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Ye And Drake’s Merchandise Profits From Their Benefit Concert Will Reportedly Not Be Donated To Charity

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On Thursday, Ye and Drake’s Larry Hoover benefit concert finally went down, to great acclaim. Ye performed a number of tracks from throughout his catalog while Drake stuck to songs from Certified Lover Boy. The concert also offered some merchandise for attendees and viewers at home to purchase, ranging from hoodies, jeans, and t-shirts. As the show was a benefit concert for Larry Hoover, the incarcerated founder of Chicago’s Gangster Disciples gang, many wondered where the profits from the show would go. Just a couple of days after the concert, we have an answer (sort of).

According to GQ, a representative confirmed that the sales made from the merchandise sold with the concert will not be donated to charity. It’s unknown where the money will go, but the representative confirmed the funds will not be given to organizations like criminal justice reform groups. However, that is not the case for the ticket sales from the concert. Those will reportedly be donated to those groups, leaving them to receive a sizeable amount of money as a result of the benefit show.

This comes after a report revealed that federal officials were “surprised” and upset about Drake and Ye’s support towards Larry Hoover. They struggled to understand why they would vouch for Hoover’s release, a man they called “the worst of the worst.”

Rod Wave Denies That His Latest Single Was A Suicide Letter: ‘That’s Not How That Works’

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Rod Wave is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve. It’s what that’s made him appealing to his fanbase, who gave the Florida rapper his first No. 1 album with Soulfly earlier this year. Despite this, Rod Wave’s last single “Nirvana,” which he shared and quickly deleted on Saturday, left many concerned, as people felt it sounded like a suicide letter.

The lyrics left people worried. “If you’re hearin’ this, it’s too late / I’ve been writin’ this since Tuesday, today Friday / That mean tomorrow’s doomsday / Tried to fight the pain, but it ate me alive,” he sings. However, according to Rod Wave himself, there’s nothing to worry about.

The Florida native hopped on Instagram Live to set the record straight. “Why the f*ck people take that sh*t and just say that was my suicide letter?” he said. “That’s not how that works. That’s not how suicide letters work. You don’t go to a studio and record a suicide letter. Real fans of me, people that listen to my music and f*ck with me, they know what my music be like, feel what I’m saying?” He added, “So, sh*t, they should already…But all the blogs and sh*t posting…just like cooking up sh*t saying, ‘Rod posting a suicide letter,’ that’s not true, bro.”

Rod also addressed critics who believed the song was an odd way for him to get people’s attention. “F*ck niggas hating, talking ’bout I’m looking for attention. Bitch, who the f*ck needs attention?” he said in the video. “You forgot who the f*ck I was? I don’t need new attention. Did you not see my tour? Did you not see my album sales? I don’t need no extra attention. I had already deleted my Insta and my Twitter and all that shit because of the extra attention. I don’t need no extra attention from nobody, I’m good.”

You can listen to a clip from his livestream and hear some of “Nirvana” above.

Rick Ross Gives A Nod To The ‘Outlawz’ Of The World In His Video With 21 Savage And Jazmine Sullivan

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More than two years after releasing his last body of work, Rick Ross returned this past weekend with his eleventh album Richer Than I Ever Been. It’s a rather short project, with just 12 songs and guest appearances from Wale, Future, Benny The Butcher, and more. To celebrate, Ross returns with a video for the album’s lead single, “Outlawz” with 21 Savage and Jazmine Sullivan. It finds Ross driving around town, with appearances from his two collaborators.

The video comes after Ross responded to rumors that he and Meek Mill, who is signed to his Maybach Music Group label, were not on good terms. “I feel like we’re both hustlers,” he said during an interview at the Grammy Museum. “That’s one thing about life, you either grow together or grow apart. As a boss, you make that decision, because whatever it is you want to do, Ricky Rozay wants to see you do it. There’s a lot of people that didn’t last or was still down with me the way Meek is — so I want to see the homie shine regardless.”

You can watch the video for “Outlawz” in the video above.

Richer Than I Ever Been is out now via Maybach Music Group/Epic Records. Get it here.

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

Billie Eilish Leads A Twerk-Filled Update To The Story Of Jesus’ Birth In A ‘SNL’ Sketch

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Last night, for the second time in her career, Billie Eilish brought her talents to Saturday Night Live. The last time she appeared, back in 2019, she defied gravity with a performance of “Bad Guy.” This time around, the singer signed on as both musical guest and host. In one sketch, the singer and cast member Heidi Gardner joined forces to update the story of Jesus’ birth.

The sketch was entitled “Hip-Hop Nativity,” and it found the two recruiting a group of actors to play many of the characters from the biblical story. They taught them how to twerk, strut, and pole dance. The actors initially raises issues over the biblical update, but they eventually went along with it. The closing bit also jokingly revealed that Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda will direct a full-length film version of Billie and Gardner’s updated nativity story.

In addition to the “Hip-Hop Nativity” skit, Billie also performed “Happier Than Ever” and “Male Fantasy” on SNL. The former made for an epic performance while the latter was a bit darker and relaxed.

In non-Eilish SNL news, the episode also featured Kate McKinnon returning as Dr. Fauci while Weekend Update skewered Jussie Smollett and the torching of the Fox News Christmas tree.

You can watch Billie’s Hip-Hop Nativity sketch in the video above.

Cardi B Shows Love To Megan Thee Stallion For Graduating From Texas Southern University

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On Saturday, all corners of the music world applauded Megan Thee Stallion after she graduated from college. The Houston rapper earned her Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration from Texas Southern University and she was all smiles about her new accomplishment. On Instagram, she shared some pictures from the day and thanked everyone for their support. “Meg Thee Graduate [female graduate emoji] I know my parents are looking down on me so proud,” she wrote. “Thank you everyone for all the love today.”

One notable congratulation that Megan Thee Stallion received came from Cardi B, who showed a lot of love to her “WAP” collaborator on Twitter. “Congrats @theestallion all of your hard work paid of!!!” Cardi wrote in her message. “I know your Parents are super proud of you.” Megan replied to Cardi’s message, writing, “Thank you bardi” with three heart eyes emoji.

Megan previously spoke about the importance of finishing school during a 2018 interview with People. “I want to get my degree because I really want my mom to be proud,” she said. “I want my big mama to be proud. She saw me going to school before she passed. My grandmother that’s still alive used to be a teacher, so she’s on my butt about finishing school.” She added, “I’m doing it for me, but I’m also doing it for the women in my family who made me who I am today.”

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

Megan Thee Stallion Was All Smiles After Graduating From Texas Southern University

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Today was an important day for Megan Thee Stallion as she graduated from Texas Southern University. She left the HBCU with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration and was one of the school’s 843 graduates who received their degrees on Saturday. Megan even invited her fans to tune in to the school’s livestream of the commencement ceremony to watch her cross the stage. Her infectious energy was on full display as she was all smiles while interacting with TSU’s faculty and fellow graduates. TSU even shared an image of Megan with the school’s 13th President Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young to their Instagram account.

With her graduation from TSU becoming official today, Megan fulfills a promise she made to the women in her life, including her late mother, to finish school. “I want to get my degree because I really want my mom to be proud,” she said during an interview with People last year. “I want my big mama to be proud. She saw me going to school before she passed. My grandmother that’s still alive used to be a teacher, so she’s on my butt about finishing school.” She added, “I’m doing it for me, but I’m also doing it for the women in my family who made me who I am today.”

As for what’s next, Megan may get started on the health facility she wants to build in her hometown of Houston, which she spoke about during a 2018 Billboard interview. “That’s still the plan,” she said. “And you know how it’s so hard to get a job after college? So I thought it would be super easy for my classmates if I just opened up something that they could go get a job at.”

You can check out some pictures and videos from Megan’s graduation day above.

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

Travis Scott Was Reportedly Dropped From Coachella’s 2022 Lineup

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It looks like Travis Scott’s performance woes will continue into 2022 thanks to a new report. According to KESQ, Scott was reportedly dropped from Coachella’s 2022 lineup. The publication credits Goldenvoice, the promotion company behind Coachella, with making the move, but they also note that an attempt to get a comment from them was unsuccessful. KESQ also reports that the city of Indio, where the festival is held, and the Community Services Manager Jim Curtis also confirmed the news about Scott’s removal. Brooke Beare, the city’s director of communications and marketing, told the Desert Sun that “any confirmation about the festival lineup would come from Goldenvoice.”

The report comes after Travis sat down for his first interview since the Astroworld tragedy last month. He spoke to radio show personality Charlamagne Tha God about the incident and how it’s weighed on him in the weeks since. “It gets so hard because, you know, I always feel connected with my fans,” he said during the interview. “I went through something and I feel like fans went through something and people’s parents went through something, and it really hurts. It hurts the community, it hurts the city.” He added, “There’s been a lot of thoughts, a lot of feelings, a lot of grieving, and just trying to wrap my head around it.”

In more recent news, Anheuser-Busch discontinued Scott’s Cacti hard seltzer line following the Astrowrold tragedy.

Juice WRLD Watches The World ‘Burn’ After Multiple Asteroids Hit Earth In His New Video

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This past Friday, Juice WRLD estate and record label released the late rapper’s second posthumous album, Fighting Demons, which featured appearances from Justin Bieber, Polo G, Trippie Redd, Eminem, and BTS’ Suga. They also dropped a new video for the album’s intro track, “Burn,” which finds Juice in the studio with friends as he raps about his battles with addiction and anxiety. It also shows an asteroid attacking Earth, leaving people scrambling for shelter as the world around them burns.

Juice’s “Burn” video and Fighting Demons arrive ahead of the upcoming HBO Max documentary Juice WRLD: Into The Abyss, which will premiere on the platform on December 16 and delves into his struggles with mental health. “When you’re a fan of this sh*t, you look at it from a certain perspective,” he can be heard saying in a trailer for the upcoming film. “But when you’re in it, you see it for what it really is. I’m still happy I could change the world, but… It’s not what it looks like.”

He continues, “If you’ve got anxiety [or] depression, they all look at you like you’re crazy; that’s not how it should be [but] that’s how it is, and that needs to change. And hopefully I’m one of those people that could bring that change.”

You can watch the video for “Burn” above.

Fighting Demons is out now via Grade A Productions and Interscope. Get it here.

Drake And Ye’s Larry Hoover Benefit Concert Reportedly Left Federal Officials ‘Surprised’ And Upset

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After a few weeks of promotion, Drake and Ye took over the Los Angeles Coliseum for their benefit concert for Larry Hoover, and it was quite the spectacle. Ye took the stage a performed a number of hits from his 15-year catalog, including “Jesus Walks,” “All Falls Down,” “Good Life,” “All Of The Lights.” Drake appeared later on and mostly stuck to songs from Certified Lover Boy like “Knife Talk,” “Way 2 Sexy,” and “Girls Wants Girls.” All in all, it was a great show that left viewers extremely satisfied, but according to TMZ, federal officials are shocked by it all.

The report says officials are “surprised” that Drake and Ye held the concert at all. Hoover, a Chicago native and founder of the Gangster Disciples gang, is currently serving a state-sanctioned sentence of 150-200 years for a 1973 murder and six life sentences for running a criminal organization from prison. Federal officials can’t seem to understand why Drake and Ye would want to support a man who they called “the worst of the worst.”

While the odds of the concert leading to Hoover’s freedom are minimal, it did help to end Drake and Ye’s longtime beef. The rappers reconciled weeks before the show thanks to some help from J Prince, and it was good to see them showing each other some brotherly love onstage.

Dr. Dre Poses With ‘Divorced AF’ Balloons After A Reported Deal With His Ex-Wife

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For about a year and a half, Dr. Dre and his now ex-wife Nicole Young have been entwined in a legal battle over their divorce. Nicole filed for separation in the summer of 2020, and after 18 months it appears that the two parties have finally reached an agreement. On Friday, music executive Breyon Prescott shared a picture of Dre sitting in front of balloons that spelled out “Divorced AF.” “Hey Well My Brother @drdre Just Told Me It’s Final,” Prescott wrote in the caption.

The image comes after a new report from TMZ that said that he and Nicole finalized their divorce agreement. The publication reports that Dre will pay Nicole a lump sum of $2 million and an additional $500,000 to cover her attorney fees. While this is certainly a large amount, it’s significantly less than her initial request, which was $2 million per month in spousal support. TMZ adds that sources with direct knowledge of the deal claim that it has not yet been signed, with one person saying, “This whole thing could blow up again.”

The news comes a little over a month after Dr. Dre was reportedly served divorce papers at the funeral for his late grandmother. In the meantime, Dre is gearing up for his Super Bowl 2022 Halftime Show, which is set to go down in a couple of months. He’ll be accompanied by Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige.