With artists once again looking toward the possibility of hitting the road and touring, it’s no wonder that many of the game’s heavy hitters are eager to make up for lost ground. In the case of Conway The Machine, who has been thoroughly prolific throughout the pandemic with Lulu, two Big Ghost LTD collab albums, From King To A God and La Maquina, it means there’s a wealth of new material ready for the road.
Today, Conway announced the Love Will Get You Killed tour, which will kick off on Wednesday, September 8th before winding to a close on Tuesday, October 19th. Machine, opener Stove God Cooks, and the rest of his DrumWork family will hit a string of seventeen venues across various U.S cities; alas, Canadian fans will have to wait a little longer for The Machine to set his sights on the North.
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“It’s MY turn now!!” captions Conway, sharing the complete string of dates on his Instagram page. “I’m back on road and it feels amazing!!, this time I’m wit my dawg @godcooks and all my @drumworkmusic family. I got some other special guests pullin up, I got exclusive merch, this the tour u don’t wanna miss!!! Comin to a city near you!! Get ya tickets and ya drip ready TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY!!!”
Given the fact that he’s set to hit the road in September, some have concluded that his Shady Records debutGod Don’t Make Mistakes will be released prior, which would give him an additional dose of momentum moving into his first solo tour. Fans of The Machine would be wise to keep an eye out for tickets when they go on sale this Friday.
When TDE CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith tweeted “THE WAIT IS OVAH!!!” with a video showing a release date of May 7, he set Twitter ablaze with speculation about just which TDE-instigated “wait” would be concluding next week. A resounding consensus has emerged favoring Kendrick Lamar — who last released a full-length album in 2017 — making “Kendrick” one of the top trends on Twitter just an hour after the tweet.
TDE: “THE WAIT IS OVER”
THIS HAS TO BE EITHER KENDRICK LAMAR, ISAIAH RASHAD OR SZA. ITS FINALLY HAPPENING pic.twitter.com/teenVOQ7oy
PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK PLEASE BE KENDRICK https://t.co/zGnMPBBJq2
However, some were skeptical about the possibility that it’d be the Compton rapper, as TDE has had follow-ups for a handful of projects in the works, including Isaiah Rashad’s 2016 album The Sun’s Tirade and SZA’s 2017 debut CTRL, which were both critically acclaimed fan favorites.
Everyone is guessing Kendrick Lamar or SZA for TDE’s May 7 release date. But what if it’s Isaiah Rashad…………. pic.twitter.com/htR1gAzFVF
Meanwhile, some seemed resigned to the possibility that it might not be any of the “big three,” considering the label’s gift for constantly upending expectations. A few fans seemed less excited, skeptically preparing themselves for May 7 bringing disappointment instead.
One thing seems to remain certain: Even without revealing a single detail about whatever is coming on May 7, TDE’s roster collectively has enough pull to dominate the discussion, meaning that whenever any of the speculated albums actually do release — whether that’s in May or another time entirely — they’ll surely be able to capture fans’ attention all over again.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
On his new album Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma, New Jersey rapper Topaz Jones tries to address some heavy questions. Five years removed from his solitary 2016 hit “Tropicana,” Jones pondered the implications of possibly having a platform with no substance; that isn’t to say that he didn’t have an interesting story to tell, he just had to figure out how to tell it.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, he said, “Now that I have a platform to tell my story, [I had] to really reckon with, well, ‘What is my story? What made me the person I am? What things about myself come from me directly? What things are passed down from my relatives? What’s my generational trauma?’ That was a whole lot of shit to balance out.”
Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma is the result of that introspection, and the method by which Jones ultimately resolved how to best answer those questions: A short film of the same name, detailing his upbringing in Montclair, New Jersey, combining magic realism, documentary, and even edutainment television to place his life in historical, familial, and cultural contexts.
The album, sprinkled with audio clips from the film in which his family members recount beloved anecdotes and dynastic legends, spins out of those ideas to verbally expound Jones’ thoughts on subjects like love, legacy, history, racism, hustling, and dreaming of a better life. Over the 13 whimsical, groovy, lush, and occasionally disorienting tracks, he doesn’t necessarily find all the answers, but then again, this was always more of a “finding yourself in the journey” proposition anyway.
Production-wise, Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma is something of a masterpiece. It’s rare that any artist puts so much thought into instrumentation and expansive genre exploration — especially with how much territory technology has opened up. Jones charts paths through spacey grooves on “Baba 70s,” “Gold,” and “Blue,” incites some hip-wiggling on the dancey “Amphetamines” and “Herringbone,” and stank faces his way through a thicket of throwback, funky hip-hop on “Who?” with Maxo and Phonte Coleman and album closer “Buggin’.”
The live instrumentation evokes smokey lounges, and darkened basement parties from the 1970s, only more timeless. Musically, the technique reinforces the lyrical links Jones traces throughout his family history and nostalgic narratives. The exquisite soundscapes could easily overwhelm a less adept lyricist, but Jones has clearly been using the time since his 2016 album Arcade to sharpen his pen game.
On “Buggin’,” Jones deftly details a twitchy tableau that could just as easily be a scene set in any hood in America, threading a neat metaphorical connection to insects throughout the narrative the way an auteur might draw the eye to a physical placeholder for a conceptual thought — as only befits a rapper turned director turned back to rapper, explaining his vision with dense wordplay and scintillating twists of the tongue.
Likewise, Topaz lets the syllables spill over each other in his verses on “Mirror,” a self-effacing reintroduction to both longtime listeners and potential new fans that highlights his polished gift for both setting a scene and impressing with dazzling displays of verbose wit. On “Herringbone,” he describes a family reunion in such charming, achingly familiar terms, you might be able to taste the collard greens and smell the macaroni baking in the oven.
Throughout the album, the rhymes sit so snugly within the pockets of the soulful beats that listening becomes nearly interactive; Topaz invites you in, and rewards your interest in every unexpected turn of phrase and tempo change. The tales he tells are personal but relatable; he could just as easily be telling any listener’s story, or that of a cousin, brother, or neighbor at a family reunion, recounting the events of the spell since the last get-together.
And that’s really the answer, told both through the film and the album. Our experiences are universal because the same things move us. The same things are important to us. We can put ourselves in Topaz’s shoes just as easily as he can put himself in ours; the same holds true across generations, geography, and any other line we can draw between ourselves and anyone else. Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma is a story about the stories we tell each other and ourselves, the ones that are told to us, and the ones that tell us who we are.
Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma is out now via New Funk Academy / Black Canopy. Get it here.
New York rapper 50 Cent isn’t staying quiet. The G-Unit boss has come forward to speak up for NBA superstar LeBron James not having proper respect placed on his name by retired league icon Julius “Dr. J” Erving. 50 Cent Lights Up Dr. J Over LeBron James Fifty went to his Instagram page to share […]
If you don’t know by now, Drake’s a big fan of Chrome Hearts. In the past week or so, the rapper’s been heavily teasing his Certified Lover Boy x Chrome Hearts collaboration on his IG story and it seems his wealthy influencer friends are getting dibs on the first batch. However, the working relationship between the hip-hop heavyweight and the luxury brand also includes a customized Rolls Royce that fans will be able to check out next month.
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A 2020 Rolls Royce Cullinan that was designed in collaboration with Drake and Chrome Hearts will be available for public viewing at The Institute of Contemporary Art Museum’s sculpture garden in Miami starting on May 1st until May 15th by appointment only. The car was customized by Masonry with the design done by Richard Stark with Drizzy adding some final touches.
An interactive website launch along with the announcement allowing fans to get a better look at the vehicle with Drake’s “What’s Next” soundtracking the virtual experience. It seems that this could’ve been the same Cullinan that he was seen in during the music video for the Scary Hours II single.
Meanwhile, fans are anticipating the release of Drake’s upcoming project. The last update he provided was in early March on SiriusXM’s Sound42 where he said that he’s currently working on it but assured fans it could be coming soon.
The wait is over. DJ Khaled will be officially dropping off his brand new album Khaled Khaled this coming Friday, and given how enthusiastic he’s been in the months leading up to it, expectations are admittedly high. With reported features from Migos, Roddy Ricch, Post Malone, H.E.R, Justin Timberlake, Lil Wayne, Lil Baby, Buju Banton, Nas, and many more, fans have been curious to see what the affable curator has pieced together for his twelfth studio album.
With the big drop only days away, Khaled has been heavy on the Instagram grind, sharing a glimpse at how he’s been spending the week so far. As it happens, Kanye West hit him up for an impromptu visit, during which the pair proceeded to preview their new music for one another — complete with some elaborate dance moves from Khaled and an unexpected breakfast feast.
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“True story, Kanye popped up at my house the other day at 8 AM!” writes Khaled, sharing a clip of their link-up. “I did not know he was coming! He played me his music and I played him Khaled Khaled. He also asked my chef [Melissa Zuniga] for some eggs and ketchup.” While it’s unclear as to who might be blessing the soulful banger, which actually sounds vaguely Kanye-inspired come to think of it, many have been quick to praise the luxurious instrumental as a promising sign of things to come.
Check out the video below, and sound off in the comments if you’re excited to see what DJ Khaled has been building for these past few months. Though it’s unlikely that Yeezy will make an appearance on Khaled Khaled, it’s still refreshing to see him actively connecting with his fellow artists, a promising sign that his own upcoming album might be on the horizon.
Over the last couple of months, genre-bending and soul adjacent artist Chiiild has been proving that the world really needs his forthcoming studio album. By dropping the hypnotic cut “Sleepwalking” as well as the beautiful R&B duet “Awake” with Mahalia, Chiiild has been steadily peeling back the sonic layers of the highly anticipated Hope For Sale.
Today, the Montreal artist has officially shared “Gone,” the third single from the upcoming album, and from early listens, it’s sounding like another step in the direction for the rising multi-genre artist.
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Accompanied by a crisp Zac Wolf-directed video, “Gone” focuses on learning from mistakes in order to overcome challenges that two people in a romantic relationship often make. As mentioned before, Chiiild’s new track marks the third official single from Hope For Sale, which is slated for release this summer. So far, “Gone,” “Awake,” and “Sleepwalking,” all occupy different soundscapes, so one can only assume all of the disparate styles that Chiiild will be exploring on his highly anticipated album.
Watch the gorgeous black-and-white visuals for Chiiild’s latest single “Gone” below and let us know if you’re excited for the Montreal artist’s forthcoming album.
Quotable Lyrics
I know that it can hurt sometimes I bet When all the words don’t come out right It happens And maybe we can learn from times like this And they can be gone
One of the hottest dance challenges on the internet right now is Young Thug and Gunna’s “Ski Challenge.” The lead single from Slime Language 2, “Ski” kicked off the rollout for Young Stoner Life’s second compilation project. The infectious challenge has influencers, artists, dancers, and just about everyone wanting to get involved, mimicking skiing motions after Wheezy’s producer tag sounds off. We’ve seen entries into the challenge from Drake, Diddy, Coi Leray, and plenty of others. This week, DaBaby got involved, but he put his own spin on things.
Instead of getting all wrapped up in winter clothing as Coi Leray did, DaBaby took this challenge to the airport, kayaking over to his private jet on a luggage cart with his boys. His security guard pushes the rapper, who holds a traffic cone and uses it as a paddle to the song’s beat. He may not be skiing, but he’s definitely rowing pretty efficiently. Does this still count as an entry into the “Ski Challenge” though? Considering the fact that YSL Records reposted the video to their official page on Instagram, we’re assuming it does.
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