Music

Taylor Swift’s Re-Recorded Album ‘Fearless’ Makes Her The First Woman With Three No. 1s In Under A Year

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It’s been a busy year for Taylor Swift. Last summer, the singer released her eighth album, Folklore, which became one of the best-selling releases of 2020 and eventually took home a 2021 Grammy for Album Of The Year. Her run continued with the December release of Evermore, which also topped the charts. And earlier this month, Swift dropped her third album in less than 12 months with the re-recorded version of Fearless, her 2008 sophomore album, which, like, the other two, has topped the Billboard charts.

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 291,000 units sold in the chart dated April 24. This number is comprised of 179,000 pure album sales and 109,00 streaming equivalent album units. It makes her the first woman with three No. 1 albums in less than a year. Prior to this, the fastest a female recording artist was able to net three chart-topping projects was 14 months, when Donna Summer did it with Live And More (November 11, 1978), Bad Girls (June 16, 1979), and On The Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II (January 5, 1980).

Elsewhere, the new No. 1 ties Swift with Madonna for the second-most No. 1 albums over her career: nine, leaving her just two behind Barbra Streisand, who holds the most among women with 11. Swift also earned the biggest week of 2021 in terms of units sold, as well as the biggest week for a country album since Luke Bryan’s 2015 album Kill The Lights.

Further down the chart, DMX’s The Best Of DMX jumped from No. 73 to No. 2, following the rapper’s tragic death. Ariana Grande’s Positions also re-entered the top-10, thanks to the release of its vinyl LP and cassette, which helped boost the album from No. 17 to No. 6.

Mt. Westmore’s Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Too Short, And E-40 Performed Their First Track As A Group

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Back in December E-40 and Too Short revealed that they would be joining forces with fellow West Coast rappers Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube to form a rap supergroup. The announcement came after E-40 and Too Short’s Verzuz battle. There was no official name for the group when the news was shared during an interview on The Breakfast Club, and since then, things were rather quiet in terms of music or news from the quartet. All of that changed at Triller’s Fight Club event on Saturday night, when the group, which now bears the title of Mt. Westmore, performed their first track as a group together.

Before the group took the stage, Ice Cube kicked things off by performing “It Was a Good Day” and “You Can Do It” before handing the mic off to Snoop Dogg for a solo set that included “Gin & Juice,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and his newest track “CEO.” After this, a quartet appeared onstage as E-40 and Too Short joined in to complete the Mt. Westmore collective where they performed “Big Suberwoofer,” the first track from their soon-to-be released album.

During the interview on The Breakfast Club, Too Short revealed the group’s motivation were only for the culture and not money. “We just some OGs; everybody got studios, and facilities and rap beats,” he said. “It’s something I feel we’re doing this for hip-hop. You could be doing it for the bag. Nobody don’t need the bag!”

You can watch Mt. Westmore perform “Big Subwoofer” above.

Lil Nas X Shares The Two Artists He Wants On A ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ Remix

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Lil Nas X’s most recent single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” has brought the singer plenty of attention. Between the track’s unorthodox music video and the sale of his “Satan Shoes,” the customized Nike Air Max 97s that were made in collaboration with MSCHF, the conversation around the song was nonstop for a week after it arrived.

All this proved to be beneficial as “Montero” would go on to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart. A couple of weeks removed from this achievement, the singer stopped by Capital Radio for an interview with Roman Kemp where he shared what he hopes can happen next with the song.

According to NME, Lil Nas was asked who his dream collaborators for a potential remix would be during the interview and he replied, “Rihanna and Bad Bunny.” Kemp suggests that this remix “may already be in the pipeline” due the singer’s response, but that’s not the case yet. “I wish!” Lil Nas said. “What if I ask for it? I don’t want to jinx it.”

After the fire that was “Montero” cooled down for a bit, Lil Nas X joined Dominic Fike to star in a music video for Brockhampton’s “Count On Me.” Days later, he released some meme-worthy satan-themed merchandise for the single that includes a shirt that reads “I [heart] Jesus and that one part in the ‘Montero’ music video by Lil Nas X when he gets nasty with the devil because it was a cool form of self-expression and art.” Another said, “I WATCHED THE “Montero” VIDEO BY LIL NAS X AND ALL I GOT WITH THIS LOUSY SHIRT AND NOW I’M ALSO GAY AND LOVE SATAN.”

Lil Durk’s ‘Smurkchella’ Concert Ended Early After Reports Of Gunshots

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Concerts are slowly beginning to make their return across the United States as several states in the southern part of the country have allowed venues to host performances for artists. An example of this came Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona where Lil Durk held his Smurkchella concert. The night was set to be a fun and enjoyable event as the rapper would perform some of his biggest hits with a few guest acts including Coi Leray and Pooh Sheisty, but things unfortunately came to an early end after gunshots were reported at the concert.

According to Phoenix’s ABC 15, officers were called to the city’s Celebrity Theatre after a woman was injured in the shooting. The report says she was at the front of the stage when a bullet grazed her leg. Police added that once the shots rang out, the attendees frantically attempted to flee the scene, which resulted in another person being injured in the process. Several fans were able to capture the concert’s atmosphere when the shooting started. Video of Lil Durk and his crew scrambling to get off stage and nearly getting into a fight with someone could also be seen.

The incident comes after Durk teamed up with Pooh Shiesty to perform “Back In Blood” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He also joined Megan Thee Stallion in a video for their “Movie” collaboration.

You can watch footage of the incident above.

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

DMX’s Fiancée Desiree Lindstorm Reflects On The First Time She Met The Late Rapper

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DMX has received a number of tributes from fans and celebrities — both in and outside the music world — from all corners since his unfortunate death on April 9. Some members of his family, including his daughter and ex-wife, have also shared individual messages and tributes to the late rapper and the latest one arrives from his fiancée Desiree Lindstorm. In a post on Instagram, she reflected on the first night they met and how their love grew from there.

“The first night we met and you held me close,” she said. “I knew I would never let go. I was lost in you and nothing else mattered. My best friend, my baby, my love…truly my everything.” She added, “Thank you for us. Thank you for Exodus. Thank you God for Earl Simmons…forever X.” DMX and Lindstorm had one child together, their 4-year-old son Exodus. The rapper proposed to her back in 2019 during their son’s third birthday party in what was an extremely sweet moment.

The news comes after the rapper’s family announced that a public memorial would be held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on April 24. Unfortunately for those who hoped to attend the service, DMX’s family has chosen to limit the event to only close friends and family. Despite this, the memorial will be livestreamed for people to watch.

You can view the post from Lindstorm above.

ASAP Rocky’s Upcoming NFT Collection Includes New Music And A Chance To Win A Car

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It’s been three years since ASAP Rocky delivered a project for fans and while they’re certainly waiting for his next body of work, the rapper has something else in store for them later this month. Rock is joining in on the non-fungible token (NFT) wave with a collection of his own that will be released through Nifty Giveaway on April 21.

The collection includes a snippet of his “Sandman” track, which he premiered at the Yams Day Festival earlier this year and one that finds him reflecting on his rise to stardom. Buyers of the NFT will also be entered into a raffle to win one of his vehicles from his 2019 Injured Generation Tour or a studio visit to hear his upcoming fourth album.

The announcement comes after he joined ASAP Ferg to feature on Brockhampton’s “Bankroll” off the group’s latest album, Roadrunner: New Machine, New Light. Rocky also appeared alongside Nas in the trailer for Netflix’s upcoming drama film, Monster. The movie, which is executive produced by Nas, is based on Walter Dean Myers’ 1993 novel of the same title and finds Rocky playing the role a co-defendant to a 17-year-old honor student who was convicted of murder. The film is set to premiere on the streaming platform on May 7.

You can watch Rocky’s NFT announcement in the post above.

Black Rob Has Reportedly Died At The Age Of 51

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Hip-hop has lost yet another one of its artist at far too young an age on Saturday. Former Bad Boy rapper Black Rob has died at just the age of 51. The news was first shared by singer and producer Mario Winans on his Instagram page and was later confirmed by Mark Curry, who is also a former Bad Boy artist, in a video which a fan seemed to have screenrecorded.

“I don’t know where to begin this,” Curry said in the video while fighting back tears. “But I thank everybody for the donations. [Black] Rob passed away about an hour ago.” It’s unknown when or where Curry shared the video as it cannot be found on any of his social media pages. A cause of death for Black Rob has not been confirmed yet.

The unfortunate news comes just a week after a video of Black Rob in a hospital surfaced online. In it, the rapper can be seen struggling to talk while he sent condolences to DMX, who passed away last week. A day later, another video arrived, but this time it showed that Black Rob was out of the hospital. He did speak, however, about health issues and other struggles he’s been dealing with over the past few years, including a stint of homelessness.

“Oh man, I’ve been dealing with this for five years,” he said. “Four strokes … I don’t know what to tell you man. Sh*t is crazy. The sh*t is hard. I don’t got no house to live in — except maybe an apartment.”

Black Rob dropped his first album back in 2000 with Life Story. The project would debut at No. 3 on the Billboard and house his most successful solo single, “Whoa.” He would go on to release a total of four full-length projects in his career with the first two coming under the Bad Boy imprint. His most release was his 2015 mixtape, Genuine Article.

You can view the posts from Mario Winans and Mark Curry above.

Bobby Shmurda Teases Music With Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert, And More In Preparation Of A ‘Hot Summer’

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Next week will mark two months since Bobby Shmurda was freed from prison after spending more than six years locked up on third-degree conspiracy and weapons possessions charges. Since his release, the rapper has seemingly been focused on staying out of trouble and preparing his return to music. His upcoming release will be the first piece of music he’s released as a lead artist since 2014’s Shmurda She Wrote. While the wait for it continues, Bobby stopped by the Maino Presents: Kitchen Talks podcast to share what he’s been working on.

“Man, we got so much new music coming,” Bobby proclaimed. “We got music coming with the biggest artists, from Maino, Quavo, DaBaby, 42 [Dugg], Uzi, Rowdy [Rebel], Jay. There is so much sh*t coming out it’s gonna be a hot summer.” While some were quick to assume “Jay” was a reference to Jay-Z, Bobby did not confirm whether or not he meant the Roc Nation founder.

Bobby is still on parole until early 2026, the special conditions of which prohibit him from drinking alcohol, going to bars, and associating with gangs. He also has a set curfew of 8 p.m., must submit to drug testing, and must receive aggression and anger counseling. Lastly, he must seek, obtain, and maintain employment, an easy requirement to stick to with the new album on the way.

You can listen to the podcast episode above. Jump to the 1:19:15 mark to hear him discuss the features for the upcoming project.

Young Thug Shares What It Was Like Creating ‘Slime Language 2’ With Some Of Music’s Biggest Names

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Two years after its predecessor, Young Thug and his YSL Records collective returned with Slime Language 2. The highly-anticipated album dropped Friday, backed by 23 songs and guest appearances from Drake, Travis Scott, Big Sean, Meek Mill, and others. But it was supposed to come out much earlier. Back in August, Thug tweeted that the project would drop that month. He quickly retracted the news after he said his account was “hacked.” Now that the project is finally here, the rapper stopped by Zane Lowe’s Apple Music radio show to talk about making the compilation album with some of the industry’s biggest names.

“It seemed like a show,” he said. “It seemed like a Lollapalooza, Coachella. It just seemed like a show. Every moment was performing. Those was more a performance. You got to show up. You know what I’m saying?” He added, “Everybody’s watching there. Everybody here. Everybody in your shit. Everybody in your face, you got to show up. It just felt like that. Every moment.”

You can listen to the full episode, which also features an appearance from Gunna, here.

Slime Language 2 is out now via YSL Records/300 Entertainment. Get it here.

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

DMX Will Be Honored With A Memorial At Brooklyn’s Barclays Center

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It been a little over a week rapper DMX’s tragic death, but he will not be forgotten. His manager, Steve Rifkind, has announced plans to honor him, telling TMZ that a public memorial for DMX will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 24. However, it won’t be open to the public. The family has chosen to limit it to just close friends and family. The arena, which normally seats 19,000 people, will only allow 10% of its capacity. Despite this, TMZ reports that the memorial will be livestreamed for people to watch.

The announcement comes a week after Yonkers mayor Mike Spano offered his city’s massive raceway as a potential location for the public memorial. The outdoor venue, which resides in DMX’s hometown, carries 7,500 seats, nearly half the capacity of Barclays Center. But the late rapper’s family chose the bigger location for the service. Spano also promised to honor DMX in the city with a “lasting gesture” that may take the form of a street name, a statue, or a mural.

The news comes after a posthumous verse from the late rapper — on “Been To War,” his collaboration with Swizz Beatz and French Montana — was dropped. DMX’s music streams have also increased by nearly 1,000% since his death.