Tinashe’s Unsettling ‘Naturally’ Video Is A Literal Bloodbath

Pop-R&B singer Tinashe’s known for the high-concept treatments of her music videos such as “X,” “Bouncin,” and “Pasadena,” but rarely have they been as viscerally provocative as her new video for “Naturally.” Seemingly inspired by 1970s psychological horror (and its recent resurgence), the video finds Tinashe covering herself in gore for a literal bloodbath on a sun-soaked farm where she apparently slaughters some local livestock and performs choreography with a team in Western ranch regalia.

“Naturally” is the first single from the deluxe version of Tinashe’s 2021 album, 333, which adds four new songs to the singer’s second independently released album. Two of the songs also bring in new featured guests, Compton dance musician Channel Tres, and Oakland rapper Christian Blue.

In a recent interview, Tinashe talked about her pioneering, experimental sound and why she hated being categorized as “just” an R&B artist. “I hated being called an R&B star,” she said. “I really, really had a strong aversion to that. I felt that created a ceiling to my artistry that really turned me off in the early days. I didn’t want to be in that box that I felt had some type of inevitable lid on it. I’ve always honestly classified myself as a pop star. That’s always been what I see for myself, and then I think people’s interpretation of what that means is maybe where it gets convoluted because some people think pop means mainstream. Like, I don’t know, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, or something. But I think that’s not what that really means. To me, it’s more like what you embody more so than, I think, what it sonically sounds like.”

Watch Tinashe’s “Naturally” video above.

Silk Sonic Covers Con Fun Shun’s 1983 R&B Hit ‘Love’s Train’ For V-Day

With most of us still a bit hungover from yesterday’s Super Bowl festivities, it’s understandable that there hasn’t been that much Valentine’s Day celebration. After all, who’d want their brand-new, holiday-themed song washed away by the rush of conversation about that incredible performance? Fortunately, there’s one band that remains undaunted by the prospect — and they’ve got the perfect remedy for the above condition.

Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars, who teamed up last year as the romantic duo Silk Sonic, once again joined forces to play into their lover-man schtick for the most romantic holiday, offering a new song about love and all its benefits. Tapping even deeper into the 70s-and-80s-inspired funk aesthetic from which they derive their air of casual cool, this time they directly lift from their influences, covering Bay Area band Con Funk Shun’s 1983 R&B hit, “Love’s Train.”

For a generation of funk and R&B fans, this is Con Funk Shun’s signature hit, and for the most part, Andy and Bruno play it straight, with buzzing bass and soaring horns backing their velvety vocals. Of course, the song is secretly perfect for them — while it masquerades as a love anthem, it’s as much about the messiness as anything on their debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic, as it was originally penned about a woman two of Con Funk Shun’s members tried to woo at the same time.

Listen to Silk Sonic’s cover of “Love’s Train” above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

‘Encanto’ Hit ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Stays At No. 1 On The Hot 100 For A Third Week

We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the biggest success story of the Encanto soundtrack, became the biggest-ever hit from a Disney animated movie, in terms of chart performance, when it spent a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart last week. Now, it’s just running up the score: On the new Hot 100 chart dated February 19, “Bruno” is on top for a third week.

In late January, Lin-Manuel Miranda (who wrote all the Encanto songs) appeared on The Tonight Show and was asked if he could have predicted the success of “Bruno.” He responded, “No, mainly because group numbers never get the same kind of love that the ballads get or the comedy songs get. But I did know it was catchy, because when I was first writing it, I would catch my kids singing it just from overhearing me writing it.”

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby’s new single, “Do We Have A Problem?,” scored a big debut, making its first appearance on the chart at No. 2. That makes it the 20th top-ten song for Minaj and the ninth for Baby.

Outside of the top ten, King Von and 21 Savage’s “Don’t Play That” debuted at No. 40, giving Von his first top-40 hit.

Deante Hitchcock Sets Up His Forthcoming EP With The Subtly Raunchy ‘Neck Up’ Video

Today’s Valentine’s Day, but you wouldn’t know it from some of today’s headlines. Fortunately, Atlanta rapper Deante Hitchcock has arrived to put the focus back on romance in his own cheeky way. Dropping the “Neck Up” video, Hitchcock shouts out all the throat GOATs out there with a subtly raunchy visual that focuses on the spicier side of Cupid’s day. The clip sees Deante heading to an appointment and displays his and his potential partner’s preparations, including lighting candles at a shrine with photos of Nancy Reagan, Karrine Stephans, and Andy King… If you know, you know.

The single is the first from Hitchcock’s upcoming EP, Every Day The 14th, which is due February 14 on RCA Records. The EP will be Deante Hitchcock since 2020’s Better, his debut album on ByStorm Entertainment/RCA. Since then, he’s been steadily releasing both smooth singles and witty freestyles in an effort to keep his momentum going. He’s put his own spin on tracks like Drake’s “What’s Next,” SpottemGotem’s “Beat Box,” Outkast’s “Roses,” and Spillage Village’s “Baptize,” which also earned him a spot on the official remix of the song. Most recently, he popped up on the deluxe edition of Isaiah Rashad’s album The House Is Burning, and he’s established himself as one of the Atlanta rappers to watch in the coming year.

Every Day The 14th is due 2/17. You can pre-save it here.

Who Has Kanye West Dated Since Kim Kardashian? A Timeline

In February 2021, it was reported that Kanye West (aka Ye) and Kim Kardashian had filed for divorce, and months later, Kardashian spoke more about the reasons behind the split. While West has attempted to revive the relationship on multiple occasions since then (including earlier today), he has also gotten back out there and tried the dating scene.

Ye’s recent romantic history has been lively since the Kardashian break-up, so let’s break down the timeline of who he has dated post-Kim.

Irina Shayk (June 2021)

Irina Shayk 2021
Getty Image

Although West and Shayk’s time as a couple only started in 2021, she’s been on the rapper’s radar for a while (as Glamour notes): He name-dropped her on 2010’s “Christian Dior Denim Flow” and she later appeared in his video for “Power” and walked in Yeezy fashion shows.

The two first went public with their relationship in early June 2021, when they were seen together at a luxury French hotel for Ye’s birthday, as TMZ reports. In July, reports surfaced that West and Shayk’s relationship was slowing down, but a source called those reports inaccurate. Either way, in August, People reported West and Shayk had broken up.

Mystery woman (January 2022)

kanye west sells tank
Getty Image

West had a busy January 2022 and he got started right away: On New Year’s Day, he was spotted with a mystery woman at a Miami hotel. This came right around the time Ye started seeing…

Julia Fox (December 2021)

Kanye West Julia Fox
Getty Image

Also on New Year’s Day, West and Fox had dinner at Carbone in New York City. Fox later described the date in Interview, noting she and Ye met in Miami on New Year’s Eve and that they flew to New York City together to see a Broadway production of Slave Play. Then they went to Carbone, which was followed by a trip to a hotel suite decked with an entire new wardrobe for Fox.

From there, the two popped up in headlines regularly, like when Fox gave her and Ye a celebrity couple name (“Juliye”) and when it was reported a few days ago that they were in an open relationship. Now, it appears they’re in no relationship at all, as Fox seemingly confirmed their breakup on social media, writing, “Kanye and I are on good terms! I have love for him but I wasn’t in love w the man Jesus Christ what do u guys think I am 12 years old?!” A representative for Fox also told E! and Page Six, “Julia and Kanye remain good friends and collaborators, but they are no longer together.”

As for what’s next for Ye, he’s still interested in reconciling with Kardashian, as he wrote on Instagram today, “I DON’T HAVE BEEF WITH KIM I LOVE MY FAMILY SO STOP THAT NARRATIVE IM NOT GIVING UP ON MY FAMILY […] I HAVE FAITH THAT WE’LL BE BACK TOGETHER.”

A Thirsty Rapper Got Arrested After Hopping Diddy’s Fence To Give Him A Demo

Look anywhere on the internet and thirsty aspiring rappers are everywhere. They thrive in the margins of comment sections, anxiously trying to get someone, anyone, to check out their album, song, or freestyle. You get the idea. So how does a rapper cut through the white noise of the internet? Trespass onto Diddy’s property and hand him a demo in person, of course!

That’s exactly what rapper Isaiah Smalls (no relation) did over the weekend. TMZ (who else?) posted a video of Smalls shouting rather haphazardly at the security gate of Diddy’s Los Angeles mansion in hopes that the Bad Boy Records boss would hear his cries. Unbeknownst to Smalls, Diddy wasn’t even home, and his security guards refused to let him in, obviously. But this didn’t stop the 23-year-old from hopping the gate and getting onto the property in hopes that he could personally hand-deliver a copy of his demo to Diddy. According to TMZ, security immediately apprehended the hungry lyricist and held him until the police arrived. He was charged with trespassing and was released within the hour.

And yes, I do realize that his stunt led to outlets like us shouting this dude out for what he did, but ya gotta love his determination. Hip-hop is a hustle and sometimes, you just gotta hop a fence and see what happens. Isaiah Smalls, remember that name.

Vic Mensa Drops A New Collection Of Love Songs, ‘Vino Valentino’

Vic Mensa has just sprinkled a surprise Valentine’s Day release in the form of the sensual 4-track EP, Vino Valentino. For Mensa — who was released from a brief stint in jail last month following an arrest for LSD and mushroom possession upon returning to the US from Ghana — the EP is a departure from the politically-charged nature of 2021’s I TAPE and really most of his previous material. But the Southside of Chicago lifer more than holds his own as a romantic crooner on this new joint.

Album opener “D’ussé Tears” is a mildly auto-tuned swoon over gentle bedroom R&B and jolts of electric guitar. “Will you be my Valentine? All the time… every time …anytime?” he asks on the track’s climax, making it a worthy addition for mid-February playlists. He’s brought along a stable of longtime collaborators and Chicago hip-hop’s finest, like producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter CottonTale, producer Stefan Ponce, and poet Malik Yousef.

Check out the Vino Valentino cover artwork and tracklist below.

Vic Mensa Vino Valentino
Vic Mensa

1. “D’ussé Tears” (feat. Dixson & Malik Yusef) – Produced by Vic Mensa, Additional Production by Peter CottonTale, Greg Landfair, Dwayne Verner Jr., Dixson
2. “Alone Wit U” (feat. Do Or Die) – Produced by Stefan Ponce
3. “Cancer” (Interlude) – Produced by Stefan Ponce
4. “Can I Call U Baby” (feat. Peter CottonTale) – Produced By Vic Mensa, Peter CottonTale, Stefan Ponce, Dwayne Verner Jr., Greg Landfair, and Erik Rumsa

Vino Valentino is out now via Roc Nation. Listen to it here.

Julia Fox Seemingly Confirms Her And Kanye West’s Breakup

In recent days, it has been reported that Ye (aka Kanye West) and Julia Fox’s relationship has been on the downtrend recently. Now, it appears Fox has confirmed that and more: Based on how she tells it, it looks like she and Ye have broken up.

Pop Crave reports Fox responded to rumors that she was seen leaving LAX in tears, “Y’all would love if I was soooo upset! The media would love to paint a picture of me a sad lonely woman crying on a plane by myself but it’s NOT TRUE!! Why not see me for what I am which is a #1 hustler. I came up yall lol and not only that but Kanye and I are on good terms! I have love for him but I wasn’t in love w the man Jesus Christ what do u guys think I am 12 years old?! and for the record the only time I cried in 2022 was on Feb 6th on my dead BFF bday. Anyway If u want the full tea ur gonna have to buy the book when it comes out :).”

Furthermore, a representative for Fox told E! and Page Six, “Julia and Kanye remain good friends and collaborators, but they are no longer together.”

Meanwhile, hours ago on Instagram, Ye posted about how he is still hoping for a reunion with Kim Kardashian, writing, “I DON’T HAVE BEEF WITH KIM I LOVE MY FAMILY SO STOP THAT NARRATIVE IM NOT GIVING UP ON MY FAMILY […] I HAVE FAITH THAT WE‘LL BE BACK TOGETHER […] PEOPLE CALL ME CRAZY BUT TO BE IN LOVE IS TO BE CRAZY ABOUT SOMETHING AND I AM CRAZY ABOUT MY FAMILY HAPPY VALENTINES.” In a post shared shortly after, he asked that if fans see “Skete” (it’s believed this is referring to Pete Davidson) in real life, they “SCREAM AT YHE LOOSER AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS AND SAY KIMYE FOREVER.”

Raveena Shares North American Tour Dates In Support Of The Newly-Released ‘Asha’s Awakening’

Raveena just released her latest album, Asha Awakening, on February 11th, a psychedelic R&B album centered on a celestial princess from ancient Punjab, weaving her way through love and chaos. One of our “Artists To Watch” for February, Raveena is wasting no time announcing a tour in support of the gorgeous record.

Following her mid-April Coachella appearances, Raveena’s headlining tour begins in Oakland on April 24th, then courses through North America before culminating with a final stop in Los Angeles on May 28th. She’ll be supported by Fana Hues on the tour, who just announced a new project of her own.

Ticket pre-sale begins 02/16 at 10 am local time and general on-sale begins 2/18 here. Check out Raveena’s full tour dates below.

4/15 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
4/22 — Indio, CA @ Coachella
4/24 — Oakland, CA @ The New Parish*
4/28 — Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre*
4/29 — Seattle, WA @ Neumos*
4/30 — Vancouver, BC @ Imperial Vancouver*
5/4 — Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge*
5/7 — Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall*
5/8 — Detroit, MI @ El Club*
5/9 — Toronto, ON @ Opera House*
5/12 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry at The Fillmore*
5/13 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club*
5/15 — Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall*
5/16 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza*
5/18 — Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West*
5/21 — Austin, TX @ The Parish*
5/22 — Dallas, TX @ House of Blues – Cambridge Room*
5/24 — Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom*
5/28 — Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre*

* = w/ Fana Hues

Asha’s Awakening is out now via Warner Records. Listen to it here.

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

Vince Staples Stays True And Turns Up On The Mustard-Produced ‘Magic’

After debuting his new song “Magic” in Naomi Osaka’s new Beats By Dre ad, Vince Staples gives the Mustard-produced song an official release. “Magic” features a Mustard-standard, post-hyphy beat that gives Vince plenty of real estate to sprawl out and once again explain his Long Beach-bred point of view. Toward the end, the beat breaks down, with live horns backing a spoken-word outro by Mustard himself, who details how making it out is an example of “magic” and praises fellow Beacher Vince despite coming from “the other side” of the city.

“Magic” is largely considered to be the first single from Vince’s upcoming album Ramona Park Broke My Heart, which he subtly hinted he’d finished after connecting with another veteran West Coast producer, DJ Quik. Ramona Park Broke My Heart will be Vince’s second album in as many years after dropping his critically-acclaimed self-titled project last year. He may also have even more projects in the works after revealing that he’d recorded 30 verses over different beats with Alchemist for a project that may end up also featuring Earl Sweatshirt. Alchemist later suggested that the duo had completed a whole EP, but for now, it seems Vince is focused on rolling out the long-awaited solo album dedicated to the neighborhood where he grew up. With Mustard and Quik involved, it looks like Vince is departing from his usual chaotic soundscapes, suggesting his most mainstream-friendly project to date.

Listen to Vince Staples’s “Magic” above.