Music

Tyler The Creator Bundles Up In A Chilly AMAs Performance Of ‘Massa’

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For his American Music Awards performance, Tyler The Creator popped out from backstage with a puffer jacket and his customary ushanka, rapping “Massa” in front of a house set in a snowy tableau. For some reason, he was wearing shorts. Unlike some of his previous performances, this one was relatively muted, as he stayed pretty much stationary in front of the door before stepping out into the snow, adding more and more passion to his performance while snow fell from the sky. And when the performance was done, he hopped on the back of a Vespa and cruised off the stage, as coolly as he entered.

Tyler The Creator’s big year kicked off in June with the release of the initial teasers for his new album, Call Me If You Get Lost. After putting up billboards promoting a phone number with a special, constantly-changing message from Tyler (which turned out to be the album’s interludes), he shared the first video, for “Lumberjack,” two weeks later.

He quickly followed up with a flurry of new videos and comedic sketches, including videos for “Wusyaname,” “Juggernaut,” and “Corso,” while his performance at the 2021 BET Awards solidified the hype for the album. Upon its release, it was critically acclaimed — you can read Uproxx’s own review here — and became his second album to debut at no. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Tyler also expanded his directorial portfolio with a music video for Maxo Kream, “Big Persona” (on which he also rapped), and a hilarious commercial for Converse that brought together NBA legend Bill Walton with gangsta-rap futurist Vince Staples. He certainly earned his slot on the AMAs’ appearance setlist, and his performance more than justified the show’s faith in him.

Watch Tyler The Creator’s AMAs performance above.

Silk Sonic Opens The 2021 AMAs With A Luscious Performance Of ‘Smokin’ Out The Window’

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Nine months after Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — aka Silk Sonic — made the world instant fans with their debut single “Leave The Door Open,” SIlk Sonic delivered their debut album An Evening With Sonic earlier this month and boy did they deliver. The project came attached with nine songs and contributions from Thundercat, Bootsy Collins, James Fauntleroy, and D’Mile. In addition to “Leave The Door Open,” An Evening With Sonic was also led by “Skate” and new fan-favorite “Smokin’ Out The Window.” A little over a week after that album arrived, Silk Sonic brought their talents together to open the 2021 American Music Awards.

The duo kicked off the award show night with the performance of “Smokin’ Out The Window.” As expected, Bruno and .Paak were dressed to the nines for the performance as they passionately sang about a former lover who did them wrong. Their performance also looked very similar to the music video that was released with the track.

The performance arrives after Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak announced that they’d be hosting their own limited-edition Silk Sonic radio series on Apple Music. “Over the course of four one-hour episodes, the pair feature Silk Sonic-inspired sets of all of their favorite records, ranging from old-school hits to R&B jams, hip-hop, funk, disco, and everything in between,” a press release said about the show. “From surprise guests to even more surprising conversation, it’s your turn to be a fly on the wall and spend some time with the kings of smooth.”

You can watch Silk Sonic’s 2021 AMAs performance above.

An Evening With Sonic is out now via Aftermath/Atlantic. Get it here.

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

Cardi B Says She Loves BTS And Reveals She Almost Collaborated With Them

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While we haven’t received a new album from Cardi B since her 2018 debut Invasion Of Privacy, she has been kind to us in the feature department. Her recent collaborations include “Rumors” with Lizzo, “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion, “Type Sh*t” with Migos, and “Me Gusta” with Anitta. These are just some of the records that have fans excited for what Cardi has in store for the future, but according to the rapper herself, she was supposed to work with BTS. However, her busy schedule made it difficult to bring to fruition.

“Maybe,” Cardi replied when she was asked if a BTS collaboration would arrive in the future during a recent Variety. “I was supposed to be on a record with them, but I had just released a record and then it was going to smash with the time. But I love them.” It came after she revealed another member of her family who’s a fan of BTS. “I like BTS a lot, but let me tell you something,” she said. “My daughter [Kulture] likes BTS a lot a lot. Like, ‘Mommy, mommy, put [on] the song.’ And it’s like, I already know what she’s talking about.”

Cardi is also gearing up to host the 2021 American Music Awards, and in the interview with Variety, she revealed what viewers can expect from her on Sunday night. “I’m just going to be myself. That’s it,” she said. “There are going to be certain things that I read on the teleprompter, but I’m just going to freestyle it because I don’t like feeling like I’m talking like a robot.”

You can read her full sit-down with Variety here.

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

Saweetie Delivered A ‘Tap In/Best Friend’ Medley And A Debut Performance Of ‘Icy Chain’ On ‘SNL’

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Saweetie seems to be getting closer and closer to releasing her upcoming debut album, Pretty B*tch Music. But before it arrives, the singer appeared on Saturday Night Live for a pair of exciting performances. She began the night with a medley of “Tap In” and “Best Friend,” delivering a slowed-down version in a bedazzled dress in front of backup ballerina dancers.

Later on in the night, Saweetie returned to perform “Icy Chain” for the first time. The performacne featured sharp choreography, with her dancing and twerking her way through the performance. Both songs are expected to appear on Pretty B*tch Music, which was originally set to arrive in June. But Saweetie chose to delay it after she realized “soul” was missing. She spoke about this on the red carpet at the 2021 BET Awards this past summer.

“This album needs to have feelings, it needs to have soul, it needs to have spirit,” she said. “And I have a lot of room for improvement, so I’m gonna work on that.” A release date for Pretty B*tch Music has yet to be revealed but Saweetie previously said “it’s coming soon!”

You can watch Saweetie’s SNL performances in the videos above.

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

Megan Thee Stallion Will Not Perform At The 2021 AMAs Due To An ‘Unexpected Personal Matter’

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Megan Thee Stallion was set to perform with BTS tonight at the 2021 American Music Awards. Unfortunately, the rapper was forced to cancel. She took to Twitter to apologize for the unexpected change. “Hotties I was so excited to go to the @AMAs and perform with @BTS_official,” she wrote. “But due to an unexpected personal matter, I can no longer attend. I’m so sad! I really can’t wait to hit the stage with my guys and perform #BTS_Butter real soon!”

BTS and Megan shared their remix of “Butter” at the end of August, but the road to its release was a bit turbulent. Prior to its arrival, Megan was forced to petition for the song’s release after her label 150 Certified Entertainment tried to block her from dropping it. Megan requested “emergency relief from the Court” in order to release it and hours later, a judge ruled that she free to do so.

As for the 2021 American Music Awards, which her “WAP” collaborator Cardi B will host, Megan already took home the award for Favorite Female Artist — Hip-Hop. She also received nominations in the categories Favorite Trending Song and Favorite Album – Hip-Hop.

Despite Megan’s absence, AMA organizers confirmed that BTS will still perform “Butter,” in addition to “My Universe,” alongside Coldplay, on the show.

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

Cardi B Shares What To Expect For Her Upcoming Hosting Gig At The 2021 American Music Awards

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The 2021 American Music Awards will go down on November 21, and while many are stoked for performances by the likes of Megan Thee Stallion BTS Olivia Rodrigo, and Bad Bunny, they’re also excited about who’s hosting. That would be Cardi B, and based on the rapper’s charisma, Sunday’s show should be a fun one. Ahead of her hosting gig, Cardi revealed what viewers can expect from her on Sunday.

“I’m the host, but I feel like the performers and their performances, it’s like their night, you know what I’m saying?” Cardi said during an interview with Variety. “Like when you perform, it’s your night. And I’m just going to be myself.” She added, “There are going to be certain things that I read on the teleprompter, but I’m just going to freestyle it because I don’t like feeling like I’m talking like a robot.”

Cardi also expressed her love for BTS, but according to her, she’s not the only one in her family who’s a fan of the K-pop group. “I like BTS a lot, but let me tell you something: My daughter [Kulture] likes BTS a lot a lot,” she said.

You can read Cardi’s full interview with Variety here.

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

Ye And Drake Officially Announce Their Benefit Concert In Support Of Larry Hoover’s Freedom

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Ye and Drake are finally on good terms again, after three years of beefing. The rappers wasted no time reuniting, announcing a benefit concert for the freedom of imprisoned Chicago gang founder Larry Hoover. It all started with Ye extending an olive branch to Drake, with help from J Prince, to end their beef in order to hold the concert. Now, an official venue and date for the show have been revealed and it’s not too far from today.

On December 9, Drake and Ye will take over the Los Angeles Coliseum for the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concer, with the two headlining. Ye made the announcement with a flyer shared on his Instagram page.

Larry Hoover Jr. has also shown support for the end of Drake and Ye’s beef. “This would be big,” he said in an interview with TMZ before the two rappers reconciled. “This is like Michael Jackson and Prince, the one we never seen. It’s gon’ be a ripple effect. We need togetherness and peace in this hip-hop community. We need togetherness and peace in our communities all throughout the United States. Be the leader and show, lead by example.”

You can view the flyer for the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert above.

Lady Gaga Called Adam Driver A ‘Weirdo Like Me’ In A Touching Birthday Post

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We’re still a few days removed from the holiday release of House of Gucci, the star-studded, epic account of the legendary fashion line and the crumbling marriage of Maurizio Gucci and Partrizia Reggiani. But in real life, the two main stars, Adam Driver and Lady Gaga, get along like gangbusters. They so connected on the shoot — including during a sex scene — that the latter sent a touching birthday greeting to the former.

“I hope you have the best day,” Gaga wrote on Instagram, beside a picture of the two on-set. “I’m the lucky actress who got to learn from you and lead with you every day. Shoutout to all your fans! I know why they adore you, it’s cuz you’re the best! (and you’re a weirdo like me).”

When House of Gucci hits theaters the day before Thanksgiving, it will be the second Ridley Scott movie in as many months, after The Last Duel, which also co-starred Driver. That movie tanked, despite strong reviews, but Gucci seems to at least be generating a ton of good press and social media coverage. Some of that has circled around the over-the-top Italian accents, while the singer and actress has said making the film wound up triggering some old trauma.

House of Gucci hits theaters on November 24.

(Via EW)

Soulja Boy Refuses To Share His Condolences For Young Dolph After His Death

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In the days prior to Young Dolph’s tragic death following a shooting at a Memphis bakery, Soulja Boy sparked a beef with him, calling into question Dolph’s independence as a rapper. Soulja also claimed that Dolph was lying about making $100,000 per concert. Soulja took things further still, claiming that artists on Dolph’s Paper Route Empire messaged him in defense of Dolph. “Young Dolph if you don’t get your b*tch-ass artists out my motherf*ckin’ DMs, n****,” he said. “F*ck Paper Route, f*ck Key Glock, f*ck Young Dolph, f*ck all y’all n****s.” Now, Soulja is refusing to share condolences for Dolph despite his unfortunate death.

“Let it would have been me,” Soulja said during an Instagram Live session on Friday, according to XXL. “It would have been a whole bunch of, ‘Ha ha ha, Soulja Boy should have kept his mouth shut. He should have…’” He continued, “Let it woulda been me, n****,” he continued. “N****s would have been laughing like a muthaf*cker. ‘Soulja Boy thought he was tough.’”

Soulja also responded to the recent decision to have him removed from two shows on the Millenium Tour after Dolph’s death. “Y’all muthaf*ckers done got me took off the Memphis show like Young Dolph dying got something to do with me,” Soulja said. “What the f*ck Young Dolph dying got to do with me? That’s what the f*ck I’m trying to figure out.”

Soulja recently sampled the theme song for Squid Game for a recent track of his.

DMX Aims To Inspire In The Emotional ‘Don’t Try To Understand’ Documentary Trailer

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The DMX documentary Don’t Try To Understand is due to begin streaming on HBO Max on November 25 and today, the trailer promises that the series will offer an emotional ride. Revolving around a year in the Yonkers native’s life after being released from prison in 2019 and following his efforts to pick up the pieces of his stalled rap career (which culminated in the 2021 album Exodus), the docuseries captures him at his most vulnerable, charismatic, and generous, as he shares his story with fellow Yonkers citizens and hopes to inspire them to turn their pain into words.

Executive produced by The Ringer’s Bill Simmons and directed by Christopher Frierson, the show is part of HBO’s Music Box series, which follows influential figures in the world of music and traces their impact on pop culture at large. The first installment, Jagged, follows Canadian star Alanis Morisette at the outset of her career and is available for streaming now. Future installments will concentrate on a diverse array of talents including saxophonist Kenny G, Saturday Night Fever producer Robert Stigwood, and the late Chicago rapper Juice WRLD.

Watch DMX’s ‘Don’t Try To Understand’ trailer above.

Don’t Try To Understand begin streaming on 11/25 at 8 pm ET on HBO Max.