Music

Usher Goes Viral After Reportedly Giving A Stripper Fake Dollar Bills With His Face On Them

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As of this post, Usher is the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in the US, but not for a good reason: He stands accused of giving a stripper fake dollar bills with his face on them (as opposed to real money).

A Las Vegas-based dancer who performs under the name Pisces shared an image of three distinct Usher-themed dollar bills, in denominations of $1, $20, and $100. The bills promote Usher: The Vegas Experience, his upcoming residency that is set to launch in July, and were clearly designed to look like real money. Pisces asked a question on her Instagram Story, writing, “Ladies what would you do if you danced all night for usher and he threw this??” She added in another post (a screenshot from her private personal account), “& the money does not have a trade in value what so ever! Lmao don’t y’all think he should be blasted on social media for this sh*t?”

A friend of Pisces shared Pisces’ personal page posts and added, “My GF posted this !!! I’ve never seen this level of f*ckery!!!! exactly why we stay away from celebs most of the time they suck!!!!!!!! cheap asf. So disrespectful, this is foul! Working so hard to get nothing in return! This is a joke!! Their job is to entertain, take your cheap ass back home!!!!!”

Usher has offered what may be a response to the controversy (or at least shared a post that seems relevant to the situation): Last night, he shared a photo of himself wearing a bucket hat made of actual $1 bills.

Usher has indeed been getting “blasted on social media,” as Pisces attested he should. Check out some Twitter reactions to Usher’s alleged antics below, along with screenshots of the posts from Pisces and her friend.

@beel0ove/Instagram
@beel0ove/Instagram
@msgoodvibez/Instagram

Silk Sonic’s ‘Leave The Door Open’ Reaches No. 1 On The ‘Billboard’ Hot 100

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Billboard has revealed this week’s Hot 100 chart and it looks like Lil Nas X left the door open for this week’s No. 1: Silk Sonic (Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars) and their debut single as a duo, “Leave The Door Open.” Silk Sonic’s song jumped up from No. 3 thanks to 21.5 million U.S. streams and 28,600 copies, downloads, and CDs combined over the past week. It marks .Paak’s first-ever No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Bruno Mars’ eighth after his most recent, “That’s What I Like,” in 2017.

Silk Sonic’s gain is Lil Nas X’s loss as his controversial cut “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” drops to No. 2. Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” with Daniel Caesar and Giveon similarly moves down one slot to No. 3, while Cardi B maintains her hold on the fourth position with “Up.” Meanwhile, teen star Olivia Rodrigo secures two spots this week: one for her former No. 1 “Driver’s License,” and a No. 8 debut for her newly released track “Deja Vu.” The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears” (No. 5) and “Blinding Lights” (No. 9), Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” with DaBaby (No. 8), and newcomer Masked Wolf’s “Astronaut In The Ocean” round out the top ten.

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

Cardi B And Reebok Reveal Their Upcoming ‘Summertime Fine’ Sportwear Collection

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Cardi B and Reebok have teamed up again for a new collection of sportswear launching later this month, taking inspiration from the Coney Island boardwalk, beach workouts, and 1980s aerobic looks. The “Summertime Fine Collection” will be available beginning April 23 on Reebok.com.

Reebok’s blog has more details about the upcoming collection, including its emphasis on catering to Cardi’s fans. Product Manager Molly Kazarian says, “Today’s consumer is not down with BS. They see through brands. With the Cardi B shoe collection, it’s clear she didn’t do it for a check. After collaborating with her, we ultimately just let her be herself. Cardi was really specific about how she wanted the collection to be accessible. Accessibility is clearly important to her, and you can see this everywhere from sizing to the price point.”

The collection includes bodysuits, leggings, and cropped sweatshirts right out of the ’80s episode of WandaVision, in bold colors that reflect Cardi’s own vibrant aesthetic. There will also be new colorways of Cardi’s redesigned Club C shoes for both adults and toddlers — a nod to her own toddler, Kulture, who often gets dressed up in outfits mirroring her fashion icon mom’s.

You can check out a few of the looks below and find more at Reebok.com.

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

DMX’s Autobiography Returns To Bestsellers Lists After His Death

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In the wake of DMX’s death Friday, the rapper’s music is not only once again the center of discourse among hip-hop fans, but his autobiography has returned to bestsellers lists. DMX first released E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX, in 2003 with The Source‘s Smokey D. Fontaine, receiving a glowing review in Publishers Weekly on publication. Today, it’s No. 1 on Amazon in Rap & Hip-Hop Musician Biographies and according to Billboard, has reached the Top 50 chart of biographies overall.

DMX is no stranger to the top of the charts, but it’s usually the music charts. In 1998, he became the second rapper to have consecutive albums released in the same calendar year reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 twice in the same year when his second album Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood entered the chart at the top spot, just seven months after his debut It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot accomplished the same feat. The first was one of DMX’s inspirations, Tupac.

Over the weekend, news of DMX’s death was met with an outpouring of loving posts from NBA players, tributes and jokes on SNL, and reminisces from fans about his endearing presence in the 2003 fighting game Def Jam Vendetta.

Read Uproxx’s DMX obituary here.

Bad Bunny Announces The Dates Of His 2022 ‘El Último Tour Del Mundo’ Tour

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Bad Bunny is going on tour! Of course, it won’t be until next year, as most venues are still more or less shut down right now. But this is certainly a good sign that things are trending in the right direction and the light at the end of the tunnel is not only visible but also approaching at an encouraging clip.

The tour centers around his recently released El Último Tour del Mundo. In the meantime, we can still catch Bad Bunny at sporting events like Wrestlemania, where he actually acquitted himself well, helping tag-team partner Damian Priest beat The Miz and John Morrison.

Check out the tour dates below.

2/9 — Denver, CO @Ball Arena
2/11 — El Paso, TX @ UTEP Don Haskins Center
2/13 — Hidalgo, TX @ Payne Arena
2/16 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
2/18 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
2/23 — San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena
2/24 — Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
2/25 — Inglewood, CA @ Forum
2/28 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
3/1 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
3/3 — San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
3/5 — Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
3/6 — Phoenix, AZ @ Phoenix Suns Arena
3/10 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
3/14 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
3/16 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
3/18 — Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
3/19 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
3/22 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
3/23 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
3/25 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
3/26 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
3/27 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
3/29 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
4/1 — Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena

Vinyl Me, Please Celebrates A Milestone With ‘VMP 100’ Editions Of Albums By Outkast, Gorillaz, And More

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For years now, Vinyl Me, Please has been one of the premiere ways to get a regular flow of exclusive and lovingly presented vinyl rereleases of terrific albums. Now they are celebrating their 100th Essential Record Of The Month with “VMP 100,” a series of reissues of sought-after albums.

The albums that will be re-released as part of the series are Gorillaz’s Demon Days; Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix; Outkast’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik; Queens Of The Stone Age’s Songs For The Deaf; Queen’s A Night At The Opera; Outkast’s Stankonia; Spiritualized’s Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space; Saba’s Care For Me; Al Green’s Call Me; and Miles Davis & John Coltrane’s The Final Tour: Paris, March 21, 1960.

Vinyl Me, Please CEO Cameron Schaefer says, “Exploring music together is at the heart of VMP and is the driving force behind the last eight years of monthly releases. VMP Essentials is our flagship subscription, the OG, and is the most clear representation of the evolution and growth of our company and community. While it feels like we’ve reached the top of a mountain in a sense with VMP 100, the reality is there’s so much more to explore. It’s truly just the beginning.”

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, who have albums re-issued through VMP but are not included in the “VMP 100” rereleases, offered a statement, saying, “Being selected by VMP and having them present our music and packaging to their collected followers is like having one of the world’s great art museums show your stuff; or should I say, it’s like a great art museum that you’ve been to that you love and admire, and then one day you go to the museum and they have YOUR art hanging in it. It’s like being welcomed and accepted into a sacred church where records are God.”

Learn more about “VMP 100” here.

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

DMX’s Daughter Posted A Heartfelt Tribute To The Late Rapper On Twitter

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While the death of DMX last week sparked a wave of heartfelt posts from admirers and peers on social media, some of the most touching posts came from those who were closest to the late rapper. DMX’s daughter Sasha was among them, paying a touching tribute to him with a poignant post on Twitter.

“Nothing will ever explain how i feel, how this all feels,” she wrote. ” “My twin, i love you. there’s always been so many misconceptions about who the f*ck you were but that didn’t matter because i knew who the f*ck you were. eternally greatful to have had you. i love you forever dad.”

Others who paid tribute to X as a person included his ex-wife Tashera Simmons, the mayor of Yonkers, New York, where DMX grew up, and X’s Cradle 2 The Grave co-star Gabrielle Union, who shared a hilarious recollection of his fondness for the 1980s sitcom, The Golden Girls.

However, not all the tributes to X were accepted as they were intended by the artist’s fans. Def Jam, X’s label home throughout his dominant run at the end of the 90s and beginning of the aughts, received a backlash after releasing a pair of compilations on streaming before the rapper’s death was officially announced.

He was reportedly working on a new album for Def Jam at the time of his death, so we’ll see how fans react if and when it’s completed and released. Until then, you can read Uproxx’s reflection on X’s career and legacy here.

Chika Announces Her Retirement And Cites The ‘Mental Toll’ Of The Industry As A Reason

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Success doesn’t always lead to happiness — something that Chika has unfortunately experienced. Despite dropping impressive projects and even landing a Grammy nomination, things haven’t been perfect for the Alabama native. It seems like things have only gotten worse, as she took to Twitter on Sunday to share a message announcing her retirement.

today, i shared that I was thinking of retiring because the mental toll being in the industry has taken on me is not something you bounce back from easily. i’ve told my team, i’ve told my therapist, i’ve told friends and acquaintances. today i told twitter. what followed was a hoard of psychotic fans rejoicing in the decline of my mental health, harassing me as if I spoke to them first. when you have depression, the negative self talk you have towards yourself is deafening. now imagine a slew of weirdos dogpiling on top of thoughts you already have to fight off yourself. it’s not f*cking cool, it’s not “trolling” or “stan culture,” you’re pushing people to a point of no return. and no, i don’t feel bad for wishing death on people who sh*t like that cuz you deserve the same fate as the people you effect.

with that said, I’m out. if it doesn’t work, i’ll try again. idc. have fun. i never liked it here anyway.

The message came after a Instagram Live session in which she responded to fans’ feelings about her announcement. “I came on here and said I was retiring because that’s where I’m at — physically, mentally and emotionally,” she said. “And you stupid b*tches flooded my comments immediately, not know what the f*ck I’m going through. You want me to give a good god damn about you and your stupid ass fifth grade stan friends?”

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

Kid Cudi Showed Love To ‘That Weird Little Flute’ In Rap Songs In An ‘SNL’ Sketch

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It was just a few years ago that Future’s “Mask Off,” and the infectious flute that was present on the song, took the music world by storm. The track is just one of many rap records to feature a heavy presence of the woodwind instrument. It’s a quality that caught the eye of Kid Cudi and a few Saturday Night Live cast members as they delivered a sketch in honor of “that weird little flute.”

Cudi, along with Pete Davidson and Chris Redd, joined forces for a song that finds them flaunting their own flutes and expressing their love for it. Later on in the skit, Timothée Chalamet joins in on the fun musical sketch.

In addition to the sketch, Cudi was the musical guest for the SNL episode. He performed “Sad People” and “Tequila Shots” and the former caught the attention of most viewers as Cudi stepped on stage rocking an Off-White floral dress, noticeably similar to the one Kurt Cobain famously wore. Following the performance, Cudi shared his intention with the dress in a pair of tweets. “Virgil designed the dress for me. I told him I wanted to show love to Kurt w a floral print sundress and this man made a masterpiece,” he said. “Thank You @virgilabloh ur a f*ckin genius!! Love you man we did it!!!” In a second tweet, he added, “Im doin a collection w Off White and the dress will be included!!”

You can watch the flute sketch in the video above.

Black Rob Opens Up About Health Issues And Homelessness After He Was Released From The Hospital

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As the hip-hop world continues to grieve the death of DMX, concerns for the well-being of another one of its members spiked after a video surfaced on a few days ago. Black Rob sent love out to DMX in a video that landed on social media after the late rapper’s family confirmed his death, however, Rob’s frail condition and unexpected hospitalization shock fans and immediately left him concerned for his health.

“What’s goin’ on. I don’t know what the pain is, the pain is crazy man,” he struggles to say. “It’s helping me out though, but it’s making me realize I got a lot to go on.”

Now, just a day later, former Bad Boy rapper returned with an update on his health.

“I thank you all for your prayers & concern,” the image he posted on Instagram read. “I wanted to let you know from myself that I’m good. I’m home now!” In the caption, he wrote, “Don’t always believe what the media post with out true context! Cats always wants to spread negativity for a come up!” In a second video, Black Rob gave fans an update on his life where he revealed multiple health issues as well a period of homelessness.

“Oh man, I’ve been dealing with this for five years,” he said. Four strokes … I don’t know what to tell you man. Sh*t is crazy. The sh*t is hard. I don’t got no house to live in — except maybe an apartment. Me and my man be trying to get together. I’m telling you man, this sh*t is strange. It’s hard, you know what I’m saying?” He added, “I don’t know what the people want to do, what the people going to say. I need some rest, man. Really, man. I need some rest. My side is killing me.” Producer and rapper Mike Zombie set up a GoFundMe for Rob that raised $7,935 before he ended fundraiser. The description says the GoFundMe is to “help him find a home, pay for medical help & stability during these trying times.”

You can check out Curry’s video and Black Rob’s message above.