Hip Hop News

Lizzo Calls Out Hateful Comments Following Her ‘Rumors’ Video: ‘This Sh*t Should Not Fly’

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With her latest song “Rumors,” Lizzo dove head-first into her new era of music. But the single’s release didn’t go as smoothly as she had hoped. A flood of hateful comments criticizing everything from her music to her body were thrown at Lizzo. So much so, that Facebook reportedly even had to step in to delete some of the unkind words. After a heart-tugging message to fans on Instagram Live, Lizzo is taking one more step in dispelling haters.

The singer sat down with Good Morning America for an interview about her “Rumors” video’s backlash. The singer said that, for the most part, she doesn’t let negative comments affect her. But at a certain point, it’s too much:

“I don’t mind critique about me, my music. I don’t even mind the fat comments. I just feel like it’s unfair sometimes, the treatment that people like me receive. […] Some people are like, ‘Don’t let people see you with your head down, sis.’ My head is always up. Even when I’m upset and even when I’m crying, my head is always up. But I know it’s my job as an artist to reflect the times, and this sh*t should not fly. This shouldn’t be okay.”

The singer continued to note that Black women’s achievements in the music industry have historically been swept under the rug. “Black women have been in this industry and innovating it for ever. It is unfortunate that we are the ones who do suffer from the marginalization the most and the erasure the most,” she said. “I feel like, if it weren’t for the internet, if if weren’t for social media, I could have been erased. But I chose to be undeniable, and I chose to be loud, and I chose to be great. And I’m still here. It’s difficult.”

Watch Lizzo’s full interview on Good Morning America above.

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

The Vibes From The Weeknd & Drake’s First Collaboration Are Immortal

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When artists’ breakout projects hit the 10-year milestone, they have a lot to celebrate, and considering that all three of The Weeknd’s breakout mixtapes arrived within months of each other, the Canadian superstar will be celebrating all year-long. Today, on August 18, Thursday, the Weeknd’s second project of 2011, turns 10 years old, so it’s only right that we revisit Abel’s classic mixtape.

Following the universal acclaim of House of Balloons just a few months prior, The Weeknd doubled down on his game-changing, alternative R&B sound and descended deeper into his drug and party-fueled world. Unlike House of Balloons, Thursday even had a guest feature, coming from no one other than Drake. 

With “The Zone,” the OVOXO bridge was built, and the two Canadian artists’ first collaboration has aged exceptionally well. From the spacey instrumental to the intense sense of horror in The Weeknd’s voice to the all-time great Drake feature, there’s a lot to love about “The Zone.” Since both The Weeknd and Drake are currently preparing some of the biggest projects of their career, there’s no better time to revisit their roots on The Weeknd’s harrowing second mixtape.

Do you remember where you were on August 18, 2011, when you noticed that The Weeknd had droped Thursday? What was your favorite song from the nine-track project? And where does Thursday rank in regards to its predecessor, House of Balloons, and its successor, Echoes of Silence?

Quotable Lyrics

Whoa, all these broken hearts on that pole
Man, if pole dancing’s an art, you know how many fuckin’ artists I know?
Got some new bills in the mail, got some big favors I owe
Got some good things ahead of me when these bad bitches let go
Well girl let’s go, walk your broken heart through that door
Sit your sexy ass on that couch
Wipe that lipstick off of your mouth
I take it slow

DaBaby Announces He Will Be Performing At Boosie Bash

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The self-proclaimed “Live Show Killa” is still in the hot seat after making ludicrous statements about the LGBTQI+ community during his Rolling Loud Miami set earlier this summer. 

“If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, then put your cellphone lighter up,” he told attendees. “Ladies, if your p—- smell like water, put your cellphone lighter up. Fellas, if you ain’t sucking d— in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up.”

Showing little to no remorse, the controversial rapper took to social media and doubled down on his remarks. It was not until his actions began to have a direct impact on his earnings, that his team decided an apology was warranted. In June, BoohooMan released a 100-piece capsule collection with DaBaby, but cut ties with the rapper immediately after his comments went viral. Then came the hosts of festival line-up removals: Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Austin City Limits, and Day n Vegas, all removed the loud-spoken artist, leaving Hot 97’s Summer Jam as the only main show left for the year. 

Out of all people, New Orleans rapper Lil Boosie, who has a history of making homophobic comments, came to DaBaby’s defense. Including DaBaby in his lineup is one way he has chosen to show his support. Twitter had some thoughts about this move:

View DaBaby’s announcement below. Is performing at Boosie Bash a good look for DaBaby or embarrassing?

 

Fat Joe Welcomes Kemba Walker And Evan Fournier To The New York Knicks

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Following a promising 2020-2021 NBA season that ended in a first round playoff exit but left tons of optimism for the future, the New York Knicks have added pieces in this year’s free agency that they believe will take the team to new places.

For New York in particular, there’s certainly no one better to introduce these free agent signees, Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, to the city, other than Bronx native and rap veteran Fat Joe. And for Kemba, who signed a lucrative deal with the Boston Celtics in 2019 before being traded to and bought out by the Oklahoma City Thunder, his signing with the Knicks is merely destiny manifested as a fellow Bronx native.

“If it’s up then it’s up!!! @nyknicks @_kw15 @evanfournier10,” Fat Joe remarked in his Instagram caption of a post that included the three at their introductory press conference.

Fat Joe is no stranger to flaunting his Knicks fandom in public. He is often seen courtside at Madison Square Garden home games and has done multiple spots on ESPN‘s sports talk shows discussing the team’s performances and personnel moves. He also appeared in a pre-taped sketch with SHOWTIME hosts Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, documenting their live reaction to the Knicks’ draft lottery position for the 2019 NBA Draft, in which New York fans were hoping to land then-Duke star forward Zion Williamson.

Check out the video below.

Both former members of the Boston Celtics, Walker and Fournier provide an ample veteran presence to a younger Knicks team, whose core players are headlined by the likes of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and others. Fournier averaged 17.1 points for the Celtics last season, while an injury-riddled season restricted Walker to 43 games played, yet he still averaged 19.3 points. Walker was a heavily-sought-after target by the Knicks in 2019 when he was an unrestricted free agent, and many believed he was the solution to their persistent point guard woes with the potential draw of a homecoming for the Bronx native, but he opted to chase potential title hopes with the Celtics. Though knee injuries cut his chances short for the Celtics, he joins the Knicks with lessened expectations for being a meaningful contributor, as fellow veteran point guard Derrick Rose re-signed with the team during this year’s free agency period.

What do you think of the Knicks’ free agency moves? Are you excited to see them hit the court at Madison Square Garden this season? Let us know in the comments.

Chance The Rapper Explains How He Saved His Marriage During The Pandemic

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Sometimes, love just isn’t enough. Chance The Rapper seriously loves his wife… but you all already knew that. Despite the love they share for one another, the Chicago rapper explained during a recent interview with Desus & Mero that his marriage was on the rocks during the pandemic. He explained how he was able to pick things back up with his wife, Kirsten Corley, telling the hosts that they’re better than ever now.

“Me and my girl, we basically went apartment to apartment — probably, like, six different apartments — and then we had two kids and the pandemic happened and we just could not make it in our marriage if we had stayed in that apartment,” said Chano. “I got the message from her after a while. She was kinda, like, hinting at like, ‘This shit is too small!’ And I realized we wanted a backyard. And also I was living in Downtown Chicago by a bunch of hotels, so, like, you’re seeing random people all the time. Now there’s nobody out there. Where we live, it’s just quiet all the time, there’s trees and shit.”


Rob Kim/Getty Images

He went on, joking about how he no longer has a doorman to check on his apartment when things go wrong, and that can get a little spooky. “Houses creak and I didn’t know that shit. And there’s no doorman downstairs that you can call. You just gotta go check on that shit. You gotta go and see what’s happening, and I hate that every time,” said Chance. “What if there is somebody down there?”

Thankfully, Chance and Kirsten were able to make it work, and now they live in a gorgeous home with their kids.

Check out Chano’s interview with Desus & Mero below, and skip ahead to the 14-minute mark to hear him talk about repairing his marriage.

J. Cole’s “She Knows” Gets Revived On TikTok

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J. Cole is fresh off of the release of his latest body of work The Off-Seasonwhich stands among the best rap projects of the year so far. Cole hasn’t really taken a traditional route in releasing music in his career so it seemed incredibly unlikely that we’d catch him doing some sort of dance for TikTok. In fact, it seemed like the world of J. Cole and TikTok were the furthest things from colliding with each other.


Neilson Barnard/Getty Images 

Though no track off of his latest project has turned into a TikTok challenge, it’s his 2013 single off of Born Sinner, “She Knows” ft. Amber Coffman and Cults has taken on a life of its own on the social media platform. The single has inspired nearly 197K creations that have picked up heavily in the past few weeks.

While the song largely centers around the story of J. Cole’s trifling ways, TikTok has used it into joking about mom’s knowing when their kid is lying to their significant other’s instincts.

While Cole’s 2013 single is getting some free promo, thanks to TikTokers, the rapper has been preparing for his return to the stage this fall. The rapper announced The Off-Season tour alongside Morray and 21 Savage. The tour kicks off on September 24th in Miami before concluding in Los Angeles on October 21st.

Check out some of the most popular TikToks to “She Knows” below. 

@myheartbelongstotraap

Time to get the belt

♬ She Knows – J. Cole

@fatiwiththefatty

heres the updated version months later #pinkcars#fyp#sheknows

♬ She Knows – J. Cole

@camholmess

Real talk 🤷🏻‍♂️

♬ She Knows – J. Cole

Prosecutors Deem R. Kelly A “Predator” As Brooklyn Trial Begins

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Today begins the start of R. Kelly’s long-delayed Brooklyn trial where he faces a host of criminal charges including Racketeering, Bribery, Kidnapping, Sexual exploitation of a child, Forced labor, and Mann Act violations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez, a prosecutor in the trial against R. Kelly, said the case was “about a predator” who used his fame to sexually abuse girls, boys and young women. Melendez opened by saying the government’s case will show R. Kelly “used his fame, power, and a network of people” as well as “lies, manipulation, threats, and physical abuse” to target and exploit his numerous alleged victims.

Kelly’s sexual conduct was brought to light during the height of the #MeToo movement. If convicted, Kelly could face up to 20 years in prison. The singer also faces federal sex crime charges in Illinois, and state child prostitution charges in Minnesota. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has consistently denied accusations that he abused anyone.

The music industry has long ignored these allegations of sexual abuse, even when the “Step in the Name of Love” singer was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography in 2002. The case took more than five years to go to trial, and Kelly was acquitted in 2008. He continued to perform and make music during and after the trial. The singer has also settled outside of court with accusers and their families on numerous occasions.

R. Kelly Trial

 

In 2017, activists Kenyette Barnes and Oronike Odeleye, founder of the #MuteRKelly movement, which seeks to draw attention to the artist’s controversial past, pressured companies to cut ties with him. The two women were not the only ones on a mission to bring awareness to Kelly’s alleged harmful behaviors. In 2019, Lifetime released a six-part docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, which was produced by dream hampton.

Kelly, 53, has been in jail since last year, awaiting four trials in federal and state courts in three states on multiple sex crimes charges. See tweets below for an overview of how the trial began:

Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, Lorde, Machine Gun Kelly, And More Are Performing At The 2021 VMAs

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MTV has announced the first run of performers coming to the 2021 VMAs. On your screen this year will be Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, Lorde, Machine Gun Kelly, and Camila Cabello, with more likely to be announced in the weeks ahead. This will be Rodrigo’s debut VMAs performance after snagging five nominations this year. Meanwhile, Lil Nas X last performed at the VMAs in 2019, performing “Panini.”

Lorde, meanwhile, will do a world-premiere performance from her upcoming album Solar Power, and Machine Gun Kelly will give his new single “Papercuts” its live debut. Cabello will reportedly perform her single “Don’t Go Yet.”

The news comes just days after the network released this year’s nominees for the 2021 VMAs, with Justin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion leading the pack. Thanks to his successful Justice release, Bieber holds seven nominations, including nods for Video Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, and Best Pop. Megan follows behind him with six nominations for categories like Video Of The Year and Song Of The Year. This year’s MTV VMAs is set to return to Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the first time since 2013. It kicks off September 12 and organizers expect to invite musicians and fans to join the event in-person.

Check out the full nominees list here.

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