Music

Elton John Compares Young Thug’s Freestyles Favorably To Eminem’s

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Elton John’s been pop icon for literal decades, yet he shows few signs of slowing down, even as age is starting to catch up with him. In fact, he’s experienced something of a career resurgence, expanding into the world of hip-hop via collaborations with Lil Nas X and Young Thug. In a new interview with Billboard, Elton praised the latter, revealing the career advice he gave to Thug (despite having “no understanding of how rap records are put together”), and explaining why he was so blown away by Thugger’s recording process, even going as far as comparing it favorably to Eminem’s, another rapper with whom Elton maintains a friendship.

Recalling meeting Thug after the Atlanta rapper sampled his hit “Rocket Man” on the 2018 single “High,” Elton said, “He wanted to meet me…and we shot the breeze for 40 minutes. He said, “What do you think? What advice would you give me?’ I said, ‘Did you sing in the choir?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, of course I sang in the choir. Gospel choir.’ I said, ‘Sing more. Don’t just rap, sing more, because the mixture of rap and musicianship and melody is what really makes rap take off.’ And he’s doing that now.”

Of watching Thug record his song “Always Love You” by essentially freestyling it, Elton remembers being “just blown away. I mean, I’ve seen Marshall [Mathers] do it in Detroit, but I’ve never seen someone like Thug come in and do that. In the end, I had to leave because I think he felt a bit intimidated that I was there and I just wanted him to relax. But it’s just an amazing moment in my musical life… I have no understanding of how rap records are put together and it’s fascinating to watch.”

Read Elton John’s full interview here. Elton’s duet album Lockdown Sessions, which will feature Thug, as well as 6lack, Lil Nas X, and Nicki Minaj, among others, is due 10/22 via EMI and Mercury.

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

Crime Mob’s ‘Rock Yo Hips’ Video Makes BRS Kash, Hook, And Yella Beezy Want To Go To An HBCU

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Atlanta crunk rap group Crime Mob may be best known for their 2004 hit “Knuck If You Buck,” but in 2006, the five-person band also released “Rock Yo Hips,” which actually charted higher, coming in No. 30 on the Hot 100 (“Knuck” peaked at No. 76). While “Knuck If You Buck” received new life thanks to the 2016 viral hit “Juju On That Beat,” which sampled Crime Mob’s debut single, “Rock Yo Hips” never quite achieved the same level of cultural ubiquity and longevity.

Which is why it’s the perfect video to show our panel of 20-something rising rappers on React Like You Know, including BRS Kash, Hook, Snow Tha Product, Toosii, Yella Beezy, and more. The video pays homage to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), featuring fraternities like Alpha Phi Alpha and Omega Psi Phi, as well as marching bands performing as Crime Mob rappers Diamond and Princess demonstrate the pre-TikTok dance step that goes with the song. Naturally, all this is pretty mind-blowing for our panel, who can’t help reminiscing about the song’s impact when they were still in — gulp — grade school. Meanwhile, Diamond’s verse prompts a debate on the best flavors of bubblegum and the video itself encourages some healthy praise of HBCUs and some fond recollections of the tall tee era.

Watch our panel of guest rappers react to Crime Mob’s “Rock Yo Hips” video above.

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

The Weeknd Says His Next Album Is ‘Complete’ But Notes ‘There Are Still Some Additions To Be Made’

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The Weeknd recently wrapped up his After Hours era, and since then, he’s been looking forward. There’s been talk of a new album, and now the Weeknd says it’s “complete.”

The Weeknd — who has been referring to his upcoming album as the “dawn,” although it’s unclear if that is the actual title of the project — said on the October 4 episode of his Apple Music show Memento Mori:

“Some exciting features coming out in the fall before the album drops. We’ll slowly be unraveling that info in the next couple months. Some dawn updates: Album is complete. Only thing missing is a couple characters that are key to the narrative. Some people that are near and dear to me, some people that inspired my life as a child, and some that inspire me now. More to come in the following months.”

The Weeknd’s upcoming music was described in greater detail in an August profile in GQ. It reads, “The music hit the studio like a Mack truck. The new project is packed with party records. Like real-deal, illuminated-white-tiles-on-the-floor party records. Quincy Jones meets Giorgio Moroder meets the best-night-of-your-f*cking-life party records. Not anachronistic disco stuff. (Not ‘cosplay,’ as Abel put it.) That sort of retro thing is having a moment right now in pop music, but these records are new. Sweaty. Hard. Drenched-suit, grinding-on-the-girl/boy-of-your-dreams party records.”

Those Anxiety-Causing Voices In ‘The White Lotus’ Theme Song? They Were Originally Meant For Kanye West

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Cristobal Tapia de Veer composed the music for HBO’s Hawaii-set breakout hit The White Lotus, but the anxiety-causing voices were originally meant for Kanye West.

“I went to his place where he works” in California, Tapia de Veer revealed on the Broken Record podcast, “and then I was trying to understand what he wanted.” But because West is “always talking about a million things at the same time,” he didn’t know what he was there for. It had something to do with Nike and a prototype for a new shoe and “how this Nike shoe relates to music,” so Tapia de Veer started to work on something “really striking” on his laptop. He continued:

“I had those voices and I tried to find a way to play melodies that is really striking, and this happened by accident and I was like, at that point I knew that this was like gold. And I was like, ‘OK, this I’m going to show to Kanye.’ I was there for like a week and I had to leave, and there was problems, and Kanye started firing people and his lawyers and everything was too long… It was a mess”

This was, Tapia de Veer notes, a month before all the Trump stuff.

Anyway, West never called Tapia de Veer back, so when The White Lotus came up, he knew “those tribal voices” would be perfect for the show. “So I went back to my system and started finding the right melody,” he said. Tapia de Veer found it: creator Mike White said that he wanted “music that makes you feel like there’s gonna be some kind of human sacrifice at some point… Cristobal nailed that — and then some.”

You can listen to the Broken Record episode above.

Bobby Shmurda Donates 2,000 Backpacks Of School Supplies To New York Students

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Bobby Shmurda is for the children. The 27-year-old Brooklyn rapper, who was recently released after a six year stint in state prison on gang charges, is rapidly becoming a positive force in his community. On Father’s Day this year, he gave away free haircuts and meals, and he’s spoken repeatedly about how his experiences made him more socially aware and made him want to be a better role model.

To that end, Bobby donated 2,000 backpacks loaded with school supplies to schools all over New York City, including three elementary schools in Brooklyn, an all-boys middle school in Queens, another elementary in Harlem, and Health Opportunities High School in the Bronx. The backpacks were filled with needed items like folders, notebooks, and pencils, and each school was played a video message from Bobby himself, who encouraged the kids to behave, and praised them as “unstoppable.”

“Please do not give your mommas no trouble this year,” he said in the video. “And please do not give your teachers no trouble this year. I want to say that I’m proud of y’all for being brave, for being strong, and for staying in school. Always remember you guys are unstoppable. You can do anything you set your mind to.”

You can watch Bobby’s video message below.

Dave Chappelle Takes On The Backlash To DaBaby’s Homophobic Comments In His New Netflix Special

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The fallout from DaBaby’s disastrous Rolling Loud Miami set continues to settle, as more voices enter the chat to debate his demerits. While the majority of the reactions to DaBaby’s comments have deplored his ill-chosen words, Dave Chappelle has a different question on his mind. In his new Netflix special The Closer, which debuted today, Chappelle juxtaposes the backlash to DaBaby’s homophobic comments with the rapper’s violent lyrics — which aren’t all stereotypical rapper bluster.

Chappelle leads into the observation by cheekily addressing the backlash to his own recent sets, on which he seems to have specifically targeted queer people in order to point out what he sees as discrepancies in the way they are treated in comparison to Black people (setting aside the fact that people can be … both). “All the questions you might have had about all these jokes I’ve said in the last few years, I hope to answer tonight,” he says. “And I’d like to start by addressing the [LGBTQ] community directly. I want every member of that community to know that I come here tonight in peace and I hope to negotiate the release of DaBaby.”

After some additional preamble, he reminds the audience that before DaBaby’s rise to fame (in fact, almost immediately before it) the rapper was involved in a fatal shooting, in which he claimed self-defense. Then, Dave poses his observation: “In our country, you can shoot and kill a n***a but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings.” It’s doubtful that anything’s as simple as that — queer people are often the targets of just as brutal crimes for little other reason than being queer — but to his credit, Chappelle promises to address the nuance in the special. We’ll see if he does.

DaBaby, meanwhile, has continued to address the fallout himself, meeting with organizations dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness and sneering at some of his critics in his return to the stage at Summer Jam.

Watch the trailer for Dave Chappelle’s The Closer, which is now streaming on Netflix, above.

Cordae Tells Fans They Are ‘Not Ready’ For His New Album In A Freestyle Over Drake’s ‘Way 2 Sexy’

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Cordae released his debut album The Lost Boy a little over two years ago, and fans haven’t stopped clamoring for a follow-up since. Among those fans are starstruck veterans of the game like Lil Wayne, who offered to feature on the younger rapper’s next album, and Jadakiss, who recently praised Cordae in the most recent episode of The Shop, where he appeared alongside Cordae’s girlfriend, tennis champion Naomi Osaka.

Cordae teased the upcoming follow-up to The Lost Boy during a recent livestream on Twitch with gamer Adin Ross, freestyling over the beat to Drake’s recently released, tongue-in-cheek hit single, “Way 2 Sexy.” “Every year, I look more richer and sexy / Stackin’ my Millie, that Richard is heavy / My album is coming, you n****s ain’t ready,” he raps. Ross seems suitably impressed, exclaiming “Oh my god!” as Cordae drops punchline after punchline without missing a beat. You can watch the video courtesy of Cordae’s Hi-Level Records Twitter.

Meanwhile, fans who’ve been impatiently waiting for that follow-up album have still gotten plenty of new material this year, including his Just Until EP, his feature on Eminem’s “Killer” remix, Nas’ Spotify single “Life Is Like A Dice Game,” and Cordae’s single, “Taxes.”

Watch Cordae freestyle over the “Way 2 Sexy” beat above.

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

Summer Walker Announces The Release Date Of Her Album, ‘Still Over It,’ With A Trailer Featuring City Girls’ JT

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Summer Walker teased a release window for the follow-up to her 2019 debut Over It this past weekend after foregoing the BET Hip-Hop Awards and now, she’s revealed both its actual release date. Fittingly, it’s called Still Over It and it’s due on November 5 through LVRN and Interscope. Summer announced the project’s impending release with a colorful trailer featuring City Girls’ JT, reenacting a phone conversation between the two from this date, two years ago.

In the clip, Summer is wearing her all-pink outfit from the cover of Over It — a light pink bikini and du-rag — while sitting in the same room on the same phone. This time, though, we get to see who’s on the other line: JT, who at the time, was locked up for credit card fraud. Sure enough, JT appears in the trailer in her neutral, state-issued coveralls — although I doubt her face was beat to the gawds when she was actually in prison — as they make plans for a post-release hang.

JT was released in March last year, but then the world shut down due to a pandemic. Fortunately for Summer and JT, things are reopening and they can get back to those plans.

Watch the trailer for Summer Walker’s new album Still Over It above.

Jack Harlow Shares His Newfound Wealth With Five Hometown Non-Profits

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Louisville’s Jack Harlow announced plans to donate to several hometown charities in a recent interview with Billboard, calling it “important to keep some positive energy flowing through the city.” The 23-year-old rapper’s career has been booming since releasing his 2020 single “What’s Poppin,” and it appears that rather than keep all that good energy to himself, he’d rather share the wealth and give back to Derby City.

He’ll do so by contributing to five local organizations: AMPED, Center for Women and Families, Grace M. James Academy of Excellence, Louisville Urban League, and Metro United Way. As he explained to Billboard:

I spent all my life fantasizing about being someone that could put Louisville on a pedestal. There’s a spirit and pride that runs deep, and it becomes more obvious to me when I travel to other cities and realize that that doesn’t exist everywhere. The city has always been special to me and I think we breed very unique, often laid-back people. It’s important to me to keep some positive energy flowing through the city. Everyone is living different lives and may be from different areas, but there’s still always a universal energy that everyone is aware of, and it’s important to me that there’s plenty of love in the mix. Things are not easy right now, I feel so privileged to be in the position I’m in and I feel a responsibility to give back and help pave a way for others. People need hope, they need love.

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

Wale And J Cole’s ‘Poke It Out’ Video Has Even More Q-Tip Homages

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Girls just want to have fun in Wale‘s colorful new video for “Poke It Out” featuring J. Cole. After dropping the latest single from his upcoming album, Folarin II, Wale furthers his Q-Tip homages by reproducing some of the Queens rapper’s iconic video moments. As “Poke It Out” samples Q-Tip’s J Dilla-produced debut solo single “Vivrant Thing,” it makes sense that Wale borrows and updates shots such as the infamous head bob as he cruises the streets in a jeep full of women.

Women are the primary focus of the video, as Wale and his female entourage end up at a lakeside campsite (reproducing the beach run from the “Vivrant Thing” video), where the ladies hike, play football, and have a late-night bonfire. Then, Wale and his running buddy J. Cole trade verses against a plain backdrop that lets Cole’s words take center stage as he praises women with bodies ranging from “Meg Thee Stallion” to “Coi Leray” — both of whom Wale’s worked with in the past (click those links).

So far, Wale’s released three singles from his upcoming Folarin sequel, including “Angles” and “Down South,” which features Maxo Kream and Yella Beezy. The classic hip-hop references have been in full effect, promising a rap album that pays even more homage to the past while advancing Wale’s sound and stature in the future.

Watch Wale’s “Poke It Out” video above.

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

Folarin II is due 10/22 via Warner Records.