Music

Aaliyah’s Latest Posthumous Record Pairs Her With The Weeknd For ‘Poison’

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This year has brought plenty of good and controversial news surrounding Aaliyah. It began with promises that the late singer’s music would be added to streaming services after decades of fighting for it. At long last, her second and third albums, One In A Million and Aaliyah, were uploaded to DSPs after Blackground Records, the label the projects were released on, signed a distribution deal with EMPIRE. That move proved to be controversial as it was soon revealed that Aaliyah’s estate would not benefit from the move. Now, months later Blackground has officially announced a new posthumous Aaliyah album is on the way, and today, they’ve released the lead single from it.

Blackground shares “Poison” with The Weeknd, a cross-generational collaboration between the R&B stars of yesterday and today. It features songwriting from the late Static Major and The Weeknd himself as well as production from DannyBoyStyles and Nick Lamb. “Poison” marks the first original release from Aaliyah in well over a decade, and there’s more on the way. The track is the first single from Aaliyah’s upcoming album Unstoppable, and in a press release, Blackground’s founder Barry Hankerson spoke about the new song and the upcoming project.

“I’m so excited to share this new song by Aaliyah and the very talented The Weeknd,” he said about the new single. “I wanted her adoring fans to get a special gift before the holidays and felt it was the perfect time to release a never-before-heard offering.”

You can press play on the new track in the video above.

Roddy Ricch And Lil Baby Are Unapologetic About Their Boss Statuses On ‘Moved To Miami’

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If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Roddy Ricch as an artist, it’s that he’s not one to rush the process in order to release music. It’s been two years since we received a project from the Compton native, with his last effort being his chart-topping debut Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial. Thankfully, the wait for a new project from Roddy is over as he’s back in action with his sophomore album, Live Life Fast. It presents 18 songs and features from some of the industry’s most talented names including Lil Baby who stands beside him on “Moved To Miami.”

The song is a bass-heavy number that sees both rappers speaking about the things in their lives that make them bosses. From their luxury cars to their ability to take care of familiar, Roddy and Lil Baby and relentless with the flexing. In addition to Lil Baby, Live Life Fast also features guest appearances from 21 Savage, Alex Isley, Bibi Bourelly, Fivio Foreign, Future, Gunna, Jamie Foxx, Kodak Black, Takeoff, and Ty Dolla Sign.

Roddy’s collaboration with Lil Baby also arrives after he earned the first diamond single of his career with “The Box.” Back in 2020, the song spent eleven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in what was one of the more dominating chart performances by a track in recent history.

You can listen to “Moved To Miami” in the video above.

Live Life Fast is out now via Atlantic. Get it here.

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

Bobby Shmurda’s Confidence Is At An All-Time High With Quavo And Rowdy Rebel On ‘Shmoney’

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Since his release from prison back in February, fans of Bobby Shmurda have been looking forward to new music from him. Unfortunately for their hopes, new songs from Bobby have come at a slower rate than they expected. Thankfully, with a couple of weeks left in the year, the New York rapper is back with a new track for them to enjoy and it’s a record that finds him paired with Quavo and longtime collaborator Rowdy Rebel. Together, the trio brings their talents together for “Shmoney.”

The new single is quite the boastful release as Bobby, Rowdy, and Quavo work together to deliver a money-focused anthem that’s propelled by stirring synths and a hard-hitting bass. “Shmoney” is also paired with a video that captures the three rappers as they take over a mansion to throw a massive party filled with luxury cars and a large cast of women that highlights their boss statuses.

“Shmoney” is Bobby’s third single of the year and follows his prior releases, “Splash” and his “No Time For Sleep” freestyle. While things may be looking good for him as we head into 2022, the new song comes after he alluded to some issues with the team around him. In an Instagram post earlier this month, Shmurda revealed he hasn’t had control of his music in nearly a decade. “I ain’t been in charge of my music since I was 19 years old and I jus turned 27 and honestly idk when shit dropping so don’t ask me shit go ask them mf’s since they wanna control everything!!!!!!!” he wrote in the post. Shmurda has been signed to Epic Records, who could be the source of his frustrations, since the summer of 2014

You can press play on the video for “Shmoney” above.

FKA Twigs And The Weeknd’s ‘Tears In The Club’ Vouches For The Brokenhearted

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FKA Twigs and The Weeknd are both sitting on albums that their respective fan bases are eagerly waiting to get their hands on. Between the two artists, it seems that Twigs’ project will be the first to arrive. During a Discord conversation with fans back in September, she teased a “capri season take over,” meaning that something special could be on the way between December 22, 2021 and January 19, 2022. It seems very likely that this takeover will occur as Twigs returns with her latest single, “Tears In The Club” with The Weeknd.

The track goes out to those who have recently experienced heartbreak and are struggling to deal with the emotions that come with it. In response, Twigs and The Weeknd ask that they go out and have a fun night at the club while dancing the night away, even if the moment brings them tears. The track is also paired with an eccentric video that captures Twigs showing off her dance skills with a cast of backup dancers while The Weeknd is brought to tears by the sight of Twigs pole dancing in an underwater tank.

After releasing the song and video, Twigs hopped on Twitter to share a lengthy message about what her fans can expect from her in the future. “Listen yeh i’m being mad serious i’m not playing around,” she wrote. “Y’all gonna get what u’ve been wanting from me for bare time. There are levels to this game
and i am levelling up to MY best self, cause my best healthy self is my competition always.”

She continued, “Thank you to everyone who has been there from the start. Those who been eating off my artistry for time, I see u with grace. Thank you for pushing me to go harder and good luck in all u do. Here is some sweet sweet candy for u ;)”

“I’ve clawed my way out of the.. darkest place and have pushed hard to find my capri sun. Those who feel me, I do this for YOU [heart emoji] to change cultural DNA,” Twigs added. She concluded by writing, “This is just the beginning. Can’t wait to give love to so many beautiful artists who helped me get here this week. Follow ur dreams they will come tru if u do u. Surround urself with people who are kind. Love you always, you put me here, for real.”

You can press play on the video for “Tears In The Club” above.

Justine Skye Discovered Giveon Was Cheating On Her After She Looked Through His Old Phone

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Late last year, Justine Skye and Giveon stepped out as one of music’s newest couples. They were seen going on dates and enjoying a vacation together, but all of it came to a halt when Skye announced earlier this year that she and the “For Tonight” singer broke up. She shared the news in October through a string of tweets that alluded to a new heartbreak, but it wasn’t until Wednesday night that she shared what went down between her and Giveon. During an Instagram Live session, which she dubbed “Wine Down Wednesday,” Skye revealed how discovered an ex of hers, which many presumed to be Giveon, was cheating on her.

Skye says that after some prior concerns, she learned that Giveon was cheating on her after looking through an old phone that he had. It’s there that she saw he was “texting b*tches” in real-time, leaving her completely shocked at the discovery. “The reason why I could hold like my composure a little bit was because I was just like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is who he is. Like that’s insane,’” she said. Next, Skye recalled a moment when she got a text from Giveon while he was on a date with another woman. When she asked what he was up to, he said he was out with friends which led to her calling him out for lying and his immediate decision to break up with her.

“When he said, ‘I’m done,’ I was like… You’re done?” Skye said. “And I said, ‘No, I’m done.’” Furthermore, she claims that Giveon never apologized for his actions and was instead, more concerned with his reputation. “Finally when I hear from him one of the first things he said was, ‘Are you trying to ruin me? You told everyone?’” she added.

You can watch Skye give the rundown about Giveon cheating on her in the video above.

Young Thug Proclaims That He’s ‘Never Written A Lyric’ In His Career

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Young Thug is by far one of hip-hop’s most unique artists and he’s been that way since his mainstream emergence nearly a decade ago. More recently, an example of this can be found through his chart-topping second album Punk, which at times pushed the wide boundaries of his own artistry. All in all, it served as another example of what makes the Atlanta rapper stand out, and during a recent interview with i-D, Thug made a declaration that further speaks to his uniqueness.

During the sit-down with i-D, Thug revealed that he doesn’t write down his lyrics when creating songs. “I’ve never written a lyric. Ever,” he said. “I really haven’t. I kind of just freestyle. I just go with it as it comes. I never really wrote anything down. I’m not patient enough to sit and write. It just takes a lot of my day.” However, just like most rules, Thug has an exception for this.

“Only time I’ve had the time to write lyrics down is when I’ve been incarcerated,” Thug said. “Even if I just have to go to jail for a day or something. I don’t like writing and that’s the only way I can write; if I just got time on my hands and there’s nothing in the world I could do.”

You can read Thug’s full interview with i-D here.

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

Roddy Ricch Unveils The Tracklist For His Sophomore Album, ‘Live Life Fast’

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After more than two years, Roddy Ricch is finally delivering a new album with his upcoming project Live Life Fast. It’s an effort that will hopefully match the success of his debut album Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial. The 2019 project spent multiple weeks at No. 1 while also carrying a song, “The Box,” that tallied eleven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Altogether, it’s a high bar that the Compton native will hopefully reach again. Just hours before he releases the project, Roddy returns to unveil its complete tracklist.

Through 18 songs, listeners will catch appearances from 21 Savage, Alex Isley, Bibi Bourelly, Fivio Foreign, Gunna, Jamie Foxx, Kodak Black, Takeoff, and Ty Dolla Sign. These are all guest appearances that Roddy previously revealed, but he did so without sharing the album’s complete tracklist until today. Now, thanks to an update to the album’s pre-save page on Apple Music, we’ve received full song titles in addition to knowing when these artists will appear beside Roddy throughout the album.

Most of the collaborations on Live Life Fast feature one guest except on two occasions: “Hibachi,” which places Kodak Black and 21 Savage with Roddy, and “Slow It Down,” which finds Ty Dolla Sign and Alex Isley working some magic together.

You can view the full tracklist for Live Life Fast below.

1. “LLF”
2. “Thailand”
3. “All Good” (Feat. Future)
4. “Rollercoastin”
5. “Hibachi” (Feat. Kodak Black & 21 Savage)
6. “Paid My Dues” (Feat. Takeoff)
7. “Crash The Party”
8. “No Way” (Feat. Jamie Foxx)
9. “Slow It Down” (Feat. Ty Dolla $Ign & Alex Isley)
10. “Man Made”
11. “Murda One” (Feat. Fivio Foreign)
12. “Everything You Need”
13. “Moved To Miami” (Feat. Lil Baby)
14. “Don’t I” (Feat. Gunna)
15. “Bibi’s Interlude” (Feat. Bibi Bourelly)
16. “More Than A Trend”
17. “Late At Night”
18. “25 Million”

Live Life Fast is out 12/17 via Atlantic. Pre-order it here.

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

Drake Has Been Mysteriously Edited Out Of Ye’s Larry Hoover Benefit On Amazon Prime Video

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Well, this is awkward. You know the Larry Hoover Benefit Concert and livestream that went down at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum last Thursday night? You know, the one that was dubbed as “Kanye With Special Guest Drake Live In Concert #FreeLarryHoover”? The one where Ye played an unthinkable set of his greatest hits and Drake put down a dozen songs of his own before the pair closed the show out with “Forever”? Well, if you weren’t there or didn’t watch the livestream, you might never know that Drake played a set at all.

That’s because Amazon has mysteriously removed Drake’s set from the Amazon Prime Video version of the show that’s currently up on their site for streaming. Following the concert, the video has had numerous periods where it has been unavailable on Amazon Prime. One of them was presumably for producer Mike Dean to apply his own audio mix to the show, which is the higher quality sounding version currently available, which is also 24 minutes shorter than the original. Two days ago, Dean posted an update about his mix on Instagram stating “NEW MIX ON THE COLLISIUM [sic] SHOW. CHECK IT.”

So why is Drake’s set missing from the video now? The closing duet of “Forever” is still on there, so he hasn’t been completely erased. But could this insinuate a rekindling of the Drake/Ye beef? A more plausible assertion is that Drake’s set doesn’t have the high-quality audio that Ye has infamously demanded of every project he’s ever been a part of. So perhaps someone like Mike Dean hasn’t cleaned it up for the streaming video yet. Maybe the concert will be unavailable again for a day and then reappear with Drake back in there? Or perhaps Drake hasn’t cleared his performance for streaming video after the fact? Either way, this is just weird and low-key messy. Of course, it is.

Mariah Carey Refuses To Say Whether She’d Challenge Beyonce To A Verzuz Battle

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Mariah Carey is the undisputed Queen of Christmas. And in case there was any doubt, “All I Want For Christmas” is breaking what seems like every holiday music streaming record with over a billion spins. Heck, she even has an all “Mariah Menu” available now until Christmas at McDonald’s. So when Carey sits for a video interview from her immaculately decorated Christmas set, alongside a cheerily placed McCafe and brown McDonald’s bag with the words “The Mariah Menu” printed on it, surely any questions seems fair game, right? Well, maybe not all of them…

In a conversation with E!’s Rebecca Ray, Carey spoke about everything from ’90s nostalgia to what it is that she specifically loves about Christmas. While Carey admits that she was too busy in the ’90s to know Seinfeld the show, she adds that “I love Jerry Seinfeld now!” and that her favorite part of Christmas is “The actual feeling that I have during the holiday season.” These were fairly innocuous answers, but when Ray asked Carey about music executive LA Reid’s suggestion that she and Beyonce should do a Verzuz battle and whether she would A) Be open to it? and B) Who would win? Carey got serious with her answer:

“Oh stop. That’s the worst… I’m sorry, I love you Rebecca. We can’t ask that question. First of all, I love Beyonce and I admire her so much as a performer, for what she’s done for the world, and everything else. So I ain’t answering that question. ‘Cause I’d be disrespecting myself and I’m not gonna do ’cause [singing in perfect tone] it’s Christmastime!”

She also took advantage of the opportunity to address anyone who thinks that her love of Christmas isn’t authentic: “Whatever Scrooges! I don’t care what you say. This is the truth. I DO love the holidays. And what?!”

The one and only Christmas Queen is a very powerful one. But we already knew that.