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Meek Mill Purchases His Grandmother A Brand New House
Meek Mill often finds himself at the center of internet virality for different antics. Just last week he became the butt of many jokes on Twitter after he asked what a PH balance was.
Despite his social media antics, Meek has proven in real life he has a pretty big heart. He recently scored a victory in Virginia in his fight for criminal justice reform with his REFORM alliance group. He’s now paying the love forward closer to home, purchasing his grandmother a brand new home.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
He proudly shared the purchase on his Instagram account yesterday (April 19). “Loyalty is not just a word, Kick ya feet up Grandmom. My dads mom #newcrib. I’m prada myself Ya definition of real not the same as mines! I get it!” he penned in the caption of a photo featuring himself and his grandmother lounging in her new home.
If you recall, back in 2018, Meek’s grandmother’s Philadelphia home was vandalized with graffiti that read “White Privilege” on it. A man was caught on video committing the tasteless act with a spray can in hand in the Graduate Hospital section of the rapper’s hometown.
His publicist at the time confirmed to news outlets he was seeking to press charges against the culprit. At the time, he shared footage of the ordeal on social media.
“A white man sprayed a racial remarks on my Grandmom’s house last night in south philly referencing white Privileged…. the crazy part is this was a all black neighborhood 20 years ago It was gentrified and now this! Just don’t let us catch you coward! T…” he penned.
Shoutout to Meek for hooking his grandmother up!
Curren$y Interview: NFTs, New EP and Jay-Z’s Cannabis Line
With a name like Curren$y, this makes a lot of sense. Continue reading…
Wiz Khalifa’s “Khalifa Kush” Extends Partnership With Tryke
Wiz Khalifa’s Khalifa Kush has been among the rapper’s many lucrative business endeavors, and on this fateful 4/20, the rapper slash cannabis entrepreneur has announced a promising new development on that front. As of today, it has been confirmed that Khalifa Kush and Tryke Companies have extended their existing partnership with a ten-year deal, with the partnership set to bring Wiz’s signature bud to dispensaries across the Southwestern United States.
“We’re excited to expand our footprint of the Khalifa Kush brand ensuring quality, authentic Khalifa Kush products are on the shelves of all the top dispensaries in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah for the next decade,” says Wiz, in an official press release.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Tryke CEO Adam Ryan also shared a few words on the renewed partnership. “The entire Tryke team is thrilled to have this opportunity to expand our longstanding partnership,” he states. “The Khalifa Kush brand has consistently proven its ability to attract customers and drive sales, and our high-quality products have delivered on the lofty expectations of this premium brand. We look forward to introducing more KK products and strains in the years to come.”
The press release also outlines their focus on Arizona expansion, citing it as an “emerging recreational market.” In addition, Khalifa and Tryke are looking to further solidify the brand as a key player in the Southwestern cannabis market, teasing new and diverse products yet to come. Should you be interested in checking out more of what Khalifa Kush has to offer, check out the official website right here.
In the meantime, be sure to throw on our official 4/20 Wake & Bake playlist for all your smoking soundtrack needs. Bonus points if you’ve already sparked up some KK for good measure.
Lil Nas X Claps Back After People Say He’s Gay “For Success”
The fact that people are saying that Lil Nas X is only gay for success is pretty ridiculous because, historically, gay artists have been shunned by the music industry. Especially in hip-hop, you’re generally perceived as “less than” if you present as anything other than a cisgender heterosexual male. In the wake of his latest success with his #1 hit record “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” which is the rapper’s first song where he details a sexual relationship with another man, LNX is fighting back against the bigots saying he’s only using his sexuality as a means to elevate his fame and status.
“Y’all love saying i’m being gay for success but can’t name 5 successful gay male artists in the last 10 years to save your life,” said Lil Nas on Twitter. People love to claim that there’s an “agenda” pushing homosexuality and LGBTQ+ identity in the music industry, which is very easily combated by using Lil Nas’s argument. “I’m not dissing anyone. I’m acknowledging the fact that we aren’t usually as successful as our peers,” he explained in a later tweet. “It’s a million n***as in the industry that make nothing but songs about women and y’all don’t complain. but i make my first song about a n***a and now it’s my entire artistry. y’all crack me up man.”
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
In other news surrounding the 22-year-old cultural phenom, he recently responded after fans criticized him for a video of his mother allegedly begging for food in the street. Lil Nas X said that he has cried himself to sleep countless nights because of his mother’s addiction, trying to help her multiple times without a successful result.
Read through LNX’s latest tweets below.
Jack Harlow Basks In Glory Of Snoop Dogg Co-Sign
Jack Harlow is one of the game’s rising stars, having seen a massive increase in reach following the release of his breakout single “What’s Poppin.” Since then, the rapper has gone on to secure a spot on the 2020 XXL Freshman Class, as well as delivering his major-label debut That’s What They All Say last December.
Over the weekend, Harlow found himself involved in the Jake Paul vs Ben Askren fight, interviewing the former alongside Pete Davidson. That wasn’t everything Jack Harlow got up to during the Triller-hosted event, which brought no shortage of artists into the mix for live performances and more. At some point or another, the young emcee found himself crossing paths with the legendary Snoop Dogg, who was present to perform alongside his Mount Westmore groupmates.
Prince Williams/Wireimage/Getty Images
As it happens, Snoop and Harlow exchanged kind words during their encounter, with Snoop going so far as to dub young Jack “a bad muthafucka.” The praise left such a profound impact on Harlow that he quickly took to Twitter to share a few pictures from their link-up, declaring the moment to be “one of the greatest moments of his career.” Understandable, given the priceless value of a Snoop Dogg co-sign, which tends to be counted among hip-hop’s highest honors — literally, more often than not.
Check out Harlow’s reflections on Snoop Dogg’s praise, and sound off if you’d like to see the pair reconnecting in the studio at some point.
Apple Music Says Artists & Labels Make A Penny Per Stream On Average
The switch to digital consumption of music changed a lot for the music industry. As physical copies of albums have become less popular and streaming has become the primary source of listening, artists have had to depend on touring and other things to make a reasonable amount of cash in their careers.
Spotify has come under fire numerous times by artists for the measly payouts associated with its platform. Apple Music has notably taken a more firm stance in ensuring artists get their fair share of coins, recently explaining they pay artists and labels an average of a penny per stream as they believe in, “the value of music and paying creators fairly for their work.”
Manny Hernandez/Getty Images for Apple Music
In a letter shared to their artist dashboard last week, the company explained the payouts associated with their streaming platform. “While royalties from streaming services are calculated on a stream share basis, a play still has a value,” the letter read. “This value varies by subscription plan and country but averaged $0.01 for Apple Music individual paid plans in 2020. This includes label and publisher royalties.”
The company adds in the letter that it pays the same 52% headline rate to all labels, the same headline rate for all compositions, and do not pay a lower rate in exchange for featuring. As explained by Variety, “In the letter, Apple says it pays 52 percent of subscription revenue, or 52 cents of every dollar, to record labels. Spotify, which generates revenue both from subscriptions and its free ad-supported tier, says it pays ⅔ of every dollar of revenue to rights holders…
“…with 75 percent to 80 percent of that going to labels, which translates to 50 to 53 cents on the dollar, depending on agreements between the service and different labels.” Following the latter from Apple, the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers demanded more transparency from services, noting that Apple Music’s payout methods are “doable for streaming companies, including Spotify which currently averages $0.0038 per stream.”
“If Apple can pay a penny per stream, then Spotify can too,” the union wrote in a second tweet. “We also know that paying a penny per stream is only a starting point to righting the wrong of the streaming economy. This adjustment alone will not make the music industry sufficiently equitable or fair.” Spotify has previously explained on its Loud&Clear website launched dedicated to helping artists explain their payment methods and why they don’t believe in a “per-stream rate.”
“Still, we understand that artists find it useful to calculate an effective “per stream” rate or, in other words, a revenue-to-streams ratio — dividing the total size of the royalty pool on Spotify (the numerator) by the total number of music streams on Spotify (the denominator),” the site read. “Both of these numbers are growing incredibly quickly every year.”
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Spotify
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Van Buren Records Might Be ‘Bad For Press,’ But Their New Album Is Too Good For That To Matter
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.
Collaboration is nothing without chemistry. It’s why when a superstar athlete joins a new team, critics question if success will be attained or things will crumble into failure. When a group effort sees each member recognizing and making up for one another’s weaknesses, more times than not, art in its most beautiful form arrives, leaving its consumers to stand starry-eyed to take in the new experience. Elsewhere, doubters rush to eat their words in an attempt to hide them and avoid having to own up to their wrongs. It’s this excellent chemistry in collaboration that lives on Van Buren Records’ debut album, Bad For Press.
The thirteen-track effort compiles some of the best hip-hop talents Massachusetts has to offer. The heavy-muscled collective includes names like Luke Bars and Saint Lyor, who both caught attention in 2020 for their respective GoodEvil and If My Sins Could Talk. Jiles is the epitome of a flower blooming in a dark room, as his sinister verses both rattle and enthrall listeners. Meech, Andrew Regis, and Lord Felix punch jaws and dizzy minds with their bars while Ricky Felix and Kiron create the ideal landscape for the rappers to go berzerk in.
Bad For Press arrives with a “yeah, so what?” sneer from the Van Buren collective. Suits & ties with smiles never fit the group’s desired aesthetic like a mean mug and slight tilt of the head do. Just two songs into the project, “Braindead” captures the groups overwhelming audacity towards anything that steps before them. Lyor’s straight-faced hook delivers a message within the words that menacingly leave his mouth: this is not a group you want to spar with. Similar sentiments arrive on “Medic,” a song that sonically warns of impending danger all for the Van Buren rappers to be the individuals to make these fears a reality.
On the album, individual egos aren’t left outside the door, rather, they’re combined into some supernatural force that entwines itself with the words the group raps throughout the albums. So when songs like “It Is What It Is” or “No Interview” pierce through your headphones, it’s a huge disservice to ignore the talent, energy, and persona that are packaged into what is the Van Buren collective. Both tracks encapsulate the rambunctious energy the group would present onstage in a perfect pandemic-less world, but simply hearing them rapping their asses off makes this impending moment all that more desirable.
Despite the strong-armed reinforcement Van Buren delivers on the album, there are moments where the aggression is replaced with reflection and an effort to look into the past and see how far they’ve made it. “Looking For Trouble” opens the memories of their turbulent youth that Lyor describes best, rapping, “I be looking for trouble, I had nothing else to do.” Luckily for them, things have changed for the better. Van Buren also documents their struggle to thaw their cold hearts to receive the warmth of love on “Nevermind” while “Outro” is a smooth landing that ties an elegant bow around the wild ride Bad For Press is. In letting their guard down for a few moments, Van Buren effectively proves why it was up in the first place.
Bad For Press could be dissected in many ways. You could focus on individual talents and applaud Bars’ show-stealing verse to close “Gangbanger (Remix)” or Andrew Regis’ knife-wielding bars on “Medic.” There’s Meech’s slick-talk over Ricky Felix’s best-produced song with “No Interviews” and Jiles’ cutthroat contribution to “Braindead.” Not to mention Lyor’s honest tales on “Looking For Trouble” as well. However, this approach overlooks and diminishes the best thing about Van Buren: the fact that these individual qualities, which vary in presence and effectiveness on each song, contribute to the gleaming pot of gold that represents the Massachusetts rappers and all their glory. If Van Buren thinks they’re Bad For Press so be it, we could use more artists who embrace going against the grain.
Bad For Press is out now via Van Buren Records. Get it here.
Lil Yachty Flexes His Freestyle Skills In The In-Studio ‘Cortex’ Video
Lil Yachty has been on a tear lately, as if he’s out to prove all his early-careers haters’ assumptions that he couldn’t rap wrong. Over the last few months, he’s released a string of lyrically focused freestyles such as the “Royal Rumble” cipher with seemingly all of the rising rappers in Michigan and the “No More Beatboxing Freestyle,” which saw him take on two of the hotter instrumentals of the moment. Now, he keeps the ball rolling with “Cortex,” a quick hitter accompanied by an in-studio video surrounded by his clique.
In addition to his freestyle videos, Yachty’s been rolling out a few singles that show that his songwriting remains as clever as ever, with videos that showcase his quirky sense of humor and visual creativity. In February, he released the dapper “Asshole” video with Oliver Tree, as well as the Vince Staples-featuring “In My Stussy’s” video. Meanwhile, he’s keeping his corporate profile pristine as well; at the end of 2020, he collaborated with Reese’s Puff cereal on a box and a new song, and earlier this year, it was reported that he’s developing a heist movie based on the card game Uno. He’s also set to appear in season two of Lil Dicky’s breakout FX comedy, Dave.
Watch the Lil Yachty “Cortex” video above.
CJ Introduces “Whoopty” Weed Strain On 4/20 Edition Of “How To Roll”
It’s 4/20 and you know what that means… the official return of How To Roll. Our most acclaimed video content series has included the likes of Berner, Too $hort, G Herbo, Gunna, YFN Lucci, T.I., Rich The Kid, and many more of hip-hop biggest cannabis connoisseurs. The series returns with a new episode for our favorite unofficial holiday, with buzzing Staten Island rapper CJ joining us at the iconic Diamond Supply shop on Fairfax in Los Angeles.
The latest episode of How To Roll features “Whoopty” rapper CJ, who introduces his own new weed strains. The platinum-certified artist is releasing three new strains for 4/20, including the exclusive “Whoopty,” “Blue Cheese,” and “ZaZa” strains. CJ explains that he’s got an indica, a sativa, and a hybrid– meaning all kinds of smokers will be able to enjoy his product offering today. For when you’ve got the munchies afterward, CJ also has a collaboration with Koko Nuggz. Because of his recent collaboration with Diamond Supply, we filmed the episode at their flagship store in Los Angeles.
CJ told us about the highest he’s ever gotten, the time he got caught smoking weed when he was only 11-years-old, and a horror story involving a joint that he believes could have been laced.
Watch the latest episode of How To Roll with CJ above and be sure to check out his “Whoopty,” “Blue Cheese,” and “ZaZa” strains for 4/20. Happy smoking!