Back in 2019, a little over a year after Drake released his fifth album Scorpion, Drake was hit with a lawsuit over his No. 1 songs “In My Feelings” and “Nice For What.” Both songs were played a big role in the success of Scorpion, but according to Sam Skully (whose real name is Samuel Nicholas III), the track wrongfully sampled aspects of his 2000 song “Roll Call (Instrumental)” in the respective tracks. Skully’s first lawsuit was dismissed, as was his second case, because he failed to actually litigate them. However, according to Billboard, Skully has filed his third lawsuit against Drake alleging copyright infringement over “In My Feelings” and “Nice For What.”
In the lawsuit, Skully claims that aspects of “Roll Call (Instrumental)” were sampled and added to the records from Scorpion by the songs’ producer BlaqNmilD, whose real name Adam J. Pigott. Skully claims that Pigott used the same sample in other records that he worked on for other artists. However, Pigott’s representatives say that both he and Skully used the same sample from a 1986 record by legendary Queens hip hop duo The Showboys.
“It is this song, ‘Drag Rap (Triggerman),’ that Adam had indeed sampled for the compositions in question,” BlaqNmilD’s manager Craig E. Baylis says. “The Showboys will attest that Adam ensured that they were contacted for all proper clearances. Our question is, has the plaintiff done the same?”
Asylum Records, Cash Money Records, Republic Records, and New Orleans legend Big Freedia were also named in the lawsuit. Skully’s lawyer, Mark Edward Andrews, and representatives Drake and Warner Music Group did not return requests for comment from Billboard.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
After the success of his second album Because The Internet, Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, reached new heights in 2016 with the release of his third album Awaken, My Love! The project was a large shift in the sound that was present on Because The Internet, as Glover had songs that featured him singing as opposed to rapping along with production that combined psychedelic soul, funk, and R&B. As of today, Awaken, My Love! is Glover’s most successful album and during a recent appearance on LeBron James’ HBO show The Shop, he explained what inspired him to create the album.
“Did you ever tap into something that is in you that you feel is kind of bad to win?” Childish Gambino asked the group that included Lebron and Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson. “Because I struggle with that. I am naturally petty. Like, extremely petty” He revealed that he made Awaken, My Love! to prove an unnamed critic wrong. “Awaken, My Love was literally because somebody said, ‘Oh, he can’t make a hit.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, not only will I make a hit, I won’t make a single video for it.’”
After its release in December 2016, Awaken, My Love became his highest-charting release after it debuted at No. 5 on the albums chart. The project also birthed Glover’s most successful single with “Redbone” which peaked at No. 12 on the singles chart and is currently 5X Platinum.
You can view the clip from the upcoming episode above. The full episode airs on March 4 at 9 am PST exclusively on UNINTERRUPTED’s YouTube channel.
Whenever global catastrophe unfolds, almost everyone’s bound to have an opinion (while also watching on in horror), and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is no exception. Some current takes (Chris Evans directing people to stories of Russia’s history of atrocities towards rivals) are more productive than others (John Cena deciding to promote Peacemaker or AnnaLynne McCord performing spoken-word poetry), and Ice-T’s taking the commonsensical approach.
That’s what the interpretation has been as Ice-T — he of the no-BS Twitter threads — delivered his observation, in which he definitely does not pull an incomprehensible Steven Seagal move. Rather, Ice is dropping his truth as he sees fit.
“Here’s the Situation,” the SVU mainstay and Body Count frontman tweeted. “As soon as the US fires ONE bullet at a Russian solider. From the Ground or Air…. WE are at War with Russia. Not good.”
Here’s the Situation: As soon as the US fires ONE bullet at a Russian solider. From the Ground or Air…. WE are at War with Russia. Not good. pic.twitter.com/PgEA8LBUtg
People are here for this analysis, and they’re praising the man who portrays Fin Tutuola, not only for speaking out without bashing anyone else, but for having a much more levelheaded take on foreign policy than the talking heads (with credentials, even including former ambassadors and professors) on cable news.
When Ice T understands the situation more clearly than half the tenured natsec columnists https://t.co/NahiQn1Nb6
One of the ways you can tell that DC think tankers, IR academics, and journalists covering foreign affairs, are all frauds, is that ICE T, someone with no academic qualifications to discuss foreign affairs, understand foreign policy better than they do.
Not surprised that ICE T has better takes on this than the blue check brigade and many syndicated columnists and former ambassadors. https://t.co/4a2CI0yBvg
— isi baehr-breen (its pronounced ‘izzy’) (@isaiah_bb) March 3, 2022
Ice T gets this more than people who are paid to talk about foreign policy for a living. https://t.co/pKDPZgU9ID
When it comes to festivals in Scotland, one likely comes to mind first and foremost: Fringe. The Edinburgh arts fest is a nearly month-long celebration of creativity that has no equal across the globe. If you’re a fan of stand-up comedy, street magic, avant-garde theater, or pretty much anything in-between, you have to visit at least once in your lifetime. While the performers are fairly U.K.-focused, the fest has launched some serious careers. Fringe is where Robin Williams got his first big break on stage and contemporary comedians like Hannibal Burress and Mary Lynn Rajskub are known to frequent clubs or perform longer-term residencies during the festival.
Still, there’s more to Scotland’s festival scene than Fringe. The country boasts an eclectic mix of cultural fests that celebrate the intricacies of Scottish culture, one-of-a-kind whisky events tucked away on the Inner Hebrides, and rad EDM bacchanals that last days on end.
If those don’t nail your vibe (they definitely nail ours), there are plenty of other options, too. You might have heard of the famed Highland Games — featuring modern-day goliaths competing in feats of strength supported by a rich cultural (and culinary) backdrop — or the almost impossible-to-summarize scene at Eden (paganism! music! yoga!). The point being, the whole Scottish festival universe is unique, diverse, and a whole lot of fun. We’re calling out five festivals beyond Fringe that we love best below!
Terminal V Resurgence, Edinburgh
Terminal V
The Fest:
The easiest recommendation we can give is Terminal V Resurgence. This is the ultimate techno party with a direct line to Berlin’s scene, where a sibling festival takes place next year. While that sounds amazing in and of itself, Festival Director Derek Martin takes us deeper:
“Our stage designs are productions that have been meticulously planned with no corners cut on costs,” he says. “Our lineups feature the biggest electronic acts from across the musical spectrum.”
On that last point, Martin isn’t kidding. The lineup this year is a deep dive into the cutting edge of techno, EDM, trance, and every other form of electronic music from all around the world in one place. That translates to nearly 60 acts on six stages with over 20,000 people dancing and partying every day and night. You can see the whole, vast lineup right here.
Details:
Terminal V runs April 16th-17th, 2022, at Edinburgh’s The Royal Highland Centre. The venue is out at the Edinburgh airport, meaning that there are plenty of hotels very close. Terminal V will also be providing pre-party buses to and from the venue to central Edinburgh and several other cities throughout the U.K.
Tickets start at $88 for a one-day pass with VIP upgrades starting at $27. The full weekend pass is $168.
Highland Games, Nationwide
Pitlochry Highland Games
The Fest:
If Fringe isn’t what you think of when you think of Scottish festivals, then it’s probably the Highland Games. This nearly 1,000-year-old cultural festival celebrates all things Scotland but is far more than a monolith. Sure, you can watch bulking Scottish dudes throw logs (caber toss) and rocks (shot putt) while a bagpipe parade bellows in the background alongside foot races. But you’ll also find plenty of local food, drink, dancing, and community.
2022’s Highland Games take place across the whole region. The gist of the Highland Games is really local celebrations of summer across the region. Expect a county fair vibe but with a quaint Scottish village feel to it with Scotland’s dramatic Highlands framing every scene.
In all, you could spend May to September traveling all of Scotland and hit all the games, and then leave having a deeper understanding of the whole country under your travel belt. Plus, you’ll have eaten some amazing meat pies and drunk some great whisky and ale along the way — hopefully, at a local pub after a tug-of-war battle just outside.
Details:
The Highland Games run May through September. You can check here for nine towns hosting the games this year. Most games will have a small entrance fee ($7 to $12 per person) plus an extra fee if you want to compete in any of the sports/activities. Don’t take that lightly though, the games are taken very seriously by local folks — it might be a good idea to just sit back with your whisky or pint and cheer from the crowd.
Fèis Ìle 2022, Islay
Fèis Ìle
The Fest:
Fèis Ìle is the ultimate Scottish whisky festival. The festival takes place in the late spring on the isle of Islay and celebrates the island’s deep and long history with all things Scotch whisky.
Ben Shakespeare, the communications manager for the fest, breaks it down like this: “each distiller has their own festival days, which are a celebration of whisky and music. But mostly, it’s just people from all over the world coming together and having a good time on this little island.”
While whisky is the main focus, Fèis Ìle is really all about the community in Islay. The whole island participates from pub to pub and distillery to distillery, proudly sharing everything the island has to offer, from white sand beaches to the local Gaelic Centre, perfect for history fans. There are also bands and food and scores of very friendly locals — it’s a whole vibe.
Shakespeare offers one last tip, stay until the end. “The Final Fling is a great night!” he says. “It’s the last night of the festival when a lot of the locals come out and celebrate the end of a really busy week.”
Details:
Fèis Ìle runs from May 27 to June 4th this year. All “first batch” tickets are sold out but there will be more events and tickets going up soon. Keep an eye on the fest’s social media for updates. You’ll also be able to buy tickets to food events, boat trips around the island, and music events at the distilleries themselves.
We’d also argue that you’d need to book accommodation ASAP if you plan to go this year. There are just over 3,000 people on Islay and up to 10,000 are expected to show up for the fest.
Eden Festival, Moffat
Eden Festival
The Fest:
The Eden Festival started off cheekily as the Wicker Man fest back in the early aughts. That vibe transcends to this day. The modern Eden Festival is a place where ancient Gaelic paganism, hippy vibes, and a 1990s carnival of the absurd collide. There are the requisite yoga mornings, meditation tents, vegan treats for everyone, and plenty of scantily clad and painted bodies everywhere you look.
Then there’s the music. Eden Festival is the biggest music fest in the whole country. This year’s event will have 250 acts across ten stages over just four days. Naturally, that vastness covers pretty much every genre of music there is. So we’re pretty confident that you’ll be able to find something that speaks to you.
All of that combines to create a scene, and that’s what the festival is all about. Those Wicker Man vibes still permeate through the whole event and drive the holistic and paganist nature of a festival that prioritizes treating all music and people as equals.
Details:
Eden Festival runs June 9th-12th, 2022, at St. Ann’s just outside Moffat in the Scottish Lowlands. There’s camping and glamping on-site for a fee. There are also public buses from Edinburgh and Glasgow with an Eden shuttle to take you the rest of the way. Otherwise, this is a pretty remote location. There are plenty of food stalls, beer taps, and cocktail bars on-site in case you’re worried about food.
Tickets are almost sold out. Expect to pay $178 to enjoy the whole festival run. You can also book bus travel, camping, and more right here.
TRNSMT Festival, Glasgow
TRNSMT Festival
The Fest:
Let’s end things with a classic multi-stage music festival in a big city. TRNSMT in Glasgow has a classic main stage in a big ol’ field with huge nostalgia acts this year like The Strokes as well as two supporting stages with up-and-coming hip-hop, rock (Wolf Alice is on the lineup), and EDM artists.
The stages are set up with vendors in between selling plenty of food and drink. That being said, the ripple here is that the fest takes place in Glasgow Green, which is right in the middle of the city. That means you have the entirety of Glasgow’s restaurant, bar, and club scene at your fingertips before, during, and after every performance. That makes this kind of the perfect festival to travel to, especially if you’re looking to party in one of Europe’s coolest cities while also attending a massive music festival.
Details:
The fest runs from July 8th-10th this year. Since it’s in the middle of Glasgow, transportation isn’t an issue once you arrive. Moreover, there a plenty of hotels within a stone’s throw of the Green. Though be warned, up to 120,000 people attend this festival. So book your accommodation now.
Tickets start at $82 for a single day or $210 for the full run. Though, since this is the first year back since 2019, tickets are going quickly.
Dave might very well be the biggest star in British rap right now. The South London rapper took home the BRIT Award for Best Hip-Hop/Grime Act last month and flexed his versatility playing a guitar that emitted flames in his performance of “In The Fire.” Now, he’s just shared “Starlight,” the first new music he’s put out since last year’s fantastic, chart-topping breakthrough album, We’re All Alone In This Togetherand it’s more heat from Dave.
Also produced by Dave, “Starlight” is set to a flip of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon.” On the track, he ruminates on his growing fame, love, and living under a microscope. He has a venerable grip on hip-hop tropes from both sides of the Atlantic and it all comes together on the masterful hook where he raps:
“It’s hard to hate on the truth I’m livin’
Enough man hate with the lies instead
Countin’ cash with the phone to my ear
I feel like Meek on the private jet”
He’s soaring right now and Dave’s star is set to keep rising. He was announced as a Wireless Festival headliner last week and his US tour starts in April, beginning with a stop at Coachella.
Watch the video for “Starlight” above and check out Dave’s full US tour dates below.
04/17 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/24 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/26 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
04/27 — Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
04/29 — Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
05/01 — Washington, D.C. @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
05/03 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
05/04 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
05/05/ — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
05/06 — Boston, MA @ House of Blues
05/08 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
05/10 — Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
05/12 — Toronto, ON @ History
05/12 — Toronto, ON @ Rebel
05/15 — Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts
05/17 — Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
05/18 — Dallas, TX @ Trees
05/20 — Denver, CO @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom
05/21 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
05/22 — Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
Last month marked the official posthumous release of Juice WRLD’s track “Cigarettes.” A song that had seen a slew of bootleg releases when the Chicago rapper was still alive, it sees him meditating on addiction and how it can affect relationships. The initial visualizer came out last month with an anime aesthetic. But the official video dropped today, featuring a cameo from Angus Cloud of Euphoria. It’s really more of a short film that takes a powerful look at how alcohol can destroy someone’s life and how the temptation will always be there.
In the video, a young guy’s life is falling apart because of alcoholism. He has trouble staying sober at work, he stays out late at the bar instead of going home to his girlfriend, and he’s just spiraling out of control. His life effectively falls apart and he enters a treatment program. We get a flash forward to 999 days later and he’s riding in a convertible with three friends, the main one played by Cloud. They enjoy the breeze while cruising and then go to a club, before the story climaxes and the main character faces a decision based on what he’s been through over the past few years. Directed by Steve Cannon, it’s a very realistic story about addiction and recovery that, considering Juice WRLD died of a drug overdose, hits even harder set to his music.
Watch the video for Juice WRLD’s “Cigarettes” above.
Megan Thee Stallion has made it clear, pretty much since Day 1 of her being a recognizable public figure, that she’s really into horror movies. In fact, she actually sees some of herself in one of the genre’s biggest faces (well, covered faces): Jason Voorhees of the Friday The 13th franchise.
In a new interview with CR Fashionbook, Meg was asked what famous horror villain she would be if she had to pick, and she responded, “I would be Jason, because no matter how hard my haters try to take me out, I keep coming back harder!”
She also noted of American Horror Story, “Oh my God, I love American Horror Story. I watched each episode as they came out weekly on FX. I loved the first season, Murder House. It had to be my favorite season.”
Elsewhere during the conversation, she pulled back the curtain a bit on her upcoming album, saying, “This album has been the most emotional to make. I’m finally opening up about things I’ve never publicly spoken about. I’m nervous and excited for my fans to hear this side of my personality. ”
It’s a big day for Khalid. Five years ago today, his breakthrough debut album, American Team, came out into the world. Featuring titanic singles like “Young, Dumb & Broke” and “Location,” it soon topped quadruple Platinum status. Heck, it’s legit been on the Billboard 200 chart for every single day of its five years in existence!
.@thegreatkhalid‘s ‘American Teen’ becomes the tenth album in history to spend its first 5 full years of release on the Billboard 200.
The significance of this day is not lost on Khalid, who has not only shared an interactive retrospective called American Teen: The Yearbook,but also just shared the new single, “Last Call.” He said in a tweet that it represents “The first few steps of another chapter for myself,” adding, “Thank you guys for all of the love & support through my journey as an adult. This is my gift to you.”
Here it is! The first few steps of another chapter for myself. Thank you guys for all of the love & support through my journey as an adult. This is my gift to you. Last Call. song/music video out nowhttps://t.co/dSacYsXCOnpic.twitter.com/22c5uL5WPM
Produced by Digi, Khalid continues to express thanks in the tracks opening bars, singing harmonically: “Search for what will set you free, it’s not 2017 anymore. So you trust in a guy like me, to give you everything in store.” The video for the track features footage of the early days of the illustrious journey he’s been on to become one of the biggest R&B stars in the world.
“I’m really excited to share ‘Last Call’ with all my fans,” Khalid said in a statement. “It’s important to me to commemorate this day and look back at everything that has happened. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years already. I hope you guys enjoy it and celebrate with me and all we’ve done together.”
Last month, rapper Jack Harlow showed off his basketball skills at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game with teammates Kane Brown, Anuel AA, and Myles Garrett. This preceded news regarding his first ever on-screen role. In his acting debut, Harlow will star in 20th Century’s reboot of White Men Can’t Jump, according to Deadline.
Harlow’s debut role comes following a slew of hits over the past two years, including his own viral TikTok single “What’s Poppin’?” and his verse on Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby.” Kanye West even called Harlow one of today’s five best rappers and featured him on his album Donda 2.
While we know Harlow is skilled on the court, he reportedly wowed the filmmakers and producers during his first ever audition. The “Nail Tech” rapper will play a version of the role originally played by Woody Harrelson. In Ron Shelton’s 1992 original, Harrelson stars alongside Wesley Snipes. The two play basketball players who try to outplay each other, but ultimately decide to team up.
Black-ish creator Kenya Barris will produce the film through his company Khalabo Ink Society. Blake Griffin, Ryan Kalil, and Noah Weinstein will executive producer this adaptation through their label Mortal Media. Doug Hall, who wrote the script alongside Barris will also executive produce with E. Brian Dobbins.
Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
After a couple of years spent building out the other parts of his resume, Joey Badass has been slowly but surely dipping his toes back into rap. Promising that his third album is “for sure” dropping this year, the Brooklyn-based rapper made his triumphant return to the rap game with his boastful new single “The Rev3nge.” Today, he unveiled his next new single, the defiant “Head High,” with a passionate performance of the song on popular YouTube music series A COLORS Show.
Standing in front of an icy blue background in a cream jacket and matching patterned pants, Joey recounts a conversation with XXXtentacion, comparing him to Joey’s own fallen compatriot Capital Steez, and ruminates on the cyclical nature of trauma and violence in the hood while refusing to give in to it. “Dancin’ with the devil, tryin’ not to lose my balance,” he mutters. “Look, God blessed the kid with many talents.”
Should Joey’s album drop as promised this year, it’ll be his first full-length collection of music since 2017’s All-Amerikkkan Badass, which solidified his talent as more than just a ’90s throwback homage artist.
Watch Joey Badass’ passionate performance of the defiant “Head High” for A COLORS Show above.
