Music

Jack Harlow Had A Perfect Response For The NBA Refs Who Didn’t Know Who He Was

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There’s little denying that Jack Harlow is a bonafide star now, but that doesn’t mean that everyone knows who he is. He’s got two No. 1 hit singles — Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby” and his own “First Class” — and his breakout single “What’s Poppin” is practically ubiquitous at sporting events, but two NBA referees at last night’s playoff game between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks had a laugh at Harlow’s expense during a miked-up moment in which they admitted they had no clue who he is.

He was sitting courtside at the time, so he didn’t get to hear them in person, but once he got home and found out about the viral moment, he had the perfect response. Part of the reason he’s so popular is because of his “extremely online” personality and good-natured sense of humor. So, instead of being offended that a pair of 50-year-old NBA refs were unaware of his general existence — let alone how popular he is –, he referenced an amusing meme about himself.

“Clearly these mfs have never seen Narnia,” he joked. Of course, that’s a reference to a fan’s joking tweet pointing out Jack’s resemblance to actor James McAvoy, who played the faun Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. It’s a funny moment that allowed him to have the last laugh, without taking himself too seriously.

Jack’s got plenty of reasons to feel good about himself though. In a short time, he’s gone from fanning out in Bryson Tiller’s DMs to having his fellow Louisvillian helping to promote his upcoming album, Come Home The Kids Miss You. Led by the singles “Nail Tech” and “First Class,” Harlow’s latest will drop this Friday, May 6 via Atlantic Records.

DaBaby Defends Himself In The Wake Of Assault Charges By Sharing Video Of The Victim Supposedly Using Racial Slurs

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For someone who gets in a new altercation seemingly every other week, DaBaby is very concerned about his public perception. After being charged with felony battery over alleged attacking the owner of a home where the Charlotte rapper shot a music video, he wants to put an end to the online chatter about his character. Over the weekend, he posted a supposed video of the alleged victim, Gary Prager, using racial slurs as he paces in a driveway.

“Y’all keep believing these type of people & helping em assassinate my character,” DaBaby wrote. “Y’all might as well get a rope & help him hang my black ass on a tree.” The video, which he’d apparently previously posted to TikTok contained a caption and automated voiceover (y’all gotta stop using that feature, it sounds awful) reading, “On today’s episode of ‘Let’s Make DaBaby look like a bad person’ we have Gary Pragar a PROUD white supremacist lying to TMZ & LAPD. Not knowing that he’s caught on camera.”

I don’t know anything about what kind of a person DaBaby is, but as an editor, that caption makes my eye itch. Meanwhile, it’s probably too late for DaBaby to change most folks’ opinions; after all, his career as most of us know didn’t really get started until after he shot a man to death during an altercation at a Walmart. While the authorities agreed with his self-defense argument, his behavior since then hasn’t drastically improved. Since releasing his debut album under his current moniker (changed from Baby Jesus in late 2018), he’s been involved in no fewer than six separate incidents of assault and/or battery — most recently against his child’s mother’s brother at a bowling alley.

Then, of course, there was the incident that turned public opinion against him the most, when he made some homophobic-sounding remarks during his set at Rolling Loud Miami in July 2021. He’s since apologized and defended himself but has also lashed out at critics, making those apologies ring hollow. As a person, I think we can all understand it’s no fun to feel like the world is against you. But at this point, he certainly must recognize that if the whole world seems to be against you — you might the be problem, not the world.

And if that is Gary Prager in the video he posted, then sure, you can argue the guy had it coming. But unfortunately, there’s no law protecting the right to knock out someone’s tooth for being a bigot. Hopefully, DaBaby can figure out some better conflict resolution skills and let karma do the heavy lifting in the future.

Refs Had No Clue Who Jack Harlow Was When He Sat Courtside At An NBA Playoff Game

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The Boston Celtics had a rough opening game in their second-round NBA Playoffs series against the Milwaukee Bucks, as they struggled and lost 101-89 on their home court at TD Garden, falling to 0-1 on the series. As for who took the biggest L of the night, though, it may not have even been Jayson Tatum and company, as Jack Harlow had a humbling (and pretty funny) moment while sitting courtside.

During a break in game action, in a mic’d-up moment between referees Scott Foster and Ed Malloy (who have reffed for 27 and 19 NBA seasons, respectively), Foster turns to Malloy and asks, “Who’s Jack Harlow?” After Foster repeats the question, Malloy answered, “I have no idea.” After Foster points him out, Malloy asks who he is and Foster responds, “I don’t know,” then adding with a smile, “Go ask him.”

While Harlow is of course one of today’s most popular rappers with a recent No. 1 single in “First Class,” it makes sense he might not be on the officials’ radar: Both men are in their 50s and the National Basketball Referees Association website lists Foster’s favorite musician as Darius Rucker and Malloy’s as U2.

Check out the moment above.

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

Megan Thee Stallion Was Given The Key To Houston And Her Own Day In The City

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Megan Thee Stallion has always made sure to show appreciation for her hometown of Houston. Her love for the city appears throughout her projects like Fever, Good News, and even her most recent quickstrike effort, Something For Thee Hotties. Outside of that, she’s made sure to conduct philanthropic efforts in her hometown like her 2021 Hotties Helping Houston fundraiser which was launched after Texas was hit with a massive winter storm that resulted in power outages, boil water advisories, and no hot water for many. Keeping all of this in mind, the city of Houston decided it was time to honor Megan.

On Sunday, Houston honored Megan with the key to the city. She was graced with the honor during a ceremony with city leaders which included Mayor Sylvester Turner. In addition to receiving the key, Mayor Turner also declared that May 2 would be known as Megan Thee Stallion day in Houston. Megan was graced with the key and flowers during the ceremony, and she later took to Instagram to share her reaction to the honor.

“Came home real quick to get THEE KEY TO THEE CITY,” Megan wrote in a post. “And in honor of my mother and grandmother’s birthday MAY 2ND is officially MEGAN THEE STALLION DAY IN HOUSTON TX.” She continued, “Thank you Mayor @sylvesterturner for honoring me today and I will continue to give back to the city that made me who I am today.”

You can watch clips from the ceremony in the video above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Pusha T Finally Earns His First No. 1 Album With ‘It’s Almost Dry’

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Pusha T’s resume is filled with notable accomplishments. He’s delivered excellent projects as a solo artist and as a part of his Clipse duo with his brother Malice. The latter produced classics like Lord Willin’ and Hell Hath No Fury. As a solo act, Pusha T was often in the conversation for best rap album of the year with projects like 2013’s My Name Is My Name and he earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album in 2018 with Daytona. With that being said, there’s no doubt that Pusha is a very accomplished rapper and his list of impressive feats continues to grow thanks to his new album, It’s Almost Dry.

At long last, Pusha earned his first No. 1 album with It’s Almost Dry after it topped the Billboard 200 chart dated May 7, 2022. Pusha’s fourth solo album debuted at No. 1 with 55,000 album units sold in its first week. That number is comprised of 45,500 streaming equivalent album units and 9,000 pure album sales. With It’s Almost Dry and its 12 tracks going No. 1, it becomes the second-shortest album by track length, falling behind Stray Kids’ Oddinary and its 7 songs, to top the Billboard 200 in 2022. Additionally, it’s the first rap album with 12 or fewer tracks to go No. 1 since J. Cole’s The Off Season did so last spring.

Billboard also notes that It’s Almost Dry had the smallest week for a rap album’s debut at No. 1 since NF topped the chart in 2017 with Perception. That album sold about 100 units less than It’s Almost Dry.

Rod Wave Announces His Fourth Album ‘Beautiful Mind’ And Shares Its Release Date

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Since his breakout single, “Heart On Ice,” in 2019, Florida native Rod Wave has made sure to give his growing fan base a new project to indulge in for each year that followed. It includes 2019’s Ghetto Gospel and 2020’s Pray 4 Love with the latter peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The following year, Rod’s career reached new heights when he dropped his third album Soulfly. That body of work topped the albums chart making it clear that Rod was much closer to stardom than some may have believed.

A little over a year after Rod earned his first No. 1 album, he returns with an announcement about his upcoming fourth album. According to HipHopNMore, in a freestyle he recorded over Future’s “Wait For U” with Drake and Tems, Rod Wave revealed that his next project is titled Beautiful Mind. He also confirmed that it is set to arrive on June 3. Rod Wave also went as far as to say that the album was turned in last Monday, making it clear that the project is truly complete.

Rod Wave’s announcement comes after he dropped his “Cold December” single, which will presumably appear on Beautiful Mind. He also caused a bit of controversy with his late 2021 song “Nirvana” as many took the track to be a suicide letter, which Rod Wave emphatically denied.

You can listen to Rod Wave’s freestyle over Future’s “Wait For U” in the post above.

Beautiful Mind is out 6/3 via Alamo Records.

Lizzo Has No Idea How Beyonce Found A Baby Picture Of Her To Use For A Birthday Message

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While collaborations with Beyonce and other artists are far and few nowadays, one way that Queen Bey interacts with her peers is by celebrating their birthdays with brief messages on her website. It’s something that fans and celebrities alike look forward to when someone’s birthday comes around. The latest example of that came with Lizzo who turned 34 last week. Beyonce showed love to the singer through a message on her website, but it’s the baby picture she used that took Lizzo by surprise.

Lizzo caught wind of Beyonce’s birthday message thanks to a screenshot of it on Twitter from the Beyonce fan account @BeyLegion. “Beyoncé?!” Lizzo replied. “Where u get this pic?? I ain’t seen this since I was born [crying emoji].” With this message, it seems like Beyonce has some Nardwaur-type team equipped to get their hands on baby pictures that have yet to leave the plastic-wrapped pockets of family albums.

The funny interaction comes after Lizzo announced that her third album Special would arrive on July 15. So far, the project is led by “Rumors” with Cardi B and “About Damn Time.” She also stopped by SNL to perform “Special” and “About Damn Time.”

You can view Beyonce’s birthday message and Lizzo’s reaction in the post above.

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

Pooh Shiesty Will Reportedly Be On Supervised Release For Three Years Once He’s Released From Prison

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Pooh Shiesty, born Lontrell Donell Williams Jr., dodged a career-shattering bullet when a judge only sentence him to five years in prison earlier this month for firearms conspiracy. The sentence was handed down in connection to an October 2020 incident where Williams allegedly shot a man in the buttocks during an exchange for marijuana and sneakers. Williams was initially indicted on four firearms charges, but after he accepted a plea deal from prosecutors, his charges were reduced to a single count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of violent and drug-trafficking crimes. That reduced his possible life sentence to just a maximum of 97 months in prison, but a judge felt that 63 months was adequate for Williams.

However, Williams won’t be a completely free man once he walks out of prison in five years. According to TMZ, Williams will reportedly be on supervised release for three years once his prison term is complete and the supervision comes with a few rules. For those three years, Williams is not allowed to associate with any of his co-defendants or alleged gang members. Additionally, the rapper’s parole officer has permission to search his home from time to time. Lastly, Williams will have to enter a treatment program for drugs and alcohol.

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

Pusha T Shuts Down Rumors That He Has Beef With Eminem: ‘Em Is Somebody That I Respect’

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Pusha T is riding high off the release of his fourth solo album It’s Almost Dry. It’s a project that arrived with 12 songs and guest appearances from Jay-Z, Pharrell, Nigo, Lil Uzi Vert, Don Toliver, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Labrinth, Malice, and Clipse. It’s been projected that It’s Almost Dry will debut at No. 1 to become Pusha’s first chart-topping solo album, but we’ll have to wait for an official announcement to see if that is the case. Nonetheless, the arrival of It’s Almost Dry has also caused Pusha to be a bit more open with the public through various interviews.

Over the past couple of months, Pusha has discussed Kanye and Cudi’s beef, his own rift with Drake, and more, but in a recent sit-down, Pusha had to clear up rumors regarding him and another rapper. Many believed that Pusha and Eminem were not on good terms, but according to the former, that couldn’t be further from the case. “I saw just recently on Twitter people saying myself and Eminem,” he said during an interview on The Morning Hustle. “I’m like, bro! It was a misinterpretation of something I don’t even remember. Something I said or whatever. But you know, people decode, and they have their own thing — and I was like, ‘Nah, man!’”

He continued, “Em is somebody that I respect. He’s one of them people that I really like what he does because, after all of his success, I can still find Lyricist Lounge Eminem. That’s a goal for me, personally.”

Pusha’s comments come after he released a sinister video for “Call My Bluff.”

You can check out The Morning Hustle interview above.

It’s Almost Dry is out now via GOOD Music and Def Jam. You can stream it here.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.