Music

Pharrell Will Open A Private School For Low-Income Students In His Home State Of Virginia

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There’s a long list of things that Pharrell has done for his home state of Virginia. In 2017, he pushed forward a plan to bring a new Virginia Beach Dome venue to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. He also brought the Something In The Water festival to the state in 2019 as a highlight attraction to Virginia during their College Beach Weekend. Now, the multitalented act is back with more for Virginia as he announced plans to open a private school in the state for low-income students.

The Yellowhab school will be opened in Norfolk, Virginia’s Ghent neighborhood, which is close to his Virginia Beach hometown. Children in grades 3-5 will be able to enroll at Yellowhab and tuition for at least the first year will be free with other costs to be paid for by charitable donations.

“If the system is fixed and unfair, then it needs to be broken,” Pharrell said in a press release according to The Virginian Pilot. “We don’t want lockstep learning where so many kids fall behind; we want bespoke learning designed for each child, where the things that make a child different are the same things that will make a child rise up and take flight.”

Pharrell chose Norfolk for the school because of its history of housing segregation and the city’s plans to redevelop three public housing complexes. Yellowhab is also designed to group students by skill level rather than grade with a curriculum that gives priority to STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art, and math. The school will open on September 7 and families can apply for enrollment on July 1 through Yellowhab’s website.

Drake Confirms ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Will Arrive By The End Of The Summer

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Drake

Drake’s upcoming sixth album, Certified Lover Boy, is by far the most anticipated album of 2021. However, it’s also a project that fans should’ve already had in their possession if things went according to plan. Back in October, the rapper announced that the album would arrive in January, but he was later forced to delay the project after he had to take time away from working on it in order to rehab from knee surgery.

Since then, the rapper has continued work on Certified Lover Boy without sharing a new release date for it. Thankfully, during a recent interview, Drake revealed when fans can expect the album.

In a sit-down during the URLTV battle rap league’s NOMEXI event, Drake was asked when Certified Lover Boy arrived. When interviewers tried to get a specific release date out of him, the rapper kept things tight-lipped. However, when an off-screen guest asked if the album would be here by the end of the summer, Drake replied, “Oh yeah, I’ll be there. My album will be out by then.”

This comes after Akademiks previously reported that Certified Lover Boy would be released by the end of April. Obviously, that month came and went without the album’s release, but Drake’s biggest supporters should be happy to hear that the project will be in their hands within the next few months.

You can watch a clip of the conversation above.

Quavo Said He Planned To Make A Joint Album With Pop Smoke Before His Death

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Migos made their grand return on Friday with their fourth album, Culture III. The project arrived as a 19-track effort with contributions highlighted by Drake, Cardi B, Future, DaBaby, Justin Bieber, Polo G and Juice WRLD. It’s also the Atlanta trio’s first project together since their 2018’s Culture II. Social media opinions of the new album seemingly prove that the rap group has returned to the excellence they displayed earlier in their career with projects like No Label II and Culture. As fans continue to enjoy the new project, Quavo recently revealed another project that sadly never came to fruition between himself and another artist.

During an interview on Los Angeles’ Real 92.3, Quavo spoke about adding posthumous features from Pop Smoke and Juice WRLD on Culture III, revealing that he actually hoped to make a full album with the former before his death.

“That was important, know what I’m saying,” he said. “I had a relationship with Pop Smoke, we had a relationship with Pop Smoke, and it was just, important. We had so many records, me and him was bout to make an album. So I just felt like I had to put Pop on there.”

He added, “Rest in Peace to my dawg Pop, we just made so much good music. Us on a New York drill beat is just like, magic.”

Pop Smoke and Juice WRLD appear on “Light It Up” and “Antisocial,” respectively, on Culture III. While it was the Migos’ first official collaboration with the two rappers, Quavo previously worked with Pop Smoke on “Aim For The Moon,” “Snitching” and “West Coast Sh*t” from the rapper’s posthumous album, Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon.

You can watch the Migos’ interview on Real 92.3 above.

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

McClenney’s Effortless Groove, ‘Kerosene,’ Previews A New Album, ‘On A Virgo Mind’

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Sharing a new single featuring St. Panther today, McClenney is gearing up to release his new full-length project, On A Virgo Mind later this summer on August 13. Releasing the album fully independently, this 26-year-old producer and songwriter is known for his work shaping the sound of Black alternative R&B by collaborating with artists like Jamila Woods, Chika, H.E.R., Khalid and more. Actually, McClenney was a collaborator on the breakout hit that put Khalid on the map, “Location,” which was also Grammy-nominated.

Focusing back on his own solo work, McClenney has earned the co-sign of music industry titan Quincy Jones, and worked tirelessly to help change outdated, coded language in the Grammys that incorrectly labeled Black music categories. He co-authored the proposal that advocated for the organization to remove “urban” from their categories and swap in more descriptive labels like “melodic rap.” Separately, he also co-authored a proposal that expanded the global music categories.

This week’s taste of his forthcoming album is more effortless grooving from the self-described “creative Black mind,” and prominently features St. Panther, aka Irvine born producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Daniela Bojorges-Giraldo. Check out the song below and hear some of his older work above with the “Give Me Time” video. Keep an eye out for more updates on the new full-length from McClenney coming very soon.

Drake Argued With A Referee During A Basketball Game For LeBron James’ Son

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Aside from being one of the most popular rappers in the world, Drake is also an avid basketball fan. From frequently appearing courtside at Toronto Raptors games to hooping with NBA players and friends in the basketball court he had built inside his Toronto mansion, his love for the game is clear. So it comes as no surprise that the rapper stopped by a game for LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, on Friday night.

Bronny finally made his sophomore year debut with the Sierra Canyon School’s high school basketball team after he missed most of the season following surgery for a torn meniscus. Drake’s fandom for the game became very clear when he got into an argument with a referee during the matchup against Corona Centennial High School. Video of the interaction was captured by some in attendance and it shows Drake clearly frustrated with something the ref did. The conversation didn’t last long, and the rapper returned to his seat just seconds later.

Drake went to the game with LeBron himself, as well as JR Smith, Jared Dudley, his son Adonis, and more. Drake rocked a Bronny James jersey in the video for his 2019 track, “Money In The Grave,” with Rick Ross. As for the game, Bronny’s Sierra Canyon team unfortunately lost to Corona Centennial by a score of 80-72.

Polo G Was Arrested In Miami For Battery Against A Police Officer And Other Charges

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This past weekend was supposed to be a celebratory one for Polo G, as the Chicago rapper released his third album, Hall Of Fame, on Friday. Unfortunately, the weekend festivities were cut short after the rapper was arrested in Miami. The incident occurred after an album release party for the new album. Polo G and his mom, Stacia Mac, who also doubles as his manager, were riding in a vehicle following the party when police officers pulled them over. The reason for officers stopping them is currently unknown, but whatever it was, it resulted in Polo G being placed under arrest.

According to The Miami Herald, as cops attempted to handcuff the rapper, an altercation between Polo G and Officer Brandon Carrero ensued. Officers Brandon Carrero and Joseph Acuna “ended up in a struggle on the ground,” with the rapper striking the officer in the head, chin, forehead, and cheek during the incident, according to the arrest report. Acuna witnessed Polo G on top of Carrero while swinging his elbows and making contact with the officer. Later, once Polo G was placed under arrest, he allegedly threatened the officer, saying, “I will kill you, I swear I will use these fists to beat the sh*t out of you and knock your ass out.”

Stacia Mac took to Twitter afterwards to accuse the officers of picking on her son. “None of these charges would be possible if the POLICE did not make contact with my son Polo G!!!” she wrote. “He was NOT the driver. He was a PASSENGER in a professionally licensed vehicle with security. He was moving smart and correctly. What more could he have done.”

Polo G was booked into the Guilford Knight Correctional Center around 8:00 a.m. local time on Saturday. He was charged with battery against a police officer, public servant/influence performance threat, resisting an officer with violence, resisting an officer without violence, and criminal mischief. Polo G was later released after posting a $19,500 bond.

Swae Lee Says $300K Worth Of Jewelry Was Stolen From His Hotel Room In Miami

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Swae Lee has once again had an item stolen from him. The rapper, who is also one-half of the duo Rae Sremmurd, recently claimed that $300,000 worth of jewelry was taken from a hotel room he stayed in during a trip to Miami. According to law enforcement who spoke to TMZ, Swae completed a stay at the Mondrian Hotel in South Beach, and as he went to check out of the hotel, he realized that the large amount in jewelry was missing from the room.

The publication says sources close to Swae revealed that a bracelet and chains were taken from the room and that he believes hotel workers are responsible for the robbery. This is because when the theft was reported to the staff at the hotel, the bracelet was allegedly turned in by an employee, but the chains were nowhere to be found. Miami Beach police department detectives are currently investigating the incident, but they say there’s no evidence yet that hotel employees are responsible for the stolen jewelry.

This incident comes months after Swae revealed his hard drive filled with “all my songs” was taken from him while he was at Los Angeles International Airport. After offering a $20,000 reward for the drive’s safe return, he later revealed that it had been returned to him.

Jay-Z Is A Fan Of Migos’ ‘Avalanche’ From Their Newly-Released Album, ‘Culture III’

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On Friday we got Migos’ Culture III, the Atlanta rap trio’s first album together in more than three years. During that time, the group released solo albums, and now the gang is back together. Based on early reactions on social media, it appears that the listeners are enjoying the new project. One fan was Jay-Z, who texted Quavo to show love to Migos for a specific song from the album.

According to a text message conversation that was shared by Quavo on social media, Jay-Z showed some love for “Avalanche,” the lead track. “That Avalanche song is beautiful,” the screenshot reads. “Congrats to you and the guys on the album. Peace God!” Quavo replied, “Thanks [prayer hands emoji] OG. We Put Everything We Had Into This one.”

Migos performed “Avalanche” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon just a day before Culture III arrived. As for the project as a whole, it arrived with 19 songs and features from Drake, Cardi B, DaBaby, Justin Bieber, Polo G, Future, and more.

You can view the text message conversation between Jay-Z and Quavo above.

Culture III is out now via Quality Control/Motown. Get it here.

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

Skrillex’s Latest New Single, ‘Supersonic (My Existence),’ Features Noisia, Josh Pan, And 100 Gecs’ Dylan Brady

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Always one to tap interesting and unusual collaborators, Skrillex has put together quite a posse for his latest new single. “Supersonic (My Existence)” features vocals from Josh Pan, Dutch producer-trio Noisia and contributions from 100 Gecs’ Dylan Brady. This ghostly bit of dubstep is the third new track Skrillex has released so far in 2021, following up his house-inflected collaboration with Four Tet and Starrah, “Butterflies,” and the full-on pop-punk banger “Too Bizarre,” that features Swae Lee and Siiickbrain. Though the latest single is the only song to come without its own video, it just might be the strongest of the bunch.

While no word has come yet about an official album announcement or release date, it definitely feels like the groundbreaking producer is readying something big for a new phase. His three new singles mark his first new Skrillex music since 2019. But given the fact we’re on the brink of one of the most anticipated festival seasons in recent memory, it makes sense that Skrillex is making his return. Check out “Supersonic (My Existence)” above and keep an eye out for more announcements coming soon. Meanwhile, it might interest longtime fans to know that Sonny Moore has completely changed up his signature look — check out a brand new press photo below.

Marilyn Hue

Megan Thee Stallion Said She Thinks Dua Lipa Is ‘Fire’ And She Wants To Do A Song With Her

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Like most of the world, Megan Thee Stallion is a fan of Dua Lipa. But unlike the rest of us, Megan actually has a shot at collaborating with Dua if she wants to. Today Megan dropped her latest incredibly subversive, misandrist new single “Thot Sh*t”, in which she and her crew of thots terrorize the would-be holier-than-thou white, male senators who are constantly criticizing them for owning their sexuality. This new video is sure to turn a few heads in the senate, as it’s a direct rebuttal to Conservative outrage over Megan, or her collaboration with Cardi B, “WAP.”

And when it comes to collaborations, it’s very likely that Dua will be next on the list. Speaking in an interview about artists she likes, Megan mentions that she thinks Dua is “fire” and that she’d love to work with her. “Somebody asked me about Dua Lipa, I love Dua Lipa, she’s so fire,” Megan said. “I really do want to do a song with Dua Lipa. I saw this like, mashup on Twitter and it was fire.”

For her part, Dua is thrilled that Megan feels that way. After a fan account tagged the snippet from Megan, the Albanian pop star shared it on her own story with an enthusiastic response: “I love you @TheeStallion let’s get it!!!!”

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So we’ll all be looking forward to that pairing hopefully coming our way soon.

Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.