Last week, Lil Nas X revealed the two artists he was unable to secure features from on his debut album Montero. The first, Drake, was unable to participate as he was putting the finishing touches on his own album, Certified Lover Boy. Nas says he’d wanted Drake on “Dolla Sign Slime”; instead, Megan Thee Stallion filled in admirably. However, Nas never did reveal which song he wanted Nicki on, which would have been a coup for a former member of her hardcore stan army, The Barbz. He said she never responded to his requests.
Today, though, during a Twitter Q&A to support his album, Nas solved the mystery for his curious fellow Barbz. When he was asked which song from the album he originally sent to Nicki Minaj, he didn’t hesitate to answer: “Industry Baby,” the Daytrip-produced, Kanye West-assisted, Jack Harlow-featuring megahit that is currently burning up the airwaves and terrorizing Lil Boosie’s dreams.
Admittedly, it could have resulted in a wildly different, yet more organic sounding collaboration — while Jack’s part in the video would probably have played a lot differently with Minaj in his place. However, Jack acquitted himself pretty well and has been a good sport about the video’s content, even going as far as saying he wouldn’t mind reshooting the infamous shower scene.
As to why Nicki never got back to Nas: that remains a mystery, although she had plenty of reasons, from just recently becoming a mother to battling a harassment lawsuit as her husband Kenneth faced trial for failing to register as a sex offender when the couple moved to California. She also wouldn’t have had much time to promote the record thanks to “Ball-gate” and its resulting backlash. Perhaps when the dust settles, we’ll hear a remix, which has been her M.O. of late, helping Doja Cat’s “Say So” go No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart.
Now that the music industry shutdown of 2020 is over and live entertainment is back underway, it’s once again time to line up some of the tours we’re looking forward to for the rest of the year.
While the past year was understandably quiet for live shows, venues have begun to reopen, festivals have returned, and many of the artists who spent much of 2020 indoors working on new material finally have the opportunity to show it off for an appreciative audience. Artists like J. Cole have spent weeks shaking off the rust and getting ready to head back out on the road, and hopefully, the extra time will have everyone feeling refreshed and energized after using that time to polish up their performances.
The upcoming fall tour season has no shortage of big names but with the likes of Doja Cat, Drake, and Tyler The Creator pushing to 2022, now’s your chance to see the hottest new and rising acts before they blow up.
AG Club — F*ck Your Expectations Tour
These Bay Area ragers bring a loose-limbed party vibe to their music, so it’s almost certain that their live show will follow suit. Serving up a similar vibe to early Odd Future and their offspring like Brockhampton, AG Club’s raucous energy bounces off the walls of any venue, as you can see in their videos for songs like “Memphis” and “NoHo.” This tour runs from September 26 in Brooklyn to the weekend of Day N Vegas in November.
It’s almost a shame Bino and Blxst aren’t touring their new joint mixtape because that tour would have the potential to be epic. As it is, the two veteran crowd controllers are more than enough to satisfy individually. Bino, of course, is the more straightforward rapper of the two, although he still mixes in his fair share of melody. However, while Blxst populates his groovy West Coast anthems with pure R&B on the choruses and hooks, Bino prefers to take a more rhythmic, gangster approach that still holds enough appeal for fans of all tastes.
Bring a date, thank me later. Blxst’s warm, soulful grooves and laid-back nighttime vibes make his shows feel more like house parties. The smooth appeal of tracks like “Gang Slide,” “Chosen,” and “Overrated” lend themselves to slow-dance euphoria while still remaining boisterous enough to keep the whole crowd moving all night long.
Toliver made waves last year when he declined to appear on XXL’s Freshman cover, so it’ll probably be worth checking out his live show to see why. The Houston crooner has rapidly become a fan favorite, getting a tremendous boost from his Cactus Jack label head Travis Scott, but showing over the last two years that he’s more than capable of standing on his own. Meanwhile, with “Whole Lotta Money” hitmaker BIA in tow, this tour should be at the top of your “can’t miss” list.
A late addition to the list, the iconic Jersey trio is reuniting for the first time in 15 years to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their classic 1996 album The Score. Consider this tour at your own risk; group member Ms. Lauryn Hill is notoriously prone to showing up late and refusing to perform unless the vibe is right, while the band’s personal relationships have been strained over the years. However, given how rare a reunion is, that risk may end up well worth it, especially since The Score is considered one of the best hip-hop albums of all time.
As eclectic and experimental as his latest albums have been, the DMV rebel knows exactly how to deliver onstage, as he’s proved on previous tours and at countless festival appearances. A true rapper’s rapper, IDK also brings a sharp, unique sensibility to the stage, using his magnetic presence to control the energy level like a seasoned veteran. He really cares about how things look and sound and his personality is as electrifying when he performs as it is in his records.
Isaiah Rashad — The Lil’ Sunny’s Awesome Vacation Tour
The Lil’ Sunny Tour is already in progress, but if it hasn’t hit your city yet, make a plan to check it out because this stage veteran really knows how to move a crowd. In addition, he’s bringing along his newest TDE labelmate Ray Vaughn, who has proven to be a capable MC himself. Watching them, it’s obvious how much they love to perform and they reciprocate every jolt of energy the crowd sends their way.
Likewise, J. Cole’s tour has already launched and he’s already making waves for his choice of attire: Sweatpants and Crocs. It looks like at least one person is bringing quarantine cozy fashion with him. But don’t think that means he’s a slouch onstage. If anything, the year he spent sharpening his craft has also honed his stage show and his lazy wardrobe is a sign of his confidence in the stagecraft and presence he brings night after night. His Queens brethren Bas is also along for the ride, and when these two link up, good things happen.
Lil Baby is currently one of, if not the hottest hip-hop act on the scene today. He’s also bringing the rapidly rising Coi Leray and his Voice Of The Heroes partner Lil Durk along, so buckle up. The hype levels for Lil Baby’s performance are always off the charts and while this will be our first time to see how he and Durk share the stage, if their on-record chemistry translates live, it’ll be a sight to behold.
Tjay has proven to be a can’t-miss performer at festivals. It’ll be interesting to see how he condenses that energy for an indoor show after a year off. While that would worry me with some artists considering the lost year of practice and development, the precocious Tjay has already shown a natural gift for projecting his cocky persona to the back of the house. While he’s likely never experienced the sometimes grueling tour life, he seems like someone who can thrive in that environment.
Say what you want about Carti’s last album, but Whole Lotta Red probably sounds a whole lot better in a sweaty mosh pit — the way it was intended to be heard. Add in the possibility that he could very well debut an entirely new project while he’s on the road — we call that “rock star sh*t” in the biz — tapping in will at least net you a great show and at best give you a chance to say you heard the new sh*t first.
The Florida crooner has made tour life a huge part of his visual presentation — nearly all his videos feature at least some footage. Anyone who prides himself on his performance that much must put on a good one. His packed schedule has taken him from Houston to Minneapolis, but you can catch the latter half of his tour anywhere from Chicago this week to his final show in Seattle in late October.
Snot first rose to prominence behind the intense, punk-like energy of his youth-packed live shows. His return to the road is more than welcome. He’s also one of those young rappers for whom presentation is every bit as important as his presence, so I have every confidence he’ll be one of the top artists on this list when it comes to making it a night to remember.
Little Simz is fresh off the release of her latest album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, an adventurous album that has left fans wanting to hear it live. Well, next year, they’ll get to do just that, as Simz has announced a North American tour for 2022.
The dates span most of May, kicking off in Portland, Oregon before rolling through Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and New York City.
Of Simz’ new album, Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes, “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert takes some big swings, but it never lets go of its message for the sake of an impressive stroke at expanding its sound. Simz has evolved, album by album, into the kind of artist who can push boundaries and remain both relatable and universal at the same time. It’s a balancing act that so many artists could take lessons from as hip-hop pursues its contemporary aspirations at making ‘high art,’ because Simz already is.”
Check out the full list of dates below.
05/01/2022 — Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
05/02/2022 — Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
05/05/2022 — San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
05/11/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
05/15/2022 — Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s
05/17/2022 — Toronto, ON @ The Axis Club
05/19/2022 — Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
05/21/2022 — Philadelphia, PA @ Foundry
05/23/2022 — Washington, DC @ Union Stage
05/25/2022 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall
When Rihanna put on her first Savage X Fenty fashion show in 2018, it was clear she intended to revolutionize the industry. Rather than simply sending models down the runway in her lingerie garments, Rihanna tapped celebrities and famous models to showcase their outfits in a cinematic and size-inclusive show complete with live music and choreography. This year, Rihanna is once again inviting a number of today’s top stars to join her for her third Savage X Fenty fashion show.
The singer just dropped an exciting trailer for Savage X Fenty Vol. 3, previewing how the runway show will take over an entire building. Along with previously announced performances by Normani, Daddy Yankee, and Nas, Rihanna has invited musicians like Troye Sivan, Erykah Badu, Sabrina Carpenter, and Jazmine Sullivan to make a cameo in the performance. The entire show will be available to stream starting on September 24 exclusively on Amazon’s Prime Video.
According to an official press release, Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty 2021 lingerie collection fashion show are meant to exude “baddie energy” by incorporating “strong lines that trace contours of the body and unconventional silhouettes that push the boundaries of individuality to bring out the baddie in everybody.”
Watch the Savage X Fenty Vol. 3 trailer above.
Savage X Fenty Vol. 3 premieres 9/24 on Prime Video. Watch it here.
Over the past decade-plus, Drake and The Weeknd have become two of the most prominent musical figures in pop culture, so much so that at least one professor thinks they’re worth spending an entire semester studying. Writer and teacher Dalton Higgins will teach a course titled “RTA 950: Selected Topics In Media — Deconstructing Drake And The Weeknd” at Toronto’s Ryerson University.
In an Instagram post about the course, Higgins explained his motivation behind creating the class, writing:
“There are great courses out there being taught about numerous rock, folk and pop stars like Miley Cyrus, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, so why not The Weeknd and Dizzy. Also, I’ve been kicking around the Hip Hop Ed scene for years and have seen some great courses being taught in the USA about Jay Z (Georgetown University), Outkast (Armstrong State University), Beyonce (there are MANY Bey courses; Arizona State, University of Texas; Rutgers University). Plus the University of Arizona offers a minor in Hip Hop Studies, and Mcnally Smith College in Minnesota offers a hip hop diploma. […] Nevertheless, it’s time to get our Canadian rap & R&B icons recognized & canonized academically or otherwise. And it is CRITICAL for scholars, historians, to examine the Toronto music scene that birthed Drake/Weeknd and helped create the conditions for them to become mega successful.”
When Lil Nas X first took the music industry by storm with his viral “Old Town Road” track, people didn’t know whether it should be classified as country or hip-hop music. The song originally appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts in 2019, before being quietly excluded from the country genre. Now reclaiming his country crossover, Lil Nas X takes on a cover by the Queen Of Country herself, Dolly Parton.
Lil Nas X appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge for a series of filmed performances. Not only did he perform a handful of songs from his recently released debut album Montero, like “That’s What I Want,” “Dead Right Now,” and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name), but he also gave a mesmerizing rendition of Parton’s “Jolene.” Complete with a slight southern drawl and a few backup singers, Lil Nas X’s rendition of the 1974 track stays faithful to Parton’s original version.
Ahead of taking the Live Lounge stage, Lil Nas X raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity in a very clever way. After joking he was “pregnant” with his debut album, the musician shared a “baby registry” that was a list of non-profit organizations his fans could donate to. Bro In Convo, an organization that supports Black, gay, bisexual, and queer men, reportedly received over $33,000 in donations from Lil Nas X’s registry.
When Lil Nas X first took the music industry by storm with his viral “Old Town Road” track, people didn’t know whether it should be classified as country or hip-hop music. The song originally appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts in 2019, before being quietly excluded from the country genre. Now reclaiming his country crossover, Lil Nas X takes on a cover by the Queen Of Country herself, Dolly Parton.
Lil Nas X appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge for a series of filmed performances. Not only did he perform a handful of songs from his recently released debut album Montero, like “That’s What I Want,” “Dead Right Now,” and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name), but he also gave a mesmerizing rendition of Parton’s “Jolene.” Complete with a slight southern drawl and a few backup singers, Lil Nas X’s rendition of the 1974 track stays faithful to Parton’s original version.
Ahead of taking the Live Lounge stage, Lil Nas X raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity in a very clever way. After joking he was “pregnant” with his debut album, the musician shared a “baby registry” that was a list of non-profit organizations his fans could donate to. Bro In Convo, an organization that supports Black, gay, bisexual, and queer men, reportedly received over $33,000 in donations from Lil Nas X’s registry.
Over the past decade-plus, Drake and The Weeknd have become two of the most prominent musical figures in pop culture, so much so that at least one professor thinks they’re worth spending an entire semester studying. Writer and teacher Dalton Higgins will teach a course titled “RTA 950: Selected Topics In Media — Deconstructing Drake And The Weeknd” at Toronto’s Ryerson University.
In an Instagram post about the course, Higgins explained his motivation behind creating the class, writing:
“There are great courses out there being taught about numerous rock, folk and pop stars like Miley Cyrus, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, so why not The Weeknd and Dizzy. Also, I’ve been kicking around the Hip Hop Ed scene for years and have seen some great courses being taught in the USA about Jay Z (Georgetown University), Outkast (Armstrong State University), Beyonce (there are MANY Bey courses; Arizona State, University of Texas; Rutgers University). Plus the University of Arizona offers a minor in Hip Hop Studies, and Mcnally Smith College in Minnesota offers a hip hop diploma. […] Nevertheless, it’s time to get our Canadian rap & R&B icons recognized & canonized academically or otherwise. And it is CRITICAL for scholars, historians, to examine the Toronto music scene that birthed Drake/Weeknd and helped create the conditions for them to become mega successful.”
One of the biggest stars in the world right now is Billie Eilish. Fresh off her appearance at the Met Gala, there are few people in music as big as Eilish. It’s not a surprise why. She creates great music, has a personality that’s easy to cheer for, and has an extremely interesting backstory.
Among the details of her backstory is she has a really interesting relationship with video games. Eilish grew up playing the puzzle game ilomilo, and even named one of her songs after it. Not only that, her mother Maggie Baird is the voice actress for Samara in the Mass Effect series. Now, Eilish will be forming her own relationship with gaming by having 10 of her songs appear in the VR rhythm game Beat Saber. These songs include:
all the good girls go to hell
bad guy
bellyache
bury a friend
Happier Than Ever
I Didn’t Change My Number
NDA
Oxytocin
Therefore I Am
you should see me in a crown
Beat Saber
This is a strong list of songs that all will complement the energetic and sometimes exhausting gameplay of Beat Saber. Anyone who’s played it knows how addictive Beat Saber can be. Spend a few hours jamming out to some great music and before you know it you’ve been at it for two hours and can’t lift up your arms anymore. Adding Eilish’s songs to the game is only going to enhance that feeling of “Just one more song?” that every Beat Saber playthrough has.
Beat Saber is one of the best games on VR right now and a must-get purchase for anyone that owns a headset. Adding Eilish to its already vast discography is another example of that. The pack for her complete list of songs will be available to players at a price of $12.99 while individual songs will cost $1.99. If you’re still not sure we suggest giving “Happier Than Ever” a try first try and seeing how it goes.
One of the biggest stars in the world right now is Billie Eilish. Fresh off her appearance at the Met Gala, there are few people in music as big as Eilish. It’s not a surprise why. She creates great music, has a personality that’s easy to cheer for, and has an extremely interesting backstory.
Among the details of her backstory is she has a really interesting relationship with video games. Eilish grew up playing the puzzle game ilomilo, and even named one of her songs after it. Not only that, her mother Maggie Baird is the voice actress for Samara in the Mass Effect series. Now, Eilish will be forming her own relationship with gaming by having 10 of her songs appear in the VR rhythm game Beat Saber. These songs include:
all the good girls go to hell
bad guy
bellyache
bury a friend
Happier Than Ever
I Didn’t Change My Number
NDA
Oxytocin
Therefore I Am
you should see me in a crown
Beat Saber
This is a strong list of songs that all will complement the energetic and sometimes exhausting gameplay of Beat Saber. Anyone who’s played it knows how addictive Beat Saber can be. Spend a few hours jamming out to some great music and before you know it you’ve been at it for two hours and can’t lift up your arms anymore. Adding Eilish’s songs to the game is only going to enhance that feeling of “Just one more song?” that every Beat Saber playthrough has.
Beat Saber is one of the best games on VR right now and a must-get purchase for anyone that owns a headset. Adding Eilish to its already vast discography is another example of that. The pack for her complete list of songs will be available to players at a price of $12.99 while individual songs will cost $1.99. If you’re still not sure we suggest giving “Happier Than Ever” a try first try and seeing how it goes.
pic.twitter.com/xHgQsbE48J
(@LilNasX) September 21, 2021
