Music

Lupe Fiasco’s ‘Kick, Push’ Prompts Belly, Lakeyah, And Other Young Rappers To Consider Skateboarding

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Back in 2006 when Chicago native Lupe Fiasco released the lead single “Kick, Push” from his debut album, Food And Liquor, there weren’t many high-profile Black skateboarders. In fact, Black kids who skated — especially in the hood — were subject to ridicule and outsider status for engaging in an activity that was long held as the domain of beach-blond surf rats in Venice Beach. But Lupe was part of a vanguard of Black artists who changed that, providing representation for those outsiders and throwing open the doors of possibility for generations after.

Many of Uproxx’s panel of React Like You Know artists are part of those younger generations. For instance, Almighty Suspect thinks it “helped a lot,” while Foushee calls the song “very important to build the foundation” for young, Black skaters. However, that doesn’t mean that it made skaters of the whole hood overnight. Our newest panel members, Belly and Lakeyah, both point out their very good reasons for refusing to try it out. Lakeyah says, “The closest I ever got was a hoverboard… I have no balance.” Meanwhile, Belly reminds us that “I’ve always been big-boned my whole life — I feel like that’s a bad combination.”

Things get deep when our panel is asked about choosing between love and their careers, inspired by Lupe’s second verse boy-meets-girl narrative. Newcomer Jazz Cartier points out that “you can have room for love, opposed to half-assing it.” Meanwhile, the fashions of the video captivate Travis Thompson and Godson; Travis says “Nike SBs were everything,” while Godson marvels at Lupe’s Bathing Ape hoodie.

Watch our panel of guest rappers react to Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick, Push” video above.

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

Machine Gun Kelly Leaves Nothing To The Imagination While Describing His First Kiss With Megan Fox

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Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly officially went public with their relationship in 2020 and have been making headlines for turning heads with their PDA ever since. While Fox has made it clear their relationship is intensely passionate, comparing it to a tsunami and a forest fire, the two also detailed some of the more tender moments in their love life in a recent interview — like their first kiss.

The couple sat down with British GQ for a joint cover interview about being “Hollywood’s hottest new power couple.” During the conversation, the two detailed the beginning of their relationship. After meeting on the set of Midnight In The Switchgrass, Fox and Kelly would text all the time. Eventually, their text conversations turned into three-hour phone calls. “Did you ever talk to a girl for three hours on the phone in your whole life?” Fox teased Kelly in the interview. “Were you like, ‘How the f*ck am I going to talk to her?’”

Kelly responded to Fox’s quip by recalling their first kiss. “It felt like five minutes, so it didn’t even feel like three hours,” he said. “Even our first kiss, she wouldn’t kiss me. We just put our lips right in front of each other and breathed each other’s breath and then she just left.”

Fox added that her reason for resisting the kiss came from her wanting to protect her heart, even though she knew she was already falling hard. “[I was] definitely open [to] love, but I did not anticipate walking right into my soulmate like that,” she said. “I was obviously over the way I had been living, and those paths lined up, those doors opened. It was [as if] all the obstacles that had kept us apart all those years [had been removed] and we were able to finally intersect.”

The couple also described their first date, which sounds like a scene from a teenage coming-of-age film. Kelly picked up Fox in a convertible Cadillac and they listened to Ella Fitzgerald as they drove to a canyon’s edge. A friend was waiting with a picnic in hand and a blanket with a “sea of roses.” The date ended with them going on a rooftop, listening to pop-punk, and making out.

Check out the full British GQ cover story here.

Meek Mill Makes An Apt Comparison Of Poverty Conditions To ‘Squid Game’ But Some Fans Disagree

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It seems like for the past few weeks, all anyone has been able to talk about is Squid Game, the Korean Netflix drama that has captivated viewers with its grotesque concept and sly social commentary. That includes rappers, as well; Meek Mill apparently enjoyed it and was able to connect with the show’s themes, making an astute observation on Twitter that unfortunately, didn’t go over well with some of his followers.

“Squid games”pay attention how fast people switch and kill each other to survive,” he noted. “Now think about the ‘hood’ poverty …it’s the exact same thing …if you just help them with work/money they won’t be that way ‘just a common sense message.’” Parsing his words a bit, it seems as though he’s pointing out what sociologists and activists have been saying for a long time. Impoverished areas need more resources because crime and violence are a result of that lack, not intrinsic nature.

Of course, not everyone was amenable to this observation, likely thanks in part to Meek’s hit-and-miss social strategy, including his own recent missed opportunity to “give back.” Some of the responses argued that it takes more than resources, while others thought that the theme of the show — which is spelled out pretty clearly throughout its nine episodes — points to a different conclusion. One commenter rejected the premise of the tweet entirely, telling Meek to “get in the studio” despite the fact that his latest album is less than a week old.

However, many agreed with Meek’s perspective on the message that Squid Game conveyed. The show revolves around a group of desperate people who sign up to play children’s games for a large jackpot. However, they quickly learn that the losers are shot and killed. Given the opportunity to opt-out and return to their respective dire circumstances, many of the players return, playing out the violent six-round game to completion, becoming more vicious as their numbers dwindle and the games themselves turn them against each other.

You can watch Squid Game on Netflix now.

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

Offset Proves He’s The Best Gift Giver By Buying Cardi B An Entire House For Her Birthday

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Cardi B and Offset are known for trying to one-up each other with expensive gifts. Last year, even though Cardi had filed for divorce, Offset gifted her a pricey Rolls Royce for her birthday. But this year, since the two have since rekindled their marriage, Offset showed his love by giving her an even bigger gift: an entire house.

Cardi celebrated another year around the sun with a major birthday bash. The theme was dancehall, according to one of her tweets, and the rapper told her guests to bring their best Caribbean dancehall looks. Per a report from TMZ, those in attendance included Chance The Rapper, 2 Chainz, Lizzo, Snoop Dogg, Tiffany Haddish, and Teyana Taylor.

Halfway through the celebration, Offset got on the microphone to unveil his gift. Armed with an entire video presentation, Offset revealed he bought Cardi an entire house in the Dominican Republic, her family’s homeland, complete with stunning architecture and a rooftop pool.

Along with the eye-catching birthday gift from Offset, many other celebrities wished Cardi a happy birthday to ring in her 29th year. Celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, her recent collaborator Normani, and even Beyonce shared some sweet birthday wishes with the rapper. Even Halle Barry tweeted at Cardi, calling her a “sweet soul,” much to the rapper’s surprise. “Thank you soooo much… Like imagine Halle Berry wishing you a happy birthday? Like omgg,” she responded.

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

Nicki Minaj Fans Are Flabbergasted By Her Complaint That Female Rappers Hate To Be Criticized

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For a long time, it seemed as though Nicki Minaj was one of the very few successful female rappers in the US, charting well and holding her own against the guys at the expense of a talented crop of women who seemed to never pan out past their initial hit singles. Now, though, a plethora of rapping women have stormed the charts, upending the rap status quo and changing the complexion of hip-hop arguably for the better.

However, in a recent Instagram Live chat with her “Boyz” collaborator Jesy Nelson, Nicki expressed some disapproval of the modern wave of female talent in hip-hop, saying that this generation of rappers can’t take criticism. “The new females, it’s almost like they don’t want to be critiqued ever,” she complained. “It’s like everyone is just supposed to praise you 24/7. Why would you even want that? Let me tell you what happens when that happens. What happens is when you put out an album, the sales won’t translate because people have been lying to you, and they haven’t told you they don’t like a song… Then when you put an album out and you thinking everybody love you. I’ve seen it recently happen. You know they put an album out, and it doesn’t sell what they want it to sell. Well, that’s because a lot of people are lying to you for whatever reason. You should want people to be honest with you.”

When one Nicki fan excerpted that clip to Twitter, though, some fans were quick to call Nicki out, cleverly wondering whether “the call is coming from inside the house,” as the saying goes. Certainly, Nicki’s statement appears to — perhaps inadvertently — describe the disappointing rollout for Nicki’s 2018 album Queen. When that album stalled at No. 2 on the Billboard album chart, the rapper conducted a vendetta of lashing out at media outlets and streaming platform companies for what she considered an “agenda” against her. The responses ranged from awed disbelief at what some fans saw as a stunning lack of self-awareness to wondering whether Nicki purposely pointed the spotlight at herself while playing the “my friend has a question” card.

Nicki’s most loyal fans, meanwhile, took to speculating about which artists she could be talking about, positing Drake, Lil Nas X, and Megan Thee Stallion as possible answers — because the Barbz are nothing if not delusional. For the record, Drake held the No. 1 spot for three weeks while Lil Nas X has had multiple No. 1 hit records and debuted at No. 2 on the albums chart with his debut album — also, neither are women, so chalk up homophobia to the list of offenses from that fan base. Likewise, Good News, Megan Thee Stallion’s debut album, also debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, moving over 100,000 album-equivalent units in its first week and going platinum earlier this year.

Hopefully, whichever artist Nicki was referring to has learned a lesson and expelled the yes men from their inner circle. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the live stream, Nicki wondered whether she was being algorithmically muted on social media after her vaccine misinformation fiasco. You can watch the whole stream below.

Kanye West Is Moving On From His Famous Wyoming Ranch As He Looks To Sell It

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Wyoming has had a major role in Kanye West’s recent history due to the time he’s spent recording his latest projects there. Now, though, it looks like he’s moving on from his first Wyoming property, Monster Lake Ranch: TMZ and People report that West has listed the property for $11 million, which is $3 million less than he paid when he bought it in September 2019.

A realtor.com listing for the property (which went up 21 hours ago as of this post) notes the lot has 3,888 acres of land in Cody, Wyoming. The listing also notes, “The once in a lifetime property contains a BLM lease, equipment sheds, equine facility, livestock corrals, and hay meadows. The lodge, commercial kitchen, go cart track, and trophy trout fishing bring commercial opportunities. The views of the sandstone cliffs and Absaroka mountains make it a premier Wyoming ranch investment.”

This doesn’t mean West is done with Wyoming, though. Shortly after buying Monster Lake Ranch, in November 2019, he purchased another Wyoming property, Bighorn Mountain Ranch. The 6,713-acre property had a listing price of $14.495 million and is located outside of Greybull, less than 100 miles away from the Cody ranch. At the time, he reportedly also bought a warehouse in Cody.

In 2018, West recorded a handful of projects as part of what became known as the “Wyoming Sessions”: his own Ye, Teyana Taylor‘s KTSE, Pusha T‘s Daytona, Nas’ Nasir, and his and Kid Cudi’s Kids See Ghosts. Later, West’s most recent album, Donda, was partially recorded at Bighorn Mountain Ranch.

Wu-Tang Clan And A Whole Lot Of Marleys Are Headlining The Cali Vibes Festival

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Two days ago on Instagram, the brand new @calivibesfest account posted a cryptic video with a caption that said “Something is on the horizon.” It didn’t take long for us to find out what that “something” is, as the lineup and dates for Goldenvoice’s brand new California Vibrations Festival (Cali Vibes) has now been announced. Wu-Tang Clan and a very special Bob Marley Birthday Celebration with Ziggy, Damian, Julian, Stephen and Ky-Mani Marley are highlighting a loaded lineup of reggae, rock, roots and hip-hop. The Bob birthday celebration is especially intriguing with The Marley Brothers playing songs from their father’s timeless discography.

The festival takes place from February 2 — 4, 2022 at Marina Green Park in Long Beach and the lineup also includes Rebelution, Sean Paul, Stick Figure, Slightly Stoopid, Sublime With Rome, Dirty Heads, Atmosphere, Barrington Levy, Sean Paul, The Grouch & Eligh, Pepper, Long Beach Dub All-Stars, Koffee and more. Tickets go on-sale this Friday, October 15 and 3-day passes begin at $285 for GA, $420 for VIP and $999 for Beach Club Passes. Single day tickets are also available.

You can view all of the ticket options here. Which also includes single day tickets and payment plans. Visit the festival’s site for more info on everything and check out the full lineup poster for the 3-day festival below.

Goldenvoice

Megan Fox Remembers The First Time She Met MGK He Told Her ‘I Am Weed’ Then Disappeared

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The obsession with Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox’s romance has made its way to the cover of British GQ, with the inimitable Molly Lambert tasked with documenting the new couple in their element. And she does not disappoint, prompting Megan to recall some of her earliest impressions of falling for MGK, aka Colson Barker, aka rapper-turned-pop-punk-revivalist and strange beef instigator. Though they really connected on set of their recently-released film, Midnight In The Switchgrass, the pair actually met once before at a GQ party. Yet, that night, the pair didn’t really connect, beyond one epic line from MGK.

“I don’t remember your face… And I definitely would have remembered his face,’” Megan said. “I just remember this tall, blond, ghostly creature and I looked up and I was like, ‘You smell like weed.’ He looked down at me and he was like, ‘I am weed.’ Then, I swear to God, he disappeared like a ninja in a smoke bomb.”

Megan shared more of her thoughts about that night: “I think we weren’t allowed to see each other yet,” she continued. “We weren’t supposed to run into each other that night, so our souls, our spirit guides, were luring us away from each other, because you literally had no face, like that thing from Spirited Away. It is hard to see his face in general, but really he had no face that night.” To MGK: “Thank God, [because] what torture had I known you were there and I couldn’t get to you. It was better that I didn’t know.”

If that doesn’t make you want to read the whole feature, I don’t know what will! Check out the full cover story here.

Lil Nas X Says His Collaboration Bucket List Includes SZA, Playboi Carti, Ariana Grande and More

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The world is not enough for Lil Nas X, who on his latest album Montero alone, has tracks with Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Jack Harlow, and even Elton freakin’ John. Let’s not forget the countless versions of “Old Town Road” that have included BTS, Billy Ray Cyrus, Young Thug, and Diplo. So you gotta give it up for his insatiable thirst to continue to collaborate with other like-minded pop stars and we’re pretty sure they’d jump at the opportunity to work with him too.

In what might constitute this week’s most exciting 15 seconds, a recent TikTok post from Lil Nas X laid out images of what a robotic voice introduced as “Artists who I want to make a song with.” The post flashed photos of Willow, Playboi Carti, SZA, Azealia Banks, Kid Cudi, The Kid LAROI, Rema, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Tyler, The Creator, and Cardi B (“again”.)

The post comes after the early September hoopla regarding how Lil Nas X had no Black male guests on the Montero tracklist. When Lil Nas X posited that perhaps they didn’t want to work with him, Kid Cudi responded, saying essentially that he was game.

Let’s face it, Lil Nas X has really got this social media thing down and it’s probably a good bet that at least half of those bucket list collaborators end up on a track with him at some point.

WHOKILLEDXIX Tap Pussy Riot For An Assist On The Aggressive ‘Mondays!’

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Back in July, the hyperpunk duo WHOKILLEDXIX graced the UPROXX Sessions stage with an intense performance of their glitchy breakout single “Spy?,” bringing the TikTok-favorite song to a whole new audience. Capitalizing on that attention, they followed up with a brand-new song called “Mondays!” bringing in a new set of collaborators in the form of Russian punk rock hellraisers Pussy Riot. The new track resurrects the nu-metal sound of the late nineties, with group members Karm The Tool and Yung Skayda contributing skittering rap vocals and the members of Pussy Riot turning up with ad-libs and roaring electric guitars.

While WHOKILLEDXIX is still a relatively new act, the Connecticut-based duo has already garnered plenty of attention thanks to the streams accumulated from uses of the track on TikTok, leading to a spate of coverage generating even more streams of “Spy?” — 40 million and counting. The group’s appeal is in their melange of styles — by switching from glitchy pop to anxious rap to aggressive rock sounds, they’ve proven to have a hook for fans of every genre, while their devil-may-care demeanor is an effective reflection of the contrarian outlook of their Gen-Z fans.

Listen to “Mondays!” above.

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