DaBaby has been unable to stay out of legal trouble for an extended period of time. It was just a few months ago that officials announced that he was being investigated for assault with a deadly weapon after his bowling alley altercation with DaniLeigh’s brother. Prior to that, he was detained and questioned about a shooting that took place in Miami. These incidents join DaBaby’s controversial matters like making homophobic remarks during Rolling Loud, punching an artist on his own label, and more. Unfortunately for DaBaby, this displeasing streak of his just got extended.
A felony battery charge is something that DaBaby can now add to his list of things to deal with. The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office applied the charge following an incident that occurred during a music video shoot back in December. According to TMZ, a man named Gary Pagar allowed DaBaby to rent out a massive pad in Los Angeles and it was understood that no more than 12 people could be on the property at the time. Despite this, DaBaby had more than that amount there in order to shoot the video to “Play U Lay” with Stunna 4 Vegas and Jake Paul.
Pagar eventually became aware that DaBaby violated the terms of their agreement and reached out to the rapper and his team who assured him that the crew wouldn’t stay on the property for long. However, on December 2, Pagar decided to make a visit to the property where he discovered a crew of nearly 40 people. He attempted to talk to DaBaby, but that was thwarted when he was attacked by a member of the rapper’s crew, which was caught on camera. As if that wasn’t enough, DaBaby told the individual to back off all to allegedly sucker punch Pagar and knock his tooth out.
DaBaby was sued by Pagar for the incident and it’s unknown if that suit is still active now that charges have been applied.
Olivia Rodrigo is currently on tour behind her celebrated debut album, Sour, but one of the best parts of her rather small live shows has been the covers and guests that have featured along the way. For the dates that Gracie Abrams was on the road with them, Olivia and Gracie would often do early 2000s pop songs together, and recently Liv teamed up with fellow pop star friend, Conan Gray, for a great rendition of Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away.” And, of course, Olivia has been covering her very obvious predecessor and influence, Avril Lavigne, mainly doing the hit “Complicated” during her set. (And no, she hasn’t been covering Paramore, that’s just how similar “Good 4 U” sounds to Hayley Williams’ biggest song, “Misery Business.”)
But during tonight’s tour stop in Toronto, fans got a real treat when Avril herself took a break from her engagement to Mod Sun and and her new Love Sux era, and decided to join Olivia on stage to help her pull off “Complicated.” Needless to say, having the OG performer of the track involved made this the best rendition of the song Olivia has ever done. Check out the clip up above.
Often, when you hear of an artist working on new music, there are stories of them retreating to some off-the-grid destination, experiencing the environment as they pour all their creativity into their craft, and then bringing the results of that process back to society. For his new performance, though, Pink Sweat$ took the opposite approach, bringing his songs off the beaten path for some wooded live renditions.
The performance, which is part of Uproxx and T-Mobile’s “Way Way Out Live” series, sees Sweat$ retreating to Staten Island’s Walker Pond (40.58°N 74.112°W, in case you wanted the exact coordinates). Once there, Sweat$, flanked only by a keyboardist and audio equipment, starts with “Nothing Feels Better,” stripping the track down to its core elements, which has the benefit of creating a simplistic, more organic arrangement, as well as letting Sweat$’ exemplary vocals dominate even more than they typically do.
From there, he busted out “Spiritual” before wrapping with the platinum-certified “Honesty,” both with the same impactful aesthetic as the first performance.
Also included in the video is a bit of Sweat$’ journey to make it out to his earthy venue. During that segment, he dives into what creativity means to him, saying, “Innovating as an artist means to me that you’re being conscious about your creativity, to the point where you leave a mark on someone’s heart, someone’s soul, someone’s journey in their own life. For me, it’s super important to feel life, you know, things moving and happening around you. It’s a part of the journey to the song.”
Check out Pink Sweat$’ performances in the video above.
Pink Sweat$ is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
But news broke this week of a documentary by a filmmaker who thought naming the clip Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy was a good idea. That filmmaker, named Charlie Minn, did an interview with Page Six claiming Scott is a “criminal” and because of the presence of an ambulance and Travis stopping when he saw people passed out, the rapper should’ve known people had died.
Minn has said his piece, and now Scott’s team has fired back, giving comment to TMZ about Minn’s “propaganda piece.” Here’s further quote given to TMZ, that the film is a “farce financed by and containing content from members of the plaintiff’s legal teams, who, weeks after a tragedy, sought to exploit and benefit financially from it, with the clear goals of making money and swaying future juries and public opinion.”
Further quotes: “It’s a profit play and a publicity stunt, with no support from the film industry, no distribution, and from a director with no respect from his field who has been termed a “trauma pornographer.”
An attorney who is representing several of the plaintiffs from Astroworld in their lawsuits is a producer of the film, which does seem a little strange, and a few plaintiffs decided to be featured in the clip. The film started airing in Texas today. Check out a trailer below.
The Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival is gearing up to launch their ten-day event, and even though massive layoffs in their editorial departments this week might put a damper on the fest, it is still continuing as planned. The massive streamer is well-known, at this point, for launching its own original content, and the platform’s head of comedy, Tracey Pakosta, gave an extensive interview with Deadline about future plans in advance of this year’s festival. Though Pakosta has lots to say in the lengthy feature, what might be most interesting for rap fans is a tidbit about the streamer’s current deal with Megan Thee Stallion, which includes a first look clause.
According to Pakosta, Megan came into meetings with Netflix with a concept already in place. “It’s very early stages,” Pakosta cautioned, before letting fans know the scoop anyway: “She came in and she pitched something loosely based on her life growing up, and we got very excited about it. We think she’s special.” Based on what we know about what Megan has already gone through in her life, losing her mom right when her rap career was blowing up, a little humor injected into the story will be necessary. But there’s almost no one funnier than the “Plan B” rapper at the moment, and she could easily carry a series. And maybe Netflix could hire back some of those writers to help work on it? Just a thought.
All-night ragers are fun. Yes, there are some consequences, but also… YOLO. And what better place and time to release your inhibitions than at Coachella? While the actual festival only lasts until about 11 p.m. each night, the slew of after-parties in the desert have all the stimulants you need to keep the good vibes rolling — flashing neon lights, good booze, epic performances.
One standout after-hours extravaganza is hosted by Framework, a trailblazing underground electronic music promotions company. Framework’s large-scale events combine iconic locations, world-class production, and well-renowned dance music talent. Having been integral to Coachella’s Yuma Tent since the stage’s inception in 2013, Framework has now built a second home in the desert. During Coachella’s opening weekend (April 15 – April 17), Framework unveiled a never before used venue at Thermal Airport.
The event, held across all three nights of the festival, featured performances by legendary electronic artists including Purple Disco Machine, SG Lewis, Jayda G, The Martinez Brothers, Black Coffee, with special guest from Ninja Tune’s much-buzzed-about Korean breakout, Peggy Gou, Damian Lazarus, Michael Bibi, Dixon, and Leyla Benitez.
Between the heavy beats, unique airport backdrop, and non-stop dancing, Framework transformed Thermal Airport into a post-festival desert oasis. Scroll through the photos below to lift your spirits for the weekend ahead and inspire you to find the next big all-night party.
Baby Tate has been slowly but steadily rising, and her latest single “Dancing Queen” is another brick in that wall. No, it’s not an Abba cover or reference, for those who might be wondering, this is a different kind of dancing. Tate and her crew make their way into a dark, deserted warehouse, where they have lots of room for gravity-defying moves and Tate’s unstoppable flow. The Harlem Shake gets brought up, but mostly Tate and her crew are happy to engage in regionless moves that run the gamut from ballet to twerking, to everything in between. There’s also a bit of drama between dance crews that’s played out in the end of the clip, so make sure to watch until the end to get your fill of rap skit vibes.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an ominous rap video if there wasn’t also a kidnapping involved, and a run-in with the police, who are completely floored by what they walk into in this warehouse. Check out that clip up top, and if you’re looking for more from Tate, check out her recent appearance on Uproxx Sessions, where she performs her “S.H.O.” track, an explicit song that you just might want to get your headphones out to listen to — it’s that raunchy.
Anderson Paak is coming off a really big year due to his collaboration with Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic. The duo embraced throwback R&B, soul, and funk vibes with such full throated joy, that they even picked up the Grammy for Record Of The Year at this year’s ceremony, honored for the project’s kickoff single “Leave The Door Open.” Since the track also picked up Song Of The Year, you can imagine that Anderson is riding on cloud nine energy at the moment, and knows it’s the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot and release some new music of his own.
And what better way to cut through the noise of constant releases than by skipping a step and heading straight to the advertising world? Paak partnered with Budweiser to debut his latest track, “Yours To Take,” by featuring it in an ad for the beer company. In the clip, which runs just over ninety seconds, a bunch of different artists and creatives are featured doing their thing — including a female drummer, which is cool, and a nice nod to Paak’s on tenure behind the kit — before eventually gathering at clubs and different events. And what do they drink there? You guessed it — the king of beers. It’s not a terribly heavy-handed commercial though, as those goes, and the song sounds very much in line with classic Paak. Check it out up top.
Burna Boy released his last album, Twice As Tall, under very different circumstances than his US breakthrough African Giant. Twice As Tall dropped in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — which didn’t stop it from reaching No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and garnering a Best World Music Album Grammy Award. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to tour the album when it came out, the only thing truly detracting from its impressive success.
However, it doesn’t look like his next album will have those same problems. Burna unveiled the album’s title at the biggest signifier of his success so far: his recent concert at Madison Square Garden. It’ll be called Love, Damini, and according to a press release, it’s due to “release for his 31st birthday,” which would make it available on July 2. While that date is probably subject to change, it’s certainly exciting news for fans of Afrobeats — and for the 20,000 or so fans in attendance at his concert last night, where performed his global hits.
If you missed the show, not to fear; it streamed live on YouTube, with the video remaining available to watch.
Watch Burna Boy’s Madison Square Garden concert above.
Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of April below.
El-P — Fantastic Damage (20th Anniversary Reissue), I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (15th Anniversary Reissue), Cancer 4 Cure (10th Anniversary Reissue)
While El-P is best known today as half of Run The Jewels alongside Killer Mike, he had previously made a name for himself with his own material. He put out three solo albums between 2002 and 2012, with each one of them celebrating a milestone anniversary here in 2022. So, now, El has made those albums available on vinyl for the first time in years, all getting special colored pressings.
Wet Leg has Dave Grohl’s attention and they should have yours, too. The Isle Of Wight duo is fresh off releasing their beloved self-titled debut album, which went No. 1 in the UK and Australia. The album has a lot going on besides viral hit “Chaise Longue,” all of which are sure to be delightful when experienced on a turntable.
Sixth time was the charm for French group M83, as their sixth album, 2012’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, was their most iconic release and biggest success so far. It’s been a decade since the release of the Grammy-nominated album, which has prompted an anniversary reissue, pressed on vibrant orange vinyl and emblazoned with alternate cover art.
Terror Twilight is a truly classic Pavement release and now it’s being given a reissue so in-depth that it necessitates a new title: Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal. This edition of the album has a ton of extras, most notably 28 previously unreleased tracks, consisting of the remastered original album, B-sides, home demos, rehearsal tapes, live recordings, and even the rough tracks from a scrapped session.
Vile recently told Uproxx of his new album, “Basically, I just want it to be as honest as possible. I want the songs to creep up to me. In the older days, I used to think too much. ‘Oh, why am I not writing? Am I going to write a good song?’ None of that matters, because now I like when I’m not writing. I like to be present in whatever I’m doing and then the music comes through inspiration. If you just go about your day, inspiration’s going to strike. I’m not too worried about anything really. I feel like I’ve proved a lot on this album, to be honest. But at the same time, I have nothing to prove.”
Marvin Gaye — What’s Going On (50th Anniversary Reissue)
Motown/UMe
What’s Going On has been at or near the top of so many “best albums of all time” lists that it truly justifies the cliche of needing no introduction. The album is 50 years old now and a new reissue in honor of that milestone is full of treats. Included here are four rare cuts making their vinyl debut, including a previously unreleased “stripped” version of the title track.
Queen is of course Brian May’s biggest claim to fame, but he also had a handful of solo albums following Freddie Mercury’s death. Now, 1998’s Another World has been given new life via a fresh reissue, which, among other goodies, includes Another Disc, a collection of alternative versions, B-sides, and live recordings.
Jack White, perhaps the music industry’s biggest supporter of vinyl, has a new album out, so it’s only natural to pick it up in LP form. Furthermore, Target has an exclusive “moon glow white” pressing of it, which pairs gorgeously with the cover art.
A Tribe Called Quest — The Low End Theory (Vinyl Me, Please reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
Speaking of prominent figures in the vinyl community, Vinyl Me, Please has been up to a lot lately: Aside from announcing a new pressing plant in Denver, one of the latest albums of the month is a reissue of A Tribe Called Quest’s classic album The Low End Theory, a 2-LP release that is pressed on aesthetically simple and perfect red and green vinyl.
VMP’s monthly album selections are their main attraction, but they have other sorts of exclusive pressings available, too. For example, they’re currently offering an edition of Toro y Moi’s new album Mahal, pressed on “blue jay and white” vinyl. To even further connect this specific pressing with the aesthetics of the album cover, VMP references the bus on the cover by offering a bumper sticker, the sort of clever nod that helps make VMP the best at what they do.
