The woman who filed — then withdrew — a sexual assault lawsuit against Snoop Dogg over an alleged incident in 2013 has resubmitted the lawsuit, this time adding a defamation claim, saying the rapper threatened her. According to Rolling Stone, the woman, who is only identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, now says that Snoop used social media to make veiled threats against her after private mediation between the two parties apparently went south.

The lawsuit specifically cites a post from Snoop’s Instagram captioned, “Gold digger season is here be careful Nefews keep ya guards up.” It also says that Snoop threatened to sue Jane Doe’s legal representatives for malicious prosecution, angling for “tens of millions of dollars in damages.” Along with those accusations, the newly-refiled lawsuit maintains that Snoop gave one of his associates the go-ahead to out Jane Doe in a statement in order to intimidate her into dropping the initial suit. That suit was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff without prejudice, allowing it to be refiled at a later date.

Meanwhile, Snoop’s lawyers have denied that the incident ever took place, calling the lawsuit a “shakedown scheme.” “Nothing remotely resembling plaintiff’s story about defendant Calvin Broadus ever happened,” they wrote in court documents responding to the first lawsuit. “He vehemently denies ever engaging in any sex act with Plaintiff or assaulting or battering her.”

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With Rolling Loud returning to Miami this weekend, the festival organizer and Urban Outfitters announced they’ve collaborated on some exclusive merch to celebrate. The limited-edition collection is designed by Los Angeles-based cut-and-sew brand B2SS. It includes the staples you’d expect to see at the festival itself, with a T-shirt, shorts, sweats, and a bucket hat all designed by B2SS’s founder Gino Deronti. “I had to travel over the rainbow and through the galaxy just to bring you this glimpse of the future,” he said in a statement.

To do so, a motif of 2049 — an aspirational number for the traveling festival, which was founded in 2015 as a single-day event and has since grown to encompass festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Portugal, and Toronto (a Hong Kong festival had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak). The fest’s founders, Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif, said of the UO collaboration, “Rolling Loud strives to offer fans premium apparel that encapsulates hip hop lifestyle and goes beyond traditional concert merch. Urban Outfitters gives us the opportunity to bring our designs and vision to brick and mortar locations across the US for the first time.”

The collection will be available online and in stores beginning today July 21. The festival’s attendees can check out the VIP tent, while Miami’s Aventura Mall and Lincoln Road Urban Outfitters locations will have “enhanced displays.” Check out some of the pieces below.

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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.

On the first song of his new album The Blue Hour, Rexx Life Raj points out how little actually likes the album. “I really only like a few songs on this album,” he muses. “All these feelings still inside me, wanna go in-depth about them.”

Weirdly enough, I find myself agreeing with his assessment. Not in the sense that the music isn’t good; on the contrary, it’s still the same quality we’ve come to expect of the ever-consistent Bay Area rapper. But, written as it was in the immediate aftermath of losing his mother to cancer — and then losing his father less than a year later — it’s a difficult album to get through.

The emotions Raj unpacks throughout the project’s 12 songs are so raw and visceral that The Blue Hour unlocked many of my own anxieties about losing my parents. I’m of the age that many of my friends and loved ones have had to lay their progenitors to eternal rest, and hearing a rapper whose music I’ve invested so much of myself into detail his struggles to process the grief of his mother’s passing got me thinking about the eventuality of having to do the same myself — and the realization that I’m not ready to.

It’s been said that the mark of great art is that it makes you feel something. If that’s the case, then The Blue Hour is one of the greatest hip-hop albums I’ve ever heard. Rexx Life Raj has always been gifted at scene-setting with his words but here, the intensity with which he evokes such an acute sense of loss and despair hits like a cavity pain. Hip-hop music often deals with mortality, but rarely in the way that Raj does here.

While death in rap primarily revolves around the pervasive paranoid sense of sudden death as the result of turf wars and revenge, I haven’t heard very many albums that impress on the listener the helpless dread of watching a loved one slowly, inexorably waste away. Making it all the more unbearable is Raj’s extensive use of recordings of her voice as she professes her belief that everything will be okay. “The thing about grief is it don’t have a warning,” he offers, as if in response. “It comes as random as birds chirping in the morning.”

Even the braggadocio typical of the genre is informed by his loss. On “Save Yourself,” Raj rhymes about pulling up shining and staying on the grind, but when he says, “Ain’t nobody finna come save you / You gotta save yourself,” that absence holds the weight of the elephant in the room plus a couple of unruly silverback gorillas. Our parents are supposed to be there for us. Then, one day they aren’t, and we must do everything for ourselves without the safety net they provide. As Raj puts it, we must learn to “say goodbye to the fear and let it disappear,” because we’re on our own.

Raj also struggles with his faith. While his mom reiterates her trust in God, on “Hands And Knees,” he admits to feeling like prayer is futile: “Talking to God with all this praying / Don’t wanna be strong no more, it’s overrated.” His frustration is exacerbated by the apparent indifference of those friends and family members who fail to check in to show their support — another relatable trial of life. The album’s ostensible love songs also make note of how this breach of trust suffuses his romantic relationships. On “Beauty In The Madness” with Wale and Fireboy DML, the upbeat Nigerian pop-influenced beat belies his melancholy outlook. All he wants is someone to help make sense of his hectic life.

In fact, most of the beats on The Blue Hour have a “crying in the club” appeal. Ironically, it’s probably Raj’s most upbeat album to date, with a tempo and pacing a step or two quicker than the hazy, reflective work he’s put out in the past. In spite of that, he argues that he’s not looking forward to revisiting these moments and thoughts in performances. Likewise, I may file this whole collection into the same mental file I keep Kendrick Lamar’s verses from BJ The Chicago Kid’s “His Pain II” and Big KRIT’s “Yesterday,” the one marked DO NOT OPEN in bright red letters with sobbing emojis stamped all over the folder. It’s heavy, it’s gutting, and yes, it made me cry. In other words, it made me feel something. It’s a great album.

The Blue Hour is out now via Empire. Get it here.

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It’s odd to think that Denzel Curry is experiencing the highest point of his career, ten years into his career. But that’s exactly what’s happening. His new album, Melt My Eyez See Your Future, which is out now on Loma Vista, has received nearly universal acclaim from critics, and has been described as his most mature body of work yet. And despite the accelerated and truncated rollout cycles that are the norm, he’s still pushing it, dropping by 30 Rock in New York City to perform lead single “Walkin” on The Tonight Show.

Once again, he was backed by the Cold-Blooded Soul Band from his impressive Tiny Desk Concert, complete with a horn section to replace the vocal sample from the song. Denzel couldn’t be contained to the stage, roaming the studio floor and giving TV audiences a glimpse of host Jimmy Fallon jamming out to the motivational track.

Denzel’s currently on his North American tour to promote the album as well, stopping next at the Hard Summer festival in Los Angeles. After that, he’ll hit Lollapalooza before picking back up his regular schedule in Vancouver, riding out the homestretch through August, September, and October.

Watch Denzel Curry’s Tonight Show performance of “Walkin” above.

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Next week, Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance will be here, and now we’re starting to get a better idea of what the project looks like. Yesterday, Beyoncé shared the LP’s tracklist, and after some digging, we also know which artists are credited as composers on the album.

The track-by-track list of credited composers can currently be seen on the album’s page on Apple Music (by viewing the page source on an internet browser); Popular Beyoncé Twitter fan account BeyLegion also shared an incomplete version of the credits. Notable contributors include Drake, Jay-Z (credited as S. Carter), Skrillex, Tems, Big Freedia, The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo), Mike Dean, Labrinth, Lucky Daye, Syd, 070 Shake, The-Dream, Raphael Saadiq, No ID, Hit-Boy, BloodPop, and AG Cook.

It’s not clear which of these artists, if any, will be given feature credits on their respective songs, as the tracklist does not currently indicate any featured artists.

BeyLegion also notes that sampled on the album are Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, James Brown, Teena Marie, Twinkie Clark, Kilo Ali, and Moi Renee.

Check out the full list of Renaissance composer credits below.

1. “I’m That Girl”
Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Kelman Duran, Mike Dean, Tommy Wright III, and Andrea Yvette Summers.

2. “Cozy”
Beyoncé, Nija Charles, Honey Redmond, Christopher Lawrence Penny, Luke Francis Matthew Solomon, Mike Dean, Dave Giles II, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, and Curtis Alan Jones.

3. “Alien Superstar”
Beyoncé, Honey Redmond, Christopher Lawrence Penny, Luke Francis Matthew Solomon, Mike Dean, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney, S. Carter, David Debrandon Brown, Dave Hamelin, Timothy Lee Mckenzie, Danielle Balbuena, Rami Yacoub, Leven Kali, Atia Boggs, Levar Coppin, Saliou Diagne, Robert Francis Anthony Manzoli, Richard Peter John Fairbrass, John Michael Holiday, Kim Cooper, and Peter Rauhofer.

4. “Cuff It:
Beyoncé, Nile Rodgers, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Raphael Saadiq, Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney, Morten Ristorp, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Mary Christine Brockert, and Allen Henry McGrier.

5. “Energy”
Beyoncé, Skrillex, Tyshane Thompson, BEAM, Almando Cresso, Jordan Douglas, Tizita Makuria, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Mary Christine Brockert, Allen Henry McGrier, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Adam James Pigott, and Freddie Ross.

6. “Break My Soul”
Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Christopher A. Stewart, S. Carter, Allen George, Fred McFarlane, Adam Pigott, and Freddie Ross.

7. “Church Girl”
Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Ernest “No I.D.” Wilson, Elbernita Clark Terrell, Jimi Stephen Payton, Dion Lamont Norman, Derrick Robert Ordogne, James Brown, Orville Erwin Hall, Phillip Glen Price, Ralph MacDonald, and William Salter.

8. “Plastic Off The Sofa”
Beyoncé, Sabrina Claudio, Sydney Bennett, and Nick Green.

9. “Virgo’s Groove”
Beyoncé, Leven Kali, Solomon Fafenson Cole, Daniel Memmi, Dustin Bowie, Darius Dixson, Jocelyn Donald, Jesse Wilson, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, and Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney.

10. “Move”
Beyoncé, Richard Isong, Ariowa Irosogie, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney, Temilade Openiyi, and Ronald Banful.

11. “Heated”
Beyoncé, Aubrey Drake Graham, Matthew Samuels, Jahaan Sweet, Rupert Thomas Jr., Sean Seaton, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney, and Ricky Lawson.

12. “Thique”
Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Chauncey Hollis, Jr., Atia Boggs, Julian Martrel Mason, Jabbar Stevens, and Cherdericka Nichols.

13. “All Up In Your Mind”
Beyoncé, Jabbar Stevens, Mike Dean, Cherdericka Nichols, Michael Tucker, Alexander Guy Cook, Jameil Aossey, and Larry Griffin, Jr.

14. “America Has A Problem”
Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Mike Dean, S. Carter, Andrell D Rogers, and Tino Santron Mcintosh.

15. “Pure/Honey”
Beyoncé, Michael Tucker, Raphael Saadiq, Darius Dixson, Michael Pollack, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney, Moi Renee, Eric Snead, Jerel Black, Vejai Marcel Alston, Michael D. Cox, Andrew Richardson, and Count Maurice.

16. “Summer Renaissance”
Beyoncé, Leven Kali, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Mike Dean, Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Atia Boggs, Lavar Coppin, Saliou Diagne, Ricky Lawson, Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, and Peter Bellotte.

Renaissance is out 7/29 via Parkwood/Columbia. Pre-order it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Maxo Kream is on a roll, lately — no pun intended. Following up the trunk-knocking “Jigga Dame” and the Benny The Butcher-featuring “Football Heads,” the Houston hard hitter teams up with Silk Sonic singer Anderson .Paak on the head-bopping anthem, “The Vision.” While Maxo recounts some of his favorite sneakers and brags about his high-fashion habits, Paak details the cars, clothes, and women that make him a “legend livin’.”

Maxo’s hot streak continues the momentum from his impressive 2021, which saw him drop videos for “Local Joker,” “Big Persona,” Greener Knots,” “Can’t Leave The Streets Alone,” and “Cripstian” on the way to releasing his third studio album Weight Of The World. The album was well-received by critics and fans and reestablished Maxo’s footing as one of the most captivating rising rappers in the business.

Meanwhile, his collaborator, Anderson .Paak, also had a standout year, thanks in large part to his and his Silk Sonic partner Bruno Mars’s musical pairing. An Evening With Silk Sonic, their group debut, leaned heavily into schtick, but that didn’t stop it from spawning a No. 1 single in “Leave The Door Open,” winning four Grammy Awards for the song, and prompting near universal acclaim.

Listen to Maxo Kream’s “The Vision” featuring Anderson .Paak up top.

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It’s fairly common knowledge that Kanye West‘s early, sample-based production style was heavily influenced by the seminal work of pioneering NY rap group A Tribe Called Quest. Hardcore West heads will even know that quasi Tribe member Consequence was one of his collaborators, writing and appearing on songs like “Spaceship” from his debut album, The College Dropout. But according to Consequence, Kanye also almost joined him as an honorary member of the band proper on its last album, 2016’s We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service.

In a clip from Cons’s upcoming interview with the Drink Champs podcast, Cons tells NORE and DJ EFN, “What many people don’t know is Kanye was, at one point, was supposed to join Tribe for the last album.” This was apparently after original member Phife Dawg passed away, and according to additional notes Consequence provided to HipHopDX, “there were several conversations and sessions to insert Kanye into A Tribe Called Quest for the final LP.” The full details of this creative partnership — and why it never came to fruition, aside from one song, “The Killing Season” — will have to wait until the episode airs on Thursday, July 21.

It should be noted that this was right around the time Kanye was hospitalized during his Life Of Pablo tour and began his slide into increasingly bizarre and problematic behavior following a meeting with then-Presidential hopeful Donald Trump. Kanye’s absence didn’t hurt the album’s reception, though; We Got It from Here debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and eventually went gold. You can watch the clip from Drink Champs below.

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Alabama rapper Flo Milli snatched the attention of the world back in 2020 thanks to her debut project, Ho, Why Is You Here? The 12-track effort is a completely solo body of work that flaunts Flo’s impenetrable confidence and cut-throat lyricism. Ho, Why Is You Here? eventually earned Flo a spot in the 2020 BET cypher and an inclusion in the 2021 XXL Freshman class. Afterward, Flo began work on her official debut album and released a collection of singles ahead of the project’s initial arrival on July 22. However, Flo had other plans and decide to release the album a full two days early.

Yes, that’s right! Flo’s debut album You Still Here, Ho? is out now. The project comes complete with 17 songs, including the previously released “Conceited,” “PBC,” “No Face,” “Roaring 20s,” and “Ice Baby.” You Still Here, Ho? also presents appearances from Tiffany Pollard, who speaks on the album’s opening track, Babyface Ray (“Hottie”), and Rico Nasty (“Pay Day”). Flo and Rico’s collaboration marks the second time that they’ve worked on a song together following the upbeat “Money,” released at the end of last year.

The road towards You Still Here, Ho? also included a documentary about her life before rap and collaborations with GoldLink, Baby Tate, and more.

You Still Here, Ho? is out now via RCA. You can stream it here.

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At the beginning of last year, Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa teamed up on “Shelter” with Wyclef Jean. It was the rappers’ first collaboration in nearly a decade after the initial partners in crime fell out during their respective early rises in hip-hop. Since then, Chance and Vic would reconnect for “Wraith” while teasing fans with another collaboration, but now, for their latest act, the duo is taking their talents to Ghana. Chance and Vic, who is of Ghanaian descent, announced The Black Star Line Festival and it’s set to take place in Ghana’s historic Black Star Square on January 6, 2023.

“Founded in 1919, and operated by Black people, the [Black Star Line] would link America, the Caribbean and Africa, to global shipping and tourism opportunities,” a press release about the festival reads. “The Black Star Line was a symbol of pride, not only for Africans, but also for Black people in all ports of call.” It continues, “After nearly 40 years, the Ghanian government launched their fleet with the same name, in homage to Garvey, and even added a black star to the country’s new flag.”

Chance and Vic also noted that the festival was inspired by Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey as the upcoming showcase is named after his iconic Black Star Line.

Last week, Chance and Vic went to Ghana with eight students from Chicago in order to teach them about their roots. Afterward, Chance spoke about this time in the country.

“When we came here and touched down and felt the love that we received and the fans that we got to connect with, the understanding for the need for the connection became apparent to us,” he said. “We need a music festival bringing major artists to Ghana. This is what we’re working to create.”

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Logic‘s latest album, Vinyl Days, marks the end of an eight-year journey with Def Jam. In a recent episode of Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, the rapper detailed the creative process behind the album. Most notably, he shared that the album was recorded in less than two weeks.

“I made that album in 12 days so I could get off Def Jam,” he revealed. “That’s my favorite part — I’m off Def Jam. I made that album so I could leave, and guess what? I left them with some of the dopest sh*t I could give them. It’s not like I just wiped my ass. What am I excited about? I’m excited to be independent, I’m excited to do my thing.”

As a newly independent artist, Logic is looking forward to making music without having to deal with any of the politics of a major label. Although it seems he couldn’t wait to put Def Jam behind him, Logic insists that there is no bad between him and the iconic hip-hop label.

“I’m really happy to know that I represented and low-key was the face of the label — one of the illest hip-hop labels of all time — and that I sold millions and millions of records and gave them billions and billions of streams,” he said, “and that it was a good partnership. And I couldn’t be happier to get the f*ck out.”

Check out the full episode of Logan Paul’s Impaulsive (if you must) above.

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