Music

Tierra Whack Shows Love For The Philadelphia 76ers’ Playoff Push In The Patriotic ’76’ Video

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The Philadelphia 76ers are 1-1 with the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA’s Eastern Conference semifinals as the series leaves the City of Brotherly Love and heads down south to The Big Peach. To see them off, though, the 76ers’ Phila Unite campaign tapped one of the city’s rising musical stars in Tierra Whack, who shows her hometown pride with a rap shouting out the team’s members like Joel Embid and Tobias Harris in “76.”

Over a marching band-inspired beat that sounds like Missy Elliott’s “Pass That Dutch” had a baby with an HBCU drumline, Tierra flips the stars’ names with wordplay like “Shake Milton makes millions” and “Doc Rivers layin’ up with winners.” The video sees Tierra watching the Sixers play on an old school box TV set, holding up cardboard cutouts of the players’ heads, and showing off her own hoop skills as she dribbles and shoots a jumper on an invisible hoop.

Whack isn’t the only rapper putting on for her city in the series. Migos’ Quavo attended game 1 in Philly, with his over-the-top reactions capturing Twitter’s attention and either amusing or enraging fans (depending on who they were rooting for). Does that mean we’ll see someone like Meek Mill turn up at State Farm Arena to troll Atlanta fans in the same fashion? Let’s hope so; after last year’s bubble, more fan engagement can only be a good thing.

Watch Tierra Whack’s “76” video above.

Mariah Carey Leaves Roc Nation After Shutting Down Rumors Of A Split With Jay-Z

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Although Mariah Carey denied a report that she’d had an “explosive” falling out with longtime business partner Jay-Z over her Roc Nation management, it appears that she has indeed decided to part ways with Roc Nation. Billboard and Variety report Carey has moved from Roc Nation to Range Media Partners, following her former Roc Nation manager Melissa Ruderman, who switched companies in January.

Ruderman was Carey’s day-to-day manager in 2005 when the star was managed by Benny Medina, handling the rollout for the 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi. At Roc Nation, Ruderman helped put together deals for Carey’s Las Vegas residencies, the publishing contract that led to the bestselling memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, and a TV deal with Apple. Ruderman joined the recently formed Range Media Partners just a few short months after its launch in September last year.

The rumor that Mariah had switched management was first hinted at in a report in British tabloid The Sun, which wrote that a meeting between Carey and Jay-Z “did not go well at all” after the two disagreed on rollout plans for a more R&B-centered album. However, Mariah took the tabloid to task in a tweet recalling the success of Mariah and Jay’s no.1 hit “Heartbreaker.”

“The only ‘explosive’ situation I’d ever ‘get into’ with Hov is a creative tangent, such as our #1 song ‘Heartbreaker!!’” she wrote. “To the people who make up these lies I say ‘Poof! —Vamoose, sonofa*****”!’”

Megan Thee Stallion Will Lecture At Long Island University And Pay One Student’s Tuition In Full

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After taking a bit of time off, Megan Thee Stallion is back from her brief hiatus. She’s dropping “Thot Sh*t” this week, and soon, she’ll be back in the classroom: In partnership with the Roc Nation School Of Music, Sports, And Entertainment at Long Island University, she will be offering a full-tuition, four-year scholarship to one lucky student. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is July 15 and interested students can apply here.

Additionally, Megan will participate in Long Island University’s “Industry Expert Speaker Series,” where she will “delve deeper into her industry expertise” for Roc Nation School Of Music, Sports, And Entertainment students.

Meg says in a statement, “Getting an education is incredibly important to me. I still have academic goals that I want to achieve, so if I can use my resources to open doors and create opportunities for at least one student, then it’s a victory. It’s important that we encourage our students to pursue their passions and put them in positions to become the next game changer in whichever fields they choose.”

Megan is truly dedicated to academics: Alongside her mega-successful music career, she is also currently studying Health Care Administration at Texas Southern University.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Hip-Hop Festival JMBLYA Is Expanding To Nationwide Stops Including Boston, San Francisco And Phoenix

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Now that festivals are officially back, the biggest hip-hop event in Texas — where else would it be? — is expanding beyond the state’s borders come Fall 2021. JMBLYA Fest will now travel outside of its home in the Lone Star state, beginning with an initial date on Labor Day weekend near Fayetteville, Arkansas then move back to Texas for stops in Dallas and Austin, and finally begin a first-time run through hubs on both coasts in Boston, Maine and San Francisco, California with a final stop in Phoenix, Arizona.

Anchored by artists like Future, Gunna, and Lil Tecca, along with The Kid LaRoi and Flo Milli, the event has been one of the biggest and longest running hip-hop festivals in Texas since 2013. Festival organizers ScoreMore Shows are also behind Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston, and ScoreMore’s President & Founder Sascha Stone Guttfreund said a nationwide move is part of the event’s ethos.

“Our business has always been about providing something different,” he said in a press release. “JMBLYA going nationwide is the culmination of the idea of bringing an affordably priced festival experience to markets that don’t have something like it. We are known for curated events that pair big-name acts with future superstars. If you look back on our lineups, you’ll see that many of the openers we book later go on to become headliners. Save that lineup tee. See y’all soon.”

JMBLYA

Tickets for each individual stop will be available Friday, June 11 at local time. Pre-order will begin tomorrow, Wednesday June 9 at 10 AM. Sign up for JMBLYA’s newsletter here for access to pre-order, and check out the exact festival dates below.

2021 JMBLYA Festival dates:

Friday, September 3: Wal-Mart Amphitheater in Rogers, AR
Saturday, September 4: Dos Equis Pavillion in Dallas, TX
Sunday, September 5: Germania Amphitheater in Austin, TX
Saturday, September 25: Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix, AZ
Saturday, October 2: Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA
Saturday, October 9: Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA

Kanye West’s Manager Says His Next Album Is On The Way

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Kanye West’s last album, Jesus Is King, came out in 2019. Before it arrived, the rapper said he would no longer make secular music, and the gospel-driven effort went on to win a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 2021 award show. It’s been nearly two years since its arrival, and his many fans are patiently waiting his next body of work, which Kanye has been teasing, now and again, ever since. Now West’s manager has finally arrived with some good news.

Abou “Bu” Thiam, said manager and who is also Akon’s brother, teased Kanye’s next album on Instagram. “WestDayEver. Album OTW.” he wrote under a post of a West’s first official release with Gap, with whom he partnered last summer for an upcoming collection.

It’s unknown if the title of West’s upcoming album is now titled West Day Ever, as the rapper was previously promoting a project under the title of Donda last summer. That effort was set to arrive on July 24, 2020, but the day came and went without any arrival. In March, after ten months of silence, frequent collaborator Cyhi The Prynce revealed that West had gotten back to work on the album around the end of 2020.

DaBaby Claims Rappers Are ‘Scared’ To Collaborate With Him Because He’s ‘The Best’

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Two years ago, DaBaby stepped into the mainstream with his breakout single, “Suge,” which was also the highlight of his debut album, Baby On Baby. Since then, the North Carolina-bred rapper has gone on to become one of hip-hop’s most commercially successful rappers. His 2020 album, Blame It On Baby, and its No. 1 single “Rockstar” with Roddy Ricch are both proof of that. And they’ve only made DaBaby more confident as a rapper.

DaBaby took to his Instagram Story to send a message to his competition. “Best mf rapper & I’m on ALLLAT shit these n****s LIE about,” he declared. “I’m him frfr. If a n**** ain’t tryna work with the real thang he SCARED. The best supposed to compete w/ the best These n****s just TALK like they like dat SHUUUUT UP.”

It’s unknown what exactly DaBaby feels people are lying about, but whatever it is, this outburst may join a growing list of his controversial moments. Last week, one of his Billion Dollar Baby artists, Wisdom, was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm after he shot a man in the calf following a verbal altercation. On a lighter note, he recently joined Yo Gotti for their strip-club friendly track “Drop.”

J. Cole, Travis Scott, And 50 Cent Sign On As Headliners For Rolling Loud’s New York Festival

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After being shut for more than a year, some of the biggest musical festivals are preparing for a strong return this year. But few will be able to match the energy Rolling Loud, as the platform just announced its third festival for the year. The Miami-born showcase will come to New York in the fall for a bout headlined by J. Cole, Travis Scott, and 50 Cent.

Out of the three acts, Cole is the only one who’s recently dropped a project, having released The Off-Season last month. Scott could have new music on the way, with his upcoming album, rumored to be titled Utopia, in the works. 50 Cent getting the headliner spot gives the New York rap legend an opportunity to put on a great show for his hometown.

Rolling Loud’s New York festival, which takes place during the weekend of October 28-30, will also feature a special guest performance from the state’s own Bobby Shmurda, who was released from prison earlier this year after spending almost seven years behind bars. Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Lil Durk, Jack Harlow, Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, Polo G, Moneybagg Yo, Joey Badass, Playboi Carti, Wale, Young Dolph, Griselda Records, and many more will also hit its New York stage.

Prior to the show, J. Cole is set to headline Rolling Loud’s Los Angeles festival while Travis Scott signed on as a headliner for its Miami festival.

You can check out the full lineup in the post above.

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

Migos’ ‘Culture III’ Tracklist Naturally Includes Cardi B And Drake, But Also Has A Justin Bieber Feature

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Migos

Migos’ Culture III rollout is going as well as could be expected with a global pandemic to deal with. Shortly after releasing lead single “Straightenin,” the Atlanta trio revealed the release date with a Michael Jordan-style statement, then announced a festival in Las Vegas to promote the project before sharing the avant-garde cover art. Today, they presented the next piece of the puzzle, revealing the tracklist and features, which naturally include Offset’s wife Cardi B and their longtime collaborator Drake.

The project also boasts the dubious distinction of hosting two posthumous appearances from Juice WRLD and Pop Smoke, as well as a potentially star-making performance for Youngboy Never Broke Again, and an eyebrow-raising guest spot from Justin Bieber, who has previously worked with Quavo on his song “Intentions” and DJ Khaled’s “I’m The One” and “No Brainer.” Future and Polo G round out the features on an 18-song tracklist that surprisingly does not include “Rolling Stone,” the song Offset told Billboard is the one he can’t stop playing from the album. Perhaps it was cut at the last minute or maybe the name was changed (or Offset misremembered it); we’ll find out this Friday.

Culture III is due 6/11 via Quality Control and Motown/Capitol. You can participate in their first listen Thursday at apple.co/FirstListenMigos.

Pooh Shiesty Has Reportedly Been Arrested On A Charge Of Aggravated Battery

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Gucci Mane’s label has suffered another blow after his artist Foogiano was sentenced to five years in prison for skipping bail last month. This time, it’s 21-year-old supernova Pooh Shiesty — aka Lontrell Williams — in the hot seat, according to The Miami Herald, which reports that Shiesty was arrested for aggravated battery in connection with a shooting at the Miami nightclub King Of Diamonds over Memorial Day weekend.

Complex‘s report on the arrest partially reconstructs the events in question, with social media video purportedly depicting the “Back In Blood” rapper at the club while the person apparently filming narrates. According to the clubgoer’s commentary, someone “took” Shiesty’s money, leading to a second clip in which the commenter loudly claims “Pooh Shiesty let off in a jacker’s b*tch ass” — meaning the rapper apparently shot at someone. The final clip does show someone who looks to be the rapper — although he’s wearing a ski mask, he was the focus of the prior videos — exiting the club holding something that certainly appears to be a handgun.

According to Miami Herald, the rapper did turn himself in on Tuesday. The Herald obtained an arrest warrant which said Shiesty shot a security guard in the leg.

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

The Late MF DOOM Advocates Self Education On Your Old Droog’s ‘Dropout Boogie’

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Brooklyn, New York rapper Your Old Droog is one of the many, many rappers influenced by the late, great MF DOOM, both in form and in his steadfast adherence to a philosophy of being anti-famous. Like DOOM, Droog emerged from the New York underground and rose to notoriety via the internet, maintaining an air of mystery early in his career that had many fans wondering just who he really was. Droog received the ultimate blessing for a DOOM fan, getting the chance to work with his idol on multiple songs before the elder rapper’s death on Halloween last year, and today, he shared the first they ever recorded together: “Dropout Boogie.”

A short, sample-heavy song extolling the virtues of self-education (well, as much as it decries the many shortcomings of the US education system), “Dropout Boogie” really highlights the impact of DOOM’s syllable-stacking style on the generation of rappers who grew up under him. The track will be available as a 7″ vinyl on Nature Sounds, which you can pre-order here. Droog also accompanied the release with a statement on DOOM’s impact on his life and career.

This man’s work renewed my interest in hip-hop and rhyming at a time when I got tired of hearing what was on the radio or what was considered popular rap, I deadass started listening to classical music, and then I heard DOOM.

For him to end up appreciating what I do 10 years later shows the power of never giving up on your passion, staying the course, believing in yourself and having vision.

Aside from him being featured on the track, the song already had a lot of personal meaning for me. School is not for everybody. You know, it has its extracurricular pluses but overall, it wasn’t for me. For some people, it’s good but not for me. I don’t work well fitting into boxes. I dropped out of high school, and community college, twice! This is certainly an anthem of sorts.

The GED was nice though, that gave me confidence. Stay confident and follow your own path. Not the one laid out to you by your parents or teachers. Peace.

Listen to “Dropout Boogie” above.