Freddie Gibbs & Pharrell Williams Are Officially Locked In For “SSS”

Freddie Gibbs is having a hell of a run right now. Following his triumphant run in the past two years that included the release of Bandana and the Grammy-nominated Alfredo, Freddie Gibbs has certainly received the credit he rightfully deserves but he’s also shown signs of growth with tracks like “Winter In America.” 


Cassidy Sparrow/Getty Images 

After the release of “Big Boss Rabbit,” the rapper revealed some details about his upcoming album which is supposedly titled SSS, though it’s unclear what that stands for. Among the revelations made was a list of producers that he’s locked in with. Usual suspects like Madlib and The Alchemist were included alongside names like Metro Boomin and Mike Will Made It. He also revealed that he would be locking in with Pharrell Williams which made coke rap purists ecstatic over the possibilities of Pusha T potentially hoping on the track, as well. 

Last night, the rapper took to the ‘Gram where he shared a photo of himself and Pharrell posted up together in some sort of conference room (presumably in Miami) with a Beats speaker and their phones connected. Gibbs shared the photo along with an emoji of a rabbit and a skateboard, indicating that they have some heat coming soon.


 David Klein/Getty Images

This would not be the first time the artists connected together. Back in 2012, Pharrell made a surprising cameo on Freddie Gibbs’ Baby Face Killa mixtape on “The Diet” which has been excluded from streaming services but is available to find on YouTube.

Are you excited for Freddie Gibbs’ forthcoming project, SSS?

Megan Thee Stallion Turns Backseat Into Relationship Goals

Megan Thee Stallion Turns Backseat Into Relationship Goals

Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion is loving her relationship goals. The hip-hop superstar has continued to remind the world she’s really off the market with rapper boyfriend Pardison Fontaine in her life. Megan Thee Stallion Turns Backseat Into Goals Stallion went to her Instagram to melt hearts away. She shared a slideshow of pics boo’d […]

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Jay-Z’s Monogram Taps Hype Williams & Curren$y For New Campaign

Jay-Z couldn’t have gotten into the cannabis industry at a better time. The rapper announced some massive entrepreneurial moves one after another that included the sale of TIDAL to Square Inc., his partnership with LVMH’s spirit branch, Moet Hennessy, and of course, the official launch of his cannabis company Monogram


Erik Voake/Getty Images

The recent announcement of legalization in New York state coincided with Monogram’s latest ad campaign that takes inspiration from the late photographer Slim Aarons. Hov and Monogram enlisted the ever-iconic Hype Williams for this spread, shot at the Frank Sinatra House in Palm Springs, FL. Curren$y and Aleali May were spotted playing Backgammon in a pool together as a reimagination of Aarons’ “Keep Your Cool” photograph. Chika and Slick Woods also make appearances in the spreads, taking inspiration from other works from Aarons’ such as “Desert House Party,” “Poolside Glamour” and “Leisure and Fashion.”

With the photos plastered across New York City to celebrate legalization, Hov expressed his excitement in Monogram’s role in helping lead the way for a monumental feat.

“On the heels of legalization, seeing creative like this become a natural part of the fabric of New York City only reinforces that cannabis has a right to exist within our customs, arts and social institutions,” Hov said in a statement, per Variety. “New York’s decision to legalize is a victory for the entire industry, and I’m excited to have Monogram play a role in bringing that message to life in my own backyard.”

Check out the photos below. 


Hype Williams/Monogram


Hype Williams/Monogram


Hype Williams/Monogram

[Via]

Lil Nas X Excels In His Favorite Dimension, The Internet

In today’s music industry, talent often only accounts for a part of the equation. Coupled with raw ability, you also need to have the temperament to traverse through the online world and, inevitably, figure out how to use it to promote yourself. For a lot of hip-hop’s modern artists, this can take on the form of a tried-and-tested formula in which their social media accounts supplement the content of their lyrics, complete with high-end fashion, jewellery and stacks of cash. In other cases, artists such as Freddie Gibbs, Tyler The Creator and Vince Staples have used their profiles as an outlet for their own brands of absurdist comedy, while for the more opportunistic, it can be the perfect conduit through which to create overblown, low-stakes conflict with their fellow MCs.

But when it comes to country-trap poster boy turned hip-hop provocateur and LGBTQIA+ icon-in-the-making, Lil Nas X, his use of social media and his success is uniquely inextricable from one another.  

lil nas x viral success

 Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

Brought into the public domain on a tidal wave of memes and his outright refusal to let the joke expire, Lil Nas X’s rise from Computer studies student with aspirations of stardom to cultural force, thrived on his synergy with the internet. While his combined 26 million followers across Twitter, Instagram and TikTok doesn’t give him the largest following in hip-hop, no one maximizes their every moment under the online spotlight to the same effect that Montero Hill has.  

His new single and video “Call Me By Your Name,” undoubtedly his biggest smash since “Old Town Road,” is an ode to his sexuality that follows in “WAP’s” footsteps by whipping conservative pundits and picket-fenced America into a frenzy. However, it’s clear that Lil Nas hasn’t stumbled into this firestorm of controversy by accident.

“A powerful music video can spark a larger conversation and create a real moment,” Kevin Meenan, music charts manager at YouTube, gushed to Billboard. “[Lil Nas X] has been very explicit that this was his goal…He’s a genius. He really knows how to capitalize on the moment and keep it going.”

When retracing Lil Nas’s steps through the industry, it appears that every online move is premeditated and more often than not, the goal is to turn online impressions into something he can commodify. Let’s not forget, as soon as “Call Me By Your Name” had set the internet ablaze, the viral artist was ready to double down with his injunction-spawning satanic shoe collaboration and his $10,000 “Pole Dance To Hell” challenge on TikTok.

Where other artists simply hope that users take it upon themselves to imbue their music with viral appeal, Lil Nas X leaves nothing to chance. And when you look at both his personal history and the statements that he’s made in regards to the power of the internet in previous interviews, this makes perfect sense. Hill has always been the most comfortable with the online world.

“Social media opened up so much of the world and showed me there’s so much I can be in this life,” Lil Nas told HighSnobiety late last year. “And whenever I find that thing that sparks me, I’m going to take it all the way there. Having a big platform and digital influence is a superpower,” he continued. “It’s always great to have people who are looking forward to what you’re going to say or do next.”

lil nas x viral success

Rachel Murray/Getty Images 

From the days where he was the agitator behind Nicki Minaj stan account @Nasmaraj, Montero has always understood the currency in which the online world trades in, be that soundbites, fan-cams or even outrage. 

So, it’s only natural that from the minute he dropped out of college to pursue music as a career path, Lil Nas X has been striving to direct traffic his way. With his internet acumen on his side, it’s unsurprising that long before “Old Town Road” became the runaway success that it was, Montero had already streamlined the track to ensure that it’d take on a life of its own once in the hands of excitable social media users. 

“‘I got the horses in the back,’ I was like this is gonna be the highlight of the memes right here,” he informed NPR. “And then, ‘The cowboy hat from Gucci / Wrangler on my booty…’ I was like, ‘These are all quotables.’ I was just doing that the entire month of making the song: ‘Put this right here … oh, this is gonna be the best plan ever.’ And, you know, it worked.”

Candid in his intentions, Hill knew that if he were to stand out amid the scores of Atlanta rappers that were better connected or had a grittier edge, he’d have to use what he had at his disposal to stack the odds in his favour. And just as his intimate knowledge of how the online news cycle works was key to the creative decisions behind “Call Me By Your Name,” the formula for manufacturing virality had already been tested on
“Old Town Road.” Except on that occasion, he had to play the long game.

“I promoted the song as a meme for months until it caught on to TikTok and it became way bigger,” Lil Nas X told Time in one of many post mortems on how “Old Town Road” took off. “I was pretty familiar with TikTok: I always thought its videos would be ironically hilarious… A lot of people will try to downplay it, but I saw it as something bigger…. TikTok brought my song to several different audiences at once.”

Now equipped with a worldwide following, Lil Nas X initially struggled to replicate the same degree of frenzy that his breakout single had sparked. When it came time for him to attempt to capitalize on his new platform with his genre-spanning but unfocused EP 7, he incorporated features with Cardi B and Travis Barker to ensure that they went viral in their own echo chambers. Later on, he’d craft another crossover of meme-worthy proportions when he teamed up with the original Nas for both a “Rodeo” remix and The Matrix-inspired videothat outperformed the track’s initial commercial release in terms of views. Aware that sometimes a little context can be all you need to go viral, Lil Nas X also allowed EP highlight “C7osure (You Like)” to simmer before revealing its true intentions as a coming out song to social media. Notably, he did so on the last day of Pride Month.   

But after regrouping to record his debut album, Lil Nas X once again struck upon that one characteristic that had been missing from his recent work, but had been pivotal to galvanizing support for “Old Town Road”– controversy.

In the same way that the genre classification debate over “Old Town Road” kept Lil Nas X’s name in conversations across Twitter and news timelines, “Call Me By Your Name” has made him just as unavoidable, with a discussion over the taboo-shattering gyrations and fears that he is seemingly corrupting the youth.

lil nas x  2021

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images 

However, just in case you were still dubious as to whether Lil Nas X had somehow simply lucked out with his repeated viral success, comments he made as the wolves began to descend let us know that, once again, this was all meticulously plotted out.

“I had 9 months to plan this rollout,” he declared on Twitter. “Y’all are not gonna win bro.”

Unashamed to be seen as “desperate” in the pursuit of his success, Lil Nas X’s entire career is a microcosm of what the internet-savvy artist can achieve with foresight and a distinct lack of fear. Currently boasting a number one single and over 105 million views at time of writing, it’s interesting to hypothesize whether Lil Nas X would be experiencing the same success if the track existed in a controversy-free vacuum. However, whether you like him or loathe him, what’s indisputable is that when it comes to seizing online momentum and forging it into real, tangible success, Lil Nas X currently exists in a league of his own.

Lil Tjay & 6LACK Earn A Platinum Single With ‘Calling My Phone’

Lil Tjay delivered his highly-anticipated sophomore project Destined 2 Win at the top of the month. Complete with features from the likes of Polo G, Fivio Foreign, Saweetie, Tyga, and more, the Bronx star earned his most successful project to date upon its release. The album’s lead single “Calling My Phone” featuring Atlanta singer 6LACK set the tone for success, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also becoming a global hit.  


Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Power 105.1

Continuing to prove to be a smash hit, the single, released in February of this year, has gone to move 1 million certified units as of April 9th. With the crossing of the million-units sold threshold, the duo has earned a Platinum plaque from the Recording Industry Association of America.  

“Calling My Phone” was streamed over 60 million times globally in its first week, with nearly 29 million of them coming from the United States alone. It also gave both Lil Tjay and 6LACK each their highest charting debut and highest-peeking single on the chart. The song also reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart and the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart. 

This is a massive achievement for the Bronx star, especially considering the short amount of time it has taken the song to sell 1 million copies. 

“Calling My Phone” still remains in the Top 20 of the Hot 100 chart, so it’s possible subsequent certifications for the track could be arriving very soon. Congratulations to 6LACK and Lil Tjay for earning their biggest hit to date!

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Usher Reportedly Didn’t Actually Give A Stripper Fake Money With His Face On It

Usher went viral yesterday after it was reported that he paid strippers with fake dollar bills that had his own face on it, in lieu of actual money. Now, TMZ reports that things are not as they seem.

Citing “sources close to Usher,” the publication reports that somebody in Usher’s crew, but not Usher himself, left some of the fake Usher-branded “money” behind “as a bit of a gag,” both as a joke and to promote Usher’s Las Vegas residency. A representative of the Sapphire club where this happened told TMZ that Usher did not give strippers his fake money and that he tipped the staff overall “quite generously” (with real money). Usher apparently spent thousands on dancers and paid for bottle service. Sapphire also told TMZ they’d be happy to host Usher again.

This story began when a stripper shared photos of the phony Usher money, printed in various denominations and designed to look like real money, and asked her followers, “Ladies what would you do if you danced all night for usher and he threw this??” She also noted, “& the money does not have a trade in value what so ever! Lmao don’t y’all think he should be blasted on social media for this sh*t?”

Rico Nasty Will Headline Afropunk’s Virtual ‘Black Spring’ Concert

Rico Nasty, the DMV artist who blends hyperpop and hip-hop with punk rock aesthetics, would seem like the perfect headliner for a festival called “Afropunk,” right? Afropunk announced the lineup for its 2021 virtual festival “Black Spring” today, and guess who’s headlining: Rico Nasty. I love it when a plan comes together.

The genre-agnostic festival, now in its sixteenth year, was forced to move online for its most recent iterations by the global coronavirus pandemic, but clearly, the show must go on. The Black Spring show, scheduled for April 23, will take place in Miami at 4 pm ET but will stream worldwide at planetafropunk.com.

In addition to Rico Nasty, who returns to the festival after previously performing in 2019, performers will include Black Pantera, ChocQuibTown, Dawerxdamper, Jup Do Bairro, Seafoam Walls, Seu Jorge, and Projexx. Afropop is also collaborating with NPR Music for “Tiny Desk Meets Afropunk,” a collection of stripped-down performances in the style of the popular NPR web show from Calma Carmona, ChocQuibTown, Luedji Luna, and Nenny.

Afropunk, which bills itself as the festival for alternative Black and Latin artists who are generally overlooked by the mainstream, has previously hosted such versatile, outspoken artists as Erykah Badu, Grace Jones, Solange Knowles, Tyler The Creator, and more.

You can find out more information at planetafropunk.com.

Rico Nasty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Strip Club Responds To Usher Using Fake Money W/ Dancer

R&B superstar Usher really does have money to blow with actual dead presidents on it. New reports claim the Grammy-winning superstar actually dropped big bags during a recent outing in a Las Vegas strip club. Strip Club Responds To Usher According to reports, Sapphire a club representative has come forward to provide some clarity. While […]

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Kanye West Claps Back At Kim Kardashian Divorce Push

Kanye West Claps Back At Kim Kardashian Divorce Push

Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West isn’t taking his divorce lightly. The hip-hop star has reportedly responded to Kim Kardashian‘s request to legally separate by requesting joint custody of their children and no spousal support. Kanye West Claps Back At Kim K Divorce According to reports, Yeezy’s attorney listed irreconcilable differences as the main reason for their […]

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Funk Flex Calls Cardi B A “Terrible Rapper”

From the jump, it’s been clear that Funk Flex isn’t the biggest fan of Cardi B. Despite their shared New York connection, the famed radio host has taken issue with a few of Cardi’s practices over the years, accusing her of using payola to earn radio play. Over the last three years, Flex has called out Cardi B on numerous occasions, including when her drugging and robbing scandal resurfaced in 2019

The legendary radio personality may not love Cardi B but he knows that she’s got a pretty special delivery and flow. Unfortunately, he just can’t quite respect the 28-year-old “Up” rapper, calling her a “terrible rapper” during a recent episode of the Cigar Talk podcast.


Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

“I do think Cardi B is a terrible rapper, my n***a, I just do, man,” he told host Najichill during the show. “She’s an amazing entertainer, I love her on social media, I love the way she talks about a subject, I like her whole swag, I like everything. She’s a terrible rapper, man. I don’t know. Even if somebody [else] wrote [her songs], those aren’t good bars. So somebody sold you bad bars! Is nobody gonna f*cking say it?”

Funk Flex is probably one of the only people with a platform that will say something of this nature. He has long been critical of Cardi B as one of the top women in the rap game, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that he thinks she’s a bad rapper.

Considering all the negative comments about Cardi B from HNHH commenters, I’m sure a lot of you will agree with Funk Flex on this. What do you think about his comments?