Nicki Minaj tells Coi Leray these girls have it easy, they don’t receive half the amount of hate they think or say they have pic.twitter.com/XFpbLvPxgn
“Can you girls stop talking about hate?” Nicki said during a recent Instagram Live conversation with Coi. “Y’all have never experienced hate the way I have experienced. What y’all have experienced is nothing. Y’all have just experienced some of the growing pains of artistry and of social media. Y’all be thinking y’all have experienced hate and trust me, you ain’t experienced it yet. A lot of y’all have gotten, not coddled, people have been nice. People have been gentle with y’all.”
Now that she’s back to releasing new music in 2022, though, Nicki might be feeling the heat of the current era herself. We’ll see if she decides now is tougher than the early 2000s were or not after the next album drops.
After finding success as songwriters, Capella Grey and Nija are both shining as artists. Grey had a breakout year in 2021 with his “Gyalis” single while Nija just released her debut project Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You. They both have yet to reach their full potential, but on their journey towards doing so, Grey and Nija bring their talents together for their new single, “Confujawn.”
The track, which is a play on the word “confusion,” is about a couple who can’t seem to get on the same page about each other. Whether it be hiding their true feelings or entertaining other people, Grey and Nija both express that things between them need to be crystal clear and exclusive for a relationship to work. The duo also released a music video to accompany their new single. In it, Grey is at a party with friends and a woman when he sees Nija appear with a man. After eyeing each other spitefully for the first half of the video, the pair puts their pride aside and reconnects in the middle of the dancefloor to resume their romantic endeavors.
The new visual arrives after Grey concluded 2021 with his “Talk Nice,” a record that proved to be a strong follow-up to “Gyalis.” As for Nija’s Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You project, it’s a strong effort that checks in at ten songs without a guest feature.
For her latest move in 2022, Coi Leray called one of rap’s most popular acts to stand beside her for a new song. She and Nicki Minaj joined forces for their “Blick Blick” track and it came complete with a new video. The colorful visual displayed the two rappers armed with some heavy artillery as they laid off rap that fired shots at their competition. The track could line up to be the biggest release of Leray’s career and it’s one she deserves as she’s spent the last few years working her way up to having one of today’s most promising rap careers.
I did all that Dancing on a fracture knee, I gotta get a minor surgery on it but I do physical therapy to maintain it for now. I wanted to go 10x harder with the choreo but it looks so good for a fractured patella
In a tweet that reflected on the release of “Blick Blick,” Leray shared a surprising tidbit about the song’s video. “I did all that Dancing on a fracture knee,” she wrote in the post. “I gotta get a minor surgery on it but I do physical therapy to maintain it for now. I wanted to go 10x harder with the choreo but it looks so good for a fractured patella.”
To celebrate the new single and her first-ever collaboration with Minaj, Leray got a tattoo of a pink Barbie doll head — which is in reference to Minaj’s Barbz fanbase — and the date “3.18.22.” ” I wish that I can have this moment for life,” Leray wrote on Instagram. “This moment is stuck with me 4EVER !”
You can view Leray’s tweet about her injury in the post above.
Baby Tate has been off to a great start so far in 2022. She kicked things off with a strong but short guest verse on JID’s “Surround Sound” with 21 Savage. Her verse was appreciated so much that fans begged her to release the full version of the song. She eventually shared the full verse with a video of her twerking and having a blast in front of the mirror. She followed that up with “What’s Love” and “S.L.O. (Slut Him Out)” which dropped off last month. For her latest offering, Baby Tate gets into her singing bag to remix a 2021 song.
Four months after the song was released, singer-songwriter Landstrip Chip invites Baby Tate to remix “Wrong Way.” The song details the final moments of a relationship where the respective parties realize that it’s time to move their separate ways. With that being said, they both acknowledge that returning to each other’s arms is the “wrong way” to move within their dwindling relationship.
The song was originally released on Landstrip Chip’s 2021 project Catch My Good Side. It presents nine songs with features from Seddy Hendrix, Latto, and Vory.
You can listen to the remix of “Wrong Way” in the video above.
Baby Tate is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Catch My Good Side is out now via Asylum Records. You can stream it here.
On Friday, we moved one step closer towards receiving Normani’sdebut album thanks to the release of its second single, “Fair.” The track is a much calmer release compared to the project’s presumed lead single, “Wild Side” with Cardi B. “Fair” captures Normani’s struggles to move on from the end of a past relationship with heartful lyrics that highlight her difficulties. “Is it fair that you moved on? / ‘Cause I swear that I haven’t,” she sings on the song before adding, “Hearts didn’t break down the middlе / Tell me how did that happen?” Shortly after the song’s release, Normani brought her talents to late-night TV for a new performance.
Normani stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a tender performance of “Fair.” She appeared in a delicate white dress and stood in front of a silky blue backdrop that helped to boost the emotional aspect of the performance. Additionally, Normani was impressive with her vocals from start to finish.
Prior to releasing “Fair,” Normani explained the inspiration behind the new song. “This song really captures me in one of my most vulnerable moments,” she said. “Sharing this record makes me uncomfortable because you have never really seen me in this light. Definitely aware that you might feel like you don’t know much about me but that’s only because it’s what makes me feel protected.”
You can watch Normani perform “Fair” in the video above.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Next week, Latto will release her sophomore album, 777., the anticipated follow-up to her debut album Queen Of Da Souf. She’s already released the successful track “Big Energy” and the recently-released “Wheelie” with 21 Savage. While the album is due March 25, Latto has yet to reveal its tracklist. That hasn’t stopped her from revealing something shocking about one of the male artists who appears on it.
Latto said there is a male feature on her album & he gave her a hard time clearing the track because she wouldn’t sleep with him. pic.twitter.com/r6fQLVoQN4
“I’m clearing my album right now and it’s been difficult to deal with these men,” she said during a recent interview on Big Boy’s Neighborhood. “They don’t know how to keep it business.” She later added, “It’s a feature on my album… it was difficult to clear. They tryna drop they nuts on me because I won’t respond to a DM.” The hosts were shocked by Latto’s claim and they did their best to try and find out who the man in question was. She revealed that the man is an artist before explaining why she kept the song on the album.
“Yeah, just because I love the song so much and I had to turn it in yesterday, so I didn’t really have a choice. So, I was backed into a corner like bullied, but I wish more females would speak up and stuff. I know the label and stuff, they say, ‘Don’t do that, [that’s] bad business,’ but man these folks be trying to drop nuts on female rappers, like I’m not gonna shut up about it.” She added, “We tolerate too much. We think, ‘Oh well, that just comes with the game being a female rapper.’ No, it shouldn’t though.”
Latto admitted that the man in question is someone she respects. “It meant something to me for sure, like I was definitely rubbed the wrong way,” Latto admitted. “But I love the song so much and I didn’t want to not put it on my album, so I’m like I don’t have no choice and I didn’t have time to record a second verse.”
Big Boy asked if 21 Savage, who appears on “Wheelie,” was the individual she was talking about, but she said it was not him. We’ll just have to wait until the tracklist arrives to have a better guess at who it is.
You can watch a clip from Latto’s Big Boy’s Neighborhood interview above and watch the full sit-down here.
Earlier this week, Kanye West was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours due to consistent behavior that went against the platform’s rules. This includes constant attacks against Pete Davidson, who’s dating his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, threats against comedian D.L. Hughley, and racist slurs directed at The Daily Show host Trevor Noah. It was these slurs that proved to be the final straw leading to Instagram’s decision to suspend the rapper for a day. It turns out that Kanye’s comments against Trevor may have affected more than just his Instagram presence, it also allegedly got him removed as a performer for the upcoming Grammy Awards.
The what The Game says at least in a recent Instagram post he shared. “Time & time again they show us that they only want to STEAL the culture, not allow you to ever be their equals,” he wrote under the post. “In a more than obvious move for reasons of minuscule actions…. The Grammys have at the last minute decided to pull @kanyewest from performing on the show as if we didn’t know it was coming.”
He added, “Could be because @trevornoah is hosting and there was a conversation held amongst his team & the academy that led to the decision or because Ye’s account was suspended just days ago for reasons unknown especially in a world where all the negativities of the world can be found on the same app with no repercussions or suspensions. We’ll just say it’s all of the above & a continuous disrespect for us & all that we have brought to the table in entertainment, media & sports over the last 100 years especially.”
The Game went on to say that he will always support Kanye’s decision to speak his mind as The Game himself is someone who “can’t sleep at night knowing I was quiet about issues burning holes in my heart.” In the lengthy post, The Game also mentioned Colin Kaepernick’s inability to play in the NFL, lynching just becoming a federal hate crime, and recent legislation that was passed that made it illegal to discriminate someone from employment because of their hairstyle.
Lil Nas X proved he wasn’t just a one-hit-wonder long ago — multiple times, no less — but he still seemed pretty amped to learn that one of his Montero singles finally surpassed his breakout hit on DSPs. Now that he’s returned to Twitter, he had the perfect joke for the occasion, too. “Just found out call me by your name passed old town road in streams,” he announced. “We beat the horse boy allegations.”
just found out call me by your name passed old town road in streams. we beat the horse boy allegations. pic.twitter.com/NxsMP7kbZ3
He’s joking — sort of, and also always — but there was a time the TikTok-trend sparking “Old Town Road” was Nas’ signature hit. He performed in full cowboy regalia for nearly a solid year and even admits that by the end of the song’s monstrous, historical run, he was growing a little tired of it. And while he was able to produce bangers like “Panini,” “Rodeo,” and “Holiday” in the aftermath of “OTR’s” dominance, it almost looked like he would be known solely by his first hit.
Then “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” dropped as the first single to his debut album Montero, and rather than being the horse boy, he’d become the devil man, with the video for his second No. 1 hit setting off seismic waves of speculation and disconcerted, sputtering backlash from conservative commentators. That would have been enough to wipe away the “one-hit-wonder” tag, but then he dropped “Industry Baby” to garner his third No. 1, just for good measure.
Princess Nokia is already a marquee hip-hop act but now the Harlem rapper is signed to a major label and slated to take on a range of summer festivals worldwide. Her pointed style on the mic remains unchanged, though, and if there was any doubt, “No Effort” claps back at any doubters left in the dust.
“Look at me, so clean, no effort, ponytail, ripped jeans, no effort. Face clean, gold ring, no effort, insane, my chain, big pressure,” she raps over a throwback beat. She cruises through a cold and sunny NYC day in the new clip, flashing her dance moves in the process. She’s always had the juice, no doubt, but how many rappers do you know that can pull off opening for Haim at MSG? Princess Nokia will be doing that on May 17 and then some from there.
Watch the video for “No Effort” above and check out Princess Nokia’s summer tour stops below.
04/15 & 22 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2022
05/17 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
05/21 — Saint Therese, QC @ Santa Theresa Festival
05/28 – Louisville, KY @ The Forecastle Music Festival 2022
05/29 — Dallas, TX @ So What?! Festival
06/10 — Warsaw, PL @ Girl You Go! Festival
06/11 — Vienna, AT @ Arena Festival —
06/13 — Athens, GR @ Plissken Festival
06/15 – Bergen, NO @ Bergenfest
06/16 – Barcelona, ES @ Sonar Festival –
06/22 — 26 — Calgary, CA @ Sled Island
06/26 — Seattle, WA @ Seattle Pride —
07/10 – Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival
07/14 – Ostrava, CZ @ Colours Of Ostrava
07/16 – Dour, BE @ Dour Festival
07/17 – Paris, FR @ Lollapalooza Paris
07/19 — Istanbul, TR @ KüçükÇiftlik Park
08/07 — Cluj, RO @ Untold Festival
08/10 – Oslo, NO @ Øyafestivalen
08/11 – Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West
08/13 – Helsinki, FI @ Flow Festival
08/15 — Budapest, HU @ Sziget Festiva
08/17 — Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh International Fest
08/20 – Paredes De Coura, PT @ Paredes de Coura Festival
08/26 — Oberhausen, DE @ Hype Festival
09/23 — Dover, DE @ Firefly Festival
Before she was a brand magnet, hitmaking rapper, Saweetie was a multi-sport athlete, competing in track, volleyball, and flag football and earning the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section’s Female Athlete Of The Year honor in 2011. Now that she has hits like “Tap In,” “Back To The Streets,” “Best Friend,” and “Closer” under her belt, it makes sense that she’d add an athletic brand to her growing list of high-profile partnerships, which already includes impressive names like Amazon, Crocs, MAC Cosmetics, McDonald’s, Netflix, and Quay.
While the world of athleisure is expansive and growing by the day, Saweetie prefers the classics. She’s locked in a role with Champion as the brand’s new Global Corporate Consultant and contributes one of her many catchy, fan-favorite singles, “Get It Girl,” to Champion’s ad campaign of the same name. As part of the campaign, Champion will also support its 12 featured female athletes with mentorship in areas such as marketing and media to ensure they have career opportunities beyond the court and field.
Saweetie was gracious enough to grant an interview with Uproxx via Zoom to discuss the Champion deal, her favorite pieces from Champion’s related sportswear line, and her upcoming album, Pretty Bitch Music.
What drew you to Champion as the partnership for this women’s athletics partnership?
I honestly think that it’s just in alignment with my life. I grew up playing sports. I played track, volleyball, basketball, powderpuff. I played a plethora of sports, and I’ve always worn Champion during my workouts, pre-games, et cetera, et cetera. The fact that I am the new partner and global consultant, it’s just really, really a dream come true. The fact that I’m endorsing these female college athletes, who were once in the position I was in, it’s just amazing.
What’s your favorite piece from the collection?
My favorite piece is the tights. It feels I’m not wearing anything. It’s so soft. It just feels like skin. There are leggings where they feel good, but these ones feel so good, you could probably fall asleep in them.
As far as women’s athletics go, are you paying any attention at all to the NCAA Basketball tournament’s women’s side? Do you have any picks? Have you filled out your bracket?
Please fill me in, because while they playing on the court, I’m playing in the studio. I’ve been focused on Pretty BitchMusic, but please enlighten me. Who’s your pick?
You caught me. I’ve been pretty busy writing about new music too.
I guess we both got to do our research.
Absolutely, because now I’m embarrassed. You turned it around on me. Speaking of Pretty Bitch Music, I know a lot of people have been waiting for a very long time for it. You’ve been tweaking things. What would you say has been the biggest challenge in getting it out the door, and the most fun part about holding on to it and making sure that it’s been tweaked to perfection?
I think the best thing about this music is as I begin to learn myself, as a woman, there are more things that I’d like to discuss and talk about. I’m happy that it didn’t come out when it was supposed to come out, two years ago, because I’ve definitely grown spiritually, mentally in a lot of areas in my life. I actually discovered meditation last year, and through being silent, I realize what my purpose was. I need to make sure that I get this message across in my music.
Are there any surprises that would really blow anybody’s mind that you can share or let us know about ahead of time, because it’s Uproxx, and you love us?
If I tell you, it’s not going to be a surprise anymore.
Is the Tagalog song still on there?
It’s not a Tagalog song. I am speaking Tagalog, but it’s definitely on the “keep” list — hopefully, it stays there.
Maybe you brought back one of the old car verses for us? Because I love those car verses. They were so good.
Thank you. Honestly. I think that people will definitely see the elevation. I can’t say specifically what it is yet. It’s not “new” Saweetie, it’s just “elevated” Saweetie. I mean, you might have touched on a couple of things, but we’re just going to have to see.
I know you get a lot of interviews. You get a lot of the same questions. I have to ask a lot of the same questions. Do you ever have anything that you want to talk about, that you really care about, that you never get a chance to talk about, because nobody ever asks you? For instance, I once got someone who wanted to talk about anime because I was wearing an anime shirt like I am now [It was a Sailor Moon shirt].
Well, I do love anime. My favorite is Chibi, Sailor Rini from Sailor Moon. I actually have a Chibi chain.
Honestly, I was a stationery collector, I don’t know if you’re familiar with stationery books, but I love Lovely White. I would go to Koreatown and collect a whole bunch of stationery. It’s definitely one of the more low-key animes, but her name’s Lovely White.
If there’s one major thesis or statement, or message of the album, what would you want people to take away from it?
That’s a really great question. When women listen to this album, I really want them to tap into their divine femininity. After they’re done consuming, seeing their self in some of these songs, I would really love to hear how women feel in 12 months, because the purpose of this album is for women.
(@coi_leray) 
(@LilNasX) 