For some time after he released his sophomore album Free Spirit, Khalid kept things rather quiet on the music side of things. The singer shared a few singles in the two years that followed, but things have been picking up as of late for the Texas-bred singer. With his third album hopefully on the way, Khalid is back with new music and his latest is an effort titled, “New Normal.” As of right now, the track has not been officially released but the singer debuted it during a performance at Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space flight launch on Sunday.
Prior to its release, Khalid shared with Rolling Stone that the song served as his “personal therapy” last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Around this time last year, I was super fascinated and gravitated toward space,” he added, tying in the song with the space flight launch. “I was watching this comet by the name of Neowise last year, and space travel is something that I’ve always been interested in as well. And I’ve been going through the motions of understanding this new, postmodern future that’s coming together, especially when it comes down to technology — it’s something that really excites me.”
Prior to debuting the new song, Khalid teamed with Tate McRae for their collaboration, “Working.” Khalid also connected with J Balvin for “Otra Noche Sin Ti.”
Watch the performance at the 60:20:12 mark in the video above.
Earlier this month marked one year since the world received Pop Smoke’s first posthumous album, Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon. It also came five months after the rapper was tragically shot and killed during an attempted robbery that took place in a Hollywood mansion he rented. By the end of the year, the project was one of the most popular releases of 2020 as it became a mainstay on the Billboard 200. Since its arrival, the late rapper’s team has promised a second posthumous effort from the Brooklyn native, something they confirmed last month with the announcement of Pop Smoke.
At this point the music world is just days away from receiving the new project, but for folks in a pair of cities there’s an early opportunity to listen to records from the upcoming album thanks to a unique promotional tactic. Pop Smoke fans can preview songs from the upcoming album thanks to QR codes located on flyers throughout New York City and Los Angeles. The specific location of these flyers is unknown, but some have been discovered and shared on social media by excited fans.
The flyers were posted days after the late rapper’s team released the “Outro” for the upcoming album. In it, he delivers a motivational message that lines up with the thoughts he shared in a trailer for the upcoming album. “Never let anybody get in between you and your creations,” the late rapper says in the video. “Why you just trying to be cool? You gotta make history.”
You check out videos of the flyers with the QR codes above.
Pop Smoke is out 7/16 via Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic. Pre-order it here.
Justin Bieber and Chance The Rapper have shared a number of moments throughout their careers. From their early collaborations that include “Roller Coaster” and “Juke Jam” to their most recent one with “Holy,” the two artists are quite familiar with each other. So it’s no surprise that they’ve both signed on to headline the upcoming Freedom Experience concert in Los Angeles. The event is the finale of 1DayLA’s weeklong COVID-19 service event that takes place from July 18-24.
According to a press release for the event, 1DayLA’s goal is to mobilize 20,000 volunteers in the Southern California area to help “organize beautification projects, back-to-school events, free medical clinics, homeless assistance, and aid distribution.” The concert itself will take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California which holds up to 70,000 people. Jaden, Tori Kelly, and more are also slated to perform at the upcoming show.
Bieber revealed that his reason for joining the 1DayLA show was his commitment to the “powerful idea that a movement for change can start with individuals helping one another and their community.”
The news comes after Bieber joined The Kid Laroi for their latest collaboration, “Stay,” an effort Laroi described as “probably the most organic way of making a song I’ve ever done.” Chance, on the other hand, is preparing to release his upcoming concert film, Magnificent Coloring Book.
Scroll up to see a flyer for the event and for more on 1DayLA, click here.
On Friday, Vince Staples ended the nearly three-year-long stretch that he went without releasing a full-length project to fans. The Long Beach native shared his official third album, Vince Staples, and it arrived following weeks of frequent headline-making comments and interviews from the rapper.
Vince continues that streak with a recent sit-down with The Independent where he shared his thoughts on the current landscape of the music industry and how some rapper use gang affiliation to boost their rise and appeal in hip-hop.
“This is a business where we monetize people’s struggles, pain, death and murder,” he said. “If you’re a kid from a situation, and you feel the only way that you will get out of the situation where there’s immense poverty or bad home life or low self-esteem is by doing this thing that everyone is selling, you’re going to try to sell that thing.”
He added, “We’ve seen people market and distribute death and destruction within our communities for decades; they do these things because it gets attention. What do we really expect when we give people millions of dollars to say they’re tough? They’re gonna say they’re tough. It’s common sense.”
The rapper also pointed out that rather than focus on the individuals doing good, the media instead choose to pay attention to those who fit a “bad boy” image.
“These people who do the wrong thing are always brought up [by the media], but no one who’s done the right things has been mentioned,” he said.
Vince Staples is out now via Blacksmith Recordings/Motown Records. Pre-order it here.
While legal troubles have kept Pooh Shiesty in the news, the Memphis native isn’t letting it stop him from sharing new content with fans. His latest release comes in the form of a new visual for “Switch It Up” with G Herbo and No More Heroes.
The video is quite the reverent effort as the trio gets busy on both the good and bad sides of the laws They accomplish some light flexing throughout the video while giving viewers a look into the not-so-good deeds they involve themselves in.
The song is housed on Shiesty’s spring deluxe edition of his debut album, Shiesty Season, which he released back in May. The project’s arrival came just before a string of low moments for the Memphis native. In the weeks that followed, the rapper would be arrested and charged for two separate shooting incidents in Miami, for both of which he was denied bond and remains in police custody. The first came during a club event where he allegedly shot someone after money was apparently stolen from him. This led to a charge of aggravated battery. The second came from a 2020 Miami robbery that went wrong and led to the rapper and a friend shooting two men. In this case, he was charged with discharging a firearm during a violent crime, conspiracy, and robbery under a law regulating commerce.
You can watch Pooh Shiesty’s new video above.
Pooh Shiesty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
While it’s been scarce on the music side of things for Travis Scott lately, the rapper has proven himself to be the king of brand partnerships over the past twelve months. He’s teamed up with the likes of McDonald’s, PlayStation, Fortnite, and more to deliver merchandise and content that his fans rushed to get their hands on. Scott looks to continue that streak as he joined forces with marijuana cultivator Connected Cannabis to launch his very own cannabis line, Cactus Farms. The strains are already available in some dispensaries in a few states across the country.
For those who are interested in trying out the Cactus Farms line, they’ll have to stop by dispensaries that stock Connected Cannabis products in California or Harvest dispensaries in Arizona. According to Connected Cannabis, the first strain from Travis’ Cactus Farms line is a hybrid that was hand-picked by the rapper himself. It’s labeled as an “Indica-leaning strain” that features a “dense, purple bud that releases a pungent, funky-sweet gas aroma rounded out by a unique berry twist,” according to NME.
The news comes after a report revealed Travis and Meek Mill had to separate from each other following a verbal altercation at a Fourth Of July event earlier this month. The cause of the fight is still unknown at the moment, but thankfully, the two rappers walked away from each other before things turned physical.
Meek Mill is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Ever since his days as president, Barack Obama has been very open about his musical taste. Year after year, he’s shared playlists of favorite songs, both old and new. On Saturday he continued that trend. He dropped his 2021 summer playlist on Instagram, and it’s comprised of 38 songs featuring some of the biggest names of today and yesterday.
“With so many folks getting together with family and friends, there’s a lot to celebrate this summer,” Barack wrote. “I put together a playlist of some of the songs I’ve been listening to lately — it’s a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in between.”
Some of the artists include Rihanna (“Desparado”), SZA (“Good Days“), Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak (“Leave The Door Open“), Drake (“Wants And Needs”), Migos (“Straightenin“), and J. Cole (“Neighbors”). Older additions include The Rolling Stones (“Tumbling Dice”), Stevie Wonder (“If You Really Love Me”), Bob Marley and The Wailers (“Exodus”), Erykah Badu (“Didn’t Cha Know”), Bob Dylan (“I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight”), and many more.
You can see the full list of songs on the playlist in the post above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Drake promised fans they would get his sixth album Certified Lover Boyby the end of January. A knee surgery forced that back, and since then the rapper has been extremely tight-lipped about a new release date, only going as far as to say it would be out by summer’s end. And, as of now, at least, it seems he’ll make good on his promise.
Drake made a surprise appearance on the Sirius show Fry Yiy Friday, where he slipped in a casual update about Certified Lover Boy. “You know Uncle Drake’s on his way back home to mix the album,” he said on the show, adding that there’s “a bunch of new tracks coming.” While there isn’t a timetable for the album’s mixing stage, fans can rest assured knowing Certified Lover Boy is very close to arriving.
While the wait for Certified Lover Boy has been a pretty long one, at least Drake has been releasing new music. He recently teamed up with Brent Faiyaz for “Wasting Time,” which arrived after he lent verses to Migos and Nicki Minaj for their respective tracks “Havin My Way” and “Seeing Green“.
You can listen to Drake’s comments in the video above.
As a newly independent artist, Tinashe has a lot more leeway with what she releases and when. In the case of her new song “Bouncin,” the day is today, and its release is stripped-down and no-frills. Without releasing a video or putting out a whole bunch of fanfare, Tinashe keeps the attention squarely on the music itself rather than its visual presentation or the circumstances of its rollout — a kind of old-school way of going about things that suggests she may be saving those components for a later date.
As far as the song itself goes, it fits firmly in her usual lane of futuristic-sounding, pop-leaning R&B. A flirtatious, dancefloor-ready song, “Bouncin” finds her enjoying the physicality of seducing a potential paramour. “Watch it bouncin’ on the ground / Got my edges sweating out / Turn it up extra loud,” she croons. She also jokes that she hopes her dirty pics “make it to the cloud,” which seems like the opposite of what most stars want, but hey, more power to her if it’s true.
“Bouncin” joins the Buddy-featuring “Pasadena” as the singer’s only two single releases of the year, and while that might constitute a slow rollout for a signed artist, it actually gives Tinashe more room to work her singles without the pressure of the arbitrary deadline and release schedule that might constrain her art and keep it from flourishing. She gets to take her time, which is alright with her fans because the music she’s put out lately has been stellar.
Inglewood is going through a bit of a resurgence, not just geographically and economically, but also artistically. While the City Of Champions receives an influx of business and development thanks to a giant new football stadium and the new Clippers arena currently being constructed in the area, its profile in the entertainment world has risen dramatically, thanks to the efforts of locals like rapper D Smoke and multi-hyphenate Issa Rae. They’ve been putting on for their city in a way that hasn’t been seen since the Los Angeles Lakers and their Showtime antics gave Inglewood its nickname in the late ’80s/early ’90s with Issa’s show Insecure, Smoke’s season one win on Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow, and his debut album Black Habits.
The city is now the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, the future home of the Los Angeles Clippers, and the hometown of rising rap star Nana. Nana, the son of Ghanaian immigrants and a lyricist of powerful artistic intent, recently released the cathartic, authentic debut album Save Yourself. On it, Nana details his battles with demons both internal and external with wit, empathy, and a stark, realistic outlook that conveys all the sensibilities of old-school gangsta rap with a much more cosmopolitan and modern twist. Call it gangsta-adjacent rap. It’s the sort of lyricism that has long been embraced in the Inglewood area by longtime friends like Thurz and in the wider LA area from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Murs, and Reason, but Nana’s unique approach gives it enough originality to overcome straight-up homage and elevate his street credibility.
I connected with Nana via Zoom to talk about the album, as well as our shared experiences as children of the Los Angeles street culture who stayed out of it by some stroke of fate, faith, or luck (or all of the above), but were still touched by it.
All right. So first off, I would like to say thank you for creating Save Yourself, because that is an incredible album. I discovered it on my last trip to the park to hoop and I swear I shot 87% from three that day.
There we go. Though safe to say that it had a positive effect.
Yes, sir. So let’s start with who is Nana? You are from Crenshaw and I know that, and I know that your parents are Ghanaian. I don’t know much about you, so let’s just start with when did you start rapping? Why did you start rapping? What was the impetus behind who you are now?
Word. Well, I’m Nana, a young man from the Crenshaw district and born and raised here. Didn’t move here. I was born and bred here. My parents came here, I want to say 1983. 1983. And then I’m one of five siblings. So I’m of and from the area and I’m somebody that I felt like it’s my God-given destiny to not only give my story, and my story, it’s a very interesting story given where my parents are from and me being first-generation Ghanaian. But to really tell the story of young Black and brown kids that come from where I come from and who don’t have the voice that I have. So that’s just the tip of the iceberg of who I am.
You changed your stage name from Blaison Maven. Can you explain what that name meant, why you changed your name and why it was so important to you to go by your government?
Man, I chose that name because I wanted to be like Lupe [Fiasco]. I felt like “Blaison” looked good on paper. I remember Lupe telling his story and how he said he chose the name Lupe because it looked good on paper.
And in hindsight, it was a ridiculous name that I chose. But I decided to change my name because I was always insecure about my name, the name Nana. I was always insecure about it. I didn’t want to go by my real name initially, which is why I went by what I was going by, but I think with my newfound honesty and me really giving people my truth. I’m like, I can’t really tell people the truth until I’m truthful with myself, right?
So I’m like, I have to embrace my insecurities. There are other people that are out there that have insecurities and I got to be the one to kind of let them know that it’s okay to embrace who you are. You don’t have to run away from it, especially the power that is behind the meaning of my name. My name means “King” in Ghana.
So once I grew up and really embraced it and really took on the meaning of my name, I felt like I defeated that demon of insecurity. If I’m giving people the real, I got to be real with myself.
Absolutely. Now I don’t know if you know this, you’re actually one of two rappers named Nana. When I was doing my research, I found out that there is a German rapper named Nana, who is also Ghanaian, which is pretty wild.
Somewhere down the line, I’m sure we probably even related, but no. I had no idea. It’s a common name in Ghana, especially. I think coming from where my parents are from, it’s kind of like every name has a meaning. If you are born on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… I have a friend named Thurz. His name is Kofi, though.
I know exactly who you’re talking about. So with that being said, you’ve spoken extensively, I think, about your faith and how faith gave you a way out, but you named the project Save Yourself. And I find that dichotomy to be fascinating because there are two different things at play there: fate and predestination, and also free will and saving yourself. How do you reconcile those two ideas, both in your music and in your personal philosophy?
Well, I think before anybody else can help you, even on a spiritual level, you got to be like, “Yo, I’m going to make this conscious effort to do better.” Once you decide you’re going to make this conscious effort to go in this direction, then you open yourself to all of the positive possibilities within that. I know there’s people out there that are probably alcoholics. If you want to stop, you got to be like, “Yo, I’m going to stop.” Before anybody else could come in and help you, you have to be the one. You are the author of your destiny and you make your own decisions.
Switching gears a little bit. On the album, you don’t really have too many guest stars but you have my boy Reason from Carson on “LA Times.” How did that connection get made, and what was the inspiration of that song that you guys did together?
Yeah, me and Reason, we have the same mixing engineer, my boy Kytel. I met Reason two years ago after Kytel played my music for Reason. Reason took a liking to it, and he’s one of the most genuine guys in this industry. You know how you just meet good people, and you’re like, “Yo, I actually f*ck with him.” Outside of music, outside of everything, he’s genuine, and he’s a good person. So, me and him, we just been cool ever since.
So when we did that song, I was like, “I think it would be cool if I gave my perspective of growing up in South Central.” He was like, “Yeah, I should give my take on being a victim of circumstance growing up in Los Angeles and how we’re ultimately both victims, but giving it in a way where it’s like reality,” because there have been times where… you just trying to go to the mall and you get jammed up and you end up in a situation, and you don’t know whether or not you’re going to make it home or not.
And those were like real turning points in a lot of people’s lives. A lot of people didn’t walk away from those situations. I ended up in those situations a lot. Thankfully, I was able to walk away. So, it was just giving the reality of that because Reason is from Carson and the same thing that’s happening in Carson, is happening in the Crenshaw District.
That part, it’s Southern California culture. So, it was dope how it just transpired and it just felt so organic because of the right relationship that I had with him, I was so hype on how it came out. When I got his verse back, I was like, “This is perfect.”
Now, talking about dualities and dichotomies, you also address that on the album, on the record “Heaven & Hennessy.”
I think Hennessy is fit perfect because, I feel like it represents… this might sound a little dark, but to an extent, a demon in a sense. Where it’s just being caught in the middle of your angels and your demons. We all sin, it’s a representation of sin. A lot of times, when we get turned up, when we get drunk, we’re not really ourselves.
We all struggle and we all are still trying to make the conscious effort to save ourselves by trying to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be. I know I fall short and my intention was to let people know, I’m just like you. I go through the same sh*t that you go through.
So, a year from now, what’s your ideal outcome? What do you want the world to know about Nana? Where do you want to be in 2022?
Man in 2022, I’ll probably have another album out. Within another year, man, hopefully, by God’s grace again, I’m able to really see people and touch people physically. I think for me that was like the most like, (frustrated noise). The fact that I put out a project… and I think it was very dope that I was able to put out a project when I put it out because I know a lot of people needed it, but not being able to see the people and be amongst the people during that.
…Tour with it, yeah.
Yeah, I was like, “Damn,” I want to just be able to travel the world. For me, it’s not really about just traveling the world, but really traveling the world and taking Los Angeles with me and taking these stories with me because I know people from other places can also relate to these stories and just really spreading and getting the movement, these words, and the gift that I was given out there.
