Music

Drake’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Goes No. 1 For A Third Straight Week

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Drake’s Certified Lover Boy is one of the most popular albums of the year, but the rapper originally intended for it to arrive much earlier. He originally said it would arrive in January, but he was forced to delay it following knee surgery and rehab. Sure enough, it’s been dominating the charts.

Certified Lover Boy lands its third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated October 2, thanks to 171,000 album units sold, a number comprised of 165,000 streaming equivalent album units thanks to 222.16 million on-demand streams of the album’s 21 tracks. The album also earned 4,000 pure album sales this past week. With its third week at atop the album chart, Certified Lover Boy has now spent the most weeks at No. 1 for a hip-hop/R&B project since Lil Baby’s My Turn tallied five nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2020.

On top of that, Drake now has the third-most weeks spent at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since 2010. That also means he’s earned his 30th overall week atop the albums chart, putting him behind Adele, who has 34, and Taylor Swift, who leads the way with 42.

Another highlight on this week’s chart comes with Lil Nas X checking in at No. 2 with Montero. The singer’s debut tallied 126,000 album units in its first week on the chart.

Machine Gun Kelly Was Booed And Flipped Off During His Performance At The Louder Than Life Festival

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Machine Gun Kelly has certainly had his high moments this year. The rapper-turned-rocker recently performed “Papercuts” with Travis Barker at the 2021 MTV VMAs where he also took home an award for Best Alternative Song thanks to “My Ex’s Best Friend,” MGK’s collaboration with Blackbear. He also announced his sixth album, Born With Horns , which will also be produced by Travis Barker.

With that being said, MGK has also endured his fair share of controversial moments in 2021 and the latest came during his Louder Than Life festival when fans booed and flipped him off during his set. There was seemingly nothing in particular that MGK did during the performance to upset fans, but seeing that the festival is one filled with rockers, this moment could have to do with MGK and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor’s growing beef, which began when Taylor expressed his distaste for MGK.

“I hate everything. I hate all new rock for the most part,” Taylor said. “I [hate] the artists who failed in one genre and decided to go rock — and I think he knows who he is. But that’s another story.”

MGK shot back and mocked Taylor during his Riot Festival performance.

“Hey, you wanna know what I’m really happy that I’m not doing? Being 50 years old and wearing a f*cking weird mask on a f*cking stage.” MGK later added that Taylor delivered a verse for his Tickets To My Downfall album, but it was left off because “it was f*cking terrible.”

Taylor then returned to deny the singer’s claim and he provided evidence to prove that MGK was wrong. He shared a pair of screenshots that captured a conversation between Barker and Taylor in which the former says he and MGK “love” the song, which turned out to be “Can’t Look Back,” and proposed a few changes to improve the record. In response, Taylor politely steped away from the collaboration, noting that he felt like he wasn’t the “right guy for the track.”

You can watch a video of MGK receiving boos and middle fingers here.

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

Andre 3000 Went With Big Boi To Watch His Son, Cross Patton, Play For Oregon

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For over a decade, hip-hop fans have been hoping that Outkast will get back together to make new music. There have been brief reunions to tour or do one-off shows, but for the most part, Andre 3000 seems content to pursue his new passions in music, art, and film, while Big Boi continues to put out albums and tour with Sleepy Brown.

While new Outkast music may remain simply a dream for many rather than a reality, we can take solace in the fact that the two legendary artists remain close friends, even as they’ve moved on to separate ventures. That’s not always the case when groups go their own ways after a long time together, but it is truly heartwarming to see how Big Boi and Andre 3000 continue to support each other and their families.

On Saturday night, we saw the latest instance of this when a photo from a pair of Oregon fans went viral of Big Boi and Three Stacks sitting together at the Ducks game against Arizona in Eugene, cheering on Big Boi’s son, Cross Patton, who plays for Oregon.

There is real joy in seeing the two members of Outkast still hanging out and supporting each other’s kids at games and graduations.

That’s real friendship as you get older and, whether we ever get new music or not, it’s cool to see they haven’t lost that connection.

JT Adamantly Denies That She’s Pregnant With Lil Uzi Vert’s Child

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A picture City Girls rapper JT posted earlier this month led to fans believe that she was pregnant but she strongly pushed back on that assumption on Saturday. The rumors started when some of her supporters matched a bracelet she wore in the picture to one that pregnant women wear to combat morning sickness.

As a result, many jumped to the conclusion that JT and her boyfriend Lil Uzi Vert have a baby on the way, with some building excitement toward a potential “Lil Lil Uzi.” Furthermore, Lil Uzi recently posted a picture of JT with her belly covered with a heart-eyes emoji. Despite all of this, JT adamantly denies that she’s pregnant.

“It’s getting weird!!!!” JT wrote in a comment on Instagram. “I told [Uzi] put an emoji there because my pants were dirty but I still liked the video I shouldn’t even have to constantly tell a bunch of strangers I’m not hiding shit!!!! I’m not pregnant now leave me the hell alone!”

She also spoke about the rumors in a pair of now-deleted tweets.

“B*tch can’t even use emojis no more!” JT wrote in the first tweet. “I let y’all rock cause on some serious sh*t if I was pregnant what y’all gone do? Nothing! As a women half y’all h*es need to go educate y’all self nausea not only caused by pregnancy! & the way I control my nausea shouldn’t be y’all business.”

In the second tweet, she continued, “Females & n****s who don’t have a p*ssy really lost they marbles I was like okay once they see no stomach they’ll stop but now y’all just getting weirder! & weirder! y’all blogs & y’all b*tches LEAVE ME ALONE.”

You can view the posts from JT above.

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

The Weeknd Was Pushed To Tears As He Accepted The Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award

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The Weeknd has earned himself another unique award to add to his growing trophy case. The singer recently received the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award which is an honor given through the Black Music Action Coalition. The Weeknd received the award during the Music In Action Awards in Los Angeles on Friday and organizers labeled the Canadian singer as someone who used their status to “call attention to racial and social injustice and raise awareness globally.”

In his acceptance speech for the award, The Weeknd was pushed to tears as he reflected on the first time he met the legendary Quincy Jones.

“I actually first met Quincy Jones in Vegas a long time ago,” The Weeknd said after watching a video from Jones himself. “He pulled up to one of my club shows, and when I got off stage, he was waiting on the side. I was so excited to meet him, and there were fans on the other side screaming and trying to get my attention, but I was so focused on him.”

It was here that Jones taught The Weeknd a lesson that he’d forever carry with him.

“[Quincy] said, ‘Go take pictures, sign autographs, and I’ll still be here waiting. They’re just more important,’” The Weeknd added. “And it stuck with me until this day. He was teaching me a lesson in that moment that nothing is more important than the people, and giving back is always better than receiving.”

To conclude his speech, The Weeknd labeled the honor as the “best award I’ve ever gotten in my life” as he wiped away tears.

You can watch his acceptance speech in the video above.

Nas Was Honored With A Key To Queens And His Own Official Day In The City

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Nas has had a great year. The rapper kicked things off by winning his first-ever Grammy Award in the Best Rap Album category thanks to last year’s King’s Disease. Months later, he reconnected with producer Hit-Boy to release King’s Disease II, which boasted 15 songs and guest appearances from Eminem, EPMD, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, YG, Lauryn Hill, Charlie Wilson, and Blxst. Now Nas has become the recipient of a unique honor thanks to leaders in his hometown of Queens, New York.

Nas was awarded the key to Queens as well as his own official day in the city, namely September 23. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and his Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor Franck D. Joseph both used social media to share the news and celebrate the rapper.

“Nothing but love for this son of #Queens who never forgot where he came from. September 23, 2021 is forever @nas Day in this borough — now that’s A Queens Story,” Richards wrote in his post. Joseph added, “September 23, 2021 is now officially Nas Day in Queens, New York. Nasir Jones is not only God’s son, but he’s Queens’ son. That’s why @drichardsqns presented him with not just a proclamation, but also the Key to Queens borough tonight…”

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Kanye West’s Upcoming Documentary, ‘Jeen-Yuhs,’ Is Coming Soon To Netflix

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This year has been unusually active for Kanye West. The rapper released his tenth solo album, Donda, last month, and it predictably topped the charts, making it his tenth consecutive project to do so. But he’s spent most of his time in the public eye trying to avoid it, including wearing ski masks when out and about. But thanks to an upcoming Netflix documentary, fans will finally get a new look at the vast and eclectic scope of his brilliant career.

A trailer for the film, which is titled Jeen-Yuhs, was shared on Saturday and the clip shows West and Mos Def rapping the words to their 2004 collaboration, “Two Words,” from the former’s debut album College Droput.

Jeen-Yuhs is directed by Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, a duo better known as Coodie And Chike. The documentary will be released in three parts, tracing its subject as he rose from a hot producer and aspiring rapper to one of the biggest and most influential artists of today. According to Variety, the film will also touch on West’s failed 2020 presidential run and the tragic death of his mother Donda West, who passed in 2007.

You can watch the trailer for Jeen-Yuhs in the video above.

Drake Praises J. Cole And Calls Him ‘One Of The Greatest Rappers’ During ‘The Off-Season Tour’

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Drake and J. Cole have remained open about their friendship over the years. The two rappers have collaborated on a number of occasions, including on J. Cole’s “In The Morning” and Drake’s “Jodeci Freestyle.” More recently, Cole released “Heaven’s EP,” a freestyle that found him rapping over Drake’s “Pipe Down.” This freestyle became the center of a warm moment between the two, as Cole brought Drake out during the first stop of The Off-Season Tour in Miami on Friday night.

“I gotta say this ‘cause I don’t always wanna have a heartfelt moment when we’re on stage together,” Drake said after gracing the crowd with a performance of “Way 2 Sexy,” his No. 1 hit with Future and Young Thug. “You know, you did that ‘Pipe Down’ freestyle the other day. You was sayin’ in the freestyle that they gave you the bronze or whatever, me and Kendrick [Lamar]…I just want you to understand something. You are genuinely, without a doubt, one of the greatest rappers to ever touch a mic.”

The moment on the song that Drake is referring to finds Cole rapping, “Some people say that I’m running third, they threw the bronze at me / Behind Drake and Dot, yeah, them n****s is superstars to me.”

You can watch the rappers share the stage together in the videos above.

Nicki Minaj Made Her First Public Performance In Two Years At Lil Baby’s LA Tour Stop

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For the past two years, Nicki Minaj has refrained from making very many public appearances as she focused on her growing family. However, tonight at Lil Baby’s Back Outside Tour stop at Staples Center in Los Angeles, she returned to the stage for the first time to perform her verses from “Seeing Green” and BIA’s “Whole Lotta Money” remix. You can watch videos captured by attendees below. The crowd goes bananas as Nicki emerges from backstage, reasserting her presence in pop culture as a rapper instead of a controversy magnet.

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Nicki’s public image could use some rehabilitation after the past few weeks. The “Seeing Green” rapper became the target of backlash and ridicule when she tweeted that she wasn’t vaccinated and shared a relative’s vaccine horror story involving a wedding getting canceled because of the groom’s swollen testes and infertility. Dr. Anthony Fauci debunked the possibility of such vaccine side effects and the Health Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, where the story supposedly took place, even held a press conference to allay the rumor after a thorough investigation.

In the midst of that firestorm, Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, who had pled guilty for failing to register as a sex offender when the couple moved to California in 2019, are being sued by Petty’s alleged 1995 victim Jennifer Hough for harassment. Hough recently appeared on The View to detail both the initial assault from 1994 and the alleged harassment that has gone on for the past two years as the couple supposedly pressured her to recant her original testimony and clear Petty’s name.

Other guests that hit the stage during Lil Baby’s show included local acts Roddy Ricch, who performed his Mustard collaboration “Ballin” and his groundbreaking 2020 hit “The Box,” and Chris Brown, who performed “Go Crazy.” You can see more videos below.

Yung Baby Tate Backs Up Princess Nokia On The Flouncy ‘Boys Are From Mars’

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Riffing on the popular dating advice book, Princess Nokia points out the differences in genders on her new single “Boys Are From Mars.” Offering her own, slightly salty advice to listeners, she asserts that not only are men and women from different planets but that it’s also up to women to set the terms of engagement in the gender war — and in love. Yung Baby Tate joins her sister-in-arms to spit her own clever verse goofing on men’s inability to deliver and telling girls to “focus on yourself” while doing helpful activities like tai chi and yoga.

“Boys Are From Mars” is Princess Nokia’s second single of the year after the J-Lo-inspired “It’s Not My Fault” which symbolized coming of age for “the average millennial woman, taking control of herself as the subject.” However, whereas “It’s Not My Fault” and Nokia’s other most recent video, “I Like Him,” took a techno-futuristic approach to their respective visual components, the lyrics video for “Boys Are From Mars” takes its inspiration from retro cinema instead — particularly the Saturday afternoon matinee double-features of the 1970s, which featured Blaxploitation and martial arts flicks as their main draws. As the lyrics flash on the screen, the two artists can be seen in silhouette, throwing flare-legged high kicks and waving curved Chinese swords.

Listen to Princess Nokia’s “Boys Are From Mars” with Yung Baby Tate above.