Today is a major day for Kehlani, as it marks the release of her third album, Blue Water Road. To mark the occasion, she released a video for “Everything,” a smooth and tranquil tune that sees Kehlani infatuated with a well-rounded special someone.
“Everything” is a solo cut, but the new album sees Kehlani collaborating with Justin Bieber, Blxst, Syd, Jessie Reyez, Ambré, and Thundercat, as well as getting songwriting contributions from Anthony Clemons Jr., Ravyn Lenae, and Jacob Collier.
Kehlani previously said of the new album, “Blue Water Road is a destination in my mind. I’m giving everyone access. It’s an emotional journey, a sexual journey, and a spiritual journey. To me, the album is like a glass house. It’s light, transparent, and the sun is shining right through it.”
While preparing to present the trailer for her highly-anticipated movie Don’t Worry Darling starring Harry Styles and Florence Pugh, Olivia Wilde was served with legal papers from ex Jason Sudeikis. The two split in 2020, and have two kids together.
The move confused those in attendance, though Wilde calmly took the papers and continued with her presentation. Wilde has been linked with Styles for the past year and was recently seen attending his Coachella set. The two allegedly began dating while Wilde was directing the film.
A source told Page Six that the whole ordeal was confusing and inappropriate, and sent Wilde reeling. “Olivia was confused when she was handed the envelope, and she was even more confused when she opened it,” the source shared.
The source added, “It seemed unthinkable to her, and it took a moment to set in, but as mortifying as it was, she did not want to give a reaction. She was there to introduce a project that is near and dear to her heart, and for someone to try to take that moment from her — whether it be Jason, a process server or anyone else — was beyond inappropriate.”
Sedeikis’ team insists the Ted Lasso actor had no knowledge of when and where the papers would be served, which can be at the descretion of the legal team that was hired.
It’s hard to nail Bakar down — in terms of genre, style, and, in his early days, even by a name. With each of the London-bred singer’s songs, he wants the listener to cherish the moment in which they are hearing and feeling it. On Bakar’s debut album, February’s Nobody’s Home, each track unfolds like the pages of a book, detailing his most cherished moments, lining in Hampstead, Camden, and Chalk Hill.
We get a glimpse of Bakar’s day-to-day life in the video for “NW3,” the title of which refers to the postal code of London’s Hampstead district. Whether he’s alone on a rooftop, enjoying a meal with friends, or smoking in his flat, Bakar finds solace in each moment, often getting lost in time, dancing throughout.
But before Bakar, born Abubakar Baker Shariff-Farr, “found the answer” in “NW,” he released much of his music on Soundcloud beginning in 2015, anonymously. Oftentimes, he would upload vocal freestyles over samples of King Krule and Bombay Bicycle Club, many of his raw, unfiltered lyrics opening windows to his soul. One of these tracks is 2016’s “Sharing Is Caring,” on which, he reels over a love lost.
“Hope that you believe like how I believe / Gave you my love, you sold it back to me / Play with love too much, you might lose it / Smoked my last Camel but we can twos it,” Bakar sings, as adlibbed hums and coos give the song a forlorn and haunting element.
The influence of Kid Cudi and Dev Hynes is present in Bakar’s work, the latter of which Bakar has been a fan of since Hynes’ Lightspeed Champion days. Hynes released his most recent album as Lightspeed Champion in 2010, and Bakar says Hynes and Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke were among his favorite artists during his adolescence. As Bakar is wont to live in the moment, these are probably the closest hints we’ll ever get in regards to his actual age. In a 2018 interview with Wonderland, following the release of his debut mixtape, Badkid Bakar said his age was “infinity.”
A year after that interview, Bakar would release an EP called Will You Be My Yellow?, which contained the breakthrough hit, “Hell N Back.” Like Bakar himself, his music is ageless, as he remarks on a tumultuous relationship over jazzy horns and subtle drum patterns.
“Could you tell where my head was at when you found me? Me and you went to hell and back just to find peace,” he sings, delivering soft, silky vocals, with his soulful, British accent still audible throughout.
“Hell N Back” became a sleeper hit in the United States, reaching the top of the Adult Alternative Charts 27 weeks after its release, breaking the record for the longest climb to No. 1. Bakar had actually begun the process of writing Nobody’s Home before he wrote Will You Be My Yellow?, but the timing of the ideas he had conceived and the work he wanted to put out just wasn’t right.
“Will You be My Yellow? started picking up — you know, that song ‘Hell N Back’ started going crazy,” Bakar said in an interview with Document Journal. “It bought me some time, basically, to figure out the record. A couple songs [from my first try] were really potent. They stood the test of time. When I came back to Nobody’s Home in 2020, I was ready, long story short. I was so ready — the way the world was, all the topics, Palestine, this, that.”
On his proper debut, Bakar offers a collection of tracks that are both timely and timeless. He shares anecdotes of love and heartbreak, both romantic and familial. On a particular track, “Youthenasia,” he explores the dark parts of fame, and how his status has affected his role in his family.
“It’s like lately feel the pressure, I’ve been feelin’ nauseous / Lately like my mama has become my daughter / I wouldn’t change it for the world, man, this sh*t is awesome / I ain’t seen my dad in fifteen years, who would’ve thought it?,” he rap-sings over a thumping drum loop.
As the son of an immigrant mother from Tanzania, Bakar examines racial injustice on the track “The Mission,” while expressing a desire to create wealth for the generations of his family after him.
“All I ever hear is people talking about how bad nepotism is,” Bakar says in the song. “Do you know how badly I want some nepotism in my life?”
Since his breakthrough, Bakar has found fans in collaborators Dominic Fike, Kenny Beats, and Benee, as well as the late Virgil Abloh, the artistic creative director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection. Abloh even designed a special edition cover for Bakar’s Nobody’s Home. Though Bakar’s rise in the US may seem less rapid compared to that of the TikTok hitmakers of our time, his music, both old and new, still sounds fresh and timely, whether you were to have your first listen today, or months from now.
Noel Gallagher is pretty well-known for being one of rock’s grumpiest grumpy old men, often making condescending remarks about everyone from Jay-Z to his own brother and former Oasis bandmate, Liam Gallagher. Most recently, he directed his disdain toward Harry Styles, calling the pop star’s music “worthless” and positing that he doesn’t write his own songs — an opinion likely born from Styles’ origins as a member of X Factor-launched boy band, One Direction.
Normally, given Noel’s crotchety reputation, the majority of music’s stars dismiss or ignore him (although Jay-Z got in an awesome, subtle shot in 2008 at Glastonbury, pretending to play a guitar and covering “Wonderwall”), but one self-declared Harry Styles fan decided to stand up for him in a recent interview. Appearing on NME’s latest cover, Kehlani addressed the situation in the accompanying feature promoting their new album, Blue Water Road.
“That person – whoever that is – can kiss my ass,” they said. “They might as well call me inauthentic and I’m about as authentic as it gets. [Styles] worked his ass off to make people fall in love with him on national TV and be lumped in with a group of boys and still had to stand out from an entire group of people. That’s as authentic as it gets! I’m a Harry Styles fan, clearly, but watching the transformation that he’s taken to find his own songs and his own voice, own persona, own fluidity and image – I think he’s been brave and epic. He’s f*cking tight.”
We’re sure Gallagher will be just delighted someone finally responded back to him, but if nothing else, let’s all hope we get a ripping Harry Styles/Kehlani collaboration out of this.
Whatever city on the hip-hop map you call your own, there’s no escaping the impact of Hot 97’s Summer Jam in New York. It’s still one of the biggest single-day festivals in the culture, nearly always offering a who’s-who of the biggest stars in hip-hop. This year’s lineup is no different, highlighting the leading rap artists of 2022, as well as some of the genre’s fastest-rising up-and-comers.
The festival’s top line gets to include one of New York’s hometown favorites in the form of Fivio Foreign, with Chicago’s Lil Durk and Atlanta’s Lil Baby right behind. Young Thug and Gunna are apparently sharing a joint set, which makes sense considering how closely tied the duo’s output has been over the past two years between Punk, DS4EVER, and Slime Language 2 (we’re definitely getting both “Surf” and “Ski“).
Elsewhere on the lineup is a cross-section of styles and locales, from Miami’s City Girls to Virginia’s Pusha T to Compton’s Roddy Ricch. Even Nigerian favorite Burna Boy is there. Meanwhile, New York will remain well-represented thanks to Benny The Butcher (I know, I know, he’s from Buffalo, but still), DreamDoll, 22Gz, Lady London, Dougie B (hopefully, he makes bail by showtime), and The Girll Codee (worth giving a Google).
Summer Jam takes over Metlife Stadium on June 12. As always, get more information at the official website.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Ray J is calling “shenanigans” on a recent viral clip from Hulu’s The Kardashians in which Kanye West allegedly returns a laptop containing Kim Kardashian’s sex tape to his ex-wife. In the clip taken from the third episode of the show, Kardashian breaks down in tears as West hands over the computer. “He got me all of the sex tape back,” she says. “And he flew home and he got the computer it was on and the hard drive. He met up with Ray J at the airport.”
However, Ray J apparently takes issue with this version of events, responding via a comment to an Instagram post of the clip. “All of this is a lie smh,” he wrote. “Can’t let them do this anymore – so untrue.” While he didn’t offer any additional explanation, he may be referring to the fact that the laptop in question reportedly didn’t have any more explicit content on it, as explained by Kardashian in a portion of the show after the clip cuts off. “It was just footage of us at a restaurant, at a nightclub. Nothing sexual, nothing weird.”
However, that statement also contradicts Kanye’s own account given during a January interview, while Ray J’s manager, Wack 100, claimed that there was “more graphic” content. While Kardashian initially refuted the claim to People magazine in January, the clip from the show seems to undermine that statement, as well. While the world may never know the truth, one thing is for sure: Most of the damage that could have been done probably already has been, and it seems everyone involved has already mostly moved on.
Los Angeles police say they have secured possible footage of the shooting allegedly committed by ASAP Rocky, according to TMZ. Although they did not release any details, it’s believed that the footage came from a nearby surveillance camera and if it’s clear enough, could be the evidence the police need to prove their case. Unfortunately for them, though, none of the guns they seized from Rocky’s Los Angeles home matched the weapon that was used in the shooting; shell casings found at the scene were of a caliber that did not match Rocky’s guns.
In addition, all of the guns they found at Rocky’s home were legally purchased and registered, which police confirmed by checking their serial numbers. According to TMZ’s sources, none of the guns were even removed from the house, since officers could tell they weren’t the same caliber as the shell casings. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles District Attorney still has not charged Rocky, since there isn’t enough evidence to proceed to trial yet.
Rocky was arrested at LAX last week as he returned from Barbados on a private flight with the pregnant Rihanna. A victim in a November 2021 shooting had identified the rapper as the perpetrator, claiming Rocky shot at him three or four times and grazed his hand. Rocky was released after posting bail — set at $550,000 — and has since been seen with Rihanna at various events, including their rave-themed baby shower.
Yesterday was a big day in Barbados, as April 28 marks National Heroes Day, during which the island nation honors a select group of people who have been declared National Heroes. Rihanna earned that distinction last November, meaning this year’s National Heroes Day was Rihanna’s first as an honoree, about which she was thrilled.
Rihanna shared some photos from the celebration and wrote, “My very first #NationalHeroesDay as a National Hero of my country Barbados! [Barbados flag emojis] What an absolute honor to be amongst such great men and women who have come before me and held this title in commitment to our nation! I will forever cherish these memories and continue to represent the Bajan people and my home Barbados to the fullest!! Love and gratitude to both The Prime Minister, The Honorable Mia Amor Mottley and our President, Her Excellency The Most Honorable Dame Sandra Mason for trusting me with this honor!”
The first National Heroes Day was celebrated on April 28, 1998, 100 years after the birth of Sir Grantley Herbert Adams, Barbados’ first prime minister (a position then called “premier”). The holiday has been observed annually since then.
The National Hero distinction is a big deal, as Rihanna is just one of 11 people to ever be given the title and the first one since the inaugural ten-person class in 1998. Rihanna is one of only two living National Heroes of Barbados, alongside legendary cricket player Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers. She’s also one of just two women to ever receive the honor, the other being Sarah Ann Gill, a social and religious leader in the 1800s.
Bryson Tiller is only a few years older than Jack Harlow (29 vs. 24, respectively), but that didn’t stop Harlow from looking up to his fellow Louisville, Kentucky native in his younger days. As Harlow is gearing up to release Come Home The Kids Miss You next week, he took a moment to shout out Tiller by sharing a DM exchange they had when Harlow was 17.
It started last night when Tiller offered some unsolicited support for Harlow, tweeting, “get ready for my bro Jack’s new album. soon you’ll see why he is number 1. MAY 6th.” Harlow responded by writing, “Dreams come true,” and sharing a screenshot of a DM exchange they had on June 30, 2015.
In it, Harlow starts by thanking Tiller for how well he has represented Louisville on a big stage. Harlow then noted the influence Tiller had on him while expressing confidence about where he himself would end up, writing, “I’m a massive fan dude and study your every move. I just turned 17 and I’m very confident in my craft and trajectory of my career.”
After Harlow concluded by calling Tiller a “hometown hero” and expressing his desire to meet, Tiller responded, “thanks man I appreciate it. keep working. anything is possible.”
Indeed, it does seem like anything is possible for Harlow: His debut album, 2020’s Thats What They All Say, went No. 5 and Harlow has two No. 1 singles to his name: “First Class” and his Lil Nas X collaboration “Industry Baby.”
Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Lil Baby is one of many big-name artists that are set to release a new album this summer. The rapper has been promoting his third album, which would be his first solo release since 2020’s My Turn, as one that will surely take over the music world when the warmest months of the year arrive. Lil Baby hasn’t shared too many details about his next body of work, but he has given his fans some music. Earlier this month, he released “In A Minute” and “Right Now” to kick off his 2022 campaign, and now, he returns with a third track for listeners to enjoy.
Aiming to keep his hot streak alive, Lil Baby doubles back with “Frozen.” It presents the Atlanta native as a laser-focused spitter who is determined to stick to his journey in life without letting unnecessary distractions deter him. The new tracks arrived after Lil Baby earned his 100th entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, something that only Drake, Glee, Lil Wayne, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Future, Nicki Minaj, Elvis Presley, Chris Brown, Jay-Z, and Justin Bieber have done.
