While it mostly traditional pop or hip-hop songs that hang out near the top of the charts, things have been different lately as standout Encanto hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” has enjoyed a sustained run atop the Billboard Hot 100. It spent a fourth frame at No. 1 last week, and now it once again occupies that spot for a fifth time on the new chart dated March 5.
Billboard notes the song’s success this week is due to a significant uptick in radio airplay impressions (7.9 million of them, a 23-percent increase from the previous week) despite declines in streams and downloads.
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” drew 29.9 million U.S. streams (down 7%), 7.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 23%), and sold 6,600 downloads (down 12%) in the Feb. 18-24 tracking week, according to MRC Data.
A fifth week on top extends the song’s record for most weeks at No. 1 for a song from a Disney movie. In fact, it now has more weeks at No. 1 than the next two-biggest Disney songs combined: Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting’s “All For Love” from The Three Musketeers spent three weeks at No. 1 while “A Whole New World” from Aladdin logged a week on top.
Meanwhile, Gayle is having a moment, as her viral hit “ABCDEFU” has hit a new high on the Hot 100, rising from No. 4 last week to No. 3 today.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Plenty of people making their way through the music industry have some family members who have already fared well in it. Among those is 15-year-old Grace Franklin, whose grandmother is the iconic Aretha Franklin. She auditioned for the current season of American Idol, but, despite her lineage, she did not make it past the audition stage.
In a pre-taped segment, Franklin said, “I feel like people expect me to sing exactly like her, but I am my own artist and I have my own voice.” She then got to showing off that voice with a rendition of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly” (inspired by the Lauryn Hill cover). While Lionel Richie was happily reminiscing about Aretha before Franklin sang, he commented on her perceived nervousness after the song. Meanwhile, Luke Bryan thought the performance was “sleepy and subdued” and Katy Perry called it “soft.”
Perry encouraged Franklin to take another crack at it, so she tried again with her grandmother’s “Ain’t No Way,” which she sang with more force than she used for “Killing Me Softly.” Perry was more receptive of that performance and so was Bryan, although he wasn’t completely swayed. Both Richie and Bryan encouraged Franklin to develop her voice more.
When it came time for the vote, Perry gave Franklin the go-ahead, while Richie and Bryan both passed, even after Perry’s fervent campaigning and playfully storming off set in disagreement.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of February below.
Beach House — Once Twice Melody
Once Twice Melody is Beach House’s first album since 2018’s 7, and now the expansive project has gotten an expansive vinyl box set edition; check it out in the unboxing video above. In her review of the album, Uproxx’s Caitlin White notes, “Once Twice Melody might expand their palette a bit, but it’s no experimental reach or brand new direction. Why mess with perfection? Their gauzy soundscapes are vague enough to sustain quite a bit of emotional projection, but there’s depth of meaning lurking within the songs that few other bands yield.”
Tkay Maidza — Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 & Vol. 3
Vinyl Me, Please
The Last Year Was Weird trilogy came to an end with the final two volumes, which are now available in a gorgeous gold pressing, exclusive to Vinyl Me, Please. Maidza recently told Uproxx of naming the series, “The term ‘weird’ is the way I described the plunge of going into the deep end and knowing that where I was. What I wanted was like a big leap forward, but I would have to start from nothing again. I was at that lowest point every day: ‘What the hell is going on?’ But in a way, I always had a feeling that it would work out because this was the only way it could be.”
Paul McCartney And Wings — Wild Life (50th Anniversary Limited Edition)
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Last December was the 50th anniversary of the debut album from Paul McCartney’s Wings, a major project in the immediate aftermath of The Beatles’ dissolution. To mark the occasion, the album gets a fresh reissue, with this edition having been mastered at half speed for supreme audio quality.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens — Harold And Maude (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
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Harold And Maude has become one of the defining films of its era, and Yusuf/Cat Stevens played a part in that with his soundtrack. That first came out 50 years ago, and now this vinyl reissue of it combines Stevens’ songs with dialogue from the film for the first time.
In June 2004, Pixies took to London’s Brixton Academy for four sold-out shows that marked their UK reunion, and now those shows are preserved in a new box set. This eight-LP release marks the first time these recordings are officially available, and on top of that, they’ve also been freshly remastered.
Sturgill Simpson has been in a productive stretch that most recently featured the 2021 album The Ballad Of Dood And Juanita. Now, it’s finally available on vinyl, and since this may be the final Sturgill Simpson album, this one’s worth grabbing.
Keef’s debut album was a big moment in hip-hop in that it helped popularize drill music. Vinyl Me, Please has now honored the album by making it one of their rerelease picks for March, which marks the first time the record has ever been made available on vinyl.
Modest Mouse — The Lonesome Crowded West (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
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Modest Mouse is going on tour this year, but if you’re unable to catch one of those shows but still want to throw a few bucks at a cool Modest Mouse experience, Vinyl Me, Please has a fresh reissue of one of their iconic albums, The Lonesome Crowded West. This version comes pressed on “Bottom Of The Sky”-colored vinyl and is accompanied by fresh listening notes.
Sasami got a Haim co-sign as she’s heading out on tour with the sister trio, and indeed, her new album is worth checking out. It’s a diverse effort that touches on everything from nu-metal to folk to classical, and now it’s available on a gorgeous translucent red vinyl pressing.
Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard curated a collection of Yoko Ono covers for the new Ocean Child project, and now the endeavor is available to grab on vinyl. It’s a strong get if you want to add some variety to your vinyl library, as the collection features recordings by Death Cab, Japanese Breakfast, Sharon Van Etten, David Byrne, and a heaping handful of others.
Dr. Dre has already been having a busy year. After joining Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige on stage at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, his song “Still D.R.E.” with Snoop Dogg became their first video to reach a billion views on YouTube. A couple of weeks before that, he collaborated with Eminem for a GTA Online Song “Gospel.” Now, he’s working with EPMD’s Erick Sermon, also known as the Green-Eyed Bandit, according to Sermon’s recent Instagram post, which gave shoutouts to a bunch of his friends and collaborators he’s been in the studio with.
“I got to L.A a day before the #superbowl ..then 2 days after that was his bday…after that .. the #sagacontinues,” he wrote. We worked on my new project #DYNAMICDUOS […] Thanks for the opportunity. We were friends for over 30 and never worked together.. a lot of ppl has been waiting on this to happen. Well .. here it is […] Thank @focus3dots @coachbernard @mikecity ….. @rance1500 @saweetie @thebrandengine @joellejames […] My mental health has been a factor for awhile .. thank u @drdre for changing that. # beautiful blessings.”
It’s their first time working together after 30 years of friendship. Hopefully this project Dynamics Duos will be finished and released sometime soon.
Days after multiple videos emerged online purporting to depict Ukrainian authorities discriminating against African residents seeking to flee the nation as its ongoing conflict with Russia escalates, help for those residents may soon come from a surprising source: Young Thug. Thug posted to his Instagram Story offering his assistance and calling for his “rap brothers” to pitch in as well.
“lf some of my rap brothers are in, I’m willing to help Africans get out of Ukraine,” he wrote. “However I can sense they not letting us pass. Who ever holds the info for these movements please contact me ASAP I’m ready.” It didn’t take long for him to secure pledges from the likes of music impresario Kevin Liles, private jet broker Kelvin Mensah, and YSL Records rapper Strick, who all reshared his post.
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Thugger is developing a penchant for putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to helping out those less fortunate than him. In 2017, he donated to Planned Parenthood against threats to defund the organization from Donald Trump, while in 2021, he and his artist Gunna paid bail for 30 Fulton County Jail inmates and hosted a dinner for their families while expressing plans to continue doing so in the future. He’s even gotten more hands-on of late, kicking off the new year by helping a stranded motorist jumpstart his car. Thugger is a man of the people.
Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Mary J Blige and Method Man have made magic together for nearly 30 years, since their 1994 collaboration, “I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need To Get By” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Last night, both were honored during the NAACP Image Awards with wins in the Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series for their roles in 50 Cent’s Starz crime drama, Power Book II: Ghost as drug matriarch Monét Tejada and shady lawyer Davis MacLean, respectively.
Mary celebrated her award with a post on Instagram thanking the NAACP Image Awards committee along with 50 Cent, Power creator Courtney A. Kemp, Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch, and the show’s cast, crew, and producers. Meanwhile, Method Man’s post about the win touted his new negotiating power as a two-time award winner, as he cracked in the caption: “Price just went up!!”
Both stars are flying high lately, but Mary J has been on another level thanks to her recent appearance in Dr. Dre’s Super Bowl halftime performance, which she followed up with an appearance during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend performance alongside DJ Khaled, Gunna, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, and Migos. Meanwhile, 50 Cent even made a joking reference to Mary’s Power character after a viral moment with Michael Jordan.
Congrats to both stars for their wins as we look forward to seeing what they do next.
The fallout from Omerette The Great’s “Sorry Not Sorry” continues to settle as more Atlanta notables weigh in on the upstart rapper’s declarations about who’s really from the city. After T.I. “respectfully” offered his thoughts — along with a helpful visual aid — now, another of Georgia’s rising stars, Latto, has entered the debate. Surprisingly, she agrees with Omeretta but says it’s not the scandal so many people are making it out to be.
Latto, who recently issued her own pledge of allegiance to her hometown with the single “Soufside,” posted a TikTok quoting a line from Omeretta’s controversial song outro. “Clay Co ishnot Alanna,” she wrote in the caption as she doubled over with laughter in the video. When one follower asked whether the song was “really that big of a deal,” Latto replied, “It’s not a big deal lol clay co is the south we not the city she said the truth tbh.”
Clay County, Georgia, is certainly not part of Atlanta’s metropolitan area, which seems to be the common factor in all the places Omeretta names in “Sorry Not Sorry.” “College Park is not Atlanta / Lithonia is not Atlanta / Clayco is not Atlanta / Decatur is not Atlanta / Gwinnett is not Atlanta / Roswell is not Atlanta / Forest Park is not Atlanta / Lilburn is not Atlanta,” she declares. The song went viral as people from Atlanta and the surrounding areas debated the merits of her arguments — which may have been the whole point.
You can check out Omeretta’s “Sorry Not Sorry” above.
A new four-part documentary series about James Brown is coming in 2023, according to A&E network. Titled James Brown: Say It Loud, it’ll be produced by the Rolling Stones‘ Mick Jagger and the Roots’ Questlove and Black Thought. It’ll feature tons of interviews with people from Brown’s life such as friends and collaborators, while also including exclusive archival footage.
“He was a brilliant performer who inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement,” Jagger said in a statement, also stating that he’s “thrilled” to help produce it. “I have always admired James and learned so much from him.”
“The life of James Brown is significant not only to understand his immense musical impact, which inspires us and other artists to this day, but also for the deep and lasting impression he has had on American culture,” Questlove and Black Thought added. “Brown’s life is a crucial and timely story of struggle, redemption, and self-identity and we are honored to have the chance to share it.”
James Brown: Say It Loud will be directed by Deborah Riley Draper. It follows the 2014 biopic Get On Up, in which Chadwick Boseman played Brown. That was also produced by Jagger.
A driver for Uber Eats says he wants to sue Snoop Dogg after the rapper revealed his personal information on social media during a tirade about a canceled order. Snoop, who had ordered the food to his compound in Inglewood, said that the driver dipped without delivering the food, leaving behind the message that the neighborhood was “not a safe place.” Now, because of the rapper’s video complaining about the supposedly bad service, the driver says he has anxiety and fear for his family’s safety, according to CBS Los Angeles.
“There’s my picture there and also there is my first name,” said the driver, whose name, Sayd, photo, and license plate number both appeared in the video. Sayd, also said, “I contacted the customer many times and I also followed the protocol by the book.” Meanwhile, he was also disappointed in Uber’s response to Snoop’s video, a statement reading “We truly regret Snoop Dogg’s frustrating experience. We have reached out to apologize and refunded him for the order.” Sayd said, “When I read that, I just felt like it’s not fair because I am the one that deserves an apology from Uber Eats, not Snoop.” He has since quit working for Uber Eats.
For what it’s worth, it can be very frustrating to have drivers do the whole “not a safe neighborhood” thing (which happens to me all the time) and from personal experience, the neighborhood Snoop’s compound is in has always seemed relatively safe to me. But it’s not okay to put people’s personal info on the internet, especially considering how bad some of the harassment activity has gotten in recent years (to say nothing of what happened to Pop Smoke when he accidentally revealed his address). While Snoop probably didn’t mean any harm, we should all be just a little more aware when we share social media — and a little more forgiving of “punk-ass” Uber drivers who aren’t used to the ‘hood (get a new job, though, if you that scary).
From his latest album, Hall of Fame 2.0, Polo G teams up with Lil Baby for a fast-paced new music video for their collaboration track called “Don’t Play.” On the track, G and Baby trade adrenaline rush verses about, of course, not being someone to mess around with. “In a Hellcat/ watch me race and drift/ That lil’ boy a problem, don’t play with him,” Polo G spits.
The follow-up to G’s “Heating Up” visual released last month. In the new video, Polo G and Lil Baby live out their Fast & The Furious fantasies, drag racing throughout Los Angeles in the latest Hellcat. Between perfect drifts and high-speed stunts, the two stars are hanging out the windows with a carefree attitude as they currently rip and run through the charts of today’s popular music.
Originally released in June 2021 with a deluxe version last November, Hall of Fame 2.0 is a double-disc, 34-tracks, that includes an all-star cast such as Moneybagg Yo, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and so many more. Alongside the guests, the album is filled with new hits, like “Young N Dumb,” “Fortnight,” and “Unapologetic.” Hall of Fame 2.0 debuted at #3 on Billboard, according to HitsDailyDouble.
Lil Baby’s latest feature comes on the heels of the superstar announcing a new solo album was on the way. “Album Almost Done, New Music Otw Tho,” the rapper tweet on Twitter.
In 2021, the Atlanta recording artist has been featured on new music by Nicki Minaj, 2 Chainz and Kanye West. Lil Baby appears on the track and video courtesy of Quality Control/Motown/Capitol.
Watch “Don’t Play” below and stream Hall of Fame 2.0, above.
