Music

Normani Explains How Being ‘Overlooked’ In Fifth Harmony Affected Her Solo Career

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It’s been a few years since smash-hit girl group Fifth Harmony went on hiatus to prioritize solo careers. Members like Camila Cabello were able to find instant solo success while others did not have the same opportunities. After leaving to focus on her own music and upcoming solo album, Normani has spent much time reflecting on her time in the group. She now says she felt “overlooked” while in Fifth Harmony, which has impacted her solo career.

Normani recently sat down with Allure for their September 2021 cover interview, where the singer got candid about her solo career’s trajectory. After describing how she felt “overlooked” as a part of Fifth Harmony, Normani says she now wants to show off her versatility. “I didn’t get to really sing in the group. I felt like I was overlooked,” Normani said. “That idea has been projected on me. Like, this is your place.” She continued that she aims to prove them wrong with her new music:

“My purpose in this work that I do is for other people that feel like they have Black women figured out. There’s so many layers to us, there’s so many textures, there’s so much that we’re capable of doing. Yes, I can throw ass. But I can also give you a proper eight-count, and I can do ballet, and I can do contemporary dance. If I want to sing this pop ballad, then you’re going to love it! While you see my Black face!”

Read Normani’s full conversation with Allure here.

Lil Nas X Discusses The Stigmas Bottoms Face After Coming Out As One On ‘Holiday’

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Lil Nas X got real about a sexual preference of his on “Holiday” when he rapped, “Ayy, can I pop sh*t? / I might bottom on the low, but I top sh*t.” Now, the rapper, one of music’s most visible members of the LGBTQ community, has spoken out about being a bottom in a new Variety interview, in which he discusses some stigmas bottoms face.

He said, “I feel like even within the gay community, people see bottoming as a joke or something, and somebody who bottoms is beneath a top or something. The idea of that, I feel like, is a form of misogyny between men, you know? It doesn’t make any sense, and people attribute certain traits to whichever sexual position you decide to take. A lot of people say, ‘It’s just a joke.’ But all jokes have truths to them.”

Elsewhere, he speaks about how fame has impacted his love life, saying, “Before fame, I didn’t really have a sexual life besides one person or two. It’s definitely made things a lot more interesting, to say the least. I’ve had some good boyfriends, some bad ones. A lot of them emotionally unavailable and whatnot. A lot of insecurity between them. But yeah, I found somebody special now.”

Check out the full feature here.

Est Gee’s ‘5500 Degree’ Video Is A Massive Flex Featuring Lil Baby, 42 Dugg And Rylo

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Steadily dropping new singles all summer, rising Louisville rapper Est Gee has been on a run lately with track like “Riata Dada,” “Price Tag,” and “Capitol 1,” all of which appeared on his Bigger Than Life Or Death project from last month. That album also cracked the Billboard 200 chart, hitting No. 7, and dith momentum like that, all anyone would expect Est Gee to do is keep dropping new music. Today, that’s exactly what he’s done — although, if he’s going to be meeting up with Jay Z to put in work at the studio, he better come alone.

His latest single “5500 Degrees” is a study in the art of the posse cut, with Lil Baby, 42 Dugg, and Rylo all joining in. The video is a massive flex with stacks of cash everywhere, lots of fancy cars, diamond encrusted chains, and all the rappers partying together, celebrating their abundance. The track is a clever update of Juvenile’s 1998 classic “400 Degreez,” and is just another example of how ’90s nostalgia is finding its way into hip-hop and the pop mainstream of late. All the rappers deliver on their verses, but Lil Baby’s final, rapid-fire effort is definitely worth sticking around for. Watch the video above and look out for more new music from Est Gee coming soon.

Isaiah Rashad And Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘From The Garden’ Video Is Trippy and Twerking-Fueled

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Last week Isaiah Rashad dropped his excellent new album, The House Is Burning, which our hip-hop editor Aaron Williams described as depicting ” the tension between that sense of helplessness in the face of certain doom and our own… need to press forward as though this is all normal, even though we know it’s not.” This week, Rashad is keeping up the stream of new material by dropping a video for the Lil Uzi Vert-featuring “From The Garden.” The visuals start off in black and white, with Rashad rapping and walking through the neighborhood, lingering outside a line to get into a club, where 4-wheelers and expensive cars line the street.

Lil Uzi Vert does show up in the clip to rap alongside Rashad, wielding a 4-wheeler of his own in a return to black and white visuals that multiply and divide like a trippy ’70s video where twerking abounds. Cutting back to the club from earlier, more hijinks abound as someone drops a pizza, and Rashad makes it rain with fistfuls of money outside the club, as patrons eagerly run over to grab the cash. Check out the Omar Jones-directed visuals above and read our full review of The House Is Burning here.

Megan Thee Stallion And Justin Bieber Lead The Full List Of 2021 VMAs Nominations

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MTV has officially unveiled their full list of nomination for the 2021 VMAs, with Justin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion leading the pack. Thanks to his successful Justice release, Bieber holds seven nominations, including nods for Video Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, and Best Pop. Megan follows behind him with six nominations for categories like Video Of The Year and Song Of The Year.

This year’s MTV VMAs is set to return to Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the first time since 2013. It kicks off September 12 and organizers expect to invite musicians and fans to join the event in-person.

See the full list of 2021 VMA nominations below.

Video Of The Year

Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion — “WAP”
DJ Khaled Feat. Drake — “Popstar” (Starring Justin Bieber)
Doja Cat Feat. SZA — “Kiss Me More”
Ed Sheeran — “Bad Habits” – Atlantic Records
Lil Nas X — “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records
The Weeknd — “Save Your Tears”

Artist Of The Year

Ariana Grande
Doja Cat
Justin Bieber
Megan Thee Stallion
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift

Song Of The Year

24kGoldn Feat. Iann Dior — “Mood”
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic — “Leave the Door Open”
BTS — “Dynamite”
Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion — “WAP”
Dua Lipa — “Levitating”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”

Best New Artist

24kGoldn
Giveon
The Kid Laroi
Olivia Rodrigo
Polo G
Saweetie

Push Performance Of The Year

Wallows — “Are You Bored Yet?”
Ashnikko — “Daisy”
Saint Jhn — “Gorgeous”
24kGoldn — “Coco”
JC Stewart — “Break My Heart”
Latto — “Sex Lies”
Madison Beer — “Selfish”
The Kid Laroi — “Without You”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
Girl in Red — “Serotonin”
Fousheé — “My Slime”
Jxdn — “Think About Me”

Best Collaboration

24kGoldn Feat. Iann Dior — “Mood”
Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion — “WAP”
Doja Cat Feat. SZA — “Kiss Me More”
Drake Feat. Lil Durk — “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Justin Bieber Feat. Daniel Caesar, Giveon — “Peaches”
Miley Cyrus Feat. Dua Lipa — “Prisoner”

Best Pop

Ariana Grande — “Positions”
Billie Eilish — “Therefore I Am”
BTS — “Butter”
Harry Styles — “Treat People With Kindness”
Justin Bieber Feat. Daniel Caesar, Giveon — “Peaches”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Good 4 U”
Shawn Mendes — “Wonder”
Taylor Swift — “Willow”

Best Hip-Hop

Evanescence — “Use My Voice”
Foo Fighters — “Shame Shame”
John Mayer — “Last Train Home”
The Killers — “My Own Soul’s Warning”
Kings Of Leon — “The Bandit”
Lenny Kravitz — “Raise Vibration”
Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion — “WAP”
Drake Feat. Lil Durk — “Laugh Now Cry Later”
Lil Baby Feat. Megan Thee Stallion — “On Me (remix)”
Moneybagg Yo – “Said Sum”
Polo G — “Rapstar”
Travis Scott Feat. Young Thug & M.I.A. — “Franchise”

Best Rock

Evanescence — “Use My Voice”
Foo Fighters — “Shame Shame”
John Mayer — “Last Train Home”
The Killers — “My Own Soul’s Warning”
Kings Of Leon — “The Bandit”
Lenny Kravitz — “Raise Vibration”

Best Alternative

Bleachers — “Stop Making This Hurt”
Glass Animals — “Heat Waves”
Imagine Dragons — “Follow You”
Machine Gun Kelly Feat. Blackbear — “My Ex’s Best Friend”
Twenty One Pilots — “Shy Away”
Willow Feat. Travis Barker — “Transparent Soul”

Best Latin

Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez — “Dákiti”
Billie Eilish & Rosalía — “Lo Vas A Olvidar”
Black Eyed Peas and Shakira — “Girl Like Me”
Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy — “Un Die (One Day)”
Karol G — “Bichota”
Maluma — “Hawái”

Best R&B

Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, Saint Jhn, WizKid — “Brown Skin Girl”
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic — “Leave the Door Open”
Chris Brown and Young Thug — “Go Crazy”
Giveon — “Heartbreak Anniversary”
HER Feat. Chris Brown — “Come Through”
SZA — “Good Days”

Best K-pop

(G)I-DLE — “Dumdi Dumdi”
Blackpink and Selena Gomez — “Ice Cream”
BTS – “Butter”
Monsta X — “Gambler”
Seventeen — “Ready To Love”
Twice — “Alcohol-Free”

Video For Good

Billie Eilish — “Your Power”
Demi Lovato — “Dancing With The Devil”
HER — “Fight For You”
Kane Brown — “Worldwide Beautiful”
Lil Nas X — “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
Pharrell Williams Feat. Jay-Z — “Entrepreneur”

Best Direction

Billie Eilish — “Your Power” Directed by Billie Eilish
DJ Khaled Feat. Drake — “Popstar (Starring Justin Bieber)” Directed by Julien Christian Lutz aka Director X
Lil Nas X — “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” Directed by Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino
Taylor Swift — “Willow” Directed by Taylor Swift
Travis Scott Feat. Young Thug & M.I.A — “Franchise” Directed by Travis Scott
Tyler, The Creator — “Lumberjack” Directed by Wolf Haley

Best Cinematography

Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid — “Brown Skin Girl” Cinematography by Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, Mohammaed Atta Ahmed, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant
Billie Eilish — “Therefore I Am” Cinematography by Rob Witt
Foo Fighters — “Shame Shame” Cinematography by Santiago Gonzalez
Justin Bieber Feat.Chance The Rapper — “Holy” Cinematography by Elias Talbot
Lady Gaga — “911” Cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth
Lorde — “Solar Power” Cinematography by Andrew Stroud

Best Art Direction

Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer — “Already” Art Direction by Susan Linns, Gerard Santos
Ed Sheeran — “Bad Habits” Art Direction by Alison Dominitz
Lady Gaga — “911” Art Direction by Tom Foden, Peter Andrus
Lil Nas X — “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” Art Direction by John Richoux
Saweetie Feat. Doja Cat — “Best Friend” Art Direction by Art Haynes
Taylor Swift — “Willow” Art Direction by Ethan Tobman, Regina Fernandez

Best Visual Effects

Bella Poarch — “Build a Bitch” Visual Effects by Andrew Donoho, Denhov Visuals, Denis Strahhov, Rein Jakobson, Vahur Kuusk, Tatjana Pavlik, Yekaterina Vetrova
Coldplay — “Higher Power” Visual Effects by Mathematic
Doja Cat & The Weeknd – “You Right” Visual Effects by La Pac, Anthony Lestremau, Julien Missaire, Petr Shkolniy, Alexi Bailla, Micha Sher, Antoine Hache, Mikros MPC, Nicolas Huget, Guillaume Ho Tsong Fang, Benjamin Lenfant, Stephane Pivron, MPC Bangalore, Chanakya Chander, Raju Ganesh, David Rouxel
Glass Animals — “Tangerine” Visual Effects by Ronan Fourreau
Lil Nas X — “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” Visual Effects by Mathematic
Pink — “All I Know So Far” Visual Effects by Dave Meyers, Freenjoy Inc

Best Choreography

Ariana Grande — “34+35” Choreography by Brian Nicholson & Scott Nicholson
BTS — “Butter” Choreography by Son Sung with BHM Performance Directing Team
Ed Sheeran — “Bad Habits” Choreography by Natricia Bernard
Foo Fighters — “Shame Shame” Choreography by Nina McNeely
Harry Styles — “Treat People With Kindness”
Marshmello & Halsey — “Be Kind” Choreography by Dani Vitale

Best Editing

Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic — “Leave the Door Open” Editing by Troy Charbonnet
BTS — “Butter” Editing by Yong Seok Choi from Lumpens
Drake — “What’s Next” Editing by Noah Kendal
Harry Styles — “Treat People With Kindness”
Justin Bieber Feat. Daniel Caesar, Giveon — “Peaches”
Miley Cyrus Feat. Dua Lipa — “Prisoner”

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

After DaBaby’s Homophobic Rant, Lil Nas X Surpassed His Monthly Listeners On Spotify

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Lil Nas X has been on a roll this year. After ushering in a new era of music, the rapper dropped the internet-breaking song “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” along with the introspective number “Sun Goes Down” and the viral Jack Harlow collaboration “Industry Baby.” Thanks to the success of his recent singles, it’s no wonder that Lil Nas X has just become Spotify’s most-listened-to male rapper, surpassing DaBaby’s monthly listeners shortly after the rapper’s homophobic on-stage rant.

Lil Nas X now boasts well over 52 million monthly listeners on the popular streaming platform, according to Spotify’s data. That’s about one million more than DaBaby, who currently sits at 51 million monthly listeners. Upon hearing the news, Lil Nas X graciously thanked his followers for their continued support, saying it’s a career record for him. “wow this is insane,” he rapper on Twitter. “this is the most i’ve ever had in my career. thank u to everybody listening.”

The rapper’s victory over DaBaby in streaming numbers arrives shortly after DaBaby was captured on the Rolling Loud stage making some very uninformed remarks about HIV/Aids and the LGBTQ community. Several festivals booted DaBaby from their lineups as a result of his homophobic rant, and many celebrities like Dua Lipa and Miley Cyrus condemned the rapper out for his uneducated comments.

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

Future Responds After Allegedly Texting His Child Unflattering Comments About Their Mother

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Future and Brittni Mealy, the mother of his son Prince Wilburn, have had their personal disputes go public, and last night brought another one to the spotlight.

As HotNewHipHop notes, Mealy shared what appears to be a text conversation between Future and his son, in which he tells the child, “Your mother is a hoe!” Some people accused Mealy of fabricating the texts, to which she responded in an Instagram Story, “TF I GOT TO LIE FOR YOU SAID IT definitely your # and his SO STAND ON IT AND PIPE DOWN IF U DONT WANT THESE RECORDING POSTED!” She also added, “On GAWD YOU SAID IT THEY NEED TO CANCEL YOU. Cruelty to children! Haven’t seen him in 3 months but in the same State I can Keep Going! Got a refund on his school Clothes today! Petty cause someone Don’t wanna be sexually active with you and just want to co parent!!”

Future tweeted, seemingly in response to the situation, “Pray for Her.” His mother, Stephanie Jester, also shared some words, writing, “It’s sad when ppl can’t get their way so they turn to social media for attention. No matter how much you give a person it’s never enough. We have to really pray for self-love because ppl take it out on everyone else.”

It’s quite the situation, so check out screenshots of some of the posts below.

Eminem’s Ex-Wife Kim Scott Was Reportedly Hospitalized After A Suicide Attempt

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Eminem’s ex-wife Kim Scott, reportedly attempted suicide last month but survived the incident.

TMZ reports that according to law enforcement sources, police and emergency workers responded to a call of a suicidal person at Scott’s Michigan home on July 30. Scott apparently had to be restrained due to her combative behavior and was so violent that paramedics were unable to check her vitals. She appeared to have cut herself, due to multiple small lacerations on the back of her leg and the “good amount” of blood that was on the floor. She was rushed to the hospital for medical and psychological evaluation and is now reportedly recovering at home.

If the report is accurate, this isn’t the first time that Scott attempted suicide. Speaking about one of those attempts in 2016, in which Scott intentionally crashed a car, she said, “I sat at the end of a road where I knew that no one else but myself would get hurt. Yes, I drank, I took pills, and I hit the gas and aimed for a pole. I apologized immensely. I did not expect to even make it through that. I told [first responders] that I tried to do this on purpose, and I’m so sorry. I never lied to them. I told them everything that I did.”

50 Cent Believes DaBaby Will Bounce Back And Explains Why With A Chris Brown Comparison

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DaBaby is in the midst of a PR nightmare following his controversial HIV/AIDS comments made on-stage at Rolling Loud a few weeks ago. The way 50 Cent sees it, though, DaBaby can actually bounce back from this.

In an interview with E!’s Nightly Pop (as Billboard notes), 50 — who assumed a mentorship role to the rapper shortly before this all happened — was asked about DaBaby and he summarized his view on the situation, saying:

“He is a really talented, special artist, right? And he just transitioned from being in that pool that everyone’s in, as a rap artist. They didn’t notify him that he’s turning into a superstar. There’s nobody that tells you, ‘Now you’re being held to these standards that are mainstream standards that you can’t say things, you can’t do these different things.’ He didn’t have a publicist involved, and this is why the response took so long. Even his apology, his first apology, made it worse. […] He’s only two years into his career. There’s no artist development, there’s no strong A&R, and there’s definitely no media training.”

When asked if he thinks DaBaby can bounce back, 50 said, “Yeah, he will, as long as he keeps the consistency with the music. He’ll be back like… remember they canceled Chris Brown, like five, six times?”

Check out the interview below.

Bonnaroo Says Proof Of Vaccination Or A Negative COVID-19 Test Will Be Required For Its Festival

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Bonnaroo ran into a lot of trouble setting up the follow-up to their 2019 festival. The pandemic prevented organizers from hosting the showcase on the originally planned weekend of June 11-14, 2020. At first they delayed to September of that year, but they were soon forced to postpone until June 2021…before pushing it back for a third time, to September 2-5, 2021. Thankfully, the showcase will go as planned this year, but attendees will not be able to enter the venue without adhering to a new rule.

On Tuesday, the Tennessee-based festival announced new requirements for the showcase. “The safety of our patrons and staff is our number one priority,” organizers wrote in a statement. “As such a full COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test will be required to attend Bonnaroo 2021.” This is the same rule that Chicago’s Lollapalooza implemented last month for their 2021 festival. “Bonnaroo strongly encourages vaccination,” the festival added. “The last day to receive the second shot of Moderna or Pfizer, or a single dose of Johnson and Johnson is Thursday, August 19th.”

For those who follow Bonnaroo’s new policy, they’ll be able to enjoy an impressive lineup that includes Tyler, the Creator, Young Thug, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby, Run the Jewels, Kevin Gates, Tame Impala, J.I.D, and more.

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