Music

Roddy Ricch Marks Himself Safe After Shots Were Fired At His Video Shoot

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It looks like new music is on the way from Roddy Ricch, whose breakout track “The Box” dominated charts this summer. But unfortunately for the rapper and his crew, shots rang out on set at a video shoot Sunday. Several hours after the news broke, Ricch has now taken to social media to let fans know he was unharmed.

Per a report from WSB-TV Atlanta, Ricch and his collaborator 42 Dugg were filming at a scrap yard in south Atlanta when shots were fired. 42 Dugg took to his Instagram Stories to clarify that he did not get shot and thanked his followers for their concern. Now, Ricch has similarly marked himself safe in a tweet. “aint nobody shoot at me. we all good,” he wrote following the incident. “im juss tryna feed the streets.”

Two members of the film crew, Antoine Blake, and Vernon Moulder, were hit by the bullets but were able to take themselves to a nearby hospital. Another attendee of the video shoot, Peter Cook, was injured by debris resulting from the chaos. Teresa Lakes, a medic who was on set to assist with COVID screening, described the scene, “Everyone started running, trying to get out or take cover; lot of places to take cover in there,” she said. “Anyone that was injured, I laid hands on ’em to make sure they were OK. Just glad it wasn’t a lot worse than it could have been… could have been worse.”

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

Congresswoman Maxine Waters Applauded Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Audacity’ In ‘WAP’

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Last summer the internet went into a tizzy following the release of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s NSFW song “WAP,” which debuted at No. 1 and welcomed some harsh criticism by conservative thinkers. But unlike other politicians, California congresswoman Maxine Waters actually enjoyed it.

Rep. Waters and Megan sat down for a conversation for Harper’s Bazaar where they talked about education, the importance of standing up for yourself, and, of course, “WAP.” Waters revealed that some of the younger people in her life had played her the song, and she was impressed by Megan’s candor:

“I listen to the young people around me and they may tell me something maybe you ought to pay attention to. But then they told me to look at, was it WAP? Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry. I said, ‘Now that’s audacity. That is audacity.’ And that is the ability for women to take charge of what they want to say. I had paid attention to the young gangster rap time, when men were in charge. They said whatever they wanted to say about women, what have you. But women didn’t say, for a long time, what they could say or wanted to say or dared to say. And so I thought ‘that’s audacity.’”

While this was the first time Waters and Megan had chatted in person, it was not their first correspondence. After Megan penned her powerful New York Times op-ed about the importance of speaking up for Black women, Waters responded with her own open letter. “I write all this to say that I’m so incredibly proud of you and how you have used your voice to uplift Black women,” Waters wrote. “I know that Black women and girls everywhere thank you for the way you so fiercely have their back. I want you to know that I have your back, too.”

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Young Thug Apparently Lost Over $800k In One Night While Gambling In Las Vegas

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With lockdowns being lifted in various cities across the country, businesses are beginning to open back up — including casinos. Young Thug traveled to Las Vegas over the weekend to indulge in the now-open casinos, much to the disappointment of his wallet. After a weekend of gambling, Thugger said he was out over $800,000.

The rapper took to social media to reveal how much money he lost in Las Vegas. “Man, Vegas just won $800,000 from me, man,” Thugger said in a selfie video posted to his Instagram Stories. “Man I threw liquor everywhere in the motherf*cker.”

While the rapper managed to lose the equivalent of a luxury home in just one night, Thugger estimated that he was losing much more than that at the beginning of the pandemic. At the time the live music industry shut down, Thugger was bringing home hundreds of thousands of dollars per show. “The money that I get for the shows — let’s just say I get 500,000 — if I don’t do these ten shows, that’s 5 M’s,” he said in an April interview with Big Boy. “Then I don’t make five million til June, and then I might spend a million, I might spend two million just on this quarantine sh*t.”

See Thugger address his losses above.

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

Saweetie And Doja Cat Are Giving Teslas Away To A Few Lucky Fans

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Back in January, Saweetie tapped Doja Cat for the joint single “Best Friend,” a sizzling celebration of every woman’s irreplaceable partner-in-crime. Now to future promote their track, Saweetie and Doja Cat have partnered with Telsa to gift a Model S car to a few lucky fans in a giveaway contest.

Announcing the official “Bestie In A Tessie” giveaway in a video posted to Instagram, Saweetie shared the news. “I am doing a huge giveaway. I’m not only giving away one, but two brand-new Teslas,” she said. “They’re sleek, they’re sexy, and they’re hella spacious.”

Speaking about her decision to hold the giveaway, Saweetie said: “My Icy family has shown so much love towards the ‘Best Friend’ track and I’m hyped to return the love to two lucky fans with these two Teslas.”

While Saweetie’s most recent collaboration was with Doja Cat, it seems as though the rapper may be collaborating with another groundbreaking hip-hop artist. Earlier this month, Cardi B’s sister Hennessy spilled some news about a possible joint track with Saweetie. According to Hennessy, Cardi and Saweetie’s managers are in talks about a mysterious project that the two are working on, meaning that a new single could be on the way.

See Saweetie’s official announcement above.

The contest winners will be announced 4/16. Enter the giveaway here.

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

Quavo Vows To Pick Up Bobby Shmurda From Prison When He’s Released

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With Bobby Shmurda’s five-year prison sentence finally coming to an end this month, the 26-year-old Brooklyn native has become the focal point of all the buzz in hip-hop this week. While fans speculate about his post-prison activities and his longtime friend and partner-in-rhyme Rowdy Rebel promising the two will touch the stage again soon, another figure in rap found a way to become part of the moment, according to Billboard.

In a yet-to-be-published interview coming soon as part of a Bleacher Report event, Migos member Quavo told Billboard, “I’m going to get my guy. I’m personally gonna go pick up Bobby Shmurda. I’m bout to go get him. I’m gonna let him show you how I’m gonna pick him up. It’s gonna be big.” According to the report, Bobby and Migos were working on a joint mixtape to be titled Migos Shmigo Gang. Naturally, the collaboration was derailed by Bobby’s arrest in December 2014 and eventual guilty plea on 4th-degree conspiracy and 2nd-degree criminal weapons possession charges.

Rowdy, who was arrested alongside Bobby and released earlier after Bobby was denied parole for behavioral problems inside, told Hot 97 that the two planned to attend — and possibly perform at — New York’s Summer Jam this year. Bobby’s whose last major hit was “Hot N****” back in 2014 will have to imitate his labelmate and hit the ground running like “Jesse Owens” to make up for the lost time. With Quavo at the wheel, he’ll be getting back to the studio that much quicker.

Taylor Swift And Lil Wayne Are Now Tied For A ‘Billboard’ Hot 100 Chart Record

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It’s no secret that Taylor Swift is a prolific musician. On top of releasing two surprise albums in 2020, the singer began re-recording her entire discography. Because she continues to turn out hits, Swift has broken a handful of charting records. Some of her historic feats are less positive, however, like when her song “Willow” broke Tekashi 69’s record for the biggest fall from No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. But now, it looks as though the singer is competing with Lil Wayne to secure yet another chart record.

Swift released her newly-recorded version of her 2009 track “Love Story” last week, which debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song marked her 51st song to land a spot in the top 20, which officially ties with Lil Wayne for the second-most top 20 songs in the chart’s history.

Though the two may be competing for the second-most top 20 entries, Taylor Swift still leads the pack when it comes to Hot 100 chart entries among female artists. She continues to hold the most Hot 100 songs compared to any other female musician in history.

Lil Wayne and Swift’s competing record isn’t the only exciting news from this week’s Billboard charts; Olivia Rodrigo also made an impressive impact with her hit debut single “Drivers License.” The song was once again at No. 1 this week, making it the first time a debut single has ever spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart.

Killer Mike Delays Reopening His Barbershop After A Nearby Shooting Damages The Windows

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Killer Mike, who recently closed his Atlanta barbershop due to safety concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is delaying re-opening the shop after a nearby shooting damaged the windows. However, in the social media post announcing the delay, he clarified that the shop was not the target of the shooting, blaming it on “Black men who could not shoot for sh*t.” He also stated he wasn’t upset, but indirectly admonished the perpetrators to think about the consequences of their actions.

“Last night at 1am (non biz hours) while I was in the booth I got a call ‘Mike the OG Store windows were shot out,’” he explained. “It was not a personal attack but it was black men who cud not shoot for shit shooting at one another. I am not upset as property can be replaced. I am sorry to my customers as this will continue pause the re launch of the OG SWAG Shop barber Shop & store. I wanna say to the brothers tho: Please consider what would have happened if one of y’all actually hit one another. The jail, the lawyer fees, the funeral cost and two black families loss. I’m glad y’all cud not hit the side of a barn with a shot gun cuz this am y’all all are alive.”

Mike recently appeared on ESPN to talk about the importance of ownership and financial responsibility, explaining how seeds planted by prior generations of his family allowed him the economic freedom to expand the family’s wealth. He also recently launched his Greenwood digital banking platform to help give other Black people access to the same wealth-building tools and expanded his business interests into the world of cannabis alongside his Run The Jewels partner El-P.

Juice WRLD Fights Giants In His Motocross-Inspired ‘Conversations’ Video

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Juice WRLD‘s posthumous video for “Conversations,” the latest single from his album Legends Never Die, features a CGI giant and some impressive motocross tricks interspersed with footage from Juice’s tours and performances. He also freestyles on his tour bus at the end of the video, highlighting the impressive skills that endeared him to his fans even more during his life.

The CGI monster in “Conversations” is just the latest use of the technique in a posthumous Juice WRLD video. Previously, he and Trippie Redd were digitized to fight apocalyptic zombies in the cartoon-ish video for Internet Money’s “Blast Off,” while Juice teamed up with The Weeknd in the animated video for “Smile.”

Meanwhile, the real Juice WRLD appeared alongside Young Thug in the “Bad Boy” video directed by Cole Bennett, which was filmed before Juice’s passing in 2019. As more videos come out, it’ll be interesting to see what other techniques will be used to keep Juice’s image and memory alive. Could a deep-fake video or hologram eventually perform for him in the future? Maybe, but for now, the animated avatars and archival footage have done more than a serviceable job of providing fans a visual component as they continue to enjoy his music after his death.

Watch the “Conversations” video above.

The Boston Calling Festival Has Canceled Its 2021 Event

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2020 was a year mostly without music festivals, and so far, it remains to be seen how 2021 will pan out on that front. Glastonbury has already called off its 2021 event and it looks like Coachella may get the axe as well. Boston Calling canceled its 2020 fest and now it is repeating that this year, as organizers announced today that the 2021 event will not be happening.

In a note shared on social media, organizers wrote:

“After exploring all possible options for hosting Boston Calling this year, we have made the difficult decision in conjunction with local and state authorities to cancel the 2021 festival. The health and safety of our entire community is always out top priority, and there was no appropriate scenario under which we could provide the Boston Calling experience you love and deserve.

While we are sad to go another year without the festival, we have set our sights on 2022 — mark your calendars for Memorial Day weekend. We look forward to sharing more information around headliners, lineup and vendors as we get closer to the 2022 festival. […] Stay safe, we look forward to seeing everyone again soon.”

While Boston Calling was one of the last major 2020 festivals to be called off, they have made the decision early this year. Now, music fans wait to see if this latest cancellation will be indicative of a larger trend for festivals in 2021.

Find Boston Calling’s full note about this year’s cancellation below.

Billie Eilish And Finneas Helped Spotify Announce Their New Hi-Fi Streaming Tier

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The Hi-Fi streaming experience has been touted before, with Jay-Z’s streaming service Tidal initially orienting their messaging around a lossless streaming tier, and of course, there’s Neil Young’s obsession with his Pono player and high-definition digital archives. But today, Spotify announced they will be joining the lossless streaming world too, letting Spotify Premium subscribers upgrade to Spotify HiFi, which will “deliver music in CD-quality, lossless audio format.”

According to Spotify, this has been one of the most-requested additions, and the rollout was announced with the help of Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas. “High quality audio means more info, there are things you will not hear if you don’t have a good sound system. It’s really important just because we make music that [we] want to be heard in the way that it was made,” Eilish said. Her brother added: “Anytime anyone really takes time to sit down with our music and listen to it in a really high quality way it’s very exciting because I know they are hearing everything that we intended them to.”

The service will roll out in select markets later this year, though no pricing info has been released yet. It’s a big day for the streaming platform considering they also announced a brand new exclusive podcast with Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama.