Music

The Weeknd Won Apple Music’s Global Artist Of The Year Award

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Despite not dropping an album this year and leaving fans waiting for his next release, The Weeknd took home a big award for his work in 2021. The singer was given Apple Music’s Global Artist Of The Year at the platform’s third annual ceremony. “I’m so grateful for this huge honour and want to thank Apple for all its support, not only for my work but also for great music by newer artists, where it matters so much for creators to be found and supported,” he said according to Complex.

The win comes after The Weeknd was recognized as an artist who had one of YouTube’s most trending videos thanks to his one for “Save Your Tears.” The runner-up for that honor is Pooh Shiesty and Lil Durk’s “Back In Blood.” The Weeknd was also honored for his 2021 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which appeared in YouTube’s Top Five list of overall trending videos.

Elsewhere, The Weeknd had his 2019 single “Blinding Lights” named as the “No. 1 song of all time” by Billboard. Prior to that, the song became the longest-charting song of all time after it logged its 88th week on the Hot 100 in mid-August.

You can see an image of The Weeknd with his award in the post above.

All The New Albums Coming Out In December 2021

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Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in December. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.

Friday, December 3

  • 1K Phew & Lecrae — No Church In A While (Reach Records)
  • Aisha Badru — The Way Back Home EP (Nettwerk Records)
  • Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge — Remixes JID010 (Jazz is Dead)
  • Andrew Gabbard — Homemade (Colemine Records)
  • Arca — Kick iii (XL Recordings)
  • Arca — Kick iiii (XL Recordings)
  • Berner — Gotti (Bern One Entertainment)
  • Carleigh Aikins — Junk Jewelry (SilverDoor)
  • Cold Collective — Weathervane (Rise Records)
  • Deep Throat Choir — In Order To Know You (Bella Union)
  • Emilia Anastazja — Flower House EP (Young and Aspiring)
  • Failure — Wild Type Droid (Failure Music)
  • Fruit Juice — Mirke vs. The Dreamy LLC (Easy Street Records)
  • Full Bush — Movie Night EP (Brutal Panda Records)
  • G’emma — Types of Water EP (Sonar Kollektiv)
  • Jason Boland — The Light Saw Me (Proud Souls Ent.)
  • Jesse Cook — Libre (Outside Music/Redeye)
  • Kathryn Williams & Carol Ann Duffy — Midnight Chorus (One Little Independent)
  • Kenny G — New Standards (Concord Records)
  • Khalid — Scenic Drive (Right Hand Music)
  • LP — Churches (PIAS Recordings)
  • Luttrell — Music For My Memories (Anjunadeep)
  • MadeinTYO and UnoTheActivist — Yokohama (Private Club Records)
  • Marissa Paternoster — Peace Meter (Don Giovanni Records)
  • Mike Block — Planispheres (Bright Shiny Things)
  • The Mother Hips — Glowing Lantern (Blue Rose)
  • Nardo Wick — Who Is Nardo Wick? (RCA)
  • New Found Glory — December’s Here (Hopeless Records)
  • Nils Frahm — Old Friends New Friends (LEITER)
  • NLE Choppa — Me Vs. Me EP (No Love Entertainment/Warner)
  • No Rome — It’s All Smiles (Dirty Hit)
  • Pepper Lewis — She Told Me To Sing My Heart Out EP (AWAL)
  • Pick A Piper — Sea Steps EP (Tin Angel)
  • Polo G — Hall of Fame 2.0 (Columbia Records)
  • Quinn Christopherson — I Am Bubblegum EP (4AD)
  • Rival Consoles — Overflow (Erased Tapes)
  • Sky H1 — Azure (AD 93)
  • So Hideous — None But a Pure Heart Can Sing (Silent Pendulum)
  • Tom Morello — The Atlas Underground Flood (Mom + Pop Music)
  • Treetop Flyers — Old Habits (Loose Music)
  • Trini Lopez — The Rare Reprise Singles (Omnivore Recordings)
  • Volbeat — Servant Of The Mind (Republic Records)
  • Wajatta — Do You Even Care Anymore? (Brainfeeder)

Friday, December 10

  • Aeon Station — Observatory (Sub Pop Records)
  • Big Boi and Sleepy Brown — The Big Sleepover (HITCO)
  • Buck Owens and Susan Raye — Together Again (Omnivore)
  • Clear Mortifee — Fairies: Act II EP (AntiFragile)
  • Fela Kuti — Vinyl Box Set #5 (Knitting Factory Records)
  • Green Day — The BBC Sessions (Warner Records)
  • Herman Dune — Santa Cruz Gold (Yaya Tova)
  • Honey Guide — A Tidy Room Is A Tidy Mind EP (Bam Bam Records)
  • Horse Show — Falsterbo EP (PNKSLM Recordings)
  • Jeff Parker — Forfolks (International Anthem/Nonesuch)
  • Jlin — Embryo EP (Planet Mu)
  • Joan Avant — Dies Irae (Red Masque Records)
  • Juice WRLD — Fighting Demons (Grade A Productions/Interscope Records)
  • Kid Dad — Bloom EP (Long Branch Records)
  • Majid Soula — Chant Amazigh (Habibi Funk Records)
  • Mercury X — Imprisoned (Frontiers Music)
  • Michot’s Melody Makers — Tiny Island EP (Nouveau Electric Records)
  • Monsta X — The Dreaming (Starship Entertainment Co. Ltd./Intertwine Music)
  • Moses Sumney — Live From Blackalachia (Tuntum)
  • Mouth Congress — Waiting For Henry (Captured Tracks)
  • Nalan — I’m Good. The Crying Tape (Mansions and Millions)
  • Nicole Atkins — Memphis Ice (Single Lock Records)
  • The O’My’s — No Swimming EP (ADA/Warner Music Group)
  • Rick Ross — Richer Than I Ever Been (Maybach Music Group)
  • San Fermin — In This House (Better Company)
  • Spell Songs — Spell Songs II: Let The Light In (Thirty Tigers)
  • Teen Daze — Interior (Cascine)
  • Ziemba — Unsubtle Magic (Sister Polygon)

Friday, December 17

  • Beverly Glenn-Copeland — Keyboard Fantasies Reimagined (Transgressive)
  • Chuck Berry — Live From Blueberry Hill (Dualtone Records)
  • John Dwyer, Ryan Sawyer, Greg Coates, Wilder Zoby, and Andres Renteri — Gong Splat (Forced Exposure)
  • Johnny Marr — Fever Dreams Pt 2 EP (BMG)
  • Nick Cave and Warren Ellis — Les Panthère Des Neiges — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Invada Records/Lakeshore Records)
  • Small Jackets — Just Like This! (Go Down Records)
  • Various Artists — Sing 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Republic)

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

Freddie Gibbs Loved That Tom Brady Used One Of His Songs To Celebrate A Win Over The Indianapolis Colts

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For a few years now, Tom Brady has used social media to recap the football games he’s won with both the New England Patriots and, now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. These recaps usually feature a motivational message from the football player followed by some highlights, usually with a song from a popular artist playing in the background. For this past Sunday’s win against the Indianapolis Colts, Brady recapped the game with a video that featured Freddie Gibbs and Big Sean’s “4 Thangs” in the background. Gibbs caught wind of this development and took to social media to celebrate.

Gibbs reposted Brady’s video on Instagram and wrote, “Tom Brady bout to turn me to a Bucs fan [laughing emoji].” He also reposted the video on Twitter, writing, “My dog TB12!!!”

Gibbs, who hails from Gary, Indiana, has spoken about his distaste for the Indianapolis Colts for well over a decade, as tweets from 2010 prove. “I fux wit DA BEARS and anybody that’s that’s playin the f*ckin colts,” he wrote in one tweet while another simply read, “F*ck the colts.” Gibbs also once wrote, “All y’all n****z from Gary that know y’all grew up as BEAR fans please stop d*ck ridin’ the colts cuz they in the super bowl.” This is in reference to the Colts’ Super Bowl matchup against the New Orleans Saints, in 2010 which they lost by a score of 31-17.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Multiple HIV/AIDS Organizations Claim DaBaby Hasn’t Contacted Or Donated To Them Since Their Last Meeting

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Last summer, DaBaby sabotaged his career. The rapper stirred launched into a bizarre rant on stage at Miami’s Rolling Loud festival, targeting the LGBTQ community and those with HIV/AIDS. As a result, he was dropped from a number of festivals. He eventually sat down with nine organizations, including GLAAD and the Black AIDS Institute, to apologize for his actions. However, talking appears to be all that DaBaby did.

The Daily Beast says multiple HIV/AIDS organizations have told them that DaBaby has not donated to them nor reached out in the interim. “Since then, we have not received any outreach, partnership, or funding from DaBaby,” Pavni Guharoy, a communications consultant for the Black AIDS Institute, told the publication. “The onus is now on him, if he chooses to, to convert his misinformation into allyship by supporting the work of the Black AIDS Institute and other people of color-led HIV organizations.”

Venita Ray, co-executive director of Positive Women’s Network, also says she has not heard from nor received a donation from DaBaby. Still, she adds that the door remains open for future discussions. Ian L. Haddock, founder and executive director of The Normal Anomaly Initiative, also confirmed that he’d also received nothing since.

“Though we felt the conversation was extremely powerful a couple months ago, we haven’t heard anything back as an organization since our conversation, Haddock said.

Since then, DaBaby has returned to performing at festivals, including New York’s own version of Rolling Loud in October.

Genesis Owusu Drops The ‘Waitin On Ya (Remix)’ Video Shortly After His Big Night At The ARIA Awards

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At last week’s Australian Recording Industry Awards (ARIA), Canberra singer Genesis Owusu was the big winner of the night. The Ghanaian-Australian won four awards, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, for Smiling With No Teeth. For comparison, the ARIA’s are essentially Australia’s version of the Grammy Awards, and Owusu’s feat is damn near Eilish-ian in nature.

Smiling With No Teeth is a jovial, soul-packed expression of hip-hop; more melodic than rugged, more danceable than pensive, more rock & roll than R&B, and cheekier than stoic. In short, it’s hella fun. Today, Owusu has shared a new video for the remix version of “Waitin On Ya” (which he performed at the ARIA gala.) It’s a time-and space-shifting visual that features Jagwar Ma’s Jono Ma assisting on the mix. There’s a lively snare drum beat with a hint of the amen break in the background, breathing new energy into the song. A spritely sax peppers its way in as Owusu plays a shady travel agent that teleports to tropical locales while smiling broadly through gold teeth.

Watch the video for “Waitin On Ya (Remix)” above and check out the tour dates for Owusu’s first US headlining tour below. Get tickets here.

01/13/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
01/15/2022 — San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
01/17/2022 — Seattle, WA @ Neumos
01/19/2022 — Denver, CO @ The Bluebird
01/25/2022 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
01/28/2022 — Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
01/29/2022 — Nashville, TN @ Basement East
01/30/2022 — Austin, TX @ Antone’s

Smiling With No Teeth is out now via House Anxiety / Ourness

Toby Fox Dominated Some Spotify Wrapped Lists Thanks To ‘Undertale’ And ‘Deltarune Chapter 2’

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It’s been six years since Undertale won the hearts of many. The indie RPG that can probably be best compared to Earthbound became an internet phenomenon that we’re still witnessing today. The community around that game has shown an adoration that few games receive and with that adoration has come memes, inside jokes, and a lot of covers for the killer soundtrack. Undertale has a phenomenal soundtrack that can be played endlessly. For some, that’s exactly what they did throughout 2021.

It’s the first day of December, and that means Spotify has given everyone their annual Spotify Wrapped summaries. Undertale creator Toby Fox has dominated plenty of lists, and it’s a reminder that even all these years later, gamers are still showing it some love. In fact, Fox started trending.

We also saw some love for Deltarune Chapter 2, which was released by Fox back in September. Of course, with songs as great as “BIG SHOT” on there, we can understand why.

If it isn’t clear by now, people really enjoy Fox’s music and they’re going to continue loving it for years to come. This isn’t a new phenomenon — some said that this is not the first time Fox has popped up on their Wrapped.

With Deltarune Chapter 2 still fresh in our heads and Undertale a classic, we fully expect to see Fox on these lists come 2022.

Moses Sumney Releases The Breezy ‘In Bloom (In The Woods)’ And No, It’s Not A Nirvana Cover

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Come December 8th, Moses Sumney will be out with a new concert film entitled Blackalachia. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, it was filmed in the fall of 2020, when playing in front of live crowds was something we all weren’t sure of when would happen again. Part of WeTranfer’s Wepresent series, the 67-minute set sees Sumney playing songs off of both Græ and Aromanticism, along with some new material, which is what brings us here today.

On “In Bloom (In The Woods),” Sumney operates with a renewed comfort vocally. Perhaps it’s the bucolic setting, but there’s a distinct peace-of-mind in his delivery as he sings over gorgeous strings and a modest beat. You can almost hear the insects chirping in the background of the audience-less recording. The film itself obviously stars Sumney, but it was also directed by him. “Over the course of two days, we filmed 14 songs, totally live, the trees as our audience, the grasshoppers our background singers,” Sumney said in a statement. “The film is a wild imagining of what can happen when we seek not just to reclaim nature, but to reintegrate with it.”

Listen to “In Bloom (In The Woods)” above and watch a whip-fast drone-filmed trailer for Blackalachia below.

A Wu-Tang Clan Biopic Backed By Leonardo DiCaprio Was Shot Down By RZA, According To Raekwon

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Although biographical films about hip-hop pioneers have become a hot commodity in recent years — just see Straight Outta Compton, Roxanne, Roxanne, and Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B for proof — one group that has yet to see its story adapted to the big screen is Wu-Tang Clan, which instead has been recounting its origin in the Hulu original series Wu-Tang: An American Saga. However, according to group member Raekwon, the group did come close thanks to an unlikely ally: Leonardo DiCaprio.

In an excerpt of Raekwon’s upcoming memoir From Staircase To Stage: The Story Of Raekwon And Wu-Tang Clan published on Rolling Stone today, Raekwon detailed his efforts to produce a Wu-Tang film with DiCaprio’s help — and how RZA ultimately shut those plans down in favor of the television series concept.

“We started talking about the possibility of a Wu-Tang movie and I told Leo I’d love to see him play a role in it, anything he wanted to do,” Rae recounts of meeting the actor at what he calls “an old mafioso-looking pizza spot.” “He talked about his production company and all the directors he thought might do a great job — and these were big names and people he’d worked with.”

However, Rae recalls, “RZA’s energy was entirely different. He barely said anything and seemed to be going through the motions, nothing more. I could tell he wasn’t going to agree to do it, and my instincts told me why: my guess is that he was already in bed with a production company, deep into developing the scripted series for TV, even though none of us had signed off on it.”

The “Ice Cream” rapper said the move hurt his feelings “because it proved to me that he’d already counted me out before I began. He didn’t think I could bring that kind of power to the table, but I’d gotten them there, all ready to rock and roll.” Eventually, though, the TV show plans went ahead and the show itself has become a well-received success, so even if Raekwon’s movie idea could have been a winner, it looks like the story was told how it needed to be after all.

Lizzo Films Herself Creating A For-Sale Painting Using Her Booty As A Paint Brush

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International art fair Art Basel is once again taking place in person in Miami this year. Along with exhibitions from artists across the globe, this year’s event will also feature a special musical performance by none other than Lizzo. To promote her upcoming set this weekend, Lizzo got creative. Taking inspiration from the experimental nature of the works seen at Art Basel, Lizzo made a painting of a butterfly using her booty as a paint brush.

The singer shared a video showing the painting’s process on TikTok. “Hey y’all, it’s your girl Lizzy Picasso here,” she announced, adopting the new moniker to create her masterpiece. The video shows Lizzo creating her colorful painting on an easel before an assistant lathers her backside in royal blue paint.

“I think I need to make more ass art,” she wrote in the caption alongside her video.

@lizzo

I THINK I NEED TO MAKE MORE ASS ART🤔 WHO WANTS A BOOTYFLY?🍑🦋 WATCH ME PERFORM IN MIAMI LIVE – TIX HERE: http://lizzo.live-now.com

♬ original sound – lizzo

There’s good new for those who want to own Lizzo’s actual painting. During a livestream of her performance at Art Basel on December 4, fans will be able to bid on the artwork and one lucky buyer will get to take it home.

Watch Lizzo paint a picture of a “bootyfly” above.

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

Pooh Shiesty, The Weeknd, And Lil Nas X Had YouTube’s Top-Trending Music Videos Of 2021

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While K-pop may have had some of YouTube’s most-watched videos in 2020, rappers definitely dominated in 2021. It may seem given that the top-trending music video on the platform would be by an established artist. But this year, the top slot was actually taken by a relatively new act: 22-year-old Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty had the top YouTube music video of 2021 with bigger artists following behind him.

Shiesty’s video for his Lil Durk collaboration “Back In Blood” was No. 1 for 2021 with 211.5 million views. While it wasn’t the most-viewed content of the year, it did stay trending on the platform for a while. Other rappers like Polo G, Rod Wave, and Cardi B made the list while Olivia Rodrigo’s buzzworthy video to her debut single “Drivers License” landed at No. 9.

Check out the full list below, as well as YouTube’s other top-trending lists.

Top Music Videos
1. Pooh Shiesty — “Back In Blood” Feat. Lil Durk
2. The Weeknd — “Save Your Tears”
3. Lil Nas X — “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
4. Polo G — “Rapstar”
5. DJ Khaled — “Every Chance I Get” Feat. Lil Baby, Lil Durk
6. Mo3, OG Bobby Billions — “Outside (Better Days)”
7. Silk Sonic — “Leave The Door Open”
8. Cardi B — “Up”
9. Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
10. Rod Wave — “Street Runner”

Top Trending Videos
1. I Spent 50 Hours Buried Alive — MrBeast
2. Minecraft Speedrunner VS 5 Hunters — Dream
3. Glitterbomb Trap Catches Phone Scammer (who got arrested) — Mark Rober
4. The Weeknd’s FULL Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show — NFL
5. Friday Night Funkin’ Keeps Getting Better And Better — CoryxKenshin
6. Kids Make Fun Of Boy With Autism And Instantly Regret It — Dhar Mann
7. Golden Buzzer: Nightbirde’s Original Song Makes Simon Cowell Emotional — America’s Got Talent
8. The Inauguration Of Joe Biden And Kamala Harris | Jan. 20th, 2021 — Biden Inaugural Committee
9. I Spent 100 Days In A Zombie Apocalypse In Minecraft… Here’s What Happened — Forge Labs
10. Game Night Stereotypes — Dude Perfect

Top Creators
1. MrBeast
2. Dhar Mann
3. SSSniperWolf
4. CoryxKenshin
5. Dream
6. TommyInnit
7. Mark Rober
8. Kallmekris
9. Technoblade
10. The Royalty Family

Breakout Creators
1. Kallmekris
2. Ranboo
3. Adin Live
4. Beluga
5. Ryan Trahan
6. TapL
7. Kinigra Deon
8. Tubbo
9. BrentTV
10. Casual Geographic

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