Music

Diddy Is Starting A New, ‘All R&B’ Record Label But Isn’t Signing Any Artists

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Before he was a world-renowned hip-hop impresario and multi-hyphenate businessman with designs on starting a political movement, Sean “Puff Daddy/Diddy/Love” Combs got his start A&Ring R&B acts like Jodeci and Mary J. Blige at Uptown Records. For his next endeavor, he’s getting back to those roots, as he told Vanity Fair in the magazine’s upcoming September issue. Although he did previously announce he was putting out an R&B album, here he goes a step further, announcing that he’ll be starting a new, R&B-centric record label as well.

And before any of his many critics could point out that his previous label, Bad Boy, has a less-than-stellar record in how it treated its artists, Combs explained that he’s doing things differently this time, explaining that he wants to get back to R&B because “I feel like R&B was abandoned and it’s a part of our African American culture,” he says. “And I’m not signing any artists. Because if you know better, you do better. I’m doing 50–50 partnerships with pure transparency.”

He also elaborates that his purpose in launching such a label is so “we can own the genre; we don’t own hip-hop right now. We have a chance to — and I’m going to make sure that — we own R&B.” Although he hasn’t announced any projects or even a name just yet, it may be interesting to find out whether or not he can be the person to drive innovation in the music business.

You can read the full profile here.

Lil Nas X Explains How His BET Awards Performance Was ‘Like Jumping In A Lake Of Sharks And Piranhas’

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Lil Nas X’s performance at the BET Awards was one of the year’s most notable music moments, mainly because of his on-stage kiss with one of his male dancers. In a new interview with Out, he spoke about the moment, admitting that he was hesitant about doing it at first.

He said:

“Going to this place with all these overly masculine rappers and you’re finna be in there throwing a little ass every now and then, touching on dudes and hugging them and kissing them… at some points I was like, ‘Should I even do this? I don’t feel like they’re going to love me like that.’ […]

Mentally, it’s really draining and straining sometimes; The pressure of living your entire life knowing the identity of what a rapper is supposed to be, what rappers [are supposed to] do, and going out there in front of all these people, it’s terrifying. [The BET performance] was like jumping in a lake full of sharks and piranhas — and I’ve had to do that so many times within these last three years. Even coming out, that was terrifying. When I put on the costume of Nicki [Minaj, for Halloween]: terrifying.”

He also spoke about his experience with homosexuality as a kid, saying, “Growing up in the Atlanta area, I [saw] a lot of microaggressions towards homosexuality. Little things like going into an IHOP and hearing one of your family members say, ‘Look at those f****ts’ to two people eating, or even just a small [statement like], ‘Boys don’t cry.’ Little sh*t like living in the hood, not being super into sports, and then having to go outside and pretend that I was.”

Read the full feature here.

People Are Losing It Over A Sign Language Interpreter’s On-Point ‘WAP’ Rendition At Lollapalooza

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Since its release nearly a year ago, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion‘s internet-breaking song “WAP” has been met with both praise and outrage over its raunchy lyrical content. Elected officials have complained about the song on the floor of Congress and the rappers’ performance of the track at the 2021 Grammys resulted in over 1,000 FCC complaints. But compared to a sign language interpreter’s rendition of “WAP” alongside Megan at Lollapalooza last weekend, their Grammys set could be considered relatively tame.

Megan took the Lollapalooza stage Saturday to a massive crowd of festivalgoers where she enticed the audience with a number of her hits. But as she delivered the memorable lyrics to her “WAP” collaboration, someone else on stage stole the show. A sign language interpreter accompanied Megan at side stage to perform the song in American Sign Language, and one fan captured a clip of them performing Cardi’s verse. As expected, “WAP” translated into ASL is as explicit (or more so) as the original track.

This is far from the first time a sign language interpreter has gone viral for their impressive performances at concerts. Most recently, a sign language interpreter who accompanied Twista on stage at a 2019 show went viral for their rapid-fire signing of the rapper’s lyrics.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A Collaboration Between Lil Baby And André 3000 Is Apparently In The Works

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Since his breakout moment, Lil Baby has not held back with his collaborations. The rapper has songs with Travis Scott, Megan Thee Stallion, and even made an entire joint album with Gunna. But for his next collaboration, Lil Baby is setting his sights on someone a bit more elusive: André 3000.

Lil Baby recently sat down for a cover interview with Billboard where he talked about his rise to fame, his responsibility as a role model, and what he has in store next. The rapper sparingly divulged details about his third studio album, saying he has reached out to André 3000’s team in hopes of securing a feature from the Outkast rapper.

“I’m in a whole different head space than I was at with My Turn — I’m going to be at a different level every time I drop because I’m at different levels in life,” he said about his upcoming effort.

That wasn’t the only bit of information Lil Baby let loose about his next LP. Apparently, the rapper is vying for André 3000, who he labeled “a cold motherf*cker,” to lend a verse on a track. “I talked to somebody who be talking to him, and he’s on it right now,” he said of the potential collaboration. “We’re in third-party communications.”

Other than occasionally being spotted with his flute in public, André 3000 has been laying low lately. The rapper did end up making a rare appearance on Goodie Mob’s Survival Kit track “No Cigar.” But other than that, a song with Lil Baby would mark André 3000’s first new music in quite some time.

Read Billboard‘s Lil Baby cover story here.

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

Tyler The Creator Announces His ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ Tour With Vince Staples And Kali Uchis

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Tyler The Creator‘s Call Me If You Get Lost made waves as Tyler’s unofficial entry to DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz canon and now, he taking the album on the road, along with a few friends. The Call Me If You Get Lost Tour kicks off in February 2022 in San Diego, California, then continues through 33 more cities, concluding in Seattle, Washington in April.

Coming along with Tyler are friends and collaborators Kali Uchis, Vince Staples, and Teezo Touchdown, the latter of whom appeared on the album on “Runitup” after Tyler tweeted about him last summer. Kali Uchis has collaborated with Tyler on the songs “Perfect,” “After The Storm,” and “See You Again,” while Vince Staples got his early start on songs with members of Tyler’s Odd Future collective and appears in Tyler’s recent Converse ad, representing one of the groups of people known for rocking the iconic Chuck Taylors.

Tyler also recently performed at Lollapalooza, while Vince Staples recently released his self-titled album, and Kali Uchis recently announced her sophomore album “Sin Miedo (Del Amor Y Otros).”

Check out the tour’s dates below.

2/10 — San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena
2/11 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
2/12 — Las Vegas, NV @ Michelob Ultra Arena
2/14 — El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center
2/16 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
2/18 — St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena
2/19 — Kansas City, MO @ Cable Dahmer Arena
2/20 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
2/22 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
2/24 — Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
2/27 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
2/28 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
3/3 — Worcester, MA @ DCU Center
3/4 — Norfolk, VA @ Chartway Arena
3/6 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
3/7 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
3/9 — Montreal, QC @ Place Bell
3/11 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
3/12 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Events Center
3/13 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
3/16 — Charlotte, NC @ Bojangles Coliseum
3/18 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
3/19 — Tampa, FL @ Yuengling Center
3/20 — Miami, FL @ FTX Arena
3/23 — Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Coliseum
3/25 — Duluth, GA @ Gas South Arena
3/27 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
3/29 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
3/31 — Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
4/1 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
4/2 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
4/4 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
4/7 — Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum
4/8 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

Nas’ ‘King’s Disease 2’ Tracklist Includes Features From Eminem And Lauryn Hill

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Last year, Hit-Boy helped Nas overcome his recent album slump, executive producing the Queens legend’s latest full-length, King’s Disease. The results spoke for themselves; not only was the album credited with breaking rap fans’ prevailing “Nas has a tin ear for beats” narrative, but it was also one of the most critically acclaimed rap projects of the year.

It looks like the two principals were pretty impressed with each other, as they recently announced a follow-up titled King’s Disease II to be released on the same projected date as Kanye West’s Donda. Either that, or it’ll be a Lost Tapes-type release collecting some of the cutting room clippings from the original sessions and stitching them together — which has worked for Nas before on Lost Tapes. Today, they shared the tracklist, revealing collaborations with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Blxst, Eminem, EPMD, Lauryn Hill, and YG.

King’s Disease II will thus mark the second collaboration between Nas and Em and Nas and Lauryn. While Eminem produced Nas’s 2002 God’s Son song “The Cross,” Nas and Ms. Hill collaborated on Nas’ biggest hit to date, 1996’s “If I Ruled The World” from It Was Written. You can see the full tracklist courtesy of Nas’ Instagram below.

Jack Harlow And Pooh Shiesty Get Their ‘SUVs Black On Black’ As Their Breakout Years Continue

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As Jack Harlow‘s breakout year continues, he links up with another artist who is having a strong 2021 as well in Pooh Shiesty on the new single “SUVs Black On Black.” Over a heavy 808 and mariachi band sample, the two rappers flex their rags-to-riches narratives with witty boasts like Harlow’s shot that “older women fall for me / I make them press the Life Alert.”

Jack’s been an in-demand feature artist since his song “What’s Poppin’” blew up the airwaves in 2020, joining Lil Nas X in his new video for “Industry Baby.” He also popped up in Babyface Ray’s video for “Paperwork Party” and was tapped by Eminem for the remix of “Killer.” He was also nominated for a BET Award, causing some confusion among fans and bumping into Saweetie and sharing a Twitter-inciting moment.

Meanwhile, Pooh Shiesty was selected to appear on the XXL Freshman cover as his song “Back In Blood” continued to blow up throughout 2020. Unfortunately for him, he was arrested on an aggravated battery charge, then indicted on additional charges after being implicated in a robbery by a post on his Instagram. He was denied bail in both cases, which could cause him trouble as his career continues, but with features alongside G Herbo on “Switch It Up” his should be able to maintain his momentum for at least a while.

Listen to “SUVs Black On Black” above.

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

Austin City Limits Is The Latest Festival To Remove DaBaby From Their Lineup After His Homophobic Rant

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DaBaby’s name has been all over headlines this past week after he made some extremely inaccurate and homophobic comments about HIV/AIDS during his Rolling Loud set. The rant has been condemned by artists like Madonna and Elton John, and even prompted an official statement from GLAADD. DaBaby had been confirmed to perform at several other festivals this year, but event organizers have opted now to pull him from their lineup.

So far, festivals like Lollapalooza, Governor’s Ball, and Day N Vegas have dropped DaBaby from their official lineups after news of his on-stage comments spread. Now, Texas festival Austin City Limits is the latest to follow suit. ACL issued an official statement on their social media Tuesday, saying DaBaby will no longer appear at their two-weekend event in October. “DaBaby will no longer be performing at Austin City Limits Music Festival — lineup update coming soon,” organizers wrote in an announcement.

One week and several celebrity call-outs later, DaBaby finally issued an apology statement Monday. After first complaining that people were quick to condemn him on social media, DaBaby wrote: “I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made. Again, I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important.”

Read DaBaby’s full apology statement here.

Kanye West Seems To Be Teasing Some Sort Of Reunion With The Weeknd

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Kanye West and The Weeknd have a history: West produced “Tell Your Friends” from The Weeknd’s 2005 album Beauty Behind The Madness, while The Weeknd sang on West’s The Life Of Pablo highlight “FML.” Now, it seems the two may have something else in the works.

Yesterday, West, who is in the process of finishing Donda, took to Instagram to share a phone screenshot of his recent calls. Most notably, among them were a handful of late-night calls to a contact labeled “ABEL WEEKEND,” which is almost certainly The Weeknd.

This comes shortly after The Weeknd said he’d be interested in reconnecting with West, saying, “I’d love to work with Kanye again. Especially on production.” He also shared admiration for Tyler The Creator, saying, “I got mad love for Tyler The Creator, and what he’s doing right now. Tyler is funny, man. I remember he came to one of my performances — I think it was like a festival performance. And he was very vocal about how ‘Starboy’ was his favorite song at the time. You can tell he’s waiting for the song. I could see him. As soon as the song happened, he’s like, ‘All right, cool. Thanks.’ And he just peaced out. It was pretty funny. But he’s somebody that I really admire, because he wears his feelings on his sleeve.”

Big Sean Claims To Have Grown Two Inches Thanks To His Chiropractor

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For years, Big Sean has been subject to jokes about his chosen rap moniker not quite matching up to his physical stature. But in a recent social media post, the Detroit rapper boasted that he’d actually grown into his name — not just metaphorically. In the video, Sean challenged, “How da f*ck I grow 2 inches? Chiropractor for a year straight twice a week, that’s how. Straight Spine thas how. I’m laughing cause it’s real.”

Just in case his viewers didn’t believe him, the video also sees Sean standing next to a friend, pointing out their similarities. “My n**** Ronnie 5’10″, solid,” he noted. “So b*tch, look at me next to him, b*tch. N****s try and hate on me like I’m 5’6″. Nah, for real, I probably even grew like a couple inches.”

Sean has become an advocate for healthy living, emphasizing the importance of mental health education in a recent interview with Apple Music and speaking extensively on his own experiences in the lead-up to the release of his album Detroit 2. In addition, he recently became the Detroit Pistons’ new “creative director of innovation” and will appear on the revival of MTV’s Cribs along with Rick Ross, Martha Stewart, and more.