Music

Lil Durk Challenges A Fellow Chicagoan With His ‘7220’ Release Date

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Lil Durk has been hyping the release of his next album, 7220, for a while now, sharing the dates for the album’s spring tour in late January and making himself as visible as possible on tracks like 50 Cent’s “Power Powder Respect,” Cordae’s “Chronicles,” Gucci Mane’s “Rumors,” and 2 Chainz’s “Lost Kings.” And although he hasn’t yet released an official single for the album, he did just reveal its release date — and his strategy for getting fans’ attention focused on it to ensure they stream it as much as possible.

“My album drop same day as YE 2/22/22,” he tweeted, revealing both the release date and subtly challenging his fellow Chicagoan. Although plenty of artists would likely loathe releasing their albums on the same projected day as Kanye’s hotly-anticipated Donda 2, it appears that Lil Durk is so confident in his own project, he doesn’t mind risking getting overshadowed. In fact, the tactic more or less takes a page right out of Kanye’s own playbook. In 2007, Kanye bet on his own album Graduation against the sales juggernaut named 50 Cent and 50’s impending release of Massacre.

Kanye and 50 both got into the spirit of the competition, which held seismic implications for the state of hip-hop at the time. When Kanye outsold 50 after their first weeks were tallied, it signaled a shift away from 50’s dominance (and, by extension, the gangsta rap genre in general) toward Kanye’s (and so-called “alternative rap,” which opened the door for successors such as Drake and J. Cole). While Kanye isn’t likely to repeat this tactic twice, especially standing in 50’s position this time around, a big streaming week for Durk could signal a similar end to Kanye’s own charts dominance in favor of a younger generation of rappers.

We’ll see how it all pans out — or whether Kanye even releases his album on the promised date — on 2/22.

Cardi B Thinks There’s Something Wrong With The Water In Atlanta

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Even though it has been nearly three years since Cardi B last released an album (her Grammy-winning debut, Invasion Of Privacy), She remains as popular as ever as fans eagerly anticipate her next project, promised sometime this year. Part of the reason is that she remains so visible, still dutifully logging into her Instagram to share her thoughts with fans, which was a huge part of how she became so popular in the first place.

In her latest Instagram Live stream, she expressed her concern that “there is something wrong with the water in Atlanta.” In typical Cardi fashion, after saying something she knows could be outrageous (she even admitted that she “was afraid to say it”), she thoughtfully broke down the facts that brought her to this conclusion.

“I believe that there is something wrong with the water in Atlanta,” she said. “Because, while I was in Atlanta, my face just started getting so dry and irritated. I kept putting moisturizer to the point that it started getting so irritated that I started putting Vaseline on, the old school way.” After returning to her native New York, she said, her skin still has yet to normalize and asked viewers for their suggestions for a product that might fix the problem. “Do any of y’all have suggestions of what type of moisturizer I should wear?” she wondered.

“Because, bro, I feel like I’ve been trying everything. My face is so irritated, it just feels itchy and dry.” Check out her Live below.

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

Pusha T Promises To Release His New Song ‘Diet Coke’ After A Snippet Surfaces Online

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Today, Pusha T fans woke to a mysterious snippet of what appeared to be a new music video from the rapper featuring Kanye West. The snippet appeared to have been originally uploaded by veteran journalist Elliott Wilson, who tweeted out the clip without fanfare or explanation, leading to two hours of speculation about its origin.

And while no one quite knew what to make of the clip, that didn’t stop it from spreading like wildfire, with Pusha T supporters demanding the song be released as soon as possible.

Well, it was either all part of the plan, or Pusha is just really in tune with fans on Twitter, because it didn’t take long for him to reveal the release date via his own social pages: The track, titled “Diet Coke,” is set for release at midnight tonight — meaning 12 am ET February 8.

Meanwhile, the song’s producer, 88 Keys had apparently gone Live on Instagram to explain that the beat was 18 years old and originally intended as an interlude on one of his own beat tapes.

“Diet Coke” will be Pusha’s first solo single since 2018’s Daytona, which contained the songs “Infrared,” “If You Know You Know,” and “Santeria.” He began teasing his new music in late January with a photo of Lana Del Rey after revealing the new album would be produced by Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

Fans Were Baffled When Ice Cube Performed During A Nascar Race In LA

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It’s not all that unusual to see Ice Cube at sporting events. After all, the man’s been famous since his early 20s when he was a member of NWA, and he even runs his own increasingly popular basketball league, The Big 3. But apparently, there are still some sporting events at which you wouldn’t expect to catch the internationally recognized rapper, as seen by the reaction to not only appearing at a Nascar race this past Sunday but performing there as well.

Cube was apparently commissioned for the halftime show at the Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum on Sunday (truthfully, I didn’t know car races even had halftimes, so I’m already shocked and confused by this story myself), where he performed hits from across his expansive catalog such as “Check Yoself,” “Friday,” and “You Know How We Do It.” Clearly, though, this wasn’t exactly the audience for an Ice Cube performance, as the audience’s reactions were decidedly mixed.

Online, though, there was as much amusement as bemusement (which actually mean wildly different things, go figure), with fans chiming in to either berate the Nascar audience for not appreciating a musical legend in their midst or demean Nascar for so baldly trying to expand its appeal — likely inspired by the upcoming Super Bowl’s halftime slate of Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg.

It seems the Nascar audience is as reluctant to embrace hip-hop as the hip-hop audience is to embrace Nascar — or maybe, considering the popularity of the sport down South, they just need to tap some more Southern artists the next time around. Just saying, there’s probably a strong overlap between people who love cars and people who love Ludacris. Check out more responses below.

Tobe Nwigwe’s Reflective ‘Unfollow Me’ Video Has Some Helpful Advice For His Haters

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Each Sunday brings a new Tobe Nwigwe video to look forward to, as the Alief, Texas-based rapper continues his independent campaign to offer a counterpoint to the imagery and messages pervading rap’s mainstream. This week, though, he slows it down as he offers some helpful advice to anyone bothered by his choice of content.

If there was a moment that you could point to as the beginning of Tobe’s breakthrough to a broader level of public awareness, it would likely be the release of his 2020 single, “Try Jesus,” in which he tapped into a gospel vibe for a tongue-in-cheek reminder that he won’t be turning the other cheek. He returns to that well on “Unfollow Me,” which utilizes strains of a pulpit-certified organ as Tobe reminds his haters that they don’t have to stay tuned into his every move.

“If you don’t like what I say or do,” he croons, “Please, for your sake and mine — unfollow me.” As the camera pulls back from the standard closeup his Sunday singles often begin with, he advises his critics that they don’t have to like, comment, or follow if they really don’t want to. The mood is very much in line with his two most recent releases, “Passing Through” and “Undressing Criticism,” in both music and message.

Watch the video for “Unfollow Me” above.

Vince Staples And Mustard Debut A New Song In Naomi Osaka’s Latest Beats By Dre Commercial

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Vince Staples’ musical output is an ever-evolving thing. When he started out, his music was abrasive and almost contrarian, intentionally flying against the prevailing wind of hip-hop’s mainstream sound. However, over time, he’s mellowed out, at times flirting with a more accessible sound, most noticeably on the hyperactive FM! and the depressive sound of his 2020 self-titled album. In recent months, signs have pointed to that flirtation becoming a full-blown love affair on his long-awaited album, Ramona Park Broke My Heart, which could be the moment he goes from critical darling to fan-favorite superstar.

First, he tapped DJ Quik earlier this year to help finish the project, and now, it’s clear he’s been working with another West Coast hitmaker in Mustard. A song Vince created with the latter has appeared in the unlikeliest of places: a new Beats By Dre ad featuring tennis superstar Naomi Osaka. In the ad, Osaka is shown putting in a brand-new pair of Beats headphones on the tennis court and laying on the net like a hammock while the new song, “Magic,” plays. Judging from the party-ready vibe of the single, it sounds like Staples is actually making a play for radio and playlist love for a change and he sounds every bit as cozy on the Mustard-standard beat as Osaka looks in her makeshift hammock. Staples’ Instagram post promises more on the way, and we can’t wait.

Leon Bridges Linked With An LA Taqueria To Create A Benefit Taco Called ‘The Ft. Worth’

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HomeState, the LA-area TexMex joint known for their popular “Band Taco” benefit partnerships with Southern California groups like Chicano Batman and Tijuana Panthers, just launched a new creation with the pride of Fort Worth, Texas, Leon Bridges. It makes sense, considering owner Briana Valdez grew up in Texas and launched her Los Angeles taco, queso, and margarita emporiums to share the flavors of the lone star state with Angeleños.

Known as “The Ft. Worth,” Bridges’ taco is made with spicy achiote chicken, Beeler’s bacon, lettuce, pico de gallo, tomatillo ranch, and pickled jalapeños, on a flour tortilla. $1.25 of each taco sold goes directly to two organizations: CASA LA, which advocates for children and families in LA County’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and The Big Good, a North Texas-based organization started by Bridges, that supports educational and professional opportunities for the community.

“I was super excited to create a taco that reminds me of my hometown Fort Worth, and be able to raise funds for The Big Good to boot,” Bridges said in a statement. “I hope people pull up with my taco, queso, and margs and just vibe.”

“The Ft. Worth” is available at all four HomeState locations in the Los Angeles area now until the end of April.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Tells Employees He Doesn’t Believe ‘Silencing’ Joe Rogan Is A Good Idea

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When Spotify employees clock into work on Monday morning, they’re going to have a bold letter to digest from CEO Daniel Ek. In a message sent to the entire “Spotify Team” on Sunday, Ek addressed the mounting controversy surrounding The Joe Rogan Experience. This began when Neil Young decided to pull his music from the platform on January 24th, citing the COVID vaccine misinformation that Rogan regularly purveys on his show. Other artists soon followed suit, including India.Arie, who cited Rogan’s problematic language surrounding race and posted a damning clip on her Instagram Story three days ago, of multiple instances where Rogan used a racial slur on his show.

“I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Ek said in his letter, which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress.”

Ek also tried to illustrate that Spotify is not the publisher of The Joe Rogan Experience, but are merely the exclusive license holders — a license that Spotify acquired for that $100 million figure that keeps popping up. He referred to the notion that people assume that the streaming platform is the publisher of the show as merely the “perception” of it, which gave his lengthy letter an odd public relations feel, as if he’s being open with a divided staff about a damage control situation. “…I’ve been wrestling with how this perception squares with our values,” he said.

To that point, the most impactful portion of the letter was Ek pledging $100 million to elevate creators from historically marginalized groups. “If we believe in having an open platform as a core value of the company, then we must also believe in elevating all types of creators, including those from underrepresented communities and a diversity of backgrounds,” he said. “I am committing to an incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups.”

Rogan has apologized for using a racial slur and is in a damage control situation of sorts himself. Especially considering Spotify has already pulled 70 of his episodes, presumably for containing inappropriate language. Ek also addressed this and more in his letter, which you can read in full below.

“Spotify Team,

There are no words I can say to adequately convey how deeply sorry I am for the way The Joe Rogan Experience controversy continues to impact each of you. Not only are some of Joe Rogan’s comments incredibly hurtful — I want to make clear that they do not represent the values of this company. I know this situation leaves many of you feeling drained, frustrated and unheard.

I think it’s important you’re aware that we’ve had conversations with Joe and his team about some of the content in his show, including his history of using some racially insensitive language. Following these discussions and his own reflections, he chose to remove a number of episodes from Spotify. He also issued his own apology over the weekend.

While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more. And I want to make one point very clear — I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress.

Another criticism that I continue to hear from many of you is that it’s not just about The Joe Rogan Experience on Spotify; it comes down to our direct relationship with him. In last week’s Town Hall, I outlined to you that we are not the publisher of JRE. But perception due to our exclusive license implies otherwise. So I’ve been wrestling with how this perception squares with our values.

If we believe in having an open platform as a core value of the company, then we must also believe in elevating all types of creators, including those from underrepresented communities and a diversity of backgrounds. We’ve been doing a great deal of work in this area already but I think we can do even more. So I am committing to an incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalized groups. This will dramatically increase our efforts in these areas. While some might want us to pursue a different path, I believe that more speech on more issues can be highly effective in improving the status quo and enhancing the conversation altogether.

I deeply regret that you are carrying so much of this burden. I also want to be transparent in setting the expectation that in order to achieve our goal of becoming the global audio platform, these kinds of disputes will be inevitable. For me, I come back to centering on our mission of unlocking the potential of human creativity and enabling more than a billion people to enjoy the work of what we think will be more than 50 million creators. That mission makes these clashes worth the effort.

I’ve told you several times over the last week, but I think it’s critical we listen carefully to one another and consider how we can and should do better. I’ve spent this time having lots of conversations with people inside and outside of Spotify — some have been supportive while others have been incredibly hard, but all of them have made me think.

One of the things I am thinking about is what additional steps we can take to further balance creator expression with user safety. I’ve asked our teams to expand the number of outside experts we consult with on these efforts and look forward to sharing more details.

Your passion for this company and our mission has made a difference in the lives of so many listeners and creators around the world. I hope you won’t lose sight of that. It’s that ability to focus and improve Spotify even on some of our toughest days that has helped us build the platform we have. We have a clear opportunity to learn and grow together from this challenge and I am ready to meet it head on.

I know it is difficult to have these conversations play out so publicly, and I continue to encourage you to reach out to your leaders, your HR partners or me directly if you need support or resources for yourself or your team.

Daniel.”

What Songs Were In ‘Euphoria’ S2E5?

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

Rue Bennett’s relapse and drug addiction are the focus of this week’s episode on Euphoria. After orchestrating a deal that grants her a suitcase filled with drugs to sell, her drug use takes a huge spike. However, all of it comes to a screeching halt when Rue’s mom finds out about the suitcase and disposes of it, causing Rue to go a painful bout with withdrawal. The latest episode of Euphoria also expands on the love triangle between Nate, Maddy, and Cassie.

Just like last week’s episode, which featured songs by Sinead O’Conner, Baby Keem, Montell Jordan, Faith Evans, 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’ S2E5?

The standout songs on this week’s episode were Labrinth’s “Understand Me” and Sharon Cash’s “Fever.” The former was used during a pair of scenes where someone was in pursuit of Rue. The first is when Rue jumps out of her mom’s car and runs across traffic in order to avoid a trip back to rehab. The second time came in the second half of the episode when Rue is running away from a crew of police officers after she robbed a house for jewelry and cash. The robbery itself was soundtracked by Sharon Cash’s “Fever.”

The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes Labrinth’s “We All Knew” and Albert Hammond’s “It Never Rains In Southern California.” This week’s episode also comes with the great news that Euphoria has been renewed for a third season.

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

Kylie Jenner Announced The Birth Of Her Second Child With Travis Scott

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Stormi Webster is officially a big sister. Earlier this afternoon, Kylie Jenner announced the birth of her second child with Travis Scott by sharing a black and white photo of the new baby’s hand. She shared the birth date, 2/2/22, indicating her second child was born last week, and also included a blue heart emoji, leading many people to believe her new baby is a boy. Since TMZ is also reporting the baby is a boy, it seems like that’s probably the case, but Kylie hasn’t officially confirmed the gender yet on her own.

At least this is some positive news for Travis Scott, who has understandably been lying low since the horrific tragedy at Astroworld last year, a festival that left nine attendees dead. Looks like the fans who were convinced Kylie had her baby back in January were just a little premature. Congratulations to the happy couple, and knowing the way the Kardashian content machine rolls, we’ll be getting photos of this little guy some time in the very near future. Here’s hoping that after witnessing what Kanye and Kim are going through right now with custody of their children, Travis and Kylie are able to keep things cordial as they co-parent.