Music

Lil Nas X Had A Sarcastic Thank You After The ‘Montero’ Video Reached A New And Dubious Milestone On YouTube

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A few months ago, Lil Nas X released “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and its accompanying music video, both of which sent the industry into chaos. From the Satan Shoes that were released with it, the images of hell in the video, and the singer dancing with the devil, the “Old Town Road” act found himself in headlines for a healthy amount of time. But outraged press is still press, and the controversy helped the video reach a new and dubious milestone.

The video reached one million dislikes this past weekend, becoming the first video on his artist page to do so. The news was shared by a Lil Nas fan account and after the singer himself caught wind of it, he shared a brief message. “Thank u to everyone who made this possible,” he wrote. “I am nothing without you guys lack of support.”

Back in June, Lil Nas revealed that he anticipated that the song and its video would receive considerable backlash. “Even when I was planning the video, I was like, ‘Oh, this is definitely going to hit Fox News,’” he said during a guest appearance on the Desus & Mero Showtime series. “I definitely didn’t expect the outrage as much as it was at all, especially, like, governors tweeting me. Like, you’re a governor. You don’t have anything better to do?”

Prince’s Estate Sold Almost Half Of The Late Singer’s Rights To A New York Publisher

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This past Friday, Prince’s estate released Welcome 2 America, the late singer’s first full album solely comprised of previously unreleased material. The 11-track project — which was recorded back in 2010 prior to his Welcome 2 America tour — captured Prince’s concerns, hopes, and visions for society at that moment and how he believed politics, disinformation, and the growing push for social justice would affect the world in the future. Now his estate has made some new moves that may make even more of his work more accessible.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the late singer’s three youngest siblings agreed to sell a large portion of their inheritance in the estate to Primary Wave, an independent New York music publisher and talent management company, which is in control of a catalog that also includes music from Ray Charles, Nirvana, and more.

According to Rolling Stone, the exchange grants Primary Wave the rights to Prince’s name and likeness, royalties from his masters and publishing rights, as well as his beloved Paisley Park studios. The late singer’s three oldest siblings — Sharon, Norrine, and John Nelson — have all said they have no plans to sell any part of their stake in the estate. “We’ll never sell out. We know the prize,” Sharon said to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

L. Londell McMillan, a New York lawyer that represents Sharon, Norrine, and John Nelson shared a statement on behalf of the trio. “There’s not much anyone can do about family members who sell out for the dollar,” he said. “That’s their right.”

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

DaBaby Has Been Dropped From Lollapalooza’s 2021 Festival Lineup

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The homophobic rant DaBaby delivered during last weekend’s Rolling Loud festival in Miami was met with plenty of backlash. His rant — which also targeted people with HIV/AIDS — earned him criticism from Madonna, Dua Lipa, Elton John, Questlove, and more, while BoohooMan terminated their partnership with him. Now, his actions have impacted one of his bigger gigs.

On Sunday, Lollapalooza announced that DaBaby would no longer perform at the show, just a half-hour before the final day of the festival began. “Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love,” read a statement put out by the festival. “With that in mind, DaBaby will no longer be performing at Grant Park tonight.” The festival also announced that Young Thug will take the show’s 9 p.m. slot, while G Herbo will step into the 4 p.m. slot to accommodate the gap in their scheduling.

While the move from Lollapalooza is a credible one, it should be noted that at least one other scheduled performer has made public statements that don’t exactly comply with “diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love.” Last year, Young Thug — who’s still on the line-up — responded to controversial comments Boosie Badazz made about Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union’s trans daughter. But he seemed to be more on Boosie’s side. “All I wanna say to dwade son is ‘GOD DONT MAKE MISTAKES’ but hey live your true self,” he wrote in a tweet. The rapper later deleted the message.

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

A Street In MF Doom’s Hometown Of Long Beach, New York Has Been Renamed For The Legendary Rapper

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After MF Doom’s family revealed the sad news that the legendary rapper had died in 2020 at the untimely age of 49, an outpouring of grief at the loss and appreciation for his artistry erupted. Now, the community where he grew up has decided to commemorate the rapper’s legacy even further, renaming the street he grew up on in Long Beach, New York in honor of him. KMD – MF DOOM Way is named for the rapper and a group he and his younger brother Subroc created early in his career.

As Stereogum points out, Dr. Patrick Graham, a former schoolmate of MF Doom, spearheaded a petition to make the dedication. With close to 10,000 signatures at the time of publishing, the City Council of Long Beach approved the petition. For those familiar with the city, KMD — MF Doom Way is on East Houston Street, covering the block between Riverside Boulevard and Long Beach Road. The ceremony for renaming the road was Saturday.

Born Daniel Dumile, Graham said that Doom represents the best of the resilience that’s needed to carry into the future. “His hip-hop lyricism represents some of the culture’s best linguistic metaphors, garnering intergenerational and interracial admiration,” he said. “His life and art symbolize the resilience we need in our present context.”

The ceremony for renaming the road was today, check out some posts from the event below.

Pop Smoke’s ‘Faith’ Receives Another Update With Six Additional Songs

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Pop Smoke’s Faith recently became the second No. 1 album in the late rapper’s catalog, joining Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon, which was released posthumously last summer. The 20-track project came with a vast lineup filled with some of the music industry’s biggest names, including Pusha T, Kanye West, Rick Ross, 21 Savage, Future, Chris Brown, Dua Lipa, Kodak Black, and more. Pop Smoke’s team added four new songs to the album in a deluxe reissue that saw guest appearances from G Herbo, OnPointLikeOP, Killa, Dread Woo, and Travi. However, it looks like they’re not done with Faith.

The late rapper’s team quietly updated the chart-topping album with six additional songs. Five of the tracks and brand new releases include contributions from Tay Floss, Rah Swish (who appears on the original version of the album), Fetty Luciano, Anuel AA, and the late rapper’s brother Obasi Jackson. The last addition to the project is “Dior,” Pop Smoke’s Grammy-nominated single.

The updated version of Faith arrives after the rapper’s team shared a celebratory video for Pop Smoke and Dua Lipa’s “Demeanor.”

Faith (Deluxe) is out now via Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic. Get it here.

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

42 Dugg Delivers A Homophobic Response To Those Who Took Issue With A Video Of Him And His Son

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The last week saw a number of instances of homophobia in hip-hop world. The biggest example is DaBaby’s bizarre rant at Miami’s Rolling Loud festival, where he also targeted people with HIV/AIDS. He was torched for his comments, but some, like Boosie Badazz and T.I., chose to defend the rapper. Now, Detroit native 42 Dugg has joined the list of rappers who have recently shared homophobic comments.

Screenshot From XXL

On Friday, Dugg posted a video of him and his son. In it, the rapper can be seen licking and kissing the boy’s neck and shoulder area. A number of people on social media felt that Dugg’s actions towards his son were inappropriate. After catching wind of the comments, the rapper took to his Instagram to fire back at his critics.

“Ain’t nobody going for that gay ass h*e ass sh*t y’all on,” he wrote. Y’all [quick] to get on some gay b*tch ass sh*t but when a n**** jump down on one you h*e n****s and call somebody out we homophobic. Don’t nobody give a f*ck about that sh*t. Y’all don’t [know] us. We entertainers that’s it. We not here to coach you on life. If I say I’m not with that gay sh*t that’s where y’all should leave it.”

He added, “Quit tryna shove that sh*t down n****s throats. Ah gay n**** ah be on national tv tonguing down another h*e ass n****, but that’s ok though. Y’all or no motherfucker on earth ain’t finna make me like sh*t ion like and if y’all don’t like me f*ck y’all get wit me. Keep my son out y’all mouth flat out.” He concluded the post by writing, “Suck my d*ck you gay b*otches.”

The Detroit rapper’s bizarre rant comes after he shared a jittery video for “Turnest N**** In The City” and joined Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, and Rubi Rose for an XXL Freshman cypher.”

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

Hip-Hop Has Received Its Own Holiday In The United States

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Since its formation in the early 1970s, hip-hop has grown exponentially, becoming one of the biggest genres in the world. This year alone a total of ten hip-hop albums have reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart this year — the most across any genre. So it’s no surprise that the Senate decided to grant hip-hop its own official holiday.

Less than a month before hip-hop turns 48, the United States Senate passed a resolution that recognized August 11 as National Hip Hop Celebration Day. The resolution also made August “Hip Hop Recognition Month” and November “Hip Hop History Month.” The news was shared via a tweet on the official Senate Periodicals page, which also revealed that the vote was passed with “unanimous consent.” This also marks the first time that hip-hop has been recognized in any fashion by the Senate.

August 11 is an extremely important date in hip-hop’s culture, as it serves as the day in 1973 that DJ Kool Herc, born Clive Campbell, and his sister Cindy Campbell held a back-to-school party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in Bronx, New York. It’s this party that many have claimed as the birth of hip-hop’s music and culture.

You can view the announcement from Senate in the tweet above.

Kanye West Is Indeed Holding A Second Listening Event For ‘Donda’

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Kanye West held a listening event for Donda, his long-awaited new album, earlier this month. It took place at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the rapper stood by himself on the venue’s large floor to premiere songs from the album, which boasted guest appearances from Jay-Z, Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Lil Durk, Vory, and more. While many expected the project to arrive shortly after the event, that was not the case. Instead, Kanye opted to keep tweaking the album for a future release. He even moved into the Atlanta stadium in order to fully focus on completing the project.

Now Kanye has announced a second listening event for the album. He shared the news on Instagram and confirmed that it will take place on August 5, with the album rumored to drop the following day. The rapper’s label, Def Jam Recordings, also announced the news, adding that it would once again take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The label also revealed tickets to attend the event will be made available on August 2, starting at 10 a.m.

It was just a day ago that TMZ reported that another Donda listening event was possibly in the works. The publication adds that Kanye is hoping to make it substantially different from the first iteration, following an ask from Live Nation and Creative Artists Agency, as they fear a smaller amount of tickets for the August 5 showcase will be sold.

Drake Reveals ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Is ‘Ready’ And Finally On The Way

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The wait for Drake’s highly-anticipated sixth album Certified Lover Boy is nearly over. The Toronto rapper has kept fans waiting for the project’s release for the better part of a year. It was originally set to arrive back in January after Drake shared a nostalgic trailer for the release. It was later delayed as a result of Drake rehabbing from knee surgery for than he expected. While a new date was never announced, many hopped that Certified Lover Boy would arrive by the end of the summer and now, it seems like that will be the case.

Drake hopped on Fri Yiy Friday, a show on Sirius XM’s Sound 42 station which is led by his OVO Sound team, to share a new update about Certified Lover Boy. “Album’s ready… album’s cooked, looking forward to delivering it to you” he told the show’s hosts, OVO Mark and OVO Noel. Drake then took a shot at the competition with his next statement. “Certified Lover Boy on the way and that’s for anyone in the way.”

This comes after Drake revealed the project was in the mixing stage earlier this month. “You know Uncle Drake’s on his way back home to mix the album,” he said on a July 9 edition of the Fri Yiy Friday show. Elsewhere, Drake recently teamed up with Smiley for “Over The Top” before signing on to executive produce a documentary about the experiences of Black hockey players with LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Adel “Future” Nur

You can listen to Drake’s announcement in the video above.

Tyga’s Colorful ‘Mrs. Bubblegum’ Video Is Hilariously Booty-Filled

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It isn’t often you get to write about watching a rap star literally eating ass in a new video without incurring a potential invasion of privacy lawsuit, but in the case of Tyga‘s new video for “Mrs. Bubblegum,” that’s exactly what happens. The… ahem… cheeky video finds the West Coast rap star surrounded by disembodied derrieres in a variety of hilarious situations including on a Mount Rushmore, as a member of Blue Man Group (the butts are drums, natch), dining on the aforementioned rump roast (served on a fancy plate!), and being swarmed by BUTTerflies. Sorry, I’ll stop now.

The song itself samples D4L’s snap-era ringtone classic “Laffy Taffy,” and if you listen closely, you can actually hear some of the vocals from that song’s inescapable hook. Tyga repurposes that hook, rewriting the lyrics from “shake that Laffy Taffy” to “shake that ass for me,” imploring listeners to imitate the gyrating, disembodied gluteuses that populate the video. Is it kind of crass? Absolutely. It’s also so irreverent and silly, it’s hard to get too mad at him. Meanwhile, his recent career resurgence has included a number of strip club anthems and an OnlyFans account. He’s certainly having himself a ride, at least he can laugh at himself along the way.

Watch the “Mrs. Bubblegum” video above.