Music

A Group Featuring John Legend And Keith Urban Sings ‘Imagine’ At The 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony

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The 2020 Summer Olympics are getting started today, and they began, as they always do, with a grandiose Opening Ceremony. This year, singers from around the world came together to sing the John Lennon classic “Imagine” (a song, by the way, that features the lyric, “Imagine there’s no countries / It isn’t hard to do”).

Participating in the pre-taped performance were Keith Urban (representing Oceania), John Legend (America), Coro Suginami (Asia), Angelique Kidjo (Africa), and Alejandro Sanz (Europe). During the performance, a fleet of drones was positioned in the sky to form an image of a globe of Earth. As CNN notes, a guide to the ceremony explains, “Imagination has the power to unite and to move us forward. By singing this much-loved song in relay, we will spread its powerful message all over the world.”

In an interview clip Urban shared, he said, “It’s one of those songs that feels like it’s just always been there. It’s sort of like a spiritual classic. It’s almost more of a hymn than a song, you know? What lyrics stand out to me? Just the ones between the beginning and the end [laughs]. It’s an amazing song! […] Even if you don’t speak English and you don’t know what’s being said in ‘Imagine,’ you can feel it. You can feel that song.”

Watch some clips from the performance above.

A Group Featuring John Legend And Keith Urban Sings ‘Imagine’ At The 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony

by
Getty Image

The 2020 Summer Olympics are getting started today, and they began, as they always do, with a grandiose Opening Ceremony. This year, singers from around the world came together to sing the John Lennon classic “Imagine” (a song, by the way, that features the lyric, “Imagine there’s no countries / It isn’t hard to do”).

Participating in the pre-taped performance were Keith Urban (representing Oceania), John Legend (America), Coro Suginami (Asia), Angelique Kidjo (Africa), and Alejandro Sanz (Europe). During the performance, a fleet of drones was positioned in the sky to form an image of a globe of Earth. As CNN notes, a guide to the ceremony explains, “Imagination has the power to unite and to move us forward. By singing this much-loved song in relay, we will spread its powerful message all over the world.”

In an interview clip Urban shared, he said, “It’s one of those songs that feels like it’s just always been there. It’s sort of like a spiritual classic. It’s almost more of a hymn than a song, you know? What lyrics stand out to me? Just the ones between the beginning and the end [laughs]. It’s an amazing song! […] Even if you don’t speak English and you don’t know what’s being said in ‘Imagine,’ you can feel it. You can feel that song.”

Watch some clips from the performance above.

A Group Featuring John Legend And Keith Urban Sings ‘Imagine’ At The 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony

by
Getty Image

The 2020 Summer Olympics are getting started today, and they began, as they always do, with a grandiose Opening Ceremony. This year, singers from around the world came together to sing the John Lennon classic “Imagine” (a song, by the way, that features the lyric, “Imagine there’s no countries / It isn’t hard to do”).

Participating in the pre-taped performance were Keith Urban (representing Oceania), John Legend (America), Coro Suginami (Asia), Angelique Kidjo (Africa), and Alejandro Sanz (Europe). During the performance, a fleet of drones was positioned in the sky to form an image of a globe of Earth. As CNN notes, a guide to the ceremony explains, “Imagination has the power to unite and to move us forward. By singing this much-loved song in relay, we will spread its powerful message all over the world.”

In an interview clip Urban shared, he said, “It’s one of those songs that feels like it’s just always been there. It’s sort of like a spiritual classic. It’s almost more of a hymn than a song, you know? What lyrics stand out to me? Just the ones between the beginning and the end [laughs]. It’s an amazing song! […] Even if you don’t speak English and you don’t know what’s being said in ‘Imagine,’ you can feel it. You can feel that song.”

Watch some clips from the performance above.

Isaiah Rashad Co-Signs The TikTok Favorite Rapper Doechii On The Smooth ‘Wat U Sed’

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Isaiah Rashad’s long-awaited sophomore(!) album The House Is Burning drops next Friday, July 30, and with just one week to go, the Chattanooga rapper released one more relaxed single to build anticipation. “Wat U Sed,” which he previewed over a year ago, has been completed and is set to be included on The House Is Burning featuring guest appearances from singer Kal Banx (who has made appearances on a variety of TDE related releases in the last few years) and TikTok breakout star Doechii.

With smooth, space-funk production provided by Amaire Johnson and Rory Behr, the song describes a typical night out for Zay, which seems to include plenty of women and bass in the trunk. Guest rapper Doechii, who rose to prominence on TikTok due to the popularity of her song “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” (which really is better than the title makes it seem), provides an anchor verse and feminine counterpoint to Isaiah’s boasts.

Rashad first made his comeback earlier this year with “Lay Wit Ya” featuring Duke Deuce, following up with “Headshots (4r Da Locals).” He also shared a few songs that got cut from the album, including “200/Warning.”

Listen to “Wat U Sed” above.

The House Is Burning is due 7/30 via TDE/Warner. Pre-save it here.

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

Kanye West Didn’t Release ‘Donda’ After His Listening Event And The Internet Isn’t Surprised

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In recent years, Kanye West has proven himself untrustworthy when it comes to doing things on time. He routinely misses scheduled release dates for his albums and that spirit of tardiness even carried over to his failed presidential campaign. So, when a release date for West’s upcoming album Donda was “confirmed” earlier this week for July 23 (aka today), it remained to be seen if the project would actually come out on that day.

Typically, albums are released at midnight on their release date, so it seemed like West’s huge listening event at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium (which was of course delayed by a couple hours) would be a perfect lead-in to Donda‘s debut on streaming platforms. However, both fans who stayed up for the anticipated midnight release and those who expected to wake up to Donda this morning were left disappointed but not surprised: As of this post, Donda is not available on streaming platforms.

As it became clear that Donda isn’t out yet, the album title became a trending topic on Twitter as fans shared memes. These posts expressed disappointment, sadness, and bemusement as fans kicked themselves for not expecting a delay.

There are still plenty of hours left in this July 23, though, so Donda could still make its announced release date. As the world waits to see if that actually happens, check out some of the reactions to the album’s delay below.

Logic Commits To Being There For A Loved One On The Supportive ‘Call Me’

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Just like many rappers who claimed they were retiring from the game have done, Logic reemerged from his cave to step up to the mic and share new music with fans shortly after his declaration. His return came less than a year after the release of his sixth album, No Pressure, a project he used to momentarily conclude his career. Now, the Maryland rapper is back in action, and he adds on to his recent string of releases with his latest effort, “Call Me.”

The track is a laid-back effort that’s conceptually similar to his highest-charting single, “1-800-273-8255,” as it finds him providing a hand of support to those around him who might be in need of it. “You know you can call me / When nobody picking up,” he raps over the song’s mellow production. “When it feel like don’t nobody in the world give a f*ck / Call me / I’ll be there to pick you up.”

“Call Me” is the third single that Logic revealed that his next project, Bobby Tarantino III, is on the way. The first was “Vaccine,” which he recently shared a music video for, and the second was “My Way.” Aside from Bobby Tarantino III, Logic is also promoting a joint project with Madlib as he’s shared a collection of singles that include “Raddest Dad” and “Mafia Music.”

Listen to “Call Me” above.

Gunna And Polo G Bring Their Surfboards To Ride The ‘Waves’ On Their New Track

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In today’s generation of rap, Gunna and Polo G stand as two of the most popular names within the genre. The success they portrayed over the last couple of years is direct proof of this, in addition to the work from early in their careers. So it’s no surprise that Kawhi Leonard recruited them both to appear on his upcoming compilation project titled Culture Jam. The duo’s song, titled “Waves,” leans more into Gunna’s lane as it features production the YSL rapper might use for his own work, but nothing too out of the box for Polo G as he flows smoothly on the new track.

Leonard shared additional details about the project back in May. “Culture Jam will always be a platform where creators’ ideas and talents come to life and serve our families and communities,” he said in a statement. “As an athlete that loves family, music, culture, and community, it was extremely important for me to build a space where all these elements thrive. Culture Jam’s significance is not only timely but it is also necessary.” The first single from the project was NBA YoungBoy and Rod Wave’s “Everything Different.”

The new track is also not the first time the the two rapper’s have worked together. Back in 2019, Gunna and Lil Baby teamed up to join Polo G for “Pop Out Again,” a song of the Chicago rapper’s debut album, Die A Legend.

Press play on Gunna and Polo G’s latest collaboration in the video above.

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

Drake Is Strictly About Business With Smiley On The Heavy-Muscled ‘Over The Top’

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The music world is just a couple of weeks away from what would be eight months since Drake was originally supposed to release his sixth album, Certified Lover Boy. The project was announced last summer and slated for a January 2021 release but it was later pushed back to a new date that the rapper has not shared yet. In the meantime, Drake has delivered a good amount of tracks, both being solo efforts and guest verses, that have made the wait for the album a bit easier for his faithful supporters. The latest example of this comes through a brand new track with Toronto rapper Smiley.

The effort is titled “Over The Top,” and on it, Drake keeps it strictly business with his Toronto counterpart. Lines like “I got too much on the line, too much on my mind, too much ain’t enough for my plans” and “I know I came with the slide from left to right / But now I don’t wanna dance,” a reference to his viral 2020 track “Toosie Slide,” highlight Drake’s tunnel vision.

“Over The Top” comes after Drake connected with Brent Faiyaz for “Wasting Time,” their first-ever collaboration. Prior to that, he worked with Migos on “Havin My Way,” from their fourth album Culture III. As for those who are still waiting on an update about Certified Lover Boy, Drake recently revealed what stage he’s in with the project. “You know Uncle Drake’s on his way back home to mix the album,” he said on a recent OVO Sound radio appearance, adding that there’s “a bunch of new tracks coming.”

You can listen to the new track in the video above.

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

Kiana Lede And Kehlani Struggle With The Consequences Of Cheating On ‘Ur Best Friend’

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Plenty of R&B acts came out to impress last year with their respective projects despite the pandemic making it anything but a normal year. Two artists who did this are Kiana Lede and Kehlani. The former shared her debut album, KIKI, while the latter delivered her sophomore effort, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, which both stood out for their own reasons. More than a year removed from the releases, Kiana and Kehlani bring their talents together for their new single titled “Ur Best Friend.”

Both singers find themselves deep in thought after cheating on their current respective partners. Kiana nor Kehlani don’t necessarily feel guilty about the act of infidelity, in fact, after returning to their original partners, they both long for another moment with their cheating counterparts. “Almost called your name when he was in it,” Kiana admits while Kehlani sings, “And he’s almost perfect / And that’s why it hurts.”

The new collaboration comes after a quiet 12 months that followed since Kiana dropped her KIKI album. Her releases after the project were mainly guest features, those being “This Day” with Usher, “A Little More” with G-Eazy, and a remix of They.’s “Count Me In.” She also veered into the political lane with her summer 2020 track, “Dear Mr. President.”

As for Kehlani, she recently joined T-Pain in a video for their “I Like Dat” collaboration while working with other names like Amorphous and Pink Sweats for their respective “Back Together” and “At My Worst” efforts.

You can listen to the duo’s new single in the video above.

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

Lil Nas X Twerks Nude In Jail And Brings The Chaos In His ‘Industry Baby’ Video With Jack Harlow

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Lil Nas X should release his official debut album Montero at any point now, but in the meantime, the singer has graced the world with enough singles to make the wait bearable for now. There was of course the album’s lead single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” which set the internet ablaze thanks to its music video, Satan Shoes, and the strong opinions some had to it all. Next came “Sun Goes Down,” a much more relaxed release that dove a bit into Lil Nas’ life, and now, the singer returns with “Industry Baby,” a track that features a guest appearance from Jack Harlow.

The new track is a boastful one that’s carried by production filled with trumpets and a hard-hitting bass supplied by Lil Nas’ frequent collaborator Take A Daytrip as well as Kanye West. Jack Harlow arrives with a verse of his own to bring the song to an end boastful bars centered on his fame and success and how some have a hard time seeing him thrive in it all. Its accompanying video sees Lil Nas staying true to himself with scenes of twerking nude in jail while he raises a bit of hell with help from Jack Harlow.

Lil Nas shared the new song days after announcing the track with a video that parodies his impending Nike lawsuit trail. The singer himself played the judge, prosecutor, defendant, and a member of the juror in the effort that proved he isn’t too worried about the result of the real-life trial.

Press play on the new track in the video above.

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