Music

Spice Girls Launch New Merch To Celebrate The 25th Anniversary Of Their Debut Album

by
Getty Image

Spice Girls are planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut album, Spice. They recently inked a deal with Universal Music group’s Bravado division, and according to Music Week, they will be responsible for their brand, merchandising, direct-to-consumer products and campaigns, touring, as well as their retail licensing and distribution. The band unveiled their first line of merch, entitled “Wannabe 25,” on their website. Items for sale include a special mug, an anniversary hoodie, and a vintage “Wannabe” t-shirt. The prices for these products range from about $16 to $68

There’s also, of course, a re-release a 25th-anniversary reissue of Spice. The new project, titled Spice25, will be curated by the band themselves and be released on October 29 as a 2CD set. Music Week also notes that the band’s deal with Bravado marks the first time in two decades licensing rights across all channels were assigned to a single partner. The new partnership will see new products and capsule collections delivered globally to retailers.

“We are so excited to be working with Bravado again, especially in this our 25th anniversary year and are looking forward to collaborating with the team,” Spice Girls said in a joint statement about the partnership. Richelle Parham, president of global e-commerce and business development at UMG, also spoke about the partnership.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Spice Girls, to create new and exciting product lines and to expand the band’s connection directly with their loyal superfans,” Parham said, before adding, “Bravado will work closely with UMG operations around the world on the launch of Spice 25 and beyond, to expand their legacy and cultural impact for years to come.”

Diplo Denies Sexual Assault Allegations Against A Woman He Claims Tried ‘To Extort Me For Millions’

by
Getty Image

Earlier this year, Diplo was sued by his ex-girlfriend, Shelley Auguste, for sexual battery, assault, defamation, infliction of emotional distress, and fraud. She alleges that the producer “recorded video of their sexual encounter despite her telling him she didn’t want that” and attempted to “coax her into a threesome with a girl she believes was underaged at the time.” The lawsuit was filed after the producer requested a restraining order against her and alleged she was engaging in revenge porn.

Diplo has yet to respond to the allegations of sexual assault, but that changed on Wednesday when he posted a lengthy message to his Instagram page. He referred to Auguste as “SA” and called her “a stalker [who] scammed her way into my life and tried to extort me for millions and then sued me when she didn’t get what she wanted.” He added, “I will keep this story easy to read because I know the Internet has a short attention span and it was my goal to never address a stalker.” He then went on:

I will refer to her as “SA” (and you can find anything easily online). She was an obsessed fan of mine, and after I relinquished all contact with her, it appears that her only purpose in life has been to disrupt my work, my business, harass me and my close friends and attack me and threaten my family. To be clear, SA was not a minor when I had conversations or sexual intercourse with her. Her own text messages admit this. More on this below.

I had a night of consensual sex with her. Basically, SA reached out to me and I declined a few times but at one time decided to meet her. After that experience, we had exchanged texts for a few months, there was small talk, sexual flirting, she would send me pics and videos.. Eventually it got too much to handle and I stopped contact with her when I realized she had started to become obsessed with me. It began as a nightmare of almost three years of her harassing and threatening me and my family and friends.

SA would offer her friends and other people to have sexual experiences with, and that’s when I began to get suspicious that she was engaging in criminal activity, and was possibly a call girl.

Diplo later explained how he was forced to block “a few accounts” that he believed belonged to SA and “thought she was out of my life” as a result. He then shared how he was affected by an alleged instance of SA stalking him. “One time I just hid in my neighbor’s house and ignored her. I don’t think she could physically harm me, but I was afraid she was going to harm herself,” he wrote. “We always took the high road when dealing with her. We tried to deal with her in court and help her find help. Our detective had found out she had a previous restraining order against her in Florida after we rounded up many of her fake accounts.”

He concluded his message by writing, “I am not this person and I won’t be extorted by anyone no matter how stinging the press can be.” He adeded, “The past 2 years I’ve never been bothered by these rumors if anything it has made me stronger and smarter, all of my friends and partners have never questioned me and that was what has been important to me. The people in my life know me for who I really am.”

You can read Diplo’s full statement in the post above.

Kanye West Finally Has A Diamond-Certified Record Thanks To ‘Stronger’

by
Getty Image

Landing a hit record is already hard enough, but a Diamond-certified song is even harder. Luckily for Kanye West, he recently achieved both thanks to one of the most popular songs off his third album Graduation. The Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) announced that the rapper’s 2007 track “Stronger” just became his first Diamond-certified single. What that denotes is that the single sold at least 10 million copies since its release 14 years ago.

Four months after its release, “Stronger” became the rapper’s third No. 1 single when it reached the top of the singles chart at the end of September in 2007. Additionally, the song won a plethora of awards, which includes Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2007 BET Awards, Video Of The Year, Best Director, and Best Editing at the 2007 MTV VMAs, and Best Rap Solo Performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

One of the most infamous stories behind “Stronger” is that it was reportedly mixed more than 75 times before and after its release. West worked with eight audio engineers and 11 mix engineers from all over the world on the song, but it wasn’t until he called on Timbaland to re-do the track’s drum programming that he felt satisfied. Still, West later decided the song wasn’t nearly as good as Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” which he sampled for “Stronger.”

88Rising’s Head In The Clouds Adds Illenium To Their Already Stacked Lineup

by
Getty Image

In exactly one month, 88Rising, the record label and management company home to Asian and Asian-American artists, will deliver the third rendition of their Head In The Clouds festival. It’s an event the group has hosted every year since 2018, with the exception of 2020, due to the pandemic. Ahead of the showcase’s kick-off on November 6, 88Rising announced a new addition to the festival’s lineup: DJ and producer Illenium.

Illenium’s addition to the fest comes after he shared Fallen Embers earlier this year. He joins an already stacked lineup for Head In The Clouds. Other performers for the showcase include Joji, Saweetie, Guapdad 4000, Japanese Breakfast, Beadoobee, and many more.

During an interview with Uproxx about the festival last month, Ollie Zhang, 88Rising’s Chief Of Staff, spoke about the diversity of the showcase’s lineup.

“I think that’s always been 88Rising’s mission from since the start, ever since we were just shooting videos and putting them up on YouTube,” he said. “The goal was always to highlight all different types of music. Asian music is so broad and diverse. Everyone’s coming from a different place and we want to be able to represent that on the stage as well.”

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

Big Daddy Kane Explains Why He Believes His Upcoming ‘Verzuz’ Is ‘Bigger Than Me And KRS-One’

by
Getty Image

Earlier this week, Verzuz announced that Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One would face off in the series’ next battle. It will be the third consecutive event between New York rappers following last month’s matchup between Fat Joe and Ja Rule and the one between The LOX and Dipset in August. Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One’s battle is a bit different than past hip-hop Verzuz events in that it will find viewers going a bit further back into the genre’s history, as the respective rappers both had their biggest moments in the late 1980s and ’90s. Speaking to HipHopDX, Big Daddy Kane explained why this Verzuz is important for hip-hop.

“This is bigger than me and KRS,” he said. “This is about the Golden Era of Hip Hop, to show that artists like MC Lyte, Doug E. Fresh, Public Enemy, Chubb Rock, Yo-Yo, Rakim, and Kwame are still putting in work and ripping stages.”

Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One’s Verzuz takes place on October 17 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The battle will kick off at 7PM EST and tickets for the event are available can be purchased here. Back in June, during a sit-down with HipHopDX, Big Daddy Kane called KRS-One and Rakim the only rappers who would make sense as opponents for a Verzuz.

“If we can get it to happen with me and KRS-One, I would rather it be like a battle format,” he said. “If it’s going to be me and Rakim, then we might as well just do it with the music. You know what I mean? I don’t really see him as a battle rapper.”

Tinashe Explains Why She ‘Hated’ Being Categorized As An R&B Star

by
Getty Image

In a new interview with Complex, Tinashe addresses her new 333 Tour and fighting an ‘uphill battle’ for recognition for the past decade. One part of that battle was being put into a box by music journalists, labels, and fans. When asked about the labels that have been applied to her over her career, Tinashe explained why she “hated” being known as an R&B artist.

“I hated being called an R&B star,” she said. “I really, really had a strong aversion to that. I felt that created a ceiling to my art and my artistry that really turned me off in the early days. I didn’t want to be in that box that I felt had some type of inevitable lid on it. I’ve always honestly classified myself as a pop star. That’s always been what I see for myself, and then I think people’s interpretation of what that means is maybe where it gets convoluted because some people think pop means mainstream. Like, I don’t know, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, or something. But I think that’s not what that really means. To me, it’s more like what you embody more so than, I think, what it sonically sounds like.”

While she doesn’t explain whether her outlook has changed, she has continued to dabble in multiple sounds on her new album, 333. You can read Uproxx’s review here.

50 Cent Agrees With Dave Chapplle About DaBaby’s Homophobic Comments

by
Getty Image

In Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix special The Closer, the veteran standup comic gives his perspective on the backlash against Charlotte rapper DaBaby in the wake of his homophobic comments at Rolling Loud. In one bit, Chappelle compares the reaction to DaBaby’s comments to a relatively muted after DaBaby allegedly shot and killed another man in a Walmart in self-defense: “In our country, you can shoot and kill a n***a but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings,” he summarizes.

While Chappelle’s bit elicited varied reactions from fans on social media, one notable person who approved of the bit is 50 Cent, who shared a clip on Instagram and offered some context from his unique perspective. “Dave Chappelle is a funny mother f*cker,” he wrote in the caption. “That was flawless. Hip hop loves things that are damaged, that’s the beauty of the culture. @dababy is on a new path. Music has changed everything. LOL” It seems in 50’s eyes rap provided a net positive for someone like DaBaby because although DaBaby has come under scrutiny, at least he’s not being assaulted in public (usually, he’s doing the assaulting, but that’s a different post).

Of course, 50 has been one of DaBaby’s staunchest supporters, even after the backlash. In an August interview, 50 compared DaBaby’s situation to that of Chris Brown, inadvertently highlighting the position that cancel culture doesn’t exist. Naturally, he says, as long as DaBaby keeps making hits, he should be able to bounce back from the awkwardly-worded call-to-action. History shows he might be right.

FrostyDaSnowmann Delivers A Chilly UPROXX Sessions Performance Of ‘That Guy’

by

Inglewood rapper FrostyDaSnowmann fully believes he’s “That Guy” and does a pretty good job of trying to convince viewers of the same in this week’s UPROXX Sessions. Featuring a stripped-down beat and the off-kilter flow that’s become a signature of the LA underground scene, Frosty sports a fit that goes well with his moniker and does all the witty trash-talking that has made LA’s underground so hilariously engaging.

The rapper is bouncing back after recovering from a shooting in his hometown this past August. Prior to that, he was attempting a career reset after a two-year stint in prison on assault and theft charges. He first caught attention in 2016 with his single “Milwaukee Bucks” produced by Ron-Ron, one of the focal points of the “New LA” movement. Since his release, he’s been consistently releasing music independently on his YouTube channel featuring fellow members of the wave 1TakeJay and Almighty Suspect.

Watch FrostyDaSnowmann’s chilly “That Guy” for UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Lil Yachty Hops Onto A Groovy Remix Of Tame Impala’s ‘Breathe Deeper’

by

It’s been about a year and a half since Kevin Parker released Tame Impala‘s highly anticipated album The Slow Rush. Now, the musician is giving fans even more Tame Impala content with The Slow Rush Deluxe box set, which will celebrate the album’s two-year anniversary. It features some unreleased b-sides from the LP, which Parker has now previewed with a hypnotic remix to “Breathe Deeper” featuring none other than Lil Yachty.

The “Breathe Deeper” remix’s instrumentals stay the same, but Parker’s verses are replaced with Yachty unique flow. The rapper’s cadence mirror’s the song’s swirling and psychedelic beat. He delivers lyrics about linking up with a love interest and dancing the night away that are slightly washed out over the bouncy rhythm, giving the impression of a lo-fi remix.

Lil Yachty spoke about his collaboration with Parker in a statement alongside the new remix, saying he’s been a longtime fan: “It was so amazing to work with Kevin as I’ve been a big fan since high school so it was a pleasant surprise and honor to be a part of such an incredible song.”

The physical version of the The Slow Rush Deluxe box set features two transparent red vinyls and alternate album artwork, including a 40-page booklet and The Slow Rush 2050 calendar. Both the physical and the digital version of the deluxe album include the “Breathe Deeper (Lil Yachty Remix),” as well as the pre-album single “Patience” and some extended versions of a few songs.

Listen to “Breathe Deeper (Lil Yachty Remix)” above.

The Slow Rush Deluxe is out 2/18/2022 via Modular. Pre-order it here.

Tems Proves To Be Worth The Wait

by
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

It’s usually a good sign for an artist’s career when their concert in a major metropolis sells so many tickets that it has to be moved to a new — and larger — venue at the last minute. It’s probably also a good sign that despite the change of venue, the line wrapped around the block before the doors opened. The last opportune omen is the fact that those people in line patiently waited over 2 hours past the initial doors time for those doors to open and stuck it out through a show that lasted until well after midnight.

With all those tenets in mind, it looks very much like Nigerian Afrobeats/R&B singer Tems is already a star. The Monday night LA stop on the singer’s first-ever US tour followed the above arch, starting out at The Roxy before switching to The Fonda Theatre a day before the show was to take place, which didn’t stop a legion of fans from lining up down Hollywood Boulevard, around the corner on Gower, and all the way down the street for most of the next block. Those fans certainly did wait it out, and their patience was rewarded by an impressive performance from the burgeoning star.

Tems’ opener, Amaarae, generated suitable hype for the headliner with a set that showcased her bold personality and welcoming demeanor. The opener pulled fans onstage to perform alongside her more than once and provided a lively counterpoint to the relatively lower key set that followed. Her exuberant tunes were more defiant and extroverted, whereas Tems’ set — taken from her two EPs, 2020’s For Broken Ears and last month’s If Orange Was A Place — was more internally focused and emotional.

Tems’ performance bore many of the hallmarks of a veteran performer, despite her ostensible rookie status. Framed in angelic light and wearing a flowing, translucent dressing gown, she delivered powerful vocals over renditions of “Damages,” “Free Mind,” and of course, “Essence,” the Wizkid megahit that brought Tems to national prominence. Her fans, a diverse mix of young people, many flamboyantly dressed in traditional African patterns and styles, bought into every new song in the set, despite some being relatively very new. The inevitable singalong that broke out when she launched into “Essence” — assisted by Wizkid in a surprise appearance, naturally — left the impression that she’ll have plenty of opportunities to improve on lots of future tours.

About that delay, though: It’s becoming clearer by the day that fans will be feeling the fallout from the pandemic and resulting entertainment shutdown for a while yet. So far, we’ve seen multiple examples of supply chain and logistical problems forcing artists to postpone events in just the last few weeks. Post Malone was forced to postpone Posty Fest due to supply problems, while J. Cole canceled and rescheduled a pair of shows after hours of delay because there wasn’t enough time to set up the stage as he envisioned. Although Tems didn’t specifically cite these problems, there’s little doubt that switching venues affected the production and prompted these delays.

Tems’ concert is also the second one Uproxx covered recently where a relatively new artist who’d broken out during the pandemic suddenly found that they were way more popular than projected at the last minute. Blxst’s Santa Ana tour stop, initially set for The Observatory’s smaller Constellation Room, was moved to the main stage practically the day of. The bad news is that eventually another breakout star will likely be forced to either play the smaller venue, leaving fans out, or reschedule shows as fewer venues and crew will be readily available. The good news is that these last-minute updates indicate the improving health of the industry, with tickets in high demand, and better projections for stars who couldn’t see their real-world impact as they grew their profiles mostly over the internet for the past year.

For acts like Tems, that can only be encouraging. Having to build a career in less-than-ideal conditions probably added a number of additional stressors on top the usual pressures of learning to deal with fame on the fly. But being able to see real-life rewards — particularly in respect to learning that your star has risen even higher than you (or your booking agent) could have imagined almost makes it all worth it. So, even as we all face the residual effects of the pandemic in live entertainment, for some stars and their fans, the payoff is more than worth the wait.