Before Run The Jewels changed his life, vaulting him to indie hip-hop super stardom with his partner Killer Mike, El-P was making future-forward hip-hop on his own. An OG of the independent hip-hop movement, El-P first name a made for himself as a producer with Company Flow in the late 90s, but built even deeper cult fan bases with his three studio albums.
This year, Fantastic Damage, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, and Cancer For Cure are celebrating their 20th, 15th, and 10th anniversaries, respectively. Always one to cater to his rabid fan base, El-P is reissuing all three via 2LP deluxe vinyl editions with Fat Possum Records. It’ll also mark the first time since 2010 that Fantastic Damage is being pressed on vinyl.
Never one to mince words, El-P shared a statement on the reissues:
“this is a thank you letter to everyone who has helped and allowed me to live my life doing the music and art i love. to everyone who has been moved in some way by what i do, to everyone who has been listening from the beginning, to those that stuck with me as i changed and grew and to everybody who’s just discovered the music.
i’ve always focused on the next piece. i’ve always only run to my future. but despite my habit of not looking back much, this year marks the 20th (FANTASTIC DAMAGE), 15th (I’LL SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE DEAD) and 10th (CANCER 4 CURE) anniversaries of the major records in my solo career and it feels good to get them back on vinyl and into whomever’s hands might want them.
but most of all it feels good to just be here. still allowed to do what i love, still thrilled about it in every way.
so again, thank you.
love,
el-p”
Watch a trailer for the reissue series above and pre-order the releases, which are now on sale here.
Getty Image / Alex Livesey – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
A new festival celebrating women in music, food, and comedy will launch this summer in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Versa Festival boasts a line-up of women artists, chefs, and comedians across five different stages over the course of two days. Festivities kick off Saturday, June 11th and continue into Sunday, June 12th.
In the musical line-up are Ellie Goulding, Kim Petras, Young MA, Big Freedia, Liz Phair, and Kali Uchis. Meanwhile, delivering laughs are Chelsea Handler, Ilana Glazer, Aida Rodriguez, and Sydnee Washington. Chefs will be announced at a later date, however, the line-up and dishes are set to be curated by Top Chef judge Gail Simmons.
“Versa is a one-of-a-kind live experience that will bring people together for a purpose – to remind women of their value and their voice,” said Shelley Phillips, Executive Producer and Partner of Four Leaf Productions, in a statement. “It’s exciting to build something that offers people a chance to have a good time and fight the good fight, all at once.”
In addition to music, comedy, and food, Versa Festival will also feature lectures from the likes of Gloria Steinem and Alok Vaid-Menon. A Versa Ball, inspired by ballroom culture, hosted by ballroom icon Leggoh JohVera, will also take place at the festival on a to be announced date.
Tickets are available for purchase here. Check out the line-up poster below.
However, Kanye’s lawyers did have some conditions for agreeing to Kim Kardashian’s newly single status, although only one was granted. The right to any money that is supposed to be divided up will be preserved if either of them dies, but a request to prevent Kim from transferring assets she has in trust was denied, as was the final condition that Kim would waive her privilege to withhold any communications with a new spouse should she get remarried.
The two celebrities are now officially single, but it remains to be seen whether that stops Kanye from making overtures to reconcile via social media or haranguing Pete Davidson, Kim’s new beau.
Kanye West allegedly may not want to divorce Kim Kardashian but it looks like he doesn’t mind enjoying himself while the two are going through their separation. After spending much of the early part of the year publicly dating actress Julia Fox, it looks like he’s found — well, not a replacement for Kim, but certainly a companion who fits a type. Kanye’s recently been seen out with a model named Chaney Jones, who some have described as a Kim Kardashian lookalike, and judging from a new social media post, it looks like they are more than friends.
After Kanye reposted a Shade Room photo of himself and Jones walking through a shopping center in Miami, Jones appeared in the comments to call Kanye “my love.” According to Complex, Jones also previously shared a selfie of the two together on her Instagram Story, adding fuel to the rumors that the two have been growing closer.
Prior to being linked with Jones, Kanye’s whirlwind fling with Julia Fox generated some truly bonkers headlines, including ones about their extravagant dates, and over the top gifts for her and her friends. When rumors began to circulate about the short-lived couples’ possible breakup, she confirmed them on no more auspicious an occasion than Valentine’s Day. It looks like some of Kanye’s theatricality may have rubbed off on her. Meanwhile, Kanye and Jones have yet to confirm that they’re dating, but if their social media activity is to believed, it looks like Kanye has met his match — at least for now.
At just the age of 23 years old, Nija Charles is undoubtedly one of the music industry’s most sought-after songwriters. Her list of collaborators is a dream cast of names that any songwriter, or any artist at that, would love to have at her age. Cardi B, Meek Mill, The Carters, 21 Savage, Beyonce, Chris Brown, Drake, and Summer Walker are all people she’s worked to great success. Between chart-topping albums and top-20 Billboard Hot 100 songs, Nija’s resume shines on its one.
In 2020, Nija hit the jackpot — twice. She scored two No. 1s, the first being Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain On Me” and the second being Grande’s “Positions.” Her elevated success as a songwriter earned her recognition on various platforms. In 2020, she appeared on Rolling Stone’s Future 25, BET’s Future 40, and Forbes’ 30 Under 30 lists. Two years after she topped the charts as a songwriter, Nija is aiming for that same success as a singer.
Fresh off the release of her debut project, Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You, we caught up with Nija to discuss her success as a songwriter, her goals for her own artistry, and how she’s able to do it all.
As a songwriter, 2020 proved to be your biggest year after you landed No. 1s with Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. Ahead of your next chapter as an overall artist, how do you look at those moments when you reflect on them now?
Yeah, back in 2020, I didn’t realize how hard I was working and I’m just appreciative of my drive during that time. Getting two No. 1s, especially in pop, is not something you see every day, so it just proves to me that I could do anything. Working hard comes naturally to mean and I was able to put that into my artistry, that type of drive. Working during the pandemic, I got to be able to go back to how I usually work before I really got into writing professionally. I was in my room and just doing what felt good to me. That was really dope that I got to go back to my old self and I feel like that played a big part in my success during that year.
Even though you had success as a songwriter, were you concerned that these No. 1s would box you in as a writer and make it harder for you to be your own artist?
No, I never had a fear because I’m the type of person where it’s like if I want something, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure it happens. I know the music I make is good because I just love listening to music and making music for myself. So as long as I like it, that’s really all that matters to me. I’m glad that everyone else likes it. But no, there was never really a fear because I do it for my own enjoyment.
What’s one of two things that factor heavily into your success as a songwriter, as in, without them, you wouldn’t be as consistent as you are at the moment?
Humbleness and being grounded for sure. I would say that because I feel like a lot of people chase hits and success, but for me from the beginning, I make music because I want to make what I want to hear on the radio. I’m a fan of music so that’s how I always approach every song. I make it so that I can listen to it in the car and listen to my friends. I’m not chasing success and I feel like that plays out in the results. Two, I would say drive and just being a go-getter. I’m always on call, I’m always gonna finish something, [and] I never half-ass things. I feel like that’s definitely played a part in my consistency and it’s also why a lot of people trust me and call on me because they know that I’ll get the job done and I’m going to see things through.
Since these pair of No. 1 singles, how have you grown in your art and what’s contributed to this growth?
Yeah, I’ve grown a lot because one, I feel like I’ve actually been able to experience life more. When I stepped foot in the industry, I was still a teenager and just entering my 20s. So now, I’m learning life like before I really had anything to go off of, I was just writing about what I saw or things that I just heard about, but now I have my own life experiences to draw from through talking with friends and just maturing, that definitely played a big part. Creatively, music progresses and I’m inspired by other artists that I’m listening to and just broadening my music library and just taking inspiration from all types of genres. So yeah, maturing and expanding.
I remember a post you shared in early 2021 where you celebrated your signing to Capitol Music Group. What made that the perfect time and the perfect place to lock in a deal?
It was the perfect time because the three years prior, I just kept leveling up and I’ve worked with about 99% of the people that I looked up to. My first year, I worked with Beyonce and Jay-Z, my second year, I was a big Chris Brown fan growing up and I was able to score one of the biggest cultural records with him. Then, the year after that, I got the biggest pop songs, so it was just like, where do I go from here? I definitely wanted to try something new, and having so much success so early and so quickly, I just felt like that was the right next step. Also, the year before that, Beyonce featured me on “My Power.” So it was really the best timing for me. The reason why I chose Capitol was I was signed by Jeff Vaugh (Chairman/CEO of CMG). Me and Jeff, we’ve known each other over the years because he used to work at Artist Partner Group, so we’ve worked a lot especially at the beginning of my career because he was Kehlani’s A&R and I’ve worked a lot with her — my first hit was “Ring” with Cardi and her. My main thing was I wanted to go somewhere where they were passionate about me, and you know, he was the chairman. He really, really saw my vision as well as Amber Grimes (former SVP and Global Creative of CMG), so that was the perfect place for me.
Now that you’re forging your path as an artist, how has it been balancing creating work for yourself and other artists?
I feel like I’ve had to be more focused add more structure to my schedule. I ended up carving two or three days for me and/or two to three days writing for other people. So it’d be one and off three and two and separate them for each, so that was a big thing. I had to take like a month and a half off just to solely focus on me. I wasn’t doing writing sessions, which was different for me because that’s my everyday life, going to sessions and working with other artists, but I was locked in with myself. Creatively, I had to approach songs differently than I would when working with another artist because I had no boundaries. I was able to use my whole range, I was able to experiment with different melodies and flows, and not be scared or have to limit myself for it to work for multiple people. So it was definitely a lot of change.
The title of your debut project, Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You, and the music within it presents a double entendre to listeners which is your arrival and impact in the music industry and the energy and qualities you bring to the table in a relationship. Was this intentional, if so, how did you fit them together?
Yeah, it was definitely intention because there are two sides to me, right? Everyone knows that I’m a songwriter and it’s hard to break out of that stigma of songwriters making it out and transferring into an artist and into the spotlight. But, I would never box myself in and I would never let anybody box me into one thing. It’s me telling the music industry and just telling the world, don’t say I didn’t warn you about how I’m coming and in the music that I’m creating, and I’m gonna beat the odds. Then, the story that I’m telling is about my past relationships. It was toxic, it was up and down, and you know, it was me saying “don’t say I didn’t want you” to him. So definitely, it was very intentional with the double entendre.
What were some of the sources of inspiration for this project?
The sources of inspiration were definitely Pop Smoke because I wanted to experiment with the New York drill scene. One of my main things was definitely combining R&B and drill. I’d been saying for months that I wanted to hear an actual singing song on top of a drill beat, so that was one of the inspirations. Also, I was listening to a lot of rap, a lot of pop, and a lot of R&B, and I just really wanted to combine all of those while using freeform melodies, flows, and structures on the records. Content-wise, where I drew inspiration from was just the past three years of my life being in my past relationship and the ups and downs of what we were going through and the feelings after a breakup. Also, me going through my 20s, maturing, becoming an adult, and just being young and successful and dealing with all of that. Achieving so many of those things while also learning how to be an adult at the same time. It definitely gave me a lot to talk about.
Another notable thing about this project is that you’re always in control on these songs, like “You Don’t Love Her” for example. What was your thought process with this direction?
For me, I always want to come from a position of power. I feel like a lot of the R&B that we listened to today is very — I don’t want to say, in the victim realm — but it’s always like, “Oh, you hurt me. Oh it’s me, I’m so sad.” We’ve seen a change within the female rap genre and they’re always in a position of power. I love listening to female rap and the power that they stand for and just always having such confidence. I want to hear that in R&B music. That’s the energy that I carry in general. I always want to make sure that I never feel like the victim or like I’m taking the L. I always want to come out on top because pride is a big thing as well. I never want to feel like I’m losing or just being a victim.
Was there more pressure for you behind writing and create creating content for this specific project as opposed to writing creative content for other people?
Definitely, I feel in the beginning there wasn’t a lot of pressure. I was just doing my own thing and really taking time for ourselves. But when it came down to the wire and it was like, okay, we have 75% of this and we see where this going and see how good this could be, that’s when the pressure was on. I just had to make sure that my mind music matched up to what people know me for. I have a lot of hits under my belt and there’s oftentimes where people feel like the songwriter gave their best songs away. I never want it to feel like that about me, especially because I feel like this is some of the best work that I’ve done. These are my stories, these are my sounds, I feel like I can’t hear other artists singing these records. That’s what’s most important to me. So the pressure was definitely on towards the end of it.
For those who are hearing you in front of the mic for the first time, what do you want them to keep in mind as they listen to your debut project?
One thing I one thing to keep in mind is that I am not the other records that you’ve heard me pen on, they were meant for other people. I want everyone to listen to this with an open mind and a clean slate and not compare this album, or this project, to my past work, that’s one thing. Two, I want everyone listening to this with expecting to heal, especially if they’re going through a toxic relationship. I feel like this is one of those projects where it’ll help you overcome those feelings. It’s definitely not something I’d be down in the dumps with. So those are definitely two things that I want them to keep in mind.
Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You is out now via Capitol Music Group. You can stream it here.
Known for pushing the envelope with each of his projects, Channel Tres has just dropped a new instrumental album with no prior promotion. On Refresh, Tres showcases his prowess for producing tracks.
Known for songs like “Controller” and “Fuego,” Tres has become known for rapping and singing over groovy, kinetic dance beats. Refresh contains these kinds of tracks, reminiscent of Detroit techno and Chicago house, with Tres hoping fans will feel creative as they listen to the seven songs.
In an Instagram post, Tres wrote, “here’s a beat tape to start 2022….made a bunch of beats while on tour with cat and in my room also drew this cover art. hope ya create something while listening.”
In a 2019 interview with Uproxx, Tres said he finds more inspiration in the “spirit” of the music than the actual sound. “I think a lot of people right now are artists that fit into a category of what you think how they should be,” he said. “But if you push the conventions, it frees up other kids that are coming after us seeing certain images. It’s hard a lot of times for Black kids to find an image, because we get told what we should be. I just know if I let somebody put me in a box, someone else might not get the freedom to be who they’re supposed to be.”
Tres was supposed to perform at Coachella in 2020, however, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic halted those plans. While in isolation, Tres produced and wrote an EP called I Can’t Go Outside. Last year, Channel Tres made appearances on tracks by Tokimonsta and Emotional Oranges, and also toured across the U.S. with singer and instrumentalist Thundercat.
Tres is set to perform at Ceremonia 2022 in Mexico City this April, as well as Governors Ball in June.
Refresh is out now via Art For Their Own Good. Get it here.
J.Cole’s Dreamville Festival is back for its second year. This time around, the fest has expanded into a two-day format, taking place on April 2nd and 3rd in Raleigh, North Carolina. And while J. Cole himself will be playing a headlining set to close out the festival on Sunday, it’s the rest of the imaginative lineup that sets this apart as a choice hip-hop function.
Kehlani, Wizkid, and Lil Baby make up a formidable headlining slate, but Dreamville Fest doesn’t stop there. DJ Drama will be making his first-ever Gangsta Grillz performance with Lil Wayne, Jeezy, and T.I., and Ja Rule and Ashanti will be reuniting on stage for a performance. The entire Dreamville records roster — including Ari Lennox, JID, Bas, EarthGang, and Cozz — will be performing too.
Dreamville Festival takes place at Dorothea Dix Park, the largest city park in Raleigh, which boasts over 300 acres of sprawling public green space. Other acts also appearing over the weekend include Moneybagg Yo, Wale, Rico Nasty, Fivio Foreign, Larry June, Bia, Morray, Blxst, T-Pain, Lute, Mereba, Mikhala Jené, The Hics, and Omen.
Tickets for Dreamville Festival are on-sale now here and check out the event website for full details.
Dreamville
Some of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Getty Image / Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Entering the world of House Party is rapper and pop star Doja Cat, who is set to star in her own version of the game set for release this summer. The 3D single-player video game allows characters to create their own unique personalities, reacting to player interactions. Players can act through “hundreds of stories” with “thousands” of branching storylines.
“I’m so excited that I’m going to be a video game character,” said Doja in a statement. “House Party is about to get even better. You gotta check this game out.”
In Doja’s version of House Party, set for release this summer, players will help the “Need To Know” singer execute a master plan to track down a masked dancing sensation. Players will have access to multiple outfits for Doja to help her show off new dance moves, and help create a new music video.
“We are beyond ecstatic to be working with Doja Cat and her team on this collaboration,” said Bobby Ricci, Founder and CEO of Eek! Games, in a statement. “Doja Cat was the perfect pick to star in our first major expansion pack, and the more we work with her, the more apparent that becomes. We are excited to be able to bring this unique experience to the gaming world with our key partners, Bravado and Epik who helped in aligning us with Doja Cat.”
A portion of the proceeds from Doja’s House Party game will benefit Advancing Children For Success, an organization dedicated to the development and protection of children and their families by way of improving access to nutrition, health, early learning, and skills development.
Despite Kanye West’s ongoing divorce troubles, things are looking up in the other parts of his life. Although fans can’t officially get his new album Donda 2 without buying the $200 stem player, it looks like the new album’s discourse dominance combined with the social media success of the Netflix Jeen-Yuhs documentary have helped propel some of the rapper’s catalog classics to new heights.
Billboard reports a huge resurgence on the Billboard 200 album chart for the first two albums in Kanye’s iconic discography, with The College Dropout reaching a 15-year peak and Late Registration returning to the chart for the first time in five years. The College Dropout, which contained the hits “Through The Wire” and “Slow Jamz” — both of which were highlighted in Jeen-Yuhs with footage from their respective recording sessions — jumped from No. 109 to No. 36, the highest it’s been since March of 2005. Meanwhile, Late Registration, which helped cement Kanye as a cultural force, returned to the chart at No. 184.
Meanwhile, those fans who did dish out the double-Benjamin down payment on Donda 2 received 16 tracks last week in addition to the four that hit just days before. Those who wanted to get the album by other means have done so with the help of a stem player emulator a Redditor shared on the forum shortly after the album’s release date, while others found themselves downloading a similarly-titled album by someone named Wanye Kest on Apple Music.
50 Cent’s Power series — along with its assorted spinoffs — has long been one of the hottest things on TV, driven by his fervent fanbase and strong social media buzz. However, that hasn’t stopped 50, who executive produces the shows, as well as having a recurring role on the original Power, from running into frustrations with Starz, the network that carries the shows. Although he’s expressed his feelings about the network before, apparently things have reached a new head, leaving the rapper-turned-mogul ready to pack his bags after his 2017 deal expires according to his latest post on Instagram.
Posting a string of images of luggage, including a gif from Oran “Juice” Jone’s “The Rain” video, 50 once again threatened to take his talents elsewhere. “This is me packing my stuff, STARZ,” he taunted in the caption of the gif. “Sucks, my deal is up over here I’m out. They renewed High Town and [Power Book IV] FORCE is the highest-rated show they have it sitting in limbo. If I told you how much dumb sh*t I deal with over here.”
In the other photos, he jokingly kept the motif running, as a series of dialogue exchanges with partners and employees. “Anil, get your f*cking bags in the car now, we are out of here,” read one. “take that f*cking sign off the door no more G-unit film and television over here.” Another cracked, “Michael, what the f*ck are you takings so long for, let’s go! Why are you folding all of your clothing so perfect, we can just get new clothes when we get where we going.”
Whether this tactic results in Starz renewing Force for another season or allowing 50 to truly walk out the door, one this is certain: 50 Cent will find a way to make even contract negotiations seem entertaining.
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