Home Page

Paidway T.O Plots A Turnt-Up ‘Kickback’ In A Livewire ‘UPROXX Sessions’ Performance

by

UPROXX Sessions repeat performer DDG has become something of a regular around here, dropping by to perform his viral hits like “Moonwalking In Calabasas” and “Hood Melody” while sharing his thoughts for React Like You Know and Behind The Video. Besides hanging out at the Uproxx office in Los Angeles, though, he also runs his own label, Zooted Entertainment, putting out his first artist Paidway T.O.

So, it’s only right that we got Paidway T.O in the studio to perform for UPROXX Sessions, too. He popped by with his 2020 single “Kickback,” an upbeat track about sneaking in the club at 19 years old. And while he doesn’t have to do so now, these days he’s focusing on preparing to release his debut album, for which he’s released a handful of singles including “Better Days” featuring DDG.

Watch Paidway T.O perform “Kickback” for 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.

John Legend And Muni Long’s Suggestive ‘Honey’ Video Oozes Sensuality

by

John Legend and Muni Long get sticky in the suggestive video for their new collaboration “Honey,” oozing sensuality in every frame. The video opens with John Legend waking up on the floor in an elegantly appointed but utterly wrecked music room amid the remains of the last night’s festivities. As he takes in the devastation, he notices honey dripping from beneath a framed portrait of Muni Long, peeling away the wallpaper to reveal a honeycomb and a hole in the wall, through which he watches the real Muni luxuriate in a bathtub full of, you guessed it, honey.

The song is John Legend’s second single of the year, following the groovy, upbeat “Dope,” which also features a rising artist in Atlanta tongue twister JID. It would seem that both singles are paving the way for Legend to release a follow-up to his 2020 album Bigger Love at some point. Legend recently wrapped up his 2021 tour for that album and as the consummate entertainer, doesn’t seem to be waiting around to unleash a new collection of loverly R&B tunes on the world.

Muni Long, meanwhile, is experiencing quite the breakout herself, garnering plenty of attention for her viral single “Hrs And Hrs” after it jumped from TikTok virality to the Billboard Hot 100. She’s also planning to release a project this year, a sequel to her star-making 2021 release Public Displays Of Affection.

Watch John Legend’s video for “Honey” featuring Muni Long above.

Westside Boogie Explains Why Eminem Told Him To Stop Stage-Diving

by
Westside Boogie
Getty Image

Since 2017, Westside Boogie has been signed to Eminem‘s label Shady Records. Because of this, he’s been able to talk to the iconic rapper and even receive some wisdom from him about performing and taking criticism. He discussed some of this on Raquel Harper’s It’s Tricky podcast (as HipHopDX notes).

“Performance-wise, he told me stop stage-diving ’cause I can get sued,” he said. “That’s just a physical thing. He don’t like how I be jumping in the crowd ’cause he said I could get sued and how he got into fight for doing that. But I just like jumping into the crowd — it’s like my thing, you know what I’m saying? So I don’t know if that’s necessarily good advice, but that’s the advice he gave me.”

He continued, “Music advice, he talked to me about not taking everything personal from blogs, ’cause it’s hard for me because my music is so genuine to me. So not seeing good responses sometimes frustrates me ’cause I know how much I put into it, but I think that’s every artist. Plus, coming from a neighborhood where we can’t let nobody punk us, gotta stand up for ourselves, when somebody come for me crazy on the internet, it’s always hard to not reply.”

Joey Badass Has ‘Survivors Guilt’ In His Mournful Ode To The Late Capital Steez

by

Back in 2012, when a 17-year-old Joey Badass dropped his star-making mixtape 1999, one of his closest compatriots in the Pro Era crew was Capital Steez, who featured with him on the song “Survival Tactics.” Two years later, Steez was gone after committing suicide by jumping from a rooftop. Since then, his friends have kept his memory alive with their annual Steez Day music festival but that hasn’t stopped Joey from feeling the residual effects. He tackles those thoughts head-on in his new song “Survivors Guilt,” a mournful ode to his late friend.

“Steezy told me get ’em so I got em / Now my n**** gone, he will never be forgotten,” Joey raps. “Ever since he left I’ve just been struggling without him.” He also admits to feeling guilty for not being there for his friend when he needed him, rhyming, “Then I caught a little wave and headed back to shore / And that’s when he started drowning / And he had no one around him / So partially I feel it’s my fault.”

After “Where I Belong,” “Survivors Guilt” is the second single Joey put out in preparation for the release of his album, 2000, the spiritual successor to 1999, which was postponed due to sample clearance issues. In the meantime, Joey has also offered guess verses to Chance The Rapper’s new single “The Highs And The Lows” and Black Thought’s “Because” with Danger Mouse and Russ.

Listen to Joey Badass’ “Survivors Guilt” above.

Cardi B Debates New York’s Best Chopped Cheese With Adorable Child Journalist Jazzy’s World

by
cardi b
Getty Image

Watch out, Nardwuar, Jazzy’s World is coming for your spot. The 11-year-old Brooklyn-bred reporter (real name Jazlyn Guerra) has been going viral left and right thanks to adorable and earnest interviews with some of the biggest names in music and sports, including Jay-Z, J. Cole, and Shaq, and it turns out she’s just getting started. Her latest big get is Cardi B, who looks absolutely delighted to be getting interviewed by a kid who is only a few years away from being her own daughter’s age.

In the clip below, the pair share one of the timeless New Yorker debates: Which borough has the best chopped cheese sandwich. Jazzy has one stipulation though: “Before you answer,” she says. “Do not say The Bronx just because you’re from there… Let’s talk facts.” Listen, this kid’s got the right stuff. She’s gonna make it in this biz. “Let my tell you why I’m gonna say The Bronx,” Cardi shoots back. “I go to the studio here in downtown [Manhattan], and every time I leave the studio, it be like three or four o’clock in the morning and when I be hungry… I order a chopped cheese and they just don’t have like how I remember it growing up.” She does admit, however, that she’s never had one from Brooklyn.

Of course, Jazzy thinks her home borough of Brooklyn makes the best chopped cheese, suggesting that the debate will continue forever. Meanwhile, hidden in there is the knowledge that Cardi has been going to the studio and working on her upcoming sophomore album until late (or early), so there must be some progress being made, right? Check out the clip above.

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

Saucy Santana Delivers A Picture-Perfect ‘XXL’ Freshman Freestyle

by

Saucy Santana has officially arrived. Despite only starting his professional rap career in the last three years, Santana has seen his fame skyrocket behind ultra-viral tracks like “Here We Go,” “Material Girl,” and “Walk.” His latest single, the Beyonce-sampling “Booty,” is already taking over radio stations and was even tabbed by fans as a song of the summer before it was even officially released. Last month, Santana’s status was sealed as he was one of the 12 artists selected to represent XXL‘s annual Freshman class for 2022.

In his swaggering freestyle for XXL, Santana postures behind an ornate portrait frame in a Givenchy hoodie, decked out in stunner shades, glistening jewels, and his ever-present long nails. Rapping acapella, Santana details his experiences as “the gay boy on the block selling a purse full of drugs,” and dismisses haters who’ve questioned his presence and popularity due to his sexual orientation. “I’m still snatchin’ y’all wigs,” he boasts. “Call me ‘hair physician’ / Million-dollar deal on a billion-dollar mission.” Like I said, Santana has arrived. It’s up to fans to get used to him.

Watch Saucy Santana’s swaggering XXL Freshman freestyle above. You can watch Nardo Wick’s Freshman freestyle here and Doechii’s Freshman freestyle here.

Black Thought & Danger Mouse Take Over The Streets In Their ‘Because’ Video With Joey Badass And Russ

by

Black Thought, Danger Mouse, Joey Badass, and Russ take over the streets in the new video for “Because” from Black Thought & Danger Mouse’s upcoming joint project, Cheat Codes, which drops on August 12 on BMG. The trippy visual sees the trio of rappers perform via the massive screens in New York’s Times Square, as well as on the POV character’s phone screen. Indie singer Dylan Cartlidge continues to provide the song’s melodic chorus, while Danger’s presence is constricted to the beat and some extreme closeups on the screens.

Cheat Codes was selected as one of Uproxx’s Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums Of Summer 2022, with excitement focused on hearing one of hip-hop’s most gifted and skilled rappers over beats guided by the quirky ear of Danger Mouse, whose previous collaborations include The Mouse and the Mask with the late MF DOOM (as Danger Doom) and ASAP Rocky’s At.Long.Last.ASAP (ALLA). Other guests on the album will include prior Danger Mouse collaborators ASAP Rocky and DOOM, as well as Conway The Machine, Kid Sister, Michael Kiwanuka, Raekwon, and Run The Jewels.

Watch Black Thought & Danger Mouse’s “Because” video featuring Joey Badass, Russ, and Dylan Cartlidge above.

Cheat Codes is out on 8/12 via BMG. Pre-save it here.

Nicki Minaj’s Husband Was Sentenced To A Year Of House Arrest For Failing To Register As A Sex Offender

by
nicki minaj kenneth petty
Getty Image

Kenneth Petty, Nicki Minaj’s husband since 2019, has been sentenced to a year of house arrest for failling to register as a sex offender in California, according to CBS Los Angeles. In addition, he must pay pay a $55,000 fine and complete three years of probation. Petty pled guilty to failing to register as a sex offender in September last year after being arrested in November of 2019 during a traffic stop.

Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in New York in 1995. Despite completing his four-year sentence and registering as a sex offender in New York, he did not update his address with authorities upon the couple’s move to Los Angeles in 2019. He originally pled not guilty to failing to register, but considering a conviction could cost him up to ten years in prison with a lifetime of supervised release, he apparently changed his mind, taking the plea for a lesser sentence.

The alleged victim from his original conviction, Jennifer Hough, sued both Petty and Minaj in 2021, claiming that they or their representatives have been harassing her to recant her initial testimony. Nicki and her lawyer have called the lawsuit an attempt to shake her down for money and called for Hough’s lawyer to be “severely punished” for making certain claims in his filings saying Nicki was part of a New York street gang.

Doja Cat Is Super Into New ‘Stranger Things’ Star Joseph Quinn And Asked One Of His Co-Stars For DM Help

by
doja cat bikini
Getty Image

In late May, UK actor Joseph Quinn had himself a moment with his show-stealing role of Eddie Munson on the fourth season of Stranger Things. He instantly endeared himself to many, including Doja Cat, who tweeted days after the season premiere, “joseph quinn fine as sh*t.” It turns out Doja wanted to do more than just shout him out on Twitter, as she went as far as going through his Stranger Things co-stars to try to get in touch with him.

Last night, Noah Schnapp (aka Will Byers) took to TikTok to share a DM conversation he and Doja had on Instagram. It starts with Doja saying, “Noah can u tell Joseph to hmu,” then adding, “wait no. does he have a gf?” Schnapp responds, “LMAOO slide into his dms.” Doja replies, “idk his ig or twitter,” adding, “he doesn’t have a dm to slide in.” Schnapp then directs Doja to Quinn’s Instagram account and adds, “Right here ma’am,” and that ends the conversation.

@noahschnapp

#stitch with @taradanto thirsty doja

♬ original sound – Noah Schnapp

Meanwhile, Quinn recently spoke about his big Metallica moment in the season finale, telling Entertainment Weekly of the scene, “I was playing [the song] on the day. We had a backing track and I was playing along with it. I wouldn’t wanna mess with what they’ve already got, but it was very useful to be able to play along character-wise. It’s a pretty adolescent fantasy to be a rockstar, isn’t it? I felt like one for a night. It was great having Gaten [Matarazzo] up there with me. They really turned it up when they played ‘Master Of Puppets’ and the whole crew were there. It was the first time that everyone felt like they were seeing live music — I say ‘live music’ — since the pandemic. So it felt like a real celebration.”

Lizzo Unveils The ‘Special’ Tracklist, Featuring Songs Called ‘Coldplay’ And ‘Everybody’s Gay’

by
Lizzo BET Awards 2022 After Party
Getty Image

There’s only one more Friday to go before Lizzo’s new album Special: It’s not out this week but it’s set for release on the 15th. Ahead of then, Lizzo has offered a better idea of what the album looks like by sharing the tracklist.

Included on the 12-song list is of course the single “About Damn Time,” as well as “Grrrls,” “I Love You B*tch,” “Everybody’s Gay,” and album closer “Coldplay,” which is named after the band that, like Lizzo, is signed to Atlantic Records. The tracklist doesn’t indicate if they — or anybody else, for that matter — feature on the album.

This comes after Lizzo received some good news earlier this week: On the latest Billboard Hot 100 chart, “About Damn Time” reached a new peak at No. 3. That makes it tied for her second-highest-charting song of her career: “Good As Hell” peaked at No. 3 while “Truth Hurts” was a chart-topper. Lizzo’s other charting singles are the Cardi B collaboration “Rumors” at No. 4 and “Juice” at No. 82.

Check out the Special tracklist below.

1. “The Sign”
2. “About Damn Time”
3. “Grrrls”
4. “2 Be Loved”
5. “I Love You B*tch”
6. “Special”
7. “Break Up Twice”
8. “Everybody’s Gay”
9. “Naked”
10. “Birthday Girl”
11. “If You Love Me”
12. “Coldplay”

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