Last night, the Warriors lost their fifth game in six starts as Curry came back into the lineup from an injury. Now, the Warriors are in 10th in the Western Conference and their playoff hopes are dwindling. Despite this, Curry told reporters that he is aware that the team needs to develop, and you won’t see him sulking, anytime soon.
“I know for me and Draymond, we’ve tried to be conscious of the development but also the understanding we have a lot of growing to do and our leadership has to be consistent in that respect,” Curry said. “Nobody has time to sulk. Just go out and hoop.”
This will have to be the Warriors’ mantra until the end of the season, especially if they want to sniff the playoffs. The West is pretty stacked and the current iteration of the Warriors simply isn’t good enough right now.
In early 2019, the entire Dreamville roster invigorated the game with a jolt of electricity, uniting at Atlanta’s Tree Sounds Studio for a two-week creative boot camp. What followed was the release of Revenge Of The Dreamers 3,a project that featured contributions from J. Cole, EarthGang, J.I.D, Bas, Cozz, Ari Lennox, Lute, Omen, DaBaby, Buddy, Young Nudy, Smino, Saba, Dreezy, Guapdad 4000, Smokepurpp, and many more.
Prior to the album’s release, a highlight single emerged that encapsulated the spirit of the posse cut as we know and love it: “Costa Rica,” produced by Cubeatz and Pyrex, featuring verses from Reese LAFLARE, Mez, Buddy, Jace, Ski Mask The Slump God, Smokepurpp, Guapdad 4000, Bas, and J.I.D. About as free-spirited a banger as they come, “Costa Rica” quickly became a fan-favorite, to the point where it was previously certified gold in December of 2019.
LISTEN: Dreamville – Costa Rica
Now, “Costa Rica” has officially leveled up, hitting platinum status with over one million album-equivalent units sold. The news was quickly celebrated by J.I.D, who seemed amused by the timing of the announcement. “We went platinum again no fools day,” he writes, alluding to the fact that the album from whence “Costa Rica” came was certified platinum in April of 2020. Rest assured that the Dreamville lyricist will have to make a bit of space on his walls, as they’re currently lined with a slew of plaques from his solo catalog.
We’d like to extend a major congratulations to J.I.D and the entire Dreamville team, especially those directly involved in the madcap and spontaneous creation of “Costa Rica.” Read more about the making-of Revenge Of The Dreamers 3 right here.
Rich The Kid has taken his long-time admiration for social media personality and girlfriend of Michael B. Jordan, Lori Harvey to a whole new level, and fans are not happy about it. The “Plug Walk” rapper shared a snippet of the song allegedly titled “Lori Harvey” which featured degrading comments about the model’s past relationships, her curves, and his strong desires to sleep with her on Wednesday, March 31.
In the song, he rapped, “Yeah, she bad, I’m gon’ f*ck her like a thottie (Thottie)/ You a dime, might worry about your bodies (Bodies).”
He continued saying, “She f**k a rapper, singer, actor, oh, she naughty (Yeah).” The song progresses, calling her a hottie before Rich repeats Lori’s name in the chorus: “Lori Harvey (Lori), Lori Harvey (Lori)/ Lori Harvey (Lori), Lori Harvey (Lori)/ Yeah, she bad, I’m gon’ f**k her like a thottie.”
Since then, the rapper has been labeled as rude and disrespectful for the song.
Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan have yet to comment on the unreleased track and there is little expectation that they will. The pair have been dating the Creed actor for several months now, and after news of Steve Harvey’s approval and praise of the relationship, things seem to be going well.
Bankroll Freddie finally released his highly-anticipated projectBig Bank Friday (April 2). Complete with features from established game emcees like 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Young Scooter, EST Gee, PnB Rock, and more, it’s clear the Arkansas native had all the intention to make a name for himself with the brand new project. Before the release of the project, he dropped off the first single “Add It Up” back in January. For the next single “Pop It,” the rapper recruited none other than the Houston Hottie herself.
Both Freddie and Megan have been teasing the single alongside the forthcoming videos with fans on social media. “Young n*gga turnt, ima pop it. Ayee [Megan thee Stallion] ion think they ready…This Friday 4/2 #PopIt,” he penned in the caption of a post previewing the to-be-released visual.
The high-energy cut from the project is sure to fill the rooms of clubs all throughout the country this summer–if all goes well with lifting lockdown restrictions, of course. Check out “Pop It” below and let us know how you’re feeling about it in the comments!
Quotable Lyrics
Wavy, hoes see me and get nauseous (Get nauseous) Famous, leave with the nigga you came with (Came with) Dangerous, I don’t fuck around with no lame shit ‘Scuse me, we tryna get by with that uzi
A week after dropping the rock-rap track “Play Ball,” the rollout for Kenny Mason’s long-awaited project Supercutcontinues. Last month, the Atlanta artist had teased that the album would arrive in April, but to kick the month off, Kenny Mason has instead opted to drop another single. His latest effort is titled “Rih,” and its hook draws inspiration from none other than Rihanna.
In contrast to the singles that he’s been dropping over the past two months, “Rih” is a traditional rap offering from the Atlanta artist that features him dropping bars over quivering production for over two minutes straight. Lyrically, it’s so far Kenny Mason’s most impressive single of 2021, with nods to Rihanna’s classic albums Rated R and Unapologetic as well as shout-outs to the wealth of Atlanta artists that have inspired him, such as Gucci Mane, Young Thug, and Bankroll Fresh.
Check out Kenny Mason’s latest single from the forthcoming Supercut below. How do you think it stacks up against “Partments,” “Pup,” and “Play Ball.”
Quotable Lyrics
Stick with the red beam, Boba Fett Stick with no Ed Reed on defense That mean the safety off it, yes Even with AC, got ’em sweatin’ Thinkin’ we ain’t eating, gotta say, even for KD, that’s a stretch Makin’ it seem like it’s eight feet but this shit really ain’t’ deep N*ggas pressed
Lil Tjay’s Destined 2 Win album has officially landed, featuring guest appearances from 6LACK, Polo G, Fivio Foreign, Saweetie, Tyga, Toosii, Offset, and Moneybagg Yo — the latter two combining for the posse cut banger “Run It Up.” Over a melancholic piano loop and some up-tempo percussion from Josh Petruccio, Tjay sets it off and proves why he’s one of the game’s standout newcomers. “I keep a Drac’, ain’t no OVO, I ain’t for nothing, just check my portfolio,” he raps, showcasing an impressive flow. “Really come from a block where they bang, bang / Bustin’ that Glock, oh, this Glock ain’t no goalie, bro.”
Following Tjay is Offset, who warms up for Culture 3 with his own dexterous verse. “Make my bitch get your bitch, come and fuck on us,” he raps. “Make a hit with that switch, now my opps are dust / Put my racks in a wad, I was growin’ rust.” With his own upcoming album on the way, Moneybagg Yo is tasked with closing the cut, his formidable presence a welcome addition. “You ain’t gangster, you went, took the smooth route,” he spits, how flow more methodical than his collaborators. “Ran it up, now my pockets look too stout / Never enough, man, I gotta go get some more / Sold enough gas to go buy me a Texaco.”
Check out the new posse cut from Lil Tjay, Offset, and Moneybagg Yo right here, and sound off with your thoughts on Destined 2 Win in the comments below.
QUOTABLE LYRICS
Pinky ring get to singin’ like Jodeci Double R and it came with a notary I see stars, I’m a star like it’s ‘posed to be I pop bars, only way I can go to sleep When my gang needed me, bought a hunnid tees Put the Patek on, my wrist a masterpiece
Barack Obama hasn’t been the president of the United States for over four years now, but he still has plenty of admirers who are eager to hear from him. That especially true of his music preferences, as he often shares well-received playlists. Fans were surely delighted a few weeks ago, then, when the former POTUS made a post on Instagram asking for questions from his followers. In his response to one of those questions, he explained why a particular Jay-Z song from The Black Album means to much to him.
Complex cited Obama’s well-known love of hip-hop and asked, “Do you have one verse you can recite by heart? Obama responded with a video, which Complex shared. In the clip, Obama begins, “First of all, Complex: you do not want to hear me rap. When I have tried to rap, my daughters have rolled their eyes, covered their ears. They think it’s painful. They even think my dancing is better than my rapping.”
He went on to speak about The Black Album‘s closing track, “My 1st Song”:
“Now, having said that, I’ve mentioned a couple of songs that even when I was running for president came up a lot on my iPod. One of them was ‘My 1st Song’ by Jay-Z, which is a song that I love because it talks about the struggle of just trying to make it. And sometimes you have to resort to false bravado and hustle and tamping down your insecurities, and when I was running for president, obviously, at that point, I didn’t know whether I was gonna make it, so somehow, that inspired me.
There’s a line in there, ‘Treat my first as my last and my last as my first and my thirst is the same as when I came.’ And I actually kept on listening to that song during the presidency because it was a reminder that — even when you do make it — having a little bit of that sense of still being hungry, still having to work hard, still having to prove something, that’s what keeps propelling you forward.
In mid-March, music lovers went understandably and rightfully berzerk after news that legendary R&B groups The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire would be the next big names to hit up Verzuz, social media’s hottest head-to-head music battle. The musicians are slated to appear on the program April 4, and fans can stream the event via the Verzuz Instagram and Triller pages.
Originally a gospel quartet who became popular in the late 1950s, The Isley Brothers broke new ground in the ’70s after proving their mastery over the pop and funk sounds. They are among one of the only acts in popular music history to have singles hit the Billboard charts in five separate decades, and because of their inimitable career, they received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. Earth, Wind, & Fire is considered one of the most innovative groups to ever do it, often using their work to combine elements of R&B, funk, disco, Latin, and pop. They are one of the best-selling musical groups of all time, with sales of over 90 million records, and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Each group’s influence and legacy lives on in our hearts and headphones, and throughout the last few decades, several artists have paid homage to these acts in some way, shape, or form. You may not even realize it, but some of the most popular songs in contemporary R&B and hip-hop have celebrated these two iconic groups through song covers, samples, and interpolations.
To gear up for Verzuz on Easter Sunday, take a listen to some of the best uses of The Isley Brothers and EW&F’s work in modern songs.
Big Pun’s “Still Not A Player” Interpolates Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Beijo (Interlude)”
The late rapper’s staple song, a remix to his debut “I’m Not A Player,” is perhaps more well-known and more successful than the original. (The remix hit No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, while the OG peaked at No. 57 in 1997.) The track, produced by music maker Minnesota, not only interpolates R&B crooner Joe’s “Still Not A Player,” it ties in one of the most catchy moments of EW&F’s popular interlude from their 1977 album, All N’ All. Get your best speakers out in order to hear Joe croon “Punisher…Punisher…Punisher, Big Punisher” to the original’s recognizable tune.
The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa” Samples The Isley Brothers’ “Between The Sheets”
Christopher Wallace was no stranger to using an R&B or soul-driven sample in his work, evident by the Herb Alpert sample in “Hypnotize” and the Diana Ross sample in “Mo Money Mo Problems,” to name just a few. “Big Poppa” in particular (which in 1996 would receive two Grammy nominations) signaled a stylistic shift for the rapper by utilizing a slower, more sensual groove to pair his rhymes with, and The Isley Brothers’ baby-making hit definitely fit the bill.
Throughout the hip-hop collaboration, a loop of the piano intro from “Fantasy” can be heard in the background. While subtle in order to let Plies and Pain’s verses do the talking, the sample is undeniable. Like most songs featuring samples and interpolations from already-popular artists, Maurice White, Verdine White, and Eddie del Barrio of EW&F have songwriting credits on “Shawty.”
Thundercat’s “Them Changes” Samples The Isley Brothers’ “Footsteps In The Dark”
“Them Changes,” found on Thundercat’s 2017 album Drunk, is perhaps one of his most recognizable songs today. This is fitting, considering “Footsteps In The Dark” is one of the hallmarks of The Isley Brothers’ catalogue. The tone is instantly set with the original tune’s iconic opening drum beats. However, Thundercat makes the song his own by including lyrics with gory imagery, which we learn is symbolic of heartbreak and love lost. In a 2020 interview, the Grammy-winning musician says he’s thrilled that “Them Changes” “translated the way it did,” and that he hopes the tune “sticks around forever.”
Yo-Yo’s “You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo” feat. Ice Cube Samples Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Devotion”
The 1991 song slingshot the rapper into the public’s consciousness, and set her apart from her contemporaries as a self-assured and strong woman. Sonically, listeners are treated to a combination of timeless throwback energy with hip-hop’s infectious rhythms, from a crinkling record noise to kick off the beat to a thumping bass that mixes in seamlessly with EW&F’s cool and collected style.
Kendrick Lamar’s ‘I” Samples The Isley Brothers’ “That Lady”
The first single off of K. Dot’s To Pimp A Butterfly was written in order to instill confidence in his listeners. While the project largely pertains to commentary on society’s negative effects on the Black community, “I” serves as a triumphant tune with a positive perspective. What makes “I”s use of “That Lady” stand out is that elements of the sample were recorded live with Ronald Isley (instead of just using the original version), which provides an unfinished yet classic feeling for the listener.
“You can actually hear him on the record with a few ad-libs that he actually did,” Lamar says of working with Isley. “We got it on camera and things like that, it’s a beautiful thing.” Isley is also a featured artist on “How Much A Dollar Cost?” from the same album.
Queen Pen’s “Party Ain’t A Party” Samples Earth, Wind & Fire’s “On Your Face”
This Teddy Riley-produced hit features a delicious twist on EW&F’s popular Spirit album cut, which is not an entirely unexpected choice given Riley’s reverence for using classic R&B samples in his ’90s production staples. (SWV’s “Right Here” samples Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” Blackstreet’s “Let’s Stay In Love” samples “Say You Love Me, One More Time” by D. J. Rogers.) The result of this particular production decision is a bonafide party starter that put the young rapper on the map in 1997.
Aaliyah’s “At Your Best (You Are Love)” Is A Cover Of The Isley Brothers’ Song Of The Same Name
Fresh on the scene as a budding musical ingenue, Aaliyah Haughton’s cover of The Isley Brothers’ “At Your Best” for her 1994 debut Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A Number catapulted her to stardom. Her version of the track — which was considered somewhat of a deep cut for the group — became more popular than the original ’70s version, and its remix brought the song to new heights. After her death in 2001, Ronald Isley said that the group was “devastated,” and they dedicated several performances of the song to her in the aftermath of her passing.
“I met this young lady when she was 15,” Isley said during a concert set in 2001. “She said, ‘Your group is my favorite group. I’m recording one of your songs. This is a favorite of mine.’”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Quality Control rapper Bankroll Freddie began the rollout of his first project since signing to Motown earlier in the year with the release of “Add It Up.” The Arkansas-native has finally followed up with the release of Big Bank, his first major release since last year’s From Trap to Rap album, featuring guest vocals from fellow artists like 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Megan thee Stallion, Young Scooter, EST Gee, PnB Rock, and BIG30.
Admittedly, there’s something left to be desired in the beat selection throughout the project. Big Bank oftenrelies heavily on layering his bars with repetitive melodies implementing similar arrangements, making for an interesting listening experience if you’re not a huge fan of trap. Nonetheless, highlights from the project include the declaratory track, “Active,” the 2 Chainz and Young Scooter assisted track, “Dope Talk,” and “Pop It” with Megan thee Stallion.
Check out the tracklist below and give it a listen. Of course, let us know what you think down in the comments.
A triumphant soul sample drives the single’s hard-hitting production, and Young M.A floats on the beat with ease. “Successful” finds the Brooklyn-born artist boasting about her long-term success as an independent artist as well as her influence in her city. “Successful” ditches a drawn-out hook for a positive and affirming refrain that simply consists of Young M.A. saying the phrase, “I’m one word with ten letters/Successful,” twice. Thus, even with a runtime of about two and a half minutes, the track is able to fit in three scorching verses from the “Off The Yak” rapper.
Check out Young M.A’s latest single below, and sound off it the comments if you’re feeling it.
Quotable Lyrics
So many people let me down, why would I let up? (Why?) Can’t trust these Philly niggas, nah, it’s a set up (Nah) I can’t trust these pretty bitches, M-O-B forever (Mob) Yeah, my heart told me, “Fuck love, get your shit together” (Uh-huh)
