It is very difficult to overstate Pharrell Williams‘ impact as a producer. While he’s become one of music’s top composers on his own, much of that impact came as a member of The Neptunes with Chad Hugo. A lot of The Neptunes’ most pivotal work came with two hip-hop acts whose trajectories couldn’t be more different: Jay-Z and Clipse, who were signed to The Neptunes’ Star Trak imprint in the early 2000s. Intriguingly, those two acts have rarely crossed over or collaborated despite their shared link to Pharrell… until now.
Pusha T, who’s since found some success as a solo artist and a businessman in his own right, has been promoting his upcoming fourth studio album, peppering the past few weeks with tracks like “Diet Coke,” “Spicy Fish Diss,” and “Hear Me Clearly.” While only the first is actually from the upcoming album, Push’s next single is sure to draw plenty of attention. For the first time since 2016’s “Drug Dealers Anonymous,” Pusha pleased coke rap aficionados by teaming up with Jay-Z on “Neck And Wrist,” a new song produced by none other than their mutual friend Pharrell. As he did with “Diet Coke,” Pusha announced the single’s impending release date via Instagram after teasing the song in an interview some weeks back.
Tory Lanez was arrested during today’s court hearing in his ongoing assault case after a judge found that he violated Megan Thee Stallion’s restraining order against him. Rolling Stone‘s Nancy Dillon, reporting on the case from the Los Angeles court, reported via Twitter.
“Tory Lanez was handcuffed in court and remanded to custody until he posts new bail of $350,000 in Megan Thee Stallion felony assault case,” she wrote. “Judge found him in violation of discovery protective order and personal contact order.” In a follow-up tweet, she continued, “Judge David Herriford heard nearly an hour of argument about Lanez’s tweets and said some ‘seem to be clear messages’ to Megan. He added new condition to Lanez’s release that he’s ‘not to mention the complaining witness in this case in any social media.’ Trial date set for 9/14.”
Tory Lanez was handcuffed in court and remanded to custody until he posts new bail of $350,000 in Megan Thee Stallion felony assault case. Judge found him in violation of discovery protective order and personal contact order.
Judge David Herriford heard nearly an hour of argument about Lanez’s tweets and said some “seem to be clear messages” to Megan. He added new condition to Lanez’s release that he’s “not to mention the complaining witness in this case in any social media.” Trial date set for 9/14.
The court issued a protective order against the Canadian rapper in October of 2020 after Megan accused him of shooting her in her feet. Tory was also ordered to surrender any guns he owns and ordered to pay $190,000 bail. He previously violated the protective order in 2021, when he appeared as DaBaby’s surprise guest at an eventful Rolling Loud festival in Miami. While he has maintained his innocence in the shooting, he’s also been accused of trying to manipulate public opinion via social media proxies such as DJ Akademiks.
With Coi Leray’s debut album Trendsetter dropping this Friday, the New Jersey rapper stopped by The Tonight Show to show off a bit of what the album has to offer. Rather than focusing on any individual songs from the album, she chose to go with a medley of some of her hits from the past year that will appear on it, including “No More Parties,” “Twinnem,” and her new single with Nicki Minaj, “Blick Blick.”
Rocking a pair of distressed skinny jeans, a crop top, a trucker hat, and furry boots, Coi performed the songs on an airbrushed stage backed by a graffiti wall and surrounded by denim-clad dancers. She only played a snippet of “No More Parties” — understandable, considering she played the song during her previous appearance on The Tonight Show — then followed up with a chorus from “Twinnem” before going all-in on “Blick Blick.” While Nicki didn’t appear to perform her verse, Coi and her dancers ran through some choreography to allow the moment to shine.
Trendsetter will feature 20 songs, with guest appearances from Nicki, Yung Bleu, Young MA, HER, G Herbo, Lil Durk, Lil Tecca, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and Pooh Shiesty.
Watch Coi Leray’s colorful performance on The Tonight Show above.
New music from Future may be coming sooner than we think. In a series of tweets, the “Jumping On A Jet” rapper said he may drop a new project in the next few weeks.
Last night, Future tweeted, “Scooter said drop album this month,” referring to his friend and frequent collaborator, Young Scooter, not to be confused with Scooter Braun, manager of Kanye West and Justin Bieber.
In February, Future dropped a single called “Worst Day,” on which he says “Valentine’s Day the worst day.” Last weekend, Future joined Gunna for a performance of “Pushin’ P” on Saturday Night Live. He also collaborated with Lil Durk on the single “Petty Too,” the video of which shows the rappers treating lady friends to a private shopping spree.
While he did not reveal an actual release date for new music, Future implored us to “stay ready stay woke.”
Future’s upcoming album will mark his first since 2020’s High Off Life, which featured collaborations with Youngboy Never Broke Again, Travis Scott, and Drake, the latter of whom appeared on the hit single “Life Is Good.”
Unfortunately for her, a judge disagreed, granting Cardi’s request for the court to order Tasha K to delete the offending posts and stop making new ones. According to Billboard, Tasha now has five days to delete 21 posts about Cardi per a “permanent injuction” imposed by Judge William M. Ray preventing her from posting references to the rapper in the future — especially with regard to sex work, STIs, or drug addiction.
Tasha K — real name — Latasha Kebe was previously ordered to pay nearly $4 million in restitution, with $2.5 million in damages and $1.3 million in legal costs, after a jury found her liable for defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Syd returns with her much-anticipated second studio album Broken Hearts Clubthis month. Ahead of the album’s release, the “CYBAH” singer spoke with NME about the creation of her new project and the events leading up to it.
Looking back at her days in Odd Future — the hip-hop collective comprised of the likes Tyler The Creator, Frank Ocean, and Earl Sweatshirt — Syd admitted she doesn’t think about those moments fondly.
“It feels like a lifetime ago,” Syd said. “I don’t have any real memories of that time. I was just floating through it. I wasn’t in a good place then and so I don’t really reminisce on those moments.”
In the early 2010s, Odd Future became infamous for their homophobic and misogynistic lyrics. While the men of the group were revered for their craft, Syd, then known as Syd Tha Kid, was often the one held accountable by the public for the group’s behavior. The openly queer singer left Odd Future in 2016 and released her solo debut album, Fin, the following year.
Earlier in the interview, Syd, who is also the lead vocalist of The Internet said, “The next Internet album will also be our last. I have no idea what’s next. I don’t know. Maybe we’ll create an Internet label. We talked about that — just signing ourselves.”
Broken Hearts Club is out 4/8 via Columbia. Pre-save it here.
In recent days, The Weeknd has been teasing that his new video for “Out Of Time” would be dropping soon, and it turns out “soon” is today, as the clip premiered this morning.
In it, he stars alongside Jung Ho-yeon, who is best known for her recent role as Kang Sae-byeok in Squid Game. In the clip, the pair enjoy some time together by singing “Out Of Time” on karaoke and hanging out in a hotel. Thinks take an odd twist towards the end, though, and that’s when Jim Carrey, whose voice was already featured on the song, pops up.
Ahead of the release of Dawn FM, Carrey offered his thoughts on the album, tweeting, :I listened to Dawn FM with my good friend Abel @theweeknd last night. It was deep and elegant and it danced me around the room. I’m thrilled to play a part in his symphony. ;^•.” The Weeknd shared the tweet and added, “Thank you for being a part of this. It’s kismet. Full circle [single tear emoji].”
Meanwhile, The Weeknd as we know him might be gone soon, in that he may be considering changing his name, as he tweeted, “I feel like i should change my stage name to ABEL at this point lol. Maybe pull a YE and just legally change my name to ABEL. no last name. Like Madonna or Cher or Prince.”
Being at the forefront of R&B and comparable to legendary figures within the genre like Usher and Frank Ocean is not an easy title, but David Brown goes above and beyond, while being known for his charm. Professionally known as Lucky Daye, the artist has become a pinnacle of new age R&B that placed him in the hot seat for two 2022 Grammys, winning one.
Raised in New Orleans, Daye’s sound is inspired by his Southern roots, effortlessly mixing old school with contemporary soul to create experimental R&B. The definition of what modern R&B is supposed to sound like has been tipping the scales thanks to artists like Daye who have defied labels within the genre. Between soulful interludes and mesmerizing ballads of adoration, listeners are incapable of not falling for Daye’s charm and getting lost in his voice.
With the recent release of his second album Candydrip, the passionate offering derives from a place of emotion, which isn’t a new method for him. In 2019, his first album Painted was his debut into artistry as an up-and-coming musician and proved himself as a force to be reckoned with. In addition, the singer’s background as a songwriter for legends like Mary J. Blige and Ne-Yo gained his notoriety and led to him signing with BMI. But this is something that Daye’s number one fans — labeled his “Daye Ones” — would already be familiar with. Out of the 132 accounts that he follows on Instagram, one of the fortunate fan pages that happened to make the cut is @daye.ones. He’s deemed as a kind artist, often thanking his Daye Ones and leaving free concert tickets for them via a city-wide scavenger hunt.
Some would consider producer Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II a Daye One, since the artist has worked with him since Painted for his debut single “Roll Some Mo,” which was released in 2018. Nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance in 2020, the cannabis-inspired single describes Daye’s intimate smoking session with his girl as they’re mentally transported elsewhere while getting high. As the album continues, listeners are taken throughout Daye’s love story, including all of the highs and lows. The remaining 12 tracks keep the same energy as “Roll Some Mo” while exploring love, emotional attachments, and vulnerability. The success of this album led to Daye embarking on the Painted Tour across Canada and the US from September to October in 2019, including an appearance at AFROPUNK Atlanta.
Another highlight of Painted is Daye’s commentary on his religious upbringing, which is seen in songs like “Misunderstood.” Beyond musical inspiration, his stage name derived from fellow soul singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye when the New Orleans native chose to add an “e” to the end of Daye. Similar to Gaye, Daye’s upbringing in a Southern Christian church condemned secular music, therefore leading him to craft this religious trauma into creating his own melodies. Daye found a way to create music with essentially nothing but his voice and eventually ended up in season four of American Idol in 2005. Titled on YouTube as “David Brown audition,” the archaic footage of a twenty-something Daye singing “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke begs the question — why did it take nearly a decade for his music career to take off?
Clips like Daye’s 2019 NPR Music Tiny Desk appearance show he’s a performer at heart and has a knack for captivating an audience. Throughout the comment section of the YouTube video, fans complimented his vulnerability and flow while restating that Daye’s career in R&B has been long-awaited. His 2019 live rendition of “Buying Time” on the COLORS show is another example of the artist’s tasteful vocal ability to glide over instrumentals. Although his four previous Grammy nominations (“Roll Some Mo” for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance, “Real Games” for Best Traditional R&B Performance, and Painted for Best R&B Album) were to no avail, Daye’s Painted era was only the beginning of his career trajectory.
Prior to the beginning of the pandemic, Daye’s career knew zero boundaries as he was featured on the Robert Glasper-scored soundtrack for The Photograph alongside HER and Erykah Badu. Aimlessly watching the Black love story between Lakeith Stanfield and Issa Rae’s characters was already intoxicating enough, with the introduction to Daye’s “Fade Away” an added bonus. Then, 2020 was a busy year for the New Orleans native. Among collaborators like Kehlani, Jim-E Stack, Babyface, Buddy, KAYTRANADA, SG Lewis, KIRBY, Kiana Ledé and Leon Bridges, there wasn’t a moment to sleep on Daye’s features in between Painted and his next project.
Following his first tour, Daye’s successful track was cut short by quarantine, which led to intimate recording sessions for his EP, Table For Two. The critically acclaimed seven-track project is composed of duets with women of R&B like Mahalia, Yebba, Joyce Wrice, Ari Lennox, Queen Naija, and Tiana Major9. Keeping the contributors solely women wasn’t a thoughtless tactic, since Daye understood that the women in R&B deserved their flowers for their effortless talent. “I’ve been feeling like it’s time for women to take their rightful place in leadership roles,” Daye said in an interview with W Magazine. “It’s their time to shine. Women need to be seen and heard, and I want to be a part of that.” While singing about the uglier side of a relationship, Daye and his female contributors explored breakups, jealousy, miscommunication, and frustration on the duets project, which was a prequel to Candydrip.
The hype and mystery surrounding Daye’s second album ceased when the artist unveiled the first single “Over,” an electrifying standout track that sampled Musiq Soulchild’s “Halfcrazy” and accompanied a music video that featured Jordyn Woods as his leading lady. Among collaborations like “NWA” featuring Lil Durk, the Smino-assisted track “God Body,” and “Compassion” featuring Canadian soul duo Chiiild, Candydrip reflects Daye’s roots in the Crescent City and is an amalgamation of hip-hop, blues, soul and R&B. As he celebrates the success of Candydrip with his headlining sold-out tour with Joyce Wrice, award show season completed with his two nominations for Table For Two, and a win for Best Progressive R&B Album. To the artist that assumed no one would listen to Painted, turned his personal struggle into success, and sang his heart out onstage during American Idol, milestones such as collaborating with Earth, Wind & Fire are only the tip of the iceberg to what’s in store for his artistry.
Daye said it best during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in 2021, “I think chemistry isn’t something that you create.” Although the artist is no chemist, he’s certainly correct. Among the love ballads, breakup songs, and quaint interludes dispersed throughout his catalog, the chemistry layered through his discography knows no bounds and leaves listeners with an organic love and understanding for Daye.
Music industry phenomenon Jack Harlow got his dancing shoes on last night with Lil Nas X when the pair performed their hit “Industry Baby” at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards show. Harlow’s moves pleased the folks who were bummed that the rapper didn’t get down in the song’s original music video. But to Harlow’s credit, he had something to be especially excited about on deck. Earlier today, he announced that “First Class,” the next single from his upcoming album due out in May, Come Home The Kids Miss You, will be dropping this Friday.
“First Class” will follow February’s release of the lead single “Nail Tech,” a sleek track with high-brow production from a super-team that includes Boi-1da and Rogét Chahayed. In the short clip of “First Class” that Harlow shared, he raps, “I got plaques in the mail, peak season. Shout out to my UPS workers makin’ sure I receive ’em,” before an inviting beat drops. We’ll surely be hearing plenty of the song from Friday onwards.
