Music

Jay-Z Responds To Ye’s Claim That Just Blaze Copied His Production Style

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On Thursday night, Ye’s interview with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN on their podcast Drink Champs was released and it quickly became the talk of the music world. The interview, with ran nearly two and a half hours, predictably featured a number of controversial takes from Ye. He said the “worst thing I’ve ever done” is sign Big Sean to his GOOD Music imprint and also confirmed that his support for Donald Trump is still intact. He also claimed that producer Just Blaze stole his production style through their respective work on Jay-Z’s 2001 album, The Blueprint. In a subsequent conversation on Twitter Spaces, Jay was asked about Ye’s appearance on Drink Champs and he used the opportunity to defend his claims against Just Blaze.

“N.O.R.E. sent me a piece, I seen a couple pieces,” Jay-Z replied. “I think, you know again, everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone can see things through their own lens. Some of it could be true, some of it may not be true, but that’s the lens that you see it through, so you’re just speaking to your truth.”

Jay then focused on Ye’s specific comments towards Just Blaze and copying his production style. “I think the one thing I’ll say out of all the pieces I’ve seen is the Just Blaze thing was a bit unfair,” Jay said. “Cause if you’re creating an album and the assignment is soul samples, everyone is coming with soul. You’re trying to make a cohesive piece of music, I don’t think anyone was copying [anyone].” He added, “I think everyone created for the project, the baby was The Blueprint and I think everyone should be prized for what we created. It’s in the, I don’t know what you call it, the Library Of Congress or something. It’s something that we all should be proud of and everyone should be prized for their contribution.”

Jay continued, “Some of those songs on there — “You Don’t Know” and “Song Cry” — are some of the pillars of that album. Everyone had a contribution I would say. I don’t think anyone was copying off of anyone.” Jay concluded, “I think we all had the assignment and created this wonderful body of work.”

Travis Scott Issues A Response To The Deaths And Injuries That Occurred At The 2021 Astroworld Festival

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The music world woke up to horrifying news about Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival. During the rapper’s solo set on Friday, which closed out the first night of the two-day showcase, chaos broke out within the crowd. A number of concertgoers were trampled and soon found it hard to breathe due to the suffocating atmosphere. At the end of the night, it was revealed that eight people died and hundreds of people were injured as a result of the incident. A number of attendees took to social media to share their thoughts. And now Travis Scott himself has issued a statement on the matter.

“I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night,” he wrote on Twitter “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.” He added, “I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All.”

Fire Chief Samuel Peña spoke to reporters late Friday night and went into detail about what happened. “The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries,” he said. “People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.” He said that at 9:38 PM local time, the incident was then listed as a “mass causality event” and that medical units on hand were “quickly overwhelmed” by the “scores of people” that were treated for injuries.

In total, 17 people were transported to local hospitals, with 11 being treated for cardiac arrest, and more than 300 people were treated on-site at the festival.

TDE Label Boss Terrence ‘Punch’ Henderson Announced His ‘A Room Full Of Mirrors’ Collective

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It’s well-known in LA circles that Terrence “Punch” Henderson has plenty of artistic and musical talent of his own, even though he’s spent the last several years as one of the architects behind the Top Dawg Entertainment empire. Now, Punch is readying another collective, and the trailer for what they’re about to do just dropped yesterday. A Room Full Of Mirrors will feature Punch alongside other artists like Nick Grant, DayLyt, Earlee Riser, Billymarie, Lyric Michelle, Ichiban Don, Hari and Jrias Law. They released “Mirrors” back in February and “RawR” in April to preview their first EP together, and now that project is only a few days away.

To further whet fans’ appetites, last night they dropped a trailer that revealed the EP title and gave a taste of what’s to come. Money Bags is teased in the minute-long clip (above) as a visual EP, with some clear inspirations from Quentin Tarantino and Reservoir Dogs. The film was directed by Lyric Michelle, and as far as the music, most of the project was produced by Hari and “and constructed from a narrative and detail standpoint by Punch himself.” Punch has overseen every release for TDE, so needless to say he knows how to roll an album out. Check out the preview for Money Bags above, dropping in just a few days on November 17.

Eight Deaths And More Than A Hundred Injuries Occurred At Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival

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After he was forced to cancel last year’s edition of the festival, Travis Scott and his fans were extremely excited for the return of his trademark Astroworld Festival which he launched back in 2018. However, that excitement quickly turned into tragedy and chaos on the showcase’s first day. Houston’s KHOU and the Associated Press report that at least eight deaths and hundreds of injuries occurred during Travis’ solo set to end the first night of the Astroworld Festival. Fire Chief Samuel Peña spoke about the incident during a press conference after the festival on Friday night.

“The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries,” he said to reporters. “People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.” He added that around 9:38 PM local time, the incident became a “mass causality event” as medical units on hand were “quickly overwhelmed” by the “scores of people” that were treated for injuries. Peña confirmed 17 people were transported to local hospitals, including 11 who were under cardiac arrest. A 10-year-old was one of the many people hospitalized as a result of the incident at the festival. In total, more than 300 people were treated on-site at Astroworld.

As a result, Astroworld Festival organizers announced that day two of the showcase is canceled. They also released an official statement on the matter early Saturday morning. “Our hearts are with the Astroworld Festival family tonight especially those we lost and their loved ones,” they wrote. “We are focused on supporting local officials however we can. With that in mind the festival will no longer be held on Saturday. As authorities mentioned in their press conference earlier, they are looking into the series of cardiac arrests that took place. If you have any relevant information on this, please reach out to @houstonpolice.” They added, “Thank you to our partners at the Houston Police Department, Fire Department, and NRG Park for their response and support.”

A number of posts from fans show the frantic moments that took place inside the crowd as many were left to give CPR to fellow attendees while screaming for help from security and medics. One post went into great detail about the chaos and suffocating atmosphere that was present in the crowd. Another showed attendees’ desperate but unfortunately unsuccessful attempt to grab a cameraman’s attention and notify them of what was happening within the crowd.

You can view the statement from Fire Chief Samuel Peña and Astroworld Festival organizer above. You can also view tweets from attendees below.

Jazz Cartier, Gangsta Boo And More Join Fool’s Gold Producer Grandtheft On His Debut Album ‘Wild Ways’

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Fool’s Gold Records is well-known for curating emerging talent in the rap game, and today their releasing a full-length album by Canadian DJ/producer Grandtheft that sounds like a very promising start. Though Grandtheft, real name Aaron Waisglass, has already worked on remixes for the likes of Rihanna and Katy Perry, and produced for artists like Calvin Harris, Jazz Cartier and Kyle, this is his first solo album. But like most great producer-helmed projects, the tracklist is packed with guests.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to make a producer album like Wild Ways,” Grandtheft said in a press release. “To curate a diverse lineup of incredible artists and build out a full project embossed with my sound. This is the product of us collaborating and just jamming out tunes we want to hear, with no industry trends or A&Rs dictating what this sound needed to be. This record is informed partly by living through the wildest times on tour, but also by learning when to take time away from the mayhem. It’s about making space to really create for yourself and let your imagination go off, in whatever way that is. In a lot of ways, this album feels like the culmination of all my years making music.”

That culmination includes tracks with artists like Jazz Cartier, Haviah Mighty, The Halluci Nation (formerly A Tribe Called Red), Flosstradamus, Gangsta Boo and Duke Deuce, to name a few. Check out “What You Wanna Do,” his collab with Gangsta Boo and Duke Deuce up above, and stream the whole project below.

Key Glock Shares His ‘Something Bout Me’ Video As He Releases ‘Yellow Tape 2’

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A little under two years removed from his surprise breakout with the original Yellow Tape, Memphis upstart Key Glock has returned to the project that made him one of hip-hop’s names to watch with Yellow Tape 2, which dropped today via Empire and Young Dolph’s Paper Route Empire. The project, which clocks in at 20 tracks — four more than its predecessor — contains no features but does have beats from notable producers like BandPlay, Buddah Bless, Juicy J, and Tay Keith.

In addition to dropping the album, Key Glock also shared the video for “Something Bout Me,” a rough-riding single produced by Tay Keith. In the video, KG runs several operations with the help of a squad of scantily clad companions. When business wraps up for the night, the women disrobe even further for an after-hours party where they twerk for the rapper as he relaxes and appreciates their talents. The single follows the video for “Ambition For Cash,” released a month ago to start the promo cycle for the new album.

Yellow Tape 2 brings Key Glock’s catalog of releases since 2020 to three projects, including his summer 2020 mixtape Son Of A Gun and his early 2021 joint album with Young Dolph, Dum And Dummer 2. He’s turning out to be quite the prolific creator, contributing to his growing profile as one of hip-hop’s hottest rising stars.

Watch Key Glock’s “Something Bout Me” video above and listen to his new project Yellow Tape 2 here.

Travis Scott Lives Like A Boss In His ‘Escape Plan’ Video

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As of this writing, Travis Scott’s third Astroworld Festival is already underway, where he’s expected to preview at least one or two new songs from his upcoming album Utopia after releasing “Escape Plan” and “Mafia” earlier today. However, before then, he’s shared the video for “Escape Plan,” which finds him living like a boss, directing a team of brawny security guards, and running on a treadmill on a yacht.

Anticipation for Travis’ album, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed commercial juggernaut Astroworld, is at a fever pitch thanks to the new singles, as well as Travis’ recent appearance at Rolling Loud in New York and his features on projects from the likes of Baby Keem, Don Toliver, Drake, Lil Baby and Lil Durk, and Young Thug. He also expanded his Astroworld Festival to encompass a full week of events and philanthropy, including the opening of several Nike-sponsored basketball courts and the premiere of his A24-produced film.

For fans excited to see what Travis’ set will look like but are unable to attend the festival in person, he’ll be live-streaming the set exclusively on Apple Music later tonight, beginning at 7 pm PT/10 pm ET. You can watch a preview here.

Watch Travis Scott’s “Escape Plan” video.

Snoop Dogg Returns To His ‘Murder Music’ Ways With Benny, Busta Rhymes, And Jadakiss

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Although it has been literal decades since Snoop Dogg was a legitimately menacing presence in hip-hop, that doesn’t mean he can’t occasionally tap into that mode when the mood calls for it. In the case of his new song “Murder Music,” it’s absolutely called for. However, just in case his Corona commercials softened up his image too much to be taken that seriously, he smartly calls on some of rap’s past and current prime purveyors of murder music — namely, Griselda’s Benny The Butcher, the resurgent Jadakiss, and the eternal Busta Rhymes.

Benny sets things off, declaring the ominous beat by Nottz “what they gone play when they wipe the prints off they hammers.” Then, Jadakiss reminds listeners that “it ain’t no reward for the streets.” Busta Rhymes bats cleanup, reminiscing on his rowdy battle rap past, recalling that “I don’t discriminate, I even bodied close peers.” Snoop holds down the hook, which is nice and simple, driving the “murder music” theme through repetition.

The song is set to appear on Snoop Dogg’s upcoming compilation album, Algorithm. At a recent listening session at his Compound in Los Angeles attended by Uproxx, Snoop said the project will operate as a showcase of the talent, past and present, on Def Jam, celebrating Snoop’s new position there as executive creative and strategic consultant. Algorithm is due November 19.

Listen to “Murder Music” above.

Finally, At Long Last, Dolly Parton Will Guest Star On ‘Grace And Frankie’ For The Full ‘9 To 5’ Reunion

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Adding Dolly Parton to any project is always a good idea, but it gets even better when it finally completes a long-awaited reunion with her 9 to 5 costars, which is exactly what’s happening on Netflix’s Grace and Frankie. According to a new report, Parton will guest star on the series’ seventh and final season, putting her back on screen with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. Via TVLine:

For the uninitiated: 9 to 5 was released in 1980, and starred Parton, Fonda and Tomlin as the above-mentioned Doralee, Judy and Violet, three working women who decide to get revenge on their sexist boss (played by Dabney Coleman). The movie went on to gross over $100 million at the box office.

At the moment, Parton’s role on Frankie and Grace is being kept under wraps, but she will appear in the show’s final 12 episodes that will drop sometime in 2022. (Four episodes were released early in August to tide over fans.)

When it wraps up its seven-season run next year, Grace and Frankie will have the distinct honor of having the most amount of episodes for a Netflix original series. While Orange Is the New Black is the current record holder at 91 episodes, Grace and Frankie will top that by streaming 94 episodes when the final season premieres. And, now, the show will get to say it had Dolly Parton stop by for a freaking 9 to 5 reunion, so yeah, try and top that, whichever Netflix series is still racking up episodes. (Narcos, maybe? — Nope, that’s not it. It’ll come to us.)

(Via TVLine)

Doubters And Rejection Only Fuel Turbeazy

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It can be hard to live up to the standard set by your parents, especially if one of them made their name in your industry. But up-and-coming New York rapper Turbeazy is both following in his father’s footsteps and blazing his own path.

Turbeazy remembers going to his father’s concerts as a kid; formative experiences that gave him his first exposure to hip-hop. When his dad became a DJ, Turbeazy took advantage of the moment, feasting on a fully fleshed-out collection of rap records that also helped to influence his career choice.

“At school, I used to freestyle,” Turbeazy says, “and one day somebody told me I should rap, so I ended up going to one of these kids that somebody put me on to that had a studio.”

Thanks to a laptop his mother gave him, Turbeazy kept recording, even while in the Army. When he got out, the education continued with classes that helped him forge a career as an audio engineer at Manhattan’s Fight Klub Studios.

When he records now, Turbeazy is sure to keep one foot in the past, allowing the influence from his father’s career and record collection to find its way into his music.

“In order to move forward, you gotta be able to know and acknowledge the past,” he says. “I still feel like that needs to be represented. It’s something that I was raised to appreciate, coming from a household of an artist and a person who was deep into hip-hop culture. I love and appreciate how far music has evolved.”

While Turbeazy is forging his way forward, his journey hasn’t been without challenges.

“When I was in the Army, nobody really wanted me to rap,” he says. “They thought it was funny. I had a few supporters, but when it was time for me to leave, they were saying, ‘You should re-up and stay in the Army. You can be a good soldier.’ I was like, ‘I want to go to school. I want to be a rapper.’ People were like, ‘That’s a stupid idea.’”

He also remembers being rejected when he tried to pass somebody in the industry a flash drive of his music. It’s something that could discourage someone, but Turbeazy turned it into fuel, telling us that it made him “want to go harder.” And so far, that persistence is paying off. Turbeazy’s profile is steadily increasing and he has songs racking up tens of thousands of plays on platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud. The way Turbeazy sees it, staying positive and dedicated, especially when the goal seems so far away, is the only way forward.