Music

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

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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.

Snoop Dogg Fans Are Having Fun With A Baffling Report About His Pre-Super Bowl Activities

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Although Snoop Dogg wears many hats — rapper, actor, DJ, product pitchman, record label owner, Puppy Bowl coach/host, etc. — there are really only a couple of things he’s truly known for. One of those things is being a big fan of the devil’s lettuce, of which he partakes regularly and in copious volumes. Yet, somehow, the New York Post thought that it was worthy of a headline that Snoop Dogg — gasp — smoked weed before his Super Bowl halftime show performance. What a shocker, am I right?

Well, Snoop fans on Twitter are having fun with the reversed “man bites dog” moment, taking the Post to task for basically reporting that everything happened as planned and nobody got hurt. “Snoop Dogg engages in recreational activity that’s legal in LA and in…wait for it..New York,” wrote one miffed responder. Meanwhile, actor George Hahn gave his dramatic interpretation of the Post‘s tweet, positing that the writer, rather than being Captain Obvious from one of those travel website ads, was instead one of those pearl-clutching conservatives who railed at the supposed lasciviousness of the whole halftime endeavor.

For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem like there was much condemnation behind the headline so much as a sense of “hey, get a load of this guy.” Still, people see what they want to see on Twitter and generally respond accordingly. Over here, we’re just happy we got to see Snoop take the stage alongside Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige for one of the most exciting halftime shows in years.

Saweetie And HER Fly The Friendly Skies In Their Jet-Setting ‘Closer’ Video

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Saweetie and HER fly the (very) friendly skies in the video for their funky new collaboration, “Closer.” Expanding her Icy brand to include a fictional, ladies-only airline, Saweetie and HER take on the role of pilots for a private flight, with Saweetie meeting a new boyfriend at every destination, which include Paris, Tokyo, and of course, the Philippines. And because Saweetie is sponsorship queen, there’s product placement for water flavoring powder, Ledger hardware wallets (even Saweetie’s into crypto), and Bumble, which apparently helps her keep track of her conquests.

With its dreamy, cloudy aesthetic, the “Closer” video looks a lot like the video for “Back To The Streets” with Jhene Aiko, another of Saweetie’s more well-received singles. When she teams up with other ladies, as she did on “Back To The Streets” and “Best Friend” with Doja Cat, it seems the girl power brings out the best in the Bay Area rapper. Hopefully, that energy will be present on Saweetie’s upcoming debut album, Pretty Bitch Music, which she’s promised to release sometime in 2022 after pushing it back to tweak some of its songs. If “Closer” is representative of the new direction, then Saweetie is definitely going the right way.

Watch the video for “Closer” above.

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

Fat Joe Calls Joe Rogan A ‘Piece Of Sh*t’ But Isn’t Taking His Music Off Spotify

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As the fallout from Joe Rogan’s racial slur scandal continues to settle, another famous podcaster with a similar name still has words for the controversial comedian/host. During a recent livestream on Instagram, Fat Joe addressed the comedian’s faux pas, as well as the backlash that it incurred, calling Rogan a “piece of sh*t” but explaining why he wouldn’t join the slew of musicians removing their music from Spotify in protest.

“Shoutout to everyone that’s better than me and taking their music off of Spotify,” he said. “I’m not, because all my people know Joe do charity, Joe will open a business in the hood and give out jobs, Joe will give computers to the school, but Joe got to get to his bag. Joe ain’t crazy.”

However, he did question the platform for continuing to host the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, for which it paid $100 million for the exclusive hosting rights in 2020. “Spotify is made up of Black music, whether it’s R&B, whether it’s rap, trap, reggaeton, all that fall in there,” Fat Joe pointed out. “Because our music is on that platform, and they make their money from Black people, do you think it should be allowed for a guy to be talking racist sh*t on their platform?”

The artists who removed their music in protest include Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and more.

The NFL Denies Telling Eminem Not To Kneel During The Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Last night’s Super Bowl halftime show drew its fair share of both praise and controversy, as West Coast hip-hop legend Dr. Dre took to the field with a cadre of superstar associates including 50 Cent, Anderson .Paak, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg. While some conservative pundits offered the probably disingenuous criticism of the show as depicting “sexual anarchy,” another lightning rod during the performance was Eminem taking a knee in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and all the other players who protested police brutality during the 2016 season.

Ahead of the performance, it was reported that the NFL had apparently shot down the idea when he pitched it during planning and rehearsals, as well as flagging Dr. Dre’s “still not loving police” lyric from “Still D.R.E.” as possibly “divisive” moments. However, that report didn’t stop either performer from going ahead as planned, although Kendrick Lamar did censor the “we hate po-po” lyric from “Alright.”

A report shortly after the performance in the New York Times suggests new information from a league spokesman who insinuated that all those possibly controversial moments were cleared in rehearsals. Brian McCarthy said league officials “watched it during rehearsals this week” and didn’t mention receiving any notes. He also said that players and coaches were cleared to demonstrate before the game, although it didn’t seem that any of them did.

Lizzo Wants To Appear In ‘Playboy’: ‘Tell Cardi B To Call Me!’

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Lizzo has never been shy about showing off her body. She often posts body-positive photos on Instagram and even posed nude on her debut album cover. However, she’s also always been held back by the limits of Insta’s service agreement, restricting herself to “tasteful” nudes that don’t show too much. It looks like she may have found the perfect outlet for her exhibitionism thanks to her “Rumors” collaborator, Cardi B, who now has a partnership and position with long-running men’s interest magazine, Playboy.

At Drake’s Super Bowl party in LA this weekend, a TMZ photographer asked Lizzo whether she’d pose for Playboy as she signed autographs and took pictures with fans, prompting her to respond, “I LOVE Playboy! Yeah, I’ll do it! Tell Cardi to call me!” She also answered some questions about her growing collection of body piercings. “I have so many piercings right now, I never thought I’d be this girl!” she replied good-naturedly. However, she warned the cameraman, “You can’t see my coochie, I can’t show you. I can’t show TMZ my pussy!”

If anyone could make Lizzo’s dream come true, it’d be Cardi B, who now holds a creative director position at Playboy‘s new online hub, Centerfold. The two stars have a budding friendship, as well, with Cardi defending Lizzo from online critics and Lizzo turning heads at Cardi’s birthday party last year.

Watch Lizzo’s on-the-fly interview with TMZ above.

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

Conservatives Are Predictably Losing It Over The Super Bowl Halftime Show (And Calling It ‘Sexual Anarchy’)

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Oh boy. Where to start? The lead up to the Super Bowl included reports that Eminem was told not to kneel during the Halftime show. Well, Marshall Mathers did, in fact, kneel as a gesture of solidarity toward Colin Kaepernick. Surely, you’ve seen the moment by now, but just in case you haven’t, it goes down here (shortly after the 11:00 mark), and this was obviously too much for conservatives to handle. The same goes for the entirety of the Halftime show that included Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Bilge, Snoop, and an upside down 50 Cent.

None of this would stand for conservatives, including activist Charlie Kirk, whose tweet genuinely looked like parody (but it wasn’t). “The NFL is now the league of sexual anarchy,” Kirk wrote. “This halftime show should not be allowed on television.”

AOC (who once called conservatives “creepy weirdos” for their apparent fixation on her looks) had a swift response: “Like I said, weirdos.”

And from there, “sexual anarchy” inspired a ton of comebacks.

Yep, the far-right also seemed steamed about Eminem’s presence in general.

And as lawyer Ron Filipkowski joked, “MAGA is upset that the NFL didn’t bring out more ‘wholesome’ entertainment like Kid Rock and Ted Nugent.”

Is it a joke, though, if MAGA people really want this to happen?

And from there, the Kid Rock-related comebacks poured in because, as one person pointed out, “The distance between Eminem and Kid Rock as white rappers from Michigan could not be greater.”

A whole lot of pearls will meet their maker over this one. Is it time for the next Super Bowl yet? Asking, uh, for a friend who enjoys chaos.

Anderson .Paak Made A Surprise Super Bowl Halftime Show Appearance And Dropped Hilarious Merch For It

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It’s official: Both members of Silk Sonic — Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — have performed during a Super Bowl Halftime Show. Mars headlined the 2014 event and popped up during Coldplay’s performance in 2016, and last night, .Paak served as a drummer for Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige’s (and 50 Cent’s) halftime spectacle. While .Paak’s appearance was unexpected, it wasn’t unprecedented, as he and Dre have forged a working relationship in recent years.

Getting to perform at the Super Bowl is one of the biggest achievements in music, so .Paak is pretty thrilled with the whole thing. He wrote on social media, “WOW WHAT A RUSH CONGRATS TO EVERY SUPER HERO ON THAT STAGE!! BIG SHOUT OUT TO @drdre LOVE YOU BRO AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE APART OF HISTORY!!! BE SURE TO PICK UP SOME MERCH OTW OUT!! AND HIT MY LAND LINE FOR ALL DRUM INQUIRIES ! Note: I ONLY PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES AND FOR DIAMOND SELLING ARTISTS. RATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAY.”

As for that merch, it’s pretty great, as it’s a t-shirt with a portrait of .Paak and text that reads, “We’re with Eminem’s drummer.” The shirt is available for pre-order now.

He also shared a clip of Eminem’s performance of “Lose Yourself” (during which he drummed) and wrote, “YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT!!! THE @rams ARE WORLD CHAMPS!!! SALUTE @eminem @drdre IT WAS SUCH AN HONOR!!! @snoopdogg @eminem @kendricklamar @therealmaryjblige YALL KILLED THAT SH*T!!!! [trophy emoji].”

Ahead of the performance, he also posted a photo of himself with Lamar.

Check out the full Super Bowl Halftime Show here.

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

50 Cent Shares His Favorite Memes From His Surprise Upside Down Super Bowl Halftime Appearance

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Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and the rest of the Los Angeles Rams did some celebrating last night, as they managed to top the Cincinnati Bengals and win Super Bowl LVI. As it always is, the Super Bowl was a major night in the music world, too, thanks to the halftime show. Ahead of the game, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige were billed as the stars of the performance, but when it came time for the show, fans were surprised with another headliner: 50 Cent. Not only did he perform, but for the first few lines of “In Da Club,” he rapped while hanging upside down.

Naturally, the moment inspired plenty of memes, and 50 Cent, an active social media user himself, loved them. He even shared a couple of his favorites on Instagram. He also shared a video of LeBron James enjoying his performance and wrote, “See we came in 03 and we still here. so we celebrate each other every chance we get. @kingjames you know the vibes.”

50’s appearance came after rumors about his cameo were started after a video of “In Da Club” playing at SoFi Stadium surfaced a few days ago.

Revisit last night’s halftime show here. Uproxx recently spoke with 50 about his Power cinematic universe and more, so check out that interview here.

What Songs Were In ‘Euphoria’ S2E6?

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(SPOILERS for this week’s Euphoria will be found below.)

This week on Euphoria, Rue Bennett returns home where she continues to deal with her withdrawal symptoms. After fighting it initially, Rue has committed to the idea of returning to rehab to overcome her addiction. She also apologizes to Ali for her hurtful comments towards him in the fourth episode. Elsewhere in this week’s episode, we follow Maddy as she expresses her hurt and anger towards Cassie (her best friend) and Nate (her ex-boyfriend) after she discovers that they’ve been seeing each other for some time.

Just like last week’s episode, which featured songs by Labrinth, Sharon Cash, and more, this week on of Euphoria also featured a great selection of songs. The aforementioned events in this week’s episode are soundtracked by carefully curated songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene.

What Songs Were In ‘Euphoria’ S2E6?

The standout songs on this week’s episode are Ben E. King’s classic record, “Stand By Me,” and Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s “I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need To Get By.” The former track appears during a slightly intimate moment between Fez and Lexi as they discuss the 1986 film Stand by Me. As for Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s record, that appears after Nate goes to extreme lengths to retrieve the CD with Cal and Jules’ sex tape on it from Maddy.

The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes Bill Evans’ “Peace Piece,” Mazzy Star’s “Quiet, The Winter Harbor,” and En Vogue’s “My Lovin’ You’re Never Gonna Get It.”

HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ airs on Sundays at 9:00pm EST.