In recent days, Machine Gun Kelly and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor have found themselves embroiled in some beef. The pair traded words, with Taylor dissing Kelly on a podcast and Kelly returning fire on stage at Riot Fest, while Slipknot was performing on a different stage at the fest at the same time. Then Kelly gave his version of the reason why he and Taylor have beef, with Kelly claiming, “corey did a verse for a song on tickets to my downfall album, it was f*cking terrible, so i didn’t use it. he got mad about it, and talked sh*t to a magazine about the same album he was almost on.”
However, Taylor refutes that story and says things went differently, producing screenshots of emails to bolster his case.
On Twitter last night, Taylor explained, “I don’t like people airing private sh*t like a child. So this is all I’ll say: I didn’t do the track because I don’t like when people try to ‘write’ for me. I said NO to THEM. So without further ado…. #receipts. This is all I’m going to say about it.”
The “receipts” in questions are screenshots of two emails: One from Kelly collaborator Travis Barker to Taylor, then Taylor’s response. Barker passed along notes on the song from Kelly, who proposed some changes to the song they were collaborating on. The song, by the way, is “Can’t Look Back,” which was released (without contributions from Taylor) on deluxe versions of Tickets To My Downfall.
Then, in Taylor’s response, he politely noted that he didn’t think he was the right collaborator for the song, writing, “Do I listened to the ideas and to be honest, I don’t think I’m the right guy for the track. Nothing persona, I just think if this is what MGK is looking for, someone else is the guy to do it. It’s ALL good, and I’m stoked for him- I hope you guys find the right fit for it. Hope you understand and I wish you guys the best with it. If I can help in any way, let me know.”
Check out Taylor’s tweet below.
I don’t like people airing private shit like a child. So this is all I’ll say: I didn’t do the track because I don’t like when people try to ‘write’ for me. I said NO to THEM. So without further ado…. #receipts This is all I’m going to say about it. pic.twitter.com/pkhweg1Ptn
It may seem like everybody loves Barack Obama, but the former president certainly has his share of detractors; When he left the White House in 2017, his approval rating was 57 percent. So, a bit over half the country gave Obama a thumbs-up, while the rest of the nation didn’t share that enthusiasm. Obama’s detractors often try to blame shortcomings of American and global life on things he did before, during, and even after his presidency, and there’s at least one political commentator who thinks the former POTUS is responsible for the decline of rock music.
During the September 14 episode of Daily Wire Backstage, a roundtable discussion program from conservative news outlet The Daily Wire, Jeremy Boreing declared, “Rock ‘n roll’s over. You’re still talking about rock ‘n roll as if Barack Obama didn’t happen. Honestly – it’s for another day – Barack Obama destroyed rock ‘n roll.”
Daily Wire host says Barack Obama destroyed rock ‘n roll because “rock ‘n roll was about white male angst…Barack Obama came along and said young white men aren’t allowed to have angst” pic.twitter.com/hhmXcwEEKo
Michael Knowles chimed in in agreement before Boreing continued, “There was rock ‘n roll, then there was Barack Obama, now there’s no rock ‘n roll. Because rock ‘n roll was about white male angst, white male teenage angst.”
Ben Shapiro then interjected to acknowledge rock’s history of appropriation, saying, “And stealing a lot of its tropes from better Black music.” Boreing continued, “Barack Obama came along and said young white men aren’t allowed to have angst. They’re not allowed to, basically, express their dissatisfaction because they’re so toxic. And so, truly, rock ‘n roll just stopped.”
It may be worth noting that Obama has long given props to rock music and shown himself to be a fan. In just the summer playlist he shared in July, for example, he included songs by George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Chicago, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Wye Oak, and Brandi Carlile. Obama also co-hosts a podcast with Bruce Springsteen, and the pair is even publishing a book together.
It was way back in 2019 that Dua Lipa first announced plans to tour in support of her album Future Nostalgia, but naturally, she hasn’t been able to yet. Now, though, it’s finally happening: Lipa shared new dates for her tour, which kicks off in North America in February. She’ll be joined by Megan Thee Stallion, Caroline Polachek, and Lolo Zouaï.
Lipa excitedly shared the news on social media today, writing, “it’s finally happening!!!! We kick off the FUTURE NOSTALGIA TOUR in the US. I’m so excited to see you guys there and i’m bringing the ultimate girl gang with me @theestallion @carolineplz @lolozouai.”
Find the full list of tour dates below.
02/09/2022 — Miami, FL @ FTX Arena # !
02/11/2022 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center # !
02/12/2022 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena # !
02/14/2022 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena # !
02/16/2022 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center # !
02/18/2022 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden # !
02/19/2022 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center # !
02/22/2022 — Montreal, QC @ Centre Bell # !
02/23/2022 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena # !
02/25/2022 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena # !
02/26/2022 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center # !
03/01/2022 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden # !
03/02/2022 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena # !
03/04/2022 — Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center # !
03/05/2022 — Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center # !
03/08/2022 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center # !
03/09/2022 — Chicago, IL @ United Center # !
03/12/2022 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center # !
03/13/2022 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center # !
03/15/2022 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena * #
03/17/2022 — Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center * #
03/20/2022 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center * #
03/22/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum # !
03/25/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena # !
03/27/2022 — San Jose, CA @ SAP Center # !
03/29/2022 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center # !
03/31/2022 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena # !
04/01/2022 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena # !
# with Caroline Polachek
! with Lolo Zouaï
* with Megan Thee Stallion
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker has had the opportunity to collaborate with a handful of rappers over the years. A prominent and relatively recent example of that is “Skeletons,” a highlight from Travis Scott’s hit 2018 album Astroworld. Earlier this week, on September 7, Tame Impala kicked off their comeback tour at the United Center in Chicago, and during the set, the band decided to perform the Scott collaboration for the first time.
In a 2018 Billboard interview, Parker spoke about how “Skeletons” came to be, saying, “[Scott’s] manager got in touch and said he was a big fan [and suggested we] meet up if I was ever in LA, so I went to a few sessions with him. We hung out and played some stuff, and he really liked what ended up being ‘Skeletons.’ That definitely got the biggest reaction out of him. I could tell he liked it. I remember going through this stuff to play to Travis, and just thought, ‘Oh, this is actually really up his alley.’ I know Travis likes his psych-rock. He likes his crusty metal guitar sound. I was struck by how much I thought it would fit Travis’ thing even though it’s not hip-hop-sounding. So much hip-hop is cycled from music that sounds like that — crusty-sounding ’70s rock. There’s so much of that, that kind of King Crimson stuff.”
In that same conversation, he talked about what it was like working with Scott, saying, “What’s cool about people like Travis is that they’re just getting a bunch of people in the room and seeing what happens. For a lot of it, I was just a team player. At some points, there were 10, 20 people in the room. You could just be there and hang out and not do anything for like an hour. And then something perks your ears up, and you can be like, ‘Oh yeah yeah, plug me in, I’ve got an idea.’ We’d go for hours, until three in the morning.”
Watch a clip of the “Skeletons” performance above.
New music festivals pop up all the time, especially in California. One of the most promising to emerge over the past few years, though, is Head In The Clouds. 88Rising, the beloved record label and management company that is home to Asian and Asian-American artists, has hosted the event since 2018. After taking 2020 off for obvious reasons, the fest is returning this year, on November 6 and 7. While the event previously went down at Los Angeles State Historic Park, it now has a new home at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
With the new venue comes a hell of a lineup; Joji, Rich Brian, Niki, Saweetie, CL, Beabadoobee, Guapdad 4000, Japanese Breakfast, The Linda Lindas, and others highlight the bill. That’s quite the group of high achievers who have dominated the music landscape in their own ways recently: Saweetie is currently promoting her own McDonald’s meal, Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner is both a music favorite and a best-selling author, and Beabadoobee is one of the biggest rising heroes of indie rock (and the latest Uproxx cover star).
Aside from the level of success on the bill, the stylistic diversity of its artists is noteworthy. Ollie Zhang, 88Rising’s Chief Of Staff, tells Uproxx that this was very much intentional.
“I think that’s always been 88Rising’s mission from since the start, ever since we were just shooting videos and putting them up on YouTube,” he said. “The goal was always to highlight all different types of music. Asian music is so broad and diverse. Everyone’s coming from a different place and we want to be able to represent that on the stage as well. To have such a broad range of artists all sharing the same stage or same festival, I think, is totally an unprecedented thing anywhere in the world, not just in America.”
MADE WITH LOVE BY 88RISING PLEASE WELCOME 2021 HEAD IN THE CLOUDS LA LINEUP. GA + VIP TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW AT NOON PST AT https://t.co/NZ2YI86eDR. More artist to lineup to be announced soon !!! pic.twitter.com/A2GfAISmvQ
Even beyond Head In The Clouds, Zhang says that while “there’s still so much road to cover” when it comes to Asian representation in the music landscape, he’s pleased with where things stand now: “I think that what this festival is now probably wouldn’t have existed and couldn’t have existed six years ago when we started the company.”
He continued, “You’ll be able to find an amazing artist who is Asian-American or from Asia that can speak to you and resonate with you, no matter what type of music that you’re into. I think that’s always been the case no matter what point of time you’ve been in, but I think that we’ve definitely been a part of the changing landscape and pushing those artists forward. I’m excited to see where everything goes in the next couple of years.”
Speaking of the near future and the potential thereof, Toronto multi-instrumentalist Luna Li is one of the up-and-comers on this year’s lineup Zhang is looking forward to seeing more. “When we first come across her, it was just her doing bedroom jams with harps and violin and all these different types of instruments,” he said. “I feel like she’s just a really cutting-edge artist that I’m excited to kind of watch her growth over the next couple of years.”
He also shouted out The Linda Lindas: “I think they’re just full of raucous energy and they obviously had a bit of a viral moment earlier in the year. Excited just to see the energy that they bring to the stage.”
While Head In The Clouds had to leave the stage in 2020, 88Rising thrived in the livestream space. Virtual events like the “Asia Rising Forever” festival (a benefit for Asian Americans Advancing Justice) and Joji’s “The Extravaganza” were “some of the best experiences that 88Rising ever produced,” Zhang said. While noting that in-person events and livestreams are “still pretty distinct mediums,” Zhang believes there are elements from the latter that can translate to the former, suggesting that the online stream of this year’s Head In The Clouds can be more than “just simply broadcasting the camera feed.”
While in-person concerts are coming back, though, it sounds like Zhang still sees the value in livestreams: “I think what we’ve learned is that the livestream concert has a ton of value and can be a really great way to present an artist that can be really different from what an in-person show is.”
Whether or not livestreams are a thing of the past for 88Rising, Head In The Clouds has become a big part of its future. The esteem the label has built for itself over the past few years has allowed this year’s lineup to be a truly exceptional showcase of both the best of 88Rising and of Asian music more broadly.
“I think that the lineup this year is really great and representative of the platform that 88Rising has become,” Zhang proclaimed. “I think it’s our best lineup yet and I’m excited to see it all take place.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in September. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, September 3
Asher Roth — Greenhouse Effect Vol. 3 (RetroHash)
Ashland Craft — Travelin’ Kind (Big Loud Records)
Baby Queen — The Yearbook (Polydor)
Bad Waitress — No Taste (Royal Mountain Records)
Big Boi And Sleepy Brown — The Big Sleepover (HITCO)
Brett Young — Weekends Look A Little Acoustic These Days (BMLG Records)
Buck Gooter — Head In A Bird Cage (Ramp Local)
Closet Disco Queen & The Flying Raclettes — Omelette du Fromage (Hummus Records)
David Ferguson — Nashville No More (Fat Possum Records)
Elton John has spent a lot of time working with other artists over the past year or so, and now he’s commemorating that era with The Lockdown Sessions, a new album consisting of collaborations. While the project, which is set for release on October 22, is billed as a new album, it is like a compilation in ways, as it features previously released songs on which John is featured, like Gorillaz’s “The Pink Phantom” and Miley Cyrus’ cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.”
Aside from the aforementioned, the album features collaborations with Brandi Carlile, Charlie Puth, Dua Lipa, Eddie Vedder, Lil Nas X, Nicki Minaj, Rina Sawayama, SG Lewis, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Surfaces, Years & Years, Young Thug, and others.
John says of the project:
“The last thing I expected to do during lockdown was make an album. But, as the pandemic went on, one‐off projects kept cropping up. Some of the recording sessions had to be done remotely, via Zoom, which I’d obviously never done before. Some of the sessions were recorded under very stringent safety regulations: working with another artist, but separated by glass screens. But all the tracks I worked on were really interesting and diverse, stuff that was completely different to anything I’m known for, stuff that took me out of my comfort zone into completely new territory. And I realized there was something weirdly familiar about working like this. At the start of my career, in the late 60s, I worked as a session musician. Working with different artists during lockdown reminded me of that. I’d come full circle: I was a session musician again. And it was still a blast.”
Check out the The Lockdown Sessions art and tracklist below.
Interscope
1. Elton John and Dua Lipa — “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)”
2. Elton John, Young Thug and Nicki Minaj — “Always Love You”
3. Surfaces — “Learn To Fly” Feat. Elton John
4. Elton John and Charlie Puth — “After All ”
5. Rina Sawayama and Elton John — “Chosen Family”
6. Gorillaz — “The Pink Phantom” Feat. Elton John and 6lack
7. Elton John and Years And Years — “It’s a sin (global reach mix)”
8. Miley Cyrus — “Nothing Else Matters” Feat. Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, and Chad Smith
9. Elton John and SG Lewis — “Orbit”
10. Elton John and Brandi Carlile — “Simple Things”
11. Jimmie Allen and Elton John — “Beauty In The Bones”
12. Lil Nas X — “One Of Me” Feat. Elton John
13. Elton John and Eddie Vedder — “E-Ticket”
14. Elton John and Stevie Wonder — “Finish Line”
15. Elton John and Stevie Nicks — “Stolen Car”
16. Glen Campbell and Elton John — “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”
The Lockdown Sessions is out 10/22 via Interscope. Pre-order it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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 August 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 August below.
Billie Eilish — Happier Than Ever
Interscope
Billie Eilish had a lot riding on her second album, and so far, she has delivered. It has spent multiple weeks at No. 1, spawned hit singles like “Therefore I Am” and “My Future,” and has otherwise kept Eilish in the conversation as one of music’s finest. The vinyl edition of the album is one you can feel environmentally good about owning, too, as it’s pressed on 100-percent recycled vinyl.
The Beach Boys — Feel Flows: The Sunflower And Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971
Capitol/UMG
The Beach Boys’ defining output came in the mid-’60s, but now they’re honoring a pair of their also-excellent early-’70s albums, Sunflower and Surf’s Up, with a giant new box set. There are 135 tracks in total, with 108 of them being previously unreleased tracks, live recordings, demos, alternate versions/mixes, instrumentals, and a capella tracks.
Draw Down The Moon marked a change in direction for Foxing, who embrace genres like pop and rock like they never really have before in their mostly emo-leaning discography. Now, one of the year’s finer rock albums is available pressed on lovely yellow, blue, and green vinyl, which also comes with a 24-inch by 36-inch poster.
The Knife enjoyed a tremendous run as a beloved electronic act in the 200)s, and while they broke up in 2014, they’re celebrating their 2001 sophomore album Deep Cuts. As the record turns 20 years old, it has gotten a limited edition reissue pressed on magenta vinyl, which pairs gorgeously with the colorful album art.
Earlier this month, Rodrigo shared a video of herself in awe as she examined the vinyl edition of Sour for the first time. It turns out that’s an experience a lot of her fans replicated, as Sour had not just the biggest vinyl sales week of 2021 so far, but the second-largest of the past 30 years. So, if you don’t already have this one, the market has shown that it’s worth picking up.
John Coltrane is a headlining act without question, but throughout his career, he also played a supporting role on works by fellow jazz greats like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins. Now some of those collaborations have been compiled on Another Side Of John Coltrane, which is available digitally. The 2-LP set, though, has the whole package, as it includes two vinyl-exclusive songs: “Nutty” (from Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane) and “Birks’ Works” (from Soul Junction by the Red Garland Quintet featuring Coltrane and Donald Byrd).
LCD Soundsystem — The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live At Madison Square Garden (10th Anniversary Reissue)
DFA Records
It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since LCD Soundsystem’s “farewell” show (which of course preceded the band’s reunion). Now the soundtrack album is back in print as an expansive vinyl edition, made up of five LPs, a print of the original concert poster, and a 10.5-inch by 7-inch full-bleed risograph photo print by longtime band photographer Ruvan Wijesooriya.
Wu-Tang Clan — Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
Enter The Wu-Tang has gone down as one of hip-hop’s most important and influential albums, and now it has gotten a shiny new reissue via the fine record purveyors at Vinyl Me, Please. Pressed on “gold galaxy”-colored vinyl, this edition comes accompanied by an art print as well as a listening notes booklet.
Vinyl Me, Please was on fire this month, especially in the hip-hop department. They’ve also dropped a new edition of the Public Enemy classic Fear Of A Black Planet, and this version of the group’s biggest release comes pressed on sharp-looking blue and brown vinyl — or “Us and the Damned”-colored, as VMP puts it.
Big Red Machine — How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?
37d03d
Big Red Machine is built on collaboration, as the core of the project is the coming together of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner. On top of that, the duo’s latest album also brings into the fold Taylor Swift, Fleet Foxes, Sharon Van Etten, and a host of others, and now they’re all available together on vinyl.
Spice Girls know what you want (what you really, really want): They’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of their hit single “Wannabe” with a new limited-edition EP, Wannabe25. Aside from the original 1996 single, this vinyl release also includes a remix of the song by Junior Vasquez (which was originally a bonus track on the 1996 “2 Become 1” CD single), the original demo of the song, and a demo of a previously unreleased track called “Feed Your Love.”
Bonnaroo is one of the best and most beloved festivals in America, and that’s largely due to the fact that tons of attendees love to come and camp out during the fest. The culture they’ve built around that aspect of the event is super unique, but something the festival planners also have to carefully assess for safety and weather concerns. Well, with the onset of Hurricane Ida in the southeast over the last few days, damage to camp ground areas has led to the tough decision to reduce those areas.
In a Facebook post tonight, the Tennessee-based festival let fans know that they’d have the choice to refund their tickets if they no longer wish to attend now that camping capacity has been reduced. “Due to the expectation of significant rain on The Farm from Hurricane Ida, and the knowledge that areas of our campgrounds will be rendered unusable, Mother Nature has forced us to reduce our camping capacity,” they wrote.
“We are offering a refund window so Bonnaroovians who no longer wish to attend can request full refunds across all ticket and accommodation types. The refund request window is open NOW and will end on Tuesday, August 31st, 2021 at 8 pm CT. All current ticket holders will receive an email from Front Gate Tickets shortly with information on how to request a refund. Refunds will be processed within 7-10 days to the original method of payment.”
If there is one thing that will never change about music, it’s that people will spend non-trivial amounts of time ranking the best artists, albums, and songs and then debating those rankings. It seems like every other day, somebody makes headlines because they ranked the best rappers or the best artists in another style. Now Lizzo has decided to enter the conversation, doing so by declaring the “king,” “queen,” “prince,” and “princess” of various genres.
She began by declaring in a tweet that Usher is the “king of R&B,” and from there, she decided to hand out similar superlatives in subsequent tweets. Her picks include Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and others:
“King of Pop- Michael Jackson
Queen of Pop- Janet Jackson
Prince of pop- Bieber
Princess of Pop- Britney Spears
The Pop princess- Rihanna
Queen of music- Beyonce
Queen of soul- Aretha
Queen of R&B- Mariah
Queen of hip hop soul- Mary J
Queen of rock & roll- Tina Turner.”
Notably, she didn’t touch on rap. She responded to a fan asking why she did that, writing, “Pop is easier to speak on rap got too many variables– I have my opinions tho…. But Ima mind my business.”
