Doja Cat, who had a huge year with the release of her third album Planet Her, is trying to leverage her influence to bring back a beloved fast-food menu item: Taco Bell’s discontinued Mexican pizza. Last year, Taco Bell cut the menu favorite in an effort to streamline its gargantuan selection (and save over 7 million pounds of paperboard in the process). The move was met with general outcry on social media as fans mourned the loss of the topping-stacked tortilla in a box.
Please @tacobell bring back Mexican pizza and spicy potato soft taco. I’m asking you nicely first.
At the time, Doja Cat was one of those who lamented the pizza getting axed, “asking nicely” for the fast-food giant to reconsider. However, in the past year, Doja has apparently accumulated some goodwill at Taco Bell corporate — or, at least, at Taco Bell’s ad agency — landing her song “Get Into It (Yuh)” on the company’s new commercial for its Double Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito. In the ad, a geeky cosplayer (SAGA!!) appears to have met their match, until the infamous Taco Bell sound effect prompts a late-night snack run instead (surely, they could have done both, but I digress).
Doja, seizing the opportunity, tweeted, “Hey @tacobell, just heard my song in your commercial… I’m a #TacoBellPartner now. So where’s my Mexican Pizza?”
Hey @tacobell, just heard my song in your commercial… I’m a #TacoBellPartner now. So where’s my Mexican Pizza?
When a fan answered, prompting her to speak to Taco Bell’s “Chief Impact Officer,” who is a friend of Doja’s — it’s Lil Nas X, by the way — the Taco Bell account responded in typical personified corporate account fashion: with a the three-emoji string of eye-mouth-eye, implying… well, there are a lot of potential definitions, but in this case, it seems to be a sanguine interest in the topic being discussed.
Talk to their Chief Impact Officer. I believe that he’s a friend of yours.
Of course, that only opened the door for more of Doja’s meme-ready shenanigans, as she hit Taco Bell with that infamous three-letter acronym, “WYD?” When the response turned out to not be “rolling out those delicious Mexican pizzas,” though, she dismissed her new playmate, telling them to “STFU” until further notice.
Could this be the beginning of the return of the Mexican Pizza menu item? Wouldn’t it be a weird way to begin the rollout? And isn’t “weird” pretty much Doja’s (and Lil Nas X’s) whole brand? And how does Rico Nasty — Doja’s good friend who occasionally goes by the alter ego “Tacobella” — figure into all of this (they’ve swapped profile pics for the past week or so)? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out. Fingers crossed for a “limited-time” sort of deal, a la Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hottie Sauce” collab with Popeyes.
The Recording Academy has officially unveiled their full list of nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards. Notable musicians like Cardi B, Lil Nas X, and Justin Bieber are up for awards this year, but the ceremony also has categories for non-music albums, like the Best Spoken Word Album category. This year, the Grammy nominations for Best Spoken Word Album means that Dave Chappelle and Barack Obama are officially pitted against each other for the same award.
The 2022 Grammy nominations for Best Spoken World Album includes Dave Chappelle’s 8:46, Barack Obama’s A Promised Land, LeVar Burton’s Aftermath, Don Cheadle’s Carry On: Reflections For A New Generation From John Lewis, and J. Ivy’s Catching Dreams: Live At Fort Knox Chicago.
If Chappelle wins, it would be his fourth straight year picking up a Grammy after winning in the Comedy Album category in 2018, 2019, and 2020. If Obama won the category, it would be the former president’s third time. He previously won a Grammy in the Spoken Word category in 2005 for Dreams From My Father (Senator Barack Obama) and 2007 for The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream.
Chappelle’s nomination comes from his 2020 Netflix special, which has a title that references the murder of George Floyd by police. But the comedian’s recent 2021 special The Closer has been the source of much controversy since its release. The stand-up features several transphobic punchlines and even led to one trans Netflix employee resigning from the company.
See the full list of 2022 Grammy nominations here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In addition to having a gorgeous voice and some questionable world views, Atlanta R&B revivalist Summer Walker is also pretty well-known for her astonishing collection of tattoos, which range from an ice cream cone on her clavicle to an array of messages and names adorning her neck and face. Her latest addition to that area is turning heads on Twitter, not just because of its placement, but also because of what it says: Her new boyfriend’s name, Larry.
Look, no judgment here but that could potentially get awkward in the future. While we wish Summer well in her relationship, many folks couldn’t help but remember that old superstition about never getting a lover’s name tattooed, lest you break up and have to explain it to people (or get it removed). That effect probably multiplies when that tattoo is anywhere above the neck, where many folks still find body art to be pretty questionable as well despite the phenomenon’s growing prominence in the hip-hop world.
Tell me why summer walker dropped that album just to tattoo fuckin “larry” on her face pic.twitter.com/q2zewmennv
Then, there’s just the fact that the gentleman’s name is Larry. No offense to anyone bearing that appellative, but I can’t be the only one who immediately thinks of The Floaters’ “Float On” — and it looks like fans on Twitter are having a lot of fun with the name too, sending it to the trending topics as only a shared sense of disbelief can. Especially in light of Walker just dropping an album of fed-up anthems (called Still Over It, no less), let’s all hope that this Larry can hold up his end of the relationship, lest her next album features his name as a song title.
Not only did she get a tattoo of a man’s name on her face but his name is Larry
Not Summer Walker giving us a whole album about how men aint shit and then going and doing some wreckless shit like tattoo a mans name on her forehead?? Girl who tf is LARRY?? Bye
The 64th Annual Grammy Awards are not too far away now, as the 2022 ceremony is set to air on January 31 on CBS. Ahead of then, though, the Recording Academy has unveiled its list of nominees. (As a reminder, the eligibility window for the 2022 Grammys is from September 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021, so only works released during that period are eligible for recognition.)
Check out the full list of this year’s Grammy nominees below.
Best Dance/Electronic Recording
Afrojack and David Guetta — “Hero”
Ólafur Arnalds — “Loom” Feat. Bonobo
James Blake — “Before”
Bonobo and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs — “Heartbreak”
Caribou — “You Can Do It”
Rüfüs Du Sol — “Alive”
Tiësto — “The Business”
Best Dance/Electronic Album
Black Coffee — Subconsciously
Illenium — Fallen Embers
Major Lazer — Music Is The Weapon (Reloaded)
Marshmello — Shockwave
Sylvan Esso — Free Love
Ten City — Judgement
Best Rap Performance
Baby Keem — “Family Ties” Feat. Kendrick Lamar
Cardi B — “Up”
J. Cole — “My Life” Feat. 21 Savage and Morray
Drake — “Way 2 Sexy” Feat. Future and Young Thug
Megan Thee Stallion — “Thot Sh*t”
Best Melodic Rap Performance
J. Cole — “Pride Is The Devil” Feat. Lil Baby
Doja Cat — “Need To Know”
Lil Nas X — “Industry Baby” Feat. Jack Harlow
Tyler The Creator — “Wusyaname” Feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla Sign
Kanye West — “Hurricane” Feat. The Weeknd and Lil Baby
Best Rap Song
DMX — “Bath Salts” Feat. Jay-Z and Nas
Saweetie — “Best Friend” Feat. Doja Cat
Baby Keem — “Family Ties” Feat. Kendrick Lamar
Kanye West — “Jail” Feat. Jay-Z
J. Cole — “My Life” Feat. 21 Savage and Morray
Best New Age Album
Will Ackerman, Jeff Oster and Tom Eaton — Brothers
Stewart Copeland and Ricky Kej — Divine Tides
Wouter Kellerman and David Arkenstone — Pangaea
Opium Moon — Night + Day
Laura Sullivan — Pieces Of Forever
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Cinema — Josh Conway, Marvin Figueroa, Josh Gudwin, Neal H Pogue and Ethan Shumaker, engineers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer (The Marías) Dawn — Thomas Brenneck, Zach Brown, Elton “L10MixedIt” Chueng, Riccardo Damian, Tom Elmhirst, Jens Jungkurth, Todd Monfalcone, John Rooney and Smino, engineers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer (Yebba) Hey What — BJ Burton, engineer; BJ Burton, mastering engineer (Low) Love For Sale — Dae Bennett, Josh Coleman and Billy Cumella, engineers; Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone, mastering engineers (Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga)
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Jack Antonoff
Rogét Chahayed
Mike Elizondo
Hit-Boy
Ricky Reed
This post is being updated.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In case you missed it: Retired NBA star Iman Shumpert is now a champion in two sports, basketball and ballroom dancing. The former Brooklyn Net won the 30th season of the dance competition show Dancing With The Stars with his professional partner Daniella Karagach, becoming the only NBA player in the show’s history to qualify for the finals and to win the competition.
Online, though, some have begun to credit his impressive win (in week 6 of 10, he and Karagach scored a perfect 40 in the contemporary dance category) to his marriage to R&B singer/dancer/choreographer/director/producerTeyana Taylor. The two share two children, have appeared in many of Taylor’s videos together, and also star in a reality show on VH1, Teyana And Iman. With her impressive list of accomplishments, as well as her expertise in the field of dance, fans came together to joke that her stern tutelage was a big contributor to Shump’s success, making her name trend on Twitter in the process.
teyana prolly had him in the studio every day like “BOOM KACK BOOM KACK KACK” and it paid off. love that for them https://t.co/ya7W137kz4
Of course, considering what the response would have been if were the roles reversed, no one should have a problem with the jokes, as men are often credited for the accomplishments of their famous female partners (sometimes, headlines erase their partners’ names entirely, reducing women to just athletes’ wives and girlfriends). If we can poke a little fun at a rich and famous athlete and the patriarchy at the same time, I’d call that a win-win for everybody.
As Travis Scott and Live Nation continue to get bombarded with lawsuits stemming from the deaths at Astroworld Festival, one of the latest comes from some of the staff who actually worked the festival, rather than attendees or their families. According to TMZ, two of the fest’s security guards, Samuel and Jackson Bush, are suing the festival’s organizers, as well as security contractors AJ Melino and Associates, for $1 million in damages after being traumatized by personally witnessing some of the deaths that took place as a result of the crowd crush and inadequately equipped facilities.
Both men not only claim mental distress from watching CPR performed on unconscious people and personally pulling someone from the crowd who later died, but also physical injuries suffered while trying to help control the chaos of the event.
Despite the seemingly large ask of $1 million, the Bushes’ lawsuit is actually at the low end of the Astroworld fallout spectrum, with one of the over 20 lawsuits demanding $750 million in damages for over 125 Astroworld attendees. Another lawsuit filed by the family of a nine-year-old boy who was trampled in the crowd (and later died) also seeks $1 million.
The fallout from the Astroworld disaster has also begun to affect other events; the organizers of Rolling Loud have implemented an age limit policy on their upcoming event in California, perhaps hoping to mitigate the liability in the case of another crowd control failure.
After posting his initial thoughts on the death of his mentor and friend Young Dolph, Memphis rapper Key Glock has followed up with a heartfelt tribute in which he describes the Paper Route Empire boss as his coach, comparing Dolph to the great Phil Jackson. Of course, that makes Key Glock the Michael Jackson of this analogy.
“Damn bro, I’m LOST,” he wrote. “My heart is torn my brain ’bout to explode. It HURTS when I breathe… Why you leave me so soon?? I’ll never be the same, you was my lefthand man, my brother, my cousin, my mentor, and drank partner. For the past 2 years I been taking LOSS AFTER LOSS and still can’t understand why… You was Phil Jackson and I was yo MJ.”
Key Glock had been signed to Dolph’s label for nearly the entirety of his rap career so far, truly taking off in 2019 when he and Dolph collaborated on the joint mixtape Dum And Dummer. Since then, he had flourished under Dolph’s guidance, dropping no less than four projects over the last two years, including his debut album Yellow Tape and mixtape Son Of A Gun, in 2020, Dum And Dummer 2 earlier this year, and Yellow Tape 2 earlier this month. He also contributed to the Paper Route Empire label compilation Paper Route Illuminati this summer.
With Dolph gone, the future of the label remains uncertain but for those who were closest to Dolph, the true loss is of their friend, mentor, and greatest champion.
It has felt like at least once every couple months or so, there was news about some chart record that The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” broke or set. The latest of those came in August, when the single officially became the longest-charting song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Now, unsurprisingly, there’s more chart news for “Blinding Lights”: Billboard has declared that the single is the No. 1 song of all time, as it is now on top of the Billboard Greatest Songs Of All Time Hot 100 Chart. It dethroned the previous chart-topper, Chubby Checker’s 1960 hit “The Twist.”
Billboard notes, “[The chart] factors in total weeks on the chart as well as exact chart positions, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. (Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.)”
The Weeknd told Billboard, “I don’t think [the success of ‘Blinding Lights’] has hit me yet. I try not to dwell on it too much. I just count my blessings, and I’m just grateful.”
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Hot 100 in 2018, Billboard unveiled the full Greatest Songs of All Time Hot 100 Chart. At the time, the top ten featured, from No. 1 to No. 10, “The Twist” by Chubby Checker, “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas, “Mack The Knife” by Bobby Darin, “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, “How Do I Live” by Leann Rimes, “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock, “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) by Los Del Rio, “Shape Of You” by Ed Sheeran, and “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Well, the holidays are rapidly approaching (or, if you’re Mariah Carey, they’ve already been here for weeks). December is right around the corner and as whatever special wintertime occasions you observe creep closer, it’s a good time to start thinking about buying gifts for loved ones. If you have music fans in your life, we have you covered with our 2021 music gift guide.
You want some slick new clothes? There here. How about a fancy vinyl record or two? We got ’em. Maybe you want some, ahem, “mood enhancers” to improve your music-listening experience? Don’t sweat it. Whoever you’re buying for, our guide has something they’re sure to love, so if you want some prime gift inspo, keep reading.
Akashic Books’ Lyricpop Series
Akashic Books
Price: varies
If there’s a youngster in your life you want to raise on the words of your favorite artists, Akashic has you covered with their LyricPop series of books, which adapt song lyrics into adorable children’s books. They released a nice variety of new books this summer: The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) (lyrics by Paul Simon), Dream Weaver (lyrics By Gary Wright), I Will Survive (lyrics By Dino Fekaris And Frederick J. Perren), Strawberry Swing (lyrics By Coldplay), and Where Is My Mind? (lyrics By Black Francis).
Really, this gift can be enjoyed by just about anybody, music fan or not, but some “chemical enhancement” has long been tied to both creating and enjoying music. Extract Labs has some new offerings that ought to serve you well, Pure CBD Isolate Tincture and Broad Spectrum Tincture. If you’re not well-versed in the world of tinctures, the Extract Labs store page has some useful information to help you figure out where might be a good place to start.
If CBD isn’t your thing, Wander + Ivy has a compelling proposition for you: single-serve wine bottles. No more dealing with bulky open bottles here, as these smaller portions feature wines from award-winning, family-owned vineyards from around the world, everything from Chardonnay to red wine to Cabernet Sauvignon.
Skullcandy has long been a leader in headphones and now their Dime True Wireless Earbuds are another fantastic option. With multiple colors available, these can look as bold or as understated as you’d like, and they boast features like a 12-hour battery life, noise cancelation, sweat and water resistance, and various sizes of ear gels to ensure you get the perfect fit.
You may have heard about The Beatles and their status as a band that a lot of people enjoy. Well, if you have a McCartney/Lennon/Harrison/Starr stan in your life who does some playing of their own, D’Addario has a selection of Beatles guitar and bass straps available, including the simple but striking vegan Get Back strap pictured above, right in time for the new Disney+ film directed by Peter Jackson.
There are all kinds of portable speakers out there, but if you want one that’s both easy to carry around and comes from a trusted brand, Sonos has a good one for you. An advantage this has over many others is how many options there are for using and controlling it, as you can connect over Bluetooth, or you can hook it up to your WiFi and control it with your phone. If you’re an Apple user, you’ll also be happy to know the Sonos Roam is compatible with Apple Airplay.
You know what you’re getting with Beats: a quality pair of headphones. Their latest offering is perfect for those who have an earbud-shaped hole in their life. The Beats Fit Pro has an impressive 27-hour battery life, wingtips for a comfortable and secure fit, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, Adaptive EQ, and spatial audio with head tracking, making these perhaps the most advanced headphones in their class.
Much has been made about the 30th-anniversary edition of Nirvana’s Nevermind, and truly, this is a must-have for Nirvana fans. There are a variety of editions, the beefiest of which comes with 8 LPs that feature the original album (newly remastered, of course), four full concerts, a 40-page hardcover book with unreleased photos, and other goodies. If physical music isn’t your thing, the band also has a bunch of new merch to coincide with the album’s anniversary.
Speaking of anniversary releases, Radiohead had a big one this year, although it’s pretty different from the Nirvana one. Kid A Mnesia, actually celebrates two albums, Kid A and Amnesiac, by collecting both albums as well as B-sides and unreleased tracks from the era. Again, if you’re not looking to buy a record/CD/tape, the gift-able merch offerings here are diverse, including everything from a paint-by-numbers set to holographic stickers.
Black Sabbath managed to cultivate one of the most recognizable aesthetics in music, and that applies to both their sound and visual branding. Now the group has teamed up with DC to celebrate that with a new collection that features everything from button-up shirts to the DC x Black Sabbath Manual High-Top Canvas Shoe, a highlight of the lot.
Adidas Z.N.E. 01 ANC Noise-Canceling Sport Earbuds
Adidas
Price: $189
If you want to gift a deluxe audio experience, Adidas has you covered. The Z.N.E. 01 ANC wireless earbuds lets listeners switch between active noise canceling and an “awareness” mode and enjoy a customizable fit that promises all-day comfort. These have plenty of juice to get you through your next workout or commute, as each charge will get you 4.5 hours of playtime.
If you happen to follow our monthly round-ups of the best vinyl releases, Vinyl Me, Please is probably a familiar name since they’re usually all over our lists. They offer exclusive pressings of iconic albums, and if you have somebody in your life who would love to get in on this, VMP makes it easy to gift memberships that last three months or longer.
I’ve recommended earplugs in pretty much every music gift guide I’ve ever written, and for good reason: It’s easy to complain about hearing damage/loss as you get older, and it’s just about as easy to prevent it. Vibes offers a great inexpensive option to help with that, so whether you’re on the stage or in the audience (or you remember being impressed when you saw these on Shark Tank), these are an excellent stocking-stuffer and a must-have.
If you’re looking to celebrate the holidays with Dua Lipa, it’s never been easier. This year, she launched her own holiday collection, and if you’re looking to get cozy, most of the gear your need is here (minus the hot chocolate, although there’s a mug to drink it from). You can hang a Lipa stocking over the fireplace, conceal your gifts in Lipa wrapping paper, and open them while donning some Lipa sweats.
Oneohtrix Point Never raised his profile significantly over the past few years with his work on Uncut Gems and collaborations with The Weeknd, so now he has more fans who can get into the expansive Blu-ray edition of his latest album, 2020’s Magic Oneohtrix Point Never. This collectible pressing presents the album (along with four bonus tracks) in both stereo and Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and it also includes sixteen music videos and more.
Wolverine x Metallica Scholars 1000 Mile Axel Boot
Wolverine
Price: $400
If you or a loved one is in need of a pair of boots that’s both sturdy and shows off your dedication to one of the finest bands of the past few decades, the new Wolverine x Metallica collection has you covered. Furthermore, half of the sales from this collection “will benefit the Metallica Scholars Initiative, providing opportunities to students looking to build the future they want” through trade education, making this the gift that keeps on giving.
Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter series is an iconic hip-hop institution, and now he’s collected the highlights all in one place. On Tha Carter Singles Collection, you get 19 of the finest songs from the series pressed on ten 7-inch records, as well as a booklet full of rare photos, two lithos, and brand new art.
If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get a Spice (25th Anniversary) LP. This is an aesthetically delightful collection, as each member of the famed group gets their own monochromatic vinyl pressing. The worst part about this is it’s going to be hard to pick which version to pick up.
If you have a songwriter in your life, you also have an opportunity to get them a unique experiential gift that could benefit them big time. Fleet Foxes leader Robin Pecknold recently announced that he’s hosting a songwriting workshop in a live online classroom setting. It runs for four sessions in January and February 2022, and School Of Song, who offers the class, notes, “People across all musical levels will be able to gain something from the course.”
On a similar note, if you want to get somebody a personal experience but they’re not a musician, Cameo ought to work just fine. There are artists on the platform that ought to fill music fans of any age or style preference with glee when they get their custom video, from Petey to Bootsy Collins to Frankie Avalon to Kreayshawn to Dionne Warwick.
After the 10 deaths at Astroworld Festival this year, it was clear to many observers that music festivals as a whole would experience some big shakeups in response. While fests like Day N Vegas and Head In The Clouds were able to continue as (mostly) normal, it looks like the first of those expected big changes has arrived ahead of the touring hip-hop festival Rolling Loud’s latest LA edition.
Posting an update to social media, the Rolling Loud organizers advised the festival’s new safety precaution for the upcoming event: An age limit. The new policy limits attendees to 18 years of age and up in an effort to prevent a possible repeat of Astroworld’s crush, in which a nine-year-old boy suffered injuries that eventually led to his death a few days later.
We welcome everyone to experience our festivals, however, in light of recent events, we will be implementing AN 18+ policy specific only to our upcoming 2021 California festival. We will be giving all ticket purchasers who are under the age of 18 the option to either roll their tickets over to next year’s 2022 California festival or receive a refund.
Refund or rollover requests must be made through the original purchaser’s front gate account during the period beginning November 23RD at 9 AM PST and ending November 26TH at 12 PM PST. Additional information will be made available on our FAQs at rollingloud.com/help.
Love ya’ll – we want everyone to rage safely. Here’s an important update for all our fans who are under 18 for RL California. pic.twitter.com/9iwjYEmS6p
For now, it appears the change is temporary, but considering the fallout from Astroworld still has yet to completely settle, it’s possible we could see this change and similar ones become permanent for the foreseeable future. Rolling Loud is scheduled for December 10-12 at the National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernardino.
@tacobell pic.twitter.com/p6W8E0Bc0L
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