ABC hasn’t had much luck with its hip-hop-themed programming, though not for lack of quality (RIP The Mayor, gone too soon. You were cut down in your prime). That hasn’t stopped the network from trying, though. Its latest effort is Queens, an hour-long drama series about a 1990s rap girl band reuniting in their 40s to try to mount a comeback and recapture the magic. Fortunately, the cast has the chops to pull it off: Brandy (check out her BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher verse), Eve (veteran of both rap and television), Nadine Velazquez (the only non-musician), and Naturi Naughton (who played Lil Kim in Notorious) star and rap in the show, giving fans a preview in the video for “Nasty Girl.”
Presented as a Hype Williams-esque mega-production from 1999 (and directed by Tim Story, of all people), the “Nasty Girl” video pays homage to the elaborate, big-budget clips favored by the likes of Diddy and Bad Boy Records, with yachts, helicopters, champagne, and pyrotechnics providing all the nostalgic eye candy you could want.
Oddly, though, the song itself is decidedly much more modern sounding, with a chopped-and-screwed loop on the beat evoking memories of Bangladesh’s heyday, which was like a decade later. However, all four women acquit themselves well on the mic, especially Brandy, who for some reason the show has rapping like Kobe on “3x Dope,” and the song’s kind of an anachronistic banger. It’s enough to spark real curiosity for Queens, which premieres Tuesday, October 19 at 10 ET on ABC, as well as streaming on Hulu.
The revered status of Hitmaka has been two decades in the making. Turn on the radio today at any given moment and surely there will be a song playing that the multi-platinum selling producer has touched in some form. In 2008, radio was dominated by his massive hits “Sexy Can I” and “The Business,” both off his debut album Look What You Made Me under his former moniker Yung Berg.
Lately, Berg’s talent lies in sampling sounds from the same era that he used to make music in and beyond. As a result, the Chicago native is curating this current generation’s era of sounds by working with essentially everyone from the late King Von to industry legends like Nicki Minaj.
Gifted with an ear for melody and feel-good vibes, combined with a knack for picking out a talented music-making team, it’s no wonder he has been able to continue to create songs that consistently land on the Billboard charts or become certified platinum by the RIAA. Atlantic Records tapped him to be the Vice President of A&R with great results and now he’s serving as Empire’s VP of A&R, where he’s expected to dominate the music industry even more. And that’s the goal.
Speaking with Berg about the bevy of upcoming projects he’s working on, including his latest release “Quickie” featuring Queen Naija and Ty Dolla Sign, I dug into the mind of Hitmaka to find out his hit-making process and key to his success.
What have you learned from the beginning of your career to now?
Consistency and work ethic is the key for me. A lot of people don’t really put that foot forward and wait for somebody else to do something for them. Whether it’s the team they’re provided, or just putting responsibilities on other people instead of using themselves as the vessel. Myself, I’m so driven and such a workaholic.
Have you always been this self-motivated?
I got my first record deal when I was in ninth grade. I never really had any other experience besides music. Everybody says, “Don’t put your eggs in one basket,” but I did the opposite way and put every egg in one basket. It left me with my back against the wall. Not to where it’s like, “If this doesn’t work out, maybe I could pivot and do this.” It was more so like, “This has to work out,” and that’s what it’s been my whole life.
I feel like you’ve lasted a really long time and it hasn’t been without criticism. How have you dealt with that?
You’ve just got to be built of Teflon. I feel like I’m a very resilient person. At first, I didn’t understand it when I was going through a lot of things early in my career. I looked at it as a negative. At this point where I’m at now, on the other side of my career, and not having peaked and still on my way up, I was able to go through those things and it made me tougher. It was a gift to me because it prepared me for what you could endure on any level. I went through it at a young age. I feel like it doesn’t even reach my radar. It doesn’t really penetrate anything that I have going on in my own world. It comes with the territory.
Most know you as Yung Berg but now you’re Hitmaka. Why the name change?
A few different things happened. One, when I was still deep into my Yung Berg bag and putting out mixtapes, Rico Love was the hottest producer and writer at the time. I was on Twitter one day and I reached out to Rico and he allowed me to link up with him. I went to the London Hotel and he was having breakfast on some real baller shit, sitting by the pool and just talking to me. I was telling him my journey. He was like, “Yo, I think you should change your name.”
Then, I went to Miami, because I was working on Last Train To Paris, Diddy’s album, and Rico was too. Rico would be introducing me to people as my government name. Like, “Hey, this is Christian.” And it’d be like Fat Joe and Fat Joe would be like, “No, that’s Yung Berg. What are you talking about?” He’s like, “Nah, it’s Christian.” I didn’t really like it because when I first met Joe, I was like, damn, he didn’t embrace it and it felt a little weird. But one day when I was in the studio I just said, “Hitmaka,” at the beginning of a song and I decided that I’m going to continue with it. It was a pretty bold statement. I’ve just been working hard to live up to it and it’s been working out.
That’s interesting you say it’s a bold statement. You didn’t think it was fitting?
I didn’t know what the fuck was going on. I was just creating records. I was in a different space. I knew people were feeling me as an artist. On my first album, I wrote all the features and I had a lot of features. I thought, “I’m pretty good at this. Let me continue doing it.”
Do you ever get bored of producing?
No, not at all. I love producing and writing. That’s what my background is. I don’t ever get bored. This is the evolution of my career. At the end of this, I’m going to be one of the big guys at the head of a company, like a CEO. I’m really a music man. Shout out to L.A. Reid and other people I’m in business with. I look at myself like that.
You’re really good at flipping throwback hits. What is your process for choosing which songs to sample?
I put a flag in the sand and I yelled, “I’m going to flip all my songs and I’m going to be the Puff Daddy of this generation. I’m going to make it very clear what’s going on.” From there, I would just link with a guy named Paul who I met via Ayo & Keyz while making Wiz Khalifa’s “Something New,” and I’m just reliving my life. All the records that I love from the 106 and Park era, I just go back in. I know what I like. Honestly, I’m just making records to music that I personally like and throwing it out there. It’s just a blessing that the world is sharing the same taste level as me.
What are some songs that you are proud of?
I’m super proud of being able to work with King Von and doing that record for him and Lil Durk, “Still Trappin.” That record went platinum and was some of Von’s last work that we did. We did those records together in a studio and I was able to work as a co-writer on it. A lot of people don’t know, but we actually wrote the hook to that record. Even though Von came in and made his own little changes to it, he had never worked like that before to where the hook was already built into the song. He never worked like that before. It was his first time and we caught a platinum plaque. Rest in peace, Von, and shout out to Lil Durk.
I feel like you’re always on the verge of also tapping in with up-and-coming talent. What is your process for that? Do you have people telling you or are you out there, listening to the streets?
I’m scouting and I’m always looking. I have people telling me different artists to work with. Maybe someone on my team will set me up with somebody to work with, like Tink. I never worked with Tink before and we’re both from Chicago. When we met, we hit it off immediately. We were able to make her new album that’s out now, Heat Of The Moment. I think she’s on the cusp of being something very, very incredible.
I know you have your team and go-to’s but whenever you invite other people into that, how do you pick? You could really put anybody on with your name so what is that one thing you look for?
It’s just the talent. Once I hear it, and your demo is something that somebody plays me is amazing, I already know that I can take this shit to the next level. There’s a lot of people that I work with, Goldie, Rocky, Crishan, Ivory Scott is a new guy that I’m working with that’s from Chicago that’s done amazing things. We just did Yung Bleu’s record, “The Baddest” with Chris Brown and 2 Chainz together. He’s on Fat Joe’s new album that’s about to come out as a featured artist. We just did Trippie Redd’s new single that’s about to drop with Polo G and Lil Durk. If you dope, you somehow make your way to me, and you come highly recommended, then I’m going to work with you. It’s the same way I met Goldie. I didn’t know Goldie for a long time, but I have known her for, now, almost 10 years. I met her at a session and they paired us up to work together. Our relationship has continued from there.
Whenever you go number one or you get a platinum plaque, does it ever get old to you?
To be honest, I don’t even buy plaques. I have two plaques in my house. I have a plaque from Teyana Taylor and King Combs, “How You Want It,” that a co-producer, my mentor, bought for me. I don’t really go around and cop that because the work’s not done yet. I feel accomplished and I know where I’ve come from and I know what it took me to get here, but I’m still so far from what the end goal is. I’m already a pretty confident guy. I don’t need that.
You seem still hungry like you came in here three months ago. You’re still trying to go after it. So what is the end goal for you?
I’m not going to stop. I’m going to make music forever. The end goal is just to be a huge business. I’m going to be a combination of Lucian Grainge, L. A. Reid, and Mike Caren, and hopefully bigger than them. I’ve been around and have had the pleasure to be around a lot of great CEOs. The end goal is to be a titan in this game and a force to be reckoned with and legendary.
Speaking of Mike Caren at APG, you were on that label. Is Mike one of those mentors to you?
Funny thing you say that, when I hang up this phone, I’m going to meet with Mike right now. Me and Mike, we’re still in business. He shares information with me, and I’m appreciative because that’s the most we can really ask for. People want money and free this, and access, but information is key for me so I can know how to do this shit myself and put my own spin on it.
What kind of advice do you have for up-and-coming producers?
Just be ready when your number is finally called. A lot of people don’t understand that and they’re just caught up in the, “When is it going to be my time? And I’m sick of doing this. And I should’ve been on.” When your number’s called, being ready is actually the most key thing you can actually be involved in. I know a lot of people that might have got a super No. 1 hit, but wasn’t ready for the workflow that followed. I think that’s one of the biggest keys in my success and my company’s success. We work every day. Just stay ready. Don’t chase the bread. Chase the work. Once you chase the work, the money is going to catch up to you.
Cardi B recently gave birth to her second child — a son — and fans have been marveling at her post-pregnancy body after she posted a string of photos from Paris Fashion Week. Some, however, have speculated that her “snapback” was due to liposuction or a tummy tuck. Cardi posted an Instagram Story addressing the rumors and explaining why her body transformation wasn’t due to plastic surgery.
“I think it’s because, right now, I got some amazing hips due to my gorgeous son, because he was sitting so low,” she explained of her shape. “You know, when your baby is low, your hips spread, but everybody’s just like, ‘Cardi, you so snatched. What did you do? You did lipo? You had a tummy tuck?’ You cannot do surgery after you give birth.”
She also elaborated on the gory details of her own second birthing experience, which would have prevented her from getting surgery even if it weren’t already so dangerous. “I lost so much blood, guys,” she revealed. “One day, I’m going to tell you guys about my crazy ass delivery.”
Cardi also admitted that “my skin is a little loose and I still got a little pouchy pouch” but insisted on keeping it real with her followers while explaining that she’s been using angles to hide the spots she’s insecure about. “Take y’all f*cking time,” she advised fans about their own health and shape journeys. She seems to be doing just that, although she did press hard on a flurry of collaborations ahead of the birth, including on Lizzo’s “Rumors” and Normani’s “Wild Side.”
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It’s really weird to think that Lil Wayne is doing a joint album, Trust Fund Babies, with Rich The Kid before one with, say, Drake or Nicki Minaj. The two rappers don’t have the same extensive history of collaboration as Wayne’s fellow Young Money residents and their respective profiles among fans are, let’s just say “uneven.” But the tape’s out now and judging from its cheeky first video for “Feelin’ Like Tunechi,” the two have a healthy sense of humor about the whole thing so it kinda works.
For example, for literally no discernible reason at all, the video contains an interlude at the halfway mark spoofing Wayne’s viral 2012 deposition video in which he answered a bunch of questions he wasn’t being asked. Taking a line of dialogue directly from that bewilderingly hilarious clip, the off-screen interviewer asks Wayne whether he performed at Rolling Loud with Rich in 2019, swapping the more modern festival for the Virgin Music Festival in 2008 with Kanye West. Wayne’s answer remains exactly the same: “I don’t know, but I know I did perform at this bad-ass bitch birthday party recently. She was crazy, stupid thick.”
We need more rappers willing to have a laugh at themselves. The rap world will almost certainly be better for it.
Watch Lil Wayne and Rich The Kid’s tongue-in-cheek “Feelin’ Like Tunechi” video above.
Trust Fund Babies is out now on Young Money Records and Republic Records.
Although Little Simz original version of “Venom,” released on her standout 2019 album Grey Area, initially had nothing to do with the Marvel anti-hero of the same name, it would have been a waste of synergistic potential for the good folks at Sony to not try to employ it in the new sequel film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Fortunately, Simz was up for the revival, picking up the pen to revamp the lyrics for a more motivational mood fitting to the comic-book-inspired antics onscreen.
You can thank Venom: Let There Be Carnage (boy, that’s a mouthful — which… considering the character in question… fits?) star Tom Hardy for Simz’s inclusion in the process. Last week, the film’s director Andy Serkis told Uproxx that Simz’s fellow Brit and well-known hip-hop head Hardy suggested the song be used in a sequence in the film and reached out to Simz to make it happen. “She actually had made a song, unbeknownst to her, called ‘Venom’ that connected very much with the first movie,” Serkis said, “And so Tom got in touch with her and that song became sort of the focus [of the scene].”
The moment is perfectly positioned to capitalize on Simz’s recently released album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and her upcoming North American tour, putting her music in what will undoubtedly be one of the more popular movies of the year just in time to bring in a plethora of new fans. She deserves them.
As a world-famous rapper, Swae Lee is probably used to performing in stadium-sized venues by now. However, that doesn’t stop him from catching a look of awe on his face as he steps on the turf at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium in the video for “Ball Is Life” from the Madden NFL 22 soundtrack. The same goes for BRS Kash, Moneybagg Yo, Tierra Whack, and the rest of the performers who appear on the game’s hard-hitting playlist.
While the soundtrack itself launched along with the game in August, the EA team released a slew of videos for its standout tracks, including BRS Kash’s “Oh No” performed in his hometown Mercedes Benz Stadium, Moneybagg repping for Memphis in the Titans’ stadium, and Tierra Whack hanging out with Scoop, the Philadelphia Eagles’ mascot. Although Swae Lee actually hails from Tupelo, Mississippi, unfortunately, there’s no team nearby — plus, he lives in LA now anyway.
Each star gets their own video and all of the videos get mashed up in a massive megamix showing off Madden‘s uncanny valley gameplay, which you can watch above. For the individual videos, see below.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The season premiere of Saturday Night Live is just a day away and that means that the hilarious pre-show promos featuring the guest host and musical guest have also returned. In this week’s promo, series regular Kenan Thompson joins Owen Wilson and Kacey Musgraves to contemplate whether things really are bigger in Texas, try to start a belly band, and tease Kenan’s lateness. Musgraves especially looks like she’s struggling not to break in the last clip.
The first clip is of special significance, as both Wilson and Musgraves are Texas natives. Kenan asks them whether something like burgers fall under the “everything is bigger in Texas” motto, to which Wilson replies, “Depends who’s makin’ ’em.” Musgraves brags, “I make ’em about the size of my fist.” Thompson declares he’s never going to one of her barbecues — and if I may interject here, I will gladly take his spot. He’s missing out.
You should absolutely not miss out on Musgraves’ performance, which will feature songs from her new album Star-Crossed. Each time she’s performed songs from it — such as the fiery rendition of the title track she gave to the MTV VMAs this year — it’s been a show-stopper. Personally, I’m hoping for a redux of her fun “Simple Times” video.
Watch Kacey Musgraves, Owen Wilson, and Kenan Thompson hype up the upcoming season premiere of SNL above.
Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in October. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, October 1
Audiobooks — Astro Tough (Piccadilly Records)
Ben Marc — Breathe Suite EP (Innovative Leisure)
Black Dice — Mod Prog Sic (FourFour Records)
Bonnie Cosby — Virginiana EP (Pax Aeternum)
Boy Scouts — Wayfinder (ANTI-)
Brandi Carlile — In These Silent Days (Elektra Records)
The Colorist Orchestra & Howe Gelb — Not On The Map (Dangerbird)
Couplet — LP1 (Storm Chasers LTD)
Dar Williams — I’ll Meet You Here (Renew Records/BMG)
Diet Cig — I Don’t Like Driving Like I Used To EP (Frenchkiss Records)
The Doobie Brothers — Liberté (Island Records)
Ducks Ltd. — Modern Fiction (Carpark Records)
Explosions In The Sky — Big Bend (An Original Soundtrack for Public Television) (Temporary Residence)
Four Stroke Baron — Classics (Prosthetic Records)
Gustaf — Audio Drag For Ego Slobs (Royal Mountain Records)
Hovvdy — True Love (Grand Jury)
Illuminati Hotties — Let Me Do One More (Hopeless Records)
Jeremy Zucker — Crusher (Republic)
Jojo — Trying Not To Think About It (Warner Records)
Joshua Speers — Midnight Horses EP (Warner Records)
JW Francis — Wanderkid (Sunday Best Recordings)
Kalabrese — Let Love Rumpel (Part 1) (Rumpelmusig)
Kit Grill — Fragile (Primary Colours)
Leisure — Side B EP (Nettwerk)
Lily Rose — Stronger Than I Am (Big Loud Records/Back Blocks)
Logan Mize — Welcome To Prairieville (Big Yellow Dog Music)
Lonr. — Land Of Nothing Real 2 EP (Epic Records)
Matt Robidoux — At Dust (Already Dead Tapes and Records)
Meek Mill — Expensive Pain (Warner)
Ministry — Moral Hygiene (Nuclear Blast)
Misty River — Promises (The Workshop Tapes)
Mod Con — Modern Condition (Poison City)
Nine Pound Hammer — When The Shit Goes Down (Acetate Records)
Olan Monk — Auto Life EP (CANVAS)
The Persian Leaps — Drone Etiquette (Land Ski Records)
Pond — 9 (Spinning Top Records)
The Script — Tales From The Script (Sony)
Secondhand Sound — The Best & Worst Of Times (Sound Division Records)
Shad — TAO (Secret City Records)
Silas Short — Drawing EP (Stones Throw)
Strand Of Oaks — In Heaven (Galacticana Records)
Sun Atoms — Let There Be Light (Little Cloud Records)
The The — The Comeback Special (Ear Music)
Tirzah — Colourgrade (Domino)
Tony Bennett And Lady Gaga — Love For Sale (Columbia)
Ustad Saami — East Pakistan Sky (Glitterbeat Records)
Wage War — Manic (Fearless Records)
Wiki — Half God (Wikset Enterprise)
Work Party — My Best Days Are Behind Me (Triple Eye Industries)
Valley — Last Birthday EP (Capitol Records)
Xander Cameron — Rebel RM Roseme EP (2563977 Records DK)
Yes — The Quest (InsideOut Music)
Zoodrake — Seven (Elektrofish / Echozone)
Friday, October 8
Alice TM — Little Body In Orbit (Whatever’s Clever)
Bktherula is almost a year removed from her last full-length project, Nirvana. Luckily, for those who have taken a liking to the Atlanta native’s artistry, she has a brand new body of work on the way for her supporters. However, before fans can get their hands on it, Bktherula returns with “Placement,” her brand new track that arrives with a guest feature from Matt Ox and a new music video. In the visual, the duo hang out in a futuristic Chinatown filled with holograms, flying cars, and flashing lights.
On October 22, Bktherula will deliver her newest project, Love Black. Despite it being labeled as an EP, Love Black will arrive complete with 16 songs which gives fans plenty of music to enjoy from the Atlanta rager. The project will also feature her previously released single, “Santanny,” a track she delivered last spring in the form of a double single that was paired with “Blue.”
Furthermore, Bktherula is gearing up to hit the road as a supporting act for Lil Tecca’s upcoming tour. The Tecca Loves You Tour kicks off February 22, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts, and continues until April 5, 2022 where it comes to an end in New York.
You can press play on the video for “Placement” above.
Love Black is out 10/22 via Warner Records. Pre-order it here.
Bktherula is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
H.E.R. and Kane Brown might technically come from different ends of the genre spectrum, but they connect perfectly on their new track “Blessed & Free.” Brown has had an incredible run in the country genre, which tends to be a very white-centric genre, while Brown is multiracial with Black and Cherokee heritage.
Recently, Brown’s been collaborating with a number of artists outside his genre, including blackbear on the track “Memory,” and now H.E.R. As for the “Best Part” singer, this year’s new album Back Of My Mind has already been racking up accolades of its own, earning her the support of Amazon Prime and building off the reputation she’s already built for herself based off her past projects, H.E.R. and I Used To Know Her.
For “Blessed & Free,” which shares a name with Brown’s tour, both artists managed to split the difference between their respective sounds, with plenty of funk, groove, R&B and a dash of country thrown in. For the black and white video that accompanies the track they worked with ACM and CMT Music Award winner Alex Alvga. Check out the video up top, and for more behind-the-scenes on shooting the visuals check out their discussion of it right here.
