collabs

Mariachi Singer Deyra Barrera Tells Backstory Behind Her Kendrick Lamar Collabs On “GNX”

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One of the most surprising but welcome elements of Kendrick Lamar’s new album GNX is the feature list, with stars SZA and Roddy Ricch catching people’s ears. However, there are also a lot of hard-hitting West Coast rappers on the tracklist, plus some gorgeous vocal contributions from one Deyra Barrera from Tucson, Arizona. The mariachi singer told Rolling Stone of how she linked up with the Compton lyricist. She explained that their collaborative origin was when she sang a tribute at Game 1 of the World Series to former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who passed away in October.

“My skin gets goosebumps because all of this happened so quickly for me,” Deyra Barrera recalled to the publication about this “blessing.” “I want to cry. This is taking me by surprise. I was in tears, singing for my friend who died, at a packed stadium. And, el señor [Kendrick Lamar] was there. He listened to me sing. I believe in angels. And [Valenzuela] is an angel for me. I had no idea what I would record. I make mariachi, not rap. They told me they wanted my style, my voice. I had no idea how it was going to end up on the record. He welcomed me and was so kind. He said, ‘You have such a powerful voice. Thanks for coming.’ I had no idea what to say. Lamar is a genius, a maestro. Everything he makes is magic.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar Causes Huge Debate Over New Album “GNX” Doing Big Numbers

Deyra Barrera’s Performance That Captivated Kendrick Lamar

“Ever since I can remember, we’ve sung to pay for rent and to make enough money to eat,” Deyra Barrera remarked of the path that led her to this moment with Kendrick Lamar. “It’s been many years of highs and lows, but I haven’t thrown the towel in because this is what I love. I hope this helps me. This industry is really difficult. I need to take advantage of this God-given moment to grow as a singer. From now on, I need to work a lot to have more people listen to my music, and learn who I am. I know Kendrick is going to do the Super Bowl Halftime Show… Imagine if he invited me to sing with him? That would be incredible. I hope people know that it’s Deyra Barrera who is on these songs.”

Days after that World Series game, Deyra Barrera was in Kendrick Lamar’s studio hearing the beats from the album. She wrote down some lines evoking the emotions that Kendrick’s team told her he wanted to present. Eventually, K.Dot stopped by to greet Barrera and express his gratitude for her contributions, even though she says they didn’t get to spend much time together after discussing their ideas. She appears on GNX‘s intro, “wacced out murals,” the track “reincarnated,” and the album’s outro, “gloria.”

Read More: Kendrick Lamar Praises Ab-Soul’s Lyrical Abilities On New Album

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Cardi B Thinks People Get Backlash For Liking Her, Speaks On Female Collabs

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Cardi B’s on a wild press run right now for her new single with Megan Thee Stallion, “Bongos.” Moreover, during a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, she spoke to the co-hosts about her haters and how people seem to get blasted online just for liking her. “Yeah, yeah,” the Bronx MC answered Charlamagne Tha God’s question on whether she reads hateful comments. “You gotta also know what people like, though. You know what? I be feeling like a lot of people hate to admit that they like me. A lot of people are afraid to say that they like me. When people say that they like me, they get attacked. Or if they take my side on anything. So I have to accept that.

“There’s even people that I’ve seen comment nasty s**t about me,” Cardi B continued. “Some of my friends have pressed them about them. ‘Why you be going so hard on my girl?’ ‘I don’t know, I really do like her, though.’ It’s like, ‘B***h!’ Like, matter of fact, I’ma give you an example, right? There’s a b***h, right, I don’t even f***ing know her, but one of my friends knows her. ‘Yo, why this girl got so much issues with you?’ She got so much s**t to say about me, but she always copying my birthday looks! I mean, she does the s***ty version, but it’s like… How you don’t like me? You like me. I feel like I’m already getting over that [mental] hurdle. As long as motherf***ers don’t lie on me, it’s okay.”

Read More: Cardi B Keeps Her Cool When Charlamagne Suggests Her Sophomore Album Is Unnecessary: Watch

Cardi B On The Breakfast Club: Haters & Fake Haters

In another interview, the 30-year-old spoke on collaborating with other female artists in the game and their idiosyncrasy, shouting out many femcees in the process. “A lot of people be, like, thinking that I be collaborating with the girls and everything ’cause ‘Oh, you’re such a girl’s girl,’” Cardi B explained. “‘What makes you want to be a girl’s girl?’ It’s not that I’m a girl’s girl, I’m just a girl. I’m clearly going to gravitate more to girls’ music. So when I do a song with these girls, it’s because I really like y’all songs. If I like your music and I like your sound, let’s do something together. Why the f**k not?

Bardi Praises The Diversity In Female Hip-Hop Right Now

“If I like your s**t, I wanna work with you if I could fit in your sound,” she continued. “All the girls right now, I feel like nobody sounds like each other right now. And that’s the good thing about it. I feel like there’s not somebody that sounds like Megan, Latto, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, Ice Spice. We have our own different style and, yeah, why not?” On that note, stay logged into HNHH for the latest news and updates on Cardi B.

Read More: Cardi B Doesn’t Feel Sorry For “Fan” She Hit With Microphone

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Snoop Dogg Shows Off New Wu-Tang Clan-Inspired Chain

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Last night, Snoop Dogg took to Instagram to show off a new diamond chain inspired by legendary New York rap group Wu-Tang Clan. Snoop posted a video showing fans the look and some of the details of his new chain. The video is accompanied by the groups song “Gravel Pit.” As you’d expect fans took to the comments to share their thoughts on the piece, largely with fire emojis. The chain was created by King Ice a California based jeweler who’s made similarly elaborate chains for numerous other high-profile celebs.

It’s the second time that Snoop Dogg has recently offered a co-sign through custom pieces. In his bid to become the first black owner of an NHL team he’s joined a buying group for the leagues Ottawa Senators. The group is currently in a bidding war with another buying group which is led by Ryan Reynolds and also includes The Weeknd. In an Instagram post last week Snoop showed off some sleek custom Senators sweatpants that left many fans speculating whether he’d completed his purchase of the team.

Snoop Dogg’s Crazy New Chain

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg)

Snoop Dogg is also set to play Mass Appeal & Live Nation’s Hip Hop 50th anniversary show later this year. He will headline alongside Ice Cube, Lil Wayne and Run D.M.C. Just this morning, it was announced that Wu-Tang Clan would headline a different celebration of the genre’s 50th birthday. The Hot 97 Hip Hop 50 Show will feature Wu-Tang alongside Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey. The shows will take place in August and September respectively, bookending the genre’s actual birthday in mid August.

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre have been teasing a collaborative album for a while now. Recently they once again gave fans a peek at the album, which is expected to be titled Missionary. Snoop shared a photo of the two in the studio with an evocative caption that got fans attention. “Coming soon” Snoop captioned the post, which was more than enough to get people talking. A release date isn’t currently confirmed but the project appears to be well under way. What do you think of Snoop Dogg’s new chain? Let us know in the comments below.

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SZA & Lizzo Recorded A “Handful Of Tracks”: “She Gets Me”

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It comes as no surprise that good friends SZA and Lizzo have a few would-be hits in the vault. We’re days into celebrating SOS, SZA’s sophomore effort that has reportedly earned her another No. 1 album. The singer fuses several genres, including R&B and Rock, and it’s a sound her fans are praising worldwide. Rolling Stone reports SZA’s alternative SOS track “F2F” features a “hidden” addition by Lizzo, who apparently just happened to be in the studio as SZA was recording.

The outlet stated that Lizzo “also did some writing” on the song’s bridge. Producer-engineer-songwriter Rob Bisel explained how the unplanned moment came to be while speaking with the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast. “We just happened to have that one pulled up the day that that Lizzo was there,” he said.

Read More: SZA Earns First #1 Album With “S.O.S”

“They were putting some energy into it,” songwriter-producer Carter Lang also revealed. “That was the thing that I feel sparked SZA really taking it into her own world and figuring out how it can be part of her story in an authentic way and not like, ‘Hey, I just did a rock joint.’”

Bisel adds that “there’s definitely a handful [of tracks with Lizzo].” It’s a revelation that should get fans excited. “I don’t want to incriminate myself here, but there’s some stuff floating around for sure.”

Meanwhile, SZA is thrilled to collaborate with her friend who she says understands her on a deeper level. “We just have so much fun together,” said SZA of Lizzo. “And I feel like she gets me.”

Read More: SZA Intended Frank Ocean, Drake & More To Be On “SOS”: Report

“She’s another person who has hella [wide] music tastes and doesn’t fit in anybody’s box of anything. She makes it seem like she doesn’t even care, like she just does whatever she wants. And I just love being with her, just as a friend and hanging out. So whenever she comes to a studio, I just feel like, ‘Let’s drop into some bullsh*t.’”

The singer also discussed fusing Rock into SOS, explaining that it developed organically.

“I made a whole bunch of rock songs. They were all terrible in terms of, like, saying bad things about what I’ve done to people,” she said. “But it sounded cool, and I think that’s what all those songs are really about. Just being super honest and letting that out. But yeah, I love making those type of songs….For sure on this album. I made a whole bunch of versions of me.”

“I look at everything when it’s done and then, and I’m like, ‘OK, this is who I’ve been for the last five years. And I don’t know if it makes any sense or if it goes together, but this is what’s hot.’”

What do you think of SOS? Was it worth the wait?

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