It’s fairly incredible how open Nick Cannon is about his sex life. The father of seven children with four different women has an eighth on the way with a fifth. He’s been speaking publicly with family therapist Dr. Laura Berman, both on The Nick Cannon show and recently on her podcast called The Language of Love With Dr. Laura Berman. In a “Valentine’s Day episode” that aired yesterday, Cannon opened up about his previous stance of celibacy, which led into him speaking about monogamy and how he doesn’t think it’s “healthy” for him.
The Masked Singer and Wild N’ Out star began talking about definitions of being single versus being married. “To define me is to confine me,” he says. They talk about forming covenants, whether bound by the government or not, at which point Cannon says “And I just don’t feel like that’s healthy. Monogamy is not healthy. I feel like that gets into the space of selfishness and ownership.” Berman validates him, before Cannon admits that he feels like his trajectory in life is to “be the best father I can be,” and as he gets older, “whoever is willing to put up with me” is who he’ll end up with and maybe be monogamous with.
On this special Valentine’s Day episode of “The Language of Love,” I sit down with Nick Cannon @nickcannon. Nick seeks some clarity and direction around his romantic future.
Berman posits that perhaps his fear of being left or discarded is contributing to his fear of monogamy. And it’s really fascinating for someone who is so virile and is such a well-known public figure like Cannon, to make themselves this much of an open book when it comes to their sex therapy.
You can listen to the whole episode of the podcast here.
LPB Poody returns to UPROXX Sessions this week with a heartfelt performance of his I’m The One standout, “Eiffel Tower.” After performing the title track in his previous appearance, he switches things up this time, delivering a soulful rendition of the moody cut, which shows off his thoughtfulness and impresses as the Florida rapper details his rough life experiences.
Poody’s career has been flourishing since his 2021 track “Batman” picked up steam on TikTok, exposing him to a new audience far outside his Orlando stomping grounds and putting him in perfect position for a breakout year. I’m The One, released in December of 2021 capitalized on the attention, showcasing Poody’s growing talents and pairing him with a number of big-name stars including Lil Wayne, Moneybagg Yo, Yung Bleu, and his fellow Florida native Rick Ross.
Watch LPB Poody’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “Eiffel Tower” 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.
Drake’s jewelry collection grew yet again but this time he didn’t pay a cent. TMZ reports that the latest addition to the rapper’s collection — which was partly designed as a tribute to his son Adonis — was given to the rapper by celebrity jeweler Alex Moss as a gift rather than a purchase.
The ring, consisting of 14 karat gold and 15.7 carats of diamonds, features a rendering of the OVO owl logo with the number “11” set behind it. October 11, of course, is Adonis’ birthday (just 13 days before his dad’s), highlighting the four-year-old’s importance to his famous pops. The overall value of the piece is reportedly $77,000 — a small price to pay for the publicity that seeing Drake wear such a piece would bring to the jeweler.
Of course, Drake’s been doing just fine showing public displays of affection for his son on his own. For Adonis’ most recent October 11, Drake threw a racing-themed birthday party and posted photos online; he’s also shared videos of his son learning the game of basketball (something else Drake takes pride in sharing with him), playing around on Christmas Eve, and giving him an impromptu French lesson, which the toddler used to troll his famous dad. Drake’s certainly come a long way from “hiding a child” as he was once taunted by Pusha T.
Leon Bridges, who just graced the most recent Uproxx cover story with Khruangbin ahead of the release of their Texas Moon EP, it embarking on his biggest tour yet. The Boundless Tour represents Bridges’ first headlining tour of amphitheaters and arenas and he’s making US stops from coast to coast.
Little Dragon will be supporting Bridges on the newly announced summer tour which begins on July 29th in Las Vegas and concludes on September 8th in Santa Barbara. These dates come in addition to already announced Europe and US tour dates for Bridges in April and May.
The Boundless Tour presale tickets are available on Tuesday, February 22 at 10 a.m. local time, with the general on sale beginning on Friday, February 25 at 10 a.m. local time. Check out the full dates for The Boundless Tour below and get tickets here.
07/29 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
07/30 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
07/31 — San Diego, CA @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
08/03 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
08/04 — Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
08/06 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
08/08 — Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
08/10 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
08/13 — Philadelphia, PA @ Skyline Stage at The Mann
08/14 — Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point
08/16 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
08/18 — New York, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium
08/20 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
08/21 — Columbus, OH @ KEMBA LIVE! – Outdoor Amphitheater
08/22 — Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
08/24 — Chicago, IL @ Credit Union 1 Arena
08/25 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
08/29 — Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds at Moda Center
08/30 — Seattle, WA @ Marymoor Park
09/02 — Aspen, CO @ Jazz Aspen Snowmass
09/04 — Napa, CA @ Oxbow RiverStage
09/07 — Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre
09/08 — Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
A little over two years ago, Boston’s Cousin Stizz was Trying To Find My Next Thrill. The title of his 2019 sophomore album presented a man searching for the next excitement in his rap career. He’d won the hearts of those in his hometown through his first two mixtapes, 2015’s Suffolk County and 2016’s Monda, and well as his 2017 major-label debut One Night Only. He’d collaborated with some big names in music like Offset, Smino, Freddie Gibbs, Yung Miami from City Girls, and more. So a search for his next thrill through two albums and two mixtapes made sense.
In 2022, though, Stizz returns with his third album, Just For You. The 13-track project is a mostly solo effort, with just one guest feature from Curren$y. While the Boston native’s search for his next thrill is ongoing, he continues this journey with a project crafted for those who adore him the most. Stylistically, it’s quite reminiscent of Suffolk County and Monda. Backed by strong production from Kal Banx, Charlie Heat, Latrell James, Luke Crowder, and more, Cousin Stizz runs the show from start to finish with equal amounts of precision and finesse.
Fresh off the release of his new album, we caught up with Cousin Stizz to talk about the project, how it’s been searching for his next thrill, the Boston hip-hop scene, and more.
Pandemic things aside, what have you spent the last two, going on three, years doing that brings us Just For You.
Learning bro, literally. Just been learning the game, where I want to be, and where I see myself in the game. Learning life things, you know, things for myself to just help me grow and put us here.
I really liked the idea and concept behind Trying To Find My Next Thrill. Where do you feel like you are on that journey and what place does ‘Just For You’ have on this journey?
Ironically, I feel like Just For You is filling that void. I feel like right after I made Trying To Find My Next Thrill, the world shut down. I went on my own about the business, so that and all the things that happened in the midst of that, it kind of just ironically became that.
Speaking about Just For You specifically, what was/were your biggest intention(s) with this project?
Man, I just wanted to really put something out. My biggest intention was just to get some music out and really just kind of see how people feel about it. My biggest intention was just to get my point across and see how people felt about it because it’s been a while.
You released two projects under RCA, and now you’re back on the independent route, what went into this decision especially ahead of this project?
I think it was just where I saw myself in my journey and where I want to be. I feel like I kind of have to build my foundation just to make sure everything is done the way I want it to be done.
The scarcity of features on this album reminds me of Suffolk Country and Monda. Why did you choose to completely lock in with yourself this one?
I like making music, you know? And I make a sh*t ton of music that doesn’t get out there for people to hear, but I like making music. It’s not even a thing that I do intentionally. I just make music and everybody ain’t there when I’m making music. I make music a lot of time at my crib around like one or two in the morning. I’m rapping from like, 10 pm to 6 am in my crib. So it’s like who am I really around during those times, but myself?
So it’s not really like an intentional thing because I like the people I like and I like working with the people I’ve worked with, we’ve made great music. I make music for myself and I tried to keep my fans in mind when I’m making the music as well because, without them, there’s no me, but I really make music for me.
What are some things you wanted or tried to do differently on Just For You compared to your previous releases?
I kind of try to always do that. I know what I’m good at. I know what I do well. I always leave pieces of that in records because that’s what you should do. I know what people want to hear from me, for the most part, but at the same time, in order to keep it exciting for me, I always gotta just try things and let that part of me go.
Being able to put out five albums and still get the attention you get is a blessing. What keeps the love alive for crafting projects each time around?
Man, that is a blessing and I’m super grateful for it. I think that’s half of it, just knowing that it’s been since 2019 and I’m still getting some type of love and that’s crazy to me. I’m just super appreciative of that, and that alone helps me love this sh*t a lot. It shows me people care, and when people tell me that they care — those real person-to-person interactions where a motherf*cker come up to you and they tell you “This record helped me” or “This record did this for me or that for me” — that keeps the love in the game for me every single trip. Plus, I just like making music, it’s something I was doing for free, it’s something I would do for free. They say if you don’t love your job, you should quit and it’s like I just like making music.
Looking back at your days of doing cyphers at 12For12 and dropping Suffolk Country to where you are now, you’ve accomplished plenty in your career. What are some personal goals you what to check off for yourself and your legacy?
I want to be the best in my eyes. When I feel like I’ve accomplished that — and I got a long way to go — but when I feel like I accomplish that, then I’ll be okay. I don’t even know what that means because we always feel like we can get better, especially with music or with any art, you feel like something can be better with something. But whenever I feel like I’ve got to this point and I can look back and say I’ve done something, I’ve helped a lot of people, and I’ve taken care of everybody that I needed to be taken care of, then I feel like I could be like, right.
When we look at the Boston scene, acts that you came up with (Latrell James, Avenue, Kadeem, etc.) are still working. Then there are acts like Van Buren Records, Sean Wire, BIA, Najee Janey, and more who are getting their shine now. How does what you see going on in the scene feel to you? Is it reminiscent of what you experienced in the city during your own come-up?
Shoutout to everybody that you named. I think it’s super f*cking dope. I think around the time that we were doing what were doing, it was really me and all my friends. I remember booking venues that we were going to and sh*t like that, I remember being there for all of that. Now, it’s a bunch of different cliques and crews doing their thing and that sh*t is fire. I think that’s super important. You need a bunch of different energies in order to make a scene and I think that’s what’s starting to happen. I think that’s what is happening. Shoutout to all those kids, keep doing y’all things, keep going, keep being consistent, and don’t stop. Literally, just don’t stop.
In these few years, as you’ve worked on the latest chapter of your career, what was the best advice that you received?
There’s been a couple of different gems, but really one of the best [pieces of] advice that anyone’s ever given me is that this sh*t does not stop. Once you get to what feels like your goal, it just kind of restarts. You put a new goal on yourself, just so just know that when you’re in this, there’s no break. So if you’re willing to understand that and you’re willing to make those types of sacrifices, then this is for you. If you’re not willing to be that then, maybe you should try something else.
Just For You is out now via Stizz Music Inc. You can stream it here.
Like a good handful of her music peers, Megan Thee Stallion is giving acting a shot: Variety reports today that she has been cast in F*cking Identical Twins, alongside Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, and Saturday Night Live‘s Bowen Yang.
The A24 film is an R-rated musical comedy from comedians Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp, who are adapting it from their two-man stage show, which they premiered at Manhattan’s Upright Citizens Brigade in 2014. They’re writing the script as well as playing the two lead roles.
This one has been in the works for a while, as 20th Century originally acquired the rights to adapt the stage musical in 2016. Larry Charles, director of Borat and a Seinfeld staff writer, is directing the movie, which is currently in production.
Variety notes of the movie, “F*cking Identical Twins takes inspiration from Hallie and Annie’s mischievous exploits in The Parent Trap and follows two business adversaries who realize they’re identical twin brothers. They decide to switch places in order to reunite their divorced parents and become a family again.”
Go ahead and file Too Short’s Tiny Desk Concert as one of the most unexpected entries in NPR’s series, but the Oakland rapper totally owns it. Literally sitting on a makeshift desk made to look like an 808 drum machine and backed by a full band, he delivered a slew of classics new and old in a unique fashion.
The set opened with “The Ghetto” featuring backing R&B singer Maurice Smith humming the chorus. “Yo waddup? It’s ya boy Too Short in the house,” he said introducing the details of the set. “Yeah, we doin’ it like this: We’re gonna run through some Too Short classics. Basically, I’mma play you a Too Short song from the past five decades. The ’80s, the ’90s, the 2000s, the 2010s, and the 2020s. How many artist you know that got relevant records in five decades? That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Classic man, legendary, Too Short. Representin’ East Oakland, California. Biiiiitch, yea!”
That’s exactly what he and the band did, playing a jazzy R&B version of “Gettin It,” with a saxophone bellowing and silky keys guiding the track. Then a string-section sample paints the canvas for an expansive rock and roll version of “Blow The Whistle” that culminates with a guitar solo. The instrumental hook of “Big Subwoofer,” by the Mount Westmore rap supergroup of Too Short, E-40, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube, brought things to a close as Short said, “The new thang is Mount Westmore….We been doing this sh*t since the ’80s and we ain’t gonna stop any time soon! Short dawg in the house! Biiiiitch!”
Too Short has indeed been a prolific force in West Coast rap since the 80s and this performance flashes unprecedented range. Give the man his flowers. He’s earned them.
Lizzo is on the lookout for new dancers to join her tour and what better way to find them than a reality TV competition? That’s the premise of Watch Out For The Big Grrrls, coming to Amazon Prime Video on March 25. In the show, Lizzo recruits 10 women for a dance boot camp at the Big Grrrls House, as they compete for a spot on Lizzo’s tour team.
Throughout her career, Lizzo has been very vocal and earnest about her experiences maneuvering in the entertainment industry as a plus-sized woman, and she makes it clear in the trailer above that she wants to use her power as a superstar to extend more opportunities to women like herself. “Girls that look like me don’t get representation,” she says. “It’s time to pull up my sleeves and find them myself.”
Despite her struggles, Lizzo has been extremely body-positive through the years, and very successful whether you believe it’s because or despite her appearance. She’s unafraid to strip down to promote her music and even enthusiastically reached out to Cardi B for a potential Playboy pictorial. Meanwhile, her music has appeared in countless avenues, from television and film to the Grammys to Barack Obama’s list of favorite songs. It seems almost certain that her show will have the same impact.
Watch the trailer for Lizzo’s Amazon series, Watch Out For The Big Grrrls above.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Teenage rebellion has long been considered part and parcel of the hip-hop package and perhaps no modern rapper exemplifies this like $NOT. Emerging from Florida’s SoundCloud rap scene in 2018 with the pulverizing “Gosha,” the 24-year-old rapper could have been described as “teenage rebellion” personified. But what happens when teenage rebels grow up? $NOT shows glimpses on his new album, Ethereal, but he isn’t quite ready to leave his punk-rap roots completely behind.
Born in New York, but raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, $NOT bears every hallmark of the scene’s flourishing heyday. Like many other members of the Florida rap community, many of his more popular songs feature tortured, distorted bass, screaming, thrash-inspired vocals. He even has a signature look: A light hoodie pulled tight around his face that he’s rarely seen without – much like Ski Mask The Slump God’s durag or the mask of MF DOOM.
But he’s also always been something of an outsider to that culture as well. While he’s been largely defined by the accouterments of the scream-rap style, he’s also shown a more tender side. For instance, on “Revenge” from his debut album Beautiful Havoc, he dabbles in more melodic production, with mellow acoustic guitars and a singsong vocal delivery. And on Ethereal, he pursues these instincts much more enthusiastically, on introspective cuts like “Blue Moon” and “5AM,” which he calls his favorite song from the album on a Zoom call with Uproxx ahead of its release.
“I’m just like, ‘Yo, let me use my sound but let me add a little spice to it,’” he says of the departure. “It’s just one of those songs that hit different when it’s slow, but it’s still crazy when it’s fast, when it’s normal. When I recorded it, I didn’t have a thought process or anything. I just did what I wanted to do on it.” He does confess that the sharp left turn could alienate some of his day-one fans, but he also accepts that as part of the bargain when it comes to expanding his sound and doing what he wants.
“I don’t know if the fans will receive it well,” he admits. “That’s how it always is. Those are really experimental to me. ‘5 AM,’ that’s really experimental to my sound. It’s still true to my sound, but it’s like… it’s in my world but it’s in a different universe.” $NOT accepts that the perception of him as an artist doesn’t necessarily jive with the musical output he’s released so far. Part of that is down to the viral videos of his raucous performances, which he uses to grow his legend by reworking even his more mellow material to suit the live format.
“Even my name sounds crazy – like me in a mosh pit, it fits the name and everything,” he says. “But if you listen to the music, it’s very calm like chill. That’s how I am. But when I perform, I try to rage with those songs too. It’s kind of crazy, I’ll be trying to get the crowd to open a mosh pit for the saddest song.” That reputation for turning up has made him one of the more exciting talents, but he’s learning that his recklessness can have as many negative effects as positive ones.
Case in point, lead single “Doja” featuring ASAP Rocky. The song is a classic slice of that anti-establishment formula, fitting right into the skate-punk rap aesthetic that Rocky and ASAP Mob cultivated in the early 2010s. $NOT admits that the song’s title is a double entendre, and could refer to either the rapper Doja Cat or the slang term for weed, but in his verse, he mentions her by name. “I’ll f*ck a b*tch named Doja Cat,” he gibes, gloating in that exaggerated way common to hip-hop. However, a mistranslation on lyrics sites brought the song to the attention of the actual Doja Cat, who shot back, “You f*cked who?” on Twitter. After she deleted the reply, $NOT himself clarified that the lyric was misconstrued but by then, the damage had been done – or the song’s attention-grabbing purpose was served, depending on how you look at it.
“When all that shit was happening, I didn’t care,” he admits. “I was like, ‘Whatever. If this is going to bring more shit to the song, go ahead. It’s working.’ Some people thought it was a diss track towards Doja, but I’m like, ‘I got no animosity towards Doja.’ She looks good and I didn’t really think much about it, and plus, I needed some shit to rhyme with. So I’m saying ‘scat, pack, Doja Cat.’ It ain’t nothing too deep about it. They just think I’m trying to degrade women and all that, but I don’t know, it’s rap. I’m just being real grimy.”
Ironically, for such a reckless rapper, one who admittedly doesn’t put much thought into lyrics or even his album’s title (“I thought it was a cool word,” he explains. “It was a tattoo on a girl’s neck”), he’s already got his retirement plan figured out. When asked what he wants to have accomplished by next year, he says, “I’ll be like, ‘Yo, I own a gas station, bro. Come get this gas, it’s the cheapest gas out here, $1 a gallon.’” It’s hard to tell if he’s joking. The music on Ethereal is the same way; it could be deadly serious or totally frivolous, but it’s always captivating.
Ethereal is out now via 300 Entertainment. You can stream it here.
SNOT is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Fans of the offbeat hip-hop comedy series Dave can rest easy — Lil Dicky‘s heartfelt yet absurdist brainchild has been renewed for a third season, as confirmed by the show’s official Twitter.
While the confirmation announcement is light on details — when does the show return? Who are the guest stars? How does the show’s Lil Dicky restart his career after blowing off the opportunity of a lifetime to remain loyal to his hype man and the show’s best character, GaTa? — it’s enough to reassure those of us who have been re-bingeing the show on Hulu for the last six months that at least the answers to those questions are forthcoming.
The show is named after its creator — Dicky’s real name is Dave Burd — and loosely based on his life and early career as an aspiring albeit awkward rapper, reproducing such moments as his first radio appearance, his XXL Freshman cypher, and his first big television performance, all while heightening both the drama and the comedy of those events to borderline belief-straining levels of ridiculousness.
The approach has paid off, making Dave one of the most beloved new comedies of the past two years and earning it comparisons — however misguided — to other contemporary classics like Donald Glover’s Atlanta. It’s also revitalized Lil Dicky’s entertainment career, giving him an outlet for his comedic proclivities while finally letting the rest of the world in on the joke. Whenever the show returns, it’ll be with a huge audience — and while we won’t know exactly what to expect, we’ll at least be expecting to laugh and sob in nearly equal measure.
https://t.co/dQDylL1WDH pic.twitter.com/5ce9TOTNWN
