Month: July 2022

‘Creed’ Spinoff ‘Drago’ Reportedly In Works

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Michael B. Jordan Set to Make Directorial Debut With 'Creed 3'

With Creed III hitting theatres this November, MGM recently announced that a spinoff called Drago is in the works.

Variety reports that the spinoff of Creed, which is a spinoff of Rocky, revolves around Rocky IV and Creed II antagonist Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren. It was also reported that the film is being written by Robert Lawton.

“I’m incredibly humbled and grateful for this opportunity, and I’m approaching it as an enormous fan of the ‘Rocky’ franchise, who happens to be a screenwriter,” Lawton said in a statement to Variety.

According to the same article by Variety, Lawton landed the job of writing the upcoming film after he pitched his spec script “Becoming Rocky,” which revolved around the making of the first “Rocky” film to MGM executives. While they decided not to pick up the script, he impressed executives so much that they wanted him to build a backstory for Ivan Drago.

The next installment in the Creed franchise is set to release on November 23, 2022. This will be the first film in Both the Rocky and Creed franchises that will not feature Sylvester Stallone playing Rocky Balboa. A trailer for the movie has not come out but pictures of Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors, who is speculated to portray the son of Clubber Lang, leaked earlier this year.

The post ‘Creed’ Spinoff ‘Drago’ Reportedly In Works appeared first on The Source.

Migos Are Set To Perform At The 2022 Pepsi National Battle Of The Bands But Offset Is Not Advertised

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Quavo Takeoff QC Black Ball 2022
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Say it ain’t so. After months of speculation over whether Migos will remain a trio, the answer may have just been given by an unexpected source. The Atlanta trio is slated to perform at the upcoming 2022 Pepsi National Battle Of The Bands which celebrates HBCU marching bands; only, there are just two of the three men on the poster: Quavo and Takeoff. The promotional video throws another curveball as it specifically says “a live performance by the Migos: Quavo and Takeoff.”

The questions about the group’s status began back in May when it was revealed that Offset and his wife, superstar rapper Cardi B, unfollowed Quavo and Takeoff on social media. That same month, the “Gang Gang” artists formed the duo “Unc & Phew” and released “Hotel Lobby.” Offset took to Instagram shortly after to promote some music of his own, but none of the rappers spoke directly on Migos’s future until earlier this month. Quavo was interviewed by GQ and said that their solo activities simply make them better individuals and a better group, which they have attempted before with 2018’s Quavo Huncho and The Last Rocket, plus 2019’s Father Of 4.

“It was all about Migos, Migos, Migos. The three of us,” the “Workin Me” artist said. “I feel like every group member has to establish themselves. Their own body of work. If not, you start losing members.”

This Pepsi Battle Of The Bands performance is an understandable cause of concern, but perhaps not all hope is lost and Quavo’s word is bond.

Check out the poster and promotional video above.

‘Rap Sh!t’ Hit ‘Seduce & Scheme’ Gets An Official Release Via Issa Rae’s Label, Raedio

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Issa Rae’s follow-up to Insecure is already off to a strong start, as fans have taken to the first two episodes of Rap Sh!t on HBO Max the same way they took to her breakout show. And, in an immaculate example of Issa’s marketing prowess, the signature song from burgeoning on-screen Miami rap duo Mia and Shawna, “Seduce & Scheme,” has received an official release from Issa’s Atlantic-backed label, Raedio.

In the show, “Seduce & Scheme” is the result of a drunken late-night reunion between the two lead characters after their post-high school falling out. It goes viral, becoming the launching point for their rap group ambitions, with Mia encouraging the passionate but preachy Shawna to loosen up while Mia learns to take herself and her own talent more seriously. The show, which is also executive produced by City Girls, is a loose re-telling of the Quality Control hitmakers’ own origin story, with some Issa Rae flair thrown in.

So far, fans have been loving the show’s subtle social commentary on subjects like the double standards for women in rap and the seemingly incessant cultural appropriation surrounding the genre. Highlighting the latter, viewers were delighted by the show’s use of a real-life viral moment to promote an in-show character’s “hit” song. Atlanta rapper Omeretta The Great had posted what looked to be a white woman covering her viral hit “Sorry Not Sorry,” imitating the streetwise declarations that the surrounding suburbs were “not Atlanta.”

In reality, it turns out that the rapper, Reina Reign, was actually an actor, Kat Cunning, gamely playing the role of a clueless appropriator who switches from doing acoustic covers of rap songs to full-on Black girl cosplay in an effort to bank off the increasing popularity of female rappers. And just like that video went viral, Rap Sh!t‘s signature single — which was penned in part by real rapper Dreezy and some of the show’s staff, looks like it’s going to be a hit as well.

You can listen to “Seduce & Scheme” above.

Raedio is a subsidiary of Warner Music. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Kelis Calls Out Pharrell And Chad Hugo Over Allegedly Not Clearing The Beyoncé ‘Renaissance’ Sample With Her

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Kelis Hollywood Unlocked 2022
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Earlier today, Kelis voiced her frustrations over one of her records being sampled on Beyoncé’s upcoming album Renaissance without it being cleared. She commented on the @kelistrends Instagram page and went back and forth with fans who were excited about the “collaboration.” Evidently, the Harlem artist had much more to get off of her chest in the form of a near three-minute rant that a fan posted to Twitter, where Kelis called out Pharrell and Chad Hugo for purposely participating in the “theft.”

From the very beginning of the video, the 42-year-old clarifies that her beef is not only with Beyoncé, who she says has copied her before much like many other artists. “The issue is not only are we female artists, Black female artists, in an industry that there’s not that many of us,” Kelis says. “We’ve met each other, we know each other, we have mutual friends. It’s not hard, she can contact me.” She then compares the situation to when Ashnikko went through the proper channels to connect with her to clear “Deal With It,” where she sampled Kelis’s “Caught Out There.”

Kelis continued her diatribe by calling the “Bey Hive” sheep for defending her and pointing out how Kelis doesn’t own her music before turning her attention to Pharrell and Chad Hugo.

“Chad really is like an amoeba, he’s spineless. It’s a miracle he can keep his neck up, but Pharrell knows better. This is a direct hit at me, he does this stuff all the time. It’s very petty–very, very, very–and the reality is that it’s frustrating. I have the right to be frustrated. Why? Because no one had the human decency to call and be like ‘Yo, hey, would like to use your record.’ Which, by the way, is the reason I’m annoyed because I know it was on purpose.”

A new Beyoncé release always causes hysteria, so this situation isn’t too surprising, but it will be interesting to see how it unfolds. As of now, there have been no comments from the Lemonade artist, Pharrell, or Hugo.

Nicki Minaj Reveals The Trailer For Her Upcoming Six-Part Docuseries, ‘Nicki’

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Signs are pointing at a new Nicki Minaj era imminent. As the Barbz wait on bated breath for her upcoming single, “Freaky Girl,” Minaj surprised fans today by sharing the trailer for her upcoming six-part docuseries, Nicki.

The trailer is filled with footage from several eras of Minaj’s career, from her mixtape era of the mid-aughts, her breaking into the mainstream pop landscape in the early 2010s, all the way up to the era of her most recent album, Queen. Fans will also see clips of Minaj alongside her husband, Kenneth Petty.

The docuseries, produced by the Canadian Bron Studios, was first announced in 2020, with plans to stream on HBO Max. However, she appeared to indicate on Instagram she is looking for a new platform on which to release the docuseries.

“Coming out SOONER THANK YOU THINK,” she said in a caption. “I took some time to perfect this very intimate, delicate, electrifying, inspiring body of work. As I decide on a home for this project, I can’t help but reflect on what I’m including in this doc. Some things are so personal, it’s scary. It’s like NOTHING you’ve seen before & I need it to be handled with care. Love you so much. Thank you for the continued support.”

Check out the trailer above.

Gucci Mane Calls For Rappers To Stop ‘Dissin The Dead’ In A New Video

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Never one to mince words, Gucci Mane is issuing a directive for fellow rappers to stop speaking ill on the dead. On the new ATL Jacob-produced song, Gucci acknowledges having slandered deceased artists in the past and seems to reconcile with his poor choices of words.

“I know my tongue is a sword / I know I should be more careful with sh** that I said / I feel like I started a trend that’s never gon’ stop / They gon’ keep dissing the dead,” he raps.

Though it’s not clear which works he is referring to in the lyrics, perhaps one of the most obvious songs is a 2012 diss track targeted toward Jeezy called “Truth,” on which, he tells him, “Go dig your partner up, bet he can’t say sh*t.” The “partner” he is referring to is Pookie Loc, whom Gucci shot dead in 2005 after he attempted to rob him.

In the song’s accompanying visual, directed by Omar The Director, Gucci is seen in a graveyard, wearing a hoodie that reads “R.I.P. Trouble,” referring to rapper Trouble, who was allegedly shot and killed by a woman’s scorned ex.

Check out “Dissin The Dead” above.

Gucci Mane is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.