Toronto’s Dufferin-Dovercourt Village Named Fastest Growing Area for New Musicians in Canada
Music
Post Malone Was ‘Probably On The Sh*tter’ When He Wrote His Roddy Ricch Collab ‘Cooped Up’
After offering a brief teaser of his Roddy Ricch collaboration “Cooped Up” in April, Post Malone released the track today. As for the circumstances behind how “Cooped Up” came to be, it’s possible a toilet may have been involved.
While telling Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about how the song came together, Malone said, “The lyrics just came so quickly. We knew what we wanted to say and we knew what we wanted to express, not only in the song but in that particular moment on the album. And yeah, it just came super naturally. I couldn’t even tell you. I was probably on the sh*tter when I wrote it [laughs].”
He also spoke about his upcoming album Twelve Carat Toothache, saying, “That’s what the whole record is about: It’s the bipolar aspect and the duality of everything. And so, there’s a lot of things very much so on this record that are tongue in cheek. And I think this whole record is the most honest record I’ve made, and I’m so pumped for people to hear it. But every song in there tells a story, so this is kind of like, ‘Here’s the life that we live, but there’s always something going on in the background.’”
Roddy Ricch is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Chloe Confirms That Her Debut Solo Album Will Be Self-Titled
Ever since Chloe Bailey dropped the video for her bedeviling, bootylicious debut solo single, “Have Mercy,” fans have waited on tenterhooks for more information on the solo album that she promised was sure to follow. While details on the overall project had been scant until now, in a new interview with Allure, she confirms the title at last. As befits a solo album from a performer who was until recently part of a sister act, it’ll be titled Chloe. She also shared some details of the writing process, which she previously said was “90 percent done.”
Speaking on how her writing process — which began in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns — has changed, she said, “Music saved me. I was at a low moment where I felt lost — like I didn’t have any sense of who I was.” This was, she admitted, a result of separation anxiety as her sibling and musical partner, Halle, was in London to film Disney’s live-action reboot of The Little Mermaid and couldn’t return to the States due to COVID restrictions. “In the beginning, you can tell that [the person] who is singing is like a bird with broken wings. As time went on, you can hear me finding my strength and confidence. I didn’t want to lose that story as I pieced the [songs] together.”
Since then, she has released both “Have Mercy” and its follow-up, the equally erotic “Treat Me,” and said that the album was influenced by artists such as Imogen Heap and Kelis. Meanwhile, she’s remained busy; with at least four screen roles, including one in a project Donald Glover has been shooting for Amazon co-starring Snowfall‘s Damson Idris and Dominique Fishback from Judas And The Black Messiah. When Chloe will have time to also promote an album in all of this is beyond me but that’s why she’s the star and I’m just writing about her.
Blxst Puts The ‘L’ In ‘Love’ In His New ‘Never Was Wrong’ Video
Blxst’s growing popularity comes with many perks, but in the new “Never Was Wrong” video, he shows that sometimes things aren’t always peachy when it comes to matters of the heart. The visual shows the California rapper-singer hosting a party and commanding the attention of many of its attendees. His lady approaches his section and tries to start a conversation, only to be signaled “one second” but ignored for longer than that.
Blxst mingles throughout the party and pours shots for other women, all while his partner stands by angrily. When the Before You Go artist finally notices she is crying, he attempts a grand gesture to regain her favor by performing the chorus on “Never Was Wrong,” where he takes accountability for the moments he is wrong to her. Just when it seems everything may be okay as he walks toward her, a crowd of people appears between them, and the anticipated romantic reconciliation is spoiled. Blxst returns home to find her leaving him for good with the help of her friends who have no issue expressing their disdain for him.
This video supports the April release of Blxst’s debut album Before You Go, anchored by singles “About You” and the Zacari-assisted “Sometimes.” Before You Go peaked at No. 90 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Post Malone And Roddy Ricch Reunite On The Moody ‘Cooped Up’
We’ve all been feeling cooped up over the past few years. Although restrictions have relaxed, we’re still in the middle of a global pandemic, which makes every excursion out of the house feel like a choice between safety and sickness. Post Malone encapsulates the feeling of release from this long-term run of cabin fever with his new single “Cooped Up,” featuring Compton rap crooner Roddy Ricch.
The new single is the duo’s first collaboration since 2019 when Roddy was added to Post’s 2018 single “Wow.” along with fellow West Coast rapper Tyga. The first single from Post’s record-breaking 2019 album Hollywood’s Bleeding, “Wow.” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was one of Roddy’s earliest top ten singles, coming one month after his appearance on Nipsey Hussle’s “Racks In The Middle,” which earned both a Grammy for Best Rap Performance, and just about two months before he delivered Mustard his own highest-charting single with “Ballin’.”
As the first official single from Post’s upcoming album Twelve Carat Toothache, it looks like Posty’s trying to replicate the success of the duo’s respective 2019s — especially since this will be his first album since then. Hollywood’s Bleeding became the top-selling album of 2019, while its single “Circles” spent more time in the Hot 100 top ten than any song in history. If Roddy Ricch and Post Malone are each other’s good luck charms, “Cooped Up” could very well be the beginning of a very lucrative year for them both.
Listen to Post Malone and Roddy Ricch’s “Cooped Up” above.
Tekashi 6ix9ine Lambasts Young Thug After His RICO Arrest
Tekashi 69 once again reminds the world that he has no problem kicking you when you’re down. The notorious New Yorker took to Instagram to make fun of Young Thug on the heels of his recent arrest for RICO charges. Posting a picture on his Instagram story of Thug in a dress wearing lipstick, 6ix9ine joked “Now he can be himself.” He continued on the next slide with more pictures of the Atlanta rapper in dresses, stating “I wish it was fake.”
He pump-faked being done with the jokes, stating “Ok I’m done Na, free sis, I mean bro” before sharing a clip of Young Thug saying “I want your man.” 69 replied, “there’s plenty men in there.” 69 also targeted Gunna, who surrendered himself to Fulton County officials on Wednesday (May 11), sharing a clip of the rapper from the 2021 movie Dutch. The “Pushin P” rapper is being questioned by the police in an orange jumpsuit and requesting McDonald’s in exchange for information.
It is unclear whether Tekashi intends to troll the other members of the crew, as many more were named in a lengthy 88-page indictment on Monday (May 9) that accuses them all of being in a criminal organization dating back to 2013, with Thug at the helm. Young Thug appeared before a judge on Tuesday (May 10) and was read his charges, which include conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in addition to criminal street gang activity, namely the murder of a rival gang member Donovan Thomas Jr. in 2015 and the jail stabbing of YFN Lucci earlier this year.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Rod Wave Is Charged With Battery After Choking His Ex-Girlfriend While Their Children Were Home
Rod Wave was recently arrested, and new details have come to light surrounding why. He was taken into custody during a traffic stop and charged with battery by strangulation in St. Petersburg, Florida on May 2. The arrest affidavit, obtained by Tampa Bay Times, adds that the Soulfly artist choked his ex-girlfriend while their two children were present in their home.
His former partner alleges that the 23-year-old artist entered her home in Osceola County and choked her “until she couldn’t breathe” because he suspected she was involved with other men. He then returned a second time and accused his ex-girlfriend of taking his phone, leading him to damage the inside of the house before driving away while their two daughters were asleep. The woman sustained a scratch near the left center of her neck.
Rod Wave was released from Pinellas County on $5,000 bail and pleaded not guilty to felony battery charges. He is now waiting for his trial date. This isn’t the most ideal scenario for the artist, who was gearing up to release his next album Beautiful Mind. Wave has since tweeted that he is pushing back his release date to June 10, coupling the announcement with a snippet of the song where he addresses the entire situation: “Just hope you don’t get it twisted, I love that girl to death / I make mistakes in my relationship I still regret / You know the life of a star, they all gon’ pretend / Can’t be moving off of emotions, letting new people in.”
….Moving my album back June 10th
pic.twitter.com/STYWc9UR4X
— RodWave (@rodwave) May 12, 2022
Casanova Pleads Guilty To Racketeering Charges, Including Attempted Murder
Young Thug and Gunna aren’t the only rappers in trouble with the law for some of their pre-fame activities. New York rapper Casanova, who’s had a few viral hits in the last few years and dropped his debut album Behind These Scars on Roc Nation in 2019, was also indicted on racketeering charges in 2020 due to his alleged membership in the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation Blood set. On Wednesday, he pled guilty to the charges against him, which included firearm possession, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, racketeering, and attempted murder, according to local news.
In 2020, 18 members of Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation were arrested and charged with racketeering, murder, narcotics, firearms, and fraud offenses, but Cas was not one of them, prompting the FBI to issue a statement asking for information on his whereabouts. He surrendered a day later and was denied bond — just like members of YSL in their ongoing case. Although Cas maintained his innocence, the thing about a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) charge is, that if one member is found guilty of a crime and the association can be proved in court, all members can be charged with that crime.
It appears Cas wanted to save himself the trouble of a lengthy trial and try to curry some favor with the court regarding his sentencing, which is scheduled for December 6. A mandatory minimum sentence would see him serve five years, while a maximum would be set at 60.
Young Thug And Gunna Were Denied Bond In Their Racketeering Case
Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 other members of their YSL crew are having — to put it lightly — a rough week. On Monday, they were charged with 56 counts of conspiracy to violate the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act, including violations for drugs, guns, and even murder. An 88-page indictment filled with Young Thug lyrics led to their arrests, with Gunna turning himself in on Wednesday. Now, it looks like they’ll be stuck at Fulton County Jail for a while; the rappers were denied bond requests as the presiding judge declared them a flight risk, according to local news.
In addition to the initial two charges against Thug, seven more were added as a result of a raid at his home in Buckhead; those charges include possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute, possession of illegal firearms, and participation in criminal gang activity. According to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, YSL is considered a “hybrid criminal gang,” with both the label and the wider association around it tied to the Bloods. Meanwhile, both Thug and Gunna, through their lawyers, have maintained their innocence. Some observers have also disputed the use of their lyrics as evidence to tie them to a larger conspiracy.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Chance The Rapper And Vic Mensa Rap Freely In Their New Video ‘Wraith (Writing Exercise #3)’
Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa came through with a reminder that, regardless of narratives and past missteps, when it comes to rapping they are exceptional at their craft. The Chicago wordsmiths’ recent video “Wraith (Writing Exercise #3) is two minutes and 27 seconds of unbridled lyricism, following them through a store, in the studio, and on an indoor basketball court surrounded by their crew. The record itself is produced by Smoko Ono.
Mensa takes on the first verse, clutching his dog as he talks about his mother, liars, and much more. Chance follows up, utilizing the sequential word overlay from his previous “Writing Exercise #2” as he references Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, how saving money is part of his bone marrow, and neo-colonial states. Vic Mensa returns at the end, trading his confident rap voice for a more melodic vocal tone.
Though the two rap veterans’ careers are different, the synergy here should come as no surprise as they previously collaborated on “Family,” “Shelter,” “Suitcase,” “Taxi Cab,” and various other tracks. “Wraith (Writing Exercise #3)” follows Chance The Rapper’s “Child of God” single released back in March. Mensa appeared on “Just The Same” alongside Big Gigantic and Mick Jenkins which came out earlier this week.