Bad Bunny had a musically quiet year in 2021, at least on his own terms. He released a few singles and some collaborations but it was nothing like his 2020 year that featured not one, not two, but three projects from him: YHLQMDLG, Las Que No Iban A Salir, and El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo. Three projects in one year is enough music to last most fans for some time, but many wondered when Bad Bunny’s next era would begin. Now, thanks to a new advertisement from Bugatti, we know that it will come sooner than later.
On Thursday night, Bad Bunny shared a classified ad under his legal name Benito A. Martinez Ocasio. The ad was for a Buggati Chiron 110 Anniversary 2019 priced at $3.5 million and it was attached with a phone number — (787) 417-8605 — which traces back to Bad Bunny’s home country of Puerto Rico. When the phone number is dialed, a snippet of a new song is played. Next, the number sends a text message in Spanish that translates to, “Hello! Thank you for calling. There’s little time left until the album comes out. I can’t say the date yet.” Bad Bunny then adds, “But I can tell you the name: ‘Un Verano Sin Ti (A Summer Without You).’”
The announcement arrives after he shared the dates for his World’s Hottest Tour which kicks off in August.
You can view the classified ad for the Bugatti Chiron 110 Anniversary 2019 here.
Terrace Martin’s work in the music industry dates back to the mid-2000s. He started off as a jazz producer, but following some work with Snoop Dogg in the mid-2000s, Martin would go on to combine his jazz palette with hip-hop sounds as he worked with rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Denzel Curry, Cordae, Big KRIT, Travis Scott, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and more. Martin has also put nine albums over the course of 10 years with his first one being 2011’s Melrose with Murs and his most recent one being 2021’s Drones. Despite all his success, Martin is putting an end to his work with hip-hop artists.
In a lengthy letter that he shared on social media, Martin revealed that he would no longer work with “rap friends” in the future.
“It just hit me, I’ve helped people my whole career. I’ve helped the biggest artist to the smallest artist.
Whether it be producing a record or playing keys or sax solos or bringing in musicians to enhance an album to just giving game from all of my experiences.
Now I realize that the love and help I’ve been giving for YEARS has never been returned when I need it.
“I have waived publishing, credits, money etc on the strength of relationships, on the “love,” and to watch my “rapper friends” overpay these producers who come to me for pointers and tips is the ultimate slap in the face. So I’m done. I’m not working with anymore rap friends.”
While Martin’s presence in the rap world will be missed, he’s still helping craft some great records through recent projects like Robert Glasper’s Black Radio III.
Nearly three years after she released her second project Magdalene, FKA Twigs kicked off 2022 with her third effort Caprisongs. It’s a project that she teased as 2021 came to a close and one she described as “really deep emotional and honest but hopefully more golden tears than blue i channeled my melancholy differently this time and it was so amazing.” In January, Caprisongs arrived with 17 songs and features from The Weeknd, Rema, Daniel Caesar, Jorja Smith, and more. While a few months have passed since the project’s arrival, FKA Twigs continues to promote it with a new video for “Honda.”
The new visual is a rather short one as the song’s length is cut in half to make for a video that falls a bit short of 90 seconds. In it, FKA Twigs rides a motorcycle through the streets of London, but due to the way the visual is shot, it appears as if she’s floating through the city. “Yolo, like with me it’s just anything to get the shot,” she said about the visual in an interview with Rolling Stone. “‘Honda’ for me is like a perfect definition of a caprivid because it’s super short and cheeky and it leaves you wanting more.”
DaBaby’s 2021 year was wrapped in controversy with the biggest one being the homophobic comments he made during Rolling Loud’s Miami festival last summer. That incident caused the rapper to be dropped from multiple festivals, but by the end of the year, DaBaby was back on big stages like Rolling Loud’s Los Angeles festival. While the hope was that 2022 would be a bit quieter for DaBaby, that was quickly thrown out of the window after his altercation with DaniLeigh’s brother at a Los Angeles bowling alley. Just a couple of months after that incident, DaBaby found himself in another altercation.
Friday night, DaBaby was in Columbia, South Carolina to perform at the Spring Jam 2022 event at the Colonial Life Arena. The event also featured performances from Kodak Black, Renni Rucci, NoCap, Boosie, and Webbie. At some point during the night, DaBaby got into an altercation with his artist Wisdom and the two exchanged punches. As DaBaby is walking backstage, he suddenly swings on Wisdom, who is signed to his Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment label. DaBaby and Wisdom both landed punches, but the fight was quickly broken up thanks to security guards, personnel, and police officers who were nearby.
It’s unknown what caused the altercation between DaBaby and Wisdom, but it’s one that comes after DaBaby reportedly shot an intruder at his North Carolina home earlier this month.
You can view a video of the altercation between DaBaby and Wisdom above.
Kodak Black is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Lizzo and Harry Styles perform One Direction’s hit single ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ during his headlining set at weekend two of #Coachellapic.twitter.com/Vo2rRzmhco
At the end of Friday night, Harry brought out Lizzo for a pair of performances. The singers, who have been friends for years, took the stage together to perform Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.” Lizzo teased her appearance at Coachella earlier in the day in a TikTok, writing, “I’m bored otw to Coachella.” Afterward, she took a moment to show gratitude to Harry in an Instagram post. “Proud of you @harrystyles,” she wrote. “Thank u for having me.”
Lizzo and Harry’s performance together comes as they prepare to release new albums to the world. Harry’s third album Harry’s House will arrive on May 20 while Lizzo’s next body of work Special will drop on July 15.
You can watch videos from Harry and Lizzo’s performance above.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Kendrick Lamar has been stepping out a bit more as of late and it comes after he said his fifth album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is finally on the way. The public appearances for the typically-secluded rapper began earlier this year when he joined Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and more to perform at the Super bowl LVI Halftime Show. More recently, Lamar was spotted at a Los Angeles Dodgers game against the Atlanta Braves earlier this week casually sitting with fellow fans in right-field rather than in a press box. For his next act, Kendrick brought his talents to the second weekend of Coachella’s 2022 Festival.
On Friday night, Kendrick made a surprise appearance at Coachella by joining Baby Keem to perform “Family Ties” and “Vent,” both of which are from Keem’s 2021 debut album The Melodic Blue. The latter track also became Keem’s first and Kendrick’s 14th Grammy Award after it won in the Best Rap Performance category earlier this month. During their Coachella set, Baby Keem performed the first half of “Family Ties” before he welcomed Kendrick to perform his verse in front of a large video screen that displayed fire and water. Kendrick’s surprise appearance concluded with their first-ever performance of “Vent.”
Kendrick’s Coachella appearance comes after he confirmed his fifth album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers would arrive on May 13. It’s one of this year’s most highly-anticipated projects as it’s the rapper’s first album since 2017’s DAMN.
You can view some fan-captured videos of Kendrick’s performance in the videos
At this week’s Latin American Music Awards, Karol G was the big winner of the night. The Colombian urbano pop singer took home six awards, including Artist Of The Year and Album Of The Year, for the vibey and celebratory KG0516. The “El Makinon” singer was also on stage at Coachella last weekend, highlighting a slate of female Latinx artists like Anitta, Nicki Nicole, and Nathy Peluso, who left an indelible marked on the 2022 festival.
Now Karol G has just dropped her first single of the year in the sun-soaked “Provenza,” and it’s an escapist song that gives rise to joyous feelings of wanderlust and passion. In fact, the video directed by Pedro Artola was captured in the exotic, volcanic landscape of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. Over a rhythmic, breezy beat with idyllic effects by producer Ovy On The Drums, Karol sings: “No se si te convenza, nos damo un rocesito por provenza. Y si la cosa se pone tensa en mi cama, es la recompensa. O viseversa. Porque lo piensas?” (“I don’t know if you’re convinced? We can give ourselves a touch of province. And if things get tense, there’s a reward in my bed. Or vice versa. What do you think?”)
There’s a lot of star power on one song and then there’s this. 4-time Grammy-winning R&B maestro PJ Morton has a new album coming out on April 29th, entitled Watch The Sun and he’s just enlisted two unquestionable legends for his latest single. On “Be Like Water,” both Nas and Stevie Wonder connect with Morton on a song that’s about going with the flow of life’s curveballs and remain adaptable.
It’s a joy to hear Morton and Wonder harmonizing as they sing, “Be like water, let it flow. Be like water, just let go,” over cinematic strings. Then Nas drops in for a verse on a song that shifts from R&B to hip-hop with orchestral instrumentation and, yes, Wonder on the harmonica.
“‘Be Like Water’ was definitely a phrase I had heard before,” Morton said in a statement. “Bruce Lee made it famous of course, but it didn’t fully connect with me until we were all shut down and I had to pivot in my life like we all had to. After I finished writing it I could only hear Nas’ voice on it. For him to actually get on it blew my mind. Then when Stevie Wonder agreed to be on it and to learn that Nas had always wanted to work with Stevie, it was beyond my wildest dreams!”
Listen to “Be Like Water” above.
PJ Morton’s Watch The Sun is out 4/29 via Morton Records.
Food-lovers heading to weekend two of the Coachella Valley Art and Music Festival this weekend are about to bask in a smorgasbord of flavors from the country’s most famed restaurants, caterers, and chefs. In some ways, the event — which has long been a food haven — set a new bar this year, with more international flavors, more than double the vegan options, and more glam dining than festival-goers have ever seen.
Lobster rolls, fresh-caught sushi, tender steaks, and Korean BBQ are just a few of the culinary delights being served to festival-goers this year. From full family-style dining with multi-course meals to extravagant oyster dinners with fresh caviar, a little extra cash at Coachella can take a casual meal to a whole new level. Even the potato chip brand, Lay’s, got in on the action in a “4D” flavor experience with hip-hop beats made from the recorded crunch of potato chips.
If you’re headed to Coachella for weekend two (or willing to live with some serious FOMO), feast your eyes on a whole lot of feasting, below!
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.
Blxst is approaching his career the right way. After earning attention for himself in his hometown of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, the West Coast crooner stepped out on his own for the first time with his 2020 debut project No Love Lost. The eight-song effort, which was later extended to 13 thanks to a deluxe reissue, was the perfect curtain-opening moment he needed to make himself a name recognized across the country. Blxst secured that the following year when he was enlisted as a member of the 2021 XXL Freshman Class.
That same year, Blxst reconnected with his frequent collaborator Bino Rideaux for a sequel to their 2019 EP. Both Blxst and Bino had seen their careers grow exponentially since 2019’s Sixtape so it was only right that they used their brighter spotlight for Sixtape 2. A common theme in Blxst’s career is taking advantage of strong moments to boost his own stock, and after collaborations with Nas, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Buddy, YG, Mozzy, and more, he’s back with a new body of work now that a new set of eyes are on him.
Fresh off the release of his 13-track project Before You Go, we caught up with Blxst to discuss the project, his growth, and more.
After the success of No Love Lost, when did you realize it was time to go back to the drawing board for a new body of work?
I think it was slowly but surely. I was traveling a lot last year so I know it was that time, but I was trying to find that balance between being on the road and still being creative, which was a challenge but we knocked it out. We managed to make it happen.
What were some of the things that helped you find this balance and successfully work on this project as you were on the road?
Everything bro. Managing time away from the family, self-care, even all the way down to working with a personal trainer and making sure physical was right. It was finding a balance for me, that’s pretty much where I was at with it. I feel like that kind of bled into my music, my different experiences, that’s what Before You Go was compiled of.
You’re in a much different spot than you were before No Love Lost. You’ve worked with a lot of new names like Nas, Snoop Dogg, Kehlani, Rick Ross, and more. Has your established position made things easier for you? And how do you keep that initial hustle alive?
It’s crazy. I feel like I’ve built a crazy momentum and I’m just capitalizing on it right now especially following up with another body of work. No Love Lost was my first body of work and this one is my first full-length body of work, so I’m excited to see the responses from that, especially coming off a crazy feature run, like you said, with Nas, Snoop Dogg, Kehlani, Rick Ross, it’s been crazy.
Before You Go seems to have that “no hard feelings” attitude that No Love Lost has. In your opinion, in what ways are the projects similar, and what sets them apart?
Yeah, I think this one is an elevated version of No Love Lost. Like you said, it was no hard feelings, but for this one, it’s more unapologetic. This is me, love me or hate me, but before you go, this is the message I gotta tell you. Whether you want to come on this journey with me or not, that’s your choice. For my fans, to my relationships, to everything: before you go, this is what I gotta tell you.
Before we dive into the project, I like how you and Bino took a moment during the rises in your respective careers to lace another project with Sixtape 2. How has y’all relationship improved since the first Sixtape with all that’s happened in your careers?
Man, it’s crazy just to see the trajectory of where we both started to where we are now. Just off the collaborations from Sixtape alone, I feel like that was my door for people knowing who I am individually. I think I just made sure I was well-rounded. I didn’t want to be stuck as a producer as well, so I made it an intention to go hard as a solo artist. Respect to Bino as well for giving me that platform. I think it’s a mutual respect overall.
What was your muse or influences for Before You Go?
I think just my day-to-day experiences: traveling, managing family time, personal time, and self-care. That’s pretty much what I pulled my inspiration from, those challenges, those hurdles I was facing, and facing that transition of also becoming an executive outside of just being an artist. Looking at success from a different perspective. I think I had a mind shift over this past year from the success of No Love Lost. You’ll hear that in the music, you’ll hear the growth for sure.
I want to talk about the music on the project, starting with some of the features. How was it to work with Arin Ray on “Fake Love”? It’s been a while since I’ve heard from him and it’s great to see that y’all connected for one.
I’ve been listening to Arin Ray for a minute. That Platinum Fire album he dropped, that’s my go-to when I’m on the airplane. This was before I was even Blxst, so double back and be able to work with him, I think that was a full-circle moment for me.
A couple of songs later we have “Couldn’t Wait For It,” your second record with Rick Ross. How validating it is for you to have a star like Ross who wants to work with you more than once, in addition to the other big names you’ve collaborated with?
That’s legendary, I can’t make this sh*t up. It don’t get no more co-sign or stamp than that, that’s the biggest. That’s inspiration, especially as I’m aspiring to be an entrepreneur like he is as well, outside of being an artist, I think that was a dope realization for me that he f*ck with me in that light.
“Still Omw” is one of my favorite records because it’s the epitome of “the job’s not done yet” in terms of what you want for your career. With that, what is peak success for you and when would you feel like you’ve completed your job as an artist and creative overall?
Man, I think ultimately, I feel like I’m still fresh to everything. I got a foot in the door, but at this point, I gotta show my consistency. Also, I got to make it a point to make sure everybody else around me is equally or more successful than I am, whether that be putting other artists on from my city. It’s a lot more to do and I feel like it’s a long way to go, but I feel like I’m on the right track.
What song on this project do you feel speaks the most to where you’re at in your career?
I think you hit it right on the nail with “Still Omw.” It speaks on where I started, what I’m doing right now, and my aspirations for where I want to be. I want to be that executive in the next five years where I could sit back and not be so obligated to do things outside of just being a creative in general. That’s what I’m leaning towards, but that song is close to my heart for sure.
After listening to this album, it’s safe to say that Blxst has still not made one bad song yet, how often does that saying come into mind when you create?
I ain’t gonna lie, saying that was like a gift and a curse because now it’s like people are waiting for me f*ck up you know? I like to challenge myself and hold myself up to a standard where I can always be the best version of myself. So yeah, that line always comes to mind whenever I’m making something cause I’m like damn now I can’t f*ck up (laughs).
With this project, want do you want people to keep in mind as they listen?
I just want them to grow with me. This is the journey, I’m learning as I go, but I’m still not stopping the creative process as far as people knowing what’s going on in my day to day or what I’ve been experiencing. A lot of times, I be second-guessing myself still, but I want people to see that I’m human as well. It’s cool to second guess yourself as long as you face your fears. It’s cool to be scared, but you still gotta face your fears.
Before You Go is out now via Red Bull Records and Evgle. You can stream it here.
Sun God 
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