Rolling Stone is taking a step into the music festival world. The publication recently announced that it purchased a majority stake in Las Vegas’ Life Is Beautiful festival. The estate of Zappos’ ex-chief executive officer Tony Hsieh, who founded the Vegas festival, will retain a piece of the business and the terms of the deal have not yet been revealed. The publication’s CEO, Gus Wenner, made the purchase in order to curate an events business to complement the editorial side of the company. Wenner reached out to Hsieh in June 2020 and the two worked out a deal before Hsieh died later that year.
The festival will retain the name Life Is Beautiful, but Rolling Stone will look for ways to incorporate the company into the showcase. One example includes naming one of the festival stages after the publication. David Oehm, the new CEO of Life Is Beautiful, will continue to run the festival with his team. “Live events and experiential are so much a part of the future of publishing,” Wenner said in an interview, according to Bloomberg. He hopes to build the business in a way that will allow Rolling Stone to be as relevant to music fans today as it was in the past.
Life Is Beautiful was originally founded in 2013 as a part of Hsieh’s plan to revitalize downtown Las Vegas. The Killers and Kings of Leon headlined the first edition, and since then it’s grown to be a three-day event. The most recent edition of Life Is Beautiful was held in September of 2021.
Has a Super Bowl commercial ever been this built up? Once a week for the past three weeks, Megan Thee Stallion has shared a teaser for her Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Doritos Super Bowl LVI commercial. First it was her checking into the studio backlot where a commercial featuring exotic animals is being filmed, then it was her getting locked out of her trailer by a sloth (?), and today we have the official song that goes with the campaign, “Flamin’ Hottie.” I guess this commercial is officially a highly anticipated one.
The song rides a sample of “Push It” by Salt N’ Pepa (a femme rap classic if there ever was one) and Megan isn’t short on the analogies between how hot she is and how hot these dang chips are! “Damn, I’m so hot, can’t touch me, just like Cheetos on your fingers, wanna suck me!” she says in the song’s opening verse. Then brings it home on the hook with “‘Cause I’m all that and a bag of flamin’ hot chips!”
The song was obviously co-signed by Cheetos mascot Chester Cheetah on Twitter:
me: what could be better than #FlaminHot snacks?@theestallion : *drops a Flamin’ Hottie track*
When Cordae released his second album From A Bird’s Eye View a few weeks ago, one of the clear standout tracks was “Chronicles” featuring H.E.R. and Lil Durk. It became an instant favorite from the album and hopefully, he continues moving in that soulful direction on his future output. Until then, though, fans can be thankful that when the Maryland rapper agreed to appear on A Colors Show, the popular YouTube music channel, he brought a simmering solo rendition of “Chronicles” with him.
Of course, the running theme of A Colors Show stems from the vibrant backgrounds that artists perform before, and in Cordae’s, the cool, sky blue backdrop accents the mellow vibe of the song. Without his guest artists, it’s down to him to sing the chorus — a task he’s suited for, showing off his vocal range as he tunes in completely with his eyes closed, feeling the vibe.
Before the album’s release, Cordae also performed “Chronicles” as part of his stripped-down set for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, while fans will be able to catch him performing it live on his From A Bird’s Eye View Tour which began last night in Dallas and runs through March 19.
Watch Cordae’s performance of “Chronicles” for A COLORS Show above.
Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
With 2 Chainz dropping his new album, Dope Don’t Sell Itself, today, the Atlanta rapper dropped by The Late Show for a stirring performance of “Lost Kings” featuring Lil Durk and Sleepy Rose. The song addresses America’s prevalent problem with gun violence — particularly when the victims are young Black men — while the performance was offered as a tribute to several of the rappers who were slain in the past few years, including Nipsey Hussle, Pop Smoke, and Young Dolph, photos of whom are projected behind the performers.
Along with last night’s performance, the rollout for Dope Don’t Sell Itself included the release of videos for “Million Dollars Worth Of Game” featuring 42 Dugg, “Pop Music” with Beatking and Moneybagg Yo, and the “Laffy Taffy”-sampling “Neighbors Know My Name,” as well as an eyebrow-raising freestyle over Pharcyde’s “Passin’ Me By” on the LA Leakers radio show. The album itself has already received rave reviews on Twitter, and features guest appearances from Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Stove God Cooks, Symba, Swae Lee, and more. Before the album’s release, 2 Chainz claimed that it would be his last trap-focused album and if that’s true, he’s bowing out at the top of his game.
Watch 2 Chainz’s “Lost Kings” performance on The Late Show above. Some artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Next week, rowdy punk rapper Snot will release his second album, Ethereal, via 300 Entertainment, following up his attention-grabbing 2020 debut, Beautiful Havoc. After building his buzz with splashy collaboration with Denzel Curry (“Sangria“), Iann Dior (“Like Me“), and Kevin Abstract (“Slugger,” also featuring Slowthai), Snot levels up on his new album, which features guest appearances from Joey Badass, Juicy J, Trippie Redd, and ASAP Rocky.
The latter appears on a rebellious party song called “Doja,” named for exactly who it sounds like it is. Today, a week before the album’s official release, Snot dropped the video for the song, which features some surreal imagery like bodies falling upward outside a project building in New York (which features a mural of Virgil Abloh with ASAP Yams’ recognizable birthmark) and Snot getting the word “Doja” tattooed on his arm as the two rappers’ crew stampedes their way through a subway station.
The song and the video are exactly what we’ve come to expect from these two, fusing the rampaging energy of punk rock show with braggadocious rap lyrics. However, one of those lyrics actually got the attention of Doja Cat herself on Twitter (which might have been the point all along), who seemed to take issue with Snot’s assertion that he “f*cked that bitch named Doja Cat.” She tweeted and deleted a reply to his tweet sharing the track, writing, “You f*cked who?”
.@DojaCat reacts to being name-dropped on $NOT’s new song, “Doja” featuring A$AP Rocky:
We’re long past the era of expecting rappers to “keep it real” in their songs, so it’s likely Snot was just doing some youthful boasting but maybe next time, he should clear the reference with its subject before just throwing it out there.
Watch the “Doja” video above. Ethereal is due 2/11 via 300 Entertainment.
The Kanye West and Kim Kardashian drama continued after he criticized her for allowing their daughter North on TikTok and she responded by calling out his relentless attacks on social media. West doubled down after his ex-wife’s response, again accusing her of sicking security on him at their daughter’s birthday party and of making him take a drug test. He also claims she accused him of stealing from her home, which, again, is across the street from his, and questioned her assertion that she is the main care provider for the children.
“What do you mean by ‘main provider?’” he wrote in a post on Instagram with a screenshot of Kim’s earlier post. “America saw you try to kidnap my daughter on her birthday by not providing the address You put security on me inside of the house to play with my son then accused me of stealing I had to take a drug test after Chicago’s party cause you accused me of being on drugs Tracy Romulus stop manipulating Kim to be this way…”
Tracy Romulus is Chief Marketing Officer of KKW Brands, the corporate entity through which Kardashian manages her beauty, clothing, and fragrance lines. While Romulus obviously has Kim’s ear as her business partner, Kanye’s comments overlook a lot of facts over the last few years, mainly in the area of his own erratic behavior. While he’s pushed back on characterizations that he’s “crazy,” it doesn’t seem that anyone has ever called him that other than himself.
Kanye responds to Kim Kardashian, claims she accused him of being on drugs and stealing:
“America saw you try to kid nap my daughter on her birthday by not providing the address. You put security on me inside of the house to play with my son then accused me of stealing,” pic.twitter.com/Yh4UGDG6pD
In Kim’s earlier statement, she wrote, “I wish to handle all matters regarding our children privately and hopefully, he can finally respond to the third attorney he has had in the last year to resolve any issues amicably.” If anything, it seems the only thing she wants from Kanye is to behave like an adult.
Ye (aka Kanye West) is on a lot of people’s minds right now, for reasons including Kim Kardashian drama, Julia Fox, and the upcoming Donda 2. On top of that, there’s also the upcoming Jeen-Yuhs documentary series, which is set to premiere on Netflix on February 16. Ahead of that, Netflix has shared a new trailer.
The trailer features a voiceover from co-director Clarence “Coodie” Simmons, in which he says, “When I first put the camera on this up-and-coming producer in ’98, I knew he was destined for greatness. The goal was to see how far his dreams would take him, but I had no idea where life would take us next. It felt like the bigger Kanye got, the farther we grew apart, but there was more to Kanye’s story that I needed to tell.”
There’s also a quote from West in which he explains what he thinks are the reasons behind his success, saying “I just think it was in God’s plan. I think He just has me here for a reason and I have something to say. There’s people that might be better programmers, better rappers. The way I think I really won is I had the heart. If I do what I’m supposed to do, people gonna look back like, ‘Man, remember dude used to just make beats for people?”
In an interview with Billboard the day after the nominations were revealed, Q-Tip said, “I was pleased, [but] I wish my man [Phife Dawg] was here.”
Phife Dawg, a founding member of A Tribe Called Quest, died in 2016 at 45 years old.
Elsewhere during the conversation, Q-Tip spoke about how he believes A Tribe Called Quest helped bridge the gap between rock and hip-hop for many people, especially white listeners. He said, “I was just saying to LL Cool J the thing about Tribe is we played in front of more rock audiences than rap audiences. Just being on tour with Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Green Day, Beastie Boys, and our first show we opened for Big Audio Dynamite — at our time, we kinda helped bring white audiences to hip-hop. So it’s overall good. I feel like the story of music and music’s evolution can’t happen without hip-hop artists.”
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.
Three is a very common and important number in Amber Mark’s life. In a 2017 interview with NME, she explained how that number has constantly made itself present in her life. “My mother was born in 1953, my brother was born in 1983 and I was born in 1993,” she said. “Then, my mum passed away on June 3, at 10:23 pm in 2013. Since then, I’d see three’s everywhere.” In 2017, she released her 3:33am EP. Nearly five years later, she returns with her debut album, Three Dimensions Deep, and a riveting tale that follows her through a journey of searching for the deeper meaning for her life and the world that surrounds her.
Three Dimensions Deep presents a well-executed blend of R&B and funk used in different ways throughout the album. Sometimes it’s a 50-50 split, and other times, either genre sits in the driver’s seat while the other makes its presence felt just enough so that the 17-track project remains cohesive. This varying production helps to add a second dose of life to the listener’s experience with the album, one already boosted by Mark’s enthralling vocals. Her search for life’s meaning arises on the wistful “What Is It,” where she questions the point of the bad in her life with an emotional plea into the empty skies. “So there goes my heart,” she sings with disheveled spirits on the song. “I fell apart / Trying to love.” She later questions the source of faith as she’ll need it moving forward. “Is it love that proves in our faith? / Or how we move, spiraling?”
As often as Mark questions the ways of the world, she also stays true to what she’s previously learned. Her wisdom propels her far enough to leave her with a moderate and slightly frustrating, but solvable, amount of puzzle-piecing for her to do. She rightfully distrusts the “trifling” ways of men on “Most Men,” while begging for a friend to seek better than the insufficient companion she’s currently with. Mark acknowledges the difficulties behind healing and moving on both “Healing Hurts” and “Bubbles” while overcoming the temptation to fall for old tricks and back into her old pains. Following these anecdotes of hurt and heartbreak, Three Dimensions Deep transitions into a second half that’s both energized by a new wave of happiness and gracefully presented through a worthwhile romance.
Amber Mark won’t find all the answers she’s looking for in life. That’s a feat that goes unaccomplished even by the oldest souls of the world, never mind a 28-year-old. She soon realizes that a life driven by constant searches will leave her feeling incomplete at the end of the day. “FOMO” places this discovery on wax through funky and reinvigorating production that finds Mark high off life as her feet sweep the dancefloor. “Fill up my cup, made up my mind,” she sings. “Won’t miss out on living happily / It’s about time, I’m gon’ lose control.” There’s a time and a place for self-reflection and wallowing in sadness about life’s dealings, but Mark realizes that she should at least make sure to live life through it all.
This leap of faith, which also doubles as a discharge from life’s ankle weights, adds vibrancy and excitement to her life and the album. It also makes her an irresistible magnet to what she craves the most from life. Three Dimensions Deep swings upward from a contextual standpoint during its back half. Mark is consumed by a love that’s far too good to be true in her eyes. She details this behind haunting production that accentuates her disbelief on “Out Of This World” while also comparing the new love to finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. “Pull all this weight kept me out of sight / I close my eyes,” she sings. “And with surprise / I saw the light.” Mark goes above and beyond to describe the beauty of this new romance as she places herself amongst the stars and constellations on “Cosmic” to relay the “otherworldly feelings” it gives her. “It takes me to another planet / It’s all so cinematic,” she sings with a heart bleeding of gratitude as angelic harmonies rain behind her. “Is this some sort of magic? / It seems so automatic.”
Three Dimensions Deep is a testament to letting go and trusting that what is meant to be, will be. While watching Amber Mark get swept off her feet with a perfect love is a heartwarming aspect of the album, seeing her end the album on a high pedestal and free of some of the things that held her down is just as satisfying. Mark’s official debut album is truly Three Dimensions Deep as we watch her confidence grow, her insecurities fade away, and a path open up for her to experience at that’s meant to be in her world. Mark achieves this by letting herself freefall into life’s core where she discovers what to value the most day in and day out. It’s here that she also tackles her most-inner emotions with equal parts grace and feistiness for a riveting and magical album.
Three Dimensions Deep is out now via PMR/EMI. Get it here.
Two years removed from the 2020 uprisings over the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, it doesn’t seem like much has changed in the US. Calls to defund police departments across the nation were more or less ignored (or outright defied), and in just one month, the number of headlines reporting police shootings of citizens is frankly kind of alarming.
Thus, Chicago rapper Supa Bwe has returned with his first new song of the year, reuniting with his old friend Chance The Rapper to remind us that “ACAB.” The new song, built over a plodding beat and featuring additional guest appearances from 7000 and Maryland underground rap rising star Redveil, takes the corrupt institution to task, with all four rappers calling out the overall failure to honor the “protect and serve” motto throughout the past few… well… forever.
According to Supa Bwe’s Instagram, the song is the first single from his upcoming project No Thanks, which is also his first project since 2019’s Jaguar. 2019 also contained “Rememory,” Supa’s last collaboration with Chance The Rapper, on the Just Say Thank You EP. Meanwhile, Chance recently expanded his own collaboration catalog, teaming up with Dionne Warwick on the soul legend’s “Nothing’s Impossible.” While he hasn’t been as busy on the music front since dropping The Big Day in 2019, there’s no time like the present for him to get busy on a follow-up.
