Home Page

Soccer Fans Are Accidentally Tagging A Rapper In Their Tweets Congratulating The English Women’s Team

by
english women lionesses
Getty Image

Social media was designed to bring people together but sometimes it does so in unconventional, unexpected, and unintentional ways. For instance, there probably isn’t much overlap between fans of independent Namibian rapper Lioness and those of the English women’s football (fine, soccer) team, the Lionesses, but many of the latter are learning about the former as they seek to congratulate the English team for their recent EUFA European Championship win. Quick recap: on Sunday, England — who hosted this year’s tournament in Wembley — won 2-1 over Germany in front of a home crowd of more than 87,000 proud crumpet munchers.

Poor Lioness, though, has been fielding many of those congratulatory tweets as fans mistake her account (@LionessOfficial) for the English women’s teams account (@Lionesses). To be fair, plenty of those are probably from people typing too fast as Twitter auto-populates the account name after the @ sign, but either way, as Lioness herself puts it: “My Mentions Are A Mess.”

A quick search reveals this to be true, as plenty of accounts, perhaps in a rather un-English display of exuberance and emotion, tagged the wrong account. However, the rapper seems to have taken all this in stride, and even used the error as a promotional opportunity, reposting a video of a 2021 promo she recorded for the Barclays Women’s Super League, joking, “Maybe You’ll All Take This More Seriously Now.”

She’s not the first rapper to deal with this problem, and she probably won’t be the last. In 2017, Compton rapper Buddy started getting tagged in photos of people’s pets after finally changing his Twitter handle to his professional name, and arguably, Burna Boy’s stateside popularity was sparked by fans discovering his 2018 song “Ye” while trying to stream Kanye West’s delayed album of the same name. Let that be a lesson, I guess; when selecting a stage name these days, it’ll apparently help to consider how likely you are to be confused for someone else.

Chaka Khan Still Doesn’t Care For Kanye West’s ‘Through The Wire’: ‘I Was Upset About Sounding Like A Chipmunk’

by
Chaka Khan Strength Of A Woman 2022
Getty Image / Derek White

In 2003, Kanye West released one of his biggest singles to date, “Through The Wire.” While the song, which served as the lead to his debut album, The College Dropout, proved to be a breakthrough for Ye, it’s safe to say not everyone is a fan of the song.

“Through The Wire” prominently samples a song called “Through The Fire” by Chaka Khan, using a sped-up version of Khan’s vocals on the song’s chorus. In an interview with Good Day DC, she said “I was upset about sounding like a chipmunk,” and revealed she wasn’t aware how much Ye was going to speed up the vocals.

“[West] didn’t mention that he was gonna speed it up, you know, three times its normal speed,” Khan said. “Had he, I would’ve had something to say. But since I didn’t think of that, believe me, I think of it now. I ask, ‘How are we gonna do this?’”

This isn’t Khan’s first time vocalizing her disdain for the song. In 2020, she told Vlad TV that she was displeased by the final result of “Through The Wire,” as she imagined something different when he first reached out for permission to use the sample.

“I said, ‘Well, are you a singer?’ He said, ‘No, no. I just wanted to use your chorus,” she recalled. “I thought about it and said, ‘Well, he can’t mess it up because I will be singing it after all. It’s my voice.’ But he found a way. By golly, he found a way to frick that up. I was through.”

Chance The Rapper Performs With Joey Badass, Plays A Game, And Chats With Jimmy Fallon On ‘The Tonight Show’

by

Last night, Jimmy Fallon hosted The Tonight Show, as he does every night. Chance The Rapper borderline outpaced him in terms of screen time on yesterday’s episode, though, as he was all over the program.

First, he sat down for a chat with Fallon. During the interview, he reminisced about the 10-year anniversary of his 10 Day mixtape, noting how he was opening for Childish Gambino before its released and noticed an increase of fans showing up to see him perform once the tape dropped. He also discussed his and Vic Mensa’s upcoming music festival in Ghana and collaborating with artists from around the world.

Then, the two played a round of “Hey Robot,” where they have to get Amazon Echo to say a certain word without using the actual word themselves. Chance absolutely nailed it, not failing even a single word.

Later in the program, he and Joey Badass performed their recent collaboration “The Highs And The Lows.” Chance had a simple but effective stage design and did something pretty neat on a broadcast level, too, having the lyrics display word-by-word via an on-screen overlay that updated throughout the performance.

Check out the clips from Chance’s Tonight Show appearance above.

Slowthai Explains And Apologizes For The Swastika Shirt He Wore On Stage At Osheaga Festival

by
Slowthai We Love Green Festival 2022
Getty Image

Slowthai found himself in a bit of a controversy over the weekend: While performing at Montreal’s Osheaga Festival, he wore a shirt with a giant swastika logo the front. While it had the word “destroy” on top, indicating his disdain for the Nazism and neo-Nazism the symbol has come to represent, seeing the symbol that prominently still rubbed some the wrong way.

So now, apologies have been made. The first came from Osheaga organizers, who tweeted yesterday, “A performer appeared on stage Saturday wearing a controversial t-shirt displaying a swastika that caused confusion. The t-shirt denounces the regime. We sincerely apologize to anyone who may have misinterpreted this message and felt hurt.”

Slowthai then followed that up with his own apology, writing, “I’m sorry to anyone who is offended by me wearing an anti-fascist/anti-regime t-shirt and the use of the symbol it represents. I want you to know I stand firmly against antisemitism and fascism of any kind, something the t-shirt was meant to illustrate with the word ‘destroy’ above the symbol.”

Slowthai has maintained a relatively low profile this year in terms of new music, as he’s been busy performing, like on the North American tour he had in April. He did pop up on Denzel Curry’s new album, though.

Young Thug’s Sister Shares An Update On The Rapper

by
Young Thug
Getty Image

It’s been a few months since Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 other members of the Young Stoner Life (YSL) record label were hit with numerous charges as a part of a 56-count Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) case. Young Thug, in June, was denied bond. Judge Ural Glanville said there are claims about the rapper, real name Jeffery William, being “a danger to the community.”

This was sad news for the “Go Crazy” performer’s fans. However, his sister posted an optimistic Instagram story today: “Jus leftd from seeing my brother Jeff y’all he good & we have exciting news.”

It was announced last month that Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions and Rolling Stone Films are working together on a documentary series and podcast about Young Thug, so it’s possible that the exciting news has to do with this. The companies described it as a tale set against “the larger Atlanta hip-hop boom, and the ongoing RICO case against YSL that accuses Young Thug and 27 other alleged collaborators of crimes ranging from racketeering to murder […] The result will be a wild, enthralling story of music, money, crime and hip-hop on trial.”

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

Anitta Shares A Preview Of A New Missy Elliott Collaboration, ‘Lobby’

by
Anitta
Getty Image

Anitta’s big 2022 is far from over. The Brazilian pop star who wowed at Coachella with Snoop Dogg and Saweetie joining her on stage, has stayed firmly on the radar following the April release of her album Versions Of Me. She was recently named one of PETA’s two “Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities Of 2022,” and appeared on “No Mas” by her boyfriend Murda Beatz along with J Balvin, Quavo, and Pharrell. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to add Missy Elliott to that growing list of Anitta’s collaborators when their new track, “Lobby” comes out on the upcoming deluxe edition of Versions Of Me.

“Versions Of Me Deluxe coming soon,” Anitta tweeted this past weekend. This was just the first teaser from the “Envolver” singer.

The trilingual Anitta put out a short PSA type clip, saying she has three music videos on deck from the deluxe album. In Portuguese, Spanish, and Portuguese, she explained that she’ll be dropping one each week until the extended album drop.

Then, after posting a photo with Missy Elliott to her Instagram Stories saying, “I honestly can’t believe what’s happening right now,” she let Missy do the rest of the talking for her. “Anitta one of the sweetest artist & had me laughing so hard yesterday,” Missy said in a tweet along with the photo. “You a Star! And I am truly GRATEFUL to you & your Team you all treated me with so much LOVE & KINDNESS. Let’s go #Lobby”

Along with “Lobby,” Anitta also confirmed a song called “El Que Espera” featuring Colombian singer Maluma. But she shared a clip of “Lobby” on her TikTok saying “Lobby featuring Missy Elliot is coming, are you ready?”:

@anitta

Lobby feat @Missy Elliott is coming, are you ready?

♬ Lobby feat Missy Elliot – Anitta

Beyonce’s BeyHive Descends On Diane Warren After She Questions ‘Renaissance’s Songwriting Credits

by
beyonce
Getty Image

A lot of digital ink has been spilled over pop music stans and their often aggressive method of demonstrating their fealty to the stars they love so much, but perhaps no group is as feared as the BeyHive, the swarming, stinging online army dedicated to Beyonce. And with her new album Renaissance out and taking new creative risks, they’ve been busier than ever this week, even lashing out at Beyonce’s esteemed peers and forebears such as “Diane Warren, who had the unfortunate temerity to question the number of songwriters on the album.

“How can there be 24 writers on a song?” she wondered on Twitter. Although the R&B icon insisted she intended no shade, Beyonce’s self-appointed defense force wasn’t taking any chances. It probably doesn’t help that she added a rolling eyes emoji, which is, as any longtime denizen of the world wide web can tell you, a universal symbol for shade.

Either way, Ms. Diane became the recipient of plenty of shade herself as Beyonce fans chimed in either offering “helpful” primers on the nature of sample credits or just outright bullying the 65-year-old singer, telling her to stay in her lane. While some fans did join the fracas to note Warren’s many lasting contributions to the musical canon as a songwriter, the damage was already done. Perhaps we’ll just chalk this one up to a generational conflict with truly unfortunate timing. See the fans’ reactions below.

All The Beyoncé Songs That Jay-Z Has Co-Written

by
beyonce-jay-z.jpg
Getty Image

Beyoncé concluded a six-year wait for a new album with the release of her seventh album Renaissance over the weekend. Of the many talking points about the album after its release, one was a line from “Church Girl” that many assumed was about Jay-Z. On the song, Beyoncé sings, “Must be the cash ’cause it ain’t your face.” It’s inspired many reactions and memes (like this one) that connect it to Jay-Z. While we’ll never know if Mr. Carter is the subject of the line, one can’t forget that Jay probably heard the song beforehand as he helped write songs for Beyoncé on multiple occasions.

Here Are All The Beyoncé Songs That Jay-Z Has Co-Written

Beyoncé and Jay-Z have collaborated on multiple occasions. Their list of songs together includes, “Crazy In Love,” “Drunk In Love,” “Part II (On The Run),” “Deja Vu,” and the entire Everything Is Love album. Their collaborations even go as far as Jay-Z helping to write Beyoncé songs. To begin, despite not having a guest verse on the album, Jay-Z has three writing credits on Renaissance: “Alien Superstar,” “Break My Soul,” and “America Has A Problem.” Jay also has writing credits on “Kitty Kat” from Beyoncé’s 2006 sophomore album B’Day as well as “Baby Boy,” ‘Hip Hop Star” and “Yes” from her 2003 debut album Dangerously In Love.

Mase Denies Giving Fivio Foreign A Minuscule $5,000 Advance, Saying They Split Everything 50/50

by

The 20-year feud between semi-retired Harlem World rapper Mase and his former mentor Diddy took an unexpected twist last week when it was revealed that the two men might have more in common than previously imagined by fans. Mase was dubbed “Diddy 2.0” after burgeoning Brooklyn artist Fivio Foreign appeared on the Million Dollaz Worth Of Game podcast and claimed that he’d only received a paltry pittance of $5,000 to sign to Mase’s RichFish imprint early in his career.

Mase, who claimed that Diddy only gave him a $20,000 dollar advance in the ’90s in exchange for signing away his publishing, must have thought that he looked bad in light of passing on the misfortune to another artist. So this week, he went on Million Dollaz Worth Of Game himself to clear the air and explain that the situation wasn’t as bad as Fivio made it out to be. According to Mase, the real amount he offered was actually much larger — about $745,000 larger, in fact.

“I had to put a file together of all the history that was left out,” Mase says in the video above. “At one time I gave him $5,000, but I gave him $750,000.” He elaborates that he structured Fivio’s RichFish deal so that he could remain involved as Fivio negotiated contracts with major labels such as Def Jam and Columbia. Mase then proceeds to show hosts Gillie Da Kid and Wallo267 documents on his phone — even going as far as calling execs at Columbia on the air — that show that he tried to be fair to Fivio and give him 50/50 on all their splits.

Of course, what with Fivio admitting he didn’t know the business well at the time, it’s entirely possible that he misunderstood how things worked (it’s happened before and will likely happen again). It’s also possible that Mase is flimflamming in order to make himself out to be the hero of the narrative. As with any of these situations, the facts are likely somewhere in the middle and the details are being muddled in the retelling. In the end, I think the big takeaway is that the music business needs some serious overhauls to ensure transparency and fairness for artists and the business people who help make them stars.

Travis Scott Announces The ‘Road To Utopia’ Las Vegas Residency

by
travis scott show
Getty Image

Travis Scott has been slowly ramping up his performance schedule following last year’s Astroworld tragedy, but now it seems as though the “Sicko Mode” rapper is pushing forward full steam ahead. Scott just announced a residency in Las Vegas called “Road To Utopia” that begins on September 17th at the Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World Las Vegas.

If Zouk sounds familiar, this is where Scott made a surprise appearance following the 2022 Billboard American Music Awards show at the MGM Grand in May.

“Travis had a surprise performance at the club and the energy in the room was amazing,” Ronn Nicolli, the CMO of Resorts Las Vegas said in a statement captured by Billboard. “The crowd was shocked to see Travis suddenly appear on stage. We had such a great experience working with him and the team, and we knew he would be a perfect fit within the Zouk family.”

The club touts Scott’s residency as a “mind-bending, first-of-its-kind nightclub residency experience.” It utilizes high-tech audiovisuals, including the “Mothership” lighting system with a roving ceiling turns the room into a kaleidoscope of sorts. Scott will join other artists who also have residencies at Zouk, like Zedd, Tiesto, G-Eazy, DJ Snake, and others. It’s a fairly decorated list for the club that hasn’t even been open for a year yet.

Scott is slated to make seven appearances at Zouk, with tickets for the first show on September 17th already on sale. Curiously, general admission tickets are $50 for “ladies” and $75 for “gentlemen.” Scott’s residency is slated to continue beyond 2022 as well.