Music

Taylor Swift Praises Simone Biles After She Returned To The Olympics: ‘We All Learned From You’

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Last week, Simone Biles withdrew from the US women’s gymnastics team due to mental health issues. She later revealed that she suffered from the “twisties,” a condition that leads to “not having your mind and body in sync.” (She later returned to the team and won a Bronze.) Despite her honesty towards an absolutely reasonable excuse, she faced criticism from the likes of Piers Morgan and Michael Che while receiving support from names like Justin Bieber, Kevin Love, and now Taylor Swift.

https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/142269233749966029

“Throughout the last week, her voice has been as significant as her talents,” the singer said in a video with NBC. “Her honesty as beautiful as the perfection that had long been her signature. But don’t you see? It still is. She is perfectly human. And that’s what makes it so easy to call her a hero. Simone Biles, back on the beam, in Tokyo.”

Biles caught wind of the video and hopped on Twitter to thank Swift for her words. “I’m crying how special. I love you @taylorswift13,” the gymnast wrote. Swift replied, “I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you. Thank you.”

Normani’s Dad Thinks ‘Wild Side’ Is ‘Fire’ Despite The Singer Being ‘Terrified’ To Play It For Him

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Last month, Normani blessed the world with her latest single, “Wild Side,” featuring Cardi B — her first lead release in almost two years. The song arrived with a music video that highlighted Normani’s excellent dance skills. The hope is that the song will lead to her debut album. Until then, Normani will continue to promote the song, as she did during a recent appearance on Ebro Darden’s radio show Apple Music 1.

Nomani spoke about “Wild Side” and how she felt about letting her parents hear the sultry track. “You have no idea. I was so terrified to play this song for my dad… terrified… oh my goodness… avoiding it,” she said. “He kept asking to hear the record because everyone else heard it but he didn’t hear it. And my dad is my biggest fan, like I tell you. … He works night shifts. He hustles for his family, and so to get through the night, sometimes he listens to all my records, and he was dying to listen to this one.”

Normani’s dad did eventually hear “Wild Side,” thanks to her mom. “I was just like ‘Dad, um… I’ll play it for you later.’ And eventually my mom ended up playing it for him, and he was like, ‘That sh*t is hard,’ he’s like, ‘That sh*t is fire,’” she said. “And he told me all the time, every single day, I kid you not: He’s like ‘Are you ready to take over the world? Are you ready to take over the world?’ He loves the song, he loves the record.”

You can watch Normani’s full Apple Music 1 interview here.

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

DaBaby Was Reportedly Dropped From Lollapalooza After He Failed To Share A Promised Apology Video

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DaBaby’s recent homophobic comments brought him a lot more trouble than he might have expected. His insensitive remarks earned him criticism from all over, as well as from fellow artists like Madonna, Dua Lipa, and Elton John. They also got him dropped from a number of festivals, the first being this past weekend’s Lollapalooza. However, according to Billboard, he was given a chance to save himself from being dropped from these festivals, and he failed.

The publication reports that representatives for DaBaby reached out to seven promoters for fall festivals and promised the rapper would share an apology video before he took the stage at Lollapalooza. They specifically said the rapper would share a “heartfelt apology to the LGBTQ+ community.” But he reportedly missed the deadline to share it with festival organizers C3 Presents and Live Nation, which resulted in his removal from Lollapalooza.

In addition to Lollapalooza, DaBaby has been stricken from a number of 2021 festivals, including Governors Ball, Parklife, Day N Vegas, Austin City Limits, and iHeartRadio Music. The new report comes days after the rapper apologized for his “hurtful and triggering comments.”

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

Diddy Is Starting A New, ‘All R&B’ Record Label But Isn’t Signing Any Artists

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Before he was a world-renowned hip-hop impresario and multi-hyphenate businessman with designs on starting a political movement, Sean “Puff Daddy/Diddy/Love” Combs got his start A&Ring R&B acts like Jodeci and Mary J. Blige at Uptown Records. For his next endeavor, he’s getting back to those roots, as he told Vanity Fair in the magazine’s upcoming September issue. Although he did previously announce he was putting out an R&B album, here he goes a step further, announcing that he’ll be starting a new, R&B-centric record label as well.

And before any of his many critics could point out that his previous label, Bad Boy, has a less-than-stellar record in how it treated its artists, Combs explained that he’s doing things differently this time, explaining that he wants to get back to R&B because “I feel like R&B was abandoned and it’s a part of our African American culture,” he says. “And I’m not signing any artists. Because if you know better, you do better. I’m doing 50–50 partnerships with pure transparency.”

He also elaborates that his purpose in launching such a label is so “we can own the genre; we don’t own hip-hop right now. We have a chance to — and I’m going to make sure that — we own R&B.” Although he hasn’t announced any projects or even a name just yet, it may be interesting to find out whether or not he can be the person to drive innovation in the music business.

You can read the full profile here.

Lil Nas X Explains How His BET Awards Performance Was ‘Like Jumping In A Lake Of Sharks And Piranhas’

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Lil Nas X’s performance at the BET Awards was one of the year’s most notable music moments, mainly because of his on-stage kiss with one of his male dancers. In a new interview with Out, he spoke about the moment, admitting that he was hesitant about doing it at first.

He said:

“Going to this place with all these overly masculine rappers and you’re finna be in there throwing a little ass every now and then, touching on dudes and hugging them and kissing them… at some points I was like, ‘Should I even do this? I don’t feel like they’re going to love me like that.’ […]

Mentally, it’s really draining and straining sometimes; The pressure of living your entire life knowing the identity of what a rapper is supposed to be, what rappers [are supposed to] do, and going out there in front of all these people, it’s terrifying. [The BET performance] was like jumping in a lake full of sharks and piranhas — and I’ve had to do that so many times within these last three years. Even coming out, that was terrifying. When I put on the costume of Nicki [Minaj, for Halloween]: terrifying.”

He also spoke about his experience with homosexuality as a kid, saying, “Growing up in the Atlanta area, I [saw] a lot of microaggressions towards homosexuality. Little things like going into an IHOP and hearing one of your family members say, ‘Look at those f****ts’ to two people eating, or even just a small [statement like], ‘Boys don’t cry.’ Little sh*t like living in the hood, not being super into sports, and then having to go outside and pretend that I was.”

Read the full feature here.

People Are Losing It Over A Sign Language Interpreter’s On-Point ‘WAP’ Rendition At Lollapalooza

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Since its release nearly a year ago, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion‘s internet-breaking song “WAP” has been met with both praise and outrage over its raunchy lyrical content. Elected officials have complained about the song on the floor of Congress and the rappers’ performance of the track at the 2021 Grammys resulted in over 1,000 FCC complaints. But compared to a sign language interpreter’s rendition of “WAP” alongside Megan at Lollapalooza last weekend, their Grammys set could be considered relatively tame.

Megan took the Lollapalooza stage Saturday to a massive crowd of festivalgoers where she enticed the audience with a number of her hits. But as she delivered the memorable lyrics to her “WAP” collaboration, someone else on stage stole the show. A sign language interpreter accompanied Megan at side stage to perform the song in American Sign Language, and one fan captured a clip of them performing Cardi’s verse. As expected, “WAP” translated into ASL is as explicit (or more so) as the original track.

This is far from the first time a sign language interpreter has gone viral for their impressive performances at concerts. Most recently, a sign language interpreter who accompanied Twista on stage at a 2019 show went viral for their rapid-fire signing of the rapper’s lyrics.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A Collaboration Between Lil Baby And André 3000 Is Apparently In The Works

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Since his breakout moment, Lil Baby has not held back with his collaborations. The rapper has songs with Travis Scott, Megan Thee Stallion, and even made an entire joint album with Gunna. But for his next collaboration, Lil Baby is setting his sights on someone a bit more elusive: André 3000.

Lil Baby recently sat down for a cover interview with Billboard where he talked about his rise to fame, his responsibility as a role model, and what he has in store next. The rapper sparingly divulged details about his third studio album, saying he has reached out to André 3000’s team in hopes of securing a feature from the Outkast rapper.

“I’m in a whole different head space than I was at with My Turn — I’m going to be at a different level every time I drop because I’m at different levels in life,” he said about his upcoming effort.

That wasn’t the only bit of information Lil Baby let loose about his next LP. Apparently, the rapper is vying for André 3000, who he labeled “a cold motherf*cker,” to lend a verse on a track. “I talked to somebody who be talking to him, and he’s on it right now,” he said of the potential collaboration. “We’re in third-party communications.”

Other than occasionally being spotted with his flute in public, André 3000 has been laying low lately. The rapper did end up making a rare appearance on Goodie Mob’s Survival Kit track “No Cigar.” But other than that, a song with Lil Baby would mark André 3000’s first new music in quite some time.

Read Billboard‘s Lil Baby cover story here.

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

Tyler The Creator Announces His ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ Tour With Vince Staples And Kali Uchis

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Tyler The Creator‘s Call Me If You Get Lost made waves as Tyler’s unofficial entry to DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz canon and now, he taking the album on the road, along with a few friends. The Call Me If You Get Lost Tour kicks off in February 2022 in San Diego, California, then continues through 33 more cities, concluding in Seattle, Washington in April.

Coming along with Tyler are friends and collaborators Kali Uchis, Vince Staples, and Teezo Touchdown, the latter of whom appeared on the album on “Runitup” after Tyler tweeted about him last summer. Kali Uchis has collaborated with Tyler on the songs “Perfect,” “After The Storm,” and “See You Again,” while Vince Staples got his early start on songs with members of Tyler’s Odd Future collective and appears in Tyler’s recent Converse ad, representing one of the groups of people known for rocking the iconic Chuck Taylors.

Tyler also recently performed at Lollapalooza, while Vince Staples recently released his self-titled album, and Kali Uchis recently announced her sophomore album “Sin Miedo (Del Amor Y Otros).”

Check out the tour’s dates below.

2/10 — San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena
2/11 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
2/12 — Las Vegas, NV @ Michelob Ultra Arena
2/14 — El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center
2/16 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
2/18 — St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena
2/19 — Kansas City, MO @ Cable Dahmer Arena
2/20 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
2/22 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
2/24 — Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
2/27 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
2/28 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
3/3 — Worcester, MA @ DCU Center
3/4 — Norfolk, VA @ Chartway Arena
3/6 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
3/7 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
3/9 — Montreal, QC @ Place Bell
3/11 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
3/12 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Events Center
3/13 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
3/16 — Charlotte, NC @ Bojangles Coliseum
3/18 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
3/19 — Tampa, FL @ Yuengling Center
3/20 — Miami, FL @ FTX Arena
3/23 — Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Coliseum
3/25 — Duluth, GA @ Gas South Arena
3/27 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
3/29 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
3/31 — Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
4/1 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
4/2 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
4/4 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
4/7 — Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum
4/8 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

Nas’ ‘King’s Disease 2’ Tracklist Includes Features From Eminem And Lauryn Hill

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Last year, Hit-Boy helped Nas overcome his recent album slump, executive producing the Queens legend’s latest full-length, King’s Disease. The results spoke for themselves; not only was the album credited with breaking rap fans’ prevailing “Nas has a tin ear for beats” narrative, but it was also one of the most critically acclaimed rap projects of the year.

It looks like the two principals were pretty impressed with each other, as they recently announced a follow-up titled King’s Disease II to be released on the same projected date as Kanye West’s Donda. Either that, or it’ll be a Lost Tapes-type release collecting some of the cutting room clippings from the original sessions and stitching them together — which has worked for Nas before on Lost Tapes. Today, they shared the tracklist, revealing collaborations with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Blxst, Eminem, EPMD, Lauryn Hill, and YG.

King’s Disease II will thus mark the second collaboration between Nas and Em and Nas and Lauryn. While Eminem produced Nas’s 2002 God’s Son song “The Cross,” Nas and Ms. Hill collaborated on Nas’ biggest hit to date, 1996’s “If I Ruled The World” from It Was Written. You can see the full tracklist courtesy of Nas’ Instagram below.

Jack Harlow And Pooh Shiesty Get Their ‘SUVs Black On Black’ As Their Breakout Years Continue

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As Jack Harlow‘s breakout year continues, he links up with another artist who is having a strong 2021 as well in Pooh Shiesty on the new single “SUVs Black On Black.” Over a heavy 808 and mariachi band sample, the two rappers flex their rags-to-riches narratives with witty boasts like Harlow’s shot that “older women fall for me / I make them press the Life Alert.”

Jack’s been an in-demand feature artist since his song “What’s Poppin’” blew up the airwaves in 2020, joining Lil Nas X in his new video for “Industry Baby.” He also popped up in Babyface Ray’s video for “Paperwork Party” and was tapped by Eminem for the remix of “Killer.” He was also nominated for a BET Award, causing some confusion among fans and bumping into Saweetie and sharing a Twitter-inciting moment.

Meanwhile, Pooh Shiesty was selected to appear on the XXL Freshman cover as his song “Back In Blood” continued to blow up throughout 2020. Unfortunately for him, he was arrested on an aggravated battery charge, then indicted on additional charges after being implicated in a robbery by a post on his Instagram. He was denied bail in both cases, which could cause him trouble as his career continues, but with features alongside G Herbo on “Switch It Up” his should be able to maintain his momentum for at least a while.

Listen to “SUVs Black On Black” above.

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