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New York rapper Joey Badass is happy for G Herbo and Taina Williams. The Pro Era star took to social media to react to the pair building a family together with a baby boy on the way. Joey Badass Reacts To Couple’s Gender Reveal Herbo went to his Instagram page and didn’t hold back in […]
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Rap veteran Lil Wayne is hopping in the booth with the young guns. A new video of Tunechi with Atlanta rapper Young Thug clocking in studio time has emerged. Lil Wayne + Young Thug Caught In The Studio Fans are hyped after a clip of Tha Charter rapper and Thugger came out on social media. […]
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Rihanna has always been one of the most active voices in her community, using her platform to empower others with her inclusive brands and world-ranging music. Despite being involved in a few recent controversies, for which she has apologized, Rihanna made sure to show up at a recent #StopAsianHate march in New York City, walking alongside hundreds of other activists looking to make a difference.
As the number of violent hate crimes against Asian-Americans has risen during the pandemic, Rihanna sought to create some change by encouraging her millions of fans to step out into the streets and have a voice, fighting back against anti-Asian racism and xenophobia. She and her assistant were spotted at the march, carrying colorful signs and interacting with fans.
While she was surely recognized by the majority of people, one exchange with a fan was captured on camera as she exchanged Instagram handles with the man, who seemingly had no idea who he was speaking with. After directing him to her page, which has over 93 million followers, he simply asked if this was truly her, assuming he had been catfished.
Learn more about marches and protests happening in your city, as well as different ways to be active, by checking NY Mag’s list of resources here.
Freddie Gibbs is fresh off of the release of his latest single, “Big Boss Rabbit,” which seems to be the third single from his forthcoming release. His latest single arrives just weeks after the Grammys where Alfredo lost to Nas’ King’s Disease. The fact that Gibbs was even nominated for a Grammy is a win overall, but it seemed oddly coincidental that “Big Boss Rabbit” was a flip of Nas’ “You’re Da Man.”
Some fans went as far as claiming that some lyrics in “Big Boss Rabbit” threw shade at Nas but Gangsta Gibbs explained that it was actually the Queensbridge legend that motivated him. During the latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Freddie explained that it was the evening at the Grammys that fueled this record. “Nas won the Grammy, you know what I mean? So I was like, alright, fasho,” he said.
“He gave me motivation. Thank you, Nas, man,” he continued. “If I was going to lose to anybody, you know, I gracefully lost to a legend like Nas. I appreciate you. You turned me up, you really pissed me off that night, and you motivated me to get better, man, in the booth. So, I appreciate you for that. Thank you, dawg.”
Perhaps the upcoming Gibbs album includes a collaboration with Nas? Are you here for that? Sound off in the comments.
It appears Kodak Black found himself in the middle of a scary situation early this morning, as it is being reported that his security guard was shot in the parking lot of a McDonald’s in Tallahassee, Florida.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, which cites preliminary incident reports by the Tallassee Police Department, at around 3 a.m. this morning, Black and some associates were leaving Baja’s Beach Club and were followed by multiple vehicles that attempted to cut them off. TPD spokesperson Alicia Turner confirmed the shooting and that one person was seriously injured.
The publication also reports that Black and his associates went to the McDonald’s and blocked the entrance with a vehicle. Black apparently insisted on picking up the order himself in-store, which his security team advised against. One of the vehicles that chased Black’s vehicle earlier arrived, left, and returned when its occupants began shooting. The security guard was reportedly shot in the leg and taken to a hospital. He reportedly underwent surgery after behind shot in the femoral artery and losing a significant amount of blood.
Black himself appears to be alright, as he has made multiple posts on his Instagram Story (not related to the shooting) this afternoon.
Kodak Black is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any positive updates regarding the current health status of legendary rapper DMX, who suffered a heart attack on Friday. After staying the entire weekend in the hospital, the 50-year-old rapper remains on life support. His condition is still being described as “dire”.
On Monday, the latest report from TMZ revealed that some of the rapper’s children have touched down in White Plains, New York to visit their father. DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, has fifteen children. It was not specified how many of his kids are present at the hospital. They are reportedly only allowed to visit him one at a time due to COVID-19 protocols. Simmons’ mother and fiancée have both already visited him in the ICU.
The report notes that X still has little brain activity as he has been reported to be in a “vegetative state”. His chances of recovery are very slim.
The hip-hop community has been sending prayers and love to DMX and his family and he fights this health crisis. Many, including Eminem and Snoop Dogg, have shared messages of hope for Dark Man X. Please continue to pray for the legend in the comments.
We will keep you updated with the latest as information becomes available.
It seems like YouTuber Derrick Jaxn is doing some damage control. The influencer often gives his opinions on memes, single mothers, and relationships in general. The freelance writer has also authored books like A Cheating Man’s Heart, which attempts to deliver a strong message of love through a fictional but emotionally-transparent man.
Jaxn, a self-proclaimed relationship guru, got a taste of his own medicine last month when he was exposed to his 1.3 million Instagram followers for being a serial cheater. In a since-deleted Instagram video, Jaxn referred to himself in the third-person, saying, “The truth is Derrick Jaxn was involved with other women outside the marriage. All of it falls under the category of cheating, affairs, stepping out.” The video got more than 2.6 million views in one day on Instagram, as well as another million combined on YouTube and Facebook.
Da’Naia corroborated the claims in the video, noting that she had known about them for a while, and even briefly left Derrick as a result. “I agree with people saying that there is no justification for bringing other women into our marriage … when I found out about it, I left,” said Jackson. “I did not come back until I saw a shift or a change in his mentality.”
Allegedly, this new chapter in their marriage is guided by faith, so it only makes sense that Derrick celebrate her on Easter Sunday. Jaxn posted a photo of his wife Da’Naia on his Instagram Story, alongside some thirsty heart-eye and kisses emojis. This alone was enough to rile the internet’s feathers, though. Take a look below.
[Via]
A member of Kodak Black’s security team was shot and injured early on Monday morning, and the rapper was reportedly the target of the shooting. The shooting happened at a McDonald’s parking lot in Tallahassee and Kodak was rushed away in an armored vehicle. He was reportedly not injured.
According to multiple sources including the Tallahassee Democrat, Kodak’s entourage was reportedly followed into the McDonald’s parking lot before firing shots at them. After 3 AM, Kodak and his crew left a beach club to head to McDonald’s for some late-night eats when a number of cars tried to cut them off on the way. One person, Kodak’s security, was seriously injured and is in surgery. He experienced major blood loss and was hit in the femoral artery in his leg.
The report states that Kodak’s team tried to block off the entrance of the McDonald’s with their cars while the rapper went inside to order, despite his security offering to do so. Shortly after, the car that was following them popped up in the parking lot and started firing shots.
Kodak Black has not issued a statement on this morning’s shooting. He has been updating his social media pages though, meaning he’s alright.
The rapper was recently involved in a feud with producer Southside, who called out Kodak for singing Yung Miami’s name on Instagram. Read more about that here. We will continue to keep you updated as more details come out about the shooting.
Audrey Fix Schaefer remembers all too well the last concert she was able to attend in person: a raucous performance by punk godfathers the Dead Kennedys at 9:30 Club, the D.C. venue where she serves as communications director, on March 11th, 2020.
“I had a lot of tears that night,” she recalled during a recent phone call. “At the time, I thought it was going to be the last show I would see for 20 days. Because D.C. was going to flatten the curve. It was a moment where I was relishing being in the place that brings me so much joy. But there was also so much angst thinking about what happens to our employees. What happens to all the businesses around us? What happens to the bands?”
Over a year later, 9:30 Club, like thousands of venues around the world, remains closed. The bookers for the club have been forced to re-book some shows up to 10 times as they wait for that magical combination of COVID cases dropping, vaccination numbers rising, and the decision makers in the district and the federal government to finally give them the go-ahead to hold shows again.
The past month has shown some glimmers of hope that music fans hungry might be able to feel the waves of a PA rumbling through their systems before 2021 is over. Artists such as psych-grunge mainstays Dinosaur Jr. and pop-country duo SixForty1 recently announced tour dates. Bonnaroo, the outdoor festival held yearly since 2002 in Manchester, Tennessee, dropped the lineup for their 2021 edition (set for the weekend of September 2nd) that includes Foo Fighters, Megan Thee Stallion, Tame Impala, and Lizzo. Other festivals, like the roots-oriented DelFest and Americanafest, and the EDM-centric Electric Zoo, followed suit with their own lineup announcements.
Even 9:30 Club has dates listed on their calendar for as soon as May 25th of this year. It’s a positive sign but one that Schaefer and all the other bookers and venue operators around the world is approaching cautiously.
“One of these days we’re hoping that we’re going to get to open,” she said. “And we will. We just don’t know when it is.”
Concert venues, big and small, were some of the first places to close when the pandemic started spiraling out of control last year — and rightfully so, as, for most people, the need to protect themselves and others far outweighed any desires to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their fellow music fans. And those same clubs and theaters will likely be the last to reopen even as more people are vaccinated and infection numbers start to drop.
The impact of this global shutdown has been enormous. According to Pollstar, ticket sales in the first quarter of 2021 are down 99% from the year before. And that’s not even counting the loss of revenue still being felt by everyone from musicians to booking agents to bartenders. So the excitement about the prospect of shows, tours, and festivals happening again soon is understandable. But thankfully, most of the people involved with these events are being very careful and downright suspicious as they set about opening their doors and gates to fans again.
“We’ve got to get the ecosystem rebooted by the end of the summer or I’ll be out,” said Jim Brunberg, owner of three venues in Portland, Oregon, including Mississippi Studios, and the founder of the advocacy group Independent Venues Coalition. “And I’m one of the most solid and optimistic people out there. There has to be a rational and science-based approach to reopening. We can’t be fear-based and throwing darts at a moving target.”
The biggest challenge with that is that every state has their own protocols with regards to the pandemic. In New York, for example, Governor Andrew Cuomo is allowing venues to reopen at either 33% capacity or 100 patrons, whichever is highest, while in Texas and Florida, the restrictions have been completely lifted and venues can operate at 100% capacity if they so choose.
While that still does leave open plenty of possibilities for artists to perform, the spotty landscape for reopening presents challenges for anyone hoping to tour the U.S. any time soon.
“It’s a really long planning process in our business,” says Schaefer, who also serves as communications director for the advocacy group National Independent Venue Association. “You have thousands of bands trying to make their way to thousands of venues across the country. You’re not going to go to one town and then skip seven states to get to the next.”
It’s all still a bit of a mess, but there are plenty of positive signs out there that forecast a slow return to normal for the concert industry. Last weekend, City Winery NYC held their first shows in over a year—two performances by Old 97s leader Rhett Miller — with attendees safely socially distanced and mask mandates in place. And their concert calendar is filling up quickly with names like Patti Smith, Stephin Merritt, and Rufus Wainwright.
The Basement East in Nashville also reopened its doors this past weekend after a year that saw the venue hit not only with the pandemic but also a tornado that ripped a hole in the building last March. With repairs done and safety restrictions in place, the club welcomed 132 people for a sold-out show by local rockers Goodbye June, with future weekend shows already booked. Exciting, yes, but to hear co-owner Mike Grimes talk about, still a little bittersweet.
“To be transparent, doing shows in this context is rewarding but it’s not the same,” he said. “It’s rewarding and fun but not great for the people that can’t get up and go talk to somebody in another pod or hug a friend sitting at another table because all these protocols are in place.”
As well, nearly 2,000 tickets have been sold for Moon Crush, a five-day festival headlined by Sheryl Crow and Jason Isbell being held at the end of April in Miramar Beach, Florida. The event is almost like the experience of a cruise ship on land. Concertgoers are expected to rent a house or condo within walking distance of the venue and, with only three acts every night, there’s ample time for other activities in the area.
“We like to use the term ‘music vacation,’” said Andy Levine, the creator of the event. “We want you to get up and have your perfect day, whatever it is. And then we’re going to have five hours of music waiting for you.”
There are still plenty of restrictions in place. Anyone in attendance must have proof of a negative COVID test or vaccination, and they’re expected to keep to their designated viewing area at the venue every night.
That alone is an indication that we’re not nearly clear of this pandemic. Maybe we are only six months away from thousands of people being safe to bounce between stages at the farm where Bonnaroo is held every year. But for smaller spaces like Nashville’s hub for bluegrass and traditional country The Station Inn, there is no guarantee that they’ll be back in business any time soon.
“We’re not in the clear yet,” said Jeff Brown, the Station Inn’s marketing director. “As much as there’s optimism at the moment that it feels like we’re coming out of this thing, we’re not out yet.”
