Music

Julia Fox Details Her Bonkers Date With Kanye West, Complete With A Totally Normal Photoshoot

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Julia Fox details Kanye West date
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Next month will mark a year since Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from Kanye West, who she’d been married to since 2014. Despite some recent attempts from the rapper to reconcile with his ex-wife and hopefully call off the divorce, Kim stood firm on her decision. This left Kanye no choice but to move on, and it’s something he’s very much doing in the new year. On New Year’s Day, Kanye was spotted with actress Julia Fox in New York City as the two had dinner together at the city’s Carbone restaurant. It left many wondering if a new romance was brewing between the two or if things were simply platonic. Well, Julia herself has your answer to that.

In a written piece she submitted to Interview Magazine, she describes her date night night with Kanye. “I met Ye in Miami on New Year’s Eve and it was an instant connection,” she began. “His energy is so fun to be around. He had me and my friends laughing, dancing, and smiling all night.” She goes on to say that they two flew back to New York City to see the Broadway show Slave Play, one they arrived on time for to her surprise.

After the show, the two enjoyed dinner at Carbone, and it’s here that Julia says Kanye directed a photoshoot for her as people dined. After dinner, he surprised Julia with a hotel suite full of clothes that he prepared for her. “It was every girl’s dream come true,” she wrote. “It felt like a real Cinderella moment. I don’t know how he did it, or how he got all of it there in time. But I was so surprised. Like, who does things like this on a second date? Or any date!”

She concluded the piece by writing, “I don’t know where things are headed but if this is any indication of the future I’m loving the ride.”

You can view some of the photos from the shoot above and read the full Interview Magazine piece here.

Cordae Freestyles Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘The Heart Part 4’ During A Trip To Paris

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A week from now, the world will be preparing to press play on Cordae’s sophomore album From A Birds Eye View. It’ll be the DMV rapper’s first full-length release since his 2019 Grammy-nominated debut The Lost Boy. To keep the anticipation and excitement high for his upcoming album, Cordae returns with a sick freestyle over Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 single, “The Heart Part 4.” Cordae drops his take of the song, aptly titled “FABEV Freestyle,” with an accompanying video that finds him enjoying a trip to Paris.

The freestyle itself is an introspective effort as Cordae reflects on his rise to fame in rap. He speaks about once being unsure if he would find success in hip-hop to working with Mos Def in the studio. It’s moments like these that Cordae is grateful for and ones that push him to continuously improve as an artist.

Cordae has yet to reveal to full tracklist for From A Birds Eye View. So far we know the project will be 14 songs and include previously released singles “Super,” “Sinister” with Lil Wayne, and “Gifted” with Roddy Ricch.

You can listen to the freestyle in the video above.

From A Birds Eye View is out 1/14 via Art@War/Atlantic. Pre-save it here.

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

Tobe Nwigwe Contemplates The Afterlife In His Peaceful ‘Passing Through’ Video

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Texas rising star Tobe Nwigwe had a breakout 2021 and looks to carry that momentum into the new year with his new video for “Passing Through.” Produced by Tobe himself as well as his longtime production partner Lanell Grant and directed by Nate The Director, who shoots most of Tobe’s videos, “Passing Through” features familiar imagery from throughout the Tobe Nwigwe cinematic universe — monochrome costumes, the mint-colored interior of Tobe’s home, the rapper’s family, which includes his wife Fat and his two babies, and picturesque scenes from around their Alief, Texas community.

Lyrically, the song focuses on Tobe’s spirituality — another common theme of his music — but strips down the blasting beats and his boisterous bars for a more contemplative, peaceful direction, which reflects the song’s subject well. “This world is not my home,” Tobe sings. “I’m just a passing through.”

Nwigwe’s busy 2021 included a long streak of videos as part of his Get Twisted Sundays campaign, which saw him collaborate with a number of his fellow indie rap vets such as Big KRIT, D Smoke, Lil Keke, Bun B, Trae The Truth, and even Fat, who contributed a verse to their final jam of 2021. That all culminated in Tobe’s first-ever late-night television performance and his addition to the 2021 Roots Picnic. Keeping that same energy, he’s already kicked off 2022 with his latest Get Twisted Sundays single and a new NFT which he’s auctioning off on January 16. Find more info for that here.

Roddy Ricch Will Kick Off ‘SNL’s 2022 As The First Musical Guest Of The Year

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Roddy Ricch is fresh off the release of his second album, Live Life Fast, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. So, it’s only right that he is also Saturday Night Live‘s first musical guest of 2022, helping to kick off the remainder of the season when the show returns on January 15. The show will be hosted by Ariana DeBose, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Anita in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story.

While Roddy is only weeks removed from the release of his latest album, it doesn’t look like he wants to rest on his laurels at all. He’s already begun promising that a new mixtape, Feed The Streets 3, will be released sometime this year as well. However, that may not come soon; he’s still promoting Live Life Fast, for which he’s released only a handful of singles, including “Late At Night,” which dropped last summer, and “25 Million,” which followed up the release of the album. Roddy’s known for slow-playing his rollouts — the video for “The Box” didn’t come out until weeks after it had dominated the charts — so fans will have plenty of opportunities to revisit the new album before the mixtape drops… including, of course, his performance on next week’s SNL.

NLE Choppa Responds To A Ridiculous Rumor That He Was Hospitalized After Drinking Breast Milk

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As much as the internet and social media have been boons to the music industry — especially those artists in hip-hop, who can use these digital tools to build fanbases without the resources afforded to major artists — it can also be a detriment. This is mainly in the form of unsubstantiated and often ridiculous rumors that can spread online like wildfire in the time it takes the artist to leave their studio sessions.

NLE Choppa has found that out a few times, most recently this week, when a headline claiming he’d been hospitalized surfaced and circulated until he was able to call it out. While rappers getting hospitalized is unfortunately not all that unusual, in this case, the reason for his supposed medical emergency was so outrageous he couldn’t help but posit that “If you believe this, you just slow.” According to the headline, was actually from a satire page on Instagram, he’d been laid low after guzzling human breast milk, of all things.

It’s easy to see how his predilection toward homeopathic and alternative remedies might make him a ripe target for parody. In the past, he’s embraced vaccine conspiracy theories, offered chlorophyll as an alternative to lean, opposed McDonald’s’ collaboration with Travis Scott to promote vegan diets, and threatened to quit rap to become a full-time herbalist. Of course, there’s a limit to satire — and despite the page’s rather large disclaimer, there will always be those who are either incredibly credulous or who only hear the information second or third-hand. Remember, folks, always check the original source.

Jill Scott Had The Absolute Best Response To Rumors That She Filmed A Sex Tape

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Jill Scott recently rang in the new year by “speaking specifics” about her resolutions and “manifesting like crazy.” But unless the famed R&B singer was manifesting a sex tape rumor, it looks like her manifestations may not have been specific enough. The internet’s rumor mill was working overtime this week when Twitter lit up with speculations that Scott had a NSFW video floating around somewhere. But even the best sleuths couldn’t come up with any evidence the video existed before Scott caught wind of the talk.

Hours after Twitter lit up with rumors of her sex tape, Scott herself took to the app to shut down the gossip — and she had the best response. Rather than getting mad at people for believing the lie, Scott said she expects her fans to bring the same energy to supporting her actual career. “Say word!?! I expect this energy when my new movies, albums and tv show drop,” she wrote. “Ya’ll too much. #headedbacktowork #hydrate”

Of course, her mention of “movies” caught the attention of some.

While the rumors aren’t at all true, it’s not the first time Scott broke the internet. Back in 2020, Scott’s Verzuz battle with Erykah Badu broke the show’s previously-held viewership record by raking in over 750k viewers and garnering one billion impressions across the internet.

Jim Jones Says His Mother Tongue-Kissed Him To Teach Him How And Fans Are Shocked

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Jim Jones, of the Harlem rap crew The Diplomats, is a couple of years removed from his last full-length project, 2019’s El Capo, and while he’s off album cycle, that hasn’t stopped him from making the usual media rounds for rappers trying to stay relevant in the fast-paced streaming era. His latest stop was Angela Yee‘s Lip Service podcast, where she talks about relationships and sex with hip-hop and R&B stars — the perfect venue for the sort of unusual, potentially viral quote that keeps one’s name in the headlines.

Jones, who recently ended his feud with French Montana, definitely delivered, offering up a semi-scandalous description of one of his earliest learning experiences in the arena of intimacy. When asked about his sex education, Jones shared that his mom was a big part of it — including teaching him how to kiss. When Yee asked what instructions he was given, she — and her listeners — were surprised to learn that this part of his education was (ahem) hands-on. “There wasn’t no instructions, she showed me with her mouth,” Jones said.

Naturally, plenty of fans had opinions, with the sentiment that Jones was taken advantage of prevailing. Many of the messages that popped up found fans calling Jones an unknowing victim of abuse, with more than a few chastening other commenters for cracking wise about his revelation. You can see more reactions below.

Jay Worthy Cruises Through His ‘Survivor Series 95’ Verse For ‘UPROXX Sessions’

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Last year, UPROXX Sessions ended on a West Coast favorite, and for the first UPROXX Sessions of 2022, another one comes through with his own take on that laid-back LA sound. Compton veteran Jay Worthy pulls up to perform his verse from Westside Gunn’s “Survivor Series 95,” which also features Bay Area stalwart Larry June on the album version.

For his Sessions set, though, Jay rolls solo, decked out in a Supreme hoodie and balaclava, which has the added benefit of adhering to COVID safety regulations while he cruises through his boastful, tough-guy rhymes. Jay, who dropped three projects in 2021 (No Sleep for the Wicked, No Sleep for the Wicked, and Two4Two), is managed by Griselda Records and recently told Complex he’s working on a joint project with LA producer Dâm-Funk. Thanks to his independent status and prolific grind, though, he could drop anything at any time.

Watch Jay Worthy perform his “Survivor Series 95” above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

The Weeknd Doesn’t Care That First-Week ‘Dawn FM’ Sales Will Be Impacted By No Physical Editions

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First-week sales of a new album is a metric that most major artists place a lot of value on; Having a big debut is good for a project’s chart prospects and moving a lot of copies of an album early gives some major bragging rights. That doesn’t matter to The Weeknd, though, as he declared in a reply to a Twitter thread suggesting that the first-week sales of Dawn FM will be negatively impacted because no physical editions of the album will be available upon its release. (The Weeknd’s online store notes that CD editions of Dawn FM are set to ship on January 28, while vinyl and cassette versions will ship on April 29.)

The thread in question reads, “No physical copies (vinyls, CDs, cassettes) for @theweeknd’s ‘Dawn FM’ will be available in store during release week. Furthermore, no physical copies will be shipped the first week. This will obviously impact first week figures. The reason is likely that The Weeknd pushed the release up. Therefore, physicals aren’t ready for distribution.”

It then points to The Weeknd’s New Year’s Day Instagram post to back up its claim about the supposedly advanced release date. In that post, The Weeknd wrote, “Music can heal and that feels more important than another album rollout. Let’s just drop the whole thing and enjoy it with the people.”

The Weeknd caught wind of this thread and noted in response, “this doesn’t matter to me. what matters is getting to experience the album together with the fans during these times.”

All of that said, Dawn FM shouldn’t have a problem being the biggest new album of the week, as its primary competition for that title may be Gunna’s Drip Season 4.

Dawn FM is out 1/7 via Republic. Pre-order it here.

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