The young rapper is determined to slim down his Lean gut after quitting the drug in 2019.
Month: June 2022
Big Boi Gifted Custom Atlanta Braves World Series Champions Ring: ‘This The Real Deal’
The rap legend has been a longtime fan of the MLB team.
anders Is Changing the Face of Canadian R&B
Na-Kel Smith Delivers A Gruff Performance Of ‘Prayer’ For ‘UPROXX Sessions’
Na-Kel Smith may be best known outside hip-hop for his role in Jonah Hill’s 2018 directorial debut Mid90s, but those in the know will recognize him as an accomplished rapper who was closely associated with Tyler The Creator and his Odd Future crew in the early 2010s. Since then, he’s self-released four albums under his A Dream No Longer Deferred Records imprint, making occasional guest appearances throughout the years on projects from underground rap peers like Pink Siifu, Zelooperz, Eyedress, and most notably, Earl Sweatshirt.
Today, he pops up on UPROXX Sessions to perform “Prayer” from his most recent album, Skullface Bonehead. Released in January this year, the project is an anti-establishment Quickstrike of eight tracks that clock in at just 14 minutes. Similar to his compatriot Earl Sweatshirt, he eschews conventional beats, opts for headier subject matter, and highlights displays of deft wordplay over catchy hooks. “Prayer” is a perfect example of these tendencies, as Na-Kel growls, “For the game, put in pain like you own it / You gon’ change even if you don’t wanna / Be it not for the worst, but the better / Never ride, but keep stacking your cheddar.”
Watch Na-Kel Smith’s gruff performance of “Prayer” above.
UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.
JID Thinks ‘Bigger Rap Artists’ Are ‘Scared’ To Collaborate With Him
Anyone who has ever had to work on a team knows it can be hard to collaborate at work, especially with someone who has a difficult personality or where there’s a larger skill gap between collaborators. Now, you might think that people who make music for a living would have less trouble with this, but as Dreamville rapper JID recently pointed out on Twitter, it appears that they run into similar issues.
Earlier today, JID tweeted, then deleted, his thoughts in this respect, complaining that “none of my rap co-workers be tryna rap wit me dawg.” After noting the exceptions, since “only women and pop stars” have been calling to collaborate, he took a swing at explaining just why this is the case, positing, “I think y’all n****z is scared, I’m talking to bigger rap artists.”
It’s true that most of JID’s higher-profile collabs have come with artists outside the genre of hip-hop. Two of his biggest hits to date have been the Arcane theme song “Enemy” with Imagine Dragons and “Dope” with John Legend, whereas most of his rapper collaborations have come with his Dreamville labelmates, other members of Spillage Village, or close friends such as Denzel Curry and Mike Dimes.
There is one A-list exception though — emphasis on the “A” — with fellow Atlanta rapper 21 Savage on “Surround Sound,” but it does appear that JID has yet to rap alongside many non-J. Cole-signed lyricists. While it’s anyone’s guess whether they’re actually worried about being outrapped on a song (or being “renegaded” — named for Jay-Z’s 2001 collaboration with Eminem, on which many fans say Em rapped circles around his host), they shouldn’t worry too much about it. After all, JID’s presence could very well bring the sort of contemporary clout that can help keep a veteran rapper relevant, even if they do get smoked on their own song.
Kendrick Lamar Performs At Paris Fashion Week And Pays Tribute To Virgil Abloh: ‘Long Live Virgil’
On the heels of his latest album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar is attending Paris Fashion Week. Today, Lamar performed at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show. During his set, he paid tribute to the late Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection’s artistic director.
Lamar performed several cuts from Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, including “Savior,” during which, he chanted Abloh’s name. Additionally, he performed, “Rich Spirit,” “Count Me Out,” and”N95.” Before he performed “N95,” he shouted, “Long live Virgil.” Throughout the song, Lamar was wearing a crown of thorns and a large, draping suit.
Abloh, known for designing for artists like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, died in November of last year, following a two-year battle with cancer. Earlier this year, Lamar wore a piece from Abloh’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection during his performance at the Super Bowl.
During a visit to Accra, the capital of Ghana, Lamar also spoke with several children about Abloh while visiting Freedom Skatepark, the first skatepark in Ghana, which opened last December and honors the late designer.
“Virgil,” Lamar said. “What he means to them, you know, as far as letting them have this creative space for them to enjoy themselves. That’s special.”
Check out the performance above.
Suge Knight’s Wrongful Death Lawsuit Results In Mistrial
Suge Knight may have scored his first legal win in a very long time. Per ABC 7, a judge declared a mistrial in the wrongful death lawsuit against Suge Knight in connection to the death of Terry Carter.
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Jurors were deadlocked on a 7-5 ruling in favor of Suge Knight. They needed nine votes in order to hold Suge Knight liable for the death of Carter. The jury told the court last week that they were at an impasse in the verdict. The judge then urged them to return on Tuesday and come to a conclusion.
The lawsuit was filed by Carter’s family, his widow Lillian and his daughters Crystal and Nekaya. For the first time since the trial began, the lawyer for Carter’s family told the courtroom that the family deserved a payout of $81M in Carter’s wrongful death. According to Rolling Stone, this was the first time their lawyer Lance Behringer publicly stated a monetary figure in the case.
Suge pleaded no contest after he was charged with voluntary manslaughter for Carter’s death in the proximity of the Straight Outta Compton set. Suge is currently serving a 28-year prison bid for his involvement in Carter’s death after he took a plea deal. It won’t be until October 2034 that Suge will be eligible for parole.
We’ll keep you posted on more updates on Suge’s case.
Suge Knight’s Civil Trial Over Negligence Allegations Results In Mistrial
Suge Knight’s case ended in a mistrial on Wednesday due to jurors being deadlocked with 7 to 5 in favor of finding Knight liable. Carter’s family vowed to bring the case up again. Ruling Mistrial Rolling Stone reported that Suge Knight’s civil trial over allegations of negligence ended in a mistrial. Jurors were deadlocked again […]
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Arch Manning Reveals Where He’ll Be Playing NCAA Football
Quarterback Arch Manning, the top recruit of the 2023 class and nephew of NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, announced his commitment to the University of Texas on Thursday, joining one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.
Manning’s announcement has been one of the most anticipated of his class. Other potential suitors included offers from Alabama, Clemson, LSU, and Georgia.
Arch is the son of Cooper Manning, who committed to play wide receiver at Ole Miss before leaving football due to medical complications. While Manning has dominated recruitment talk for 2022, the Manning family has remained adamant about keeping his recruitment as low-key as possible. The straightforward Tweet announcing Arch’s commitment to UT was his first and only post on the account, despite his tens of thousands of followers. His Instagram is private, and he has yet to sign his first NIL deal despite the fame and pedigree of the Manning name.
Arch has thus far lived up to that name in high school. Playing for Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, he threw for over 5,700 yards and 72 touchdowns in his first three seasons.
Manning will join a QB room in Texas that already boasts some of the top talent from across the country. The Longhorns have Ohio State transfer student and Texas native Quinn Ewers, the top quarterback of the 2021 class, and Hudson Card, the number two recruit out of 2020.
Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images
Manning will join a Longhorns team under new leadership, that of former Alabama quarterbacks coach Sam Sarkisian. At Alabama, Sarkisian coached some of the best college quarterbacks of recent years, from Tua Tagovailoa to Mac Jones.
The Manning family has been clear that their goals for Arch end in one place: the National Football League. Sarkisian coached for two stints in the NFL, with the then Oakland Raiders and the Atlanta Falcons. Sarkisian could have the knowledge and experience to prepare Arch to become the fourth member of the Manning dynasty to go to the NFL.
Longhorns fans are eager for Manning to don their burnt orange colors. Last season the team struggled, finishing the season 5-7 and losing an embarrassing home game against Kansas. With a young and star-studded class of quarterbacks inbound, Texas could be a force to reckon with by the time they join the SEC in 2025.
Cardi B Fan Shut Down By Security After Asking Her For Her Number
Cardi B has been quiet on the music front as of late, and at this point, some fans are curious as to whether or not her follow-up to Invasion of Privacy is ever going to be released. The artist is very selective when it comes to releasing new music, and it is probably going to be a while before we get anything from Cardi.
In the meantime, Cardi has been a part of various marketing campaigns, and she seems more than happy doing her thing and raising her kids with Offset. After all, Cardi has seen a ton of success, and sometimes, it’s good to just sit back and relax while the music landscape continues to get more and more hectic.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Recently, Cardi and her security were out and about in what appeared to be a grocery store. A fan was filming her as she walked out of the place, and eventually, he told her to have a good day. Instead of leaving it at that, the fan asked Cardi if he could have her number which then led to him being told off by her security guard. As you can hear below, the security guard said those kinds of words could end up getting him knocked out.
Even Cardi seemed taken aback by the interaction as she said “boy” in an exasperated tone on the way out. Needless to say, this fan should know better going forward.
As for her security, that man needs a raise immediately.