With today’s prevalence of social media, it’s hard to imagine a celebrity who decisively stays off popular platforms like Instagram. Some artists like Lorde keep their accounts active but remain radio silent until they’re ready to roll out a new era of music. But other artists like Jay-Z managed to stay off Instagram altogether — until now. The rapper officially rejoined the platform this week to promote his upcoming work and was able to reach a major milestone: He’s now the only person followed by Beyonce on Instagram.
In less than 24 hours after Jay-Z relaunched his Instagram account, he’s already racked up nearly 2 million followers. One of those followers includes his wife, Beyonce — though he has quite a long way to go until he can compare to Beyonce’s follower count, which is at over 216 million. It will come as no surprise that Jay-Z reciprocated Beyonce’s follow and she is also the only person he’s following on the platform as well.
Jay-Z’s reason for rejoining the platform is quite simple. He’s there to promote his upcoming film, The Harder They Fall, of which he is the executive producer. It marks the first time the rapper has posted on the social media platform in nearly six years. Jay-Z did give Instagram a go back in 2015, but he promptly deleted his account just 14 hours later after he reportedly posted a photo of himself with Michael Jackson. It’s been almost 14 hours since Jay-Z relaunched his account, so it’s looking like it will have a greater longevity this time around.
Black women in music have long been considered R&B and hip-hop to fit the music industry’s expectations of ‘urban’ marketing, but current acts are pushing back against the standard and broadening pop music through inclusivity. For artists like Victoria Monet, Chlöe Bailey, Normani, and others, Black female singers are redefining pop music through sheer confidence in their songwriting capabilities, production, and visual aesthetics — proving that there’s room for more than one woman at the top.
As history tells it, Black female artists who play fair weren’t always the norm. For women in the music industry, there’s pressure to stay relevant amidst newers acts in the face of ageism, sexism, body dysmorphia, and aggressive online targeting. Prior to her untimely death in 2001 — and before the social media era — Aaliyah was arguably the standard for R&B-turned-pop experimentation, trading baggy jeans for hypnotic maturation on her final, eponymous album. 2001’s Aaliyah was a masterclass in Y2K futurism and dulcet, self-assured vocals that would influence fellow millennial pop artists and the next generation of progressive Black female artists.
Molded by Aaliyah’s impact are a slew of Black female vocalists including Kehlani, Normani, and Tinashe — the latter who’s been outspoken about genre barriers for Black women. In a 2017 article in the LA Times, the singer Tinashe leaned into unfair comparisons amongst each other:
“It creates this competitiveness, even among fan bases,” Tinashe added. “People feel they can’t be a fan of Kehlani and me. It’s confusing, like why not be fans of whatever you like? Why does there need to be this rivalry approach? We don’t do that with male artists.”
Defeating critiques that Black women belong on rhythmic and urban charts, Tinashe made a grand return to the pop sphere on her sultry 2019 effort Songs For You, released shortly after her leave from RCA Records. As her first album as an independent artist, Songs For You reached #1 on the iTunes Albums chart upon its release, the second independent artist to do so since Frank Ocean released Blonde in 2016. Helmed with critical acclaim for its pop experimentation and largely considered her best album to date, Tinashe took Songs For You into the virtual world on VR platform Wave in livestream concerts at the beginning of the pandemic last year.
In August arrived Tinashe’s fifth studio album 333, where the singer further explored VR, alternate realities, and spirituality in music and visuals for singles “Pasadena” and “Bouncin’.” Through a streak of daring eclecticism and a history of collaborations with electronic producers Kaytranada, Wax Motif, and MAKJ, Tinashe eschews naysayers who limit her to R&B, pushing boundaries of the pop genre.
Dispelling recent allegations of a rivalry with Tinashe over a seductive photoset is one-half of vocalist sister duo Chloe x Halle, Chlöe Bailey. Adding an umlaut to her forename and blonde highlights to her already-signature locs, Bailey dismissed skeptics with her long-awaited debut solo single “Have Mercy,” which was released in September. Lauded for its upbeat production and being a curve-embracing anthem, fans drew comparisons between Chlöe and mentor Beyoncé, who signed Chloe x Halle to her company Parkwood Entertainment in 2015. As fans await Chlöe’s next single, “Have Mercy” has already made rounds on televised performances from last month’s 2021 MTV Video Music Awards to The Tonight Show, making Chlöe pop’s next breakout star.
Controversy surrounded Chlöe’s debut performance at the 2021 MTV VMAs after Normani voiced her disappointment with the telecast for allegedly choosing Chlöe to be the only Black woman to perform that night. In 2019, Normani graced the VMAs with a high-energy performance of “Motivation,” and sought to return to the awards show following the release of her latest single “Wild Side.” After fans petitioned for Normani’s appearance at the show, the singer delivered with a cameo by Teyana Taylor in a sultry homage to Janet Jackson’s 2001 concert performance of All For You track “Would You Mind.”
Once a member of girl group Fifth Harmony before they disbanded in 2018, Normani is on her second act. Poised to release her upcoming solo debut with multifaceted potential, the singer spoke with Allure about being an all-encompassing artist:
“My purpose in this work that I do is for other people that feel like they have Black women figured out. There’s so many layers to us, there’s so many textures, there’s so much that we’re capable of doing,” Normani says. “Yes, I can throw ass. But I can also give you a proper eight-count, and I can do ballet, and I can do contemporary dance. If I want to sing this pop ballad, then you’re going to love it! While you see my Black face!” Period.
Like Normani, Victoria Monét was once in a girl group, but later carved her own lane as singer-songwriter for a decade prior to releasing her 2020 debut album Jaguar. A longtime collaborator and songwriter for Ariana Grande, Victoria Monét entices listeners through her unapologetic soundscapes of femininity, self-love, and sensuality. While Jaguar was largely an homage to 1970s funk and disco, Monét reintroduced the throwback era to Gen-Z fans, especially in her Jaguar live session that premiered in March.
Becoming a DIY internet sensation for her 2018 meme-inspired visual “Mooo!,” pop act Doja Cat has led the crusade of oddball artistry since her humble SoundCloud beginnings. Landing a joint deal with RCA Records and Kemosabe Records in 2014, Doja Cat’s rise to stardom wasn’t instantaneous, instead having to refine her rap-fueled spunk to craft a mainstream sound. By 2020, her sophomore album Hot Pink shot to No. 9 on the Billboard 200 despite being released a year prior, thanks to her viral dance-worthy smash “Say So.”
As host of the 2021 MTV VMAs — and even taking three Moon Person trophies home — Doja Cat’s third album Planet Her exemplifies celestial pop, celebrating womanhood and diverse instrumentation from urbano to dancehall. Still embracing her online antics, Doja Cat hasn’t had to compromise her personality for stardom, recently becoming the new face of PepsiCo for its 50th anniversary.
Through charisma and sleek full-packed quality, the new generation of Black female acts continue to uphold pop by changing the tides of the genre with determination. The future couldn’t be more exciting.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
If there are two things we know that Drake loves, it’s basketball and women. So it makes sense that he’d like to combine the two in his hometown with a franchise of the WNBA. Drake, who already has a role as ambassador for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, made his case on Instagram in the wee hours of the night, posting a single-frame Instagram Story reading, simply, “@WNBA, I need a Toronto team.”
This poses all kinds of fascinating possibilities. Would Drake be the owner? Would he want an ambassador role like the one he has with the Raptors? What would the team’s name be? You have to hope it wouldn’t be dinosaur-themed, as the Raptors’ entire concept came from the popularity of the original Jurassic Park the year of the team’s inception.
Furthermore, how would this affect the league as a whole? You’d think adding just one team would unbalance the season schedule quite a lot, so how many teams would be created in an expansion? Would there be an expansion draft? How would the talent in the W, which just went through a dramatic upheaval after solidifying a new CBA, be redistributed to provide parity?
For now, this is all just speculation and spitballing, but it would sure be fun to find out that the (much-needed) expansion is actually in the works. It’d probably be even more fun to see the self-declared Certified Lover Boy sitting courtside, cheering on favorites like Candace Parker, Chiney Ogwumike, and Aja Wilson, bringing some well-deserved publicity to the WNBA.
US Congress isn’t usually able to agree on much of anything but it looks like the legislative branch has found one thing that Democrats and Republicans won’t fight about: Hip-hop is universal. This November has been declared the inaugural Hip-Hop History Month thanks to a resolution (331) co-sponsored by New York Congressman Jamal Brown and California Congresswoman Maxine Waters. The language of the resolution was reviewed by the Universal Hip-Hop Museum Founder and President Rocky Bucano. UHHM is launching its “Know Ya Hop” campaign to commemorate the occasion.
In a statement from UHHM, Bucano explained his involvement, saying, “Back in July, I was asked by Congressman Jamaal Bowman to help review the language being used to create the Resolution designating August 11th as Hip-Hop Recognition Day and November as Hip-Hop History Month. Little did we know it would pass!”
Congressman Bowman also elaborated on his commitment to the resolution, recalling, “Hip Hop is my life. Hip-Hop saved my life. Hip-Hop gave me knowledge of self. Hip-Hop is who I am. The celebration of Hip-Hop history and the study of it is essential to our democracy, our innovation, our voice, and who we are as human beings. Hip Hop is an honest story of communities around the world and provides the opportunity to increase understanding and create a pathway forward for all of us.”
Much like with the first Yellow Tape last year, which contained standout songs including “Dough,” “Word On The Streets,” and “Mr. Glock,” it looks like Memphis rapper Key Glock will be releasing his upcoming Yellow Tape 2 without any outside help. The Paper Route Empire-signed rapper shared the tracklist for his project this week, which drops on Friday, and it looks like there won’t be any features on it.
“#3DaysAway,” wrote Glizock on Instagram, sharing the twenty-song tracklist for his fans. While some fans likely expected Young Dolph to be featured on at least one of the songs on Yellow Tape 2, it seems as though this will be a completely solo effort from Key Glock. There are ten songs that list features, but they all have his nickname “Glizock” as the guest, meaning that this go-around will likely be meant for Glock to show what he can do by himself.
Showing off an array of extravagant yellow vehicles on the back cover of the project, Glock has been getting ready for this release for months. On his socials, you’ll see that he archived the majority of his posts and kept only photos of him with his assortment of bright yellow whips.
Check out the brand new tape from Key Glock dropping this Friday, and let us know which song from the tracklist you’re most excited to hear.
Will Smith had a tumultuous last week of October. But it seems that the rough news has carried into November, as his upcoming memoir, titled Will, includes an anecdote about him contemplating murdering his late father.
While his parents were estranged during his childhood, eventually divorcing in 2000, Smith always tended to side with his mother Caroline. When he was taking care of his father one day, he wrote, he felt the urge to harm him in honor of his mother. His father Willard was debilitated in a tough battle with cancer, and Will was tending to his needs as he momentarily thought he had an opportunity to exact revenge on his father for his unfortunate childhood.
“That when I was big enough, when I was strong enough, when I was no longer a coward, I would slay him,” Smith wrote. “I paused at the top of the stairs. I could shove him down, and easily get away with it. I’m Will Smith. No one would ever believe I killed my father on purpose. I’m one of the best actors in the world. My 911 call would be Academy Award level. As the decades of pain, anger, and resentment coursed then receded, I shook my head and proceeded to wheel Daddio to the bathroom.”
Smith would not go through with these sinister ideas, and his father would eventually pass away in 2016.
Perhaps sharing these personal stories is a form of catharsis for the successful actor. Surely, his upcoming his book and show will give more nuance and insight to the questionable decisions he has made.
When Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed filmmaker Halyna Hutchins on the set of his movie Rust last month, multiple theories explaining what had happened surfaced on the internet.
Crew members and actors came forward, detailing the scary set conditions, and revealing that cameras were more protected than people.
One crew member, however, vehemently disagreed with the notion that the Rust set was unsafe, and Baldwin backed her up.
Taking to Instagram with seven screenshots and the message, “Read this,” Baldwin echoed the sentiments of Rust crew member, Terese Davis, who called reports of unsafe set conditions and overworked crew members “bullsh*t.”
“I’m so sick of this narrative,” Davis wrote. “I worked on this movie. The story being spun around us being overworked and surrounded by unsafe, chaotic conditions is bullsh*t.”
In a lengthy rant that appears like it was posted in the comment section of a Facebook post, Davis continues on to reveal that on the day Hutchins was shot and killed, the Rust crew was coming off a “12 hour turnaround after an 11 hour shoot day,” and that “no one was too tired to do their jobs.”
Laying out the living situation for all cast and crew members, Davis said that everyone was accommodated properly, and that the film’s armorer, whose limited experience has been repeatedly called into question, was properly qualified.
“The armorer had apprenticed to a well known armorer and had been in the same position on the same type of movie a few months before. Was she the most experienced person? No. Were her qualifications typical of a Tier One? Yes,” Davis wrote. “The misfires were accidental discharges, which are more common than you think.”
Davis finished by acknowledging that she was angry at Baldwin for pulling the trigger that killed Hutchins but let it be known that she was tired of hearing opinions from people who weren’t there. And based on Baldwin’s sharing of Davis’ explanation of what happened on the day Halyna Hutchins was killed, it would appear that he agrees with all of it.
While Hutchins’ father has claimed that Baldwin was not responsible for his daughter’s death, and Baldwin has maintained that he can’t speak on an open investigation, he managed to share seven IG posts defending himself and the crew he was working with on Rust. What happens from here is yet to be seen. An official investigation will eventually reveal the details of what happened on that fateful October day, but until then, all we have is this explanation from a crew member and Baldwin’s co-sign.
Check out all seven of Baldwin’s posts here and let us know what you think down in the comments.
Meek Mill and JAY-Z have a pretty strong friendship, working together on multiple different business initiatives over the years. The Philadelphia rapper recently teamed up with Hov’s Roc Nation to launch a new label imprint, showing that they plan to collaborate for many more years to come. However, after JAY-Z officially joined Instagram on Tuesday night, following only his wife Beyoncé, music fans began to peg Meek as a “pick me” friend to Hov, especially after he teased the rap legend with a quick post.
Sharing a photo of JAY-Z in the back of his chauffeured vehicle, Meek asked the rapper to post a photo of himself on the social media platform so everybody knew that the @jayz account actually belonged to him. However, considering the page is verified and Beyoncé already follows him back, it’s pretty obvious that Shawn Carter is behind the page.
“@JAYZ TAKE A PIC SO THEY KNOW ITS TA REAL PAGE,” wrote Meek on IG Stories alongside a bunch of laughing emojis.
Over the years, JAY has shown that he isn’t the biggest fan of social media antics, choosing to tweet only about once a year. After being inducted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall Of Fame, he joked on Twitter that he would be taking another yearlong hiatus, so we shouldn’t expect him to post too often on Instagram either.
When do you think JAY-Z will post for the next time on IG?
Since exploding onto the scene with “No More Parties” and its Lil Durk-assisted remix back in March, rapper Coi Leray has taken full advantage of every social media platform in promoting her new music.
Between seductive IG posts and tweets airing out some dirty laundry involving her family and romantic partners, Leray has never been shy about putting it all out there. However, while IG and Twitter are great platforms to reach large audiences, TikTok reigns supreme when it comes to music promotion.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Because of the dance-based nature of the platform, it has become increasingly easier for songs and artists to blow up, and Leray has been a major beneficiary.
Posting TikToks with Lil Baby, Justin Bieber and Snoop Dogg, among others, the “Twinnem” rapper has always made sure to keep up with the latest trends and push the latest dances and challenges linked with her songs. Unfortunately for Leray this has led to her labelling as a “TikTok artist” as opposed to a “real” rapper.
Recently taking to Twitter, Leray pushed back against the notion that she is just a TikTok artist, but acknowledged that she does use the platform as a promotional tool.
“Call me a tik tok artist, but just so you know. When an artist drops music, it gets uploaded to TikTok as well,” Leray said. “Whether they chose to promote and have fun with the record, that’s on them… but I got a family to feed, ima get mines regardless.”
While Leray kept it much more calm than in her previous responses to criticisms, she did make sure to let everybody know that she’s getting bread from all those TikTok videos. And in calling out other artists for not promoting their music on the platform, Leray made it clear that she is going to continue making that TikTok money.
This reserved-but-firm clap back at detractors comes on the heels of her father, Benzino, assuring that she had not passed him as a rapper, and is yet another example of the rap game attempting to destroy Leray’s credibility as an artist. Whether the hate will continue as time goes on and Leray evolves is yet to be seen, but at this point in time, it’s clear that not everybody is ready to let her have her cake and eat it, too.
