Rome Streetz is one the most stalwart undergrounders that we have going right now. You can always go to him for solid rhymes and bars, in addition to head-nodding East Coast hip-hop rhythms. Pretty soon, he will almost assuredly deliver one of those listening experiences again in just a few weeks. On October 4, him and veteran producer Daringer will be dropping their joint effort, Hatton Garden Holdup. Given that it’s named after a longstanding London jewelry store, we are expecting a luxurious tape. Part of that expectation comes from the lead single “Starbvxkz”.
The production has a glamorous feeling to it, thanks to its twinkling and soft piano melodies. It’s been making us float since we’ve heard it and “Sage” by Rome Streetz is having that similar effect. With his brags and hazy beat, you can easily lock in, close your eyes, and feel the vibes almost instantaneously. Here, we are also getting the first feature for the eventual release. ScHoolboy Q’s verse and drawn-out vocal delivery perfectly matches up with the mood. Overall, the track really does have a heady quality, and it may do it better than its predecessor. Fans can expect to have 13 songs, with features from Conway the Machine, Cormega, and Meyhem Lauren too. Give “Sage” a try with the YouTube link below.
Never had to dream about gettin’ paid (Yeah) The plan was to have a full plate (Yeah) Was quarterbackin’, trappin’, runnin’ plays Keep the eagles off me, baby, burnin’ sage (Yeah) If they ask a question, tell me, “Yo no sé” Fully committed with it, all the way (Yeah)
Gunna is hitting the road for the second time in 2024. On Friday (Sept. 20), he announced “Wun of Dem Nights,” a nine-stop series of one-off concerts in various cities.
Tino Schaedler has a vision for the future of concerts: It involves embracing the wonder, joy, and community at the heart of the live performance.
The German-born jack of all trades began his artistic career in architecture, before moving into film, brand design, and more. Now? He’s a go-to collaborator for many of the most inventive artists in music.
His work with acts like SAULT, André 3000, Travis Scott, and more earned him an honor at the 2024 UPROXX Sound + Vision Awards as the Vanguard Virtoso, which “highlights visionary collaborators who empower artists and help drive music culture forward.” It’s clear through his varied approaches to stagecraft that there’s no one-size-fits-all method to his creations.
“The music industry has changed a lot since the pandemic, and there’s interest in really trying to create new types of live experiences and new types of experiences in general that are beyond stadium and arena tours,” Schaedler explained to UPROXX.
As such, he, and the artists he works with, have put an emphasis on live and lived experiences. Schaedler says that these aren’t disposable concerts where the lights go down, the band comes on, they play some songs, and they leave. He wants to re-imagine the way concerts can be experienced.
“We’re all on our phones all the time,” Schaedler explains. “I want to make bodies our interface again, putting people into the moment and being present.”
Where does your initial passion for art — or more broadly, creativity — stem from?
My mom really laid the foundation from an early age. I would come home from school and there was always paper and pens on the floor. My whole childhood, I remember just drawing. That was all I was doing. I don’t think it was a conscious decision, but I think she also built a little bit of a reward system around it, because she always made me draw for everyone: grandparents, aunts and uncles, and everyone got a little drawing from me. There was always appreciation around it. It really built this image where I always felt like I was an artist. There was no other choice. It was so natural for me because it was my passion, and I think there was a persona that was created around that from that early age on.
Did you go to school for art? What was your focus?
I studied architecture. That was a little bit of a compromise in the beginning, and my dad really pushed me for it. He was a real estate developer and he was like, “Do you want to do art? At least have it be something that has a bit of an economy behind it.” Back then, I always thought of it as a compromise, but in hindsight, it wasn’t really, because studying architecture gives you such a broad scope of education, from understanding the technical side of architecture to the spatial understanding and spatial imagination to art history, architectural history, and all of that.
A lot of what I do is still fed from that time, and it really influenced the way that I think about things. I studied at Berlin and then did two years at UC Berkeley, and there I learned about this landscape architect named Lawrence Helpin. It was a long time ago and computers were a new thing. I think I got my first email while I was at Berkeley, and I learned about this landscape architect that did a lot of design on the campus there. He was designing using a storyboard. He used a storyboard to design landscape architecture. Architecture was never an abstract shape. It was always a combination or a relationship between a camera movement and perception. I always thought about architecture in a very cinematic way
And that’s a pretty good way to describe what you do now, right?
When I have meetings with new clients and I explain the way that I think about things, it’s relevant because I studied architecture and that’s all about space and the physical and psychological dimension of space. If you go to the Pantheon in Rome, there’s an emotion attached to that. Creating space has a kind of poetic potential to really evoke an emotion.
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What did you do after graduating?
After graduating, I went into film and I worked on big movies: Harry Potter, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, V For Vendetta. I had this high school teacher who inspired me to get into film. In Germany, you have to write an essay to graduate high school, and I wrote mine on [Stanley] Kubrick and [Alfred] Hitchcock. It was always film, it was about thinking about architecture through the camera lens, then moving into film. It was a very natural progression.
I did most of those films in London, then moved to California and did more films while moving into music videos and commercials. I also became a partner in this experiential agency, which is all about consumer journey choreography and creating experiences. What I do now with SAULT is really about those three things. It’s space, it’s design, it’s storytelling. It combines movement and experience. The music industry has changed a lot since the pandemic, and there’s interest in really trying to create new types of live experiences and new types of experiences in general that are beyond stadium and arena tours.
I learned from some of the brand experiences that I did for Nike or for Apple or for Beats. There are some interesting ideas in there, especially when paired with the shift towards immersive experiences. The music industry is open and hungry for new ways of experiencing things. We’re all on our phones all the time. I want to make bodies our interface again, putting people into the moment and being present. There are things that I’ve been super interested in for the past 10 years.
What was that challenge for you in helping SAULT be the band that they wanted to be in a live setting?
It was a super interesting setup. I mean, I got the first call about a year ago in October. I got that call from Inflo, and there was an immediate connection of various interests about creating something very special, creating something that puts people into the moment. The whole mystique that they’ve built around the band was super interesting to me. I didn’t know him before. A mutual friend connected us, but from the first moment, there was this really deep connection with Flo. We were on the phone for the next two months.
I did a few trips to London and it was just a beautiful exchange. Everything was created in terms of the design, and the programming came through us talking and figuring out how we could do something that is different than your traditional show. Normally, you wait in the main space, suddenly the light goes off and the band performs, and then the light comes on again and everyone leaves. The idea was about creating a world that’s very cinematic. The idea of world building is inherent to movies, so when you’re working on Harry Potter, you design the whole world that fits these characters. World-building is an interesting aspect that I think is very relevant for music today.
A lot of musicians do it just by the persona that they create. Think about Daft Punk, Doja Cat, or Lady Gaga. We wanted to take that to the next level and not just have something on the stage that you look at. We wanted to create something that you walk through that you experience where you have a much stronger interaction with it. It wasn’t a traditional linear relationship of the audience looking at a stage, because we redefined it by putting the stage in the middle of the whole crowd. You’re walking through the stage, everything becomes one. The whole space is the stage, basically.
Do you have an overarching philosophy to the way you approach these projects? Or are you more chameleonic in the way that you work with the artist’s desires?
I think it’s a little bit of both. There are some artists where you just have to be what they need, and I can deliver that. I worked with Tyla recently and they just needed help with a few festival shows, and we just designed something that can live on the festival stage.
Then there are other artists like André 3000. I helped him with his last tour, and that one was super minimal. We decided on that because he just wants you to put your phone away and listen. We did that one with a laser that shoots through this glass of water, and it’s so iconic. André is always about, “Let’s strip away, let’s strip away.”
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What do you think stage design can, or is meant to, achieve?
When I worked in commercials or music videos, there were always people asking me why I didn’t move more into directing music videos or commercials. There are so many young people, and I don’t think I have anything unique to offer. I can do a good job, but I don’t have anything that no one else has. Regarding music and what I bring to it, though, I think I have a unique thing to give. In an ideal scenario, we all want to align our life purpose. We all want to feel like what we do has an impact.
In an ideal scenario, you come to a point where your gift or your skill and your passion all align with some kind of ability to give back or to create something meaningful. I love creating these moments that people remember for a long time.
I was at Tate Modern a few weeks ago. I was invited by Little Simz, and during that panel afterwards, a lot of people came to me and spoke about my work. There are still a lot of people that hit me up about SAULT. That alone is proof that something really special was created. So, that is the sweet spot that I want to be in. Not every project offers that, but I think it’s getting to be the case more and more, because more artists are realizing that they can actually do something different. They can push it, and there’s almost a new typology of music experiences evolving.
Atlanta rap star Kaliii is expecting a bundle of joy soon, but she isn’t letting that stop her from putting in work and enjoying the fruits of the other kind of labor. In the video for her new single “Hot Girl Maybach,” Kaliii shows off both her baby bump and some expensive rides as she rocks a silver gown in the driveway of a mansion surrounded by the titular luxury autos.
The chrome-colored video follows the reveal of her pregnancy with the clip for “Big One” featuring Monaleo, which Kaliii released last month. That video arrived two months after “Gas You Up” featuring Hunxho, which followed the dismissive “Bozo” video from February. Between songs, Kaliii collaborated with G-Eazy on “Femme Fatale,” which also featured Coi Leray, YG on “Shake” with Stunna Girl, and Cash Cobain on “Problem,” which included a squadron of collaborators like 6lack, Big Sean, Flo Milli, and the burgeoning TikTok favorite Laila!, whose breakout hit “Not My Problem” formed the base sample.
The former Uproxx cover star is a little under a year removed from her last EP, Fck Girl SZN, and is still working on her debut album — which hopefully won’t be negatively impacted by the shakeups at Atlantic Records.
Future is currently the most hard-working artist in hip-hop. After releasing two albums produced by Metro Boomin this year, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You, he’s returning to the well one more time with Mixtape Pluto.
For some fans, it’s the best of the three, for the same reason that the paired projects marked a return to form for Future in the minds of many longtime fans. Mixtape Pluto calls back to one of the most productive and fan-revered eras of the veteran trap rapper’s career.
Of course, I am referring to the Future era in which he released no fewer than five standout projects from 2014 to 2016. Beginning with the DJ Esco-hosted mixtape Monster and including Beast Mode with Zaytoven, 56 Nights with DJ Esco, What A Time To Be Alive with Drake, and, of course, DS2, and ending arguably with 2016’s Purple Reign and Evol, Future’s 2015 run was rivaled only by a few in hip-hop, and all of them are titans of the culture.
During this time, he released 10 platinum-selling singles, including some of his most beloved festival hype DJ playlist favorites, like “March Madness” “Jumpman” with Drake, and “Low Life” with The Weeknd. These time may not have produced his highest-charting, but it began Future’s string of multi-platinum hits (beginning with “F*ck Up Some Commas” from DS2 at No. 55) and it contains the densest concentration thereof (peaking with “Low Life” with eight certifications).
Unlike prior albums Pluto and Honest, and latter albums like Hndrxx, High Off Life, or even his Metro Boomin collabs, this success was driven by Future’s gritty solo charisma, with much less of the focus on melodizing his heartbreak. Instead, he growled dismissive dispatches from the depths of his hedonistic excesses, going out of his way to shoot down any suggestion of soulful introspection or simping.
He also needed little in the way of featured artistry to fuel his ascent. While Future himself was a hotly demanded guest star on works from other artists, including DJ Khaled, Mike Will Made It, Travis Scott, Ty Dolla Sign, and 21 Savage, the only collaborations of his from 2015 to chart were those from What A Time, a collaborative album, while “Low Life” with The Weeknd was the biggest hit he had to feature another artist in 2016.
He was at the height of his powers — which you could argue he most strongly taps into on his other mixtapes. Mixtape Pluto might not only apply to 2015 and 2016; it might also refer to his street-bred beginnings with tapes like the original Dirty Sprite or collaborative efforts like Super Slimey with Young Thug or Beast Mode 2 with Zaytoven.
The new tape indeed does find Future going solo for its 17 tracks. There’s a mixture of producers, but all of them provide vintage 808 and skittering snares — exactly the sort of backdrop over which the Atlanta native thrives. The hypnotic, chant-like choruses? They’re represented here on tracks like “Lil Demon” and “Aye Say Gang.” The rapping is as crisp as it’s ever been. And for those fans who love wounded Future, there are a few standouts like “Too Fast” and “Lost My Dog.”
Which is why Mixtape Pluto is hitting all the right notes with those fans who’ve been following him all this time. Future — an artist with roots that reach back to Atlanta’s initial epoch in the rap mainstream with Outkast and Dungeon Family — has transformed dozens of times over the course of his career, but the form he always seems to return to is the one that has the most potential to go anywhere and everywhere else. Mixtape Future is the best Future, because like the future, the possibilities are endless.
Diddy’s legal battle is just beginning, as he was arrested earlier this week in NYC. He’s since been charged with “racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution,” according to TMZ. His bail request was denied for a second time on Wednesday, meaning he’ll remain at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn for the time being. Suge Knight, who’s also currently behind bars, recently offered him some words of advice on his prison podcast Collect Call with Suge Knight.
“I’ll tell you what Puffy, your life is in danger ’cause you know the secrets of who’s involved in that little secret room you guys are participating in,” he began. “You know they gonna get you if they can. It’s a little cr*zy how Puffy get booted out the alcohol business and Jimmy Iovine steps in with Andre [Dr. Dre] and Snoopy [Snoop Dogg] promoting it. That’s never a good look when it comes to the culture of Hip-Hop, our community and our people. I turned myself in. Sometimes you gotta face the music, that’s most of the time.”
Death Row Records founder Suge Knight warned P Diddy that his life is in danger because of the secrets he know and the ‘little secret room they participated in.’
Suge stated. “I’ll tell you what, Puffy, your life is in danger ’cause you know the secrets, who’s involved in that… pic.twitter.com/JZRhTEReXR
“Puffy, I’m gonna give you some real advice,” he also added. “Two quick things. You gotta make a decision. When you go to prison, either you’re gonna be standing up pissing or squatting, sitting down p*****’. I advise you to try to take the first one ’cause if you squatting and p*****’ you know what that means. Do not do your time going by Brother Love. Brother Love is not a good code name.”
This isn’t the first indicator the public has gotten that Diddy’s life is in danger, however. It was also recently reported that he’s been placed on suicide watch. According to his lawyer Marc Agnifilo, this is just standard procedure for the facility where he’s being held. What do you think of Diddy’s getting arrested earlier this week? What about Suge Knight’s words of advice? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Tommy Richman has been upsetting but also impressing a lot of listeners in 2024. He’s been in the professional music business for longer than that. However, this has really been his coming out party without a doubt. The release of “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” has propelled that for sure, but he’s proven to be much more than that. That’s something he’s looking to show the doubters, according to a statement obtained from Uproxx. “I’ve been building up my discography for years. I’m not a one-hit-wonder”. What he’s also looking dispel the belief that he has one mode of singing, which is that expressive falsetto delivery. While it’s still prevalent, Tommy Richman does switch up the production style on “WHITNEY”.
This is presumably the last promotional track we are going to receive before the release of his next album, COYOTE. The project is slated to drop on next Friday, September 27, and is going to be carrying 11 songs. As of now, it looks like “THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE”, his most recent record outside of “WHITNEY”, is serving as the lead-off cut. That means that “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” and “DEVIL IS A LIE” are being axed from the tracklist. But we will just have wait and see. On “WHITNEY”, Tommy is once again delivering a more heartbreaking cut, as it seems that this woman he’s talking about is not as ideal as he once thought. As we mentioned though, the production choice is different, as he goes in synth-pop/nu-wave direction with a driving series of punchy drums. Things really take off vocally on the chorus too, as Tommy wails away across it.
Why do things get odd? I don’t know, I said, b****, I don’t know So, let me just understand this, understand you, yeah I can’t think of so many ways to try to give you some chances lately How many times I tried to be so simple, baby So simple, baby
Earlier this week, PEOPLE reported that Diddy has been placed on suicide watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn following his arrest. The sources the outlet spoke with described the mogul as “in shock,” and claimed that “his mental state is unclear.” Now, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo has confirmed this with TMZ. According to him, however, this doesn’t mean that Diddy is suicidal.
Agnifilo says the suicide watch was “issued by MDC officials,” and that it’s a standard procedure for “new, high-profile inmates.” He adds that he spent six hours at the facility yesterday with Diddy, who appeared in relatively good spirits.
Diddy’s Lawyer Claims Suicide Watch Is Standard Procedure At MDC
Sean Diddy Combs hosts the Kick-Off Revolt Music Conference with DJ Khaled at Eden Roc, a Renaissance Beach Resort and Spa on October 13, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Aaron Davidson/WireImage)
He’s “not at all suicidal,” Aginifilo claims, and is instead “strong, healthy, confident and focused on his defense.” This is certainly good news, as it looks like Diddy has a long battle ahead of him. He’s been charged with “racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.” If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years, and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
He appeared in court for an appeal hearing earlier this week where he was denied bail for the second time. “The government has proven the defendant is a danger,” U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter said at the time. “The bail package is insufficient even on risk of flight.” Regardless, Aginifilo appears confident. “He’s going to clear his name and we’re going to stand by his side as he does,” he told reporters this week, per CNN. “We believe in him wholeheartedly.” What do you think of Diddy’s lawyer claiming that he’s “not at all suicidal” despite being on suicide watch? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
