Music

Black Thought’s Audiobook Memior ‘7 Years’ Includes An Original Score And His Earliest Freestyle

by
Getty Image

The Roots co-founder Black Thought has had a storied career in music. He’s consistently lauded as one of hip-hop’s best lyricists and has even appeared in a few films. Now, Black Thought takes a trip down his musical memory lane in his new memoir 7 Years.

The musician’s memoir is released in audiobook format exclusively through the platform Audible. The book details his career highs and lows and walks the listener through his experience founding The Roots and playing as part of the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. On top of that, the entire audio book features an original score by Black Thought and even includes one of his first-ever freestyle raps.

In a statement on social media, Black Thought wrote that 7 Years is inspired by his commitment to continuously reinvent himself:

“It’s inspired by one of my life theories that every 7 years I should be actively working to become better creatively, emotionally, personally, and mentally as my body also changes and new cells replace the old. So in this piece of words and music I’m sharing some of these key important periods that have made me into the man I am today — with an original musical score that highlights the very first freestyle I ever wrote to our @theroots classics to performances of some of my more recent pieces.”

Listen to a preview of 7 Years below.

7 Years is available now through Audible. Get it here.

Beyonce Was Photographed With A Telfar Bag And Now Fans Are Sure They’ll Never Get One

by
Getty Image

As far as must-have accessories go, there has been perhaps no more popular item than the Telfar bag. Although the brand insists on inclusivity in direct contradiction to industry conventions, it has still been practically impossible to secure one of its ubiquitous shopping bags due to its purposely low price point (they max out at around $250, as compared to luxury brands, which can run up to five figures) and the borderline insane demand for it. Anytime it goes on sale, the brand’s website is flooded with fans clamoring to get their hands on one, and they usually sell out in a matter of minutes.

Unfortunately for those who haven’t been able to get one yet, the Telfar shopping bag may reach an improbable new height of popularity thanks to the co-sign of the latest celebrity to be seen sporting one out and about. A paparazzi shot of Beyonce walking around Brooklyn with a bag has gone viral on Twitter, shooting “Telfar” to the top of the trending topics list and leaving fans lamenting their chances of ever being able to purchase one now that the queen of marketing impossible-to-get items (shout-out to Ivy Park!) has put her unofficial stamp on the hot-ticket item.

Ironically, many of the tweets acknowledge that the price point is likely to remain unchanged but the furor has led to many fans realizing that the demand will make them harder to get than ever. Meanwhile, those who already have the bag are rejoicing at having something in common with the pop music queen. Check out more responses below.

Report: James Harden Was ‘Briefly Detained’ While Lil Baby Was Arrested For Marijuana Possession In Paris

by
Getty Image

James Harden was not arrested during a run-in with police officers in Paris on Thursday, according to ESPN. Harden is in Paris for fashion week, and according to videos that have emerged from the event, one person with whom he’s been traveling, Lil Baby, was among those taken in by the authorities for marijuana possession.

One video showed Harden in communication with the authorities, expressing that he did not understand something that was happening.

Additional footage showed Lil Baby inside of a police vehicle with Harden nearby.

ESPN managed to get some more details, and while Harden was “briefly detained,” he was never taken into custody. The report indicates that Harden was not with the group when 20 grams of marijuana was found in their car, but when it was evident that something was going down between Lil Baby’s group and the authorities, “Harden was apparently nearby and tried to intervene and was briefly detained, but was let go.”

TMZ went on to report that Harden “did not break any laws and was allowed to go about his day.” There is no word on who else was arrested alongside Lil Baby, but reports say that two others were taken in alongside of him.

Ed Sheeran Doesn’t Think 50 Cent Knew Who He Was Even After They Collaborated

by
Getty Image

During a guest spot on the latest episode of “Hot Ones,” a very red-faced Ed Sheeran recounted a funny story about his collaboration with Eminem and 50 Cent on 2019’s “Remember The Name.” Apparently — and Sheeran says the rapper may refute this if asked — Sheeran was pretty sure that 50 Cent didn’t know who Sheeran was, even after they had worked together.

“If you were to go into my school and go, at the height of Shady Records, at the height of Aftermath [Entertainment], and go, ‘Which one of these kids is gonna do a song with Eminem and 50 Cent?’ No one would’ve guessed me,” joked Sheeran between bites of wings doused in hot sauce. “50 will probably disagree with this,” he continued, referencing the time they were both present at Wembley Stadium in the UK, “[but] I don’t think 50 had a f*cking clue who I was. I think afterwards he was like, ‘Oh, the ‘Shape Of You’ guy!’”

“Remember The Name” was part of the singer-songwriter’s fourth studio album, No.6 Collaborations Project, which also featured collaborations with Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello, Travis Scott, Stormzy, Bruno Mars, Young Thug, and more. At the time of release, Sheeran joked with BBC Radio One about the song’s rapped line “I was born a misfit / Grew up 10 miles from the town of Ipswich” and how it was unlikely that Eminem “would know where Ipswitch is.”

Watch Sheeran’s “Hot Ones” interview in full above, and listen to him tell the 50 Cent story at 11:55 into the video.

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

Goon Des Garcons Swaggers Through A Cocky ‘UPROXX Sessions’ Performance Of ‘Clanks’

by

Sometimes, you can tell an artist is good just from their name alone. That’s the impression I got upon seeing the title “Goon Des Garcons,” and I am proud to inform you that he lives right up to that expectation with his UPROXX Sessions performance of “Clanks.”

The cleverly named rapper is a recent Los Angeles transplant by way of small-town Arkansas, signed to Def Jam, and tapped in with underground fan favorites like Fredo Bang, Landstrip Chip, and Reese Laflare. Musically, he takes plenty of inspiration from Kanye adherents like Kid Cudi and Travis Scott, but with the rebellious sonic proclivities of wavemakers like Tyler The Creator and the artists influenced by him such as Kevin Abstract and AG Club. It’s energetic and confident, yet down-to-earth and just quirky enough to stand apart from the pack. Stay tuned, because something tells me you’ll be seeing this name a lot more often very soon.

Watch Goon Des Garcons’ cocky performance of “Clanks” 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.

Lil Baby Was Reportedly Arrested In Paris For Marijuana Possession While James Harden Was Frisked

by
Getty Image

Lil Baby was reportedly arrested for marijuana possession today in Paris, according to French newspaper Le Parisien. The rapper was traveling with his friend, NBA superstar James Harden, who was not arrested. The duo was in Paris for Fashion Week, with coverage prompting fans on Twitter to coin the moniker “Le Baby” in reference to a French reporter’s pronunciation of the rapper’s moniker. However, it appears the fun and games came to a halt as local police searched the rapper’s vehicle, which they claimed: “smelled strongly of cannabis.”

Police reportedly discovered 20 grams of marijuana in the car, leading to three arrests. Harden, who was not in the car at the time, was also searched as he returned but was allowed to go free. As Le Parisien notes, the arrest was not the rapper’s first weed-related offense or run-in with police; in 2019, he was arrested for reckless driving and eluding the police in his native Georgia. Baby and his friends were taken into custody to the 8th arrondissement police station by the Narcotics Transport Chief.

Lil Baby and James Harden were also recently seen hanging out together at Michael Rubin’s Fourth Of July party over the weekend, having a laugh in the background of a viral video of Lil Uzi Vert breakdancing taken by Uzi’s girlfriend, JT of City Girls.

Tyler The Creator Hops Aboard Some Very Cool Boats And Bikes In His New ‘Lemonhead’ Video

by

Tyler The Creator has a new video for Call Me If You Get Lost single “Lemonhead.” Clocking in at about a minute and a half, the brief clip shows Tyler pantomiming playing a tuba (next to an actual tuba player wearing a sailor get-up), driving a speedboat boat through fields (kind of brings to mind images of Luke Skywalker riding his Landspeeder through Tatooine, if you will indulge me for a second), and ultimately wheeling off into the sunset via penny-farthing. As one does!

This is the latest visual offering from Tyler’s sixth studio album. Prior to this, he released the video for the song “Corso” the day after appearing at the 2021 BET Awards to perform “Lumberjack.” Call Me If You Get Lost, which the rapper released last month, became his second consecutive chart-topping album after it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In his review, Uproxx’s Aaron Williams called Call Me If You Get Lost a “top-level rap album,” writing, “On Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler is most like himself, free of the artifice that he no longer feels the need to hide behind — and free to finally let his nuts hang, so to speak.”

Watch the video for “Lemonhead” above.

Call Me If You Get Lost is out now via Columbia. Get it here.

Diddy Shares His Support For Runner Sha’Carri Richardson, Condemning Her Olympics Disqualification

by
Getty Image

Although reactions to the International Olympics Committee ruling runner Sha’Carri Richardson ineligible for the 2021 Summer Games have been split, the colorful athlete has at least one powerful ally in her corner: Sean “Diddy” Combs, who tweeted his support for her and condemned her 30-day suspension for the use of marijuana.

Stating that his heart was broken for her, he noted, “I’m tired of white people sitting in a room making up decisions that affect our hopes and dreams. They will keep treating our athletes like slaves and entertainment until we shut down on these people!”

He then compared the judgment against her to the racist results of the US’s so-called War on Drugs, pointing out parallels that allow for the unfair treatment of people using a non-dangerous substance which was criminalized mainly due to its association with use by Black people. “So many of our brothers, sisters, mothers, daughters, and sons are rotting in jail for marijuana and it’s JUST NOT RIGHT,” he wrote. “Now, to see them using this against a young Black woman that is on the edge of her greatness, all because some white man decided to make it illegal, is shameful.”

He also noted that there’s no real reason for THC to disqualify anyone from competing because, as he wrote accurately, “Marijuana does not make you run faster.” He also noted a discrepancy between the treatment of Richardson, a Black woman, and Michael Phelps, a white male swimmer who was also previously allowed to compete after testing positive for THC. While the circumstances aren’t exactly apples to apples, his point still seems valid.

Richardson was determined to be ineligible for 30 days, beginning June 28, after qualifying for the Olympics with a 10.86-second 100-meter dash time. Unfortunately, most of that month overlaps with her events and she was not selected for the Women’s 4 x 100 relay. She said that she took marijuana to cope with the recent death of her mother. Other supporters have included Seth Rogen, who also pointed to the discrepancy in calling weed a performance-enhancing drug, joking, “If weed made you fast, I’d be FloJo.”

Vic Mensa Takes A ‘Victory’ Lap Over A Just Blaze Beat In His Triumphant New Video

by

Last year, it looked like Vic Mensa, the genre-hopping Chicago rapper who had gone through the showbiz wringer since exploding onto the scene at the tail end of the blog era, was finally making his comeback and receiving his due with the I Tape EP. He’d returned to form, reunited with his longtime friend and collaborator Chance The Rapper, and regained the swagger that had made him an XXL Freshman in 2014. Then, the pandemic struck, effectively shutting down the momentum for Vic and pretty much every other rapper in the game.

However, he hasn’t let that setback stop him from completing his comeback. Instead, he kept working his and Chance’s collaboration, “Shelter,” performing on The Late Show and offering their own stripped-down live performance filmed at Chance’s house. Vic also continued releasing videos from the new project, including “Fr33dom,” and today, the video for the Just Blaze-produced “Victory.”

Equal parts celebratory and defiant, the track finds Vic slinging some of his slickest punchlines over a signature, triumphant-sounding Just Blaze beat, addressing the perception of his fall-off and expressing his love for the Windy City. The video, shot in black-and-white, is a simple affair in which Vic takes a literal victory lap around his city, then posts up in a parking lot to watch motorcycles burn rubber as he performs his witty, validating verses. With a C Tape no doubt in the works, it looks like Vic Mensa is back on track to retake the pole position in rap’s race for greatness.

Watch Vic Mensa’s “Victory” video above.

French Paparazzi Seemed To Call Lil Baby ‘Le Baby’ And The Rapper’s Reaction Went Viral

by
Getty Image

On Wednesday was the Balenciaga 50th Couture Collection show for Paris Fashion Week. Aside from the inherent noteworthiness of the brand itself, also drawing attention to the festivities were high-profile attendees like Kanye West (and his elaborate face mask), NBA star James Harden, and Lil Baby. The latter two spent time together outside of the show, and there was one moment that has left the rapper trending today.

A clip shows Harden and Baby seemingly caught off-guard by some paparazzi photographers. Some of them shouted his name, but instead of Lil Baby, they seemed to have put a French spin on it by calling him “Le Baby.”

The rapper seemed a little amused by either the nickname or the attention in general, as he offered a polite smile and a wave. Following that run-in, both “Lil Baby” and “Le Baby” were trending on Twitter, with some users suspecting that Lil Baby was low-key into the new moniker.

Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Lil Baby was one of streaming music’s top songwriters of 2020, according to a report. He also recently was crowned the ASCAP songwriter of the year and performed at the BET Awards alongside Kirk Franklin.

Check out some more reactions below.