Music

Trippie Redd Mows Down Zombies With An ‘MP5’ Alongside SoFaygo In His Latest ‘Trip At Knight’ Video

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Trippie Redd’s new video, “MP5,” opens with a jump scare, then gets right into some video-game-inspired, zombie-killing action. After dispatching one revenant with the titular hardware, Trippie and guest rapper SoFaygo enter The Matrix to blast waves of the undead outside of what looks to be a prison. Not-so-subtle pop culture references aside, the effects are pretty impressive for the form and the song itself is a high-energy, synth-heavy banger, displaying Trippie’s gift for catchy warbling and allowing SoFaygo to show off his chattering flow.

“MP5” is the latest video from Trippie’s new album Trip At Knight, which dropped today via 1400 Entertainment and 10K Projects after a few months of teasing with singles like “Miss The Rage” featuring Playboi Carti, “Holy Smokes” with Lil Uzi Vert, and “Rich MF” featuring Polo G and Lil Durk. The project is the SoundCloud rap pioneer’s fourth in as many years, as well as his second release of 2021 after February’s Neon Shark Vs. Pegasus, the punk-influenced deluxe edition to 2020’s Pegasus co-produced by Travis Barker. Other features on Trip At Knight include two late friends of Trippie’s, Juice WRLD and XXXTentacion, as well as thrash rapper and fellow SoundCloud alum Ski Mask the Slump God. Trippie will be going on tour behind the album beginning this week.

Watch the “MP5” video above. Stream Trip At Knight here.

50 Cent’s ‘BMF’ Trailer Showcases The Fast Life With Snoop Dogg, Wood Harris, And More

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Historical crime dramas are very in right now, what with FX’s Los Angeles-set Snowfall being renewed for a fifth season this spring and 50 Cent’s latest Power spin-off, Raising Kanan, currently airing on Starz, and a New Jack City reboot reportedly in the works.

It seems that audiences are, well, hooked on tales of drug kingpins rising to power — and falling off at their peaks — especially if those stories are at least loosely based on reality. With 50 Cent’s next Starz show, though, the line between fiction and history will blur more than ever as BMF explores the rise and fall of Detroit’s Black Mafia Family with some help from Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Wood Harris, who apparently will play an iconic drug dealer at every chance he gets.

Today, Starz released the trailer for the 50 Cent-produced drama series, which premieres on Sunday, September 26. It’s full of crack-era clothing, booming ghetto blasters playing Run-DMC’s “King Of Rock,” intense staredowns, and tersely-framed shootouts. Title cards tout the BMF‘s influence on hip-hop fashion, music, and culture (just check out Rick Ross’ “BMF,” in which he shouts out kingpin “Big Meech” while subtly nodding to the gang with the title’s acronym). Earlier this week, it was revealed that Eminem would have a role in BMF as well, portraying real-life FBI informant White Boy Rick — a role the real Rick approved of.

Watch the BMF trailer above.

Rico Nasty Takes A Desert Day Trip In Her Enigmatic New Video For ‘Magic’

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Back in June, hip-hop/pop/punk-rock chameleon Rico Nasty unveiled a swaggering summer track called “Magic,” which now has a brand-new music video. Featuring the Maryland-born performer dancing in a variety of sharp outfits and hairstyles, plus riding a dirt bike, “Magic” kind of looks like if Spice Girls’ “Say You’ll Be There” video met Mad Max. Which is to say, it’s highly stylish and entertaining.

“Obviously, we don’t know what [my genre] is now because it’s only been three years of rapping,” Rico Nasty told Uproxx last year about her immense musical versatility. “It’s because they’re just unfamiliar with it, but 10 years down the line, it’ll be a trail of what this is. It could be punk, it could be a bunch of things. But I say I don’t resonate with those things, because rather than putting me in those things, I would rather people just watch and see what happens. Because I change a lot, so you never know what it could be. Just appreciate it for what it is.”

Rico, who is currently teasing a new mixtape, released her critically acclaimed debut studio album, Nightmare Vacation, last year, telling Vulture: “The whole journey of a Nightmare Vacation is to overcome a series of things that you didn’t think you could and find peace in them. That’s what this whole year [2020] has been like. So many people lost their jobs, lost family members, lost being able to travel, lost things that brought them peace. And for the first couple months, we was all running around here like chickens with their heads cut off, like What are we about to do? What is our purpose? We started paying attention to the things that really mattered to us.”

Watch the video for “Magic” above.

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

Top Dawg Calls Kendrick Lamar’s Impending Final TDE Album A ‘Victory Lap’

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Earlier today, Kendrick Lamar announced that his next album will be his last on Top Dawg Entertainment after working with the label for nearly 15 years. Shortly after his announcement, the label’s founder and CEO, Anthony Tiffith — aka, the titular “Top Dawg” of TDE — released his own statement to social media reflecting on their partnership’s impact and looking ahead to the label’s future, calling it “an honor and privilege for TDE to bless the world with the GOAT.”

“The whole goal when we started this thing was to make music, make money, and make history,” he wrote. “We did those things 10 times over and then some. TDE and its artists have provided a way to end generational curses that we were all personally born into over the last 17 years in this business.” K. Dot previously addressed this sentiment on his DAMN. track “Duckworth,” which examined the incidental connection between his own father and Top Dawg before Kendrick was even born.

“With this being Dot’s last album on TDE, this is more of a VICTORY LAP, a celebration,” Top asserted, wishing his label’s best-selling artist success in his future endeavors. “I know he will be successful in whatever it is he decides to do and will have our FULL support. As for Top Dawg Entertainment, we will continue to grow, develop, and give artists the platform to expand into whatever way they choose. Heart, honor, respect.”

Big Boi And Sleepy Brown Have Announced A Release Date For Their Album, ‘The Big Sleepover’

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Outkast‘s Big Boi and Organized Noise’s Sleepy Brown — who fall under the Atlanta collective The Dungeon Family — have announced a long-awaited release date for their collaborative album, The Big Sleepover. In tandem with the announcement, the duo released a dancehall-influenced single, “The Big Sleep Is Over” featuring Jamaican artist Kay-I, and an animated music video, which you can check out above.

First teased in 2019, The Big Sleepover is set to feature Big Boi and Sleepy Brown’s single “Intentions” featuring CeeLo Green, plus “Can’t Sleep,” “Lower Case,” and “We The Ones” featuring Killer Mike and Big Rube. (You might recall how Big Boi, Big Rube, Killer Mike, and Sleepy Brown all teamed up to perform the remix of “We The Ones” on The Tonight Show around Election Day.)

To cap things off, Big Boi and Sleepy Brown also mapped out a run of fall tour dates, including a Falcons pregame performance in Atlanta, which you can find below.

08/24 — Los Angeles, CA @ MLS All Star Game
09/01 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
09/02 – Evanston, IL @ Evanston Brewing Co
09/11 – South Haven, MI @ Gridlife Midwest
09/12 – Atlanta, GA @ Falcons Pregame Performance
10/01 – Wichita, KS @ Wichita Riverfest
10/06 – Charlotte, NC @ Underground
10/07 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
10/08 – Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
10/09 – Columbia, SC @ The Senate

The Big Sleepover arrives on 9/3 via Hitco. Pre-order it here.

femdot. Chose Hip-Hop Over Science And The Decision Is Paying Off

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femdot. is on his way to becoming a household name, but he already is to Chicago hip-hop heads. His 2019 album ’94 Camry Music was revered and he has collaborated with fellow Windy City favorites like Saba, Taylor Bennett, and Cole Bennett’s Lyrical Lemonade. Those co-signs are just one reason why femdot. is a name to know and one that the latest “Magnum Scenes” video sheds some light on.

The rapper starts the clip by speaking about his connection to his home and how it plays into his strengths as an artist, saying, “It’s a very authentic city. You can’t fake it here. You read through that. Relatability is probably my superpower as an artist. I only speak on what I know, so the music is a reflection of Chicago.”

Interestingly, femdot. finds himself where he is today after choosing rap over another passion of his: science. When he went off to college, Chicago was having a hip-hop moment thanks to the rise of artists like Chance The Rapper, which made femdot. want to devote himself to music. He explains why being back in Chicago was critical to making that happen for him, saying, “A lot of these rappers in the city started getting a look, and I’m like, ‘Man, I wonder what would happen if I was home.’ In Chicago, if you’re not around, you’re out of sight, out of mind. If you’re not home, that’s cool and people will love you and whatever, but it hit different when they know you feel this, too.”

Elsewhere in the clip, femdot. speaks about his childhood interest in music, the people he surrounded himself with, his philanthropic endeavors, and more, so check out the video above and explore the other scenes covered in this series here.

Dame D.O.L.L.A. And Blxst Reflect On Their Humble Beginnings In The Nostalgic ‘We The Ones’ Video

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Y’know, even with the infamously exercise-obsessed LeBron James starring in Space Jam 2 this summer, Damian Lillard must be the hardest working man in basketball right now. Not only did he put in his time in Tokyo helping lead Team USA to yet another Olympic gold medal, but he was also apparently working on his fourth album, Different On Levels The Lord Allowed, at the same time. Now, the album’s out, and with it, Dame D.O.L.L.A.’s new video for “We The Ones” featuring Blxst and singer Tree Thomas.

The video’s setup is pretty standard and fits the song’s theme of authenticity and the benefits of hustling, cutting back and forth between scenes contrasting Dame’s humble beginnings in Oakland, California, and his current conditions, which involve private chefs, elegant dinners, and pool parties where the pool doesn’t need to be inflated. He’s offered lyrical assists by Blxst and Tree, who offer their own takes on the rags-to-riches story being relayed (on a side note, why do so many rappers focus on breakfast when they do these scenes? Toosii did it a few months ago too and it just feels like breakfast is probably the worst meal to illustrate a major financial come-up because what exactly is an “extravagant” breakfast, really?).

Watch Dame D.O.L.L.A.’s “We The Ones” video featuring Blxst and Tree Thomas above.

Check out Different On Levels The Lord Allowed out now on Empire here.

Kendrick Lamar Says He’s Working On His ‘Final TDE Album’

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For the majority of his career, Kendrick Lamar has released his music with Top Dawg Entertainment and is now the label’s defining artist. It looks like that era is coming to an end, though, as Lamar has indicated that his next album will be his last one with TDE.

This afternoon, the rapper shared a link to a website, oklama.com, which features a post dated August 20. In it, he summarizes how he’s been lately and reflects on his time with TDE, saying that he’s in the process of producing his “final TDE album.” He also hinted at when new music might come, as he ended his message, “See you soon enough.” The post reads:

“I spend most of my days with fleeting thoughts. Writing. Listening. And collecting old Beach cruisers. The morning rides keep me on a hill of silence.

I go months without a phone.

Love, loss, and grief have disturbed my comfort zone, but the glimmers of God speak through my music and family.

While the world around me evolves, I reflect on what matters the most. The life in which my words will land next.

As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years. The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling.

There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown.

Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all.

See you soon enough.

-oklama.”

The post also features a grainy, blurry photo of Lamar seemingly in a studio. The image file’s EXIF data indicates it was last modified on July 15, suggesting the photo was taken, or at least last edited, on that date.

Check out oklama.com here.

Common And Black Thought Debut ‘When We Move’ With A Vibrant ‘The Tonight Show’ Performance

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In 2020, Common released his first-ever EP, A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 1, a jazzy return to his hip-hop roots featuring appearances from Black Thought, Chuck D, Lenny Kravitz, PJ, and Stevie Wonder. Led by the Black Thought-featuring single “Say Peace,” the project found Common once again dwelling on weighty themes and socially conscious messages over Afrocentric production styles. Today, Common returned to the well with Black Thought to release “When We Move,” the first single from the second installment of his A Beautiful Revolution series, which is set to drop on September 10 via Loma Vista.

Also last night, Common dropped by The Tonight Show to debut the track live just as he’d done with “Say Peace,” giving an energetic performance alongside The Roots and longtime friend and collaborator Black Thought and Nigerian Afrobeat artist Seun Kuti, the youngest son of Fela Kuti. As usual, the two MCs brought complex, thoughtful rhymes to the bouncy production while the band channeled the energy of the Afrobeat legend.

A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2 will continue in the same vein of collaboration for the veteran rapper with features from Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard, PJ, who will once again be all over the tracklist, and Marcus King, among others. He said in a statement:

“A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2 was created with hope and inspiration in mind. The spirit of the album was meant to emulate what a greater day would sound and feel like. We were in the midst of some tough political and socially challenging times. There was still hurt, anger and pain lingering, so I was thinking, ‘What is the next step in this revolution?’

I wanted to write about that and create music that embodied that. How could this music be an example of the beautiful aspects of revolution that include joy, self-love, compassion, dreams, peace and good times? As a piece of art, I believe we took it to different places musically only to come back to the original intention. To bring joy to people’s hearts, fun to their lives and smiles to their souls.”

Watch Common and Black Thought’s vibrant performance above.

Travis Scott Is Reportedly Expecting His Second Child With Kylie Jenner

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Talk about a productive year; in 2021, Travis Scott not only launched his successful seltzer brand Cacti, entered the world of cannabis, and revived his exceedingly popular Astroworld Festival, selling out tickets in just an hour, but now, he’s also got another big announcement. No, it’s not a Utopia release date, although we’re sure that’s coming soon as well. It’s another baby with Kylie Jenner, with whom he also recently reunited in an “open” relationship.

TMZ reports that the couple is expecting their second child, according to a source with “direct knowledge.” While the due date is as-yet-unknown, TMZ notes that hints have popped up throughout the summer, such as Kylie avoiding certain foods while wearing baggier-than-usual clothing and Caitlyn Jenner revealing that one of her kids was expecting. The news makes the couple’s first child, three-year-old Stormi, a big sister in waiting, and Travis one of multiple hip-hop artists currently awaiting a second child, including Cardi B, who announced her pregnancy during the 2021 BET Awards.

Travis’s successful 2021 built on the momentum of an equally successful 2020 in which he partnered with McDonald’s and Epic Games for several wildly popular projects. In addition to the above endeavors, Travis is also reportedly producing a film companion to his upcoming album.