Music

Lupe Fiasco Announces That His Podcast With Royce Da 5’9″ Has Come To And End

by
Getty Image

Last fall, rappers Lupe Fiasco and Royce Da 5’9″ announced that they teamed up, with help from SayWhatMedia’s Tom Frank, for a new podcast called The Lupe & Royce Show. Lupe described it as being led by “2 real geniuses.” He also added that the podcast would be “half conversation between friends, half interview show, and 100% weird.” Lupe and Royce have shared 46 episodes since then, but unfortunately, it’s coming to an end.

During an Instagram Live session, Lupe revealed that podcasting isn’t and has never been something he took too much of an interest in and that he only took part it for Frank, who is a good friend. He said that he enjoyed the experience, despite having to bring it to an end over creative differences.

“I’m not doing that no more,” Lupe said during the livestream. “But again, it’s not something that’s done out of ill will, this is something that’s been kind of building for a little bit. And again, my heart wasn’t 100% in the podcast anyway, with Royce, without Royce, by myself, on my own.” He adds, “So shoutout to everybody who tuned into the podcast, really appreciate it… But yeah man, that’s probably the end of an era. And just kind of moving on to other things.”

You can watch Lupe’s livestream in the video above the revisit most recent episode of The Lupe & Royce Show here.

Yung Bleu And A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Indulge In Serenity In Their Video For ‘Ghetto Love Birds’

by

Yung Bleu continues to make the most of an impressive 2020, which saw him increase his audience with Love Scars: The Five Stages of Emotions, plus a remix of “You’re Mines Still” with Drake. A day after the release of his newest album, Moon Boy, the Alabama native recruits A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie to join him in a video for “Ghetto Love Birds,” which captures the duo indulging in serenity through desert, ocean, and jungle landscapes, all while expressing the true power of love.

Moon Boy offers additional features from Drake, Gunna, Chris Brown, Kehlani, Moneybagg Yo, Kodak Black, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, H.E.R., John Legend, and Jeezy. Both album and the video were released after Bleu announced a North American tour in support of the new album. The Alabama native will hit the road starting on August 26 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. From then on he will make a number of stops in major cities across North America before bringing things to a close on October 9 in Seattle, Washington.

You can watch the video for “Ghetto Love Birds” above.

Moon Boy is out now via Vandross Music Group/EMPIRE. Get it here.

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

Vince Staples Explains Why He Always Avoided Drugs And Alcohol

by
Getty Image

Vince Staples has always been open about his struggles and hardships from his younger days. He sang about it on Vince Staples, but which had a more mainstream song than his previous work. The change led to a project that was well-received by both new and older fans of the rapper. He stopped by N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s Drink Champs podcast to talk about the album and about personal aspects of his life, including why he never did drugs or alcohol.

“I saw my pops go from being up and being the man to having all the cars to being whopped,” he said during the episode. “It’s just not cool. You don’t want to be the motherf*cker who’s up, and then at one point, it all just goes away. I couldn’t let that happen to myself.” Vince gave another reason for avoiding drugs and alcohol. “I ain’t never want to get caught,” he said after speaking about his desire to always be aware of his surroundings in his childhood neighborhood which was laced with racial tension and gang violence. He added, “My sister got shot seven or eight times when I was a kid. And you ain’t really safe nowhere.”

You can watch the full episode above.

Kanye West Reportedly Has A New Release Date For ‘Donda,’ Which He’s Still Trying To Finish

by
Getty Image

Earlier this week, Kanye West revealed that his tenth album, Donda, would arrive before the weekend. The rapper also announced that he would hold a listening event at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the 75,000-capacity venue that’s home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. Despite a nearly two-hour delay, the event went on as expected, but Donda was not officially released afterward and fans were once again left empty-handed, with no clue for when the project would arrive.

After spending much of the day waiting for an update on Donda, Kanye finally released an updatet late Friday night, but it came from an unexpected source: Justin LaBoy. On Twitter, the social media personality wrote, “KANYE WEST WILL MOVE THE RELEASE DATE OF DONDA TO AUGUST 6TH. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.” He added, “HE WANTS TO GIVE HIS FANS THE BEST POSSIBLE PRODUCT WITHOUT RUSHING ANYTHING. HE LOVES YALL WITH ALL OF HIS HEART. GOD BLESS.”

LaBoy is certainly not the name you’d expect to make this announcement, but apparently they’re closer than you may think. Last week, the social media personality revealed Kanye played the album for him and NBA player Kevin Durant during a listening session in Las Vegas. Afterwards, Laboy posted on social media, “ALBUM OF THE YEAR. DONT @ ME.”

Bobby Shmurda Returns To The Stage At Rolling Loud For One Of His First Post-Prison Performances

by
Getty Image

Looks like Bobby Shmurda just took the stage for his first official show back now that he’s officially out of prison. Though Shmurda was slated to appear at the All Star Weekend this spring to perform alongside 50 Cent, that show was unexpectedly canceled. So when the line-up for Rolling Loud was announced this past April, fans were eager to get a do-over for the “Hot N—-” rapper’s long-awaited return.

When Shmurda went to prison back in 2016 on a plea deal along with fellow GS-9 crew member Rowdy Rebel, the pair were some of the, ahem, hottest artists out. Now, it’s still unclear if Bobby can return to his former glory after all this time has passed, but considering his first hit was a product of the viral Shmoney dance and spread via social media clips, it seems like he already has the blueprint down, no? And considering Migos have his back several times over, and he’s closely following his parole guidelines, it looks like he’s well on his way to a come back.

Check out some clips of Bobby’s performance below, and here’s hoping he’ll be gracing a lot more stages this year. If anyone deserves a chance to get back on stage and prove his worth, it’s an artist like him who tragically had his career cut short.

Awkwafina And Danny DeVito Take A Wild Ride Through The Internet In ‘Discord: The Movie’

by

With the onset of the pandemic and an extended period of isolation last year, many people turned to online communities and digital platforms in a new ay for a sense of community and connection. So it’s not surprising that one such digital community center, Discord, has been going mainstream in recent months. Even if you’ve never heard of Discord, plenty of your favs are already using it to connect with fans or fellow artists. Grimes recently launched her own server on the site and used it to tease new music, and multi-hyphenate rapper, actress and comedian Awkwafina is a big proponent of the platform, too.

So much so, that Nora from Queens is starring in a new ad that attempts to explain the extremely online concept of digital networking to the rest of the world — as summed up by the one and only Danny DeVito. In the clip, which was dubbed with the tongue-in-cheek name Discord: The Movie, Nora takes Danny with her on a wild ride through the servers, while users pop in here and there to tell their stories. With a cameo from J Balvin — and obviously, Grimes — among many others, the clip is a feel-good look at what the best of the internet can be. And Awkwafina is always a to watch no matter what she’s doing. Check it out above.

Jack Harlow Responds To Not Being In Lil Nas X’s ‘Industry Plant’ Naked Shower Scene: ‘I Let The Mastermind Cook’

by
Getty Image

Jack Harlow has already been having a breakout year on his own since the release of his late 2020 project That’s What They All Say, but things got even more heated starting today. Now that he’s collaborated with Lil Nas X on their chaotic “Industry Baby” video, all bets are off. There’s one rather, ahem, steamy scene in the video where Nas and his backup dancers are twerking naked in the prison shower, and fans and foes have been wondering why Harlow wasn’t involved in that section of the clip.

Plenty of the memes about the moment have centered on the tendency for straight men to fearfully distance themselves from homosexual behavior, and the stereotype that all heteronormative men are nervous around queer male sexuality. In Harlow’s case though, that’s not what was going on at all. Seeing the conversation unfold, the young rapper took to Twitter to let everyone know exactly where he stands. “Nas wrote the whole treatment for this video and I followed his lead every step of the way,” he said. “If he had asked me to be in that shower scene I woulda been in that shower scene. I just let the mastermind cook. Honored to be apart of it.”

Classy, and hey, room for a recast in the remix right? We all know how Lil Nas X loves remixes… and the thirst for Jack Harlow in the shower is getting stronger by the second. And the follow up here from Nas X indicates that might be coming quicker than anyone thought:

Atlanta Declares July 22 ‘Kanye West Day’ In Honor Of The Producer’s Late Mother

by
Getty Image

July 22, when Kanye West was in Atlanta preparing for his massive listening event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the rapper was also honored by the city with a Kanye West Day. While he has long claimed Chicago and moved there at three years old, his mother, Donda West, taught at Morris Brown College for almost 20 years and was Chair of the English Department. The city declared Kanye West Day as a partial tribute to Donda, for whom Kanye titled the upcoming album he previewed at the listening.

Additionally, Morris Brown College President Kevin James likewise presented an honor in Donda’s memory: A Resolution of Meritous Service on behalf of the historically Black university. Kanye was given certificates commemorating both honors backstage at his event, which may have explained the two-hour delay that preceded him playing the apparently unfinished album. While some aspects were well-received, like Kanye’s reunion with Jay-Z on a song that closed the event, it appears that Ye wasn’t completely satisfied. The album didn’t release as scheduled, although fans seemed more surprised by the suite meal prices at the event than the album delay (he’s already delayed the album for over a year after initially announcing it in 2020).

You can see Kanye presented with the certificates honoring Kanye West Day below.

Tinashe Shares A Seductive New Single, ‘I Can See The Future’

by

Shortly after unveiling the title and release date of her forthcoming album, 333, Tinashe has shared a seductive new single called “I Can See The Future.” Over a skittering beat, the R&B singer rolls out verses about a potentially rewarding partnership with a love interest: “I can see the future / And it looks like you and I / I can see the future / And it feels like paradise.”

Prior to “I Can See The Future,” Tinashe shared two singles that will appear on 333. The first is “Pasadena” and the second is “Bouncin.” She’ll also hit the road later this year for her “333 Tour,” which launches on September 16 in Houston, Texas, and lasts for a little over a month before concluding on October 24. It will also a worldwide experience curated by Moment House, a company that specializes in virtual performances.

Listen to “I Can See The Future” above. Tinashe also revealed the 333 album artwork and tracklist last night, which you can find below.

Tinashe

1. “Let Go”
2. “I Can See The Future”
3. “X” Feat. Jeremih
4. “Shy Guy”
5. “Boucin’”
6. “Unconditional” Feat. Kaytranada
7. “Angels” Feat. Kaash Paige
8. “333” Feat. AB
9. “Undo” Feat. Wax Motif
10. “Let Me Down Slowly”
11. “Last Call”
12. “The Chase”
13. “Pasadena” Feat. Buddy
14. “Small Reminders”
15. “Bouncin’ Pt. 2”
16. “It’s A Wrap” Feat. Quiet Child and Kudzai

333 is out 8/6. Pre-order it here.

Vince Staples Coasts Through A Laid-Back Tiny Desk Concert With Kenny Beats And Foushée

by

Vince Staples may have received a polarized response from fans and critics, but Vince Staples himself remains undeterred in promoting his latest project, maintaining his usual cavalier air in a mellow NPR Tiny Desk Concert performance backed by Kenny Beats and featuring Foushée. The Long Beach rapper performs songs from his self-titled third studio album in the Hollywood Hills, where he jokes he’d “never live,” reminiscing with his manager Corey Smyth (who, as always, remains offscreen) about times he was arrested in the affluent area.

While some fans found the relaxed production on Vince Staples to be off-putting, it turns out to be perfect for a Tiny Desk performance. Vince, as laid-back as ever, coasts through album standouts “Law Of Averages,” “Sundown Town,” “The Shining,” and “Take Me Home,” with Foushée joining him on the last song and Kenny Beats playing bass throughout. Fellow South LA rapper 03 Greedo gets a shout-out, while Vince reflects on the release of his first album Summertime 06 and dedicates his performance to “all the bad b*tches worldwide… whether you have two legs or no legs.”

Watch Vince Staples’ Tiny Desk Concert above.

Vince Staples is out now on Blacksmyth Recordings/Motown Records. You can get it here