Music

Snoop Dogg Explains Why He Turned Down $2 Million To DJ For Michael Jordan, Who He’s Never Met

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snoop dogg
Philip Cosores

In addition to being one of hip-hop’s most beloved cultural figures and a rap icon, Snoop Dogg has had a successful career as a DJ. So successful, in fact, that he says he was recently offered $2 million to DJ at an event thrown by Michael Jordan — an opportunity he turned down despite never having met the NBA’s GOAT. Snoop recounted the incident for Logan Paul’s podcast, Impaulsive.

“One of the craziest deals I turned down was $2 million to DJ for a Michael Jordan event,” he recalled. “And I’ve never met Michael Jordan, and I wanna meet him.” He also elaborated on why he turned it down — which boiled down to having too many prior engagements. “I was doing some other sh*t, I had sh*t to do and I had way more customers before I get to you,” he said. “I never met Michael Jordan, and I wanna meet him, and I wanna meet him on a different—I don’t wanna meet him on no DJing. I wanna meet him as a fan, as a boss.”

Snoop imagined what he’d say to the legendary hooper. “It’s like, ‘Mike, I’ve loved you since North Carolina, I’m a big fan of yours, I love what you do, you one of the greatest to ever do it. Give me a couple of secrets on how you did this. Can I get a picture with you? You wanna smoke a blunt? Hey man, it’s been real.’”

Elsewhere in the interview, Snoop spoke about his recent purchase of Death Row Records. You can watch the full episode here.

DDG Breaks Down The Meaning Behind ‘Elon Musk’ In ‘Behind The Video’

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After Uproxx Studios’ How I Blew Up returned earlier this week to track the rise of Sonny Digital from bedroom beatmaker to in-demand, pioneering producer, Behind The Video also returns to highlight DDG’s video for “Elon Musk” featuring Gunna. Uproxx’s Steven Vasquez gets the scoop from DDG on the video’s concept and creation. In the video, DDG and Gunna break atmosphere to explore outer space, much like the song’s namesake has planned to do with his SpaceX company.

As usual, there are a few fan comments for DDG to reply to as well. When one says that “everything DDG did he spoke into existence,” DDG agrees, “That’s the only way you can make stuff come true. If you truly believe in yourself, you gotta manifest it. You’ve gotta give yourself a goal that you know you’re gonna reach.” He also recounted how he got higher than he’d ever been by underestimating a weed gummy and explained how Gunna went from being a work acquaintance to a genuine friend. “The whole hook I freestyled,” DDG brags. “I just went down a rabbit hole of Elon Musk and SpaceX and it just inspired the thought.”

Watch DDG’s Behind The Video for “Elon Musk” above.

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

Lorde Praises Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ In A Letter To Her Fans

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Lorde Variety Power of Women Variety 2021
Getty Image / Jon Kopaloff

Perhaps Kendrick Lamar’s music may soon be in rotation on Lorde’s Solarsystym station on Sonos: Today, in an email sent to fans, the “Solar Power” singer shared an update with her fans, just over two weeks after her US tour for Solar Power came to an end.

She shared some of the books she’s been reading, including Fleur Jaeggy’s Sweet Days Of Discipline and Danyel Smith’s Shine Bright: A Very Personal History Of Black Women In Pop. Additionally, she let us know the music she’s been listening to lately, which includes Kendrick Lamar’s new album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.

“I’m loving Kendrick,” she said. “I cannot get over the most popular and influential artist in modern music displaying a working nervous system, admitting mistakes, trying to process intergenerational trauma and prejudice. I love the way the album opens, the pace and heat of the first few songs, and later ‘Count Me Out,’ the build and strings in ‘Auntie Diaries’ … special.”

Could this mean a collab between the two is in order? Perhaps. But given the fact that both artists love to take long hiatuses in between projects, it’s best not to get our hopes up that we’ll hear a collaboration in the near future.

Kehlani’s ‘Melt’ Video In Brazil Is A Sweet Depiction Their Budding Relationship With 070 Shake

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Last month, Kehlani released their third album, Blue Water Road, marking their first album put out since coming out to the world as Queer. The singer had teased the fact that Blue Water Road was, “…vastly different than anything I’ve ever created.” And while there’s a new sense of confidence in these passionate tunes, to long-time fans, it’s still that same sultry vocalist from hits like “Gangsta” and “Nights Like This.”

With the new video for “Melt,” we get the first intimate look at Kehlani’s relationship with their new partner, rapper 070 Shake. In the clip, the pair are in Brazil, sitting at an idyllic outdoor café at opposite tables. They each swig their cachaça at the same time and then meet up in a jungle abode to romance each other.

Speaking on the track itself, Kehlani said in a statement, “It’s about the feeling of laying up with someone, cuddling, or even being sexually intimate, and you want to fall in their skin.” And lyrics like “I can’t tell where your hair ends and mine begins,” and, “Across the bed feels way too far,” really raise the stakes for a pure depiction of their intimacy in the beautifully shot clip that also captures the essence of the pace of life in Brazilian so well.

Watch the video for “Melt” above.

Blue Water Road is out now via Atlantic. Get it here.

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

Quavo Seeks An Invite To Drake’s Basketball League: ‘They Don’t Want Us At OVO Arena’

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Drake’s fondness for the game of basketball is evident in his many, many courtside appearances at NBA games. It’s also clear in the videos he posts from his in-home basketball court where he hosts pickup games with his friends and trains his son to play like LeBron James. However, it looks like one of his friends is feeling left out. Quavo, who is a hoops junkie in his own right, working with grassroots leagues in California and balling out in NBA2k22, lobbied for inclusion in the fun at The Sanctuary (the nickname of Drake’s home court) in a post on Instagram.

“@champagnepapi They don’t want Us At The OVO Arena So We Take 7 Footers Instead,” he captioned a video on his Instagram Story. In the video, Quavo faces off with a taller opponent at the Georgia Tech gym, showing off some nasty handles and quick footwork to shake his defender for a stepback 20-footer. It’s an impressive combo and the sort of thing that could have Quavo moving up LeBron James’ rappers-who-hoop rankings, where Lil Durk currently reigns supreme.

Personally, I’d love to see a rapper-centric league where the likes of Quavo, Drake, 2 Chainz, Durk, and official professional player J. Cole can square off to show their other talents. For now, we’ll have to settle for social media videos or maybe Jack Harlow’s White Men Can’t Jump remake and Kawhi Leonard commercials.

Brandy Follows Through On Her Threat To Jack Harlow, Dropping A Fiery Freestyle To ‘First Class’

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When Jack Harlow admitted he didn’t know Brandy and Ray J are related, who could have predicted that it would lead to Brandy offering to hand him the lyrical fade — let alone following through? That’s right, Brandy, the R&B veteran who once starred in her own sitcom and gave the world “I Wanna Be Down,” actually decided to flex her mic skills and take full advantage of the viral moment.

Given that Jack made his embarrassing confession on Hot 97’s Ebro In The Morning show, it’s only right that Ebro was also the one to debut Brandy’s “First Class” freestyle. Hijacking the beat from Harlow’s own No. 1 single, Brandy spits a sinuous flow full of throwback ’90s-esque knowledge drops and references to Ray J’s “indestructible” glasses.

Jack is used to going viral for something or another, but when he appeared on Ebro In The Morning to promote his new album Come Home The Kids Miss You, he probably had no idea that he’d be the topic of discussion for a gap in his ’90s pop culture knowledge. Challenged to name a Brandy song for the show’s “White Ish Wednesday” segment, Harlow needed several hints, one of which was “Ray J’s sister.” When he wondered aloud “Who’s Ray J’s sister?” Twitter turned up on him for not knowing something that many considered obvious (the kid is just 24 years old and Brandy’s been out of the spotlight for pretty much his entire adult life).

When Brandy caught wind, she jokingly declared on Twitter, “I will murk this dude in rap at 43 on his own beats and then sing [h]is ass to sleep.” Jack gamely responded on his Instagram Story, using a clip from Brandy’s chorus on Kanye West’s 2005 song “Bring Me Down.” It looks like the ball is now back in his court after Brandy’s follow-up, although he may have the last laugh anyway; “First Class” is No. 1 for its third week, and if nothing else, this is great free promotion.

Drake Shared A Joyful Photo With Haim And The Sisters Had A Great Response

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Last month, Haim launched the The One More Haim Tour and last night, the trek brought them to Toronto for a show at RBC Echo Beach. While they were in the city, they met up with its proudest resident, Drake, who shared a photo of himself with the sisters.

It’s a happy image, with Drake sporting a wide smile with his arms around the Haims, Alana smiling with her eyes closed and tongue out, Este striking a tongue-out-arms-crossed pose, and Danielle going for a more subtle smirk. Drake captioned the post, “Just met the Beatles.”

Haim later shared the same photo and referenced Drake’s caption, writing, “We’re the Beatles.” Este also shared the photo on her personal account and wrote, “reunited.”

This was surely a major moment for Alana, as she’s been a longtime Drake superfan: In a 2014 Cosmopolitan interview, she described a custom Drake phone case she made for herself, saying, “I found these crazy Drake stickers, so I just stuck them on my phone. Basically, it’s the best thing that now I get to see Drake’s face on my phone 24 hours a day.” She added, “I’m the biggest Drake fan of all time. I mean, we all are. We all constantly fight about who gets dibs on Drake. But I think Danielle, my middle sister, is the frontrunner. She’s actually obsessed with him.” After being told about Drake and Rihanna’s breakup, she also noted, “I want to marry Drake, but if anyone could steal my spot in Drake’s heart, it would be Rihanna.”

Later, the two would appear in the same 2015 “Mean Tweets” segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, while Alana and Este were seen attending Drake’s birthday party in 2017.

Lute Is Proof That Things Get Better With Time In His Confident Video For ‘Like Wine’

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Earlier this year, Dreamville released their fourth compilation project as a group with D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape. The 15-track release features the entire label’s roster of J. Cole, Ari Lennox, JID, Earthgang, Cozz, Bas, Lute, and Omen. It also presented additional contributions from 2 Chainz, ASAP Ferg, Young Nudy, G Perico, Reason, Kenny Mason, and Sheck Wes. Nearly two months after the project arrived, Lute arrives with a visual for “Like Wine,” one of his contributions to the project.

In the video, Lute proves that many things in life, like himself and a nice bottle of wine, get better with time. He delivers this message as he drives around in an old BMW while also posing in a body shop filled with throwback vehicles. Lute’s latest video comes after he added to the experience behind his 2021 sophomore album Gold Mouf with visuals for “Eye To Eye” featuring fellow Dreamville rapper Cozz and “Changes” featuring BJ The Chicago Kid.

Lute’s newest video arrives he completed the North American stretch of Saba’s Come Back Home tour as an opening act alongside Enny.

You can watch the video for Lute’s “Like Wine” above.

D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape is out now via Interscope and Dreamville. You can stream it here.

The Music World Shares Their Condolences After The Tragic Shooting At Texas’ Robb Elementary School

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Texas Elementary School Shooting 2022
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On Tuesday, The United States was once again hit with news of a mass shooting, and this time, it sadly occurred at an elementary school. An 18-year-old gunman entered Texas’ Robb Elementary School and began shooting at students and teachers in the building. The suspect, Salvador Ramos, was eventually shot and killed during a stand-off with officers. According to AP, the incident is the deadliest shooting at a U.S. grade school since 20 students and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut back in 2012.

The shooting at Robb Elementary School occurred just ten days after a racially-motivating shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo left ten dead. Unfortunately, both cases are examples of the mass shootings that occurred over and over again in the United States over the last decade. The shooting has left the music world to send condolences and extend a loving hand to a community, and a country, that could really use it.

Taylor Swift offered her words after she watched Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr speak passionately and criticize government leaders during a press conference. “Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde,” Taylor wrote. “By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others. By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak. Steve’s words ring so true and cut so deep.”

Missy Elliot also shared a message of her own on Twitter. “We living in some TRYING TIMES… It’s heavy,” she wrote. “I am praying for everyone that is struggling MENTALLY/FINANCIALLY/PHYSICALLY that some PEACE be RESTORED! So many in the world is dealing with pain & I don’t have the answers but I send you LOVE virtually.”

You can view more messages from artists in the posts below.

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

Rick Ross Reveals That He Has Never Had An Email Account

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Rick Ross
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Rick Ross is a busy man. The rapper just completed his partnership with Epic Records, and is currently taking offers from labels like Def Jam; he was also on Blxst’s last project Before You Go, alongside a couple of other collaborators. Despite his success and hustle, he told HotNewHipHop in a recent interview that he has never owned his own email address, which is especially surprising during the digital age where music is most often streamed online.

“I’ve only really released one album since the streaming really been at its strongest point, so for me, of course my greatest times were when we was at Best Buy for the signings,” Ross said. “That was the best feeling versus streaming. Ain’t no real connection with the fans now, to me.” He continued: “It’s different. When you talking about the streaming, you talking to a n**** who ain’t never had a email.”

About streaming, he added: “So the love for the streaming, it’s cool. We still get money, but is it from the streaming, or is it from the brand or Da Boss Rick Ross? ‘Cause regardless, I don’t care what we streaming, Da Boss Rick Ross got demands that’s gotta be met.”

You can read Ross’ full interview with HotNewHipHop here.