Music

DJ Khaled Hints That Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Thot Sh*t’ Video Is A Revival Of Tina Snow

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After going on hiatus for a little over a month, Megan Thee Stallion announced her return by bringing back her Tina Snow alter-ego, a persona her fans fell in love with thanks to her 2018 EP of the same title. The project, which housed records like “Big Ole Freak” and “Freak Nasty,” captured the rapper’s raunchy and raw side, one that faded to the background on her debut album, Good News. With her 2021 return, however, it appears that Tina Snow is back in the spotlight, as the rapper will release her upcoming single “Thot Sh*t” on Friday, and just in case you’re not convinced, DJ Khaled arrives to confirm that Tina Snow is indeed here.

In a post shared on Megan’s Instagram account, Khaled appears to be watching the video for “Thot Sh*t. It becomes clear that viewers are in for something wild as Khaled can’t help but laugh while donning a shocked look on his face.

“Yo, they gon’ actually air this?” he asks. “It’s going on YouTube and all that? Nah! Yo. It’s a new world, and it’s definitely a new video. Let me tell you somethin’.” While Khaled got an early preview of the video, we regular fans will have to wait at least a few more hours before getting a look at it.

You can watch DJ Khaled react to the video in the post above.

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

Saweetie Connects With Esports Organization Gen. G To Host Education Workshops For Asian Americans

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Saweetie is stepping up to lend a helping hand to her Asian American community. The rapper, who is of Filipino descent, announced that she is teaming up with Gen. G, the leading esports company that connects the United States to Asia, for a string of workshops. The Icy Baby Workshops begin next week and see the rapper learning skills and covering topics that include gaming, cooking, music, lifestyle, and fashion, and beauty.

According to Revolt, Saweetie’s overall goal is to bring awareness to both AAPI entrepreneurs and her Icy Baby Foundation, her non-profit that aims to inspire “Black, brown and other underserved youth through financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and technology training.” Saweetie also spoke about the workshops in a press release.

“Now is the time to come together and support each other as we fight to end Asian Hate,” she said. “I am excited to partner with Gen. G to connect with our fans in new and inventive ways to have real conversations about making positive changes in our community.”

Gina Chung Lee, VP of Brand for Gen. G, also spoke about the new endeavor as well.

“So many Asian Americans are in the forefront of gaming, music and fashion but rarely get the spotlight that they deserve. It’s great to partner with an advocate and entrepreneur like Saweetie,” she said in the press release. “As an AAPI woman growing up, there wasn’t always mainstream representation and celebration. It’s very meaningful to be able to shape and empower the next generation of leaders across all digital platforms and create cool content while doing so.”

The workshops will begin on June 14 with the launch of her new Twitch channel. The first lesson will see her beside Twitch chef Triciaisabirdy and DJ Bella Fiasco as they dive into a discussion about food. On June 16, she will discuss fashion and beauty and the next day her conversation will be focused on gaming.

Saweetie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Fans Are Tickled By Summer Walker’s Slow-Motion Boxing Workout Video

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Although being a musician seems like a much less physically demanding job than, say, being a professional athlete, in many ways, both demand a similar dedication to fitness for a practitioner to really excel. For instance, Lizzo has detailed her strength-training-and-cardio-heavy workout routine a few times (playing flute, dancing, singing, and rapping all require a LOT of lung capacity), while any number of rappers hit the basketball court to stay in shape when they’re not on tour. However, one performer elicited an amused reaction on Twitter when a video of her routine surfaced on social media.

Summer Walker appeared in a video going through a boxing routine at the gym putting in what looks like less than a hundred percent effort as she punches her trainer’s gloves in practically slow motion while being goaded by a friend off-camera who calls her a “grandma” and notes she has a lot of videos to get ready to shoot in coming months. While Summer is generally less dynamic on stage than many peers, her lackadaisical effort amused fans who brought out a wealth of jokes to tease the singer’s uninspired swings.

For what it’s worth, though, it’s only a clip of one workout, so for all we know this could have been a light day, the end of a more vigorous routine, or a warmup before she got into more intensive exercises. Heck, even light or slow activity can be beneficial over time; many trainers will start clients off with light exercises to ease them into tougher workouts down the line. Either way, it seems that Summer is gearing up to get back out into the world with new music and a fitter physique after having her first child and taking music by storm with her first two albums.

A Mysterious Billboard In LA Links Fans To A Cryptic Message From Tyler The Creator

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Tyler The Creator has long been known for his unconventional approach to making and promoting his new music, from pretending to eat a roach in the self-produced “Yonkers” video that introduced him to the world, to adopting the Andy Warhol-esque alter ego that marked his Igor era. Now, fans are convinced he’s promoting the follow-up to Igor thanks to a massive pastel billboard in Hollywood leading to a cryptic message from Tyler and — of all people — his mom.

As you can see, the billboard exhorts passersby to “call me if you get lost” with a phone number appended. Dialing the number leads to a recording of Tyler’s mom boasting about her fighting ways. “I’d kill a mothaf*cka over this one right here, n****,” she proclaims. “I’d stand in front of a bullet, on god, over this one. My son used to record me beating *itches’ ass.” Tyler can be heard affirming these statements before she continues, “I would beat your whole family and didn’t give a f*ck. They’d be like, ‘Tyler’s mama crazy. Tyler’s mama crazy.’ Yep. F*ck with my kid. Tyler would be like, ‘Get ’em, mom.’ They’d be like, ‘No, don’t do it.’”

At the very end of the recording, some music starts to play and it’s very much in the mode of the synth-heavy style that has defined Tyler’s music since Cherry Bomb. The conjunction has fans convinced that the rollout to a new Tyler The Creator album has begun, but with Tyler, anything is possible. Check out the audio above.

Cordae And Young Thug Run A Fight Club In Their Murky ‘Wassup’ Video

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Of all the songs on Cordae’s new EP Just Until, the one that seemed to intrigue fans the most was “Wassup,” which featured Young Thug. Perhaps fans weren’t expecting to see those names paired together on a tracklist but with Cordae collaborating with Roddy Ricch and Young Thug trading bars with J. Cole, it doesn’t seem like that far of a reach, in hindsight.

Today, Cordae and Thug shared the video for their back-and-forth track, adopting a storyline about an underground fight club they run with ruthless efficiency. The two rappers trade belligerent bars as Cordae shows off his pugilistic prowess, knocking out one challenger after another. In the video’s denouement, Thugger counts up their winnings while giving a subtle shout-out to Cordae’s new label endeavor, Hi-Level Productions.

In more expected collaborations from Cordae, the young rapper with an old soul, the former YBN member was tapped to work with his hero Eminem and Jack Harlow on the remix of “Killer.” It seems that even though Cordae was reportedly blocked from appearing on Em’s longtime compeer Royce Da 5’9’s album, turning down a guest spot from the Rap God was too good an opportunity to pass up. With co-signs from both rap icons and contemporary favorites, Cordae certainly has plenty of eyes on his upcoming follow-up to The Lost Boy.

Watch Cordae’s “Wassup” video with Young Thug above.

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

Jon Batiste Proves That Movement Is Medicine In His Euphoric ‘Freedom’ Video

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Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe-winning musician Jon Batiste released his soulful album We Are last month. The multi-hyphenate musician has shared a handful of triumphant visuals alongside his LP and now, Batiste returns with a jubilant video to his funk-forward track “Freedom.”

The colorful visual is an ode to his New Orleans hometown, community, and Black joy. It opens with the singer exiting a vintage car on a busy neighborhood street. As he begins to dance, his happiness is infectious. Eventually, he’s followed by an entire parade of dancers and band players marching down some of New Orleans’ recognizable streets.

In a statement given to Apple Music about some of the themes he explores on We Are, Batiste said:

“I like to use the inspiration from the past and combine it with the things that are in the present to create the future. We’re finally at a point where we’re starting to untangle the way that my grandparents, and even my parents, experienced America. It feels like the culmination in the coming of age of what many generations have built, fought for, and poured into. As heavy as these themes are, the overall message of the album is love, joy, and community. That, and also the power of social revolution, in the sense of what we have to do in the culture to make room for everybody to be able to fully be who they are.”

Watch Batiste’s “Freedom” video above.

We Are is out now via Verve. Get it here.

Bia Brings Her TikTok Hit ‘Whole Lotta Money’ To A Boisterous ‘UPROXX Sessions’ Performance

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If you’ve been on TikTok at any point in the last two months, the odds are extremely high you’ve heard Bia’s “Whole Lotta Money” at least once — I’d ballpark it at around 96%. The ruthlessly catchy wealth anthem has been a staple of all kinds of content, but today, you get to see the face and the razor-sharp performance behind the jewelry jam on UPROXX Sessions.

Hailing from Medford, Massachusetts, Bia is one of a growing number of rising stars to get her start on a reality show. In her case, it was Oxygen network’s Sisterhood Of Hip Hop, where she spent two seasons after signing to RCA Records. However, when the deal stalled out, she secured her release in 2019 — and started her ascent to stardom in earnest. Her song “Best On Earth” with Russ was highlighted by a Rihanna co-sign and gave Bia her first platinum plaque. Over the course of the next year, a string of releases included “Same Hands” with Lil Durk, a new EP, For Certain, on Epic Records, and yes, the TikTok-favorite single with which she’s taken over viral launching pad TikTok. Keep an eye and an ear out; Bia is built for this and finally getting her due.

Watch Bia’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “Whole Lotta Money” above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

T-Pain And Kehlani Deliver A Soaring Performance Of ‘I Like Dat’ On ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’

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Kehlani’s run of duets over the past couple of years is bordering on legendary. She’s given the Bay Area a new wedding anthem with Rexx Life Raj, shared the tender “At My Worst” with Pink Sweats, and done heart-tugging joints with Russ and Bryson Tiller. She elevates practically everything she touches, and that includes her latest collaboration with T-Pain, the lush “I Like Dat.” The pair appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to perform their new hit, giving a swaggering rendition complete with cowboy hats and baggy chaps.

As enjoyable as the collaboration has been, it was nearly consigned to an extensive list of partnerships that never happened thanks to T-Pain’s unawareness of Instagram’s UI. The “Bartender” crooner posted a TikTok video toward the end of April, apologizing to all the celebrities and potential collaborators who reached out to him via Instagram’s DMs as he explained that he didn’t realize that verified accounts’ DMs also get filtered into the “requests” folder. Among those he’d overlooked were Diplo, Fergie, and more. But it turned out to be beneficial, as he later held a town hall with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about potential improvements for the feature. T-Pain also premiered “I Like Dat” during the stream, promising plenty more to come now that he’s realized people have been trying to get in touch with him.

Watch T-Pain and Kehlani perform “I Like Dat” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! above.