Music

Dr. Dre’s Lawyer Denies Snoop Dogg’s Claim That He Now Owns The Rights To ‘The Chronic’

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Last month, Snoop Dogg acquired Death Row Records, the label where he began his rap career back in 1992. With the acquisition, Snoop owns the rights to the label’s vast catalogue, including albums by Daz Dillinger and Kurupt. However, titles like Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Tupac’s All Eyez On Me, and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory were originally said to be left out of the deal. But during a later interview with TIDAL’s Elliott Wilson, Snoop claimed that he did obtain the rights to at least one of them.

That album is The Chronic. But now Dre’s attorney, Howard King, is refuting Snoop’s claim. “There are false reports out regarding ownership by Death Row of Dr. Dre’s The Chronic,” King said in a statement that was obtained by Complex. “Dr. Dre owns 100 percent of The Chronic.”

Late last month, it was reported that Snoop was still negotiating for the rights of The Chronic. It was initially said that the classic album would not be returned to Snoop until 2023. However, after the statement that Dre’s lawyer gave, it appears that The Chronic will not be a part of Snoop’s Death Row acquisition.

This comes after Snoop recently shared his plans to make Death Row an NFT label adding that he wants it to be the “first major in the metaverse.”

The Game Believes He Can Beat Eminem In A ‘Verzuz,’ But People Think Otherwise

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The Game loves to make bold claims. Earlier this week, The Game said that Kanye West did more for his career in two weeks than Dr. Dre did over his. It should be noted that Dre signed The Game to Aftermath back in 2003 and executive produced his debut album, The Documentary. Prior to that, The Game claimed that he’s the best rapper from Compton, though fans of Kendrick Lamar among others strongly disagreed.

Now The Game has a new claim: During a recent interview on NORE and DJ EFN’s podcast Drink Champs, he said that he could beat Eminem if they battled on Verzuz. “Eminem is Eminem, I like Eminem,” he said during the episode. “He’s one of the f*ckin good MCs, great MCs. I used to think Eminem was better than me. He not, he’s not. Challenge it. Yes, I do [Want to do Verzuz against Eminem].” After seeing the reaction from those around him, The Game pressed on. “What you mean, yeah I do. The f*ck you mean. I’m not saying I want smoke with Eminem, I’m saying I want smoke with Eminem, him, and him, whoever.”

After The Game’s comments made their way around social media, people were very quick to disagree with him:

You can watch a clip from the interview above and see the full interview here.

Sam Smith And Noramni Have Been Sued For Copyright Infringement Over ‘Dancing With A Stranger’

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In 2019, Sam Smith and Normani joined forces to release their first collaboration “Dancing With A Stranger.” “It bottles everything I was feeling whilst juggling my personal life and touring,” Smith said about the song at the time. Unfortunately, three years later, the track has landed the duo in some legal trouble as they were recently sued for copyright infringement.

According to Rolling Stone, in a complaint that was filed in federal court in Los Angeles, songwriters Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda, and Rosco Banlaoi claim that “Dancing With A Stranger” copies important elements, including its title, chorus, composition, and music video, from Vincent’s 2017 song “Dancing With Strangers.”

“The hook/chorus in both songs — the most significant part and artistic aspect of these works — contains the lyrics ‘dancing with a stranger’ being sung over a nearly identical melody and musical composition,” they allege. “Both videos consist of a girl performing interpretive dance alone in a minimalist studio, interspersed with shots of the male vocalist.”

This is not the first time that Smith has had to reach a legal settlement over one of their songs. Back in 2015, Tom Petty was awarded a song credit on Smith’s 2014 song “Stay With Me” due its similarities with “Don’t Back Down.”

Pusha T Says Pharrell’s Devastating Comment About His New Song Led To Him Producing Half Of His Next Album

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It appears that Pusha T is dangerously close to releasing his fourth solo album, which is reportedly titled It’s Not Dry Yet. So far we’ve received one single: the Kanye West- and 88 Keys-produced “Diet Coke.” Pusha also dropped a video for the track and it features an appearance from Kanye, who dances beside him throughout the visual. More recently, Pusha teamed up with DJ and fashion designer Nigo for their new song “Hear Me Clearly.” After the song was officially released, Pusha shared a devastating comment that he received from Pharrell.

“Fun Fact: @pharrell heard this song and told me ‘it’s cool, but I don’t want you to be a mixtape rapper for the rest of your life,’” Pusha wrote in an Instagram post. “I was devastated. He then flew me to Miami and proceeded to produce the first half of the best album of the year.” He concluded, “Moral of the story…always ‘push’ your friends to be greater, even when they’re the greatest.”

Pusha previously confirmed that Pharrell and Chad Hugo, who make up the famed duo The Neptunes, and Kanye West will produce his next album. The Neptunes will produce the first half while Kanye will take on the second. West previously produced Pusha’s first solo album My Name Is My Name, while The Neptunes produced albums by Clipse, the former hip-hop duo of which Pusha was a part alongside his brother No Malice. Pusha also revealed that the album will contain a feature from Jay-Z.

Drake Is Reportedly Seeking A Temporary Restraining Order Against His Alleged Stalker

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Back in 2017, a woman broke into Drake’s house in Los Angeles and allegedly stole bottles of water, Pepsi, and Sprite. The woman, 29-year-old Mesha Collins, was later caught inside the home wearing one of the rapper’s hoodies. She was eventually arrested and convicted of trespassing. However, the ordeal is not over just yet. According to a new report from TMZ, Drake recently filed for a temporary restraining order against Collins. The filing reportedly states that she continued to make visits to Drake’s home, and as recently as last month, sent him threatening emails.

In one of the emails, Collins allegedly wrote that Drake should “put a bullet through your head now b*tch.” If Drake wins the temporary restraining order, the court-ordered protection would extend to his son Adonis and his mother and father, Sandy and Dennis Graham. Drake’s filing comes after Collins pursued a restraining order against him after she unsuccessfully filing a $4 billion lawsuit. In the latter, Collins claims that Drake defamed her by sharing private information about her through his songs and on Instagram.

“In April 2017, somebody broke into my Los Angeles home when I was not there,” Drake said in response to that lawsuit. “At the time of that incident, I was not told any details about the trespasser, including her name.” He added that it was through the new lawsuit that he “learned that Plaintiff is the same person who broke into my house in Los Angeles in April 2017.” As a result, a judge dismissed her lawsuit, and a later attempt by Collins to revive it was also denied.

Niko Is And Talib Kweli Trade Dense Lyrical Verses In This Eerie Posse Cut

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Niko Is has linked up with Talib Kweli, MidaZ the Beast, A.L. Punchline, and Wordsworth for a lyrical, hard-hitting, classic hip-hop posse cut titled “Live From The Blue Note.” Take “classic” with a grain of salt though, while this harkens back to a golden age of hip-hop group cuts, “Live” is anything but traditional. The video is shot in a moody black and white and sees the MCs trading dense lyrical verses over an eerie minor-key piano motif which acts as the song’s sole rhythm track.

The sparse and eerie track’s minimal arrangement allows the natural musicality of the words and the rhythms of each MC’s flow to really shine — every member of the crew excels at filling gaps and nailing their punchlines. Kweli, in particular, has a fiery verse that boils with a steady intensity (including lines that dance around his recent public conflict with Ye).

“See the grifters dressing like they’re post-apocalyptic fly fishers, you get the picture when I frame and capture, I’m the famous rapper posing as a backpacker…” and “your mental state seems to be in a defensive place, your fans must’ve got the Corona and lost their sense of taste.”

Or you know, maybe he’s talking about some other bridge-burning headline-making rapper who talked publicly about posing as a backpacker.

Despite the song’s brooding vibe and length (it’s past the six-minute mark, with no drums in sight!) it never drags for a second. There’s a steady heat boiling on high as this collective of mic masters push one another and trade layered bars. It never feels out of step with the rhythm of current or classic hip-hop (there’s definitely some Mobb Deep energy in play).

Watch the video for “Live From The Blue Note,” above, the song is set to appear on Niko Is’ upcoming LP with Juni Ali, Young Viejos.

Cardi B Is Awed By A Video Of Angus Cloud Bussing Tables To Her Music Before Being Cast On ‘Euphoria’

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One of the things that makes Cardi B so relatable — which is what makes her such a big star — is that she’s quick to join in on culture conversations surrounding viral favorite TV shows like Euphoria and You. Last year, the “WAP” rapper forged an unlikely but delightful friendship with You star Penn Badgley, which found the two stars swapping profile pics and prompted fans to petition to get her on the show.

It seems she’s just as enamored with HBO breakout hit Euphoria, which she commented on when fans unearthed a video of one of the show’s stars, Angus Cloud, bussing tables to her song “Bartier Cardi” before being cast on the show. Cardi expressed her approval, praising him for going from serving food to serving fiends (in the show; Cloud plays a drug dealer named Fezco who has become a fan-favorite character). “Look at him now pushing weight,” she quipped. “You go Fez.”

Cardi’s celebrity circle seems to grow every time she comments on a show she’s watching — and even due to her own show, Cardi Tries. After being ordained to officiate a wedding on one episode of the show, a chance “missed connection” encounter with actor Kal Penn led to Cardi being enlisted to officiate Penn’s own upcoming nuptials. Meanwhile, Cloud’s clout is beginning to grow as well; he recently made a cameo in Juice WRLD’s “Cigarettes” video, and is currently filming two feature films.

Omah Lay And Justin Bieber Dance Around A Fire In The Video For Their Rhythmic Collab ‘Attention’

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Justin Bieber has found himself working more with afrobeats artists in recent years, like when he jumped on WizKid’s “Essence” remix and recruited Alpha P and Omah Lay for “Peaches (Masterkraft Remix),” both in 2021. Now, Bieber and Lay have reunited, as Bieber features on a new tune from the Nigerian artist, “Attention,” which also arrives alongside a video.

Lay told Billboard of the song:

“‘Attention’ is one of those songs where I’m just saying the truth, where I’m telling my story. It’s basically about sometime in everybody’s life, you’re lonely. You can’t just always have somebody all the time. Especially as an adult. That was actually the headspace that I was in when I made this song, a little lonely. I want the people that are going through the same thing to feel like I was talking to them. I’m human. I’m just like them. I feel exactly the same way they feel.”

Lay also explained how the track came together, saying of the fateful Los Angeles recording session, “I was in the studio one day with Harv [a frequent Bieber collaborator]. As soon as I heard the beat, the lyrics were already in my head. We didn’t even spend 30 minutes making the song. Harv called him and I FaceTimed Justin Bieber for the first time in my life. Later on, Harv got to play the song for him, and […] before I knew it, he sent in his verse and the song was good just like that.”

Lay also noted, “One thing I loved about working with Justin Bieber was how easy it was. I didn’t even expect it to be that simple.”

Watch the “Attention” video above.

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

Flying Lotus Signs A Deal To Direct And Produce Multiple Films

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One of the most innovative producers in hip-hop, Grammy Award winner Flying Lotus (née Steven Ellison), is actually a graduate of the Los Angeles Film School too. He made his film debut with the grotesque 2017 horror comedy, Kuso, which he directed and co-wrote the screenplay for (along with Zack Fox and David Firth.) He then really hit his stride with Netflix’s anime series, Yasuke, about a real Black samurai from feudal Japan. He co-wrote the screenplay along with LeSean Thomas of The Boondocks and it starred Lakeith Stanfield as the voice of the titular role.

Yasuke was awesome, and showed that Ellison definitely has the chops to make creative film and visual entertainment (he also scored the music for the show, natch.) Now, he has signed a multi-picture deal via his Brainfeeder Films, with French company Logical Pictures and XYZ Films, to direct and produce a slew of upcoming films. The projects are said to be focused on horror, thriller, and sci-fi realms, and the first flick, Ash, has already been announced with production happening this year. “I’ve a strong desire to innovate in the sci-fi space and I really want to show the world something they’ve never seen before,” Ellison said in a previous statement about Ash.

Logical Pictures Group President Frédéric Fiore added that: “FlyLo is a highly talented and respected musician with such a unique creative universe,” and expressed his enthusiasm for the deal. The statement pretty much sums up who Steven Ellison is as an artist and we’ll look forward to the continued blossoming of his audiovisual universe.