Music

Blxst’s ‘No Love Lost’ Dance Video Showcases Some Award-Winning Talent

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LA rapper Blxst is in the midst of a huge breakout after bubbling on the city’s underground scene for the past few years. With the release of his debut tape, No Love Lost, and its star-studded deluxe edition, Blxst has become a household name on the West Coast, with designs on expanding his popularity to the national stage in short order.

To help with that, he’s enlisted the aid of Angyil, a Red Bull Dance Your Style World finalist, to put her own interpretation on the latest single from Blxst’s breakout album. The “No Love Lost” dance video puts Angyil on the picturesque Dakar coast, which provides a beautiful backdrop for her electrifying moves.

Blxst’s highly visual approach to his debut project is part of the reason for its success. Beginning with the video for “Overrated,” several of the videos from the original project tell an overarching narrative that describes a night of LA-style troublemaking, as Blxst and his boys “run a play,” forcing Blxst’s girl to stay up late worrying about him. The narrative concludes in the video for “Pressure,” resolving the plot and establishing Blxst as a master storyteller — which is the biggest part of his appeal.

Watch Blxst’s “No Love Lost” dance video above.

Freddie Gibbs Claims To Have Shot A Crackhead Nine Times — To Very Little Effect

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Rappers often make braggadocious claims about their lives from before they picked up the mic. In fact, it could be argued that these claims are a large part of why many rap fans enjoy the genre, whether or not those big fish tales turn out to be true (Jadakiss’ 360-degree walls have become a favorite water cooler talking point on Twitter). However, every so often rappers say these things outside the context of their music, which somehow makes their boasts all the more outrageous and, in some cases, borderline problematic.

One of the kings of such statements is Freddie Gibbs. As a rapper whose primary inspiration seems to be his uninhibited, drug-dealing days in Gary, Indiana, Gibbs’ raps are often packed with shootouts, shady deals, and the sort of details that make US Prosecutors salivate at the thought of introducing lyrics in court (fortunately, they can’t). But during his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast yesterday, Gibbs casually makes a claim that has fans doing double-takes.

“It’s a crackhead, back in the day,” he recalls. “I shot that n**** nine times with a TEC-9 and he kept running down the alley.”

It’s the sort of story that both begs more context and utter and absolute silence from the storyteller because as badly as we all want to know more, that’s exactly the sort of narrative that should remain on wax — not in a podcast, which isn’t protected by the same rules. Of all the questions that arise from Gibbs cavalier recollection, the one that hovers over the proceedings the lowest might just be:

Chance The Rapper And Taylor Bennett Tease A Future Collaboration For Facebook Watch

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Facebook Watch

Chance The Rapper and his brother Taylor Bennett talk about being unsigned and their plans to collaborate on Facebook Watch’s Forward: The Future of Black Music. In the exclusive preview clip below, the Chicago-born brothers sit on a bean bag couch and play video games while Taylor describes his new work with Motown Records-signed artist TheHxliday, while Chance thanks Taylor for some of the advice the younger Bennett has given over the years. You can watch the exclusive clip below and check out the full episode on Facebook Watch Friday, February 26 at 12 pm PT / 3 pm ET.

Previous episodes of Forward: The Future of Black Music have seen discussions with Chance and Taylor’s fellow indie rap stalwarts D Smoke and Tobe Nwigwe, who shared chats with John Legend and Erykah Badu, respectively. The idea was originally influenced by the TV series Iconoclasts, aiming to make viewers a “fly on the wall” for these intimate, insider discussions.

Chance recently reunited with his fellow Windy City rapper Vic Mensa on their new song “Shelter,” the first collaboration between the two since the early days of their parallel rises to stardom. Meanwhile, Taylor is about 18 months removed from his last EP, American Reject.

Watch Forward: The Future of Black Music with Chance and Taylor 2/26.

Questlove Is Sharing Some Of His Myriad Musical Insights With A New MasterClass

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Questlove is commonly regarded as one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to music and its history. Now, the drummer for The Roots (to grossly simplify everything he does in and beyond the group) is sharing some of his insight with a new MasterClass focused on music curation and DJing.

MasterClass has shared a trailer for the class today, and the description says students of the class can expect to “explore DJ techniques, expand your musical vocabulary, and learn how to glide from genre to genre — including hip-hop, neo-soul, jazz, R&B, and more — to curate your own perfect playlist.” Questlove says in the trailer, “To be honest with you, not drumming in the world’s funkiest group, not the book-writing, not being on late-night television… my first love is records. I’ve been listening [to] and analyzing records since the age of 5. I’ve never shared the method to my madness or my secrets or my creative process in DJing until right now.”

In a statement, Questlove also says, “It’s one thing to listen to music, but it’s another thing to embrace it and have it come to you. Nothing will take the place of the passion that I feel for music, and I hope my MasterClass will open up a portal in your heart so that you learn to love music, find it, and appreciate it.” MasterClass founder and CEO David Rogier also notes, “Questlove’s storied career and unparalleled knowledge and passion for music has made him a music icon and one of the most influential individuals in the industry. In his MasterClass, members will gain a deeper understanding of how to listen to and absorb music so they can deconstruct songs and gain a deeper appreciation of everything they hear.”

Check out the trailer for Questlove’s MasterClass above. The class is available now, so learn more about it here.

Flo Milli Reveals What Makes Her A Good Role Model In A New Documentary About Her Life Before Rap

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Flo Milli is the latest partner for Spotify’s RADAR emerging artist program and the subject of a new mini-documentary about her life before rap courtesy of RADAR. The documentary focuses on interviews with the rising rapper’s family and closest associates, including her hairdresser Carlos Giles, her mom, her grandma, and her aunt. The matriarchs reminisce with Flo in a diner about her impressive academic achievements — her grandma notes that she graduated with honors and advanced diplomas — telling her that she sets a good example for young Black girls.

The doc also includes old performance footage of Flo turning up her high school assemblies, and features a fun story from the star herself about her first show. She booked the concert in Atlanta when she was just 16 years old but didn’t want to tell her family because she thought they might disapprove. Initially planning to catch the Megabus from her home in Mobile, Alamba to Atlanta, Georgia, she worried that something might happen to her so she told her mom — and got a ride from her supportive matron.

Flo Milli rose to stardom in 2019, thanks in part to the popularity of her songs “Beef FloMix” and “In The Party,” signing to RCA Records at just 19 years old. Her debut mixtape Ho, Why Is You Here? took the internet by storm in 2020, making her appear to be an overnight sensation to those who weren’t in the know. However, as the Spotify RADAR documentary shows, she put in the work to make it and has the pedigree and support to make it.

Post Malone Covered A Hootie And The Blowfish Classic For His ‘Pokémon’ Partnership

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The Pokémon franchise is commemorating its 25th anniversary this year; While Pokémon Red and Blue, the first games released in the US, came out stateside in 1998, the original Japanese games, Red and Green, were released in 1996. Anyway, part of the celebration has included collaborating with Post Malone on a couple things. Malone is performing a virtual concert for Pokémon Day this weekend, but ahead of that, he has released a new cover tied to the partnership: a rendition of the Hootie And The Blowfish classic “Only Wanna Be With You.”

Malone keeps the cover mostly stylistically faithful to the original version, and even though the song doesn’t have any clear preexisting connection to Pokémon, Malone has turned in a fun recording nonetheless. He slightly tweaked the lyrics, shifting the focus of one line from the Miami Dolphins to his favorite NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys, as he sings, “I’m such a baby ’cause the Cowboys make me cry.” Longtime Pokémon fans may have also noticed that the song has a sample from the second-generation Game Boy/Game Boy Color games Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, specifically the music that plays in Ecruteak City.

Darius Rucker, who of course sang and co-wrote the ’90s classic, is over the moon about Malone’s rendition, tweeting of it this morning, “The smile in my face will not leave for a long time. This is awesome. My bro @PostMalone bringing it. Hell yes man!!!!!!!!!”

Listen to Malone’s rendition of “Only Wanna Be With You” above.

Watch Chloe X Halle Dance Side By Side In The Intergalactic, Extravagant ‘Ungodly Hour’ Video

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Last year Chloe x Halle broke out in a big way due to their sophomore album Ungodly Hour, a follow-up to 2018’s Kids Are Alright. These sisters have been on the mainstream radar for a while though because of an early co-sign from none other than Beyonce herself, who took them under her wing and has been helping them prepare for the greatness they were clearly destined for. Even during a pandemic and a year of economic chaos, Ungodly Hour became one of the most talked-about R&B records of the year, spawning hits like “Do It” which spawned a star-laden remix featuring Doja Cat, Mulatto and City Girls.

As their profiles have grown — Halle for her role playing Ariel in a new live action version of The Little Mermaid and Chloe for simply just posting photos and videos of herself on social media (haters gonna hate) — they’ve continued to focus on this breakout record. A few days ago they announced that a video for the record’s title track would be dropping this week, and tonight the intergalactic clip is here. Whether they’re cavorting in the ocean wearing studded bodysuits, or shapeshifting in space age glittery dresses, it’s impossible to take your eyes off these two performers, especially when they’re dancing side by side. At one point, Halle even poses with a lit chandelier on her head as a crown. It’s an extravagant, exuberant video to match the tone of the song. Watch the new clip above.

Ric Wilson And Japanese Band Chai Give An Ode To Beauty Marks In Their Video For ‘Maybe Chocolate Chips’

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Chicago rapper Ric Wilson has seen his popularity slowly increase for quite some time now. In just the last year, he’s landed collaborations with Terrace Martin, BJ The Chicago Kid, and more, but his latest partnership finds him taking his talents to the other side of the world. Wilson teamed up with Japanese electronic band Chai in their new video for “Maybe Chocolate Chips.”

The video is laced with a collage-like aesthetic that features animated cutouts of Wilson and Chai. The song is an ode to beauty marks and the video uses chocolate chip cookies as a motif, there to represent moles people may find on their face. It’s their attempt to put a positive spin on these beauty marks.

and the constant appearance of chocolate chip cookies throughout the video is proof of the artists’ attempt to put a positive spin on the blemishes some may be insecure about.

Chai’s bassist and vocalist Yuuki spoke about the song’s meaning in a press release. “Things that we want to hold on to, things that we wished went away,” she said. “A lot of things happen as we age and with that for me, is new moles! But I love them! My moles are like the chocolate chips on a cookie, the more you have, the happier you become! and before you know it, you’re an original.”

The track will also appear on the band’s upcoming album, Wink, which arrives on May 21. It’s their first release since 2019’s Punk. As for Ric Wilson, he’s dropped his “Pull A James Baldwin” single last month, which served as the follow up to his 2020 EP, They Call Me Disco, with Terrace Martin.

You can watch the video for “Maybe Chocolate Chip” above.

They. And Kiana Lede Remix ‘Count Me In’ With A Sultry Video

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R&B duo They. was one of the many artists that appeared on Uproxx‘s Most Anticipated Albums Of Fall 2020 thanks to their second album The Amanda Tape. The project eventually arrived at the end of October and was heralded all over the R&B world, coming in at No. 17 on Uproxx’s Best R&B Albums of 2020 list. Now, the duo looks to extend the life of the project with a brand new remix of “Count Me In” with Kiana Lede.

The new version arrives with a sultry video, as well as an equally impassioned verse from the R&B songstress. They.’s Drew Love leads the way with a verse centered on committing to love, so long as one’s potential partner is all for it. Then Kiana steps forth to lay down the law and reveal her requirements for a relationship. “Only thing that I can trust is a ‘f*ck me’ kinda love,” she sings. “You gon’ f*ck up me standin’ up / So you can’t let me down.”

Along with They., Kiana Lede offered another 2020 highlight in the R&B world. Her moment came much earlier in the year with the April release of her debut album, Kiki. This project also appeared on Uproxx‘s Best R&B Albums of 2020 list at No. 12.

You can watch the “Count Me In” remix video above.

21 Savage And Metro Boomin Defeat A Chainsaw Killer In Their Haunting Video for ‘Glock In My Lap’

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After teasing the album for more than two years, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin finally delivered Savage Mode II last October. The project was met with rave reviews and later became the second No. 1 album of their careers. Months later, the two return with a new video for the track “Glock In My Lap.”

The pair begin the video in the midst of thick smoke and beaming red lights. The song’s co-producer, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., eventually joins them and moments later they are approached by a chainsaw-wielding killer, who ends up being no match for the trio. C.N.O.T.E. and Metro pull out their guns to unleash a storm of bullets on their opponent, taking them down with little resistance.

The video is of a piece with previous Savage Mode II videos, which also have a cinematic flourish. “My Dawg” finds the pair taking the roles of menacing businessmen while “Runnin” depicts a rags-to-riches story as they returned to their hometown to show off the Grammy that 21 earned for his 2019 single “A Lot.” The duo also paid homage to the late King Von during a performance of “Runnin’” and “Mr. Right Now” on The Tonight Show, where 21 said, “The world lost a legend.”

Elsewhwere, 21 recently joined YBN Nahmir to throw an outdoor party in their video for “Opp Stoppa.”

Watch the “Glock In My Lap” video above.