Music

Nicki Minaj Explains Why She Won’t Collaborate With One Female Rap Group In Particular

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Nicki Minaj has come a long way since I wrote about her need to collaborate with the generation of young female rappers she helped inspire. Although she had her issues with the then-emerging Cardi B and recently complained that younger female rappers “can’t take criticism,” spurring some fans to remind her to check her mirror once in a while, she did collaborate with rising star Doja Cat on the latter’s hit single “Say So,” leading to Nicki’s first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

However, Nicki still has high expectations from the younger generation and drew a line in the sand on potentially collaborating with one up-and-coming group specifically in a recent interview. Appearing on The Morning Hustle, a syndicated, urban news-and-talk radio show this week, Nicki shot down the possibility of any future collaborations with Miami scam rap duo City Girls. Using the example of a dinner invite, she says that after some shady comments by City Girls, she wouldn’t sit down to dinner with someone who didn’t like her. “It’s let go,” she asserted, “But why would I work with someone who doesn’t like me?”

A few fans confused by Nicki’s assertion wondered about what City Girls could have said to give her that impression, but screenshots are forever, and judging from the saved tweets that appeared in the replies on the above video, it doesn’t look like JT minced words one bit. “I just don’t like Nicki,” she tweeted back in 2017. “She feel she really run sh*t. Hoe, please, I want Cardi to take completely over. Push that bitch to the back.” For what it’s worth, that’s more or less what happened; since that tweet, Cardi did go on to become the first female rapper with multiple No. 1 records to her name. While Nicki has sort of caught up, these days, she makes more headlines for her scandals than her music. Hopefully, that changes Friday with the release of her new single featuring Lil Baby. And hey, there’s always the potential for her to do that Verzuz battle and remind people of her legacy.

Summer Walker Debuted A Radical New Hairdo And Fans Have Thoughts

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Atlanta R&B singer Summer Walker ended 2021 on a high note, releasing her second studio album Still Over It and watching it debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the first album from a female R&B singer to do so in five years. In 2022, it looks like she wants to get a fresh start, which she did by following the time-honored tradition of acquiring a radical new hairstyle. Naturally, once she debuted it on social media, fans had thoughts, jokes, memes, and expressions of both horror and praise.

As you can see, the singer went for a high queue, shaving the majority of her hair off and leaving enough for a ponytail of braids. Declaring that she “legit wanted this hairstyle my whole life,” she popped several photos from different angles on her Instagram, opening the floodgates for fans’ comments. One of the more positive reactions on Twitter read, “One thing about Summer Walker… shawty gone do whatever the hell she want to. Hate it or love it, I gotta respect it. I love seeing black folks with agency. Even when we make think it’s ridiculous, as long as no one is harmed, do your thing.”

However, others found some comedic value in the unusual cut, comparing her to pop culture figures who’ve worn the style over the years including the sub-boss Goro from the Mortal Kombat video game franchise and the disgraced prince Zuko from the animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. It seems that whether fans approve or not, Summer Walker will keep giving them reasons to talk in 2022. She also has more room for tattoos now, so don’t be surprised if she pops up with some new ones in the available space. Check out more fan reactions below.

Drake’s Sourpuss Expression At A Raptors Game Generates His Latest Meme

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For better or worse, Drake is a walking, talking meme — and he knows it, which means he often leans in, enjoying the chaos that results from his every facial expression or finicky habit. And because he’s such a huge hoops head, many of his finest moments are generated during NBA games while he’s supporting his precious Toronto Raptors or giving their rivals a friendly haranguing during games.

His latest is no exception. During last night’s game against the Miami Heat, Drake was caught by the TV broadcast’s cameras scrolling through his phone with a sourpuss expression on his face — which, of course, offered the perfect opportunity for speculation on what he was staring at that made him so grumpy. The timing — just a day after Rihanna announced her pregnancy with ASAP Rocky — was especially delicious for Twitter’s jokesters.

Drake notoriously had a huge crush on Rihanna and even dated her for a bit, but unfortunately for him, it seemed the burgeoning mogul preferred a “Rude Boy” after all. After dating Saudi billionaire Hassan Jameel for three years, Rihanna appears to have settled into a life of domestic bliss with “Fashion Killa” collaborator ASAP Rocky. The couple announced their baby blessing earlier this week with photos revealing Rihanna’s expanding bump, prompting many fans to tweet, “Someone check on Drake.”

In doing so, fans have found that the results are just about as funny as could be imagined — although plenty of the Drake jokes revolved around other potentially disappointing scenarios, as well. You can check out more Drake memes below.

Eminem, Dolly Parton, And Beck Lead The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s List Of 2022 Nominees

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Being nominated for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is one of music’s biggest honors, and now a new crop of artists can add that to their resume. Nominees for the 2021 class were announced today, and the list includes 17 iconic artists: A Tribe Called Quest, Beck, Carly Simon, Devo, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Fela Kuti, Judas Priest, Kate Bush, Lionel Richie, MC5, New York Dolls, Pat Benatar, and Rage Against The Machine.

Of those, A Tribe Called Quest, Beck, Carly Simon, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eminem, and Lionel Richie are first-time nominees. The rule for Rock Hall eligibility is that an artist must have released their first commercial recording 25 years before the year of the nomination, meaning that this is Eminem’s first year of eligibility. Eminem is the only 2022 nominee in his first year of eligibility.

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation Chairman John Sykes said in a statement, “This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture. Their music not only moved generations, but also influenced the sound of countless artists that followed.”

Fan voting for the 2022 class is open now via the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame website. The list of inductees is expected to be announced in May, followed by the induction ceremony at some point this fall.

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

Artists Are Furious After They Discovered NFTs Of Their Songs Were Being Sold Without Their Consent

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NFTs have become very popular in the music industry with a number of artists like Nas, Eminem, Doja Cat, The Weeknd, Mick Jagger, and more jumping on the wave. While the concept of an NFT may still be confusing to some, things have been smooth sailing for the time being. Unfortunately, all of that changed on Tuesday when the NFT platform HitPiece was exposed and accused of selling NFTs of numerous artists’ songs with their consent. The platform claims to sell “one of one NFTs of all your favorite songs,” but according to the many complaints from artists, this is far from the case.

One of the complaints against HitPiece came from the Nashville-based record company Needlejuice, who shared a statement on Twitter condemning the platform’s actions. “Neither us nor our artists have consented to @joinhitpiece selling NFTs of our music,” they wrote in a tweet. “Crypto grifters prove once again that they do not care about artists or ethics- just their dystopian end goal of turning every facet of life into a stock market pump & dump scheme.” In an interview with Newsweek, Needlejuice’s co-founder Brandon Brown added that “NFTs are fundamentally antithetical to our core values as a company.”

Many users of social media have concluded that HitPiece scraped Spotify’s API and used the streaming platform’s data to “auction” NFTs of songs without being completely clear about what is being sold in the NFT. After a few hours of being attacked by artists all over, HitPiece shared a statement about the matter on their Twitter page.

“Clearly we have struck a nerve and are very eager to create the ideal experience for music fans,” they wrote. “To be clear, artists get paid when digital goods are sold on HitPiece. Like all beta products, we are continuing to listen to all user feedback and are committed to evolving the product to fit the needs of the artists, labels, and fans alike.”

You can view more reactions from artists below.

Hailey Bieber Opens Up About Having Children And Starting A Family With Justin

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Justin Bieber and Hailey have been married for a little over two years now and some fans have been wondering when the couple will start a family of their own. The subject came up once again during a recent interview Hailey did with The Wall Street Journal.

“There’s this thing that happens for women when you get married,” she said. “Everybody always assumes it’s: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby. Well, what about all the things I want to accomplish in my business?” Hailey noted that she always thought she was going to be a young mother, but as of late, she’s let go of that idea. “I think I had it ingrained in my head that I was going to want to have kids right away and I was going to want to have kids super, super young,” she said. “Then I turned 25 and I’m like, I’m still super, super young!”

Her comments come after Justin Bieber shared his desire to start a family soon. “My intention for 2021 is to continue to set goals and have fun while doing them,” he said during his 2021 documentary Justin Bieber: Our World. “Make sure I put my family first… and hopefully we squish out a nugget.”

You can read Hailey Bieber’s full interview with The Wall Street Journal here.

Watching Black Thought Speed-Rap One Of His Earliest Flows Will Remind You Just How Talented He Is

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Though plenty of hip-hop heads are more than familiar with exactly how talented Black Thought (aka Tariq Trotter) is, he’s always ready to remind everyone at the drop of a hat. Whenever the uninformed posters of the internet reveal their ignorance of his immense skill level, Black Thought fans always rush to defend his honor. It’s almost become a meme itself at this point, but not quite, because he really is that good! Just in case anyone was left with any doubts, Trotter recently returned to his old stomping grounds at The Tonight Show to discuss a project he briefly left the show to work on.

Trotter took a hiatus from The Roots and late night to help adapt John Ridley’s novel Black No More into a musical that will be playing in New York until February 27 (tickets here). So of course, Jimmy Fallon had his former coworker back on the show to actually talk about the musical and what Trotter experienced during the process of working in live theater. But it wouldn’t be a Black Thought appearance if there wasn’t also some off-the-cuff freestyling, right? After sharing some middle school memories, and with just a tiny bit of mild coaxing, Trotter unleashed a bout of speed-rapping — on command, no less — that’s so epic it really does put most MCs to shame. Kendrick better come with that rumored new single as soon as possible if he wants to stay in the running for greatest rapper alive, at least that’s how I feel when I watch Black Thought take the mic. Check it out above.

Megan Thee Stallion Lists Rihanna And Adele As Artists She Wants To Collaborate With

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Nearly two years ago, Megan Thee Stallion landed her first No. 1 song with a remix of Beyoncé’s “Savage.” The song was the first collaboration between the Houston natives and it also proved to be one of the biggest moments in Megan’s career. Now she’s ready to work with some more superstars. During a recent interview with People, the rapper listed two big names she’s ready to collaborate with. “Because I’ve manifested Beyoncé, I feel like I have reached my ultimate goal,” she told the publication. “Well, I also would really, really, really love to collab with Rihanna. Like that is my next dream collab.”

Another name on Megan’s list, she also told People, is Adele. “If Adele wants me to come get on the track, be the dancer. I’m there, I’m here for it,” she said. “Somebody tell her to call me because I’m ready!” That would be apropos: It was just a couple of months ago that Megan and Adele went viral on TikTok after a fan mashed up Megan’s 2020 song “Body” with Adele’s “Water Under The Bridge” which can be found on her 2015 album 25.

Megan was recently announced as one of the headliners for the UK’s Parklife Festival, joining 50 Cent and Tyler The Creator as some of the big names who will perform.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Directors Of Kanye West’s Documentary ‘Jeen-Yuhs’ Won’t Submit To His Final Edit Request

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Later this month, Netflix will release the documentary Jeen-Yuhs, which will document Kanye West’s career. But the rapper has a history of delaying releases, and last month he threw a wrench into its rollout by requesting final edit approval on the documentary. “I’m going to say this kindly for the last time,” he wrote. “I must get final edit and approval on this doc before it releases on Netflix. Open the edit room immediately so I can be in charge of my own image. Thank you in advance.”

Unfortunately for West, the directors of Jeen-Yuhs won’t submit to his request. Rolling Stone says Coodie and Chike, the directors behind the film, denied West’s demand for multiple reason,s including that the documentary and its three parts are already complete. “Me and Chike have a company called Creative Control,” Coodie added, “because you don’t want to lose your creative control.”

Coodie also revealed that he ran into West in Los Angeles on Tuesday where they briefly discussed the matter. “I asked him, ‘Did he watch the film?’ And he said, ‘I have a process,’” Coodie said with a laugh. “I said, ‘That’s great that you got your process.’ And we just talked as brothers from that point.” Chike says that he views Kanye’s Instagram post as “a blessing” because it helped bring extra attention to the upcoming film. As for the idea of someone having a final say of the documentary, Coodie said, “God has the final cut.”

India.Arie To Spotify: ‘Neil Young Opened A Door That I MUST Walk Through’

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India.Arie is the latest in a flurry of artists who are taking their music down from Spotify following the lead of Neil Young. While Young cited the ongoing vaccine misinformation being purveyed by Joe Rogan on Spotify’s popular The Joe Rogan Podcast as to why he’s removing his catalog from the platform, Arie finds Rogan problematic for more than his views on the COVID vaccine. Namely his language on race.

Arie is not only removing her solo recordings from the platform but also her podcast Songversation from the platform. She joins Young, Joni Mitchell, and Graham Nash in actively taking a stand with regards to their Spotify presence. Arie issued a scathing statement on her Instagram feed and wrote the following:

“I have decided to pull my music and podcast from Spotify,” Arie said in an Instagram post. “Neil Young opened a door that I must walk through. I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons other than his Covid interviews. For me, it’s also his language around race. What I am talking about is RESPECT – who gets it and who doesn’t. Paying musicians a Fraction of a penny? and HIM $100M? This shows the company that they are and the company that they keep. I’m tired.”

It’s an impressive statement from Arie, a four-time Grammy winner and multi-platinum selling artist. The dominoes seem to keep tipping for Spotify, whose new “content advisory” warnings, are clearly not enough of a move to satisfy the valid concern of a growing number of artists.

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