Anderson .Paak

Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Will Open The 2022 Grammys With A Silk Sonic Performance

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Silk Sonic Bruno Mars Anderson Paak 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards
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The Recording Academy and CBS have slowly but surely been unveiling their huge list of artists who are set to perform at this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony (this weekend, on April 3). They’ve unveiled even more artists today and joining the list are Silk Sonic, Carrie Underwood, J Balvin, John Legend, and Maria Becerra. Furthermore, press materials note Silk Sonic (aka Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) will be opening the show.

These artists join a performance lineup that includes BTS, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, Brandi Carlile, Brothers Osbourne, Foo Fighters, Nas, HER, Jon Batiste, Chris Stapleton, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., and Rachel Zegler. (Presumably, Foo Fighters will no longer be appearing since the band just canceled all their upcoming tour dates following the death of Taylor Hawkins.)

Silk Sonic is up for some big nominations this year, as “Leave The Door Open” is up for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song. Balvin’s Jose is also nominated for Best Música Urbana Album.

Find the full list of 2022 Grammy nominations here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Missy Elliott, Anderson .Paak, Kali Uchis, And More Will Play The Inaugural Letsgetfr.ee Carnaval

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Missy Elliott 2019 Urban One Honors Show
Getty Image / Paras Griffin

From Matthew Morgan, founder and ex-head of Afropunk, and partner Jocelyn Cooper comes Letsgetfr.ee Carnaval. Set to take place this August at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York, Letsgetfr.ee comes as a partnership with global creative agency Anomaly and aims to be a “diversity-focused, purpose-driven music experience.”

Letsgetfr.ee will take place over two days on two different stages. Festivities kick off on Saturday, August 20th, with Missy Elliott, Wizkid and Jhene Aiko headlining. Kali Uchis, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, and Ozuna will headline that Sunday.

Anomaly has partnered with DICE to provide a “choose your own adventure” ticketing structure, allowing festival-goers to pick and choose which artists they would like to see on either day of the festival. This will allow for affordable and accessible tickets for “every community that [Letsgetfr.ee] celebrates.”

“When we first heard the plans for Letsgetfr.ee we had to have an ‘everybody sit down’ moment,”said DICE President Russ Tannen in a statement. “The mission and ambition is aligned perfectly with DICE’s values and we’re excited to be named the exclusive ticketing partner.”

Queens residents who present a valid address can access the presale through Sunday, March 6th. by registering through DICE. The Queens presale begins on Tuesday, March 8th. General on-sale begins Wednesday, March 9th.

Check out the full line-up below.

Letsgetfr.ee 2022 line-up
Courtesy of Anomaly

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Silk Sonic Covers Con Fun Shun’s 1983 R&B Hit ‘Love’s Train’ For V-Day

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With most of us still a bit hungover from yesterday’s Super Bowl festivities, it’s understandable that there hasn’t been that much Valentine’s Day celebration. After all, who’d want their brand-new, holiday-themed song washed away by the rush of conversation about that incredible performance? Fortunately, there’s one band that remains undaunted by the prospect — and they’ve got the perfect remedy for the above condition.

Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars, who teamed up last year as the romantic duo Silk Sonic, once again joined forces to play into their lover-man schtick for the most romantic holiday, offering a new song about love and all its benefits. Tapping even deeper into the 70s-and-80s-inspired funk aesthetic from which they derive their air of casual cool, this time they directly lift from their influences, covering Bay Area band Con Funk Shun’s 1983 R&B hit, “Love’s Train.”

For a generation of funk and R&B fans, this is Con Funk Shun’s signature hit, and for the most part, Andy and Bruno play it straight, with buzzing bass and soaring horns backing their velvety vocals. Of course, the song is secretly perfect for them — while it masquerades as a love anthem, it’s as much about the messiness as anything on their debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic, as it was originally penned about a woman two of Con Funk Shun’s members tried to woo at the same time.

Listen to Silk Sonic’s cover of “Love’s Train” above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Anderson .Paak Made A Surprise Super Bowl Halftime Show Appearance And Dropped Hilarious Merch For It

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Anderson Paak Eminem 2022 Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show
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It’s official: Both members of Silk Sonic — Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — have performed during a Super Bowl Halftime Show. Mars headlined the 2014 event and popped up during Coldplay’s performance in 2016, and last night, .Paak served as a drummer for Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige’s (and 50 Cent’s) halftime spectacle. While .Paak’s appearance was unexpected, it wasn’t unprecedented, as he and Dre have forged a working relationship in recent years.

Getting to perform at the Super Bowl is one of the biggest achievements in music, so .Paak is pretty thrilled with the whole thing. He wrote on social media, “WOW WHAT A RUSH CONGRATS TO EVERY SUPER HERO ON THAT STAGE!! BIG SHOUT OUT TO @drdre LOVE YOU BRO AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE APART OF HISTORY!!! BE SURE TO PICK UP SOME MERCH OTW OUT!! AND HIT MY LAND LINE FOR ALL DRUM INQUIRIES ! Note: I ONLY PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES AND FOR DIAMOND SELLING ARTISTS. RATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAY.”

As for that merch, it’s pretty great, as it’s a t-shirt with a portrait of .Paak and text that reads, “We’re with Eminem’s drummer.” The shirt is available for pre-order now.

He also shared a clip of Eminem’s performance of “Lose Yourself” (during which he drummed) and wrote, “YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT!!! THE @rams ARE WORLD CHAMPS!!! SALUTE @eminem @drdre IT WAS SUCH AN HONOR!!! @snoopdogg @eminem @kendricklamar @therealmaryjblige YALL KILLED THAT SH*T!!!! [trophy emoji].”

Ahead of the performance, he also posted a photo of himself with Lamar.

Check out the full Super Bowl Halftime Show here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Eminem And Dr. Dre Link Up On The ‘GTA Online’ Song ‘Gospel’

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A couple months ago, some fresh Dr. Dre music popped up on GTA Online as part of a new story, “The Contract,” in which Dre himself was an actual in-game character. Snoop Dogg called it “great f*cking music” and now fans can more easily judge for themselves, as the tunes are available on streaming platforms starting today.

Among those is “Gospel,” a collaboration with Eminem. Both rappers come through with some standout lyrics, like when Dre appears to address his recent divorce settlement by saying, “Lookin’ for my next gold digger / This summer here gon’ be colder than winter.” Meanwhile, Eminem flexes some of his classic wordplay with lines like, “B*tch, I’m badder than cake mix,” and, “Yeah, and me and Dre are like dog hair / We’re both in our lab coats like retrievers.”

Aside from the Eminem collaboration, among the new Dre GTA songs is “Black Privilege”; “Diamond Mind” with Nipsey Hussle and Ty Dolla Sign; “ETA” with Snoop, Busta Rhymes, and Anderson .Paak; “The Scenic Route” with Rick Ross and .Paak; and “Fallin Up” with Thurz and Cocoa Sarai.

Listen to “Gospel” above and check out the other GTA Online songs below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Silk Sonic Brings Soulful Radio And Funky ‘Fits To ‘Fortnite’

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Silk Sonic In Fortnite
Epic Games

Over the years, Epic Games’ Fortnite has increasingly become a home not just for legions of gamers but also for musicians who enjoy the game’s combination of third-person shooter and building mechanics. Those musicians have also partnered with Epic Games for in-game appearances like Travis Scott’s 2020 concert, which broke the game’s streaming record, and Ariana Grande’s 2021 concert.

Today, Epic announced the game’s latest musical partners: Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars — known collectively as Silk Sonic. Rather than playing an in-game concert, though, Silk Sonic will offer their music to gamers another way, via an in-game radio station that will play their hits like “Leave The Door Open.” Their debut hit previously featured in the game as an emote, or a dance that the player’s avatar can perform on command. Emotes have been a big part of the game’s success, as the game itself is free, but players can buy emotes via mini-transactions with real money.

The radio station can be accessed when a player uses one of the vehicles in the game and will be hosted by Bootsy Collins, who is featured on Silk Sonic’s debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic. In addition, new skins will allow players to dress their avatars in funky, ’70s-style outfits inspired by Andy and Bruno.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Anderson Paak x Producer Knxwledge New Album

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Anderson Paak

Anderson Paak announced on his Instagram page that he is in “album mode” with NxWorries. The Instagram video shows Paak’s son dancing and enjoying the unreleased song. NxWorries is one half of a duo with producer Knxwledge. This upcoming project comes six years after Yes Lawd! In October 2016. The album consisted of the singles […]