Music

Ari Lennox Assures Fans She’s Safe After Being Racially Profiled And Arrested In Amsterdam

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Ari Lennox jetted off to Europe just after the Thanksgiving holiday last week when her fun trip turned into a nightmare. Just after she touched down in the Amsterdam airport, the singer began live tweeting that she was being racially profiled by an airport security agent. The singer said the incident ended with her getting arrested and she’s gone radio silent since. But thankfully, Lennox returned to social media on Thursday to let fans know she’s safe and sound.

Lennox’s awful experience was detailed in the series of tweets on Monday. Shortly after her plane landed, Lennox tweeted “Hi Amsterdam.” But that’s when things took a turn for the worst. “F*ck Amsterdam security. They hate black people,” she wrote, later saying that she’ll “never leave her house again” and just wanted to go home. Her tweets then stopped after announcing that she was being arrested. “I’m being arrested in Amsterdam for reacting to a woman racially profiling me,” she wrote.

Now, a few days later, it seems that Lennox has finally been released. The singer hasn’t shared any more details about what exactly went down or where she was taken when she was arrested, but she did assure fans that she’s now safe. “Hey loves I’m safe. Thank you so much for your prayers and love,” she wrote.

Drake, Dua Lipa, And BTS Top The ‘Billboard’ Year-End Charts For 2021

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The flood of year-end music round-ups has started over the past few days, as websites (like Uproxx) have shared their year-end lists and Spotify Wrapped has made the rounds. Now Billboard has chimed in with their year-end charts, and some expected figures have found themselves atop the ranks.

Drake was 2021’s top artist and following him on the list are, in order, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, and Morgan Wallen. As for Top New Artists, Rodrigo tops that list and is followed by The Kid Laroi, Giveon, Pooh Shiesty, and 24kGoldn. There’s also a lists of top artists that are duos or groups, and that’s led by BTS, as well as Glass Animals, Dan + Shay, Fleetwood Mac, and AJR.

When it comes to Billboard 200 albums, Morgan Wallen reigns supreme with Dangerous: The Double Album, ahead of Rodrigo’s Sour, Pop Smoke’s Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon, Swift’s Evermore, and Drake’s Certified Lover Boy. Meanwhile, Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” leads the Hot 100 Songs chart, followed by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Save Your Tears,” The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” 24kGoldn and Iann Dior’s “Mood,” and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U.”

Check out all of the year-end charts here and below.

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

Mac Miller’s Drug Supplier Says He Wasn’t Aware Of Fentanyl In The Fatal Pills He Gave The Rapper

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After pleading guilty to the distribution of fentanyl, Mac Miller drug supplier Stephen Walter insisted that he had no idea that the pills he gave the rapper contained fentanyl, according to a new report in the New York Post.

Walter, who was in court Tuesday (via video conference) for the hearing in which he actually entered his plea, told the judge, “I was charged with selling blue pills, little blue counterfeit oxycontin pills… and I didn’t know what was in them. I didn’t know, like, fentanyl was in it. But I do say, yes, that I aided and abetted the transaction.”

Those pills wound up being the catalyst for Mac Miller’s eventual overdose, as the dosage for fentanyl is up to ten times stronger than oxycontin. Walter said he’d never met Mac before, only the other two men who were also indicted in the case, Cameron Pettit and Ryan Reavis, both of whom also pled guilty. “I only talked to Cameron,” he said. “I didn’t know what his intentions were with the pills. After he saw Ryan Reavis, I didn’t know what he was going to do with them.”

Walter’s sentencing is scheduled for March 7, 2022; Reavis’ is scheduled for April 4, 2022. Both could be given up to 20 years in federal prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

Jay-Z’s Latest Tidal Playlist Highlights Mach-Hommy, MF DOOM, And Vince Staples

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Jay-Z’s playlists on Tidal have become a tradition of sorts, not just allowing him to stay in touch with fans — something he obviously cares very much about, judging from his recent drop-in on Twitter Spaces — but also to show off his musical knowledge, which he also seems to care about a lot.

His latest list has arrived to commemorate the renaming of financial services tech company Square to Block, as soon-to-be-former Twitter CEO and Square co-founder Jack Dorsey announced on Wednesday this week (after roasting Facebook’s re-brand, no less). Square also recently purchased Tidal, which helped Jay-Z secure a seat on Square’s board of directors. Therefore, the new playlist, “Block Vibes,” is a celebration of the change, of sorts, as well as an interesting marketing ploy, introducing the new name and demonstrating synergy across the new brand, which also encircles Cash App.

The list once again showcases Jay’s expansive tastes, including up-and-coming rappers like Mach-Hommy and Vince Staples, backpack rap stalwarts Madlib and MF DOOM, eclectic bands Haitus Kaiyote and Khruangbin, and rising Afrobeats stars Tems and Wizkid.

In addition to being folded into Block’s overall corporate structure, Tidal also recently revamped its artist payment system and added a free tier to allow for ads and better payouts to the artists that make the business all its money.

Listen to Jay-Z’s new “Block Vibes” playlist below.

Cardi B Joins ‘Playboy’ Magazine As Its First-Ever Creative Director In Residence

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Cardi B’s brash lyrics and unapologetic attitude when it comes to sex and femininity have made her a fan-favorite public persona. Now, she’s bringing those qualities to a new endeavor in partnership with an institution that has long been on the forefront of sex-forward pop culture: Playboy magazine.

Today, Cardi announced that she’s joining the magazine in the newly-minted role of Creative Director In Residence. On Instagram, she told fans, “Joining the Playboy family is a dream and I know yall are going to love what we put together.”

She also announced the creation of a new, creator-led platform called “Centerfold,” and although she didn’t provide many details, she noted, “We’re going to have soooooo much fun.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Cardi adopted a role at a risque platform; in August of 2020, she joined the controversial but growing social media network OnlyFans, which at the time was primarily known for serving adult content. However, at the time, she quickly clarified that she wouldn’t be “SHOWING P*SSY , TITTIES AND ASS,” and would instead use it to live chat with fans safely protected by a paywall.

On the face of things, these partnerships make perfect sense for the outspoken “WAP” rapper who, like Playboy magazine itself over the years, has come under fire for her raunchy content while offering astute observations on politics and current events. In any event, it’s a pretty impressive career expansion for Cardi, who also recently added AMAs host and celebrity wedding officiant to her ever-growing resume.

Machine Gun Kelly Recalls The Time He Accidentally Stabbed Himself While Trying To Impress Megan Fox

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Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly’s relationship never fails to make headlines whether they’re making out on the red carpet or sharing some very confusing pickup lines used at the start of their relationship. They’ve been dating for a few months now and are so comfortable with each other that MGK knows Fox’s bucket list includes getting abducted by aliens. But, as any relationship goes, they still tried impressing each other when they first got together. MGK even went so far as to accidentally stab himself while trying to look cool in front of Fox.

MGK recently sat down for an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where he recalled the story. The musician started off by explaining the fateful night that started with him severely bruising a bone in his butt and ended with a knife lodged in his hand. It all went down right when he and Fox had first started dating and he was playing a filmed beer pong match with Post Malone. MGK entered the beer pong arena by sliding down a staircase railing and he failed to see a giant spike at the bottom — which was obviously very painful. But since he was trying to act tough before the game, the musician played it off and acted like he wasn’t in pain.

MGK impressively ended up winning the beer pong game (he later found out he had bruised the bone in his butt called a coccyx) and went home with Fox. To try to impress her, he picked up an engraved knife that was gifted to him and tossed it in the air with the intention of catching it without looking. “I threw it up and it came down and stuck in my hand,” he said, showing Fallon the scar he still has to this day.

Watch MGK talk about his relationship with Fox on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon above, around the 5-minute mark.

Juice WRLD’s Mother Writes A Heartbreaking Birthday Letter To The Late Rapper

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Today would have been Chicago rapper Juice WRLD’s 23rd birthday, and the later rapper’s mother Carmela Wallace commemorated the occasion with a heartbreaking open letter remembering past birthdays and vowing to honor his memory through the Live Free 999 foundation she started in his name.

Juice died of an accidental overdose in December 2019. Since then, a posthumous album, Legends Never Die, has been released, with a second, Fighting Demons, planned for release next Friday, December 10. You can read Ms. Wallace’s full letter below, courtesy of Complex.

Dear Jarad,

When you were born 23 years ago, I never expected that you would not to be here today celebrating your birthday. Although it has been nearly two years since you’ve been gone, I still think about you every day and losing you has changed my life forever. I’m glad that we always made sure that we said goodbye when we left each other because we didn’t know when we would see each other again.

If you were here, I am sure that I would have said something like how it seemed like just yesterday that you were born. I know that I would have told you how proud I was of the man you became and your commitment to changing lives. I miss celebrating your birthday and all the good times that we shared. I have so many wonderful memories of you that will live in my heart forever.

I remember when you found your birthday gift the year that you turned nine. It was a white mp3 player that I hid in my closet. When you found it, you were too excited to hide the fact that you found it and proceeded to share with me how much you wanted a white mp3 player for your birthday. I thought about taking it back to the store and surprising you with something else, but I decided to give it to you anyway. As time passed and we talked about it, you realized that you would rather wait for the surprise than find your gifts early.

You and I would have reminisced about previous birthdays and I’m sure we would have laughed once again about the mp3 player. I would have tried to get as many birthday wishes in as possible like I always did on your birthday when we were together.

You touched the world through your music with honesty and transparency. You shared a message of healing and sincerely desired to make a difference in the lives of others. I still receive messages from fans saying how your music helped them with anxiety and depression. I promise to continue your message of healing and use Live Free 999 as an avenue to normalize the conversation around mental health and substance dependency and help those who suffer in silence.

Happy 23rd Birthday Jarad, I love you dearly. I’m thankful for the time that we had and will forever cherish every moment that we shared.

Love,

Mom

Eminem’s Daughter Hailie Mathers Listened To Eminem A Lot In 2021, As Her Spotify Wrapped Proves

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There’s no need to explain that Eminem has a lot of fans, but in case you didn’t know, his daughter, Hailie Scott Mathers, also has a bunch of stans: She has over two million followers on Instagram and a few hundred thousand more on TikTok. Speaking of TikTok, she recently took to the platform to reveal a bit about her 2021 Spotify Wrapped, noting that her most-played artist of the year was actually her dad.

In the video, which has nearly 7 million views as of this post, Mathers lip-syncs to The Real Housewives Of Potomac‘s Wendy Osefo talking about being a Nicki Minaj fan, on the November 8 episode of The Wendy Williams Show. Meanwhile, text on screen reads, “‘Do you listen to your dad’s music?’ ‘What??? Do I listen to my dad’s music?’ ‘I think my dad’s gone crazy.’” The video then cuts to a recording of her Spotify Wrapped presentation, which says not only that Eminem was her top artist of the year, but that she was in the top three percent of his listeners on the streaming platform.

@hailie_jade_

top 3% 💀

♬ original sound – Hailie Jade

Indeed, Mathers and her dad appear to share a good relationship. In 2018, The Daily Mail asked Mathers if “if she sees her father often and he’s supportive” and she responded, “Of course, we are very close.” Meanwhile, on 2020, Eminem spoke about his daughter with Mike Tyson on his Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson podcast. The boxer asked if Mathers was thinking about having children and Eminem replied, “Not babies, nope. Just a boyfriend and she’s doing good. She’s made me proud for sure. She graduated from college, 3.9.”

Bobby Shmurda Claims He Hasn’t Had Control Over His Music For Nearly A Decade

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Since Bobby Shmurda’s release from prison, fans have been extremely hopeful that the rapper would drop a project to commemorate his return to the world. Unfortunately, in the two months that followed, Shumrda has only released two singles — “No Time For Sleep Freestyle” and “Splash” — as well as “Tata (Remix),” a collaboration with Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, and Eladio Carrion. For those who’ve been wondering what’s the hold up with new music from Shmurda, the rapper gave a clue for what could be the issue in a post to Instagram that he quickly deleted moments later.

“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!!!!!!!” an image he shared to Instagram read. Shmurda is currently signed to Epic Records with a management deal with Roc Nation so the rapper’s issues most likely lie with either or both of the labels.

Shmurda’s claim comes after revealing a collaboration he hopes to make a reality in the new future. “You know what the world needs,” he wrote in a tweet. “#BobbyShmurda & #Adele to make a Strip Club Anthem.”

You can view Shmurda’s now-deleted post about the control of his music above.

Kid Cudi Honors Virgil Abloh With A Touching Post: ‘You Changed The World Forever’

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On Sunday, the world was shocked to learn that designer and DJ Virgil Abloh passed away at the age of 41. His death came after a private battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. A post that was shared on Abloh’s Instagram page said this: “He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art, and culture.” His death inspired many to share their condolences on social media, the latest being Kid Cudi who wrote a lengthy message honoring Abloh on Instagram.

“It’s taken me a few days to make this post,” Cudi wrote with a carousel of images featuring him and Abloh. “Tryna find the right words. Virgil was the kindest most warmest soul I’ve ever met. He was a true visionary, genius, disrupter, epic DJ and artist, but he was also just truly a beautiful human.” He continued:

I’ve never known anyone quite like him. And I know i never will. Once in a lifetime. Virgil, I thank u for being a true friend and always makin me feel special when u sent a text, made time for me to hang or sent some shoes w my name on them. I love you endlessly. Til we meet again my friend. I hope u see what you’ve done. You changed the world forever. You did that. I love you Virgil. Goodbye my friend. Your brother, Rager.

Cudi was also one of many artists who appeared at Abloh’s final Louis Vuitton fashion show on Tuesday night. He also performed “Moon,” he and Ye’s collaboration with Don Toliver from Donda.