Music

Mary J. Blige Thinks Her New Album Is Going To ‘Blow Everybody’s Mind’

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Though Mary J. Blige‘s last album, Strength Of A Woman, only came out four years ago, in 2017, she’s already ready to blow fans minds with a whole new record. That album might’ve had a Kanye verse, and Blige went on to get nominated and perform at The Oscars the following year, she’s still convinced that her new material is going throw fans for a loop. During a recent appearance on Tamron Hall, the legendary R&B star opened up about some of what she went through, a very public divorce included, that inspired this next project.

“Wait till you hear it, it’s gonna blow everybody’s mind,” Blige said. “And it’s because it’s something I had to do, and something I had to say when I was in my darkest, darkest moments in that life, to build myself up to this person that I can see and accept my nose, accept my eyes, accept my cheeks, accept all the things that I used to hate. When I wake up with no hair and makeup, I’m accepting that chick that goes to the bathroom and I like her. I hang out with myself a lot. I’m my own best friend.”

Check out the full interview above.

Frank Ocean Shared A Moving Tribute To Virgil Abloh: ‘You’re A Hero’

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After the extremely tragic and untimely death of Virgil Abloh at age 41 this Sunday, the hip-hop and fashion worlds are reeling over the loss of such a monumental talent. Kanye West dedicated his latest Sunday Service to his long-time collaborator, and artists like Tyler The Creator have already praised Virgil’s influence on them, and though he barely posts on social media at all anymore, Frank Ocean has also poured out his heart honoring the late designer on Instagram today.

As usual, there’s no one better at putting the most important things into words than Frank, so I’ll let his words speak on their own.

“In 2018 I believe it was I called V and asked him how it was possible to play hundreds of shows a year and do numerous fashion collections a year and be a father and a husband and return EVERYONE’s texts with enthusiasm and emojis and encouragement and seemingly with ease. I cannot remember how he responded verbatim but I’m sure it was quotable what ever he said… he was always quotable. But the gist of his response was that he was interested in living and living to the maximum extent of his level … which proved to be impossible today because he was BEYOND.

I’ll miss you. When Ryan went to his prom you got him some pieces from your new collection at LV and he was GEEKED. Couldn’t get him to take it off. When I went to Miami and you played a set on the beach in 2016 you played “White Ferrari” — a song with no drums or bass anywhere to be found lol — and started a sing a long. When I played you demos of shit I was working on or showed you Homer way before it was ready you put the battery in my back. When my brother passed I never said anything because it was way too much but he loved you and really looked up to you. He was going to fashion school and everything. He wanted to be a designer. My family was proud of you like you were our family. I know grief is love that you don’t get to express so this is an attempt at expressing it. Love you V. You’re a hero.”

Check out the post from the @blonded Instagram story below:

Frank Ocean On Virgil Abloh
Instagram

Ye Has Once Again Cleared His Social Media For As-Yet-Unknown Reasons

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It’s almost always fun when high-profile recording artists clear their social media because it usually means a new project is on the way. However, in the case of the artist formerly known as Kanye West, it’s more bemusing than anything else. For one thing, he just dropped a new album, Donda, which received a mixed response from critics and fans, and for another, this is something he does with some degree of regularity for reasons that make sense to him alone (and maybe not even him, if we’re being honest).

As of this writing, Ye’s profile picture on Instagram is simply an empty black field and there are no photos on the grid at all. Meanwhile, on his Twitter, every tweet for the last 12 months has been deleted. His most recent tweets are all from his controversial failed presidential campaign last November, with a sizable number of his tweets from before that cleared out as well. Ominously, most of the remaining posts pertain to his campaign, and it’s probably telling that the first one that appears is his “concession” tweet from the last election that reads “Kanye 2024.”

While we were spared from such a thing mainly due to Ye’s haphazard, slapdash approach to the campaign, his latest social media reset could imply that he’s taking the next effort much more seriously this time around — which could both be good and bad, for any number of reasons. However, it could also be a response to the recent death of his friend and collaborator Virgil Abloh, who passed away on Sunday after a two-year battle with cancer. Either way, we hope Ye uses the reset wisely an makes more responsible use of his social media platforms in the future.

Tyler The Creator Reveals The Impact Virgil Abloh Had On Him Using His Last Name

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In recent years, Tyler The Creator has been using his full name, Tyler Okonma, more regularly in creative projects, especially in the credits of film projects which credit him more often by his government name than his nom de plume. A big reason for that was the late Virgil Abloh, as Tyler revealed in a touching Instagram post remembering the designer’s passion and impact on Tyler and other Black creatives.

“few years back i started using more of my African last name OKONMA because of how regal Virgils felt,” Tyler shared. “Everything he did felt like he said ‘hey over here, coast is clear’ whenever i questioned things.”

In a longer post than he usually shares, Tyler described Abloh as “a true geek” and “a cheerleader for everyone,” vowing to follow in the late designer’s footsteps. “That hand of his opened doors, lead people in and tossed the keys outside for the next person to have,” Tyler recalled. “wish i was able to see him see what his helping hand did for me. his spirit is around tho. i feel it. he’ll see it. i’ll keep pushing and trying things while leaving the door open. he’ll shake those pom-poms. we’ll keep that on loop. safe travels.”

Abloh’s death was reported on Sunday by his personal accounts and those of the LVMH brand (where he had been artistic director for the last few years), revealing that he’d battled “a rare, aggressive form of cancer” since 2019. His death was met by a wave of appreciative posts from friends and fans, who praised his creativity and pioneering in the world of high fashion, as well as a dedication from Kanye West.

Megan Thee Stallion, Flo Milli, And More Share Support For Rico Nasty After Carti Tour Harassment

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After Rico Nasty expressed her exasperation at the treatment she’s received over the course of the Playboi Carti Narcissist/King Vamp Tour, her fellow artists are coming to her defense, sharing messages of support and condemning the behavior of the concert attendees who’ve disrespected her at stops throughout the tour.

Among those who praised the standout, rock-influenced rapper were plenty of artists who know exactly how she feels firsthand. Kehlani, who was thrashed by fans over her dating history early in her career, wrote, “Rico is a gem of an artist and person, I hope you know how epic and special you are.” Megan Thee Stallion, who likewise has come under fire for everything from her love of anime to her case against Tory Lanez, shouted out Rico, calling her a “beautiful ass strong ass amazing artist/woman.”

And while other women like Doja Cat (whose profile pic is currently a photo of Rico, while Rico’s is a photo of Doja), Flo Milli, and Tierra Whack also expressed their love for Rico, Juicy J, a longtime legend within the Memphis hip-hop scene, lent his support as well — something that is meaningful considering the treatment of women overall within rap fan groups on Twitter.

Rico spoke up on Twitter after weeks of harassment by Carti fans on the tour, with one fan throwing a bottle at her. Eventually, the treatment prompted her to tweet, “I dead ass need at least two hours out of each day. To just cry… Crazy how I wanted a tour bus my whole life and now I just be on the tour bus crying myself to sleep every night 😂. I wish I was dead just as much as y’all do trust me. Y’all win.”

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

Newcomer Nardo Wick Gets Big Looks From Future And Lil Baby On ‘Me Or Sum’

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Coming from Jacksonville, Florida, newcomer Nardo Wick has explosively crossed over with his new single “Who Want Smoke” with 21 Savage and G Herbo. He continues his hot streak with another new single backed by some of the biggest names in street rap, “Me Or Sum,” tapping Future and Lil Baby for a timely assist. The three rappers share their blunt observations on transactional relationships, offering material possessions in exchange for physical affection.

Although still a relative rookie in the rap game, Nardo Wick’s breakthrough single has already charted on the Hot 100, debuting at No. 17 in October and accruing 60 million streams across all major platforms. Notoriously, Wick claims he had to shoot the “Who Want Smoke” video twice simply because the gun-laden original concept couldn’t be shared on his social media. He also featured on the Judas And The Black Messiah soundtrack last year, likely contributing to the buzz for his new music before the release of his viral single.

It hasn’t been all good news for Wick, however; in August, he was reportedly arrested by US Marshals for concealed weapons charges.

However, tapping in with big names like 21 Savage, G Herbo, Future, and Lil Baby seems to have raised his profile enough that he’s got more attention for his music than his legal issues, which is the sweet spot when it comes to crossing over and becoming a star.

Listen to Nardo Wick’s “Me Or Sum” above.

Fans Think Quavo Responded To The Rumors Lil Baby Is Dating Saweetie

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Quavo is trending on Twitter as fans continue to speculate about Lil Baby dating Saweetie. Of course, Quavo and Saweetie used to date until she broke up with him for allegedly cheating on her. Since then, fans have been inordinately invested in Quavo’s thoughts about any of Saweetie’s moves — even the ones that haven’t been officially confirmed.

However, those same fans have become sleuths rivaling the most persistent private investigators in the week since it was reported that Lil Baby and Saweetie went on a shopping date in New York. A post from Saweetie’s account sitting on an anonymous man’s lap was compared to a post from Lil Baby’s account, with fans noticing the similarities in wardrobe between the man in both photos.

Around the same time, Quavo posted an Instagram Story with the text, “Ain’t trippin’ we can swap it out!” Naturally, fans decided that this meant he was commenting on the supposed relationship between his ex and his fellow Atlanta trap rapper, proposing to take a pass at Lil Baby’s ex, Jayda Cheaves.

Of course, Lil Baby just denied the rumors himself, tweeting, “Baby not dating NO ONE!! I’m Single!” While the photographic evidence appears to suggest otherwise, we’ll wait for those two to confirm their relationship before jumping to any conclusions.

‘Succession’ Fans Are Disappointed This Week’s Episode Never Delivered On ‘Tiny Wu-Tang’

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Succession remains appointment television on Sunday nights and, as usual, digital water cooler Twitter is abuzz with talk of the latest episode a day later. However, today’s chatter is slightly different than the usual disdainful amusement at the antics of the toxic Roy family in their endless power struggle. Today, there is an air of disappointment that Sunday’s episode did not deliver on the potential entertainment value of Kendall Roy’s 40th birthday party.

Sure, we got pesky little brother Roman antagonizing his older brother, Shiv’s dance floor meltdown, Connor’s coat (and polling-related injury), and cousin Greg‘s victorious date proposal (though Comfry may have just accepted out of spite for Ken’s nonstop buffoonery), but the one thing we didn’t get was the one thing the show’s writers had to have known we’d want from the moment they wrote the words: Tiny Wu-Tang.

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Just look at Rava’s face. The skepticism mixed with wonderment and just a dash of curiosity. Truly, she is all of us.

And then Kendall (probably wisely) pulled the plug on his schlocky performance idea (crucified, singing Billy Joel’s “Honesty.” Whew, lord, that man isn’t just out of touch — he’s never been in it). And so we all missed out on what could very well have been the most side-splittingly harebrained of his birthday plans. Fans aren’t happy about it, either.

Ah, well. It’s probably better we didn’t get this anyway. Could you imagine those poor kids having to tour behind some dumb joke from an HBO show? That’s one future reality show we definitely don’t need to be subjected t– aw, dangit. Now, I want that too.

Ari Lennox Says That She’s Been Racially Profiled And Arrested In Amsterdam

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Ari Lennox‘s trip to Amsterdam has apparently taken a turn for the worst, as she tweeted that she’s been arrested, apparently “for reacting to a woman racially profiling me.” Lennox’s live tweet of her visit began innocently enough, with a simple “Hi Amsterdam” message, presumably when she first landed. However, she apparently ran into some trouble with security, as just an hour later, she tweeted, “F*ck Amsterdam security. They hate black people.”

From there, things clearly deteriorated, with Ari expressing a desire to return to the States and promising, “I’ll never leave my house again.” Then, around an hour later, she told her followers, “They’re arresting me.” Her final tweet of the day reads, “I’m being arrested in Amsterdam for reacting to a woman racially profiling me.”

According to Reuters, Dutch military police accused the singer of public intoxication and being aggressive toward an airline official. A spokesman said, “Our unit found a woman full of emotions, that wouldn’t calm down. That’s why she had to be taken into custody.”

Dutch police are investigating claims of threats Lennox supposedly made during the incident.

The singer, who released her studio debut Shea Butter Baby in 2019, recently performed at the Soul Train Awards on BET alongside Summer Walker, performing “Unloyal” from Walker’s new album, Still Over It.

‘Succession’ Fans Are Disappointed This Week’s Episode Never Delivered On ‘Tiny Wu-Tang’

by
wu-tang clan
Getty Image

Succession remains appointment television on Sunday nights and, as usual, digital water cooler Twitter is abuzz with talk of the latest episode a day later. However, today’s chatter is slightly different than the usual disdainful amusement at the antics of the toxic Roy family in their endless power struggle. Today, there is an air of disappointment that Sunday’s episode did not deliver on the potential entertainment value of Kendall Roy’s 40th birthday party.

Sure, we got pesky little brother Roman antagonizing his older brother, Shiv’s dance floor meltdown, Connor’s coat (and polling-related injury), and cousin Greg‘s victorious date proposal (though Comfry may have just accepted out of spite for Ken’s nonstop buffoonery), but the one thing we didn’t get was the one thing the show’s writers had to have known we’d want from the moment they wrote the words: Tiny Wu-Tang.

succession: tiny wu tang
HBO

Just look at Rava’s face. The skepticism mixed with wonderment and just a dash of curiosity. Truly, she is all of us.

And then Kendall (probably wisely) pulled the plug on his schlocky performance idea (crucified, singing Billy Joel’s “Honesty.” Whew, lord, that man isn’t just out of touch — he’s never been in it). And so we all missed out on what could very well have been the most side-splittingly harebrained of his birthday plans. Fans aren’t happy about it, either.

Ah, well. It’s probably better we didn’t get this anyway. Could you imagine those poor kids having to tour behind some dumb joke from an HBO show? That’s one future reality show we definitely don’t need to be subjected t– aw, dangit. Now, I want that too.