Music

Doja Cat Is Roasting Her Own ‘Contractual’ Taco Bell Jingle On TikTok Before It Even Drops

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Doja Cat Jingle Ball 2021
Getty Image / Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

On Planet Her, everything exists on Doja Cat’s terms — even her own branded content obligations. The pop star/rapper went on TikTok to let fans know that a “contractual” agreement she has with Taco Bell is dropping soon, and in her mind, this jingle is not going to be something she’s proud of doing. In a candid, no makeup clip, that seems to have been shot just after waking up, Doja spoke out about her agreement to help peddle Mexican pizza for the beloved fast food brand, and also noted that the word “jingle” has since been banned within her team.

@dojacat

somebody gettin cussed out

♬ original sound – Doja Cat

“Somebody gettin cussed out,” she wrote in the video’s caption, before continuing on her rant. “I got to do this f*cking — you got to be quiet though, you can’t tell anybody that I told you this — I gotta do this f*cking TikTok where I do… everybody keeps calling it a jingle,” she began. “It’s for Taco Bell, and I gotta do this f*cking jingle. By the way, I banned that word within my team, jingle. We’re not allowed to say that. But I have to do a jingle, they want me to rap about Mexican pizza, so I want to give you a heads up before you see that shit — it’s contractual. I know it’s bad.”

Well, now we all want to hear it more than ever. So keep an ear out for Doja Cat rapping about Taco Bell. Or, based on her roasting of this obligatory segment, maybe just hold out for the tour.

Bob Dylan’s New Book, ‘The Philosophy Of The Modern Song,’ Will Be Out Later This Year

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Bob Dylan Artwork Miami Exhibit
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Bob Dylan is a very prolific songwriter, who has been releasing albums for longer than plenty other artists have even been alive. He’s racked up accolades like a Nobel Peace Prize, natch, and expanded well beyond music into painting and literature. Speaking of literature, Dylan announced that his next book is going to be out very soon. The Philosophy Of The Modern Song will be published via Simon & Schuster on November 8, 2022. This one seems to be a more straightforward music book than his previous work, Chronicles Volume One, which was a stream-of-consciousness style memoir that came out back in 2004.

According to a press release, this new book includes “over 60 essays focusing on songs by other artists” including the likes of Stephen Foster, Elvis Costello, Hank Williams and Nina Simone. Dylan reportedly started working on the book back in 2010, and the CEO of Simon & Schuster thinks it will be help unpack what songs mean to all of us. “The publication of Bob Dylan’s kaleidoscopically brilliant work will be an international celebration of songs by one of the greatest artists of our time,” Simon & Schuster’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Karp, said. “The Philosophy Of Modern Song could only have been written by Bob Dylan. His voice is unique, and his work conveys his deep appreciation and understanding of songs, the people who bring those songs to life, and what songs mean to all of us.”

Check out the book’s cover art below, and pre-order it here.

The Philosophy Of The Modern Song
Simon & Schuster

Travis Scott Announces Project HEAL And Donates $5 Million To Community-Based Initiatives

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Travis Scott has laid low since the tragedy that took place at Astroworld Festival back in November. In the four months since, the rapper has delivered an interview about the incident, celebrated the birth of his second child with Kylie Jenner, and received a lawsuit over allegedly stolen cover art. Now he’s doing some good for the community. According to TMZ, Travis has announced Project HEAL, a philanthropic endeavor that will launch community-based initiatives. In addition to the announcement, Travis will also donate $5 million to these causes.

The new project will provide support for students, creatives, music fans, and concertgoers. $1 million from his donation will go towards HBCU scholarships. This will be done through his Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund, which provides support for Black students.

The remaining $4 million will go towards the Project HEAL initiative, where it will be divided towards numerous causes. One of them includes the creation of a free mental health program for children, which will be spearheaded by Houston-based behavioral health expert Dr. Janice Beal. Travis will also expand his creative design program through his Cactus Jack Foundation thanks to a seven-figure expansion of the CACT.US Youth Design Center at TXRX Labs in Houston. A press release for the center describes it as a “nonprofit makerspace for young artists, designers, tech innovators, including free studio space, work space, tool spaces, job and apprenticeship training, youth education and events.”

Travis will also donate money to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Event Safety with the goal of making sure that fans remain protected at concerts. It’s part of a collaborative effort to ensure maximum safety at large-scale events and will lead to a “comprehensive report of recommendations.” In the press release for Project HEAL, Travis Scott shared a statement about the new endeavor.

“My grandfather was an educator who made a difference in thousands of young lives throughout his life,” he said. “He is a major influence on me and countless others, whose dreams he believed in, whose hopes he invested in, and whose futures he made big. It’s in his spirit that we are creating projects and programs that will look to the future of our communities and create hope and excellence in as many lives as possible.”

YoungBoy Never Broke Again Will Go On Trial For Gun Possession In May

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YoungBoy Never Broke Again — aka NBA YoungBoy — is soon to go on trial on federal gun charges. The Baton Rouge artist was arrested along with 15 others in 2020 on suspicion of possession of stolen firearms and distributing drugs, and today, Rolling Stone reports that the trial date has been set for May 16 in Louisiana’s Middle District. The rapper entered a preliminary plea of “not guilty” to charges of possession of an unregistered firearm by a felon and has been on house arrest since October.

However, he’s got reason to be optimistic about the outcome of the trial. At the end of February, US District Court Chief Judge Shelly Dick ruled that video evidence of YoungBoy brandishing the firearms in question was invalid due to an unlawful search of the SD card containing it. While an anonymous 911 call about men brandishing guns prompted police to break up what was reported as a rap video shoot in September 2020, the warrant only mentioned the video, while the warrant made no mentions of the SD cards or video equipment.

YoungBoy’s defense filed a motion to have the evidence suppressed, which Dick granted after deeming the warrant — and the resulting search that turned up the would-be incriminating evidence — invalid. The rapper’s defense lawyer Drew Findling said of the upcoming trial, “We’re 100 percent convinced of his innocence, and now we have to continue to evaluate our strategy. The unconstitutionality of law enforcement was clearly evident to the court and resulted in a slew of evidence being thrown out. We’re looking forward to going to court.”

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

Kanye West’s Surreal ‘Hurricane’ Video Is Full Of Striking Imagery

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At least Kanye West’s new video for “Hurricane” is better than the one he temporarily put out for “Eazy.” Continuing his theme of using deconstructed, surrealistic imagery, the animated video uses CGI to depict a few striking visuals, chiefly among them a tableau of a fortress resting near a body of water atop what looks like a chessboard with a dragon attached the underside, which sets the stage for a jailbreak of faceless figures who rush into the sea for something resembling a religious revival.

The whole thing certainly builds on the visual motifs that have come to define Kanye’s Donda era, which has seen him obfuscate his identity with a series of full-face masks. He seems to be making a commentary on how the public perception of art subsumes the artist; he’s made other allusions to feeling like he’s being silenced — despite, y’know, being one of the most successful artists in the world who can reasonably get away with charging fans $200 for an album on a Raspberry Pi — and having his true self overshadowed by gossip and fans’ projections about him (which, sorry, has been driven largely by his own antics).

Despite the source, Kanye’s messaging doesn’t feel too off-the-mark, and the imagery that pervades the “Hurricane” video — including the suggestiveness of the dragon appearing to be the source of the light his faceless jailbreakers can’t help but be drawn to — gives viewers something to think about. “Jesus Walks” it isn’t, but it’s still a visual feast for fans who haven’t yet given up on the idea that Mr. West is an artistic genius. Watch the video for “Hurricane” above.

Mitski, The National, And The Roots Will Headline The 2022 Pitchfork Music Festival

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Mitski 2019 Governors Ball
Getty Image / Nicholas Hunt

Pitchfork Music Festival will return to Union Park in Chicago this summer. Celebrating newcomers and veterans in the realm of indie music, Pitchfork Music Festival takes place over the course of three days, with over 60,000 fans expected to attend this year.

Festivities kick off Friday, July 15, with headliners The National, Spiritualized, and Parquet Courts. Supporting these headliners are Tierra Whack, Ethel Cain, Cupcakke and more. Mitski, Japanese Breakfast, and Lucy Dacus will take the stage Saturday, July 16, with support from Magdalena Bay, Chubby And The Gang, and more. Closing out the festival on Sunday, July 17 are The Roots, Toro Y Moi, And Earl Sweatshirt, along with the likes of Noname, Badbadnotgood, and Injury Reserve.

“This year’s lineup is a celebration of the rising indie class, and those who continue to pave the way for innovation,” said Pitchfork editor in chief Puja Patel in a press release. “Our goal was to highlight a diverse group of artists who are taking their musical genres to new heights, and I’m proud of how it’s come together.”

General on-sale begins Friday, March 11 at 10 a.m. Check out the full line-up below.

Pitchfork Music Festival Lineup 2022
Courtesy of Pitchfork Music Festival

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

AzizTheShake Performs The Boastful ‘Toledo’ On ‘UPROXX Sessions’

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Today’s episode of UPROXX Sessions features Nashua, New Hampshire native AzizTheShake, who comes through with a boastful, supremely confident performance of his upbeat single, “Toledo.”

The rapper/producer — whose name is a reference to a scene from Bruce Willis’ 1997 sci-fi cult classic The Fifth Element — recently executive produced fellow UPROXX Sessions alum BIA’s 2020 EP For Certain (as well as its deluxe edition), contributing beats for the songs “Automatic” featuring Doe Boy and 42 Dugg, “Bia Bia,” “Cover Girl,” and “Plate.” The New Englander has also worked with Black Fortune, Giggs, J. Cole, Jazz Cartier, Rob Stone, Sevyn Streeter, and Tommy Genesis.

On the solo tip, he’s released one album, 2019’s Brandt Theater, and released two new singles this year: “Toledo,” which features Jiles and Meech BOLD on the original version, and “Image of God” alongside Luke Bars. As he branches out, stepping from behind the boards to center stage to display his mic skills, his performance here forecasts the potential for a big breakout thanks to his infectious energy and witty wordplay.

Watch AzizTheShake perform “Toledo” on UPROXX Sessions above.

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.

Antonio Brown And Kanye West Are ‘Extremely Serious’ About Buying The Denver Broncos

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Kanye Antonio Brown
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If there were ever two personalities that were absolutely meant for each other, it’s Kanye West and Antonio Brown. When you both can’t seem to get out of your own way, you might as well join forces and see what happens? So, like an algebra equation where two negatives multiplied together equal a positive, Kanye recently named Antonio Brown — who was most recently released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — the president of his new Donda Sports venture. The pair both appeared on the Rolling Loud Miami lineup and it seems as though Ye is trying to foster Brown’s musical… errr… talents? But this is a two-way street and it’s what they’re working on with Donda Sports and a supposed bid to purchase the Denver Broncos that has multi-billion-dollar potential.

The Broncos were recently put up for sale and the price tag is said to reach the $4 billion mark. Heck, now that they’ve traded for quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, the Broncos might actually be good this upcoming season. So when Brown was in LA recently, he was approached by a TMZ reporter (who else?). As he was hopping in his Ferrari, the reporter asked him if he and Ye were planning on meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell about purchasing the team, to which Brown replied, “Tell Roger to call me, ’cause we’re working on it.” He then added that he and Ye are “…extremely serious about it,” and added, “We’re working towards it to get it done.” He then hopped in his Ferrari and drove away.

Considering the NFL wouldn’t even sell a team to Donald Trump, what would make them warm up to the idea of the mercurial ex-wide receiver Brown and the outspoken rapper West sitting at the owners table? If this venture doesn’t work out, the pair could focus on developing Brown’s music career, as he also told the reporter, “I already got a Super Bowl ring, so hopefully I can get a Grammy.”

Dolly Parton Wants To Collaborate With Cardi B And Has A Plan To Make It Happen

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Dolly Parton ACM Awards 2022
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Prior to last night’s 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, country legend Dolly Parton sat down with E! News’ Daily Pop to discuss her admiration for her peers in the industry. Parton, who hosted and performed at the 2022 ACM Awards, named a few artists with whom she’d like to collaborate. Among those artists were Cher and Cardi B.

Although Parton and Cardi B are sonic opposites, Parton said she admired Cardi’s outspokenness and creativity.

“She’s a character,” Parton told Daily Pop of Cardi. “I know she’s an original.”

Parton also expressed interest in working on some sort of project with Cher, incorporating the “Up” rapper one way or another.

“I would love to do something with [Cher] sometime, a TV show, or a movie,” Dolly said of Cher. “We’ll have Cardi B on that same show, let Cher host it, and me and Cardi B will be the entertainment.”

At the 2022 ACM Awards, Parton witnessed Kelly Clarkson deliver a tribute to her, by way of a performance of “Jolene.”

“I have known Kelly since she won American Idol,” Parton said. “She’s just so real, as everybody knows. She’s just exactly the way she comes across. Her voice is absolutely bliss and incredible.”

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

Lin-Manuel Miranda Thought A Different ‘Encanto’ Song, Not ‘Bruno,’ Would Be The Biggest Hit

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Lin-Manuel Miranda Encanto Premiere 2021
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So far, Encanto smash hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” has spent five weeks in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Its streak actually came to an end this week, though, as Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” is now on top of the chart. Now, in a new Los Angeles Times interview, Lin-Manuel Miranda (who penned all the Encanto songs) spoke about the movie and its music, revealing that “Bruno” would not have been his pick to become a big success.

Miranda explained:

“In my wildest dreams of what might happen, I would have swapped ‘Colombia, Mi Encanto’ — the top and bottom of that chart! ‘Colombia, Mi Encanto’ [which spent one week at No. 100 before leaving the chart] is such a party tune: ‘This could maybe have a little life beyond the movie.’ And the fact that the ensemble song that is incredibly plot-heavy and almost requires having seen the film to fully understand is the one at the top of the charts is one of the most delightful and hilarious surprises … of my life [laughs]! The one that requires no context just made it and the one that requires all the context is the banger.”

He went on to note of “Bruno,” “I think the variety of it is a part of it; the fact that everyone can have a favorite part — it’s gonna be a karaoke jam forever because everyone can grab the mic at one moment or another. My son came home from school the other day and said, ‘Dad, we were singing it on the bus and everyone took different parts.’ I went, ‘Oh my God, did you sing along?’ He goes, ‘I was one of several Camilos’ [laughs].”

Check out the full interview here.