Top Dawg Entertainment is well-known for esoteric rollouts which include blacked-out profile pics and surprise single releases, but it’s been a while since we’ve heard from the West Coast-based label home of Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and SZA. Today, the Top Dawg himself, TDE CEO Anthony Tiffith, broke the silence, tweeting out a mysterious release date reveal with a triumphant caption. “THE WAIT IS OVAH!!!!” he wrote, while a video displayed a simulated loading screen with a progress bar that rapidly reaches the 99% mark before resolving into a simple “5/7/21.”
In typical TDE fashion, though, this leaves us with more questions than answers. What is the label planning? Which member of the roster warrants such excitement from the head honcho? It’s been a while since most of the marquee stars of TDE last released full-length projects; fans have been anxiously awaiting updates from Ab-Soul (who last released Do What Thou Wilt. in 2016), Isaiah Rashad (The Sun’s Tirade, 2016), Kendrick Lamar (DAMN., 2017) and SZA (CTRL, 2017). That’s not counting Jay Rock, whose last album dropped in 2018, Schoolboy Q, who last released in 2019, or group efforts like Black Hippy or the collaborative project Reason and Jay Rock hinted at in 2019.
For now, it looks like we’ll just have to wait to see if the label plans to release more information before next Friday or stay glued to their social channels to find out who it is. Check out Top Dawg’s tweet above.
It’s not everyday that three of the most popular women in the music industry are seen hanging out together, and when it does happen, it’s fair to speculate that they’re working on a project. That’s exactly what happened this week when Lizzo, SZA, and Kehlani were spotted together all over social media, and fans hope it means that a joint single is on its way.
The three musicians were seen out on the town by paparazzi Wednesday night. They were captured hand-in-hand in West Hollywood leaving a restaurant together. After the paparazzi photos circulated, Lizzo, SZA, and Kehlani got together to film a playful TikTok poking fun at men who try to take salacious selfies.
Once fans caught wind that the three musicians were spending time together, many began to speculate that a joint project could very well be in the works.
Excuse me why are Lizzo Kehlani and SZA all together? What is this gathering??? I literally just woke up, I’m not prepared for anything, I don’t have a bra on, I don’t have coffee, bonnet still on my head
While this may be the first time the three were captured hanging out together, SZA and Lizzo are already good friends. Earlier this week, Lizzo shared an unedited nude selfie to Instagram in order to change “the conversation about beauty standards.” SZA was quick to commend Lizzo for the photo in the comment section, writing: “It’s you having no blemishes at ALL lol .. sigh I jus admire u Fren.”
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Top Dawg Entertainment’s SZA doesn’t play when it comes to the selfies. The curvy crooner has kept busy putting out new music these days but also delivering some seriously jaw-dropping self-love shots. In celebration of the California artist’s frequent slaying, we’re taking a look at five of her most mind-blowing looks.
No matter what she does, it seems as though Lizzo cannot escape critics. However, Lizzo takes a lighthearted approach to her haters, trolling people for questioning her weight and having very open discussions about the body positivity movement. But seeing as we live in a society that upholds unrealistic beauty standards, even Lizzo admits to occasionally airbrushing her selfies. That’s why the singer opted to ring in Taurus Season by sharing a completely unedited, naked photo with her over 10 million followers.
Lizzo shared the photo to her Instagram page Tuesday. “WELCOME TO TAURUS SEASON,” Lizzo wrote in the photo’s caption. “To celebrate I wanna give y’all this unedited selfie.. now normally I would fix my belly and smooth my skin but baby I wanted show u how I do it au natural.” The singer also mentioned that she’s partnering withe the brand Dove, saying that the company is “helping to reverse the negative effects of social media and changing the conversation about beauty standards.”
Many celebrities like Jonathan Van Ness, Grimes, and even Marc Jacobs expressed their support. But Lizzo’s friend SZA was perhaps the most vocal. In the comment section, SZA applauded Lizzo’s beauty: “It’s you having no blemishes at ALL lol .. sigh I jus admire u Fren,” she wrote. “I wanna drop the FaceTime pics.”
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Top Dawg Entertainment’s SZA is still perfecting her selfie craft. The West Coast crooner has come through with a fresh photo dump filled with steamy pics, accomplishments and a hilarious dog in a costume. SZA’s Latest Photo Dump Is A Must-See The California performer went to Instagram with a splash of new shots. While most […]
Doja Cat’s popularity and stardom has increased over the past year and some change thanks to the massive success that was rooted in her sophomore album, Hot Pink. The project delivered successful records that included “Say So” and “Streets” and helped the full-length effort endure as run that lasted almost two years. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and it seems like Doja ready to move on to the next chapter in her career, with her upcoming third album, Planet Her, which she previously confirmed was complete. The campaign for the upcoming project now begins with “Kiss Me More” collaboration with SZA.
The new song is definitely one that will fit onto the soundtrack for the impending summer. Packed by bubbly production and high-spirited verses from Doja and SZA, the song finds the ladies flaunting their physical attributes to the men that surround them. It also arrived with a music video that features an astronaut who lands on foreign all to discover Doja Cat and SZA as the majestic beauties that seem to call that area home.
The song should spark what would be an impressive run towards the release of Planet Her, which was confirmed for a summer 2021 arrival in a press release. During a sit down with Fat Joe last September, Doja shared an update on album. “It’s all ready. I hate that I’m holding onto it right now,” she said. “I see everybody’s like, ‘Put it out’ … You have to plan things accordingly and there’s a lot going on.” She also shared a list of potential guest features from included The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, French Montana, Megan Thee Stallion, ASAP Ferg, Saweetie, and Young Thug.
Hit play on the fun new single in the video above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Doja Cat‘s sophomore album Hot Pink may have been released 18 months ago yet it still remains extremely popular. But fans are still hungry for more. Though her third album, Planet Her, is still en route, she’s throwing them a bone: Its first
single, “Kiss Me More,” featuring SZA, will arrive at the end of the week — news she revealed on Twitter in a post also showcasing the single’s artwork.
During an interview with V Magazine last month, SZA spoke about the song during a conversation with Doja, who was also a part of the sit-down. “I know our little ditty ‘Kiss Me More’ is a different strut and I’m just excited,” SZA said. As for Planet Her, Doja confirmed that the project was complete during an interview with Fat Joe. “It’s all ready. I hate that I’m holding onto it right now,” she said. “I see everybody’s like, ‘Put it out’ … You have to plan things accordingly and there’s a lot going on.” She also revealed a possible list of guest features, including The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, SZA, French Montana, Megan Thee Stallion, ASAP Ferg, Saweetie, and Young Thug.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.
Brent Faiyaz — “Show U Off”
Brent Faiyaz has taken a step back from his usual toxic R&B slow jams this week to celebrate women with his newly released cut “Show U Off.” Its the latest in a string of singles the singer has unleashed this year, so hopefully that means a follow-up to 2019’s F*ck The World is coming soon.
Giveon — “All To Me”
Giveon delivered Take Time in 2020 and When It’s All Said And Done in 2021. This week, he combined the two into one and offered an extra song to go with it titled “All To Me.” The song is so good its a wonder why it wasn’t included on either projects originally, or perhaps Giveon just never misses.
Jacquees — “Freaky As Me” Feat. Mulatto
Jacquees and Mulatto connect for the R&B singer’s sensual slow jam “Freaky As Me.” The song is set to appear on his upcoming project P.T.O.F: Vol. 1 and is the follow-up to his previously released cut “Put In Work,” from last year.
Fousheé — “Sing About Love”
Following the release of “Single Af,” rising R&B star Fousheé offers another lively cut in the form of “Sing About Love.” Fousheé is on a streak, proving she’s more than her popular TikTok song “Deep End” and absolutely here to stay.
SZA — “Good Days”
The video for SZA‘s “Good Days” is here. She teased the number at the end of her song “Hit Different” with Ty Dolla Sign and now she offers a music video for the magical song which takes place in a psychedelic rain forest filled with mushrooms as well as a library that sees SZA showing off her pole dancing skills. At the end of “Good Days” is a special treat for all the fans who are waiting for the TDE princess to release her yet-to-be-officially-named song “Shirt,” which has essentially blown up on TikTok. Now we can hear what she’s saying in 4K.
Jhene Aiko — Sailing Soul(s)
When Jhene Aiko released her debut mixtape Sailing Soul(s), fans had to download a zip file to hear it or head to DatPiff. 10 years later, the singer has it officially placed on streaming services. Listen to good vibes such as the famed “stranger,” “hoe” featuring Miguel and Future (which was repurposed for her 2020 album Chilomobo), as well as a few SoundCloud loosies like “2 Seconds.”
Feather — “Juke”
Shortly after sharing her new single “Juke,” Feather has dropped off its accompanying video directed by Noyze. A clear ode to Chicago style of music, the visual features the ultimate footwork battle in an underground basement as Feather croons “let’s juke” in between a smooth sample of DJ Rashad’s “Juke.”
Trevor Jackson — “Get To You”
As Trevor Jackson gets ready for the release of his debut album, The Love Language, he shares “Get To You.” The rising singer’s raw voice sings of missing his ex and things he’d do to get to her. “Love is the universal language of all things and I hope this album gives people more confidence to understand their own love languages and how to communicate them,” he said in a statement. “The power of this music will not only bring people together but it’ll also bring people closer to themselves.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Fans have been pressing SZA about the status of her sophomore album ever since the singer’s debut record Ctrl took off in 2017. SZA has said that her next LP is “on the way,” but to appease fans, the singer returned Friday to share a vibrant video alongside her 2020 single “Good Days.”
Directed by SZA herself, the “Good Days” visual depicts SZA drifting off in a daydream and transporting herself to two of her happy places. She appears in a whimsical garden, surrounded by moss and life-sized mushrooms, where she lets go of her inhibitions through meditation and dance. Her second happy place is a fully stocked library, where she combs through books while pole dancing.
Ahead of the visual’s release, SZA addressed how a snippet of her upcoming song went viral on TikTok. Because the song is unreleased, fans have decided to name it “Shirt,” but SZA isn’t so sure about that title. “‘Shirt’ is super easy to remember and now every time I work on it in the studio I reference it as ‘Shirt,’” she said in a recent interview with CBS This Morning. “Some people call it ‘Blood Stain,’ which is very graphic. Now this song, which I wasn’t even 100 percent sure of the placement on my album has centered itself on my album. Now we shot a video for it.”
Doja Cat was the subject of a new cover story by V Magazine today, and as Complex points out, she had a pretty amazing conversation with SZA, who interviewed her for the piece. You should really read the whole thing, but my favorite part is in a question that leads into whether or not Doja finds herself in the hip-hop conversation, SZA reveals that Doja actually inspired her and made Solana feel more comfortable with herself.
I really feel like I relate the most to you because between the pre-TDE sh*t and crossing that path, I always felt like I couldn’t fit into anything. That my music isn’t “Black enough” with “Drew Barrymore.” Or I’m doing sh*t that’s strange. I never felt that as a Black girl, I could make music and be in these realms. You make music in all these other realms and make it sound like it touched my inner mind and spirit. It’s like, you’re exactly who I needed when I was in high school [and] college. I just wanted to feel like it’s ok to be an individual that isn’t really planted but is highly mutable and superfluid. Working with you was literally my dream.
SZA also shares their collaboration is reportedly called “Kiss Me More.” And the interview ends with SZA comparing Doja to Britney Spears, which doesn’t seem that far off anymore. Look for Doja’s new album Planet Her dropping sometime later this year.
Pre-save now: 
