Music

J. Cole Is As Confident As Ever On His Soulful ‘Interlude’ Ahead Of ‘The Off-Season’

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It’s been almost eight years since J. Cole released a single before an album. His last three full-length efforts, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, 4 Your Eyez Only, and KOD all arrived with little promotion beforehand, none in the form of new music. While many thought the Dreamville rapper would stick to the script that’s worked so well for him in the past, Cole decided to go against his grain and share a new song before next week’s The Off-Season album. “Told myself I would drop the album all at once,” he wrote in a tweet. “Sometimes you gotta say f*ck it tho.” With that declaration comes “Interlude,” the first taste of his forthcoming release.

The new track is carried by a soulful sample and a heavy drums that are a bit distant from the sound Cole has given us over the years. Just a few days ago, Cole announced that The Off-Season would officially arrive on May 14. The news came after months of teasing from himself and fellow Dreamville artists. Prior to this, Bas shared a now-deleted image of Cole working on the album in the studio. “The Off-Season,” he wrote in the caption. “pack your bags. [rocket emoji] in two weeks.” Cozz also shared his thoughts on the album, calling it Cole’s “best sh*t to date.”

The Off-Season will be Cole’s first full-length album since 2018’s KOD, and while fans are definitely happy to have him back, it’s not all that Cole has in store for them. He also plans to follow up the project with The Fall Off, an album he’s been teasing since 2018.

Press play on the video above to hear “Interlude.”

Jeezy Credits Snoop Dogg And E-40 For Helping Him Get ‘Back On The Right Course’

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More than a decade and a half ago, Jeezy arrived on the hip-hop scene as one of the earliest trap artists in the genre, joining the likes of T.I. and Gucci Mane. In the years that followed, Jeezy, who hails from Atlanta just like the other aforementioned artists, would go on to drop well-appreciated albums and mixtapes and grow into one of the most respected rappers from that time period. However, in Jeezy’s own words, his rise didn’t come without lessons from a pair of rappers that came before him, them being Snoop Dogg and E-40.

During an appearance on Spotify’s Best Advice podcast with Kim Bennett Taylor, Jeezy shared a time where Snoop Dogg and E-40 “g-checked” him after a run-in with the law during a video shoot.

“Snoop Dogg and E-40 they looking at me like I’m crazy. Say ‘you know what? You know what’s the difference between you and Pac?’ and I was just like ‘Whoa.’” he said on the episode. “I’m like ‘OK’ and they just went on to say ‘Yo listen, he never stopped what he was about. He never let up on his people. He never…’ and it was like ‘Yo, you, you better get out here and do what you’re supposed to be doing. Because these people believe you and they riding with you. And you ain’t moving right. And we telling you that.”

Jeezy continued to praise and thank Snoop and E-40 for their actions. “I don’t really think, you know, Snoop and E40 and those guys get enough credit for who they really are, man,” he added. “Like you know, those guys save lives you know what I’m saying. And, and, and they definitely got me back on the right course but they’ve been through what I’ve been through.”

You can listen to Jeezy’s full appearance on the show here.

Jeezy Credits Snoop Dogg And E-40 For Helping Him Get ‘Back On The Right Course’

by
Getty Image

More than a decade and a half ago, Jeezy arrived on the hip-hop scene as one of the earliest trap artists in the genre, joining the likes of T.I. and Gucci Mane. In the years that followed, Jeezy, who hails from Atlanta just like the other aforementioned artists, would go on to drop well-appreciated albums and mixtapes and grow into one of the most respected rappers from that time period. However, in Jeezy’s own words, his rise didn’t come without lessons from a pair of rappers that came before him, them being Snoop Dogg and E-40.

During an appearance on Spotify’s Best Advice podcast with Kim Bennett Taylor, Jeezy shared a time where Snoop Dogg and E-40 “g-checked” him after a run-in with the law during a video shoot.

“Snoop Dogg and E-40 they looking at me like I’m crazy. Say ‘you know what? You know what’s the difference between you and Pac?’ and I was just like ‘Whoa.’” he said on the episode. “I’m like ‘OK’ and they just went on to say ‘Yo listen, he never stopped what he was about. He never let up on his people. He never…’ and it was like ‘Yo, you, you better get out here and do what you’re supposed to be doing. Because these people believe you and they riding with you. And you ain’t moving right. And we telling you that.”

Jeezy continued to praise and thank Snoop and E-40 for their actions. “I don’t really think, you know, Snoop and E40 and those guys get enough credit for who they really are, man,” he added. “Like you know, those guys save lives you know what I’m saying. And, and, and they definitely got me back on the right course but they’ve been through what I’ve been through.”

You can listen to Jeezy’s full appearance on the show here.

6lack Accompanies Spinall And Fireboy DML For A Remix Of Their Summery Track, ‘Sere’

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While his own artistry is absolutely something to recognize and appreciate, 6lack’s ability to stand beside a variety of artists no matter the genre is another quality that makes him great. In just the past few months, the Atlanta-born singer — who switches hats to rap on songs at times — has worked with the likes of JID, Lil Durk, Lil Tay, and Melii.

As he’s done a few times in his career, 6lack returns to the afro-fusion lane for a remix of Spinall and Fireboy DML’s “Sere.” The summery track takes life on Spinall’s 2020 album, Grace, and with 6lack’s addition, the song gets a nice boost without moving away from its original structure.

As of late, 6lack’s been a busy man. In addition to providing great guest features on a number of tracks, he singer stood by his fellow LVRN labelmates for a hard-hitting Rap Caviar cypher. With OMB Bloodbath leading the way, new names to the roster like NoonieVsEverybody and BRS Kash followed suit with confident verses of the own.

Next, the more familiar names of the label, Westside Boogie and 6lack himself, delivered bars of their own. Boogie’s verse focused on his fame and how it impacted his life and the lives of his homies while 6lack’s own was a slick-lipped contribution filled with enough metaphors to remind you of his original rap upbringing.

You can press play on the new remix in the video above.

Childish Gambino Has Reportedly Been Hit With A Copyright Lawsuit For ‘This Is America’

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Childish Gambino‘s “This Is America” was one of the most talked about videos of 2018. It has over 772 million views to date and as most famous musicians would agree, a song is bound to get hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit once it becomes popular enough. “This Is America” is apparently no different. After previously facing plagiarism claims about his video, Childish Gambino is reportedly being sued over the song.

According to TMZ, Emelike Nwosuocha, who raps under the moniker Kidd West, is the source of the “This Is America” copyright lawsuit. Per the report, Nwosuocha uploaded his song “Made In America” to SoundCloud in 2016 before registering it with the US Copyright Office in May of 2017.

Nwosuocha is now claiming Childish Gambino ripped him off, saying the hook of “This Is America” is “unmistakably substantially similar, if not practically identical” to his own track. Gambino’s track features the lines, “This is America/ Guns in my area/ I got the strap/ I gotta carry ’em.” But Nwosuocha says Gambino’s lyrics are strikingly similar to his own, “Made in America/ Flex on the radio/ Made me a terrorist/ Pessimistic n***as/ You should just cherish this.”

As a result, Nwosuocha is reportedly suing Gambino, the co-writers of “This is America,” the record label, Roc Nation, and even Young Thug who is credited for singing the backup vocals on the track.

Listen to West’s “Made In America” and Gambino’s “This Is America” above.

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

Isaiah Rashad Once Wrecked Top Dawg’s Car But Got It Fixed Before He Found Out

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TDE rapper Isaiah Rashad is set to return soon after a nearly five-year absence from the spotlight that began after his 2017 tour for The Sun’s Tirade and only sporadic appearances since. He’s bringing with him a new album, The House Is Burning, as well as a new outlook courtesy of a stint at a rehab facility and a bout with COVID. As he reveals in a new cover story for The Fader, his alcoholism was at one point so bad that he not only wrecked his own car, but he also wrecked his benefactor, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith’s, as well.

Although story author Jeff Weiss doesn’t go into details, Isaiah explains that his drinking problem, which he openly copped to while promoting The Sun’s Tirade, nearly got him arrested boarding a flight, caused him to wreck his Jeep, and sent him back home to Chattanooga after he spent nearly all of his rap money buying expensive clothes, supporting family and friends, and buying “really expensive sandwiches.” But through it all, the TDE CEO patiently stuck it out with his mercurial second-wave signing, even after Zay wrecked his Honda — but that might be because the rapper paid to have it fixed before his label boss could find out.

Eventually, though, he came clean, which resulted in a stay at Dana Point Rehab facility, where he learned to cope and secretly signed autographs for the staff members’ kids. Now, he’s back on track for another run at rap superstardom, with The House Is Burning set for release any day — although fans are convinced it’s this Friday after Top Dawg tweeted out “the wait is over” with that release date.

You can read the full profile here.

Blvc Svnd Showcases Multiple Talents In HIs ‘Uproxx Sessions’ Performance Of ‘U Foine’

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In this week’s episode of UPROXX Sessions, genre-bending LA artist Blvc Svnd (pronounced “Black Sand”) pulls a neat trick, strumming out his backing music on his electric guitar as he raps the raunchy, melody lyrics to “U Foine.” His wardrobe is pretty eye-catching as well; with his blue hair, pink spotted fur coat, and lime green aloha shirt, he’d be hard to miss in a crowd. All the elements combine to perform a quirky, unexpected performance that refuses to constrain itself to one vision of what music should sound like or what artists should look like.

Hailing from Los Angeles and spending extensive time in the Bay Area, the 22-year-old Blvc Svnd may not be on many radars, but he’s working hard to change that. He’s released over a dozen self-produced mixtapes and EPs beginning with 2015’s Nag Champa, pushing out the majority of his music on SoundCloud, much like rock-rap forebearers such as Juice WRLD and fellow Sessions guest Kamiyada. He also plays all the instruments on many of his projects himself, including bass, drums, and piano, while genre-hopping between electronic, pop, R&B, rap, and even metal.

Watch Blvc Svnd’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “U Foine” above.

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.

Gucci Mane’s Artist Foogiano Has Been Sentenced To Five Years In Prison For Skipping House Arrest

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Gucci Mane’s New 1017 Records roster is a man down after Foogiano, best known for his single “Molly,” was sentenced to five years in prison for fleeing house arrest, according to the Athens Banner-Herald. Foogiano, whose real name is Kwame Khalil Brown, was arrested in December of 2020 for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon but he was released on $50,000 bail with the condition that he remain in Georgia and wear an ankle monitor.

However, his ankle monitor was found on the side of a road in Barrow County and Foogiano was arrested in Memphis, Tennessee on March 11 after apparently melting the monitor and disappearing. US Marshall’s apprehended him at the funeral of fellow 1017 rapper Pooh Shiesty‘s brother, waiting until the service was over before making the arrest. According to Foogiano’s attorney Brandon Lewis, the rapper had cut his ankle monitor and fled in order to attend the birth of his son, who was due around the time he disappeared.

Foogiano learned that there was an arrest warrant out for him but decided not to turn himself in. His recently born son brings his total number of children to six. He was also named along with Gucci Mane in a wrongful death lawsuit after a woman was shot to death in a nightclub where the rappers were performing.

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