Music

YG, J. Cole, And Moneybagg Yo’s ‘Scared Money’ Presents A Sinister Approach To Getting Rich

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YG appears to be gearing up to release his upcoming sixth album which would be his first solo full-length effort since 2020’s My Life 4Hunnid. So far, the Compton native has released one single, “Sign Language,” for the potential project, but his latest drop looks to make quite the splash. YG recruits J. Cole and Moneybagg Yo for their new single, “Scared Money.” The new track is a sinister release that presents the rappers’ unabashed approach towards making money and staying rich. The song is also paired with a confident video that captures the trio flexing their wealth by holding stacks of money to their ear in a safe and dancing as more cash falls from the sky.

“Scared Money” serves as the latest entry in J. Cole’s current guest feature run. In recent months, Cole has connected with Wale (“Poke It Out“), Young Thug (“Stressed Out“), “Joyner Lucas (“Your Heart“), and Benny The Butcher (“Johnny P’s Caddy“). Cole’s latest feature run comes after he initially said his 2019 song with Gang Starr would be the “last feature you’ll hear from me,” a statement he retracted after some self-reflection as revealed in his 2020 documentary, Applying Pressure: The Off-Season.

As for Moneybagg Yo, he’s been on a bit of a feature run as well with the Memphis native lacing records with Polo G, French Montana, 2 Chainz, NLE Choppa, and more. He even has a record on Kanye West’s Donda 2 on the way.

You can watch the video for “Scared Money” above.

Mitski’s ‘Stay Soft’ Is More Rollicking Synth-Pop From Her New Album ‘Laurel Hell’

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The music internet can rejoice — new music from Mitski has officially arrived. Her latest album, Laurel Hell, follows up her 2019 project Be The Cowboy, which created so much fervor among fans that the songwriter left the internet completely for a quite a while after it came out, just to get some peace. Perhaps said overzealous fans learned their lesson, as the reception for Laurel Hell has been decidedly cooler.

Indie superstardom has definitely shifted a lot over the last decade or two, and as our own critic Steven Hyden noted in his review of Mitski’s new album, pop star level attention on someone who came up as an independent artist can be a challenging crossroads to navigate. “If she stays, does she want to be a mainstream star who performs in stadiums with other mainstream stars, or does she want to be an enigmatic cult indie hero?” he writes. “Laurel Hell suffers from not resolving these issues before now.”

Tonight’s newest single, “Stay Soft” does feel like it swings between two poles, a rollicking synth-pop melody and Mitski’s always-pristine alto vocals, but even when the song hits a crescendo on the chorus, it never really opens up to anything. The video, however, is a different story, as Mitski gives blood to a greedy Venus flytrap, gets kidnapped, and dances under the moonlight with her captors. She eventually gets free, but at a price. Check it out above.

Nicki Minaj And Lil Baby Trick The Opposition And Handle Business On ‘Do We Have A Problem?’

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This summer will mark four years since Nicki Minaj released her fourth album, Queen. Since then, her releases have been quite sporadic and not as frequent or fulfilling as her fans would’ve hoped. In 2019, she dropped her tropical single, “Megatron,” and the following year she returned with “Yikes” and “Trollz,” her chart-topping-yet-controversial single with Tekashi 69. In 2021, she uploaded her 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty to streaming platforms with three new songs including “Seeing Green” with Lil Wayne and Drake. Unfortunately, none of those years presented a new album, but that could finally change this year and it starts with Nicki’s new single with Lil Baby, “Do We Have A Problem?”

Their new collaboration arrives with a cinematic nine-minute video that initially begins with Nicki Minaj as a detective of sorts who is looking to capture a criminal played by Lil Baby. A stakeout is set up in order to capture Lil Baby, but things take a turn when Nicki runs off with Lil Baby as they complete a mission they had planned from the beginning. The visual also features a cameo from Joseph Sikora who plays Tommy Egan on Power and Power Book IV: Force.

The track adds to what’s been an event week for Nicki. She had an interesting Instagram Live conversation with Kevin Samuels and even settled her differences with City Girls. Nicki also listed her conditions for a potential Verzuz battle, saying, “It should feel like a celebration, that’s exactly what I would like it to feel like. Fun, happiness.”

You can check out the video for “Do We Have A Problem?” above.

Fred VanVleet Was Congratulated By Drake Courtside After Being Named An All-Star

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The NBA announced its reserves for the 2022 All-Star Game on Thursday evening and, while there is always talk of “snubs” and what went wrong with the selections, it is also a time for celebration. For Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, that was very much the case, as the 27-year-old earned his first selection, earning the nod after a stellar first half of the 2021-22 season. The Raptors were set to take the floor for a home game just as the All-Star picks came down, meaning he had to focus on the task at hand, but that didn’t stop Drake from congratulating VanVleet before tipoff.

Even with fans limited, or even non-existent, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Drake has been present in support of the Raptors, and that continues here. The timing also worked quite well, as the game tipped off just moments after the official announcement, and VanVleet (due to alphabetical order) was the last player named by TNT.

In addition to the franchise’s most prominent fan showing love, the Raptors have unleashed a full-fledged campaign for VanVleet, all the way down to a “Freddie All-Star” moniker on the team’s local broadcast. VanVleet has clearly earned the All-Star nod with his play, though, averaging 21.5 points and 7.0 assists per game with impressive defense and three-point shooting (39.1 percent). It is always fun to see a first-time selection rewarded, and VanVleet received quite the congratulatory welcome here.

Yo Gotti, 42 Dugg, And EST Gee Disturb The Peace In Their Video For ‘Cold Gangsta’

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In just a few hours, Yo Gotti’s eleventh album CM10: Free Game will be available for fans to press play on. The rapper revealed that the project will be a double-disc effort with the first side titled “Free” and the second “Game.” He’s yet to reveal the tracklist for CM10: Free Game, but we know 42 Dugg and EST Gee will appear on the list of guest features thanks to Gotti’s latest single. The trio unites for “Cold Gangsta” and with it comes a new music video.

In the visual, Yo Gotti, 42 Dugg, and EST Gee have just moved into a new neighborhood and they’ve made sure to make their presence felt with their neighbors. Yo Gotti lets his music blare and flaunts his collection of luxury cars while 42 Dugg throws some money for a cast of women at a party. Lastly, EST Gee surrounds himself with a crew of masked men to lay menacing raps outside of a mansion. The song also features each artist rapping over a different beat.

“I’m gone Finish This SH!T just how I started!!!” Gotti wrote in an announcement for CM10: Free Game last month. “Wit No Regrets, Standing on Business & Principles. Motivating All Hustlers, knowing we took da Highest Risk for a Better Outcome. To the Streets, Plugs, Fans & Consumers. I’m FOREVER GRATEFUL.”

You can press play on the video for “Cold Gangsta” above.

CM10: Free Game is out 2/4 via CMG/Inevitable II Records.

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

Drakeo The Ruler’s Family Raises Their Live Nation Lawsuit Demand To $60 Million

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In the case of the other major lawsuit against concert promoter Live Nation, Pitchfork reports that the $20 million lawsuit planned by Drakeo The Ruler’s family in response to his death during the Once Upon A Time In LA festival in December has not only been filed but raised to $60 million on behalf of his young son, Caiden Caldwell, by his mother, Tianna Purtue.

The lawsuit, which also names promoter partners Bobby Dee Presents and C3 Presents, as well as Banc of California Stadium owners Los Angeles Football Club, cites the disaster at Astroworld just a week before and accuses the promoters of negligence. The lawsuit says that they did not place “the safety and wellbeing of its guests and its invited artists ahead of profits,” leading to the lax security conditions that allowed Drakeo’s assailant to fatally stab him in the neck during a backstage brawl.

The suit expresses the family’s belief that the promoters were “completely knowledgeable of the potential dangers posed to both their guests and the performers they hired based on numerous past incidents of violence and death at their hip hop events.” This included not only diminishing Drakeo’s own physical security but allowing access to the backstage area by multiple people who seemed affiliated with LA’s numerous street gangs. What started as a skirmish between two small groups apparently escalated into a larger conflict as more members got involved on the basis of affiliation, with many of the attackers “dressed in all red and wearing ski masks.”

Meanwhile, the lawsuit defends Drakeo from assumptions that he himself was gang-affiliated, although it notes that members of a Bloods set wanted revenge on Drakeo for allegedly killing one of their own in a dispute — an incident for which he served nearly two years in county jail merely awaiting re-trial on new charges even after being acquitted.

Among the failures of security listed in the suit is a lack of police presence, the omission of searches for artists and their entourages, and allowing unauthorized individuals to access the backstage areas. In all, Caiden, via Purtue, is seeking $25 million for Drakeo’s death, $25 million for loss of earnings and financial support, and $10 million for Drakeo the Ruler’s suffering prior to his death.

Nardo Wick’s ‘Me Or Sum’ Video With Future And Lil Baby Pairs Luxury With A Juke Joint Aesthetic

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Jacksonville rapper Nardo Wick made a big splash last year with his breakout single “Who Want Smoke??” featuring 21 Savage, G Herbo, and Lil Durk, leading fans to scramble to learn more about this newcomer with the pull to land big-name collaborations out of seemingly nowhere. Then, while the iron was still hot, he secured two even bigger assists in the form of features from Future and Lil Baby on his follow-up single “Me Or Sum” just before the end of the year.

Keeping his momentum going in 2022, Nardo dropped the video for the single today, ensuring that his buzz will keep roaring throughout the new year. The video sees Nardo holding court in an old-fashioned, Depression-era juke joint as he raps his verse, while Future and Lil Baby perform their verses in luxurious surroundings. The video is split into two main parts, reflecting the dual nature of the song’s beat, which switches after Future’s first verse, while the second half digs deeper into the pre-war aesthetic.

Those wondering who Nardo Wick is were rewarded with the rapper’s debut studio album, Who Is Nardo Wick? Featuring guest appearances from 21 Savage, Big30, Future, Hit-Boy, G Herbo, Lakeyah, Lil Baby, and Lil Durk, the album received good reviews and debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200. The album is out now via RCA Records. Stream it here.

Drake Unfollowed Rihanna And ASAP Rocky On Instagram, Which Rick Ross Saw As An Opportunity For A Plug

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Rihanna and ASAP Rocky are at the start of a life-changing journey, as it was recently revealed that Rihanna is pregnant with their child. Drake, with whom Rihanna famously has some romantic history, appears to not be too pleased by this development. Some suspect his latest meme-worthy moment is a result of his discontent, and after the news broke, many noticed he unfollowed both Rihanna and Rocky on Instagram.

RapTV posted about the news on Instagram, and Rick Ross hilariously took to the comments to write simply, “@wingstop.” Ross owns over two dozen Wingstop locations and it appears he couldn’t resist inserting the restaurant into a viral moment to draw attention to it and promote the brand. As HipHopDX notes, this comes not long after Ross made a similar comment on a post about Ari Lennox’s label troubles in late January.

It’s not likely that Rihanna is going to lose sleep over having one fewer Instagram follower: As of January 16, her account is No. 27 on the list of most followed accounts on the platform and No. 12 among musicians, currently with 120 million followers. For reference, Drake is right in the same neighborhood on that front, as he’s No. 33 and No. 14 on those lists, respectively.

Lil Nas X Stars In A New Comic Book About ‘Old Town Road’ And His Rise To Fame

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Lil Nas X may have recently published the illustrated best-selling children’s book C Is For Country, but he’s now the star of a different kind of publication. The musician is the lead in a newly released comic book that tells the story of his rise to fame through illustrations.

Titled Fame: Lil Nas X, the 28-page comic tells the story of Lil Nas X’s rise to super stardom through colorful scenes. It begins when he was living in Atlanta and walks readers through the success of “Old Town Road,” his debut album, and other notable moments from his life so far. Distributed by TidalWave Comics and written by Darren G. Davis with art by Victor Moura, Fame: Lil Nas X is officially available to purchase as of Wednesday.

Davis spoke about the upcoming book in a statement. “We’ve found a niche with our bio comics,” he said. “Our success with this comic shows that there is a much wider audience for sequential storytelling than many thought. These readers are simply looking for something other than superheroes or horror. With our bio comics, we strive to bring these new readers evenhanded, well-researched looks at some of their favorite celebrities.”

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Lil Nas X isn’t the first musician to get their own Fame comic book. Previous edition of the series include a comic on Adele, Prince, Beyonce, Psy, and Bono.

Check out the cover of Lil Nas X’s Fame comic above and get the book here.