A collection of our favorite songs of the week.
Month: August 2022
Larry June Shares “In My Pockets” Single
June’s next solo effort is on the way.
India Shawn Shares “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE” Video
“Must be wrong for me to leave you while my heart’s still drumming…”
Why Are Beyoncé And Lizzo Removing ‘Spaz’ From Their Songs?
After some years away, both Beyoncé and Lizzo returned with new albums this year. Beyoncé’s newly-released seventh album Renaissance marks her first full-length effort since 2017’s Lemonade. Renaissance clocked in with 16 songs and features from Beam, Tems, and Grace Jones as well as additional contributors including Drake, Jay-Z, Syd, and others. On the flip side, Lizzo released her fourth album Special earlier this month and that arrived with 12 songs and no guest features. Renaissance and Special don’t share many similar qualities, but there is one thing they both have in common: they both have songs that were criticized thanks to their use of the word “spaz.”
Why Are Beyoncé And Lizzo Removing ‘Spaz’ From Their Songs?
Lizzo was the first to receive criticism for using the word “spaz” and it came after she released “Grrrls” from Special. In a line from the song she sings, “Hold my bag, b*tch, Hold my bag. Do you see this sh*t? I’mma spazz.” Beyoncé’s case comes more recently thanks to “Heated” from Renaissance. In that song, Beyoncé sings, “Spazzin’ on that ass, spaz on that ass / Fan me quick, girl, I need my glass.”
Merriam-Webster defines “spaz” as “one who is inept” and it categorizes the term as “slang, often offensive.” The word itself comes from “spastic” and “spasticity,” and according to a paper published by the National Library Of Medicine, the latter word “is a velocity-dependent increase in muscle tone and uncontrolled, repetitive, involuntary contractions of skeletal muscles.” With that being, the word “spaz” is viewed as an ableist term for those with cerebral palsy, also known as “spastic diplegia.”
As a result of the derogatory nature of “spaz,” Lizzo altered the line in “Grrrls” while a rep for Beyonce promised to do the same for the line on “Heated.”
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Eminem Drops A Previously Unreleased Video For His, Dr. Dre, And 50 Cent’s 2009 Classic ‘Crack A Bottle’
“Crack A Bottle” was a major song for Eminem: The 2009 Dr. Dre and 50 Cent collaboration, the lead single from Relapse, was Eminem’s second career No. 1 single in the US (following “Lose Yourself” in 2002). It also got the three a 2010 Grammy win for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.
Despite all that, Eminem never actually released a video for the song. However, one was made, and now Eminem has gone into the vault to share it today for the first time ever.
The clip is seemingly free of modern enhancements, as the YouTube upload is presented in 480p quality. The visual starts by focusing on a dirty, apparently homeless person. Then we see another person, seemingly with mental issues writing on a wall and experiencing anguish. There there are characters including a tattoo artist and a bartender. None of the three rappers themselves actually appear in the video.
Especially enthusiastic fans of either Eminem, Dre, or 50 have have actually seen this video before: While it was never officially released before today, the clip appears to have leaked online back in June 2009.
Meanwhile, that era was good to Eminem’s daughter Hailie Jade, as she recently discussed on her new podcast.
Watch the “Crack A Bottle” video above.
Atlanta’s Music Midtown Festival Was Reportedly Canceled Because The Venue Can’t Legally Ban Guns
There is no place for guns at music festivals. It seems obvious, right? Now imagine a world where going to a music festival comes with the uncertainty of whether or not one of your fellow attendees has a gun. This is what a number of Georgia gun rights groups are arguing for and is reportedly the main issue that Atlanta’s Music Midtown Festival organizers were faced with when making the decision to cancel the 2022 edition of the festival.
Slated to take place from September 17th – 18th, Music Midtown had a jam-packed lineup ready to rock that featured Jack White, Future, My Chemical Romance, Phoebe Bridgers, Phoenix, and Fallout Boy among the artists across the two-day festival. But now as Billboard reports, pressure from gun rights groups operating under the guise of Georgia’s Safe Carry Protection Act — which allows citizens to carry weapons on public land, which Piedmont Park is on — has crushed any hopes for a weekend of music, community, and celebration.
“Hey Midtown fans – due to circumstances beyond our control, Music Midtown will no longer be taking place this year,” a statement on the festival’s website reads. “We were looking forward to reuniting in September and hope we can all get back to enjoying the festival together again soon.”
While the details of the Safe Carry Protection Act don’t necessarily require the festival to allow guns into the festival, it does leave them open to being sued by gun-carrying ticket-holders who claim that their legal rights are being violated. It’s hard to imagine any scenario where an attendee would need a gun at a music festival. Given that earlier this year, reported gunshots at Lovers & Friends festival in Las Vegas led to a frenzied attempt to flee by attendees who feared for their lives, and that back in 2017, a shooter opened fire on a crowd at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Vegas, killing 50 people, the optics of this push by gun rights groups feels especially cruel.
Fivio Foreign’s Friends Are Unhappy With Ma$e After Interview
It’s always good to have friends who’ve got your back, especially if you’re a multi-million rapper navigating the perilous and often backstabbing world of the music industry. Fivio Foreign’s friends are playing that role to a tee. The “Big Drip” rapper’s friend Ether Da Connect posted a snippet of a phone conversation he and a few friends had with Ma$e, the legendary Harlem rapper who is rumored to have swindled the drill rapper with a faulty $5,000 deal.
The “City of Gods” rapper recently appeared on Million Dollar Worth Of Game where he said he was stuck in a $5,000 contract with Ma$e. In response, Ma$e appeared on the same podcast a week later, saying these claims are “reckless” and that he actually gave Fivio $750K. He also called himself “Diddy 2.0.” There are many factors that could’ve affected this falling out: Fivio’s relative inexperience compared to Ma$e’s decades in the rap business, the changing landscape of contracts and collaborations in the streaming age, and the alleged pressure that Fivio felt to sign the deal in the first place.
No matter the case, the New York drill king’s entourage has also called out Ma$e for “twisting s**t around… The whole point is you ain’t put in & you ain’t help [Fivio Foreign] create his buzz which is what got him his deal.” In the video clip, you can hear one of Fivio’s friends ask Ma$e “How much you playing me, bro?”, to which Ma$e responds with “It don’t matter how much I’m playing you.”
“He’s not gonna give me no answer, bro,” the crew responds.
Ether also said they have the whole conversation recorded, so it seems like this won’t be the end of this contract saga. What makes matters worse is that Fivio said the money didn’t even last two weeks.
Ma$e is also in a longstanding feud with former Bad Boy titan Diddy, who the Harlem World rapper recently claimed never paid him enough for his contributions to Bad Boy Records. While Fivio’s clearly not hurting over the deal anymore, there’s at least some hope that this exposure will result in the retribution that he deserves. Let’s hope that artists don’t continue to fall victim to shady deals in the future, even if the industry makes that unlikely.
You can check out Ma$e’s full interview with Million Dollaz Worth Of Game below.
Billie Eilish x Nike Air Force 1 Low Collab Surfaces In New Colorway
Billie Eilish has cemented herself as one of the biggest pop stars in the entire world. She has a grip on youth culture and there is no doubt that she has a lot of influence when it comes to both music and fashion. Over the last year, Eilish has been able to showcase that influence thanks to collaborations with Nike and Jordan Brand. After working on the Air Jordan 15 and Air Jordan 1 KO, Eilish has now shifted her attention to the Nike Air Force 1 Low.
Thanks to some new images from US_11 on Twitter, we can see that this Eilish x Air Force 1 collab will be dropping in two colorways. These monochromatic offerings will come in two styles, including dark green, and beige. What makes these shoes especially unique is the fact that they have a quilted upper which helps elevate the typical aesthetic of an Air Force 1.
At this point, there is no release date for these two colorways. Having said that, stay tuned to HNHH as we will always bring you the latest news and updates from around the sneaker world. Also, let us know what you think of this new collaboration, in the comments section down below.
Image via Nike
Image via Nike
Chris Rock “Doesn’t Need To Talk” To Will Smith: Report
He may be cracking jokes on stage about the slap that has caused him to remain a hot topic in pop culture circles, but according to sources, Chris Rock doesn’t have any plans to sit down with Will Smith anytime soon. Last week, Smith stunned the internet when he surfaced with a video detailing his perspective on his controversial Academy Awards moment earlier this year. While the actor seemed remorseful, Smith admitted that he did reach out to Rock, however, the comedian did not want to speak with him.
As the internet continues to buzz about the clip, PEOPLE magazine claims that they have spoken with an “industry source” who has offered an update.
Jamie McCarthy / Staff / Getty Images
“Chris doesn’t need to talk. This is clearly something that bothers Will more than Chris,” the source reportedly stated. “Will needs to deal with his issues. Chris is fine.” Another source reportedly said that people should take it as a “positive sign” that Rock is able to joke about the experience.
“The fact that he is making jokes about it already is a good thing,” the second source reportedly stated. “That means he is assessing it. But the stress of the slap and the aftermath has not taken over his life. Quite the opposite.”
If you haven’t already, you can watch Will Smith’s explanation below.
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Chris Brown Rips His Pants On Stage Mid-Performance
We’re all subject to public embarrassment: dropping groceries at the supermarket, maybe accidentally letting a fart out in public, or exposing our underwear while performing for thousands of people. Maybe not that last part, but that’s what happened to R&B star Chris Brown yesterday while playing a show with Lil Baby on their “One Of Them Ones” tour in Columbus, Ohio.
Fans in the crowd seemed to enjoy the experience, as you can hear some cheers and whoops from the crowd the moment the front of Brown’s front jeans rip. He seemed to take it well, too, as he’s seen laughing and cheekily covering himself up with his hand. Props go to him for performing through the song, too.
As one of R&B’s biggest stars for over a decade, the hype that was built when he announced a tour with one of Atlanta’s biggest rappers, Lil Baby, was easy to see. It seems the tour has been going smoothly for them so far, though.
Chris Brown’s also been in the news recently for non-pants-related reasons. He recently appeared on Joey Bada$$’s new album, 2000, a feature that sparked controversy not due to its quality but for his history of domestic violence. Joey has since responded to criticism with a lot of love and respect for the R&B singer. The 33-year-old singer also denied claims that he bailed on a relief concert for Hurricane Ida and Nicholas and has offered a donation for affected citizens.