Fans who tuned into Tyler The Creator’s new album Call Me If You Get Lost may have noticed that, as opposed to the more tender sentiments expressed on his last two collections, this project featured much more materialistic subject matter than usual (I consider this a good thing). According to TMZ, this newfound ballerific intent isn’t just confined to the lyrics on the new album, as Tyler’s new chain based on his nickname from the album set him back half a million dollars.
It’s a tiny, multicolored bellhop — yes, Tyler chooses to have people call him one of those hotel guys who carry your bags, which… actually makes sense, considering how much he loves bags — covered in yellow, pink, red, and green gems, including diamonds and sapphires. Per TMZ, it contains 23,515 hand-set stones comprising 186 carats in diamonds and 60 carats in sapphires, while the little suitcases actually open and close. It was designed by jeweler Alex Moss, with whom Tyler worked on the piece for around seven months. The idea was sparked then, with around four of those months dedicated to actually acquiring the stones (I would love to see a movie about this, a la Uncut Gems).
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of June below.
The Roots — Do You Want More?!!!??! (Deluxe Edition)
Geffen/Ume
The Roots have been one of hip-hop’s finest groups for a long time and their ascent began with their 1995 major-label debut, Do You Want More?!!!??!. Now, they’re celebrating the iconic release with a slew of new reissues. The most expansive is the 4-LP edition, which includes a 24-page booklet and a whopping 18 bonus tracks, some of which have never been released and all of which were curated by Questlove.
2Pac — Until The End Of Time (20th Anniversary Reissue)
2Pac
Before Tupac was prematurely taken from us, he had a hell of a career, to put it lightly. One of the highlights, his album Until The End Of Time, turns 20 this year, and now it’s available on “high-quality, 180-gram audiophile grade vinyl” for the first time in two decades. This 4-LP release is a special one, as it comes with previously unseen photos and even a tracklist handwritten by Tupac himself.
PJ Harvey has essentially become the cornerstone of his monthly vinyl rundown with her regular rereleases. Her latest project to get the reissue treatment is White Chalk, her well-received seventh album from 2007. Also shared was a collection of demos, which were previously unreleased and are also available on CD and digital formats.
Last year, Dave Chappelle famously released 8:46, the title of which references how long Derek Chauvin had his knee of George Floyd’s neck before his death. Now the comedian is extending his special’s reach with a new Third Man Records reissue, which is pressed in a color edition that is limited, appropriately, to just 846 copies.
Alicia Keys — Songs In A Minor (20th Anniversary Reissue)
RCA Records/Legacy Recordings
Alicia Keys came blazing out of the gate with her 2001 debut album Songs In A Minor. Now the chart-topping, multi-platinum release has gotten a fresh reissue that includes some enticing goodies. Most excitingly, there’s a pair of previously unreleased bonus tracks from the original album recording sessions: “Foolish Heart” and “Crazy (Mi Corazon).” Additionally, there’s also “Fallin’ – Ali Soundtrack Version” and “I Won’t (Crazy World),” the latter of which was previously available on the 10th Anniversary Physical Deluxe edition, meaning this is the first time it’s available to stream.
Lady Gaga had one of 2020’s defining pop albums with Chromatica, and now she has come out with the ultimate edition of the album for diehard fans. This one is pressed on 180-gram black vinyl and comes with a trifold embossed jacket, a new 28-page booklet, and a 40-page fanzine.
Although Rod Stewart had a No. 1 album early in his career, he needed a boost after 1974’s Smiler, which was a relative chart flop in the US. He followed that by signing with Warner Bros. Records and busted out a quartet of prosperous albums, three of which were top-two on the charts: Atlantic Crossing (1975), A Night On The Town (1976), Footloose & Fancy Free (1977), and Blondes Have More Fun (1978). Those four pivotal records have been compiled on this new box set, which also features studio outtakes from each of them. Stewart himself says of the collection, “It’s extraordinary for me to look back on this era of my career. I think fans will enjoy experiencing these songs on vinyl. I know I did.”
Ludacris — Word Of Mouf (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
Ludacris remains a pop-culture force today, and that was especially true when he released 2001’s Word Of Mouf, which features hits like “Area Codes” and “Move B*tch.” In celebration of the record’s 20th anniversary, it has gotten a slick new reissue via Vinyl Me, Please, which is pressed on “orange galaxy” vinyl and has a gorgeous overall presentation.
Sharon Van Etten came up with a great way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her album Epic: Re-release it alongside a version of the album covered by other artists. Participating in the project are folks like Courtney Barnett, Justin Vernon, Fiona Apple, and others. Van Etten says of the reissue, “Epic represents a crossroads for me as an artist. Going from intern to artist at Ba Da Bing, from solo folk singer to playing with a band for the first time and beginning to play shows on tour where people showed up. I am in awe of the artists who wanted to participate in celebrating my anniversary and reissue, from young inspiring musicians, to artists who took me under their wing, who I met on tour, and to artists I’ve looked up to since I was a teenager. Each one of these artists continue to influence my writing and provide a sense of camaraderie during this new era of sharing music.”
The Avalanches — Since I Left You (20th Anniversary Reissue)
Astralwerks
June was a big month for 20th anniversaries, because here’s another one. This time, it’s Since I Left You from The Avalanches, and it features a handful of bonus tracks, including new mixes from Black Dice, Leon Vynehall, Sinkane, Carl Craig, and MF Doom. The Doom contribution is previously unheard vocals on “Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life (MF Doom Remix),” which adds to the icon’s posthumous legacy. The box set collection that houses this anniversary set is essential for fans of the project.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of June below.
The Roots — Do You Want More?!!!??! (Deluxe Edition)
Geffen/Ume
The Roots have been one of hip-hop’s finest groups for a long time and their ascent began with their 1995 major-label debut, Do You Want More?!!!??!. Now, they’re celebrating the iconic release with a slew of new reissues. The most expansive is the 4-LP edition, which includes a 24-page booklet and a whopping 18 bonus tracks, some of which have never been released and all of which were curated by Questlove.
2Pac — Until The End Of Time (20th Anniversary Reissue)
2Pac
Before Tupac was prematurely taken from us, he had a hell of a career, to put it lightly. One of the highlights, his album Until The End Of Time, turns 20 this year, and now it’s available on “high-quality, 180-gram audiophile grade vinyl” for the first time in two decades. This 4-LP release is a special one, as it comes with previously unseen photos and even a tracklist handwritten by Tupac himself.
PJ Harvey has essentially become the cornerstone of his monthly vinyl rundown with her regular rereleases. Her latest project to get the reissue treatment is White Chalk, her well-received seventh album from 2007. Also shared was a collection of demos, which were previously unreleased and are also available on CD and digital formats.
Last year, Dave Chappelle famously released 8:46, the title of which references how long Derek Chauvin had his knee of George Floyd’s neck before his death. Now the comedian is extending his special’s reach with a new Third Man Records reissue, which is pressed in a color edition that is limited, appropriately, to just 846 copies.
Alicia Keys — Songs In A Minor (20th Anniversary Reissue)
RCA Records/Legacy Recordings
Alicia Keys came blazing out of the gate with her 2001 debut album Songs In A Minor. Now the chart-topping, multi-platinum release has gotten a fresh reissue that includes some enticing goodies. Most excitingly, there’s a pair of previously unreleased bonus tracks from the original album recording sessions: “Foolish Heart” and “Crazy (Mi Corazon).” Additionally, there’s also “Fallin’ – Ali Soundtrack Version” and “I Won’t (Crazy World),” the latter of which was previously available on the 10th Anniversary Physical Deluxe edition, meaning this is the first time it’s available to stream.
Lady Gaga had one of 2020’s defining pop albums with Chromatica, and now she has come out with the ultimate edition of the album for diehard fans. This one is pressed on 180-gram black vinyl and comes with a trifold embossed jacket, a new 28-page booklet, and a 40-page fanzine.
Although Rod Stewart had a No. 1 album early in his career, he needed a boost after 1974’s Smiler, which was a relative chart flop in the US. He followed that by signing with Warner Bros. Records and busted out a quartet of prosperous albums, three of which were top-two on the charts: Atlantic Crossing (1975), A Night On The Town (1976), Footloose & Fancy Free (1977), and Blondes Have More Fun (1978). Those four pivotal records have been compiled on this new box set, which also features studio outtakes from each of them. Stewart himself says of the collection, “It’s extraordinary for me to look back on this era of my career. I think fans will enjoy experiencing these songs on vinyl. I know I did.”
Ludacris — Word Of Mouf (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
Ludacris remains a pop-culture force today, and that was especially true when he released 2001’s Word Of Mouf, which features hits like “Area Codes” and “Move B*tch.” In celebration of the record’s 20th anniversary, it has gotten a slick new reissue via Vinyl Me, Please, which is pressed on “orange galaxy” vinyl and has a gorgeous overall presentation.
Sharon Van Etten came up with a great way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her album Epic: Re-release it alongside a version of the album covered by other artists. Participating in the project are folks like Courtney Barnett, Justin Vernon, Fiona Apple, and others. Van Etten says of the reissue, “Epic represents a crossroads for me as an artist. Going from intern to artist at Ba Da Bing, from solo folk singer to playing with a band for the first time and beginning to play shows on tour where people showed up. I am in awe of the artists who wanted to participate in celebrating my anniversary and reissue, from young inspiring musicians, to artists who took me under their wing, who I met on tour, and to artists I’ve looked up to since I was a teenager. Each one of these artists continue to influence my writing and provide a sense of camaraderie during this new era of sharing music.”
The Avalanches — Since I Left You (20th Anniversary Reissue)
Astralwerks
June was a big month for 20th anniversaries, because here’s another one. This time, it’s Since I Left You from The Avalanches, and it features a handful of bonus tracks, including new mixes from Black Dice, Leon Vynehall, Sinkane, Carl Craig, and MF Doom. The Doom contribution is previously unheard vocals on “Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life (MF Doom Remix),” which adds to the icon’s posthumous legacy. The box set collection that houses this anniversary set is essential for fans of the project.
Fans who tuned into Tyler The Creator’s new album Call Me If You Get Lost may have noticed that, as opposed to the more tender sentiments expressed on his last two collections, this project featured much more materialistic subject matter than usual (I consider this a good thing). According to TMZ, this newfound ballerific intent isn’t just confined to the lyrics on the new album, as Tyler’s new chain based on his nickname from the album set him back half a million dollars.
It’s a tiny, multicolored bellhop — yes, Tyler chooses to have people call him one of those hotel guys who carry your bags, which… actually makes sense, considering how much he loves bags — covered in yellow, pink, red, and green gems, including diamonds and sapphires. Per TMZ, it contains 23,515 hand-set stones comprising 186 carats in diamonds and 60 carats in sapphires, while the little suitcases actually open and close. It was designed by jeweler Alex Moss, with whom Tyler worked on the piece for around seven months. The idea was sparked then, with around four of those months dedicated to actually acquiring the stones (I would love to see a movie about this, a la Uncut Gems).
The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Mac Miller Fund is planning to help out a sizeable group of artists thanks to a special round of grants. The fund, which was established in 2018 by the family of the late rapper, will award 75 artists who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color with $1,000 grants. Applications are open now through July 23 through the foundation’s website and are available to Pennsylvanian artists who live in the Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Mercer, Lawrence, Somerset, Venango, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. The grants will also be practice-based, allowing the recipients to use the awards on whatever they chose.
“The BIPOC Artist Micro-Grant program is a way for the foundation to carry forward Mac Miller’s creative and artistic legacy and his family’s vision for helping artists, particularly younger artists, recognize their full potential,” Kelly Uranker, vice president of the Pittsburgh Foundation’s Center for Philanthropy, said in a statement.
The announcement comes more than two years after the Mac Miller Fund awarded its first two recipients with $50,000 grants. The winners were from the Hope Academy of Music And The Arts, an after-school arts education outreach program at East Liberty Presbyterian Church, and MusiCares, a California-based charity of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
You can read more about the grants on the Pittsburgh Foundation’s website here.
Mac Miller is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Lil Yachty tightened up his raps and artistry to kick off 2020 and it earned him an impressive run that’s continued through today. From the release of his Lil Boat 3 project and its deluxe reissue to the arrival of his Michigan Boy Boat mixtape, the Atlantan rapper has been firing on all cylinders as of late. Yachty continues his streak of releases, but not without switching things up a bit. For his latest single, “Love Music,” the rapper ditches the hard-hitting raps and confident bars for a pensive effort that finds him focused on love and looking within for the feelings that reside in his heart.
The rapper’s new single comes after he dropped the Michigan Boy Boa mixtape back in April. The project was created to spotlight rappers from Michigan’s Detroit and Flint areas which include Sada Baby, Tee Grizzley, YN Jay, Babyface Ray, Louie Ray, and Icewear Vezzo who all appeared throughout the project’s 14 songs. He later teamed up with Icewear Vezzo and Rio Da Yung OG in a greyscale video for “Plastic.”
Elsewhere, Yachty is set to appear in the second season of Lil Dicky’s FX show, Dave, which kicked off earlier this month. He and Bhad Bhabie also invested in the new dating app, Lox Club, that was created for Jewish people with “ridiculously high standards.”
You can listen to “Love Music” in the video above.
Sada Baby is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
There were a number of big performances at this year’s BET Awards, some of which proved to be among the biggest moments from the show. One of them included Lil Nas X’s steamy performance of “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” in which the singer concluded his set by kissing one of his male backup dancers in a moment that became far more controversial than it should have.
Screenshot From Madonna
The kiss received a number of reactions, the latest coming from Madonna, who took to her Instagram Story to briefly share her thoughts. She posted an image of Lil Nas’ onstage kiss above another picture of her own famous kiss with Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV VMAs. She captioned it: “#diditfirst.” It’s fairly obvious that Lil Nas was influenced by that 2003 moment, so hopefully Madonna’s intent behind the post was not slight on the singer.
Madonna’s post comes after Lil Nas shared his own reaction to those who were not too happy with Sunday night’s kiss. “Since y’all still doing all this over a kiss imma just f*ck the n**** on stage next time,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
You can view a screenshot of Madonna’s post to her Instagram Story above.
After an impressive year run that concluded with his sixth album, After Hours, The Weeknd will now bring his talents to the small screen. According to Variety, the singer will star in the upcoming HBO series The Idol, which is about a female pop singer who falls in love with an L.A. club owner who also leads a secret cult. The singer will also co-write and a co-executive produce the series alongside Reza Fahim and Sam Levinson, with all the three being labeled as co-creators.
Joseph Epstein will also write and executive produce on the show in addition to acting as showrunner. Levinson is also responsible for HBO’s hit series Euphoria,which landed a number of Emmy nominations, one of which was given to Zendaya for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
This is far from the first time that The Weeknd has found himself on television . In 2020, he appeared as himself in an American Dad episode, titled “A Starboy is Born,” that we also co-wrote. He also played himself on the big screen, in the 2019 film, Uncut Gems.
On the music side of things, The Weeknd recently joined Doja Cat in a video for their first-ever collaboration “You Right.”
The legal troubles are mounting for Pooh Shiesty. The Memphis native, who was previously arrested for aggravated battery after a shooting at a Miami club, received another indictment for a separate incident that also occurred in the same town. On Tuesday, Shiesty was hit with charges in connection to an armed robbery, according to the Miami Herald. In October 2020, he and two friends, Bobby Brown and Jayden Darosa, were set to purchase marijuana and high-end sneakers in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida. Things went left and Shiesty and Brown allegedly shot two men in the butt and hip.
During the investigation, federal agents were able to connect the rapper to the crime thanks to a photo he posted on Instagram. A Louis Vuitton bag filled with $40,912 dollars that fell out of a Lamborghini McLaren that Shiesty was driving was discovered by investigators. They were able to confirm it was the rapper’s after the agents matched the serial number on the bills to the same wad of cash that Shiesty flaunted in the photo.
In addition to that, after a search of Darosa’s Instagram, investigators found him brandishing the same Draco that was used in the robbery. In the end, Shiesty was charged with discharging a firearm during a violent crime, conspiracy, and robbery under a law regulating commerce.
The new indictment comes after a judge denied his bond for the Miami club shooting despite the alleged victim’s decision to recant their prior statement.
Pooh Shiesty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
A number of artists have advocated for mental health awareness. Ariana Grande is among them. Back in May in an Instagram post about Mental Health Awareness Month, the singer shared her goal of “ending the stigma around mental health and normalizing asking for help.” Now she’s taking the steps to help with a brand new partnership.
Grande is teaming up with the mental health organization, Better Help, to give away $1 million in therapy. The partnership will pair people seeking therapy with a licensed therapist. Those who sign up will receive one month of free therapy with the option to renew it with a discount of 15 percent for the second month.
“Thrilled to be working with @betterhelp to give away $1,000,000 of free therapy,” Grande wrote in an Instagram post. “While acknowledging that therapy should not be for a privileged few but something everyone has access to, and acknowledging that this doesn’t fix that issue in the long run, i really wanted to do this anyway in hopes of inspiring you to dip a toe in, to feel okay asking for help, and to hopefully rid your minds of any sort of self judgement in doing so!”
She added that her hope is that the offer becomes a “helpful starting point” that allows people to “build space for this in your lives and continue.”
