Anderson .Paak & Bruno Mars Announce New Silk Sonic Single

It was quite a surprise to find out that Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak were joining forces for a new side project. The debut project from Silk Sonic is due out later this month but before it drops, the duo is coming through with one more single. An official teaser for the video for their new single, “Smokin Out The Window” debuted on the official Silk Sonic Instagram page which, unfortunately, didn’t actually contain an audio teaser. .Paak and Mars are seen cruising around smoking cigarettes, as they sing along to the record.


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An Evening With Silk Sonic was initially expected to drop at the top of 2022 but the two announced the change of plans last month. The debut album from Silk Sonic is expected to drop on November 12th so “Smokin Out The Window” will likely serve as the final single we receive from the two before the album drops. They previously released a handful of singles including “Skate” and “Leave The Door Open.” 

The objective of this album was to provide some feel-good music following the bleak headlines that dominated through the pandemic and beyond. “A good song can bring people together — you don’t have to actually sing the words ‘Everybody come together.’ Sometimes the hard thing is to actually do it. You don’t have to say, ‘Everybody raise your hands’ — sometimes you just hit the right chord and it happens,” Mars told Rolling Stone. “So that was our mindset with the whole album.”

Check the teaser to their single below. 

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Megan Thee Stallion Feels Pressure To Create Hits: “Everything Is So Quick”

The music industry has always chased after the next big hit, no matter the genre. Record executives want to see that an artist can put up numbers and often, we’re confronted with songs and albums that fans aren’t happy with because labels have rushed artists to put out music. We have heard hoards of complaints from artists over the years as they have spoken about releasing projects just to satisfy those in charge, and according to Megan Thee Stallion, the pressure is real.

The hitmaker’s fame has only increased over the last few years as she has become one of the hottest artists globally, and during her chat with Zane Lowe for Apple Music’s New Music Daily, Megan explained why she often feels as if she has to keep cranking out hit songs.

Megan Thee Stallion
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“I feel like, today, right now, everybody’s attention span is so short, so I feel like a lot of artists are pressured to make a song that’s—you need the first thirty seconds of the song to be a smash,” she said. “Because people are, you know, you lookin’ at TikTok or you lookin’ at whatever you lookin’ at, Instagram. Everything is so quick.”

“You wanna hurry up and do something that’s gonna catch everybody’s attention and I feel like it’s a lot of pressure to make music that you feel like everybody likes,” she added. “So, it’s like, should I make myself this one way because I want to make sure that I hold my audience’s attention, but then like, another side of me wants to make that I always cater to my Hotties. I wanna do things that keep the people in love with me that fell in love with me in the first place because I like to Rap.”

So, Megan has been doing her best to focus on honing her Rap skills while balancing the expectations of the industry as she prepares for her next album slated for 2022. Check out her interview with Lowe below.

Murda Mook Wasn’t Feeling Drake’s Presence At URL This Weekend

Drake’s love for battle rap has been made clear over the years. In fact, he’s a big part as to why URL inked a deal with Caffeine, in the first place. The rapper extended his 35th birthday celebrations to Halloween weekend for URL’s Till Death Do Us Part battle where some of the best rappers in the battle circuit went head to head. For Drizzy’s part, he offered to buy some bottles for the venue since there wasn’t a bar.

Not everyone was down with Drake’s appearance at URL. Murda Mook, who Drake was previously seen cheesing with over the summer at URL’s NOME XI, expressed his disproval for the Certified Lover Boy rapper practically taking the lead on hosting duties. 

“Y’all n***as ain’t gonna make money like that. Like, y’all bugging. Stop. Stop it,” Mook stated. “This is supposed to be for us — our culture. We lit. Y’all n***as running in here talking, ‘Smack let Drizzy be him today.’ N***a come to one shit — ‘Yo you can be me.’ What? We just giving our shit up like that? Oh man, shit getting crazy out here… N***a just let a n***a just take the whole shit today.”

For the most part, Drake appeared to be enjoying himself during the event. At one point, he said that he was going to step off of the stage to watch the event like a spectator. 

Drake’s yet to respond to Murda Mook’s comments but we’ll keep you posted if he does. 

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Fake Drake Performs Drizzy’s Songs At Nightclub

While the real Drake is renting out Beverly Hills mansions and flexing new jewels that set him back a few million, his imposter has continued to make his way through the club scene. Over the last few weeks, footage has been circulating showing Fake Drake, or a man in the Miami area who has been mirroring Drizzy’s style.

This Fake Drake has been spotted in multiple locations looking much like the rapper as he even dons the heart-shaped cut in his hairline. The imposter has loved the attention, but it has been reported that some security guards wouldn’t let him inside of their venues.

Drake
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Last week, as Real Drake celebrated his birthday, Fake Drake did so, as well. He was recorded at a club while yelling on the microphone that he is from Toronto, making this whole display even more strange. Over the weekend, Fake Drake struck again, once again at a nightclub but this time, he was given the opportunity to hop on the mic to “perform” a few Drake hits.

It is unclear how long this is going to go on, but Sisqo thinks Drake should let his imposter roam freely. Years ago, Sisqo attempted to sue a man who pretended to be him during New York Fashion Week, but after learning the guy was a normal person just trying to look for an opportunity, he decided not to take his anger to court. 

Drake hasn’t even acknowledged his imposter, at least not publicly, but we would guess he’s aware. Check out Fake Drake’s latest stunts below.

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Wale Says He Hasn’t Heard Of Any Beef Between Rick Ross & Meek Mill

The trifecta of Wale, Meek Mill, and Rick Ross helped MMG establish itself as a leading label in the rap game during the early 2000s. The roster expanded but it was the efforts of Wale, Meek, and Ross that earned high accolades on the charts. With the obvious exception of Ross, Wale and Meek began to establish their solo careers outside of Maybach Music. 


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Regardless of where each rapper might be in their careers, it’s clear that Wale still has love for both Ross and Meek. The rapper joined DJ EFN and NORE on Drink Champs where he was asked to choose the better rapper between Rick Ross and Meek Mill. Instead, he opted to take a shot with the hosts, toasting to the Rozay-led label. “Never. ‘Cause everbody’s on the same jawn,” said Wale as he took his shot. “You know that.”

That’s when N.O.R.E. tried to pry about the rumors of beef between Rick Ross and Meek Mill. Earlier this year, rumors surfaced that Meek Mill denied Rick Ross entry into his section at Club Liv. While neither rapper has responded to these rumors, many have been left wondering the validity of the statement. Wale explained that he didn’t think there was any truth to it. And if there was, he explained how he hasn’t heard about it.  “I don’t know shit about that. That shit don’t sound real to me. I talked to both of them n***as all the time. I ain’t hear nothing like that. If I ain’t hear nothing like that, I can’t say… I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t know nothin’ ’bout that shit.”

Check out the clip below.  

“Harold & Kumar” Star Kal Penn Engaged To Boyfriend Of 11 Years

With the advent of social media and the ongoing evolution of online platforms, it has become more and more difficult for entertainers to keep aspects of their private life away from the public. Yet, it seems that Kal Penn has maintained a decade-long relationship that he recently revealed to the world, catching people by surprise.

Penn rose to international stardom alongside John Cho in the classic Harold & Kumar films, but after taking a break from Hollywood, he moved on to politics.

For two years, Penn worked for former President Barack Obama’s administration, and now he is releasing a memoir, You Can’t Be Serious, detailing the various aspects of his life and diverse career. Inside, Penn also revealed that he has been in a long-term relationship with his fiancé Josh who he met while living in Washington, D.C.

“I’ve always been very public with everybody I’ve personally interacted with. Whether it’s somebody that I meet at a bar, if Josh and I are out or we’re talking to friends,” Penn says. “I’m really excited to share our relationship with readers. But Josh, my partner, my parents, and my brother, four people who I’m closest to in the family, are fairly quiet. They don’t love attention and shy away from the limelight.”

Kal Penn
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It is unclear when the couple plans to wed, but Penn revealed they have been together for 11 years.

“Figuring out the narrative [in the book], of how to respect who they really are, with telling my story — that includes: my work life, both in Hollywood and DC, it includes my love life with Josh and how we met, it includes my parents, to the extent that I’m willing to share stories about their upbringing,” he said. “So that was the most important thing for me. I wanted my story to be authentic from my perspective and told in a way that makes you feel like you really get to know me.” 

[via]

Meek Mill ‘Sad’ That He’s Crypto Dumb. Here’s Who’s Putting On For Crypto In Hip Hop

Meek Mill

The cryptocurrency coin Shiba Inu began trending on Twitter as the price grew exponentially last week. Meek Mill feels like he’s missing the NFT boat and wants to know how he can get in on the crypto-craze. Meek Mill Curious On Crypto Cryptocurrency and NFT’s are taking hip-hop by storm with rappers from JAY-Z to […]

KiNGMostWanted Tackles The Classics On “F#ck Yo Samples”

Sample clearance is one of the biggest setbacks for any rapper releasing new music. While hip-hop production is based on the very art of sampling, it’s also prevented songs from coming out in their original form, delayed albums from being released, and sometimes, even resulted in lawsuits. And it seems that it’s gotten even more complicated with the evolution of technology. 

Southern California rapper KINGMOSTWANTED’s latest project is a middle finger to the politics behind sample clearance. KING dropped his new project, F#ck Yo Samples this past weekend. . The eight-track project hosted by DJ Five Venoms showcases his unique flows and wordplay as he tackles classic records. He flips records like Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” and Ice Cube’s “Check Yourself” with a modern twist and a West Coast flare. 

Check the project below.

XXXTENTACION’s Father Shares Video Of Late Son’s Song Playing During His Wedding

Although XXXTENTACION passed over three years ago, his impact is still felt, especially with those closest to him.

On the two-year anniversary of his marriage five days ago, X’s father Dwayne Onfroy shared a video to Instagram from his emotional wedding ceremony. In the video, his now wedded wife walks down the aisle to XXXTENTACION’s unreleased song “School Globes.”

Onfroy explains in the caption that he was unaware that song would play during that intimate moment, as it brought him to tears when he heard it. This wedding took place nearly a year after X’s tragic death, so we can only imagine what was going through Onfroy’s head during this special clip.

“School Globes” was intended to be released on XXXTENTACION’s November 2019 posthumous album Bad Vibes Forever. But after leaking, the song did not make the album’s final cut.

Interpolating Modern English’s 1982 smash hit “I Melt with You” on the hook, “School Globes” features Lil Nas X on the second verse of the song. At the time that fans expected the song to be included on X’s album, there was outrage considering the fact that XXXTENTACION and Lil Nas X never even knew each other.

Regardless, the somber song made for a fitting moment in Dwayne Onfroy’s wedding. It is nice to see how Onfroy’s wife used the song to create a positive memory in her husband’s life.

Aside from this, more good XXXTENTACION news surfaced this week as his mother received a celebratory plaque for his song “SAD!” achieving RIAA Diamond certification. 

While X is no longer with us, his memory and influence still lives on.

Joell Ortiz Gives A History Lesson “In My Feelings”

With Joell Ortiz’s new albumAutograph, is set to release on November 12, the veteran emcee dropped off “In My Feelings,” the album’s second single and gives a rough timeline of his two decades in the rap game

From his time as a member of rap collective Slaughterhouse, to his time as a solo act signed to Eminem’s Shady Records, Ortiz dives into it all. Employing what he calls, “My pen moving over Heatmakerz production. No hook. Just real talk,” Ortiz spits aggre

ssively about signing to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment and wonders about what he could have been had he come up in the streaming era. 

Mixing sports references with his experiences in the streets of Brooklyn, Ortiz paints a picture of what his come up was like, in the booth, and outside of it. A preview of what we can expect on Autograph, “In My Feelings” is just that — Joell Ortiz in his feelings, venting about anything and everything that comes to mind. 

Quotable Lyrics
That’s how I felt when that ink hit that paper
Minor league coaching advised me to leave the majors
Big league mistake in my opinion, I was loyal to a fault
What they did for Kendrick Lamar, they was trying to do for your boy
But that didn’t include everybody inside the room
‘Cause Dre seen what I saw later, but it’s cool 

Check out Joell Ortiz’s “In My Feelings” below and keep an eye out for Autograph when it drops November 12.