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Eminem’s Upcoming NFT Collection Includes Comics, Action Figures, And Beats

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While some people are still trying to wrap their heads around what NFTs even are, artists from all over the music world have been quick to take advantage of this growing digital realm. Names like Doja Cat, Jack White, and The Weeknd have all released NFTs of their own. Now Eminem is joining in on the fun. The rapper announced his own line of digital collectables after a Saturday Night Live segment that saw Jack Harlow and cast members explaining what NFTs are through a rap over the Detroit native’s classic song “Without Me.” Now, a day before he drops his line, Eminem has finally revealed what it will contain.

The upcoming release, which drops Sunday, April 25, is a part of an event Eminem has dubbed “Shady Con,” in collaboration with NFT marketplace NFT Gateway. He’ll release original instrumental beats, digital comics, and action figures. The latter will come in three forms, each capturing various Eminem’s rap personas: Marshall Mathers, Slim Shady, and Eminem himself.

“I’ve been collecting since I was a kid, everything from comic books to baseball cards to toys, as well as every rap album on cassette I could get my hands on,” Eminem said on his website. “Not much has changed for me as an adult…I’ve attempted to recreate some of those collections from that time in my life, and I know I’m not alone. I wanted to give this drop the same vibe of, ‘Oh, man I gotta get just that one or maybe even the whole set!’ It’s been a lot of fun coming up with ideas from my own collecting passion.”

You can watch a video from Eminem’s website above.

Logic And Madlib Formed A New Duo Called MadGic And They’ve Already Dropped Their First Song

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Last summer, Logic walked away from the rap game with the release of his sixth album No Pressure. But rappers who say they’re retiring usually come back. Such as the case here. He came back quick, first teaming up with Juicy J for their collaboration “1995,” and then did the solo “Tired In Malibu.” Some even believed that the rapper’s new artist, Doctor Destruction, was actually Logic in disguise. While that has yet to be proven true or not, Logic is clearly back in action, as he announced he and producer Madlib have joined forces to form a new duo called MadGic.

The news arrived along with their first song, “Mars Only Pt. 3.” It sees Logic flexing his lyricism over a boom-bap beat provided by Madlib, even teasing a full album. “Logic and Madlib is MadGic, your catalogue tragic / F*ck a underground, f*ck a pop sound,” he raps. “Made this whole album in a lockdown, hip hop is our town / Hairline like Doc Brown but I’m killin’ it.”

Before the MadGic announcement, Logic joked during an interview with his friend Nick Huff Barili that Madlib was the only person that could make him reconsider retirement. By the looks of it, that’s exactly what happened.

You can listen to ‘Mars Only Pt. 3’ in the video above.

Post Malone Might Release Two New Projects In 2021, According To His Manager

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Post Malone has kept busy lately. He’s getting ready to headline Rolling Loud, he launched new merch for his rosé brand, he got shot by Jason Statham (in a movie, not real life), and he performed at the Grammys. In terms of new music, though, it’s been about a year and a half since Post Malone released his latest album, Hollywood’s Bleeding. It appears he may be gearing up to drop not just one new project in 2021, but a pair of them.

In an Instagram post, Malone’s manager Dre London implied that he and Malone are in agreement that Malone should put out two albums this year. He also noted that one of these projects may arrive sooner than fans might expect, and that the title of one might be revealed soon. Sharing a photos of himself smiling while on the phone, he wrote, “Some would say thats the smile when the wire hits! But for me this isn’t true! It’s even bigger than that! This that smile while on FaceTime with @postmalone agreeing that the world deserves 2 Posty projects out this year! Discussing dates to drop the 1st one sooner than u think! I won’t tell u the title name just yet maybe next week.”

He actually is confirmed to drop something new, though, as he’s teaming up with the Calm app for an hour-long version of “Circles.”

The Alchemist And Earl Sweatshirt Reunite On ‘Nobles’ With Navy Blue

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Earl Sweatshirt has seemingly been laying low since the 2019 release of his Feet Of Clay EP — save for a few guest spots throughout 2020 and an appearance on Armand Hammer’s Alchemist-produced 2021 album Haram — but the wandering wordsmith has returned to once again collaborate with The Alchemist on the latter’s upcoming EP, This Thing of Ours, due next Friday, April 30. The track, called “Nobles,” features a trademark, soulful Alchemist beat and an appearance by rapper/skater Navy Blue.

Earl previously collaborated with The Alchemist on “The Whole World” from the deluxe version of Feet Of Clay featuring Maxo, as well as on Alc’s 2018 single “E Coli.” The Los Angeles duo has consistently displayed impressive chemistry, prompting some fans to call for them to work on a full project, a la Alchemist’s 2020 work with Griselda’s Conway and Freddie Gibbs.

The results of those two projects were prolific; The Alchemist was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Album for Alfredo, bringing the veteran producer and rapper both a new level of attention and expanded public acclaim. The Alchemist’s next EP, which also features Boldy James (with whom he also released a joint project in 2020), Maxo, Pink Siifu, and Sideshow, will certainly build on that newfound success.

Listen to The Alchemist’s “Navy Blue” featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Navy Blue below.

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

HER Announces The Title Of Her Upcoming Debut Album, ‘Back Of My Mind’

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Grammy-winning singer HER is hard at work on a new project and today, she revealed what it’s going to be called. Back Of My Mind. Incidentally, it’s also her debut album, as her prior efforts, the self-titled H.E.R. and its 2019 follow-up I Used To Know Her, were compilations of previously released material (a quartet of EPs bearing the same titles).

However, despite not having an official “album” to her name, the Bay Area singer has become one of music’s most accomplished artists over the past several years, with singles like “Focus,” “Damage,” and “I Can’t Breathe” charting on the Billboard Hot 100 and appearances alongside stars like Daniel Caesar, Jazmine Sullivan, and YG raising her profile to near-superstar status.

That status was sealed as she secured high-profile placements on the Judas And The Black Messiah soundtrack and sang the national anthem at the 2021 Super Bowl. Meanwhile, “I Can’t Breathe” won Song of The Year at this year’s Grammys, while “Fight For You” was nominated for a Golden Globe. She even jokingly tried out for Silk Sonic, Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars’ new band, a placement that could help her net yet another platinum plaque in the near future.

There’s no release date yet for Back Of My Mind, but the notebook photo she posted on Twitter suggests she’s got at least of a couple of its unknown number of songs in the can already, while her new single “Come Through” is out now. You can listen to that below.

Young Dolph Connects With Rick Ross On DJ-Q’s Ambitious ‘Plenty Cake’

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Paper Route Empire and Maybach Music connect on “Plenty Cake,” the money-hungry new single from the former’s DJ-Q, which features opulent verses from Young Dolph and Rick Ross. The truck-ready beat is classic Memphis, but that doesn’t stop Floridian Rick Ross from demolishing a verse in which he lists his luxury cars and name-checks his favorite foods (lemon pepper chicken wings and peach cobbler!). Dolph comes in after to remind listeners that Memphians are built different and that he gets “plenty cake” himself, choosing to spend his spoils on chains, scallops, and lobster.

The track popped up with little fanfare on Dolph’s streaming pages this morning, trusting longtime listeners to fall in line in relatively short order. The strategy has served Dolph relatively well in the past; the Memphis mogul reserves promotion for music video budgets and other indie label overhead, choosing to let the work find the people and generate dollars organically. It seems to have worked out because he recently announced his retirement from rap to let the other members of his label, like Key Glock and DJ-Q, shine on their own.

Meanwhile, guest rapper Rick Ross is reportedly working on a joint album with Drake, looking to expand his own empire — from which he doesn’t seem to have any plans of retiring anytime soon.

Listen to DJ-Qs “Plenty Cake” featuring Rick Ross and Young Dolph above.

Vic Mensa And Chance The Rapper Strip Down ‘Shelter’ For An Acoustic Live Performance

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After producing a few hilarious skits and a slick new single, we’re still not sure exactly what Chance The Rapper’s “House Of Kicks” really is. However, the creative run he’s been on since teasing “The Heart & The Tongue” last month has apparently extended to shooting live, stripped-down performances, as well. Today, Chance shared a self-directed video of his good friend Vic Mensa performing an acoustic rendition of his soulful single “Shelter” at Chance’s house, with The Rapper filling in for Wyclef Jean on the chorus.

The performance opens with Vic performing his verse in front of a crackling fireplace backed by a mellow orchestral arrangement sans drums. Meanwhile, Chance leans on his picture windowsill across the room to sing the tender hook and perform his own verse. The two rappers harmonize nicely on the chorus, then the video loses saturation for a black-and-white view of Vic’s final verse and the song’s outro.

“Shelter” was the friends’ first on-record reunion since 2013, when they guested on each other’s mixtapes Acid Rap and Innanetape. They had a falling out as they both rose to stardom, but were eventually able to put their differences aside as both found their footing in fame, with Chance starting a family and Vic returning to form on the fiery V Tape. They finally reunited officially on Vic’s follow-up, I Tape, and it seems that the creative chemistry they once shared seems intact and growing.

Watch Vic Mensa and Chance The Rapper’s live performance of “Shelter” above.

Lil Nas X Drops A New Version Of ‘Montero’ He Made Entirely With Mouth Sounds

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Lil Nas X is not one to be content with releasing just one version of a song, especially when there’s potential success to be milked from remixes. That’s something he’s joked about with “Old Town Road” (which had a bunch of different versions) and a strategy he’s also put into practice with “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” So far, he has released versions of the song subtitled “But Lil Nas X Is Silent The Entire Time,” “SATAN’S EXTENDED Version,” and “but it’s lofi and something you can study to lol.” Now he’s back with another one: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name) (But Lil Nas X Makes All The Sounds With His Mouth).”

The video sees different clips of the rapper in front of colorful backgrounds arranged in a Brady Bunch grid on the screen, like what Jimmy Fallon and The Roots have done on The Tonight Show time and time and time and time and time again over the years. As for the recording itself, with all the sounds layered on top of each other, it’s actually a decent reproduction of the original song.

Watch the video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name) (But Lil Nas X Makes All The Sounds With His Mouth)” above.

Usher Discusses His Infamous ‘Usher Bucks’ And His Las Vegas Residency

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A couple weeks ago, Usher went viral after it was alleged that he paid a stripper with fake money that had his face on it. It was later reported that he didn’t actually do that, but rather, he and his team were just leaving the phony bills around town to promote his upcoming Las Vegas residency. Now, in a new interview with Billboard, Usher has discussed the now-infamous “Usher Bucks.”

Usher spoke about how the fake money is part of his broader promotional campaign, saying:

“The idea behind Usher Bucks was really as a way of promoting the residency. And since then, there has been more conversations, thus proving roads lead to Las Vegas. Stay tuned. We’ve been working on the merchandise for the night and that was the start of it. […] I have a really great team, behind the scenes and on the stage putting together the show promoting the show, coming up with ideas of how to promote the show and market the merchandising. A lot of great detail and thought has gone into the experience. From the moment you walk into the Coliseum to the moment you leave the Coliseum we’re going to definitely make it an environment to enjoy, experience, and celebrate.”

He also spoke about his residency, saying it will feature a live band and fresh choreography. He added, “The anticipation is beautiful. I want you to guess. I want to keep you bubbling with anticipation until I have dropped the first record and you hear the first moment. When the lights go down and you feel the energy. I promise the classics and also new stuff. It’s about celebrating the years about celebrating the records, and celebrating the ones that brought us all together. And also to introduce new ones.”

Read the full interview here.

Flatbush Zombies Will Continue The Celebration Of Their Debut Album With An Upcoming Graphic Novel

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Phillip Cosores for Uproxx

Flatbush Zombies are in celebration mode this year. Aside from getting through the bulk of a global pandemic safely, this year also marks the fifth anniversary of their debut album, 3001: A Laced Odyssey. Last month, the group revealed awesome action figures of the three members — Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, and Erick The Architect — that were made in collaboration with Incenidum. After being turned into five-inch figures the group has announced another way they plan on celebrating 3001: A Laced Odyssey, this time through a graphic novel.

The group hopped on Instagram to announce their 3001: A Prequel Odyssey novel. “YOU THOUGHT WE WERE DONE CELEBRATING THE 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY?” they wrote. “THE GLORIOUS DEAD PRESENT TO YOU: 3001: A PREQUEL ODYSSEY. WHEN DARK FORCES INVADE FLATBUSH TO UNLEASH A NIGHTMARE ENTITY – ONLY ONE GROUP STANDS IN THEIR WAY.” They go onto reveal that the novel is written by Genius’ Rob Markman and features art from JJ Lopez and David Nakayama.

The novel is priced at $99.99 and is expected to be released at some point in October 2021. Consumers have the option to buy a basic softcover or hardcover edition, but they can level up to a packaged deluxe edition, limited to just 2,500 copies. This comes with an oversized hardcover deluxe edition graphic novel, graphic novel slipcase, three exclusive art prints, and a mystery fan token. There’s also a super deluxe edition — limited to just 500 copies — that comes with a limited edition Now, More Than Ever EP on vinyl, one limited edition trading card, and three framed exclusive art prints in addition to the oversized hardcover deluxe edition graphic novel and a graphic novel slipcase.

You can read the announcement from Flatbush Zombies in the post above.

The 3001: A Prequel Odyssey novel is out October 2021. Pre-order it here.

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