Home Page

Dua Lipa Ties Ariana Grande’s Major Spotify Record Among Female Artists

by
Dua Lipa Roskilde Festival 2022
Getty Image

Dua Lipa has been living up to her hit song “Levitating” over the last year and this latest achievement takes her to a different stratosphere. The 26-year-old has officially tied Ariana Grande for the most songs with over one billion streams among female artists. Dua and the Sweetener artist now share the throne with seven songs a piece.

Some of Dua Lipa’s records that aided in her achieving this feat include “One Kiss” with Calvin Harris, the PNAU remix to “Cold Heart” with Elton John, “Don’t Start Now,” “IDGAF,” and the aforementioned “Levitating” with received a remix by DaBaby soon after its release. In terms of RIAA certifications, her 2020 album Future Nostalgia and eponymous 2017 album are both certified Platinum. “Levitating” is four times Platinum, “One Kiss” is three times platinum, and “IDGAF” is two times Platinum.

Dua Lipa has been busy in 2022, appearing on Calvin Harris’ “Potion” with Young Thug and “Sweetest Pie” with Megan Thee Stallion. She reportedly told Elton John that her third album is “50% of the way there” and “is starting to feel good,” so she could very well knock Ariana Grande off of their shared pedestal until Grande releases her next album.

Check out the full list of Dua Lipa’s RIAA certifications here.

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

Seddy Hendrinx Offers An Illuminating Performance Of ‘Lights’ On ‘UPROXX Sessions’

by

Like the inspiration for his name, Jacksonville, Florida rap crooner Seddy Hendrinx favors melodic trap bangers about his interior thoughts, but unlike Future, Seddy leans further into his R&B influences to tackle more introspective material — material like his laid-back Well Sed single “Lights,” which he stopped by Uproxx Studios to perform for UPROXX Sessions.

Although still a relative newcomer, Seddy has quite the catalog under his belt already, beginning with the 2018 mixtape Death B4 Dishoner Loyalty over Everything. Since then, he’s released projects at a pace equivalent to one year (he dropped two in 2019 and two in 2020, using 2021 to work on his 2022 debut album Well Sed, which dropped this week via Atlantic Records). His releases have included an impressive array of features, including 24Hrs, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Fivio Foreign, G Herbo, Gunna, T-Pain, and his Generation Now labelmate, Jack Harlow.

Watch Seddy Hendrinx perform the laid-back ‘Lights’ on UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

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

Rick Ross Is Starting A Podcast And Asks Fans To Help Name It

by
rick ross podcast
Getty Image

These days it seems like everyone either has a podcast or will have a podcast soon — especially rappers. Whether it’s viewed as a post-rap career pivot or simply another revenue stream to tap into, it seems more and more recording artists are following Joe Budden and NORE into the podcasting game. While some, like Nicki Minaj and Fat Joe use their platforms to discuss whatever’s on their minds at the time, others such as Uproxx’s own Talib Kweli or Open Mike Eagle, bring on special guests to discuss their careers and current hot topics online.

The next rapper to join the trend will apparently be Rick Ross, who woke up with the idea on his mind, sharing his plans with his 15.5 million followers on Instagram via an Instagram Story. Strutting around his massive mansion in a Versace bathrobe, Ross said, “I woke up, just had a beautiful idea. A boss idea. I’m a start a podcast. Deadass serious.” After chuckling a bit, he offered fans a chance to participate in the process by suggesting names for the show. “If I decide to use your name, guess what. I’m a bless you with the holy trinity.” Unfortunately, rather than a percentage of future royalties or anything like that, the “trinity” turned out to be a quartet of bottles of Ross’ various liquors: sparkling win Luc Belaire, Villon Liqueur, Bumbu Rum, and the elaborately named gin, McQueen And The Violet Fog. I’d say, if you win, do a little negotiation — or hang onto those bottles in case they’re worth money someday.

Eminem’s Daughter Hailie Is Launching A Podcast Called ‘Just A Little Shady’

by
eminem-getty-full.jpg
Getty Image

Who could have predicted that when Eminem sang about his daughter Hailie on “’97 Bonnie & Clyde” on the Slim Shady LP, that one day, baby Hailie would grow up to become a social media influencer who is now hosting a podcast?! They grow up so fast. And now, Em’s daughter, Hailie Jade, has announced the Just A Little Shady Podcast.

“Just a little shady podcast is about to drop!” she posted on Instagram yesterday. “This project has been in the works for a while & i’m so excited for the first episode to be launching!!”

Hailie, 26, who lives in Detroit, filed for a trademark on the podcast according to The Sun. The company name is “Hailie Jade, LLC” and lists its purpose as “Entertainment services, namely, providing podcasts in the field of a celebrity influencer discussing autobiographical topics, influencer lifestyle, and personal growth.” If Hailie’s listening habits are any indication, it’s a good bet that the podcast will indeed talk about her rapper Dad. While that’s about as much info as is available on the content of the podcast, Hailie also prompted followers to subscribe to her YouTube channel, “…To see a sneak peak & hear what me & my cohost @britednie will be talking about.” As of press time, the YouTube channel had zero videos up.

Spotify’s ‘Rap Caviar’ Podcast Is Being Turned Into A Hulu Docuseries

by
spotify rapcaviar hulu megan saweetie
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

The podcast-to-streaming-docuseries pipeline has proven quite lucrative over the past several months/years, so with Spotify branching out, it only makes sense that the music streaming giant would partner with television streaming giant Hulu to produce a docuseries about one of its own most popular podcasts, RapCaviar, titled RapCaviar Presents. According to The Hollywood Reporter the show will “explore major cultural topics from the perspectives of some of today’s top hip-hop artists.”

Those top artists include familiar names like Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Saweetie, and Tyler The Creator. The director behind the Tekashi 69 docuseries Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine, Karam Gill, is billed as executive producer and creative director, along with Av Accius (Murder In The Thirst) and Marcus A. Clarke (Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali).

Spotify’s RapCaviar playlist is credited with boosting the careers of new artists whose names appear on it alongside more established stars, including many of the focus artists of the upcoming series. Meanwhile, select artists have also performed at live shows bearing the playlist’s title and the indie label LVRN even performed a group cypher for the RapCaviar vertical.

And while those artists’ stories may very well offer fertile ground for a documentary or two, let’s not get carried away. While the podcast-to-streaming-docuseries process almost inevitably turns out a scripted series, I’m not sure anybody needs to see their stories dramatized by Emmy-baiting, peak TV-style directors and directors. Except me. As soon as I wrote that, I wanted it. Give it to me. NOW.

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

Irv Gotti Explains Why Music Is The ‘Lowest Form’ Of The Entertainment Industry

by
irv gotti movie
Getty Image

In a new interview with Billboard, Murder Inc. Records founder Irv Gotti calls music the “lowest form” of the entertainment industry while discussing his plans to finance, write, and direct his own film after selling half of his ownership of his label’s past recordings for $100 million. “The entertainment industry is music, TV, and film,” he explains. “The music business is the lowest form, and I just bagged $100 million for s—t I did 20 years ago.”

As he elaborates, “More money is made in TV and with movies than music. It’s a non-disputable fact. We love the music industry and I love the music industry. There’s money to be made. But [it’s dwarfed by] the money made from TV and film. If I have 100 episodes of television and I own it, they’ll probably put a worth on it at $300 or $400 million. With $300 or $400 million, I could sell it at a 10 to 20 multiple. That’s three to six billion. This is why Tyler Perry is a billionaire. That’s why I sold my masters and did this deal with Iconoclast.”

He’s not wrong; the money-making potential in movies and television easily explains why so many rappers have transitioned to acting careers — some of them before they even have an official album out, like Saweetie. More musicians are also pursuing production deals; Kid Cudi, Megan Thee Stallion, and Vince Staples are all working with Netflix, and 50 Cent has developed a media juggernaut with his Power universe on Starz. As for Irv Gotti’s latest endeavor, here’s hoping it goes better than his last one did; despite grossing over $500 million (according to co-founder Chris Gotti, Irv’s brother), the label declined throughout the late 2000s, after federal investigators accused the Gotti bros. of launching the label to help launder drug money.

Beyoncé Joins TikTok And Starts By Showing Love To Her Favorite ‘Break My Soul’ Videos

by
Beyonce 2022
Getty Image

Beyoncé has long been one of the biggest artists in the world and now, she’s starting to take over TikTok, too, as she just joined the platform today (and already has over 3.3 million followers as of this post).

A couple hours ago, she shared her first TikTok video, a compilation of clips from TikTok users (including Cardi B, who makes a brief appearance) either dancing or singing along to “Break My Soul.” She wrote in the caption, “Seeing y’all release the wiggle made me so happy! Thank you so much for all the love for BREAK MY SOUL! – Love B.”

@beyonce

Seeing y’all release the wiggle made me so happy! Thank you so much for all the love for BREAK MY SOUL! – Love B —#RENAISSANCE #BREAKMYSOUL

♬ BREAK MY SOUL – Beyoncé

Furthermore, Variety notes that Beyoncé’s full catalog of music is now available for TikTok users to use as backing sounds in their videos.

Now, we wait and see how quickly Beyoncé’s TikTok follower count will catch up to those figures on other platforms; She has approximately 15.5 million Twitter followers, 25 million YouTube subscribers, 56 million Facebook followers, and 268 million Instagram followers.

As for Renaissance, Beyoncé’s upcoming album, she said of it last year, “I’ve been in the studio for a year and a half. Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare. One chorus can have up to 200 stacked harmonies. Still, there’s nothing like the amount of love, passion, and healing that I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was nine years old. Yes, the music is coming!”

Jay-Z Tells Kevin Hart He Isn’t Retired, He’s Just Not Making Music Right Now

by

The second season of Kevin Hart‘s Peacock talk series Hart To Heart is set to premiere this week. In a preview clip posted by Access Hollywood, Jay-Z discusses with the comedian the status of his latest semi-retirement. Although Jay notoriously “retired” once in 2003 with the release of The Black Album, he returned in relatively short order just three years later with Kingdom Come. This time, though, he has no plans on making any grand pronouncements of the same nature, even joking about his previous retirement with Hart.

“Nah, I tried that,” he admits. “I’m terrible at that! I just needed a break … I was really burnt out at that time. I was releasing an album every year … I just looked up one day and I was like, ‘I’m tired.’ I’d never been on vacation until, say, 2000, my whole life.” This time, he says he has no intentions of walking away — “for good” or otherwise — despite not currently having any projects in the works.

“I don’t know what happens next,” he acknowledges. “I’m not actively making music or making an album or have plans to make an album, but I never want to say that I’m retired. It’s a gift, and who am I to shut it off? It’s open to whatever. And it may have a different form or interpretation. Maybe it’s not an album, maybe it is. I have no idea, but I’m just going to leave it open.”

While Jay isn’t making music on his own yet, he did recently make an appearance on Pusha T’s album It’s Almost Dry, contributing his voice to the single “Neck And Wrist.” He also cleared seven samples for The Game’s upcoming album Drillmatic.

Watch Peacock’s Hart To Heart clip above and watch the whole series streaming on Peacock.

A Video Of Boosie Going Off On Police During A Traffic Stop Is Going Viral

by
boosie video
Getty Image

It’s been a big week (month, really) for rappers going off on police officers. Maybe it’s a little bit of payback for the seemingly constant surveillance and harassment hip-hop artists have endured from the authorities, or perhaps the outcry against prosecutors for focusing on rappers’ lyrics in cases like those against Young Thug and YoungBoy Never Broke Again has emboldened them. Either way, we’ve seen a growing boom in videos of rappers reacting to being arrested — or intervening in others’ arrests — and the latest to inadvertently join this trend is Baton Rouge’s Boosie Badazz.

In a video currently going viral on Twitter, Boosie can be seen handcuffed during a traffic stop in Georgia and really laying into the officers detaining him. “I can’t be going through this though, bro,” he exclaims. “It’s harassment, it’s every day. I can’t even live. I moved to the country to f*ckin’ live, bro.” He also seems to threaten the officers with both physical altercation and legal action, while pointing out that they seemingly have no good reason for pulling him over in the first place. “Car’s not stolen, registration is right, the tag is right,” he says. “You f*cking motherf*ckers are targeting my vehicles.”

According to TMZ, the original source of the video, Boosie and his driver were pulled over for tinted windows and concealed tags. The officers claim they smelled marijuana, searched the car, and found a plastic bag with weed in it. Eventually, he was cited and the weed was confiscated but he was released.

The video doesn’t paint Boosie in the best light, despite having a legitimate claim about possible harassment, but at least he’s yelling about someone actually bothering him — unlike the other times he’s gone viral in recent years.

NBA YoungBoy’s Gun Trial Defense Points Out Lack Of Fingerprints On The Weapon

by
nba youngboy gun trial
Getty Image

YoungBoy Never Broke Again is currently on trial for felony gun possession in Los Angeles after an FNX-45 handgun was found in his vehicle in March last year. According to Rolling Stone, his defense during yesterday’s session focused its efforts on the lack of evidence tying him to the gun — namely, the lack of usable fingerprints. An FBI Forensic Examiner, Icel Kuznetsova, admitted in her testimony that “no suitable latents” were found on the grip, magazine, or shell, but also noted that it isn’t unusual to not find prints due to a variety of factors.

In fact, she’s noted saying there’s “only about a 10 percent success rate” as a result of things like manufacturers adding “anti-moisture coating” to gun parts to help the weapons function more effectively. YoungBoy’s defense attorney also used some of the other items recovered from the car to suggest that the Baton Rouge rapper may not have been the only person to use the car, which would support his insistence that the gun in question isn’t his and he didn’t know it was in the vehicle, to begin with. The prosecution pointed out that his name is on the vehicle’s lease, and many of his personal items, such as jewelry, IDs, and bank cards, were in the vehicle — suggesting that he was the main or only person using it since you normally wouldn’t leave such important info around just anyone.

The prosecution suffered a blow from the outset of the trial, when the judge, R. Gary Klausner, ruled that YoungBoy’s lyrics showing knowledge of the gun’s brand, FN, couldn’t be used as evidence. Should YoungBoy be convicted, he could spend years in prison. At the conclusion of this trial, he also faces another gun possession trial in Louisiana for another incident in which he and 15 others were arrested after allegedly flashing weapons during a video shoot.