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IDK And Denzel Curry Keep Their Heads On A Swivel On The Groovy ‘Dog Food’

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After DMV rapper IDK dropped his stellar debut album Is He Real? at the end of 2019, fans had to wait a little over a year to receive his next body of work, that being U See 4 Yourself. The project delivered 17 songs with features from Young Thug, Offset, Lucky Daye, Sir, T-Pain, Rico Nasty, MF DOOM, Westside Gunn, Jay Electronica, and more. Less than a year after he released U See 4 Yourself, IDK is already gearing up to share his third body of work. He previously announced that it would be titled Simple, and ahead of its release, he shares its third single.

IDK calls on Denzel Curry for their new collaboration, “Dog Food.” It’s an effort that captures the duo with their heads on a swivel as danger lurks around the corner in their neighborhood. The new song marks IDK and Denzel’s fifth track together following “No Wave,” “Once Upon A Time (Freestyle),” “Bulletproof,” and “Uh Huh.” The track also follows IDK’s previous single, “Taco,” which he released earlier this month. Both “Taco” and “Dog Food” are produced by Kaytranada, who IDK previously said would handle the production on Simple. Additionally, IDK also revealed that Simple would arrive on May 6.

You can listen to “Dog Food” in the video above.

Simple is out 5/6 via Clue and Warner Records.

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

Justin Bieber And Don Toliver Want To Be ‘Honest’ On Their Bouncy New Single

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Justin Bieber’s fans are always ready for him to release new music, and lately, the pop star has been switching between two main lanes — straight ahead pop that’s more reminiscent of his earlier days, and hip-hop leaning collaborations that reflect where the mainstream sound has gone now. His last album, Justice, might not have pleased everyone, but the hit single “Peaches” was an example of the latter sound, featuring both Daniel Caesar and Giveon and on the track.

For his latest single, Bieber is collaborating with Travis Scott’s protege, Don Toliver, for “Honest,” a song that sticks to the same subject matter that permeates most of his songs these days — how happy he is being married to his new wife, Hailey Bieber (nee Baldwin). In the video, the pair are out in snowy climes, rapping and singing in beautiful ski chalets, riding snowmobiles out into the wilderness, and even smoking a blunt together around a fire. Doesn’t that sound like a nice vacation? Bieber recently praised his collaborator in an interview with Apple Music.

“He just has this like little bop about him and he’s very unique, he’s very Houston,” Bieber said in an interview with Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1. “Shout out to Houston. I just love his melodies these are honestly insane. He has a really amazing cadence to his songs and his music. And I’m just a genuine fan. And he just is himself. And that’s what I love about any artist that can just has a lane and does what they do and does it well.” Bieber is in the middle of a massive tour, so this is likely just a one-off, but you never know. Check out the clip up top.

Bobby Shmurda Is Doing Things His Own Way On The Chaotic ‘They Don’t Know’

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Since his release from prison at the beginning of 2021, Bobby Shmurda’s music career hasn’t panned out as well as he or his fans would have liked. Bobby has only released four songs –“No Time For Sleep (Freestyle),” “Cartier Lens,” “Splash,” and “Shmoney” — since his departure from prison, but none of the records have made the impact he hoped it would. Soon enough, Bobby took aim at his former record label Epic Records and criticized them for a number of things including not allowing him to have control of his work. Now, Bobby is an independent act and he wasted no time dropping a track as a lone ranger.

After weeks of promotion, Bobby looks to strike up some well-deserved attention for his music with “They Don’t Know.” The new track is a chaotic effort that showcases Bobby’s high spirits, which have been on full display since his release from prison. “Looked at my watch and see you freezin’, b*tch,” he raps on the new effort. “You know I’m stinkin’ rich / I keep a job for every season, b*tch.” Bobby also graces the new track with a visual and perfectly matches the song’s erratic and energetic nature.

Aside from his musical efforts, Bobby has managed to be active in other areas. He previously donated 2,000 backpacks of school supplies to students in New York, and prior to that, he gave away free haircuts and meals for Father’s Day.

You can listen to “They Don’t Know” in the video above.

Giveon Runs Away From The Truth Of A Failing Relationship On The Deflective ‘Lie Again’

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Giveon arrived as one of the most promising new acts in R&B in 2020 thanks to the release of two EPs over the years: Take Time and When It Was All Said And Done. The projects produced fan favorites like “The Beach,” “Like I Want You,” “Still Your Best,” and more, and his success as a solo artist earned him highlight features with the likes of Drake, Snoh Aalegra, and Justin Bieber (where he earned his first No. 1 single). Nowadays, Giveon is taking steps toward his next project as he released “For Tonight,” at the end of last year. After letting that record run its course, he returns with a brand new track.

“Lie Again” is the latest single from Giveon and it’s an effort that finds him in a very reflective state as he refuses to accept the truth about a failing relationship. Giveon begs his lover to lie to him in order to continue the relationship as he knows the truth will hurt, and in the end, it’s a pain he’d rather not deal with. The new song also arrives with a heartful music video that watches Giveon pour his feelings out as he walks through a busy city street. He also teases an unreleased song at the end of the visual.

Giveon’s new single comes after he performed “Peaches” with Justin Bieber and Daniel Caesar at the 2022 Grammys. Before that, he performed “Heartbreak Anniversary” at the 2021 AMAs and “For Tonight” on The Tonight Show.

You can listen to “Lie Again” in the video above.

Rihanna And ASAP Rocky Switched Things Up And Threw A ‘Rave-Themed’ Baby Shower

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At the end of January, Rihanna and ASAP Rocky shocked the world by announcing that they were expecting their first child. Since then, we’ve received reactions from Rihanna’s dad, promises from her to continue making music, romantic details about a road trip the couple enjoyed together, and an equal amount of engagement and cheating rumors (which were both debunked). Nearly three months later, it seems like Rihanna is giving birth to her first child and a good sign of that comes after the couple held a baby shower. The event was a private and intimate one, but some details about it still emerged.

According to Paper, which cites a HipHollywood report, Rihanna and ASAP Rocky switched things up and threw a “rave-themed” baby shower this past Friday at a studio in Hollywood. The event was described as both “over the top” and “super intimate and private” as attendees were asked to show up in bright neon attire. Party favors from the night included a 90s throwback t-shirt with photos of Rihanna and Rocky as kids. The shirt read, “I Went 2 Rih & Rocky’s Rave Shower and All I Got Was This Amazing Shirt.”

Many were unsure if the baby shower would still go down as ASAP Rocky was recently arrested in connection with a November 2021 shooting. He allegedly shot at a man three or four times during an altercation, and as a result, he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon charge. Rocky was released from jail after posting $550,000 bail.

Coachella’s Co-Founder Believes Kanye West Dropping Out Of The Festival Was A ‘Good Decision For Him’

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Many people are still coming down from the high that was provided at this year’s Coachella festival. Performances by Doja Cat, The Weeknd, Harry Styles, Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, and many more proved to be highlights by the end of the festival’s two weekends. With that being said, there was one name that did not take the stage at Coachella contrary to the expectations of many. That person was Kanye West as he was set to headline the festival’s third day on the respective weekends. However, he dropped out at the last second leaving the showcase to scramble for a replacement which ended up being The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia.

In a new interview with the LA Times, Coachella’s co-founder Paul Tollett spoke about Kanye’s last-second exit and how he felt about it. “I Zoomed with him a couple days prior, and I think it was a good decision for him,” he said. Luckily for Tollett and the rest of Coachella, The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia’s manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby reached out to him to see what he needed for a replacement.

“Abel [Tesfaye] and Sal called and said, ‘What do you need?’” Tollett said. “I said, ‘I actually don’t know yet. Right now I’m a little stunned with Kanye leaving. I’ve got to think what to do here.’” Thankfully, the lineup change worked itself out in a couple of days as The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia stepped into the spot that Kanye West left open.

You can check out Tollett’s full interview with the LA Times here.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Weeknd Expanded His Partnership With UMG To Include Publishing, Merchandise And Audiovisual Releases

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Fresh off a massive headlining performance at Coachella, in which he was basically the only artist who could replace Kanye West after a last-minute cancelation, The Weeknd no longer has to prove his star power. The self-proclaimed Starboy (sorry, had to) is locked into a massive deal with Universal Music Group, who have doubled down on their partnership with the artist. Given his excellent new album, Dawn FM, and 2020’s massive release, After Hours, it’s not surprising that UMG now wants to partner with Abel Tesfaye on all “recorded music, publishing, merchandise and video.”

According to Variety, UMG will remain The Weeknd’s home for all things label-related, and take over his future music publishing rights once a deal with Kobalt expires. Universal’s merchandising arm, Bravado, will work with XO on “global merchandising, branding, ecommerce and retail licensing opportunities around future projects and releases.” Also, Republic and UMG will handle all future audiovisual projects. So basically, everything he might get into over the future course of his career.

UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge said the following about the partnership: “Over the past decade, we have been honored to work so closely with Abel, who has quickly become one of music’s most creative and important artists—a once-in-a-generation talent. With Sal and the XO team as our incredible partners, we’ve developed a deep trust and respect that has enabled us to successfully execute Abel’s brilliant vision.”

Who Would Win If Lizzo And Saweetie Faced Off In A Weird Food ‘Verzuz’ Battle?

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Lizzo is back in a big way, and her “About Damn Time” single has already made its way to Saturday Night Live and other late night shows. But as the pop star continues to promote her latest album, Special, other topics are obviously getting brought into the mix as well.

On a recent appearance on Power 106 Los Angeles, Lizzo had a wide-ranging discussion with the hosts about her music, her new shapewear line, Yitty, and also, her sometimes crazy food habits. But that convo obviously led the hosts to bring up another woman in the industry who is well-known for her somewhat zany food choices — and that’s Saweetie. Right around the 30 minute mark the group gets into a convo about these two women and their strange palates, and who would win if the were to face off in a strange foods Verzuz battle.

“Saweetie be doing sh*t that’s like hmmm I might try that,” Lizzo said. “But I do sh*t that’s unthinkable. That makes people… yeah, it makes them gag.” So in Lizzo’s mind, yes, she would be winning that face off. But who knows what Saweetie’s response will be once she hears these fighting words. Check out the clip up top.

Gunna Explains Why He Said ‘It’s Cool To Work A 9-5’

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Despite being such a flashy rapper, Atlanta trap star Gunna seems to appreciate those of us who have regular jobs, too. Earlier this week, he drew some positive attention for tweeting “It’s cool to work a 9-5 no capp. Getting money is getting money.” That tweet garnered a ton of engagement (over 50,000 retweets and 323,000 likes to date) and on Wednesday, he expanded on the sentiment behind the tweet in a video on his Instagram Story.

Perusing a rack of clothing in the video, Gunna says, “Back to what I was saying, 9-5 is cool. I need these people. All these people that worked today, I needed these people here today. Like, it’s overly cool.”

Over the past few weeks, he’s been expressing a number of insightful opinions about the rap business, catching some off-guard with his sincerity and humility. In the latest episode of the LeBron James talk show, The Shop, he brushed off criticism of his single “Pushin P,” attributing accusations that he stole the slang to his critics coming from”player sh*t, too. That’s all that means. That’s what I took from it like bro, everybody been player. Your uncles, your aunties? They was player.”

He also observed that while so many artists have been sharing their discontent with their respective labels, he doesn’t see things the same way. “You shouldn’t say, ‘f*ck the label, ’cause they taking the chance on you,” he noted. “It’s up to you to really make this money back and go make more money. And for all the young artists who are coming up, I want to tell them, ‘Man, don’t look at it like it’s a bad deal. You’re not getting what you want in the beginning…it can always get better.”

Check out Gunna’s video above.

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

DDG Tweets ‘Today’s Rappers Are 10x Better,’ Reigniting Hip-Hop’s Intergenerational Debate

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Hip-hop’s intergenerational conflict had seemingly died down in recent years, thanks in large part to collaborations crossing the age divide, like “Replace Me” which saw Nas connect with younger rapper Don Toliver. However, it appears it was still right there, simmering beneath the surface, waiting for someone to light the spark to reignite it. The hosts of The Breakfast Club came close when they teased Coi Leray about listening to Pusha T, but she defused the situation by saying she’d rather collab with him (as she did with Nicki Minaj) than start a beef.

Unfortunately, it looks like one of Coi’s collaborators had some further thoughts about the new rapper/old rapper dynamic and finally touched off the conflagration that had been waiting in the wings. Pontiac, Michigan rapper DDG, who recently released his Gunna collaboration “Elon Musk,” shared his thoughts on Twitter, drawing a polarized response from followers who weighed in with a variety of opinions from agreement to disbelief to outright refusal. “Today’s rappers are 10x better than the rappers back in the day,” he wrote.

When fans blasted him for it, he offered some controversial follow-up takes. When one fan brought up Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G., he shot back, “On some real sh*t.. when the last time u listened to either in the car.. BE TRUTHFUL.” He also provided some context for his opinion in a separate tweet, writing, “I respect the older generation of hiphop, but this generation creativity on another level fr. Hip Hop ain’t never been the number 1 genre until NOW.”

The debate quickly became a rehash of the “mumble rap” debates from a few years ago — y’know, the one where people acted like they can’t just understand accents or that repetitive choruses are somehow a new phenomenon in rap. While some acknowledged that the music has evolved in unexpected and truly creative ways, some just couldn’t move past the sacred cows of their youth (or, let’s be honest, their parents’ youth).

Check out some more responses below.