Lizzo’s fanbase was not pleased after a video surfaced of her asking Chris Brown for a picture and complimenting him. Meanwhile, Chris is facing a legal challenge from a producer who claims Chris and Drake stole his music. Lizzo Gets Backlash After Showing Chris Brown Love Chris Brown’s haters have not forgotten about the Rihanna […]
Chris Brown
Drake And Chris Brown Are Being Sued For Copyright Infringement Over ‘No Guidance’
Chris Brown and Drake are being accused of copyright infringement in a new lawsuit that alleges their song “No Guidance” uses parts of another artists’ song without permission, according to TMZ. Mr. Cooper and Drum’n Skillz, the artists suing Drake and Brown, say that “No Guidance” sounds just like their song “I Love Your Dress,” which was released three years before. Cooper, whose real name is Brandon Cooper, and Drum’n Skillz, real name Timothy Valentine, say that even inexpert listeners would hear the similarities, which they say proves “No Guidance” is principally derived from “I Love Your Dress.”
The lawsuit points specifically to the refrain of “She got it; she got it,” which they say Drake and Brown recreated as “You got it, girl; you got it.” While “I Love Your Dress” uses its line 16 times, “No Guidance” uses it 11. The duo also insists that a lyric using the phrase “flew the coop” was a subliminal shot at Cooper. You can compare the two tracks for yourself below.
In the wake of the lawsuit, though, Brown at least also got some better news in a separate case; TMZ reports charges were dropped in an assault case in which Brown was accused of slapping a woman so hard her weave came loose. Prosecutors cited a lack of evidence.
Report – Drake and Chris Brown Sued Over ‘No Guidance’ Song
Lizzo Called Chris Brown Her ‘Favorite Person In The Whole World’ And Fans Aren’t Happy About It
Lizzo is no stranger to controversy, but her latest brush with the ire of social media was sparked by different circumstances than her usual experiences. Instead, she’s being questioned for her musical tastes — especially her love for the controversial Chris Brown. Backstage at Bow Wow and Omarion’s Millennium Tour kickoff at The Forum in Los Angeles, Lizzo encountered Brown and asked for a photo, gushing that “you’re my favorite person in the whole f*cking world.” Unfortunately for Lizzo, fans who observed the moment thanks to a video on Twitter didn’t share her enthusiasm
Lizzo asked Chris Brown for a picture in new video:
“Can I get a picture with you because you’re my favorite person in the whole f*cking world.”pic.twitter.com/QcSYrCiOm0
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) October 2, 2021
The sticking point was Brown’s problematic history with women. The most well-known incident was in 2009 when Brown pled guilty to abusing fellow singer Rihanna. Brown beat Rihanna during an incident early that year, punching her and allegedly threatening to kill her for reporting the incident to authorities. When images of the horrific damage he’d done to her face hit the internet, his then-family-friendly image crumbled and he was ostracized from many radio stations for a year. However, he’s since regained much of his popularity, charting again last year with “Go Crazy” from his collab album with Young Thug, despite most recently being accused of threatening his ex-girlfriend Karreuche Tran within the last four years.
Lizzo’s fans apparently disapproved of her loving embrace of Brown despite his history. However, she also had her fair share of defenders. Ultimately, the moment seemed to prove that even the biggest stars on the planet can’t help but keep some problematic faves. You can see more responses below.
taking a picture with chris brown in 2021 Lizzo….. pic.twitter.com/KCWwcVPwSS
— excessively black (@sailorfemme) October 2, 2021
this is a lizzo lookalike robot that’s being controlled by queen naija delete this immediately https://t.co/ZquD6se03n
— taeyong’s eyebrow slit || ilichil inkigayo win (@monetdehaan_) October 2, 2021
Lizzo receiving backlash for wanting a picture with Chris Brown makes zero sense. She’s 33. Sis had his pictures on her binder catching the school bus too. https://t.co/gG6tqBYoZv
— ᴅᴏʟʟᴀʀ (@callmedollar) October 3, 2021
Why are y’all mad at lizzo when Rihanna has dropped a whole collab with Chris Brown since the incident? mind yours thank u https://t.co/iKtwmSr5US
— 𝓓𝓲’𝓛𝓸𝓷 (@dilonxt) October 2, 2021
Not good sis Lizzo being a Chris Brown fan… if she wasn’t “Lizzo” he wouldn’t let her in his section, she doesn’t meet the domestic abuser’s criteria pic.twitter.com/vpcvJ59i6h
— A.J (@AJsayshey) October 3, 2021
This is the first embarrassing thing I’ve seen Lizzo do. that’s your fave? Ew https://t.co/ho7SRS8wil
— bev (@Bevielicious) October 3, 2021
take notes Lizzo pic.twitter.com/EwaIKMGsGl
— liam (@liamjhul) October 3, 2021
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Kanye West Removes Chris Brown Entirely From Donda Album
Kanye West Removed Chris Brown From ‘Donda’ On An Updated Version Of The Album
Kanye West is (in)famous for making changes to his albums after they have been released, and Donda seemed especially prone to that given that West claimed his label released the project without his approval. Now, West has indeed made alterations to Donda, some of which are significant, including the removal of Chris Brown from the album.
Users in the r/hiphopheads subreddit noted that two versions of Donda appeared on streaming platforms, one being the original version and the other being the altered edition. Now, though, it appears only one version of Donda remains. As for the changes, fans noted that Brown’s vocals on “New Again” were replaced by new ones from West and the Sunday Service Choir. Meanwhile, on “Keep My Spirit Alive,” a new hook from West also replaces the original from KayCyy. Beyond that, there are some more subtle mixing changes throughout the album.
Brown is of course a controversial figure given his various legal and personal issues over the years, but it’s not clear if that was part of why West removed him from the album or if other factors were in play. West has yet to offer a public statement about what compelled him to make these new Donda alterations.
As Concerts Return, Things Are Going Back To Normal… But Should They?
The pandemic isn’t over yet but it certainly felt like it at the Staples Center in Los Angeles when Lil Baby’s aptly titled Back Outside tour came to town Friday night. The Atlanta rising star had a breakout year in 2020 with the release of his album My Turn, earning his first-ever No. 1 single with “The Bigger Picture,” yet he never got a chance to perform the exhilarating, fan-favorite songs from the album like “Emotionally Scarred,” “Get Ugly,” “Sum 2 Prove,” and “We Paid.”
As a bonus, fans in attendance got to witness a split set with Baby’s co-headliner Lil Durk, who had his own album, The Voice, to promote, plus the two rappers’ joint album, The Voice Of The Heroes. Durk’s opening set provided the Chicagoan the opportunity to showcase the talents of his OTF family, particularly Booka600. King Von was honored by a group salute, and when Durk returned to the stage later to perform the joint tracks, the two rappers’ chemistry was palpable.
The energy level remained high throughout the set despite the relatively somber vibe of the crew’s songs, although Coi Leray’s appearance injected more fun into the proceedings when she emerged to perform her song “No More Parties,” which Durk features on. The crowd got more hype for a possible Drake appearance when Durk’s band struck up the Canadian’s Durk-featuring hit “Laugh Now Cry Later,” but he was as close to a no show as it gets for an artist who wasn’t on the bill (he was actually across the country at the time, making a surprise pop-up at J. Cole’s opening show on The Off-Season Tour).
A return to normalcy – whether real or imagined – also means a return of silly gimmicks like floating cars and giant mechanical birds. These are the bells and whistles that get fans out of their houses, that ensure the trek downtown and the money spent on tickets, parking, and overpriced concessions are worth it.
For Lil Baby, that meant a bed, complete with spread, pillows, and a pair of scantily clad female companions, suspended over what can only be described as a stage on the stage (or a massive lightbox). Various other furniture appeared on both stages, including a couch and a jewelry tray, from which Baby added to the glittering collections on his arms and neck as he rapped. His female dance team provided most of the motion on stage as he delivered a relatively relaxed performance — although much improved from the pre-pandemic shy guy who’d stick to one corner of the stage. He even danced a little himself after he brought out another set of dancers who looked to be about middle school age
Along with the aforementioned, there was a rolling clothing rack that Baby gripped as he was pushed from one end of the stage to the other by two of his dancers. A game show ensued when Baby offered to bring a fan onstage to pick one bag that was ostensibly full of money from three bags brandished by his dancers, doing their best Vanna White impressions. Even though the person they picked chose the wrong bag, Baby, ever gregarious, still sent the fan home with the correct one.
Normal also means guest stars, and while this part was exciting, it also began feeling problematic as it wore on. When Roddy Rich appeared atop the stage on the stage, it took a moment for the crown to realize he was up there, but they quickly cottoned on, prompting rousing renditions of his songs “Ballin’” and “The Box.” The place went absolutely ballistic, though, when hometown artist Chris Brown appeared from backstage and danced to his hit “Go Crazy” sans Young Thug. Then, just when it seemed the decibel level couldn’t go any higher without causing permanent hearing damage to everyone within a block radius outside the building, Nicki Minaj showed up, marking her first public performance since 2019. She rapped her verses from “Seeing Green” and BIA’s “Whole Lotta Money” as the crowd roared.
As Baby wrapped up the show with his career-defining hit “Bigger Picture,” it certainly seemed like things have gone back to normal. But that song choice inadvertently begged the question: Should things go back to normal? After all, while the 2020 uprisings certainly seemed like the start of something, that movement was very much pushing back against the status quo. Baby, and so many other entertainers, seemed to be gaining a new social awareness that felt powerful coming from their massive platforms. Then, Baby himself rejected that notion, preferring to remain firmly apolitical. Now, a year later, it also feels like the broader progress that started in 2020 has halted in the push to go “back to normal” instead.
Likewise, it can’t be enough that stars are just recognizable without being accountable. The timing of Nicki Minaj’s appearance couldn’t have been coincidental. She’s facing a backlash over her anti-vax tweets and threatening a journalist, as well as a lawsuit for harassment of her husband’s alleged 1995 rape victim. That’s to say nothing of Chris Brown receiving a hero’s welcome, 12 years on since battering Rihanna without so much as a public apology. There has, however, been a string of accusations since then, including a restraining order filed by Karruche Tran in 2017 alleging violence and menacing behavior.
Compound that with all of the usual reckless concert misbehavior — people blowing smoke indoors, heedless of their fellow concertgoers — and it really hammers home the point. The metaphor of people making personal choices that affect others inside this ostensible safe place is harrowing when the scope is expanded to what’s been going on outside of venues where vaccination is required. Going “back to normal” seems to mean going back to a state in which human decency as a whole is optional rather than the bare minimum expectation of society. Sorry to sound preachy here, but the pandemic and resulting shutdowns offered us a chance to determine a new normal, a better normal. In the bigger picture, that should be more important than any album, artist, or concert.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Nicki Minaj Made Her First Public Performance In Two Years At Lil Baby’s LA Tour Stop
For the past two years, Nicki Minaj has refrained from making very many public appearances as she focused on her growing family. However, tonight at Lil Baby’s Back Outside Tour stop at Staples Center in Los Angeles, she returned to the stage for the first time to perform her verses from “Seeing Green” and BIA’s “Whole Lotta Money” remix. You can watch videos captured by attendees below. The crowd goes bananas as Nicki emerges from backstage, reasserting her presence in pop culture as a rapper instead of a controversy magnet.
nicki minaj’s voice is so powerful
— césar (@BARBIETlNGZ) September 25, 2021
Nicki Minaj Back On stage and cutting up . WE LOVE TO SEE IT pic.twitter.com/n25lBH50Mv
— NICKIMROOM (@NICKIMROOM) September 25, 2021
Do you hear that fucking crowd? NICKI MINAJ IS A FUCKING ICON pic.twitter.com/icrJBSeXsa
— Black Lives Still Matter (@wiz_thcreator) September 25, 2021
https://twitter.com/girlsinrap/status/1441651649404018691
spotted: nicki minaj outside for lil baby and lil durk’s back outside tour at LA’s staples center pic.twitter.com/hBxl3wfica
— AP style (@adelleplaton) September 25, 2021
Nicki’s public image could use some rehabilitation after the past few weeks. The “Seeing Green” rapper became the target of backlash and ridicule when she tweeted that she wasn’t vaccinated and shared a relative’s vaccine horror story involving a wedding getting canceled because of the groom’s swollen testes and infertility. Dr. Anthony Fauci debunked the possibility of such vaccine side effects and the Health Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, where the story supposedly took place, even held a press conference to allay the rumor after a thorough investigation.
In the midst of that firestorm, Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, who had pled guilty for failing to register as a sex offender when the couple moved to California in 2019, are being sued by Petty’s alleged 1995 victim Jennifer Hough for harassment. Hough recently appeared on The View to detail both the initial assault from 1994 and the alleged harassment that has gone on for the past two years as the couple supposedly pressured her to recant her original testimony and clear Petty’s name.
Other guests that hit the stage during Lil Baby’s show included local acts Roddy Ricch, who performed his Mustard collaboration “Ballin” and his groundbreaking 2020 hit “The Box,” and Chris Brown, who performed “Go Crazy.” You can see more videos below.
roddy rich performs “ballin'” at lil baby & friends #backoutside tour stop in LA pic.twitter.com/9HZa9ug1bS
— AP style (@adelleplaton) September 25, 2021
chris brown performs “go crazy” at the staples center for lil baby’s #backoutside show in LA pic.twitter.com/JJbXRxce9t
— AP style (@adelleplaton) September 25, 2021
Lil Durk’s Best Guest Verses
Soulja Boy + Chris Brown Take Shots At Kanye West
At this point it seems like everybody has beef with Kanye after he dropped Donda last Sunday. Soulja Boy got on Twitter and called out Kanye West for leaving his verse off of the song “Remote” on the Donda album. He tweeted saying , “If he didn’t like the verse he should of said that […]