Music

Ray J And Donald Trump Spoke About Young Entrepreneurs During A Meeting At The Mar-A-Lago Club

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This week, Ray J’s name has appeared in headlines a few more times than he probably expected. It began with Kanye West’s claim that he gave him a laptop that held a second sex tape he made with Kim Kardashian. That report was quickly refuted by Kim’s team, who claimed that a that tape was not on the laptop. Now, we’re learning Ray J had a meeting with former president Donald Trump. According to Page Six, the two met at Trump’s resort Mar-a-Lago to discuss ideas for entrepreneurs and young business professionals. Ray J also wanted to raise awareness for the political issues he is passionate about.

“I’ve always admired and respected his business acumen,” Ray J told Page Six. “Our conversation was about job creation, encouraging small business development and how Information Technology plays an important role in the future of our economy.” He continued, “We also agree how important an educated workforce is, as well as the critical need of developing of young people. I’m ready to get started now!” Page Six also reports that Ray J and Trump already have a follow-up meeting scheduled so that they can begin to put some of their ideas into action.

Speaking of Mar-A-Lago, it was just earlier this week that Trump demanded that a crowd applaud him during an appearance at the club. A video showed him “appearing in front of diners at his Mar-a-Lago resort and getting absolutely no reaction until he waggles his little hands at them.”

Joey Badass Prefers Not To Ejaculate During Sex In Order To ‘Preserve My Lifeforce’

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Over the past few years, Joey Badass has taken a step back from his rap career to spend more time as an actor. He’s appeared in films and movies that include Grown-ish, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Two Distant Strangers, which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Now the Brooklyn native is ready to return to rap, as he recently released “The Revenge” and confirmed his third album will drop this year. While all that is happening, Badass also has some other unique things going on in his life.

During a recent appearance on Angela Yee’s podcast Lip Service, the rapper revealed that he prefers not to ejaculate during sex. “I’d rather not bust a nut, period,” he said. “Because I would rather preserve my lifeforce.” He continued, “When a man ejaculates, there’s a lot of things that leave your body. There’s blood cells, there’s testosterone, energy, you get depleted. They say it’s like an equivalent to running 20 miles when you bust a nut.”

Joey also noted that he’s been practicing semen retention for the past two years and that he considers himself a highly productive man who needs the energy to get through his days.

As for what’s next for Joey, he’s set to appear on Snot’s upcoming album Ethereal. He will also perform at this spring’s Smoker’s Club Festival.

You can watch Joey Badass’ full appearance on Lip Service in the video above.

Nicki Minaj Announces Her First Single Of 2022 And It Features Lil Baby

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Nicki Minaj fans hoped the rapper would deliver a new album in 2021. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, though she did drop some new music over the year. That included re-releasing her mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty with three additional tracks, such as “Seeing Green” with Drake and Lil Wayne. She also remixed BIA’s viral hit song “Whole Lotta Money” and delivered a collaboration with Polo G, among other artists. Now it seems Nicki is ready to share new music as per her latest announcement.

Minaj hopped on Twitter to share the release date of her first single of the year: On February 4, she’ll drop a collaboration with Lil Baby. While she did not reveal the title, she did share an image from what appears to be the song’s music video. “DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM,” she wrote alongside the image. “BABY X BARBIE,” she wrote, adding, “PINK FRIDAY” and its release date along with a number of emojis.

The announcement comes after Nicki Minaj appeared on murals around the country for Rap Cavier’s campaign “Rap Mount Rushmore,” which also featured Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Drake. As for Lil Baby, the song arrives after he and Future joined Rvssian for their collaboration “M&M.”

Yella Beezy Is Proud To ‘Talk My Sh*t’ In His Flashy New Video

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Yella Beezy had a pretty successful 2021. The rapper kicked things off with “Star,” his single with Houston upstart Erica Banks. Later he collaborated with Wale and Maxo Kream for the former’s single “Down South,” which appeared on Wale’s album Folarin II. Now he’s kicking off the new year with his new single “Talk My Sh*t.”

It arrives with a lavish video that captures Yella Beezy’s exuberant demeanor. He fills a mansion with a cast of women wearing nothing but bikinis while he stands tall to lay off a collection of boastful lines. “These n****s got the motherf*ckin’ nerve, I’d think before you cross, stay on the motherf*ckin’ curb,” he raps at one point. “Got the trap, tell them come and get your ass served.”

While Beezy has been doing well musically lately, he’s also found himself in legal trouble. Back in November, he was arrested and charged with felony sexual assault, felony abandoned endangered child, and misdemeanor unlawful carrying a weapon. This came after he was arrested in February over that same year on a weapons charge.

You can watch the video for “Talk My Sh*t” above.

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

2 Chainz Calls On Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Lil Durk, And More For ‘Dope Don’t Sell Itself’

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On February 4, 2 Chainz will deliver his seventh full-length effort, Dope Don’t Sell Itself. So far two singles have been released: “Million Dollars Worth Of Game,” with 42 Dugg, and “Pop Music,” with Moneybagg Yo and Beatking. The album will be his first since 2020’s So Help Me God and it may also be his “last trap album,” as he previously hinted in a tweet last summer. Ahead of its release, 2 Chainz unveils the tracklist and artwork.

The cover is an image of him holding a shoebox filled with cash while a blunt sits between his fingers. He described it as “a reimagined image of my ‘first bank account,’” adding, “I’m sure some of the hustlers can relate !” Dope Don’t Sell Itself features 12 songs and appearances from Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Lil Durk, Swae Lee, Moneybagg Yo, 42 Dugg, Beatking, Young Boy Never Broke Again, Sleepy Rose, Steve God Cooks, Symba, Major Myjah, and Jacquees.

You can view the artwork for Dope Don’t Sell Itself above and check out its tracklist below.

1. “Bet It Back”
2. “Pop Music” Feat. Moneybagg Yo and Beatking
3. “Kingpen Ghostwriter” Feat. Lil Baby
4. “Outstanding” Feat. Roddy Ricch
5. “Neighbors Know My Name”
6. “Million Dollars Worth of Game” Feat. 42 Dugg
7. “Free B.G.”
8. “10 Bracelets” Feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again
9. “Lost Kings” Feat. Lil Durk and Sleepy Rose
10. “Caymans” Feat. Swae Lee
11. “Vlad TV” Feat. Stove God Cooks, Symba, and Major Myjah
12. “If You Want Me To” Feat. Jacquees

Dope Don’t Sell Itself is out 2/4 via Def Jam. You can pre-save it here.

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

Wiz Khalifa And Juicy J Supply An Electric Video For Their Latest Song, ‘Backseat’ With Project Pat

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Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J ended 2021 by teasing their upcoming joint album, which remains untitled. It will be their second joint release after 2016’s TGOD Mafia: Rude Awakening, with producer TM88. Now the duo have dropped their latest single “Backseat,” which also arrived with an electric video. The song features an appearance from Project Pat, and for the video, the trio’s energy matches the high-octane spirit of the song.

Along with the new video, Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa announced that their the album will arrive at some point in February. It also follows the video for “Pop The Trunk,” the album’s first single.

Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J’s upcoming joint album will arrive after Wiz teamed up with producers Cardo and Sledgren for their project Wiz Got Wings, which delivered 14 songs with features from Chevy Woods, Larry June, and more. Juicy J’s last release came last year when he dropped a deluxe version of his 2020 album The Hustle Continues, which presented 25 songs and guest appearances from Pooh Shiesty, Lil Baby, 2 Chainz, Jay Rock, Key Glock, Rico Nasty, and many more.

You can watch the video for “Backseat” above.

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

A Travis Scott Petition Has Nearly 70,000 Signatures In Favor Of Him Performing At Coachella In 2023

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Coachella’s 2022 festival is set to kick off in less than three months, with Kanye West, Billie Eilish, and Harry Styles serving as headliners. It’ll be the festival’s first iteration since 2019, after they were forced to cancel the ones set for 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. When first announced in 2020, Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, and Rage Against The Machine were announced as the headliners. It was originally believed that the trio would headline his year’s show, but Frank’s set was postponed until 2023 while Scott and Rage Against The Machine were dropped from the lineup.

Many Travis Scott supporters are upset that he won’t be there, which most likely came as a result of the tragedy at his 2021 Astroworld Festival. So they’ve taken matters into their own hands. A petition calling for the rapper’s appearance at Coachella next year currently has nearly 70,000 signatures, with the goal of obtaining at least 75,000. It also calls for Kanye West to help deliver a Scott performance at Coachella.

“Book Travis for 2023 or have Ye bring him out!” a statement on the petition reads. “After Coachella unfairly removed Travis Scott for Harry Styles, they need to do the right thing and rebook him immediately.” It continues, “Coachella switched Travis and Frank for Harry Styles and Billie Eilish? What kind of message does that send? Fans are demanding refunds and selling their tickets. Coachella needs to fix this asap.” The statement concludes, “We all know Astroworld tragedy wasn’t Travis fault. Let him get back to performing on the biggest stages!”

It should be noted that Coachella did not intentionally switch either Frank Ocean for either Harry Styles or Billie Eilish. Back in August, months before either the two were announced as headliners, Coachella’s co-founder said Frank would miss the 2022 festival because he was unavailable for the rescheduled dates. Frank will instead perform in 2023.

You can view the Travis Scott petition here.

Earl Sweatshirt Laughs Off Joe Budden Dissing His Album: ‘What Happened Twin?’

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Earl Sweatshirt‘s new album Sick! has become a critical darling in the weeks since it dropped (if not a complete commercial success, debuting at No. 80 on the Billboard 200), but that didn’t stop rapper turned podcaster Joe Budden from utterly trashing it on his show.

Budden denied even listening to the album, using Earl’s relationship with Tyler The Creator to undercut Earl’s impact. “Yo, when your man stop inviting you to the studio, you’re not getting me to listen to what you’re doing,” he said. “Sorry, that’s like a rule of thumb for me.”

However, Earl doesn’t seem fazed by Budden’s assessment — although he did have a clever response. “Its weird that bro didn’t like my mood muzik,” he joked on Twitter, referring to Budden’s fan-favorite mixtape series Mood Muzik and drawing a not-so-subtle comparison between the similar emotional content of both rappers’ catalogs. “LOL what happened twin?”

Earl’s got a point; Budden’s Mood Muzik series could easily be seen as a precursor to many of Sweatshirt’s own beloved, super-introspective albums, as they deal with many similar themes and subjects such as addiction, anxiety, and depression, with both of their output grinding against the grain of the mainstream sounds. Knowing that, it’s unsurprising that Earl chose to take the high road in this case, making Joe Budden’s loud criticisms of his project sound a lot more like sour grapes — something that the elder rapper has been chewing on for a long time.

Earl Sweatshirt is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary.

Machine Gun Kelly Decided To Do A Pop-Punk Cover Of Frank Ocean’s ‘Swim Good’

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Machine Gun Kelly has been everywhere lately, whether it’s gracing magazine covers with his new romantic partner, Megan Fox, or getting engaged to her with some pretty weird rituals involved. Thorny engagement ring? Check. Anyway, after all the excitement around his personal life and relationship, MGK decided to get back to what he does best — helping his friend Pete Davidson talk about penis size.

Just kidding!

I meant music, and the pop-punk/rap star decided a cover was the way to get back into the game. He set himself up for a pretty big challenge, though, by deciding to cover Frank Ocean, who is such a beloved creative that he’s a very tough artist to do justice to. Tackling “Swim Good,” off Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape, which was the second single for the release, MGK gave the song a decidedly pop-punk twist. You know how every pop-punk album in the mid-2000s had to have at least one downtempo song with poignant lyrics and some barren acoustic strumming? That’s the direction Kelly went with this cover, departing from the lush production of the original.

Given the song’s fairly dark subject matter about failed love, it doesn’t totally make sense as a cover for a man who is madly in love with his new fiancé, but then again, little MGK does is logical in the first place. When he shared the cover today, Kelly called it “one of my favorite songs,” so clearly he has respect for Frank Ocean.

Check out the song above.