech My Hands, Pt. 1.” It’s hard to ignore that Kanye dropped out of the festival just to appear and perform a song that not only features the artist he was replaced with but one that he is currently at odds with.
Kanye first expressed his issues with Cudi earlier this year prior to the release of Donda 2. He announced that Cudi would not appear on the album due to his friendship with Pete Davidson, who is of course dating West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
You can view video from Kanye’s appearance at Rolling Loud above.
While The RZA by himself is an indelible part of hip-hop history, he has also created an alter ego for himself by the name of Bobby Digital. The name previously appeared in the title of his 1998 debut albumBobby Digital In Stereo and, under the alias, he has released a few solo albums. This week, Digital is back with the new track “Troubleshooting” which appears on the Wu-Tang Clan member’s soundtrack for his upcoming graphic novel Bobby Digital And The Pit Of Snakes.
“Troubleshooting” has a smooth guitar solo opening before the drums and cymbals join the mix. A soulful vocalist belts out “Trouble keeps on finding me, the man trying to take my time / Keeping me from love I need, that’s why I got to take what’s mine / I feel it in my spine.” The tune definitely feels more like jazz or an old ballad than what people may expect seeing The RZA’s name associated, but it simply shows how versatile the legendary artist is.
The graphic novel soundtrack consists of eight total songs and no featured artists.
Check out “Troubleshooting” above.
The soundtrack for Bobby Digital And The Pit Of Snakes is available now via 36 Chambers. Listen here.
In terms of unexpected pairings that actually work really well, the Russ and Ed Sheeran one feels like it hits the sweet spot on the axis chart. Titled “Are You Entertained,” their collaboration finds the two ostensible underdogs (who are both actually ridiculously successful) feeling themselves and letting you know it. In the video for the new song, Russ hops off a private jet in the UK, where Ed picks him up for a night on the town. They hit a pub, a fancy restaurant, and a nightclub, soaking in their success.
It’s always fun when Ed Sheeran gets some bars off, as he’s wont to do every now and again, but alongside Russ, who usually brings out the best in his collaborators — see Chomp and Chomp 2 — Ed sounds … well… swaggy in a way we rarely hear from him. It’s pretty cool because he doesn’t force it, he just lets his natural charisma — and some smooth falsetto ad-libs — shine through.
Russ seems to be enjoying his travels lately, making his jet-setting the focus of both this video and his last one, “Yes Sir.” I suppose international travel does tend to boost one’s confidence — especially when it’s via private jet with celebrity concierges like Ed Sheeran in many of your stops. As for Ed, he continues to branch out musically, recently appearing alongside Burna Boy in his “For My Hand” video from Love, Damini, and with J Balvin in “Sigue.”
Watch Russ and Ed’s “Are You Entertained” video above.
Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” is a hit: It has nearly 75 million streams on Spotify already and its No. 7 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 represents Beyoncé’s biggest chart success since her and Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” was No. 1 in 2017. (Her most recent top-10 solo single was 2016’s “Formation.”)
Fans have listened to the song a lot at this point and now Beyoncé has offered a different look at it by releasing the instrumental and a capella versions of the song.
Having these two halves of the track makes it easier for fans to appreciate both the instrumental and the vocal, as it’s now easier to hear the subtleties of both. Not to mention, this opens the door for producers and remixers to put their own spin on the song, or for singers to take the mic and sing it along with the original production.
The a capella in particular has been well-received, as it has left some fans in awe of Beyoncé’s vocal capabilities:
Beyoncé vocals are so heavenly on the a capella version
Credited as composers on the album version of “Break My Soul” are Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Christopher A. Stewart (Tricky Stewart), S. Carter (Jay-Z), Allen George, Fred McFarlane, Adam Pigott (BlaqNmilD), and Freddie Ross (Big Freedia).
Listen to the instrumental and a capella versions of “Break My Soul” above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
When it comes to rap, money is the motive for many. Awards, acclaim, and lists are cool, but the pursuit of poses drives most of the biggest acts. Key Glock lives this reality to the fullest in his new video for “I Be.” Whether it be beautiful women counting up his stacks or adding more to his plate after big wins in poker, there is no shortage of cash in this visual. Key Glock raps with calculated confidence as he reflects on all he does in his life to keep the bags flowing. If the video doesn’t make it clear enough, the bars certainly add to the narrative.
The 24-year-old follows behind a lineage of Memphis rappers with similar wealth goals, dropping this visual off just weeks after his latest single “Diapers.” 2022 also saw Glock share “Pain Killers,” “Proud,” and the deluxe version of Yellow Tape 2, which added 10 songs to the original 2021 iteration of the album. The young rapper also showed what he could do alongside a seasoned veteran that same year, joining forces with the late Young Dolph for Dum And Dummer 2.
With his work rate, it may be possible another project is coming before the year ends.
Up until the release of Tyler’s fourth studio album, Flower Boy, he was still considered an underdog. After its release, he found himself at the forefront of pop culture, poised to become a No. 1-selling, Grammy Award-winning, certified superstar. A lot of that is owed to the stylistic switch he made on Flower Boy; shedding his abrasive, foul-mouthed shock-rapper persona, Tyler leaned into more melodic production sensibilities and confessional songwriting — a gamble that surely paid off with more mainstream acceptance after his early material made the industry establishment keep him at arm’s length.
Today, on Flower Boy‘s fifth anniversary, Tyler reflected on how the album’s release was the moment that “changed everything” for him and shared his favorite musical moments from it, getting really specific as he underlined those moments down to the bar.
“my favorite FLOWER BOY moments: sometimes; music under first 4 bars of 2nd verse on pothole; ‘find the words’ section on garden shed; 2nd half of i aint got time; dropping seeds/november/ enjoy today as a whole; glitter 2nd half harmonies,” he wrote. “flower boy changed everything for me, thank you all for your ears.”
my favorite FLOWER BOY moments: sometimes; music under first 4 bars of 2nd verse on pothole; “find the words ” section on garden shed; 2nd half of i aint got time; dropping seeds/november/ enjoy today as a whole; glitter 2nd half harmonies
The film, published on Amazon Music in partnership with 88 Rising, is described as “A deeply personal coming-of-age story which follows music artist Akeem ‘GUAP’ Hayes as he navigates a complex upbringing in Oakland, California. The music from GUAP’s album 1176, titled after his childhood home address, sets the tone for this moving story, telling the tale of a Black-Filipino artist as he explores his identity, his family, and community.”
Guap previously held a screening for the film in June 2021 in collaboration with his recent album1176, and released the promotional trailer last week. With effortless charisma and a variety of ways to both relate to and entertain people, it seems it was only a matter of time before Guap went this route.
I Got tired of people saying my life is a movie… so I shot one. It’s a short film/musical and it’s saucy as fuck. I’m premiering it in LA at Braindead Studios on Fairfax .All the Scamily pull up if I’ve invited you . I’m not done telling my story ! #1176albumpic.twitter.com/RFOnZuZGJO
Priscilla Presley is pushing back against the narrative that her late ex-husband and music legend Elvis Presley was racist. Due to the Baz Luhrman biopic starring Austin Butler as The King, there’s been renewed attention around Elvis’ allegedly racist background. While the film shows the iconic crooner being moved by the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, it does touch on the belief that Elvis carried prejudices, which Priscilla did not appreciate.
“Per the movie, [for] a long time it was stated that Elvis was a racist,” Priscilla said in a new interview with Piers Morgan. “He was not a racist. He had never been a racist. He had friends, Black friends, friends from all over. He loved their music, he loved their style. He loved being around Black musicians.”
Priscilla took things further by calling out the need to “expose” everyone. Via IndieWire:
“He loved, loved being around Blacks. He loved being around anyone, actually,” Priscilla continued. “He was not prejudiced in any way. He was not racist in any way. It’s like we’re looking for something from everyone so we can somehow expose them in some way. It’s frightening right now.”
Sensing an opening, Morgan asked Priscilla what Elvis would think of today’s “cancel culture,” and the British broadcaster certainly got the quote he was fishing for.
“Elvis would probably go to the president, like he did with Nixon,” Priscilla said. “Put his foot down and say, ‘What is going on?’ I don’t know what happened to freedom. I don’t know if there is freedom here anymore. I think we’re in a very dangerous time.”
Martin was served a restraining order by his nephew earlier this month, as the 21-year-old claimed that the two had been involved in a relationship that ended badly, prompting harassment from Martin, who denied the allegations. According to the singer’s lawyers, Ricky Martin has, of course, never been — and would never be — involved in any kind of sexual or romantic relationship with his nephew. The idea is not only untrue, it is disgusting. We all hope that this man gets the help he so urgently needs. But, most of all, we look forward to this awful case being dismissed as soon as a judge gets to look at the facts.”
Today, after the case was withdrawn, Martin’s legal team issued the following statement:
Just as we had anticipated, the temporary protection order was not extended by the Court. The accuser confirmed to the court that his decision to dismiss the matter was his alone, without any outside influence or pressure, and the accuser confirmed he was satisfied with his legal representation in the matter. The request came from the accuser asking to dismiss the case. This was never anything more than a troubled individual making false allegations with absolutely nothing to substantiate them. We are glad that our client saw justice done and can now move forward with his life and his career.
“Hi motherf*cker, did you miss me?” asks Lizzo on “The Sign,” the opening track of her second major label album, Special. While the obvious answer may be ”yes,” it feels like her latest offering arrived right when we needed it. Throughout the album, Lizzo spares us any spiels about the pandemic, with the exception of the line “I’ve been home since 2020” on the aforementioned song. However, she knows we’re ready to get back out and dance.
When her major label debut,Cuz I Luv You dropped in 2019, a once indie favorite Lizzo brought herself into the pop landscape with a confidence anthem called “Juice.” The song garnered much popularity that year, especially after it was featured in the series finale of Broad City. The song’s buzz opened the doors for other uplifting songs of hers to rise to the top of the charts, including “Truth Hurts” and “Good As Hell,” which had respectively been released two and three years prior.
Special follows the Lizzo signature formula; providing uplifting anthems by way of soulful vocals, catchy raps, and live instrumentation. The album features Lizzo sticking to what she does best, while taking her musical craft a step further. As a collection of individual tracks, or as a cohesive body of work from start-to-finish, Lizzo has delivered another timeless classic.
By now, most people have heard the disco-inspired “About Damn Time,” whether it be on the radio, through viral TikTok dance videos, or by streaming it of your own volition. The nostalgia factor takes us back to a simpler time, however, Lizzo’s vocal and rap stylings make way for her to create something that is uniquely her own.
Nostalgia is a key theme on Special, as a fair portion of the songs contain spins on other iconic songs. A few of these songs are the feisty, fight-provoking “Grrrls,” which samples “Girls” by Beastie Boys, “Break Up Twice,” which interpolates “Doo Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill, and “Coldplay,” which samples “Yellow” by the song’s namesake band. Sampling songs of that caliber is a big risk, especially during a time when pop and hip-hop artists are heavily relying on samples (see: “First Class” by Jack Harlow). But even as she cashes in on the vintage components, it is evident why artists like Prince expressed interest in working with her, as her ability to take old sounds and reinvent them with a modern twist.
While these samples and interpolations may evoke a smile on the listener’s face as they immediately recognize the source, Lizzo’s best work on Special comes in the form of fresh, new sounds. The interspersed pipe organ paired with the kick drum on “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) creates an infectious earworm, as a once-guarded Lizzo welcomes new love into her life. Meanwhile, an ode to her best friend called “I Love You B*tch” contains hypnotic, repeating synth notes, as well as quirky bars that make Lizzo’s warm, fun personality shine through. Some standouts include “I wanna text you these fire nudeys / this ass on your screen / I feel so complete,” and “Give me your hoody when I’m cold / Bless your heart, it’s too small.”
The album’s title track alludes to moments where she felt overwhelmed by online comments, saying she’s “used to feeling alone.” Wanting to be a source of comfort to those who have also felt that way, she jumps into a loud chorus, reminding us, “in case nobody told you today, you’re special / I’m so glad that you’re still with us / broken but damn, you’re perfect.” It’s a message we all need to hear in 2022, a time when it feels like the world is caving in on us.
The transcendental “Everybody’s Gay” imagines a festive night out with her rainbow squad, as she encourages her friends to take off their masks (no, not their COVID masks), and express themselves, as they “dance the night away.” Upon Special’s release last week, the song became an immediate fan favorite, as it musically creates a safe space for her queer and trans fans. Plus, the fiery guitar lick further fuels the fabulous fire.
From start to finish, Special feels therapeutic, but that’s nothing new from a Lizzo album. But the time at which the album arrives makes the 12-track record a significant stamp within the zeitgeist of the time. Mentions of the pandemic, as well as current contemporary issues are kept to a minimum, which allows the record to feel timeless, and not dated. Over the course of the three years since Lizzo dropped Cuz I Luv You, the way we consume music has changed, especially with platforms like TikTok. While it’s not likely that these songs will have a big sleeper hit moment, like “Truth Hurts” and “Good As Hell” did in 2019, Special is a record is perfect now, and will still be perfect years from now.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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