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The Notorious B.I.G.’s 50th Birthday Will Be Honored By The Empire State Building

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This Saturday, May 21 is what would have been The Notorious B.I.G.‘s 50th birthday, and to celebrate, his hometown, New York City will honor him by lighting up the Empire State Building with a crown on its mast. The day before, the Empire State Building will also hold a ceremony to honor him including Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, his children, CJ and Tyanna Wallace, and close friends and collaborators such as Lil Cease and Lil Kim.

Other celebrations will include the Barclays Center playing a video montage of classic Biggie records on its display above the entrance, while the MTA will offer special edition MetroCards at three subway stations near his old home: Lafayette Avenue, Clinton – Washington Ave., and Atlantic Ave. – Barclays Center. Meanwhile, the Clinton – Washington station will also host a takeover by Amazon Music, where fans will be able to scan a QR code to access an exclusive Instagram filter. Elsewhere in the city, Amazon will debut new murals of Biggie in each borough.

Next month, on June 10, the festivities will continue with an orchestral tribute to Biggie at the Lincoln Center which will live stream via Twitch; the same day, Bad Boy, Atlantic, and Rhino Records are re-releasing Life After Death on vinyl with a super deluxe boxed set 25th-anniversary edition full of rare photos, revamped liner notes, and some of Biggie’s hit singles from the album, such as “Hypnotize,” “Mo Money Mo Problems,” and “Sky’s the Limit.”

The Notorious B.I.G. is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Virginia Rapper Yvngxchris Vaunts His Wins With ‘Damn Homie’ For ‘UPROXX Sessions’

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At just 17 years old, Chesapeake, Virginia rapper Yvngxchris is already making quite the name for himself. His songs have become TikTok staples, his YouTube music videos have amassed millions of views, and fellow Virginia native Pusha T has taken him under his wing, managing his burgeoning career. Now, he’s signed to Columbia Records, home of past notable teen sensations like Lil Tjay, Polo G, and Lil Nas X.

In his UPROXX Sessions debut, Yvngxchris aims to make an impression with a high-energy performance of his tongue-twisting song, “Damn Homie.” It’s sort of reminiscent of influences like Comethazine and Ski Mask The Slump God, with a dash of Playboi Carti’s screwball energy. Meanwhile, the high school-aged rapper litters his rapid-fire verses with brain-bending rhyme patterns and smirk-inducing punchlines, showing that he’s got his own unique take on the SoundCloud-inspired style that is making him a favorite of the TikTok generation.

Watch Yvngxchris perform “Damn Homie” 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.

LeBron James Names His Top 5 Hip-Hop Albums Of All Time And Doesn’t Really Go Out On A Limb

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In case you didn’t know, LeBron James is a huge fan of hip-hop and he wants you to know it. Perhaps you watched LeBron showing off his dance moves while blasting the new Kendrick Lamar album in his backyard this past weekend? It was hypnotic, in a real dad sort of way. To his credit, he’s leveraged his relationships in hip-hop for good causes, like when Drake recently donated $1 million to LeBron’s I Promise School. But did a Drake album happen to make it’s way into the King’s top 5 hip-hop albums of all-time?

Yesterday, seemingly on a whim, LeBron decided to host an informal Q&A session on Twitter. “Q&A folks???,” he tweeted before adding, “Aight fire off.” He was pretty candid in his responses, saying that his favorite Lakers moment of all-time was Anthony Davis’ buzzer beater against Denver in the 2020 Western Conference Finals, saying that Luka Doncic is his favorite player, and clapping back at Tom Brady’s question about who would win in an ice hockey shootout.

Then, journalist Sierra Potter asked him to reel off his “Top 5 hip-hop albums.” LeBron, who has typically been a safe interviewee throughout his career, kinda kept with that tradition and didn’t really light the world on fire with his choices, instead, reeling off a handful of undisputed classics: Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle, Jay-Z’s The Black Album, Notorious B.I.G.’s Life After Death, and Nas’ It Was Written.

Perhaps the only gripe people could make is that Illmatic is the better choice of Nas albums instead of It Was Written, but we can hardly fault the man’s personal taste here. So if you were hoping to see LeBron namecheck an obscure rapper’s joint as one of his go-to’s, well, then you’ve come to the wrong basketball star for that. He did however, end his reply with, “But I have so many more to name for real!” So if he made anybody mad with his answers, he left the door open to save some face. Classic Lebron.

Doja Cat Insists She Didn’t Curve Jack Harlow Back In 2020

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Before winning the Billboard Music Awards for Top R&B Album, Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Female Artist, and Top Viral Song this past weekend, Doja Cat was asked about an online chat with Jack Harlow from 2020.

During an Instagram livestream, Harlow and Doja exchanged pleasantries before Harlow explained that both of their fan bases thought they were dating, as Harlow looked like the person Doja was dating at the time. The two continued to ask each other questions, before Doja shouted “What the f*ck? My wig is coming off, I gotta go, bye.”

After she signed off, Harlow said, still on stream, “Oh man, I’ve had a crush on her for months,” however, fans took Doja’s abrupt sign-off as the “Kiss Me More” singer’s way of curving Harlow.

Two years later, Doja has since clarified that this wasn’t the case.

“My wig was peeling off and I noticed that and I was like, ‘Oh, gotta go, bye,’” she said to E! News on the BBMAs red carpet. “Not that I care about that thing usually.”

Harlow was asked by ET about the infamous livestream, to which he responded, “I’ve become cool with Doja. That was early in our friendship, now we know each other pretty well. So I ain’t gonna do nothing too silly. I think I’m playing it cool today.”

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

Scarface Announces His Farewell Tour

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Houston rap icon Scarface is retiring from the rap business, but not before he takes one last bow. He recently announced his 32-city Farewell Tour, which will take one last spin of the US. Kicking off in Oakland, California on July 8 and running through August 27 in Odessa, Texas, the 51-year-old will give fans a final opportunity to see him live before he rides off into the sunset and sends his jersey into the rafters after almost 40 years.

A likely contributor to Scarface’s impending retirement is his recent bout with COVID-19 and kidney failure. Although he received a new kidney in 2021, it looks like he’s bowing out after his rough ordeal to take a well-earned rest. However, it’s hard to let go, thus: The Farewell Tour. Tickets go on sale Wednesday May 18. See the full run of tour dates below.

07/8 – Oakland, CA @ Yoshi’s
07/9 – Los Angeles, CA @ NOVO
07/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ AURA
07/12 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Fremont Theater
07/13 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
07/15 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
07/16 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
07/19 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
07/20 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
07/21 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Cotillion Ballroom
07/22 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
07/23 – Sauget, IL @ Pop’s
07/24 – Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre
07/26 – Springfield, MO @ Outland Ballroom
07/27 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
07/28 – Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot
07/29 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
07/30 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
07/31 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
08/2 – Columbus, OH @ Skully’s
08/3 – Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre
08/4 – Harrisburg, PA @ XL Live
08/5 – Portland, ME @ Aura
08/6 – Queens, NY @ Rock the Bells Festival
08/7 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club 24
08/11 – Huntsville, AL @ Envy Entertainment
08/12 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
08/13 – Mobile, AL @ Soul Kitchen
08/14 – Jackson, MS @ The Hideaway
08/18 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
08/19 – Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room
08/27 – Odessa, TX @ Ector Theater

Lil Keed Experienced ‘Severe Stomach Pain’ And Multiple Organ Failure Before His Death

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On Friday, YSL rapper Lil Keed died suddenly at the age of just 24 years old. At the time, no cause of death was available but today, TMZ reports that the XXL Freshman‘s death was related to multiple organ failure, including his kidneys and liver. Keed reportedly complained of severe stomach pain before his death, checking into an LA hospital for tests. However, his organs began to fail, leading to his eventual death.

According to TMZ’s sources, Keed had been sober recently after struggling with alcohol and drugs over the years. His death came as an untimely shock in the wake of the arrests of many of his YSL associates, who were wrapped up in a racketeering indictment that called YSL a hybrid street gang. Keed’s brother, fellow Atlanta rapper Lil Gotit, summed up the mourning on social media. “Can’t believe I seened u die today bro,” he wrote. “I did all my cries I know what u want me to do and that’s go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy.”

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office is expected to do an autopsy later this week.

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

Logic Shares The Release Date For His Seventh Album, ‘Vinyl Days’

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Ahead of his upcoming Vinyl Verse Tour with Wiz Khalifa, Logic will drop his seventh studio album, Vinyl Days next month. The album follows Logic’s January announcement of him coming out of his rap retirement.

Earlier this year, Logic teased the tracks “Breath Control,” along with Vinyl Days‘ title track. This month, he released “Therapy Music,” which features Russ. On “Therapy Music,” Logic raps, “I keep my ego in check, just me and this instrumental pumpin’ through this cassette deck / Money don’t represent my rank / Yeah, Logic rose from jack but even the Titanic sank / I seen cats with egos bigger than cruise ships lose it / Gain power and abuse it.”

Last month, he dropped a double single, comprised of the tracks “Tetris” and “Decades.” This came after a public dispute with Def Jam, who originally planned to release them as two standalone singles. “What the f*ck is going on, man? I told Def Jam that I wanted to release my sh*t as a two-pack,” Logic said in an Instagram video, “and I just found out that they’re releasing it as two singles at the same time. What kind of sh*t is that?… I care about my fans, man. I care about hip-hop. I care about music.”

Fortunately, it seems Logic got his way after all.

Check out the Vinyl Days artwork below.

Logic Vinyl Days cover
Courtesy of Def Jam

Vinyl Days is out 6/17 via Def Jam. Pre-save it here.

Cardi B Has No Sympathy For The Buffalo Shooting Suspect: ‘They Have An Evil Mentality’

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Over the weekend, an 18-year-old white man walked into a market in Buffalo, New York, and began shooting people. He killed 10 and injured another three, motivated by bigotry and ignorance as evidenced by a 180-page manifesto he posted online. It was one of just four mass shootings that took place over the past weekend, and the latest example of how genuinely messed up the political and social climate has gotten. As the world reacted to the tragedy, Cardi B, who often has canny observations about current events, didn’t reserve any sympathy for the perpetrator.

“Mass shooters are not mentally ill,” she tweeted on Sunday in the wake of the attack. Oftentimes, in the wake of a mass shooting (the fact I have to write “often” in that sentence is pretty sick, right?), the discourse will turn into a debate about mental health. However, Cardi wasn’t having any of this distraction tactic this time around. “They have [an] evil mentality.”

As usual, Cardi might be onto something. It’s telling that there’s assumed victimhood for the people who perpetrate these terroristic acts, as though they can’t be held responsible for their actions. But I gotta say, a guy writes 180 pages about how much he hates people he’s never met, that tells me he’s perfectly functional, his thinking has just been warped.

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

Freddie Gibbs’ Fight In Buffalo Was Caught On Video

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The only thing worse than possibly taking an L and having the whole internet laugh at you over it is having video footage of said L pop up online. Freddie Gibbs, who recently performed in Buffalo, New York with what appeared to be a swollen eye, had been the subject of some nasty rumors that said he’d been jumped just hours before. Now, TMZ has the footage, which depicts Gibbs and a whole bunch of other men trading blows inside the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que restaurant.

While there’s still no official word on just what started the brawl, fans have been running with one theory in particular due to its location and the war of words Freddie has been waging on hometown hero Benny The Butcher. While he’d previously enjoyed a healthy working relationship with all the members of Griselda Records, a recent exchange between Gibbs and the notoriously outspoken Westside Gunn seemed to sour that connection.

Then, after Benny dismissed a rumor of a joint album between the two, saying their time “came and went,” the prickly Gibbs took his words as a challenge. They have been going back and forth on social media ever since. However, if recent events are connected to their tiff, perhaps cooler heads will prevail and they can talk out their differences like grownups.

Watch the video of Freddie Gibbs’ restaurant fight above.

Brandy Responds To Jack Harlow Failing To Identify Her: ‘I Will Murk This Dude In Rap’

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Jack Harlow may have been the last person to know that Brandy and Ray J are siblings. This news made headlines last week following Harlow’s appearance on Hot 97, when he was played Brandy’s “Angel In Disguise.”

When played the sound clip, Harlow was instructed to guess the performing artist. Hosts Peter Rosenberg and Ebro Darden offered hints, saying, “Her brother is the reason a lot of people are famous,” and, “Her brother has an amazing sex tape.”

Harlow immediately caught on that the hosts were referring to Ray J, to which he responded, “Who is Ray J’s sister?”

“It’s Brandy,” shouted host Laura Stylez.

“Brandy and Ray J are siblings? Nobody’s ever told me that in my life,” replied Harlow.

Since Harlow’s appearance on Hot 97, neither Ray J or Brandy had responded until early this morning, when Brandy responded to a video clip shared by a fan account on Twitter.

“I will murk this dude in rap at 43 on his own beats and then sing [h]is ass to sleep,” said Brandy in a tweet.

Her response seemed to have been all in good fun, as she followed up clarifying that her response to the “First Class” rapper was “all love.”

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