Music

Doja Cat Says She Feels ‘Pressured’ By The Requirements Of Her Career

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Before she was a huge star, Doja Cat had a pretty carefree approach to making music — look no further than her breakout viral hit “Mooo!” for proof. However, since garnering a no. 1 hit record with “Say So,” she hasn’t had the time to make goofy tunes for fun, as she recently revealed during a live stream with her fans. She said that she hasn’t had the opportunity to “make music willy-nilly, have fun, and just jam” for “maybe five years.”

Instead, she says, “I’m doing all this shit that I don’t f*ckin’ wanna do.” For example, “I don’t want to take f*ckin’ pictures,” she says. “Like, yes, planning a photoshoot is very fun,” but having to actually get made-up and pose for several hours a day seems to be wearing on her (something that was hinted at in her guest appearance on Lil Dicky’s Dave, on which she played herself and portrayed the busy schedule that keeps her from being able to “jam”).

In actuality, she says, she would rather spend her time doing other things. “I feel pressured to do sh*t like that,” she says. “I don’t want to do that. I want to be home. I wanna make music. I wanna play f*ckin’ video games.”

However, prioritizing her career has more than paid off for the jokester. Her song “Get Into It (Yuh)” was recently featured in a Taco Bell ad, leading to speculation she’s got more partnership announcements on the way, she’s clearly having a lot of fun with fashion, and she’s been redefining pop music as she accumulates new listeners by the day, popping up on new festival lineups all the time, and becoming a sought-after featured artist even as she becomes more choosy with sharing her verses.

Still, if she really is feeling run down from “never not working,” as she once put it, a vacation may be in order — sooner rather than later. She’s waited this long for stardom, I’m sure that her fans will be more than willing to wait for new music if it means she gets a well-earned, much-deserved break.

Ebro Darden Apologizes For Calling Tinashe’s Name ‘Ghetto’ During Their Interview

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R&B singer Tinashe and New York radio personality Ebro Darden are trending on Twitter after a video of their 2013 interview on his Hot 97 morning show resurfaced in which he teases her about her name. After Ebro asked Tinashe’s last name (it’s Kachingwe, by the way) and his co-host, Peter Rosenberg, supplied the answer, Ebro tried to joke about Tinashe’s “unusual” name — which comes from the Zimbabwean Shona language and means “We have God (or God is with us)” — somehow mashing together reckless colorism with an ignorant, classist statement.

“Can we point out how light-skinned she is with a ghetto-ass name?” Ebro wonders. Rosenberg checks him, telling him, “It’s not a ghetto name, it’s an African name.” Although he incorrectly states that it’s a Nigerian name, Tinashe clarifies that it’s Zimbabwean and gives them the definition. Ebro tries to explain himself, saying, “Sometimes these ghetto names are actually African.” Meanwhile, Tinashe merely smiles at Ebro in the clip on Twitter, which cuts off before her response. In the full interview, which is still on YouTube, she addresses the light skin comment, explaining that her father is from Zimbabwe, while her mom is white.

In posting the video, the user who resurfaced the clip pointed out the singer’s composure in the awkward moment but let’s be honest: She’s probably used to it. People say all kinds of wild things to kids who don’t just have generic or Biblical names and the question “what are you mixed with” gets lobbed at fairer-skinned Black people all the time. In fact, Tinashe herself imperfectly explained colorism during the run-up to her third studio album, Joyride, pointing out how her complexion often causes confusion from other people. Twitter, being Twitter, dragged her for the comment, but it looks like today, the tables have turned.

Users excoriated Ebro for his comments (it’s unclear whether they recognized how old the video is), while pointing out the obvious irony in them, given Ebro himself is a light-skinned Black man with African roots and an unusual name. For his part, he apologized for comments, saying, “Yea this was a terrible joke, we were using the name skit for people to learn her origins… love Tinashe that’s my homey still.” Obviously, he’s (mostly) grown from this era of confrontational journalism, although he also made Saweetie cry by dissing her freestyle a few years later. Hopefully, he’ll continue to learn and grow, as we all should, and find a way to balance his jokes with consideration, thoughtfulness, and empathy. You can watch the full interview above.

Snoop Dogg Exhibits Artistic Flair In His ‘Make Some Money’ Video With Dave East

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It’s Black Friday, which for many means shopping for deals at big-box retailers trying to clear the year’s stock ahead of the new year. However, for some, like Snoop Dogg, it’s an opportunity to support Black businesses — which is exactly what he does in his new video for “Make Some Money,” which is presented as a showcase of colorful art and fashion by Black painters and designers with all their names attached so viewers can spend some money to support artists who might have otherwise been overlooked.

The new single comes from Snoop’s recently released compilation album The Algorithm, which he released last Friday as part of his new role at Def Jam. As such, the song also features two Def Jam artists: Dave East, who signed to the label in 2016 as part of a joint venture with Nas’ Mass Appeal Records, and Fabolous, who signed to the label in 2007, releasing four albums under the imprint beginning with From Nothin’ To Somethin’ (five, including the joint project Friday On Elm Street with Jadakiss).

Other singles from The Algorithm include “Go To War” with Blxst, and “Murder Music” with Benny The Butcher, Busta Rhymes, and Jadakiss.

Watch Snoop Dogg’s “Make Some Money” Video featuring Dave East and Fabolous above.

Dionne Warwick And Chance The Rapper Prove That ‘Nothing’s Impossible’ With Their Promised Collaboration

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Back in December of last year (where does the time go?), Twitter helped create the unlikeliest of connections when legendary R&B singer Dionne Warwick tagged Chance The Rapper to tease him about his stage name. After Chance finished freaking out about being acknowledged by the music icon, she invited him to “rap together,” leading to Chance telling Stephen Colbert that the pair had collaborated on some new music. Now, with just a month to go until Christmas, the duo has shared the results: the uplifting ballad, “Nothing’s Impossible.”

Created in collaboration with Chance’s non-profit Social Works and the forward-thinking foundation Not Impossible, the new song popped up on YouTube through Empire Distribution and counts Chance’s Chicago-based collaborators Smoko Ono and Peter Cottontale as producers and composers along with Damon Elliott. The R&B star, who recently made a surprise appearance on SNL, handles the comforting chorus and bridge.

Chance was really enthused about the collaboration last year, telling Colbert, “I was very surprised that she knew who I was. But it was awesome… It feels like my first taste of fame. I went to Starbucks the other day and they’re like, ‘Are you the guy who got tweeted by Dionne Warwick?’”

Lil Baby Shoots Down A Recent Rumor That He And Saweetie Are Dating

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Ever since “Icy Grl” rapper Saweetie broke up with Atlanta trap rapper Quavo, she’s been linked to a number of their peers in the hip-hop world. Recently, a photo-op with Compton rapper Roddy Ricch led to speculation about the pair dating that Saweetie promptly shot down, and now, she’s been paired with another Atlanta native by gossip blogs when Hollywood Unlocked reported that Lil Baby took her on a date in New York, spending almost $100,000 on her. However, Lil Baby himself surfaced online to deny the rumor, emphatically shutting down speculation that they’ve begun dating.

“Baby not dating NO ONE!!” he tweeted. “I’m Single!”

Saweetie was in New York City around the time of the report, where she made her Saturday Night Live debut performing a medley of her hits as well as her new single “Icy Chain.” But as Baby pointed out, unless the stars themselves let us know their connections personally, it’s probably best to let the speculation rest. Saweetie proved as much, refuting a report that she’d reunited with Quavo earlier this year.

Incidentally, Lil Baby and Saweetie aren’t the only ones getting the Twitter matchmaking treatment. Baby’s friend and Drip Harder collaborator Gunna was also recently linked to a pretty, up-and-coming star, Chloe Bailey, when the pair was photographed at a Hawks game sharing a table in the lounge area. Gunna also addressed the rumors, saying the two were just hanging out at the game while working on music together.

Yo Gotti Delays His New Album ‘CM10’ After The Murder Of His Late Rival, Young Dolph

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Fans are convinced that Memphis rapper Yo Gotti delayed the release of his new double album CM10 out of deference for his late rival Young Dolph, who was murdered in their shared hometown earlier this month. Gotti, who had been hyping the new project’s release planned for this Friday, November 25, instead posted on Instagram announcing that it had been given a “new date” and advising fans to “stay tuned.”

The double project is to consist of two albums, Free and Game, according to Gotti’s Instagram post announcing the release last week. “I’m going against what everybody told me,” he wrote. “‘Dropping 2 Albums on the Same day DONT MAKE SENSE.’ Me: I’m an Ex-Drug Dealer Turned Executive NONE OF THIS SH!T MAKES SENSE.”

Some fans quickly expressed their belief that he’d delayed the album as a result of the recent murder of his fallen foe Dolph, with whom he’s feuded for the past five years. Their feud extended to their respective label crews, Collective Music Group and Paper Route Empire, to the point that Gotti’s Memphis restaurant was temporarily shut down by police after Dolph’s death as a precaution. Although the two rappers have traded musical insults over the years, fans think that Gotti is using the additional time to remove references to Dolph — either out of respect or self-preservation — to avoid speaking ill of the dead.

Yo Gotti Delays His New Album ‘CM10’ After The Murder Of His Late Rival, Young Dolph

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Fans are convinced that Memphis rapper Yo Gotti delayed the release of his new double album CM10 out of deference for his late rival Young Dolph, who was murdered in their shared hometown earlier this month. Gotti, who had been hyping the new project’s release planned for this Friday, November 25, instead posted on Instagram announcing that it had been given a “new date” and advising fans to “stay tuned.”

The double project is to consist of two albums, Free and Game, according to Gotti’s Instagram post announcing the release last week. “I’m going against what everybody told me,” he wrote. “‘Dropping 2 Albums on the Same day DONT MAKE SENSE.’ Me: I’m an Ex-Drug Dealer Turned Executive NONE OF THIS SH!T MAKES SENSE.”

Some fans quickly expressed their belief that he’d delayed the album as a result of the recent murder of his fallen foe Dolph, with whom he’s feuded for the past five years. Their feud extended to their respective label crews, Collective Music Group and Paper Route Empire, to the point that Gotti’s Memphis restaurant was temporarily shut down by police after Dolph’s death as a precaution. Although the two rappers have traded musical insults over the years, fans think that Gotti is using the additional time to remove references to Dolph — either out of respect or self-preservation — to avoid speaking ill of the dead.

A 14-Year-Old Astroworld Victim’s Family Sues Travis Scott And Live Nation

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The latest reported Astroworld lawsuit comes from the family of a 14-year-old high school freshman who was killed at the festival along with nine others including a nine-year-old boy and a man who died trying to pull his fiancee out of the surging crowd. According to People, the family of John Hilgert seeks $1 million in damages while condemning the “gross negligence” of the festival’s organizers and promoters, including Live Nation and Scoremore.

“Defendants egregiously failed in their duty to protect the health, safety, and lives of those in attendance at the concert,” the lawsuit reads, “including but not limited to the failure to provide adequate security personnel to implement crowd control measures, proper barricades, and the failure to provide a sufficient amount of emergency medical support.”

A press release from Chris and Nichole Hilgert, the 14-year-old’s parents, asserts that the couple wants to reform concert presentation, with changes including assigned seating in general admission areas and increases in security and medical personnel on-site. “This pain should never be felt by anyone over a loved one attending a live concert,” Chris said in the statement. “Our sole aim in filing this lawsuit is to prevent this type of tragedy from ever happening again at a live concert. There is no excuse for the poor crowd design, event execution, and lack of response that was exercised at this festival that resulted in the tragic death of our son and nine others along with scores of other people that were innocently injured.”

Shinedown Shares Their 2021 Holiday Gift Guide

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With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’ll be holiday gift shopping time before you know it. Every year, gift buyers are faced with the unique challenge of trying to figure out what they should be getting for their loved ones to show their love and affection. Luckily, we here at Uproxx got some of our favorite artists to help get the juices flowing with the Uproxx Holiday Gift Guide, letting the world in on the best gives they’ve ever given, received, or ones they wish they had thought of.

Next up is Shinedown, who are marking the holidays with a cover of John Lennon’s “Happy X-Mas (War Is Over).” To celebrate the new cover, vocalist Brent Smith sat down to recommend handmade gifts, cash, and vinyl in the latest Uproxx Holiday Gift Guide. Check out their holiday sale here.

Shinedown Gift Guide
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What album makes the best holiday gift and why do you love it?

The album that I would give as a gift would either be Back In Black by AC/DC or Appetite For Destruction by Guns N’ Roses. They’re iconic. They are also an introduction into the awesome world of rock n roll, and they’re great records.

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What’s the perfect gift for your significant other and why?

Well, the perfect gift would be your love because that should be given all year around. But, also, I think if your significant other really means a lot to you, it’s always cool to do something by hand, whether it’s a card or whether you make them something. It’s just a different way of giving somebody a gift instead of going out and buying it at a store or online. If you make something for them, a lot of times they feel that that is much more significant and quite special.

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What do you give to the musician in your life?

I have a lot of musicians in my life. Most of the time gift cards work really well. They could just go out and get what they want.

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Oh no! You have to buy a gift for a kid. What’s something you get for a child?

Money! Plain and simple.

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Mom and dad can be the hardest to shop for. What’s a great gift for the parental figure in your life?

That really just depends on a lot of different things, but most of the time, you know, they kind of give you subtle hints through the years what they want. It’s usually stuff for the house, or, I remember a couple of years ago, I bought my mother a Mercedes because she hadn’t had a brand-new car in over 25 years. So, you just have to listen to your parents, and they kind of give you subtle hints with what they could use or what they might need.

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What’s the one merch item of yours that you think makes a great gift and why?

Definitely the vinyl records because we spent a lot of time on those. We’ve got a lot of different reissues and what have you, so definitely vinyl is always a cool gift.

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Some of the best gifts are experiences. What’s an experience you think would make a great gift?

Any time you can travel the world, any time that you can go to a different country and experience that culture, that’s always a great gift. So that’s what I would say. A family trip or even just a trip to a different country with friends. That’s always a great gift and a cool, cool experience.

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Is there a gift not covered in these questions that you want to highlight?

There is, actually. And that is your time. Your time to sit and be present with the people that you love and respect and, you know, just listening sometimes is one of the greatest gifts that you can give, and you can give that gift all year around.

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“Happy X-Mas (War Is Over) is out now. Listen here and pick up some Shindown merch right here.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONcjR8ELo3s

Ye Gets Vulnerable About Marriage, Politics, Alcohol, And More In His Lengthy ‘Thanksgiving Prayer’

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While many of us celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday by getting together with family and/or friends, Ye spent his Turkey Day sharing his “Thanksgiving Prayer,” a five-minute video in which the rapper speaks about what he’s thankful for, as well as his shortcomings.

A significant portion of the spoken-word piece (backed by some Sunday Service gospel music) is dedicated to family. The artist formerly known as Kanye West says, “All I think about every day is how I get my family back together and how I heal the pain that I’ve caused.” He later discusses the impact his politics had on his family: “Good Lord, my wife did not like me wearing the red hat. Being a good wife, she just wanted to protect me and our family. I made me and our family a target by not aligning with Hollywood’s political stance and that was hard for our marriage. Then I ran for president without proper preparation and no allies on either side. I embarrassed my wife in the way that I presented information about our family during the one and, thank God, only press conference.”

Elsewhere, he discusses his mental health, alcohol issues, and more, so watch the video above and find a full transcript of it below.

“Boom, boom, boom. Westside. Kanye West. Conway West Side. You never noticed that, did you?

The uh… Hello, my name is Ye and this is my super, super, super, super, super long Thanksgiving Prayer.

On this Thanksgiving, I’m so thankful for family, my blood family, my fans, and our haters. We love you, too. On Thanksgiving, on Christmas morning, not the night before or the day, just the morning.

We’re thankful for our current civilization of 8 billion people, our ancestors, and our children. I’m writing this prayer on my way back from taking my Mini Me to his first football game. Saint got to play catch with Tom Brady before the game. This is a God’s dream.

My Mini Me is a mix of two of my favorite things: Me and my wife’s face. All I think about every day is how I get my family back together and how I heal the pain that I’ve caused.

I take accountability for my actions. New word alert: Misactions. The one thing that all my successes and failures have in common is me.

Let’s start with A: alcohol. I would drink to take the stress away, to knock the edge off. Drinking affected my health and the health of people around… around me, because I already had a hair-trigger temper and this just heightened it.

B: episodes. I went into a manic episode in 2016 and I was placed under heavy medication. Since then, I went on and off the medication, which left me susceptible to other episodes, which my wife and family and fans have had to endure.

Ego. My ego has a tendency to go past the threshold of being motivating and entertaining to just being overbearing. There are ways to show confidence without arrogance.

Temper. Now I know, none of y’all would ever picture this, but sometimes I scream. And that screaming might have helped me tell off everyone who doubted me in music, but that screaming did not help me keep my family together.

Religion. Self-righteous Christian behavior. When I got saved, it did not immediately make me a better person. It made me a self-righteous Christian. Mix that with being rich, famous, and very, very, very, very, very attractive and you got a Molotov cocktail ready to be thrown through the window of anyone who ever disagreed with me. I was arrogant with my Jesus, like I just got me some Jesus at the Gucci store with a stimulus check.

Let’s go with politics here. Good Lord, my wife did not like me wearing the red hat. Being a good wife, she just wanted to protect me and our family. I made me and our family a target by not aligning with Hollywood’s political stance and that was hard for our marriage. Then I ran for president without proper preparation and no allies on either side. I embarrassed my wife in the way that I presented information about our family during the one and, thank God, only press conference. All my dad had to say afterwards was, ‘Write your speech next time, son.’

F is for finances. I spent money like crazy. I mean, it’s the craziest thing I’ve done, and I’ve done a lot of crazy things. As the priest of my home, I must watch my own money and secure our finances. This is America, so people don’t consider stealing to be stealing. They just chalked it up to greed, consumerism, and capitalism.

I’ve let people use me. I’ve had giant entourages. People around me just to make me feel good about myself. I’ve had to learn that I have to take accountability. We always judge and tell other people what they should do, but we can only take accountability for ourselves and our children.

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the family that my wife has given me, I’m thankful for the life that God has given me, and I’m thankful for your time, attention, and patience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”