Home Page

SpotemGottem Has Been Arrested After A Jet Ski Chase

by
SpotemGottem
Getty Image

SpotemGottem is known for getting in trouble. The Jacksonville, FL rapper, whose real name is Nehemiah Harden, has been arrested after a jet ski chase. According to NBC Miami, Miami police tried to pull Harden over when he was speeding on a jet ski. Needless to say, he did not pull over. When the cops caught him, he was charged with reckless operation of a boat and fleeing police.

Last year, the “Beat Box” star was arrested by US marshalls on firearm violations and aggravated assault. He and several of his friends broke the gate at a parking garage in Miami and reportedly threatened someone who tried to stop them — the story doesn’t make clear whether this was a passerby or the garage attendant — with a semi-automatic weapon. He was granted an $18,500 bond.

A few months after that incident, he was shot multiple times while driving on the I-95. He told police he was being driven south on the highway when someone in another car began shooting at his car, hitting his driver in the hip and wounding Spotem, who was sitting in the passenger seat, in both legs. The report said at least 22 shots were fired, likely from an automatic weapon.

An R. Kelly Supporter Was Arrested For Threatening Prosecutors In His New York Sex Trafficking Case

by
r.-kelly.jpg
Getty Image

As outrageous as it sounds considering the laundry list of crimes for which R. Kelly was convicted, the disgraced R&B star still has plenty of hardcore fans — some much harder than others. According to Billboard, one who recently went way out of his way to show his support for Kelly was arrested after threatening federal prosecutors involved in Kelly’s New York case (his Chicago case is still pending). Bolingbrook, Illinois resident Christopher Gunn was arrested Saturday and faces up to five years in prison if he’s convicted.

Appearing in court yesterday, he was detained without bond. A detention hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, and the Department of Justice wants him moved to New York for trial. Gunn allegedly posted a video to his YouTube page flashing a photo of the prosecutors’ Brooklyn office building and sharing his plan to “storm” it. “[I]f you ain’t got the stomach for the shit we bout to do, I’m asking that you just bail out,” he says in the video. Prosecutors say Gunn also accepted payments via Cash App for ammunition, including transactions with messages such as “30 rounds on the haters.”

While there’s plenty of idle talk on social media, it appears that Gunn may have been planning to carry out his threats; a log book from the courthouse where Kelly’s trial was held contains Gunn’s signature on September 3, 2021. Incidentally, there’s no indication that Kelly actually knows Gunn, and there are all kinds of things you can say about that. According to court documents, Gunn is charged with “knowingly and intentionally transmit[ing] in interstate and foreign commerce communications containing threats … that would result in the death or serious bodily injury” of three Assistant US Attorneys who participated in Kelly’s prosecution.

Kelly, meanwhile, awaits sentencing after being found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking, with prosecutors recommending over 25 years in prison under the belief that if released sooner, he’d be up to his old tricks rather than reformed.

Lizzo Does ‘Carpool Karaoke’ To Sing Beyoncé And Reflect On Her Influence: ‘She’s Been My North Star’

by

Weeks away from her upcoming second major-label album, Special, Lizzo stopped by The Late Late Show With James Corden for the show’s “Carpool Karaoke” segment.

Lizzo and Corden kicked off the karaoke session with a performance of her hit single, “Good As Hell,” which was released in 2016 but reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019. Later, the two sang “Juice” from Lizzo’s 2019 major-label debut album, Cuz I Love You. Corden then surprised Lizzo, a well-trained flautist, by pulling out a flute from the back seat. Lizzo, who has been playing flute since she was 12, then shows off her flute skills. Lizzo that she calls her own flute “Sasha Floot,” named after her fellow Houstonian Beyoncé’s alter-ego, Sasha Fierce.

“When I was shy, or when I didn’t think I was cool, and when I was getting picked on, I would listen to Beyoncé in my bedroom, and it would transport me,” Lizzo said. “I would feel something. I would feel like my life is going to be better. There’s hope for me. When I dropped out of college and I was really depressed, I listened to [Beyoncé’s sophomore album] B’day on repeat. I would just sing B’day all the time, and I was like, ‘I’m gonna be a singer, I’m gonna be a singer.’ The way she makes people is how I want to make people feel with music. She’s been my north star.”

The two then sing Beyoncé’s hit single, “Crazy In Love.”

Other high points in the episode include Lizzo previewing the album’s title track, before she revealed that she grew up in The Church Of God In Christ and wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music growing up.

“Would you have been allowed to listen to Lizzo’s music?” asked Corden

“Early on Lizzo, yes,” Lizzo replied. “But when Lizzo started cussing, no. I’ve pissed a few family members off.”

Toward the end of the episode, the two perform Lizzo’s most recent hit single, “About Damn Time.” They are later joined in the park by Jaeden Gomez, who created the song’s TikTok dance, as well as a large group of people, creating a flash mob.

Check out the full segment above.

Special is out 7/15 via Atlantic. Pre-save it here.

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

Lil Wayne Smoked 15 Blunts When He Was In The Studio With Machine Gun Kelly

by
Lil Wayne
Getty Image

Machine Gun Kelly’s new Hulu documentary Life In Pink came out yesterday, which tells the story of his pivot to pop punk. Possibly the most interesting part of the whole thing is his recollection of collaborating with Lil Wayne for “Drug Dealer,” and the way the iconic rapper smoked 15 blunts.

“I pressed play on the song, he’s like, ‘Is that what we’re doing?’” MGK recalled. “‘Yeah.’ He’s like, ‘Alright. You guys got time?’ ‘Yeah, for sure.’ He goes in the courtyard, smokes 15 blunts. He just takes each, his eyes are closed just playing the track over and over again. He comes back in the studio and we can see him in the courtyard. We’re just kind of sitting there amazed, like that’s the GOAT forming his thoughts around a track that we made.”

He continued, “He comes back in at 5:30 in the morning. He’s like, ‘Y’all ready?’ He goes in the booth and he lays his sh*t like, one time. It’s just like, one time.”

Kelly previously told a similar story about working with Wayne, minus the details about blunts.

Apparently MGK’s flirtation with pop punk is coming to an end for now, because a couple of months ago he said he’ll be returning to rap music. “I’m going to make a rap album for myself, for no other reason, no point to prove, no chip on my shoulder,” he said in an interview.

It Turns Out Cardi B’s ‘Hot Sh*t’ Is A Kanye West And Lil Durk Collaboration

by
Cardi B West Hollywood Pride Parade 2022
Getty Image

With the rollout of her upcoming single, Cardi B is taking a gradual approach. On June 26, she revealed that the tune is called “Hot Sh*t” and that it’s set to arrive this Friday, July 1. Along with that news, she teased “another surprise for y’all” coming yesterday at 8 p.m. Well, the news arrived, and it’s big: “Hot Sh*t” is a collaboration with Kanye West and Lil Durk.

Durk shared the single art and added, “Friday we shaking the world I promise.”

Meanwhile, in a live broadcast from before this new announcement, Cardi explained of her promotion strategy for the song, “With the promo, I just don’t feel like doing too much this time around, because I’m just exhausted with everybody. I’m so tired of people not doing their f*cking job correctly. I’m so tired of people just doing things their way. Just… I’m just over it, you know what I’m saying? I’m over it. I’m gonna put this record [out], if it do good, it do good. I think it’s gonna do good ’cause at the end of the day, the record is amazing. I love the record. It’s something that I feel like you haven’t heard from me before.”

She also added, “It’s masculine, it’s great for the clubs,” and that there won’t be a video for the song.

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

Drake Has 13 Songs From ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ On The Hot 100 Chart

by
Drake
Getty Image

Drake recently dropped his new album Honestly, Nevermind as a total surprise, giving fans little time to prepare for the 14 new songs. He didn’t expect everyone to understand and enjoy it immediately; after it was released, he said in an Instagram video, “It’s all good if you don’t get it yet. It’s all good.”

But it seems like most people did get it because 13 of the songs climbed their way onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which extended his record for most career entries to an unprecedented amount of 263. Honestly, Nevermind is the rapper’s 11th record to reach No. 1 on the charts, making him tied for third with Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand after The Beatles who have 19 and Jay-Z who has 14. Not too bad, especially for an album with no press cycle.

He’s not done reveling in the success of the album, though. On the premiere episode of Table For One, his new radio show on SiriusXM, he discussed his forthcoming plans and projects surrounding the LP: “Me and Kenzo have a book coming out this year. Yeah, we have a book coming out this year, a poetry book. So I hope you guys tune into that, too, because that’s going to be some sh*t.”

Nav Announces His New Album ‘Demons Protected By Angels’

by
Nav
Dragan Andic

Toronto rapper and producer Nav is back with the announcement of his first big release since 2020’s Emergency Tsunami: he’s unveiling a new album called Demons Protected By Angels. It has no official release date yet, though he has been mentioning July 29 on social media, which could be the release date of the record or of a single.

Nav is known for frequent collaborations. Emergency Tsunami watched him work with the producer Wheezy. He’s also done tracks with Lil Baby for “Don’t Need Friends,” Belly for “Requiem,” Young Thug for “No Debate,” and more. It’s likely that Demons Protected By Angels will be full of more chart-topping collaborations with an eclectic range of guests.

In 2020, he also shared “Turks,” a song with Travis Scott and Gunna, released during the week that he was celebrating the one-year anniversary of Bad Habits, his sophomore album that served as his first Billboard 200 chart-topper. It was his fourth collaboration with Travis Scott, following Nav’s “Champion” and Travis’ “Biebs In The Trap” and “Yosemite,” which also featured Gunna. Gunna’s album DS4EVER debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200, and featured a plethora of other guests including Landstrip Chip, Mobile, Yung Bleu, Beam, Rockford, and Fresco.

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

Ludacris’ Manager Chaka Zulu Was Shot In Atlanta

by
ludacris chaka
Getty Image

Chaka Zulu, Ludacris‘ longtime manager and the president of their label Disturbing Tha Peace, is in the hospital after being wounded in a triple shooting in Buckhead, Atlanta last night, according to XXL and the local news. The shooting took place around 11:30 pm Sunday night outside a restaurant called Apt4b. A dispute escalated into gunfire as a male shooter killed one person and hit two others, including the music impresario, who underwent surgery and is expected to recover. Police are reviewing surveillance footage to identify the shooter.

Chaka Zulu, Ludacris, and Chaka’s brother Jeff Dixon founded DTP in 1998 to promote Luda’s music after he was turned down for a record deal by the major labels at the time. Eventually, spurred by the success of its marquee rapper and roster additions including Bobby V, Chingy, Lil Scrappy, Playaz Circle (which included 2 Chainz, rapping under the name Tity Boi), and Shawnna, DTP became a subsidiary of Def Jam, pumping out a string of hits throughout the 2000s, and producing the 2 Fast 2 Furious soundtrack.

In other Ludacris-related news, the self-described “worst hoarder of all” recently received an honorary degree from Georgia State, celebrating by buying himself a private jet — which he can fly himself after taking lessons during the pandemic. Maybe in the next Fast & Furious movie, his character will be due for an upgrade from a sports car to something that can really fly.

Travis Scott’s First Post-Astroworld Solo Concert Will Be A London Show In August

by
travis scott show
Getty Image

After taking a six-month hiatus in performing in the wake of the fatal events at his Houston Astroworld Festival in late 2021, Travis Scott has slowly begun to roll out a slate of return performances. After popping up at small parties for the Oscars and Coachella, Travis booked a headlining set for Primavera Sound in Sao Paulo. Then, in May, Travis performed his new single “Mafia” at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards before being announced as one of the headliners for the return of the upcoming Day N Vegas festival. Meanwhile, his first club performance in May reportedly charged $50,000 for tables due to high demand.

Today, according to Rolling Stone, Travis booked his first solo headlining concert, which is scheduled for August 6 at London’s O2 Arena, which has a 20,000-person capacity. it’s likely he’ll use the response as a test case to determine the approach for any tour he’ll have for his upcoming album Utopia.

Still, he’ll likely remain in a sticky position as a result of the Astroworld tragedy, which spawned hundreds of lawsuits and almost 5,000 injury claims. Those lawsuits have been combined into one case which has yet to be tried. Meanwhile, Travis’ attempts to make amends, such as his Project HEAL initiative, have been criticized as PR stunts committed in the interest of generating positive publicity.

Drake Gets An 11th No. 1 Single As His And 21 Savage’s ‘Jimmy Cooks’ Debuts Atop The Hot 100

by
Drake Falling Back Video
YouTube

Drake recently shocked the world with Honestly, Nevermind, due to both the album’s surprise release and its unexpected dance style. The album has its haters, but it seems those are massively outweighed by supporters who have sent it to the top of the charts: Honestly, Nevermind just debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and now the album’s 21 Savage collaboration “Jimmy Cooks” (the only song on the album with a feature, actually) has debuted atop the new Hot 100 chart dated July 2.

Two other Honestly, Nevermind songs also debuted inside the top 10: “Sticky” at No. 6 and “Falling Back” at No. 7. Drake, Future, and Tems’ “Wait For U” is also at No. 4, giving Drake four total top-10 songs this week.

The latest No. 1 moves Drake up the all-time list of most chart-toppers in Hot 100 history: With 11 total, he’s now tied for seventh place behind The Beatles (20 No. 1 songs), Mariah Carey (19), Rihanna (14), Michael Jackson (13), Madonna, and The Supremes (12 each). Whitney Houston also has 11 No. 1’s. “Jimmy Cooks” is the second No. 1 song for “Savage,” following his and Post Malone’s “Rockstar.”

Meanwhile, Drake is actually now tied with The Beatles for the most top-5 songs, both with 29. “Jimmy Cooks” is also Drake’s record-extending seventh song to debut at No. 1, after “God’s Plan,” “Nice For What,” “Toosie Slide,” “What’s Next,” “Way 2 Sexy,” and “Wait For U.”

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