Music

DMX’s Autobiography Returns To Bestsellers Lists After His Death

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In the wake of DMX’s death Friday, the rapper’s music is not only once again the center of discourse among hip-hop fans, but his autobiography has returned to bestsellers lists. DMX first released E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX, in 2003 with The Source‘s Smokey D. Fontaine, receiving a glowing review in Publishers Weekly on publication. Today, it’s No. 1 on Amazon in Rap & Hip-Hop Musician Biographies and according to Billboard, has reached the Top 50 chart of biographies overall.

DMX is no stranger to the top of the charts, but it’s usually the music charts. In 1998, he became the second rapper to have consecutive albums released in the same calendar year reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 twice in the same year when his second album Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood entered the chart at the top spot, just seven months after his debut It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot accomplished the same feat. The first was one of DMX’s inspirations, Tupac.

Over the weekend, news of DMX’s death was met with an outpouring of loving posts from NBA players, tributes and jokes on SNL, and reminisces from fans about his endearing presence in the 2003 fighting game Def Jam Vendetta.

Read Uproxx’s DMX obituary here.

Bad Bunny Announces The Dates Of His 2022 ‘El Último Tour Del Mundo’ Tour

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Bad Bunny is going on tour! Of course, it won’t be until next year, as most venues are still more or less shut down right now. But this is certainly a good sign that things are trending in the right direction and the light at the end of the tunnel is not only visible but also approaching at an encouraging clip.

The tour centers around his recently released El Último Tour del Mundo. In the meantime, we can still catch Bad Bunny at sporting events like Wrestlemania, where he actually acquitted himself well, helping tag-team partner Damian Priest beat The Miz and John Morrison.

Check out the tour dates below.

2/9 — Denver, CO @Ball Arena
2/11 — El Paso, TX @ UTEP Don Haskins Center
2/13 — Hidalgo, TX @ Payne Arena
2/16 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
2/18 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
2/23 — San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena
2/24 — Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
2/25 — Inglewood, CA @ Forum
2/28 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
3/1 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
3/3 — San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
3/5 — Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
3/6 — Phoenix, AZ @ Phoenix Suns Arena
3/10 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
3/14 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
3/16 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
3/18 — Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
3/19 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
3/22 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
3/23 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
3/25 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
3/26 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
3/27 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
3/29 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
4/1 — Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena

Vinyl Me, Please Celebrates A Milestone With ‘VMP 100’ Editions Of Albums By Outkast, Gorillaz, And More

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For years now, Vinyl Me, Please has been one of the premiere ways to get a regular flow of exclusive and lovingly presented vinyl rereleases of terrific albums. Now they are celebrating their 100th Essential Record Of The Month with “VMP 100,” a series of reissues of sought-after albums.

The albums that will be re-released as part of the series are Gorillaz’s Demon Days; Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix; Outkast’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik; Queens Of The Stone Age’s Songs For The Deaf; Queen’s A Night At The Opera; Outkast’s Stankonia; Spiritualized’s Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space; Saba’s Care For Me; Al Green’s Call Me; and Miles Davis & John Coltrane’s The Final Tour: Paris, March 21, 1960.

Vinyl Me, Please CEO Cameron Schaefer says, “Exploring music together is at the heart of VMP and is the driving force behind the last eight years of monthly releases. VMP Essentials is our flagship subscription, the OG, and is the most clear representation of the evolution and growth of our company and community. While it feels like we’ve reached the top of a mountain in a sense with VMP 100, the reality is there’s so much more to explore. It’s truly just the beginning.”

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, who have albums re-issued through VMP but are not included in the “VMP 100” rereleases, offered a statement, saying, “Being selected by VMP and having them present our music and packaging to their collected followers is like having one of the world’s great art museums show your stuff; or should I say, it’s like a great art museum that you’ve been to that you love and admire, and then one day you go to the museum and they have YOUR art hanging in it. It’s like being welcomed and accepted into a sacred church where records are God.”

Learn more about “VMP 100” here.

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

DMX’s Daughter Posted A Heartfelt Tribute To The Late Rapper On Twitter

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While the death of DMX last week sparked a wave of heartfelt posts from admirers and peers on social media, some of the most touching posts came from those who were closest to the late rapper. DMX’s daughter Sasha was among them, paying a touching tribute to him with a poignant post on Twitter.

“Nothing will ever explain how i feel, how this all feels,” she wrote. ” “My twin, i love you. there’s always been so many misconceptions about who the f*ck you were but that didn’t matter because i knew who the f*ck you were. eternally greatful to have had you. i love you forever dad.”

Others who paid tribute to X as a person included his ex-wife Tashera Simmons, the mayor of Yonkers, New York, where DMX grew up, and X’s Cradle 2 The Grave co-star Gabrielle Union, who shared a hilarious recollection of his fondness for the 1980s sitcom, The Golden Girls.

However, not all the tributes to X were accepted as they were intended by the artist’s fans. Def Jam, X’s label home throughout his dominant run at the end of the 90s and beginning of the aughts, received a backlash after releasing a pair of compilations on streaming before the rapper’s death was officially announced.

He was reportedly working on a new album for Def Jam at the time of his death, so we’ll see how fans react if and when it’s completed and released. Until then, you can read Uproxx’s reflection on X’s career and legacy here.

Chika Announces Her Retirement And Cites The ‘Mental Toll’ Of The Industry As A Reason

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Success doesn’t always lead to happiness — something that Chika has unfortunately experienced. Despite dropping impressive projects and even landing a Grammy nomination, things haven’t been perfect for the Alabama native. It seems like things have only gotten worse, as she took to Twitter on Sunday to share a message announcing her retirement.

today, i shared that I was thinking of retiring because the mental toll being in the industry has taken on me is not something you bounce back from easily. i’ve told my team, i’ve told my therapist, i’ve told friends and acquaintances. today i told twitter. what followed was a hoard of psychotic fans rejoicing in the decline of my mental health, harassing me as if I spoke to them first. when you have depression, the negative self talk you have towards yourself is deafening. now imagine a slew of weirdos dogpiling on top of thoughts you already have to fight off yourself. it’s not f*cking cool, it’s not “trolling” or “stan culture,” you’re pushing people to a point of no return. and no, i don’t feel bad for wishing death on people who sh*t like that cuz you deserve the same fate as the people you effect.

with that said, I’m out. if it doesn’t work, i’ll try again. idc. have fun. i never liked it here anyway.

The message came after a Instagram Live session in which she responded to fans’ feelings about her announcement. “I came on here and said I was retiring because that’s where I’m at — physically, mentally and emotionally,” she said. “And you stupid b*tches flooded my comments immediately, not know what the f*ck I’m going through. You want me to give a good god damn about you and your stupid ass fifth grade stan friends?”

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

Kid Cudi Showed Love To ‘That Weird Little Flute’ In Rap Songs In An ‘SNL’ Sketch

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It was just a few years ago that Future’s “Mask Off,” and the infectious flute that was present on the song, took the music world by storm. The track is just one of many rap records to feature a heavy presence of the woodwind instrument. It’s a quality that caught the eye of Kid Cudi and a few Saturday Night Live cast members as they delivered a sketch in honor of “that weird little flute.”

Cudi, along with Pete Davidson and Chris Redd, joined forces for a song that finds them flaunting their own flutes and expressing their love for it. Later on in the skit, Timothée Chalamet joins in on the fun musical sketch.

In addition to the sketch, Cudi was the musical guest for the SNL episode. He performed “Sad People” and “Tequila Shots” and the former caught the attention of most viewers as Cudi stepped on stage rocking an Off-White floral dress, noticeably similar to the one Kurt Cobain famously wore. Following the performance, Cudi shared his intention with the dress in a pair of tweets. “Virgil designed the dress for me. I told him I wanted to show love to Kurt w a floral print sundress and this man made a masterpiece,” he said. “Thank You @virgilabloh ur a f*ckin genius!! Love you man we did it!!!” In a second tweet, he added, “Im doin a collection w Off White and the dress will be included!!”

You can watch the flute sketch in the video above.

Black Rob Opens Up About Health Issues And Homelessness After He Was Released From The Hospital

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As the hip-hop world continues to grieve the death of DMX, concerns for the well-being of another one of its members spiked after a video surfaced on a few days ago. Black Rob sent love out to DMX in a video that landed on social media after the late rapper’s family confirmed his death, however, Rob’s frail condition and unexpected hospitalization shock fans and immediately left him concerned for his health.

“What’s goin’ on. I don’t know what the pain is, the pain is crazy man,” he struggles to say. “It’s helping me out though, but it’s making me realize I got a lot to go on.”

Now, just a day later, former Bad Boy rapper returned with an update on his health.

“I thank you all for your prayers & concern,” the image he posted on Instagram read. “I wanted to let you know from myself that I’m good. I’m home now!” In the caption, he wrote, “Don’t always believe what the media post with out true context! Cats always wants to spread negativity for a come up!” In a second video, Black Rob gave fans an update on his life where he revealed multiple health issues as well a period 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. Me and my man be trying to get together. I’m telling you man, this sh*t is strange. It’s hard, you know what I’m saying?” He added, “I don’t know what the people want to do, what the people going to say. I need some rest, man. Really, man. I need some rest. My side is killing me.” Producer and rapper Mike Zombie set up a GoFundMe for Rob that raised $7,935 before he ended fundraiser. The description says the GoFundMe is to “help him find a home, pay for medical help & stability during these trying times.”

You can check out Curry’s video and Black Rob’s message above.

‘SNL’ Paid Their Respects To DMX Through Jokes And A Tribute To Close The Show

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Early Friday morning, DMX’s family put out a statement confirming what the entertainment world would hope to be false. The legendary rapper sadly passed away at 50 following a reported drug overdose and heart attack. Tributes from all over, including the music and sports world, came pouring in and as the days go on, many are still finding their own ways to honor him with the latest being Saturday Night Live.

The first mention of DMX came during the late-night show’s cold open segment. The sketch was led by Kenan Thompson, Ego Nwodim, Kate McKinnon, and Alex Moffat who altogether played four Minnesota anchors that were initially discussing the murder of George Floyd but switch the topic after a disagreement.

“We lost royalty yesterday,” McKinnon said, in reference to Prince Phillip’s death on Friday. “Yes, the rapper DMX died,” Nwodim replied which was met by an applause from he audience. McKinnon tried to correct Nwodim saying, “I was talking about the prince,” but her attempt failed as Nwodim retorted, “Girl, Prince been dead!”

DMX’s came on a pair of occasions later in the show. The first came with a photo SNL put onscreen of the rapper and his stage name following a commercial break, the image from when he himself performed on the show back in 2000 where he performed “What’s My Name” from his 1999 album, … And Then There Was X.. Lastly, after host Carey Mulligan delivered her thank yous to the audience and viewers, Chris Redd held up a handwritten sign that read “R.I.P. DMX” in black lettering.

You can watch the cold open segment as well as view a screenshot of show’s closing moments above.

DMX’s Ex-Wife Tashera Simmons Penned A Heartfelt Message To Him Following His Death

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DMX’s death has hurt a lot of people all throughout the entertainment world, with many taking to social media to show the late rapper love and send their condolences. His passing may hurt few more than his ex-wife Tashera Simmons, however, as it came just a day before her 50th birthday. The two got married in 1998 and filed for divorce in 2012. Together they had four children: Xavier, Tacoma, Praise Mary Ella, and Sean.

On Saturday, Simmons took to Instagram to honor DMX and celebrate her milestone birthday with a heartfelt message.

“Happy 50th birthday to me. With much prayer, pulling. Crying and a roller coaster of emotions,” she wrote. “I couldn’t bring myself to just celebrate and close the last 50yrs of my life with out celebrating the life of one of thee most important person in the world to me, my Ex-husband. I know today is my day. But I also understand that God is love. So When God allowed me to open up my eyes and granted me the gift of life, I realize more than ever, that was my true gift today. Glory be to God!!”

She added, “I am so grateful to God and Honored from the bottom of my heart, For the opportunity while on this Journey called life to join hands in marriage with a true disciple and Angel of God to do life with when we did. Everything we went through was necessary. It made me the women I am today. ”

You can check out the post above.

Kid Cudi Honors Kurt Cobain And Chris Farley In ‘SNL’ Performances Of ‘Sad People’ And ‘Tequila Shots’

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Just a few months removed from the release of his seventh solo album, Man On The Moon III: The Chosen, Kid Cudi brought his talents to the stage of Saturday Night Live. The rapper rocked out in a pair of performances of songs from that album, but it was his wardrobe for the night that got the attention of viewers the most.

Kicking off the night with “Tequila Shots,” Cudi stepped out to the mic wearing a T-shirt that featured actor, comedian, and former SNL cast member Chris Farley, who tragically passed away in 1997 from a overdose at just the age of 33 following a lengthy struggle with drug addiction. Later on in the night, Cudi returned, this time donning an Off-White white floral dress, one that was very similar to the one Kurt Cobain famously once wore. The Nirvana frontman also struggled with drug addiction before his tragic suicide in 1994. Cudi has expressed his love and appreciation for Cobain on a number of occasions. In a past interview with GQ, he said, “I try to use [Cobain] as my muse whenever I can.”

Cudi’s decision to honor Farley and Cobain could have been influenced by DMX’s recent passing. The Yonkers rapper died on Friday after a reported drug overdose that caused a heart attack and left him hospitalized for nearly a week.

You can watch the performances in the videos above.