Music

Kanye West Confirms The Release Date For ‘Donda’ After Teasing A New Song In A Beats By Dre Commerical

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Kanye West originally announced that his tenth album, Donda, would arrive last summer. But it never arrived. While some hoped the delay would be brief, nearly a year has gone by. At long last, we now know when the album will drop, and people won’t have to wait too long.

According to a press release from Kanye’s label, Def Jam Records, Donda is confirmed to arrive this Friday, July 23. The project will premiere at a sold-out listening event at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which will also be livestreamed on Apple Music.

The news comes after Kanye teased a song from the album through a new Beats By Dre commercial. The ad features track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson while “No Child Left Behind,” which will presumably appear on Donda, plays in the background. The track appeared as one of nine songs that Kanye had listed on a whiteboard during a studio session with Tyler The Creator.

Donda is set to feature appearances from many artists, including Baby Keem. The reported cover art also surfaced and it depicts an abstract painting of what appears to be a woman painted in red over a grey background.

You can watch the ad in the video above.

Sha’Carri Richardson Starred In A New Beats Ad Featuring A Song From Kanye West’s Upcoming Album ‘DONDA’

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Earlier this month, Sha’Carri Richardson tested positive for marijuana and was issued a one-month suspension, disqualifying her from participating in the Olympics in Tokyo. Richardson did have possible alternate routes to the United States Olympic Team, but every door closed and Richardson, who many viewed as a favorite to win gold in the 100-meter dash, sparked a great deal of conversation that included high-profile support.

With that as the backdrop, Richardson was back at the forefront of the discourse on Tuesday when she was featured in a new Beats spot scored and edited by Kanye West in anticipation of his new album, DONDA, during Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals.

Richardson was seen wearing Beats Studio Buds and she ran 100 meters with the backdrop of West’s “No Child Left Behind.” West’s album, set to debut on Friday, July 23, is also highly anticipated, and the combination of the two made for quite a launch.

As for Richardson, it will be interesting to see how she is discussed as the Olympics begin later this week, particularly through the lens of mainstream coverage of the track and field events. It certainly doesn’t seem as if she will be fading into the background, though, and a prominent placement in the midst of an NBA Finals telecast is a reminder of that.

Nas Disses Tupac On An Leaked Record That’s Just Over 25 Years Old

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More than two decades ago, Nas and Tupac were entwined in a short-lived hip-hop beef. It began in 1996, when Nas released his second album, It Was Written. It featured “The Message,” a track on which Tupac believed he was dissed. Tupac later released “Against All Odds,” with his own shots at Nas. But before they patched things up, Tupac was tragically killed in a shooting.

However, nearly 25 years after their beef came to an end, an unreleased record by Nas was leaked, and it features him taking strong shots at the late rapper. His attacks arrive halfway through the song’s first verse. “From tube-socks in Timbs to blue rocks and Benz / Who got the ends, the type of n***a 2Pac pretends,” Nas raps. “To all n****s who shine, guess who got revenge / I won’t showboat, my flow choke you.” This marks the first time fans hear Nas directly, unambiguously diss Tupac on a record.

Last summer, Nas spoke about the moment Tupac confronted him about the alleged (though not confirmed) diss on “The Message” during an interview on Ebro In The Morning. “He explained that he thought I was dissing him on the song ‘The Message,’ and I heard he was dissing me at clubs,” the rapper revealed. “He was like ‘Yo Nas, we brothers, man. We not supposed to go through this.’ And I’m like, that’s what I’m saying.” He added, “We had a plan to squash it in Vegas. So I was out there when he was in the hospital, praying for him to come through. Rest in peace.”

You can listen to the leaked record in the video above.

Juice WRLD’s Music Serves As The Inspiration Behind An Upcoming Animated Film

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It’s been over a year and a half since Juice WRLD passed away as the result of a drug-induced seizure at Chicago Midway International Airport. Since then, faithful listeners will have another way to enjoy his work.

According to Deadline, an animated film that uses Juice WRLD’s music as inspiration is currently in the works. The movie is produced by Modern Magic, a media company created by Adam Rosenberg and Rodney Rothman. Its script will be written by Jaboukie Young-White, who currently serves as a correspondent on The Daily Show. John Janick, Steve Berman, and Tony Seyler (who appears on behalf of Interscope Records) are listed as executive producers, as are Carmela Wallace, Peter Jideonwo, and Lil Bibby, each of whom are a member of the rapper’s estate.

The news comes after Juice WRLD’s label, Interscope Records, revealed that three posthumous projects from the late rapper are on the way. The first will be a new EP, The Party Never Ends, which the label promised is “coming soon.” Jideonwo also revealed the project will feature Lil Uzi Vert and “a few other big people.”

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Travis Scott Will Gift A Lucky Fans With Cacti Merch Through A New Partnership With Uber Eats

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Last winter, Travis Scott announced a new line of spiked seltzer drinks called Cacti. The beverages, which come in lime, pineapple, and strawberry flavors, hit stores this spring. So far, they’ve been a hit, and now he’s looking to bring more exposure to it through a new partnership with Uber Eats.

According to Complex, Scott teamed up with the food delivery service to give lucky fans a shot at winning exclusive Cacti merchandise. Between July 21-25, consumers can score a chance at getting the merch — namely, an army green t-shirt that sports the Cacti logo, as well as a handwritten note from Scott himself — by purchasing the seltzer on the Uber Eats app. Consumers will then be able to enter a contest to win the shirt.

Unfortunately, this deal is not available to everyone. Only residents of Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami, Orlando, and Tampa are eligible for the giveaway.

The partnership comes after Travis launched his cannabis line, Cactus Farms, together with marijuana cultivator Connected Cannabis. According to NME, the “Indica-leaning strain” features a “dense, purple bud that releases a pungent, funky-sweet gas aroma rounded out by a unique berry twist.”

This also comes after Scott hid tickets for his upcoming festival Astroworld in variety packs of his cacti seltzer. A total of 200 tickets were made available via the giveaway.

Watch Trippie Redd And Lil Uzi Vert Take Over An Arcade In The ‘Holy Smokes’ Video

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Trippie Redd is getting back in album gear, and today he’s dropped a video for “Holy Smokes,” the second new song off his forthcoming record, Trip At Knight (get it?). On the track, he’s teaming up with Lil Uzi Vert, who has been in hot water lately due to a violent altercation with his ex-girlfriend, who later accused him of abuse and stalking. The rappers are focused on other issues during this clip, though, namely getting their racks up, though the lyrics admit stacking cash isn’t everything — “but I still can’t buy love,” they croon.

“Holy Smokes” follows up the first Trip At Knight single, “Miss The Rage,” which featured Playboi Carti. With two massive features on his first two singles, looks like Redd will be hitting up plenty of guests to appear on this new project. Redd also recentl guested on Uproxx’s own sessions showcase, performing “V12” off his 2020 Pegasus album. Considering Trippie just released that project a few months ago, it’s impressive and ambitious that he’s already readying another new project. But that’s the cadence that has become the norm for this new generation of hip-hop stars. Check out the “Holy Smokes” video above and look for more info on Trip At Knight coming soon.

Idles Tap Slowthai To Lend A Verse On Their Raucous ‘Model Village’

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Idles shared their latest LP Ultra Mono back in September, which included the track “Model Village.” They’ve now linked up with their friend and fellow UK musician Slowthai to feature on a new version of the song, which they debuted on a special episode of vocalist Joe Talbot’s Balley TV series.

Talbot’s Balley TV first began as a quarantine entertainment show. The latest episode aired a month before Ultra Mono‘s release but this week, Talbot and his band took over House Of Vans in London to record an hour-long episode with musicians Katy J Pearson, Deep Tan, and Nuha Ruby Ra. They were also joined by Slowthai for a raucous performance of their new “Model Village” track, which injects even more energy into the already lively tune.

Sitting down for an interview with Talbot after their “Model Village” rendition, Slowthai talked about his overarching goals with his music. The rapper said he just hopes to inspire others to be themselves and share their own viewpoints with the world:

“I think the aim of life is that you’re born, you learn, you pass on your knowledge. It’s about sharing, discovering, communicating, and coming together. So my thing is being able to take what I learned and give my opinions and people can either steer me in the right direction or I can change their viewpoint. I think with music, it’s always to spark a discussion. People are people at the end of the day so they’re influenced how they’re influenced. But I think it’s a responsibility to just share my viewpoint and mainly bring some kind of joy, even though a lot of my music is miserable, and help people who are from a less fortunate place or haven’t had the opportunity to see that they can do what they want and be who they want to be. They haven’t got to follow no rules or guidelines on the way the world expects them to be. Be yourself, don’t give a f*ck, and do it with a smile on your face.”

Listen to Idles and Slowthai’s “Model Village” single and watch their performance on Balley TV above. Pre-order a 7-inch vinyl copy of the song here.

Kalan.FrFr Gives A Charismatic ‘UPROXX Sessions’ Performance Of The Plaintive ‘Never Lose You’

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Compton rapper Kalan.FrFr gives a confident, charismatic performance of his plaintive TwoFr 2 single “Never Lose You” on this week’s episode of UPROXX Sessions, demonstrating why he’s rapidly becoming one of the Hub City’s fastest-rising talents.

Giving off a similar vibe to LA area rap crooners 03 Greedo, Bino Rideaux, and 2021 XXL Freshman Blxst (who has produced beats for him), Kalan blends a melodic delivery and emotive penmanship with lush, G-Funk-inspired beats to tell relatable stories of heartbreak, love, and loyalty shot through with the familiar notes of Los Angeles street culture. Starting off making beats in high school, Kalan retired from San Diego State University’s football team (he played defensive back) to focus on rap full-time.

The switch paid off earlier this year when he was signed to Roc Nation in March. He followed up the signing with the release of his debut album TwoFr 2, which has rapidly become a local favorite. With his deluxe version dropping over the weekend and adding impressive features from fellow South LA standouts 1TakeJay (a fellow UPROXX Sessions alum), BlueBucksClan (stay tuned), and Chicago breakout star Lil Durk, Kalan is one hit away from following his song-rap brethren into the mainstream spotlight.

Watch Kalan.FrFr’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “Never Lose You” above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Logic And His Entourage Take Over In Their Rowdy ‘Vaccine’ Video

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After dropping his sixth studio album No Pressure last year, Logic announced he would be stepping away from music. His son had just been born and the rapper wanted to focus on his new role as a father. While Logic did end up taking an extended hiatus from his music, it wasn’t long before the rapper returned to announce new songs. Logic unveiled “Vaccine” earlier this month to mark his return to the limelight, and he’s now followed up the song with a rowdy visual.

Directed by Mike Holland and Justin Fleischer, Logic’s “Vaccine” video is a fitting return for the rapper. The quick-paced visual shows the rapper and his crew hitting the streets to have a good time while sporting shirts that aptly read “vaccine.” The video occasionally cuts to share behind-the-scenes videos and photos from Logic’s personal life, depicting him both in the studio and playing with his son. The song itself speaks to Logic choosing to prioritize his family as he fires off verses about spending time at home. “I got happiness, ain’t no need to repeat, I got number ones / Ain’t got time for these rappers, I only got time for my son / Him and his momma the one,” he raps.

In addition to sharing the “Vaccine” video, Logic has teased a few potential project. The “Vaccine” single features some vague lyrics about the impending release of Bobby Tarantino 3, the third installment of his mixtape series. On top of that, Logic has continued teasing a joint project with Madlib.

Watch Logic’s “Vaccine” video above.