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FKA Twigs Fans Think Lil Nas X Ripped Her Off With His New ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ Video

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Last night, after months of Hype, Lil Nas X finally released his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video. Ahead of the premiere, he excitedly tweeted, “bro i wrote this song myself, co-directed the video, and had to step way out of my comfort zone for this moment to take place tonight! i hope you guys love it! F*CKK I CANT WAIT!!!” He later added, “can’t wait for you to see the video tonight! ITS AN EXPERIENCE!”

For some music fans, though, it was an experience they felt like they had seen before. Following the video’s debut, FKA Twigs became a trending topic on Twitter as people started point out perceived similarities between Nas’ new video and Twigs’ 2019 visual for “Cellophane.”

Twigs famously learned how to pole dance for her video and does so in mystical-looking environments, which is not unlike what Nas does in his clip. Some shared screenshots of frames from both videos that are strikingly similar. One user pointed out that Nas’s “Old Town Road” video won a Grammy over Twigs, which they felt added another layer of insult to Nas’ alleged plagiarism.

Check out some other reactions to Nas’ new “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video below.

Lil Nas X Journeys Through Earth And Hell In His ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ Video

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Lil Nas X has just brought his fans one step closer to the release of currently untitled debut album. While it’s unknown how many steps remain until the projects arrives, fans can numb the wait by indulging in Lil Nas’ new song and video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” The track is one that the singer has spent nearly nine months promoting on social media. Originally teased as “Call Me By Your Name,” it appeared in numerous TikTok videos that Lil Nas has shared including one that mocked Tekashi 69 for making a tasteless gay joke against him. Paired with a matching music video, Lil Nas brings viewers to his fictional “Montero” world where he gets captured by foreign creatures. He later pole dances down to a fiery pit of hell to take over a throne that awaits him.

While the wait for his upcoming album has certainly been a lengthy one, considering that his record-smashing breakout single, “Old Town Road” was released at the end of 2018, Lil Nas began the year by sharing when his supporters could expect his debut project. In a tweet that came in response to a frustrated fan, he revealed that the project would arrive at some point in the middle of the year. This announcement came after he confirmed the album was complete and even shared a portion of its tracklist which included unreleased songs like “One Of Me,” “Don’t Want It,” and “Titanic.”

Watch the “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video above.

Kenny Mason Delivers A Courteous Warning About His Home On The Rock-Leaning ‘Play Ball’ Single

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Kenny Mason is undoubtedly one of the more impressive rappers to find their footing in the genre over the past year. The Atlanta native gained increased attention as a result of his attention-grabbing Angelic Hoodrat album. The project captured his impressive lyricism and versatility as an up and coming act, but if you missed out on the project, Mason is giving you another chance to get onboard with the upcoming release of his Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut deluxe album. However, before that arrives, the rapper returns with his latest single, “Play Ball.” Mason takes a big step into the rock lane on the new track as he lays some vocals over the electric guitar-heavy production.

The new track is the third single Mason as released since dropping Angelic Hoodrat last year. It joins “Pups” and “Partments” as songs that will be housed on the upcoming Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut deluxe which arrives on April 16. Complex revealed that the project also boasts features from Freddie Gibbs, Ambar Lucid, and Angel White. Outside of his Angelic Hoodrat album, Mason also found himself besides JID and IDK on DJ Scheme’s “Cereal” track.

Listen to “Play Ball” in the video above.

Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut is out 4/16.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Justin Bieber’s ‘There She Go’ Collab With Lil Uzi Vert Highlights The Deluxe Reissue Of ‘Justice’

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After making fans wait more than four years for a new album, Justin Bieber has delivered two full-length efforts in just thirteen months. It began with last February Changes which was followed up by this month’s Justice. While the singer has given fans more than enough music to indulge in for the time being, he isn’t quite done in the release department. Bieber updated Justice with six new songs for the album’s Triple Chucks Deluxe reissue. One of the new additions is “There She Go” with Lil Uzi Vert, a track that Bieber described as record that will “probably be huge on TikTok because it kind of has that feel to it,” in an interview with Vogue.

The deluxe album comes after Bieber made his long-awaited “Red Eye” single available for purchase online. The updated project also finds guest appearances from DaBaby, Quavo, Jaden, and Tori Kelly. Fans had been waiting for an official version of the track since its debut in the singer’s Seasons documentary. He also took over an eerie forest for a performance of “Hold On” which came after he reportedly visited a Los Angeles prison with his pastor to preach about Christianity.

During a recent appearance on DJ Khaled’s The First One podcast, Bieber spoke about the meaning behind his Justice album. “This album is meant to encourage people,” he said. “In the mission statement for the album I talked about how music is such a great way to connect people and bring them together, remind them they are not alone provide that safe space, comforting music to move and groove.” On the show, he also revealed Drake as one of the artists in his list of top five rappers.

You can listen to “There She Go” here.

Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) is out now via Def Jam. Get it here.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Nipsey Hussle’s Estate Settles Their Lawsuit Against The Crips Over ‘The Marathon Continues’ Trademark

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Nearly two years after the battle began, the lawsuit between the estate for the late Nipsey Hussle and The Crips over “The Marathon Continues” trademark has finally come to an end. According to a report from TMZ, the rapper’s brother Samuel “Blacc Sam” Asghedom informed a Los Angeles County court that a settlement was reached between the two parties. Documents obtained by TMZ reveal that while Nipsey’s estate and The Crips are still working on the final details of the lawsuit, the formal terms of the agreement will be submitted in the near future.

The issue began in May 2019 when Blacc Sam filed a request for “The Marathon Continues” trademark, only to find out that The Crips filed one almost two weeks before his attempt. Sam intended to use the slogan for a number of endeavors including “charitable activities, the doing of good deeds for others and the promotion of ethical and character values.”

More than a year later, Hussle’s estate would file a lawsuit against the corporate section of the gang over the trademark. Through it they sought compensation for damages and an order for The Crips to destroy and remove any merchandise that was made with the trademark.

Nipsey Hussle is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Big Sean Shares A ‘Lucky Me/Still I Rise’ Live Performance To Celebrate His Birthday

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Today, Big Sean celebrates his 33rd birthday — one that he almost didn’t get to see. To commemorate the occasion, he’s shared a video of a special live performance of his Detroit 2 tracks “Lucky Me” and “Still I Rise,” highlighting just how fortunate he feels to hit his Scottie Pippen year.

Prior to his last album’s release, Sean was very open about sharing his struggles with mental health, admitting that he’d contemplated suicide as a result of depression and anxiety. Meanwhile, on “Lucky Me,” he raps about the heart condition he experienced as a teen that nearly killed him. Although doctors suggested putting in a pacemaker to keep things moving along, his mother’s insistence on trying alternative medicine led to an unconventional cure.

Sean recently repaid his mom for going above and beyond for him by introducing her to Seán Schemmel, the voice actor who portrays the Dragon Ball Z hero Goku. The two Seans spent some time hanging out, with Schemmel posting pics from Big Sean’s in-house studio and explaining that kids like the younger Sean were the inspiration behind his performance.

Incidentally, it was on his 32nd birthday last year that Sean announced the impending release of Detroit 2, the follow-up to his fan-favorite 2012 mixtape that featured breakout songs like “Mula” and “24 Karats Of Gold” with J. Cole. Two weeks ago, he announced that the tape would finally make its way to DSPs, mixed and mastered. Here’s hoping all the samples were cleared as well.

Watch Big Sean’s live performance of “Lucky Me” and “Still I Rise” above.

JID Kicks Off A Random Acts Of Kindness Campaign By Giving A Fan A Car

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Coming off the successful release of Spillage Village’s Spilligion and working on his follow-up to 2018’s DiCaprio 2, Atlanta rapper JID took time out to help a local fan who was going through some recent hardships and put out a call for more members of the community to assist.

Rosalee Thomas lost her job and health insurance during the pandemic but then, to make matters worse, her car was also totaled. JID partnered with Seattle-based pizza chain MOD Pizza to drop off a new car to Thomas as the opening act of their “Random Acts of MODness” campaign. After the video of the gift went live, JID himself went on Twitter to offer “three wishes” to more fans in need.

One responder was a first-generation student who needed help paying for school, while another was an ICU nurse at the VA hospital in Temple, Texas. Finally, JID selected a second-grade teacher to receive school supplies and library books for her students. In a press release promoting the campaign, JID explained, “It’s been a tough year and we know folks are struggling. So, I’m excited to partner with MOD to spread some love in our local communities.”

In addition to recording his long-awaited third album, JID also released a handful of new songs and freestyles this year, including “Cludder Freestyle,” “JIDtranada Freestyle,” and “Skegee.”

Kamiyada+ Gets Futuristic With His ‘Blade Runner’ Performance For ‘Uproxx Sessions’

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For all its reputation as a cult classic vision of a dystopian potential future (one you could arguably say we’re already living in, minus the flying cars), the film Blade Runner is actually pretty slow, with a deliberate, drawn-out pace that belies the excitement with which its biggest fans talk about it.

However, “Blade Runner,” the song performed by boundary-pushing Washington DC rapper Kamiyada+ in his UPROXX Sessions debut, is nothing of the sort. Despite a glitchy sample loop meant to sound like the electronic, synth-riddled soundtrack of the film and a cyberpunk-styled fashion sense, Kamiyada’s track is anything but slow. Instead, it’s a propulsive, aggressive song, highlighted by his gritty, yell-rap delivery and antisocial subject matter.

Kamiyada is just four months removed from his last full-length release, December’s DEATHTRAP+++2, the sequel to his 2018 original. Between the two releases, he also dropped two EPs, Live From Space, Vol. 2 in 2018, and A Traumatic Experience in 2019. Although he hasn’t announced a new project for this year, he did release the video for his latest single, “U Made The Devil Cry,” yesterday.

Watch Kamiyada’s aggressive performance of “Blade Runner” above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Fousheé’s Breakout Hit ‘Deep End’ Just Made History For Black Women On The Alternative Charts

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Matt Cowen

Rising R&B artist Fousheé had herself a breakout hit last summer when “Deep End” gained traction on TikTok, and since then, the single has been making its way up the Billboard charts. Now, the recent RCA Records signee’s breakout hit has put her in the history books.

On the latest Billboard Alternative Airplay chart (dated March 27), “Deep End” has achieved a new peak at No. 10 in its sixteenth week on the chart. The top 10 spots of that particular chart aren’t often occupied by Black women: As Fousheé notes in a video shared yesterday, this is the first time a song by a Black female artist has been in the top 10 of the Alternative Airplay chart in 32 years. The last time it happened was when Tracy Chapman’s “Crossroads” was top-10 in 1989.

Fousheé wrote alongside the video, “HISTORY WAS MADE! thank u from the bottom of my [heart].”

Fousheé previously explained the song’s origins, writing on Twitter, “I wrote Deep End when protests were just beginning. Minnesota was up in flames. When i picked the pen up that’s all I could think about. that’s how the earlier version of the song came about. […] I ended up writing a new version because I wanted the song to feel like victory instead of defeat & people were tired of being sad.”

Watch the “Deep End” video below.

Freddie Gibbs Is Set To Make His Film Debut In ‘Down With The King’

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Freddie Gibbs has become a borderline rap superstar by sheer force of will, longevity, and his charismatic personality. The latter is mostly displayed through his irreverent social media presence, but soon fans will be able to see it on the big screen. Complex reports that the Gary, Indiana supreme rhyme technician has just wrapped principal photography on his feature film debut, the independently-produced Down With The King.

According to Complex, the film follows Gibbs’ Mercury Maxwell, a rapper who wants to leave hip-hop behind to become… a farmer. After being sent to the rural Berkshires of Massachusetts, Mercury decides to drop his Money Merc persona and announces his retirement. However, his manager isn’t ready to let his client walk away so easily. While those ingredients have all the hallmarks of a comedy — and Gibbs’ certainly has the chops for one — Complex reports the film’s a drama.

Produced by Breaker Studios, written and directed by Diego Ongaro, and co-starring Bob Tarasuk, David Krumholtz, Jamie Neumann, and Sharon Washington, Complex notes that Down With The King will appear at festivals later this year, where the creators hope to pick up a distributor. Gibbs, who wrote and performed original music for the film, “worked intimately together” with Ongaro “to craft Mercury’s character and backstory” according to the director, who wanted to combine two of his seemingly opposing passions.

“Many films that feature the hip-hop community tell underdog ‘success stories,’ whereas Down with the King does the contrary,” he says. “Mercury is at the top of the hip-hop world but desperately seeks a simpler life… It was an absolute thrill working with someone as sharp and multi-talented as Freddie in this collaborative way.”

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.