For years, people have criticized the Grammys for historically recognizing white artists over talented Black and brown musicians, and this year the Recording Academy received similar backlash. Three musicians nominated for Best Children’s Album even asked for their nominations to be removed this year in protest of the all-white category. But the Recording Academy is trying to appease their critics by breaking ground on the first-ever Black Music Collective pre-Grammy event, which will highlight iconic Black musicians making waves in the industry today.
The event will feature performances by Grammy-winning artists HER, PJ Morton, and Yolanda Adams. Freddie Gibbs, who is now a first-time Grammy nominee, is also set to perform with The Alchemist. Along with live music, honorary chairs John Legend, Janelle Monáe, Issa Rae, Jimmy Jam, Quincy Jones, and activist Tamika Mallory will join in for fireside chats about racial justice and the Black experience.
In a statement about the inaugural event, chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr. said they intend to “amplify Black voices” with the event:
“As the first of its kind, we created this event with every intention to amplify Black voices and each of our experiences within the industry. The BMC will continue to foster a space for members and industry professionals to educate and elevate Black creators during Grammy Week and beyond.”
Echoing Mason Jr.’s statement, BMC chair and Atlantic Records executive Riggs Morales expressed his excitement about the event: “We are thrilled to announce this virtual program as the BMC continues to celebrate Black music and those who share our mission to foster and accelerate Black representation, equity and inclusion throughout the music industry. The Black Music Collective will continue to tailor events for Black creators to feel uplifted and supported and we are excited for this Grammy Week kickoff.”
The Black Music Collective pre-Grammy event kicks off 3/10 at 5 p.m. PST. Watch it here.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Two months after being sued by his former manager, Chance The Rapper has filed his own countersuit for $3 million, according to The Chicago Tribune. Chance filed the lawsuit in Cook County court, accusing Pat Corcoran of incurring millions of dollars in unreimbursed expenses while promoting Chance’s third mixtape Coloring Book.
Chance’s suit also seeks the dismissal of Corcoran’s complaint about breaching their contract, requesting $3 million in damages for breach of fiduciary duty; interference that led to the loss of business opportunities and profit; and breach of contract — $1 million for each charge.
In a statement, Chance’s rappers told the Tribune, ““Mr. Corcoran has been paid in full under his management services contract with Mr. Bennett. Yet he chose to file a groundless and insulting lawsuit that ignores his own improper self-dealing and incompetence. Mr. Bennett has moved to dismiss the majority of that meritless lawsuit, and filed his own lawsuit to remedy the harm that Mr. Corcoran caused through his breaches of duty. Mr. Bennett trusts the legal system to reveal the truth of the parties’ relationship in due course.”
While Pat’s lawsuit focuses on the explosive success of Chance’s third mixtape, Chance’s countersuit calls the Coloring Book success a direct result of his popularity from Acid Rap, which he recorded and promoted without Pat’s help. The two made an oral agreement after the mixtape’s success, but Chance says that Pat used his position to “convert Mr. Bennett’s opportunities for himself and to advance his own separate business interests” — among them, requesting Live Nation to invest in his wine business and adding himself as co-producer on a movie Chance was to write and produce.
Corcoran allegedly also requested various kickbacks while negotiating Chance’s business opportunities, such as demanding stock from Lyft in exchange for Chance’s participation in its philanthropic campaign in 2018. And while Corcoran’s suit claimed that The Big Day was a rush job, resulting in its disappointing reception among fans, Chance says Pat failed to live up to his role as “The Manager,” delegating responsibilities, skipping media appearances, and refusing to return inquiries from media. The idea to release Chance’s mixtapes to streaming ahead of The Big Day in lieu of a larger marketing plan allegedly came from Pat, who Chance says didn’t get the proper sample clearances, exposing him to more potential lawsuits. Finally, Chance claims it was Pat’s responsibility to have the debut album pressed on vinyl — but he never did, resulting in a wave of refunds that hurt Chance’s brand.
“Basically, I tweeted a joke that I assumed Pheobe Bridgers would probably write the vaccination anthem of our times on her next album, which would probably come out in a few years. But then, I decided I would write it instead in the meantime,” she laughs. “This tweet that I thought was very niche ended up blowing up.”
The song, aptly titled “Immune,” opens with the lyrics, “Traffic from the East Side’s got me aggravated / Hotter than the day my brother graduated / Wait four hours in the sun / In line at Dodger Stadium / I’m not scared of dogs or getting vaccinated.” The song resonated with fans and Bridgers herself, who retweeted the clip of the song with the simple comment, “oh my god.”
“When I tweeted the Phoebe Bridgers parody, which then became a real Jensen McCray song, I didn’t expect it to do what it did,” says the 23-year-old singer/songwriter who found herself suddenly famous. “I always thought there was some artifice to it, but in my case, and in a lot of other people’s cases, it really is just an accident. It was very much fortuitous timing, and I think I wrote a pretty good verse that people liked as well.”
Growing up in a bi-racial Black and Jewish family, the Los Angeles native always knew she wanted to be a musician. She took music lessons as a child and when she attended the Grammy Camp at USC at 16 years old, it cemented her desire to pursue music professionally. She returned to USC for her undergraduate degree, this time to study performance with an emphasis on songwriting, and while she was there, her manager found her on Instagram and, as she shares matter of factly, booked her for a show.
She released her first single, “White Boy” in December 2019, following it with “Wolves” in February of 2020. The plan was to continue rolling out music, but the pandemic put those plans on pause. However, the same mixture of inherent talent and social media magic that had brought McRae to her manager was conjured up again. She was awarded the honor of joining 2021’s YouTube Black Voices campaign, where she hopes her music will “[illuminte] one tile in the mosaic of the Black American experience.”
“I feel like the point of my music is to provide another example of Black womanhood and Black female existence in the world,” she shares when asked about the socially and politically conscious nature of her music. “I think even in my music where I talk about things that are not directly related to my demographic identity, it informs the work I do anyway. When I talk about mental health and unrequited love and adolescence, and in addition, political issues, I feel like my perspective as this person who is at the intersection of a few different marginalized identities comes through always.”
McRae has seen success in the same communities her idols have created, though, in her experience, there’s still more work to be done for women of color in alternative music. “When I would play shows, people would always ask me before I played if I made R&B or if I made ‘urban’ music,” she digs. “I don’t even know what that means. That’s kind of a big word in music. Then after I played, they’d be like, ‘oh, you remind me of “insert white artists here”, but with more soul,’ which to me was just like code for ‘you’re Black.’ I think as with many other fields, white women kind of got the exposure first, and now people are opening up their definition of womanhood and rock music and folk music a little bit more to include women of color in that space.”
When McRae reminisces about her favorite artists, her eyes light up, her speech quickens, and fits of laughter punctuate her sentences. Here, she pays homage to the Black artists who have not only inspired her music but, in some ways, have made her music possible.
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys is the reason I am a musician. My mom played me her music, and I was so drawn to it right away. She was a mixed girl with braids and I was a mixed girl with braids and I was like, ‘This is everything to me.’ Really, it was her piano playing more than that I was really drawn to. I don’t even really play piano primarily anymore but the piano was my first instrument. Alicia Keys showed me a model of musical identity that really resonated with me when I was a kid. I just loved everything she did — especially The Diary Of Alicia Keys, Songs In A Minor, and As I Am. Those three albums were really important to me.
Stevie Wonder
Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder were two of the first artists I listened to in childhood. Stevie Wonder [was] just fun and the virtuosity that he had was really inspiring. I just remember being in the car with my older brother and my mom and just begging to hear “Black Man.” We would just scream, “Black Man, Black Man, Black Man!” so she would play that over and over again. My dad is a lawyer, but he has a beautiful singing voice and he used to sing a lot of Stevie Wonder to my mom. That was part of how he courted her, so that’s a very important part of my story.
Tracey Chapman
Tracy Chapman is important in the sense that I get compared to her a lot. I am honestly not as well-versed in her discography, everything that I know I love, but I have to acknowledge the historical lineage that led to me as a musician. She’s a Titan. I’ve seen so many different live performances of her playing “Fast Car” and her silencing arenas with just her and her guitar. That’s really important to me because even though I love playing with a band and that’s something I definitely want to do when shows come back, just the knowledge that it’s possible to silence an arena with just you and your voice and your guitar is something really remarkable. And also alto representation. Higher “feminine-sounding” voices are often favored, and having a super deep voice sets me apart — which is cool but it can also be sort of isolating. There are not a ton of female-identifying artists who have those super deep voices, at least not in the genres I traffic in. So, whenever I do find other artists who have that deep resonant alto, I feel very seen.
Corinne Bailey Rae
One of the other biggest artists in my childhood would be Corinne Bailey Rae. I listened to her self-titled debut constantly when I was a kid. She was another Black woman with a guitar making this interesting fusion of pop and folk and jazz, and she’s British. I’m kind of an Anglophile. I love how delicate and feminine her depiction of Black womanhood is. There [are] a few songs on the album that are so special to me. Obviously, “Put Your Records On” — the big hit — just makes me happy. But “Like A Star” is a song I played at so many school talent shows. That song, “I’d Like To,” I love that song so much. That song to me is like summer. It paints such a vivid picture of growing up in a Black neighborhood. Obviously, for her, it’d been growing up in the UK, but there are a lot of overlaps. When I was little, the neighborhood I grew up in before I moved to the Valley, growing up [with] that sense of community and just being around a large group of Black people, just being fully joyous.
Moses Sumney
A more recent discovery is Moses Sumney. I started listening to him when I was a freshman in college. I don’t remember who originally played me “Plastic,” but I was frozen where I stood when I heard it. Everything I listened to from him is so inspiring. I wrote an essay about his double album græ that I’m going to put on my blog one day. He completely defies all description and, with regard to being someone who’s trying to break out of stereotypical genre boxes myself, to watch the way that he does that is amazing. Everything he does is about bouncing back-and-forth between binaries with regard to not only musical genres, but also gender. He’s so comfortable in himself and makes incredible art that isn’t bound to any social expectation, it’s just really beautiful. His lyrics are so incredible, his voice is its own crazy instrument. He’s so in control of his artistic vision, which is something I aspire to one day. I’m instrumental in all of the decision-making in my art, but I don’t necessarily feel like I am as confident as I one day could and Moses is definitely the model I want to emulate.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Weeknd released “Blinding Lights” as a single back in late 2019. Remarkably, it hasn’t really left the top of the charts: On the latest Hot 100 revealed on Monday, it’s still at No. 4. The song just keeps on making history and now it has passed another impressive milestone: Chart Data reports that “Blinding Lights” has eclipsed 2 billion streams on Spotify and it did so faster than any other song ever has.
.@theweeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” has now surpassed 2 billion streams on Spotify. It’s the fastest song in history to reach this milestone.
As of now, only three other songs have more Spotify streams that “Blinding Lights,” and they are Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” (about 2.72 billion), Post Malone and 21 Savage’s “Rockstar” (2.12 billion), and Tones And I’s “Dance Monkey” (2.1 billion). Meanwhile, The Weeknd has a handful of other songs in the list of Spotify’s 100 most streamed songs: His Daft Punk collaboration “Starboy” is 19th with 1.52 billion streams, “The Hills” is No. 75 with 1.6 billion, and “Can’t Feel My Face” is No. 91 with 1.11 billion.
Speaking of Daft Punk, The Weeknd talked about the recently disbanded duo in a newly resurfaced interview quote, saying, “Oh my God — that’s different. Those guys are one of the reasons I make music, so I can’t even compare them to other people. Their branding and how seriously they take their craft and image and everything — they’re almost not even real. But seriously, they’re very strategic, they’re very smart, and they don’t attach themselves to anything they feel isn’t right.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Kanye West may get all the credit for keeping Adidas on a competitive level with Nike, but over the past year, the three stripes brand has been working hard to prop up another huge name in cross-brand collaboration, a name that actually manages to best Ye from a pure fame standpoint. Watch out Ye, because Bey is coming up fast.
Beyonce’s gender-neutral athleisure label, IVY PARK, is a little over a year old now, but in that short time Bey and Adidas have built up quite the catalog of unique sneaker colorways, utilizing some of the Three Stripe’s most interesting silhouettes. Design-wise, Ivy Park has been taking a different approach than what Kanye is doing with Yeezy — rather than create entirely new sneaker silhouettes, the brand focuses on offering remixes of Adidas’ classic styles, offering sleek cuts, exciting material choices, and vibrant color palettes fit for an internet-breaking Beyonce video. A simple celebrity cash grab this is not!
Kanye may be the most successful music- turned designer for now, but with heat like this from Beyonce plus Rihanna killing it with Savage x Fenty, he needs to watch that throne. Let’s dive into every Ivy Park Adidas sneaker, including the latest winter-ready Icy Park collection, ranked from worst to best.
18. Ivy Park Adidas Superstar Platform
Adidas
The Superstar is hands-down one of Adidas’ greatest silhouettes, but it’s at the bottom of this list. Not because it’s a platform (no, that’s not a screen glitch, the shoe actually looks like that), though that doesn’t help. Because it’s… ugly. And not in that trendy so-ugly-it’s-fashion way.
It’s just straight-up hard to look at.
That’s probably why it wasn’t included in either of the first, second or even third Ivy Park drops. Instead, it landed last year as part of a collection that also featured other Superstar reimaginings by Jonah Hill and Sean Wotherspoon. It’s ultimately forgettable and remains a stain on a near-perfect record.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Superstar Platform at GOAT.
17. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra Boost DNA Black
StockX
I know I was just trashing on the abomination that is the Superstar Platform, but this triple black iteration of the Adidas Ultra Boost comes dangerously close to being just as bad. Released as part of an extension to Ivy Park drop 2, this sneaker has few redeemable qualities. A prime knit upper in core black atop a matching BOOST midsole, and a puzzling radioactive volt outsole, you can get all of this with a stock Adidas drop, so you’re getting little more than a name here, and paying the price for it.
Get the Ivy park Adidas Ultra Boost DNA at StockX.
16. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 White Black
Adidas
Released last year as part of the second Ivy Park collection, the Super Sleek 72 White/Black suffers solely because it isn’t quite as good as drop 1’s Super Sleek, and nowhere near drop 3’s. The colorways are solid, but ultimately it’s going to be impossible to rock a pair of these without being reminded that they aren’t one of the three better colorways.
We’ll get more into the details behind this special silhouette when we talk about the original release. One annoying thing about this shoe is, it was originally called the Sleek Super, and everyone kept calling it the Super Sleek, and Adidas just quietly changed it!
Or did they? It’s a real Bernstein Bears situation with this sneaker.
The Forum Lo debuted in drop 2 of Ivy Park and since then the brand has shifted focus to the Forum Mid, which we admit is much better. . The Forum Lo features a leather and suede upper with a translucent bottom sole and a fastening strap. It’s easily the least flashy sneaker in the entire IVY PARK collection.
Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. But if you can’t get behind a fastening strap, you’re not going to find a lot to love here.
14. Ivy Park Adudas Nite Jogger Maroon/Solar Orange
Adidas
When Ivy Park initially dropped in January 2020, this sneaker was criticized endlessly, and for good reason. It looks like a goddamn traffic cone thanks to its Solar Orange half and half colorway — with a toe box dipped in deep maroon.
This shoe is out there, but we respect Beyonce’s bold design here. They’re impossible to look away from. For better or worse.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Maroon at GOAT.
13. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 Black
StockX
Released as a short update to Ivy Park drop 2 in November of last year, this triple-black version of the Ivy Park Super Sleek is pretty clean but had Ivy Park opted for an all-black sole over the gum, we’d have bumped it up considerably on this list. The gum sole is nice, but it keeps this design from being the dominatrix (or Darth Vader, if you’re nerdy) sneaker it so desperately wants to be.
The wrinkled core black leather upper is accented nicely by some core black suede accents. Not the worst Super Sleek, but a bit far from the best.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 Black at GOAT.
12. Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Dark Green Frozen Yellow
StockX
This Dark Green Frozen Yellow Nite Jogger suffers from the same problem as the Maroon iteration, only this one isn’t quite as ugly. Instead of a traffic cone, it resembles a Mountain Dew bottle — which is better, if only a little.
All jokes aside, this iteration sold out almost instantly when it launched as part of drop 2. Aftermarket prices have settled around $150 for this pair in 2021. Not a bad pickup if you want to Do the Dew.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Dark Frozen at GOAT.
11. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Maroon
StockX
When the first Ivy Park collection dropped, this felt like the signature piece. While it’s not our favorite, it’s still pretty beloved. Featuring a double Maroon colorway atop a Solar Orange outsole, this design nails the futuristic fitness vibe that the Maroon Nite Jogger couldn’t quite master.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Maron at GOAT.
10. Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Off-White
Adidas
So far the IVY PARK Nite Jogger’s have suffered from a half-and-half presentation that just doesn’t work, but this mix of Off-White (not that Off-White, but wouldn’t that be something?), Ecru Tint and Dark Green just works.
It also brings something new to Adidas’ usual Nite Jogger offerings with a brighter presentation and an alternate lacing system that really shows off the silhouette’s cool geometry.
While the second IVY PARK drop brought a lot new to the looks coming out of the label, it also acted as an opportunity to refresh the first drop’s best designs. This didn’t work for the Sleek Super 72, but this Hi-Res Yellow version of the Adidas Ultra BOOST knocks the original Maroon dip out of the park.
It’s every bit as extreme as the original, but the Hi-Res has some balance as well — with a gum outsole that matches up nicely with the blinding colorway.
8. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra Boost Icy Park White
Adidas
Released as part of Ivy Park’s winter-focused Icy Park drop, this triple white iteration of the Ultra BOOST is an improvement over last year’s all-black version. The Ultra BOOST isn’t quite as hot as it was six years ago, but this Ivy Park iteration is great, offering a prime knit upper with TPU overlays, a BOOST midsole, a rubber gum outsole, and Ivy Park’s comfort-focused draw-string lacing system.
Swapping out that hideous volt outsole for the traditional gum was the right call!
Get the Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Icy Park at Adidas.
7. Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Metallic Silver
Adidas
We’re happy to see Beyonce showing more love to the Forum Mid, which first debuted as part of Ivy Park drop 2. This shimmery metallic version was released as part of the Icy Park drop and features ankle straps, a multi-layered leather upper, and a luxurious silver metallic colorway.
As cool as it is, it’s our least favorite Forum Mid colorway out of the Ivy Park lineage.
Get the Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Metallic Siler at Adidas.
6. Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Cream
Adidas
Everything we love about the Forum Mid Metallic Silver in a more functional and stylistically conservative cream colorway. But as a person who has owned their fair share of metallic sneakers, I’m here to tell you that these, while tamer, will age so much better.
Metallic colorways go in and out of style, but cream is much more timeless.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This was our original number one pick, but as the years have gone on our perspective has shifted. That’s not a bad thing, it means Ivy Park continues to evolve, as this was the centerpiece of the original drop. The shape is IVY PARK’s most original, as it was adapted from Adidas’ Samba Silhouette to Bey’s personal specifications, and that mix of White premium leather and Dash Grey suede with subtle Maroon and Solar Orange accents works incredibly harmoniously.
The entire first IVY PARK collection might revolve around this same color scheme, but it never works quite so perfectly as it does here. We’re hoping the Sleek Super’s success inspires IVY PARK to dabble in more original shapes.
4. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek Boot
Adidas
We’re glad to see Ivy Park show a lot of love to the Super Sleek silhouette, it’s the brand’s most original design and to see it here in boot form as the centerpiece of drop 3 shows a commitment to giving us something new out of Ivy Park, rather than relying solely on Adidas’ stock designs.
With a cloud white, off-white, and core white colorway, this leather and suede boot sits atop a chunky gum sole, with braided bungee detailing around the heel.
The IVY PARK Forum Mid Green Tint was Ivy Park’s first go at Adidas’ Forum Mid silhouette and it’s still the best! In fact, it’s one of the best colorways to come out of the Ivy Park brand.
The shoe still has that leather and suede construction of the low top, but the fastening strap looks less out of place here and that Green Tint colorway is just too damn fresh.
2. Adidas IVY PARK Nite Jogger Ecru Tint
StockX
The Ecru Tint Nite Jogger isn’t only the best IVY PARK Nite Jogger, it’s the best Nite Jogger colorway Adidas has ever dropped. That’s high praise and, honestly, if this sneaker said “Off-White” instead of “IVY PARK” it’d be going for thousands on the aftermarket.
Be thankful it isn’t!
It looks like something that would come from the mind of Virgil Abloh, only without the gimmicky tags or production numbers. Clean, classic, bold, and damn near perfect.
1. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72
Adidas
A future classic in the making. This Cloud white, off-white, core white makeup of the Super Sleek 72 is now Bey’s greatest contribution to the footwear game. It took a few attempts, but Bey finally found a way to build on what she did with drop 1’s Super Sleek (Our original number 1) with this all-white iteration out of the Icy Park drop. The way it swaps the originals laces with thicker braided laces, the mix of luxe leather and premium suede — it’s just so damn clean!
Perhaps you weren’t expecting deep talk from MC Hammer. And yet the “U Can’t Touch This” rapper recently shared an academic-style paper on Twitter that he said focused on the “visibility of philosophy of science in the sciences, 1980-2018.” After a follower tried to refute some of the claims he made in the article, MC Hammer expanded on his deep thoughts over social media.
You bore us. If science is a “commitment to truth” shall we site all the historical non-truths perpetuated by scientists ? Of course not. It’s not science vs Philosophy … It’s Science + Philosophy. Elevate your Thinking and Consciousness. When you measure include the measurer. https://t.co/hsZzHNwJ0M
Said Twitter user claimed philosophy is a “flirtation with ideas” while science is a “commitment to truth.” MC Hammer completely disagreed, which prompted him to write a detailed response. “You bore us,” he said. “If science is a ‘commitment to truth’ shall we [cite] all the historical non-truths perpetuated by scientists? Of course not. It’s not science vs philosophy … It’s science + philosophy. Elevate your Thinking and Consciousness.” He added, “When you measure include the measurer.”
After another user claimed his thoughts turned “Black males” away from science, MC Hammer doubled down on his stance. “Perhaps you read it too fast or comprehension is a challenge,” he said. “I CLEARLY and UNEQUIVOCALLY STATE That SCIENCE + PHILOSOPHY are compatible and I reject Science vs Philosophy. You are spreading non truths and disinformation. My support of STEM and Black in STEM is unmatched.”
Perhaps you read it too fast or comprehension is a challenge. I CLEARLY and UNEQUIVOCALLY STATE That SCIENCE + PHILOSOPHY are compatible and I reject Science vs https://t.co/cOULQhu7Fc are spreading non truths and disinformation. My support of STEM and Black in STEM is unmatched. https://t.co/51EN3cgr6r
Hammer’s deep thinking — as well as a long list of reading recommendations, including philosopher and historian Michel Foucault — caught people by surprise. Many showed love to the final part of his message: “When you measure include the measurer.” Many shared their reactions online:
MC Hammer could write The Symposium but Plato could never write Can’t Touch This pic.twitter.com/3ziYOx5SNp
— wah wah wah, bitch i’m a baby (@MicycleOilyskin) February 23, 2021
Saw someone tweeting about history and philosophy of sci/tech with the handle mchammer and was like huh, I wonder how he managed to snag that handle.
It’s because it’s MC Hammer.
MC Hammer continues to be a legend apparently, for different reasons https://t.co/zNKp6M4awr
So apparently I’m living in a version of the future I could never have imagined in the early 90s, where a device in my pocket allows me to watch MC Hammer defending the value of philosophy as an epistemic methodology. Well… I guess we better sound the bell, school’s in, sucker! https://t.co/9giTnmY072
— ʜᴀssᴀɴ The People vs. Paper Tigers (@stellar_tombs) February 23, 2021
just wanted everyone to see MC Hammer having a thoughtful discussion on the role of philosophy to scientific research because that was certainly not on my 2021 bingo card https://t.co/RMIyqIkqbp
MC Hammer, explaining why Philosophy has to work with science as an epistemic tool to make both flourish, is a GREAT thing to wake up to https://t.co/kUr1rtQ9ak
I never thought I’d live through a time where MC Hammer would succinctly explain why science and philosophy together is important parts of the whole rather than being opposites.
This fall will mark three years since Mac Miller’s untimely death. Since then fans have received a decent amount of posthumously released music from the Pittsburgh rapper, but the next one involves one of his most-celebrated mixtapes: The rapper’s 2014 project Faces is set to arrive on streaming services soon. The news was shared by Mac’s longtime friend and producer ID Labs, who confirmed the news on Reddit.
Mac Miller’s longtime friend & producer E. Dan (ID Labs) has confirmed Mac’s classic ‘Faces’ mixtape will be coming to streaming services soon pic.twitter.com/TPNpYcVhEU
In a screenshot that was shared on Twitter, a fan wrote, “I think ID Labs said on this sub a few months ago that they were working on getting faces cleared for streaming platforms but it was going to take time due to clearing samples, maybe it’s finally getting done… hopefully.” ID Labs, who produced “It Just Doesn’t Matter” and “Therapy” from the mixtape, caught wind of the comment and wrote, “This is correct and currently happening.”
If the project arrives on DSPs later this year, it will be Mac’s second mixtape to be placed on streaming platforms. Last year, his breakout K.I.D.S. was added to the platforms in April to celebrate its tenth anniversary. The re-release came with two new songs, “Ayye” and “Back In The Day.”
Mac Miller is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
On March 1 legendary activist, singer, and actor Harry Belafonte will celebrate his 94th birthday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a fundraising event through his organization Gathering For Justice will be held on February 28 to commemorate the big day, featuring a healthy collection of celebrity friends and fans. Among the names on the guest list are Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jay-Z, the latter who will accept the Gatekeeper Of Truth Award.
Belafonte’s event is sponsored by philanthropist and investor Robert F. Smith and his wife, Hope. There will also be performances, video tributes, and testimonials by civil rights and racial justice leaders, artists, athletes, and more. In addition to Jay-Z and Miranda, viewers can also catch appearances from Common, Danny Glover, Alfre Woodard, Chuck D, Bernie and Jane Sanders, Stacey Abrams, Aloe Blacc, Tamika D. Mallory, Rev. Al Sharpton, Tiffany Haddish, Usher, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and more.
Belafonte founded the organization in 2005 after learning of a 5-year-old Black girl who was cuffed and arrested in a Florida classroom for being unruly. Altogether, their goal is to build a movement to end child incarceration while working to irradicate racial inequities.
The virtual event will be held on 2/28 at 7 PM EST. You can read more information about it here.
Although the 2020 coronavirus pandemic has changed the way fans consume live music, Travis Scott still plans on seeing through his plans to bring the Astroworld Festival back to his hometown in 2021. The Houston rapper revealed as much to director Robert Rodriguez in an interview published on Vice.
In response to Rodriguez’s question about his post-pandemic plans for the festival, Travis confirmed, “Hopefully, we can bring it back at the end of this year. Around November.” While that may be the most optimistic outlook for the festival’s return, it’s in-line with Dr. Anthony Fauci’s prediction that some venues will be able to re-open in the fall, provided the vaccine rollout goes well enough to lower the levels of infection nationwide.
Unfortunately, despite the 2018 and 2019 festivals selling out and going well for Travis, the 2020 edition of the festival had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Travis also explained the effect that becoming a father has had on his art, saying, “Fatherhood influences my job. It has a huge impact. It’s a major inspiration… Storm, she’s just acting like a kid. She’s always interested, she catches on and learns things and adapts to things so fast. It’s so crazy, Stormi’s generation is way different from mine, and she’s way different from my younger brother and sister. Kids show you a different outlook on life, how they view things, the type of pressures they have and what makes them happy, what makes them move… You’ve got to use that properly.”
Drakeo The Ruler’s fortunes have changed a whole lot in a very short amount of time. After spending much of 2018, 2019, and 2020 in prison awaiting trial on gang charges, Drakeo was released in November, then released his mixtape We Know The Truth to general acclaim. Now, he’s secured the biggest look of his career to date, collaborating with Drake on “Talk To Me” from his upcoming album The Truth Hurts, due later tonight/first thing tomorrow morning.
On “Talk To Me,” Drake provides the hooks while Drakeo — yes, this as confusing to type as it is to read — raps, with both addressing the song’s theme of infatuation with a woman. There’s also some light tough talk, as Drake warns the potential love interest that he and his crew might have to get gully in the club. “We might slide on a n**** inside this club, girl, close your eyes,” he croons, somewhat paradoxically. Meanwhile, Drakeo plays aloof, reminding his sex buddy that “You can’t control me, why you acting like the police?”
Premiering the song on Apple Radio, Drakeo told Zane Lowe, “When I was in jail, I was supposed to do something [with Drake] already,” explaining how he actually forgot the song was in the works before he was arrested. “It was kind of crazy to me,” he observed. “I never thought none of this stuff would happen.”
Listen to Drakeo The Ruler’s Drake collaboration “Talk To Me” above.
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