Music

Little Simz Announces Her Next Album With The Cathartic ‘Introvert’ Video

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Today, British rapper Little Simz announced that she will soon return with a full-length follow-up to her critically-hailed 2019 album Grey Area. The new album, due on September 3 via Age 101, is titled Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and preceded by lead single “Introvert,” for which Simz also dropped a video today. The song features a boisterous orchestra backing Simz’s poetic lyrics while the video evokes scenes of the past year of social justice struggle, juxtaposed with classical art depicting generations of conflict and cathartic, interpretive dance choreography.

Despite being two years removed from Grey Area, which was praised as one of 2019’s best albums, including in Uproxx’s “Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2019,” Simz hasn’t been far from the spotlight. In 2020, she released the surprise EP, Drop 6, which she’d recorded throughout the quarantine. She also appeared in a regular role on the reboot of Top Boy, while recent debates about female rappers on Twitter have consistently surfaced her name among the genre’s most innovative and interesting female representatives.

Watch Little Simz’s “Introvert” video above.

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is due 9/3. You can pre-save it here. Check out the tracklist and cover below.

Little Simz

1. “Introvert”
2. “Woman” feat. Cleo Sol
3. “Two Worlds Apart”
4. “I Love You, I Hate You”
5. “Little Q Pt 1 (Interlude)”
6. “Little Q Pt 2”
7. “Gems (Interlude)”
8. “Speed”
9. “Standing Ovation”
10. “I See You”
11. “The Rapper That Came to Tea (Interlude)”
12. “Rollin Stone”
13. “Protect My Energy”
14. “Never Make Promises (Interlude)”
15. “Point and Kill” feat. Obongjayar
16. “Fear No Man”
17. “The Garden (Interlude)”
18. “How Did You Get Here”
19. “Miss Understood”

SZA Commends Lizzo For Sharing An Unedited Nude Selfie To Instagram

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No matter what she does, it seems as though Lizzo cannot escape critics. However, Lizzo takes a lighthearted approach to her haters, trolling people for questioning her weight and having very open discussions about the body positivity movement. But seeing as we live in a society that upholds unrealistic beauty standards, even Lizzo admits to occasionally airbrushing her selfies. That’s why the singer opted to ring in Taurus Season by sharing a completely unedited, naked photo with her over 10 million followers.

Lizzo shared the photo to her Instagram page Tuesday. “WELCOME TO TAURUS SEASON,” Lizzo wrote in the photo’s caption. “To celebrate I wanna give y’all this unedited selfie.. now normally I would fix my belly and smooth my skin but baby I wanted show u how I do it au natural.” The singer also mentioned that she’s partnering withe the brand Dove, saying that the company is “helping to reverse the negative effects of social media and changing the conversation about beauty standards.”

Many celebrities like Jonathan Van Ness, Grimes, and even Marc Jacobs expressed their support. But Lizzo’s friend SZA was perhaps the most vocal. In the comment section, SZA applauded Lizzo’s beauty: “It’s you having no blemishes at ALL lol .. sigh I jus admire u Fren,” she wrote. “I wanna drop the FaceTime pics.”

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

Morray Shows Love To The Hood In His Tender ‘Trenches’ Video

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“The hood” figures prominently into many a rap song, but most often, it’s in a context of poverty, trauma, and violence as artists detail their rags-to-riches success stories, contrasting their humble beginnings with their newly lush surroundings. However, Fayetteville, North Carolina trapsoul artist Morray flat-out refuses to let that narrative continue to be the only one dominating hip-hop’s expansive landscape. In his new video for “Trenches,” he expresses love for his hometown, lifting it up instead of denigrating it by informing listeners of all the positive that comes from a proletarian upbringing in the hood.

“I got love for the ghetto, love for the hood,” he croons on the chorus. “Love for the people that turn the bad into good.” The video flashes imagery of neighbors, friends, crew, and family at play, cooking out, and watching over children as Morray explains that “everything is easier if you believe.” He also shows off his pitbull puppy and the energetic dance moves that first endeared him to fans who discovered his music via viral clips of his impromptu choreography.

“Trenches” follows “Quicksand,” “Kingdom,” “Switched Up,” and “Big Decisions” as the fifth single from Morray’s upcoming debut album Street Sermons, due April 28 via Pick Six Records/Interscope. You can pre-save the album here.

Watch the tender “Trenches” video above.

DMX’s ‘Ruff Ryders Anthem’ Aided The Birth Of Action Bronson’s Son

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DMX’s music is great for a lot of things; contemplating complex emotions, increasing the energy at sporting events, and starting fights at a moment’s notice. All those things are expected — he was the sort of artist whose lyrics nearly always matched the vibe of his songs — but as it turns out, DMX is pretty effective in the area of natal care as well, as Action Bronson learned during the birth of his son. Appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast this week, Bronson shared the story he wished he could have told DMX before the rap legend’s passing.

According to Bronson, his wife had a difficult, 17-hour labor, accompanied by Peruvian flute music (they were in the Andes at the time), facing an impending C-section due to the difficulty and length of the labor. After the doctor advised the couple that time was running out before they would need the surgery, Bronson told the attendees to cut the flutes and drop DMX’s “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem.” As Bronson tells it, upon the first refrain of “”Stop, drop… that motherf*cker jumped out of her. I swear on everything! It’s on camera! It’s on film! As soon as the Peruvian flute music stopped and DMX came on, he f*ckin’ heard the dog and… just jumped out. It hurts my f*ckin’ heart that I was never able to tell him that.”

Bronson wasn’t the only one to share fond memories of DMX after the rapper’s death. His fiance Desiree Lindstrom reflected on her first meeting with him while his autobiography shot to the top of Amazon’s charts and fans reminisced about playing as him in Def Jam Vendetta.

Check out Action Bronson’s DMX story above.

Lil Nas X Claps Back At Critics Who Claim He’s ‘Being Gay For Success’

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Lil Nas X has faced a lot of backlash for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” both the song and its controversial video. On top of that, there was that line of “Satan Shoes,” which added fuel to the fire. For the most part, the singer has stuck to his trolling ways, but things took a turn when some people questioned his sexuality, claiming it was a front. That prompted Lil Nas to take to Twitter to set the record straight.

“Y’all love saying i’m being gay for success but can’t name 5 successful gay male artists in the last 10 years to save your life,” he said in one tweet. The responses piled up. One person claimed Lil Nas was dissing other artists, but the singer quickly denied that. “I’m not dissing anyone,” he said. “I’m acknowledging the fact that we aren’t usually as successful as our peers. what’s not clicking starbucks spellman.” Another hopped in and took a shot at Lil Nas and his “Montero,” but once again, he had another great response for it.

“It’s a million n****s in the industry that make nothing but songs about women and y’all don’t complain,” he wrote. “But i make my first song about a n**** and now it’s my entire artistry. y’all crack me up man.”

Jhene Aiko Aiko Celebrates 4/20 With A Well-Timed Video For ‘Tryna Smoke’

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Since releasing her Chilombo album in early 2020, Jhene Aiko has steadily released music videos for its various songs. Now she’s finally getting around to dropping one for “Tryna Smoke,” which she did in honor of 4/20. It finds Aiko surrounded by some friends, including Big Sean, as they gather in a That 70’s Show-esque circle to prepare for a smoke session. After testing out the weed, Aiko and friends spark up to enjoy the rest of their night.

Previous Chilombo tracks to get the video treatment include “Born Tired,” “10K Hours,” ‘Speak,” and “Summer 2020.” The 20-track album — which grew to be 29 songs after a deluxe reissue — seemed to be her most well-received effort, landing her a trio of Grammy nominations earlier this year. The album was featured in Best Progressive R&B Album and Album Of The Year categories, while “Lightning & Thunder,” her collaboration with John Legend, was nominated for Best R&B Performance.

On top of that, Aiko recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of her breakout mixtape, Sailing Soul(s), by re-releasing it to streaming services with additional songs. She also joined Ty Dolla Sign, Saweetie, and Big Sean for recent collaborations over the past few months.

Press play on the “Tryna Smoke” video above.

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

Young Thug And Unfoonk’s Video For ‘Real’ Is The Epitome Of Brotherly Love

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There are a fair number of siblings active in the music industry today: Chance The Rapper and Taylor Bennet; D Smoke and SiR; Chloe x Halle; VanJess. Then there’s Young Thug and his brother Unfoonk, who joined forces for the track “Real,” off the former’s newly released album Slime Language 2. The song has become one of the fan favorites off the project. And now there’s a music video, which begins with Unfoonk being released from jail and returning home, where he gets back to recording music. Thug eventually joins him for a makeshift studio session, kicking off what turns out to be a nice display of brotherly love.

The video for “Real” is the second that’s been released since Slime Language 2 arrived last Friday. The first was the one for “Ski,” in which Thug and Gunna threw a lavish pool party, with appearances from Swae Lee, Nav, Seattle Seahawks’ wide-receiver DK Metcalf, and fellow YSL members T-Shyne, Strick, and Lil Duke.

If you’re looking forward to hearing more from Young Thug, you can catch him on Cordae’s upcoming Just Until… EP which drops on Wednesday.

You can watch the “Real” video above.

Slime Language 2 is out now via YSL Records/300 Entertainment. Get it here.

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

The Music World Reacts To Derek Chauvin’s Guilty Verdict

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Nearly twelve months ago, the world saw another unarmed Black person die in the hands of police. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, an incident that was caught on camera by witnesses. It was yet another case of Black lives being slain by law enforcement and while Chauvin would eventually be arrested and charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, there was heavy doubt that the end result would be a guilty verdict. Well, that doubt was erased when a jury for the trial found him guilty on all charges.

A sigh of relief could be felt all around the world, from Twitter to the people who gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota where Chauvin’s trial was being held. Similar sentiments could be felt within people in the music world, as they took to social media to share their thoughts about the guilty verdict. Some reactions were brief like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion who said, “History,” and “Justice” in their respective posts. Other messages were a bit lengthier like Questlove’s who wrote, “We still have to fight for justice yall. Remember that “we voted Obama in yay racism is gone!” feeling? Yeah…let’s learn from that.” He added, “I’m happy for the Floyd family tho. Especially his daughter. But there is still a slew of mountain to climb.”

You can read more tweets from the music world below.

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

Dave Chappelle Is Launching His First-Ever Podcast, Along With Talib Kweli And Yasiin Bey

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“Last summer, Yellow Springs [Ohio] was what Hollywood is supposed to be,” says Talib Kweli about the much mythologized “Chappelle Summer Camp” of 2020, which has now given birth to Dave Chappelle’s first podcast. “What we realized is that Hollywood and all that stuff is fake. The real dopeness is where the people are. If someone like Chappelle says, ‘Well, I’m in Yellow Springs.’ Then that’s where the people are going to be.”

The show, co-hosted by Kweli and Yasiin Bey and called The Midnight Miracle, will air on the subscription podcast network Luminary, will reveal the inner workings of Chappelle’s covid rapid tested events (along with the even more legendary after-parties), held in Ohio through the summer and deep into the fall. The first episodes are set to drop “in the coming weeks” and will feature wide-ranging conversations as well as sketches, archival clips, and impersonations from Chappelle, along with a roster of his incredibly famous friends.

“The constant isn’t fame,” Kweli says, “it’s contributions to the culture. Chappelle, one of his many talents, is curating great rooms, so what people will hear on the podcast is essentially what they would hear if they were in the room with us. It’s very organic, very free-flowing, it’s non-linear… we just happen to associate ourselves with greatness.”

“The Midnight Miracle” was recorded in a retrofitted mechanic’s garage turned clubhouse, and the trio has already banked over 100 hours of content recorded with a jaw-dropping list of guests from Common and Tiffany Haddish to Questlove and Chris Rock (plus a soundtrack that includes Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, and D’Angelo).

As for where the seed of the show first blossomed, Kweli credits his longtime Black Star partner in rhyme, Yasiin Bey. The trio’s friendship has endured since the Chappelle’s Show days.

“We speak often and the last few years we’ve spoken more, as we’ve gotten older,” Kweli tells us. “It was actually Yasiin’s idea to do this type of podcast, when he and Dave first heard people talking about my show, The People’s Party. [People’s Party is produced by Uproxx] Yasiin said to Dave, ‘you should be doing a podcast, too’ and Dave said ‘well the only way I’m doing it is if I do it with ya’ll,’ It was just that simple.”

“Making a podcast isn’t the obvious next move for me, but it’s the right one,” Chappelle said in a press release announcing the show. “The Midnight Miracle gives you a look into how me and my friends process the world around us, and I think it will change the way listeners think of what a podcast can be.”

Look for The Midnight Miracle to drop on Luminary in the weeks to come.

Cordae Announces A Four-Song EP Featuring Young Thug To Hold Fans Over For His Album

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It has been nearly two years since the release of Cordae’s debut album The Lost Boy, and the 23-year-old Maryland native’s fans are getting antsy for a follow-up. They’ve had a few singles to old them over recently, including the Roddy Ricch-featuring “Gifted,” which made Cordae’s name change official, and “The Parables,” which put his songwriting prowess on display, but Wednesday night/Thursday morning, Cordae’s giving the world a few more appetizers ahead of his nearly-completed sophomore album.

Today, he announced the upcoming release of Just Until…, a four-song EP releasing at midnight “tomorrow” featuring guest appearances from two disparate entities that highlight the young rapper’s cross-generational appeal. On “More Life,” he’ll team up with Q-Tip, who represents the ’90s Golden Era that clearly influences much of Cordae’s work, while on “Wassup,” he’s recruited Young Thug, one of the top representatives of the modern generation of genre-bending rappers to which Cordae himself belongs.

While that tension has helped to make Cordae a favorite of both older rap fans and younger ones, as seen in his ability to convincingly collaborate with the jazzy Dinner Party crew on “Freeze Tag” and Stevie Wonder and Busta Rhymes on “Can’t Put It In The Hands Of Fate,” it’s also generated some behind-the-scenes friction. Royce Da 5’9″ recently told a podcast that Atlantic actually blocked Cordae from appearing on his Grammy-nominated The Allegory because higher-ups at the label allegedly “want to keep him young.”

However, the tracklist for Just Until… seems to suggest that the wise-beyond-his-years Cordae doesn’t care about all that — he just wants to work with the best of the best. Look out for that release on 4/21 at midnight and his full album later this year.

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