Music

Hooper Turned Rapper DC The Don Rates NBA Stars’ Rap Bars

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The rapper-hooper comparison might be a cliche, but cliches are cliches for a reason. It remains as true as ever: Rappers all want to be ballers and ballers all want to rap. Now, more than ever, the crossover (heh) has gotten ridiculous, blurring the lines between the two as former high school hoop stars like NLE Choppa and Quavo pen Billboard hits, and rap’s upper echelon guys get pro hoops co-signs from LeBron James like Lil Durk, sign pro contracts like J. Cole, or host their own in-home rec leagues like Drake.

Intriguingly enough, as more NBA stars dip their toes into rap careers, following in the footsteps of Shaq, Kobe, and Allen Iverson, it’s a little rarer to see ball players get serious about their rhymes. Of course, there’s Damian Lillard, who’s three albums deep into his career as Dame D.O.L.L.A., but for the most part, the current generation of NBA talent has yet to commit. Maybe they just need a little encouragement, and that’s where Milwaukee native/LA transplant DC The Don steps in.

The 6’7 rising rap star is best known for viral tracks like “Worst Day” and “Walk Thru,” but he’s probably just as well-known for his first song “Everything 1K” appearing in Big Baller Brand’s first sneaker commercial. That’s because he was a former Chino Hills High teammate of Lonzo Ball — another aspiring rhyme purveyor currently playing in the NBA — and his brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo. Obviously, DC went the other way, and so he’s willing to lend some of his expertise to rating NBA stars’ rap bars. Check out the video above.

Diplo And Swae Lee Delivered A Lively ‘Tupelo Shuffle’ Performance At The 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards

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Diplo Swae Lee MTV Movie TV Awards 2022
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No matter how far artists go, it will always feel special bringing a little piece of their hometown to some big stages. For Diplo and Swae Lee, that came in the form of their first live TV performance of “Tupelo Shuffle” at last night’s (June 5) 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards. This was not only significant for those two but also for their fellow Tupelo, Mississippi native, the late legend Elvis Presley, whose upcoming self-titled biopic is set to feature the track.

Swae Lee was clad in a hot pink suit and Diplo opted to go very light blue with eccentric designs on his back while an aggressive amount of confetti fell from the sky. With dancers in front of them dressed to the nines, it felt like Las Vegas and Tupelo fused together to provide an unforgettable moment in Los Angeles.

For Diplo, it’s been an active year as he is still riding high from the release of his eponymous fourth studio album featuring Miguel, Lil Yachty, Busta Rhymes, Leon Bridges and more. Swae Lee, one half of Rae Sremmurd, is looking ahead to the release of Sremm4life that the duo teased last week after years of rumors that they would be splitting up.

Check out a snippet of Diplo and Swae Lee’s “Tupelo Shuffle” performance at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards above.

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

Benny The Butcher Confronts The Violent Reality Of The World In The New ‘Welcome To The States’ Video

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Benny The Butcher has never been shy about his ties to the street, laden with drug dealing, violence, and loss. However, as he has found a way to make it out and become a successful rapper, his ties to his hometown Buffalo, New York remain stronger than ever. The Burden Of Proof rapper opted to use his pen and pad today to speak on the tragic mass shooting that took place in Buffalo in May with his new video “Welcome To The States.”

Over a familiar beat, “We Cry Together” produced by his longtime collaborator The Alchemist from Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Benny takes aim at politicians, white supremacists, and the Black perception in the media. He raps about people now having to feel unsafe when walking through the mall and he even shouts out Young Thug and Gunna who are currently enduring their own legal battle. The video opens with the painful statistic that there has been more than one mass shooting every day so far this year before showing scenes of the Ku Klux Klan and candlelight vigils. The Griselda member even includes a snippet of President Joe Biden’s speech surrounding the May 14 shooting where he speaks on racism in the United States.

Benny isn’t stopping at just the music video, as he is also putting out limited edition “Pray For Buffalo” shirts on BlackMarketFamily.com with proceeds going to the Buffalo 5/14 Survivors Fund. Those interested in supporting but not buying shirts are able to donate directly to a GoFundMe or on the video’s YouTube page. Though this will not erase the loss Buffalo endured, it’s pleasing to see a big figure from the area step out and show support.

Check out Benny The Butcher’s moving video for “Welcome To The States” above.

Juelz Santana Explains Why The LOX Really Is A Better Group Than Dipset After Their ‘Verzuz’ Battle

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Drink Champs certainly instigates its fair share of drama in the hip-hop world, but at its core, the show is (ostensibly) about giving modern-day rap heroes their flowers while they can still appreciate them. In reality, it gives the stars of yesteryear a chance to share some of their experiences, whether insightful, spiteful, or just downright hilarious, and give their opinions on the current state of hip-hop.

While recent episodes have certainly sprouted a certain amount of bitterness, in the latest episode, Diplomats’ member Juelz Santana, fresh from a stint in federal prison, instead saluted his group’s recent competition by way of another props-giving platform, Verzuz. Juelz admitted that the night of the Verzuz battle between The LOX and Dipset proved why the former is a better group overall.

“We are individual artists that came together as a collective to form what we formed, which is called Dipset,” he elaborated. “They came in this game as LOX, they perform as a group. Me and Cam have great records together, but we don’t have those back-to-back records like Styles P and Jadakiss.”

Elsewhere in the podcast, Juelz discussed his addiction to lean, describing how Houston rapper Paul Wall introduced him to the drug, while recording with Lil Wayne exacerbated the situation. You can watch the full interview above.

Inflo Wants To Establish A Base Rate And Royalty For Young Producers

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Inflo, the reigning BRIT Awards Producer Of The Year, has been absolutely on fire as of late with his work as the creative force behind Sault, producing tracks for Adele’s latest album, 30, and for British R&B singer Cleo Sol. But as the London producer (whose real name is Dean Josiah Cover) sees his success skyrocketing, he has his mind on protecting the interests of aspiring creatives who are looking to follow in his footsteps.

In a recent Instagram post, Inflo indicated that he and Nathan Burke, his partner on the Forever Living Originals label (that releases Sault and Cleo Sol’s music), are trying to establish a base rate and royalty structure for up and coming producers in the UK. Inflo said that they’ve been engaged in talks with music industry leaders in hopes of changing the paradigm.

“This will ensure young producers are protected on any major label releases and have a code of conduct to go by,” he said.

He acknowledged the significance of being the first Black person since 1977 to win the Producer Of The Year award at the BRITs and notes, “Most young producers, especially young black producers, come into the business really pure, with friends as management and no real guidance, protection or understanding.”

You can read the entire statement from Inflo below and power to him and this effort.

“Nathan & I have been on a mission to introduce a base rate and royalty for young producers in the UK.

This will ensure young producers are protected on any major label releases and have a code of conduct to go by.

We’ve been having conversations with producers, artists, labels and lawyers to see what that rate can be. Everyone agrees no young or upcoming producers should be exploited, and the artist shouldn’t have to give up any further royalty share than they already have been.

Most young producers, especially young black producers, come into the business really pure, with friends as management and no real guidance, protection or understanding. They’re often eager for placements and would sign without fully understanding contracts, in desperation of life-changing opportunities.

I honestly feel most of us have come into the music business to make it a better place creatively and economically, for the opportunity to leave a legacy that our children and children’s children can be proud of.

I didn’t want to speak on my award without any real progress being made, but we are now at the halfway point and I wanted to acknowledge the moment.

Thanks to the Brits for acknowledging me as Producer of the Year. I feel very humbled and grateful to be the first black producer to win in this category since 1977. Big up all the Black British producers before I & I and killing it right now everywhere, so inspiring!!

Love to Nathan & my Forever Living Originals team for supporting me in every way.

Love to Mummy, DD Cleo & Little Man

Love to God.”

‘Mama!’ Offset Surprises His Mother With A Birkin Bag And Much More Inside Of It

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Offset Latabia Woodward Variety Hitmakers Brunch 2018
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Those who have listened to Migos over the years have likely caught themselves yelling their “Mama!” ad-lib randomly throughout the day. The trio, happy to have reached the heights that they have, are very intentional about honoring those who are responsible for them being on the planet, whether through acknowledgment within their songs or tweets. In the latest addition to their maternal respect, Offset took it a step further with massive generosity as he surprised his mother, Latabia Woodward, with a red Birkin bag at a recent Egyptian-themed get-together; but wait, there’s more.

Woodward was pleasantly surprised at the gift, as were all of the attendees, and once the initial hype died down, Offset urged her to follow the instructions of Migos’ 2018 record “Open It Up” where Woodward found $50,000 cash. Cardi B assisted her mother-in-law in removing the content before Offset engaged her in a huge hug with a smile as wide as his fanbase. The video closes with the two dancing along to Cardi B’s 2021 smash “Up.”

It’s a beautiful moment for Offset and Cardi, who have been in a very good place since having their second child Wave Set Cephus together. They appeared on the cover of Essence Magazine with their nine-month-old, in addition to their three-year-old daughter Kulture, and Kalea, Jordan and Kody who Offset conceived with other women before marrying Cardi.

Check out the video of Offset gifting his mother the Birkin and $50,000 above.

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

Post Malone Borders On Unhinged In The ‘Insane’ Video

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This past Friday, Post Malone released his fourth album, Twelve Carat Toothache. The fourteen track collection is a reflection of the “Sunflower” singer’s eclectic tastes and features a number of collaborations including “One Right Now” with The Weeknd, “Cooped Up” with Roddy Rich, “I Like You (A Happier Song)” with Doja Cat, and “Love/Hate Letter To Alcohol” with Fleet Foxes. The album explores the emotional wavelengths we’ve all been riding in the past two pandemic-addled years and it’s never for a lack of honesty from Malone.

Now, the rapper has just released the new video for “Insane,” and it sees Posty bordering on unhinged. In the clip, Malone is barefoot and wearing only his house pants in the evening poolside. He dances maniacally to the track, either mimicking inebriation or feeling himself after knocking back a few. He vigorously smokes a cigarette and puts his hand down the front of his pants multiple times a la Al Bundy. But if he’s teetering in the balance, he’s doing so in a sheerly blissful state throughout. It’s a pure expressionist moment from Posty as he cheekily raps lines like, “I got 20, 30 strippers in the Sprinter van / It’s a little cramped to try to teach me how to dance.”

Watch the video for “Insane ” above.

Twelve Carat Toothache is out now via Republic Records. Listen to it here.

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

Logic’s ‘Vinyl Days’ Tracklist Is A Hefty 30 Songs Long

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It looks like Logic is going to have plenty of new material to perform on his upcoming Vinyl Verse Tour with Wiz Khalifa. In addition to the previously released singles “Therapy Music,” “Orville,” and “Bleed It,” his upcoming album Vinyl Days will host a whopping 30 tracks, closing out his time at Def Jam with one hell of a bang. Seriously, we know albums have been trending longer for the sake of streaming algorithms, but this is either ridiculous or impressive — depending on your opinion of the Maryland rapper.

Among the guests featured on the album are rap legends, contemporary stars, and underground stalwarts, making it one of the most well-rounded representations of the music business today. Action Bronson, AZ, Blu & Exile, Curren$y, DJ Premier, The Game, Langston Bristol, Nezi Momodu, Royce Da 5’9, Russ, RZA, and Wiz Khalifa all make appearances, along with Bobby Boy Records signees iamJMARS, Big Lenbo, and C Dot Castro.

Vinyl Days will be Logic’s seventh album and his first since announcing his “retirement” in 2020 — a retirement he rescinded months just months later with a string of collab tracks alongside Madlib, the single “Vaccine,” and possibly a mixtape as Doctor Destruction, who fans believe was just a barely disguised Logic all along.

Vinyl Days drops 6/17 via Def Jam. Pre-save it here and see the full tracklist below.

1. “Danger”
2. “Tetris”
3. “In My Lifetime” feat. Action Bronson
4. “Decades”
5. “JJ Abrahams (Skit)”
6. “BLACKWHITEBOY”
7. “Quasi”
8. “Bleed It”
9. “LaDonda”
10. “Aaron Judge”
11. “Clouds” feat. Langston Bristol & Curren$y
12. “Michael Rap (Skit)”
13. “Therapy Music” feat. Russ
14. “Tony Revolori (Skit)”
15. “Rogue One”
16. “Breath Control” feat. Wiz Khalifa
17. “NEMS (Skit)”
18. “Nardwuar” feat. Doc D
19. “KickStyle” feat. iamJMARS, Big Lenbo & C Dot Castro
20. “EarlyBird (Skit)”
21. “Ten Years’” feat. Royce 5’9”
22. “Porta One” feat. RZA
23. “NeedleDrop (Skit)”
24. “Introducing Nezi” feat. Nezi Momodu
25. “Orville” feat. Like, Blu & Exile
26. “Carnival” feat. AZ
27. “Lena’s Insight (Skit)”
28. “Vinyl Days” feat. DJ Premier
29. “I Guess I Love It” feat. The Game
30. “Sayonara”

Cardi B Celebrates Nine Months Of Her And Offset’s Second Child Wave With An Iced-Out Instagram Post

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In a world where negativity grows at an exponential rate in various areas, it is always refreshing to revel in life’s most tender moments, especially the celebration of new life. Cardi B and Offset had their second child Wave Set Cephus nine months ago, and yesterday (June 5) the Bronx rapper shared some cute photos of her son. The pictures show Wave smiling while sporting a beanie with some heavy bling around his neck and in his ears, revealing his lush curls to the world, and simply staring innocently into the camera.

Wave, born in September, is the younger sibling to now three-year-old Kulture. Cardi first shared Wave’s name and a picture of his face back in April with an Instagram post before Offset took it a step further and revealed their Essence cover featuring all of his children, as the “Straightenin” rapper had three others prior to marrying and conceiving with Cardi B. Though they have had their marital troubles over the years, it is nice to see the couple happy and flourishing alongside their lovely family.

Check out Cardi B’s Instagram post of young Wave Set Cephus and the Essence magazine cover above.

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

Solange’s Son Posted Some Of His Music To Social Media And Fans Weren’t Impressed

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Solange Knowles is one talented lady. Completely aside from being Beyonce’s sister — something that likely both benefitted and hindered her own music career over the years — Solange has been a groundbreaking musician, film director, and even art curator over the past few years. Her work is a lightning rod of empowerment and representation for Black women, and she’s always looked super cool doing it. Rumor has it that she’s also nice with her hands when people disrespect her big sis.

However, while talent might be genetic and/or generational, it’s not always a given no matter how gifted your family is. Solange’s son, Danieal Julez J. Smith Jr., seemingly proved as much recently when he posted a video to social media showing off his own music. Let’s just say… It didn’t go well. On Sunday, the 17-year-old, who goes by the stage name Julez, posted a snippet to TikTok in which he raps along to one of his songs in his studio. Here it is:

@jeluzsmith

😎🗣🔥🎵

♬ original sound – Julez Smith

There are a few issues here, mainly that the beat seems to be a loose guideline for young Julez. The mix is something that can probably be addressed at a later date, but between Julez’s listless delivery and generic bars, fans on Twitter had plenty to say about how much work the young aspiring rapper will need to put into becoming a commercially viable artist in his own right. Maybe he can tap Uncle Jay-Z for help? (Considering the relationship between Jay and Solange, let’s drop that pin somewhere between “unlikely” and “impossible.”)

Fortunately for him, these are all correctable mistakes, and he’s only 17 — he’s got plenty of time (and now, plenty of … ahem… “constructive” criticism) to get started on fixing them. Besides, I used to work at a Boys & Girls Club recording studio and I’ve heard way worse from kids his age. Still, it’s probably going to be awkward when his little cousin Blue flexes her Grammy Award at the family reunion while giving him that signature side-eye of hers.