Music

DDG Sings A ‘Hood Melody’ In His Melancholy New Video

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A day after featuring on XXL‘s 2021 Freshman list, DDG releases the latest single from his Die 4 Respect mixtape with hitmaking producer OG Parker. “Hood Melody,” which features a rattling, melancholy beat and contemplative, observational lyrics from the Pontiac native, backgrounds a video that finds DDG obsessing over all of the violent ends he can meet.

Although the song features a guest verse from perpetually troubled Baton Rouge rapper Youngboy Never Broke Again, the man himself was not available for the video shoot as he’s currently in custody after being arrested for felony firearm possession in Los Angeles in March. Youngboy was denied bail after prosecutors successfully argued that he would be a danger to the community and a flight risk. He was previously arrested on similar charges in his native Louisiana and has been connected with a fatal shooting in Miami in 2019, as well as avoiding prison time for kidnapping and aggravated assault after being caught on camera attacking his then-girlfriend at a hotel in Georgia.

DDG, on the other hand, has a bright future ahead of him thanks to appearances with Dame D.O.L.L.A. on the NBA star’s “Stuntin On You‘ video and the extended rollout of the Die 4 Respect mixtape, which included the Coi Leray-featuring “Impatient” video.

Watch DDG’s “Hood Melody” video above.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

HER Strives For Independence On The Loungy Single ‘My Own’

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Four-time Grammy Award-winning singer HER is just days away from the release of her highly anticipated album Back Of My Mind. The 21-track effort features collaborations with the likes of Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Baby, and DJ Khaled, but with her new single “My Own,” HER exemplifies her powerful solo songwriting.

The subdued beat on “My Own” gives HER the chance to showcase her emotive vocals. A reverberating bass underscores her sultry delivery as HER sings of the difficulty of getting over an ex while also recognizing the self growth that inevitably comes with it.

Just ahead of the new song’s release, HER sat down for a cover interview with Variety, where she talked about how she incorporated elements of rock into the album’s sound:

“I didn’t wanna pull out all my tricks at once. My first few [releases] were just a small piece of who I am musically, and it was a matter of time before I could reveal others. I’ve always been a huge fan of Coldplay and Led Zeppelin and Radiohead and alternative and rock and blues, but it wasn’t until this album that I started digging into those other elements and bringing them to R&B.”

Listen to “My Own” above and check out HER’s full conversation with Variety here.

Back Of My Mind is out 6/18 via MBK Entertainment/RCA Records. Pre-order it here.

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

DaBaby, Lil Baby, Tyler The Creator, And More Are Performing At The 2021 BET Awards

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The 2021 BET Awards are set to air live on Sunday, June 27 at 8 pm ET/PT live from Los Angeles with a truly impressive lineup of the most performers in the last 21 years. Today, BET announced that those will include performances from Andra Day, City Girls, DaBaby, DJ Khaled, HER, Jazmine Sullivan, Kirk Franklin, Lil Baby and Lil Durk, Migos, Moneybagg Yo, Rapsody, Roddy Ricch, and Tyler The Creator, among others. The show will be hosted by Taraji P. Henson and will honor Queen Latifah with a Lifetime Achievement BET Award.

The nominees are led by DaBaby and Megan Thee Stallion, who are each nominated for seven awards, including Best Female Hip Hop Artist for Megan and Best Male Hip Hop Artist for DaBaby. 2020’s Awards featured performances from Roddy Ricch, Public Enemy, Megan Thee Stallion, DaBaby, D Smoke, Anderson .Paak, Lil Wayne, and more, and set the blueprint for how awards shows could flourish without a live studio audience.

This year’s show will be the first with an audience since 2019, the lowest-rated show in BET Awards history, but it seems some of the lessons the network took away from last year’s show stuck; namely, the focus on performances over bells and whistles.

Watch the 2021 BET Awards 6/27 on BET.

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

Foo Fighters Are Re-Branding As The ‘Dee Gees’ To Release A Collection Of Bee Gees Covers

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The Bee Gees have clearly been living rent-free in Dave Grohl’s head lately, and now Foo Fighters are taking their admiration of the disco icons to a new level: Foo Fighters announced today that on July 17’s Record Store Day, they are releasing a collection of Bee Gees covers.

The album will actually be credited to the Dee Gees and is titled Hail Satin!. The release will be divided into two parts (as Spin notes). The first half, dubbed The Dee Gees, will feature the band covering five Bee Gees songs: “You Should Be Dancing,” “Night Fever,” “Tragedy,” “Shadow Dancing,” and “More Than A Woman.” (Technically, “Shadow Dancing” isn’t a Bee Gees song, but it’s in the literal Bee Gees family: It was a No. 1 single for Andy Gibb, the Bee Gees co-wrote it, and Barry Gibb sings on the song.) Then, the second half of the release features a handful of live versions of Medicine At Midnight songs.

Grohl previously picked the Bee Gees’ Saturday Night Fever as an album all kids should listen to, saying, “I like myself a little party every now and then. I do like to dance. I mean, come on, let’s just go with Saturday Night Fever. If you put Saturday Night Fever on, it’s going to feel like Saturday night, but it could be a Monday morning. So, I would have to go with those three albums. It’s a good way to start.”

Check out the Hail Satin! tracklist below.

Side A — The Dee Gees
1. “You Should Be Dancing”
2. “Night Fever”
3. “Tragedy”
4. “Shadow Dancing”
5. “More Than A Woman”

Side B — Live At 606
6. “Making A Fire”
7. “Shame Shame”
8. “Waiting On A War”
9. “No Son Of Mine”
10. “Cloudspotter”

Tate McRae And Khalid Are ‘Working’ It In Their Bouncy New Collaboration

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When this year began, we named Tate McRae as one of the year’s rising pop stars to watch, and boy has she delivered on that. The multi-talented dancer, singer and songwriter has been on a tear of late, kicking off with her Too Young To Be Sad EP in March, McRae has since released a collaboration with Troye Sivan, “You,” and a gloomy new ballad for Amazon’s Panic series called “Darkest Hour.” Today she’s back with another new big collaboration, though, this time featuring R&B “Location” darling Khalid, who is “Working” alongside her on their bouncy new single.

Tate’s rise from dance superstar to one of the year’s most prominent new pop voices is well-documented, but it seems like this new single is going to catapult her into the spotlight in an even bigger way. On the track, the two young musicians trade verses about their, well, work ethic. “I am so stoked for this song I did with Khalid,” Tate said in a press release. “I usually release a lot of songs that are pretty emotional but this one is just a straight summer bop. We had such a fun time creating this song — I seriously can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

Check out the new tune above and get ready to hear Tate and Khalid working it all summer long.

Cordae Funds Scholarships For HBCU Students With Help From Disney And ESPN

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Cordae isn’t just a critically acclaimed, hit-making young artist on the rise — he’s also an outspoken activist and advocate for social change in America and the world. Last year, he was arrested at a sit-in protest of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s home to push for Cameron to file charges against Breonna Taylor’s killers (a felony charge against him was dropped) and now, he’s partnered with Disney Dreamers Academy and ESPN’s The Undefeated to stand up for education by funding scholarships for HBCU students.

His efforts are being fueled by his participation in the upcoming compilation project Liberated / Music For the Movement Vol. 3, set to be released June 18 in honor of Juneteenth, the Black American holiday celebrating the official end of slavery in the United States. The Music For The Movement series, sponsored by The Undefeated, celebrates Black history and accomplishments of Black American activists, artists, and athletes, spawning records like Tinashe’s cover of “I’m Every Woman.”

Cordae, who appears on the track “What’s Life” with Common, committed to donating his proceeds from the track to funding scholarships for HBCU students. The Undefeated and Disney Dreamers Academy matched his donations. Cordae explained his decision in a press release. “So many people need the money more than I do,” he said. “I feel as though when you’re in such a blessed position, it’s important to pay that forward to be a blessing to others. It’s especially important to me to invest in our youth and the future. Young people are the future of our society and the world, so we must do all we can to ensure they are properly positioned to succeed. If I can spark the brain of a few future world leaders and geniuses, I’ll die a happy man.”

Liberated / Music For the Movement Vol. 3 also features Chloe Bailey, Kamasi Washington, Lucky Daye, and Yara Shahidi, and is due 6/18 on Hollywood Records.

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

Tyler The Creator Announces The Release Date Of His New Album, ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’

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After a week of cryptic teases and colorful previews, Tyler The Creator has announced the official release date of his next album, Call Me If You Get Lost. The album title comes as no surprise after it was prominently featured in much of the mysterious early rollout, but the release date may, as it’s less than two weeks away, on June 25. The announcement came complete with a crisp, retro-styled website with the videos for “Side Street” and “Lumberjack,” as well as a link to pre-purchase box sets including a CD, a poster, a T-shirt, and a commemorative box.

The marketing around Call Me If You Get Lost appears to ditch Tyler’s Andy Warhol-inspired Igor persona in favor of “Tyler Beaudelaire,” but maintains much of the retro feel of that album’s rollout, with videos shot to resemble Super 8 tapes and styling influenced by 1970s couture (check out those vintage trunks in the “Lumberjack” video). Meanwhile, a press release for the album promises that the hotline set up to preview the music from the album will remain active and periodically update with new snippets leading up to the release. In addition to the box set CDs, the website for Call Me If You Get Lost features cassette tapes of the album, sticking with the retro theme.

Check out the album cover and link to the pre-order website above.

Young Dolph Brags That Tough Times Are ‘Nothing To Me’ With Snupe Bandz And PaperRoute Woo

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Young Dolph might be semi-retired, but it looks like he’ll still turn up to position his Paper Route Empire employees for success. In the newly released “Nothing To Me” video, the Memphis boss brags that tough times will never decrease his loyalty to his crew. “You catch a body, I’m gon’ pay the bail and the lawyer, that’s nothing to me,” he boasts.

Then, he cedes the floor to his PRE signees Snupe Bandz and PaperRoute Woo, who deliver their own takes on the subject matter. The video sees all three rappers enjoying themselves on a private jet, showing off stacks of cash.

The “Nothing To Me” video arrives after Young Dolph’s retirement announcement, which came in the midst of the successful rollout for Dolph and PRE protege Key Glock’s joint album, Dum & Dummer 2. Over the course of the several weeks they spent promoting the album, the duo released videos for “Aspen,” “Penguins,” “Rain Rain,” and “A Goat & A Dolphin,” among others.

Now that they’ve completed the album cycle, it seems Dolph has turned his attentions to promoting his Paper Route Empire brand, putting out the single “Plenty Cake” with DJ-Q, and helping to work singles for signees like Chitana, Kenny Muney, and Big Moochie Grape.

Watch Young Dolph’s “Nothing To Me” video featuring Snupe Bandz and PaperRoute Woo above.

Pooh Shiesty Was Not Only Denied Bond, But He Now May Also Face More Charges

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After being arrested for aggravated battery earlier this month, Pooh Shiesty was again denied bond today and now may face additional, federal charges stemming from a previous case, according to the Miami Herald. The Memphis rapper’s attorneys argued that he should be granted bail after the alleged victim in the attack, a shooting in a Miami nightclub, recanted his prior statement, saying that he was under the effects of a power painkiller when police initially interviewed him.

However, the judge assigned to the case refused to grant a bond and prosecutors are investigating why the victim changed his story. The victim, a security guard at Miami’s King Of Diamonds, said that he couldn’t remember what happened in a statement provided by Pooh’s attorneys. The prosecutor told the judge, “This is very concerning to me. Our office is obviously investigating it.”

Meanwhile, it was also revealed during the proceedings that the US Attorney’s office has placed a “federal detainer” on his case, meaning that federal authorities could be seeking charges in a separate case. That case involves a shooting incident in Bay Harbor Islands in 2020; police say a drug deal went wrong. If additional charges are filed, the Miami case may end up being the least of Pooh Shiesty’s problems.

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

Polo G Performs The Affectionate ‘So Real’ On ‘The Late Late Show’

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Polo G continued his successful Hall Of Fame rollout this week with the release of videos for “Painting Pictures” and “Party Lyfe” featuring DaBaby, as well as his conversation with NBA Hall Of Famer, Scottie Pippen. However, he wasn’t done yet. Last night, he stopped by The Late Late Show with James Corden via video chat to discuss the album and deliver a pre-taped performance of the album cut, “So Real.”

During their conversation, Polo recalls how he got involved in AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball in his hometown Chicago, earning an invite to the Late Late Show staff pickup game from Corden. “How’s your jumper?” he jokes. Then, Polo takes the “stage” to run through an emotive performance of the affectionate track with his band. Sitting on a stool in a darkened room and embellishing his performance with smoke machines and a dazzling laser light show, Polo builds on the techniques he’s developed with similar performances on The Tonight Show and NPR Tiny Desk Concerts, adding another impressive performance to his growing collection.

Watch Polo G perform “So Real” above and check out Uproxx’s review for Hall Of Fame here.

Hall Of Fame is out now via Columbia Records. Get it here.