Hip Hop News

H.E.R. Floats On Thundercat-Crafted “Bloody Waters”

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Though she’s been around for a minute now, it’s crazy to think that we’re only getting H.E.R’s debut LP three-and-a-half years removed from her eponymous debut. Regardless, time is a construct, and that couldn’t take away from what she shows off throughout her new album, Back of My Mind. 

With esteemed producers like Hit-Boy and Mike-Will-Made-It garnering credits through the lengthy, near-eighty minute project, the Thundercat and Kaytranada-assisted “Bloody Waters” is reminiscent of the smoothest 70s soul and sultriest 90s R&B. It’s bewildering to think that in 2021, YouTube comments can surface about a brand new song honing similarities to Marvin Gaye; now, while that’s a stretch, there are parallels in there if you listen closely enough. From the swaying vocals to the pitter-pattering hi-hats, it’s hard to not come out and say something so bold about a song so damn engaging.

While H.E.R and Kaytranda have cliqued for songs in the past, this is the first time she’s collaborated with the illustriously talented Thundercat. The pillowy backbone of this song makes it too difficult to keep from playing it on a loop, and we surely look forward to hearing these two coming together far more, sooner than later. 

Quotable Lyrics:
Speculate caution signs
Incriminate people’s minds
War and love don’t combine
Destiny doesn’t roll the dice

Kim Kardashian Elated Following Team USA x SKIMS Deal

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In just a few weeks, athletes from around the world will be headed to Tokyo to compete in the Olympic games. It’s always an incredible competition and we will surely some massive performances from the world’s brightest stars. As always, the United States is expected to do extremely well in numerous competitions. During the tournament, they will be wearing various branded undergarments and pajama suits, and as it turns out, they will all be coming from Kim Kardashian.

Today, Kim took to Twitter to announce that SKIMS would be designing the suits for the entire Olympic roster, regardless of sport. Kardashian was beaming with pride over the opportunity as she explained how the Olympics have always been a part of her life thanks to Caitlyn Jenner. She even posted some of the preliminary designs which are being shown off by the athletes themselves.

Kim Kardashian

Presley Ann/Getty Images for American Influencer Awards

“Ever since I was 10 years old, I’ve heard every single detail about the Olympics from my stepdad. As I would watch the athletes compete, I would grow to understand the dedication and honor being a part of the Olympics embodied. I traveled w my stepdad and family to all different cities for the Olympic trials, the Olympics and track meets of @caitlynjenner’s and at every stop I would buy an Olympic t-shirt as a souvenir,” Kim wrote. “When I received the call inviting Skims to be a part of @TeamUSA, every moment I’ve spent admiring the strength and energy of the Olympians from the sidelines came full circle. I am honored to announce that @skims is designing the official team USA undergarments, pajamas and lounge wear for the athletes this year in Tokyo and the same pieces will be available in a capsule collection at SKIMS.COM.”

This is a huge opportunity for Kardashian and her brand, and it just goes to show that in a few years’ time, Kardashian has turned SKIMS into a go-to brand that anyone can rely upon. Perhaps Kardashian will be able to turn this into a deal for the Winter Olympics, as well.

Coi Leray Wonders Why Her ‘Body Is Always Trending’ In Light Of Fans Trolling Her BET Awards Look

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Being a woman in music seems exhausting. Billie Eilish regularly pointed out fans and media’s fascination — borderline obsession, really — with her body, from covering herself in baggy outfits to avoid creepy comments to shutting down the perception of her revealing Vogue cover constitution “growth.” Lizzo constantly battles derogatory comments about her weight and shape despite the extreme level of fitness it takes to play flute, dance, rap, and sing at the same damn time.

The latest target of users trolling on social media is Coi Leray, the breakout artist who spent the last two years building a buzz before landing a huge hit with “No More Parties” earlier this year and becoming a 2021 XXL Freshman. Commenters have compared her to a boy in the past, and today, her name is trending on Twitter in light of her appearance at the BET Awards, where she wore a pair of baggy pants with a bikini top, a look that has become something of a trademark for the artist, who seemingly loves to embrace her shape and show off a lot of skin (her twerking videos get nearly as much attention as her music).

The negative attention prompted her to wonder at the fascination with her shape, tweeting, “Is there a certain way I’m supposed to look? Help me understand.” She then questioned, “In the Bible is it a Sin to be thin?”

She also pointed out the hypocrisy inherent in these comments, subtly imploring empathy for women from those commenters, saying, “I hope all yall mothers got beach bodies.”

A quick look at the Coi Leray trend on Twitter sees plenty of users echoing her sentiment, decrying the abusive commentary surrounding her and other women’s bodies in the music industry.

So long as social media gives a platform to every Tom, Dick, and Harry to share their worst opinions (and continues to reward them with engagement), it seems unlikely that there will ever be much change on that front. However, Coi’s post, and the current conversation, highlight the problem, and spreading awareness is the first step to resolving it.

DaBaby Admits His Videos Were Inspired By Ludacris But Says The Comparison Is ‘Too Commonly Used’

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Last week, DaBaby and Ludacris trended for the better part of a day when comedian Lil Duval compared the two, calling DaBaby “this generation’s Ludacris.” While fans on social media debated whether the two artists really were analogues of each other or not, DaBaby prepared for his overstuffed BET Awards performance and Ludacris went to space in the latest Fast & Furious film. Fortunately, Billboard was able to get ahold of DaBaby on the BET Awards red carpet and ask him about it, giving him an opportunity to set the record straight.

Although DaBaby didn’t outright reject the premise, he was careful to point out how limited — and limiting — it is. “I feel like that’s too commonly used,” he said. “I think people use that too lightly. I was inspired by Ludacris’ creativity with his music videos. [I was inspired] by a lot of people. Not only people like Ludacris but people like Nelly. I mean, everybody. I feel like as the generations unfolded, people from every era was inspired by somebody from the era before them. Even when it boils down to 50 Cent, Eminem, and Mystikal, everybody’s videos used to be crazy. Busta Rhymes’ videos used to be crazy [too]. So I definitely was inspired by Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, and several other artists with their music videos.”

DaBaby, who first broke out with the comedic video for his song “Walker Texas Ranger,” might be onto something there. If nothing else, he’s far from the first younger artist to take inspiration from his forebears; Uproxx even has a whole show about it. From Busta to Eminem to Missy, modern artists have been looking to many of the icons of days past to inspire their own standout visuals because if you’re going to take from anyone, you’ve got to take from the best.

Read DaBaby’s full interview with Billboard here and watch his BET Awards performance of “Ball If I Want To” here.

Kash Doll Shouts Out Her Hernia After Denying She’s Had Work On Her Stomach

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Kash Doll shared some fan appreciation on her Instagram story Sunday night that caused a mini-uproar on social media. The fan posted to her story that she was motivated by Kash’s stunning physique in her recent IG pics, despite her hernia.

Kash replied publicly on her Stories, while sharing the fan’s message, stating, “ain’t nothing wrong with a lil hernia boo!”

Following the post, Kash Doll shared further, “I just hate when people try to say I got work done on my tummy bc of my hernia…like nooo dumb dumb.”

The post caused some confusion, with some believing Kash was claiming she never had any work done at all, while others understood that she was referring to surgery on her stomach, specifically.

In the comments of a post shared by @theneighborhoodtalk, a fan offered some perspective stating, “she’s not saying she’s never had work done she’s just never had lipo. You literally can’t get lipo with a hernia.”

kash doll hernia

Screenshot via Instagram

Another fan commented, “It’s been like that for years. Leave her Alone!”

The “Ice Me Out” rapper publicly announced that she had a hernia after facing hate earlier this year on Twitter, nonetheless, it seems the announcement did not hit the masses.

The speculation about exactly what surgeries she’s had remains years after Kash Doll initially admitted she had work done, hinting that it was around 2015, in an interview withVladTV.

Coi Leray Claps Back At Twitter Users Body-Shaming Her BET Awards Pictures

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Coi Leray had a huge night at the 21st annual BET Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. Coi was up for awards in the “Best New Artist” and “Best Female Hip Hop Artist” categories, and although she ultimately lost both awards to Giveon and Megan Thee Stallion, respectively, it was undoubtedly an unforgettable experience for the Now or Never rapper.

Prior to the ceremony, Coi Leray arrived alongside her boyfriend Pressa, and they were one of the many beloved Hip-Hop couples to grace the red carpet on Sunday. Unfortunately, many people have reacted to their steamy couple pictures with jokes and criticisms about Coi Leray’s physical appearance.

Coi Leray attends the BET Awards 2021 at Microsoft Theater on June 27, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images

The BET Awards red carpet has also been a sink or swim moment for celebrities, as social media users have made it somewhat of a tradition to ridicule the most horrendous outfits at the awards show. Yet, rather than just making fun of Coi Leray’s outfit, several fans have taken it too far and started to body-shame the rising artist, criticizing her for her thin frame. Some fans even compared her to the Jak video game character Daxter.

After seeing the jokes about her body trending, Coi Leray clapped back with a series of tweets. “My body is always trending. I don’t understand,” she responded. “Is there a certain way I’m supposed to look? Help me understand.”

The XXL Freshman went on to question why fans have a problem with her being skinny altogether, “In the Bible is it a Sin to be thin? Help me understand.” Check out all of her tweets below.

Social media users’ reactions to Coi Leray’s BET Awards getup marks the latest instance of the “No More Parties” rapper dealing with rampant body shaming, so it’s good to see that she isn’t letting the jokes and criticisms get to her too much.

Kendrick Perkins Claims Giannis Is The Robin To Khris Middleton’s Batman

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Last night was huge for the Milwaukee Bucks as they defeated the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals to take a 2-1 lead in the series. While Giannis came up huge in the game, it was Khris Middleton who stole the show as he scored 38 points, all while notching 20 in the fourth quarter. He had the hot hand late in the game and it’s what ultimately allowed the Bucks to come back and win the game after a slow start on the road.

After the game, Kendrick Perkins took to Twitter where he reiterated a hot take he made just 10 days ago. Perkins essentially claimed that Giannis is the sidekick of the Bucks while Middleton is the Batman. A lot of fans were mad at this take although, with Middleton’s latest heroics in mind, Perkins found a reason to double down.

“I don’t think I need to repeat myself, but I will anyway damnit!” Perkins wrote. “Middleton is the Batman, Giannis is the Robin, and that’s OK! 38 points, 20 in the 4th.. all timely buckets! Carry the hell on.”

Once again, fans weren’t too happy with Perkins’ hot take although you can’t blame, as this type of analysis is what makes him a frequent guest on First Take. He knows what will get people riled up, and he executes every single time.

Giannis Antetokounmpo & Khris Middleton

Elsa/Getty Images

Courtney Love Accuses Olivia Rodrigo Of Stealing Her 1994 Hole Album Cover

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Courtney Love is less than pleased with Olivia Rodrigo’s rendition of her 1994 album cover for her band Hole, despite an initial seemingly-cordial response.

On Hole’s Live Through This album cover, Love poses as a prom queen holding flowers with edgy, smudged, black mascara. Olivia released strikingly similar pictures to promote her concert film with the same tiara, flowers, and messy-make-up look. 

Courtney’s reaction to the homage was not as warm as it first appeared, though. On Love’s Instagram, she posted a picture from Olivia’s photoshoot with the caption, “Spot the difference! #twinning!” and tagged the Disney star. Thinking it was a compliment, Olivia responded, “love u and live through this sooooo much.” 

Courtney went on to make her dissatisfaction clear though, when she later shared on her Facebook: 

Stealing an original idea and not asking permission is rude. There’s no way to be elegant about it. I’m not angry. It happens all the time to me. But this was bad form. That’s not bullying or bomb throwing. This persons music has nothing to do with my life. Possibly never will. It was rude And I gave every right to stick up for my work. Don’t gatekeep me! I’m honorable as fuck to my fellow artists, and I expect the same.

Facebook commenters came to Olivia’s defense one stating, “It’s especially silly for someone from the grunge era to complain about stealing. Since grunge bands took from each other all the time.”

Other fans came to Olivia’s defense by pointing out the concept of a crying prom queen was never Courtney’s to begin with, one fan noting: “Someone call Carrie so she can weigh in on this whole Courtney Love vs. Olivia Rodrigo debate” referring to the iconic 1976 horror film.

Olivia has yet to respond to Courtney calling her out.

[via]

Young Nudy Announces “The DR. EV4L vs RICH SHOOTER” Tour

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COVID-19 cases are declining and the world is beginning to reopen similar to how we once knew it. Last night, the BET Awards took place with near-full capacity. Artists were doing live performances with a full crowd in front of them. The same goes for concerts and festivals. Many major name artists are anticipating a full return by the end of the year but there are still a few that are making sure that they touch the people this summer.


Prince Williams/Wireimage/Getty Images

Young Nudy is fresh off of the release of his latest album DR. EV4L which boasts appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, G Herbo, and, of course, 21 Savage. This summer, you can catch him in a city near you as he just announced The DR. EV4L vs RICH SHOOTER tour. Nudy will be embarking on the 10-city tour which kicks off in Houston, TX on August 6th and concludes in Boston on August, 21st. The rapper will also be touching down in Atlanta, New York City, and Dallas. Tickets go on sale Wednesday 10 a.m. local time.

Peep the tour dates below and read, “Young Nudy: The Importance Of Being EV4L.“

8/6 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
8/7 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
8/11 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
8/12 – Memphis, TN @ Growlers
8/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Believe
8/14 – Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
8/18 – Silver Springs, MD @ Filmore
8/19 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
8/20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
8/21 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall 

Doja Cat & Gunna Croon Together On “Why Why”

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On an album that has had an interesting band of features, including J.I.D. and Young Thug, Doja Cat keeps adding to what’s already Planet Her‘s lengthy list. Recruiting the latter’s labelmate, Gunna, the two bounce off each other seamlessly on “Why Why.” 

At this point, every song she drops seems to be on pace to make an appearance on our charts. This morning, there is no exception. Doja boasts up and down the whirling beat, while Gunna comes in and makes his presence felt with some very reassuring bars. For their first time collaborating, the two sound as fluid as a pair can be. Who doesn’t want to hear Doja scat her way across the hook and Gunna rapping about taking a private flight over to the Philippines? Of course, that’s a trick question, because it’s what we’ve all been asking for somewhere deep down.

With a handful of new songs being released on the project’s deluxe edition, it’s safe to say that “Why Why” is its standout, and any other time these two link up we can be expecting more of the same.

Quotable Lyrics:
Make you smile just to help you show all your white teeth
Bust down with a purple dial, this a flawless AP