Music

21 Savage And Metro Boomin Run A Risky Business In Their Video For ‘Brand New Draco’

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21 Savage and Metro Boomin made fans wait more than four years to get a sequel to their Savage Mode project. The effort finally came in October 2020 and as opposed to the first installment which was a mere mixtape, the second edition came as a full-length album, one that was met with acclaim and positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Nearly a full year after Savage Mode II was released, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin continue their promotion of the project with a video for “Brand New Draco.”

The new visual hones in on 21 Savage’s humor while keeping his menacing raps, which often cross into dark territories, intact. The Atlanta rapper steps into the role of a financial advisor who promotes his new $DRCO stock. Promises of monetary success are made with the help of testimonies from DJ Khaled, Bow Wow, Shaquille O’Neal, and more. However, it’s all a facade as the company 21 Savage and Metro Boomin built together is forced to quickly disband before law enforcement raids their office to arrest them for an unknown crime.

The video joins “Glock In My Lap,” “My Dawg,” and “Runnin” as other songs from Savage Mode II to receive the visual treatment. On a more recent note, 21 recently signed as a headlining act, along with North Carolina rapper Morray, for J. Cole’s The Off-Season tour.

You can watch the video for “Brand New Draco” above.

Savage Mode II is out now via Epic Records and Republic Records. Get it here.

Lil Durk And His Girlfriend Reportedly Exchanged Gunfire With Intruders Who Broke Into Their Atlanta Home

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Lil Durk has unfortunately experienced an unusual amount of tragedies over the last year and he was nearly involved in another one as a report from TMZ revealed on Thursday. The rapper’s Georgia home, which he resides in with his girlfriend India Cox, was reportedly broken into by multiple unidentified individuals early Sunday morning.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the break-in quickly led to a shootout that saw the intruders as well as Durk and Cox exchange gunfire. Officials were unable to determine how many people broke into the rapper’s home and they’re seeking help from the public to investigate the home invasion.

XXL was also able to obtain documents that confirm Durk and Cox were listed as victims in the incident and were not injured in the matter. The home invasion and shooting occurred a month after Durk’s brother, DThang, was shot and killed outside of Club O, a strip club in Harvey, Illinois, a city south of their hometown of Chicago. This came after King Von, a rapper Durk often referred to as has “twin,” died as a result of a club shooting in Atlanta back in November 2020.

In more positive news, Durk received his first No. 1 album last month thanks to the release of Voice Of The Heroes, his joint album with Lil Baby. The 18-track effort came attached with guest appearances from Travis Scott, Young Thug, Meek Mill, and Rod Wave.

EST Gee Announces The Release Date Of His ‘Bigger Than Life Or Death’ Mixtape

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Memphis rap don Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG) is set for a rap takeover this year. Not only has the label’s other Memphis artist Moneybagg Yo dominated the Billboard albums chart (A Gangsta’s Pain went No. 1 for two weeks upon release and is currently outpacing both mainstays like J. Cole and upstart fan favorites like Rod Wave and Pooh Shiesty) but its rising stars 42 Dugg and EST Gee are receiving increased attention for their work with hitmakers like Roddy Ricch and Jack Harlow.

While Dugg’s Free Dem Boyz tape earned him a top 10 debut and presaged his appearance in the 2021 XXL Freshman class, EST Gee — who signed in January this year, just announced his own highly anticipated mixtape Bigger Than Life Or Death, sharing its tracklist and release date (July 20) on social media, a little over a month after releasing the title track.

The tape is a clear bid for greater mainstream recognition, boasting feature appearances from big-name artists like Future, Lil Baby (who helped spotlight both Dugg and Gee on his last album), Lil Durk, Pooh Shiesty, and Young Thug. Naturally, fellow CMG-ers Dugg and Gotti also appear on multiple tracks, as well. Provided the tape receives the level of response it’s primed to, EST Gee could very well be the next member of the fast-rising rap crew to see his name near the top of the charts and one step closer to claiming a Freshman spot of his own.

Bigger Than Life Or Death is due 7/20 via CMG and Interscope. Pre-save it here.

Doja Cat Finds Out She’s Paul Rudd’s Soulmate In A Behind-The-Scenes ‘You Right’ Video

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It’s been about two weeks since Doja Cat dropped her astrology-inspired “You Right” video featuring The Weeknd, a track off her otherwordly Planet Her album. The singer has now shared some behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot where, true to the video’s theme, Doja researches her astrology sign. In doing so, Doja finds out that she’s apparently very comparable with Paul Rudd.

The behind-the-scenes footage opens with Doja calling up her mom to find out the exact time she was born, a crucial piece of information needed for finding out an astrology birth chart. Doja’s birth chart describes her as “committed and assertive,” to which she responds, “Oh. This is about me being a b*tch.”

Using the same app, Doja looks up Paul Rudd’s birth chart to see if they are compatible. Doja reads off the results: “Right away, Paul might have seemed familiar, like you two were close friends or family in a past life. This sense of shared history creates an ease of comfort between you and a deep sense of immediate trust. It’s like Paul’s the kind of friend you can let down you guard with, you can be yourself with.” The singer then mentions, “I’ve never met this guy, but that’s very weird because his demeanor is very much like my family, which is very strange.”

Doja then checks her compatibility with Beyonce, which is apparently her “strongest connection.” The app says the two musicians would make “incredible allies,” and Doja seems to agree.

Watch Doja’s “You Right” behind-the-scenes above.

Planet Her is out now via RCA. Get it here.

Machine Gun Kelly Had A Poster Of Megan Fox In His Bedroom Before They Started Dating

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Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox are far from shy about their relationship. The two made out on the red carpet, recently had less-than-glamorous ayahuasca trip, and Fox even had some choice words for those criticizing their age gap: “Go f*ck yourself.” Though the two officially met on set of a film, Kelly recently admitted that he had been crushing on Fox for several years.

In a cover interview with GQ, Kelly sat down with a writer who published his first-ever profile in their high school newspaper. During their conversation, Kelly talked about his rise to fame, his decision to pivot to pop-punk, and, of course, his headline-making relationship with Fox. Kelly even admitted that he had a poster of Fox plastered on his teenage bedroom wall, and someone from their high school remembers him vowing to marry her one day. “It was from her GQ shoot,” he said after confirming the details with Fox. “So that’s some full-circle sh*t.”

Kelly is now known for his eccentric style, but when he was growing up, he took inspiration from any and all media he consumed. “My guidance came from who was talking to me in my headphones and who I was watching on TV. The neighborhoods I was hanging in, the people I was around, those were my influences, those were my parents, those were my guidances,” he continued in the GQ interview. “I had to be whatever I was seeing on TV. I will never forget when I saw American Gangster in theaters, with Denzel Washington. I immediately went to my boss.… I borrowed his fur coat and I borrowed his suit…and swore to God that I was Frank Lucas. A week later I would see Travis Barker in a music video and I would be in a T-shirt with a purple tie over it and some baggy JNCO jeans.”

Read GQ‘s full profile on Kelly here.

DDG’s Stirring ‘Hood Melody’ Performance On ‘UPROXX Sessions’ Underlines His Impressive Rise

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DDG is having a breakout year/month/week. His recent shift toward music from vlogging can definitely be considered a success after his Die 4 Respect mixtape with OG Parker charted on the Billboard 200 and its single “Moonwalking in Calabasas” was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Those feats were followed up by his selection to the 2021 XXL Freshman class and this week, Uproxx debuted our digital cover story profiling his journey from working at TJ Maxx in Pontiac to making five-figure checks from YouTube to his current hip-hop stardom.

Today, he caps all that off with a performance of his latest Die 4 Respect single “Hood Melody” for UPROXX Sessions, projecting the calm confidence befitting of a burgeoning star. Along with his XXL Cypher, it’s a glimpse at a surprisingly polished performer who is taking the craft seriously, even as he continues to expand his interests into even more areas like acting and amateur boxing.

Watch DDG perform “Hood Melody” for UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, And Rubi Rose Take Over The 2021 ‘XXL’ Freshman Cypher

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The next installment of the 2021 XXL Freshman Cypher is here. For this round, viral favorites 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, and Rubi Rose take on another hypnotic Nick Mira production to display their varying takes of the annual tradition.

Rubi Rose sets things off with a fittingly raunchy verse in her signature husky verse, followed by a braggadocious, bouncy approach from Pooh Shiesty. Flo Milli drops in and steals the show, turning up the energy with both her bright looks and quirky punchlines, leaving 42 Dugg to bring the baton home with a laid-back verse.

While Blxst and Toosii’s Cypher was competent and the first group of MCs was uneven but attention-grabbing, this year’s batch of Freshmen has certainly added to growing sense that hip-hop’s women are doing more to stand out than the men. So far, the consensus MVP of this year’s Freshmen has been Lakeyah, who’s sharp wit and precise flow impressed fans, while Flo Milli brought something a little different with her perky output. Even Coi Leray, maligned as her performance has been, brought something different to the table and looked like she was having fun instead of just trying to look cool.
Watch XXL’s Freshman Cypher with 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, and Rubi Rose above.

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

deadmau5 And ‘Core’ Are Teaming Up To Create A Music Video

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One of the best trends in video games today is the rise of creation tools. From Super Mario Maker to Dreams, gamers are gaining access to more tools that let them make their own fun, the result of which are some really creative ideas from players.

This creativity and ability to make anything we want in games is starting to get noticed outside the gaming industry. deadmau5, one of the most well-known electronic music producers out there, sees the potential in giving players the ability to create and is offering players of the game Core an opportunity to put their creativity to the test. Players using Core can try to use the tools inside the game to create a deadmau5 music video for his new single, “Lights.”

“I’ve been blown away by the creativity I’ve seen on Core,” deadmau5 said. “Some of my passions are game, experience, and world design, and Core’s capabilities as a platform and its creators who are capable of doing all kinds of cool stuff are the next level in user generated art and experiences. I’m looking forward to checking out what fans and artists will create for my new single with ‘Lights.’”

This is a big win for Manticore Games, the developer of Core. Not only is this an opportunity to advertise their game, but it gives them the chance to really show what the community around Core is capable of as the kind of game that’s all about showing what players can do when they’re handed the reins.

“We’re thrilled that deadmau5 shares our passion for putting the power of artistic expression in as many creators’ hands as possible,” said Jordan Maynard, the chief creative officer and co-founder Manticore Games. “Core is more than just a place to play and make games; it has endless potential for new forms of social interactivity and artistry. We can’t wait to see the worlds our creators bring alive for the new video, and we look forward to working together with deadmau5 on future projects.”

Rico Nasty Gets In Her Rock Bag On Love Ghost’s Haunting ‘Wolfsbane’

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Rico Nasty joins genre-bending rock band Love Ghost to indulge her own hard-rock tendencies on the band’s new song “Wolfsbane.” Grinding guitars that shift from punk to metal to trap back a track that dips into folklore and horror iconography to compare being a werewolf to living with a mental health condition. That sounds heady, but between Rico’s devil-may-care demeanor and frontman Finnegan Bell’s deft songwriting, the concept holds up pretty well.

Bell explained as much to Rolling Stone, saying, “I wanted to write a song about werewolves but from a mental health perspective. I wanted to write about something that you wish you could change and you have to fight every day. But unfortunately, it’s what you become — whether that’s mental illness, demons, addiction, etc. It’s for the listener to decide.”

For her part, Rico gave an enthusiastic co-sign. “‘Wolfsbane’ wanted to get me in my rock bag,” she said. “I love when bands want to bring me into their world and let me rock out. The production behind this song is fire. It gives two different vibes when the beat switches, bringing a hard-rock element.” Longtime Rico fans will certainly enjoy her indulging her punk-rock proclivities as she does on “OHFR?” from her own debut album Nightmare Vacation, but more recently she’s been going pop with songs like “Magic.”

Listen to Love Ghost’s “Wolfsbane” featuring Rico Nasty above.

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

Questlove Calls His ‘Summer Of Soul’ Documentary Footage ‘Past The Holy Grail’

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Questlove‘s directorial debut Summer Of Soul (… Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is out now on Hulu — you really should watch it at the first available opportunity — and the drummer-producer-author-historian is on the promo circuit, doing interviews with the likes of Late Night‘s Seth Myers. In the course of last night’s interview, Myers wonders whether the footage for the film, which was unearthed after being passed over for broadcast and sitting in a basement for 40 years, was the “Holy Grail” of concert footage.

Ahmir goes a step further, calling the footage “past the Holy Grail. This is what they call ‘lightning in a bottle.’” He admits to feeling some skepticism about the concert because it had originally escaped his encyclopedic knowledge (he jokes that “there was a period where I was YouTube,” the resource everyone used to confirm archival, historical facts) but that upon seeing it “all my arrogance dissipated and suddenly I became worried about why would they even trust me to tell the story.”

Of course, there’s probably no one better to tell such a mythic story than Questlove, whose behind-the-scenes stories about music icons like Prince have become integral parts of their legends. The film won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and has racked up critical acclaim ever since its release.

Watch Questlove’s interview with Seth Myers above.

Summer Of Soul is out now. Stream it on Hulu.