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The Weeknd Hints At Even More To Come In The ‘After Hours’ Era

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It’s been a tremendously long album cycle for The Weeknd’s After Hours. The album’s journey began when “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights” were released as singles in late November 2019, and after performing at this year’s Super Bowl, it appears The Weeknd isn’t done with After Hours just yet.

Over the weekend, The Weeknd took to Twitter to declare that he is getting in on the NFT craze with a release of his own, tweeting, “new song living in NFT space. coming soon.” Hours later, he suggested that there’s more to come in regards to After Hours, tweeting, “p.s. this chapter isn’t quite done yet …” He then added, “still tying some loose ends.”

That said, if The Weeknd was done pushing After Hours now, he will have left behind a prosperous era of which he can be proud. “Blinding Lights,” “Save Your Tears,” and “Heartless” achieved respective Billboard Hot 100 chart peaks of Nos. 1, 2, and 3, while “In Your Eyes” managed to top out at No. 13. “Blinding Lights” was the best-selling song of 2020 and it recently became the first song to ever spend a full year in the top 10 of the Hot 100; On the current chart, it sits at No. 6.

Revisit our review of After Hours here.

Nike Denied They Had Any Involvement In Lil Nas X’s Blood-Sporting ‘Satan Shoes’

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Lil Nas X has had a big weekend. First he dropped his new single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” alongside a barn-burning video, which climaxes with him seducing Satan before snapping his neck and taking his horns. But there was more: He was teaming with the viral company MSCHF to create a line of Nike Air Max 97s that have been dubbed “Satan Shoes” — not only due to their crimson design but because, well, they also contain a drop of blood in them. The shoes have drawn a mixed response. One of the naysayers? Nike itself.

As per The New York Times, the shoe giant put out a statement distancing themselves from the shoe and from the young rapper himself. “We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF,” the statement read. “Nike did not design or release these shoes, and we do not endorse them.”

Though the Consumer Product Safety Commission has yet to weigh in on the line’s legal issues, MSCHF appears to be rolling full steam ahead anyway, with a limited number of the redesigned shoe — 666, of course — being sold for the high, high cost of $1,018.

As for the blood, it’s just a drop, mixed in with the ink that comprises the shoe’s air bubble. And where did it come from? From the MSCHF’s small staff, who each contributed enough to fill the large-ish order. (When asked who procured the blood, one of MSCHF’s founders, Daniel Greenberg told the Times, “Uhhhhhh yeah hahah not medical professionals we did it ourselves lol.”)

As for Lil Nas X, he responded to the controversy with a sarcastic video, in which he begins to apologize for helping create “Satan Shoes,” only for it to abruptly segue into the climax of his new video, right when he’s begun to gyrate in the Devil’s lap.

(Via The New York Times)

Boosie Badazz Calls Mark Zuckerberg A ‘Racist’ After His Instagram Got Deleted Again

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Boosie Badazz’s has gained plenty of attention in recent years as a result of his social media antics. While they tend to receive a big reaction, it’s not always because of harmless internet fun. One example includes his transphobic comments about Dwayne Wade’s daughter, Zaya, last year. But now, the rapper is back in headlines for his online activity which came as a result of a music video shoot for his and DaBaby’s recent collaboration, “Period.”

Last week, Boosie posted a video to Instagram where he called for an individual to appear in the upcoming music video. The catch was they had to let the rapper “slap the f*ck out of them” for the oddly specific price of $554. The Louisiana native quickly found his stunt man and on Saturday, a video of the scene landed on social media.

The clip shows Boosie delivering the devastating blow to the individual, but as promised, the rapper delivered the cash to the man when it was all said and done. Afterward, he posted the video of the harsh slap to his Instagram page which apparently led to it getting deleted. In response, the rapper hopped on Twitter to send a message to Mark Zuckerberg, writing, “@zuck u just a racist.”

This not the first time Boosie has called the Facebook founder a racist. Last year, the rapper’s Instagram was deleted after he repeatedly posted explicit content on his page. “This is discrimination,” he said during a December interview on VladTV. “Something is wrong, somebody must be mad because I said their name wrong and they chastise me. […] And my Black people are starting to tell me that ‘Boosie, this man is a racist. He knows you affect the Black community and make them smile every morning.

You can watch the video in question above.

Lil Nas X’s Upcoming ‘Satan Shoes’ Have Earned A Divided Reaction From Fans And Confusion From Critics

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Lil Nas X has left the internet in a bit of a frenzy this past weekend thanks to his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video. The images of hell and the singer’s interaction with a devilish character in the visual have left fans with mixed reactions toward it. However, that’s only half of it as a collaboration has made some even more upset because of its satanic inspiration.

Lil Nas also announced an upcoming shoe collaboration with viral company MSCHF. The two have partnered for limited edition customized Nike Air Max 97s that have been dubbed as “Satan Shoes.” Set for a March 29 arrival, the shoes will contain a drop of human blood mixed with ink inside its sole and only 666 pairs will be available at the price of $1,018.

For what it’s worth, the shoe collab is just a flip of Air Max 97s that MSCHF released back in 2019. The “Jesus Shoes” were filled with 60cc of Holy Water from the Jordan River. In addition to that, as some have mistaken, the Satan Shoes are not the result of a partnership with Nike. A spokesperson for the brand denied the existence of a collab with the shoes saying, “Nike did not release nor design these shoes.”

What actually happens here is MSCHF purchases the shoes sold by Nike and adds their own designs and modifications to it before reselling them. MSCHF is also known for these unorthodox releases as a 2020 Business Insider profile credited them for “creating some of the most absurd, cynical, and viral projects and products that have spread across the internet.”

Keeping all of this in mind, some fans are upset with the theme of Lil Nas’ and MSCHF collab while others see no issue with it. As expected, they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

You can read some reactions below and to learn more about the Satan Shoes, click here.

Alabama Shakes’ Drummer Steven William Johnson Was Arrested On Child Abuse Charges

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Despite being on a hiatus, Alabama Shakes found themselves in headlines recently and it wasn’t for the best reasons. The band’s drummer, Steven William Johnson was arrested on child abuse charges last week. The news was reported by Alabama’s WHNT. According to the publication, Johnson was indicted in Limestone County by a grand jury on charges of willful torture, willful abuse, and cruelly beating or otherwise willfully maltreating a child under the age of 18. This is also not the first time the drummer was arrested on abuse charges within the past few years.

Back in 2019, Johnson was arrested for a protection from abuse order violation, one that he pled guilty to in March 2020. According to AL.com, the order was issued after Johnson’s ex-wife accused him of threatening and harassing her. She also said he choked, injured, and stalked her. He currently remains locked up at Limestone County Jail on the more recent charges and his bond has been set at $21,500. Johnson’s arraignment is also scheduled for April 7.

Alabama Shakes’ last album came in 2015 with Sound And Color. The project granted the collective three Grammy awards for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance thanks to “Don’t Wanna Fight” as well as Best Alternative Music Album. The group went on a hiatus in 2018 so lead singer, Brittany Howard, could focus on her debut solo album, Jaime, which she released in 2019.

‘SNL’ Let Pete Davidson And Jack Harlow Explain NFTs In Another Eminem Parody

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As confusing and head-scratching as it might be from afar, NFTs continue to become more popular in the digital world. From the sports world to the music and art world, creators and consumers are taking advantage of the opportunity to respectively sell and own a digitally exclusive piece of art. For those who are still trying to grasp the new concept of NFTs, however, Saturday Night Live tapped Pete Davidson and recent musical guest Jack Harlow to give an explainer about the growing form digital cryptocurrency.

The sketch takes place in a fictional classroom where students have just finished listening to a lecture from the Secretary Of Treasury Janet Yellen, who is played by Kate McKinnon. Pete Davidson takes advantage of her presence to ask a question. Soon, the beat from Eminem’s 2000 hit, “Without Me” begins playing in the background and, just like the Detroit rapper did in the song’s music video, Davidson is seen rocking a Robin superhero costume.

He asked what an NFT is through a rapid-fire rap that, all in all, left everyone in the room confused. Despite help from Chris Redd, who was an obvious Dr. Dre lookalike, they failed to receive an answer to the question. Thankfully, Jack Harlow, who played a nosy janitor, stepped into the classroom to give a more digestible explanation of NFTs with some raps of his own.

Check out the sketch in the video above.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Maya Rudolph Brought Her Beyonce Impression To ‘Hot Ones’ In A Hilariously Throwback ‘SNL’ Sketch

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Maya Rudolph warned during her opening monologue that she would be wearing lots of wigs and doing impressions on Saturday Night Live, and thankfully for us that meant bringing back her Beyonce impression. The former cast member had hosting duties in its latest episode, and thankfully for us that meant a throwback-feeling segment about a very modern concept: Beyonce appearing on the web show Hot Ones to eat some very spicy chicken wings.

The sketch is a throwback to the era in which Rudolph thrived. It’s an absurd concept to begin with: the most famous musician in the world showing up on a show where you eat spicy wings and promote something while answering softball questions. But it’s a sketch that actually critiques not just the thing it’s parodying — an incredibly popular YouTube show — but Beyonce’s notorious attempts to control her image in the media.

Seeing Beyonce struggle with absurdly-named hot wing sauces and curse out the host, played by Mikey Day, is a departure from anything we’ve seen from the actual singer in years. At one point, Rudolph’s Beyonce is so overcome by the heat of the wings that she asked her stylist to take her wig off, put ice cubes in it and put it back on. Her “publicist” then stepped in to refuse to let that happen on camera.

The joke here is, after years of carefully cultivating her image in the public eye, Beyonce would never do anything like this. Or at least we’d never find out about it. Later, realizing just how many more wings she still needs to endure, she has her manager step in to call the whole thing off, with non-disclosure agreements all around to make sure no evidence of it ever happening.

It was great to see Rudolph play a character that’s not Kamala Harris and be free of the political news cycle that brought her back to the SNL stage at various points over the last year. And it was a strong start to an episode that reminded many viewers of the kind of sketch that was more common when Rudolph was a more permanent member of the show’s cast.

Jack Harlow Makes His ‘SNL’ Debut With Performances Of ‘Tyler Herro,’ ‘What’s Poppin’ And ‘Same Guy’

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There’s no denying the success of Jack Harlow. The Louisville spitter took the music world by storm at the beginning of 2020 thanks to the success of his “What’s Poppin” and closed out the year with the release of his debut album That’s What They Say. In between it all, he peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard singles chart, landed multiple guest features, and proved that he was here to stay in the industry. While his 2020 success is behind him, Harlow continues to deliver impressive moments and the latest example came through his debut performance on Saturday Night Live.

Harlow began the night by giving an energetic rendition of “Tyler Herro” and “What’s Poppin.” Dressed in all black under purple and blue and supported by a talented live band, the rapper’s sheer confidence was on full display on stage to start the night. Later on in the show, he returned with Maroon 5’s Adam Levine to perform “Same Guy,” another highlight from That’s What They Say. This performance came with a much lighter atmosphere as the duo sang about recognizing their bad qualities as men and expressing their desire to change and improve.

The SNL set comes after Harlow brought his talents to NPR’s Tiny Desk for a soulful performance of multiple songs from That’s What They Say. He also recently shared a video for “Route 66” off the album.

You can watch the performances in the video above.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Rodney Hood Learned On Saturday That His Childhood Neighbor Hayley Was Paramore’s Hayley Williams

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The world of basketball and the world of music intersect pretty frequently for one reason or another. Our latest example of this came on Saturday afternoon thanks to new Toronto Raptor Rodney Hood, although it had nothing to do with him dropping a mixtape or deciding to produce an album or anything like that.

Back in June, a since-deleted post by our pal Marco Romo of Five Reasons Sports Network caught the attention of Paramore singer Hayley Williams. In it, Williams revealed that her childhood neighbor in Meridian, Mississippi, was named Rodney, helped teach her how to dance, and “may be an nba player now.”

Marco Romo/Twitter
Marco Romo/Twitter

Now, Hood is the only current NBA player from Meridian, and since the only other Rodney in the NBA is from Maryland (Rodney McGruder), we can probably make an assumption here. Anyway, some time passed, and then Hood got traded to the Raptors, where he was asked about this. Dime pal Blake Murphy of The Athletic, who I lovingly say is the NBA reporter most likely to remember that Williams tweet, brought it to Hood’s attention during his first meeting with the media up north.

Hood revealed two things: 1. He did not realize his neighbor grew up to be the lead singer of Paramore and, 2. He can’t dance.

This is now the best story in the NBA. Once bands can begin touring safely again, I sincerely hope Hood and Williams are reunited during a concert in Toronto.

Lil Nas X Celebrates The Early Success Of ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ With A Thank You Video

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While the reaction to Lil Nas X’s new single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” has been mixed, largely because of its music video and the images displayed in it, the singer has landed upon early success with the track itself. On Saturday morning, the rapper learned the video for his new song reached 10 million views on YouTube and rose to the top position on the platform’s Trending section. In addition to that, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” debuted at No. 3 on the US Spotify chart with 1.236 million streams. The great start left Lil Nas X overjoyed and he posted a video on Twitter to thank fans for their support.

“I just woke up so it’s sh*t probably all over my face,” he said in the video. “I just hit No. 1 on YouTube Trending, 10 million views, and we No. 3 on Spotify and I want to say thank you to everybody cause I don’t take none of this sh*t for granted. I appreciate you, I love you, this sh*t took a lot for me to step out of my comfort zone like this. Yeah man, I love y’all.”

This video, which he also posted on Instagram, produced another great moment for Lil Nas X as it brought forth a comment from his fourth grade teacher who said, “Congratulations! So proud of you!”

After posting the video, Lil Nas shared another personal message about the new single. “I spent my entire teenage years hating myself because of the sh*t y’all preached would happen to me because I was gay,” he said. “So I hope u are mad, stay mad, feel the same anger you teach us to have towards ourselves.”

You can watch Lil Nas’ thank you video above.