Music

People Are Hilariously Pointing Out A Resemblance Between Jack Harlow And Producer Murda Beatz

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Twitter

Last summer, Jack Harlow and producer Murda Beatz shared a picture of themselves together in the studio in which they acknowledged their resemblance, something that some have pointed out before. “Step Brothers @jackharlow,” Murda Beatz captioned the picture alongside the hashtag “#WHOSWHO.” At the time, Harlow was continuing his rise in mainstream stardom thanks to the success of his breakout single “What’s Poppin.” Murda Beatz, on the other hand, was becoming one of hip-hop’s prominent producers. A year later, people are once again talking their shocking resemblance.

One person reshared the picture of the two, writing, “The rumours are FALSE Jack Harlow and Murda Beatz are NOT the same person.” The post triggered a boatload of reactions, some sharing their surprise at the news and others questioning how so many people were unaware that Harlow and Murda Beatz are not the same people. “yall really thought murda on the beat was jack harlow. like really?” one person wrote, while another said, “how someone say murda beatz is jack harlow with a blowout.”

You can read more reactions to Jack Harlow’s and Murda Beatz’s resemblance below.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Freddie Gibbs Takes On Drake’s ‘Champagne Poetry’ With A Sharp Remix Of His Own

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After delivering a collection of singles this earlier year, Freddie Gibbs made a string of strong guest verses, including appearances on Nas’ “Life Is Like A Dice Game,” Bobby Sessions’ “Gold Relox,” and Kenny Mason’s “Much Money.” Now, Freddie has dropped a remix of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy intro “Champagne Poetry.”

The new remix offers another sharp display of lyricism, which is something we’ve come to expect from the rapper. At one point on the song, Freddie seems to offer a response to Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Baby Keem’s “Family Ties.”

“I was Big Rabbit before the birth of my son,” Freddie raps. “The earth ain’t big enough for the both of us, you gotta get done / they say they smoking Top 5s, but they ain’t smoke through the one.”

The remix brings us closer to the arrival of Freddie’s upcoming album SSS. During an interview with Nicolas-Tyrell Scott for MixMag, he listed Pharrell, Madlib, Working On Dying, The Alchemist, Sevn Thomas, Hit-Boy, and Mike Will Made-It as the possible production lineup for the upcoming album.

You can listen to Freddie’s remix in the video above.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Megan Thee Stallion Has No Problem With Getting Under ‘A Lot Of Men’s Skin’: ‘I Feel Like That’s My Job’

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Getty Image

It was just a little over a year ago that Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion released their chart-topping collaboration “WAP.” The track was received well by their fans, but it was also lightning bolt for criticism, from certain critics to Republicans. The track is another example of dominant women in music making men feel uncomfortable, something Megan Thee Stallion said she is absolutely fine doing.

“I’m starting to see how much more ignorant men are than I thought,” she said during an interview with Adenuga for The Evening Standard. “When you’re a woman who’s not a threat, men don’t really bother you,” she added. “And then as you grow into your own and as you become somebody who doesn’t need a man or somebody who is so independent… men like that damsel in distress type of role and that’s not me.”

Megan said that her choice to not play that role is “what kind of gets under a lot of men’s skin.” She notes that it makes “a lot of them uncomfortable and I feel like that’s my job.”

“I’m not a normal woman,” she pointed out during the conversation. “I’m not a normal person, and if my un-normalness offends you, well, I’m obviously doing something right and, baby, look the other way.”

You can read Megan’s full conversation on The Evening Standard here.

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

Drake Surprised Fans At Future’s Wireless Festival Set To Perform ‘Way 2 Sexy’

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Fans in attendance at Future’s headlining set at Wireless Festival in the UK were treated to a surprise performance of the Atlanta rapper’s buzzy Drake collaborations “Life Is Good” and “Way 2 Sexy” when Drake himself popped out to assist his musical mate. It was Drake’s first performance before a festival crowd since before the coronavirus pandemic began, as well as his first time performing “Way 2 Sexy,” the silly but inescapable new single which also features Young Thug, since dropping Certified Lover Boy a week ago.

The moment was naturally captured from dozens of angles by fans with camera phones in hand, giving those not in attendance a chance to see Drake’s interactions with the crowd. “We missed you so much,” Drake declared. “While we’ve been apart for whatever it’s been — two years — we wrote a lot of songs that we played in our crib or in our studio that we never got to do in front of y’all.” Drake and Future then launched into one of those songs, the aforementioned “Way 2 Sexy” as the screen behind them read, “Hey Wireless, the boy is home.”

They also played their 2020 hit “Life Is Good,” which was a dominating song itself that year, before Drake spun off a quick medley of his own hits, including the Lil Durk-featuring “Laugh Now, Cry Later.” Check out some of the videos and photos below.

Drake Surprised Fans At Future’s Wireless Festival Set To Perform ‘Way 2 Sexy’

by
Getty Image

Fans in attendance at Future’s headlining set at Wireless Festival in the UK were treated to a surprise performance of the Atlanta rapper’s buzzy Drake collaborations “Life Is Good” and “Way 2 Sexy” when Drake himself popped out to assist his musical mate. It was Drake’s first performance before a festival crowd since before the coronavirus pandemic began, as well as his first time performing “Way 2 Sexy,” the silly but inescapable new single which also features Young Thug, since dropping Certified Lover Boy a week ago.

The moment was naturally captured from dozens of angles by fans with camera phones in hand, giving those not in attendance a chance to see Drake’s interactions with the crowd. “We missed you so much,” Drake declared. “While we’ve been apart for whatever it’s been — two years — we wrote a lot of songs that we played in our crib or in our studio that we never got to do in front of y’all.” Drake and Future then launched into one of those songs, the aforementioned “Way 2 Sexy” as the screen behind them read, “Hey Wireless, the boy is home.”

They also played their 2020 hit “Life Is Good,” which was a dominating song itself that year, before Drake spun off a quick medley of his own hits, including the Lil Durk-featuring “Laugh Now, Cry Later.” Check out some of the videos and photos below.

Nicki Minaj’s Husband Kenneth Petty Has Pled Guilty To Failing To Register As A Sex Offender

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Complex reports that Kenneth Petty, Nicki Minaj’s husband since 2019, has pled guilty to failing to register as a sex offender. Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1995, serving out his four-year sentence and registering as a sex offender in New York. However, when the couple moved from New York to California after making their marriage official, he did not update authorities in his new home state.

He was arrested in November 2019 after a traffic stop when police realized he hadn’t registered and was arrested again in March 2020 for federal charges even after registering that month. He pled “not guilty” at the time, perhaps in hopes that he could get his original conviction overturned, but now faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. His sentencing has been scheduled for January 24, 2022.

His efforts toward overturning his original conviction included suing the State of New York City’s Criminal Justice Services Department in the hopes of having his name removed from the sex offenders registry, on which state law mandates he must be registered for life. However, his other pursuit, getting his original victim Jennifer Hough to recant her testimony, has only earned him a lawsuit from Hough, claiming that his and Nicki’s representatives have harassed her since 2018, trying to bribe her and even making threats through lawyers and fans.

D Smoke Visits The Motherland To Help A Friend In His Triumphant ‘Shame On You’ Video

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Three weeks ago, Inglewood rapper D Smoke dropped his new single “Shame On You,” praising the righteous rebels of the music industry as he made his own return to the spotlight following the success of his debut project Black Habits. Today, he follows up with the release of a defiant music video for the track directed by Sergio & Babajide and produced by Undaunted. Shot in Lagos, Nigeria, the video finds the Inglewood native reconnecting with the Motherland and toasting his own success.

The video’s narrative finds Smoke flying to Nigeria to back up a friend whose village needs protection from corrupt government officials. It’s a theme that the rapper might find relatable as Inglewood becomes the site of ongoing concerns about gentrification. Smoke’s also got a connection to Nigeria through his recent collaboration with Fireboy DML, “Champion,” which came out earlier this year.

“Shame On You” joins “It’s OK” as D Smoke’s second solo video release of the year, but while he’s been low-key in 2021, he’s been far from inactive. In March, he contributed the theme song “Basketball” to the latest season of Netflix’s Last Chance U, then released the smooth “Sade” along with a remix of “Gaspar Yanga” for Spotify. Along with his Best Rap Album Grammy nomination, Smoke’s latest is a signal that his flame is only growing, and it’s time to take note.

Watch D Smoke’s “Shame On You” video above.

Little Simz’s Impressive ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ Is Hip-Hop High Art

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Little Simz

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

In all the noise and chaos of the rollouts for Drake and Kanye West’s new albums, it might have been easy to miss the release of one of the best albums of the year. That’s a shame, because while one of the more infuriating debates surrounding those albums was their lack of female voices, Little Simz’s new album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert should have been sufficient to satisfy any desire for a feminine presence — ironically, as it gave ample evidence that a woman, by herself, can be enough.

That may have been its goal all along. Simz elucidates the internal world of a woman pursuing her dream of rap stardom in defiance of her own discomfort at the idea of fitting into a world where women aren’t always welcome. She does this by way of narrative skits peppered throughout which highlight the introversion suggested by the album’s title; Simz is no star-chaser or glory hound, prompting one of the characters in the interludes, a character that seems to reflect Simz’s inner voice to question why she’s even here. It’s a question that I think every artist has wrestled with — or at least, one that perhaps they should.

Simz is also not a shrinking violet either. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is her fourth album, building on the critical acclaim and momentum of her highly-praised 2019 project, Grey Area. On that album, she showed a propensity and a gift for both clear-eyed introspection and sharp observation. Here, she refines those skills, offering broad-ranging commentary and experienced insights on the world’s perceptions of Black women and her own defiant reactions to them.

On songs such as “Woman” featuring Cleo Sol, Simz lists women by nationality and occupation, offering a counterpoint to the often negative stereotypes that exist in the mainstream hip-hop world. In the interlude “Gems,” she details those struggles in conversation with the fairy godmother-esque inner voice (played by Diana, Princess of Wales actress Emma Corrin) both encouraging her and interrogating her doubts. “But understand you’re human,” she advises. “Be proud. Your light will shine in the darkest hour. Pressure makes diamonds.”

“Standing Ovation” continues this line of questioning but adds a boisterous dose of braggadocio, reminding the audience that Little Simz is one of rap’s foremost technicians as well. A beat switch reflects the duality of womanhood, swinging between the extroverted confident delivery of a traditional rapper and the somewhat muted, but never dimmed, introverted calm at the center of the storm. The latter is a swirling, shimmering instrumental breakdown, allowing Simz to pause and reflect on the personal sacrifices it takes to earn the boasts.

Throughout the album, Simz tries on different styles, inhabiting each with a calm confidence born of her hard-won self-possession. On “Point And Kill” she executes afro-pop as assuredly as Nigerian native guest artist Obongjayar, keeping the vibe every bit as strong on “Fear No Man.” Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is a sweeping experiment that operates with an astonishing level of sonic breadth, but it never loses its sense of structure and direction. Simz is completely in control, keeping the melange of sounds and styles from ever feeling as chaotic as Kanye’s Donda or artificial as Drake’s Certified Lover Boy. When she chooses to address complex parental relationships on “I Love You, I Hate You,” it’s with a grace that neither has ever completely mastered.

It’s cozy and cohesive, more revealing than either of the aforementioned, but also much more genuine and honest. Simz is speaking from her experience but speaking for so many women who might feel voiceless in the current context of hip-hop, where spectacle seems to outweigh substance. Don’t get it twisted; Sometimes I Might Be Introvert takes some big swings too, 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.

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is out now via AWAL Digital Limited and AGE 101. Get it here.

Fivio Foreign Narrates The Prison Experience In His Tragic ‘Story Time’ Video

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Brooklyn drill stalwart Fivio Foreign may have eased up on his 2020 momentum earlier this year thanks to an unfortunate run-in with the police this past spring but now that he’s back out on the streets, he’s also been right back in the studio, revealing the results with the harrowing video for “Story Time,” his first new single since April’s “Self Made.”

True to its title, the “Story Time” video finds Fivio holding court as his friends huddle around him while he narrates the tragic experience of incarceration. “Let me tell a little sad story about this young boy,” he starts, before reeling off the kid’s struggles with the system and the abuses he experiences at the hands of callous agents of the state. As Fivio narrates, the scenes play out in vivid, vicious detail, following the young boy as he’s processed into the penitentiary, then forced to adapt to survive the harsh conditions.

The new single helps Fivio get back on track in the rollout to his upcoming album Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (that spells “B.I.B.L.E.,” in case you missed it). He hasn’t revealed a release date yet, but after appearing on Lil Tjay’s “Headshot” and Hit-Boy’s “Salute,” he was positioned for plenty of attention early this year. We’ll see if his short bid took any of the wind out of his sails — and whether strong showings like “Story Time” can bring some of it back.

Watch Fivio Foreign’s “Story Time” video above.