The quirky, Boise, Idaho-based Treefort Music Festival is returning this year, posting a revamped 2021 lineup including standout names like Japanese Breakfast, Armand Hammer, and more. The new dates for the festival are September 22-26 in downtown Boise.
Don’t know about y’all…but IT’S TIME TO PARTY. The Treefort 9 Lineup has been resurrected with some familiar faces and rad additions!! Dive in and get yr tix at https://t.co/gzFZoV0yFb C U September 22-26, 2021 | Downtown Boise, ID pic.twitter.com/yueuGxxt9l
Treefort’s site assures attendees that the promoters are “developing plans A, B, C, D, E and even F for a safe, community-run festival” come September, as well as a return of the usual spring edition in 2022. Fans who bought tickets for 2020’s postponed festival will automatically be grandfathered in for September’s fest, which was crowdfunded on WeFunder.com.
In addition, the site provides a timeline for early access sales for both upcoming weekends, while warning that single-day, single-venue, and single-show tickets are a no-go for the fall fest. The lineup, which was posted today, is again wildly diverse, featuring performers as disparate as Andy Shauf and Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Larkin Poe, New Orleans rapper Pell, and genre-bending veteran producer Prefuse 73. As usual, each artist’s profile on the Treefort site comes with a curated playlist of their essential tracks so fans can familiarize themselves with new names or get a taste of their faves’ potential setlists.
You can find out more at treefortmusicfest.com and check out Uproxx’s review of the 2019 festival here.
Cardi B is obviously known for her music, but the rapper apparently wants to break into the beauty industry as well. It looks like Cardi has submitted a trademark application to lock down the rights to a brand name, which could mean that the rapper is readying to release a number of makeup products.
Per a report from TMZ, Cardi filed documents with the US Patent and Trademark offices to secure the name Bardi Beauty. Apparently, Cardi plans to use the name on products like cosmetics, fragrances, haircare, skincare, nail polish, nail enamel — essentially everything she needs to start a makeup brand.
News of the possibility of Bardi Beauty arrives shortly after the rapper announced that she wanted to launch a line of hair care products in order to teach people about the best ways to care for Afro-Latina hair. “This year I will be coming out with a hairline that I been working on at home for my hair and my daughter’s,” she announced. “However, I think is time for people to educate themselves on nationality, race, and ethnicity. Being Hispanic/Latina don’t make your hair long, don’t make your skin light, or don’t make your face features slim — ‘specially Latin countries from the Caribbean islands.”
Cardi is no stranger to trademark applications. Following the release of her hit “WAP,” the rapper sought to secure a trademark for the phrase in order to make merch items. Per the original documents, Cardi had wanted to brand the song name to be used on headbands, clothing, jewelry, purses, shoes, posters, and even “WAP”-titled cocktails and soft drinks. She also applied for the trademark on liquor, beer, sports drinks, soft drinks, fruit juices, and mineral water.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Seeing as Eric Andre‘s job entails pranking celebrities, he’s met his fair share of famous people. Still, there are times that the comedian gets star-struck. One such instance was before he got famous. Andre was able to meet the late MF Doom, who he recalls as “very grounded and sincere,” and even mustered up the courage to ask for an internship.
Speaking in an interview with NME, Andre, who was a college kid at the time, recalled meeting MF Doom when he wasn’t wearing his signature mask and asking if he could intern at Stone’s Throw records: “I ran backstage and got to see him without his mask on, which was very cool. I was like, ‘Hey I’m finishing college, I want to intern at Stone’s Throw records. How can I do that?’ And he gave me somebody’s email that worked at Stone’s Throw. He was very patient with me, very grounded, and sincere. For me at 20-21 years old, to see a hero of mine telling me to just email the people at work, he seemed like salt of the earth.”
Andre also noted that MF Doom’s death had a huge impact on him:
“I was fortunate enough to get to meet him. I met him when I think I was 19-20 years old. He played at my friend Christina’s college spring break show in Manchester, New York. He was very nice, I’ve never heard a bad thing about the guy. I love his work, I love his collaboration with Madlib. He always had good taste in beats. A buddy of mine said he is what rap should be. Rap isn’t macho and aggressive. It shouldn’t be run by jocks. Rap is very mellow, it should be relaxing and simple. Wordplay is just like fun with the poetry and flow of rhyming and the musicality of that. MF Doom captured that spirit and had such a unique voice and such a unique point of view. I rarely cry when a celebrity dies. He was one of the few celebrities that brought tears to my eyes when I found out he passed away.”
Andre isn’t the only one who has honored MF Doom following his tragic passing in 2020. Musicians like Open Mike Eagle, Madlib, Playboi Carti, and many more have paid tribute to the iconic MC.
When most fans think of TikTok dance trends, the songs that spring to mind are usually poppy, upbeat tunes with simple, repetitive lyrics that lend themselves to the format of exuberant teens waving their arms in synchronized, somewhat goofy choreography. Griselda Records wouldn’t seem to fit the bill, with its members’ mostly gloomy beats and intricate, belligerent bars about harrowing street encounters. However, fans got the bright idea to combine the two seemingly opposed ideals, resulting in an atypical TikTok trend that prompted some hilarious reactions from the rappers themselves.
When HipHopDX posted the above clip of a fan working some complex choreo to Benny’s verse of Westside Gunn’s “Gods Don’t Bleed,”, it caught the eyes of both Benny The Butcher and Westside Gunn, who both quote-tweeted it with their impressions in the form of emojis. While Gunn seemed delighted, writing, “I needed this” with a handful of laughing emojis, Benny was a bit more nonplussed, posting a blushing emoji that spoke volumes.
While Conway, Daringer, and Armani Caesar all have yet to react, seeing the Griselda top dog’s approving reaction could very well prompt a new, albeit unusual dance trend on TikTok, bringing a different type of hip-hop to prominence on the app. More versions began popping up in the comments, putting his movements to songs from Danny Brown, Sade, and more. So, if you’re looking for the new trend, that’s probably the one to really take off — editing incongruous songs over footage of ubiquitous dance routines.
Check out the full version of “Gods Don’t Bleed” below.
As new COVID-19 cases begin to trend down in many areas of the US, TDE rapper Isaiah Rashad hit fans with a sobering reminder that the virus hasn’t been completely eradicated yet. While the days of a new diagnosis cropping up seemingly every week appear to be behind us, Isaiah revealed on Twitter that he’s currently recovering from a case of COVID himself after receiving unrelated well-wishes from a fan. Responding to a now-deleted tweet from Isaiah, the fan hoped the rapper was doing well, prompting him to reply, “Gettin over this covid.”
Isaiah is one of a few artists to have contracted the virus, including Chicago singer Jeremih, South Los Angeles rapper 03 Greedo, Westside Gunn, Doja Cat, Ashanti, Scarface, and Fred The Godson, the latter of whom died after his diagnosis. Fortunately, the others have all recovered but not without complications ranging from canceled performances to residual physical effects.
Isaiah Rashad was reportedly working on his album, the follow-up to his 2016 standout The Sun’s Tirade, but said that he wouldn’t drop the album without a verse from Young Dolph. While there hasn’t been much word on that front, he did recently shoot a video with fellow Tennesee native Duke Deuce. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery.
Featuring appearances from Q-Tip and Young Thug, Cordae’s new four-song EP Just Until… gives fans a light listen as they await his full-length follow-up to 2019’s The Lost Boy. After teasing the project on social media Tuesday, he delivered as promised at midnight this morning, delivering the tape to the overjoyed reactions of fans on Twitter.
Within minutes, Cordae’s name was among the various trending topics as fans discussed the new project, with most of the attention lavished onto “Wassup,” the project’s collaboration with Young Thug. Over a rumbling beat produced by 18YOMAN, LEN 20, and Take a Daytrip, the two rappers employ a back-and-forth delivery which had fans comparing them to iconic duos like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Meanwhile, Cordae’s relationship with Naomi Osaka also takes center stage at multiple points throughout the project, as he references her tennis star status and even suggests she dropped out of a tournament to meet his grandmother.
On Tuesday, Cordae mentioned that the album — which he’s been working on since 2020, according to his interview with Lil Wayne last year — is nearly finished. Whether it’ll contain more material like these “throwaways” or his Roddy Ricch-featuring single “Gifted” remains to be seen. Listen to Just Until… below.
Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It’s obvious that Young Thug is the star of YSL Records’ new compilation Slime Language 2. Throughout the album’s 23 songs, Young Thug — and a squadron of high-profile guest stars — does the majority of the heavy lifting with his charisma and quick twists of wit.
That doesn’t mean that his artists get overshadowed by the star power present. Rather, the star power is Young Thug’s way of casting some halo effect on his expanded roster (four new rappers have joined since the group’s last Slime Language compilation in 2018).
A handful of them do rise to the occasion; YSL veteran Gunna, Lil Keed, and new addition Unfoonk (Thug’s own brother) acquit themselves admirably on the tracks where they’re left to their own devices.
On “Came Out,” Keed does his best to out-Thug Thug, bending and stretching his voice as much as he can, clearly inspired by his label boss’s own vocal contortions. Alongside Thug on “Real,” Unfoonk turns his sandpaper singing voice into a heart-tugging ballad.
And Gunna makes the most of his established chemistry with mega-star Drake on “Solid” and Young Thug on “Ski,” the album’s two most obvious standouts. “Ski” revisits the loopy energy of “Surf” from Thug’s 2019 album So Much Fun, while “Solid” is a murky excursion in the vein of Drake’s own cameo on Future’s 2020 hit “Life Is Good.”
Elsewhere, Slime Language 2 highlights Thug’s transparently generous efforts to put his people on as much as it does his skills as a talent scout. Sorry if that reads kind of negative, but the loyalty is on full display on lackadaisical cuts like “Slatty,” where Yak Gotti and Lil Duke — two of Thug’s longest-tenured signings — turn in forgettable verses to start the project.
The Lil Uzi Vert-featuring “Proud Of You,” another clear standout, also wears out its welcome by the time Young Kayo’s verse comes in, and Kayo does very little to save it. On “I Like” with Coi Leray, Karlae — Thug’s longtime girlfriend — swings between lightweight crooning and upbeat rapping but gets washed out by her guest star and undermined by generic rhymes (at one point, she quotes Muhammad Ali out of context, making me wince at the Citizen Kane of it all).
T-Shyne shows off multiple flows on “Warrior,” as well as some Young Thug-ish ad-libs, impressing by virtue of his flow’s polish, if not his bars (guest rapper Big Sean steals the show). Strick’s laid-back verse alongside Kid Cudi on “Moon Man” is a slow-burner, with a creeping, “grows on you” quality. These are two of the label’s vets, so it makes sense they have the most technical skill and experience, if not very much to say.
HiDoraah and Dolly White, Thug’s sisters, put forth dry efforts on their respective solo tracks, underscoring the gift and the curse of the YSL co-sign. Thug seems to be a great person, creating opportunities for his friends and families by leveraging his status as one of hip-hop’s biggest draws after years of uncertain footing and controversial reception.
It means a lot that he’d put his reputation — something he fought for and earned over the course of a decade of old-head snipes about his clothes, flow, and rumored sexuality — on the line for his folks. But we’ve likely heard the best from the label in projects like Wunna and Trapped On Cleveland 3 — there’s a reason Keed and Gunna have received the most commercial success to date.
By calling in so many famous friends for support, Thug does put his artists in a position to receive a lot of attention, but perhaps they’d have been better off keeping things more self-contained, giving YSL’s roster more space to showcase their standalone work. The contrast the guests unintentionally create between truly creative, self-sufficient artists and the still-developing talents of Thug’s musical mafia casts the latter in a less favorable light than they should want at the moment.
But there are bright spots and there’s always room for improvement, even among the less original members of the collective. And at least they can be assured they’ve got the support of their head honcho, which is a lot more than many, many rappers signed to other rappers can say — a blessing that may pan out as they work to forge their own paths beyond Young Thug’s footprints in the sand.
Slime Language 2 is out now Young Stoner Life Records / 300 Entertainment. Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
CJ’s new video “Hit Up” opens with something we’ve rarely seen in a rap video: A disclaimer pronouncing that all the illegal substances depicted are just props used for atmosphere. I’m not completely sure where I stand on rappers breaking kayfabe like this, but it sure got my attention. From there, CJ delivers the usual trappings of the many, many videos he’s dropped so far: The enormous crew shot, plenty of red bandanas, and a lot of fancy footwork as he raps over a spare but explosive drill beat.
It’ll certainly be familiar to anyone who’s seen CJ’s “Whoopty” video — or his explanation of it for Uproxx’s Behind The Video. It seems he’s fond of using his budget as efficiently as possible, so there are few bells or whistles — even his rider consists mainly of water bottles — but the shoot is dynamic enough to get his point across. For reference, check out the videos for his other Loyalty Over Royalty cuts, “Bop,” “Real One,” and “Set.”
Of course, he’s also shown a willingness to switch things up, as he did in his video for deluxe edition track “Lil Freak” with DreamDoll.
Watch CJ’s “Hit Up” video above.
CJ is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Cardi B often incorporates risqué elements into her music, videos, and performances, which rubs some observers the wrong way. Cardi seems to derive great enjoyment from that, though, like when she recently laughed off the 1,000-plus complaints the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received regarding her and Megan Thee Stallion’s 2021 Grammys performance. The performance also bothered at least one high-profile politician in the House Of Representatives.
While speaking on the House floor this morning, Republican Representative Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin cited Cardi’s performance while criticizing the FCC and partially blaming them for “the moral decline of America.” He said, “I received complaints in my office, and rightfully so, about Cardi B and the Grammys. They wonder why we are paying the FCC if they feel that this should be in living rooms across the nation. I realize that Kamala Harris has used her fame to promote this performer, but I assure the FCC that millions of Americans would view her performance as inconsistent with basic decency. Wake up, FCC, and begin to do your job! The moral decline of America is partly due to your utter complacency.”
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) is complaining about @iamcardib’s Grammys performance and “the moral decline of America” on the House floor this morning. pic.twitter.com/gvBuAZTcQF
This news is still fresh, so Cardi has yet to respond to it, but based on her past reactions to this sort of criticism, it seems unlikely she will lose any sleep over it.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Few can forget where they were when Beyoncé’s Lemonade dropped on Saturday, April 23, 2016. The double feature — part pseudo-surprise album, part star-studded visual project — found the notoriously private superstar letting fans in on details of her marriage to husband Jay-Z. Throughout the 45-minute, 12-track LP, listeners and viewers were taken on a journey of grief, anger, acceptance and reconciliation across the musical lens of R&B, pop, trap, rock, and country. (During the visual project, these emotions are verbalized by prose from Somali poet Warsan Shire and spoken by Beyoncé.) Through both mediums, we gain insight into Queen Bey’s experience with infidelity, and the overarching experiences of Black women in America, which includes feelings of unworthiness, frustration, and shame. However, Lemonade ultimately highlights Black women’s astounding resilience against all odds.
Given the shocking death of iconic artist Prince just days before its release, many credit Beyoncé for carrying the torch of the multitudinous musical behemoths who came before her, while praising the album as a sonic triumph. While no one could have predicted the pain that came with losing yet another legendary act, the welcome celebration of life, love, and damn good music provided by Bey’s sixth project truly turned our lemons into lemonade.
In the five years since its release, Lemonade spawned countless dissections, podcasts, and even college courses regarding its legacy and alignment with the Black feminist movement. And those infidelity claims Beyoncé makes during Lemonade? Jay-Z confirms them in his Grammy-nominated project, 4:44, released a year later. In 2017, Lemonade was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, controversially winning only two. Nevertheless, its impact continues to reign, and the Grammys eventually caught up to her greatness; in 2021, Beyoncé became the singer with the most Grammy wins in history (regardless of gender).
In honor of the album’s fifth anniversary tomorrow, we’re dropping five facts about the album and visuals that you may not have known prior. Take a look below at some tidbits, and give Lemonade a stream or two in honor of its monumental birthday.
The Well-Used Samples
As mentioned above, Beyoncé showcases her ability to traverse genre throughout Lemonade, and various musical influences can also be found within its samples. The bouncy, emotional ‘Hold Up’ samples pop star Andy Williams’ “Can’t Get Used to Losing You” from 1962. The Jack White-assisted “Don’t Hurt Yourself” borrows from Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks.” The shadowy, trap-tinged “6 Inch” is a nod to soul icon Isaac Hayes’ “Walk On By” and interpolates psych band Animal Collective’s “My Girls.” And most notably, Outkast’s “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” is used in “All Night.” This is the second time within Beyoncé’s discography that she’s used this particular sample — the first was 2014’s “Flawless Remix” featuring Nicki Minaj.
”Hold Up, they don’t love you like I love you,” Bey sings in the chorus of “Hold Up.” But did you know that this line in particular reworks a lyric from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ 2004 song “Maps”? (“Wait, they don’t love you like I love you,” Karen O says in the original song.) Even more interesting, the reworked Beyoncé lyric was originally a tweet written by Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig in 2011.
Koenig, who wrote “Hold Up” along with Bey, Diplo, Emile Haynie, Father John Misty, MNEK, and MeLo-X, was paraphrasing the lyric from “Maps” when he wrote the tweet, which randomly popped into his head while recording. “I figured it was going to be a Vampire Weekend song but was easily convinced that it could be better/go to a new place as a Beyoncé song,” Koenig tweeted in 2016 after the release of Lemonade. “Songs become tweets, tweets become songs – it’s the way of the world.”
Getting In Formation In Coachella
Swae Lee of the rap duo Rae Sremmurd is credited as one of the co-writers on Lemonade’s first single “Formation,” which dropped out of thin air in February 2016. According to an interview with the song’s producer Mike Will Made It, Swae Lee came up with the chorus of “Formation” on the way to Coachella in 2014.
“So we’re in the middle of the desert,” Mike Will told The New Yorker in 2016. “And we’re just coming up — we just freestyle, you know? — and Swae Lee said, ‘O.K., ladies, now let’s get in formation.’ And we put it on the VoiceNote. Swae Lee’s got so many voice notes that he doesn’t even record, but I’m like, ‘Dog, we got to do that “get in formation” shit.’ That could be a hard song for the ladies. Some woman-empowerment shit.” The producer sent five or six songs to Beyoncé’s camp, including “Formation,” and during a party months later, she told him she liked that particular song.
“I told her what I was thinking about the woman empowerment, and she was like, ‘Yeah I kinda like that idea.’ And she just left it like that,” he continues. “[She] took this one little idea we came up with on the way to Coachella, put it in a pot, stirred it up, and came with this smash. She takes ideas and puts them with her own ideas, and makes this masterpiece. She’s all about collaborating. That’s what makes her Beyoncé. Being able to know what she wants.”
Generational Recipes
At the end of the Lemonade visual, Beyoncé appropriately shares a recipe for homemade lemonade.
“Take one pint of water, add half pound of sugar, the juice of eight lemons, the zest of half lemon. Pour the water from one jug, then to the other several times. Strain through a clean napkin.”
She adds prose regarding how her “alchemist” grandmother “spun gold out of this hard life” and “found healing where it did not live,” which of course just sounds like beautiful poetry. But this is the real recipe for homemade lemonade from her grandmother, Agnéz Deréon, that’s been shared through her family across generations. In 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the recipe began to go viral on social media. According to Spoon University’s taste test, “The zest gives the lemonade flavor a uniquely tart taste, which is somehow also very sweet at the same time from the half pound of sugar.”
Grammy History, Because…Of Course
After the release of Lemonade, Beyoncé garnered nine Grammy Award nominations in 2017, including Album, Song, and Record Of The Year. According to an interview with The Recording Academy’s Head of Awards Bill Freimuth, Bey made history with these nominations as the first artist to ever be nominated across four distinct genres in one year. “Hold Up” was up for Best Pop Solo Performance, “Don’t Hurt Yourself” was nominated for Best Rock Performance, “Freedom” was recognized in the Best Rap/Sung Performance category, and Lemonade itself won Best Urban Contemporary Album.
“You’ve had other artists in the past, say Michael Jackson maybe, who have been nominated in that many different fields, but not in the same year and on the same album,” Freimuth said. “This is a first timer for us and personally I think it’s appropriate and pretty cool.”
According to the Associated Press, Beyoncé submitted her country track “Daddy Lessons” for consideration in a country music category. However, the song was reportedly rejected by The Academy’s country music committee. In the same interview with Freimuth, he says he was unsure if “Daddy Lessons” was considered for a country music Grammy, “But if it had, evidently the committee said it didn’t belong there.” Nevertheless, country artists like Blake Shelton and Dierks Bentley praised the song against detractors, and an official remix of the song with The Chicks was performed at the 2016 CMAs.
The Treefort 9 Lineup has been resurrected with some familiar faces and rad additions!! Dive in and get yr tix at https://t.co/gzFZoV0yFb
September 22-26, 2021 | Downtown Boise, ID pic.twitter.com/yueuGxxt9l
(@PATTY_HONCHO) 
(@WordsFromBlerds) 
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