After dropping a teaser trailer last week for “La Fama,” Rosalía and The Weeknd have delivered on their promise in spades. The first song off of Rosalía’s Motomami, due out in 2022, “La Fama” arrives with a video that’s both deadly and metaphoric.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen,” actor and taco entrepreneurDanny Trejo says to an opulent club crowd as the video begins. “I want to introduce the following number. But I must warn you, she’s not for everyone. She will pierce your heart and she will be your only obsession! So get ready for some heat… La Fama!”
But this is no ordinary club, this is a decadent cabaret where people snort diamonds and sip gemstone martinis. Rosalía is the titular “La Fama” singing and dancing seductively and setting her crosshairs on The Weeknd, sitting front and center. His high-pitched voice joins her in Spanish as he rises to heed her siren call. They get closer and closer, and just as their lips are about to meet, she kills him.
“I wanted to write, in my own way, a bachata with a little story around ambition,” Rosalía said in a statement. “Taking as a reference the lyrics of Ruben Blades or Patti Smith and the songs of Aventura, I ended up writing a story of romance with fame.”
The video and the song’s lyrics are definitely symbolic of an obsession with stardom, something that both Rosalía and the Weeknd have experienced a lot of. It’s a cautionary tale to the endless thirst traps surrounding the entertainment industry. And as the lights dim, Rosalía poses for applause while The Weekend lays lifeless and Trejo punctuates what we just witnessed: “Don’t forget, be careful what you wish for!”
Welsh singer Jamie Miller’s music career took off after he came in at third place on The Voice UK in 2017. Since then, he has gone on to build a massive following, sign a major record deal, and tour the globe. Miller is currently working on music for his highly anticipated debut album but before its release, the singer stopped by Uproxx studios to react to his favorite videos from his musical idol: Bruno Mars.
For the latest segment in Uproxx’s React Like You Know series, Miller sat down to show his love to Mars’ Silk Sonic track “Leave The Door Open,” as well as “When I Was Your Man” and “Versace On The Floor.” Miller admits he’s a little biased when it comes to his opinion on Mars’ music. He even successfully auditioned for The Voice by giving a rendition of Mars’ track, “When I Was Your Man.” “He’s like my god, so I was just thinking that anything that comes out of his mouth — he’s incredible,” Miller said.
Of course, it would be hard to speak about Mars’ music without discussion his new duo with Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic. Miller loved their debut single “Leave The Door Open,” and has the perfect way to describe why .Paak and Mars work so well together. “They’re both so talented in two different ways. I feel like [.Paak] brings the sauce while Bruno brings the flavor,” he said.
Watch Miller react to Mars’ videos above and check out more of Uproxx’s React Like You Know series here.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Back in March, Cardi B achieved a huge milestone: She became the first-ever female rapper to have a solo song be certified Diamond, meaning it garnered over 10 million sales in the US. Now, a few months later, Cardi’s predecessor has followed her achievement. Nicki Minaj’s 2010 track “Super Bass” just hit 10 million sales, meaning she’s the second-ever female rapper to have a song be Diamond-certified.
“Super Bass” originally appeared on the deluxe version of Minaj’s debut album Pink Friday, nearly a decade ago. Now celebrating its new Diamond status, Minaj took to social media to share her gratitude. She posted a video of the official Diamond certification plaque, which is encrusted with shimmering rhinestones and features a photo of Minaj from the “Super Bass” single art. In the post’s caption, the rapper thanked her fans for a “decade of support” and even gave Taylor Swift a special shout-out. “Thank you for over a decade of support,” she wrote. “(special thx to Ester Dean, Kane, Juice, Taylor Swift, Sofia Grace & Rosie, Ellen, Young Money/Cash Money & Republic. This one was released b4 the streaming era, so millions of fans actually purchased the song. I’m so grateful for you guys. Sending love & blessings your way.”
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Ed Sheeran has earned himself a lot of clout over the course of his career, as evidenced by the list of folks he’s worked with. While a lot of aspiring artists look up to him for inspiration, his musical role model is Rihanna, as he revealed on The Breakfast Club recently.
In fact, he says that when he’s in the studio, he thinks about what Rihanna would do. He said, “Rihanna is always the benchmark. Rihanna is always… when I go in, that’s how ‘Shape Of You’ was created, ‘Love Yourself’ with Justin Bieber was created. She’s got such great taste in songs that… you can’t say what Rihanna’s style is. It’s just good tunes. So when you go in the studio to create a song, always we go, ‘What would Rihanna do?’ So she’s be somebody I’d always love to work with and write with or for. The fact that she can do ‘Work’ and then she just does ‘FourFiveSeconds,’ and they’re both totally different but both f*cking incredible tunes.”
He also noted they hoped to link up on his No. 6 Collaborations Project album, but they didn’t have “the right tune.” He explained why that didn’t discourage him, saying, “I submitted songs to Beyoncé before and she hadn’t picked any, but then I did ‘Perfect’ and she wanted to sing on it. So I know people rate me, but sometimes the songs aren’t the right songs.”
Emily Ratajkowski recently threw down a convincing theory about how “only other men” are confused about Pete Davidson’s attractiveness in the eyes of women, and she’s here to level the field on a more serious subject. That would be her revelation (as published in her My Body memoir) that Robin Thicke groped her on the “Blurred Lines” set, an account that was backed up by video director Diane Martel, who cut the shoot short after the incident. Emily visited with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show, where she revealed what she’s gained in perspective from that experience.
Let’s just say that she likely did not set out to level Robin Thicke with her declaration, but that’s still part of the effect because her take is incredibly effective. She suspects that maybe Thicke felt powerless on the set (which was run by a female director and filled with women owning their sexuality, contrary to the song’s lyrics) and was acting out as a result. Yup, she said this, and Emily totally took the high road while responding to Noah’s question on how she views the experience through the lens of time:
“I think that I’m really not interested in blaming individuals. I think that we live in a culture that allows a lot of these situations to occur. [Not just in] professional settings but on dates. Again, not to beat the horse, but power dynamics is what I’m interested in talking about and really revealing because I think that, in some ways, maybe that was like an attempt at leveling the power for him, and I think we need to look at how many this culture if bad for both men and women.”
Again, Emily did not appear to set out with the intent of making Robin Thicke look like a disempowered presence on his own video set, but oh boy, that’s how it’s looking now. And it’s a powerful move on her part to make this observation, and it’s completely her prerogative to look at the situation as reflective of the whole culture. The entire The Daily Show interview is a fascinating one, and it began with Noah admitting, “This is one of the most interesting and complicated books I’ve read about the subject.”
From there, Emily discussed what empowerment really means and how our culture has commodified women. She sees this as extreme in society, to the point where the OnlyFans back-and-forth on whether to ban explicit material was a way for someone to attempt to take power from those women. She compares that situation to the “Blurred Lines” video, and she further says, “Every woman can relate to the experience of getting dressed and knowing, you know, sort of the negotiation of how tight to I want my shirt to be? How, you know, much do I want to cover up?” Emily Ratajkowski gets it.
Earlier today, Missy Elliott received her well-deserved star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. The iconic rapper not only inspired other Black women to follow their dreams of music industry stardom, she also inspired decades of rappers to work with Timbaland and then to copy the fish lens effect of her “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” video. Ok, I kid, but it is true. She’s a stylistic innovator and Monday morning’s ceremony featured Lizzo, Ciara and Mona Scott-Young all honoring Elliott.
But it was Lizzo’s speech that hit the strongest chord. The pop singer fought back tears as she professed her adulation for Elliott, telling her that “I saw a superstar in you, but I’d also seen myself. I’d never seen myself and you lived so boldly and so beautifully and so unapologetically and so out loud.”
Lizzo honors Missy Elliott at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony:
“You are the brightest star in the universe. I watched you my entire life and I saw a superstar in you, but I also saw myself… You live so boldly and so beautifully.” pic.twitter.com/7zLTDGcegH
Lizzo moved from emotional to elated, frequently yelling uncontrollably as she was overcome with emotions. “I only have one thing to say to Hollywood Blvd: You’re welcome!” she began. She stopped herself early on to let the Hollywood Blvd crowd know that she hadn’t prepared a speech since she thought she “was just coming to hang out.” Then she added “And now I’m about to cry!,” before delivering this impromptu, yet incredibly moving speech:
“You are the brightest star in the universe Missy. I’ve watched you my entire life. And I saw a superstar in you, but Ive also seen myself. I’d never seen myself and you lived so boldly and so beautifully and so unapologetically and so out loud. You have no idea what you have done for so many Black girls. We don’t deserve you. We don’t deserve Missy Elliott and still you continue to give to us, and given with your heart. Your genius. Let me just drop some words: Genius! Icon! Queen…queen of hip-hop! Visionary! I want to thank you so much for helping me in my career. I never in a million years thought I’d get to meet you and not only did I get to meet you, but we worked in the studio together! Thank you for making my dreams comes true. You have no idea what you mean to all of us Missy. We love you. We celebrate you. God Bless You. This is more than deserved. Let us continue to celebrate all of your accomplishments and your influence forever. We love you so much Missy. Congratulations.”
Watch Missy Elliott’s star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame be unveiled below.
An emotional @Lizzo delivered a speech st @MissyElliott‘s Hollywood Walk Of Fame ceremony: ‘You have no idea what you have done for so many Black girls.’ https://t.co/QZlUwWCFeX
The Weeknd is in a collaborative mood right now. In October, he linked up with Swedish House Mafia for “Moth To A Flame” and just a few days ago, he and Post Malone dropped “One Right Now.” Now, he has yet another joint effort on the way, and this time, he teaming up with a familiar face in Rosalía, who he recruited for a remix of “Blinding Lights” in late 2020. This time, the two are meeting up on “La Fama,” a new song that’s set for release this Thursday, November 11.
A brief trailer for the song’s video was shared today, and in it, Rosalía sings and dances in a club while The Weeknd looks on and the pair eventually capture each other’s attention. Furthermore, Danny Trejo makes an appearance in the clip, playing the role of an MC of sorts and introducing Rosalía by exclaiming, “So get ready for some heat: La Fama!”
As for the song itself, it has a Latin-influenced beat and sees The Weeknd singing in Spanish, as he did on Maluma’s “Hawái” remix that was released almost exactly a year ago today.
Check out the trailer for The Weeknd and Rosalía’s upcoming “La Fama” video above.
Throughout their nearly four decades as an awards show, the MTV VMAs have historically been a way for musicians to experiment with their style. Lady Gaga’s 2010 raw meat dress became one of the most-recognizable pop culture moments, and who could forget Lil Kim’s purple pasties at the 1999 VMAs red carpet? As someone who thrives at the intersection of hip-hop and pop genres, Doja Cat has definitely taken a page out of Gaga and Kim’s playbooks when it comes to her own style. Whether she’s delightfully draped in chiffon or wearing an actual stool on her head as a hat, Doja toes the line between shocking and playful — proving she’s having more fun with fashion than anyone else in music.
When it comes to her style, part of Doja’s shock value success comes from her commitment to a concept. It’s been an important part of her artistry from her breakout moment and is abundantly clear from watching her music videos, performances, and eyeing her show-stopping red carpet looks. Throughout her career, Doja has leaned into cat-like looks to go along with her namesake, caught disco fever with the ‘70s-inspired outfits following the release of her No. 1 track “Say So,” and gone out of this world with a futurist approach to her ensembles surrounding the era of her latest album, Planet Her.
Doja’s videos make it clear she has stayed true to an aesthetic from the very beginning. She fully leaned into the title of her song “Moo!” in a video that became her first viral moment. The green screen-backed visual saw the singer dressed head-to-toe in a cow-print outfit and sipping on a strawberry milkshake while she shouts, “B*tch, I’m a cow.” Her outfits in the video to “Bottom B*tch,” a song which samples Blink-182’s “What’s My Age Again?,” brought pop-punk into a new decade by taking style elements from Spencer’s-obsessed teens like mesh tops and neon beanies while adding a modern twist with stringy corset tops and a patterned two-piece set. Fast-forward a few years and most of her videos to the tracks from Planet Her now revolve around an extraterrestrial theme. She and SZA were giant femme fetal space dwellers in “Kiss Me More,” while Doja transformed into a seductive, green, metropolis-living alien in her “Need To Know” video.
Doja’s conceptual style also plays a major role in her live performances. She played up the feline-lover origins of her moniker with her Vevo Lift performance of “Say So” in 2020, which added campy elements to distinctly classic styles. Her wig was bobbed and curled in the style of Marilyn Monroe, while its hot pink color and fuzzy cat ears made it her own. Her accompanying outfit was a Garo Sparo bodice with a sweetheart neckline cut to mimic the Playboy bunny cocktail waitress outfits-turned popular Halloween costumes. But instead of being made from satin, Doja’s outfit was cut from hot pink furry cloth, once again nodding to her cat-like look. “There’s something mysterious about the concept of a ‘crazy cat lady,’” she said in an interview alongside the performance. “I took that symbol and applied it to my character, Doja Cat.” When it came to her recent 2021 performance at the Balmain Fashion Show in Paris, her concept was a bit more open-ended. Rather than formatting her look after an animal, the singer said she wanted her look to give the energy of “sexy garlic.”
Doja has long positioned herself as a fashion boundary-pusher, so she is always right at home on the red carpet. In fact, some of the singer’s most experimental looks happened at award shows. When it comes to the VMAs, Doja hasn’t held anything back. When she took the virtual stage in 2020, the singer showed up in an ensemble that can only be described as a sexy fish, complete with lit-up genitalia. A year later while hosting the ceremony, the singer accepted a VMA award in a head-to-toe padded quilt dress designed by Thom Browne that Doja compared to a colorful worm. “I never thought I’d be dressed as a worm while accepting an award,” she said.
Her “sexy fish” VMAs outfit is, to no one’s surprise, not the only look Doja has worn that draws attention to her… nether regions. At the 2020 AVN Awards, aka the “Oscars of porn,” the singer showed up in a skin-tight mesh bodysuit that sparsely covered her crotch in rhinestones. The look expertly combined the disco-inspired era “Say So” with the theme of the night, an outfit her stylist would later call her “Cher moment.”
Whether she’s posing in a glittery merkin, accepting an award dressed as a neon worm, clomping around in massive chicken claw-like shoes, many of her wildest outfits have one thing in common: they were designed in collaboration with her stylist, Brett Alan Nelson. While Doja has always had her own style, there’s no denying that Nelson has helped take her fashion to the next, sometimes bizarre, level. As a central part of Doja’s team since 2019, Nelson is drawn to over-the-top, theatrical styles. “She and I get each other so well,” Nelson said about his work with Doja in an interview with Vogue. “We bicker like brother and sister, but I know her, sometimes better than she knows herself. She’s down to have fun, take risks, and she trusts me, which in my industry, that is the best thing a creative could ever ask for.”
Megan and BTS will be performing together to give their “Butter” remix its television debut. It’s not clear what song(s) Rodrigo will deliver for her AMAs debut, but Bad Bunny is set to perform “Lo Siento BB:/.”
More performers are expected to be announced soon, but one who won’t make the cut is Morgan Wallen. He’s up for two awards due to his performance on the charts, but AMAs organizers noted last month, “Morgan Wallen is a nominee this year based on charting. As his conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting). We plan to evaluate his progress in doing meaningful work as an ally to the Black community and will consider his participation in future shows.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Ed Sheeran closed out October with the release of his fifth album =, which continued his streak of math-themed titles, which dates back to his debut album +. The arrival of = concluded was much awaited, despite it only being two years since he last released 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project. It seems like the wait for = paid off for him as it just became his fifth No. 1 album.
= debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart dated November 13 thanks to 118,000 album units sold in its first week. This number is comprised of 68,000 pure album sales, which also makes it the top-selling album of the week. Streaming equivalent album units account for 46,500 units. = gives Sheeran his fifth consecutive No. 1 album as No. 6 Collaborations Project (2019), ÷ (2017), x (2014), and + (2011) each topped the chart.
This latest feat comes after Sheeran stopped by Saturday Night Live to perform “Shivers” and “Overpass Graffiti.” His performance on the show was momentarily in jeopardy as he tested positive for coronavirus a week before he was set to hit the stage. But thankfully, things worked out in everyone’s favor.
