Music

Rick Ross Is Only Just Now Getting His Driver’s License, Despite Owning ‘100 Cars’

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In June, Rick Ross boasted that he flies commercial and cuts his own grass to save money, but he must have been spending a lot of those savings on Uber and Lyft rides because today, he revealed that he’s only just now getting around to applying for a driver’s license. In a video posted to his social media, he self-deprecatingly told his followers that he owns “100 cars and don’t have a driver’s license.” He also joked about being an organ donor, saying, “Don’t let me die just to take my good heart.”

Meanwhile, the home where Ross mows his own lawn is reportedly set to be featured on the upcoming reboot of MTV’s Cribs alongside other celebrities’ homes like Big Sean’s, Martha Stewart’s, Nick Young’s, and Tinashe’s after being used as the set for the palace in Coming 2 America. In May, it was also highlighted during a police chase when a suspect supposedly crashed his truck in front of the property, leading to an extensive search of the grounds for a gun police say he had.

Ross himself has been working on new music as well, contributing guest verses to projects from the likes of Joyner Lucas and Conway The Machine, as well as teasing a joint project with Drake.

Hulu’s Lollapalooza Livestream Will Feature Foo Fighters, Tyler The Creator, Post Malone, And More

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Earlier in the month, Lollapalooza and Hulu announced that they had officially partnered to allow subscribers to watch the upcoming four-day festival from the comfort of their own homes at no additional cost. Now, according to Hulu’s website, we can confirm that the livestream schedule includes headliners Foo Fighters, Tyler the Creator, Post Malone, Journey, Modest Mouse, Young Thug, Band of Horses, Jimmy Eat World, Black Pumas, The Front Bottoms, White Reaper, and more.

Lollapalooza will kick off July 29 and running to August 1 in Chicago’s Grant Park. The livestream will begin at 11 am PT and come to an end at 8 pm PT each day. Upon announcing the festival’s return this spring, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, “In alignment with our public health guidance, the world class festival returns to the city later this summer. However, full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test will be required to enjoy the festivities.” Lightfoot also announced that all festivalgoers will be required to be vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID test in the last 24 hours in order to attend.

In a statement given to Billboard, sponsorship director of Lollapalooza festival promoter C3 Presents Courtney Trucksess expressed their excitement about the livestream partnership: “We are thrilled to be partnering for the first time with Hulu for this year’s livestream and are excited that the Lollapalooza fans who cannot be with us in Chicago have such a great platform to experience the show.” Check out the full schedule below (all times are in CT).

Thursday, July 29

1:10 p.m. – Aly & AJ
1:30 p.m. – Ant Clemons
1:55 p.m. – MAX
3:20 p.m. – Dombresky
4:00 p.m. – Dayglow
5:10 p.m. – Black Pumas
6:20 p.m. – Jimmy Eat World
8:30 p.m. – Steve Aoki

Friday, July 30

1:30 p.m. – Tai Verdes
2:05 p.m. – Tobi Lou
4:05 p.m. – Emotional Oranges
4:40 p.m. – Riot Ten
6:15 p.m. – White Reaper
7:25 p.m. – Jauz
8:00 p.m. – Jack Harlow
9:05 – Tyler The Creator

Saturday, July 31

1:10 p.m. – Cannons
1:50 p.m. – Hinds
4:00 p.m. – Vintage Culture
5:00 p.m. – Young The Giant
8:00 p.m. – Oliver Heldens
8:30 p.m. – Journey
9:20 p.m. – Post Malone

Sunday, August 1

1:10 p.m. – Sir Chloe
1:30 p.m. – Flipp Dinero
3:30 p.m. – Dr. Fresch
4:05 p.m. – Young Thug
5:10 p.m. – The Front Bottoms
6:10 p.m. – Modest Mouse
7:15 p.m. – Band Of Horses
8:20 p.m. – Foo Fighters

Get more info about the upcoming Hulu livestream here.

Young Thug Debuts Songs From ‘Punk’ In A Hardcore Tiny Desk Concert With Travis Barker

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Young Thug is on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts: A sentence I never thought I’d write but that I am so glad I now can. But wait… there’s more! He plays his set with a very (ahem) punk influence, hinting toward the eventual release of his next full-length album, which he’s been teasing for some time. And listen, if you thought Young Thug rapping to punk instrumentals wouldn’t be awesome, I genuinely do not know what to tell you. It’s great.

With a setlist including both new songs (“Die Slow,” “Droppin Jewels,” “Hate The Game,” and “Tick Tock”) as well as his current fan-favorite “Ski” from the YSL compilation album that dropped earlier this year, Thugger’s Tiny Desk Concert is everything you could want from one of these or from a live Young Thug performance.

Oh yeah, and you know Travis Barker pulls up to play drums because what even is a punk-rap crossover without Travis Barker on it? Thug’s flow also seems… I don’t want to say “improved,” but it’s very polished and clear and that’s obviously on purpose as he slides into his next evolution with all the finesse suggested by those constant “slime” and snake references he makes.

Watch Young Thug’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert above.

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

From Call of Duty To NBA 2K, Bankrol Hayden Never Forgets How Video Games Helped Him

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With hits like “Cabo” and “Brothers,” 19-year-old Bankrol Hayden is making his name known, but despite the time and effort that goes into finding and then building on early success, Bankrol still has love for his time spent gaming with his friends back in the day and for what gaming has meant for him in his life. That’s part of why he’s set to be one of the key talents driving Xbox and Atlantic Records’ unveil of the Green Room, a streaming crossover event happening tonight at 6PM ET on Atlantic’s YouTube channel.

Hayden is set to be a member of one of the 10 squads playing Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (additional guests include Seth Curry, A Boogie, and Vikkstar) for bragging rights and a share of a $10,000 prize pool. Uproxx spoke with Bankrol about the event, his training, and what song he’d put on the NBA2K soundtrack if he had the chance.

Talk to me about why you wanted to be involved with the launch of the series.

Bankrol Hayden: Yeah, it’s really cool. Honestly, I was excited when they told me about it, especially because GaryV is on it. I’ve always been a big fan of his. Also, I’ve just been playing video games since I was a kid. So it was good news when I got to hear that.

How much Call of Duty do you play?

I’m going to be honest, when I was little I played a lot of Call Of Duty: Black Ops, Black Ops Two. But I don’t play much Call Of Duty [now]. I’m actually getting into training right now. I don’t play that much to be real with you, bro. I play more 2K and Madden, I play a lot of GTA. I still play the OG Call Of Duty [games] and shit with my boys when I go back home. I used to go on zombies and go crazy. Nuketown. [In Modern Warfare 3] we used to be taking out the juggernauts. Now that bro brought that back to my memory, it would be every level you would get a new gun or something, but we would be taking out like three or four juggernauts every round. That shit was lit. This was before Black Ops Two, Black Ops One. Yeah, this is way back. But man, I’m really excited for the event. It’s going to be a great time. We’re going to have a blast.

So when you are playing, is it more of a relaxed, hang with friends thing, or just an escape from the world?

It just gets my mind off stuff. I used to be in the hospital and when I was going through surgeries and I was like, I’ve got a back surgery tomorrow, I would be like, okay, playing Fortnite is taking my mind off all that. Or playing Call Of Duty, playing 2K with my boys, with a headset on. That’s always kind of what video games did for me. But as I’m moving into my rap career, I’ve got to be focusing. I’ve got to watch how much time I spend on the game. So I actually put it away. It’s in my closet right now.

I like that. That means you’re really focused.

It was draining for me because I had it in my living room bro, and I was like, you know what? We are here to make music. That’s why we are in LA. But it’s still good and I like it. That shit really helps people’s minds.

When you’re playing 2K, who’s your team?

Man, bro, I liked playing 2K Blacktop, bro. That’s my favorite thing. You gotta watch what I did with Faze Blaze. I beat him in 2K. I like playing that stuff, but my team is going to be the Warriors because that’s where I’m from, out there in the bay.

Are they going back to the playoffs next year?

We’re going back to the playoffs with Klay [Thompson].

How do you feel about Giannis Antetokounmpo winning a championship?

Bro, that shit is inspiring, bro. Just seeing bro win, all the videos of him wanting it before, and now he’s here, it’s respectable. He deserved it.

What song of yours do you feel would be best on a 2K soundtrack?

I’m going to say “Costa Rica” with Kid Laroi remix. That shit would go crazy, I feel like. Or “Drop a Tear,” Lil Baby with me.

What was it like doing a song with Lil Baby?

Shoot man, it was a cool experience. We shot it in a church in Atlanta and all those people had great vibes. It was cool people and it was good, man. It was a good experience. It was crazy. Because I’m a big fan a Lil Baby. So I was like, man, this is surreal.

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

Doja Cat’s ‘Planet Her’ Merch Is Bad, According To Doja Cat

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When you get to be an artist of Doja Cat’s stature, it’s inevitable that you at some point won’t be able to control everything about your brand. While Doja presumably has final say over things like her music and cover art, it appears she’s not as involved with the merchandise side of things, because she thinks the merch she’s currently offering isn’t good.

Over the weekend, a fan shared an image of one of the t-shirts in Doja’s merch store, which features a photo of her in a skimpy pink outfit and wearing a pink dual-pointed headpiece. The tweet was captioned simply with question marks, and another fan replied, “who is designing this new batch of merchandise lol.” Doja quoted that tweet and responded, “i don’t know.” She quickly followed up, “the merch is bad. i’m aware. don’t worry.”

Another user tweeted, “b*tch i ain’t buying a hat for THIRTY FIVE dollars… nawt me sorry bae,” to which Doja responded, “i understand.”

Aside from the aforementioned shirt and hat, Doja’s online shop currently offers designs based on NASA logos and generic-looking Planet Her imagery, printed on crop top shirts, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, and sweatpants.

Revisit our recent review of Planet Her here.

Lil Uzi Vert Brings Back His Pink Forehead Diamond ― And Gets A New Tattoo In An Unusal Spot

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Lil Uzi Vert has brought back his most notable body modification and got a new one to go with it. In addition to reimplanting his notorious pink forehead diamond piercing — which is rumored to be worth $24 million — Uzi showed off his latest tattoo, which he got in an unusual spot: his tongue. The tongue tattoo plays into Uzi’s fascination with religious cults, appearing to depict an inverted cross (or the D’usse logo, I guess).

Uzi blew rap fans’ minds when he first popped up with the diamond back in February, prompting a flurry of Avengers and Steven Universe jokes at his expense, while wondering how the whole thing actually worked. The jeweler responsible, Eliantte, addressed those concerns in an interview, calling the implant “as safe as any other piercing. As long as you maintain it well and have good upkeep, it’s perfectly fine. We made sure that prior to getting anything done that Uzi brought someone in to consult on everything. We didn’t just do this randomly.”

Uzi himself explained the eye-catching addition in an interview with Fat Joe, saying, “I’m Lil Uzi. I’m turnt up. So $24 million on a ring is the stupidest idea because I’m gonna look down and that ring ain’t gon’ be there. I know me. I wake up in odd places and different sceneries.” He stopped wearing the gem in June without explanation but at least we know it wasn’t because he lost it.

You can check out Uzi’s latest modifications above.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Chance The Rapper Is Bringing A Free Weekly Literacy Event To Chicago

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In the midst of all the horrible news this industry generates about hip-hop — the violence, ignorance, misogyny, and casual homophobia of it all — it’s nice to get some good news once in a while. To that end, Chance The Rapper is set to bring a free literacy event to his hometown, Saturday’s Books & Breakfast.

Living up to its title, the program will offer free books and free breakfast to attendees, as well as free family portraits. Designed for young children between the ages of three and eight, the events will run weekly on the South and West Sides, including sites in Englewood, Garfield Park, North Lawndale, and West Chatham. You can find more information here.

Chance has always been community-focused, and recently, he’s been returning to his efforts to give back. Most recently, he headlined the LA-based COVID-19 service event 1DayLA alongside his “Holy” collaborator Justin Bieber, helping the event “organize beautification projects, back-to-school events, free medical clinics, homeless assistance, and aid distribution.”

Meanwhile, you begin catching him live again sooner rather than later, as editing his concert film Magnificent Coloring World has made The Rapper “super thirsty” to start performing as well. You can catch the film in theaters in August.

BTS Cover Diddy And Faith Evans’ ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ In The BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge

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BTS has been achieving milestone after milestone lately, and now they’ve just tallied another one: The group had their first BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge performance today. They performed two of their own songs — “Dynamite” and “Permission To Dance” — and as is tradition, they also did a cover. The group chose “I’ll Be Missing You,” the classic single from Puff Daddy (now known as Diddy) and Faith Evans.

According to BBC Radio 1 presenter Adele Roberts (via Metro), Suga’s Korean rap on the song translates to:

“We’re now used to our routines taken away
But still can’t give up living on
We’re more worn out because we don’t know where this ends
We’re an island we made ourselves because we couldn’t trust each other
Hope an end comes for this tiring pandemic virus
Negative thoughts can sometimes be a minus
I knew it wasn’t the end so I couldn’t say bye
When that day comes, will say ‘hi’ like nothing happened. […]
I hate this world, our traces became memories
I just empty my mind, trust without conditions
I fill it every day with just loneliness
Not like the longing that encircles me
We miss you, baby
Whenever it may be
Here’s hoping we meet again, I promise.”

The group said of the performance, “It’s been almost two years we haven’t seen the ARMYs. It’s like 700 days and it’s the first time ever because sometimes we meet them three times, twice a day, and now it’s been a year or so. We miss all of you, BBC, Armys, everyone abroad
and in Korea, too. It’s kind of like a message to all of you.”

Ahead of the performance, Roberts said in a press release (as Consequence notes), “[BTS] have been so passionate, so supportive, and have hoped for a Radio 1 Live Lounge since the first time we played the band. Four years later, BTS have broken records, barriers, and boundaries. That dream is now going to be a reality. I’m beyond excited for us to finally be hosting the biggest boy band in the world!”

Watch BTS cover “I’ll Be Missing You” above and find their “Dynamite” and “Permission To Dance” performances below.

The Kid Laroi Expands His Debut Mixtape For A Third Time With The New ‘F*ck Love 3+: Over You’

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The Kid Laroi’s F*ck Love mixtape is a gift that keeps on giving. It was originally released in the summer of 2020 in a modest 15-track, 30-minute format. A deluxe edition later that year, titled F*ck Love (Savage), added some more tracks, which was followed just last week by F*ck Love 3: Over You, another expanded edition of the album. Now, the Australian rapper/singer is back with yet another addition to the album, this time dubbed F*ck Love 3+: Over You.

This version of the album adds six new songs — “I Don’t Know,” “About You,” “Lonely And F*cked Up,” “Situation,” “Attention,” and “Best For Me” — and bumps the mixtape’s total track count to 35 with a runtime of an hour and 18 minutes. While previous addendums to the album introduced songs with new featured artists — most notably the Justin Bieber collaboration “Stay” from F*ck Love 3: Over You — all of the song added via F*ck Love 3+: Over You feature Laroi unaccompanied.

Laroi wrote of the project on social media, “6 NEW SONGS OUT NOW!!!!! F*CK LOVE 3+!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU FAMILY. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.”

Stream F*ck Love 3+: Over You below.

F*ck Love 3+: Over You is out now via Columbia Records.

Irritated Fans Removed DaBaby From Dua Lipa’s ‘Levitating’ Remix And Added Megan Thee Stallion Instead

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Due to the fact that DaBaby keeps engaging in strange behavior like spouting off homophobic nonsense, and collaborating with Tory Lanez, the rapper who is trying to gaslight Megan Thee Stallion about their violent altercation that led to her getting shot last year, fans are quickly turning on the North Carolina breakout star. They’re turning so fast, in fact, that a new mashup replaces him on the remix of Dua Lipa’s hit single “Levitating” with a verse from Megan instead.

Since Dua and Megan themselves let us know they can’t wait to collaborate, fans took matters into their own hands and forced the issue. Some internet geniuses slapped Megan’s verse from her Phony PPL collaboration, “Fkn Around,” into the breaks where DaBaby’s verse formerly existed. They even went so far as to graft clips of Megan in the “Fkn Around” video into the “Levitating” visuals. When I tell you that the next generation has me in awe at least once a week! Check out the new fan-made clip, along with the original remix version below, so you can see how seamless the new version is. Above, I’ve also included the original Phony PPL song, because it’s also incredible and underrated. The internet, man, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.