Music

Bobby Shmurda Wants New York’s Rap On Trial Bill To Be Adopted Throughout The United States

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Earlier this week, the New York Senate passed Senate Bill S7527, better known as the Rap On Trial bill. It was sponsored by Senators Jamaal Bailey and Brad Hoylman and it received support from rappers like Fat Joe, Jay-Z, Killer Mike, and Meek Mill. The bill states that there should be “clear and convincing evidence” that an artist’s song, video, or other “creative expression” is “literal, rather than figurative or fictional.” This now makes it harder for prosecutors to use lyrics, which are exaggerated more times than not and used for the sake of the art, to tie in rappers in cases related to RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) and more.

Shortly after the bill was passed, TMZ caught up with Bobby Shmurda to hear his thoughts about it. Bobby, who was released from prison last year following a seven-year sentence on weapons and murder conspiracy charges, had his lyrics used in court. “I’m grateful for it,” he told TMZ. “I feel like it needs to happen all over the country, especially with what’s going on in Atlanta right now. I feel like rap is targeted the most. Rap is expression you know? If you look at movies, everything is expression, so rap is an expression. I feel sometimes like it shouldn’t be said in court or anything.”

He later added, “I feel like it limits art, it limits what it does. When they say that the rap can be used against you, it limits your art because sometimes people just want to be free.”

Bobby’s comment about Atlanta is in reference to the RICO case that Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 other members of YSL were recently wrapped up in. In that case, the charges against the group include conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, murder, armed robbery, and participation in criminal street gang activity.

You can listen to Bobby’s comments in the video provided by TMZ here.

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

‘Super Dad’ Kanye West Showed Up To Kim Kardashian’s House In A Fire Truck And Took His Kids To School In It

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For some kids, simply getting a toy fire truck as a gift is the greatest thing ever. But Kanye West’s kids just leveled that dream wayyy up. That’s because Ye showed up to ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s house in a fire truck this week and took his two kids, eight-year-old North and six-year-old Saint to school in it. How dare you people question Kanye West’s ability to be a good father! This is next some next level Super Dad stuff.

The whole thing was captured in the latest episode of The Kardashians. Ye rolls up in the truck and North was in on the plan. He turns to his daughter and says “Did you tell Saint?” To which she replies, “Nope. Mom said it was a surprise.” Three year old Psalm hops on the truck and immediately sits behind the wheel and Kanye jokes with him, “When’d you learn to drive?” When they drive off, an elated North says, “We’re going to school in a fire truck!”

It’s a refreshing scene to see for West, whose troubling behavior earlier this year has seen him repeatedly take shots at Kardashian and her new boyfriend, Pete Davidson. He openly said that he thought Davidson would get Kardashian “hooked on drugs” and famously depicted an animated version of Davidson getting kidnapped, buried, and turned into a plant in the “Eazy” video. In weathering the storm, Kardashian said she hoped that “we are the ‘co-parenting goals’ at the end of the day.” West seems to be doing his part with this over-the-top, but frankly, adorable, display

“I think sometimes people are kinda bashful to be super dads,” Kanye said. “Everybody wants to be a cool dad and sometimes you just gotta wear the fire hat. Sometime you gotta wear the Easter bunny costume.”

Doja Cat Has To Get Tonsil Surgery ‘ASAP,’ Which Will Impact Her Summer Plans

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Doja Cat has kept exceptionally busy lately, but now it appears she will soon be forced to slow down. Over the past couple days, she has detailed some issues she has been facing with her tonsils, noting yesterday, “dr. just had to cut into my left tonsil. i had an abscess in it. my whole throat is f*cked so i might have some bad news for yall coming soon.”

Well, that bad news has come: This afternoon, Doja wrote on Twitter, “Hi guys. I wanted you to hear it from me first. Unfortunately I have to have surgery on my tonsils asap. The surgery is routine but the recovery is going to take awhile due to swelling. That means I have to cancel my festival run this summer as well as The Weeknd tour. I feel horrible about this but can’t wait for this to heal and get back to making music and create an experience for y’all.”

A positive takeaway to be had from this is it appears it may prompt Doja to reconsider some of her less healthy habits: Yesterday, she noted of vaping, “nah im too scared to hit it cuz my throat hurts so bad. i cried for hours. its not worth it. then its like imagine all that wierd poisonous sh*t in the vape seeping into the completely open wound in my throat like f*ck that. im hella young.”

070 Shake Calls On Christine And The Queens For A Full ‘Body’ Experience In Her New Single

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070 Shake has a little more to say before she drops her upcoming album. Her new single “Body” is a whirlwind of sonic experiences, opening with a sultry nature before everything heightens and becomes frantic. Eventually, the song becomes simultaneously haunting yet beautiful but through the jarring transitions, the New Jersey artist and guest star Christine And The Queens vocally command the space with ease. David Andrew Sitek and Mike Dean contributed on the production side, the latter of whom also mixed and mastered the track.

“Body” is the third single from the 24-year-old’s upcoming sophomore album You Can’t Kill Me, following “Web” and “Skin & Bones.” You Can’t Kill Me, set to release on June 3, comes almost two and a half years after Shake’s critically-acclaimed debut album Modus Vivendi. The Def Jam artist burst onto the scene after signing with G.O.O.D Music back in 2016 before appearing on Pusha T’s Daytona and Kanye West’s Ye in 2018. 070 Shake earned her first chart entry in 2019, peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart as part of DJ Khaled’s “Holy Mountain,” also featuring Mavado, Buju Banton, and Sizzla.

Check out “Body” above.

Christine And The Queens is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Mark Ronson, Damon Albarn, And Wale Assist Our Flying Friends With Their New Benefit Song ‘Bird Calling’

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Damon Albarn may have devoted a significant chunk of his life to gorillas (rather, Gorillaz), but they’re not the only animals he cares about: He and a bunch of other artists contributed to For The Birds: The Birdsong Project, a five-volume collection of 242 recordings inspired by birds and their singing, with proceeds benefiting the National Audubon Society.

The first volume rolled out today and among the new songs is “Bird Calling,” a collaboration between Albarn, Mark Ronson, and Wale. Ronson offers some rhythmic, midtempo production while Wale carries the song with rapped and Albarn provides the hook.

Project organizers say, “The Birdsong Project is a community dedicated to the protection of bird life, and to the celebration of the joy and mysteries of birdsong. We believe that birds — no matter feather or flock — are precious and inspiring and fundamental to our world. That a world without birds would be a world without freedom and flight and song. We believe birds matter. Are endangered. And need our help.”

Elvis Costello, who contributes to the endeavor, adds, “This should be so very obvious; without birds we would be knee-deep in worms, swarmed by bugs, the trees bereft of song. The least we can do is raise our voices in praise or lament. I’m grateful to [producer Randall Poster] for asking me to join his magnificent flock.”

Listen to Ronson, Albarn, and Wale’s “Bird Calling” above.

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

Blueface And DDG Share The Lively ‘Meat This’ Video Ahead Of Their Upcoming Collaborative Project

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Blueface and DDG have a strong respect for one another, and it goes without saying they both like to have a good time. The two young rappers join forces on the new video for their collaboration “Meat This” to remind us of their proclivity to enjoy life. Blueface and DDG find themselves in the company of many women at the club or collecting stacks of money and gold to fund their expansive lifestyles.

“Meat This” kicks off the lead-up to their upcoming full-length collaborative project set to release later this year. Though there is currently no name for the project or set release date, the union makes sense as Blueface and DDG previously traded verses on the remix to the latter’s Platinum-certified record “Moonwalking In Calabasas,” in addition to “BGC” and a snippet that has been titled “Rich Guy.”

Blueface has been enjoying the success of the November release “Chose Me” featuring the bubbling sensation Blxst, as it topped Triller Global Charts earlier this month. As for DDG, he tapped Gunna back in February for “Elon Musk.” With Blueface last putting out a project in 2020, and DDG 2021, this is an exciting new direction for the two.

Check out the video for “Meat This” above.

Post Malone Reworks The Original ‘Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers’ Theme Song For The New Movie

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Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, the new Andy Samberg and John Mulaney movie, made its debut on Disney+ today. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Post Malone got involved with the project by recording the movie’s theme song. Now that the film is out, so too is Malone’s theme. The tune is an approximation of Malone’s melodic pop-rap sound with hints of a rock influence here and there. Malone’s song isn’t actually an original, but rather a cover of The Jets’ theme song for the 1989 Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers animated series.

Beyond Rescue Rangers, Malone has plenty of experience with lending his musical talents to the big screen. The most prominent example of that is his and Swae Lee’s 2018 single “Sunflower,” the No. 1 single appeared on Malone’s album Hollywood’s Bleeding after first gracing the Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse soundtrack. Meanwhile, last year saw Posty cover Hootie And The Blowfish’s 1995 hit “Only Wanna Be With You” as part of Pokémon‘s 25th anniversary celebration. Hootie’s Darius Rucker admired the cover, as he tweeted, “The smile in my face will not leave for a long time. This is awesome. My bro @PostMalone bringing it. Hell yes man!!!!!!!!!”

Listen to Malone’s “Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers Theme” above. Also check out the original Rescue Rangers theme song from 1989 below.

Cardi B Talks About Her Responsibility To Speak On Politics With David Letterman

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If there’s only one word to describe Cardi B, “outspoken” might be it. Whether it is the unbridled confidence she brings to her music or her social media interactions, the Bronx artist is never afraid to say what is on her mind. Where some public figures use that characteristic to disrupt, the “Bodak Yellow” artist opts to contribute her thoughts to everything from the WWE to the political climate of the country and world. So, the Grammy winner sat down with David Letterman in the newly released fourth season of his Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction to discuss her responsibility to speak on political matters and keep it separate from her music.

“I don’t really put a lot of political things in my music, but I used the f*ck out of my platform,” she tells the talk show legend. “And I have used my platform even when I was a dancer. Because you might think that people are not looking, but they are.”

Cardi B has made it a point to meet with both Senator Bernie Sanders and President Joe Biden in the last few years, which Letterman admired due to how it can impact her fans.

“I mean, I’m a hood chick, and I’m from the Bronx. A lot of people relate to me and follow me because they want to see how I’m dressed, they want to see my lifestyle. I feel like I have a responsibility to also share to them like, ‘Hey, while you here and you’re checking my outfit and checking my music, check out what’s going on over here in this part of the world.’”

Letterman’s fourth season of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction also features Billie Eilish, Kevin Durant, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ryan Reynolds, and Will Smith (whose appearance was filmed pre-slap).

Check out a clip of Cardi B’s episode above.

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

Azealia Banks Defends Cara Delevingne After The Billboard Music Awards: ‘That’s My Girl Thru And Thru’

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The internet has been mad at Cara Delevingne, whose weird behavior at the Billboard Music Awards made headlines. This ranged from laying on the floor to take a picture of Doja Cat, DJ Khaled, and Fat Joe that ended up being a pretty low-quality photo, to playing with Megan Thee Stallion’s dress on the red carpet. Though Delevingne is practically known for her weird, eccentric presence, she was accused of fetishizing Black women.

In a surprising turn of events, Azealia Banks, after having a fan reach out and ask about the situation, came to Delevingne’s defense on Twitter.

She wrote, “Cara doesn’t have an obsession with with black women. It’s that upper crust English society full of fake white and jealous white hoes who were never as charismatic as she is that made fake friendships, tried sabotaging her every which way she moved and the intense jealousy. Of her older and extremely plain looking sister poppy that always made Cara feel sad and lonely. Poppy would always say mad back handed slick sh*t and tell Cara’s business to people in the industry and I always remember Cara literally traveling the world completely alone 4 years.”

She continued: “Lots of English society/media took advantage of that and there were plenty of times I would just hide Cara in my apartment for days at a time to make sure she got some deep sleep and some actual food and wasn’t just thrown out amongst the wolves like that. Everyone always wanted to use Cara for what they could get from her, and luckily for her – none of them got anything substantial. deep down I could tell she was (like me) so used to being told ur a bad person that she began to believe those things about her self and go out of her. Way to please people who saw her as an easy route to some fashion/British society clout… all of which they fumbled in the grand scheme of things. Cara and I just did normal stuff like dress up like mermaids, smoke spliffs and take naps. That’s my girl thru and thru.”

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