As Coi Leray’s latest single, the Nicki Minaj-featuring “Blick Blick,” picks up steam on the charts, the New Jersey rapper is striking while the iron’s hot. Today, she shared the cover and release date of her forthcoming debut album, Trendsetter. Due in just two weeks, on April 8, the album has a playful cover that has the XXL Freshman bent over double and clutching her cheeks like the poster for Home Alone surrounded by cartoonish illustrations of planets orbiting around her.
“I just want to finally let y’all bxtchs know, ain’t nobody fw me in that booth,” she wrote in the caption. “This will be one of the biggest female artist albums in the world and I put my life on it. It’s not a race, it’s a Trendsetter Marathon.”
The path to Leray’s debut was occasionally a bumpy one. Before her 2020 single “No More Parties” caught fire in early 2021 thanks to a Lil Durk remix, Coi said she was close to giving up on rap entirely. However, once Durk expressed his belief in her, she continued to grind, even despite a less-than-warm reception for her XXL Freshman cypher verse. She also took abuse from fans over her physique, a perceived resemblance to Dej Loaf, and anxiety, prompting her to release “Anxiety” as a single. Even her new single “Blick Blick” was almost derailed by her overzealous father Benzino.
But she’s persevered, “Blick Blick” has become her biggest hit to date, and now, she’s got the chance to prove that she’s no fluke.
One of my absolute favorite things in hip-hop is how the timely pop culture references often evolve with the times. Some rhymes age poorly, depending on the fortunes of the celebrity or work of art they address — see practically any NBA line that isn’t about Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or LeBron James. Some rhymes, however, do the opposite, becoming even more exquisite as their subjects continue their careers, transforming the context and adding new layers of meaning to the originals.
Case in point: J. Cole‘s 2014 Forest Hills Drive single is currently undergoing an analytical reevaluation on Twitter thanks in large part to last night’s Academy Awards ceremony. In the song, Cole raps, “I want a real love, dark-skinned Aunt Viv love / That Jada and that Will love / That leave a toothbrush at your crib love / And you ain’t gotta wonder whether that’s your kid love.” At the time of its release, it was a fairly straightforward line evoking a wholesome romantic relationship, using Will and Jada Pinkett Smith as examples (ironic, considering the song’s title).
But after last night’s Oscars show, during which Will Smith stormed onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock for making an off-color joke about Jada’s hair (which she shaved due to alopecia, a condition that makes sufferers’ hair fall out), fans have revisited just what “that Jada and Will love” really means, knowing what we know now — which is that Will can and will put his hands on somebody for offending his wife.
it’s crazy cuz every few months we get a new meaning for the “Jada and that Will love” lyric from j. cole
Naturally, responses vary. Some say the line also aged poorly, while others have noted the degrees by which it has evolved in the months since we were all teasing them about having an open relationship (don’t hide your hand now). Although a number of celebrities have weighed in, it’s fascinating — and really, really funny — that the person who had one of the wildest takes did so years ago by total accident.
Lil Uzi Vert and Nigo take an expensive shopping trip in the video for “Heavy,” from the BAPE designer’s new album, I Know Nigo. They’re joined by ASAP Rocky, who also appears on the album on the songs “Arya” and “Lost And Found Freestyle,” and accompanies them into Jacob & Co. after joining Uzi for some dismissive trash talk outside the store. “Y’all just started getting fly,” Uzi sneers. “Y’all n****s just started coming outside, too,” Rocky confirms. The rest of the video is a blur of bling, with Rocky and Uzi stunting aside a stoic, masked Nigo.
I Know Nigo, which dropped on Friday, March 25, is the DJ’s first solo album since 2005’s Nigo Presents: Return Of The Ape Sounds. Co-executive produced by Nigo’s longtime friend Pharrell Williams (a Bathing Ape early adopter since the late ’90s), the album also features contributions from frequent collaborators Clipse, Gunna, ASAP Ferg, Kid Cudi, the late Pop Smoke, Tyler The Creator, and Nigo’s own hip-hop group, Teriyaki Boyz, who last released an album in 2009 with Serious Japanese.
Watch Nigo and Lil Uzi Vert’s “Heavy” video above.
I Know Nigo is out now on Republic Records. Get it here.
Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
“y’all sitting here laughing,” he wrote. “but imagine if will smith was an average kid that no one understands mom and dad and vicky always giving him commands (bed, twerp) doom and gloom up in his room.” This is, of course, the opening of the theme song from TheFairly Oddparents, the Nickelodeon animated series in which 10-year-old Timmy Turner gets up to all sorts of magical shenanigans with his fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda. The non sequitur just throws light on how goofy it is for us all to still be talking about this 15 hours later.
y’all sitting here laughing but imagine if will smith was an average kid that no one understands mom and dad and vicky always giving him commands (bed, twerp) doom and gloom up in his room Is broken instantly by his magic little fish who grant his every wish cause in reality they
Nas also took a swipe at one of the more obnoxious takes, which came from a user who somehow inserted Betty White into a hypothetical situation in which Smith smacked her or Bob Saget instead of Chris Rock. Needless to say, that account is on private now, but screenshots last forever. Lil Nas riffed on the hypothetical turning the late comedic actress into the abolitionist hero Harriet Tubman (since we’re resurrecting dead people to make doofy points now anyway). “Just a reminder that if Will Smith had built a time machine and went back in time and slapped harriet tubman as a baby for a joke she made (however insensitive), she easily could’ve fallen backward, cracked her skull and never freed slaves,” he joked. “Violence is NEVER okay.”
you’re laughing? will smith hypothetically killed betty white and you’re laughing? pic.twitter.com/jXQ5SegSos
Just a reminder that if Will Smith had built a time machine and went back in time and slapped harriet tubman as a baby for a joke she made (however insensitive), she easily could’ve fallen backward, cracked her skull and never freed slaves. Violence is NEVER okay.
It’s important to remember here that not only is Chris Rock fine, he also declined to press charges and made up with Smith just hours later, according to no less a source than Sean “Diddy” Combs. The moment also may have saved the Oscars, so I’m sure even the Academy isn’t complaining too hard. Also, Harriet Tubman toted a shotgun (this is canon), so we’re sure she didn’t have any problem with violence at all.
The 2022 Grammys are right around the corner and this year sees a number of major changes to the ceremony. Along with being postponed and moved from LA to Las Vegas, the Recording Academy expanded the number of nominees to ten in all four of their major categories; Album Of The Year, Best New Artist, Song Of The Year, and Record Of The Year.
More nominees mean more great music to choose from, and that’s why the latest episode of Obsessed has hosts Taylour Chanel and Hollis Wong-Wear walking us through each major category and sharing who they think should win. The pair kick things off by talking about how this year’s Grammys will most likely be dominated by Olivia Rodrigo, who is expected win big.
Though Rodrigo could sweep the major categories, there are still a number of very deserving artists nominated this year. Taylour and Hollis shout out their personal favorites this year, like Silk Sonic’s groovy “Leave The Door Open” and Doja Cat’s undeniable bop “Kiss Me More.”
The Grammys may have nominated more artists this year, but there are still some glaring omissions from the list. Something we explore while noting the lack of talented international artists like BTS and Bad Bunny. This before diving into a conversation about the Grammys’ current cultural impact and what the future of the awards ceremony might look like.
Watch the latest episode of Obsessed above.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Anyway, Arlo Parks is a nominee this year, and she decided to cover Kaytranada and Syd’s “You’re The One” for her contribution to Spotify Singles. “Why it was such a joy to record my Spotify Singles session in the studio, I felt somehow part of the legend,” Parks said in a statement about the cover. “Syd’s voice in ‘You’re The One’ always had this effortless beauty to it in my eyes and I wanted to cover it to expose the romance and yearning behind the lyrics. It was an honour to be able to sing my new song ‘Softly’ too, to highlight the beginning of a new and beautiful chapter in my career and celebrate being nominated for Best New Artist.”
Check out Arlo’s cover below, and tune into the Grammys this Sunday, April 3, to see who picks up a win in this coveted category.
Cardi B is popular. She’s popular with the hip-hop heads because she’s got real bars peppered all over her debut album, Invasion Of Privacy. She’s popular with pop fans, because she knows how to turn out a hook like almost nobody else. She’s popular with moms, because she’s a mom, and she’s popular with young women because of the way she speaks her mind and never backs down from the haters. In other words, pretty much everyone on the planet has found a reason to love this woman, that’s just how charismatic she is. So it’s not really actually that surprising that she’s once again set the kind of record that no one else has achieved yet.
Every single song off Cardi’s debut album, Invasion Of Privacy, has now gone platinum. So for anyone who wanted to claim back in the day that “Bodak Yellow” was just a one-hit wonder, well, it’s quite the opposite; in fact, every single song this woman has put out is a hit. When the news broke, Cardi tweeted about it, and let listeners know that she is still working on her long-awaited follow-up project. “AMAZING ….can’t wait for my second album. Thanks for all the love & support,” she wrote.
AMAZING ….can’t wait for my second album Thanks for all the love & support https://t.co/TsRsIRwYOm
Truth be told, part of what made Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during last night’s Oscars ceremony so shocking is that, since his beginnings as a rapper, Smith has put on something of a nice-guy persona. Even his biggest hit ever, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” is a lighthearted dance floor anthem, which runs contrary to many folks’ perceptions of hardcore, mean-mugging hip-hop tough guys — even if Smith himself is from the same streets as them.
It seems, though, that even his out-of-character moment couldn’t stop him from enjoying his night after winning the award for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. After the ceremony was over, Smith attended the Vanity Fair afterparty, where he celebrated his first-ever win — and what better song to soundtrack the celebration than his massive 1997 hit?
The 2022 Grammys are finally right around the corner after being postponed due to Omicron concerns and moved from LA to Las Vegas. As the self-proclaimed “biggest night in music,” the 2022 Grammys are expected to be a joyous gathering after last year’s ceremony was eclipsed by controversy and COVID. While this year still has a bit of controversy (Kanye West was reportedly banned from performing), The Recording Academy has increased the number of nominations to strive for more diversity. Now, all four major categories (Album Of The Year, Best New Artist, Song Of The Year, and Record Of The Year) changed from eight nominations to ten, allowing a few more artists to get recognized for their musical achievements. The expanded categories mean there is even more great music to choose from, so Uproxx has you covered with our predictions for who will win and who should win at the 2022 Grammys.
2021 saw some big breakouts and some hard-hitting releases as the US rolled out vaccines and people began to re-entering society. The artist leading the nominations is Jon Batiste, who holds an impressive 11 nominations across all categories. Following Baptiste, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, and HER are all tied for second-most nominated, with each artist holding eight nominations.
This year is also expected to big a big one for Olivia Rodrigo, who very well could pull a Billie Eilish and sweep all four major categories, seeing as her debut album, Sour, was a smash hit. Speaking of Eilish, the singer’s Happier Than Ever earned her a number of nods, as well. She’s actually tied with Rodrigo for third-most nominations as they both received seven.
Check out our predictions below for how the biggest and most coveted categories could play out.
Best Rap Album
J. Cole — The Off-Season
Drake — Certified Lover Boy
Nas — King’s Disease II
Tyler, the Creator — Call Me If You Get Lost
Kanye West — Donda
Who will win: Kanye West — Donda
Who should win: Tyler The Creator — Call Me If You Get Lost
This year’s Best Rap Album category is filled with well-established artists. Both Kanye West’s Donda and Drake’s Certified Lover Boy dominated news cycles after being postponed and ended up getting released within days of each other. Kanye’s Donda is also nominated for Album Of The Year, and seeing as the rapper already holds 22 wins and 75 nominations throughout his career, it’s likely the Recording Academy will give him the Best Rap Album award. However, Tyler The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost is the one that deserves to take home the trophy. The album shows off Tyler’s impeccable MC skills and his alter ego, Tyler Baudelaire, feels like his most genuine thus far. The LP addresses important contemporary topics and sees Tyler showing off some new techniques, resulting in a top-level album as a whole.
Best Rap Performance
Baby Keem — “Family Ties” Feat. Kendrick Lamar
Cardi B — “Up”
J. Cole — “My Life” Feat. 21 Savage and Morray
Drake — “Way 2 Sexy” Feat. Future and Young Thug
Megan Thee Stallion — “Thot Sh*t”
Who will win: Cardi B — “Up”
Who should win: Baby Keem “Family Ties” Feat. Kendrick Lamar
The Best Rap Performance category saw a number of deserving nominations this year. Of course, Cardi B show-stopped with her 2021 track “Up,” which featured tongue-tied verses so catchy it went viral on TikTok. Megan Thee Stallion’s “Thot Sh*t” also gets an honorable mention as it became an instant hit and its video showed the rapper torturing a misogynistic, slut-shaming senator. But even with those two songs deserving of the award, we lean towards Best New Artist nominee Baby Keem, whose role in his Kendrick Lamar collaboration, “Family Ties,” proves he more than lives up to the hype. The rapper’s flow matches the energy of the song’s propulsive beat and flexes his witty penmanship and impressive breath control.
Best Alternative Music Album
Fleet Foxes — Shore
Halsey — If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
Japanese Breakfast — Jubilee
Arlo Parks — Collapsed In Sunbeams
St. Vincent — Daddy’s Home
Who will win: St. Vincent — Daddy’s Home
Who should win: Japanese Breakfast — Jubilee
2021 was a great year for indie and alternative music lovers. Nearly all the artists in the category delivered career highlights, with Halsey joining forces with Nine Inch Nails members for her darkest release yet, and Arlo Parks crooning spine-chilling prose that deal with the realities of mental health crises, heartbreak, and unrequited queer love. St. Vincent’s Daddy’s Home is a likely winner, per The Recording Academy’s history of awarding Annie Clark in the category in 2015, which is surprising based on its lukewarm reviews. The real winner here is Japanese Breakfast, whose album Jubilee was free of dull moments and overall constituted an electrifying and heartfelt effort from the musician.
Best Pop Solo Performance
Justin Bieber — “Anyone”
Brandi Carlile — “Right on Time”
Billie Eilish — “Happier Than Ever”
Ariana Grande — “Positions”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
Who will win: Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
Who should win: Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
This year’s Best Pop Solo Performance category includes more ballads than upbeat pop bangers. Even still, Billie Eilish did put on a wonderful display of her talents in “Happier Than Ever” and Ariana Grande busted out her far-reaching vocals for “Positions.” However, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” is the most likely winner in the category. The track was both her debut single and the song that put her on the map, leading to several weeks at No. 1. While the rest of her catalog is filled with more dance-ready tunes, the emotions in “Drivers License” are tangible and most definitely Grammy-worthy.
Best Pop Vocal Album
Justin Bieber — Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)
Doja Cat — Planet Her (Deluxe)
Billie Eilish — Happier Than Ever
Ariana Grande — Positions
Olivia Rodrigo — Sour
Who will win: Olivia Rodrigo — Sour
Who should win: Doja Cat — Planet Her (Deluxe)
We all know that Olivia Rodrigo’s has some impressive pipes, but Doja Cat’s Planet Her deserves the award due to its versatility. The album features some radio-ready, melodic bops like “Kiss Me More,” but it also includes several songs that show Doja trying out inventive tactics. Her voice is breathy and robust on “Woman” while she distorts her voice into airy and swaggering bursts on “Get Into It (Yuh).” The combination of styles on this Planet Her makes for an enticing and impressive effort, and one that should win Best Pop Vocal Album.
Best Progressive R&B Album
Eric Bellinger — New Light
Cory Henry — Something To Say
Hiatus Kaiyote — Mood Valiant
Lucky Daye — Table For Two
Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and Kamasi Washington — Dinner Party: Dessert
Masego — Studying Abroad: Extended Stay
Who will win: Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and Kamasi Washington — Dinner Party: Dessert
Who should win: Lucky Daye — Table For Two
Today’s modern R&B genre is stacked with prolific and groundbreaking artists, as exemplified by this year’s Best Progressive R&B Album category. Acclaimed artists Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and Kamasi Washington came together for the jazzy joint album Dinner Party: Dessert, which tapped a massive team of collaborators and is likely to take home the winning trophy. But Lucky Daye’s album Table For Two also shines bright. The New Orleans native showed off his multi-faceted artistry on the album, seamlessly flipping from soulful ballads to sultry and rhythmic tracks. Either would be great wins, to be quite honest.
Record Of The Year
ABBA — “I Still Have Faith In You”
Jon Batiste — “Freedom”
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga — “I Get A Kick Out Of You”
Justin Bieber — “Peaches” Feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon
Brandi Carlile — “Right On Time”
Doja Cat — “Kiss Me More” Feat. SZA
Billie Eilish — “Happier Than Ever”
Lil Nas X — “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
Silk Sonic — “Leave The Door Open”
Who will win: Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
Who should win: Doja Cat — “Kiss Me More” Feat. SZA
Record Of The Year is awarded to artists whose finished song made a huge cultural impact — and this year’s list includes a number of deserving names. Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” is the likely winner, seeing as the song dominated pop culture for months on end. But Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA is more than worthy of the award. The track is one of the most straightforward pop songs that both Doja Cat and SZA have ever made, and it definitely worked to their benefit. Not only is it playful, snappy, and captivating, but it offers a space for the two singers’ impressive vocals to shine through.
Best New Artist
Arooj Aftab
Jimmie Allen
Baby Keem
Finneas
Glass Animals
Japanese Breakfast
The Kid Laroi
Arlo Parks
Olivia Rodrigo
Saweetie
Who will win: Olivia Rodrigo
Who should win: Olivia Rodrigo
One of the great aspects of the Best New Artist category is that it’s a career highlight just to be nominated. This year has some incredible honorable mentions, like Japanese Breakfast, whose third studio album Jubilee was a masterpiece, or Arlo Parks, whose debut LP Collapsed In Sunbeams was pure poetry. But this year, the award will likely go to the deserving artist Olivia Rodrigo. With her debut album Sour, Rodrigo managed to go from Disney Channel actor to one of today’s biggest names in music over the course of just a few months. The album put her name on the map and earned her the title of certified pop star.
Song Of The Year
Ed Sheeran — “Bad Habits”
Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile — “A Beautiful Noise”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
HER — “Fight For You”
Billie Eilish — “Happier Than Ever”
Doja Cat — “Kiss Me More” Feat. SZA
Silk Sonic — “Leave The Door Open”
Lil Nas X — “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
Justin Bieber — “Peaches” Feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon
Brandi Carlile — “Right On Time”
Who will win: Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
Who should win: Silk Sonic — “Leave The Door Open”
The Song Of The Year category, which oftentimes gets confused with Record Of The Year, awards those involved in the actual writing process of a track (which sometimes doesn’t include the artist). Olivia Rodrigo’s debut single “Drivers License” became a ubiquitous feature of pop culture shortly after its release and is likely to take home the trophy. It even got its own SNL-dedicated sketch. But the real winner in 2021 was the debut single “Leave The Door Open” by Silk Sonic, the duo of Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars. Inspired by the soul greats like Bootsy Collins and James Brown, “Leave The Door Open” is sensual, dreamy, and one of the most sonically interesting tracks in this category.
Album Of The Year
Jon Batiste — We Are
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga — Love For Sale
Justin Bieber — Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)
Doja Cat — Planet Her (Deluxe)
Billie Eilish — Happier Than Ever
HER — Back Of My Mind
Lil Nas X — Montero
Olivia Rodrigo — Sour
Taylor Swift — Evermore
Kanye West — Donda
Who will win: Billie Eilish — Happier Than Ever
Who should win: Olivia Rodrigo — Sour
The Album Of The Year category is perhaps the most coveted award at the Grammys. This year, there were ten different nominees to choose from. While music lovers and critics alike may have a clear winner in mind, the Recording Academy oftentimes chooses to throw a curveball in this category, like when Beck beat out both Beyonce and Ed Sheeran in 2015. But this year, it’s likely that the award will go to Billie Eilish. The Recording Academy is clearly fond of Eilish, seeing as she holds seven wins and 17 nominations in the two years she’s submitted her music. But the award truly deserves to go to Olivia Rodrigo, whose debut album Sour was an exceptionally strong effort from a new artist. Everything about Sour is a hit — from its genre-fluid, catchy tracks to its on-point elevated schoolgirl aesthetic. All generations of music lovers can relate to the songs on Sour, making it without a doubt the album of 2021.
The 2022 Grammys airs April 3 at 8:30 pm EST. Find out how to watch it here.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
NORE’s Drink Champs podcast has become a pretty reliable source of eyebrow-raising quotes in recent months. After sparking the disagreement between Kanye West and Big Sean, and drawing out The Game’s questionable soundbite comparing West’s contributions to his career to Dr. Dre’s, it could very well be the source of the next rap beef — especially if Remy Ma has anything to say about it. This week’s guest had a lot to say about both her past conflict with Nicki Minaj and the most recent classes of female rappers — minus Doja Cat, who she thinks doesn’t fit the criteria for that classification.
“They be putting her in the rapper category,” Remy offered when asked her thoughts about Doja. “I don’t think she’s a rapper. But she makes dope records, and I think she’s dope.”
Remy Ma tells the Drink Champs podcast she doesn’t think Doja Cat is a rapper:
“They be putting her in the rapper category – I don’t think she’s a rapper. But, she makes dope records, and I think she’s dope.” pic.twitter.com/wWHD1stygk
Of course, fans were quick to offer their opinions on Remy’s assessment, questioning whether Remy gave Doja the backhanded compliment out of ignorance or due to her association with Nicki Minaj, with whom Remy traded diss tracks in the past. While some agreed, others posted examples of the young star showing off her rap skills, both in the form of mashups of verses from her hit singles and freestyles with the likes of LA underground rap veteran Dumbfoundead, who she knew from her days performing at Verbz’s monthly residency Bananas.
Meanwhile, Doja may well disprove Remy’s theory in due course. Last year, she said during an Instagram Live stream she wanted to release a full-on hip-hop album produced by 9th Wonder, and she’s more than proven her hip-hop head credentials, name-checking Little Brother and rapping along to one of their songs during another stream. And although Doja’s proven herself to be versatile and resistant to definition, one thing she’s always been able to do well is rap.
Watch Remy Ma’s full interview with the Drink Champs podcast crew above.
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This line keeps alternating between being great and being the worst J Cole lyric ever. 
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