No video game took over in 2020 more than Call of Duty: Warzone, as the free-to-play battle royale became massively popular as it dropped right at the start of pandemic restrictions hitting in March and people finding themselves having to find ways to pass the time at home. A year later and Warzone is still plugging along and entering Season 3, which will see updated maps, weapons, and gear hit after they nuked Verdansk Island to end Season 2.
To celebrate the start of Season 3, the game brought together a number of their biggest celebrity players from the world of sports, music, and entertainment for a ridiculous two-minute trailer that was released on Thursday morning — along with a call to drop in to Verdansk84. The trailer, which you can watch in its absurd entirety above, opens with Young Thug leaping out of a building and grabbing onto a helicopter piloted by Gunna, who then blows up the building that Thug presumably rigged with charges. Jack Harlow, Saweetie, Swae Lee, and others from the music world are featured, along with Dennis Schröder, Jack Grealish, and Mookie Betts from the sports world — with Betts hitting a grenade out of the air with his rifle like a baseball.
In case there were any wonder if Call of Duty was still raking in cash thanks to Warzone, this trailer and all the celebrity cameos should provide the answer, but if it gets people to drop back in, that’s all they care about.
Thursday marks Earth Day 2021 and, true to their name, rap duo Earthgang are aiming to make the planet a little healthier. That’s why they’ve teamed up with Atlanta’s Young Middle School to launch a fundraising to build a community food garden at the school.
Earthgang created the initiative on GoFundMe, noting that students at the Young Middle School “reported food insecurity to be one of the biggest barriers to their success in a 2019 student survey.” The fundraiser has a monetary goal of $200,000, and it’s already raised over $10,000. The GoFundMe description states, “Earthgang hopes to inspire healthy eating and activity, lifelong learning and address food insecurity in the community by restoring a plot of donated land and establishing a robust community garden that will seek to strengthen the local community and provide learning to Young Middle School students and their families.”
— EARTHGANG #MIRRORLAND OUT NOW GHETTO GODS OTW! (@EarthGang) April 22, 2021
Earthgang’s Olu offered a reason behind their charitable project, saying they hope the garden will impact children for years to come. “It’s nearly impossible to focus on education, mental health and financial stability when you don’t have the basic necessities of proper food, shelter and protection,” he said. “This project is a gift to future generations.”
WowGr8 echoed Olu’s statement, saying, “Sustainable living grows more important with each new generation. Promoting agriculture to youth is essential for changing the scope of what our community considers acceptable nourishment.”
Young Middle School’s Principal Ronald Garlington thanked the rap duo for their support in a statement. “Young Middle School is grateful to Earthgang for their commitment to making the Young Middle School Community Garden a reality,” Garlington said. “Via this garden, students will be provided hands-on learning and problem-solving opportunities, increased environmental awareness and frequent occasions to build strong connections to their community!”
Check out the Young Middle School community garden GoFundMe page here.
The quirky, Boise, Idaho-based Treefort Music Festival is returning this year, posting a revamped 2021 lineup including standout names like Japanese Breakfast, Armand Hammer, and more. The new dates for the festival are September 22-26 in downtown Boise.
Don’t know about y’all…but IT’S TIME TO PARTY. The Treefort 9 Lineup has been resurrected with some familiar faces and rad additions!! Dive in and get yr tix at https://t.co/gzFZoV0yFb C U September 22-26, 2021 | Downtown Boise, ID pic.twitter.com/yueuGxxt9l
Treefort’s site assures attendees that the promoters are “developing plans A, B, C, D, E and even F for a safe, community-run festival” come September, as well as a return of the usual spring edition in 2022. Fans who bought tickets for 2020’s postponed festival will automatically be grandfathered in for September’s fest, which was crowdfunded on WeFunder.com.
In addition, the site provides a timeline for early access sales for both upcoming weekends, while warning that single-day, single-venue, and single-show tickets are a no-go for the fall fest. The lineup, which was posted today, is again wildly diverse, featuring performers as disparate as Andy Shauf and Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Larkin Poe, New Orleans rapper Pell, and genre-bending veteran producer Prefuse 73. As usual, each artist’s profile on the Treefort site comes with a curated playlist of their essential tracks so fans can familiarize themselves with new names or get a taste of their faves’ potential setlists.
You can find out more at treefortmusicfest.com and check out Uproxx’s review of the 2019 festival here.
Cardi B is obviously known for her music, but the rapper apparently wants to break into the beauty industry as well. It looks like Cardi has submitted a trademark application to lock down the rights to a brand name, which could mean that the rapper is readying to release a number of makeup products.
Per a report from TMZ, Cardi filed documents with the US Patent and Trademark offices to secure the name Bardi Beauty. Apparently, Cardi plans to use the name on products like cosmetics, fragrances, haircare, skincare, nail polish, nail enamel — essentially everything she needs to start a makeup brand.
News of the possibility of Bardi Beauty arrives shortly after the rapper announced that she wanted to launch a line of hair care products in order to teach people about the best ways to care for Afro-Latina hair. “This year I will be coming out with a hairline that I been working on at home for my hair and my daughter’s,” she announced. “However, I think is time for people to educate themselves on nationality, race, and ethnicity. Being Hispanic/Latina don’t make your hair long, don’t make your skin light, or don’t make your face features slim — ‘specially Latin countries from the Caribbean islands.”
Cardi is no stranger to trademark applications. Following the release of her hit “WAP,” the rapper sought to secure a trademark for the phrase in order to make merch items. Per the original documents, Cardi had wanted to brand the song name to be used on headbands, clothing, jewelry, purses, shoes, posters, and even “WAP”-titled cocktails and soft drinks. She also applied for the trademark on liquor, beer, sports drinks, soft drinks, fruit juices, and mineral water.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Seeing as Eric Andre‘s job entails pranking celebrities, he’s met his fair share of famous people. Still, there are times that the comedian gets star-struck. One such instance was before he got famous. Andre was able to meet the late MF Doom, who he recalls as “very grounded and sincere,” and even mustered up the courage to ask for an internship.
Speaking in an interview with NME, Andre, who was a college kid at the time, recalled meeting MF Doom when he wasn’t wearing his signature mask and asking if he could intern at Stone’s Throw records: “I ran backstage and got to see him without his mask on, which was very cool. I was like, ‘Hey I’m finishing college, I want to intern at Stone’s Throw records. How can I do that?’ And he gave me somebody’s email that worked at Stone’s Throw. He was very patient with me, very grounded, and sincere. For me at 20-21 years old, to see a hero of mine telling me to just email the people at work, he seemed like salt of the earth.”
Andre also noted that MF Doom’s death had a huge impact on him:
“I was fortunate enough to get to meet him. I met him when I think I was 19-20 years old. He played at my friend Christina’s college spring break show in Manchester, New York. He was very nice, I’ve never heard a bad thing about the guy. I love his work, I love his collaboration with Madlib. He always had good taste in beats. A buddy of mine said he is what rap should be. Rap isn’t macho and aggressive. It shouldn’t be run by jocks. Rap is very mellow, it should be relaxing and simple. Wordplay is just like fun with the poetry and flow of rhyming and the musicality of that. MF Doom captured that spirit and had such a unique voice and such a unique point of view. I rarely cry when a celebrity dies. He was one of the few celebrities that brought tears to my eyes when I found out he passed away.”
Andre isn’t the only one who has honored MF Doom following his tragic passing in 2020. Musicians like Open Mike Eagle, Madlib, Playboi Carti, and many more have paid tribute to the iconic MC.
When most fans think of TikTok dance trends, the songs that spring to mind are usually poppy, upbeat tunes with simple, repetitive lyrics that lend themselves to the format of exuberant teens waving their arms in synchronized, somewhat goofy choreography. Griselda Records wouldn’t seem to fit the bill, with its members’ mostly gloomy beats and intricate, belligerent bars about harrowing street encounters. However, fans got the bright idea to combine the two seemingly opposed ideals, resulting in an atypical TikTok trend that prompted some hilarious reactions from the rappers themselves.
When HipHopDX posted the above clip of a fan working some complex choreo to Benny’s verse of Westside Gunn’s “Gods Don’t Bleed,”, it caught the eyes of both Benny The Butcher and Westside Gunn, who both quote-tweeted it with their impressions in the form of emojis. While Gunn seemed delighted, writing, “I needed this” with a handful of laughing emojis, Benny was a bit more nonplussed, posting a blushing emoji that spoke volumes.
While Conway, Daringer, and Armani Caesar all have yet to react, seeing the Griselda top dog’s approving reaction could very well prompt a new, albeit unusual dance trend on TikTok, bringing a different type of hip-hop to prominence on the app. More versions began popping up in the comments, putting his movements to songs from Danny Brown, Sade, and more. So, if you’re looking for the new trend, that’s probably the one to really take off — editing incongruous songs over footage of ubiquitous dance routines.
Check out the full version of “Gods Don’t Bleed” below.
As new COVID-19 cases begin to trend down in many areas of the US, TDE rapper Isaiah Rashad hit fans with a sobering reminder that the virus hasn’t been completely eradicated yet. While the days of a new diagnosis cropping up seemingly every week appear to be behind us, Isaiah revealed on Twitter that he’s currently recovering from a case of COVID himself after receiving unrelated well-wishes from a fan. Responding to a now-deleted tweet from Isaiah, the fan hoped the rapper was doing well, prompting him to reply, “Gettin over this covid.”
Isaiah is one of a few artists to have contracted the virus, including Chicago singer Jeremih, South Los Angeles rapper 03 Greedo, Westside Gunn, Doja Cat, Ashanti, Scarface, and Fred The Godson, the latter of whom died after his diagnosis. Fortunately, the others have all recovered but not without complications ranging from canceled performances to residual physical effects.
Isaiah Rashad was reportedly working on his album, the follow-up to his 2016 standout The Sun’s Tirade, but said that he wouldn’t drop the album without a verse from Young Dolph. While there hasn’t been much word on that front, he did recently shoot a video with fellow Tennesee native Duke Deuce. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery.
Featuring appearances from Q-Tip and Young Thug, Cordae’s new four-song EP Just Until… gives fans a light listen as they await his full-length follow-up to 2019’s The Lost Boy. After teasing the project on social media Tuesday, he delivered as promised at midnight this morning, delivering the tape to the overjoyed reactions of fans on Twitter.
Within minutes, Cordae’s name was among the various trending topics as fans discussed the new project, with most of the attention lavished onto “Wassup,” the project’s collaboration with Young Thug. Over a rumbling beat produced by 18YOMAN, LEN 20, and Take a Daytrip, the two rappers employ a back-and-forth delivery which had fans comparing them to iconic duos like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Meanwhile, Cordae’s relationship with Naomi Osaka also takes center stage at multiple points throughout the project, as he references her tennis star status and even suggests she dropped out of a tournament to meet his grandmother.
On Tuesday, Cordae mentioned that the album — which he’s been working on since 2020, according to his interview with Lil Wayne last year — is nearly finished. Whether it’ll contain more material like these “throwaways” or his Roddy Ricch-featuring single “Gifted” remains to be seen. Listen to Just Until… below.
Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It’s obvious that Young Thug is the star of YSL Records’ new compilation Slime Language 2. Throughout the album’s 23 songs, Young Thug — and a squadron of high-profile guest stars — does the majority of the heavy lifting with his charisma and quick twists of wit.
That doesn’t mean that his artists get overshadowed by the star power present. Rather, the star power is Young Thug’s way of casting some halo effect on his expanded roster (four new rappers have joined since the group’s last Slime Language compilation in 2018).
A handful of them do rise to the occasion; YSL veteran Gunna, Lil Keed, and new addition Unfoonk (Thug’s own brother) acquit themselves admirably on the tracks where they’re left to their own devices.
On “Came Out,” Keed does his best to out-Thug Thug, bending and stretching his voice as much as he can, clearly inspired by his label boss’s own vocal contortions. Alongside Thug on “Real,” Unfoonk turns his sandpaper singing voice into a heart-tugging ballad.
And Gunna makes the most of his established chemistry with mega-star Drake on “Solid” and Young Thug on “Ski,” the album’s two most obvious standouts. “Ski” revisits the loopy energy of “Surf” from Thug’s 2019 album So Much Fun, while “Solid” is a murky excursion in the vein of Drake’s own cameo on Future’s 2020 hit “Life Is Good.”
Elsewhere, Slime Language 2 highlights Thug’s transparently generous efforts to put his people on as much as it does his skills as a talent scout. Sorry if that reads kind of negative, but the loyalty is on full display on lackadaisical cuts like “Slatty,” where Yak Gotti and Lil Duke — two of Thug’s longest-tenured signings — turn in forgettable verses to start the project.
The Lil Uzi Vert-featuring “Proud Of You,” another clear standout, also wears out its welcome by the time Young Kayo’s verse comes in, and Kayo does very little to save it. On “I Like” with Coi Leray, Karlae — Thug’s longtime girlfriend — swings between lightweight crooning and upbeat rapping but gets washed out by her guest star and undermined by generic rhymes (at one point, she quotes Muhammad Ali out of context, making me wince at the Citizen Kane of it all).
T-Shyne shows off multiple flows on “Warrior,” as well as some Young Thug-ish ad-libs, impressing by virtue of his flow’s polish, if not his bars (guest rapper Big Sean steals the show). Strick’s laid-back verse alongside Kid Cudi on “Moon Man” is a slow-burner, with a creeping, “grows on you” quality. These are two of the label’s vets, so it makes sense they have the most technical skill and experience, if not very much to say.
HiDoraah and Dolly White, Thug’s sisters, put forth dry efforts on their respective solo tracks, underscoring the gift and the curse of the YSL co-sign. Thug seems to be a great person, creating opportunities for his friends and families by leveraging his status as one of hip-hop’s biggest draws after years of uncertain footing and controversial reception.
It means a lot that he’d put his reputation — something he fought for and earned over the course of a decade of old-head snipes about his clothes, flow, and rumored sexuality — on the line for his folks. But we’ve likely heard the best from the label in projects like Wunna and Trapped On Cleveland 3 — there’s a reason Keed and Gunna have received the most commercial success to date.
By calling in so many famous friends for support, Thug does put his artists in a position to receive a lot of attention, but perhaps they’d have been better off keeping things more self-contained, giving YSL’s roster more space to showcase their standalone work. The contrast the guests unintentionally create between truly creative, self-sufficient artists and the still-developing talents of Thug’s musical mafia casts the latter in a less favorable light than they should want at the moment.
But there are bright spots and there’s always room for improvement, even among the less original members of the collective. And at least they can be assured they’ve got the support of their head honcho, which is a lot more than many, many rappers signed to other rappers can say — a blessing that may pan out as they work to forge their own paths beyond Young Thug’s footprints in the sand.
Slime Language 2 is out now Young Stoner Life Records / 300 Entertainment. Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
CJ’s new video “Hit Up” opens with something we’ve rarely seen in a rap video: A disclaimer pronouncing that all the illegal substances depicted are just props used for atmosphere. I’m not completely sure where I stand on rappers breaking kayfabe like this, but it sure got my attention. From there, CJ delivers the usual trappings of the many, many videos he’s dropped so far: The enormous crew shot, plenty of red bandanas, and a lot of fancy footwork as he raps over a spare but explosive drill beat.
It’ll certainly be familiar to anyone who’s seen CJ’s “Whoopty” video — or his explanation of it for Uproxx’s Behind The Video. It seems he’s fond of using his budget as efficiently as possible, so there are few bells or whistles — even his rider consists mainly of water bottles — but the shoot is dynamic enough to get his point across. For reference, check out the videos for his other Loyalty Over Royalty cuts, “Bop,” “Real One,” and “Set.”
Of course, he’s also shown a willingness to switch things up, as he did in his video for deluxe edition track “Lil Freak” with DreamDoll.
Watch CJ’s “Hit Up” video above.
CJ is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
. We’ve seeded $10k 
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The Treefort 9 Lineup has been resurrected with some familiar faces and rad additions!! Dive in and get yr tix at 
September 22-26, 2021 | Downtown Boise, ID 
(@PATTY_HONCHO) 
(@WordsFromBlerds) 
(@zachv18__) 
