Music

ASAP Tyy Gives A Delightful Performance Of The Summery ‘Ting’ On ‘UPROXX Sessions’

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ASAP Tyy looks like he’s having the time of his life during his UPROXX Sessions performance of the dancehall-inspired “Ting.” The Harlem-raised rapper’s single is imbued with all the jerk chicken-scented energy of the New York summertime, so it’s no wonder he was feeling so good while performing it, kicking his legs up and grinning into the camera like a kid in a candy store.

While the ASAP Mob that Tyy reps is best known for producing father-to-be ASAP Rocky and “Plain Jane” star ASAP Ferg, it’d be a mistake to overlook the less prominent members like Tyy. They’ve secretly been releasing some of the most intriguing, charismatic, and consistent music from the posse over the past few years, even if they seemingly fly just below most folks’ radars. Tyy himself is three mixtapes into his career, which helps to explain his lower profile (for comparison, Ferg has three albums, two mixtapes, and an EP to his name), but he’s been building up his discography with strong singles for the past year, dropping tracks like “100 Rounds,” “1990,” and “Who Ain’t With Me.”

As his catalog grows, so too will his audience, especially with fun summer singles like “Ting.” When he does drop his debut solo album, it’ll be well worth fans’ time to give it a spin.

What Are The Features On Kanye West’s ‘Donda 2’?

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For plenty of Kanye West fans, his 2021 album Donda felt like a comeback. Sure, it might not be My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy levels of Yeezus, but it was a start. It felt like Ye was trying again, not wandering around the gospel realm with choirs and Sunday Services in tow. So when word got out that he’s already hard at work on Donda 2, and it will be here in the matter of a few short days, excitement about the project reached a fever pitch. And so naturally, excitement over the release also begged the ever present question when it comes to a Kanye album: Who will he collaborate with? Here’s everything we know so far on that tip.

What Are The Features On Kanye West’s ‘Donda 2’

Luckily, one producer on the new Kanye album has given the media plenty of info on some of the album’s more relevant aspects. So we know that he’s once again working with Nas Digital, who produced “Junya” and “Remote Control,” on Donda part one.
When Kanye announced the album last week, he stated that Future will serve as the executive producer for the album. This creative partnership followed up a surprise New Year’s Eve performance from the pair of rappers, who have rarely worked together in the past.

A recently released collaboration with The Game called “Eazy” takes shots at Pete Davidson, who Ye’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian is reportedly dating. While it’s unclear if this is a Donda 2 track, it seems like The Game and the track’s producer Hit-Boy might be in the mix.

Spotted hanging out at the studio with Kanye in mid-January were The Game (a collaboration we’ve since heard), Moneybagg Yo, Chavo, and his frequent collaborator Mike Dean, so it’s very likely we’ll get a guest verse or something from a few of them. Even weirder? Big Sean, who has continually implied he has beef with Kanye and is no longer signed to GOOD Music was also at the studio hang. Rekindling? We’ll see.

The next day, photos of Kanye, ASAP Rocky, and Pusha T at the studio together surface. I’ll tune in for a song by that trio any day.

A few days ago, Digital also spilled the beans that Marilyn Manson is working very closely with Kanye on the project. “I see Marilyn a lot in the studio,” the producers said. “Like, every day I go to the studio, Marilyn is there working on Donda 2.” Though that particular partnership might upset some fans, at this point, Kanye doesn’t seem to care. After all, doing whatever he wants is basically what he’s best known for at this point.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Is All-In On Cryptocurrency, Saying He’ll Only Take Booking Fees In Ethereum

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A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie has always been somewhat of a maverick in the hip-hop game. When his album Hoodie SZN reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 while setting a record low for physical sales, he smartly spun the news with a progressive outlook that appears prescient in hindsight. Meanwhile, in an interview with Uproxx that year, A Boogie shared a number of surprising observations pointing to his willingness to defy expectations as a rapper and a businessman.

His latest future-thinking move will likewise undoubtedly raise some eyebrows, but if it pans out, he could look like a genius in a few years’ time. Hopping aboard the burgeoning blockchain movement, he declared he was hitching his wagon completely to cryptocurrency. “Only accepting Ethereum for shows now for those who been trying to book me,” he tweeted, informing anyone looking to put him on an event bill to invest in an online wallet. Technically, Ethereum is the name of the blockchain, while Ether (ETH) is the designation for its currency, but the point stands.

But while A Boogie is possibly the first rapper to limit his income in this particular way, he’s far from the first to invest in blockchain. That NFT craze you’ve been reading so much about is actually based on the technology, with everyone from Eminem to Steve Aoki joining the train (although Kanye remains skepticaldrawbacks to go with the benefits, but if A Boogie can navigate the potential pitfalls, his decision could prove lucrative in the long run.

Kamasi Washington Makes His Late-Night Debut With ‘The Garden Path’ On ‘Fallon’

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Last night, Kamasi Washington made his television debut on The Tonight Show, and his performance of “The Garden Path” lived up to the hype. Where most late-night performers bring at most a five-piece band (drums, bass, guitar, keys, and maybe a DJ), Kamasi brought an only slightly scaled-down version of his usual extravagant orchestras with him, utilizing what looks like every square inch of available space on the Tonight Show stage to play the sweeping, funky composition.

Kamasi himself stood in the center of the storm flanked by his backup singers, controlling the chaos with massive blasts from his sax.

Although “The Garden Path” is Washington’s first solo release since 2021’s “Sun-Kissed Child,” the jazz revivalist did find time over the past year to contribute to The Metallica Blacklist, a tribute album dedicated to the metal pioneers, with a horn-heavy cover of “My Friend Of Misery.”

Of his latest song, Kamasi said in a press release, “The world feels turned upside down. There’s so much push and pull in every direction, from everyone you meet—no one knows what to think, who to believe, or how to approach life right now. No matter how smart you are, it’s hard not to feel blind.”

Watch Kamasi Washington’s Tonight Show performance of “The Garden Path” above.

Ye Gifted Julia Fox And All Of Her Friends Birkin Bags To Celebrate Her Birthday

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For many celebrity couples, the gift of a Birkin bag is a way to flex both their wealth and their love for each other. And with bags costing a minimum of about $4,000 and upwards of $380,000, it’s definitely no small gesture. That’s why Ye’s recent birthday gift to his new boo Julia Fox is so impressive. They’ve only been dating for less than two months now and Ye celebrated Fox’s birthday by giving a Birkin bag not just to her, but to all her best friends as well.

Fox, Ye, and much of their entourage spent Wednesday night celebrating Fox’s 32nd birthday. According to TMZ, the party rented out NYC’s French restaurant Lucien for dinner. Fox opened her birthday gifts at the table, making it clear that Ye went all-out. He gave her some flashy jewelry but saved the best gift for last. Everyone at the table, including all of Fox’s closest friends, was gifted Baby Birkin bags by Ye in an assortment of colors.

Fox was clearly overjoyed about the gifts. I mean, who wouldn’t want their new boyfriend to impress their friends with designer gifts? As you can see, Fox and all of her friends were posing with their new, very expensive bags.

Check out clips from Fox’s birthday bash above.

Megan Thee Stallion Wants To Do A Full Project With Jazmine Sullivan: ‘The Men Better Go Run And Hide’

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With Megan Thee Stallion between albums, it’s no surprise that fans have taken to speculation about her future work; what it’ll sound like, when it’ll arrive, and perhaps most of all, who it’ll feature. Meg was recently asked by People who she most wants to collaborate with in the future, answering Adele and Rihanna.

Today, she was asked a similar question by Billboard, and to her credit, she found another intriguing answer. This time, the question wondered which artist she’d like to do a full project with. She selected an R&B who has had a career breakout over the past year, receiving renewed attention with the release of her new EP, Heaux Tales.

“Me and Jazmine Sullivan would definitely have some stuff to talk about,” Meg replied. “We’ll have the girls crying, we’ll have the girls screaming, we’ll have the girls dancing, we’ll have the girls sipping wine, [and] sitting in the backyard sipping cognac. The men better go run and hide if me and Jazmine Sullivan do an EP, so that’s actually a really good idea. We need to get that in the works.”

Meanwhile, Meg herself remains an in-demand collaboration partner, most recently receiving the call from Jamaican singer Shenseea for the “WAP”-esque collaboration “Lick.”

Who Left Spotify Because Of Joe Rogan?

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Spotify was hit with an ultimatum by Neil Young late last month: cut ties with Joe Rogan and his podcast or remove all of my music from the platform. Young’s demand came after another instance of Joe Rogan sharing misinformation about COVID-19 and the pandemic, which is a month away from entering its third year of effects in the United States. Spotify stuck by Rogan which led to Young sending a letter to his label requesting that all his music be removed from Spotify, which occurred just a few days later. However, Young was not the only person to make this move.

Who Left Spotify Because Of Joe Rogan?

Shortly after Neil Young pulled his music off Spotify, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell took a stand with him and removed her music from the platform as well. Days later Graham Nash, who is Neil Young’s former bandmate from the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young band, also decided to pull his music from Spotify. Then, the rest of the members in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — David Crosby and Stephen Stills — made an announcement that they too will take off their music from the platform. But wait, there’s more. R&B singer India.Arie also took a stance with Neil Young and revealed that her music would be removed from Spotify, saying, “Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walk through.” There’s no telling who will be next to join Young, but we can almost assume this list will grow to be a bit longer.

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

Silk Sonic Brings Soulful Radio And Funky ‘Fits To ‘Fortnite’

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Silk Sonic In Fortnite
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Over the years, Epic Games’ Fortnite has increasingly become a home not just for legions of gamers but also for musicians who enjoy the game’s combination of third-person shooter and building mechanics. Those musicians have also partnered with Epic Games for in-game appearances like Travis Scott’s 2020 concert, which broke the game’s streaming record, and Ariana Grande’s 2021 concert.

Today, Epic announced the game’s latest musical partners: Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars — known collectively as Silk Sonic. Rather than playing an in-game concert, though, Silk Sonic will offer their music to gamers another way, via an in-game radio station that will play their hits like “Leave The Door Open.” Their debut hit previously featured in the game as an emote, or a dance that the player’s avatar can perform on command. Emotes have been a big part of the game’s success, as the game itself is free, but players can buy emotes via mini-transactions with real money.

The radio station can be accessed when a player uses one of the vehicles in the game and will be hosted by Bootsy Collins, who is featured on Silk Sonic’s debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic. In addition, new skins will allow players to dress their avatars in funky, ’70s-style outfits inspired by Andy and Bruno.

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

Open Mike Eagle’s ‘What Had Happened Was’ Podcast Returns For A Third Season, Featuring Dante Ross

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In the thick of the pandemic, modern day hip-hop renaissance man Open Mike Eagle gave hip-hop heads an incredible treat when he debuted the What Had Happened Was podcast with super producer Prince Paul. Mike had a knack for setting Paul at ease and it resulted in incredible stories about Paul’s work with De La Soul, Gravediggaz, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Chris Rock, and more. The hits kept coming with Season 2 in 2020 featuring none other than El-P of Run The Jewels. Much like the first season, each episode was a chapter in the subject’s career focusing on a specific album or project, and guided by the benevolent host, El-P took listeners through the ins and outs of RTJ, Company Flow, and everything in between.

The newly announced third season promises even more hip-hop geekery, as it features famed hip-hop exec Dante Ross. A mercurial figure in the Golden Age of hip-hop, Ross was responsible for ushering along acts like Digital Underground, Queen Latifah, and De La Soul while with Def Jam and Tommy Boy Records. Then, as the hip-hop A&R man at Elektra Records, Ross signed legends like Busta Rhymes, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Del The Funky Homosapien, and a whole lot more.

Suffice it to say, Ross is a hip-hop treasure trove of knowledge and he makes for a spectacular guest alongside the equally spectacular host. Open Mike Eagle’s Stony Island Pods network is now distributed by the much larger Talkhouse network and this season represents a well-deserved big step up for the very excellent show.

What Had Happened Was Season 3 with Dante Ross premieres Wednesday, February 9. Listen/subscribe here.

NLE Choppa Shows Off His Dance Skills And Charisma In His Video For ‘Trap Phone’

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NLE Choppa ended the first month of the new year by releasing his sophomore album Me Vs. Me. It arrives nearly a year and a half after his debut album Top Shotta. That same year he was given a spot on the 2020 XXL Freshman Class list with names like Jack Harlow, Rod Wave, Latto, and more. To continue the promotion behind his latest body of work, NLE Choppa returns with a video for “Trap Phone.” The visual finds him surrounded by his crew and a cast of women as he boasts about his street rap while showing off his charisma with a collection of energetic dance moves.

Me Vs. Me arrives with sixteen songs and features from Young Thug, Polo G, G Herbo, and Moneybagg Yo. The project dropped a week after its original release date after NLE Choppa delayed it out of respect for Long Live Young Dolph, the compilation album that was released in honor of Young Dolph who was shot and killed in November. “Trap Phone” joins songs like “Stompin,” “Mmm Hmm,” “Unapologetic,” and “Drop Sh*t” as records from Me Vs. Me to receive the visual treatment.

You can watch the video for “Trap Phone” above.

Me Vs. Me is out now via Warner Records. You can stream it here.

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