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Rowdy Rebel Details His Rise, Fall, And Return In A Dramatic ‘Rowdy Vs. Rebel’ Album Trailer

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Rowdy Rebel’s story is low-key pretty fascinating. The Brooklyn rapper went from the height of popularity to serving a six-year prison sentence and this Friday, July 15, he finally releases his debut album. It’s called Rowdy Vs. Rebel, a title that addresses Rowdy’s duality and his struggle between doing the right thing and doing the things that first landed him in hot water, to begin with. Rowdy has released a hype trailer depicting his dramatic rise, fall, and return, as well as detailing the album’s features and previewing some of its drill-oriented songs.

In addition to Rowdy’s apparent multiple personalities, the album is also set to feature A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, with whom Rowdy collaborated on “9 Bridge,” Dreezy, Drizzy Juliano, Kamikaze Kai, Fivio Foreign (can we give these drill guys some props for their alliterative nicknames?), French Montana, and Jadakiss. The trailer features clips of some of Rowdy’s in-studio link-ups with French Montana and Fivio, as well as snippets of videos in which he’s appeared, including CJ’s “Whoopty” remix and “Woo Nina.” The final clip finds Rowdy reiterating the album’s theme and wondering “Who gone win?” It looks like we’ll find out.

Watch Rowdy Rebel’s Rowdy Vs. Rebel album trailer above.

Rowdy Vs. Rebel is out on 7/15 via Epic Records. You can pre-save it here.

Santigold Drops A Super Quick Video For The Compelling New Single ‘Nothing’

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The last album we got from Santigold was her third, 2016’s 99¢. Now, though, a new one is on the way, as Spirituals was announced a month ago for release this September. Today, she’s offered another tease of it with the single “Nothing,” which you can check out if you have a spare literal minute, as the clip runs just short of 60 seconds in length. The actual song itself runs closer to three minutes and is some dynamic alt-pop.

In a statement, Santigold says of the song:

“It’s a song for anyone who has not been seen, and for me it was an opportunity to explore how that feels. I wrote Nothing in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests, and in writing the lyrics I was able to release a heaviness that I did not know I was carrying. Being Black and being a woman, particularly one who has chosen the creative path that I have chosen, I have always felt invisible to a degree. People see only what they think they know, or what they think I should be. Or sometimes, they see nothing at all. This song is about the burden of existing beneath a veil of nothingness. And the strength it requires just to be, despite it.”

She also says of the video:

“This video vignette was inspired by a Wangechi Mutu image called Snake Eater. I had seen the image years ago and when I was thinking up visual ideas for this song, this piece came to mind. I loved the idea of a being that is woman but also beyond human in some way, and even unclassifiable. A being for whom there is no name, no category, who is totally unique, and fierce. I wanted to become this type of creature in this video because I don’t believe we have to know how to name or define what we’re seeing to accept that it exists, that it’s beautiful and powerful and worthy of being exactly what it is. How exciting to encounter a being so magnificent that it is beyond our imaginations. How exciting to find that that beast is living within you and to set it free.”

Watch the “Nothing” video and listen to the full song above.

Spirituals is out 9/9 via Little Jerk. Pre-order it here.

Junior Mafia’s ‘Get Money’ Video Gets Some ‘React Like You Know’ Appreciation From BIA And Coi Leray

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It’s been a minute since we last dropped a React Like You Know video, so you know we had to come back strong. Not only do we have a new panel featuring Uproxx cover star Coi Leray and fan favorites like ASAP Tyy, BIA, Kali, and Kidd Kenn, but we’ve given our millennials/Gen Zers an absolute classic video to rock with: Junior Mafia’s “Get Money” featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Lil Kim.

For some readers, it might be mind-boggling to realize that many of today’s rappers weren’t even born yet when Biggie was shot to death in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. But his impact still reverberates through their lives and music — even if some of them aren’t even aware of it. The same can be said of Lil Kim, whose influence is one of the common threads in the recent resurgence of female talent in the hip-hop world.

Coi even acknowledges as much, nodding to her own homage to one of Kim’s iconic outfits in her recent Uproxx cover shoot. Meanwhile, Lakeyah sums it up best: “She definitely opened doors for girls like me,” she explains. “She a tough rapper and she owns her sexuality. She knew she was a sexy bitch.” Of course, for a generation that wasn’t raised on the same MTV as the rappers whose videos they’re watching, some of the aesthetics are certainly eye-opening.

When Uproxx’s Cherise Johnson asks whether the rappers back then were raunchier than the ones today, Kidd Kenn wholeheartedly disagrees. “The girls today are disgusting,” he jokes. “I’m one of the girls.”

You can watch our panel react to the “Get Money” video above.

Quavo Gives A Promising Update About Migos’ Future Amid Breakup Rumors

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Lately, it hasn’t been entirely clear where things stand with Migos. Rumors started in May that the group was breaking up, and later that month, Quavo And Takeoff teamed up for an Offset-less single, “Hotel Lobby.” Then, in June, Migos pulled out of a scheduled performance at Governors Ball.

The way Quavo tells it, though, Migos is going to be alright. In a new GQ interview, he explained that the group members’ solo activities outside of the group serve to make the trio stronger, both as individuals and as a unit.

Quavo said when it comes to the first decade of Migos, “It was all about Migos, Migos, Migos. The three of us.” He continued, “I feel like every group member has to establish themselves. Their own body of work. If not, you start losing members.” He also threw in a football metaphor, adding, “I’m a quarterback in life, but now that I want it, I’m just going to show you.”

The rapper also said he’s looking to really cultivate an acting career for himself, noting, “I kind of want to be like an Ice Cube when it comes to rapping and acting. I don’t think people realize what that man did. He did it culturally in the music and with the movies. I feel like that’s what the world’s missing right now.”

Check out the full feature here.

Lamar Odom And Fake Drake Are Squaring Off In A Celebrity Boxing Match

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While Instagram banned Fake Drake — aka Izzy Drake — for impersonating the rapper on his feed (despite an apparent co-sign from Drizzy himself) that’s not stopping the impersonator from continuing to capitalize on his, err… likeness. Celebrity Boxing just announced via TMZ Hip Hop that Fake Drake will be duking it out in the ring with none other than former LA Lakers champ and former Khloé Kardashian beau Lamar Odom.

Izzy would be wise to be careful, assuming he watched Odom totally pound America’s tormented little brother, Aaron Carter in a Celebrity Boxing match last year. Fake Drake has been running his mouth, challenging the real Drake to a $1 million boxing match (which was the likely straw that broke the camel’s back on Izzy’s Instagram account) and apparently Odom did not find this sideshow amusing.

“Man, whassup? I hear this news that this fake lookalike wanna fight my man Drake… Swagger jacker dude,” Odom said in a pre-fight hype video while wearing a Nipsey Hussle shirt. “But my man don’t really get his hands dirty. So what I’m gonna do is I’m just gonna step in the way and take that fight. Get the contract, bring it right to you. Lay you right down. Odom out.”

Meanwhile, Fake Drake’s hype video consisted of him mostly dodging tennis balls. This fight might be over before it even begins. But if anything, Fake Drake will have some extra scratch to bet on a fake roulette table.

The Celebrity Boxing match is scheduled to take place on October 15th in either Atlantic City or Miami.

Muni Long And Saweetie Drop A Colorful New Visual For ‘Baby Boo’

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Riding the highs of her latest EP, Public Displays Of Affection Too, Muni Long has dropped a flashy new visual. Joined by Saweetie, Muni looks to make a new man her “Baby Boo.”

At the beginning of the video, Muni is seen browsing a dating app called BLK. She is then carried into a colorful dream sequence, in which she latches onto an ice cream truck, driven by her match on the app. Saweetie pops in with a fiery verse, as she hoops it up with a man in a pastel green room.

The song is a fast-paced nod to Muni’s pop roots, with catchy rhythms and an infectious hook, on which she sings, “I love you, I love you / I’m always thinkin’ of you / And no, it’s not a crush / Baby, I wanna lock you down.”

Muni has worked in the industry for over 15 years, putting out EPs and albums under the moniker Priscilla Renea. Until her breakthrough hit “Hrs And Hrs” went viral on TikTok last year, much of her success came from working as a songwriter for the likes of Ariana Grande, Rihanna, and, Kelly Clarkson.

In a recent interview with MTV News, Muni said that as a singer in her own right, she wants to be “a catalyst for little brown girls.”

Check out “Baby Boo” above.

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

Drake Calls Lil Baby ‘The Truth’ In The Official Trailer For ‘Untrapped: The Story Of Lil Baby’

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After teasing clips from his upcoming Amazon Prime Video documentary Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby on Father’s Day, Lil Baby shared the official trailer today. In it, various important figures in the Atlanta rapper’s life from Drake to Quality Control CEO Pierre Thomas to initial benefactor Young Thug, give insights into the young rapper’s rise to stardom. But perhaps the most potent voice in the trailer comes from Lil Baby himself as he recalls his decision to give up street life for rap life.

“After I got locked up again, my perspective changed,” he explains. “America has a system in place and it’s designed for us to fail. It’s a trap. I couldn’t go back to prison, [so] I became an artist with something to say and people to stand for.”

Meanwhile, the above-mentioned influential people for Lil Baby point out impactful he’s been. Drake calls him a “super important part of this generation” and “the truth” to open the trailer while Young Thug remembers telling him “nothing comes out of what you’re doing but prison or death.” P Thomas says Baby “put it all on the line” to pursue his goal of rap stardom, and rapid-fire clips of his newfound life of fame and fortune flash across the screen ahead of the title card as Baby asserts that he’ll “never be trapped again.”

Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby starts streaming on Amazon Prime Video on August 26. Watch the official trailer above.

Nicki Minaj Teases A New Song Sampling Rick James’ ‘Super Freak’

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Barbz, rejoice. It appears NM5 is imminent. Yesterday, Nicki Minaj took to social media to tease new music. In the video clip, shared on her social channels, she is seen dancing on a couch, twerking in all her glory.

Fans get a taste of new music with the video, as a new song utilizing a heavy sample of Rick James’ “Super Freak” plays throughout.

“I can lick it, I can ride it while you slippin’ and slidin’/ I can do all them little tricks and keep the d*ck up inside it / You can smack it, you can grip it, you can go down and kiss it / And every time he leave me alone he always tell me he miss it,” she raps.

This isn’t the first time Nicki has interpolated “Super Freak.” In “Wanna Minaj,” a cut from her 2008 mixtape, Sucka Free, she freestyles over “Freaky Gurl” by Gucci Mane, on the chorus of which, Gucci raps, “She’s a very freaky girl / Don’t bring her to mama.”

As of now, Nicki has not yet announced a title or a release date for her hotly-anticipated fifth studio album, but in a February interview with The Dana Cortez Show, she revealed that fans can expect the rap stylings they loved Nicki for during her mixtape era.

“There’s a little bit of full-circle-ness happening,” Nicki said, “because I’m creating music kinda like how I used to create music when I first started rapping on mixtapes. I just feel like that’s what’s needed right now… [writing] raps that connect with people, that make people want to sign a long and channel their inner bad bitch.”

Lizzo Reveals ‘Coldplay’ From Her Upcoming Album Samples Coldplay’s ‘Yellow,’ Which Is Her Hookup Song

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At the end of the week, Lizzo will release her fourth album Special, which comes three years after her Platinum-selling, Grammy-winning third album Cuz I Love You. Ahead of the release of Special, Lizzo unveiled the tracklist for the project, and what caught many people’s attention is the album’s closing track, “Coldplay.” The song’s title left many to wonder what the song is about, during a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Lizzo gave some insight into the record.

“This is one of the most literal songs I’ve ever written,” Lizzo said about the song according to Rolling Stone. “Everything I say in the song actually happened.” The song is produced by Ricky Reed, who put together a piano loop and pushed Lizzo to just talk over the instrumental, and what resulted was a sprawling and lengthy tale about a lovestruck vacation she was on. Afterward, Lizzo said she felt “raw and sensitive” about the song and simply wanted to move on, but Ricky had other plans, as he crafted her monologue into a song. Elsewhere in the interview, Lizzo confirmed that the song also has some direct references to Coldplay, and this led to a FaceTime call with Chris Martin during the sit-down.

“I was with somebody, and I was just looking at the stars,” Lizzo said to Martin after she thanked him for letting use the band’s name for the song, which also samples Coldplay’s “Yellow.” “And I was with him, and I was singing it. And tears just were coming to my eyes. You have such an incredible ability to move people with the poetry of your lyricism. So thank you so, so much.”

“Hey, I don’t know how to accept those kinds of compliments,” Martin replied. “Thank you. If someone had told me 22 years ago, ‘One day, Lizzo’s going to make out to this song,’ I’d be like, ‘Okay, great.’ It’s become Lizzo’s hookup song, and that’s good.” Lizzo gleefully added, “Oh, that’s baby-making music, baby!”

Special is out 7/15 via Nice Life and Atlantic. You can pre-save it here.

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

Eminem Fans Aren’t Feeling The Cover For His Upcoming ‘Curtain Call 2’

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It has been roughly 17 years since Eminem released his first greatest hits compilation, Curtain Call: The Hits. Since then, he’s released six more albums worth of material, generating four more No. 1 Hot 100 hits, as well as a further slew of Billboard hits like “Venom,” “Godzilla,” “Rap God,” and more. So it’s only right that he takes another Curtain Call, announcing the compilation’s sequel due August 5. And while fans were excited by the news that the project would contain a few new songs, including “The King And I” and “From The D 2 The LBC,” the album’s cover drew a less enthusiastic response.

Inspired by a pinball machine, the cover features an illustration of Eminem throwing up the devil horns, surrounded by rendered references to his past projects and digital score displays. Of course, the numbers on those displays will be familiar to anyone who ever did the upside number words with their calculator in class in high school. The visual gag keeps with Eminem’s sometimes sophomoric humor, but between those, the weirdly rendered pinball theme, and just the overwhelming busyness of the design, fans couldn’t help but give the cover a well-earned roasting on Twitter

However, as always, Em had his defenders as well.

In any case, the album and its cover will be out 8/5 via Shady/Interscope.