Month: June 2022

Doja Cat Leads The Way As BET Awards Announce Nominee List

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BET has announced the full list of nominees for the 2022 BET Awards, including Ari Lennox, Drake, Baby Keem, Silk Sonic, and many more. The event will be hosted by Taraji P. Henson.

Doja Cat is nominated for the most awards with six nominations. Her potential trophies include “Best Female R&B/Pop Artist,” “Best Female Hip Hop Artist,” “Album of the Year,” “BET Her,” “Video of the Year,” and “Best Collaboration.”

Most of Doja’s nominations stem from her latest album, Planet Her, which features the singles “Kiss Me More”, “You Right”, “Need to Know”, “Woman”, and “Get Into It (Yuh).” The project reached as high as number two on the US Billboard 200.

BET Awards, Doja Cat
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

As for the coveted “Album of the Year” award, Silk Sonic, H.E.R., Tyler, The Creator, Drake, Kanye West, Jazmine Sullivan, and Doja Cat will be competing to receive the honor.

“Best Male Hip-Hop Artist” could go to Drake, Future, J. Cole, Jack Harlow, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, or Lil Baby, while “Best Female Hip-Hop Artist” nominees include Cardi B, Doja Cat, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, and Saweetie.

The BET Awards ceremony is scheduled to air live on Sunday, June 26, 2022, from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Check out the complete list of nominees for the BET Awards below.

Album of the year

An Evening With Silk Sonic, Silk Sonic
Back of My Mind, H.E.R.
Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, The Creator
Certified Lover Boy, Drake
Donda, Kanye West
Heaux Tales, Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe, Jazmine Sullivan
Planet Her, Doja Cat

Best female R&B/pop artist

Ari Lennox
Chlöe
Doja Cat
H.E.R.
Jazmine Sullivan
Mary J. Blige
Summer Walker

Best male R&B/pop artist

Blxst
Chris Brown
Giveon
Lucky Daye
The Weeknd
Wizkid
Yung Bleu

Best female hip hop artist

Cardi B
Doja Cat
Latto
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj
Saweetie

Best male hip hop artist

Drake
Future
J. Cole
Jack Harlow
Kanye West
Kendrick Lamar
Lil Baby

Best group

Silk Sonic
Chlöe X Halle
City Girls
Lil Baby & Lil Durk
Migos
Young Dolph & Key Glock

Best collaboration

“Essence,” Wizkid Feat. Justin Bieber & Tems
“Every Chance I Get,” DJ Khaled Feat. Lil Baby & Lil Durk
“Family Ties,” Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar
“Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Feat. SZA
“Way 2 Sexy,” Drake Feat. Future & Young Thug
“Whole Lotta Money” (Remix), Bia Feat. Nicki Minaj

Best new artist

Baby Keem
Benny the Butcher
Latto
Muni Long
Tems
Yung Bleu

Video of the year

“Family Ties,” Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar
“Have Mercy,” Chlöe
“Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Feat. SZA
“Pressure,” Ari Lennox
“Smokin Out the Window,” Silk Sonic
“Way 2 Sexy,” Drake Feat. Future & Young Thug

Video director of the year

Anderson .Paak a.k.a. Director .Paak
Benny Boom
Beyoncé & Dikayl Rimmasch
Director X
Hype Williams
Missy Elliott

Dr. Bobby Jones best gospel/inspirational award

“All in Your Hands,” Marvin Sapp
“Come to Life,” Kanye West
Grace. Kelly Price
Hallelujah. Fred Hammond
Hold Us Together (Hope Mix), H.E.R. & Tauren Wells
Jireh, Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music
We Win, Lil Baby X Kirk Franklin

BET Her

“Best of Me (Originals),” Alicia Keys
“Good Morning Gorgeous,” Mary J. Blige
“Have Mercy,” Chlöe
“Pressure,” Ari Lennox
“Roster,” Jazmine Sullivan
“Unloyal,” Summer Walker & Ari Lennox
“Woman,” Doja Cat

Best international act

Dave (U.K.)
Dinos (France)
Fally Ipupa (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Fireboy Dml (Nigeria)
Little Simz (U.K.)
Ludmilla (Brazil)
Major League Djz (South Africa)
Tayc (France)
Tems (Nigeria)

Best movie

Candyman
King Richard
Respect
Space Jam: A New Legacy
Summer of Soul
The Harder They Fall

Best actor

Adrian Holmes, Bel Air
Anthony Anderson, Black-Ish
Damson Idris, Snowfall
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Forest Whitaker, Respect | Godfather of Harlem
Jabari Banks, Bel Air
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Will Smith, King Richard

Best actress

Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Coco Jones, Bel Air
Issa Rae, Insecure
Jennifer Hudson, Respect
Mary J. Blige, Power Book II: Ghost
Queen Latifah, The Equalizer
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Regina King, The Harder They Fall
Zendaya, Euphoria | Spider-Man: No Way Home

YoungStars award

Akira Akbar
Demi Singleton
Marsai Martin
Miles Brown
Saniyya Sidney
Storm Reid

Sportswoman of the year award

Brittney Griner
Candace Parker
Naomi Osaka
Serena Williams
Sha’carri Richardson
Simone Biles

Sportsman of the year award

Aaron Donald
Bubba Wallace
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Ja Morant
LeBron James
Stephen Curry

Erica Banks Kills It Off Top In Funk Flex Freestyle

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While recent headlines of Erica Banks have centered around her beef with Nicki Minaj and responding to fan criticism, she showed that she’s back on the music grind with her performance on HOT 97 with Funk Flex yesterday. As the segment started, the Texas native said she was “ready for action” and got right into her freestyle. DJ Juanyto of HOT 97 dropped a cold mid-tempo beat you might find on a Meghan Thee Stallion record, even thought we know Erica Banks isn’t fond of always being compared to her label mate. 

Regardless, Erica rapped effortlessly over the beat in a smooth and confident performance. She was able to switch up her flow on multiple occasions, cycling through some of the catchiest rhyme patterns of trap’s last few years. She even threw in a small chorus of “With yo’ crazy ass” at the end of her minute-and-a-half long verse. 

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Topically, Erica is calling out the haters and challenging them to act as tough in person as they seem behind the screens. There’s the expected braggadocio: her success despite the struggles, her readiness to take on her detractors and keep rising in the industry, and her ability to steal your man at any given time. Still, Erica throws some sharp lines in there about jealousy, freeloading, and body image.

Erica just recently responded to a news platform saying she had changed since her come-up. While the artist was still appreciative of the support she had, she made it clear that she’s getting bigger and bigger and wants a genuine following, not people following her for something in return. If this Funk Flex freestyle is an indicator of anything, it’s that Erica Banks is likely to keep growing and keep making a name for herself in the rap world.

You can check out Erica Banks’ full Funk Flex freestyle below.

Quotable Lyrics

Now I don’t fly, jam, and rap in Atlanta, that’s cappin’
They jammin’ my music, I heard it,
H*e, don’t be mad at my body, be mad at yourself
And be mad at this body I’m serving

Roger Goodell & Dan Snyder Accused Of “Stonewalling” Commanders Investigation

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder were accused of stonewalling an investigation by the Committee on Oversight and Reform in a letter from House Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).

“The Committee has worked tirelessly to obtain critical information, including the findings of the internal investigation conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson, only to be met with obstruction from the Commanders and the NFL at every turn,” Maloney wrote. “”We must have transparency and accountability, which is why we are calling on Mr. Goodell and Mr. Snyder to answer the questions they have dodged for the last seven months.”

Both Goodell and Snyder were asked to appear in court to testify about the “culture of harassment and abuse” that has been mentioned by several former employees of the Commanders organization, according to TMZ.

Dan Snyder

Rob Carr/Getty Images

“The hearing will explore how Congress can act to prevent employers from silencing victims of workplace misconduct and ensure that what happened at the Commanders organization does not happen again.” Maloney wrote.

Maloney was joined in her criticism of the NFL and Commanders organization by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy.

“For seven months, the Committee has been stonewalled by NDAs and other tools to evade accountability,” Krishnamoorthi wrote. “Mr. Snyder and Mr. Goodell need to appear before the Committee to address these issues and answer our questions about the pervasive workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders, and how the NFL addressed these issues.”

Dan Snyder

Will Newton/Getty Images

In Summer 2022, at least 15 different former employees of the Commanders organization spoke out against Snyder and several other  high ranking members of the team about widespread sexual harrasment in the workplace. The NFL conducted an internal investigation, resulting in a $10 million fine for Washington.

The NFL denies the accusations that they are stonewalling the investigation.

“We received the Committee’s invitation this morning and will respond directly in a timely manner,” a league spokesperson said. “The NFL has cooperated extensively throughout the Committee’s lengthy investigation of the Washington Commanders, including by producing more than 460,000 pages of documents and responding to numerous questions in writing and in conversations with the Committee’s staff.”

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Consequence Apologizes To Drake & 40 For Letting Kanye Rivalry Get Out Of Hand

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Consequence has apologized to Drake and Noah “40” Shebib for letting the rivalry between the OVO crew and Kanye West “spiral out of control” during the run-up to Donda and Certified Lover Boy. In an Instagram post shared on Wednesday, Cons shared a DM he received from 40 back in 2016 in which the producer called him one of his “favorite rappers ever.”

“Petty Energy ain’t it for 2022,” Consequence captioned the screenshot, before later adding, “As an OG, I owe @champagnepapi an apology for letting the competition over the LP’s spiral out of control. Pardon me for whatever was said about you or your loved ones. Keep doing you bro…”

Consequence, Drake, Ye
Scott Wintrow / Getty Images

The original DMs came after Drake invited Consequence and West to his place to cook food and hang out.

In the DM, 40 wrote, “Just wanted to tell you, cause I didn’t get the chance the other night, you’re for real one of my favorite rappers ever. Like for real. Just had to express that you and say thank you.”

Cons replied at the time: “My dawg. I fucks with y’all and I told Ye it’s great look to lock in with y’all. I def want to build with you and Drake.”

Amidst Drake and West’s feud, Kanye shared an infamous group message calling out the Toronto rapper, and Drake played an unreleased song by West on his radio station.

In September, Cons dropped “Party Time,” which featured several disses aimed and Drake and OVO, even referencing Pusha T’s “The Story Of Adidon.” Drake and West made amends themselves shortly after the release of their two albums at the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert in Los Angeles. West brought Drake out on the stage to perform a number of songs.

Check out Consequence’s full post below.

[Via]

Jada Pinkett Smith Wants Will Smith and Chris Rock to ‘Reconcile’ After Oscars Slap

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Jada Pinkett Smith is breaking her silence.

Two months after the Oscars, the actress is reflecting on Will Smith and Chris Rock’s relationship after the comedian made a joke about his wife’s shaved head during the ceremony, prompting Will to walk onstage and slap Rock.

Jada opened Wednesday’s episode of her Facebook series “Red Table Talk” by addressing the events at the March 27 Academy Awards and calling for healing.

“About Oscar night. My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out, and reconcile,” she told viewers. “With the state of the world today, we need ’em both, and we all actually need one another more than ever.”

She continued, “Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s keep figuring out this thing called life together. Thank you for listening.”

She then proceeded with the episode, which was dedicated to people living with alopecia, a hair-loss disorder that Jada has openly struggled with.

“This is a really important ‘Red Table Talk’ on alopecia. Considering what I’ve been through with my own health and what happened at the Oscars, thousands have reached out to me with their stories,” she said. “I’m using this moment to give our alopecia family an opportunity to talk about what it’s like to have this condition and to inform people about what alopecia actually is.”

The Girls Trip star previously commented on the Oscars situation with a meme that read: “This is a season for healing. And I’m here for it.”

In the wake of the controversy, Will was banned from the Oscars and other Academy events for the next 10 years. “I was out of line and I was wrong,” the King Richard star told Rock in a public apology. “I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

Denzel Curry Recruits Key Glock For A ‘Walkin’ Remix From A Rumored Deluxe Edition Of His Album

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Denzel Curry’s Melt My Eyez, See Your Future has been out for a little over two months now, and it’s considered in some circles to be among the best albums of the year. Now, after declaring himself the “best rapper alive,” he’s keeping the hype train rolling with a remix of his album’s lead single “Walkin” featuring one of Memphis’ hottest rising rappers, Key Glock. The new version of the song is said to appear on an upcoming deluxe version of Melt My Eyez which will also feature Denzel’s frequent collaborator, IDK.

Key Glock’s new verse finds the Memphis rapper ruminating on similar concepts to Denzel’s. He shares his philosophy of persistence in the face of adversity, which especially resonates in light of the recent murder of Young Dolph, one of Glock’s biggest supporters and best friends.

Denzel’s collection of collaborations has been growing lately, as in addition to teaming up with Slowthai and T-Pain on singles from his own album (“Zatoichi” and “Troubles,” respectively), Denzel also appeared on recent songs from Sampa The Great (“Lane“) and IDK (“Dog Food“). Denzel is also listed among the contributors to the upcoming soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Whether he’s the best rapper remains up for debate, but there’s no question that lately, he’s certainly been one of the busiest.

Listen to the “Walkin” remix above.

Mary J. Blige’s Strength Of A Woman Festival Aims To Be The Next Great Cultural Fest For Black Women

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Mary J Blige Strength of a Woman Festival 2022
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

As a cultural icon, Mary J. Blige has accomplished so much in music (hello, Time100 Most Influential People of 2022 list) and on TV (don’t forget about “Monet” on Power). Now, the Queen of Hip Hop Soul has spearheaded her own inaugural festival set to take place only in Atlanta; an idea she brought to Pepsi right after she performed at the Super Bowl this year.

“It’s the Strength Of A Woman Festival,” Mary told Uproxx in an interview. “We’re bringing all women together in Atlanta, where all the fans reside, and just sharing information and uplifting and empowering women.”

And, the experience was nothing short of spectacular. A loving sense of connectedness and warmth was present as many exciting events took place over that Mother’s Day weekend. It was a celebration that involved enriching attendees with meaningful panels during the day and, at night, live performances from the newer generation of artists like Baby Tate and City Girls and legacy acts such as 90s R&B group Xscape — and of course, Ms. Blige herself.

Everything was so well thought out, it was surprising to learn that the idea wasn’t something Mary and her team were planning for a while. According to the PepsiCo president of Multicultural Business and Equity Development and creator of Pepsi Stronger Together, Derek Lewis, they only had 10 weeks to make it happen with the goal for women “…to feel really inspired to go do greater work in whatever field they’re in personally and professionally.”

“The entertainment part obviously is tremendous, but for me — I really give a lot of credit to Mary and her team about their vision for this event — I would classify this as entertainment with a purpose,” Lewis proclaimed during our chat. “We are going to have massive engagement, entertainment, and excitement from an experience standpoint with the music, but it goes beyond that.”

“It was something that just came to us,” Blige explained. “Like, why don’t we do this? Because when we go to the Essence Festival, people are like, ‘I’m going to see Mary.’ So we’re like, ‘Hmm, well, let me just get my own festival and have everyone come to that festival every year.’”

For this to be the event’s first run, it was one of the smoothest conference-style festivals I have ever attended, while still having room to improve and expand each year. Especially with the Black-owned food trucks (shoutout to Fowl Play for holding it down with the lemon pepper wet hot wings) and empowering panels. I also loved the fact that I was able to enjoy Mother’s Day with my mom, who practically raised me on Blige’s music, while still being able to turn up to City Girls. Balance.

Mary has always been a great example of what the strength of a woman is all about. She has shown us what it means to overcome adversity while coming out on top and what it looks like embrace every enriching you want to do.

“Do not be held in a box,” she offered as advice when I asked how a person can achieve this. “Do what it is you want to do. Don’t let people tell you who you are. Know who you are and don’t be afraid of that. It takes confidence to get to the point where you’re not listening to every little word, and social media doesn’t help. Forget social media for a second. Be honest with yourself.”

Guidance like this is why being there for Mary was a no-brainer for “I Am” artist and festival performer Baby Tate.

“I think the entirety of my career has been based around the strength of women and making sure to remind women of their strength, and empower them through my music,” Tate told me after her performance. “It feels amazing to be on this lineup with so many women that I look up to, and that I am inspired by, and that empowers me when I listen to their music. It’s just great to be here.”

I also spoke for a bit with singer-songwriter Sevyn Streeter about how Mary can connect with every single emotion through her music and she named “As I Am” as the one song that uplifts her.

“I don’t care if you are a woman and you want to cry about something, or you want to go celebrate with your girls, or you want to remind yourself who you are, you want to look in the mirror and say, ‘Hello, gorgeous,’” she told me. “I think that’s just the power and the beauty of Mary J. Blige.”

Strength Of A Woman Festival is expected to return to Atlanta every spring, and it’s exciting to think of where they might go from here.

Baby Tate is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Uproxx was hosted for this event by Pepsi. However, Pepsi did not review or approve this story. You can learn more about the Uproxx Press Trip policy here.

Doja Cat Leads The 2022 BET Awards Nominations While Ari Lennox And Drake Are Tied For Second

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doja cat awards
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The nominations for the 2022 BET Awards have been announced and Doja Cat is the top nominee. She’s nominated for six awards, including two awards — video of the year and best collaboration — for “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA, as well as best female R&B/pop artist, best female hip-hop artist, BET Her for “Woman,” and album of the year for Planet Her.

Meanwhile, Ari Lennox and Drake are tied for second place with four nominations apiece, while third place is an absolute logjam with Baby Keem, Chloe, Future, H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Mary J. Blige, Silk Sonic, and Tems all nominated for three awards each. Lennox is head-to-head with Doja in all of her nominations, including best female R&B/pop artist, BET Her, and video of the year, for which she’s nominated twice (for her own “Pressure” and her appearance on Summer Walker’s “Unloyal“).

In addition to Planet Her, the album of the year category includes Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, H.E.R.’s Back of My Mind, the deluxe edition of Jazmine Sullivan’s Heaux Tales, Silk Sonic’s An Evening With Silk Sonic, and Tyler The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost.

The BET Awards are set to air live Sunday, June 26, at 8 pm ET from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.