Music

Gunna Delivers A Stripped-Down Live Performance In His Moody ‘Life Of Sin’ Video

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Gunna’s wave continues to crest. The Atlanta rapper’s latest album DS4EVER edged out The Weeknd’s Dawn FM to become the No.1-selling album this week after dropping the singles “Too Easy,” “Livin Wild,” and “Pushin P.” Today, he keeps the rollout rolling out with the video for “Life Of Sin,” which is presented as a moody, stripped-down live performance in a similar style to his COLORS performance of “Top Off.”

Posted up in a white-walled performance space, Gunna foregoes any fancy adornments and he stands and delivers the motivational lyrics from “Life Of Sin” wearing a vest and a beret. A chilly autumn scene is projected on the walls and ceiling behind him, and a sprinkling of fallen leaves provides a lonely pop of color in the black-and-white photography, supporting the contemplative mood of the song itself.

Part of Gunna’s strategy to get DS4EVER to the top of the albums chart was to release a reshuffled deluxe edition mid-week, adding four new songs amid the original 19. It clearly paid off, buoying him to his second no. 1 with just 2,300 sales difference between Gunna and second-place, The Weeknd.

DS4EVER is out now via 300 and Atlantic. Get it here.

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

Vic Mensa Celebrates His Release After Being Arrested For Hallucinogens: ‘Wow What A Trip’

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Vic Mensa is no stranger to being arrested. Before yesterday’s arrest for felony narcotics possession — LCD and mushrooms — he was previously arrested for both felony gun possession in 2017 and for toting a set of brass knuckles in 2020 (this one’s a “wobbler,” meaning either a felony or misdemeanor depending on the judge and other factors). So, his nonchalance about the whole situation now that he’s been released is understandable — he’s been here before.

Vic casually updated his fans on his release yesterday afternoon, tweeting, “Wow what a trip.” A couple of hours later, he expanded on that tweet, writing, “i’m freeeeeee. love you all. god works in mysterious ways.” All in all, he seemed unfazed by his latest adventure in the legal system, which saw customs agents at Washington DC’s Dulles International Airport grab a plethora of goodies, including Psilocybin capsules, Psilocybin gummies, and liquid Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD).

Vic was apparently returning from a trip to Ghana (his father is Ghanaian) with his fellow Chicago MC Chance The Rapper, during which they met the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, and promoted local tourism. Chance also posted about Vic’s release, writing, “Thanks for all the prayers. My boy back out here.”

Machine Gun Kelly Gave Megan Fox A Thorny, Intentionally Painful Engagement Ring

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Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox’s relationship is probably best described as intense. The two took things to a new level recently when they got engaged, and in a new Vogue interview, the pair discussed the proposal. They also talked about Fox’s ring, which was designed to be painful when removed.

Kelly said of the ring:

“It’s a thoroughbred Colombian emerald, with no treatment. It was just carved into the teardrop, straight out of the mine. And the diamond was directly from Stephen [Webster]. The concept is that the ring can come apart to make two rings. When it’s together, it’s held in place by a magnet. So you see how it snaps together? And then it forms an obscure heart. And you see this right here? The bands are actually thorns. So if she tries to take it off, it hurts… Love is pain!”

He also explained why he and Fox decided to release the video of their proposal, saying, “We released it to control the narrative. As opposed to someone just catching a weird cell phone picture of a ring on our hand and being like, ‘Whoa!’ But yeah, I didn’t expect it. I just recorded it on my cell phone. And it wasn’t like we had photographers or anything. It was just like me setting my phone against a cup.”

Check out the full interview here.

Cardi B Vows To Cover The Funeral Costs Of The Recent Bronx Fire Victims

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In the wake of the recent building fire that killed 17 people in the Bronx, New York, noted Bronx native Cardi B wants to help out by covering funeral costs for the victims. Cardi told TMZ, “I cannot begin to imagine the pain and anguish that the families of the victims are experiencing, but I hope that not having to worry about the costs associated with burying their loved ones will help as they move forward and heal.”

She also said, “I send my prayers and condolences to everyone affected by this horrific tragedy.” Cardi will partner with The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City to ensure that families’ wishes are met and the full costs are covered.

Cardi has become noted for her acts of charity in recent years, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic when she donated 20,000 meal supplements to New York medical workers and gave away $1,000,000 in partnership with Fashion Nova to families in need.

She isn’t the only Bronx rapper stepping up, either. Last week, Fat Joe started a relief fund for the residents of the building, garnering contributions from longtime friends and collaborators like Jay-Z and DJ Khaled. “I need all my people world wide to come together for the families devastated by the fire in the Bronx,” he wrote. “I’m donating and I’m asking everyone that has a Heart to donate. these people are mostly immigrants that have no where to go they lost everything. it’s 10 degrees in the Bronx today!”

Cardi B Shows Off The ‘Ghetto-Ass’ Home Studio Where She’s Presumably Recording New Music

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About a month ago, while talking about how busy her life has been lately, Cardi B revealed that she plans to drop a new album in 2022, saying, “I’m in a lot of positions and that requires a lot of my time, and on top of that, I gotta put out this album next year.” Now, it appears Cardi has been working on some new music lately, as she shared a behind-the-scenes look at her current home studio setup.

In a recent clip from Cardi’s Instagram Story (which RapTV preserved and re-uploaded), Cardi pans the shot around the room and says before laughing, “Look what Ed built me in this ghetto-ass studio.” The setup consists primarily of an Apple computer, speakers, a microphone surrounded by a DIY shroud made of what looks like a comforter, and some other gear.

This would be far from the first time that some high-quality music was recorded in a humble setting. There are too many examples of this to count, but here’s a notable one from not too long ago: In 2017, Four Tet went viral in some circles after he shared a photo of the space where he recorded that year’s New Energy, one of 2017’s most beloved electronic albums. The setup consisted of just a small desk, laptop, MIDI keyboard, monitors, and a couple of other small pieces of equipment.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Are Taking Silk Sonic To Las Vegas For A Residency

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Silk Sonic had one of 2021’s most beloved albums with An Evening With Silk Sonic, but they didn’t really get to tour behind it. Sure, they performed songs from it during various award shows and TV appearances, but that’s not the same as a full-blown concert. Now, though, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have a run of shows lined up, as they’ve announced a Las Vegas residency at Dolby Live. Currently, the residency consists of 13 shows between February and April.

Mars wrote on Twitter, “Its happening! The sexiest party of the year! Them Silk Sonic Boyz are performing Live in Las Vegas!” .Paak added on Instagram, “The terms are locked and Vegas might not ever be the same Jack!! You’re invited to the hottest show in Sin City!”

Check out the full list of dates below.

02/25 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
02/26 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/02 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/04 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/05 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/16 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/18 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/19 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/23 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/25 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/26 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/31 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
04/02 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live

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

HER And Kaytranada Offer A Spirited Debut Performance Of ‘Intimidated’ On ‘The Tonight Show’

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With less than two weeks left in 2021, Kaytranada emerged from his quiet place to deliver a new project to the world. His Intimidated effort arrived as a brief offering, with just three songs to its name, but it was still welcomed by the Canadian producer’s fans. The project also featured appearances from HER, Thundercat, and Mach-Hommy. Two months after Intimidated arrived, Kaytranada and HER brought their talents to The Tonight Show to perform their title track collaboration from the project on the late-night show.

For the performance, HER leads the way with spirited vocals as she plays the early parts of the song on a grand piano. Kaytranada then appears to add some production to the performance thanks to a keyboard and beat pad he has on stage. Together the pair deliver an icy smooth performance of their collaboration on The Tonight Show.

Their performance comes after the duo previously united in the fall of 2021. Kaytranada and HER first brought their talents together for “Bloody Waters” from the latter’s debut album Back Of My Mind. The track also featured an appearance from Thundercat who also appears on Kaytranada’s Intimidated EP. That project was Kaytranada’s first release since his late 2019 sophomore album Bubba which helped give him two 2021 Grammys for Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Album.

Speaking of awards, HER was recently nominated in six categories at the upcoming NAACP Image Awards, including one for Outstanding Album with Back Of My Mind. At the 2022 Grammy Awards, which were recently rescheduled for April 3, 2022, HER was nominated in eight categories including Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best R&B Performance.

You can watch Kaytranada and HER’s performance of “Intimidated” in the video above.

Intimidated is out now via RCA. Stream it here.

Naomi Osaka Promoted Her Boyfriend Cordae’s New Album In The Most Adorable Way At The Australian Open

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This past Friday, Cordae shared his second album, From A Birds Eye View, which boasted 14 songs and features from Gunna, Lil Durk, Freddie Gibbs, Stevie Wonder, Eminem, Roddy Ricch, HER, Lil Durk, and Ant Clemons. It serves as a well-crafted follow-up to his 2019 debut album, The Lost Boy, which gifted Cordae a pair of Grammy nominations. He’s been out and about promoting it, including on NPR Tiny Desk Concert. He also received a bit of help from his girlfriend, tennis star Naomi Osaka.

Following her second win at the ongoing Australian Open tournament against Camila Osorio, Osaka used some camera time to show love to Cordae’s new album. Osaka took a marker to write on the camera lens, but instead of signing her name on it, she wrote the letters “FABEV,” which is of course the acronym for From A Birds Eye View. She later shared a video of her signing the camera and tagged Cordae with an eagle and eye emoji.

You can watch the video of Osaka showing love to From A Birds Eye View above.

From A Birds Eye View is out now via Atlantic. Stream it here.

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

Pharrell Gives 21 Savage A Simple Reason For Why He’s Been The ‘King Of Drip’ For So Long

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Pharrell has long been celebrated for his style as well as his youthful looks. The latter topic came up once again during his 2019 appearance on LeBron James’ HBO show The Shop, and Pharrell explained how he still looks so young. “You gotta exfoliate like a f*cking madman,” he revealed. Nearly three years later, the topic came up once again after 21 Savage tweeted, “Pharrell is the king of drip!! How the hell he do that sh*t for so long? [facepalm emoji].”

While many offered their own responses, Pharrell himself arrived to answer the question. “From Virginia,” he wrote. “It’s Something in the Water.” There was a double meaning to Pharrell’s answer. Something in the Water is the name of the festival he launched in 2019. The showcase had an extremely successful first year, but unfortunately, an attempt to hold another in 2020 was thwarted by the pandemic. In 2021, Pharrell announced that the festival would no longer be in Virginia Beach due the city’s “toxic energy,” which he made after his cousin was murdered by a local police officer who did not have their body camera turned on.

As for Pharrell’s ageless drip, the singer previously released a line of skincare products back in 2020. The Humanrace product line was released in collaboration with his longtime dermatologist Elena Jones and it included cleansers, creams, exfoliators, and more.

Cordae Details How He Lost 35 Pounds And Got Into Better Shape

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Cordae has plenty to celebrate. He just released his first album in almost three years, From A Birds Eye View, which featured 14 songs and guest appearances from Lil Durk, Gunna, Roddy Ricch, Eminem, and more. It marks yet another strong output from the DMV rapper, who has also shown improvement in other areas of his life. During a recent appearance on Big Boy’s Neighborhood on Los Angeles’ Real 92.3, Cordae spoke about the recent health changes he’s made.

Cordae began by explaining that he was inspired to lose 35 pounds due to a magazine shoot from last February. “I had to do a GQ cover,” he explained on the show. “I’m speaking my truth. I had to do a GQ cover and was like, ‘Man, if I don’t get in shape to do a GQ cover, what ever in life is gonna motivate you to get in shape?’” He noted that he began his journey in November 2020 and said that it led to creating a healthier lifestyle for himself, which he maintains today.

The rapper also revealed that he lost the “majority of the weight” during the first six to eight months of his journey, which sparked a boost in his confidence. “Like I said, I’m a little shallow,” he explained. “When you look good, you feel good; when you feel good, you do good; and when you do good, they pay good. That’s why it’s important to feel good.”

Cordae’s comments come after he held an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, where he performed songs from From A Birds Eye View and his debut album, The Lost Boy.

You can watch Cordae speak about his health journey in full in the video above.

From A Birds Eye View is out now via Atlantic. Stream it here.

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