Fans on Twitter have found themselves flabbergasted by a news item that is currently spreading like wildfire revolving around influencer turned rapperBlac Chyna. Chyna is being accused of holding a woman hostage in a hotel room during a wild, “drug-fueled” party, and people aren’t sure what to think. While it isn’t the first time Blac Chyna has gone viral for unusual behavior, the situation is much different than her previous public outburst.
It doesn’t help that the story was initially reported by tabloid newspaper The Sun, which isn’t exactly known for its journalistic standards. According to The Sun, the woman and her friend were invited to Chyna’s hotel suite at the Sacramento Sheraton for drinks. The woman’s friend, who allegedly caught the incident on camera, said that Chyna became “agitated” and turned on them. “Suddenly out of nowhere Chyna just yelled at my friend to ‘shut the f*ck up’ or she’d beat both our asses,” he said.
#BlacChyna allegedly held a woman against her will during a drug fueled party. She is currently under police investigation pic.twitter.com/CmoTGcab4r
However, he said that when the two tried to leave, “she shut the door behind me and kept my friend in the room.” After waiting in the hall for 20 minutes, members of Chyna’s entourage knocked on the door, at which point the woman can be seen fleeing the room and crying. The Sun reports that according to the Sacramento Police Department, “A dispute between two parties occurred, and the incident was resolved at the scene by the individuals involved. No injuries were reported.”
Fans on Twitter were less than credulous, posting their disbelief at the wild story. Check out their responses below.
im always so weary of white women tears lowkey, like what exactly did blac chyna do that had her acting so traumatized bc from what i’ve gathered chyna was tryna stop her from leaving the party drunk https://t.co/YJkplsO9JU
I’m holding my tongue on the Blac Chyna situation until more information comes out cuz this ain’t the first time white women tears have sounded false alarms pic.twitter.com/7heXAIdQIB
For the last few years, the feud between Drake and Kanye West — sorry, I mean Ye — has been the subject of endless fascination and speculation among fans. Every shot from either side was relentlessly pondered and debated, and fans took great delight in parsing each artist’s output for secret subliminal disses while goading the confrontation at every turn.
However, through it all, there was one artist among their peers who never bought into the hype. Rick Ross previously noted that he “loved” the back and forth between the two, reminding fans that the antics didn’t really put either artist at risk. “Kanye posted Drake’s address on the Instagram, but who didn’t have Drake address already?” he said.
He reiterated a similar sentiment on Wednesday night during a live interview with Billboard at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles which Uproxx attended. “This wasn’t something that I really took seriously,” he said of the so-called beef between Drake and Ye. “These are two icons, forward-thinkers, highly intelligent brothers. I didn’t really see them taking it too seriously.”
However, like many, he enjoyed seeing the two call a ceasefire for a benefit concert set to take place this week at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. “The Free Larry Hoover campaign is a great reason to come together and get on the stage. That’s what I’m excited about and happy to see these brothers pulling it off, and let’s make sure we tune in.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he also addressed his own supposed friction with Meek Mill after fans spent the summer speculating about simmering tensions between the Philly rapper and his mentor. Those rumors intensified with a line on Ross’ new single, “Little Havana” from his upcoming album Richer Than I Ever Been dropping this week.
Damn…so was ross talking to Meek and Hov or just one of them? Let me chill
“N****s soul being sold and still own a leash,” Ross raps on the track. “Roger Goodell boy, he ain’t a corniche / I was really throwin’ money, I really saw Meech / And I let them rappin’ n****s get closer to Meek.” However, at the Grammy Museum, Ross said there was no ill will behind the lyrics. “I feel like we’re both hustlers,” he said. “That’s one thing about life, you either grow together or grow apart. As a boss, you make that decision, because whatever it is you want to do, Ricky Rozay wants to see you do it. There’s a lot of people that didn’t last or was still down with me the way Meek is — so I want to see the homie shine regardless.”
Richer Than I Ever Been is out 12/10 via Epic Records.
RuPaul fans are looking forward to the new year, as the 14th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race is set to premiere on January 7, 2022 on VH1. Today, the show unveiled its guest judges and there’s a lot of musical firepower on the roster.
Appearing on the show next season (as TVLine notes) are Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, and Sarah McLachlan, as well as Taraji P. Henson, Andra Day, Loni Love, Christine Chiu, Ava Max, Nicole Byer, Ts Madison, Alec Mapa, Dove Cameron, and Dulce Sloan. Some of them also appear in a new teaser video for the upcoming season.
Fans of both Lizzo and Drag Race know that the artist and the show have a strong preexisting relationship. She was a guest judge on the show in 2018 and told Rolling Stone of the experience, “To work with RuPaul is a dream. It was a bucket list [item]. I’m very fortunate to have been in the same room as RuPaul. You learn so much just by watching the way RuPaul operates. Apparently there are some petitions for me to be a permanent judge [laughs].” In 2019, she also recruited a bunch of drag queens from the show for a new “Juice” video.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
These past two years have been hard for everyone. Even celebrities, while extremely privileged, have struggled to balance work and life while turning out constant content in quarantine (celebrities — they’re just like us!). Saweetie knows this all too well. The rapper has been hustling hard this past year between firing off hit singles and making TV appearances. Because she’s constantly on the clock, Saweetie has been feeling burnt out. That’s why she hopes to one day build a wellness resort geared towards celebrities to focus on their mental health.
Saweetie recently sat down with People to talk about how her overloaded schedule is affecting her mental health:
“I try to take things day to day. Sometimes I can’t look at my calendar on my weekly schedule because it’ll give me anxiety,” she said. “I feel like what I’m working for is starting to pay off, so I’m just really grateful to be acknowledged. […] It’s like I live, sleep, eat and breathe music and business. My team is really small, so I have to take on responsibilities that eventually somebody else will, but because my team is small, I have to help them out. It’s just trying to find balance right now. I have no balance. Everything is just work, work, work and I don’t have an outlet. I don’t have a therapist. I don’t hang out with any of my friends because I work so much, so it’s just trying to thug it out into until the New Year. I feel like I’m being run down to the ground right now and my body doesn’t feel good. I’ve had mental breakdowns and it’s just really stressful, but it’s nice to be acknowledged because it lets me know that my hard work isn’t going unnoticed.
After seeing other musicians — like Doja Cat, for example — talk about the difficulties of constantly working, Saweetie says she hopes to one day “create a resort for celebrities and their mental health.” “You see artists, especially women artists, venting online and it really makes my soul sad that no one is protecting our mental health,” she told People. “We’re working so much and mental health is important because if we’re not healthy, then we can’t work and if we can’t work, there’s no music.”
She also hopes to build schools and “help out people in communities that look like me.” But along with hoping she takes after Gwyneth Paltrow’s massive wellness empire or leans into philanthropy, Saweetie also has the goal of one day becoming a billionaire. “If I can get some investors before I become a billionaire, creating a wellness resort for celebrities and public figures, athletes, entertainers is like one of my primary goals,” she said.
When Khalid announced his new project Scenic Drive, and distinctly noted that it was a “tape” he was excited to deliver to fans, one thing came to mind. A little over three months ago, the Texas native offloaded a series of tweets that amounted to an honest admission of writer’s block and struggles with the “overwhelming” balance to meet expectations, remain authentic, and grow into something new and different as an artist. It’s truthfully something most, if not all artists, are forced to grapple with around their second and third albums. Sophomore slumps are already pressure-inducing enough, but even when they’re overcome, the pressure to do it a third time is just as high, if not even higher.
Khalid is a star in his own right. Both of his albums, 2017’s American Teen and 2019’s Free Spirit, are multi-platinum bodies of work with the latter serving as his first No. 1 album. Plenty of awards feature Khalid’s name and his work, and it all contributes to the pressures he feels going into his third album, which he already revealed is titled Everything Is Changing. As a musician, there are practically three options when a mental roadblock is hit while crafting art: trudge through it, wait for it to go away, or divert onto a new and hopefully uninterrupted path. Khalid’s Scenic Drive is the result of his decision to do the last option.
On Scenic Drive, Khalid seeks to overcome his self-doubts by just letting things be. The intention behind this project is to seemingly just do it, to just release music, get back into the swing of things, and even self-supply a boost in confidence. The music on Scenic Drive is simple and appetizing at most as Khalid plays things safely while remaining in a comfortable pocket. It’s the kind of easygoing bass-heavy R&B music that’s romantic, lovelorn, and everything in the middle. It falls on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from what he said Everything Is Changing will present. He previously noted that the songs on the album center “around trying to find a purpose and a sense of self in a world where everything is digitally connected but emotionally disconnected.” All in all, a sharp contrast from what we hear on Scenic Drive.
For what it’s worth, Khalid’s latest project is simply an observant journey through one’s love life, whether it be his own or someone else. It touches on all areas, including the shy moments in the early stages where the respective parties are scared to admit their feelings as “Brand New” and “Open” detail. On the flip side, Khalid keeps things honest and straight to the point about a woman who fails to hold her end of the bargain in a relationship on “Retrograde” and “All Is Bad.” There’s also the hesitance to acknowledge that love is fading away on “Voicemail.” However, if there are tracks that are no doubt made from Khalid’s first-person point of view, it’s “Backseat” and “Scenic Drive.” These see the singer relishing in the natural beauty and existence of what surrounds him while appreciating the fact that he’s able to enjoy it all together.
Scenic Drive unwinds a tense mind through effortless music. It’s something that’s apparent from the moment that Alicia Keys’ free-floating harmonies fall from our speakers. Only Khalid himself knows what he sought through creating this project. Maybe it’s a creative dump in the name of clarity or a moment to refine his skills and return to form. Whatever it is, a sigh of relief as Scenic Drive concludes can be felt as Khalid lets go and allows things to be in their most natural sense. Aligning himself with talented artists like Lucky Daye, 6lack, Kiana Lede, JID, Majid Jordan, and more only add to the appeal of the whole project which is filled with good and enjoyable music. Hopefully, this makes things easier and less weighted for Khalid as he returns to working on Everything Is Changing.
Scenic Drive is out now via Right Hand Music/RCA. Get it here.
Majid Jordan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The best albums of the year lists are definitely making the rounds on the interwebs. Maybe you saw Uproxx’s Best Albums Of The 2021 already? Or our genre-focused year end round-ups in hip-hop, indie, etc… They’re filled with killer releases from across the spectrum. Same goes for lists from other outlets that all highlight the prevalent music that marked this past year.
But damnit if there wasn’t some incredible music put out in 2021 that didn’t get the same shine as Olivia Rodrigo, Jazmine Sullivan or The War On Drugs. Below, you’ll find our picks for the best albums of the year that were slightly off the radar. Or maybe you’re just that in tune with things that you didn’t miss these at all? Regardless, these are positively ten of the best albums of the year and they deserve your attention.
Charlotte Day Wilson — Alpha
The Toronto-based singer and producer had put out two EPs in the past that yielded singles like “Work” and “Doubt” that effectively put her on the map. But Alpha is her proper full-length debut and it’s a stunning fully-formed collection of songs that sounds like nothing else. On “Take Care Of You” featuring Syd, Day Wilson morphs her voice on the hook to lay the groundwork for her and Syd to show why they’re two of the pre-eminent Queer vocalists today. “Lovesick Utopia” is one of the most intriguing productions of the year that flashes Day Wilson’s chops as more than just a singer. There are also appearances from fellow Canadians Daniel Caesar and Badbadnotgood, and Drake even picked up a sample of “Mountains” for his track,”Fair Trade,” off of Certified Lover Boy.
ALLBLACK — TY4FWM
Packing slick sports references in his bars at every turn, Allblack is a certified play runner who’s been killing the Bay Area street rap game. On “Ego,” he spits over Kenny Beats’ production: “Big bread, hero / Pressin n*****s, Deebo / At the bank more than Harden at the free throw / All this cash that I’m gettin’ f***in’ up my ego.” He raps about his past life as a pimp on “Life Of A P,” a hyped-up old-school G-Funk beat with Kossisko on a deft hook. TY4FWM is an album about gratitude though (heck, it’s in the title) and Allblack spends time shouting out the cats who’ve been there with him through thick and thin, and the ones who came up with him along the way. He’s on a French Montana level with the sheer volume of features, but they all pop off, like the 2Pac-inspired “War Stories” with Mozzy and Peezy, and the rough and tumble “We Straight” with Vince Staples over a sick beat by Cal-A.
Aaron Frazer –Introducing…
Easy Eye Sound, the label helmed by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, had an incredible year, with standout releases from Yola, Shannon Shaw, Robert Finely, and more. But none felt as true to its retro-minded aesthetic than the debut album by soul singer Aaron Frazer. For the uninitiated, Frazer is the drummer and high-pitched vocal yin to Durand Jones’ yang in The Indications. On Introducing…, Frazer more than holds his own as the singular focus on the classic soul vibes of “You Don’t Wanna Be My Baby” and the groovy R&B of the flute-inflected “Bad News.” Auerbach produced the album himself and it’s the little details he employs — the way the horns hit on “Can’t Leave It Alone” or the deliberate way Frazer’s voice is mic’d on “Bad News” and “Lover Girl” — that paint the perfect canvas for his label’s new star to sound like a reincarnated 1950’s heartthrob.
Alfa Mist — Bring Backs
The rise of London’s modern jazz movement cannot be understated and pianist, producer, and rapper Alfa Mist is among its most prolific products. This is jazz music for hip-hop heads that’s tailor made to both groove to, or burn to. On “Mind The Gap,” Alfa opens singing over an arrangement of his masterful keys, a shrewd drum beat, and hypnotic horns. “I take my time, so they only see me in the right state of mind… we all rise and decline,” he sings, before giving way to Lex Amor coming in like a young Martina Topley-Bird. There’s a lot to like on Bring Backs, from trip-hop soundscapes to jazz drum breaks, in a welcome journey of the mind all around.
Sam Evian – Time To Melt
Recorded at Evian’s Flying Cloud Studios in the Catskills, Time To Melt is a gorgeous expression of psychedelic pop music. It’s gentle enough to soothe, but built intricately to stimulate. Evian, who has produced albums for similarly trippy folk artists like Cass McCombs, Blonde Redhead, and Okkervil River, is dashing on his third solo release. The combo of sweeping strings, Rhodes keys, and unpredictable horns on “Knock, Knock,” make the existential jam flow like a pristine stream. “Dream Free” features vocals from his partner Hannah Cohen and is a celestial electric number that like the album, is built for those who want to ponder the intricacies of the cosmos and the constructs around us.
Glbl Wrmng — glbl wrmng vol. 1
Presented by rapper Pell as a compilation that showcases the strength of the New Orleans hip-hop community, glbl wrmng vol. 1 was all that and then some. It represents the diverse sound of New Orleans rap, from the syrupy “Well Sh*t” featuring Paasky, to the shimmering and hopeful “Technicolor” with LeTrainiump and Dominic Scott to the twisty, sticky production of “N95” by Malik Ninety Five and Bryant Keith Malonson. Pell appears on every track and is a confident and stoic facilitator throughout all of it, for a veritable discovery trove of collaborators. There’s 16 tracks on the album that each seem to scratch a different sonic itch, as the collective searches for hope and peace amid tumultuous times. None are more affecting than “Take Time” with Pell and Kr3wcial finding harmony in hip-hop, in more memorable fashion than just about any cut I spun this year.
Ross From Friends — Tread
The Brainfeeder-signed producer courses through the electronic music spectrum jumping from techno, to vaporwave, to drum and bass and more. Don’t let the name fool you, this is serious stuff fronted by British producer Felix Cleary Weatherall that understands both the nuances of big room bass and chill out. Samples under beats often call back to Detroit disco and techno, like the well-enacted tear down and build-up of “Life In A Mind.” It’s almost as if you’re witnessing the bones of a track’s construction as it’s being laid down.
LUMP – Animal
While Laura Marling is one of the best modern folk singers on the planet, her electronically-minded side-project with producer Mike Lindsay (of Tunng) is proof that her penchant for exploration sees no bounds. The second LUMP album represents the continuity of the vessel Marling has found for material that doesn’t necessarily fit into the tightly-wrapped warmth of her acoustic guitar. But she’s a dynamite lyricist no less and on “Bloom At Night,” she sings:
“I predict that this affliction lasts for life
I suspect that you’ll regret your lust for light
I suggest that you address your appetite
For to be seen to cast your beam across the night”
Animal is an album about escape and embracing your inner beast in the process, and Marling places another mighty feather in her cap over Lindsay’s entrancing production.
Larry June — Orange Print
Yes, it’s another Bay Area hip-hop album, because if there’s any scene that consistently falls beneath the surface, it’s Bay Area rap. June is from San Francisco and Orange Print illustrates the culmination of his never-ending hustle. This is a dude who consistently puts out multiple records each year and he’s finally made it, but is somehow only now getting on the same scope nationally as rappers from more prominent enclaves. On “Intercepted,” he relishes on finally starting to get his flowers “Hard times, we prevailed, spent years manifestin’ / ‘Nother day, another lesson, took it all as a blessin’.” There’s an aura about June on Orange Print that emanates comfort for where he’s at in life. He’s not concerned with what people are doing outside of his sphere anymore, and it lets him spit about success, wisdom, and his signature health conscious calling card with poise and couth.
Alice Phoebe Lou — Glow
The South African indie singer-songwriter put down one of the most beautiful and spacey releases of the year. Her staccato is unwavering on “Only When I,” her jazzy coo is reminiscent of Billie Holiday on “Dusk,” and she channels her inner-Angel Olsen on “How To Get Out Of Love.” When Lou sings, it always feels as if the stars are her audience and her voice just grows into infinite spaces. Her sweet delivery over a clarinet on “Lonely Crowd” will send you right into the night sky. Yet, Glow is a perfect companion piece for sleeping in, having breakfast at noon, and just spending your whole day at home in your sweatpants.
The only thing missing from Questlove‘s moving historical documentary Summer Of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (aside from the hours of footage that had to be cut to make a watchable documentary in the first place) was a soundtrack that could be played outside of watching the film itself. After all, the doc covered the weeks-long 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which featured free live performances from Black music legends like Gladys Knight & The Pips, Nina Simone, and Sly & The Family Stone.
That changes today, with the announcement of the official soundtrack coming soon to streaming and physical media, including CDs and vinyl. Like the film, Questlove curated the once-lost audio documentation from several of the original performances, compiling 17 tracks including Sly & The Family Stone’s “Sing A Simple Song,” B.B. King’s “Why I Sing The Blues,” and The Operation Breadbasket Orchestra & Choir’s rendition of “Precious Lord Take My Hand” with Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples.
In the press release announcing the soundtrack, Questlove said, “It goes beyond saying that you can’t have a monster music journey on film without an equally awesome soundtrack. The people demanded ‘more!’. So for the people, we bring you musical manna that hopefully won’t be the last serving. These performances are lightning in a bottle. Pure artistry! Enjoy.”
The Summer Of Soul soundtrack is due on streaming and CD 1/28/2022 via Legacy Recordings. Pre-save it here. The vinyl release will be announced at a later date.
Tierra Whack’s new EP may be called Pop? but the Philly-bred star certainly shows off some impressive rap skills on its three new songs. The EP, a follow-up to her previously released Rap?, makes use of some lighter production styles to convey its theme, adopting a pop-rock guitar riff on “Lazy,” a mellow folk-pop tune on “Dolly,” and a high-speed techno-inspired dance beat on “Body Of Water.” Throughout, she demonstrates her singing abilities, but on the latter, she rhymes at warp speed between the sung choruses, reminding fans why she earned her spot on the 2019 XXL Freshman Class.
“Body Of Water” is also the song that receives the music video treatment of the three, once again demonstrating Whack’s wild sense of humor and commitment to delivering eye-popping imagery every time. While it’s probably moot to call a Tierra Whack video “weird” at this point — remember the talking potatoes in “Unemployed“? — this one is definitely surreal and strange, as a group of people get transformed into porpoises after drinking, showering, or playing in water saturated with some sort of mutagen. Whack herself lounges luxuriously in a cozy living room in a couture ensemble that highlights her impeccable fashion sense before stepping into the pool outside — and growing a dolphin tail herself. Like I said: Weird.
Good things come in threes, so we can only hope that Tierra’s comeback will continue with another themed three-pack of new music and if so, we can’t wait to see which genre she tackles next.
Watch Tierra Whack’s “Body Of Water” video above and listen to the Pop? EP here.
When it comes to conversations about music, much of the discourse goes down on Twitter. That’s why it’s no surprise that the most talked-about artists on the platform were those who released an album this year or those that were surrounded by controversy (and if you’re Ye — both).
Twitter collected all their data from this year and shared who the most-tweeted-about musicians were. Drake came in at No. 1, Ye followed shortly after him, and Lil Nas X sat at No. 3. It comes as no surprise that BTS was the fourth most-tweeted-about musician thanks to their massive global fanbase. After BTS, who were the most-tweeted-about group in 2020, was Taylor Swift at No. 5, whose rerecorded Red (Taylor’s Version) gave the singer a fair amount of buzz on the platform. Nicki Minaj came in at No. 6, Beyonce was No. 7, Megan Thee Stallion was No. 8, DaBaby was No. 9, and Cardi B made it in at No. 10.
Though BTS fell down a few placements this year compared to last year, they were still big when it came to the most-liked tweets of the year. Joe Biden celebrating his inauguration in 2021 was the single most-liked tweet, but a selfie by BTS member Jungkook was the second-most-liked tweet of the year with 3.2 million likes.
With Ye and Drake’s Free Larry Hoover concert just hours away and scheduled to stream around the world live, TMZ reports that the crew at the LA Memorial Coliseum are working overtime to finish the stage ahead of the production. In addition, TMZ’s sources say that the show’s budget comes in at well over $10 million, covering the cost of the stage, space rental, staff, and security.
Of course, to the two rappers, who have spent the last several years sniping at each other on their records and social channels, the cause is worth the cost. According to J. Prince, who is the one who ultimately connected the two artists, Drake saw the bigger picture was worth setting aside their petty — and extremely funny, let’s be honest — feud.
Hoover, who helped co-found Chicagos’ notorious Gangsta Disciples organization, has been in prison since 1997, serving a life sentence (six of them, actually, which… how?) for an extended list of crimes committed in his capacity as the gang’s leader. However, since then, he says he’s seen the error of his ways and can do more good outside of prison keeping kids away from gangs with his knowledge, experience, and street credibility.
(@Yesthatsdee_) December 9, 2021
(@Ryu_vivu) December 9, 2021
(@doseofdesxo) December 9, 2021
(@mint_tibb) December 9, 2021
