Detroit rap group Slum Village deserves a lot of credit for still going strong all these later. We say this because after 9 long years without a new album, they have made quite a triumphant return. This past weekend, they came through with an exhilarating fusion of jazz, disco, and rap called F.U.N. Of course, the late great J Dilla is not around for this incredible release, but just know that he would be thrilled to be a part of this. T3 and rapper/producer Young RJ did an incredible job with this offering, and it is going to remain in rotation throughout the year for us.
In the press release, T3 explained where the inspiration for this project stemmed from. “[It] began with collecting old Disco records.” Additionally, RJ felt like some sort of reset was in order. “[We] wanted to just try something new, so we focused on making Disco-inspired music.” One of the songs that we feel capitalized on that very well is “So Superb.”
For this cut, Slum Village worked with two of their many collaborators for this tape, Cordae and Earlly Mac. Everyone involved here is flowing with purpose and the instrumental is extremely potent to the ears. The jingly elements paired with drums puts you in the happiest of moods. Be sure to check out the track with the link above.
What are your thoughts on this brand-new song “So Superb” by Slum Village, Earlly Mac, and Cordae? Where do you rank this record amongst the rest of them and why? Will this fly under the radar as an album of the year contender? Who had the stronger performance on the track? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Slum Village, Cordae, and Earlly Mac. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Contrary to popular belief, rappers – and hip-hop fans at large – have always been nerds. Look no further for proof than Wu-Tang Clan, ostensible stalwarts of hardcore, no-frills, gun-grime-and-crime street rap, who also chose a number of aliases from the world of Marvel Comics. Now, “nerds” isn’t here to demean anybody; after all, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo deliberately reclaimed the term for hip-hop heads with the name of both their experimental rock project, N.E.R.D., and their label, Star Trak (a direct reference to the OG geek obsession, Star Trek).
But just in case none of that was enough to convince you that hip-hop culture and geekdom are as inextricably tied together these days as politics and corruption, just look at the outpouring of admiration, grief, and respect from rappers and their fans for the late Japanese comics creator, Akira Toriyama, upon the news of his death last week — and for his unintended but undeniable contributions to the culture through his best-known work, Dragon Ball. Incidentally, I wrote just last month about the sprawling impact of anime on hip-hop, and much of that — I’m talking a good 80 percent or better — is very likely due to the popularity of Dragon Ball. Toriyama may well have created the most hip-hop anime of all time.
Oakland rapper Guapdad 4000 summed it up best in his extensive tribute to Toriyama on Twitter when he wrote, “NGL, Toriyama passing feel like I lost a real family member. This shit worse than when Micheal Jackson died.” Some version of this sentiment was shared across the rap landscape, from the expected, like Thundercat, who once paid tribute to the series with his tongue-in-cheek single “Dragonball Durag,” to the more subtle, like Big Sean recording a freestyle verse with the film Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ on television in the background.
That foundational love for the franchise permeated each of the conversations I had with rappers ranging from Grammy favorite Cordae to Top Dawg Entertainment mainstay Isaiah Rashad to my fellow Comptonite Buddy. Although Dragon Ball isn’t ostensibly about hip-hop, nor most of the subjects with which rap music historically concerns itself, all of them considered the franchise a profound inspiration to their lives and art. Even beyond that, they each saw a reflection of themselves in characters like Goku and Vegeta, who they even likened to the fractious history of Blackness in America.
Just in case you have by some chance been stranded on a desert island with only a volleyball for company for the past thirty years, Dragon Ball is one of the most successful Japanese entertainment franchises of all time. It encompasses comics (manga), animated television shows and movies (anime), video games, which Cordae calls his introduction to the franchise, and mountains of merch from t-shirts (oft-derided in the early days) to action figures, accessories, and even cafes in its native Japan where fans could dine on themed cuisine inspired by the aesthetics dreamed up by Akira Toriyama over the franchise’s 31-year history.
Toriyama had previously worked on a book called Dr. Slump before creating Dragon Ball in 1984 out of a desire to write a kung-fu shonen (or boys’) manga. Shonen manga revolve around action and adventure tales about heroes who often hold goals of self-improvement and being “the best” at something or finding some MacGuffin. Dragon Ball, loosely based on the Chinese classical novel Journey To The West, has the best of both in the form of protagonist Son Goku, who searches for the seven titular balls that will grant the holder one wish from a mighty dragon.
The manga became so popular that it spawned five anime series, the second of which, Dragon Ball Z, was aired in the US twice. The first time, in syndication, it garnered a small but loyal fanbase despite numerous edits for content and a season order that cut off in the midpoint of the second season (a source of unending frustration for this writer). However, in 1998, the show began running on Cartoon Network’s afternoon Toonami programming block, increasing the show’s popularity stateside tremendously. It was many American children’s first experience with the concept of “anime” as Japanese cartoons.
After a redubbed airing continued the story beyond that original loop of 53 episodes, anime became an obsession at an unheard-of scale. This is the one most of the rappers I interviewed were most familiar with, but Cordae admits to being a fan even of the widely derided sequel series Dragon Ball GT. “I know a lot of people shit on GT, but that sh*t was tight to me,” he maintains. “I remember I watched Bio-Broly. That was one of the first movies I got from Blockbuster!” Still, DBZ is such an important part of his life, he’s even wearing a T-shirt in his breakout video for “My Name Is.”
Meanwhile, Toriyama’s distinctive character designs – those square eyes, that spiky hair – graced the graphics of a handful of popular video game franchises throughout the rest of the ‘90s and early 2000s. Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger are popular in their own rights, with many gamers holding them among the best of their genre and generation. Still, Dragon Ball and its sequels and spinoffs remain Toriyama’s best-known and most beloved works – especially when it comes to hip-hop.
Buddy recalled catching the show at home (off of Harlan and Alondra, the two streets after which he named his 2018 debut album) on Toonami, “fresh from playing basketball outside, hoopin’, skatin’, climbing trees.” Describing his recipe for the ultimate syrup sandwich, he says he watched Dragon Ball Z, Inuyasha, and Cowboy Bebop in the afternoons. “Goku was my favorite, ‘cause that n**** be kickin’ ass and makin’ friends,” he enthuses. “Everybody he beat up, he’s homies with!”
Today, multiple rappers litter their rhymes with phrases from the show such as “going Super Saiyan,” a reference to a power some of the franchise’s characters can tap into to reach an empowered state complete with a flaming aura and golden hair. Florida rapper Denzel Curry name-checks Senzu beans — a restorative food eaten by the Dragon Ball heroes — and Broly, a villain from the 11th film, Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan on 2015’s “Ultimate,” his breakout hit. Chance The Rapper throws out a reference to both the Super Saiyan state and one of the franchise’s many sidekick characters, Krillin, in his 2016 song “Blessings.”
Big Sean once fanned out when he and his mother met Sean Schemmel, the American voice actor for Goku and several other characters on Dragon Ball Z. Thundercat, best known for his work with Kendrick Lamar, recruited Guapdad 4000 and rapper Smino to rap on the “Dragonball Durag” remix in 2020. The video for the song sees ‘Cat trying to woo the Haim sisters adorning with the eponymous hair accessory and the resulting repulsion of (most) of his targets — a reference to the confusion faced by the franchise’s earliest American adopters.
There’s still some of that old embarrassment lingering through some of my conversations with the rappers, even though we’re all here for the same thing. Isaiah Rashad apologizes for “nerding out,” but needs very little encouragement to continue doing so. Mostly, though, these are some of the most enthusiastic interviews I’ve had in seven years at Uproxx. Ask rappers questions about the music, you might get one-word answers; ask them about Akira Toriyama and the impact that Dragon Ball has had on them, it’s like they ate a Senzu bean.
Even as Rashad frets that his musing gone too far afield, he credits his exposure to the wider world through Dragon Ball and other anime. They gave him an outgoing curiosity for other cultures – even ones that weren’t strictly connected to the franchise. “When you grow up in a Black household,” he says, “What your parents like, you like. So when you see something else that you really respect as much as you respect people that look like you… that got me into all kinds of different music like funk, live renditions of the music… I got hella influences. I love Thai funk. Dragon Ball is how I got into a lot of that.”
The aspects of the show that draw such energetic admiration from these entertainers vary as widely as their approaches to rap. Buddy loves the bond between the green alien Piccolo and Goku’s son Gohan, who takes up the battle to save the earth from extraterrestrial threats after his father’s death (don’t worry, he gets better). “I loved watching Piccolo and Gohan bond,” he gushes. “Uncle Piccolo, raising Gohan in the wilderness, training him, making sure he was book smart.”
Meanwhile, Cordae found himself fascinated by the world-building in an arc involving intergalactic supervillain Frieza. “It was like a caste system of just how you got your lower level, just army guys with the guns,” he explains. “Then you got your Dodoria, Zarbon, then you got your Ginyu Force. I just love the clear pecking order of how strong everybody was.” He says that Dragon Ball Z “was the one anime that was socially acceptable in the hood. When people ask me, am I an anime head? I’m like, ‘Nah, I just like the n**** anime, bro, just like Naruto and Dragon Ball Z.’”
A common throughline is how much the world of Dragon Ball reflects social issues, despite being technically apolitical. Cordae compares the Saiyans to Black Americans, calling Frieza a racist for his treatment of the group, which he employs as enforcers to carry out his dirty work. Buddy makes the same comparison to the planet Namek, which Piccolo calls home. Rashad notes that the prolific variety of character types and species made them relatable because “you didn’t know what the f*ck they was, you just know they was cool-looking.”
But sometimes, the love for Dragon Ball and Akira Toriyama was as simple as giving young Black kids something to do when it felt like America didn’t provide very many other options – let alone ones enforcing positive messages about getting stronger, turning enemies into friends, and never giving up no matter the odds. As Guapdad put it in his loving tribute to Toriyama, “Dragon Ball Z literally saved me from just going back outside and ending up a street n****. I know this sounds like a stretch but I’m not kidding bruh. Toonami played it right when the streetlights came on.”
I asked everybody I interviewed for this piece what they’d want to tell Toriyama given the chance. Rather than words, they all shared another similar sentiment. “I would give him a big ass hug,” says Cordae. “I’d try to draw him, embrace my inner eight-year-old,” Rashad echoes. “I wouldn’t say anything,” Buddy admits. “I’d give him a fist bump. Then a side hug. And then it’d be an obsessed grab with a head on the shoulder.” They all say they’d tell him “thank you.”
Thank you for creating a world we could escape to. Thank you for giving us characters we could relate to. Thank you for inspiring our creativity, for expanding our horizons, and for telling us there is no limit to the power inside of us if we only keep pushing. Thank you for one hell of an adventure.
In the video for Eminem’s “Doomsday 2,” Bennett even goes so far as to revisit the office building set from the first “Doomsday” video with Cordae and Juice WRLD. This time, though, the lyrical destruction has the office hallway in an even worse state than before, with ceiling panels falling out, exposed wires sparking, and bodies littering the walkway.
In addition to Eminem’s percussive performance, the video also features cameos from many of All Is Yellow‘s other stars, including Babytron, Big Sean, Cordae, Denzel Curry, JID, and Teezo Touchdown — all of whom you could argue take massive influence from Eminem as an artist. Even Swae Lee shows up.
A lot of jokes have been made about Eminem falling off in recent years, but if the “Doomsday 2” is anything to judge by, it looks like his respect among the younger generation is just as high as it’s ever been.
You can watch the “Doomsday 2” video above and check out All Is Yellow, out now via Def Jam, here.
In a new interview with InStyle magazine, tennis star Naomi Osaka goes in-depth about motherhood, offering some insight into parenting and the adjustments she’s made since the birth of her daughter Shai with rapper Cordae. The interview comes about two months after breakup rumors emerged online in the wake of what some interpreted as some suggestive posts. InStyle‘s interview focuses mainly on the changes to Naomi’s life and only mentions Cordae three times, so fans looking for more info might still have some questions.
Are Naomi Osaka & Cordae Still Together?
According to E! the rumors of the couple’s breakup first surfaced in October, after Osaka deleted or archived every photo featuring Cordae on Instagram and apparently unfollowed him to boot. Instagram Story updates like “I just want someone that will watch the sunset with me” were interpreted by some fans as subtle admissions of a split, just a few months removed from Shai’s birth. At around the same time, Cordae released his single “Make Up Your Mind” with a music video depicting a complicated relationship.
Whatever their dating status at the very least, it sounds like they’re still on good terms, if not technically together (although InStyle‘s story still describes Cordae as Osaka’s boyfriend in the intro). All Naomi tells InStyle about Cordae is that they’ve “built a really good foundation” for co-parenting, adding, “I don’t know if it’s because he’s just an easygoing guy, but I think we just respect each other’s opinions. And if we disagree on something, we talk it out. At the end of the day, we both want what’s best for Shai.” So, until either comes out and just says it, there’s still no real answer, but it’s good to hear that their baby has a loving home, either way.
Last year, Cordae excited fans by sharing his album From A Bird’s Eye View. Since then, he’s unveiled collaborations with Anderson .Paak, Juice WRLD, and more, as well as shared the spicy solo song “Make Up Your Mind,” for which he now has a video.
The track navigates a complicated relationship whose rules are unclear: “I said she love me / She love me not / But she don’t got no damn clue about what she want,” he sings in the chorus. The video captures this confusion, depicting Cordae and a woman going back in forth in arguments, struggling to resolve issues even as they sit at dinner at a restaurant. Despite this, the music is lively, with an infectious bassline.
“I just wanted to make a timeless song that makes people feel good,” Cordae said in a statement.
The video is directed by Loris Russier. “Make Up Your Mind” is produced by Dr. Luke, who fans are pointing out was a poor choice considering the rape allegations from pop star Kesha that ended with a defamation lawsuit that dragged on for years.
Watch the video for “Make Up Your Mind” above.
Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Cordae has been on a tear as of late with his recent singles. “Doomsday,” a song to appear on Lyrical Lemonade’s debut album, saw him and the late great, Juice WRLD, trade bars over Eminem’s “Role Model.” He also teamed up with the jack-of-all-trades, Anderson .Paak on “Two Tens.” The J. Cole-produced track contains catchy flows and a smooth and simple head-bobbing-beat. So, it is only right for Cordae to keep up the moment and release more heat for the fans.
However, this new song “Make Up Your Mind,” goes in an unexpected direction. Cordae is known for bodying boom-bap and trap beats, but this groove wants to get you funky on the dance floor. It’s definitely a change of pace for someone who always brings bars and hard-hitting verses. Any time an artist goes 180 degrees with their sound it can leave fans divided, but this song has a undeniable vibe.
This new cut from Cordae has him making clever comparisons, while simultaneously poking fun at why some girls can never make up their minds. It has an earworm of a pre-chorus: “I said, she love me (Love me) She love me not But she don’t got not damn clue about what she wants.” The “Love Me” background vocals are shouted out in a way, referencing ’80s disco and it gives tons of personality to the track. In the quotable lyrics, he makes a fun reference to his significant other, Naomi Osaka, who’s parents are Haitian and Japanese, even though the line mentions that her mom is Korean.
It’s a different style for Cordae and his fanbase so we want to know, how are you feeling about this track? Do you want to see him tackle different genres? Tell us all of your thoughts and opinions down in the comments section. Stay tuned into HNHH for all the newest and hottest songs every weekend.
Quotable Lyrics:
Daddy full Black but her momma Korean She know I’m gettin’ money from the cars that I be in Young rich n**** but the shoes European Took her to the crib, call that s**t sight seein’ Need one woman but I want like ten
While Cordae and his longtime girlfriend, tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, are still going strong, he has just dropped a situationship anthem for the summer. On the breezy “Make Up Your Mind,” Cordae shows off his lowkey R&B chops, tapping into a more rhythmic sound.
Over a thumping, percussive beat, Cordae tries to read the signals delivered to him by an elusive lady.
“I said she love me / She love me not / But she don’t got no damn clue about what she want,” he rap-sings on the song’s chorus.
While most of us can relate to the song, the groovy beat makes it easy to brush off any nebulous relationships, and just go with the flow.
“I just wanted to make a timeless song that makes people feel good,” said Cordae in a statement.
Outside of this particular song, it’s been a pretty busy summer for Cordae. Back in July, he and Osaka welcomed a baby girl. Beginning today (August 4), Cordae will also be supporting rapper NF on his Hope Tour, which kicks off in Glendale, AZ.
You can listen to “Make Up Your Mind” above.
Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Naomi Osaka and Cordae have joyously welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in Los Angeles. The couple, known for their successes in their respective fields, is excited to embark on this new journey of parenthood. The news was exclusively confirmed to PEOPLE, and although the baby’s face has yet to be revealed, Osaka and […]
