Music

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.

Lil Uzi Vert’s Ex Brittany Byrd Accused The Rapper Of Abuse And Stalking

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In the wake of his recent altercation with fellow musician Saint Jhn, Lil Uzi Vert has been accused of physical and mental abuse by his ex-girlfriend Brittany Byrd, whose manager told The Shade Room that the rapper caused the confrontation after “stalking” Byrd. Byrd, a Los Angeles-based visual artist, dated Lil Uzi Vert briefly between 2014 and 2016, during which Byrd’s manager — referred to only as “Brianna” in the story — was “toxic and mentally and physically abusive.”

Brianna also claims that the rapper “has been stalking Brittany since they broke up,” and says that Byrd was hospitalized after the attack. The manager alleges that when Uzi arrived to the Dialogue Cafe in West Hollywood where Byrd was having a lunch meeting with Jhn, Uzi punched Byrd in the face multiple times and pointed a gun at her.

This contradicts the previous reports from TMZ that Uzi tried to punch Jhn and revealed a gun during their altercation. The report was updated after the fact to reflect new sources that said Uzi’s gun fell after his initial punch missed, Byrd approached him, and he pointed the gun at her and struck her. Byrd filed a police report at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s station.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Yung Baby Tate’s Freestyle On Doja Cat’s ‘Get Into (Yuh)’ Has Fans Campaigning For An Official Remix

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Doja Cat may have already put out a deluxe version of her recent album Planet Her featuring Gunna and Eve, but that hasn’t stopped fans — and some of Doja’s peers — from campaigning for a remix featuring just one more rapper whose visual aesthetic matches Doja’s well: Yung Baby Tate. The Atlanta rapper posted a video of herself freestyling to the instrumental from the exuberant Planet Her song “Get Into It (Yuh),” sparking interest in an official remix featuring the verse.

Although Doja’s already released the album and a deluxe version, if anyone were to advocate for a sharp rapper like Tate, it’d be Doja Cat, who explained when releasing her new album that she put rappers like Gunna, JID, and Smino on her projects to highlight her love for “bars.” Certainly, Tate is someone who’d have worked with Doja had they crossed paths earlier in their careers; her breakout project, GIRLS, featured collabs with female rappers like Bbymutha, Kari Faux, and Latto (formerly Mulatto).

Both rappers will be busy this year, though, with Doja touring Planet Her and Tate appearing on Love & Hip-Hop. Additionally, Doja made it clear that she doesn’t plan on doing too many more collabs going forward because she doesn’t want them to sound like mashups — but since this verse already exists, maybe she can make an exception.

Watch Yung Baby Tate’s freestyle video above.

Yung Baby Tate is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

J. Cole Works Out With The Lakers’ Talen Horton-Tucker After Completing His BAL Contract

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Although J. Cole’s basketball career is effectively over — for the time being, at least — that doesn’t mean he isn’t staying ready should he be bitten by the competition bug again. Legendary trainer Phil Handy (who goes by @94feetofgame on Twitter) posted evidence of the rapper turned hooper’s commitment to the grind, a video showing off one of the workouts Handy is putting him through alongside one of the trainer’s more successful clients, Lakers player Talen Horton-Tucker, who will begin his third season in October.

The #passion is real, the #work is real, the love for the #game is real and @JColeNC is a real student of the game,” Handy wrote. “Pulled up for a couple of days and got some work in with @Thortontucker … got out of his comfort zone and got better.”

Cole has been open about his basketball dreams since early in his career, using basketball imagery throughout his album artwork and promotions. In 2020, that interest kicked into high gear with the release of Cole’s basketball shoes with Puma. Then, ahead of his most recent album The Off-Season, he announced that he’d be joining the Rwanda Patriots of the newly formed Basketball Africa League. After three games, he completed the terms of his contract and returned home to the US, but that doesn’t mean he’s completely done playing just yet.

Watch the video of J. Cole’s workout with the Lakers’ Talen Horton-Tucker above.

Chloe Bailey Puts Her Own Spin On A Vulnerable Cover Of Drake’s ‘Marvin’s Room’

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Chloe Bailey’s solo profile has gone up ever since she and her sister temporarily split last year with the start of production on Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. With Halle in Europe filming her starring role as the titular mermaid, Chloe has been building a buzz of her own with scintillating covers of songs like Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open,” Cardi B’s “Be Careful,” Rihanna’s “Love On The Brain,” and Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.” Her latest cover/remake is Drake’s emotional Take Care favorite “Marvin’s Room,” revamped with vulnerable new lyrics showing off Chloe’s own impressive pen.

As it turns out, the covers haven’t just been for the fun of it — although they have been pretty fun — as it appears Chloe has been ramping up to release her own solo music in the near future. The timing couldn’t be better; with Halle recording her own takes on the beloved soundtrack faves from The Little Mermaid to accompany the film’s release, they’ll likely both have plenty of “solo” material out in lieu of a follow-up to their most recent album as Chloe X Halle, Ungodly Hour. The release will also give the elder sister the chance to stretch her creative muscles and enjoy the more grown-up image she’s been cultivating with her solo material.

Check out Chloe’s “Mavin’s Room” cover above.

HER Calls Working With The Obamas On ‘We The People’ ‘Life Changing’

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R&B singer HER has been experiencing a huge breakout over the past year after a slow-burning rise that included the EPs HER and I Used To Know HER and a burgeoning collection of awards that has her well on the way to an EGOT. Now, not only is her debut album out now and racking up critical praise, but she can also now count among her collaborators such names as Barack and Michelle Obama thanks to her work with them on the Netflix animated series We The People.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she called the experience “life-changing,” saying she’d do “anything for the Obamas.” “It was more exciting more than anything,” she gushed. “it made me really want to kill it just because of them being attached and them being a part of it. It’s like, wow, I am a part of something that the Obamas [did]. It’s kind of life-changing.” She also spoke on the series’ theme of the importance of youth civic involvement.

“Sometimes you think, ‘I’m just a kid,’ or, ‘That’s a job for the adults,’ but the youth is really the beginning of the rest of our lives,” she noted. “I would like to believe my generation and younger, we’re going to set the tone for the future and it’s up to us to be informed. I always say you can’t understand today without understanding yesterday, and so I think kids are going to start being more proactive and not reactive and really take control of our future. And we’ll learn from those things that we learned in the past, and make a difference and make a change when they know that they can — that they have the power to. This project is going to empower people. I mean, it empowered me.”

You can check out We The People now on Netflix.

Lil Uzi Vert’s Display Of Breakdancing Skills Draws Impressed Reactions From Fans

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Lil Uzi Vert’s a man of many talents. Not only is he a groundbreaking, hitmaking rapper whose stylistic outbursts have made him a fashion icon, but he’s also shown a penchant for fancy footwork on songs like “Futshal Shuffle.” However, even with that display of dexterity in his oeuvre, fans were still surprised to discover he also has a talent for breakdancing, courtesy of girlfriend JT’s Instagram Story.

The outspoken City Girls member caught him getting down at a party while Bell Biv Devoe’s “Poison” blasted in the background and an assembled crowd of onlookers shouted encouragement — none louder than JT herself. He uprocks for a bit — Yep, that’s where the name up top comes from — then busts out some full-on windmills, looking for all the world like he could have been a member of the Get Fresh Crew.

Once the video appeared on Twitter, fans couldn’t get enough, reposting the video with such commentary as “Lil Uzi Vert do be just vibing doe” and reposting scenes from the 2004 Wayans comedy White Chicks.

The viral moment was decidedly a bunch more wholesome than his other viral moment of the week when he allegedly flashed a gun during an altercation with fellow artist Saint JHN.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.