Music

Benny The Butcher Explains His Absence From Drake And Kanye West’s Latest Albums

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Benny The Butcher is a part of Buffalo’s gritty Griselda collective, a group that stands as one of the most active in the music world. The group has released three albums and a mixtape so far in 2021, with more expected to arrive in the coming months. The rappers of Griselda have contributed to multiple songs as well, with one of the most recent being Kanye West’s “Keep My Spirit Alive,” which features Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn in addition to KayCyy, from West’s tenth album, Donda.

Many questioned, however, why Benny The Butcher was absent from the song and the rapper recently responded to the question and addressed another expected collaboration with a different big-named rapper.

“I don’t think Ye wanted me on there,” Benny said when he asked about his absence from the Donda track during an interview on Twitch with Connected. “I don’t care about it but it’s cool. I got all types of rapper homeboys that’s friends, that’s dope, that’s legends. Everytime they’re dropping an album, I’m not asking why I’m not on that stuff.”

Benny also spoke about his long-awaited collaboration with Drake and why it didn’t appear on Certified Lover Boy.

“Drake is Drake. He’s the biggest artist in the world, so ain’t no tellin’ where that song gon’ land,” Benny said. “We got the song, I played it for all the homies. It’s a vibe and he gotta place that where he sees fit to it.” He added, “I feel like it definitely would have fit in and definitely would have mixed things up, but I also see why he didn’t put it on there.”

You can watch a clip of the interview in the post above.

Doja Cat Plans To Be ‘More Careful’ With Selecting Artists She Works With In The Future

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Doja Cat is almost three months removed from the release of her third album, Planet Her. The project captured features from Young Thug, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, JID, and SZA as well as Gunna and Eve who appeared on the project’s deluxe reissue. Many of these guests on the album helped provide memorable moments for Planet Her, but according to Doja Cat, she plans to be a bit more careful in selecting the artists she works with in the future.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVr-TwiGNnveWyOouIyz2fQ

“I have been trying to be more careful about who I’m collaborating with,” she said during a conversation with ExtraTV. “Not to say that the people on my album are — they’re incredible. They are the perfect features on my album. But I do want to be more choosy about what I’m doing because I feel like a lot of features are coming out.” She continued, “It feels like people are just getting on each other’s songs for the sake of having them on each other’s songs.”

“I want to be really careful about that,” she added. “Sometimes it’s too much collabs and remixes and things like that.”

Doja’s words come after she provided a phenomenal guest verse to Lil Nas X’s “Scoop” off his recently-released Montero album. You can watch Doja’s conversation with ExtraTV in the video above.

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

Lil Nas X’s Baby Registry Raised Tens Of Thousands Of Dollars For Various Charities

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Lil Nas X released his debut Montero on Friday and since then, fans have been enjoying its fifteen tracks with features from Jack Harlow, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, and Elton John. In addition to giving fans a collection of new music to enjoy, the singer also used the spotlight moment to give back to the community.

More than a week before the album officially arrived, Lil Nas opened up a “baby registry” linked to numerous charities that his fans could donate to. After a string of donations, TMZ has revealed some of the amounts raised for various charities.

According to the publication, a representative for Bro In Convo, a Florida-based charity in support of Black, gay, bisexual, and queer men, told TMZ that they received $33,140 in donations as a result of Montero. The Bro In Convo charity was specifically tied to “That’s What I Want.” Additionally, Transinclusive Group, a national charity providing assistance to transgender/non-conforming people, informed TMZ that they received $5,000 thanks to “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).”

Other charities like CH-PIER, which is connected to “Dead Right Now,” and Compassionate Atlanta, which is linked to “The Art of Realization,” each received almost $1,000 thanks to Lil Nas’ baby registry.

You can view the tweet for the baby registry above.

Montero is out now via Columbia. Get it here.

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

Joyner Lucas Accused Karen Civil Of Stealing $60,000 From Him Nearly A Decade Ago

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The music industry certainly has its ups and downs and unfortunately for Joyner Lucas, the rapper experienced the latter nearly 10 years ago. In a string of tweets, Lucas accused marketing strategist Karen Civil of stealing $60,000 from him seven years ago.

“My son was on the way and you stole 60k from me before I got in the game @KarenCivil,” Lucas wrote in a tweet attached with screenshots of a memo Civil prepared for the rapper’s manager Sean McDonald. “I hired you as a consultant and below attached was the memo you sent me. I was desperate for help and you knew that. After you was paid you went ghost and didn’t expect me to pop. here I am.”

The rapper then revealed the lengths he went to in order to contact Civil so he could find out what his money was being used for.

“After you got the money paid up front, you stopped answering my calls & every time I hit you, you answered the phone with a attitude like I was messing up your day,” he wrote. “I sent you hella messages pleading with you to do your job becuz my back was againts the wall. You took advantage”

“At this time I was afraid to speak up for myself becuz I didn’t want to get blackballed,” Lucas continued. “I had no idea how this industry Sh*t works and I ain’t want you to drag my name thru the mud so out of fear i stayed [mouth zipped emoji]. Until @Mr_Camron spoke up a few years ago on Twitter and then I did.”

The rapper also revealed that when he first accused Civil of stealing from him, back in 2018, members of her team contacted him and requested that he delete the tweets and issue an apology that she would pre-write for him. Lucas posted screenshots of the text message thread on Twitter as well. He then shared an example of what happened when he reached out to Civil in order to find out what was being done with his money. “Il never forget the day you went on vacation with my money and then picked up the phone when I called you because you went ghost, and you flat out told me “stop calling me I’m on vacation,” he tweeted with a laughing emoji. “You know how long I been waiting to do this? I been hating you for many years bruh.”

According to Complex, Civil denied the rapper’s claims in a statement to Baller Alert.

“It’s easy for him to make broad statements when you aren’t familiar with the backend of business especially Marketing,” she wrote in part. “Subcontractors were paid including Ravenel Agency, PR, and local Reps (mix show/radio). All parties contracted out on his behalf to execute were paid from the overall budget allotted. When he expressed his unhappiness about not getting VIP access to a NY NBA2K event because he arrived 2 ½ hours prior to the time he was given. Him not being able to reach me the following day during a scheduled personal vacation caused him to be irate.”

Additionally, Lucas and Civil shared their sides of the conversation during a discussion on Clubhouse that was fairly heated at times. You can hear a clip of that conversation in the video above.

You can read some of the tweets from Lucas and additional posts from the rapper below.

Lil Nas X Explains How Making ‘Montero’ Was Like ‘Therapy’ For Him

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The world finally received Lil Nas X’s debut album on Friday. Montero was delivered to the world complete with 15 tracks and features from Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Jack Harlow, and Elton John. The project’s release arrived with a new video for “That’s What I Want” and in the more than 24 hours since it dropped, Lil Nas has enjoyed fun and light-hearted reviews about the album while also sharing little tidbits about it. The singer did the latter in a tweet on Saturday morning that explained the importance of Montero to him.

“I love joking but on a serious note making this album was therapy for me,” he wrote in the tweet. “I began healing many unchecked wounds, facing skeltons in my closet i never wanted to, fighting internally every day and crying persistently, MONTERO is truly my baby. Thanks for the love.”

The message comes after Lil Nas explained why Drake and Nicki Minaj didn’t appear on the album. “No reply from Nicki, Drake was still working on [Certified Lover Boy],” he replied. The singer noted, however, that his request to work with Drake was recent.

“This was like a few weeks ago and I understood completely, and he said he’s down to do something but [it was] just not the right time. He was trying to get his own sh*t together.”

You can view his tweet above.

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

Playboi Carti Was Sued By A Jeweler Who Claims The Rapper Owes Nearly $100,000

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Playboi Carti is less than a year removed from the release of his second album, Whole Lotta Red, and there’s another en route called Narcissist. But now he’s in trouble: Carti was recently sued by famed jeweler Elliot Eliantte for an unpaid balance of $97,063.75.

According to a report that TMZ shared on Friday, Eliante And Co. claim the rapper purchased two custom chains in September 2020 and never paid the full balance. The purchase included a 14-carat white gold diamond rosary chain and a diamond tennis chain, which both came to a total of $197,063.75. Eliantte confirms that Carti paid $100,000 back in January, but since then, he has not submitted any additional payments which prompted the lawsuit.

Earlier this week, Carti claimed that his merch website was hacked after pointing out the absurdly high prices for items on it. The products on the site included $75 motorcycle gloves, a $160 jersey, a $250 racing jacket, a $40 balaclava mask, a $50 long sleeve shirt, and a $5,000 motorcycle helmet. While some fans made some purchases, the rapper posted a screenshot of a group chat text message he sent where he shares his frustration about the incident. “THE WEBSITE IS HACKED THE REF FOLDER WAS POSTED LIVE,” he wrote. “NEVER APPROVED ANY CLOTHING/ ECT.”

Ice Cube Labels His Departure From N.W.A. As The Biggest Risk Of His Career

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Ice Cube’s began his rap career as a member of N.W.A., the Compton-based group famous for records like “F*ck The Police” and “Straight Outta Compton.” The group, which featured other notable names like Eazy E, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince, first got its start in 1987. However, things fell apart in the following years, with Arabian Prince leaving the group in 1988 and Cube doing the same in 1989. During a recent interview with HipHopDX, Cube reflected on his departure as well as the weight of his decision.

“I think leaving N.W.A, that was a big risk,” Cube told Big 3 basketball league founder, who asked about the biggest risk he took in his rap career. “It could have went all bad from there after reaching the mountain top and you just kind of throw yourself off,” he added. “So that could have went bad, but it taught me how to trust myself, trust what I see and what I believe. And I was dedicated to not letting this business change who I am.”

After leaving N.W.A. in December 1989, Cube released his solo debut album, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, the following year, followed by 1991’s Death Certificate, 1992’s The Predator, and 1993’s Lethal Injection.

You can read Ice Cube’s full interview with HipHopDX here.

Awkwafina Struggled To Answer A Question About Her Using A ‘Blaccent’ In Films

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Awkwafina has one of the most unlikely success stories in Hollywood, and her representation in both music and the film world has been an important step forward. But that doesn’t necessarily mean she hasn’t made missteps of her own within the comedic and accent work she’s employed in the past. In particular, the rapper and actress has faced criticism in the past for using a “blaccent,” or the current cultural shorthand for when non-Black people adopted a Black voice.

In both of her biggest films, Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8, Awkwafina has, at times, used what could qualify as a “blaccent,” and alongside that, accusations of cultural appropriation have risen as well. Though Awkwafina hasn’t spoken on the subject in the past, In the press cycle for her new movie, Shang-Chi, she was asked point blank about the topic. In her answer, she seemed to struggle to actually address the question, or whether she considered her past work appropriation. “Um, you know, I’m open to the conversation,” she began. “I think it, you know, it’s really something that is a little bit multi-faceted and layered, and so yeah.”

While that isn’t really a conversation itself, being open to it is potentially a start. To learn more about issues like the use of a blaccent and cultural appropriation, read Lauren Michele Jackson’s 2018 piece “Who Really Owns the Blaccent” for Vulture right here.

Lil Baby’s Jeweler Issues An Apology After The Rapper Exposed Them For Selling Him Fake Jewelry

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Anyone buying jewelry hopes they’re authentic. But sometimes they’re not. That’s what happened to Lil Baby wanted, who was forced to call out Rafaello and Co., a New York-based jewelry company after he discovered that they sold him fake goods.

The rapper recently discovered a Patek Phillippe watch, supposedly valued at $400,000, that he bought from the company was fake, along with some other goods.

“Now @rafaelloandco y’all Kno better then to sell ME of all people a FAKE Or anything that could be called a FAKE!” Lil Baby wrote on an Instagram video showing four rings and a diamond-flooded watch. “I stand on my name the same way y’all should! Ain’t no such thing as a mistake when that money involved ‍♂!! Don’t F*ccin Play Wit me Cause when I’m on that I’m on that #ansameforyoup*ssyn****s #dontplaywitbaby.”

Rafaello & Co.
Rafaello & Co.

Rafaello and Co. responded to Baby’s claims and accepted full responsibility. “We do stand on our name just like he does that’s why today he got those four rings for free and his money back because we didn’t do our homework on the watch and we take Full responsibility for that,” they wrote, adding, “But it didn’t happen intentionally and knows that for a fact.” In a second post to their Instagram Story, the company emphasized that the incident was merely a mistake that wouldn’t happen again.

Kid Cudi Escapes To A Higher Place In His Elevating Video For ‘Mr. Solo Dolo III’

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At the end of last year, Kid Cudi released his seventh album, Man On The Moon III: The Chosen. It was his first solo, full-length effort since 2016’s Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ and first overall since 2018’s Kids See Ghost, which he made with Kanye West. The album was a strong continuation of the rapper’s trademark series, and nearly a year after its release, Cudi returns with a new video for one of its tracks, “Mr. Solo Dolo III.” It finds Cudi enjoying a blunt in various places, like a studio, a party, and in the pool.

Cudi recently joined Young Thug and Strick for their own video, for their collaboration “Moon Man,” which showed the trio chowing down on a massive stack of pancakes. Cudi also spoke about Lil Nas X and explained why he thinks he will break down hip-hop’s “homophobic cloud.”

“When I saw the tweet about Nas’ album Montero not featuring Black male artists, and he replied that ‘maybe a lot of them just don’t wanna work with me,’ that made me sad,” Cudi wrote about Lil Nas for Time magazine’s 100 most influential people list. “There’s a homophobic cloud over hip-hop, and he’s going to break that sh*t down. We have to stand with him. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to let him know—you have my support. When we do our song together, however trippy the video is, let’s get sexy with it.”

You can watch the video for “Mr. Solo Dolo III” above.