Music

Open Mike Eagle Laces Up His ‘Gold Gloves’ For Battle On Mello Music Group’s New Compilation

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Iron sharpens iron. That’s why Open Mike Eagle, Oddisee, and the rest of Mello Music Group are practicing their Bushido on a new compilation album from the independent rap label coming out in April. Featuring production from the likes of Apollo Brown, The Alchemist, L’Orange, The Lasso, and more, and vocal appearances from Homeboy Sandman, Joell Ortiz, Murs, and Stalley, the compilation assembles some of rap’s best underground spitters, with the friendly competition bringing out their best.

Ahead of the release, MMG (heh) has shared a new track featuring Open Mike Eagle and The Lasso titled “Gold Gloves.” The track, produced by The Lasso on “a glitched-out Moog,” finds Open Mike lyrically shadowboxing, describing the process of getting focused for an upcoming fight while reflecting on the toll previous battles have left on him.

The Bushido compilation arrives in Mello Music Group’s tenth year of operation. The description for the project on Bandcamp positions the label as a band of the last samurai in rap, “religiously devoted to the upholding of standards and values.”

Bushido is due 4/2 via Mello Music Group. You can pre-order it here. See the tracklist below.

1. “Iron Steel Samurai” (feat. Quelle Chris & The Alchemist)
2. “Gold Gloves” (feat. Open Mike Eagle & The Lasso)
3. “One of the Last” (feat. Marlowe)
4. “Yours Truly” (feat. Homeboy Sandman & Kensaye Russell)
5. “No Trouble” (feat. Oddisee)
6. “Gwan B Ok” (feat. Zackey Force Funk & The Lasso)
7. “Ta-Nehesi The Vocals” (feat. Skyzoo & L’Orange)
8. “Symbol of Hope” (feat. Open Mike Eagle, Namir Blade & Elaquent)
9. “Never Lived” (feat. Oddisee)
10. “None” (feat. Homeboy Sandman & Iman Omari)
11. “Bane Brain” (feat. James Shahan & Quelle Chris)
12. “Black Rock” (feat. Joell Ortiz, Namir Blade, Stalley & Solemn Brigham) 05:08
13. “Outlast” (feat. Dueling Experts, Joell Ortiz & Apollo Brown)
14. “Black Man” (feat. RJ Payne & Apollo Brown)
15. “Turnt Garveyite” (feat. Murs & Georgia Anne Muldrow)
16. “Nightmare” (feat. Cambatta & Apollo Brown)
17. “Rap” (feat. Homeboy Sandman & Eric Lau)
18. “You To Me” (feat. Oddisee)
19. “ZeroFux” (feat. B-Real, Kool Keith, Joell Ortiz & Nottz)
20. “Banners” (feat. The Perceptionists & !llmind)

The Coachella And Stagecoach Festivals Are Reportedly Being Pushed Back To 2022

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Coachella is one of the world’s biggest music festivals, but the last time an iteration of the event was actually hosted was April 2019. Since then, the pandemic has forced the fest — along with its country-oriented counterpart Stagecoach — to be postponed multiple times. Now it appears that is happening again: Variety reports that according to “two industry sources with knowledge of the situation,” that Coachella is moving from April 2021 to April 2022. Additionally, Stagecoach, which traditionally takes place the weekend after Coachella’s two weekends, will be similarly postponed.

As Variety notes, if this move is official, this will be the fourth set of dates the festival has had: First April 2020, then October 2020, then April 2021, and now April 2022. There were previously reports that the festival was pushed back to October 2021, although that news was never confirmed by promoters.

So far, most of the news about music festivals has been regarding cancellations and postponements. Events that have changed plans this year include Glastonbury, Boston Calling, and Primavera Sound. There are some silver linings, though. At the start of the year, Governors Ball declared its intention to host its 2021 festival in September. Life Is Beautiful is also set for September and organizers announced this year’s lineup last week.

Saba Balances Reflection And Optimism In His Video For ‘Ziplock/Rich Don’t Stop’

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Saba wowed the hip-hop world in 2018 with his sophomore album Care For Me. The 10-track effort was labeled by many as one of the best hip-hop projects from that year, but after its release, the Chicago native would go more than two years without a solo release. That all changed last September with the arrival of not one but two singles: “Mrs. Whoever” and “Something In The Water.” Their release launched a string of drops that brings us to his latest singles, “Ziplock” and “Rich Don’t Stop,” which were released on Wednesday.

The Care For Me rapper turned the two songs into a medley for their music video. In it, he can be found on the roof of what appears to be a fairly tall building as he raps the bars of his “Ziplock” track. The reflective single transitions into a much more upbeat effort with “Rich Don’t Stop,” which finds the rapper looking ahead to brighter days. The video also served as a fundraiser for the John Walt Foundation, which was made in honor of Saba’s late cousin, who helped co-found the Pivot Gang collective of which Saba is also a part

After dropping “Mrs. Whoever” and “Something In The Water,” Saba closed out 2020 with “So And So” and “Areyoudown? Pt. 2.” He also connected with Amine and Femdot for the tracks “Talk” and “Lifetime.”

You can watch the video for “Ziplock/Rich Don’t Stop” above.

Rod Wave Launches A Video Game In Support Of His ‘Soulfly’ Single ‘Street Runner’

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Rod Wave is about to release his third album Soulfly, but before it arrives, he’s delivered a unique treat to fans. Following the release of “Street Runner,” the lead single from his upcoming full-length effort, the Florida native has teamed up with Krool Toys for a collaborative project tied to the track that delivers an arcade-inspired game.

Rod also spoke about the new song and game, saying it’s “a personal song about the sacrifices I made to pursue this career that I have now all while never forgetting about the family and loved ones I’m doing it for. This video game brings my story to life beyond the music.”

In a statement to Complex, Stefan of Krool Toys explained the inspiration behind the game: “When building out this game we really wanted to give people the feeling of being back in an arcade getting behind one of those old school sit-down racing games, as well as incorporate some elements from Rod’s home of Florida.”

Street Runner can be played through Krool Toys here. Rod is also offering a chance to win a one-of-one Street Runner Game Boy box, as well as a customized Game Boy Advance, which one can enter in here.

As for Soulfly, the album will arrive on March 26 and feature 19 songs, with a sole guest appearance from Chicago rapper Polo G.

Soulja Boy Laughed Off Drake’s Recent Comments About Bow Wow’s Influence

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Just a little over two years ago, Soulja Boy had his infamous “Drake??” moment on The Breakfast Club, where the “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” rapper claimed he helped influence Drake’s early success. Fast forward to the present and it’s clear that his sentiments have not changed.

Souja recently took to Twitter to share his displeasures with Drake’s recent comments about Bow Wow’s influence on him, which he had posted on Instagram. “I had to link with Wizzle,” Drake said. “Everybody wants to have drinks and everybody wants to celebrate and turn up and, you know, I just had to see Wizzle. I had to see Wizzle in person. If it wasn’t for you, there wouldn’t be no me. That’s why I’mma rock with y’all forever.”

But Souja had said he was lying. “That n**** drake is hilarious. Dude stole my whole bar then thanked bow wow,” he said. Drake showed love to Bow Wow after the three songs on his EP Scary Hours 2 debuted within the top three positions of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. As a result of the feat, he held a party to commemorate the accomplishment, which Bow Wow attended.

Despite all this, it’s likely the two rappers will stay on good terms. After his 2019 The Breakfast Club appearance, Soulja shared an Instagram direct message conversation between him and Drake, in which the Toronto rapper wrote, “You know it’s always been love all jokes aside.”

Kanye West’s Yeezy And Gap’s Deal Is Reportedly Worth Nearly $1 Billion

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Back in June 2020, Kanye West announced that his brand Yeezy landed a deal with Gap. While he didn’t share too many details about the joint venture, some specifics about the partnership were revealed by The New York Times. According to “a person familiar with the negotiations, who was not authorized to speak publicly,” the deal holds a term of ten years, with the option to renew after five. Almost nine months later, Yeezy and Gap’s partnership seems to be a successful endeavor.

Bloomberg reports that the collaboration between the two brands, which is set to be available in stores later this year, could be valued as high as $970 million. The publication also reported that Yeezy itself is valued between $3.2 billion to $4.7 billion, thanks to estimates from UBS Group. West also has $122 million in cash and stock, $110 million from his music catalog, and $1.7 billion in other assets, including Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS brand. If the reported numbers are correct, it would bump West’s net worth to somewhere between the range of $5.1 billion and $6.6 billion — a sharp increase from the $1.3 billion that Forbes reported last year.

In other news, last week collaborator Cyhi The Prynce said that West got back to work on his upcoming album Donda, which was originally set to arrive last summer.

The Weeknd Celebrates 10 Years Of ‘House Of Balloons’ By Releasing The Mixtape On Streaming Services

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The Weeknd released his debut mixtape House Of Balloons in 2011, before he was signed to XO Records. The project was an early indication of the singer’s massive success as it instantly put The Weeknd on the map. This Sunday officially marks the 10-year anniversary of the mixtape’s release, so to celebrate, the singer has decided to upload the project to streaming services in its original form for the first time.

The Weeknd shared the exciting news to social media, saying all of the original samples have been cleared for streaming, including Beach House’s “Master Of None” and Aaliyah’s “Rock the Boat.” “On Sunday for its 10 year anniversary I’m releasing House of Balloons on all streaming platforms for the first time in it’s original incarnation,” the singer wrote. “With the original mixes and samples.”

Ahead of announcing that the album is going to be made available for streaming, The Weeknd took aim at the Grammys just before their ceremony Sunday. The singer had previously called the Recording Academy “corrupt” after his acclaimed album After Hours did not receive a single nomination. This time, The Weeknd declares that he’s boycotting the event for good. In a statement given to the New York Times, The Weeknd said: “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.”

House Of Balloons will be made available on streaming services 3/21.

Chad Tepper Performs His Pop-Punk Breakout Hit ‘Loser’ On ‘UPROXX Sessions’

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UPROXX Sessions is taking a turn back to pop-punk this week, with Floridian skater-turned- musician Chad Tepper and his performance of his 2019 song, “Loser.” A former social media star, Tepper turned to music in 2019, releasing his Saddest Memory and Trash Loser EPs. “Loser,” the lead single from the latter, is an upbeat, guitar-driven track that finds Chad fretting over the potential loss of a romantic interest.

Tepper followed up in 2020 with the three-song collection, Free Brittany. His 2000s alt-rock influences are apparent on all three projects, as he specifically name-checks My Chemical Romance in the last song of Free Brittany. On the title track, he croons, “I like to skate in my block and listen to MCR.” The similarities helped him accumulate quite a few views on YouTube, although his biggest hit there is the more hip-hop-oriented “Malibu” featuring Jake Paul. Most recently, he released the December 2020 single “I Wanna Be Your High.”

Watch Chad Tepper’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “Loser” 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.

Justin Bieber Previews A New ‘Justice’ Song In A Stripped-Down Tiny Desk Concert

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With anticipation for his new album Justice reaching its peak, Justin Bieber delivers a stripped-down, at-home Tiny Desk Concert to preview one of the most eagerly anticipated songs from the upcoming album. Although Daniel Caesar and Giveon were unable to appear, fans get to hear a version of “Peaches” featuring Justin on keys and some light scratching from his DJ, Jay James. The performance also opens with a Chance The Rapper-less version of “Holy” and features “Hold On” and “Anyone,” also from Justice.

Justin previously revealed the latter two songs during the months-long rollout for his new album, debuting “Anyone” in a livestream concert for Spotify and releasing a neo-noir-styled music video for “Hold On.” He also later released a video for “Anyone,” harkening to classic boxing dramas in a narrative video that required three hours of makeup to hide his tattoos. “Holy” is, of course, the best-known track he performs here, after Justin used the new song and its cinematic music video to usher in a “new era” back in September of 2020. He also performed the song during his October appearance on Saturday Night Live and offered an acoustic remix with an accompanying, bare-bones video. Now, the wait is nearly at its end; Justice drops 3/19 via Def Jam.

Watch Justin Bieber’s Tiny Desk Concert above.