Music

DDG’s Stirring ‘Hood Melody’ Performance On ‘UPROXX Sessions’ Underlines His Impressive Rise

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DDG is having a breakout year/month/week. His recent shift toward music from vlogging can definitely be considered a success after his Die 4 Respect mixtape with OG Parker charted on the Billboard 200 and its single “Moonwalking in Calabasas” was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Those feats were followed up by his selection to the 2021 XXL Freshman class and this week, Uproxx debuted our digital cover story profiling his journey from working at TJ Maxx in Pontiac to making five-figure checks from YouTube to his current hip-hop stardom.

Today, he caps all that off with a performance of his latest Die 4 Respect single “Hood Melody” for UPROXX Sessions, projecting the calm confidence befitting of a burgeoning star. Along with his XXL Cypher, it’s a glimpse at a surprisingly polished performer who is taking the craft seriously, even as he continues to expand his interests into even more areas like acting and amateur boxing.

Watch DDG perform “Hood Melody” for UPROXX Sessions 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.

42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, And Rubi Rose Take Over The 2021 ‘XXL’ Freshman Cypher

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The next installment of the 2021 XXL Freshman Cypher is here. For this round, viral favorites 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, and Rubi Rose take on another hypnotic Nick Mira production to display their varying takes of the annual tradition.

Rubi Rose sets things off with a fittingly raunchy verse in her signature husky verse, followed by a braggadocious, bouncy approach from Pooh Shiesty. Flo Milli drops in and steals the show, turning up the energy with both her bright looks and quirky punchlines, leaving 42 Dugg to bring the baton home with a laid-back verse.

While Blxst and Toosii’s Cypher was competent and the first group of MCs was uneven but attention-grabbing, this year’s batch of Freshmen has certainly added to growing sense that hip-hop’s women are doing more to stand out than the men. So far, the consensus MVP of this year’s Freshmen has been Lakeyah, who’s sharp wit and precise flow impressed fans, while Flo Milli brought something a little different with her perky output. Even Coi Leray, maligned as her performance has been, brought something different to the table and looked like she was having fun instead of just trying to look cool.
Watch XXL’s Freshman Cypher with 42 Dugg, Flo Milli, Pooh Shiesty, and Rubi Rose above.

Pooh Shiesty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

deadmau5 And ‘Core’ Are Teaming Up To Create A Music Video

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One of the best trends in video games today is the rise of creation tools. From Super Mario Maker to Dreams, gamers are gaining access to more tools that let them make their own fun, the result of which are some really creative ideas from players.

This creativity and ability to make anything we want in games is starting to get noticed outside the gaming industry. deadmau5, one of the most well-known electronic music producers out there, sees the potential in giving players the ability to create and is offering players of the game Core an opportunity to put their creativity to the test. Players using Core can try to use the tools inside the game to create a deadmau5 music video for his new single, “Lights.”

“I’ve been blown away by the creativity I’ve seen on Core,” deadmau5 said. “Some of my passions are game, experience, and world design, and Core’s capabilities as a platform and its creators who are capable of doing all kinds of cool stuff are the next level in user generated art and experiences. I’m looking forward to checking out what fans and artists will create for my new single with ‘Lights.’”

This is a big win for Manticore Games, the developer of Core. Not only is this an opportunity to advertise their game, but it gives them the chance to really show what the community around Core is capable of as the kind of game that’s all about showing what players can do when they’re handed the reins.

“We’re thrilled that deadmau5 shares our passion for putting the power of artistic expression in as many creators’ hands as possible,” said Jordan Maynard, the chief creative officer and co-founder Manticore Games. “Core is more than just a place to play and make games; it has endless potential for new forms of social interactivity and artistry. We can’t wait to see the worlds our creators bring alive for the new video, and we look forward to working together with deadmau5 on future projects.”

Rico Nasty Gets In Her Rock Bag On Love Ghost’s Haunting ‘Wolfsbane’

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Rico Nasty joins genre-bending rock band Love Ghost to indulge her own hard-rock tendencies on the band’s new song “Wolfsbane.” Grinding guitars that shift from punk to metal to trap back a track that dips into folklore and horror iconography to compare being a werewolf to living with a mental health condition. That sounds heady, but between Rico’s devil-may-care demeanor and frontman Finnegan Bell’s deft songwriting, the concept holds up pretty well.

Bell explained as much to Rolling Stone, saying, “I wanted to write a song about werewolves but from a mental health perspective. I wanted to write about something that you wish you could change and you have to fight every day. But unfortunately, it’s what you become — whether that’s mental illness, demons, addiction, etc. It’s for the listener to decide.”

For her part, Rico gave an enthusiastic co-sign. “‘Wolfsbane’ wanted to get me in my rock bag,” she said. “I love when bands want to bring me into their world and let me rock out. The production behind this song is fire. It gives two different vibes when the beat switches, bringing a hard-rock element.” Longtime Rico fans will certainly enjoy her indulging her punk-rock proclivities as she does on “OHFR?” from her own debut album Nightmare Vacation, but more recently she’s been going pop with songs like “Magic.”

Listen to Love Ghost’s “Wolfsbane” featuring Rico Nasty above.

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

Questlove Calls His ‘Summer Of Soul’ Documentary Footage ‘Past The Holy Grail’

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Questlove‘s directorial debut Summer Of Soul (… Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is out now on Hulu — you really should watch it at the first available opportunity — and the drummer-producer-author-historian is on the promo circuit, doing interviews with the likes of Late Night‘s Seth Myers. In the course of last night’s interview, Myers wonders whether the footage for the film, which was unearthed after being passed over for broadcast and sitting in a basement for 40 years, was the “Holy Grail” of concert footage.

Ahmir goes a step further, calling the footage “past the Holy Grail. This is what they call ‘lightning in a bottle.’” He admits to feeling some skepticism about the concert because it had originally escaped his encyclopedic knowledge (he jokes that “there was a period where I was YouTube,” the resource everyone used to confirm archival, historical facts) but that upon seeing it “all my arrogance dissipated and suddenly I became worried about why would they even trust me to tell the story.”

Of course, there’s probably no one better to tell such a mythic story than Questlove, whose behind-the-scenes stories about music icons like Prince have become integral parts of their legends. The film won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and has racked up critical acclaim ever since its release.

Watch Questlove’s interview with Seth Myers above.

Summer Of Soul is out now. Stream it on Hulu.

Dr. Dre Has Thoughts About T-Pain’s Viral Rant On Unoriginal Rappers

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T-Pain famously brought Auto-Tuned vocals to the consciousness of the music mainstream, so he’s somebody who can speak on originality. Indeed, he did just that recently when he drew some attention with a rant he delivered during a Twitch stream, in which he loudly and explicitly shared his frustrations with derivative and unoriginal rappers. He’s not the only one who feels this way, as Dr. Dre has now backed up T-Pain’s rant.

Sharing a clip of the video on Instagram, Dre wrote, “Shoutout to @tpain!! I’m here laughing my f*ckin ass off, but he’s right. I know and feel exactly what you’re saying.”

As a reminder, T-Pain said, “Stop doing that! Do something else, you’re not original! Give me some original sh*t! Stop! Just f*cking do something else! God damn it! Do some different music! We have all the sh*t you’re doing. Lil Uzi Vert is already doing it. Lil Baby is already doing it. DaBaby is already doing it. It’s literally two n****s with Baby in their names that’s already doing all the music you want! Do something else! That’s it! Stop sending me this bullsh*t and then get mad when I don’t like it. Jesus god-damn tap-dancing Christ!”

Revisit T-Pain’s full rant below.

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

Normani Is Teaming Up With Cardi B For Her First Single In Almost Two Years

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Many believed that Normani would have her moment a couple of years ago after her previous group, Fifth Harmony, split and left its respective artists to set out on their solo paths. Normani released a collection of singles from 2018 to 2019, which included work with Sam Smith, 6lack, and Khalid, but after one of her most popular efforts, “Motivation,” arrived in 2019, the singer seemed to disappear, apart from guest features. Luckily, the singer is finally ready to share some new tunes.

On Friday, July 16, Normani will share her first single in almost two years: a track titled “Wild Side,” which will come with a guest appearance from Cardi B. Normani shared the news on her social media accounts.

The announcement comes after she previewed a new song back in February. “Know it’s been a while,” she wrote in the caption of the Instagram post. It’s still unknown whether or not the previewed track is “Wild Side,” but the song is quite the slow-tempo effort, making it a huge contrast to “Motivation” and its upbeat production. She also used the video to remind viewers of her impressive dance skills.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Dipset And The Lox Have Signed On To Battle It Out In An Upcoming ‘Verzuz’

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After hitting fans with battles between Swizz Beatz and Timbaland and SWV and Xscape in May, Verzuz kept things moving in June with another pair of matchups: one between Eve and Trina and another between Soulja Boy and Bow Wow. This month, they kicked things off with a battle between Keith Sweat and Bobby Brown, which proved to be an excellent presentation of R&B’s past. Now the duel series has announced New York-based rap groups, Dipset and The Lox, as their next matchup.

While the battle itself is great news, that’s just half of it. Fans of both groups can purchase tickets to watch them duke it, out as the matchup will be live, taking place in the Hulu Theater at New York’s Madison Square Garden. It’s the first time that Verzuz has sold tickets to attend one of their events.

While the August 3 battle will be the first Verzuz for Dipset’s members, among them Cam’ron, Freekey Zeekey, Jim Jones, and Juelz Santana, this not the case for the ones in The Lox. The matchup is the first Verzuz for two of The Lox’s members, Styles P and Sheek Louch, but it’s the second for their remaining member, Jadakiss, who previously went up against Fabolous for one in June 2020.

You can check out a flyer for the matchup between Dipset and The Lox and purchase tickets for the battle here.

MTV’s ‘Cribs’ Is Set To Return With Exclusive Tours Of Homes Owned By Rick Ross, Big Sean, And More

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Once upon a time, MTV delivered exclusive tours of homes owned by some of the biggest names in the entertainment world. The series Cribs debuted in 2000 and in just five year, the show had visited the properties of nearly 200 musicians, actors, and athletes. (The one with Mariah Carey was the series’ most-watched episode.) While the show was placed into syndication in 2008, Cribs has debuted a number of new episodes over the years through platforms like CMT and Snapchat. Now, more the two decades after its initial premiere, new episodes of the show are set to return to MTV this summer.

The new episodes are set to premiere on MTV starting on Wednesday, August 11 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. The 30-minute episodes will allow viewers to get an exclusive look at the homes of celebrities like Big Sean, Rick Ross, Tinashe, and JoJo Siwa. Other names like Nick Young, Tia Mowry, Marsai Martin, Scott Disick, Martha Stewart, Jordyn Woods, and Kathy Griffin will also open their doors for MTV’s cameras.

“Cribs didn’t simply introduce the celebreality genre, it created a blueprint for how we engage on social media,” Nina L. Diaz, President of Content and Chief Creative Officer, MTV Entertainment Group, said. “We are thrilled to usher in a new era of this iconic franchise for audiences around the world.”

You can watch a trailer for the upcoming episodes above.

Matt Gaetz, Currently Under Investigation For Human Trafficking, Is Still Trying To Make Himself The Face Of The #FreeBritney Movement

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Matt Gaetz has been under investigation by the FBI since late last year, over his alleged connection to a sex trafficking ring. But the Florida representative has been doing what many Republicans do when they’re being probed for criminal activity: ignore and distract. On Wednesday, a rally was head in downtown Los Angeles for the #FreeBritney movement, which seeks to end pop icon Britney Spears’ restrictive conservatorship, which is run in part by her father. And guess who randomly showed up to make a fiery speech?

The Florida lawmaker was there to show passionate support for a person who achieved fame when she was very young. “If this case does not result in freedom for Britney Spears,” Gaetz bellowed to the crowd, “it is a black eye for the American justice system.”

Gaetz declared that Spears — whose conservatorship is so strict that she’s not allowed to remove her IUD, which prevents her from having children — deserves “the freedom and liberty that should be offered to every single American.” He continued:

“She’s been abused by the media. She’s been abused by her grifter father. And she has been abused by the American justice system. And so we need to come together and create a federal cause of action — a federal change in the law that will free Britney and the millions of Americans [presumably referring to those who are also under conservatorships].”

He added, “One thing we can all agree on is that Jamie Spears is a d*ck.”

Preach! But a few people didn’t think Gaetz was the person who should be trying to gain hosannas for sticking up for someone like Britney Spears.

Gaetz is one of a handful of GOP lawmakers who’ve tried to get Spears to testify in Washington D.C. (Then again, one of them is Marjorie Taylor Greene.) Whatever his real motives, one wonders if he got the idea to glom onto her plight after getting made fun of three months ago in a Spears-centric SNL sketch.

(Via Variety)