Indie
T-Pain Channels Ozzy Osbourne In A Rocking Cover Of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’
Remember a few years ago when everyone learned that T-Pain could actually sing? Well, he’s putting those skills to the test with a new album of cover songs, On Top Of The Covers. On it, the Tallahassee crooner takes on such R&B classics as Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” — but he doesn’t stop there.
Why only stick with one genre, when you have the sort of talent T-Pain has? The answer is: you don’t. That’s why he’s got American Songbook standards like Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life,” country hits like Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” and iconic rock anthems like Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” on the album. But one of the standouts is his take on heavy metal; that’s right, T-Pain sings Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” on the album too!
As he takes on the metal band’s 1970 anti-war protest song, he does his best to channel Ozzy Osbourne and does a pretty decent job of it, even if no one can really duplicate that signature wail. Check it out above.
This weekend, T-Pain is playing three shows at Sun Rose at Pendry in West Hollywood to celebrate the album’s release; you can get tickets here.
On Top Of The Covers is out now via Nappy Boy Entertainment. You can listen to it below.
Fred Again.., Skrillex, And Four Tet Bring On A Surprise Guest For Their Danceable Collab, ‘Baby Again..’
Fred Again.., Skrillex, and Four Tet have dropped their new collaboration, “Baby Again..,” to the delight of many fans. And, as the title describes, Lil Baby sings on it.
The track opens with a building electronic beat as Baby’s vocals are slowly introduced. A bonafide synth dance instrumental, it’s perfect for any kind of party, especially one with lights that are timed to the addictive loops. It continues for over five minutes but still doesn’t seem to overstay its welcome.
“Baby puttin’ on for the city / Baby, he the realest, Baby prolly got a couple million / Baby hang with four or five killers / Baby got children, Baby prolly still drug dealin,” he says in the bridge.
Fred Again.. first teased the song during his Boiler Room show last summer, per a press release. It had been created after the three musicians had done an impromptu studio session in Pangbourne. Just earlier this year, the trio played a massive show at Madison Square Garden to a sold-out crowd for about five hours of back-to-back performances.
“I did something and I didn’t like it. I thought I ruined the song,” Skrillex previously said on BBC Radio 1 (via EDM) about his other work with Fred Again… “I was scared to play it.”
Check out Fred Again.., Skrillex, and Four Tet’s new “Baby Again..” collaboration above.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Mod Sun Fans Broke Out In A ‘F*ck Tyga’ Chant At His New York Show, Led By Travie McCoy
Music fans these days are well known for being Incredibly loyal to their favorite recording artists but they are also known for being incredibly petty on their behalf. Just look at the audience from this Mod Sun concert in New York City; they gleefully chant “f*ck Tyga” at the behest of Travis McCoy, all because the Compton rapper has allegedly gotten cozy with Mod Sun’s ex, Avril Lavigne. TMZ also has another angle in which Mod Sun’s reaction can be seen.
@thetrendytransparent Watch till the end where @traviemccoy leads a fuck Tyga chant
#traviemccoy #nyc #modsun #avrillavigne #tyga #nyc #irvingplaza
@nikitaanaxo Unforgettable
#modsun #traviemccoy #nyc #irvingplaza #modsunconcert #modsuntour
Rumors that Lavigne and Tyga had linked up first circulated in late February after they were seen leaving a trendy Los Angeles restaurant together. Of course, some fans were baffled at the connection given the fact that just last year, Lavigne was engaged to Mod Sun, who confirmed that the couple had broken up shortly after the Tyga rumors surfaced. The musician was reportedly devastated by the breakup but fortunately — for him, at least — he’s got friends like Travie McCoy to cheer him up by razzing his ex’s new man.
Avril and Tyga, meanwhile, seemingly confirmed their relationship when they were seen sharing a kiss at a Paris Fashion Week show. So, don’t be too surprised if more “f*ck Tyga” chants break out at Mod Sun shows for the foreseeable future.
One Of The World’s Biggest Artists Said No To Spotify And Apple Music (But Is All In On Amazon) And Explained Why
Garth Brooks is one of the most successful musicians of all time. He has the most diamond-certified albums ever with nine (The Beatles are in second with six). His Garth Brooks World Tour that concluded in 2017 sold 6.3 million tickets, the most ever for a North American tour. He’s also the best-selling solo artist in history when it comes to RIAA certifications. If you want to stream his music, though, you’re out of luck if you use Spotify, Apple Music, or any other platform besides Amazon Music.
In 2016, he signed an exclusive deal with Amazon to bring his music to streaming. Now, he has elaborated on what he saw in Amazon that he didn’t in other services.
As Digital Music News reports, at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville yesterday (March 13), Brooks said that it has to do with Amazon’s ability to sell physical releases of albums and how that benefits songwriters like himself:
“The fact is that Amazon is a retailer as well. So you can sign your streaming deal, but part of that streaming deal is to move those physical units so the songwriters get paid. And people, we can talk all day that ‘Garth went on to raise his kids, what a great…’ — Garth did that for himself. I stick up for the songwriters because I’m freakin’ one of them! Everything I do for the songwriters, I do for myself.
I’m the most selfish guy you’ve ever met, OK? But if we don’t take care of these songwriters, what do you guys have to play? It’s just tough, so that’s why I love partnering with [Amazon]. So the physical comes in, and nobody’s doing physical anymore. So these songwriters are still doing well.
And I hope that songwriters want to get a Garth Brooks cut. One, because I hope that they think that it would be cool. But two, right behind it closely, I hope it’s because they know that if you’re a Garth Brooks songwriter, you’re going to get paid.”
Given Brooks’ popularity, other platforms have tried to lure him. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek once even had a meeting with Brooks to try to get him on board. In 2017, Brooks said of Spotify and Apple Music:
“Spotify came in, Daniel Ek came down to sit with me, sweet man, I love Daniel, great guy. I think he gets a lot of crap. His parents were both street musicians — he’s a good guy who understands music, and I think he wants to help and believes 100 percent he’s helping.
Apple’s a little different story. They came in with their own set of rules, and if you’re already established, you have to change to get to them. I’m never going to change to fit their rules. Nice guys, we have respect for each other, we’re just never going to work together. So we were kind of dead in the water. Then out of the blue, thank God, Amazon shows up and wants to get into the streaming business. The views they shared seemed to correlate with the views we shared.”
Questlove Is Absolutely Tired Of Criticism About Meg White’s Drumming Style For The White Stripes
The White Stripes is one of the most beloved rock bands of its era and “Seven Nation Army” is a bona fide classic. The band is carried by Jack White’s distinct voice and his often-aggressive guitar, as well as by Meg White’s relatively simple drumming style, the latter of which has often been criticized. A Twitter user revived that discourse recently and The Roots drummer and music historian Questlove was not hearing it.
Late last night/early this morning (March 14), Questlove shared a tweet from a user that read, “The tragedy of the White Stripes is how great they would’ve been with a half decent drummer. Yeah yeah I’ve heard all the ‘but it’s a carefully crafted sound mannnn!’ takes. I’m sorry Meg White was terrible and no band is better for having sh*tty percussion.”
To that, he responded, “I try to leave ‘troll views’ alone but this right here is out of line af. Actually what is wrong w music is people choking the life out of music like an Instagram filter—trying to reach a high of music perfection that doesn’t even serve the song (or music).” He added in another tweet, “This is why I walk that Dilla path and play like a drunken sloppy af amateur because them flaws is the human element in music that is missing. Real film >>>>>>> IG filter photo.”
I try to leave “troll views” alone but this right here is out of line af. Actually what is wrong w music is people choking the life out of music like an Instagram filter—-trying to reach a high of music perfection that doesn’t even serve the song (or music) pic.twitter.com/hCj43qNpcG
— Plug 5. (@questlove) March 14, 2023
This is why I walk that Dilla path and play like a drunken sloppy af amateur because them flaws is the human element in music that is missing. Real film >>>>>>> IG filter photo
— Plug 5. (@questlove) March 14, 2023
In a 2002 interview, Meg White said of the criticism she faced, “I appreciate other kinds of drummers who play differently, but it’s not my style or what works for this band. I get [criticism] sometimes, and I go through periods where it really bothers me. But then I think about it, and I realize that this is what is really needed for this band. And I just try to have as much fun with it as possible.”
Machine Gun Kelly And Mod Sun’s Widely Panned Film ‘Good Mourning’ Finally Won An Award… A Razzie
Good Mourning was definitely one of the movies of 2022. Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Sun’s comedy flick did not do well: It earned just $21,348 at the box office and currently has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 0 percent. With stats like that, naturally, it earned some nominations at the Golden Raspberry Awards 2023 (aka the Razzies), which honor the worst cinematic achievements of the year. MGK and Sun went home with one of them, too, winning the Razzie for Worst Director.
The movie was also nominated for Worst Picture (which Blonde won) and Worst Screenplay (also Blonde), while other Good Mourning nominations included MGK for Worst Actor (Jared Leto in Morbius), Pete Davidson and Mod Sun getting individual nods for Worst Supporting Actor (Tom Hanks in Elvis), and MGK and Sun for Worst Screen Couple (Tom Hanks and His Latex-Laden Face (and Ludicrous Accent) in Elvis).
This is just the latest bad news Mod Sun has received lately (and by far the least significant), as it was reported that he and then-fiancée Avril Lavigne had split up. That turned out to be true, as Sun wrote in a late-February Instagram post, “In 1 week my entire life completely changed…I just know there’s a plan for it all. I’ll keep my head up + always listen to my heart, even when it feels broken [broken heart emoji] Being surrounded by love every night on tour has been an absolute blessing. I have the best friends in the entire world, thanks for always having my back. See you on stage.”
A Canadian Festival Features Harry Styles And Doja Cat… Except It Appears To Be Fake And Has Made Thousands In Ticket Sales
Festival season is upon us. Just last weekend, Rolling Loud California shut down the greater Los Angeles area for several days. Next month, Coachella will storm the grounds of the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. However, as music fans across the world look for festivals near them, scammers are looking to take advantage of this growing demand.
According to Complex, a Canadian festival by the name of Festival Aurora is the latest example of this ploy. Allegedly led by Harry Styles, Doja Cat, Tyler The Creator, SZA, Khalid, and Charli XCX, fans of the musicians are calling out the festival on its Instagram page (@festivalaurora). Specifically, fans of Styles noticed that the date listed for the singer to appear, June 3, seems nearly impossible given that his Love On Tour will be in France the day before and the Netherlands on June 4th.
The lineup got people excited, though, as the festival reportedly made $7,000 in ticket sales in five days.
After receiving several inquiries about the legitimacy of the festival, The Vieux-Port de Montreal (overseers of Montreal’s Old Port district), released a statement denying that the event has been approved for use of the space, writing, “We learned about this festival like the general public, through social media and their online platform. A festival with such popular names would have to be planned months in advance, and neither the SVPM nor the other partners on our territory (Port-de-Montréal / Grand Quai) were approached.”
The supposed festival has not responded to the statement released by Vieux-Port de Montreal. As of today (March 10), the festival’s Instagram page is still active.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
WMX And Coca-Cola Are Teaming Up To Launch The Transformation Team Talent Search
Today, tools for music creation and distribution are more available than ever. While accessibility is good, with a larger talent pool, it’s not always easy for deserving acts to stand out. Now, though, Coca-Cola and Warner Music Group’s WMX are teaming up to help some of those artists out with the Coca-Cola Transformation Team.
To put it broadly: Transformation Team is a talent search that will give a select few artists significant development and exposure opportunities, ones that could set their careers off in a brighter new direction.
Interested emerging artists can submit video entries to be considered for the Transformation Team. Only three will be chosen to take part in a multifaceted one-day boot camp that’ll be guided by a Warner Music Group industry expert. Artists will be given major tools for success as they learn about songwriting, stage style, mixing, and other topics.
The opportunity doesn’t stop there, as participating artists will be the subjects of video profiles and will give their own performances on The Eye. The esteemed, stripped-down performance series is the perfect way to show off undeniable talent and has previously hosted recognizable figures like Kevin Gates, Maisie Peters, and Pink Sweat$, among others.
The road to stardom is often difficult and rarely looks the same for two artists. For a few talented up-and-comers, though, Transformation Team could be a pivotal part of the journey.
More details about Transformation Team can be found here.
Panic! At The Disco’s ‘I Write Sins Not Tragedies’ Video Gets Some ‘React Like You Know’ Love From Gen Z Rappers
Rap music is constantly undergoing a sonic evolution as each generation of talent pulls inspiration for what’s happening around them musically. For this edition of React Like You Know, we sat down with Gen Z rappers to quiz them on Panic! At The Disco’s hit single, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.”
The emo pop-punk song, originally released in 2005, propelled the band into the mainstream and is now five times platinum in the United States alone. Although the song is continuing to pick up stream with the new generation of music lovers, the band’s frontman Brendon Urie announced that Panic! At The Disco was coming to an end after 19 years of creating together.
On a panel of reactors, Day Sulan immediately exclaims, “This was my sh*t when I was going through my emo phase!” When Uproxx’s Cherise Johnson follows up, Sulan admits, “Nah, I was really emo at one point, I even had pink hair.”
Similarly, Tia Corine gushes about her love of the track stating, “I used to get dressed in the morning to this [song] with my little white TV. What!”
Despite his hardened exterior, rapper King Most Wanted proudly proclaims, “N****s don’t know I f*ck with this sh*t.”
Other the other hand, rappers like Kalan.FrFr confessed that they weren’t familiar with the band but certainly heard the song in passing. “Madden [the video game]! I know this song, but I’ve never seen the video ever before in my life,” he says. Rapper Lil Zay Osama, on the other hand, has a different story: “I started listening to music like this in jail, though.”
4L Javi chimes in to add, “I don’t know the lyrics, but I know how the [instrumental] starts.”
Others like Rich Homie Quan and NLE Choppa join to share that although the video threw them off in the beginning, the same was actually cool.
You can watch our panel react to the “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” video above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.