These days, the smallest move Chlöe Bailey makes is enough to get the internet’s attention. Following up the success of her debut solo single, “Have Mercy,” she’s been on quite a run, most recently collaborating with Gunna on the “You & Me” video, and prepping the release of her second solo song. That track, which she’s already been teasing, is called “Treat Me,” and today she let fans know exactly when it will drop — and shared some pretty bossy single artwork to go along with it.
“TREAT ME DROPS 4/8 y’all ready? make sure you pre-save,” she wrote on Twitter.
Fans were definitely excited about the single artwork, which is line with some of the other high-glam photos Chloe has been sharing since she started as a solo artist. Those photos often have people — including other celebrities like Cardi B — absolutely floored. Meanwhile, despite their recent collaboration, and photos of them holding hands, Gunna and Chloe have still been maintaining that they’re not a couple. Well, if that is true that means Chloe is still single, and it sounds like her next song is laying out exactly how she wants to be treated in a relationship.
Keep an ear out for that new single dropping next Friday, April 8.
Following up her new single, “Island In The Sun,” Winona Oak has returned today with more new music for Scandi-pop lovers. Born Johanna Ewana Ekmark, the Swedish singer-songwriter is readying her debut album, and “Baby Blue” is the second single we’ve heard so far. In the song, she remembers a past lover who didn’t love her like they should’ve.
Here’s what she had to say about the track:
“I wish I knew earlier in my life that your self-worth has nothing to do with how other people treat you. When you exhaust yourself trying to save them from themselves, lying to protect them, sacrificing your own needs and getting your heart broken over and over again – you may realize that sometimes you have no other choice than to leave to stay alive. It’s a tough lesson to learn that someone you love doesn’t care about you, maybe they wish they could but they just aren’t capable and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to change that. And maybe one day you will learn that your happiness isn’t reliant upon the happiness of others and that you deserve to feel loved, no matter what.”
Check out the video up top and keep an eye out for Winona’s album, coming this June.
A two-hour documentary on the late rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard will air on A&E. Approved by the “Got Your Money” rapper’s estate, the documentary, tentatively titled Biography: Ol’ Dirty Bastard, will feature never-before-seen archived footage filmed by his wife, Icelene Jones, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I am thrilled to tell the full story of my husband. With this documentary the world will learn about the son, the husband, the father and the artist,” Jones told The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m proud of the team that we built, including Pulse, my producing partners Nicole Beckett and Messiah Jacobs at Four Screens, and our directing team, the Pollards.”
Produced by Pulse Films, alongside Four Screens, the documentary will showcase ODB from the beginning of his solo career in 1995 up until 2004, when he died of a drug overdose. The documentary will also provide looks back to the Wu-Tang Clan founder’s “trauma-filled” childhood and how it influenced his craft. Fans, close friends, and family will also share stories of ODB.
“Biography: Ol’ Dirty Bastard will present viewers with the untold story of the man and the musician who made an immense cultural impact across just a few short years,” said A&E’s executive vice president and head of programming, Elaine Frontain Bryant, to the magazine.
Will Smith smacking Chris Rock at this Sunday’s Oscars ceremony remains the hot topic of conversation on social media as more celebrities and guests share their thoughts on the surprising (but not that surprising) incident. While some, like co-host Amy Schumer, continue to pretend that it was the most traumatizing event of their lives, others, such as Daniel Radcliffe, are “dramatically bored” by the overblown kerfuffle, which distracted from other meaningful conversations like celebrating Questlove and his collaborators’ Summer Of Soul win.
And while the actors are all seemingly aghast that a man from West Philadelphia would physically confront another man from Brooklyn (two places where such things are a fairly regular occurrence, to be honest), Will’s fellow rappers seem less distraught on the whole. While 50 Cent, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and others either expressed sympathy for Smith or made jokes about the slap, others like Lil Nas X trolled the hilarious overreactions by fans on Twitter who brought up weird and frankly unlikely hypotheticals to score woke points. Now, another member of that fraternity has weighed in.
Compton rapper The Game posted a long caption pointing out the hypocrisy of the Academy for launching a disciplinary investigation. “They didn’t even want to give it to him in the first place,” he posited. “He acted off impulse & imposed a slap down out of frustration & embarrassment on behalf of his wife. Most people with opinions on the situation don’t have a committed relationship let alone a marriage of over 20 years to weigh against his feelings in the matter. He’s human & comedy is not always an excuse to publicly humiliate people especially while sitting front & center. Although violence anywhere is & should always be depicted in a negative light, this was a lul ass slap in defense of a woman battling a very delicate health issue. I’ll close by saying, they don’t want us to be equal, never have & never will.”
Of course, it’s unsurprising that The Game would side with Will in this situation, considering he got in hot water for a similar situation at the Drew League a few years ago. But he also makes some strong points, especially in calling out how several prior winners, including Harvey Weinstein and Roman Polanski, were allowed to keep awards even after being investigated by police — and in Weinstein’s case, convicted — of way worse things than delivering a love tap to a fellow member during a live broadcast.
In any case, I’m probably with Harry Potter on all of this. There are way more important things going on in the world; maybe we should focus on those.
In The Eye, music’s best up-and-coming artists take to an intimate and minimal studio space to perform highlights from their discography, with only one microphone and one take. This time, in the studio is Sabrina Claudio, one of the most intriguing rising stars in R&B.
The Miami-based singer-songwriter got her start, as many do, on SoundCloud, uploading songs there, generating attention, and working her way up. The hustle eventually landed her a label deal with Atlantic and she’s made good on it so far by staying busier than most of her peers: Between albums, EPs, and mixtapes, Claudio has put out a whopping six releases since 2017, with three of those being albums. The future is looking bright, too: In addition to another album, Based On A Feeling, set to drop on May 6, she also earned the favor of The Weeknd, who granted her an opening slot on his upcoming After Hours tour.
Before all that, though, Claudio has taken to The Eye for a performance of her latest single, “Better Version.” As is often the case with The Eye performances, Claudio goes for a more stripped-down arrangement of the song here, which makes it feel more like a tranquil ballad than the original. The minimal instrumentation gives Claudio’s voice plenty of room to breathe, which, when you’re blessed with as much vocal talent and beauty as Claudio, is never a bad thing.
Claudio previously told Paper of the song, “This song stems from the perspective of someone who’s in a relationship with a person who is internally toxic, they choose to remain in this relationship because of those once in a blue moon glimpses of who their partner has the potential to be. It feels like this person is in a relationship with two completely different people and doesn’t want to leave either of them at the risk of losing them both.”
While a studio rendition like this shows off what Claudio is like as a performer, it’s not the same as getting on stage in front of a crowd. However, we know she thrives in that setting, too: Uproxx’s Caitlin White saw her live in 2019 and noted, “Silky, effortless voices like Claudio’s don’t come around that often, so when they do, seeing a performer like her live is the way to go.”
Watch Claudio perform “Better Version” for The Eye above.
Sabrina Claudio is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Over the past few weeks, Snoop Dogg, who recently bought back the Death Row Records brand and much of its catalog, has been working to complete the collection, which was missing certain pivotal records including Snoop’s own debut Doggystyle and Dr. Dre’s debut The Chronic. Both albums were removed from streaming as negotiations continued. After some confusion over the ownership of the latter, it now appears that as of this week, The Chronic will once again appear under the Death Row banner, according to an Instagram post Snoop shared.
While no real details were revealed, that didn’t stop fans and peers in the comments from expressing their excitement, with 50 Cent predicting “something good coming from this.” Snoop previously shared plans to have Death Row become the first “major in the metaverse,” with designs on re-releasing the label’s collection of seminal hip-hop hits as NFTs. In the meantime, it looks like he’s still working out publishing profit shares for the label’s Tupac releases.
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 March below.
Summer Walker — Still Over It
LVRN/Interscope Records
Summer Walker’s latest, Still Over It, was a No. 1 album, and now you can own it as a literal album, i.e. a vinyl record. You have options, too: Aside from the classic black pressing, there’s also a stunning gold edition available.
PJ Harvey — The Hope Six Demolition Project and The Hope Six Demolition Project – Demos
UMe/Island
The Hope Six Demolition Project was one of the more interesting recording projects of recent years, as recording sessions were open to the public as part of an art installation. On top of the base album now being available on vinyl, The Hope Six Demolition Project – Demos is also available, pulling the curtain back even further on an album that didn’t have much curtain to begin with.
Get The Hope Six Demolition Projecthere. Get The Hope Six Demolition Project – Demoshere.
Aaliyah — Aaliyah (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
A posthumous album from Aaliyah came out earlier this year, but if you’re looking to get back to the basics, Vinyl Me, Please has a first-ever pressing of her self-titled album. This edition is 2-LP Red & Gold Galaxy colored vinyl that was half-speed remastered, meaning this ought to be the best this iconic artist has ever sounded on a turntable.
Lil Uzi Vert — Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
It’s a great month over at Vinyl Me, Please, as they’re also currently offering a rerelease of Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World. VMP always nails their vinyl colors and they’ve done so again here, as this one is pressed on gorgeous 180g Neon Green vinyl.
Karen Dalton — In My Own Time (50th Anniversary Reissue)
Light In The Attic
Karen Dalton’s In My Own Time is one of the most beloved albums of the ’70s, and for those who adore it, this new 50th anniversary takes things to a new level. This version expands on a 2006 reissue of the album, as it includes a newly remastered version of the record, including alternate takes from album sessions and a replica playbill from The Montreux Golden Rose Pop Festival, six live Dalton performances from which are included in this set.
Bon Iver, Bon Iver is one of the most iconic albums of its era, and now that it’s a decade old, Bon Iver has given it a rerelease. The art of the vinyl edition is subtle in photos but surely striking in person, as it’s a stark white embossed version of the original art. Phoebe Bridgers also wrote a touching essay for the reissue, so here’s a chance to own a physical copy of that.
Before Brian Eno was a production and ambient music icon, he enjoyed success as part of Roxy Music. He was with the band for their first two albums, Roxy Music and For Your Pleasure, and now those two LPs have gotten new remastered editions. For Your Pleasure is one for movie fans, too, as here’s something you may not have known: Dame Judi Dench actually offers some spoken word on that album’s title track.
Nicholas Britell — Moonlight: The Celebration (Deluxe 5 Year Anniversary Box Set)
A24
It’s been five years since Moonlight and now Nicholas Britell’s soundtrack is getting an expansive new rerelease. There’s a lot going on in this 8-pound set, including 11 previously unreleased tracks, 100+ pages of photography, handwritten sheet music, and more.
After her recent work leaned experimental, Charli XCX decided to go full-blown pop on her latest album, Crash, and the infinitely catchy results speak for themselves. Now, Urban Outfitters has an exclusive vinyl release of the album, pressed on nice, clean white vinyl.
Mac Miller’s music has continued to be celebrated since his death, the latest such example being the new 10th-anniversary edition of Macadelic. This one comes with an embossed cover, 3-color red-black-white LPs, and an 11×17 poster. Furthermore, part of the proceeds from this release will benefit The Mac Miller Fund.
Keith Richards — Main Offender (30th Anniversary Edition)
BMG
Keith Richards is of course best known for his work with the Rolling Stones, but he has a nice little library of solo albums, too. Now, his second one, 1992’s Main Offender, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion, a huge new box set version of the album is out now and it has just about everything a fan of the LP could want: Previously unreleased live performances, reproduction promo and tour materials, and an 88-page book featuring photos and so much more.
Aside from Ja Rule, the two people many folks wanted to hear from the most about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock were Rock himself and August Alsina. Rock, obviously, was the victim of the slap — he’s fine, by the way, everybody should maybe calm down a hair — while Alsina is the singer who was reportedly “entangled” with Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, a thing for which all three were roundly abused in the media for about a year (you’ll remember that Smith attacked Rock after the comedian joked about Jada’s hair). Both men finally addressed the incident yesterday; Chris onstage at his Boston show, and August via — where else? — his Instagram account.
Posting a selfie to his feed (not his Story as so many celebrities tend to do), Alsina didn’t directly mention the slap, but he did advise readers to ‘choose peace,’ something he appears to be doing himself. “Trusting that life’s intricate puzzle pieces are all forming together for the greater good and mastering of the seasonally sometime chaotic nature of your life’s art piece that’s being formed and painted by birthing life to your internal masterpiece,” he wrote. “grown through external chaos-metamorphosing alchemy, dark turned 2 light and beauty within. I’m A Walking Billboard & Network Simply Desiring To Televise & Broadcast Love, the love, grace and healing embrace of God, Good Music that’s healing (w/ a lil bit of nasty).”
Alsina’s involvement in the Smiths allegedly open relationship made waves online throughout 2020 when it was revealed that he was supposedly dating the older Jada. Social media had several field days with that information and the episode of Jada’s Red Table Talk in which she addressed the relationship smashed the show’s one-day viewing totals by rather a lot. And now that we’ve all driven up the streams of J. Cole’s “Jada and Will love” name-checking single “No Role Modelz” and heard from everyone except Daniel Radcliffe about the incident, perhaps it’s finally time to move on.
“There’s this video of Beyoncé doing ‘If I Were a Boy’ at the Grammys, and I remember watching it like 25 times, being so enamored with her,” she said. “It’s so crazy that, maybe one day, a younger girl’s going to watch my performance many times and think that it’s cool. That’s the dream. That’s all I want.” Olivia is slated to perform at this year’s event, so it’s very likely that exact scenario will occur this Sunday.
In the lead up to the Grammys this year Olivia has been anything but slowing down. She recently released her Sour film documentary, Driving Home 2 U, and is also apparently practicing for her upcoming tour behind the hit album by singing while running on a treadmill. That’s probably harder than touring itself, right? I mean, I can barely get myself to keep going on the treadmill with normal breathing… but I guess that’s how you get into the kind of shape Beyonce is in.
Russ has often bragged about his ability to find success in the music industry without having to sign a horrible contract with a label. This was a result of his DIY mentality that saw him release 11 albums and 87 songs between December 2011 to August 2014. It eventually led to him signing with Columbia Records in 2016, and the following year, he released his debut album There’s Really A Wolf. Since then, Russ has released three additional full-length projects: 2018’s Zoo, 2020’s Shake The Snow Globe, and last year’s Chomp 2. Now, for his latest endeavor, Russ is aiming to assist aspiring artists.
With help from his best friend and rapper Bugus, Russ has launched his own label called Diemon. The imprint is named after the collective that both Russ and Bugus have been a part of for the last decade. “Everyone owns their masters; everyone owns their publishing,” Russ said to Variety about the label, which he calls “artist-friendly.” “We don’t eat on your merch or your tours, and everything’s a profit split deal. We’re not looking to invest in an artist just to change their music. If we like an artist enough to sign them, it’s because we like what they’re doing.” He added, “It’s just a super artist-friendly situation, where we’re here to provide resources and mentorship to artists that we believe in.”
Russ wants potential artists on the label to understand the inner workings of the music industry as well as that they’re “no suits with no rhythm.” In addition to launching the label, Russ also revealed that its first artist is a California native named LaRussell who he discovered on TikTok.
https://t.co/2g4sIUoybk pic.twitter.com/odqEENhJAH
