Music

Kim Kardashian Explains Why It’s ‘Hard’ To ‘Take The High Road’ While Co-Parenting With Kanye West

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For the past month or so, Kanye West has been making life apparently difficult for Kim Kardashian as he lashes out over their recent divorce. It’s gotten downright concerning at times — so much so that outside observers like Trevor Noah have taken to using their case as an object lesson in the sort of behavior that frightens women into staying in toxic or abusive relationships (Kanye didn’t like that very much, getting himself suspended from Instagram while Noah tried to show empathy for the obviously hurting rapper).

Through it all, though, Kardashian has handled the situation about as gracefully as can be expected, imploring Kanye to take their dirty laundry offline and change the narrative. She was asked about this tendency on Ellen today, where the host noted that she “always protects him because of the kids.”

Kim admitted that dealing with Kanye is difficult but also explained why she hasn’t thrown him under the bus yet. “I think that’s just who I am and I always saw such a good example in my mom and my dad in their relationship, so I’m always just hopeful,” she said. “No matter what goes on, it’s the father of my kids. I’ll always be protective. I always want my kids to just see the best of the best. So I just try to — as hard as it can be sometimes — ignore it and just try to do whatever’s best for the kids… Take the high road.”

Although she’s done a relatively decent brushing off her ex-husband’s Instagram tantrums, that doesn’t mean she’s handled every situation perfectly. Kardashian was has been trolled for the past week after a promo interview for her family’s new Hulu-based reality show went viral. In the clip, Kim offers her “advice” for success: “get up and work” — which rang more than a little tone-deaf considering she was basically born wealthy and mostly makes money by slapping her name on various products promoted by her and her family’s reality TV empire. Two things can be true, right?

You can watch the Ellen clip above.

Lil Nas X Takes To TikTok To Share A Lengthy Snippet Of New Music

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Lil Nas X is back on social media and already treating the fans. In a new video, the “Industry Baby” rapper shared a snippet of a new track.

On the synth-infused track, Lil Nas X boasts about his accomplishments, rapping, “I’m doing real sh*t / Some never worried about a bill sh*t / That build a house on the hills sh*t.” He’s not worried about a thing, as he believes “the money’s gravy / It’s coming crazy.”

Lil Nas X didn’t confirm a name for the track, but the video, shared to TikTok and Twitter today, was captioned “LEAN ON MY BODY!”

@lilnasx

LEAN ON MY BODY! 🎖

♬ original sound – lil nas x

The rapper also teased new music yesterday via Twitter, sharing screenshots of an audio player streaming collaborations with YoungBoy Never Broke Again and fellow gay rapper Saucy Santana, titled “Late To The Party” and “Down Souf Hoes,” respectively. He also shared a snippet of a new song sampling “Black Cat” by Janet Jackson.

These teases follow a three-month hiatus from social media. Upon his return, he revealed his next album is “close to finished.” Production duo Take A Daytrip seemingly confirmed the “LEAN ON MY BODY!” snippet comes from a song from Lil Nas X’s upcoming Montero follow-up.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Kali Is A Cool Customer While Performing Her ‘Toxic Chocolate’ Standout ‘New Day’ On ‘UPROXX Sessions’

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Fast-rising ATL rapper Kali stops by the UPROXX Sessions set to pump the release of her debut EP, Toxic Chocolate, with a self-assured performance of the EP’s standout track, “New Day.” Questioning the negative energy of her detractors and exes while boldly asserting her own dominance, Kali reminds listeners that “it’s a new day,” so they should shake off those downer vibes and stop being surprised by her longevity as the topic of discussion.

Toxic Chocolate, Kali’s seven-song debut EP, capitalizes on the TikTok buzz of her breakout single “MMM MMM,” with a remix of the track featuring ATL Jacob, Latto, and Moneybagg Yo, while also demonstrating Kali’s talent for turning the tables on f*ckboys by using their own tactics against them. The EP also features “Whole Lotta Money” rapper BIA, who also received a tremendous boost from the video-sharing platform, and Yung Bleu on the EP’s dynamic-flipping single, “UonU.”

While Kali is experiencing a bump in attention from the TikTok success of “MMM MMM,” her remix collaborator Latto is helping out by bringing her along as the opener on the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour this month. With so many factors in her favor, it won’t be long until Kali is every bit the household name her fellow Atlantan sh*t-talker is.

Watch Kali’s performance of “New Day” above.

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

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Nancy Pelosi Read A Bono Poem About Ukraine And St. Patrick’s Day, Which Prompted Many Jokes On Twitter

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Earlier today, Speaker Of The House Nancy Pelosi declared that at today’s Annual Friends Of Ireland Luncheon, she would be reading “reading a poem written by Bono about Ukraine.”

Initially, Dan Evon of Snopes speculated Pelosi meant she would be reading a poem by Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, which U2 shared on Twitter earlier this month. That proved not to be the case, though, as the publication confirmed with Pelosi’s spokesperson that the Speaker did actually plan to read a new poem penned by the U2 singer. Now, that reading has taken place and Twitter users have plenty of hilarious thoughts about it.

Pelosi noted the Irish musician and philanthropist sent her the poem this morning and it references St. Patrick’s Day and the ongoing situation in Ukraine. The poem concludes, “Ireland’s sorrow and pain / is now the Ukraine / and St. Patrick’s name now Zelenskyy.”

After the reading, Bono became a trending topic on Twitter as users came in hot with jokes. One wrote, “Just to let the Russians know, if the Bono poem doesn’t work, we’ve got a celebrity rendition of Imagine over Zoom that we can roll out.” Another quipped, “Between Bono’s poem and the TikTok dancers, Putin is toast.”

Some users even speculated what they thought the poem would be:

Check out some more reactions below.

Blxst Hits The Highway In His Unapologetic ‘Sometimes’ Video With Zacari

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Blxst has been dominating the LA house party scene for something like two years now, and there’s still little to no agreement on whether he’s a rapper or a singer. With a delivery that falls somewhere between the melodic crooning of fellow LA-area hook masters Ty Dolla Sign and Eric Bellinger and the rhythmic, in-the-pocket flows pioneering by the city’s best, the only thing that anyone can agree on is that Blxst sounds cool as a fan. He keeps that tradition going on his latest release, “Sometimes” featuring TDE’s own quasi-rapping crooner, Zacari.

The unapologetic single finds the two performers looking to placate a riled-up romantic partner who thinks that the perpetually busy Blxst is up to no good as he chases the money out of town. “Runnin’ up the backend / I know you be thinkin’ I be cappin’,” Blxst croons. “But sometimes you be too much of a distraction.” Meanwhile, the video takes on a Route 66-ish appeal, as Blxst and Zacari cruise a desert highway in a convertible and post up outside a diner patronized by a biker club, with their performance scenes broken up by flashes of a house party where the female attendees run through some dynamic choreography.

Blxst has been on a roll in 2022, releasing his new single “About You” with a Malcolm & Marie-inspired video while contributing choruses to new songs by Wale, Fireboy DML, and Buddy.

Watch Blxst’s “Sometimes” video featuring Zacari above.

Guapdad 4000 Demonstrates His Favorite Scam In The Flexy ‘Cheap’ Video

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Lovable Bay Area scam rapper Guapdad 4000 has hit the ground running in 2022, looking to carry forward the momentum he picked up last year with his Illmind-produced album, 1176. First, he dropped the video for his underground hit “Money” to close out the year, then he followed up with the LL Cool J-sampling “I Need Bands” to kick off his 2022 campaign. In February, he linked back up with one of his favorite producers, James Delgado, on “Ruthless,” and now, he keeps the party going with “Cheap.”

Over a spare beat produced by Remedy, the Oakland rapper reminisces on his days using fake IDs and cracked credit cards to go on shopping sprees. “Way before EDD / I was a young scam boy getting sh*t for free,” he boasts. “Playing roles in the store a cakewalk for me / It ain’t sweet, miss me if your talk is cheap.”

While 1176 and his new singles have gone a long way toward raising Guapdad’s profile about rap fans, he’s also been helped a bunch by his opening slot on Wale’s Under A Blue Moon Tour this year, where he converted a number of fans with his charming stage presence and approachable post-show demeanor. Now that the tour’s over, he’ll likely be right back to recording and releasing new music as he prepares to follow up his well-received 2021 album.

Watch Guapdad 4000’s “Cheap” video above.

Kanye West’s White House Visit With Donald Trump Appears In A History Textbook

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Kanye West continues to make history, but perhaps not in a good way. Yesterday, Instagram account @ourgenerationmusic shared a photo of a page from a history textbook, featuring a photo of the “Eazy” rapper.

The photo comes from Ye’s infamous 2018 meeting with President Trump, and is accompanied by his explanation as to why he felt empowered by wearing the MAGA hat: “But there’s times where, you know, there’s something about – you know, I love Hillary. I love everyone, right? But the campaign “I’m with her” just didn’t make me feel, as a guy, that didn’t get to see my dad all the time – like a guy that could play catch with his son.”

Following the quote are instructions, which say, “Read the quote above from Kanye West in the Oval Office. What does this suggest about factors that affect voting behaviour in the USA? How does this link to the presidential powers of persuasion?”

Ye is currently on a 24-hour Instagram suspension following a post aimed at The Daily Show host Trevor Noah. Prior to Ye’s post, Noah took to his show to talk about how his previous posts aimed at ex-wife Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson are forms of abusive behavior.

Kevin Durant Executive Produced YSL Records Rapper T-Shyne’s New Album With Young Thug

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The connections between the modern NBA and hip-hop are growing all the time and with the latest announcement out of Young Thug’s YSL Records camp, they’ve become the most pronounced they’ve ever been. YSL Records fixture T-Shyne is set to release his new album, Confetti Nights, which is naturally executive-produced by YSL’s founder Young Thug on April 1… along with some help from none other than the Brooklyn Nets’ recently returned All-Star forward, Kevin Durant.

It’s not the first time that an NBA player applied their talents to musical curation. In 2021, Durant’s fellow NBA champ Kawhi Leonard executive produced the Culture Jam Vol. 1 compilation featuring A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert, Polo G, Rod Wave, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard, the All-Star guard for the Portland Trailblazers, has had a flourishing rap career as Dame D.O.L.L.A., dropping four studio albums that featured Lil Wayne, Raphael Saadiq, and Snoop Dogg.

In addition to producing albums, Durant has also been a movie producer, commissioning the Basketball County: Something In The Water documentary in 2020. Durant’s music connections came in handy there, too, as he recruited fellow Prince George’s County native IDK as music supervisor for the film.

Meanwhile, YSL Records is coming off a stellar 2021 that saw Young Thug’s Punk on the Billboard charts, followed this year by Gunna’s outstanding DS4EVER. With plenty of the roster yet to release — Lil Keed, Strick, and others are especially anticipated — 2022 figures to be another pivotal year for the Atlanta-based label.

Confetti Nights is due 4/1 via YSL and 300 Entertainment.

Kanye West’s ‘Eazy’ Collaborator The Game Criticizes Instagram For Suspending Him

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Yesterday, after nearly a month of posts haranguing comedian Pete Davidson for dating his ex, Kanye West was finally suspended from Instagram for calling Trevor Noah a “coon.” While many saw the punitive action as long overdue, Ye’s “Eazy” collaborator The Game saw things differently, piping up on behalf of his friend — who, remember, he said did more for him in a week than Dr. Dre did his whole career — in an Instagram post of his own questioning the decision to lock Kanye out for a whole 24 hours.

“It’s a whole war going on in Ukraine & hate posts surrounding it that add fuel to the fire,” Game argued. “+ Africans being violated & barred from crossing borders to safety with racists comments/content attached…. and y’all zero’d in on Ye’s posts about the protection of his children, his fatherhood & him speaking his truth in defense to the coonery displayed by other verified users on this app that further complicate his situation in regards to his family.”

Okay. So.

Good points were made. Game is right: Instagram lets a lot of stuff slide. As anyone following any major sports account can attest, bots are rampant, a lot of quasi-racism gets by the filter, comments are filled with bullies and trolls, and heaven forbid you accidentally “like” the wrong post and screw up the algorithm — you might find yourself in QAnon territory by the end of your lunch break.

But!

Come on, now. Is this the behavior we’re going to bat for? Kanye spent several weeks calling that man “Skete,” and crowing about chasing him off the app while spreading Breitbart propaganda posts. Kim Kardashian, bless her oblivious, narcissistic little heart, has been desperately trying to get Ye to chill out lying about not seeing his kids. Trevor Noah’s big offense was expressing his concerns about the situation in an empathetic monologue on his show (Trevor was really nice about his response too). Kanye needs someone near him to risk getting the Big Sean treatment and tell him about himself, not defend him when he finally faces consequences for his own reckless actions. Also, there’s a strong chance that he’ll be unsuspended by the time most folks read this, and equally likely he’ll be right back at his old shenanigans by the weekend.

One good thing may come of this, though: As French Montana said, now that Kanye’s been offended by Instagram, it’s a safe bet he’ll have his own social media platform ready to rollout by this time next year. He’ll be easier to ignore then.