Music

Jack Harlow Stopped His Concert Once He Realized His ‘Idol’ Drake Was In The Crowd

by
Jack-Harlow.jpeg
Getty Image

It’s no secret that Louisville rapper Jack Harlow credits his success to the hip-hop greats that came before him. One of the musicians that he looks up to the most is Drake, who he previously named his favorite rapper. While he’s also noted that Andre 3000, Lil Wayne, Eminem, and Jay-Z have also influenced his music, Drake is definitely at the top of his list. That’s why he stopped a recent concert when he looked up to realize that among the crowd was none other than the Certified Lover Boy rapper.

Harlow made a tour stop in Toronto this week in support of his 2020 album, Thats What They All Say. After performing a few songs from his set, Harlow stopped the show once he saw Drake leaning over the balcony. “Tonight was a dream come true to me for more than one reason. First off, you sold this b*tch out,” he said into the microphone. “Second, I was halfway through my performance and I seen my idol looking at me, man. Toronto, make some noise for the G.O.A.T. one time!”

Watch Harlow show love to Drake at his Toronto show above.

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

Smino Rallies His Community To Help A Neighbor In A Tough Spot In His Video For ‘I Deserve’

by

It’s been a while since Smino delivered a full project to the world, but that could be changing very soon. He returned with “Rice & Gravy” in May, his first single since 2020’s “Tempo,” and it would begin a return to form that brings us to his latest single, “I Deserve.” The track is a mellow effort, one he dedicates to a let friend Pooh, and on Tuesday he shared the music video for it.

In the visual, Smino learns that his neighbor is facing eviction after failing to pay rent. Here, the rapper decides to plan and promote a “rent party” for family and friends around the block. The funds that were made from the event were collected and given to Smino’s neighbor which saved him from eviction. Prior to releasing the track, which Smino previously revealed was dedicated to his late friend Pooh Man, he spoke about its importance to him.

“Tbh I ain’t gave much of a f*ck bout bein onna internet or eem bein a artist since bro left,” he wrote in a tweet. “I’m talented/blessed af tho so I can’t stop.. God gave me a lot to share so i did my best @ channeling this shit into sumn meaningful.”

The new video arrives after Smino teamed up with Syd for their “Right Track” collaboration. More recently, Smino lent his vocals to Terrace Martin’s new album Drones as he appeared on “This Morning” with Arin Ray.

Watch the “I Deserve” video above.

Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Are Hosting Their Own Limited Silk Sonic Radio Series On Apple Music

by
Anderson Paak Bruno Mars Silk Sonic BET Awards 2021
Getty Image

Now that Silk Sonic has released its debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are ready to give something else a try. In fact, they just announced their next endeavor: The duo is hosting a new limited Apple Music radio series, which shares its name with the new album. They also shared a trailer for the show today.

The series premieres today at 10 p.m. ET on Apple Music 1 and press materials note of the first episode, “On the debut episode, Bruno and Anderson, with the help of Bootsy Collins, invite listeners to join them on an after-hours journey with music from The Jackson 5, Con Funk Shun, Thundercat, The Isley Brothers, Partynextdoor, and much more.” Of the series as a whole, press materials also say, “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. 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.”

Mars says of the show, “Apple Music asked us to host a radio show to talk about the album. We had so much fun that we’ve decided to retire from music and become full time radio personalities. We want to thank Apple Music for helping us find our new calling. Goodbye cruel world of music. Hello radio. See you at the top.”

.Paak added, “When we come together on those rare instances when the clouds open and the stars unite, we go as Silk Sonic. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s never too late to turn it around, and speaking of never too late, I think we right on time.”

Watch the teaser clip above.

An Evening With Silk Sonic is out now via Atlantic Records. Get it here.

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

Britney Spears Thanks The #FreeBritney Movement And Teases A Potential Tell-All Interview With Oprah

by
britney-spears

Brintey Spears has been in high spirits for nearly a week now. After 13 long years, a judge finally ruled that her highly-publicized conservatorship should be terminated. She celebrated the decision on her social media, writing, “Good God I love my fans so much it’s crazy. I think I’m gonna cry the rest of the day !!!! Best day ever.” Days later, Britney remains all smiles as she took to Instagram to share a longer message and hint at what could come next.

In the video, Britney began by reflecting on the struggles of her conservatorship and what she appreciates the most about her newfound freedom. She then took a moment to thank the #FreeBritney movement for their support. “You guys rock,” she said. “Honestly, my voice was muted and threatened for so long, I wasn’t able to speak up or say anything. Because of you guys and the awareness of kinda knowing what was going on, and delivering that news to the public for so long, you give it awareness to all of them. Because of you, I honestly think that you guys saved my life in a way 100%.”

She continued, “I know there’s a lot of jokes about the #FreeBritney movement — we’re not free, we’re expensive. Okay birdies, I’m expensive too. Anyways, with that said, let’s move forward. God bless you all, we’re gonna have a good year, good Christmas, and rock on!”

In the post’s caption, Britney also hinted at a special tell-all interview in the future. “I might as well do a hint of my thoughts on the gram before I go and set things square on @Oprah,” she wrote. “I mean who knows … I do know how embarrassing is to share the fact I’ve never seen cash or wasn’t able to drive my car …. but honestly it still blows my mind every day I wake up how my family and the conservatorship were able to do what they did to me … it was demoralizing and degrading !!!!”

Travis Scott Reportedly Received A $750 Million Lawsuit From Over 125 Astroworld Attendees

by
Travis Scott Astroworld Fest 2021
Getty Image

While the aftermath of the Astroworld tragedy is still unfolding, Travis Scott and festival organizers just received their biggest punch. According to TMZ, Travis and others were hit with a $750 million lawsuit from more than 125 attendees. The suit was filed by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee and it places blame on Travis and festival organizers for “negligence in failing to properly plan the concert, train security personnel, and host a safe event.”

The family of 21-year-old Alex Acosta, who is one of 10 people who died as a result of the festival, are among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Acosta was allegedly crushed by an “incited, unruly and out-of-control crowd with such force that he could no longer breathe.” Buzbee also shared a statement about the high-priced lawsuit, which also names Drake, Apple, Live Nation, and others. “No amount of money will ever make these Plaintiffs whole; no amount of money can restore human life,” he said. “But, the damages sought in this case attempts to fix, help, or make up for the harms and losses suffered by these Plaintiffs — nothing more and nothing less.”

The lawsuit also addresses Travis and Live Nation’s recent decision to offer refunds to those who attended the festival earlier this month, a move legal experts say could waive concertgoers’ right to sue. The lawsuit called it “… a transparent and grotesque effort of the Defendants to limit their liability, after the fact, to the families of those killed or injured.”

Drake And Ye Have Reconciled According To A Picture They Took Together With J Prince

by
kanye-west.jpeg
Getty Image

After more than three years, it seems like Drake and Ye have ended their beef thanks to some help from J Prince. Ye posted a picture of himself, Drake, and J Prince after the trio met at Drake’s house. Drake also posted a video of himself and Ye turning up together at a party that featured an appearance from Dave Chappelle, who was also seen in the video. The rappers have J Prince to thank, as the Rap-A-Lot record label founder was set on bringing them back together so as to use their star power for a better cause.

It all started when Ye and J Prince met at the Rothko Chapel in Houston. Their discussion eventually led to the idea of Ye and Drake ending their beef so that both rappers could hold a benefit show advocating for the release of Chicago gang founder Larry Hoover. Ye initiated the reconciliation with a lengthy message he shared on Instagram. “I’m making this video to address the ongoing back-and-forth between myself and Drake,” he said. “Both me and Drake have taken shots at each other and it’s time to put it to rest. I’m asking Drake on December 7 to join me as a special guest to share the two biggest albums of the year live in Los Angeles with the ultimate purpose being to free Larry Hoover.”

Ye added, “I believe this event will not only bring awareness to our cause but prove to people everywhere how much more we can accomplish when we lay our pride to the side and come together.”

After the rappers spent years trading shots in their music and over social media, it’s good to see them on good terms. Now, all we can do is wait for more information on the December 7 benefit concert in Los Angeles.

The Owner Of Ye’s Bear Costume From ‘The College Dropout’ Might Sell It For $1 Million

by
Ye Kanye West MTV TRL 2004
Getty Image

In addition to the school theme, each of Ye’s first three albums had another thing in common: Each one had a bear mascot somewhere on its cover. There was even a plan to create a line of the bear costumes for people, but that never came to fruition. After 2007’s Graduation, Ye would let go of the bear theme for future projects that include Yeezus, and his most recent album Donda. During a recent interview with Fake Shore Drive‘s Andrew Barber, Eric Arginsky, who worked with Ye’s team on the failed bear line, revealed he still owns a version of the costume that he’ll consider selling.

Arginsky, who shared images of the costume with Barber, revealed that the costume has spent the better part of 20 years sitting in a closet. “My mom wants it out of her house soon,” he said. Barber then asked if he’d consider selling it, and Arginsky said he would. “I love business and opportunity so the best thing that could ever happen is someone from Ye’s camp sees this video and reaches out to you to bring this opportunity back and then you and I are producing bears tomorrow,” Arginsky noted. “That’s what I’m really hoping for. I know that the percentages are very slim on that one. But yeah, I would say at this point I’m really open to anything.” Barber then asked if $1 million would be a fair buying price and Arginsky replied, “Personally, I would say yes.”

You can watch the full interview between Barber and Arginsky in the video above.

RZA Reveals That A Long-Rumored ODB Biopic Is Indeed Happening

by
rza-tf-uproxx.jpg
Mike Relm

Earlier this year, Wu-Tang’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album was sold by the government to pay off part of ultra-weasel Martin Shkreli’s $7.4 million forfeiture judgment. But members of The Wu-Tang Clan have stayed plenty busy with other endeavors. For starters, the second season of the Hulu show Wu-Tang: An American Saga came out, and one of its members, RZA, re-launched his series Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater on his platform 36 Cinema, which hosts screenings of old school kung-fu and blaxploitation films, complete with guests and live commentary.

In a recent interview with Mic, where RZA spoke about An American Saga, the 2019 Sacha Jenkins-directed documentary Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men, and the need for Black voices to tell Black stories. He also revealed that he is working on a biopic about Ol’ Dirty Bastard. If you’ve heard about this before, it’s because in 2018, The Hollywood Reporter ran a story revealing the project was green-lit by Columbia Pictures, that it would be produced by RZA, and that a search for a director and screenwriter were underway. Not only that, but he shared that it’s part of a bigger vision:

“The documentary was to capture the story as best we can in the reality of it, and then the TV series was to dramatize it. The third tier of the plan, which I’m in progress of, is an ODB movie biopic. Like the five-year Wu-Tang plan, this was a five-year media plan that I concocted, I meditated on, and I’m striving to live out. So far, it’s working well.”

ODB was a polarizing figure, to say the least, and his life was shrouded in equal parts flamboyance and mystique. A RZA-produced biopic is sure to shed light on his fantastic and mad existence.

Kate Bush and Big Boi Recorded A Song Together, But Will It Ever Be Released?

by
Kate Bush Big Boi TOP
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

Kate Bush once famously took a 35 year hiatus from performing on stage. The iconic British singer and producer is among music’s most notorious recluses. And despite the 2016 Before The Dawn live album, has not released any music since and any news of future releases has remained consistently absent. Until now…

Appearing on The Fader Uncovered Podcast with Mark Ronson this week, Big Boi dropped a bombshell so to speak, that he had not only recorded a song with Bush (whom he idolizes), but that it’s “…a monster hit with Kate Bush — that I’m just holding.” He explained on the show that in 2014, around the time of the Outkast 20th anniversary tour and when Bush came out of that 35 year performance retirement for a 22-date run of shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, he and his wife went to see her live. He met Bush backstage after the show, exchanged numbers and stayed in touch. “She’s a very, very, very classy lady,” he said.

Big Boi then details a dinner he went to with Bush at a pub where they sipped “almond cognac,” before eventually working on this mysterious song. “It’s a dream come true and the people are gonna f***ing love it. It’s f***ing incredible,” he says. But he stayed coy on the song’s release, stating that “Whenever I think they deserve it, I’m gonna give it to ’em.” He also intimated that the song could be “that perfect art piece” to go with a visual component necessary for a release as an NFT.

The news of this collaboration really came out of left field, but not so much considering Big Boi looked up to Bush growing up. He revealed that Bush was one of the reasons he got into making music and that he would ride his bike to school as a kid listening to “Running Up That Hill.”

“The world gotta hear it cause it’s uplifting,” he said reflectively of the song. “It’s the last piece of the puzzle as far as my legacy goes.”

Wyclef Jean Accidentally Dropped Land Rover’s CEO From His Shoulders After Playing A Corporate Event

by
Wyclef Jean Land Rover Range Rover 2021
Getty Image

Wyclef Jean is good at many things. Through his solo music and work with the Fugees, he’s become one of hip-hop’s most respected figures. Also, he got pretty famously choked by Dylan (aka Dave Chappelle) that one time, so that’s another resume bullet point. If there’s one thing he’s not awesome at, though, it’s supporting CEOs while they sit on his shoulders.

That’s not just an odd and random thing to say, as TMZ has the story: The rapper was hired to perform at the the Range Rover Leadership Summit, which was attended by Jaguar Land Rover higher-ups, yesterday. After the event, there was an after party at the Edition Hotel in West Hollywood, where Jean was seen carrying Joe Eberhardt, President and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover North America, on his shoulders. In the video obtained by TMZ, Wyclef kind of just sways for a while as Eberhardt sits on him and supports himself by holding onto Jean’s hands. Then, there comes the point where Jean seemingly either attempts to let Eberhardt off his shoulders or just stumbles forward, which sent both Jean and Eberhardt hurtling to the ground.

TMZ notes that Eberhardt left the party early and was “slightly hurt” as Jean “looked embarrassed by the whole thing.”

Land Rover’s slogan is “above and beyond,” but it seems Eberhardt might be best served if he stayed below and close: below shoulder level and close to the ground.