Kelis Seemingly Speaks Out About Being Sampled on Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Album
Pop
Lady Gaga Has All-Caps Praise For Doja Cat’s Truly Awful (Intentionally So) Cover Of ‘Shallow’
Doja Cat is one of the best singers we have, as she has proven on successful hits like “Kiss Me More” and the No. 1 single “Say So.” What she has also shown, though, is that the instrument is a voice, and even if you have the finest one in the world, if you use it poorly, it’s going to sound bad.
During an Instagram Live broadcast yesterday, Doja took a minute to sing a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Shallow.” She turned in a truly horrendous rendition of the song, shrieking her way through the song on a couple different occasions. That was intentional and for comedic effect, of course, and Gaga herself got in on the joke, too: In the comments of a TikTok repost of the video, Gaga wrote, “LADY THATS A SERVE.”
Pra encerrar a noite, Doja Cat surpreende os internautas ao cantar Shallow da Lady Gaga igualzinho a cantora, gostaram? pic.twitter.com/szzC4Hxj3A
— My Idol
(@myidolbrasil) July 27, 2022
Lady Gaga comments on a TikTok of Doja Cat playfully singing “Shallow”:
“LADY THATS A SERVE” pic.twitter.com/vxHoM3cpDi
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 27, 2022
This isn’t the only recent comedic, Gaga-adjacent moment: Last month, Leslie Jordan, one of Gaga’s co-stars in American Horror Story: Roanoke, spoke about how he thought Gaga was an extra the first time he met her on set. Meanwhile, Doja is fresh off a mini scandal: Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp shared screenshots of a private conversation between him and Doja about Joseph Quinn, so Doja called him out and some didn’t like how Doja handled the whole situation.
Kelis Says She Didn’t Know She Was Sampled On Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’: ‘It’s Not A Collab It’s Theft’
Beyoncé’s highly anticipated album Renaissance, arriving tomorrow, is full of sampled artists, including Donna Summer, Big Freedia, and Kelis. Kelis, though, is not happy about it. On an Instagram post made by the account @kelistrends about Kelis being sampled on Renaissance, Kelis shared her frustrations in the comments.
“My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 parties involved is astounding,” she wrote. “I heard about this the same way everyone else did . Nothing is ever as it seems , some of the people in this business have no soul or integrity and they have everyone fooled.”
She argued with fans in the comments, replying to those excited about the collaboration: “it’s not a collab it’s theft,” she wrote. People pointed out that her beef is not with Beyoncé but instead with Pharrell, who she accused of stealing profits from her after she worked with him on her first two records. She opened up about the feud in an interview last year: “Their argument is: ‘Well, you signed it,’” she told the journalist. “I’m like: ‘Yeah, I signed what I was told, and I was too young and too stupid to double-check it.’”
Check out the original Instagram post below.
Beyonce Fans Are Appalled By An ‘MGK Punk Pop’ Cover Of ‘Break My Soul’
When Beyonce’s house-influenced new single “Break My Soul” first dropped, there were naturally a few fans put off by the pop-R&B queen’s shift into dance music styles. It didn’t take long for folks to jump aboard though, leading to a renaissance (sorry) of interest in Black-led dance music. Even Robin S. started to receive some belated and much-deserved accolades for her role in pioneering house music in the ’90s.
However, while Beyonce’s genre experimentation is part of a larger movement to reclaim traditionally Black music, that doesn’t mean that fans can appreciate further attempts to transform her work. Enter Ali Spagnola, a social media personality who has made kind of a name for herself with attention-grabbing stunts. Along with her band, she has reinterpreted the song as a pop-punk track in a video titled, “What if Beyonce’s ‘Break My Soul’ was by MGK?”
What if Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” was by MGK? pic.twitter.com/ENIChzCYdi
— Ali Spagnola (@alispagnola) July 22, 2022
There is nothing, NOTHING, worse than this. https://t.co/lDdM3ptxde
— Bread Lasso
(@southernfleaux) July 22, 2022
yt ppl always gotta ruin shit https://t.co/YqQ3Puc8E9
— des
(@zkdlinswh0re) July 23, 2022
what if you stopped this https://t.co/T08CBOuBzq
— simone! (@parasocialyte) July 23, 2022
Obviously, it didn’t take long for the video to get negative attention from Beyonce fans for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being that it’s kind of … not good. It’s also problematic thanks to some of the reasons stated above, which makes it a bad look in the eyes of many fans who are left to wonder if Spagnola just didn’t get the cultural subtext or got it and just didn’t care (both options sap the intended humor of the situation, given the historical context here). But attention seems to have been the goal all along, and Spagnola hasn’t had any problem with retweeting the criticism as well as the sporadic praise. She even doubled down, posting a video about “How we turned Beyonce’s ‘Break My Soul’ to MGK punk pop.”
How we turned Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” to MGK punk pop pic.twitter.com/16DzpRvQFZ
— Ali Spagnola (@alispagnola) July 25, 2022
We can’t have shit
https://t.co/qTHNeG6W5r
— daysodj13 (@daysodj13) July 28, 2022
how? girl, WHY?? https://t.co/fS1P1Qff7U
— mary
(@unde4demily) July 28, 2022
Blocked and reported for spam https://t.co/sI7R1pd4tc
— YOUR FAV MT
(@El_Negro_VI) July 27, 2022
And now, if you’ll excuse me, my soul is definitely broken, because I am not Beyonce, so I’m gonna go lie down until I stop feeling so queasy.
Bad Bunny’s ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ Passes The ‘Encanto’ Soundtrack As The Most Popular Album Of 2022
Bad Bunny has rapidly risen from relative obscurity to become one of the biggest artists in the world, accumulating multiple No. 1s, selling millions of records, and making history in the short amount of time he’s been in the spotlight. His latest impressive accomplishment comes courtesy of Billboard, which reports that BB’s new album Un Verano Sin Ti has become the most popular album of 2022 — even surpassing the inescapable Encanto soundtrack.
Un Verano Sin Ti, which was also the second all-Spanish-language album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (the first being its immediate predecessor, El Último Tour del Mundo, in 2020), has earned 1.606 million equivalent album units in the US. Encanto, which featured the immensely popular “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” had 1.565 million units. For those who don’t know, equivalent album units are a combination of straight album sales, 10 individual tracks sold from an album (track equivalent units), or 1,250 streams via a subscription — or 3,750 ad-supported streams (streaming equivalent units). While Billboard’s data doesn’t break down how BB reached his impressive 1.6 million EAUs, previous reports noted his totals were being driven mostly by streams, which kept the album at No. 1 for five consecutive weeks, then reclaimed its spot earlier this month, breaking a record previously set by Adele in the process.
Cara Delevingne Talks Her Controversial Night With Megan Thee Stallion And Doja Cat At The Billboard Awards
Back in May, Cara Delevingne stole the show at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, whether she was taking not-so-great photos of Doja Cat or having enthusiastic interactions with Megan Thee Stallion, which led to accusations of her “fetishizing Black women” and just being a bit too much. Now, Delevingne has spoken about that fateful night on The Tonight Show.
During an interview yesterday, Jimmy Fallon showed a photo of the Only Murders In The Building actor holding the train of Megan’s dress on the BBMAs red carpet and asked for the story there. Delevingne noted Megan invited her to join her at the show and help her memorize an acceptance speech, but Delevingne didn’t think she’d end up being a noticeable part of the proceedings. On the red carpet, Delevingne noticed Megan struggling with her train, so she helped out by moving it around for her.
She then spoke about that aforementioned Doja photo (not directly but seemingly so based on context), saying, “I walked in and I had a seat in the front row. I’m like, ‘I’m not meant to be here.’ So I was like, ‘Hi!’ And then I was getting on the floor, taking pictures. That’s what what I do because I’m like, I don’t know, I was just really excited. I was like, ‘Let me get my angle, guys, I’m a photographer!’”
She added, “I was living my best life, but people found it a bit odd, which… people find me odd, but that’s me. No shame!”
Check out the interview above.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Harry Styles Sent Lizzo Flowers After ‘About Damn Time’ Took Over His No. 1 Spot On The Hot 100 Chart
A couple weeks ago on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” parked itself at No. 2, right behind Harry Styles’ “As It Was” at No. 1. The week after, that stayed the same when “As It Was” remained on top for a tenth total week. On this week’s chart, though, “About Damn Time” finally soared high enough to overtake the top spot from Styles’ hit, demoting it to the silver-medal spot.
If Styles is feeling bitter about all this, he’s not showing it, as he graciously accepted his defeat by sending Lizzo a colorful arrangement of flowers. Lizzo showed them off in a TikTok video, in which she holds them and says, “Thanks for the flowers, Harry,” before smelling them and flashing a smile. She wrote in the post caption, “Yall harry got me flowers congratulating me on about damn time going #1 [crying emojis].”
Lizzo and Styles have some history together: In 2020, they hosted a joint concert on Super Bowl weekend. In April, Lizzo popped up as a surprise guest at Styles’ Coachella set. Lizzo also showed her love for Styles’ new album Harry’s House in June, declaring, “He put the whole Harrussy into that album. I love his new album.”
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Getting To Know FLO, The UK R&B Outfit Co-Signed By Missy & SZA
Barack Obama’s 2022 Summer Playlist Includes Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Wet Leg, And Other Diverse Picks
Now that Barack Obama is no longer occupied with being our country’s president, he has found himself with more time to focus on his true passion: Sharing lists of things he likes a few times a year. The former POTUS’ latest mix was his favorite songs of 2021 and now he’s back with his annual summer playlist.
Sharing it on social media today, he wrote, “Every year, I get excited to share my summer playlist because I learn about so many new artists from your replies — it’s an example of how music really can bring us all together. Here’s what I’ve been listening to this summer. What songs would you add?”
Every year, I get excited to share my summer playlist because I learn about so many new artists from your replies—it’s an example of how music really can bring us all together.
Here’s what I’ve been listening to this summer. What songs would you add? pic.twitter.com/9OgPq0SRy4
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 26, 2022
Obama’s playlists are usually an eclectic mix and that’s the case here, too. He has some picks from popular modern artists, like Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Harry Styles’ “Music For A Sushi Restaurant,” Drake and Rihanna’s “Too Good,” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Die Hard.” He also has rock selections old and new, like Wet Leg’s “Angelica,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark,” and Jack White’s “I’m Shakin’.”
Other artists who made the cut include Tems, Sampa The Great, Rosalía, Lil Yachty, Prince, Maggie Rogers, Al Green, Dr. John, Miles Davis, Burna Boy, Doechii, Aminé, Aretha Franklin, Bad Bunny, Rakim, D’Angelo, Nina Simone, Caamp, Otis Redding, Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill, Fatboy Slim, Omar Apollo, Maren Morris, The Internet, Vince Staples and Mustard, and Kacey Musgraves.
Check out the full playlist above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Weeknd Announces ‘After Hours Nightmare,’ A Haunted House Experience At Universal Studios
Fans of The Weeknd have described his earlier sounds as “haunted strip club music.” While this may be a fair assessment, the singer has announced he will be taking his music to the realm of haunted houses. Beginning this September, The Weeknd will launch “After Hours Nightmare,” a series of Universal Studios parks’ Halloween Horror Nights series.
The houses will take inspiration from The Weeknd’s After Hours album era and will be set to music from the album. According to a press release, visitors to either of the haunted houses at Universal Studios in Orlando or Universal Studios in Hollywood will be “stalked by slashers, bandaged maniacs, gruesome toad-like creatures and other unfathomable horrors from the mind of the artist.”
“I always wanted my own Halloween Horror Nights haunted house as Halloween has always been significant to my music, so this is a total dream come to life,” said The Weeknd in a statement. “I feel like my music videos have served as a launching pad for a collaboration like this, and I cannot wait for people to experience this madness!”
“After Hours Nightmare” kicks off September 2 at Universal Orlando Resort and September 8 at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Check out the official teaser above.