Hip Hop News

Cardi B Responded To Praise From Olivia Rodrigo With Advice For The Young Singer

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Ever since Olivia Rodrigo ascended to the top of the pop world earlier this year thanks to “Drivers License,” she and Cardi B have done a bit of bonding. After Cardi made a joke about not having a driver’s license herself, Rodrigo offered to drive Cardi wherever she wants, which Cardi was all for. Now the two are forging their friendship further, as Cardi has responded to some high praise that Rodrigo recently heaped on her.

During a recent conversation with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Rodrigo spoke highly of Cardi, saying:

“I’m so in love with her, I want to marry her. […] I feel lucky to be a teenager at the time when Cardi is making music. As a songwriter, some of the stuff that she says is just so honest, almost like shockingly honest. When I listened to her song, I’m like, ‘Oh wow, she really just said that on a recorded album.’ […]

That’s definitely something that I grapple with in my songwriting. I’m making a lot of music right now to put it out, and I listen to it back and I’m terrified sometimes. I’m like, ‘Oh my God. I’m literally writing about stuff that I don’t tell some of my closest friends and I’m going to put out for the whole world to scrutinize and talk about.’ It’s a really horrible, terrifying thing. [Cardi] gives me courage to sort of say whatever I want to say and be honest in telling my story.”

Cardi caught wind of that quote today and seemed touched by Rodrigo’s praise. She responded with some advice for the up-and-comer, writing on Twitter, “This is so sweet .You doing sooo good for your age. Don’t let no toxic sh*t get to you and don’t let nobody restrict you from your voice.”

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

RZA Launches His ‘Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater’ WIth A New Single Called ‘Pugilism’

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With Marvel’s release of the Shang-Chi trailer on Monday, expect kung-fu movies to start making a big comeback in the coming year (if they haven’t already; see Raya And The Last Dragon, the renewal of Warrior on HBO Max, and the recently premiered reboot of the classic show Kung-Fu). It’s likely that no one is more ecstatic about this turn of events than RZA, who based the Wu-Tang Clan’s entire aesthetic on hs Saturday afternoon forays to the matinee to catch the latest Shaw Brothers movies growing up in Staten Island, New York.

RZA is about to pay further homage to his first love as he revives his 36 Cinema platform he started at the outset of the pandemic, which hosts weekly screenings of classic kung-fu and blaxploitation films with live commentary from RZA and weekly guests. His new programming slate is fitting titled “Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater” and kicks off — heh — this Saturday, April 24 with a screening of Heroes Of The East at 9 pm ET with Portland’s Hollywood Theatre’s head programmer Dan Halsted.

Celebrating the announcement, RZA also resurrected his Bobby Digital persona for a new single called “Pugilism” — the first such release since 2008’s Digi Snacks album. It’s the first single from RZA’s upcoming fourth solo album, Bobby Digital: Digital Potions, which he’ll share more info about during this Saturday’s screening.

Listen to “Pugilism” above and get tickets for the inaugural Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater showing of “Heroes Of The East” here.

Little Simz Announces Her Next Album With The Cathartic ‘Introvert’ Video

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Today, British rapper Little Simz announced that she will soon return with a full-length follow-up to her critically-hailed 2019 album Grey Area. The new album, due on September 3 via Age 101, is titled Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and preceded by lead single “Introvert,” for which Simz also dropped a video today. The song features a boisterous orchestra backing Simz’s poetic lyrics while the video evokes scenes of the past year of social justice struggle, juxtaposed with classical art depicting generations of conflict and cathartic, interpretive dance choreography.

Despite being two years removed from Grey Area, which was praised as one of 2019’s best albums, including in Uproxx’s “Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2019,” Simz hasn’t been far from the spotlight. In 2020, she released the surprise EP, Drop 6, which she’d recorded throughout the quarantine. She also appeared in a regular role on the reboot of Top Boy, while recent debates about female rappers on Twitter have consistently surfaced her name among the genre’s most innovative and interesting female representatives.

Watch Little Simz’s “Introvert” video above.

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is due 9/3. You can pre-save it here. Check out the tracklist and cover below.

Little Simz

1. “Introvert”
2. “Woman” feat. Cleo Sol
3. “Two Worlds Apart”
4. “I Love You, I Hate You”
5. “Little Q Pt 1 (Interlude)”
6. “Little Q Pt 2”
7. “Gems (Interlude)”
8. “Speed”
9. “Standing Ovation”
10. “I See You”
11. “The Rapper That Came to Tea (Interlude)”
12. “Rollin Stone”
13. “Protect My Energy”
14. “Never Make Promises (Interlude)”
15. “Point and Kill” feat. Obongjayar
16. “Fear No Man”
17. “The Garden (Interlude)”
18. “How Did You Get Here”
19. “Miss Understood”

SZA Commends Lizzo For Sharing An Unedited Nude Selfie To Instagram

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No matter what she does, it seems as though Lizzo cannot escape critics. However, Lizzo takes a lighthearted approach to her haters, trolling people for questioning her weight and having very open discussions about the body positivity movement. But seeing as we live in a society that upholds unrealistic beauty standards, even Lizzo admits to occasionally airbrushing her selfies. That’s why the singer opted to ring in Taurus Season by sharing a completely unedited, naked photo with her over 10 million followers.

Lizzo shared the photo to her Instagram page Tuesday. “WELCOME TO TAURUS SEASON,” Lizzo wrote in the photo’s caption. “To celebrate I wanna give y’all this unedited selfie.. now normally I would fix my belly and smooth my skin but baby I wanted show u how I do it au natural.” The singer also mentioned that she’s partnering withe the brand Dove, saying that the company is “helping to reverse the negative effects of social media and changing the conversation about beauty standards.”

Many celebrities like Jonathan Van Ness, Grimes, and even Marc Jacobs expressed their support. But Lizzo’s friend SZA was perhaps the most vocal. In the comment section, SZA applauded Lizzo’s beauty: “It’s you having no blemishes at ALL lol .. sigh I jus admire u Fren,” she wrote. “I wanna drop the FaceTime pics.”

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

Morray Shows Love To The Hood In His Tender ‘Trenches’ Video

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“The hood” figures prominently into many a rap song, but most often, it’s in a context of poverty, trauma, and violence as artists detail their rags-to-riches success stories, contrasting their humble beginnings with their newly lush surroundings. However, Fayetteville, North Carolina trapsoul artist Morray flat-out refuses to let that narrative continue to be the only one dominating hip-hop’s expansive landscape. In his new video for “Trenches,” he expresses love for his hometown, lifting it up instead of denigrating it by informing listeners of all the positive that comes from a proletarian upbringing in the hood.

“I got love for the ghetto, love for the hood,” he croons on the chorus. “Love for the people that turn the bad into good.” The video flashes imagery of neighbors, friends, crew, and family at play, cooking out, and watching over children as Morray explains that “everything is easier if you believe.” He also shows off his pitbull puppy and the energetic dance moves that first endeared him to fans who discovered his music via viral clips of his impromptu choreography.

“Trenches” follows “Quicksand,” “Kingdom,” “Switched Up,” and “Big Decisions” as the fifth single from Morray’s upcoming debut album Street Sermons, due April 28 via Pick Six Records/Interscope. You can pre-save the album here.

Watch the tender “Trenches” video above.

DMX’s ‘Ruff Ryders Anthem’ Aided The Birth Of Action Bronson’s Son

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DMX’s music is great for a lot of things; contemplating complex emotions, increasing the energy at sporting events, and starting fights at a moment’s notice. All those things are expected — he was the sort of artist whose lyrics nearly always matched the vibe of his songs — but as it turns out, DMX is pretty effective in the area of natal care as well, as Action Bronson learned during the birth of his son. Appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast this week, Bronson shared the story he wished he could have told DMX before the rap legend’s passing.

According to Bronson, his wife had a difficult, 17-hour labor, accompanied by Peruvian flute music (they were in the Andes at the time), facing an impending C-section due to the difficulty and length of the labor. After the doctor advised the couple that time was running out before they would need the surgery, Bronson told the attendees to cut the flutes and drop DMX’s “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem.” As Bronson tells it, upon the first refrain of “”Stop, drop… that motherf*cker jumped out of her. I swear on everything! It’s on camera! It’s on film! As soon as the Peruvian flute music stopped and DMX came on, he f*ckin’ heard the dog and… just jumped out. It hurts my f*ckin’ heart that I was never able to tell him that.”

Bronson wasn’t the only one to share fond memories of DMX after the rapper’s death. His fiance Desiree Lindstrom reflected on her first meeting with him while his autobiography shot to the top of Amazon’s charts and fans reminisced about playing as him in Def Jam Vendetta.

Check out Action Bronson’s DMX story above.

DMX’s Classic Played A Role In Action Bronson Son’s Birth

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Action Bronson Wishes The Love Of His Life A Happy Birthday

Since the death of rap icon DMX on April 9, celebrities and fans have shared countless stories of how the inspirational artist impacted their lives. New York rapper/TV personality Action Bronson had a unique experience in which one of DMX’s songs aided in the birth of his son. Action Bronson Used DMX To Help His […]

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Eminem Caves In + Is Now Selling NFTs

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Eminem Black Out Day

Rappers, reality TV stars, and anyone else with a little bit of fame to their name is getting into the NFT business lately. Hip-hop legend Eminem has joined in on the trend, selling his own non-fungible tokens. Eminem’s NFT Comes Right After ‘SNL’ Parody A few weeks ago, “Saturday Night Live” comedian Pete Davidson impersonated […]

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Chrissy Teigen Weighs In On Kanye West + Kim Kardashian’s Divorce

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Chrissy Teigen Is Done W/ Twitter + Deletes Her Account

Everyone has something to say about the pending divorce between billionaire entertainers Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, but not everyone has first-hand insight into their relationship. Model/author Chrissy Teigen is one of those few. She and R&B singer husband John Legend are friends with Kim and Kanye. Chrissy Teigen Says Kim Kardashian ‘Gave Her All’ […]

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Drake Shows Off Fitness Goals In Gym Video

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Hip-hop superstar Drake is one of the rap game’s most passionate sports fans, but lately he’s been in the gym looking like he could hang on an NFL field himself. The Grammy winner posted another clip from an intense workout session to show off his fitness goals. Drake Posts Shirtless Video During A Workout Drake […]

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