Music

Beyonce Turned Down An Offer To Perform At The 2021 Grammys

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After initially being postponed, the 63rd Annual Grammys Award Ceremony kicks off this weekend. Leading the nominations is Beyonce, who is up for nine Grammys including both Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year. The additional nominations makes her the most Grammy-nominated female artist in history with an impressive 79 nominations. But despite her recognition, Beyonce will not be seen performing at this year’s event.

This weekend’s ceremony will be taking place in person across five small stages situated around LA in order to minimize interactions. Several artists have been booked to perform at the ceremony, including Cardi B, Bad Bunny, Doja Cat, Taylor Swift, and Dua Lipa. One major star not on the list, though, is Beyonce.

The Recording Academy claims that they extended an offer to Beyonce to perform, but she declined. In a statement to the LA Times, Recording Academy interim chief executive Harvey Mason said, “It’s unfortunate because she’s such a big part of the Recording Academy. We absolutely wish we had her onstage.”

Neither Beyonce nor the Recording Academy has addressed her reason for turning down the event. It may have to do with the concern over attending an in-person event, but it could also be due to the backlash the Recording Academy has faced this past year. Back in January of 2020, former Grammys CEO Deborah Dugan alleged that the Recording Academy has a history of sexual misconduct and corruption, and she wasn’t the only one to say so. After being snubbed of an award this year, The Weeknd slammed the ceremony as corrupt and called for greater transparency in the nomination process. Other artists like Ellie Goulding, Zayn, Fiona Apple, and Lil Wayne have made similar, disdainful remarks about the Grammys.

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

Khalid Remixes Singer-Songwriter Watts’ Mellow 2018 Single, ‘Feels’

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It’s been a while since Khalid’s last album, Free Spirit, but he’s kept busy in the interim, popping up on collaborations with Kane Brown and Swae Lee (“Be Like That“), Alicia Keys (“So Done“), Victoria Monet (“Experience“), and Justin Bieber (on “Peaches” with Daniel Caesar from the upcoming Bieber album Justice). He lends his latest vocal assist to singer-songwriter Watts, remixing Watts’ 2018 single “Feels” and releasing a trippy, 3D-contrast visualizer to bring new life to the mellow ballad.

There’s little information out there about Watts, other than his real name, Jacob Watts, and origins, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A Genius profile for Jacob Watts lists his songwriting credits: He’s got a song called “Talk About It,” another called “Right, Alright,” and a collaboration with Adam Agin titled “Quicksand Arms.” Whatever he’s been up to since 2018, it looks like he may intend to make a comeback this year, and judging from his scant discography, he’s got the chops to craft a solid career if he can turn up the consistency of his releases.

Khalid, meanwhile, plans to follow up Free Spirit this year as well, according to what he told a fan on Twitter in September.

Listen to Watts’ “Feels” featuring Khalid above.

Flatbush Zombies Release A Cool Set Of Action Figures Commemorating Their Debut Album

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It’s usually pretty cool when a rap act gets a collectible that isn’t just the standard T-shirt, vinyl, or non-fungible token version of their sex tape. For instance, there are a lot of nice vinyl toys out there for legends of rap like The Notorious BIG or Run-DMC, and some newer rappers have even gotten in on the action, like Rico Nasty. The latest act to commemorate a musical moment with a piece of beautifully-molded plastic is Flatbush Zombies, who teamed up with Incendium to offer a pack of frankly awesome action figures celebrating the fifth anniversary of their debut album.

The set interprets the trio as five-inch figures with 10 points of articulation and personalized accessories based on the David Nakayama-designed cover of 3001: A Laced Odyssey. Only 3,001 of each figure has been made, ensuring their collector’s item status someday down the road — without a password or undue negative impact on the environment, no less. Yes, that was another shot at NFTs because I think you’re all nuts for spending millions of dollars on computer code.

Incendium CEO Llexi Leon credits the project to Flatbush Zombies’ “incredible aesthetic,” and calls it “a blast to revisit David Nakayama’s incredible artwork to their debut album and bring the trio straight off the page for our latest release.”

You can check out the set here.

Giveon’s Grieving ‘Heartbreak Anniversary’ Video Arrives With His Lustful New Single, ‘All To Me’

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After the success his two 2020 projects brought him last year, it’s only right that Giveon is making sure his Take Time and When It’s All Said And Done EPs are celebrated in the new year. The Long Beach singer ensured this would happen in three ways. First, he shared a new video for his Take Time standout, “Heartbreak Anniversary.” The visual reflects on the highs and lows Giveon experienced with an old lover, played by Samantha Logan who many might recognize by the name of Olivia Baker from the TV drama, All-American. Giveon transitions between his lonely present and his turbulent past with his old love interest as he sings about the day their relationship came to an end.

Secondly, in addition to the video, he shared his latest single, “All To Me.” Similar to his prior releases, “Favorite Mistake” and “Still Your Best,” Giveon arrives with a bit of toxicity for listeners on the new effort. He finds himself in the presence of a woman who is not treated well by her partner. Looking to make matters better for this woman, Giveon offers to step in and be the ideal companion she’s wanted for a lifetime. Lastly, Giveon dropped a deluxe reissue of Take Time and When It’s All Said And Done, which combines the two EPs and “All To Me” into one effort titled, When It’s All Said And Done… Take Time.

You can watch the “Heartbreak Anniversary” video and listen to “All To Me” above.

When It’s All Said And Done… Take Time is out now via Epic Records. Get it here.

Blxst Collabs With Russ And Drakeo The Ruler On His ‘Just For Clarity’ EP

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Blxst is certainly in for a big year after gaining great popularity as a result of a thrilling 2020. While his plans for the forthcoming months remain to be seen, Blxst is kicking things off with a pair of new singles. The West Coast native returns with his Just For Clarity EP supported by contributions from Drakeo The Ruler and Russ. Blxst connects with Drakeo The Ruler for “Don’t Forget,” a silky-smooth effort that sees both artists discussing the skepticism they encountered on their way to the top. While they’ve forgiven their doubters, the duo declares that they won’t be forgotten as it fuels their motivation to continue thriving.

The second song of EP presents Russ alongside Blxst for “Fck Boys.” On this track, they both find themselves in relationships with women who are damaged due to sub-par experiences with men they encountered prior to them. Despite these hardships, the duo declares that they’re the man their female companions have been waiting for. To add to their point, Russ questions “who the f*ck is he to f*ck up your whole life” while Blxst reminds listeners that “f*ck boys f*ck it up for real n****s.”

The songs arrive after Blxst shared a deluxe reissue of No Love Lost at the end of last year. Since then the singer has also delivered videos for “Got It All” and “No Love Lost.”

Press play on both tracks in the videos above.

Brent Faiyaz Counters His Perceived Toxicity With The Wholesome Single, ‘Show U Off’

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Despite just a few toxic tracks to his discography, Brent Faiyaz has been placed in that category of men thanks to his 2020 album, F*ck The World. Lines like “All my b*tches know I’m leavin’ at some point / Whether there’s a reason or not / Don’t try givin’ me reasons to stop,” from “Clouded” have caused fans to appreciate his music in a different light. Now, more than a year removed from that project, Faiyaz is back on the wholesome side of things with his new single, “Show U Off.”

The effort presents the singer on the positive side of things. Faiyaz pours his heart on wax for an unnamed woman and promises to treat her as best as he can. “Who’s gonna call you, baby? / And never make you feel small,” he sings. “Who’s gonna love you crazy? / I’m never gonna let you fall.” Elsewhere, he promises to raise her up and show her off to the masses as a way to prove his love is real and true. The song also comes with an accompanying video that follows a woman through her interactions with family, friends, and parts of the world. In the end, Brent appears beside the large group of ladies to signal that they are all a part of his real-life family.

Just a few weeks ago Faiyaz teamed up with Tyler The Creator for their “Gravity” single, which was released in partnership with Adidas for their Songs From Scratch series. Prior to that, his last musical contribution came in the form of a guest feature with Kanye West on 2 Chainz’s “Feel A Way.”

Listen to the new song above.

Coi Leray And Lil Durk Deal With The Remnants Of A Get-Together In Their ‘No More Parties’ Video

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Coi Leray’s 2021 is off to a great start and it comes as a result of her “No More Parties” track. The single was released at the end of January and quickly found success on TikTok thanks to a short video with the song playing in the background that tallied more than 42 million views in just a week. Giving it a second boost, she tapped Lil Durk for a remix of the song, which helped the record reach its peak of No. 32 on the Billboard singles chart. Nearly a month after the remix was dropped, Leray and Durk join forces for a new visual for the song.

While the motto of “no more parties” is clear to Leray, her friends failed to receive the message as they threw a wild get-together at her home while she was gone. Upon her return, she’s left to clean up the mess that was left behind. From Solo cups to unwarranted guests, Leray is tasked with removing all of the unwanted components from her home with some well-supplied help from Durk.

“No More Parties” stands as a great follow-up to her 2020 EP, Now Or Never. The six-track effort was backed by guest appearances from Gunna, Kiana Lede, Sevyn Streeter, and Fetty Wap. As for Lil Durk, the video arrives days after he appeared on The Tonight Show to perform “Still Trappin” and “Stay Down” with 6lack.

You can watch the video above.

Rihanna Is Reportedly Preparing To Launch A ‘Fenty Hair’ Line

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While the majority of Rihanna fans are waiting for a new album from the singer, as her last one arrived in 2016 with Anti, the long wait don’t mean that she’s spent the last five years doing little to nothing. Rihanna has been hard at work building her Fenty empire, one that began in 2017 thanks to the launch of Fenty Beauty. The following year she would start her Savage X Fenty lingerie line and in 2019, her Fenty fashion house was officially born. After debuting Fenty Skin last year, Rihanna is preparing to bring a new line to her company, that being Fenty Hair.

According to Harper’s Bazaar, the singer filed a trademark application for Fenty Hair on March 3. The publication reports that the trademark looks to cover “everything from styling, straightening, relaxing and waving products, as well as hair color and even hair glitter.” The news comes after the singer decided to shut down her Fenty fashion house last month, one that was launched in collaboration with LVMH. Despite this, it was also announced last month ago that Savage X Fenty’s net worth reached $1 billion.

After hearing news of the new line, fans celebrated the news on Twitter and one support shared a great reaction to it. “Can’t wait to be around the house in my Fenty furniture, Fenty Skin on, in my Savage X Fenty, doing my Fenty Hair, wearing Fenty X Puma, while listening to absolutely NOTHING,” they said, throwing a slight jab at the singer’s yet-unreleased ninth album.