Music

Gunna Explains Why He Said ‘It’s Cool To Work A 9-5’

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Despite being such a flashy rapper, Atlanta trap star Gunna seems to appreciate those of us who have regular jobs, too. Earlier this week, he drew some positive attention for tweeting “It’s cool to work a 9-5 no capp. Getting money is getting money.” That tweet garnered a ton of engagement (over 50,000 retweets and 323,000 likes to date) and on Wednesday, he expanded on the sentiment behind the tweet in a video on his Instagram Story.

Perusing a rack of clothing in the video, Gunna says, “Back to what I was saying, 9-5 is cool. I need these people. All these people that worked today, I needed these people here today. Like, it’s overly cool.”

Over the past few weeks, he’s been expressing a number of insightful opinions about the rap business, catching some off-guard with his sincerity and humility. In the latest episode of the LeBron James talk show, The Shop, he brushed off criticism of his single “Pushin P,” attributing accusations that he stole the slang to his critics coming from”player sh*t, too. That’s all that means. That’s what I took from it like bro, everybody been player. Your uncles, your aunties? They was player.”

He also observed that while so many artists have been sharing their discontent with their respective labels, he doesn’t see things the same way. “You shouldn’t say, ‘f*ck the label, ’cause they taking the chance on you,” he noted. “It’s up to you to really make this money back and go make more money. And for all the young artists who are coming up, I want to tell them, ‘Man, don’t look at it like it’s a bad deal. You’re not getting what you want in the beginning…it can always get better.”

Check out Gunna’s video above.

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

DDG Tweets ‘Today’s Rappers Are 10x Better,’ Reigniting Hip-Hop’s Intergenerational Debate

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Hip-hop’s intergenerational conflict had seemingly died down in recent years, thanks in large part to collaborations crossing the age divide, like “Replace Me” which saw Nas connect with younger rapper Don Toliver. However, it appears it was still right there, simmering beneath the surface, waiting for someone to light the spark to reignite it. The hosts of The Breakfast Club came close when they teased Coi Leray about listening to Pusha T, but she defused the situation by saying she’d rather collab with him (as she did with Nicki Minaj) than start a beef.

Unfortunately, it looks like one of Coi’s collaborators had some further thoughts about the new rapper/old rapper dynamic and finally touched off the conflagration that had been waiting in the wings. Pontiac, Michigan rapper DDG, who recently released his Gunna collaboration “Elon Musk,” shared his thoughts on Twitter, drawing a polarized response from followers who weighed in with a variety of opinions from agreement to disbelief to outright refusal. “Today’s rappers are 10x better than the rappers back in the day,” he wrote.

When fans blasted him for it, he offered some controversial follow-up takes. When one fan brought up Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G., he shot back, “On some real sh*t.. when the last time u listened to either in the car.. BE TRUTHFUL.” He also provided some context for his opinion in a separate tweet, writing, “I respect the older generation of hiphop, but this generation creativity on another level fr. Hip Hop ain’t never been the number 1 genre until NOW.”

The debate quickly became a rehash of the “mumble rap” debates from a few years ago — y’know, the one where people acted like they can’t just understand accents or that repetitive choruses are somehow a new phenomenon in rap. While some acknowledged that the music has evolved in unexpected and truly creative ways, some just couldn’t move past the sacred cows of their youth (or, let’s be honest, their parents’ youth).

Check out some more responses below.

PgLang Rapper Tanna Leone Drops His Debut Album ‘Sleepy Soldier’

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Tanna Leone

Last year, Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free announced the launch of their media company PgLang after leaving TDE. While Kendrick has one last album left under the label, he got his own company off the ground the right way, releasing his cousin Baby Keem’s debut album The Melodic Blue. As the rollout for The Melodic Blue wound down early this year, fans were excited to see what PgLang would do next. They weren’t disappointed; the label quickly introduced its next signee, Los Angeles rapper Tanna Leone.

Tanna quickly established himself as a fitting addition to the label’s roster with tracks like “With The Villains,” “Lucky,” “Picasso,” and “Death N’ Taxes.” Now, he’s followed up with his debut album, Sleepy Soldier, which dropped today. Consisting of 14 tracks, the album finds Tanna going solo throughout, despite ostensibly having access to big-name collaborators like Kendrick and Keem. Instead, he works to establish himself as a charismatic rapper and a burgeoning star in his own right, addressing his chaotic upbringing and insecurities.

In a new interview on Complex, Tanna explained what he wanted from Sleepy Soldier. “Honestly, my goal was just to put my best foot forward and show people my range and my diversity,” he said. “I’m not interested in being put in a box or people attempting to categorize me as one thing or another. In reality, it’s pretty normal for a person to be able to change their faces depending on what room they’re going into. We all do it. So as an artist, I just wanted to be that. I wanted everybody to recognize my creativity and my ability to move around and change clothes and change hairstyles, and everybody knows it’s still me being authentic to me.”

You can listen to Sleepy Soldier below.

Diddy And The Weeknd Preview A New Collab In A Beats By Dre Commercial

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A new Diddy and The Weeknd single may be on the way. Fans got a taste of new music in the latest Beats By Dre campaign. The new Made In LA commercial features NFL prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux as he walks through Los Angeles, trains, and runs drills on a field.

The commercial opens with a voice narrating anecdotes about Thibodeaux’s life. “He didn’t arrive just from nowhere,” the voice says, “We put a lot of prayer into that boy.” In the background, we hear The Weeknd crooning and humming, before the audio cuts to a verse from Diddy.

“All I am is a man with ambition to be the best / When I failed they just gave me the vision to see the rest / Wasn’t even ready when God gave me the test / So I pray you find love in the pieces of me that’s left,” raps Diddy.

The screen then cuts to show a pair of the new Beats Fit Pro headphones, from Beats By Dre, as The Weeknd sings, “Another one of me won’t come around.”

Neither a title nor a release date for the collaboration was revealed, however, it is likely the song will appear on Diddy’s upcoming album, Off The Grid, Vol. 1.

Check out the new Beats By Dre spot above.

Tyler The Creator Gives Fans The Chance To Customize His Golf Wang Converse Chucks

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Tyler The Creator’s ongoing partnership with Converse has proven uniquely fruitful. Not only have Golf Wang Converse sneakers been a cool treat for fans for the past few years, reflecting Tyler’s long-established love for the skater-favorite brand, but he’s come up with some pretty neat projects as a result, such as last year’s hilarious, Tyler-directed “Really Cool Converse Club” commercial. The latest is a new sneaker model that fans can customize with 100,000 options, the Golf Wang x Converse Chuck 70. The brand announced the collaboration via a few social media posts showing off some of the possible combinations.

The Golf Wang By You project includes a bunch of side decals of Golf Wang and Tyler The Creator logos and color options. Quantities are limited so I suggest clicking this link as soon as you can.

During a recent Converse All-Star series talk in March, Tyler discussed his affinity for the brand but also revealed his disdain for a different trend. “What the f*ck is a NFT?” he wondered to the audience’s amusement. “I paint at home, I play instruments. … I have a friend who’s making me speakers by hand right now. What the f*ck is a NFT? None of the examples I’ve seen is, like, beautiful art. It’s a f*cking monkey in a Supreme hoodie.”

Machine Gun Kelly, Haim, Nas, And More Will Offer $25 Tickets During Live Nation Concert Week

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If festival season is breaking your bank, you can still see your favorite artists on the cheap. Live Nation Concert Week is returning next week, offering $25 concert tickets to see bands and musicians across all genres.

The $25 “all-in” tickets include taxes and fees, so fans won’t have to worry about annoying extra costs. This year’s Concert Week will offer tickets to over 3,700 shows across North America.

Among this year’s artists participating in Live Nation Concert Week are Haim, Machine Gun Kelly, Nas, 070 Shake, Omar Apollo, Russ, H.E.R., Courtney Barnett, and more.

Non-music acts participating in Concert Week are Chelsea Handler, Dave Chappelle, Gabriel Iglesias, Tina Fey, George Lopez, Margaret Cho, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Chris Rock and the queens of Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The sale of $25 tickets begins Wednesday, May 4 and runs until Tuesday, May 10. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, May 3. Rakuten members will also have access to this presale, and will receive a special access code in their emails if they sign up for an account by May 1.

The full list of performers is available to view here.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Tekashi 69 Was Punched From Behind At A Miami Nightclub

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It looks like Tekashi 69‘s antics might be catching up to him at last. TMZ has shared a video of the controversial rapper getting punched in the back of the head at a nightclub in Miami despite his cadre of security guards. While the attacker fled before being identified and didn’t give a reason for the assault, Tekashi hasn’t exactly endeared himself to fans of hip-hop over the past few years. Tekashi was at the club, Pilos Tacos Tequilla Garden, to perform a song from the DJ booth, apparently as a kind of soft re-launch of his rap career, which stalled after his stint in prison for racketeering.

According to the rapper himself, he was only grazed by the blow, and it’s reported he stayed at the venue after the attack to sign autographs. “He scuffed my shoulder by my neck,” he’s quoted by TMZ. He also connected with the shoulder of my security guard. I didn’t know this guy. There was no prior dispute.” Even so, the attack is a reminder that for some folks, Tekashi is as much a target as a star ever since he got his sentence shortened by testifying against his Nine Trey Blood associates. He’s also got a few rap rivalries brewing, and as much as his fellow musicians have laughed off the threats as entertainment, it seems there could still be plenty of those who take them seriously enough to act on them.

Lizzo Will Perform On Roblox’s Virtual Music Awards Show

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Roblox, the online game platform and game creation system that blew up in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, will host its first awards show on Saturday, April 30. The second-annual Song Breaker Awards will honor groundbreaking musicians in pop music, making moves through digital platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The show will also highlight musicians who’ve appeared on the Billboard Song Breaker chart such as breakout artist GAYLE. The show will be hosted by influencer Bretman Rock.

In addition to being the first awards show on Roblox, it will also mark the “metaverse” debut of Lizzo, who’s set to perform at the show, according to Billboard. In a statement, Lizzo said, “I’m excited to be making my metaverse debut with Logitech and to be performing ‘Special,’ which is a song that means so much to me. As a musician and creator, I love that Logitech Song Breaker Awards show recognizes the unique talent of all creators, and how each of them are making an impact on pop culture and music.”

Lizzo has delivered a few attention-grabbing performances over the past month as she prepares to release her second studio album and launch The Spectral Tour crisscrossing North America this autumn. She performed her new single, “About Time,” during her SNL episode and made a surprise appearance during Harry Styles’ Coachella headlining set during the festival’s second weekend.

42 Dugg And EST Gee Introduce A Rowdy Crew In Their ‘Whole Gang Buss’ Video

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Although 42 Dugg and EST Gee’s Last Ones Left is billed as a joint album between the two CMG signees, it naturally has a few tracks that spotlight each of its contributors individually. However, they’re not just here to be solo stars; they also want to put on their respective crews. That’s just what Dugg does on his solo track, “Whole Gang Buss,” which introduces his Detroit associates for a punchline-filled, swaggering posse cut. Dugg is joined by 42 Cheez, Reaper, and Tae Money who all spit ferocious verses before he brings the track home on the anchor leg.

This can only bode well for EST Gee’s own spotlight track, “Free Zoski,” which features Memphis’ own Big30 and fellow Louisvillian EST Zo. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the next video to get a release, since it’s also the song immediately following “Whole Gang Buss” on the Last Ones Left tracklist.

And it’s not like the group lacks the video budget. Since the album dropped, the duo has released no fewer than three videos, not including “Whole Gang Buss,” in addition to showing off their chemistry in videos from their respective solo albums. In March, they released a clip for “Free The Shiners,” following up a week later with “Everybody Shooters Too,” then opening the month of April with “Thump Sh*t.” If they remain as prolific through the rest of the year, CMG’s roster could effect a complete takeover of the rap industry with very little trouble.

Watch the “Whole Gang Buss” video above.

Vans Is Suing MSCHF Over Tyga’s Wavy Baby Sneakers, Calling Them Trademark Infringement

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Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF’s sneaker collaborations with rappers have drawn both excitement and controversy. The group’s “Satan Shoe” collab with Lil Nas X not only drew fire from conservative commentators but also got slapped with a lawsuit from Nike. Now, another of MSCHF’s sneaker crossovers is the subject of a trademark infringement lawsuit. This time, Vans is suing the customizer over its Tyga-endorsed Wavy Baby sneaker, which alters what appears to be a pair of Vans Old Skools, giving them a bizarre, curvy sole and adjusting the iconic side stripes to match.

Although the shoes were set to release on April 18, Vans filed for a restraining order against MSCHF, saying the Wavy Baby shoes violated its trademarks and would confuse customers into thinking they were an official Vans collaboration. MSCHF, however, argues that the shoes are an artistic parody commenting on sneakerhead culture, consumerism, and corporate sneaker collaborations. According to Billboard, Megan K. Bannigan, MSCHF’s attorney in the case, told a judge in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday, “These shoes comment on consumerism, on the absurdity of sneakerhead culture. This was released as an art project. It was not released in competition with Vans.”

MSCHF also pointed out that all 4,000 pairs of the limited edition shoes already sold out, and the company has no intention to make more. However, according to Billboard, US District Judge William F. Kuntz seemed skeptical, saying, “The Wavy Baby might have Wavy Babies, and I think that’s what they’re afraid of. If that wasn’t an issue, I don’t think we’d be here.” He agreed to the restraining order but did not advise when it might be pushed through. Similarly, the Lil Nas X Satan Shoe case wound up with both companies settling, with MSCHF asking customers to voluntarily return their pairs — fat chance — and Nike issuing a statement that any complaints should be directed to MSCHF, not them.