Music

Lil Nas X Explained The Title Behind His Latest Single ‘Sun Goes Down’

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After setting the internet ablaze with this last single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” as well as its accompanying video and pair of Satan Shoes, Lil Nas X returned with his latest release, “Sun Goes Down.” The new track has proven to be far less controversial than the last one, but it was one of his most honest songs to date. Hours after he dropped the track, Lil Nas took to Twitter to explain its title.

“I named the song ‘sun goes down’ because i feel like at night is when those thoughts you try to avoid really start to hit and you can’t escape them,” he wrote in a post. The track finds the singer singing about depression and suicidal thoughts, his decision to come out as gay, and his current satisfaction with how everything in his life has panned out.

The song did spark a brief moment of controversy after fans of Nicki Minaj were not happy that it features Lil Nas namedropping her. He’s been well-documented as a big fan of Minaj, which he addressed in the song, singing, “I’d be by the phone / Stanning Nicki mornin’ into dawn / Only place I felt like I belonged / Strangers make you feel so loved, you know?” He explained the reference in a tweet and promised not to use the rapper’s name in any of his future songs.

“To the barbz who feel i’m using nicki’s name for attention, the song i released last night was recorded last year,” he wrote. “And it’s about my life which 6 of those years were dedicated to nicki. it’s no fake love. but i understand how it looks so i will no longer mention her.”

XXXTentacion’s Brother Is Suing The Rapper’s Mother Over Money From X’s Estate, Again

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After rising rapper XXXtentacion’s tragic and untimely death in the summer of 2018, which saw the hip-hop world mourning a troubled talent gone too soon, his surviving family members have been charged with care of his estate. But relationships between the remaining relations have been a little strained, and according to legal paperwork obtained by XXL, the late rapper’s half-brother, Corey Pack, is suining X’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard, for transferring money from his estate into separate holding companies.

Bernard was appointed to oversee X’s estate and the Bad Vibes Forever label, but Pack has also been designated a beneficiary. According to the paperwork he filed with the the Circuit Court of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in Broward County, Fla. on May 14, Pack is due 25% of assets belong to the rapper born Jahseh Onfroy. A beneficiary as of November 7, 2012, his irrevocable trust is dated for March 4, 2019. Pack accuses Bernard of trying to “further defraud, delay, hinder and frustrate [his ability to] recover the beneficial interest in such assets.” Because of this, Pack is suing for monetary damages of $30,000, along with legal fees, interest, and his fair share of the estate.

Pack’s suit comes on the heels of a suit his own mother, Jodi Kavney, filed against Bernard on behalf of her son last summer. That suit once again accused X’s mother of transfering over $11 million in assets over to her own accounts, without properly dispersing a cut to Pack. X’s estate left behind over $50 million, with fifty percent designated to the label, which remains in Bernard’s control.

The estate recently released a series of NFTs involving the late rapper’s old Soundcloud output (see above for a preview), so it’s very possible the financial means will continue to grow as well.

Sada Baby, Big Sean, And Hit-Boy Throw A Mansion Bash In The Psychedelic ‘Little While’ Video

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Detroit rapper Sada Baby first came to prominence with the fun-loving, goofy dances he did in the video for his breakout viral hit “Bloxk Party,” so it’s only right that he returns to such shenanigans in the video for “Little While,” which has even more potential for hit status — at least, algorithmically, thanks to its guest spots from Big Sean and Hit-Boy.

Much like the video for “Bloxk Party,” the clip for “Little While” revolves around a house party, except that now, the stakes and the budget are much higher, causing the venue to change up proportionally. Now, instead of an Airbnb, Sada’s shooting at massive mansions, complete with valets and check-ins, elaborate decorations, and a noticeable increase in the ratio of women to men, including a cameo from fellow emerging Detroit rap star Kash Doll (who should really get a verse on any potential remixes).

“Little While” is Sada’s second major foray into the techno-style drum programming that his hometown pioneered after “Whole Lotta Choppas,” which famously featured a Nicki Minaj verse on its remix.

Watch Sada Baby’s “Little While” video featuring Big Sean and Hit-Boy above.

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

Travis Scott And Kylie Jenner Are Reportedly Back Together — And In An Open Relationship

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TMZ reports that after a year off from their relationship, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott have apparently gotten back together, with one big change in their relationship status. According to TMZ’s sources, the couple is dating again but not exclusively. This is apparently a result of Travis wanting to keep the core of their family — the two have been co-parenting their daughter Stormi since the breakup, but Travis wants to offer her a “strong family unit.”

The duo originally declared they were “taking a break” back in 2019 after a little over two years of dating, beginning in spring of 2017. Kylie addressed the breakup shortly after the news broke, saying that “Travis and I are on great terms and our main focus right now is Stormi! Our friendship and our daughter is priority.”

That seemed to be the case for the past year as the former couple was able to successfully co-parent despite the split, even hosting a holiday toy drive in Houston together. All the time they’ve spent together must have rekindled their old flame; TMZ noted that the couple has been spending a lot more time together of late without their daughter as the focus, such as a triple date with Kyle’s sister Kendall, Kendall’s NBA beau Devin Booker, and Justin and Hailey Bieber. Per TMZ, it looks like they’ll be spending a lot more time together in the future — just not exclusively.

Lil Nas X Says He’s Done Mentioning Nicki Minaj After Backlash From Barbz

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When Lil Nas X first rose to stardom with “Old Town Road,” it was rumored that he was so into Nicki Minaj that he used to operate a fan account about her. That turned out to be true, although Nas wasn’t forthcoming with that information for a while because he feared being outed as gay. Now, Nas is both openly gay and openly a Minaj fan, both of which he addresses on his latest song, “Sun Goes Down.” However, the Barbz, as Minaj’s fans are called, want Nas to keep her name out of his mouth and it appears he’s going to do just that.

On the track, Lil Nas X reflects on his past, including his admiration for Nicki Minaj, rapping, “I’d be by the phone / Stanning Nicki mornin’ into dawn / Only place I felt like I belonged / Strangers make you feel so loved, you know?” After the song was released, it seems some Barbz thought Nas was using her name for attention. The backlash was apparently severe enough for Nas to vow to stop talking about Minaj.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “to the barbz who feel i’m using nicki’s name for attention, the song i released last night was recorded last year. and it’s about my life which 6 of those years were dedicated to nicki. it’s no fake love. but i understand how it looks so i will no longer mention her.”

After Nas admitted he previously denied being a Barb, Minaj responded, saying that while she was initially hurt by that, she understood, writing on Twitter, “It was a bit of a sting when you denied being a barb, but I understand. Congratulations on building up your confidence to speak your truth.”

Audrey Nuna And Saba Get Reflective In The Surreal ‘Top Again’ Video

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Korean-American singer Audrey Nuna teams up with Chicago rapper Saba on her newest single, “Top Again.” The video, which released concurrently with the new track, is a surreal affair that finds Nuna subtly commenting on the artifice of the entertainment industry, then wandering through an eerie hospital. Saba makes his appearance inside an ambulance, then roaming the hospital’s halls as he raps a serpentine verse picking up the threads laid down by Audrey’s introspective lyrics.

Nuna, who released her debut album A Liquid Breakfast today, has been an exciting voice in the pop-R&B realm over the past year thanks to singles “Damn Right” and “Comic Sans,” as well as the recently released “Blossom,” on which she displays a gift for rapping as well as singing. As a genre-bending experimentalist, Nuna’s rhymes are often personal but universal, with quirky non-sequiturs that give way to smart observations on the state of things in both her world and the world at large.

Meanwhile, Saba has been slowly poking his head above the surface as fans eagerly await the follow-up to his 2018 star vehicle Care For Me, putting out a vinyl version of the project with VMP and sharing videos for “Ziplock/Rich Don’t Stop” and “Lifetime” with Femdot earlier this year.

Watch Audrey Nuna’s “Top Again” video featuring Saba.

The New Jersey singer’s album, A Liquid Breakfast, is out now on Arista Records. Stream it here.

J. Cole Releases An ‘Off-Season’ Colorway Of His Puma RS-Dreamer 2

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J. Cole

Although J. Cole’s new album The Off-Season has now officially been out for over a week, the unusual rollout for the long-awaited album continues — and keeps to the established theme of “rap as basketball.” With a cover featuring a burning basketball hoop, a documentary detailing his “training” for the new album, a cover story in Slam magazine, and a professional basketball career in Rwanda, Cole’s been using The Off-Season to reinforce the long-held parallels between basketball and hip-hop.

Today, he and his Dreamville crew revealed the latest version of his Puma basketball sneaker, the RS-Dreamer 2, in a new colorway, fittingly titled the “Off-Season Reds.” The shoes are modeled in the campaign shots by the NBA’s Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers and the WNBA’s Skylar Diggins-Smith of the Phoenix Mercury.

In his debut game for the Rwanda Patriots of the Basketball Africa League against the Nigeria Rivers Hoopers, J. Cole put up a respectable rookie box score (3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists) and played admirable defense, earning plenty of accolades from other pro hoopers who were simply impressed to see the 36-year-old pursue his hoop dreams and keep up with the best players the continent has to offer.

You can pick up the “Off-Season” red RS-Dreamer 2 here.

YG And Mozzy’s Thrilling ‘Gangsta’ Video Flexes Their Hood Credentials

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YG and Mozzy’s joint album Kommunity Service has arrived and with it, the video for “Gangsta,” the project’s intro and third single. Borrowing the loop from 50 Cent’s 2002 breakout hit “Wanksta,” the two West Coast native flash their hood passes and talk major cash, taunting phony gangbangers and reiterating their own credentials. YG steals the show with a double-time flow on the back half of his verse, showing off a newly polished flow that shows he’s been on the J. Cole rap writing workout plan.

Speaking of stealing things, the video is a tongue-in-cheek affair, as YG and Mozzy recruit a team of lingerie-clad honeypots to infiltrate a mark’s mansion, tying him down and opening the door for YG, Mozzy, and their goons to enjoy an illicit shopping spree at the rich man’s expense. It shouldn’t be funny, but with veteran actor De’Aundre Bonds (aka Stacey from The Wood and Dope and Skully from Snowfall) playing the victim, there’s plenty of humor imparted to the proceeds thanks to his portrayal as more annoyed than frightened.

“Gangsta” was preceded by videos for “Bompton To Oak Park,” which kicked off the rollout for Kommunity Service, and “Perfect Timing” with Blxst, which showed things wouldn’t be all gangbanging on the duo’s collaboration.

Watch YG & Mozzy’s “Gangsta” video above.

Kommunity Service is out now on Empire. Get it here.

Steven Cannon Spits Flexes At ‘Mach 10’ In A Swaggering ‘Uproxx Sessions’ Performance

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Steven Cannon, a Lil Xan-affiliated rapper from Cincinnati, Ohio, is this week’s guest on UPROXX Sessions, delivering a breezy, breathless performance of his high-velocity single, “Mach 10.” Cannon, who’s a fixture of the SoundCloud rap scene, has been active for the past few years as the co-founder of Lil Xan’s “Xanarchy” movement after moving to Los Angeles at 18 and featuring on tracks like “The Man” and “Pills.” Xan (aka “Diego“) counts him as his number one influence after Cannon coached him on rapping after hiring him as a cameraman.

Cannon’s performance here displays all the hallmarks of the style that endeared him to followers and fans on SoundCloud and social media. He’s laid-back, confident, and fills the space around him with his outsized swagger. His flow glides along over the booming bass drum that dominates the “Mach 10” beat, filling his verses with quirky boasts about his money, status, and sex appeal.

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.

Benny The Butcher And Freddie Gibbs Lend Their Alchemy To Bobby Sessions On ‘Gold Rolex’

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Over the past year, Benny The Butcher and Freddie Gibbs have developed an indelible sort of chemistry, appearing on each other’s projects and demonstrating the smooth interplay between their unique lyrical styles, bonded together by the throughline of surviving the drug game and taking nearly ten years to blow up in rap. They lend this alchemic balance to newcomer Bobby Sessions on his new single, “Gold Rolex.”

Featuring a glittering, soulful beat with plenty of the throwback energy that flows through both the Butcher and Gibbs’ own music, “Gold Rolex” finds Sessions taking a step away from his Dallas-bred style to adopt a more traditionalist flow that fits better alongside the Buffalo, New York native Benny and Freddie’s midwestern twang. While longtime fans of Sessions’ more bookish style might be surprised to hear him fitting in alongside the more street-centric, elder rappers, they shouldn’t; Bobby’s always been quite versatile as he illustrates with each new track.

From his work on RVTLN 3: The Price Of Freedom to helping craft “I’m A King,” the theme song from Coming 2 America, with Megan Thee Stallion, Bobby’s always been able to transform to suit the needs of his tracks above all.

Listen to “Gold Rolex” above.

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