Hip Hop News

Lil Nas X Offers His Advice To Aspiring Musicians Ahead Of His Debut Album

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It’s only been three years since Lil Nas X was catapulted into the limelight with his smash hit single “Old Town Road.” In that short time period, the musician has not only found major chart success, but he’s also pissed off religious folks, ripped his pants on live TV, and been sued by Nike for his “Satan Shoes.” Now reflecting on his career ahead of his debut album, Lil Nas X has some advice for aspiring creatives.

Lil Nas X has yet to unveil the official release date for his upcoming album, but he has confirmed it will be titled Montero, his birth name. The musician took to Twitter Wednesday to give some guidance for those looking to get a start in music. Though his fans had been endlessly pushing for his debut LP’s release, Lil Nas X said he is ultimately happy he decided to work at his own pace: “after being in the music industry for 3 years i’ll finally be dropping my first album, and i just want to say to all my creators listening ‘go at your own pace!’ never feel like you are behind. your time is for you and no one will get in the way of that.”

One of Lil Nas X’s fans replied to his tweet, apologizing for putting pressure on him. But Lil Nas X wasn’t bothered. As a former Nicki Minaj stan himself, the musician understands his fans’ impatience. He wrote, “all good, i understand u guys are eager for new music. i just really needed time to create the music i felt was true to me and that i genuinely loved.”

People Are Aghast Over The Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival Being Being An Actual Thing Being Staged On The Grounds Of An Ohio Prison

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This fall, Mansfield, Ohio will play host to a festival that has a great lineup if you’re a fan of alternative rock and metal, as it features Slipknot, Rob Zombie, Mudvayne, A Day To Remember, Mastodon, Halestorm, Chevelle, Killswitch Engage, and others. The festival is also focused on tattoos, so if you’re looking to get a some ink, more than 75 tattoo artists will be on hand.

All in all, if you’re into those sorts of things, this seems like a great time. There’s one significant issue, though: The event is called the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival, the name of which plays off the fact that it takes place on the grounds of the Ohio State Reformatory, which is perhaps best known as a primary filming location for The Shawshank Redemption. As the festival is getting ready for its 2021 installment (on the weekend of September 10 to 12), some folks are talking notice of its allegedly problematic nature.

For example, Kim Kelly, a journalist and author of the upcoming book Fight Like Hell: The Untold History Of American Labor, shared her thoughts, tweeting today, “I get a lot of press releases for a lot of bad music festivals I will never attend, but the emails about this one in particular always make my skin crawl. Prison isn’t an edgy ‘theme,’ it’s torture and enslavement and horror. It’s repulsive to see an event promoted this way.” Other people chimed in and echoed the sentiment.

The festival previously hosted editions in 2018 and 2019 before making its return this year. Aside from music and tattoos, this year’s event will also feature tours of the prison, as well as a “special engagement” of “Escape From Blood Prison Haunted House,” which is a yearly Halloween event held at the Ohio State Reformatory.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Smiley’s Focused ‘In My Zone’ Performance On ‘UPROXX Sessions’ Highlights His Tunnel Vision Approach

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Toronto rapper Smiley is just weeks removed from landing a huge guest feature from Drake on their “Over The Top” collaboration. Drake’s sharp bars are surrounded by Smiley’s own laid-back raps that steer through the song’s hard-hitting production. The track with Drake has brought attention to the rest of Smiley’s catalog which includes “In My Zone,” a track that also stands tall in his discography. The song, which he released back in April, is also one the Toronto rapper decided to perform for his first UPROXX Sessions appearance. In his performance, Smiley details his tunnel vision approach to life on the cautious banger.

While Smiley may be a new name to many, the Toronto rapper has been on the grind for the past three years. His 2018 debut project Buy. Or. Bye grabbed the attention of many as it unveiled raps that detailed a dark past. Additional attention would be brought his way when Drake quoted a line from his Smiley’s “Free Baby” (“Nobody really know what I been through”) during the height of his rap beef with Pusha-T. Since then, Smiley inked a deal with Warner Records and dropped his 2020 mixtape, YYZ-LAX. Now, he’s hard at work on his next project, Buy. Or. Bye 2 and with “Over The Top” and “In My Zone” leading the way, things are looking good for the Toronto upstart.

Press play on Smiley’s focused performance of “In My Zone” for UPROXX Sessions in the video above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Smiley is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

6ix9ine Addresses Relationship With 50 Cent

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50 Cent was one of Tekashi 6ix9jne’s biggest backers, but the legendary rapper appears to have cooled off on the Brooklyn-based entertainer. During a recent conversation on Clubhouse, 6ix9ine revealed that he hasn’t spoken to Fif in over a year.

The chat was very eventful, including digs at Jim Jones, Meek Mill, and more. However, one of the most interesting bits came when 6ix9ine was asked about his relationship with 50 Cent. Considering their history, his response was pretty telling.


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“Nah, I never talk to him,” said 6ix9ine. “The last time I talked to him, he tried to get me a lawyer while I was locked up. That’s the last time I ever communicated with him.”

In April 2020, 50 Cent was asked if he would work with the admitted snitch, to which he responded, “I wouldn’t work with him. What it is, is it’s just against the way I grew up.”

Despite not wanting to collaborate with the rapper, Fif said that he believes 6ix9ine still has a future in the music business.


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These days, 50 Cent has taken on a mentorship role with another problematic rapper, helping out DaBaby. A week before DaBaby’s most recent controversy, in which he was largely criticized for spewing homophobic hate speech at a concert, Fiddy agreed to take the rapper under his wing. He has supported Baby throughout his controversy, but he has not commented on the backlash he’s received.

Listen to the video below at the seven-minute mark to hear 6ix9ine’s comments about 50 Cent.

TwoTiime Holds It Down On “Did A Lot”

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Ottawa rapper TwoTiime is gearing up for his moment to shine. From the release of his first single, “Hood Cry” and “Keep It Real,” which has since reached the 1M milestone on YouTube, he’s branched out with a slew of equally promising records that have fans on the edge of their seats for his debut project. On Friday, he came through with a brand new single titled, “Did A Lot.” The rapper takes it back to his stomping grounds of Ritchie Street and the realities he encountered daily growing up in that area.

“This record allowed me to reach back and reconnect with where I came from and where I’m going,” TwoTiime said. “‘Did A Lot’ is a salute to my hood and a reflection of the fact that I am simply just a product of my environment and my voice is just an instrument of the streets. There are things I can speak on, but I’d rather tell the story through my music.” 

Quotable Lyrics
Got n***as in the cage, got n***as in the grave
They took my brother Metro, and the shit ain’t been the same
Took the anger into lyrics, and I fill it with my pain
I swear I’m ’bout to blow, I can feel it in my veins

G-Eazy & Kossisko Team Up On “Running Wild (Tumblr Girls 2)”

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Coming off of the release of 2020’s Everything’s Strange Here, G-Eazy came into 2021 on a high note with a slew of bangers. He teamed up with Chris Brown and Mark Morrison on “Provide” and worked alongside Louisville’s rising star EST Gee for “At Will.” His new album is currently underway and it appears that it’ll be an accurate depiction of the growth in his career. Today, he shared a sequel to These Things Happen highlight, “Tumblr Girls.” Titled “Running Wild (Tumblr Girls 2),” he enlists Kossisko to handle hook duties on the track.

“making songs that actually feel like sequels to songs on the first TTH was so essential to me in the process of this album,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “Finding a way to directly reference songs or distinct themes / elements from the first album, in a way that still showed evolution and growth in a forward way…”

Peep the single below. 

Quotable Lyrics
Penthouse at the Modrion, all her model friends came
She likes runnin’ wild and free, she’s the one you can’t tame 
On Monday, she’s in love with me, can’t imagine no other
Tuesday, we get in a fight, on Wednesday, blocking my number

The Isley Brothers Tiny Desk Is A Music History Master Class

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After a successful Verzuz battle with legendary disco and funk icons Earth, Wind and Fire, The Isley Brothers recently performed their most sampled hits for NPR’s newest iteration of their Tiny Desk series, Tiny Desk (Home) Concert.

The 13-minute performance consisted of storytelling and reminiscing prior to introducing four classics: “Between the Sheets”, “Footsteps in the Dark”, “For the Love of You” and “That Lady.” A testament to their cultural impact, Hip-hop artists from the Notorious B.I.G to Tupac, Ice Cube, and Kendrick Lamar have all sampled these tracks, re-introducing the group’s signature sound to a new generation. “We went on to meet a young fellow by the name of Kendrick Lamar who sampled the record, and we got a Grammy Award for it,” said Ron. As NPR pointed out, the four songs on the setlist for the Isleys’ Tiny Desk have been covered or sampled by over 300 artists.    

With a career that spans seven decades, the soul-funk legends, along with the background vocal support from their wives (formerly of R&B group JS), put on a stellar performance. Lead singer Ron Isely’s unique sultry vocals hit every high note, while his brother Ernie dominated his pink floral guitar. On Twitter, fans reacted with joy and gratitude:

2021 has been really good to The Isley Brothers and they are not letting up any time soon. Since their Verzuz performance, their album sales skyrocketed 420 percent. At the respectful ages of 69 and 80-years old, the duo is also still quite fashionable. Fans have nine opportunities to catch them in concert for the remainder of the year. 

Watch the performance below: