After accumulating some impressive features over the past year, including “City Of Gods” with Alicia Keys and Kanye West, and clearing up some legal issues related to his arrest for carrying an unregistered firearm in April, Fivio Brooklyn rapper Fivio Foreign is preparing to release his debut album, B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). However, it appears he didn’t think the album would be all the way ready by its March 25 release date, so on Sunday, he announced it was being pushed back, although he promised this would be the final delay.
“My album gon’ be pushed back,” he said in a video posted to Instagram. “I pushed it back one more time. This is the last time though, for sure. It was March 25, now it’s April 8. It ain’t really a reason or anything, I just wanted to make that sh*t perfect. I want it to be the perfect album. That sh*t is going to be viral. Stay tuned, that sh*t gon’ be viral. April 8.”
One person who likely won’t be happy to see the album drop is New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has been on a one-man, anti-drill rap campaign, saying, “We are alarmed by the use of social media to really over-proliferate this violence in communities.” However, drill rap mainstays like Fivio maintain that they are only recounting the state of violence they see, not causing it themselves.
In any case, B.I.B.L.E. is now due 4/8 via Columbia Records.
Famous singer Lizzo has to spend a lot of time advocating for herself, and she does for others, too. Most recently, she took the stage at the Austin Convention Center for SXSW to talk with radio host Angela Yee. The focus was mainly on her forthcoming Amazon Prime streaming series Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, but she, being an international star, had a lot to discuss, and she used her platform to bring up the pressing issues that have been going on in Texas, both where SXSW is and where she grew up.
According to Rolling Stone, Lizzo spoke on Texas governor Greg Abbott’s decision to treat gender-affirmative childcare as child abuse: “I’m proud to rep Houston but I’m not proud to rep Texan politics right now. There are very regressive laws being passed. They’re taking away the right for young children to have a chance to live authentically as themselves. It’s a violation of human rights. Trans rights are human rights.” She also weighed in on the restrictive abortion law: “We got a lotta ugly babies y’all need to be handling instead of y’all being in people’s homes and telling them what to do with their bodies and being all up in their uteruses. The abortion ban is atrocious as well. Mind your business. Stay out of my body.”
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Tory Lanez is once again under fire for unauthorized sample use on his ’80s-themed album Alone At Prom. This time, it’s the estate of George Michael who wants a song removed, saying “Enchanted Waterfall” uses part of “Careless Whisper,” arguably Michael’s signature hit. Even worse, the estate claims that they already rejected his request to use the sample flouting the estate’s wishes in releasing the song anyway.
“It was brought to our attention that the song ‘Enchanted Waterfall’ by the artist Tory Lanez incorporated an unauthorized sample of ‘Careless Whisper’ written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley,” reads a statement given to Variety. “Requested permission for this use had been declined in June 2021 so we took immediate action on behalf of the writers, in collaboration with our publishers Warner Chappell Music, to prevent further exploitation as we will not tolerate any unauthorized use of any songs within the catalogs of George Michael and/or Andrew Ridgeley.”
The song has since been removed from Spotify but is still up on Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube. It’s the second time Lanez has been taken to task over this album after Madonna called him out via Instagram for sampling her song “Into The Groove” on “Pluto’s Last Comet.” While Variety‘s report doesn’t cite a lawsuit being filed just yet, it certainly wouldn’t help the embattled Canadian singer to receive another suit, as he’s already being sued for foreclosure on a Miami condo and facing criminal charges for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.
DL Hughley isn’t bothered by Kanye West’s threats against him. Instead, the stand-up comedian had nothing but jokes for the musician after West claimed “I can afford to hurt u” on Instagram. Kanye, who almost assuredly has no clue what the term “leftist” even means, also posted questioning Hughley’s residency in Calabasas, suggesting that he’s willing to confront the comic at home. However, Hughley’s responses asserted his disdain for the idea while also taking shots at Kanye’s mental health.
“Ain’t no way in hell I’d ever be scared of a dude who wears #IKnowWhatDidLastSummerBoots!!” Hughley jabbed, referring to the knee-high quasi-galoshes that Kanye has been making most of his public appearances in lately. The comedian also taunted West for lashing out at Pete Davidson, joking, “It’s just too bad that you acting like a nut won’t stop #Pete from bustin one!!”
However, some fans thought Hughley went too far when he mocked Kanye’s mental health. Kanye previously revealed a bipolar diagnosis and has deplored commenters blaming his unusual behaviors on his disorder, which is exactly what Hughley did. “Ain’t it weird that #Kanye supposedly has all these goons who will kill for him, but not one of them will get his prescriptions filled?” he wondered. “Here’s a thought while you’re on your way to kill me in Calabasas, how about somebody drop by CVS and pick up his Xanax!”
Hmmm! Ain’t it weird that #Kanye supposedly has all these goons who will kill for him, but not one of them will get his prescriptions filled? Here’s a thought while you’re on your way to kill me in Calabasas, how about somebody drop by CVS and pick up his Xanax! Lol #TeamDl
While it’s true that DL likely crossed a line taking those digs at Kanye’s condition, Kanye threatening the comedian is certainly no better — nor has Kanye’s behavior over the past couple of months been acceptable. But getting him to see reason will be that much harder if he’s on the defensive about his diagnosis rather than understanding that people are actually worried about him. Hopefully, he can get the help he needs and understand that having bipolar disorder is no excuse to lash out the way he has.
Kic Cudi (aka Scott Mescudi) is best known for his music, but he’s quite the accomplished actor as well; In recent years, he’s appeared in shows and movies like Don’t Look Up, We Are Who We Are, and Westworld. Now, he’s continuing to flesh out his IMDb page: We already knew Cudi is acting in the erotic slasher film X alongside Brittany Snow, but now Snow has recruited him to appear in September 17th, her directorial debut.
Snow told Variety, “I can’t really speak to it too much, except that Scott’s doing a part in the movie, so that’s cool.”
Cudi noted, “I couldn’t believe that she wanted me in it. She had told me about the movie while we were on set [for X], but she never asked me to be in it. I was like, ‘Maybe she’s waiting to see how [X] turns out.’ It’s gonna be awesome. Really great script.”
Snow also said, “I was watching Ti [West, director of X] a lot during filming of this, and I think that something that I learned from him that I’ll take with me is the specificity of knowing the through line of what you want, and being really strong and clear in your convictions of it. I like to play around on set, but it lends itself really nicely when you know that your director has a complete handle on exactly what they want. I hope I can live up to what everyone else has been doing.”
As for September 17th, Variety describes it, “September 17th follows a woman, named Riley, who struggles with food and body image issues and has recently been discharged from rehab. She soon meets Ethan and must navigate the line between unconditional love and a new addiction.”
Latto is blowing up once again based off the success of her new single, “Big Energy,” though longtime fans will she reallyblew up back in the day off “B*tch From Da Souf”. Since her major label debut album, Queen Of Da Souf, Latto has gone through a name change and plenty more, but one thing she won’t do is fall into the trap of pitting female rappers against each other.
That doesn’t mean stan culture won’t try to make it happen anyway, though. When she was promoting her latest single, “Wheelie,” which features a verse from 21 Savage, fans got it in their heads that the song was going to feature Nicki Minaj or Cardi B… and of course that got stans back into a competitive mindset. These two female rappers were basically forced to have beef by a misogynistic industry who seems to think there can’t be more than one woman at the top, but Latto has no intention of doing the same.
“You have to tread lightly with stan culture,” she said recently in an interview with Ebro In The Morning. “Like, ‘I’m team this and I’m gonna die about it.’ I be like, ‘Hands up, don’t shoot me.’ I be like, ‘Whoa!’ For instance, I had clapped back — I’m still a new-school baby — I’m still young. I’m still tryin’ to turn the other cheek […] So, I’m clapping back at somebody, and they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re purposely responding to Nicki Minaj pages!’ I’m like, ‘What the hell is ya’ll talking about? If you come for me, b*tch I’m on that a**. don’t care what club, gang, street you bang, I don’t give a f*ck! And it’s like that. It’s nothing, no ill intent. Everybody knows Nicki is my favorite, you can go look on the internet, I got interviews talking about standing in line for Pink Friday. I got a fake Barbie chain … my mama probably still got it at her house. I was obsessed with Nicki […] and I love Cardi to death, Cardi put me in the “WAP” video. I’ve done interviews with Cardi, I met her face-to-face and she was so humble. I don’t pick sides. That’s not my beef. I f*ck with both of them.”
When Cardi put Latto in that infamous “WAP” video, she definitely helped boost Latto’s career, but Nicki’s influence is also completely evident on the young rapper. Check out the interview up top, Latto gets into squashing the female rapper beef around the fourteen minute mark.
Two of the most common reasons behind athletes going broke after their professional career: bad investments and money management. On last month’s “I Am Athlete” podcast, guest and retired NFL linebacker D.J. Williams revealed his former financial advisor invested $1.2 million dollars in various bad investments early in his career that included an investment of $300,000 dollars into the music career of former Bad Boy Records artist, Sara Stokes.
“Remember when Puffy Daddy had ‘Making The Band’? Ya’ll remember Sara Stokes? The one … the light-skin girl, ” Williams begins to explain the investment at the podcast’s 22:06 minute mark of season 3 episode 21. “Puffy Daddy had ‘Making The Band,’ there was a young lady on there named Sara Stokes. She was a singer. She was like young, like I don’t want to throw her age out there but she had like three four five kids. All I knew was I invested $300,000 dollars into her music career.”
Williams would claim the investment was in result of leaving his finances to a power of attorney given to his financial advisor while he focused on playing professional football.
“What I’m saying was because of the amount of time and energy that I put into football,” he continued. “I’m going into these meetings and I’m sitting across from this man and I’m taking his word. And I’m just … Okay, yeah, that sounds good, that sounds good. What I’m saying is is if you already a million, relax, chill. Stop trying to rush to become a billionaire.”
Drafted in 2014 – 17th overall by the Denver Broncos – D.J. Williams received a $2.4 million dollar signing bonus his rookie year after signing a five-year deal valued at $9 million dollars – according to Spotrac.com. The linebacker would play ten seasons with the Broncos, earning over $35 million dollars. Williams played 12 seasons in the NFL before retiring in 2014 with the Chicago Bears.
It was never revealed throughout the interview if Williams was ever reimbursed for his investment. Stokes was signed to Bad Boy Records from 2002 to 2005.
Sara Stokes, 44, is a Detroit, Michigan recording artist, actress, journalist, best known as the singer in the former Bad Boy Record’s group Da Band. Formed in 2002, Da Band released their gold-selling debut album, Too Hot For TV, in 2003, which spawned hit songs “Bad Boy This, Bad Boy That” and “Tonight.” The six-member group had their journey documented on reality television for three seasons aired on MTV 2.
After Da Band, Stokes, mother of three, released multiple solo singles, independently, throughout the years, like 2015’s “Sneak Peek” featuring Babs Bunny and 2016’s “Fragile Heart.” Outside music, Stokes embarked in an acting career, known for roles in recent films, The Many (2019), The Enemy (2019) and Facade: Chapter 4.
News of the investment comes during a slew of other trending stories going viral right now surrounding Sean “Love” Combs with old clips from the popular 2000s MTV rap competition series Making the Band, which Combs executive produced, and several former music mogul’s artists releasing public criticism about the harsh treatment they endured their time on the reality show and under Diddy’s Bad Boy Records.
Freddy P, who was Diddy’s first choice when putting together former group Da Band, took to Instagram last week to criticize his former mentor and revealed him responsible for the Florida native’s multiple suicide attempts, all stemming from recounts of his time under Diddy’s tutelage.
“This year alone I’ve contemplated suicide three or four times,” he says in the video. “I done pictured my brother walking in and finding me dead. I cried a few times thinking about leaving my son because I just get tired of life. But no matter what you gotta do you just gotta keep at it … there’s n-ggas that wanna see you fall.”
He added: “Like this n-gga Puffy is the main muthafuckin’ reason why I hate fucking life, dawg. People don’t even understand. Like, I don’t even give a fuck. I’ve never been to a point where I thought of suicide my whole life, never. I mean, I’m a gangsta. I don’t even know how I started thinking like that. I done had it all and I fell to the bottom. How do you come back from that when you battling a giant? It ain’t got nothing to do with your skill no more ’cause your skill is 90 percent better than any n-gga that’s out there right now and the world knows it. But it ain’t your skills … the world is built on relationships.”
Freedy’s rant sparked reactions from fellow Da Band member Babs Bunny, who simply responded in an interview that the group just signed a “shitty contracts,” and Willie Taylor, formerly of the Making of the Band-created R&B group Day 26, who chimed in with the belief that the show and group was set up to “fail.”
The 52-year-old billionaire with ownership in Ciroc and his own television network, Revolt, addressed the claims of his former proteges last Monday via social media. On an Instagram Story, he writes, “STOP ALL YOUR CRYING, BITCHING & MOANING. HUSTLE HARDER OR GET THE FUCK OUT OF OUR WAY. – LOVE.”
All parties involved have not issued a statement on Williams’s revelation at press time.
Watch the latest episode of the I Am Athlete podcast below.
Trae Tha Truth co-signed Laray Da Savage shows you can suffer from a broken heart any time, no matter who you are, but it’s how you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on afterward in the new music video for the second single “HeartBreaks,” from the recently released Be Right Back album.
Fresh off the wave of the project’s lead single, “BBL,” Da Savage shows a more vulnerable side as he raps about the icebox where his heart used to be following a break-up. “I had my heart broken / But now my mind focused / I still ain’t get my proper closure / People goin’ ghost / The Devil want my soul / Why they hatin’ on me? All I did was spread love,” he raps.
In the Keanu Livigni-directed music video, Laray Da Savage endures the harsh coldness inside an empty home to resemble the pain created by the desertion and backstabbing that was committed by a lover. As the darkness surrounds him, the self-proclaimed “Voice of the Streets” reveals raw emotions and finds the needed clarity to focus on self-love and prosperity.
“I was feeling neglected by love and had a hard time dealing with heartbreak, so I channeled my emotions into the music and sang my heart out,” said Laray on the song’s conception.
Be Right Back, available now via Sankofa Sounds, is composed of 15 carefully curated cuts and was executive produced by Ricky Rich & Danny Bvndz of Studio 713. Along with “BBL” and “HeartBreaks,” the project also includes breakout tracks, like “Wavy,” “Beautiful Ending” and “Lose My Friends.” Laray is on his self-promoted album tour right now until May, hitting 14-cities, including New York City, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, and, of course, Houston.
An artist-to-watch of 2022. Eager to make this his breakout year, the Houston native plans to strike while the iron’s hot as he is currently working on the follow-up to Be Right Back, as-yet-titled, slated for release later this year. “It took a whole lotta pain & sacrifices just to get here,” Laray said in an Instagram caption with a photo of him, Trae Tha Truth and Danny Worldstar.
You may stream “HeartBreaks,” produced by Yette, above, including every digital streaming platform now. The video is also available to watch down bottom.
On the rise recording artist Jose Bodega and his magnetic street raps continue to build on the momentum from his previous singles “The Statement” and “Tool On Ya” featuring Yella Beezy that will lead to a highly-anticipated debut album with a brand new single. For the latest release, Mr. Bodega links up with fellow Dallas star, Trapboy Freddy, to unleash the cerebral collaborative effort “Silence” with an accompanying video.
In the Clear Motion Films-directed music video, Bodega and Freddy move like thieves in the night inspired by classic mob rules to ambush the opps and ascend to the top of the throne in the Underworld. While counting blue-face hundreds, the two sprays diss shots and dismemberment plans at unbeknownst enemies like an uzi that are accompanied with shotgun blasts in blatantly disrespectful bars, like “You a baby boy, I’m a gangsta” Freddy raps.
“Silence” is Bodega and Freddy’s second collaboration on a song. The two originally linked up in 2020 on Trapboy Freddy and Yella Beezy’s “Tool On Ya” off their collaborative project titled My Brothers Keeper. For Bodega, “Silence” follows previously released buzzers “Roll On” and “AMG” dropped in 2021.
Gritty. Sly. Stylish. Bodega’s extravagant ensemble may be familiar, but his detailed street tales heard on his debut single, “Harder Than Yours,” are where he differs from others.
Not your average southern rapper with simplistic wordplay and hooks drenched in trunk-rattling bass. He’s methodical, authentic, and clever with every slick-talking line that infects listeners instantly. You would swear he just stepped out of an old school with a diamond in the back, sun-roof top, diggin’ in the scene with a gangsta lean.
Trapboy Freddy appears on the track and video courtesy of 300 Entertainment. “Silence” is available everywhere via Profit Music Group.
Take a look at the new music video for “Silence” below and follow Bodega on social media.
Drake must have some huge news on the way as he just announced upcoming live shows in New York City and Toronto during the latest episode of OVO Sound Radio on Sirus XM, shared by Elliott Wilson via social media on Saturday morning (March 12).
“This is Drake, coming to you live on Sounds42 Sirus XM,“ said Drake on the show. “I’m excited to let all my people know that we’re working on something really special for you guys. Putting together two shows, one in New York and a few in Toronto. They’re gonna be something different, something that I’ve never done before. Gonna be a highly interactive experience. My brothers will be there, it’s gonna be great to see y’all, hopefully get a chance to speak with you, [and] hopefully learn a little more about each other. I’ll have the dates for that coming soon, I can’t wait.”
The announcement marks Drake’s first full show since his December 2019 Assassination Vacation Tour. After that, Drake has only performed as a special guest with Travis Scott at last year’s Astro World Festival in Houston and Ye’s benefit concert for Larry Hoover in Los Angeles last December.
Mixed by guest DJ, GoHomeRoger, the episode included new music by superstars like King Von, Kodak Black, Rowdy Rebel, Lil Durk, and uprising artists like Yeat, Central Cee, BlueBucksClan, and Skeng. Review the complete playlist below.
Along with the news of upcoming shows, the latest episode in the show’s fourth season promoted the forthcoming release of the new season of the Drake executive-produced crime drama series, Top Boy, starting March 18 on Netflix. The popular series stars Ashley Walters, Kano, Shone Romulus, Micheal Ward, and Little Simz.
On Thursday, Chart Data revealed Drake is the most-streamed artist of the year with 1.4 billion streams. On top of the top 10 list, Drake surpasses seven other hip hop stars, including NBA Youngboy, JuiceWrld, Kanye West, Eminem, Kodak Black, and Rod Wave. In other news, Drake’s latest album, Certified Lover Boy, was the only hip-hop album to reach double platinum in 2021, RIAA reports.
Hear the full OVO Sound Radio Season 4, Episode 5 below.
