Kendrick Lamar has been stepping out a bit more as of late and it comes after he said his fifth album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is finally on the way. The public appearances for the typically-secluded rapper began earlier this year when he joined Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and more to perform at the Super bowl LVI Halftime Show. More recently, Lamar was spotted at a Los Angeles Dodgers game against the Atlanta Braves earlier this week casually sitting with fellow fans in right-field rather than in a press box. For his next act, Kendrick brought his talents to the second weekend of Coachella’s 2022 Festival.
On Friday night, Kendrick made a surprise appearance at Coachella by joining Baby Keem to perform “Family Ties” and “Vent,” both of which are from Keem’s 2021 debut album The Melodic Blue. The latter track also became Keem’s first and Kendrick’s 14th Grammy Award after it won in the Best Rap Performance category earlier this month. During their Coachella set, Baby Keem performed the first half of “Family Ties” before he welcomed Kendrick to perform his verse in front of a large video screen that displayed fire and water. Kendrick’s surprise appearance concluded with their first-ever performance of “Vent.”
Kendrick’s Coachella appearance comes after he confirmed his fifth album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers would arrive on May 13. It’s one of this year’s most highly-anticipated projects as it’s the rapper’s first album since 2017’s DAMN.
You can view some fan-captured videos of Kendrick’s performance in the videos
At this week’s Latin American Music Awards, Karol G was the big winner of the night. The Colombian urbano pop singer took home six awards, including Artist Of The Year and Album Of The Year, for the vibey and celebratory KG0516. The “El Makinon” singer was also on stage at Coachella last weekend, highlighting a slate of female Latinx artists like Anitta, Nicki Nicole, and Nathy Peluso, who left an indelible marked on the 2022 festival.
Now Karol G has just dropped her first single of the year in the sun-soaked “Provenza,” and it’s an escapist song that gives rise to joyous feelings of wanderlust and passion. In fact, the video directed by Pedro Artola was captured in the exotic, volcanic landscape of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. Over a rhythmic, breezy beat with idyllic effects by producer Ovy On The Drums, Karol sings: “No se si te convenza, nos damo un rocesito por provenza. Y si la cosa se pone tensa en mi cama, es la recompensa. O viseversa. Porque lo piensas?” (“I don’t know if you’re convinced? We can give ourselves a touch of province. And if things get tense, there’s a reward in my bed. Or vice versa. What do you think?”)
There’s a lot of star power on one song and then there’s this. 4-time Grammy-winning R&B maestro PJ Morton has a new album coming out on April 29th, entitled Watch The Sun and he’s just enlisted two unquestionable legends for his latest single. On “Be Like Water,” both Nas and Stevie Wonder connect with Morton on a song that’s about going with the flow of life’s curveballs and remain adaptable.
It’s a joy to hear Morton and Wonder harmonizing as they sing, “Be like water, let it flow. Be like water, just let go,” over cinematic strings. Then Nas drops in for a verse on a song that shifts from R&B to hip-hop with orchestral instrumentation and, yes, Wonder on the harmonica.
“‘Be Like Water’ was definitely a phrase I had heard before,” Morton said in a statement. “Bruce Lee made it famous of course, but it didn’t fully connect with me until we were all shut down and I had to pivot in my life like we all had to. After I finished writing it I could only hear Nas’ voice on it. For him to actually get on it blew my mind. Then when Stevie Wonder agreed to be on it and to learn that Nas had always wanted to work with Stevie, it was beyond my wildest dreams!”
Listen to “Be Like Water” above.
PJ Morton’s Watch The Sun is out 4/29 via Morton Records.
Food-lovers heading to weekend two of the Coachella Valley Art and Music Festival this weekend are about to bask in a smorgasbord of flavors from the country’s most famed restaurants, caterers, and chefs. In some ways, the event — which has long been a food haven — set a new bar this year, with more international flavors, more than double the vegan options, and more glam dining than festival-goers have ever seen.
Lobster rolls, fresh-caught sushi, tender steaks, and Korean BBQ are just a few of the culinary delights being served to festival-goers this year. From full family-style dining with multi-course meals to extravagant oyster dinners with fresh caviar, a little extra cash at Coachella can take a casual meal to a whole new level. Even the potato chip brand, Lay’s, got in on the action in a “4D” flavor experience with hip-hop beats made from the recorded crunch of potato chips.
If you’re headed to Coachella for weekend two (or willing to live with some serious FOMO), feast your eyes on a whole lot of feasting, below!
We are now just a couple weeks away from the release of Warpaint’s anticipated new album, Radiate Like This, which will be their first LP in six years. Today, the band offers an advance look at the album with another single, “Hips.”
The song is, as many Warpaint songs are, carried by an infectious groove, atop which eerie vocals and instrumentation lay. The band’s Emily Kokal compares the song to “gyrations of the birth of a new world.”
Theresa “TT” Wayman also previously said of the new album, “We got really lucky because the foundation of what we’ve recorded was recorded together. It would feel really disjointed if we had to write it from scratch from afar. It’s actually been amazing that we’ve been separate and had time to record the top layers and we can get even more considered with them. It’s really helping us that there are no time pressures and money constraints. […] I’ve been thinking a lot about lyrics and so I’ve been thinking about [Bob] Dylan a lot and how he strings a story together. He finds these perfect ways to say something that is so normal, it’s something that everyone experiences, but he unlocks this great metaphor for it.”
Listen to “Hips” above. The band also recently announced 2022 tour dates, so find those here.
Radiate Like This is out 5/6 via Virgin. Pre-order it here.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Blxst is approaching his career the right way. After earning attention for himself in his hometown of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, the West Coast crooner stepped out on his own for the first time with his 2020 debut project No Love Lost. The eight-song effort, which was later extended to 13 thanks to a deluxe reissue, was the perfect curtain-opening moment he needed to make himself a name recognized across the country. Blxst secured that the following year when he was enlisted as a member of the 2021 XXL Freshman Class.
That same year, Blxst reconnected with his frequent collaborator Bino Rideaux for a sequel to their 2019 EP. Both Blxst and Bino had seen their careers grow exponentially since 2019’s Sixtape so it was only right that they used their brighter spotlight for Sixtape 2. A common theme in Blxst’s career is taking advantage of strong moments to boost his own stock, and after collaborations with Nas, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Buddy, YG, Mozzy, and more, he’s back with a new body of work now that a new set of eyes are on him.
Fresh off the release of his 13-track project Before You Go, we caught up with Blxst to discuss the project, his growth, and more.
After the success of No Love Lost, when did you realize it was time to go back to the drawing board for a new body of work?
I think it was slowly but surely. I was traveling a lot last year so I know it was that time, but I was trying to find that balance between being on the road and still being creative, which was a challenge but we knocked it out. We managed to make it happen.
What were some of the things that helped you find this balance and successfully work on this project as you were on the road?
Everything bro. Managing time away from the family, self-care, even all the way down to working with a personal trainer and making sure physical was right. It was finding a balance for me, that’s pretty much where I was at with it. I feel like that kind of bled into my music, my different experiences, that’s what Before You Go was compiled of.
You’re in a much different spot than you were before No Love Lost. You’ve worked with a lot of new names like Nas, Snoop Dogg, Kehlani, Rick Ross, and more. Has your established position made things easier for you? And how do you keep that initial hustle alive?
It’s crazy. I feel like I’ve built a crazy momentum and I’m just capitalizing on it right now especially following up with another body of work. No Love Lost was my first body of work and this one is my first full-length body of work, so I’m excited to see the responses from that, especially coming off a crazy feature run, like you said, with Nas, Snoop Dogg, Kehlani, Rick Ross, it’s been crazy.
Before You Go seems to have that “no hard feelings” attitude that No Love Lost has. In your opinion, in what ways are the projects similar, and what sets them apart?
Yeah, I think this one is an elevated version of No Love Lost. Like you said, it was no hard feelings, but for this one, it’s more unapologetic. This is me, love me or hate me, but before you go, this is the message I gotta tell you. Whether you want to come on this journey with me or not, that’s your choice. For my fans, to my relationships, to everything: before you go, this is what I gotta tell you.
Before we dive into the project, I like how you and Bino took a moment during the rises in your respective careers to lace another project with Sixtape 2. How has y’all relationship improved since the first Sixtape with all that’s happened in your careers?
Man, it’s crazy just to see the trajectory of where we both started to where we are now. Just off the collaborations from Sixtape alone, I feel like that was my door for people knowing who I am individually. I think I just made sure I was well-rounded. I didn’t want to be stuck as a producer as well, so I made it an intention to go hard as a solo artist. Respect to Bino as well for giving me that platform. I think it’s a mutual respect overall.
What was your muse or influences for Before You Go?
I think just my day-to-day experiences: traveling, managing family time, personal time, and self-care. That’s pretty much what I pulled my inspiration from, those challenges, those hurdles I was facing, and facing that transition of also becoming an executive outside of just being an artist. Looking at success from a different perspective. I think I had a mind shift over this past year from the success of No Love Lost. You’ll hear that in the music, you’ll hear the growth for sure.
I want to talk about the music on the project, starting with some of the features. How was it to work with Arin Ray on “Fake Love”? It’s been a while since I’ve heard from him and it’s great to see that y’all connected for one.
I’ve been listening to Arin Ray for a minute. That Platinum Fire album he dropped, that’s my go-to when I’m on the airplane. This was before I was even Blxst, so double back and be able to work with him, I think that was a full-circle moment for me.
A couple of songs later we have “Couldn’t Wait For It,” your second record with Rick Ross. How validating it is for you to have a star like Ross who wants to work with you more than once, in addition to the other big names you’ve collaborated with?
That’s legendary, I can’t make this sh*t up. It don’t get no more co-sign or stamp than that, that’s the biggest. That’s inspiration, especially as I’m aspiring to be an entrepreneur like he is as well, outside of being an artist, I think that was a dope realization for me that he f*ck with me in that light.
“Still Omw” is one of my favorite records because it’s the epitome of “the job’s not done yet” in terms of what you want for your career. With that, what is peak success for you and when would you feel like you’ve completed your job as an artist and creative overall?
Man, I think ultimately, I feel like I’m still fresh to everything. I got a foot in the door, but at this point, I gotta show my consistency. Also, I got to make it a point to make sure everybody else around me is equally or more successful than I am, whether that be putting other artists on from my city. It’s a lot more to do and I feel like it’s a long way to go, but I feel like I’m on the right track.
What song on this project do you feel speaks the most to where you’re at in your career?
I think you hit it right on the nail with “Still Omw.” It speaks on where I started, what I’m doing right now, and my aspirations for where I want to be. I want to be that executive in the next five years where I could sit back and not be so obligated to do things outside of just being a creative in general. That’s what I’m leaning towards, but that song is close to my heart for sure.
After listening to this album, it’s safe to say that Blxst has still not made one bad song yet, how often does that saying come into mind when you create?
I ain’t gonna lie, saying that was like a gift and a curse because now it’s like people are waiting for me f*ck up you know? I like to challenge myself and hold myself up to a standard where I can always be the best version of myself. So yeah, that line always comes to mind whenever I’m making something cause I’m like damn now I can’t f*ck up (laughs).
With this project, want do you want people to keep in mind as they listen?
I just want them to grow with me. This is the journey, I’m learning as I go, but I’m still not stopping the creative process as far as people knowing what’s going on in my day to day or what I’ve been experiencing. A lot of times, I be second-guessing myself still, but I want people to see that I’m human as well. It’s cool to second guess yourself as long as you face your fears. It’s cool to be scared, but you still gotta face your fears.
Before You Go is out now via Red Bull Records and Evgle. You can stream it here.
Yesterday was a big hip-hop day on The Tonight Show, specifically for rappers with a standalone T in their names: Ice T was on the show to chat and make his pick for the best rap album of all time, and elsewhere during the episode, Pusha T came through for a performance of “Dreamin Of The Past.” The song comes from It’s Almost Dry, Pusha’s new album he released today.
For his performance, Pusha was backed by some of The Roots (who make The Tonight Show a big hip-hop day any day). The album version of the track features Kanye West, who wasn’t present for the performance. His song-closing verse was replaced with a repetition of the song’s hook.
After the song concluded, Pusha took a second to say, “It’s Almost Dry, out now. Rap album of the year.”
In a recent interview with Charlamagne Tha God, Pusha revealed Kanye, who produced the track, originally wanted the beat for himself, saying, “That record happened… I begged for the record. I begged for the beat. That happens a lot. […] It was one of those ones, I just kept going back to him. I was like, ‘Listen, man: I need this. I need this record.’ I was like, ‘You know what? You should be on the record. You should be on the record, too.’”
Watch Pusha perform “Dreamin Of The Past” on Fallon above.
Everybody has opinions about who the best rappers, albums, songs, etc. in the history of hip-hop are. Rappers weigh in on the subject not infrequently and last night, Ice T made his contribution to the conversation on The Tonight Show.
During a segment called “Ice T Settles It,” Jimmy Fallon asked Ice a series of rapid-fire questions and eventually, he tasked Ice with making his pick for the greatest rap album of all time. He seemed intrigued by the question, giving an “ooh” after he asked. Ice didn’t take long to give his answer, though, replying after only a short delay, “I’ll say Paid In Full by Eric B. & Rakim.” Fallon asked Ice to elaborate and he continued, “‘Cause that was the most influential album to me when I was making my album.”
He also offered his No. 2 and 3 albums, and like Paid In Full, they’re also from the late ’80s and early ’90s, when his own music career was at its peak. He continued, “I’ll say Fear Of A Black Planet [by] Public Enemy would be a close second, and then Straight Out Of Compton, NWA, would be top-3. But each one of those albums had a lot to do with influencing me as an MC. But when I heard Rakim, I had never heard nobody rap like that. And it was so many hits on that album. Get Paid In Full and you’ll bang it all the way to the house.”
When Jeff Bell and Nic Adler came up with their initial concept for a tropical speakeasy at Coachella, they knew it would be fun. They probably never expected it to become one of the most talked-about attractions at the festival for four years running.
Bell and Adler first combined superpowers at Panorama Festival in New York, where they’d created a speakeasy bar much like the East Village’s legendary hole-in-the-wall, PDT Tropicale, which Bell runs in New York City. As Goldenvoice’s director of food and beverage, Adler enhanced the experience by bringing in props, décor, and more visual elements. Most of all, he ensured the place would provide a reprieve from the famously intense Coachella sun. As word got out about the atmosphere and their signature chilled cocktails, the buzz surrounding the pop-up kept spreading.
Justin Bishop
“We didn’t want to make it exclusive, to where people could read about it but not be able to get in. We wanted it to be something where everybody could go,” Bell explains.
Yet the key to a true “speakeasy” and the oasis’ charm, according to Bell, was keeping it a secret. Or, at least, not advertising it. As a result, no information was published about it on the Coachella website, email newsletter, or in the guide. In other words, the only way to know about it was through word of mouth.
“What’ll happen every year of the festival is, the first Friday is kind of slow, which is fine for us,” Says Bell. “By day two, people start finding it. Then the Goldenvoice executives come by, and some of the super VIPs and artists they know find out about it so they’ll come by. Then those people tell people and those people tell people. By day three, it’s crazy. The second weekend is bonkers.”
Those who’ve found the tropical speakeasy in the past will be surprised to find it in a new location this year. It’s still hidden in plain sight, but this year it’ll be placed near the Palapa check-in, sandwiched between the Mojave and Gobi stages. Those who visit it early will beat the crowds that will inevitably form later in the weekend.
Justin Bishop
They’ll also be the first to try drinks like the Tropitonic, a daytime refresher with guava, tonic and citrus. For those who want to drink but not get drunk, Life’s a Garden is a swanky non-alcoholic drink akin to a gin and tonic. For an afternoon kick, there’s the Peptalk, which is like a savory Paloma but with red bell peppers. This year, Bell is also unveiling a drink called The Greenlight, packing Absolut Vodka, fresh pressed grapes, apple juice, and mint. And that’s just a few of the drinks on the menu.
“We make great drinks, but it’s the whole experience that puts the excitement on peoples faces when they walk in,” says Bell. “It’s just like PDT in New York: we want to be one of the things people talk about when they leave. If we can be something that people remember, like when people come to Coachella to see Billie Eilish, or some big mega star, we want them to be able to say the music was great and this food thing was great – oh yeah, and we found this secret bar!”
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