Music

Justin Bieber Returns To The MTV VMAs To Perform ‘Stay’ With The Kid Laroi And ‘Ghost’

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The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber delivered one of the year’s biggest hit songs with their second overall collaboration, “Stay.” The track is one that appeared on a recent deluxe reissue of Laroi’s F*ck Love project, one that recently topped the Billboard album charts. As for “Stay,” the track itself as also found success on the charts as it spent four consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. With these achievements, it’s only right that the singers brought the song to the 2021 MTV VMAs stage and that’s exactly what they did on Sunday night.

Laroi and Bieber delivered what appeared to be a space-themed performance for their No. 1 song as they stood atop a larger makeshift boulder that stood in front of a bright backdrop filled with neon colors. In addition to “Stay,” Bieber would take control of the stage to perform “Ghost” from his sixth album Justice. The project spent two non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the albums chart and “Ghost” is looking to be the singer’s next popular cut from the album.

When Laroi’s “Stay” reached No. 1 on the singles chart, it became the first song by an Australian-born solo male artist to top the Hot 100 in 40 years, following Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” He’s also the first Australian-born artist to reach No. 1 with a song since Sia did it with her and Sean Paul’s “Cheap Thrills” back in 2016. As for Bieber, he recently announced his Our World documentary which will recount his “intense and exciting” return to music.

You can watch Bieber and Laroi’s performance in the video above.

Justin Bieber Returns To The MTV VMAs To Perform ‘Stay’ With The Kid Laroi And ‘Ghost’

by
Getty Image

The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber delivered one of the year’s biggest hit songs with their second overall collaboration, “Stay.” The track is one that appeared on a recent deluxe reissue of Laroi’s F*ck Love project, one that recently topped the Billboard album charts. As for “Stay,” the track itself as also found success on the charts as it spent four consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. With these achievements, it’s only right that the singers brought the song to the 2021 MTV VMAs stage and that’s exactly what they did on Sunday night.

Laroi and Bieber delivered what appeared to be a space-themed performance for their No. 1 song as they stood atop a larger makeshift boulder that stood in front of a bright backdrop filled with neon colors. In addition to “Stay,” Bieber would take control of the stage to perform “Ghost” from his sixth album Justice. The project spent two non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the albums chart and “Ghost” is looking to be the singer’s next popular cut from the album.

When Laroi’s “Stay” reached No. 1 on the singles chart, it became the first song by an Australian-born solo male artist to top the Hot 100 in 40 years, following Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” He’s also the first Australian-born artist to reach No. 1 with a song since Sia did it with her and Sean Paul’s “Cheap Thrills” back in 2016. As for Bieber, he recently announced his Our World documentary which will recount his “intense and exciting” return to music.

You can watch Bieber and Laroi’s performance in the video above.

Britney Spears Is Now Engaged To Sam Asghari After Four Years Of Dating

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While Britney Spears’ conservatorship battle has long been stressful, the singer does have something amazing to celebrate: Spears and Sam Asghari recently announced that they are engaged. This comes after four years of dating, having met on the set of her music video for “Slumber Party” in 2016. They shared the news on their respective Instagram pages. In her post, Spears stands beside Asghari and happily says “Yes!” when he asks if she likes the new diamond ring.

In a statement to People, Asghari’s manager, Brandon Cohen, said that he’s “proud to celebrate and confirm the engagement,” adding, “The couple made their long-standing relationship official today and are deeply touched by the support, dedication and love expressed to them.” Cohen also revealed that Spears’ ring was designed by New York City jeweler Roman Malayev. Cohen added, “He couldn’t be happier to be involved and make this one-of-a-kind ring.”

The news comes after Britney Spears’ father filed a petition to end her long-standing conservatorship. In the documents filed to Los Angeles’ Superior Court, Jamie Spears said his daughter is “entitled to have this Court now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer required.” He added that her circumstances have changed to the point that “grounds for establishment of a conservatorship may no longer exist.”

You can view the posts from Spears and Asghari above.

Here’s The Full List Of VMA 2021 Winners

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Live music and music festivals have been back in full force this year, albeit with caveats due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, but the music industry has been thriving despite masking and distancing protocols. Fans and artists alike are eager to welcome back award shows, and the VMAs returns as an in-person event tonight to the delight of many. With a full calendar year of pandemic releases behind us, and a summer that came and went with lots of high-profile records, early September is the perfect time to take stock of everything that’s unfolded in pop and hip-hop lately.

With massive nomination showings for musicians like Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande — to name a few — the field tonight is triple stacked with talent. Kicking off with a full red carpet and pre-show, tonight’s VMAs in Brooklyn will also include performances from many of the artists nominated for awards. Stay tuned for our coverage of those, and check out the list below for updated news of winners, marked in bold, throughout the night. Congrats to all the artists involved, this field is packed with talent and most of the fields could be anyone’s game.

Video of the Year

Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion: “WAP” – Atlantic Records
DJ Khaled ft. Drake: “Popstar” (Starring Justin Bieber) – OVO / We The Best / Epic Records
Doja Cat ft. SZA: “Kiss Me More” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Ed Sheeran: “Bad Habits” – Atlantic Records
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records
The Weeknd: “Save Your Tears” – XO / Republic Records

Artist of the Year
Ariana Grande – Republic Records
Doja Cat – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Justin Bieber – Def Jam
Megan Thee Stallion – 300 Entertainment
Olivia Rodrigo – Geffen Records
Taylor Swift – Republic Records

Song of the Year
24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior: “Mood” – Records LLC / Columbia Records
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic: “Leave the Door Open” – Aftermath Entertainment / Atlantic Records
BTS: “Dynamite” – Bighit Music
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion: “WAP” – Atlantic Records
Dua Lipa: “Levitating” – Warner Records
Olivia Rodrigo: “Drivers License” – Geffen Records

Best New Artist
24kGoldn – Records LLC / Columbia Records
Giveon – Epic Records / Not So Fast
The Kid Laroi – Columbia Records
Olivia Rodrigo – Geffen Records
Polo G – Columbia Records
Saweetie – Warner Records

Push Performance of the Year
Wallows: “Are You Bored Yet?” – Atlantic Records
Ashnikko: “Daisy” – Warner Records
Saint Jhn: “Gorgeous” – Godd Complexx / HITCO
24kGoldn: “Coco” – Records LLC / Columbia Records
JC Stewart: “Break My Heart” – Elektra Music Group
Latto: “Sex Lies” – RCA Records
Madison Beer: “Selfish” – Epic Records / Sing It Loud
The Kid Laroi: “Without You” – Columbia Records
Olivia Rodrigo: “Drivers License” – Geffen Records
Girl in Red: “Serotonin” – World in Red / AWAL
Fousheé: “My Slime” – RCA Records
Jxdn: “Think About Me” – DTA Records / Elektra Music Group

Best Collaboration
24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior: “Mood” – Records LLC / Columbia Records
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion: “WAP” – Atlantic Records
Doja Cat ft. SZA: “Kiss Me More” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Drake ft. Lil Durk: “Laugh Now Cry Later” – OVO / Republic Records
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon: “Peaches” – Def Jam
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa: “Prisoner” – RCA Records

Best Pop
Ariana Grande: “Positions” – Republic Records
Billie Eilish: “Therefore I Am” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
BTS: “Butter” – Bighit Music
Harry Styles: “Treat People With Kindness” – Columbia Records
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon: “Peaches” – Def Jam
Olivia Rodrigo: “Good 4 U” – Geffen Records
Shawn Mendes: “Wonder” – Island Records
Taylor Swift: “Willow” – Republic Records

Best Hip-Hop
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion: “WAP” – Atlantic Records
Drake ft. Lil Durk: “Laugh Now Cry Later” – OVO / Republic Records
Lil Baby ft. Megan Thee Stallion: “On Me (remix)” – Quality Control / Motown
Moneybagg Yo – “Said Sum” – N-Less Entertainment / Interscope Records
Polo G: “Rapstar” – Columbia Records
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A.: “Franchise” – Cactus Jack / Epic Records

Best Rock
Evanescence: “Use My Voice” – BMG
Foo Fighters: “Shame Shame” – Roswell Records / RCA Records
John Mayer: “Last Train Home” – Columbia Records
The Killers: “My Own Soul’s Warning” – Island
Kings Of Leon: “The Bandit” – RCA Records
Lenny Kravitz: “Raise Vibration” – Roxie Records / BMG

Best Alternative
Bleachers: “Stop Making This Hurt” – RCA Records
Glass Animals: “Heat Waves” – Republic Records
Imagine Dragons: “Follow You” – Kidinakorner / Interscope Records
Machine Gun Kelly ft. Blackbear: “My Ex’s Best Friend” – Bad Boy / Interscope Records
Twenty One Pilots: “Shy Away” – Fueled By Ramen
Willow ft. Travis Barker: “Transparent Soul” – MSFTSMusic / Roc Nation

Best Latin
Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez: “Dákiti” – The Orchard
Billie Eilish & Rosalía: “Lo Vas A Olvidar” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Black Eyed Peas and Shakira: “Girl Like Me” – Epic Records
Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy: “Un Die (One Day)” – Universal Music Latino / Neon16
Karol G: “Bichota” – Universal Music Latino
Maluma: “Hawái” – Sony Music US Latin

Best R&B
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, Saint Jhn, WizKid: “Brown Skin Girl” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic: “Leave the Door Open” – Aftermath Entertainment / Atlantic Records
Chris Brown and Young Thug: “Go Crazy” – Chris Brown Entertainment/RCA Records
Giveon: “Heartbreak Anniversary” – Epic Records / Not So Fast
H.E.R. ft. Chris Brown: “Come Through” – MBK Entertainment / RCA Records
SZA: “Good Days” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records

Best K-pop
(G)I-DLE: “Dumdi Dumdi” – Republic Records
Blackpink and Selena Gomez: “Ice Cream” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records
BTS – “Butter” – Bighit Music
Monsta X: “Gambler” – Starship Entertainment
Seventeen: “Ready to love” – Pledis Entertainment
Twice: “Alcohol-Free” – JYP Entertainment Company

Video For Good
Billie Eilish: “Your Power” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Demi Lovato: “Dancing With the Devil” – Island
H.E.R.: “Fight For You” – MBK Entertainment / RCA Records
Kane Brown: “Worldwide Beautiful” – Sony Music Nashville / RCA Records
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records
Pharrell Williams ft. Jay-Z: “Entrepreneur” – Columbia Records

Best Direction
Billie Eilish: “Your Power” – Darkroom / Interscope Records – Directed by: Billie Eilish
DJ Khaled ft. Drake: “Popstar (Starring Justin Bieber)” – OVO / We The Best / Epic Records – Directed by: Julien Christian Lutz aka Director X
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records – Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino
Taylor Swift: “Willow” – Republic Records – Directed by: Taylor Swift
Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A: “Franchise” – Cactus Jack / Epic Records – Directed by: Travis Scott
Tyler, The Creator: “Lumberjack” – Columbia Records – Directed by: Wolf Haley

Best Cinematography
Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid: “Brown Skin Girl” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records – Cinematography by: Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, Mohammaed Atta Ahmed, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant
Billie Eilish: “Therefore I Am” – Darkroom / Interscope Records – Cinematography by: Rob Witt
Foo Fighters: “Shame Shame” – Roswell Records / RCA Records – Cinematography by: Santiago Gonzalez
Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper: “Holy” – RBMG / Def Jam – Cinematography by: Elias Talbot
Lady Gaga: “911” – Interscope Records – Cinematography by: Jeff Cronenweth
Lorde: “Solar Power” – Republic Records – Cinematography by: Andrew Stroud

Best Art Direction
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer: “Already” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records – Art Direction by: Susan Linns, Gerard Santos
Ed Sheeran: “Bad Habits” – Atlantic Records – Art Direction by: Alison Dominitz
Lady Gaga: “911” – Interscope Records – Art Direction by: Tom Foden, Peter Andrus
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records – Art Direction by: John Richoux
Saweetie ft. Doja Cat: “Best Friend” – Warner Records – Art Direction by: Alec Contestabile
Taylor Swift – “Willow” – Republic Records – Art Direction by: Ethan Tobman, Regina Fernandez

Best Visual Effects
Bella Poarch: “Build a Bitch” – Warner Records – Visual Effects by: Andrew Donoho, Denhov Visuals, Denis Strahhov, Rein Jakobson, Vahur Kuusk, Tatjana Pavlik, Yekaterina Vetrova
Coldplay: “Higher Power” – Atlantic Records – Visual Effects by: Mathematic
Doja Cat & The Weeknd – “You Right” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records – Visual Effects by: La Pac, Anthony Lestremau, Julien Missaire, Petr Shkolniy, Alexi Bailla, Micha Sher, Antoine Hache, Mikros MPC, Nicolas Huget, Guillaume Ho Tsong Fang, Benjamin Lenfant, Stephane Pivron, MPC Bangalore, Chanakya Chander, Raju Ganesh, David Rouxel
Glass Animals: “Tangerine” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by: YSF Studio Paris
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Columbia Records – Visual Effects by: Mathematic
P!nk: “All I Know So Far” – RCA Records – Visual Effects by: BUF, VFX Supervisors: Dominique Vidal & Geoffrey Niquet, VFX Producers: Annabelle Zoellin & Camille Gibrat

Best Choreography
Ariana Grande – “34+35” – Republic Records – Choreography by: Brian Nicholson & Scott Nicholson
BTS – “Butter” – Bighit Music – Choreography by: Son Sung with BHM Performance Directing Team
Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits” – Atlantic Records – Choreography by: Natricia Bernard
Foo Fighters – “Shame Shame” – Roswell Records / RCA Records – Choreography by: Nina McNeely
Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness” – Columbia Records
Marshmello & Halsey – “Be Kind” – Astralwerks / Capitol Records – Choreography by: Dani Vitale

Best Editing
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic: “Leave the Door Open” – Aftermath Entertainment/Atlantic Records – Editing by: Troy Charbonnet
BTS: “Butter” – Bighit Music – Editing by: Yong Seok Choi from Lumpens
Drake: “What’s Next” – OVO / Republic Records – Editing by: Noah Kendal
Harry Styles: “Treat People With Kindness” – Columbia Records
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon: “Peaches” – Def Jam
Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa: “Prisoner” – RCA Records

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Was Arrested Moments Before His Performance At London’s Wireless Festival

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This past weekend, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was expected to perform in London at the Wireless Festival. Insteead he wound up arrested moments before taking the stage. Official charges for his detainment have not been revealed yet, but in a post to his Instagram Story, the rapper revealed that it stemmed from an incident that occurred two years ago.

“SMH Sorry to everyone who came out to see me at Wireless,” A Boogie wrote in the post. “Police locked me up before I went on stage for something I was accused of 2 years ago. I’m OK and I’ll try my best to make it up to you guys.” Organizers for the Wireless Festival also sent out a message about the arrest. “There has been an incident involving A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie,” the message read, according to Complex. “He is safe and we are working to change his set to sometime tomorrow. We will provide further details as they are made available to us.”

It’s A Boogie’s second arrest in 12 months after a collection of guns and marijuana were found in his New Jersey home during a search. He was then charged with unlawful possession of a handgun and one count of possession of marijuana.

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

Drake’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Debuts At No. 1 With The Biggest Week In 2021

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Drake fans have spent the better part of the last two years waiting for the rapper’s highly-anticipated sixth album, Certified Lover Boy. While the wait was quite lengthy, the rapper didn’t make it a grueling one for his supporters. A heavy feature run and projects that include Dark Lane Demo Tapes and Scary Hours 2 made it a bit easier to stay patient for Drake’s album. At long last, the rapper dropped Certified Lover Boy, and nearly two weeks after the project was delivered to the world, it tops the Billboard 200 in what is the biggest week in 2021.

Certified Lover Boy goes No. 1 on the album charts after posting 631,000 units sold in its first week. This number is comprised of 562,000 streaming equivalent album units based on 743.67 million on-demand streams of the album’s 21 tracks. It also posted a total of 46,000 pure album sales. With that, Certified Lover Boy becomes Drake’s tenth No. 1 album which makes him the eighth artist alongside The Beatles, Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen, Barbara Streisand, Eminem, Elvis Presley, and Kanye West as the only artists with ten chart-topping releases.

Drake’s first week numbers for his sixth album are also the most by a project in over a year. The last album to post a bigger first week than Certified Lover Boy was Taylor Swift’s Folklore back in August 2020. In terms of just hip-hop projects, the last album to have a better debut than Certified Lover Boy was Drake’s 2018 fifth album Scorpion.

You can revisit our review of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy here.

Certified Lover Boy is out now via OVO Sound/Republic. Get it here.

The Notorious B.I.G’s Old Apartment Where He Recorded ‘Ready To Die’ Is Up For Sale

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A lucky (and wealthy) person could be the next owner of a special property in Brooklyn, New York. The Notorious B.I.G.’s old apartment where he recorded his classic album, Ready To Die, has gone up for sale. According to The New York Post, the apartment — two-bedroom, two-bathroom property in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn — is currently listed at $1.7 million. The property is also located blocks away from the Brooklyn street that was named after the late rapper.

Caroline Duncan, the costume designer The New York Post interview spoke with, spoke further about the apartment. “When I moved in, the basement was just a raw space with concrete floors,” she said. “I framed and put up all the walls and created a bathroom with barn wood and modern finishes.” She continued, “Upstairs had been carved into a series of puzzling small rooms so I did the opposite, and knocked down all the walls to create a lofted open space,” adding that she loved “the fact the building is on the Historic Register and had the bones of a true artist’s residence.”

This comes months after Biggie’s estate-approved Netlfix documentary Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell was released on the streaming platform. A description for the film said it “offers a fresh look at one of the greatest, most influential rappers of all time by those who knew him best” while labeling it as an “intimate rendering of a man whose rapid ascent and tragic end has been at the center of rap lore for more than twenty years.”

Swizz Beatz Responds To Drake’s Diss At Him From ‘Certified Lover Boy’

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Drake’s Certified Lover Boy garnered plenty of attention for a number of disses the Toronto rapper sent towards Kanye West. But there was someone else who Drake took issue with on the album. On “You Only Live Twice,” his track with Rick Ross and Lil Wayne, the rapper took a shot at Swizz Beatz. “Unthinkable when I think of the way these n****s been acting,” he raps. “I never did you nothing and you play like we family, huh? Next thing, you wanna shoot me down, it can’t be love / Not sure where you was trynna send it, it can’t be up / That day you sounded like a b*tch, you fancy, huh?”

During an interview on The Angie Martinez Show, Swizz Beatz addressed the disses, but didn’t return fire (yet). “I’m chilling,” he said during the sit-down. “A lot of people want to see me react and do all these things, but I’m in such a great zone. I said how I felt, he said how he felt. Hey, man I guess we even. As far as now, I’m good … and I actually like the song.”

Swizz added, “And he didn’t go too crazy in the record also, you know? He could have said many things, that man is a clever artist. He could’ve really, really, really gave me about 40 bars. He said what he said. He got it off his chest. Blessing to everybody.”

Drake’s Swizz diss came after the latter took issue with Drake after his collaboration with Busta Rhymes leaked online. “That kid is a good kid as well,” Swizz said at the time. “He’s not a bad kid, he’s a good kid. He started from different things, we made hit record together, it’s all love. I just wanna play music. Because my filter is burnt. Because at the end of the day, n****s is p*ssy for real. What’s up? Pop off. Let’s go.”

You can listen to Swizz’s response to the diss in the video above.

Freddie Gibbs Takes On Drake’s ‘Champagne Poetry’ With A Sharp Remix Of His Own

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After delivering a collection of singles this earlier year, Freddie Gibbs made a string of strong guest verses, including appearances on Nas’ “Life Is Like A Dice Game,” Bobby Sessions’ “Gold Relox,” and Kenny Mason’s “Much Money.” Now, Freddie has dropped a remix of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy intro “Champagne Poetry.”

The new remix offers another sharp display of lyricism, which is something we’ve come to expect from the rapper. At one point on the song, Freddie seems to offer a response to Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Baby Keem’s “Family Ties.”

“I was Big Rabbit before the birth of my son,” Freddie raps. “The earth ain’t big enough for the both of us, you gotta get done / they say they smoking Top 5s, but they ain’t smoke through the one.”

The remix brings us closer to the arrival of Freddie’s upcoming album SSS. During an interview with Nicolas-Tyrell Scott for MixMag, he listed Pharrell, Madlib, Working On Dying, The Alchemist, Sevn Thomas, Hit-Boy, and Mike Will Made-It as the possible production lineup for the upcoming album.

You can listen to Freddie’s remix in the video above.

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

People Are Hilariously Pointing Out A Resemblance Between Jack Harlow And Producer Murda Beatz

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Twitter

Last summer, Jack Harlow and producer Murda Beatz shared a picture of themselves together in the studio in which they acknowledged their resemblance, something that some have pointed out before. “Step Brothers @jackharlow,” Murda Beatz captioned the picture alongside the hashtag “#WHOSWHO.” At the time, Harlow was continuing his rise in mainstream stardom thanks to the success of his breakout single “What’s Poppin.” Murda Beatz, on the other hand, was becoming one of hip-hop’s prominent producers. A year later, people are once again talking their shocking resemblance.

One person reshared the picture of the two, writing, “The rumours are FALSE Jack Harlow and Murda Beatz are NOT the same person.” The post triggered a boatload of reactions, some sharing their surprise at the news and others questioning how so many people were unaware that Harlow and Murda Beatz are not the same people. “yall really thought murda on the beat was jack harlow. like really?” one person wrote, while another said, “how someone say murda beatz is jack harlow with a blowout.”

You can read more reactions to Jack Harlow’s and Murda Beatz’s resemblance below.

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