Music

G Herbo Says He And Polo G Will ‘Probably’ Make A Joint Album

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G Herbo is less than a week removed from dropping his fourth album, 25, which arrives a little over a year after his third full-length effort, PTSD. As the rapper continues to promote his newest release, he also has his eyes set on the future. That could include a joint album with fellow Chicagoan Polo G, as he revealed in a recent interview with Bootleg Kev.

“I ain’t gon’ lie,” Herbo said. “To be honest, I’m working on some joint albums already. I wanna do a joint with Polo. Me and Polo [will] probably do a joint.” For what’s it worth the two rappers have slowly built up a collection of collaborations over the years. Their first came last year when Polo G joined Herbo for “Lawyer Fees” on PTSD. The next two arrived on the duo’s respective 2021 albums. Polo G called on Herbo for “Go Part 1” off Hall Of Fame before the two joined forces again for “Cry No More” with Lil Tjay, off 25.

Elsewhere in the Bootleg Kev interview, Herbo expressed an interest in making joint albums with Tee Grizzley and Lil Bibby.

You can watch the full Bootleg Kev interview in the video above.

25 is out now via Machine/Epic. Get it here.

G Herbo Says He And Polo G Will ‘Probably’ Make A Joint Album

by
Getty Image

G Herbo is less than a week removed from dropping his fourth album, 25, which arrives a little over a year after his third full-length effort, PTSD. As the rapper continues to promote his newest release, he also has his eyes set on the future. That could include a joint album with fellow Chicagoan Polo G, as he revealed in a recent interview with Bootleg Kev.

“I ain’t gon’ lie,” Herbo said. “To be honest, I’m working on some joint albums already. I wanna do a joint with Polo. Me and Polo [will] probably do a joint.” For what’s it worth the two rappers have slowly built up a collection of collaborations over the years. Their first came last year when Polo G joined Herbo for “Lawyer Fees” on PTSD. The next two arrived on the duo’s respective 2021 albums. Polo G called on Herbo for “Go Part 1” off Hall Of Fame before the two joined forces again for “Cry No More” with Lil Tjay, off 25.

Elsewhere in the Bootleg Kev interview, Herbo expressed an interest in making joint albums with Tee Grizzley and Lil Bibby.

You can watch the full Bootleg Kev interview in the video above.

25 is out now via Machine/Epic. Get it here.

IDK Hands Out Free Pairs Of Signed Nike Sneakers In His Neighborhood

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In addition to rolling out his second album USee4Yourself, IDK also recently announced his partnership with athletic wear giant Nike, tweeting, “Im officially apart of the Swoosh family” ahead of releasing the album’s third single, “Pradadabang” featuring Young Thug. Although the details of just what IDK — who is close with Kevin Durant, a longtime member of Nike’s stable of endorsed athletes — will do with the Swoosh remain out of reach, he did put the new partnership to good use recently, sharing the wealth with his community by handing out free pairs of signed Supreme Dunks in his neighborhood.

So far, the PG County rapper has released two more singles from the album, the Offset-featuring “Shoot My Shot” (which also received a civic pride-fueled go-go remix courtesy of New Impressionz) and “Peloton,” which he released as he announced the new album’s release date, which is this Friday, June 9. IDK also launched a music business program at Harvard University aiming to teach students how jobs in the recording industry work.

Watch IDK give out free pairs of Nike’s above.

USee4Yourself is out 7/9 via Clue No Clue/Warner Records. Pre-order it here.

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

IDK Hands Out Free Pairs Of Signed Nike Sneakers In His Neighborhood

by
Getty Image

In addition to rolling out his second album USee4Yourself, IDK also recently announced his partnership with athletic wear giant Nike, tweeting, “Im officially apart of the Swoosh family” ahead of releasing the album’s third single, “Pradadabang” featuring Young Thug. Although the details of just what IDK — who is close with Kevin Durant, a longtime member of Nike’s stable of endorsed athletes — will do with the Swoosh remain out of reach, he did put the new partnership to good use recently, sharing the wealth with his community by handing out free pairs of signed Supreme Dunks in his neighborhood.

So far, the PG County rapper has released two more singles from the album, the Offset-featuring “Shoot My Shot” (which also received a civic pride-fueled go-go remix courtesy of New Impressionz) and “Peloton,” which he released as he announced the new album’s release date, which is this Friday, June 9. IDK also launched a music business program at Harvard University aiming to teach students how jobs in the recording industry work.

Watch IDK give out free pairs of Nike’s above.

USee4Yourself is out 7/9 via Clue No Clue/Warner Records. Pre-order it here.

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

Blxst Breaks Down His ‘How I Blew Up’ Story From Humble Beginnings To Stardom

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In the latest episode of Uproxx’s newest show, How I Blew Up narrated by Cherise Johnson, LA native and XXL Freshman Blxst breaks down his rise to stardom, from humble beginnings as just another aspiring artist tweeting links at stars to receiving comparisons to late West Coast great Nate Dogg thanks to his smooth vocal ability. “Early on I was really rapping,” he recalls. “Until I really got comfortable with my singing voice, I was kinda insecure back then.” However, he says, he eventually grew into his talent, ending up on many other rappers’ hooks, including YG and Mozzy’s “Perfect Timing.”

He also explains how one of his greatest struggles, fatherhood, helped make him “more purposeful.” The tumultuous period immediately after his son was born “made me realize that it’s not all about me — it just put extra pressure that I needed.” The video traces the growth in Blxst’s career from his start releasing music while attending Upland High School to working on his next collaborative mixtape with frequent collaborator Bino Rideaux (recently releasing the video for the lead single “Movie“), as well as his upcoming debut full-length album, riding the success of his 2020 EP No Love Lost.

Check out Blxst’s episode of How I Blew Up above.

All-4-One Remade ‘I Swear’ For An Xbox All-Access Music Video

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Xbox has never been a stranger to getting famous musicians involved with their brand to promote their products. Around Christmas, places like Twitter are usually full of Usher wishing a Merry Christmas to Xbox, for example. Their latest attempt to involve music as a promotional tool, though, is one of the weirdest advertisements you will ever see.

R&B group All-4-One has went and made a music video for Xbox. In a bizarre remix/homage of their hit song “I Swear,” this is “It’s All There (I Swear),” which shows how essentially everything a gamer could ever want is right there on Xbox. Yes, this is real, and it’s one of the stranger music videos you will ever see. That said, “I Swear” is a heat rock no matter what year it ism so this song is way better than it has any right to be.

Also, the music video featured an ESRB rating and I can’t figure out if they were legally required to do that or if it was just a fun detail.

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It goes without saying, but more companies should consider silly ideas like this because they’re fun and allow all of us to smile and laugh together. These are video games, they don’t have to be serious and Xbox seems to understand that better than most.

Diddy’s Recollection Of Waking Up To Roaches On His Face Has Twitter Reeling With Roasts

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Ever since hip-hop’s inceptions, rappers have been defined by their recollections of humble beginnings and their tendency to stretch the truth when they recall those humble beginnings. Drake got flamed for making “Started From The Bottom” by fans who recall him starting on Degrassi, fans on Twitter regularly question Jay-Z’s assertion that he once lost 92 bricks, and now, they’re applying heat to Diddy over a would-be motivational post that may have exaggerated a few details of his origins in Mount Vernon, New York.

On Instagram, the media mogul posted a video of himself eating fruit and dancing by his pool — a fairly typical day in the life of Diddy, I guess. But it’s the caption drawing all the attention at the moment, as Diddy insists that “one day when I was growing up, I woke up and there was 15 roaches on my face. At that moment I said hell no, I refuse to live like this. Work hard, believe in your crazy dreams… AND NEVER SETTLE!”

Unfortunately for Diddy, the clearly overestimated number of insects in his story “bugged” some fans on Twitter, and naturally, he became the subject of the latest roast session, clearing him out for his faux pas and calling cap with their own roach stories. Check out the responses below.

Vince Staples Asks ‘Are You With That?’ On His Surprisingly Melodic New Single

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Vince Staples is just days away from the release of his self-titled album, sharing its latest single, “Are You With That?” to not only build buzz for the project but to also show off his intriguing artistic growth. Usually known for pairing his fatalistic lyrics with doom-ridden, menacing soundscapes, Vince takes a different tack with “Are You With That?,” hum-rapping a reflective meditation on the Pyrrhic choices that often face folks who grow up the way he did over an upbeat, almost nostalgic tune that belies the paranoid subject matter.

Vince explained the stylistic switch up to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe as he premiered the new song, admitting, “I was just having a lot of conversations with a lot of people around me… and people always say, ‘Oh, you used to always say these stories and this and that, and I don’t notice much about these specific things. Why don’t you put it into the music?’ And it’ll be stuff that has been in songs for years. And then I realized the backdrop wasn’t right for certain things I was saying or vice versa. I feel like [Vince Staples] is kind of very descriptive and distinct… it’s not a bunch of glory stories or things like that, I guess it’s just more personal.”

Listen to “Are You With That?” above. Check out Vince’s previous Vince Staples single “Law Of Averages” here.

Vince Staples is due 7/9 on Motown. Pre-save it here.

2 Chainz Fans Are Recalling His Funniest And Most Ridiculous Metaphors

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In reinventing himself as 2 Chainz, the Atlanta rapper formerly known as Tity Boi of Playaz Circle picked up a new lease on his stalled rap career, beginning a decade-plus renaissance that saw him featured on some of hip-hop’s biggest hits — and often stealing the show thanks to his absurdist sense of humor and outsized personality.

Now, he is getting some recognition as one of hip-hop’s funniest rappers thanks to a fan’s tweet positing that “some of his metaphors make absolutely no sense but they be fye and rhyme.” Responses range from chastising the original poster for a slightly fallacious proposal — all of 2 Chainz’s ridiculous metaphors make perfect sense, even if they’re over the top, tongue-in-cheek, or wildly unrealistic, thank you very much — to reminiscing on specific bars with the help of Genius.com’s reposting function.

As one fan put it, “as soon as you hear the words ‘2 Chainz’ in the song…… you bout to hear some BARS.” The 43-year-old rapper is now six albums deep in his career as 2 Chainz, most recently dropping So Help Me God! in 2020 after appearing on Verzuz with Rick Ross and on Family Feud with Big Boi. Songs from the album include “Quarantine Thick,” “Can’t Go For That,” “Southside Hov,” and “Grey Area” — and yes, some of the wittiest bars you’ll ever hear in rap.

A Tribe Called Quest Denies Authorizing The Sale Of Their Royalties As An NFT

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The “industry rule” Q-Tip revealed back in 1991’s “Check The Rhime” appears to hold as true as ever. For proof, look no further than the recent sale of A Tribe Called Quest’s catalog royalties as an NFT, which the band now says they never actually authorized. Group DJ and co-founder Ali Shaheed Muhammad responded to Billboard‘s report of the sale on Facebook, revealing just how Royalty Exchange came to offering 1.5% of the band’s first five album royalties as a non-fungible token at auction.

“No member of A Tribe Called Quest has entered into any partnership with Royalty Exchange,” he wrote, as he launched into a lengthy explanation of just how labyrinthine and convoluted record contracts can truly be.

In 1989 a dream unfolds. Two teenagers sign a 5 album recording contract with Jive Records. Q-Tip and I were represented by Ron Skoler and Ed Chalpin. Ed owned PPX Enterprises, google that ish. We had absolutely no affiliation with either of these gentlemen other than them representing us as our lawyer/“agent” in negotiating the deal with Jive.

PPX aka Ed Chalpin added a clause to our agreement stating they get paid a percentage of our recording fund EVERY time we commenced to record a new album. We did not discover this hidden clause until we commenced to record The Low End Theory. We disputed this clause. Neither Ed or Ron ever told us about this bullsh*t language in the agreement. It was unwarranted and where I come from “crooked.” Ed sued us and he lost. He appealed the case. He was rich and had deep pockets to litigate. We however were not rich. We were kids with a dream, an album slowly selling and deeply in debt to our record company.

We were determined to not to be taken advantage of by PPX Enterprises. We wanted to fight on. Jive offered to help us with our lack of capital to litigate the appeal however they required us to sign a sixth album with them. Without any other means to get this (do not use slanderous adjectives) entity out of our lives, we signed for the 6th album, added Phife to the contract and Jive made the PPX issue disappear or so we thought.

It wasn’t until reading this incomplete article by Billboard on June 29, 2021 that I learned PPX Enterprises wasn’t entirely out of our business. Apparently PPX sold their share of a settlement they made with Jive Records to an individual whom entered into a partnership with Royalty Exchange. Be clear that is the NFT that was created and auctioned.

Had we known this percentage of our art was out there we would have bought it directly from PPX Enterprises as it should have never been sold by Jive Records.

So, there you have it. The group never wanted to sell their royalties but now, bidder Stephen F, who paid 40.191 in Ethereum ($84,765), will be receiving semi-annual checks from every stream, sample, or media appearance of songs from the first five Tribe albums (you know, the ones that have appeared EVERYWHERE since the ’90s revival boom in television and film over the past decade) until the copyright expires. Yikes.