flowers

Lupe Fiasco Calls Ja Rule His Favorite Rapper: “This Is All I Need Right Here”

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It isn’t always that we get to meet artists that were the soundtracks to our youths, but Lupe Fiasco received an opportunity. The rapper has amassed a wealth of success of his own, but when he came face to face with Ja Rule, he couldn’t contain his excitement. It looks as if the two hitmakers were able to link backstage at a concert, and the encounter was shared on Instagram.

In the clip, Lupe was like a kid meeting his idol. “This all I need right here,” he told Ja. The Murder Inc rapper was all smiles. Then, Lupe addressed the camera directly. “Listen, I grew up on Ja Rule, you feel me? I don’t give a f*ck what no motherf*cka say. Ask me who’s my favorite rapper, who I was listening to when I was coming up. Even now!

Lupe Fiasco Praises Ja Rule’s Catalog
Lupe Fiasco at ONE Musicfest held at Central Park on October 9, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Chynna Keys/VIBE via Getty Images)

“Give me Venni, Vetti, Vecci, n*gga,” Lupe continued. “Give me motherf*ckin’ Pain Is Love over anything, n*gga. I don’t give a f*ck. Give me 3:36 over anything. F*ck these n*ggas, feel me? I’m bumpin’ Ja! N*gga, f*ck you!” Lupe followed up his praise by sharing stories of his youth, listening to Ja “on repeat.” He said the New York star’s music would be “hyping me up, charging me up.”

To all of the attention, Ja Rule was in disbelief. “You know what? It’s so ill to hear…that,” he said, seemingly at a loss for words. “From a lyricist lyricist.” The mutual respect was applauded by fans who were happy to see two rappers come together with compliments and not criticism. Hip Hop has made sure that artists are receiving their flowers these days, from Verzuz appearances to Drink Champs praise.

Ja Rule Made His Mark on the Industry

Meanwhile, Ja Rule has been a busy man. He has multiple businesses that he attends to while also hitting the road. The rapper has continued to tour since his inception into the mainstream, and he doesn’t have plans to slow down anytime soon. Although he often makes headlines due to his long-standing beef with 50 Cent, Ja’s career is much more than Rap beef. His time with Murder Inc helped define an era, so fans understand why Lupe Fiasco was excited to meet him. Check out the interaction above.

Shy Glizzy Unveils “Flowers” Cover Art & Tracklist

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Shy Glizzy’s getting back in motion these days. In recent times, he’s seen an influx of attention, thanks to the success of “White Girl.” TikTok revived the song and gave it new life which, in turn, shined a brighter spotlight on Shy Glizzy. It’s not to say that he hasn’t been active recently, but TikTok undoubtedly helped him gain many fans. Thankfully, he isn’t taking the moment for granted and blessed fans with even more new music in the months that followed.

Shy Glizzy unveiled his last studio album, Fully Loaded in 2018 via 300 Entertainment. Since then, he’s delivered a plethora of mixtapes to feed his fanbase, including 2020’s Young Jefe. The next year, he highlighted Glizzy Gang with the release of Don’t Feed The Sharks. Fortunately, he’s entering a new era that he kicked off with a handful of singles last year including, “Underrated,” “Slime-U-Out” ft. 21 Savage, and more. Still, that was only the build-up for his highly-anticipated project, Flowers. 

Shy Glizzy’s “Flowers” Tracklist Ft. Chris Brown, NBA Youngboy & More

With his new album expected to drop tonight, Glizzy gave fans a glimpse of what to expect. The DMV rapper dropped the official tracklist and cover art for Flowers. His upcoming project will include a whopping 20 songs in total with several impressive features. Chris Brown assists on the intro, “No Days Off,” while previously released singles alongside NBA Youngboy, EST GEE, and 21 Savage also appear on the tracklist. Overall, it’s looking like a solid body of work that will mark Glizzy’s triumphant return.

Glizzy recently detailed the album’s title, which he said is a reflection of the time he’s spent in the music industry. “I’ve been in this s**t for a minute now, man,” he told Akadmeiks on the Off The Record podcast. “I feel like the growth is there, this s**t’s finally gotten to a point where the knives are sharpening, and all the respect is due. That’s why I named this s**t Flowers, I feel like I need mines, I feel like I give a lot of people theirs.” Check out the cover art and tracklist above and let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

Did Miley Cyrus And SZA Just Tease A Collaboration?

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Miley Cyrus Miley's New Year's Eve Party 2022
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SZA is riding the historic high of logging a sixth total week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Miley Cyrus achieved her first career debut at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart for “Flowers,” the lead single off her forthcoming album, Endless Summer Vacation. Oh, and SZA is also sitting pretty at No. 2 on the Hot 100 with “Kill Bill.”

They’re celebrating by giving each other Twitter flowers.

“MAJOR congrats to Miley !!! Excited for her album and to work together,” SZA tweeted alongside a heart on Tuesday, January 24. Cyrus quote-tweeted back, “You are KILLING it 🤍 Congratulations! Sending love 💋”

And then, the internet did what the internet does: take vague niceties and run with it. We can all hope for Cyrus and SZA to collaborate, but we’ll need more than SZA tweeting the general sentiment that she’s excited to work with Cyrus before we totally get our hopes up.

Still, it’s fun to see how fans reacted:

Let’s not forget that SZA told Rolling Stone that she and Lizzo recorded “five or six songs” during an SOS session, but the SOS track list doesn’t feature Lizzo. Before that, SZA also explained to Hot97’s Nessa On Air that there were people she’d hoped would be featured on the album, but they didn’t turn in their verses.

The one thing we can bank on right now is Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation dropping on March 10, and it’s likely that she and SZA will continue to dominate the charts for weeks to come.

Endless Summer Vacation is out 3/10 via Columbia. Pre-order it here.

Kanye West Was Sued Over A Sample Used On ‘Flowers’ From ‘Donda 2’

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kanye west adidas
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Back in February, Kanye West released his eleventh album Donda 2 just six months after he dropped Donda which topped the albums chart to be his tenth No. 1 release. Donda 2 was a unique project as Kanye opted to drop it exclusively on his Stem Player website, making it only available to those who purchase the Stem Player device. It was uploaded with 16 songs and features from Future, Migos, Jack Harlow, the late XXTENTACION, Vory, Alicia Keys, Fivio Foreign, Soulja Boy, Sean Leon, Baby Keem, Travis Scott, and Don Toliver. Now, four months later, one of the album’s songs has earned Kanye West a lawsuit.

According to Billboard, a complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Wednesday that accused Kanye of wrongfully sampling Marshall Jefferson’s 1986 house track “Move Your Body,” aka “The House Music Anthem,” on “Flowers” from Donda 2 without permission or providing compensation. The filing says the sample was used “at least 22 times throughout” the song.

The complaint was filed by attorneys Christine Lepera and Bradley J. Mullins of the firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp and brought forth by Jefferson’s publisher Ultra International Music Publishing (UMP). “Defendants’ conduct is willful and deliberate,” the complaint reads. “Defendants know and have been informed that they do not possess a license to utilize the Composition in the Unauthorized Work, and yet continue to willfully infringe in blatant disregard of UIMP’s rights of ownership.”

As a result, UMP is requesting a “preliminary and permanent injunction enjoining and restraining Defendants” and their associates from using the “Move Your Body” sample as well profits and damages in an amount to be determined at trial. Alternatively, they will seek statutory damages of $150,000 per infringement, attorneys’ fees and the full cost of the lawsuit, and prejudgement interest.

Alex Klein, who co-created the Stem Player, was also named in the complaint as was Klein’s company Kano Computing Limited.

Tayla Parx Demands Her ‘Flowers’ On Her Latest Single

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Having penned several hits for the likes of Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Mariah Carey, and John Legend, singer/songwriter Tayla Parx surely deserves her flowers. On her latest single, appropriately titled “Flowers,” Parx demands her flowers while she’s still among us, that way when she’s gone, her friends, family, and fans will have no regrets.

On a fast-paced, poppy, dance-ready track, Parx sings, “Give me my flowers while I’m here, so when I’m dead and gone, you won’t have to cry no tears for me.” While she is a newly independent artist, having launched her TaylaMade imprint earlier this year, the Dallas-native isn’t going to let you forget the impact she’s had (and certainly will continue to have) in the landscape of mainstream pop. Whether it’s behind the scenes or at the forefront, Parx is always going to have a reason to celebrate.

“‘Flowers’ is about living your life in the present and showing your loved ones, including yourself, how much they mean to you in the now instead of waiting until it’s too late,” said Parx in a statement. “Flowers represent life and living, and the song represents my desire to celebrate every part of my life, no matter how big or small. Go get yourself some flowers now!”

Check out “Flowers” above.