For some fans, J. Cole is as much a Queens rapper as he is one from the South. His journey to rap stardom more or less started in New York, where he attended St. John’s University and met his collaborators and Dreamville co-founders Bas and Ibrahim Hamad. In the video for “Applying Pressure,” Cole revisits some of the most meaningful locales around the city for him in a gritty, nighttime shoot reminiscent of the ’90s rap aesthetic that informs much of his work. Dave East, who Cole name-checks in the song’s lyrics, also makes a cameo appearance.
“Applying Pressure” was also the title for the documentary Cole released as part of the rollout for his new album The Off-Season. In it, he explains the process behind the creation of the album, which was inspired and influenced by the drills he would run while training for basketball. Both sets of drills paid off for him; not only did The Off-Season reach No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart as many of his previous works had done, but all of the songs from the album also landed in the top 40 of the Hot 100, including the four most-streamed songs landing in the top 10. Meanwhile, his basketball workouts got him a spot on the roster of the Basketball Africa League’s Rwanda team.
Watch the “Applying Pressure” video above and stream The Off-Seasonhere.
Drake’s well-known for his displays of wealth, which have ranged from ostentatious to borderline ridiculous over the years. However, after receiving a Billboard Artist of the Decade Award at the Billboard Music Awards this weekend, he certainly had a good enough excuse for his latest over-the-top expenditure. According to Variety, Drake rented out the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California so he could have dinner on the 50-yard line with his OVO crew. The recently opened stadium normally seats 70,000, but for Drake’s dinner party, the attendance was limited to a guest list that included DJ Khaled, Doja Cat, SZA, and The Weeknd.
E! News reported that a source said, “He rented the entire stadium for the night. The stadium has a gigantic banner with his name and ‘Artist of the Decade.’… There are huge champagne towers and several bars set up throughout the stadium. Drake also has cute album books featuring his favorite moments through his career set up around the stadium.”
It’s likely Drake went all-out to make up for prior missed opportunities to do so; as he noted in his acceptance speech, which he gave with his son Adonis by his side, “I’ve spent an incalculable amount of hours trying to analyze all the things I did wrong. I’m really self-conscious about my music, and even if I do a good job, I always wonder how I could have done it better. I rarely celebrate anything. And just for anyone watching this, that’s wondering how this happened, that’s really the answer: being so unsure how you’re getting it done that you just kind of keep going in the hopes of figuring out the formula. But tonight, for once, I’m sure as hell we did something right.”
We already knew that J. Cole’s new album The Off-Season was going to dominate the Billboard charts but now that the charts have been published today, we can get a sense of just how dominant his latest effort really is. Yesterday, Billboard tweeted its usual snippets of information, telling us that The Off-Season was No.1 on the albums chart and that Cole had four songs in the top ten of the Hot 100 and in the top five of the most-streamed songs charts.
Today, with the charts released in full, we’ve learned that all 12 songs from J. Cole’s album have charted in the Hot 100 Top 40, an accomplishment that makes him the first since Juice WRLD’s posthumous album Legends Never Die also landed 12 songs in the Top 40 the week of its release. While it was previously reported that “My Life,” “Amari,” “Pride Is The Devil,” and “95 South” had debuted in the top 10 (at No. 2, 5, 7, and 8, respectively), we now know where the remaining tracks from the album fall: “Applying Pressure” is No.13, “100 Mil” is No.14, “Interlude” (which previously debuted at No.8) is No.17, “Let Go My Hand” is No.19, “Punchin’ The Clock” is No.20, “The Climb Back” returned to the chart with a new peak at No. 25, “Hunger On The Hillside” is No.28, and “Close” is No.33.
Master P is a rapper, producer, actor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, but he can now add one more qualifier to his title: Doctor. In order to recognize all of Master P’s accomplishments, Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University has awarded him an honorary doctorate degree.
Master P received the degree on stage over the weekend to a crowd of over 400 graduates from Lincoln University. “I guess I got to change my name to, Dr. P. Miller,” he wrote alongside a video of him receiving the honor. “From the projects to getting a Doctoral degree from @lincolnuniversityofpa Don’t be afraid to change, grow and educate yourself. I did it ! You can do it. #GODISGOOD #Nevertoolate #hbcu #NoLimit There is NO limit to your dreams.” The clip shows the crowd erupting in applause and Master P offering up some of his wisdom to recent graduates.
Ahead of being given a doctorate degree, Master P has been working on a number of entrepreneurial endeavors. Earlier this year, Master P announced plans to launch a Black-owned supercar company under the brand name Trion Supercars. The line of cars is made in partnership with Richard Patterson, a former engineer at Tesla, and the company’s first design was unveiled in January.
Watch Master P accept his honorary doctorate degree from Lincoln University above.
The rise of NFTs in the music industry has been rapid over the past several months, with seemingly every big artist breaking into the cryptocurrency art market. But the prevalence of NFTs have also caused some backlash among fans who have noted the massive amount of energy it takes to use cryptocurrency. But a new NFT marketplace aims to offer an environmentally-friendly option, and artists like Doja Cat, H.E.R., and Charlie Puth have already signed on.
OneOf is an NFT marketplace aimed specifically at musicians and their fans. The platform uses Tezos blockchain, which they claim in press materials uses “over 2 million times less energy than other networks such as Ethereum, and requires the same energy as sending out a tweet.” Along with reducing energy consumption, OneOf has committed to donating a percentage of their platform’s revenue from every sale to charity.
Doja Cat has already signed on to be one of the first artists to mint an NFT on OneOf’s platform. “I cannot wait to release my first Juicy Drops collection,” she said in a statement. “However, I want to be mindful of environmental concerns and accessibility to all of my fans before we go live. Happy to now be working with OneOf who is addressing both of these issues.”
This isn’t the first time Doja Cat will be minting NFTs. Back in April, the singer launched her first collection of NFTs through her own curated NFT marketplace, Juicy Drops. The cryptoart was designed by toy designer BOOMTRONIC and was inspired by her 2021 Grammys performance.
Along with Doja Cat, H.E.R., and Charlie Puth, other artists that have signed onto OneOf’s platform include Quincy Jones, John Legend, TLC, Jacob Collier, G-Eazy, AURORA, The Kid LAROI, and Alesso. It was co-founded in partnership with Quincy Jones and Quincy Jones Productions, and raised over $63 million in funding so far.
OneOf officially launches to the public in June. Find out more information here.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Fayetteville, North Carolina has long been renowned as the birthplace of superstar J. Cole but lately, a new rapper from the ‘Ville has been gaining steam as a star on the rise. Morray even recently appeared on Cole’s new album The Off-Season, providing a symbolic passing of the torch for the new Southern rap hero.
Capitalizing on the renewed attention, Morray returned to the promotion of his own debut mixtape Street Sermons, following up the video for “Trenches” with a new clip for “Nothing Now.” A heartbreak anthem that finds Morray coaching himself out of his regrets — the sort of negging pep talk many of us have given ourselves at some point or another — “Nothing Now” arrives with a video depicting the aftermath of the relationship’s breakdown, packing up his car, and driving off through the night to relocate, leaving his ex-lady behind to pick up the pieces.
Morray’s increased buzz hasn’t only put him on J. Cole’s radar. Before his surprise appearance on Cole’s new album, the North Carolina native also made his television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! performing his breakout single “Quicksand.”
Watch Morray’s “Nothing Now” video above.
Street Sermons is out now via Pick Six Records/Interscope Records. Get it here.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a chance to shine a light on cultures that are often pushed to the margins in American society. This is just as true in the music world as anywhere else, where artists of Asian and Pacific Island ancestry can struggle for visibility despite making some of the most groundbreaking and engaging art out there. In honor of API Heritage month, Uproxx and Warner Music’s API employees wanted to share just a handful of the incredible artists currently catching their attention, showing just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the amazing API tunes being created today. The hope is that this resource introduces you off to your next favorite singer or band, and that it sparks a fire to dig deeper at the countless API acts crafting great music.
ANJL
With an absolutely gorgeous voice and music/lyrics that are deeply relatable, this Indian-Filipina songwriter and producer is a paradigm for talent that deserves massive recognition.
Asian Kung Fu Generation
Some classics never go out of style. This throwback will sure to bring a sense of nostalgia if you first found their music on YouTube in the mid-2000’s, but it’s also not too late to discover them for the first time now.
Hollis
Hollis pulls you into her songs with her dreamy vocals and lyrical imagery. Her greatest strength is in her ability to put emotions into words that listeners often feel but cannot describe. She is also an activist and uses her platform for social change.
Jay Som
Jay Som is strongly influenced by her Filipino roots and expresses her identity and emotions through breathy vocals, funky band production, and romantic music. Plus, she has a new collaborative project with Palehound, called Bachelor, out next month.
Khushi
Khushi’s music is the personification of intellectual conversation with a loved one while you’re snuggled in bed with some coffee. Intimate, sultry, and thought-provoking all at once.
Prateek Kuhad
This Mumbai-based singer-songwriter has already been shouted out by President Obama, but his folk-infused craftsmanship is now ready to be heralded by audiences far and wide.
Raveena
Raveena beautifully blends her South Asian heritage with contemporary, dreamy bedroom pop productions that just wraps you up and comforts your soul.
Rei Ami
With a name based on anime characters who both have very different personalities, this Korean artist creates songs that reflect that dichotomy through a dynamic structure where they can be high energy in the first half and dark in the second half. Or, the other way around. She also has awesome music videos.
Rina Sawayama
If you’re not listening to Rina Sawayama already, what are you waiting for? Rina masterfully blends together pop, rock, and Japanese Visual Kei among many other influences into witty social commentary, heartfelt ballads, and full-out f*ck you anthems.
Tiffany Young
A veteran of the K-pop scene, Tiffany has come a long way from her Girl’s Generation days. Her vocals and creative direction have matured and she is truly shining as a solo artist.
Umi
Umi’s rich voice draws you into her soulful productions. Heavily influenced by her Black and Japanese heritage, her songs are deep and unique but at the same time universal – evoking emotions that anyone can resonate with.
Yerin Baek
Yerin Baek embodies versatility. A Korean singer-songwriter, the music can cover ground from jazzy compositions to more alt and electronic music as well.
Yeek
Yeek is not new to the music scene, but the music is so dang sexy it still feels revolutionary. Blast it up and get someone to cuddle with.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In 2020, Primavera Sound was forced to cancel. The Spanish festival faced the same fate this year as well. Organizers are getting ready for 2022 in a big way, though: They unveiled the lineup for the massive 2022 event today, which takes place over the weekends of June 2 to 4 and June 9 to 11, along with some ancillary performances from June 5 to 8 and on June 12.
The lineup is stacked, but fans seemed most excited about the inclusion of Lorde, as she became a trending topic on Twitter this morning following the lineup reveal. Primavera Sound is Lorde’s first confirmed show in a while: Her last full live set came in November 2018 at the Corona Capital festival (according to setlist.fm).
Alongside Lorde, headliners include Massive Attack, Pavement, Tame Impala, Beck, The National, The Strokes, Gorillaz, Jorja Smith, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Tyler The Creator, Disclosure, Interpol, Jamie xx, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The rest of the poster has too many artists to list, but some of the others include Charli XCX, 100 Gecs, Brockhampton, Big Thief, Jay Electronica, Brittany Howard, Clairo, Run The Jewels, and Slowthai.
Tickets go on sale on June 1, so learn more about tickets and the 2022 festival here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Last weekend, Lil Nas X enjoyed one of the biggest moments of his young music career when he was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. One of the songs he performed was his hit “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” but that didn’t go without incident: While dancing, he ripped his pants. He later addressed the incident, writing on Twitter, “i know i do a lot of planned sh*t but ripping my pants on live television is not one of them.” Now, he has discussed the performance in greater depth, chatting with Jimmy Fallon (and guest host Dave Grohl) on The Tonight Show.
He broke down what was going through his head when it happened, saying:
“I was pretty much going down the pole, you know, doing my little sexy drop-down, and boom: I feel air. I was like, ‘OK, there’s definitely a breeze going on.’ And I also feel, like, some popping still happening while I was down there. I was like, ‘Oh god, I hope it’s not…’ I was like, ‘Just please don’t be on TV already,’ you know? And SNL is actually live, so… You know what the worst part is? At the end of the performance, the dancers are supposed to touch me and tug on me or whatever, and they were tugging on the pants, and I was like, ‘Please stop.’ […] I couldn’t say it because I would ruin the performance, like, ‘Guys, stop, please,’ but I couldn’t say it.”
Elsewhere during the interview, Fallon showed a clip of Lil Nas X’s dress rehearsal performance, so the world could see what the rapper’s choreography would have looked like had it not been thrown off course.
In 2013, Solange launched her label and website, Saint Huron, to highlight the artists she wanted to bring attention to. Today, she took things a step further, turning Saint Huron into a full-on creative agency. Meanwhile, the Saint Huron website has been updated to function as a sort of digital mood board which will highlight a new artist every week.
In addition to visual stories, the site will also feature interviews with Shala Monroque and artist Cassi Namoda, and conversations between poets, authors, and artists like Helga Davis, Okwui Okpokwasili, Barbara Chase-Riboud, and Ilyasah Shabazz.
As far as physical endeavors, Saint Huron also announced plans to hold a series of gallery exhibitions, an artist-in-residence program, a permanent art collection, a non-profit library, and art films. Saint Records will continue to release music, as well.
In a press release, Solange said: “Worldmaking has been a huge part of my practice. The idea of leaving behind cities, meccas, and universes that were occupied and celebrated by bodies, voices, celebrations, and rituals to be discovered down the line. As we transition to an institution, the answer and the vision become abundantly clear. We are creating a legacy where we not only continue the work we have already built but preserve collections of creators with the urgency they deserve. Together we want to create an archive of stories, and works we deem valuable. We want to open up these works publicly and make them accessible to students, and our communities for research, engagement, and consumption, so that the works are integrated into our collective story and belong and grow with us. We are creating an embodiment of living testaments to the glory of expression, and how that recharges and reaffirms the reverence we hold for our own cultural and artistic worth. We look forward to furthering the pursuit of authenticity that empowers the stories of our people.”
Tickets go on sale on 1st June at 11:00 CEST 
