Month: May 2022

Jay-Z Highlights Babyface Ray, Kodak Black, And More In His New Memorial Day Playlist For Tidal

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jay-z tidal
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Another holiday, another chance for Jay-Z to re-up his rap nerd credibility. This time around, Jay’s new Tidal playlist is called “Montecito” and landed on the streaming app on Memorial Day with the description “(Mostly) ’22 vibes.” The one exception that prompts the qualifier is Kodak Black’s 2021 hit “Super Gremlin,” which extended its run far beyond its October 2021 release date as one of the more popular recent singles in rap.

Kodak also appears multiple times on the playlist, with Jay including “Purple Stamp” and “I Wish” from the Floridian’s 2022 project Back For Everything. Other artists Jay included multiple times are Detroit upstart Babyface Ray, whose Face track “A1 Since Day 1” leads off the playlist, and 42 Dugg & EST Gee, the dynamic duo whose joint mixtape Last Ones Left was the brainchild of their CMG team captain, Yo Gotti. Speaking of Yo Gotti, the Memphis mainstay also gets multiple selections from his own new project CM10: Free Game.

Of course, Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers gets a few entries, as do Future and Lil Durk, while Boldy James, Pusha T, and Vince Staples are all represented with a track apiece. And because having one problematic entity in Kodak Black apparently wasn’t enough, Jay gave some “True Love” to his musical younger brother Kanye West’s new track with XXXTentacion. If anything is missing, it’s some female representation; you’d think Jay would love the throwback vibe of Megan Thee Stallion’s new track “Plan B.”

As always, though, the new playlist proves that Hov keeps his ears to the street, even if he’s not actively recording any new music himself. And for the newer or more underground artists receiving some spotlight, it’s a chance to tap in with new fans who recognize Jay’s nearly impeccable taste. You can listen to the playlist on Tidal below.

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

Merlyn Wood Drops A New Solo Single, ‘Green Light,’ Ahead Of Brockhampton’s Final Album

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After performing a swan song with Brockhampton at Coachella last month, Merlyn Wood has released a new single. On “Green Light,” Wood wakes up “feeling like a Gucci ad lib,” delivering fiery bars, ready for a promising post-Brockhampton era.

Wood, who has now rebranded as Merlyn!, doesn’t mention Brockhampton or any of his bandmates by name in the song. However, he shouts out his hometown of Houston and calls out his haters.

In the song’s accompanying video, directed by Miggy Jasper, Wood plays video games on the couch in a mansion as his outfits change in rapid succession. He is joined by a group of women as he continues to play video games and later dances by the pool.

According to an accompanying press statement, “Green Light” is one of four projects set to be released on a weekly basis, until the 20th, which is when Wood is teasing something big.

Brockhampton has yet to release their final album, but Wood is gearing up for an exciting new start.

Ahead of “Green Light’s” release, Wood teased his new era in an Instagram post, saying, “My skin is tingling im so excited. This that anticipation right before the LIGHT TURNS GREEN in the most important race in your LIFE. I put my heart, soul and sweat in this and i hope you enjoy it immensely.”

Check out “Green Light” above.

Tory Lanez Reflects On “Chixtapes” Influence, Says New Artists Are “Doing EXACTLY What I Was Doin”

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Tory Lanez says that he faced backlash while working on his Chixtape series for using the same sampling techniques that are commonplace now. The Canadian rapper explained his opinion on the matter in a tweet on Tuesday.

“It’s crazy … 6 years ago n****s got mad at me cuz I would SAMPLE all the records that it Was NOT OKAY TO SAMPLE on the CHIXTAPES!” he wrote. “Now I look up to a whole Generation of artist doing EXACTLY what I was doin .. chopping old Rnb/Pop samples and updating it to NOW sound.”

Tory Lanez, Chixtape
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The first Chixtape was released back in 2011, with Lanez building on that foundation by releasing five total entries throughout the decade. The latest entry, Chixtape 5, was released in 2019 and peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200. Lanez has said that it is his best work in the entire series, slightly edging out Chixtape 2.

“Chixtape 5 had to take the number one spot,” he admitted to HNHH during an interview in 2019. “Just because of how great it is, and the production, and just the surprises and what happens and the ride that it takes you on. Musically, as a consumer, I think the experience of Chixtape 5 is probably the best experience. The story concludes a little bit but also doesn’t end.”

Check out Lanez’s latest tweet below.

Draymond Green Explains Steph Curry’s Lack Of Finals MVPs

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Steph Curry has had a legendary career, however, there is one thing that is missing on his resume. Of course, that one thing is a Finals MVP. In his first title, the MVP went to Andre Iguodala and the other two times, it went to Kevin Durant. With that being said, there are a ton of critics who believe that Curry needs to win Finals MVP in order to validate all of his achievements.

This is not an opinion held by his very vocal teammate, Draymond Green. In fact, Green believes the exact opposite, as explained on his infamous show in which he delivers all of his hot takes without a filter. Effectively, Green believes Curry hasn’t won any MVPs because he is constantly being double-teamed.

Steph Curry

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“Kevin Durant was absolutely incredible during those Finals runs. As you know, we all watched it. Kevin Durant was absolutely insane. Steph Curry got double-teamed probably seven times the amount KD did in a given series,” Green said. “If you don’t understand basketball, which most people don’t in your space, yeah, you’re going to come out and say he needs to validate that by winning Finals MVP.” 

Curry will have an opportunity to get his first Finals MVP against the Boston Celtics. It is going to be a difficult task, however, it seems like fans are pretty sold on the idea that he will get it done.

Give us your take on Green’s remarks, in the comments below.

Pharrell Announces Release Date For 21 Savage, Tyler The Creator Collaboration

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Pharrell has announced that his highly-anticipated collaboration with 21 Savage, “Cash In Cash Out,” a snippet of which recently leaked, will be released next week. The official track will also feature Tyler, the Creator.

In the leaked snippet of the upcoming song, 21 can be heard rapping “cash in, cash out, cash in, cash out” over and over with Pharrell’s production.

Pharrell, Tyler, 21 Savage
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While the legendary producer hasn’t released a solo album since 2014’s Girl, he’s stayed busy in the years since releasing numerous collaborative singles as well as an album with N.E.R.D. titled No One Ever Really Dies. He also recently worked with Kendrick Lamar on his Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers song, “Mr. Morale.” 

“Cash In Cash Out” comes ahead of Pharrell’s upcoming Something in the Water Festival, which will be held in Washington D.C. from Friday, June 17 to Sunday, June 19. The lineup includes Chloe x Halle, Ashe, Calvin Harris, Bia, Lil Uzi Vert, Pusha T, Teyana Taylor, Jon Batiste Tyler, the Creator, and more.

In addition to working with Pharrell on “Cash In Cash Out,” 21 was also recently in the studio with DJ Khaled working on music for the Father of Asahd artist’s upcoming album. Khaled has also worked on the project with Lil Baby.

Check out Pharrell’s announcement below.