While we await his sophomore album, Buddy is deep into a strong guest feature run. The Compton-bred act continues his streak by standing alongside Toronto rapper Jazz Cartier in a video for their track “Two Of Em.” The stylish duo kicks things off with a game of chess before moving off to detail their greedy ways. From money to women, Jazz and Buddy insist on receiving double the normal amount for their favorite things.
On Jazz’s end, the video arrives after a two-year break, which he used to recenter himself after a move from his hometown of Toronto to Los Angeles. The new single also comes ahead of his upcoming project, Fleur Print Vol. 2, which is set to arrive on July 23. The full-length effort will also feature “Nothing 2 Me” with Cousin Stizz, a song he released earlier this year.
As for Buddy, the Compton rapper is hard at work on his sophomore album and follow-up to his 2018 effort Harlon & Alondra. Since then, the rapper has been consistent with periodic releases, most of them coming in the form of guest features. He teamed with Lucky Daye for “Faces” and Tinashe on two separate occasions for “Glitch” and “Pasadena.” He also appeared with Guapdad 4000 on “PlayStation” as well as D Smoke and Jac Ross for “It’s OK To Be Black 2.0.”
Earlier this week, the internet was shocked by an anecdote T-Pain shared during an interview for the upcoming Netflix film This Is Pop. In it, he detailed a depression-sparking conversation he had with Usher during a flight together to the 2013 BET Awards. “I was like, ‘What’s good?’” T-Pain recalled. “I thought he was about to tell me something real. He sounded real concerned. He was like, ‘Man, you kind of… you kind of f*cked up music.’” He added, “I didn’t understand. Usher was my friend. He was like, ‘Yeah man, you really f*cked up music for real singers.’”
I still love and respect @Usher telling that story was in no way meant to disrespect that man. Ppl talk shit about me 24/7 but when it comes from someone you truly respect it hits very different. I never said f*ck Ursh it was a drop in the ocean of shit I was already goin through
The news T-Pain fans to rush to social media to give Usher a piece of their minds. Less than 24 hours after the clip from the upcoming This Is Pop film arrived on social media, T-Pain returned to Twitter to clarify his feelings towards Usher. “I still love and respect @Usher telling that story was in no way meant to disrespect that man,” he wrote. “Ppl talk sh*t about me 24/7 but when it comes from someone you truly respect it hits very different. I never said f*ck Ursh it was a drop in the ocean of sh*t I was already goin through.”
One fun element of the Phoenix Suns’ postseason run is the way that they’ve added in-arena entertainment when games have taken place in their building. Arizona’s very own Jimmy Eat World had a halftime concert during the conference semifinals, while Tag Team came to Phoenix Suns Arena to remind everyone of their favorite March Madness commercial during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
For Game 2 on Tuesday night, the team extended an invitation to another band from the state: Gin Blossoms. The group best known for heat rocks such as “Follow You Down” and “Hey Jealousy” announced the news earlier in the day, and even made it a point to pay tribute to legendary Suns player Charles Barkley.
Then, I don’t know if you’ve ever had plans before, but you usually have some time to kill before you go do whatever that thing is. So Gin Blossoms used the time to get into it with a fan of the Denver Nuggets, the team that the Suns took down to make it to the conference finals, by repeatedly getting off jokes about the franchise.
Because most Suns things seem to come back to this dude at this point, we even got a “SUNS IN 4” reference out of the band, although this had a slightly tweaked version of the hashtag.
I will be honest: I did not anticipate, at any point in my life, witnessing Gin Blossoms talking trash on the internet because the Phoenix Suns just swept the Denver Nuggets in the NBA playoffs. But to the victor go the spoils, so go off, Gin Blossoms.
Lil Baby was one of the most popular artists in 2020, and his work over that period is still being fêted. The Atlanta rapper was recently crowned Songwriter Of The Year during the 2021 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award ceremony. The show highlighted “Baby” with DaBaby, “Emotionally Scarred,” “For the Night” with Pop Smoke and DaBaby, and “The Bigger Picture,” which peaked at No. 3 on the singles chart last year, as some of the songs that best showcased his writing talents.
The win comes months after some felt he was snubbed at this year’s Grammys awards. While he was nominated in the Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance categories for “The Bigger Picture,” many believed his 2020 album My Turn should have received a nomination as well. He failed to win in either of the aforementioned categories, but he did take home awards at other shows: My Turn won Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards and “The Bigger Picture” received an award at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.
According to Variety, the Atlanta rapper will also perform a new version of “The Bigger Picture” on Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST/1 p.m. PST on ASCAP’s official YouTube page.
In other news, Lil Baby and Lil Durk will hit the road starting this fall for their Back Outside tour. It begins September 1 in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and continues through October 15 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Back in 2012, Wale released his eighth mixtape, Folarin, which would go on to be one of the better releases from hip-hop’s mixtape era. It was also an impressive effort in the rapper’s discography and nearly a decade later, Wale has announced its sequel is on the way. He shared the news on Twitter, along with a pretty big boast. “I understand you may feel how you feel for whatever soembody told you…but I just wanna reiterate that I’m one of the greatest of all time,” he wrote. “Catalog. Consistency. Influence. Longevity. DMV. With that said “#Folarin2” this summer.”
I understand you may feel how you feel for whatever soembody told you … but I just wanna reiterate that I’m one of the greatest of all time . Catalog .Consistency. Influence. Longevity . DMV. With that said #Folarin2 this summer .
The arrival of Folarin 2 should be no more than a couple of months away. Recently he’s shared several singles, including “Good Vibes,” “Flawed” with Gunna, and “Lions, Bengals, & Bears” with DJ Money. Folarin 2 would also be his first project since his 2020 EP, The Imperfect Storm, and his first full-length effort since 2019’s Wow… That’s Crazy, an album that posted highlight tracks like “On Chill,” “Sue Me,” and “Love (Her Fault)” with Bryson Tiller. Prior to the announcement, Wale joined Coi Leray for a remix of Earthgang’s “Options.”
Wale is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Tyler The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost rollout continues with the retro-styled, flirtatious video for its latest single “Wusyaname.” As with previous videos, the narrative revolves around Tyler’s pursuit (in character as Tyler Baudelaire) of actress Helena Howard, who appears to be in a relationship with Odd Future’s Taco. Tyler teased the storyline with his “Side Street” album trailer, while the opening monologue in “Wusyaname” mirrors a similar speech in the video for “Lumberjack.” Also as in “Lumberjack,” “Wusyaname” features shouted ad-libs from DJ Drama.
The lyrics to the new track find Tyler making a play on an unknown woman over a sample of ’90s R&B group H-Town’s “Back Seat (Wit No Sheets).” “You pick a spot, I’ll pick a tail number, we can be tourists,” he beckons. “Let’s go to Cannes and watch a couple indie movies that you never heard of.” The video ends once again with a title card featuring the new aesthetic for the Call Me If You Get Lost era, as well as its unofficial, sitcom-esque theme song.
In addition to putting out the album in just three days, on June 25, Tyler is set to perform at the 2021 BET Awards this weekend.
Watch the video for “Wusyaname” above.
Call Me If You Get Lost is out 6/25 via Columbia Records. Get it here.
According to a new feature on Billboard, Atlanta rapper Killer Mike has been cast in a cameo role in the fourth-and-final season of Netflix’s award-winning crime drama Ozark. Mike has apparently been a fan of the show for some time, remarking, “I went from waiting to find out what happens next to being part of it … I’m excited.” Although details about the role are sparse, according to Billboard, Mike’s character will meet teen criminal Ruth Langmore “at her lowest point.”
Emmy Award winner Julia Garner, who portrays Ruth, recently joked that she wanted to tell off anti-maskers at the real-life Lake of the Ozarks in-character on social media. The show recently wrapped up a production that was hampered by COVID-19 safety protocols which changed the way the show was shot, so her reaction is understandable. Co-star Jason Bateman remarked that it broke his heart to break the tradition of directing an episode or two himself, but he was willing to make the sacrifice to get the supersized season completed on-scheduled.
Meanwhile, Killer Mike had to make some similar tough business decisions regarding his barbershop, which he didn’t reopen during Georgia’s first wave of attempts to get back to normal last spring. Now that live entertainment is slowly coming back, though, he’ll be on tour with Run The Jewels and Rage Against The Machine next year.
As live music returns in 2021, the growing list of festivals and tours being announced has a new entry from a dark horse: A new festival called Once Upon A Time In LA is gaining attention for its impressive, diverse lineup, which includes headliners 50 Cent, Al Green, The Game, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and YG. The festival is billed for December 18 at Banc Of California Stadium in Los Angeles, as well as the surrounding Exposition Park area.
Further down the list, the lineup appears to be a similar mix of (mostly) LA rap favorites spanning the last three decades of hip-hop and the funk and soul bands that inspired the original G-Funk sound that put the West Coast on the rap map in the early ’90s. While names like Cypress Hill, DJ Quik, Mack 10, Warren G, and WC should satisfy old-school hip-hop fans, their soulful counterparts include The Delfonics, George Clinton, The Isley Brothers, Lisa Lisa, Morris Day, Rose Royce, War, and Zapp.
Meanwhile, younger fans — and those older fans who are young at heart, I guess — can enjoy newer acts like Blueface, Drakeo The Ruler, OhGeesy, and RJMrLA. Out-of-towners range from Bay Area legends like E-40 and Too Short to Clevelanders Bone Thugs N Harmony and Memphis’ own Three Six Mafia.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Since 2016, HER has been serving up top-shelf R&B. Mixing emotional tales with potent production, her music has been a vessel of vulnerability. Whether waxing poetic about insecurities in love or crooning about political injustices, HER has mastered the ability to communicate the complexities of womanhood (especially one of Black and Filipino origins) and attempts to make messages out of her messes.
With the release of her proper debut album, Back Of My Mind, via MBK Entertainment/RCA Records, she delivers a melodic memoir of uncomfortable truths, sharing the parts of HER that carry weight. The only difference between this set and her previous projects: she’s made more figures and thus attracted more triggers. But material wealth has only given her more material to work with.
For context, HER was an industry mystery five years ago. Before stating one’s pronouns became standard practice, the singer/songwriter emerged with only a photo of a silhouette and ironically, a name that stood for “Having Everything Revealed.” Equipped with a velvety voice, the HER package included all-inclusive R&B at a time when the genre was commingling with rap, experimenting with alternative styles, or leaning into nostalgia. To this day, she says people fail to recognize her without her trademark shades.
The mysterious chanteuse turned out to be Gabi Wilson, the Vallejo, California native who had been performing since she was a child. She has released two compilation albums, comprising two sets of EPs — 2016’s HER: Volume 1 and 2018’s I Used To Know HER: The Prelude and I Used to Know Her: Part 2 — that solidified her star power. The awards and opportunities followed in abundance: four Grammys, an Oscar, five Soul Train Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, a Netflix movie cameo, soundtrack and TV show placements, brand endorsements, numerous collaborations and performances on national stages, including the BET Awards, the Super Bowl, and the Country Music Awards.
It may seem strange that the accolades would precede an artist’s official debut but HER’s Back Of My Mind is a portrait of perhaps the most triumphant and mentally challenging season of her career. The 21-track LP pops the cork with the celebratory “We Made It,” a Dom Perignon toast to the stress and blessings, both past and present.
The tone shifts by track two with the album’s namesake featuring Ty Dolla $ign, setting up the emotional obstacle course that dominates the debut. Lyrically, the tracks sound like transcripts of conversations that live in HER’s head. While her image has been equated with success, her moments of weakness and self-doubt are repurposed into motivation throughout the album. HER and featured guest Lil Baby wave off the haters and honor the hustler’s mentality on “Find A Way.” “Trauma,” co-starring Cordae on their second song together and produced by Hit-Boy, harps on what could be BOMM’s tagline: “I take it personal, I ain’t perfect though.”
In spite of her imperfections, HER’s pen is mightiest when the category is love, especially the unrequited kind. Among the highlights include “Cheat Code,” a guitar-driven joint with a writing credit from Julia Michaels (who’s penned songs for Selena Gomez, Fifth Harmony, and herself) that puts a cheater on blast and “Mean It,” where HER also strums her pain caused by an ain’t-sh*t lover.
As a result of her L’s in romance, HER proceeds to plaster caution tape all over her heart. The album’s lead single “Damage” (which samples the ‘80s classic “Making Love In The Rain” by Herb Alpert, Lisa Keith, and Janet Jackson) is a delicate plea to her partner to handle HER with care. On the Goapele-inspired “Closer To Me,” HER craves reassurance in a shaky situation while “Hard To Love” outlines the kind of concerns that drive couples to therapy, solo or together. To keep the rotation spicy, HER also lends her version of hot girl summer anthems with the YG-assisted standout “Slide,“ the sneaky link-ready “Come Through” and a late-night rendezvous with Yung Bleu on “Paradise.”
Elsewhere, HER takes issue with the state of the world. The Thundercat-assisted “Bloody Waters” borrows the formula from her Academy Award-winning “Fight For You” (included on the score for the highly praised drama Judas And The Black Messiah) by wrapping political messages in a weighted blanket of funk and pain that soothes yet aches. HER’s state-of-mind, though, is probably best summed up on “Exhausted.” Producer extraordinaire Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins lends his magic to the whew-worthy track that finds HER as a woman who’s had enough: “I’m way, way, way, way past bein’ jaded / And all of y’all just way too opinionated / I’m just sayin’, when do I get a say?”
On the DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller collaboration “I Can Have It All,” HER gets the chance to talk her sh*t: “I know they say, ‘Money’ll make you change’ / That’s ’cause they can’t handle the price of fame / And while you was fantasizin’ ’bout chains / I was plottin’ on a way to buy my momma a house one day.” Although HER’s image was built on mystique, the narratives that fuel her music are familiar stories of shame, fears, and the growing pains that ultimately lead to clarity. Having means and good karma may have jacked up the price for her shows but it’s evident that even an artist of her caliber can’t afford peace of mind sometimes. But as long as she speaks her mind into a mic, those of us listening can at least try to have these crucial conversations with ourselves.
Back Of My Mind is out now via MBK Entertainment/RCA Records. Get it here.
The 2021 BET Awards airs live this Sunday at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT and will feature a special tribute honoring the late, great DMX. Among the performers honoring the late legend are Busta Rhymes, Griselda, Method Man, Swizz Beatz, and more, performing some of DMX’s most-beloved songs and new work from his posthumous album Exodus. Swizz Beatz curated the setlist to celebrate the life and music of DMX in conjunction with Ruff Ryders, including hits such as “Party Up,” “Where The Hood At?,” and “X Gon’ Give It To Ya.”
Connie Orlando, Executive Vice President of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy, said in a press release, “We look forward to celebrating DMX’s indelible mark in music and pop culture. DMX inspired fans around the world with his signature raspy voice, the delivery of raw emotion through his lyrics and performances, and his giving spirit. We are proud to pay our respects to a hip-hop legend on our biggest stage, the BET Awards.”
Once Upon A Time In LA
