After pump-faking on its initial release date of August 2020, Young Thug finally released Slime Language 2, the sequel to the compilation album he and his YSL record label released back in 2018. Less than 24 hours after the project’s arrival, he dropped the music video for “Ski,” his collaboration with Gunna. It finds the two rappers throwing a lavish pool party filled with plenty of women and lots of energy.
The video sports appearances from Swae Lee, Nav, Seattle Seahawks’ wide-receiver DK Metcalf, and fellow YSL members T-Shyne, Strick and Lil Duke. A number of TikTok stars can also be found, like the Corvette dance creator Dorien B. Scott and the Up dance creators Mya Nicole Johnson and Christopher Zion Cotter.
Slime Language 2 presents 23 tracks in a star-studded affair, including contributions from Drake, Travis Scott, Big Sean, Meek Mill, Rowdy Rebel, Coi Leray, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Future, and more. The compilation album also arrived on the six-year anniversary of Thug’s Barter 6 mixtape, which helped push the Atlanta rapper into the spotlight.
You can watch the “Ski” video above.
Slime Language 2 is out now via YSL Records/300 Entertainment. Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Brooklyn drill star Fivio Foreign has been quiet to start the year, but today he broke his silence with the video for “Self Made.” Over a video game-y loop with monstrous bass, Fivio details his accomplishments and stills his haters, challenging them to “make another one” and sneering “I hope a lot of n****s get sanctioned.” The simple video follows Fivio as he parties and records flanked by women and goons.
Before taking a break in Q1, Fivio dominated much of 2020, garnering a spot on the XXL Freshman cover and popping up as a coveted guest feature with all sorts of collaborators — mainly New Yorkers. He assisted Lil Tjay in 2020 on “Zoo York” with the late Pop Smoke — a feat he followed up this year on Tjay’s “Headshot” featuring Polo G — then lent his co-sign to Young M.A and DreamDoll on “Move Like A Boss” and “Ah Ah Ah,” respectively. He stepped outside the confines of the Big Apple to work with Polo G on “Bop It,” helping to form the foundation of their chemistry on “Headshot” later on.
Fivio also worked with more Midwestern artists throughout the year, including Big Sean on Hit-Boy’s “Salute” and King Von on “Trust.” Now that he’s cracked the seal on 2021, we can likely expect him to provide updates on his upcoming debut album B.I.B.L.E (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) any day now.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Exactly a year and two days ago, Kenny Mason arrived on the music scene as part fiery lyricist, part rock star, and part rookie of the year contender. This all came with the release of his debut project, Angelic Hoodrat, which arrived in the midst of worldwide chaos and confusion as the coronavirus pandemic began its second month of existence in the United States. Despite this and a slight moment of reconsideration, the Atlanta native dropped the album in what proved to be a well-executed move.
The title that is Angelic Hoodrat carries a duality that is hard to miss in Mason’s music. His ability to move effortlessly between songs that are influenced by today’s hip-hop to that of which carry a heavy rock influence are just half of the recipe. This duality is also formed from Mason making the best of both worlds, one that represents the struggle that once was and another that is the current success he indulges in. For the rapper himself, this was all intentional and he’s happy to see that fans have continued to receive the project
“I think it translated almost exactly like how I wanted it to,” he said during a call with Uproxx. “People that like my stuff, they get it, they understand the duality of the title and within the music too and I’m really happy about that.” That duality gets to live again through a new edition of his debut project, Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut. The 12-track effort sees appearances from the likes of Freddie Gibbs, Denzel Curry, and more. Along with its arrival, Mason sat down with Uproxx for a conversation surrounding the project, standing out on the Atlanta rap scene, and what success means to him.
You just hit the one-year anniversary mark of Angelic Hoodrat. How has the last year been like for you?
Overall it’s been exciting. I know it’s a pandemic and that messed up a lot of plans that we had, but it also was cool, because I got to make more music. I may have not even had a Supercut if I didn’t just have time to sit down and make it. I be trying to find the good in everything and I feel like it was still some good that came out of having to be home. I’m blessed too, it was people that ain’t have jobs or lost their jobs and all type of crazy sh*t. I’m blessed, I ain’t got nothing to complain about and I’m really happy that we made some cool stuff during that time.
I love the Angelic Hoodrat title and how it’s an oxymoron that you relate to yourself. Why’d you pick that specific title and what meaning does it hold for you in your life?
Well, the title came from a bar I had in a song that’s not coming out. I thought it was just something cool to say, because I always liked stuff with a general religious tone, not heavenly or not specific, but just an aura of feeling angelic or ethereal, stuff like that. I’m also Zone 3, it just goes hand-in-hand, but it really did grow because that was like 3-4 years ago when I say that line and then my homeboy was like, “That should be the title of a song or a project.” So I always kept in mind and then the meaning just grew like “Yo, I’m really got a duality to myself.” I’m discovering that more and I’m discovering it more sonically too in my music and conceptually, so it grew into his own thing.
What is the key music-related moment or moments that took place in your life that’s also foundational towards the artist you are today?
I think like the area I grew up in, my sort of love-hate, ultimately love, relationship with my environments, the environments that I was in. I understand certain things that happened to me that seemed bad or just moments of adversity helped me grow and prepare me for life in general because life ain’t easy for nobody. I don’t think life gets easier, I think you just learn how to deal with it better. I have to be grateful for things that I’ve learned, but I also know why these areas are the way they are, historically too, and I know, psychologically, why people do things they do, or act the way they act, or make the decisions they make. I struggle with my sort of resentment with being a product of that and feeling like I didn’t have a choice, but also I feel extremely liberated because I know my destiny is up to me. Depending on my attitude or how I look at certain situations, I can grow from it and that’s real liberating, too.
You come from a city that thrives in the realm of trap rap (Young Thug, Future, Young Nudy, Gunna, etc.) and more traditional rappers (Deante Hitchcock, JID, etc.), but you stick out in this scene and your album is proof of that. How have you been able to find comfort in this space?
I think it might be, as far as what I’m into, it may be a generational thing of kids that grew up on the internet or having the access to explore stuff that I like outside of what’s going on in my neighborhood. I grew up in Westside Atlanta and in my teenage years, I came up in Zone 3, folks like [Young] Thug, they’re from Zone 3, but also, I was on YouTube listening to Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, and My Chemical Romance. I was listening to stuff that I can’t go outside and hear, but I’m on the internet and I can explore it as deep as I want to know. I’ve always been that way when I like something, I indulge in it all the way. I try to find every bit of it and anything close to it, I try to explore all that. It’s the most like that when it comes to music and different types of sounds and sonics. I’ll find an artist and then I’ll find every artist that had anything to do with that artist. That’s combined with me just being in the city and stuff that’s already right there.
So you really just found the best of both worlds.
Yeah, and it happened naturally. Even now, I’m not trying to make grunge music or whatever, I like the way that this sounds, the beat is going this way, and I got these words to say over it and then it comes out that way. I’m blessed enough to have the patience to make it cohesive. I gotta know myself to be able to make it make sense.
What are some attributes and messages for yourself that you require to be present in the music you create?
That sh*t just gotta hit bro, that sh*t just gotta hit me. It gotta be very honest and it is a little bit of premeditation as far as the overall outline conceptually, but I don’t put too much pressure on trying to make it a storyline per se or a narrative. I don’t want to force the listener into a narrative, I want everybody to have their own narrative to it cause that’s what great art is to me, or so I’ve been told. That’ll get better too, I’ll have more of an understanding on that as I go too. It just gotta connect bro, the connection comes in different forms, it may come in really intricate lyricist rapping and it may come in like me screaming over some metal sh*t. It may come with me singing over acoustic guitars, like whatever way it comes, as long as it connects and it’s honest, I’m gonna rock with it.
How do you define success and does failure or the possibility of it worry you?
I don’t really believe in failure. I just think that people just stop, that’s all. You know? I guess you only fail when you die without doing what you wanted to do. Even that, you gon’ want to do a lot of things and you probably won’t do everything. I think it’s knowing that you tried, knowing that you gave your all, that’s success. Personally, I want to make a real connection with my art to as many people as possible. When I say I want to be like the number one artist in the world, that’s what I mean. I want to connect to as many people as possible with my art and the true intention of my art and make things that last here beyond me. When I’m gone, the things that I created are still inspiring people way after. I would like to make some stuff that in 1000 years, kids are still interested in — in the most humble way possible. That’s something to keep in mind when I hit this mic, I want to live forever through it.
Who do you credit to helping you stay on the path you’re on now?
It’s a community of people, everybody in their own way keeps me motivated. Even people that get mad at me and sh*t, that keeps me motivated too like, okay, I gotta prove them wrong timesheet. My homeboy Detail, who’s also my manager, he always gives me really good advice. He always refers me to sources that he gets advice from or things that keep him in a good mindset. My mama, telling me she’s proud of me, that means a whole lot, probably more than she knows, that’ll light up my day. My partners, cause a lot of stuff I talk about my music, they went through it with me and imma always know my perspective, but it’s interesting hearing their perspective on stuff that we went through, but also their perspective or revisiting through my music. It’s a cycle of life, it’s like a hyper experience. We become more self-aware the more that we do that and that’s inspiring. I get to have a shared experience and it’ll deepen what I learned from it.
For the past few years now, there’s been an increased rock presence in the hip-hop scene, whether it be on the light side or the heavy metal end. How do you feel about some of your influences and others having a spot in hip-hop?
I think that sh*t hard. It inspires me too cause I think I’ve focused more so on the sonics of stuff like the actual sounds and tones. Some people like more so the look or the vibe or the swag. I wouldn’t say I got like a rock star swag, that aint’ really my swag, but I love the sounds and textures of that music and I think that the sonics is what I’m most interested in. But rap music has always been the most diverse genre and it never really got its credit because of whatever. I think that it’s always been influenced by other genres, I always think it’s been a culmination of the other genres. It’s the youngest genre so it’s the little brother to everything. I think that it being recognized is something that is gonna progress rap to be whatever it want to be. These artists that are running rap, they’re gonna be whatever they want to be and I think that’s great.
So with Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut, I see you have a feature from Freddie Gibbs. How did that come about?
Well the thing about it is, I put the song out, it was on YouTube, it wasn’t on other streaming services. I just put it out because I thought it was a cool freestyle, just a vibe type sh*t. Then, my folks was like “Freddie Gibbs hopped on that sh*t,” and I was like oh what the f*ck?. He’s one of my favorite rappers of this time and just period, like buddy’s fire as f*ck lyrically and mood-wise, you already know I love that sh*t. So it was like, damn, this man got on this sh*t and he didn’t have to. I’m a new artist bro, he didn’t have to do that, but he did, so I got unlimited respect for him and I’m dumb excited about it. But yeah, he just hopped on one of mine sh*ts and I was just like, bro, we gon’ but this sh*t on the project.
You’re someone that comes off as very grounded, not too extra or one that will wild out. What excites Kenny Mason? What gets him out of that shell even if it’s for 5 or 10 minutes?
I be rowdy bro, like not rowdy, but I be turning up. It’s just that if I’m talking to somebody or trying to answer the questions, I really want to just think about what I say because a lot of people gon’ hear this and I want to make sure that whatever I intend to say, I say. I be walking around the house talking sh*t. Probably at the shows, I think people really see I be turning up for real. Like on Instagram, I’ve watched people take selfies or be on Live or just be in their phone and it’s real natural and just easy as cake to them, but I be thinking too much about that sh*t, I don’t be knowing if the sh*t look right. I think it’s cool because everybody that follows me, pretty much just follows me for music, which I like. I like that don’t nobody follow me for no extra sh*t because then I would have to keep doing extra sh*t.
What do you look forward to the most next? What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned with your debut that you’ll apply to chapter 2 of your artistry?
Number one is shows, I’m really just trying to be really optimistic about when we’ll be able to do it and for how long I’ll be able to do them. I really would like to be on some kind of tour for a long time and letting people experience the project live because going into Angelic, that’s how I envisioned it. I figured people would like it but I think people will have a deeper level of love for it if they experience it live. I’m looking and I’m also looking forward to dropping more music. After Supercut, I’m still gonna be dropping music, imma just keep dropping, but it’ll be a minute before the next project. I want to just still put out music to build up for them. I think, as far as learning, I definitely learned the run of being an artist and putting out a project, I wasn’t familiar with that. Even these interview parts, these are all still new. I know going into the next one how to premeditated more on everything because with Angelic Hoodrat, I’m really glad people love it and connect with it. People tell me every day that it’s changing their life and I love that, that’s my true intention, but it really was an experiment for me. It really was me trying stuff and I know my next project will be way more intentional, premeditated, and planned. I look forward to that being shown.
Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut is out now via RCA Records. Get it here.
Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey have reunited in the new video for “Where I Belong,” which picks up where their 2002 video for “I Know What You Want” left off. You may remember how that video ended on a cliffhanger, with an SUV full of masked men rushing Busta’s mansion to the blaring sounds of his It Ain’t Safe No More… album cut “Call The Ambulance.”
“Where I Belong” taps into a similar aesthetic, even replaying the scene as Busta monologues, “The past chases you until it catches you.” The narrative picks up “18 years later” with a cameo from Trippie Redd, who calls up Busta and tells him that he’s found the missing Tae (LaShontae Heckard) and sets off another action-packed clip in which the veteran rapper picks up his old partner Michael Jai White for an assault on a pair of samurai in their pursuit of the missing paramour.
However, as the two would-be saviors learn, things aren’t always as they seem. As the video plays out, Busta and Mariah’s performance sequences cut in to remind viewers of the two stars’ indelible chemistry. The video, which was originally posted to Facebook Watch, has finally found its way to YouTube, prompting a fresh wave of interest.
“Where I Belong” is the latest single from Busta’s recently released Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God, itself a nod to his radio-dominating heyday. Even more nostalgia ensues on prior videos “Outta My Mind” with Bell Biv Devoe, and the Mad magazine-referencing video for “Yuuuu” with Anderson .Paak.
If you were ever wondering how to make an album, Atlanta rising star JID recently shared his version of an instruction manual, posting a photo dump of behind-the-scenes glimpses of the recording sessions for his upcoming album, The Forever Story. “This is how u make an album,” he wrote in the slideshow’s caption. The slideshow itself captures plenty of in-studio shots and shenanigans with collaborators like fellow Spillage Village member 6lack, Compton rapper Buddy, Florida rebel Denzel Curry, DMV area genre-bender Rico Nasty, and St. Louis space poet Smino.
Meanwhile, in his efforts to tide fans over until the new album is completed, JID has been releasing freestyles like “Cludder Freestyle” and “JIDtranada Freestyle“; remixes like the Denzel Curry collaboration “Bruuuh,” the updated Spillage Village track “Baptized” with Deante’ Hitchcock, IDK, and Flatbush Zombies, and the explosive Conway The Machine track “Scatter Brain” with Ludacris; and his own standalone single, “Skegee,” which sheds light on a dark corner of American history.
The Forever Story, whose title references JID’s debut album The Never Story, will be the dynamic rapper’s first full-length solo release since 2018’s DiCaprio 2. In the meantime, however, he could be found giving standout performances on group efforts like 2019’s Dreamville compilation Revenge Of The Dreamers III and 2020’s Spillage Village excursion, Spilligion.
Check out JID’s behind-the-scenes slideshow above.
There are so many elements about the headline above that make me so happy, but the details behind it (courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter) make me even happier. There is the fact that Netflix has a vampire hunter action thriller coming out called Day Shift, where the main character’s cover is that of a pool cleaner. There is the fact that the pool cleaner is played by Jamie Foxx in full “girl dad” mode. I was already all the way in, but then they went ahead and added Snoop Dogg to it. Give it to me now. Right now.
The film’s the directorial debut for J.J. Perry, a seasoned second-unit director on films like John Wick (yes), The Fate Of The Furious (yes), and Bloodshot (oh no), so we can be reasonably well-assured that the action scenes will be on-point — and really, isn’t that all you want from a Jamie Foxx vampire hunter/pool cleaner flick? The script, written by Tyler Tice, was discovered at a screenplay competition, so it can’t be all bad, and the cast, which includes Dave Franco, Eric Lange, Karla Souza, Meagan Good, and Zion Broadnax, among others, seems strong enough to support the admittedly kinda silly concept.
There are a lot of ways this could go wrong, but I’m choosing to remain positive because if nothing else, there is the possibility of watching Snoop Dogg react to a vampire attack to look forward to, and “Snoop Dogg reacting to things” is a genre with a wealth of fun moments — especially if the things turn out to be supernatural and unusual. Also, Jamie Foxx’s last Netflix action flick Project Power (in which he was again in full “girl dad” mode) was really enjoyable, as is his current ’90s-style sitcom on the platform, Dad Stop Embarrassing Me (do you see the theme developing?).
There’s nothing on when Day Shift will hit streaming, but turnaround on Netflix films is usually pretty quick so expect to see this one out at a theme appropriate time — say, Halloween.
Lil Nas X faced some criticism recently after a video of his mother begging for money surfaced. The rapper has yet to publicly address the video, but now his father has come to his defense.
In an Instagram post, Nas’ father, Robert Stafford, wrote that the rapper does provide for his parents and that when it comes to his mother’s struggles, a lack of support from Nas isn’t part of the problem. He wrote, “Despite what people say @lilnasx is the greatest kid a parent can be BLESSED with. Although his mom is in a struggle with an addiction she’s STILL a QUEEN and he goes through great lengths to make sure we’re taking care of. Those who have family members and friends dealing with addiction understands that there ain’t enough money you can throw at this situation to make it right. I dont usually address personal issues publicly but felt like this need to be. Please join us in keeping her in your PRAYERS. And to those out there trying to create a false story you wont prosper. #controlthenarrative”
In an early 2020 interview, Nas said of his mother, “I never really talk about my mom. She’s an addict so we don’t have the closest relationship. Even trying to get her better — things didn’t quite work out. But there’s still love. The biggest surprise of becoming globally famous? On the outside, everybody loves you — but on the inside, everything [feels] the same.”
Despite being two of today’s most popular artists in the hip-hop world, collaborations between Young Thug and Drake have come far and few over the years. Prior to today, their list of songs together stood at just three official songs, which the most recent being “D4L” from Drake’s 2020 project, Dark Lane Demo Tapes. Thankfully for fans of both artists, Drake and Young Thug have provided a new track to that list with help from Gunna thanks to “Solid.”
The track is a chilled-out, melodic effort that kicks off with Drake discussing his vacation preferences and his questionable interactions with a woman in his life. Gunna then arrives takes the torch to express his own romantic qualms, which prove to fall in line with Drake’s, before a seamless transition occurs and Young Thug steps forward to take the mic and close out the song.
Slime Language 2 arrives after months of anticipation and patience from fans. The 23-track effort is a star-studded affair with contributions from Travis Scott, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Keed, Rowdy Rebel, Nav, Future, Kid Cudi, Meek Mill, and many more. Young Thug originally initially said the project would arrive in August 2020, but he quickly changed his mind and took back the initial release date.
Listen to “Solid” in the video above.
Slime Language 2 is out now via 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.
For the past few summers, Saweetie has provided a song for the soundtrack that lives during the year’s warmest months. From “Icy Grl,” “My Type,” and “Tap In,” the Bay Area rapper consistently provides bangers for her fans to turn up to. Hoping to keep up that streak, Saweetie returns with Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1, a collection of songs teasing her debut album due this year.
The seven-track effort is led by “Risky” featuring Drakeo The Ruler — a song she previewed for fans a few weeks ago — and its accompanying video. The bright and colorful visual captures the warm and high-spirited aspects of summer as Saweetie and her girls turn up to the bouncy track. Drakeo The Ruler joins the fun with a straightforward verse that flexes his rap status and lays down the law for any of his opponents who may be listening.
Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1 also presents contributions from Bbyafricka, Kendra Jae, Los, and Lourdiz as fans await Saweetie’s long-awaited debut album, Pretty B*tch Music. The effort also arrives after Saweetie teamed up with Gwen Stefani for “Slow Cap (Remix).”
You can watch the “Risky” video above.
Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1 is out now via Warner Records. Get it here.
Saweetie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Just a week ago, the world was hit with the sad news that hip-hop legend DMXpassed away at the age of 50. His death arrived a week after he was hospitalized by a reported overdose, which led to a heart attack that left him in a coma. The news came as the rapper prepared to return with his first album in more than eight years. While fans wait to see if and when they’ll receive that project, they can enjoy a new verse from the rapper through guest feature alongside Swizz Beatz and French Montana.
The three artists join forces for “Been To War,” a rambunctious effort that sees all parties expressing the lack of fear they each possess as they’ve each seen the worse that life has to offer. Swizz Beatz leads the way with a raucous hook that serves as the perfect opener for DMX to arrive and lay a sinister verse. Then, French Montana comes through to close things out on the track. The song was released as a part of the soundtrack to the new season of Epix’s Godfather Of Harlem series.
“Been To War” arrives after DMX’s music streams jumped by almost 1,000% since his death. The rapper’s passing also saw his autobiography return to the bestsellers list.
You can listen to the new song in the video above.
