A few months ago, it was announced that the 2024 MTV VMAs were set to take place on September 10. Well, last week, it was revealed that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris had finally agreed to a presidential debate… on September 10. The VMAs would have presumably gotten the short end of that viewership conflict stick, so MTV took action.
Today (August 12), it was revealed that the VMAs will not air live from UBS Arena on September 11 at 8 p.m. ET. As Billboard notes, MTV said in a press release, “Our fans are encouraged to tune in for the 9/10 debate ahead of music’s most iconic night.”
Additionally, MTV also announced the first round of performers: Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Camila Cabello, GloRilla, and Rauw Alejandro.
Meanwhile, the list of nominees was unveiled last week, and leading the lineup is Taylor Swift with 10 nods. Other notable nominees include Post Malone (who has nine nominations), Carpenter, Eminem, Ariana Grande (six each), SZA, and Megan Thee Stallion (five each). Fan voting for some categories is currently open until August 30, so find more information about that here.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul previously said of this year’s show, “We are excited to welcome back the MTV Video Music Awards to New York State. From its origins at Radio City Music Hall in 1984 to this September’s event at the UBS Arena, the VMAs continue to captivate millions, showcasing the very best in music video artistry. As we prepare to host this 40th anniversary event, let’s embrace the spirit of creativity and innovation that defines our state’s cultural landscape.”
For years, music’s go-to feature for hits was Drake. Putting Drake on a buzzing underground single or remix could launch a new artist to the heights of stardom. Even established stars benefitted from the so-called “Drake Stimulus,” seeing some of their largest streaming totals from songs featuring the Certified Lover Boy. But this year, as Drake’s star seemed to be falling even before that embarrassing drubbing at the hands of Kendrick Lamar, a new name has emerged as front-runner for the most beneficial featured act in rap: Playboi Carti.
Over the past few months, fans have noticed that songs featuring Carti have outperformed the other tracks from the albums on which they appear, the same way songs featuring Drake have traditionally done. The unconventional Atlanta rapper has an unusually enthusiastic fanbase; Carti’s songs leak often, and in many cases, the leaks have been the most coveted tracks among those fans whenever he does release music. At the same time, the relative infrequency with which he releases likely drives interest in any new music from him.
For instance, “FE!N,” from Travis Scott’s 2023 album Utopia, was that project’s best performing track, despite the album also featuring Drake, Future, the incarcerated Young Thug, and even Beyoncé — all well-established hitmakers with proven chart success. “FE!N” was the fifth single released from the album, meaning it was more likely chosen for a push due to the existing response, rather than the other way around. Its popularity was such that they made the ill-advised choice to perform it at the 2024 Grammys, resulting in a fairly lukewarm reception from viewers.
Likewise, early this year, despite a rollout that could most charitably be described as “messy,” Kanye West’s oft-delayed album Vultures 1spawned a No. 1 hit, the third single, “Carnival.” While the title track failed to crack the Hot 100, and its follow-up with an adorable North West verse, “Talking / Once Again,” peaked at No. 30, “Carnival” became West’s first chart-topper in 13 years after entering the chart at No. 3. It’s hard to attribute its success to West, whose last few years have been denoted by a marked fall from grace, nor to collaborators Ty Dolla Sign and Rich The Kid, who’ve hardly been known for moving the needle all that much over their respective careers. Could it be the Carti effect?
Then, there’s “Type Sh*t,” from Future & Metro Boomin’s new album We Don’t Trust You. The Carti-featuring track didn’t become the album’s highest performing song, but that was probably only due to the feisty Kendrick Lamar verse on “Like That,” which drove the “Everlasting Bass”-sampling single to the top of the Hot 100. While “Like That” was Future’s first No. 1 that didn’t feature Drake, “Type Sh*t,” which also featured Travis Scott, was the second-highest charter, landing at No. 2. And yes, that song featured a lineup custom-made to game the Spotify algorithms, but that lineup still featured Playboi Carti, whose hot streak appeared to continue as a result.
Heck, Carti’s cachet even extends beyond hip-hop, with pop star Camila Cabello tapping the King Vamp to juice the urban appeal of her album C, XOXO‘s lead single, “I Luv It.” Cabello’s reached out to unconventional rappers before — Machine Gun Kelly, Young Thug, DaBaby, and Gunna all spring to mind — but it’s telling that the Miami-bred Cuban star bet on Playboi Carti’s strange style to announce her new album’s experimental direction.
It’s also telling that all these artists were willing to overlook troubling accusations of domestic abuse against the rapper. But, if his rabid fanbase is also willing to do so, why would his peers do any differently? If artists in the industry continue to feel that Carti’s fans are worth courting, they’ll continue to reach out. The snake eats its tail; Carti gets bigger with every feature, which only makes his features that much more in-demand.
Drake has great chemistry with female artists on record. He’s near the top of the list when it comes to rappers with classic duets. It should come as no surprise, then that his new songs with Camila Cabello, “Hot Uptown” and “UUUGLY,” are being praised. The pair sound great together, especially on the former. Cabello has sung the praises of Drake in the lead-up to the song’s release. She praised his artistry, and his kind presence in the studio. Evidently, the 6 God thought it was time to return the favor. He gave Cabello his flowers via Instagram on June 28.
Drake posted photos of him and Cabello during their “vacation.” A vacation, Cabello, revealed, during which they laid down the vocals for “Hot Uptown.” The first photo sees Drake and Cabello sitting at a table, and second sees them riding on jet skis. “Thanks for the link up @camila_cabello,” the rapper wrote in the caption. “Congrats.” Drake has a good cause to give Camila Cabello her flowers. He has struggled to get his musical footing back after losing the Kendrick Lamar battle, and their two collabs have been the best-received songs he’s dropped in months.
Camila Cabello addressed the Drake vs. Kendrick battle during a recent interview with The Times. She was with the rapper in the aftermath of “Not Like Us,” and was saddened by the impact it had on the 6 God. “Drake is such a delight,” she told the outlet. “It’s so frustrating to see people talk about someone you know in a negative way.” Cabello went a step further, and voiced her desire to see the battle come to a peaceful end. “You’re like, ‘Dang, if only you guys could just have dinner or something,’” she explained.
Cabello was also eager to work with Drake because of her adoration of hip-hop. While she’d worked with rappers before, she wanted to explore that side of her music more on her new album. “I listened to rap that I grew up with in Miami and what was popular at the time,” she told Complex Magazine. “But I didn’t listen to Illmatic and I didn’t listen to Dr. Dre and a lot of the classic hip-hop albums from before.” Well, the collaborations proved beneficial on both ends. Maybe Drake and Cabello have more hits together down the line.
Camila Cabello’s new album C, XOXO is out now, and she goes all in on Drake, with the rapper appearing on two songs: “Hot Uptown” And “Uuugly.” Unlike Cabello, a lot of people haven’t been on Drake’s side lately in light of his feud with Kendrick Lamar. Cabello has seemingly been watching, and she doesn’t love how Drake gets treated. People would like Drake if they got to know him, she reckons.
In a recent interview with The Times (as NME notes), Cabello called Drake “such a delight,” adding, “It’s so frustrating to see people talk about someone you know in a way that is negative. You’re like, ‘Dang, if only you guys could just have dinner or something.’”
Meanwhile, in a May interview, Cabello spoke about working with Drake, saying, “He’s the f*cking GOAT, so it felt like shooting for the stars. I showed him the album when I felt comfortable enough and he really liked it. [The feature] came out of a non-transactional place. He had this idea of a song called ‘Hot Uptown,’ and it just felt like I was in the city. I was in Miami.”
C, XOXO is out now via Geffen/Interscope. Find more information here.
Drake has always been good for a summer single. The rapper has a playlist’s worth of tropical hits under his belt, so it made sense that he would dig back into this bag after the Kendrick Lamar battle. He pops up twice on Camila Cabello’s new album, C, XOXO, and manages to deliver classic Drake performances on both. “Hot Uptown” is the highly-touted duet between Drizzy and Cabello, while “UUUGLY” is an interlude that the former gets all to himself. These songs harken back to Drake eras that fans will no doubt be excited to hear again. Let’s start with “Hot Uptown.”
Cabello has been teasing this collab for months, and it lives up to the hype. The pop singer kicks off the song, but Drake quickly makes it a duet, with overlapping vocals and a bouncy, back-and-forth rhythm. For comparisons in the 6 God catalog, think “Too Good” with Rihanna or “Get It Together” with Jorja Smith. It may not quite be on the level of those beloved songs, but it’s cut from the same cloth. “UUUGLY” is a different story. Camila Cabello lets Drake have an interlude of his own, and he makes it count. The production is busier, and the mood more somber. It feels like the nighttime to “Hot Uptown”‘s day. It’s also very much in the sweet spot of Honestly, Nevermind. Fans of the polarizing album will get a lot of play out of this. Cabello provides some backing vocals, but it’s the Drake show.
Let us know what you think of this brand-new track, in the comments section down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
Drake And Camila Cabello Prove They Have Musical Chemistry
Quotable Lyrics:
Two hands on my waist One hand on your face You’re too weak to handle me, my babe (Ah) You should play it safe Please know that you’re makin’ your mistake
For years, Miami fans have gotten heat (pun intended) for not exactly being the most punctual fan base in the NBA. A combination of some heavy traffic and living in a city with beaches and restaurants and plenty to do means a lot of Heat games start with a sparsely filled arena, eventually reaching capacity well after the opening tip.
Miami fans will defend themselves with a variety of excuses, including some very legitimate ones, but it is noticeable and it’s not just fans of other teams or the media that see it. In a new video with Complex, Jimmy Butler sat down with pop star Camila Cabello to talk about their shared home city, and while Butler made clear he loves the people of Miami, he also couldn’t help but complain about the tardiness of the fans, calling it the worst thing about the city.
Butler wants to have the building “rocking” from the jump, but it tends to be a slow build to the energy at home games for the Heat. It’ll be interesting to see how this goes over with Heat fans. Butler, for his part, has one more year left on his deal with the Heat and extension talks with the organization have seemingly not gotten far. That said, while there was reporting earlier this summer that could lead to Butler pushing his way out via trade, more recently the indication has been he’ll play out the year with the Heat whether he’s got a long-term deal or not. Either way, he’d like to see the Kaseya Center fill up a bit earlier than usual next season.
Camila Cabello is really swinging for the fences on her new album. She already has solo hits under her belt, but the former Fifth Harmony member wants more. Wisely, she decided to link up with the biggest rapper in the world: Drake. Granted, Drake’s reputation is a little rocky these days, but a feature, let alone two, from the 6 God, is a surefire way to attract eyes and ears. Cabello has been hyping up the release of her Drake collabs for weeks, but she finally shed light on how and when they came about.
Camila Cabello sat down for an interview with NBA superstar Jimmy Butler. The latter asked Cabello questions on behalf of Complex Magazine. The one that got the most attention, of course, was about Drizzy. “What’s the best thing about vacationing with Drake?,” Butler asked. Cabello giggled, before clarifying that they went on vacation to work on music together. “It was to finish our f*cking incredible banger,” she told the NBA player. “So productive.” Butler persisted, however, and asked Cabello once more what the highlight of the vacation was.
All snickering aside, Cabello cited the chance to work with one of her musical heroes. “I’ve been listening to Drake for so long,” she explained. “It’s great to get to know someone who you like, respect and admire from the outside. Then, you get to know them, and you have more respect and admiration.” The pop star also praised Drake’s personable nature during the recording sessions. “The kind of person they are, how they treat people,” she added. “Their generosity, their kindness.” Butler actually chimed in, claiming that Drake was a “good dude.”
Camila Cabello and Drake got along so well, in fact, they their plans to make one song turned into two. The former detailed this unplanned benefit during an interview with Billboard. “[The feature] came out of a non-transactional place,” she explained. “He had this idea of a song called ‘Hot Uptown,’ and it just felt like I was in the city. I was in Miami.” The second Drake feature is a solo interlude called “UUUGLY.” The singer told the outlet that she it made the final tracklist simply because she wanted to hear more Drake on her “own album.” Camila Cabello’s album, XOXO, is set for release on June 28.
We’re now just days away from the release of Camila Cabello’s upcoming album, C, XOXO. It’s set to drop this Friday, but before that, Cabello has unleashed a preview of “Uuugly,” which is one of two Drake collaborations on the album.
Cabello performed at Rock In Rio Lisboa yesterday (June 23), where she played the interlude track between songs (while bikers did tricks on stage, no less). It’s a brief, atmospheric tune that sees Drake delivering smooth sung vocals.
Camila Cabello just premiered a new solo Drake song “UUGLY” off her album that drops next week called ‘C, XOXO
In a May interview, Cabello talked about working with Drake, saying, “He’s the f*cking GOAT, so it felt like shooting for the stars. I showed him the album when I felt comfortable enough and he really liked it. [The feature] came out of a non-transactional place. He had this idea of a song called ‘Hot Uptown,’ and it just felt like I was in the city. I was in Miami.”
She also spoke about “Uuugly,” saying, “Why does he have his own song? Because selfishly, I just want to hear Drake on my own album [laughs]. I love that for me — it’s like that rebellious mood. Who says I can’t do that? It’s Drake talking his sh*t.”
C, XOXO is out 6/28 via Geffen/Interscope. Find more information here.
The future of the City Girls as a duo has been in question since last year. The pair reunited after a 3 year gap in new studio albums with RAW. The project sported features from Usher, Lil Durk, Juicy J, Muni Long, and Kim Petras, but that didn’t help it sell copies. The album under-performed commercially leading many to question whether the pair were better off focusing on solo work. Some of that debate sparked from “No Bars” a solo single JT dropped last year which many thought was the best song on their new album. She’s continued dropping new solo singles this year with her songs “Sideways” and “OKAY. “ She also popped up for a memorable guest verse on the Doechii single “Alter Ego.”
Earlier this week, fans got more evidence that the pair may be planning to work more as solo artists going forward. The new album from pop singer Camila Cabello s due out later this month, her first since 2022’s Familia. She’s already dropped singles from the album that features appearances from Playboi Carti and Lil Nas X and now revealed the entire tracklist. That includes the song “Dade County Dreaming” which features both of the City Girls on it. But instead of being listed as “City Girls” they’re credited as JT and Yung Miami. The move sparked debate among fans online about the future of the pair’s rap project. Check out a post commenting on the debate spawning from Camila’s announcement below.
In the comments, fans debate the possible reasons for the pair being listed as separate artists. “Why are yall surprised? They’ve been pushing their individual identities for YEARS!!!! Rebranding themselves, Dropping hint after hint ” one commenter suggests. “They are probably contractually tied to City Girls but are free to work as “independent artists” So if they perform under City Girls Quality Control gets paid but if they perform individually they get paid independent” another fan theorizes.
What do you think of JT and Yung Miami being listed as separate artists in the tracklist of Camila Cabello’s new album? Do you think they will release any more material as a duo going forward? Let us know in the comment section below.
We are just weeks away from Camila Cabello‘s fourth album, C,XOXO. Ahead of the album, Cabello has teased a new sound. She has released the Playboi Carti collab “I Luv It,” as well as the Lil Nas X-assisted “He Knows.” As the tracks indicate, Cabello is playing with more rhythmic, electronic, and dance-ready sounds.
C,XOXO is probably her most collab-heavy album, as revealed by the tracklist, which Cabello shared to social media today (June 12). In addition to the previously released Carti and Lil Nas X collabs, Drake will feature on the song “Hot Uptown” and the follow-up interlude, “Uuugly.” Fellow Miami natives JT and Yung Miami will also appear on the album, in the song “Dade County Dreaming.” It is worth noting that the once City Girls are listed simply as JT and Yung Miami on the tracklist, indicating that this could possibly be their last feature as a duo.
You can see the full tracklist below.
1. “I Luv It” feat. Playboi Carti
2. “Chanel No. 5”
3. “Pink XOXO”
4. “He Knows” Feat. Lil Nas X
5. “Twentysomethings”
6. “Dade County Dreaming” Feat. JT and Yung Miami
7. “Koshi XOXO”
8. “Hot Uptown” Feat. Drake
9. “Uuugly” Feat. Drake
10. “Dream-Girls”
11. “305TilIDie”
12. “B.O.A.T”
13. “Pretty When I Cry”
14. “June Gloom”
C,XOXO is out 6/28 via Interscope. Find more information here.
They’ve been pushing their individual identities for YEARS!!!! Rebranding themselves, Dropping hint after hint 
” one commenter suggests. “They are probably contractually tied to City Girls but are free to work as “independent artists” So if they perform under City Girls Quality Control gets paid but if they perform individually they get paid independent” another fan theorizes. 