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Nas And Hit-Boy’s ‘Magic 2’ Tracklist Features 21 Savage And 50 Cent

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Just days after announcing the impending release of their fifth joint project, Magic 2, Nas and Hit-Boy have also shared the album’s tracklist and features, which include both 21 Savage and 50 Cent. This is notable because both of those rappers have engaged to some degree in controversy with Nas over the years — 50 Cent decades ago, during the juggernaut G-Unit heyday, and 21 Savage more recently.

In 50’s case, the two fellow Queens natives had toured together early on in 50’s career, and Nas was one of the dozens of rappers 50 mentioned in his breakout hit, “How To Rob.” And while Nas initially shrugged off the shots as just clever execution of the concept, the two rappers feuded in earnest in the mid-2000s after Nas made disparaging comments onstage during during a concert in New York. 50 nearly escalated the feud with a scathing diss track, but was stopped by Dr. Dre.

Meanwhile, 21 Savage drew criticism from fans late last year when he happened to suggest that Nas isn’t so relevant anymore during a chat on Clubhouse. However, that may have just been rollout, because he backtracked within 24 hours and two weeks later, the two rappers had released a collaboration, “One Mic, One Gun” — the song that appears on Magic 2.

Magic 2 drops July 21 via Mass Appeal. Get more info here.

Memphis Rapper Finesse2Tymes Is Wanted By Houston Police For Allegedly Stealing A Rental Car

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Finesse2Tymes might well be on the cusp of a huge breakout after being featured on the 2023 XXL Freshman Class cover thanks to the success of his viral hit “Back End,” but that didn’t stop him from getting into some legal trouble in Houston this weekend. Local news reported that the Houston Police Department has issued a warrant for the Memphis rapper’s arrest for allegedly stealing a rental car earlier this year.

Finesse2Tymes, whose legal name is Ricky Hampton, was charged with felony theft between $30,000 and $150,000 after a supposed associate told Enterprise employees the rapper was using it — well over a month after it was supposed to have been returned. The car, an Infiniti QX80 SUV, was rented by Ronald Bell on February 28 with a return date of March 10. However, after a 10-day demand letter sent on April 10 received no response, Enterprise employees called Bell, who told them Finesse2Tymes had the car, connecting him on a three-way call.

Hampton said he and the car were in Atlanta and that he’d bring it back three days later, on April 23. On April 24, the car was reported stolen. Traffic cameras showed the car being driven around Houston that day and police recovered the vehicle on April 25 at a recording studio being driven by a woman who said Finesse had hired her a few days before and giving her the car to run his errands. Hopefully, Finesse can resolve the issue before August, when he’s scheduled to join fellow Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo on his Larger Than Life Tour.

Babyface Ray’s ‘Summer’s Mine’ Tracklist Recruits Help From Westside Gunn, Vory, And Veeze

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Babyface Ray’s grind never stops and his consistent releases are proof of that. At the end of the week, the Detroit rapper will have released his third album in two years with Summer’s Mine. The upcoming project follows Face, which was released at the top of 2022, and Mob which dropped in December. Babyface Ray kicked off the campaign for Summer’s Mine with his “All Star Team” and “Donda Bag” singles, and now we have the album’s tracklist.

Summer’s Mine checks in with 16 songs including the previously released “All Star Team” and “Donda Bag.” The project also presents features from Veeze, Los And Nutty, Vory, King Hendrick$, and Westside Gunn.

Babyface Ray’s Summer’s Mine arrives after he appeared on 03 Greedo’s Halfway There album. It also followed his Courtesy Of The Mob Tour with fellow Detroit rapper Veeze.

You can check out the full tracklist for Summer’s Mine below.

1. “Scarface”
2. “Donda Bag”
3. “Bosses Linking With Bosses” Feat. Veeze
4. “Leaving London”
5. “All Star Team”
6. “Luh Tyler Flow” Feat. Los And Nutty
7. “i75”
8. “Racks N”
9. “Skateland”
10. “Life Full Of Lies”
11. “I Can’t Rap Foreva”
12. “Dancing With The Devil pt2” Feat. Vory
13. “Big Meech Holiday” Feat. King Hendrick$
14. “Jackboys”
15. “Fly Gods” Feat. Westside Gunn
16. “My Thoughts 4”

Summer’s Mine is out 7/21 via Wavy Gang and EMPIRE. Find out more information here.

Kaliii Mashes Up Jersey Club And Classical Music On Her Hammering New Single ‘KToven’

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As the samples utilized in hip-hop spinoffs like drill and Jersey club have gotten wilder and wilder, it was only a matter of time until someone reached way back and started plugging in classical music. Kaliii beats everybody to the punch with her new single “KToven,” which as you might expect, mashes up a Beethoven standard (“Für Elise”) with a hammering (get it?) Jersey club beat. In the video, which Kaliii dropped today along with the song, Black ballerinas surround a grand piano doing pliés while the Atlanta rapper sticks to twerking.

“KToven” is one hell of a follow-up to Kaliii’s prior single, “Area Codes,” which was billed by many as one of the songs of the summer. “Area Codes” had a string of follow-up remixes, including the “850 Remix” with Luh Tyler and the “773 Remix” with Mello Buckzz. She eventually put them together into the Area Codes Edition of her debut EP, Toxic Chocolate.

Kaliii also teamed up with burgeoning K-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY on the Barbie soundtrack single, “Barbie Dreams.” The former XXL Freshman is on a roll and doesn’t look to slow down anytime soon.

Watch the “KToven” video above.

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

Travis Scott Responded To Concerns Over His Upcoming Giza Pyramids Concert For ‘Utopia’

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Travis Scott has been the subject of plenty of attention lately. While much of that attention stems from fans wondering when he’s dropping his upcoming album Utopia, the majority of this week’s headlines about him have focused on a much-hyped performance at the Pyramids at Giza, Egypt. Shortly after announcing the show, it was the Egyptian Musicians’ Syndicate raised cultural concerns and claimed the concert was canceled. However, Live Nation, the show’s promoter, said in a statement, “There have been no changes to Travis Scott’s show in Egypt; any reports to the contrary are false. We can’t wait to celebrate Utopia with you in Egypt!”

Now, Travis himself has entered the fray, sharing a statement of his own with Egypt’s ONTV via onscreen anchor Lamis Elhadidy, who posted the statement to her Twitter account.

The statement reads:

I am writing to you to address the blatant inaccurate reports that have apparently lead to permits being paused for my concert scheduled for July 28, 2023 at the Giza Pyramids.

My understanding is that the Egyptians Musicians Syndicate took this action in response to bot generated fake information regarding my concerts and character. (All anyone with a grasp for modern technology and social media has to do is click on the user profile of these accounts to see that these are not real people.) Specifically, they referred to “strange rituals” that “contradict the cultural identity of the Egyptian people”.

Nothing could be further from the truth. My only intent with live performances is to unite people around the world over a shared bond in music. As a matter of fact, I just successfully played in an incredibly conservative Saudi Arabia in April for a crowd of 70,000 fans and there was no issue, hiccup or complication whatsoever. (Ask their Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Farhan Al-Saud or see the positive press reviews here — https://www.arabnews.com/node/2271956/lifestyle). My music brings together all cultures and spreads positive messages of empowerment and creative freedom. There is not a single lyric I have written or recording I have made that advocates or endorses anything derogatory to any people, much less the Egyptian people. Nothing in my music lends itself to any kind of “strange ritual”. My performances are celebrations. I only want to lift people up. My new album is entitled Utopia, which is emblematic of my desire to accomplish that goal. I am a great admirer of Egyptian culture and history. That is why I selected the iconic Pyramids of Giza to perform and preview my first album release in five years. It means that much to me.

If you would really like to know my character and heart please do me the courtesy and favor of speaking with me before taking this drastic step that would unravel months of planning and for which I was previously granted permission. I am from Houston, Texas. I grew up in a family that respects people, loves God, respects Allah and attends church regularly. We have all seen the spread of false information online over the last few years. It is a divisive problem in the United States and certainly all over the world, Egypt included.

Finally, I have also seen mention of security concems related to my concerts and the extremely unfortunate tragedy of “AstroWorld” in 2021. Please know that I have performed hundreds of concerts before that event, and many concerts since, without a single incident. Live Nation and myself are hyper-vigilant when it comes to concert security. As you may have seen recently a grand jury declined to pursue any criminal charges related to the festival. I assure you that the concert at Giza has been planned meticulously and will have state of the art fan security in place.

Unfortunately, I am hearing that unless Live Nation is permitted to access the site by 5 PM Cairo time on July 20, we will not be able to make the targeted July 28 show date. Please don’t let the online spread of false information and hatred derail this event which will bring positive and international attention to Egypt, its economy and its amazing treasures. I implore you to do everything in your power to allow the show to proceed as planned. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Kanye West And Adidas Are Reportedly Still Fighting Over $100M From Their Defunct Partnership

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In October 2022, Adidas officially ended its partnership with Kanye West, leaving the company with $1 billion worth of unsold Yeezy products and a decision to make about the future of the Yeezy designs. Ultimately, Adidas made the decision to sell off the rest of the stock after a class-action lawsuit filed by Adidas shareholders accused the company of knowing about West’s problematic behavior and not doing enough to mitigate the potential damage.

Now, according to Bloomberg, Adidas and Kanye are locked in another legal dispute over the brand’s marketing fund for Yeezy, which is reportedly worth $100 million a year. According to court filings, Adidas says West “mishandled virtually all of the marketing funds” — using them for different purposes than they were intended. $50 million went to an account in Wyoming, while another $25 million went to Kanye’s JPMorgan Chase account in New York (which has since been closed by the bank in response to Kanye’s antisemitic comments). However, the money was transferred to a separate account for general Yeezy funds, which Adidas says violated the parties’ agreement.

Meanwhile, Kanye’s lawyers reiterate his accusation that Adidas stole Yeezy designs to make lower-priced shoes. According to the terms of the agreement, though, Adidas owns all the designs while Kanye licensed his name and likeness to Adidas. Adidas has requested for Ye’s accounts to be frozen to prevent him from moving the allegedly misappropriated $75 million, which Kanye said he used on Sunday Services. He says the traveling gospel choir performances cost around $50 million.

Unfortunately for Adidas, the account freeze was denied and the dispute is in private arbitration.

Stormzy And RAYE Reserve ‘The Weekend’ For Each Other In Their Sultry Single

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Stormzy hit up Wimbledon last weekend, but “The Weekend,” his new single with RAYE, is much a less formal affair.

“The Weekend” arrived on Wednesday, July 19, as the payoff to Stormzy’s Instagram breadcrumbs. It’s Stormzy’s third single since late June, following “Toxic Trait” featuring Fredo and “Longevity Flow,” and showcases a continued emotional evolution since his intimately vulnerable November 2022 album, This Is What I Mean.

The Omar Jones-directed video captures an unlikely meeting that turns into an adrenaline-inducing romance reserved for the weekends through the London-area artists’ dueling perspectives.

RAYE sings of meeting a man during a night out, “I took his number before I left / All night long he was on my mind / So I sent him a text that said / ‘Call me.’” She’s intrigued, but she has boundaries and stipulations (“‘Cause I’m workin’ all week, Monday to Friday / Let’s stay on the weekend”).

Stormzy isn’t deterred in his pursuit of a woman so beautiful she’s like “an artifact.” He asks if she’s available Monday. Nope. “Aight, Tuesday I’ll slide,” he raps, but RAYE is busy. “Is Wednesday cool?” he asks. Of course, RAYE works late on Wednesdays. You can probably guess where this is going: They can finally make time for each other come Friday.

“I’ma come through at the end of the week / Turn a real good girl into a freak,” Stormzy boasts in an effortless flow.

The free-spirited undertone is reminiscent of RAYE’s monster 2022 hit with 070 Shake, “Escapism,” which cracked No. 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart and peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 this January.

“I think as a woman when you’re processing such things in life, there are not really any healthy outlets for it,” RAYE told Uproxx of the song. “I think women do stereotypically face a lot of pressure to seem like they’ve got everything together — to be polite, to be smiley, to be kind, and grateful, and all of this stuff. So I wanted to create a story that was very blunt and honest about that time in my life.”

Watch the “The Weekend” video above.

The Newly-Revived Tupac Las Vegas Murder Investigation Led To An Intense SWAT Raid

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Earlier this week, Las Vegas Police told TMZ they’d served a search warrant at a home in Henderson, Nevada in connection with the long-dormant Tupac Shakur murder case. The past few days have brought more details; it was reported that the home in question was potentially linked to a man who was suspected of being the one to shoot Tupac in 1996. Now, TMZ has acquired footage of the incident at the home, which saw a SWAT team busting into the home at around 10 PM.

It still remains to be seen what evidence police were searching for at the home or whether they found it. The home is owned by Paula Clemons, the wife of Keefe D., a man who claims to be the uncle of Orlando Anderson. Anderson and Keefe were jumped by Tupac and his crew at the MGM Grand the night of September 7, 1996; later, Tupac was shot to death in a drive-by on the Las Vegas Strip. Anderson was posited as the perpetrator as it was thought he wanted revenge for the earlier beatdown.

In 1998, Los Angeles Sheriffs recovered a gun at a home in Compton they believed belonged to one of the Southside Compton Crips who was in Las Vegas at the time; meanwhile, Clemons was found to have owned a home in Compton around the same time. Of course, until the police reveal more, it would be irresponsible to speculate. We’ll see if the investigation leads to answers in the nearly 30-year-old case.

will.i.am Praised Britney Spears Ahead Of The Release Of Their Song ‘Mind Your Business’: ‘She Is An Amazing Person’

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Britney Spears and will.i.am first collaborated in 2012 for the hit “Scream & Shout.” Earlier this week, the pair teased a new song together, “Mind Your Business,” and it’s coming tomorrow, July 21. To increase anticipation, the Black Eyed Peas frontman discussed the track with CBS Mornings.

“Music is therapy for lots of people; people that make music, people that listen to music,” he said. “Dancing is therapy for lots of people; people that make music, people that listen to music. When you have that connection with music and rhythm and song and melody and harmony and you express yourself through that, it helps you with anything that you’re going through. I see that every time I see her dance on her Instagram, I light up because I see how much she loves music.”

“To collaborate with her now and then, when you’re in the studio and you’re making music, that’s the only thing that matters,” he continued. “So I see the same light, the same joy, the same love and passion.”

He added, “I’ve been a fan, a friend, and a supporter of Britney throughout the years. A supporter as far as someone who goes out and listens to her music, a supporter as far as someone that’s there to help champion her through her times where she was fighting for her liberation. She is an amazing person.”

Noname Shared The Tracklist To Her Third Album ‘Sundial,’ Which Now Has A New Release Date

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Noname initially announced Sundial in April and pegged July 2023 for its release. More recently, her announcement of Jay Electronica as the featured artist on her “Balloons” single received some backlash and caused Noname to reconsider in a string of since-deleted tweets.

“y’all don’t want the album. fine,” Noname wrote last week. Another tweet read, “oh the song fa sho coming out lol. the album is another story. i’m good on the selective outrage. anyways hip-hop is in a great place right now. another noname album ain’t really necessary.”

Noname had a change of heart, it appears.

On Thursday morning, July 20, Noname posted the Sundial tracklist. If that wasn’t enough to indicate that the album is, indeed, still coming out, she made it explicitly clear in her Instagram caption.

“Sundial Tracklist [sunshine emoji] my album Sundial will drop august 11th,” Noname wrote. “i was going to release the single balloons tomorrow but i’d rather share it with the rest of the album. see y’all in a few weeks :)”

Sundial comes nearly five years after Noname’s last album, Room 25. Check out the tracklist below.

1. “Black Mirror”
2. “Hold Me Down” Feat. Jimetta Rose and The Voices Of Creation
3. “Balloons” Feat. Jay Electronica and Eryn Allen Kane
4. “Boom Boom” Feat. Ayoni
5. “Potentially The Interlude”
6. “Namesake”
7. “Beauty Supply’
8. “Toxic Afro Futurism”
9. “Oblivion” Feat. Ayoni and Common
10. “Gospel?” Feat. $ilkMoney, ​Billy Woods, and Stout