Tems

Future And Drake Star In A Medieval Fairytale With Their ‘Wait For U’ Video

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Though regularly cited and often slighted for his relentless hedonistic nature, Future has proven yet again that he’s just as committed to giving the people what they want in his new visual for the I Never Liked You standout record “Wait For U” featuring Drake and Tems. The Director X-lead video opens up with an introduction for viewers to the impending toxic king fairytale, set in medieval times. Future finds himself at odds with the queen after being betrayed by a knight played by 4YE’s Trey Richards, whose snitching leads him to later be killed by the 38-year-old.

Drake appears later in the video, embarking on his own journey to rescue a damsel from two villains. In the end, the woman he sought to rescue ends up saving him from an untimely death. While Tems is noticeably absent, the song’s producer ATL Jacob and rapper Strick both make cameo appearances.

I Never Liked You was released on April 29 under Freebandz and Epic Records. In addition to Drake and Tems, the album featured Kanye West, Gunna, Young Thug, EST Gee, Kodak Black, and later added Babyface Ray, Lil Baby, 42 Dugg, Lil Durk and Young Scooter on the six deluxe tracks released Monday (May 2).

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

Future Reveals His ‘I Never Liked You’ Tracklist, Which Features Drake, Kanye West, Tems, And More

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When you think about it, it’s kind of fitting that Future’s new album, which is titled I Never Liked You, features both Drake and Kanye West. For one thing, those two can’t seem to decide if they love or hate each other and for another, they are also two of the only artists who can really keep up with Future’s penchant for pettiness. They’re just two of the guests who appear on the tracklist for the album, which Future shared today.

Some of the other guests are no surprise; after all, Future graced Gunna’s hit single “Pushin P” alongside Young Thug earlier this year, so it’s only right that his ATL brethren return the favor on a similarly ridiculously titled song, “For A Nut.” And Kodak Black makes sense since he’s on something of a comeback tour of feature appearances despite his past behavior (and let’s face it, Future isn’t exactly known for being respectful of women, either).

But the name that really jumps off the list is Nigerian singer Tems, who exploded into popularity last year via Wizkid’s “Essence” and has slowly started to become a force in her own right. She appears on a song with Drake (one of two featuring the What A Time To Be Alive collaborator), which increases the intrigue that much more. We’ll see what the results of the eyebrow-raising musical collaboration sound like on Friday, April 29, when I Never Liked You drops via Freebandz and Epic.

You can pre-save the album here.

The Inaugural ‘Billboard’ Afrobeats Chart Is Dominated By Justin Bieber And Ed Sheeran

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Last week, Billboard announced they were partnering with Afro Nation on the new US Afrobeats Songs chart, which “ranks the 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the country based on a weighted formula incorporating official streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of leading audio and video music services, plus download sales from top music retailers.” The inaugural edition of the chart launched today and dominating the top spots are some big names not traditionally/primarily associated with Afrobeats music.

Three of the top five spots on the April 2-dated chart are occupied by songs featuring Ed Sheeran or Justin Bieber: CKay’s “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)” is No. 1, Fireboy DML and Sheeran’s “Peru” is No. 2, Wizkid’s Bieber- and Tems-featuring “Peru” is No. 3, Omah Lay’s Bieber-featuring “Attention” is No. 4, and Tems’ “Free Mind” is No. 5.

Looking at the full top 50, Tems is the clear leader overall with eight entries, followed by Wizkid’s six, Burna Boy’s five, Rema’s four, and Davido’s three.

When the chart was announced last week, Afro Nation founder, co-head of UTA London, and Event Horizon founder Obi Asika said, “The last decade has seen Afrobeats explode into a worldwide phenomenon, influencing culture and fashion across the globe and I am humbled to have made a contribution to growing the genre alongside many talented, passionate people. There is still so much more potential within the scene and the community that has grown around it and I believe it is vital that with Billboard we now have a US chart that reflects this growth and provides a platform for emerging artists from every continent to showcase their talent to new audiences.”

Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard‘s SVP of Charts and Development, added, “Billboard is excited to collaborate with Afro Nation on the launch of the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart. As with much of the world, Afrobeats has grown tremendously as a genre in America and we are proud to showcase the top songs and artists with this new weekly ranking.”

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

Wizkid And Tems Dazzle On ‘The Tonight Show’ With Their Latest Performance Of ‘Essence’

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Wizkid and Tems have been riding the success of their hit record “Essence” for more than a year now. The song, which appears on the former’s album Made In Lagos, was released in late 2020 and since then, the duo has pushed the song to heights that few afrobeats records have reached before. In a matter of months, “Essence” became the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. It would enter the top ten of the chart thanks to a remix from Justin Bieber, which helped to boost the song’s popularity. Now, the two have brought their talents to late-night TV.

The pair stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to dazzle with the latest performance of their breakout song. Per usual, they were excellently dressed for the performance, which took place on a big concert stage draped in blue and purple lighting.

Their latest rendition of the track comes after last week, when Wizkid invited Tems to take the stage with him at London’s O2 arena in front of a massive crowd.

Their The Tonight Show performance comes after Wizkid and Tems signed on to perform at Portugal’s Afronation festival next summer. They’ll be joined by Burna Boy, Megan Thee Stallion, Ckay, Koffee, Rema, Tekno, and more.

You can watch Wizkid and Tems perform “Essence” above.

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

Jay-Z’s Latest Tidal Playlist Highlights Mach-Hommy, MF DOOM, And Vince Staples

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Jay-Z’s playlists on Tidal have become a tradition of sorts, not just allowing him to stay in touch with fans — something he obviously cares very much about, judging from his recent drop-in on Twitter Spaces — but also to show off his musical knowledge, which he also seems to care about a lot.

His latest list has arrived to commemorate the renaming of financial services tech company Square to Block, as soon-to-be-former Twitter CEO and Square co-founder Jack Dorsey announced on Wednesday this week (after roasting Facebook’s re-brand, no less). Square also recently purchased Tidal, which helped Jay-Z secure a seat on Square’s board of directors. Therefore, the new playlist, “Block Vibes,” is a celebration of the change, of sorts, as well as an interesting marketing ploy, introducing the new name and demonstrating synergy across the new brand, which also encircles Cash App.

The list once again showcases Jay’s expansive tastes, including up-and-coming rappers like Mach-Hommy and Vince Staples, backpack rap stalwarts Madlib and MF DOOM, eclectic bands Haitus Kaiyote and Khruangbin, and rising Afrobeats stars Tems and Wizkid.

In addition to being folded into Block’s overall corporate structure, Tidal also recently revamped its artist payment system and added a free tier to allow for ads and better payouts to the artists that make the business all its money.

Listen to Jay-Z’s new “Block Vibes” playlist below.

Tems’ Gorgeous Tiny Desk Concert Takes Over A Glamorous Ballroom

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Tems is having a stellar year. The Nigerian R&B-afrobeats singer-songwriter broke out in early 2021 as a result of her feature on fellow Nigerian artist Wizkid’s fan-favorite single “Essence,” which catapulted her into the US spotlight and sent listeners scrambling back to her September 2020 EP For Broken Ears. Since then, she’s released another EP, If Orange Was a Place, featured on Drake’s new album Certified Lover Boy, and embarked on her first-ever US tour, which is helping to show her breakout was no fluke.

Now, as if to put the exclamation point on the above-mentioned accomplishments, she offers her take on the star-making NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert. The Tiny Desk (Home) Concert format allows her to spread out, as she and her band perform in an elegantly-appointed ballroom. With a setlist consisting of “Found,” “Free Mind,” “Looku Looku,” “Replay,” and the standout “Damages,” Tems establishes herself as a performer of uncommon talent, managing to be as captivating sitting on a stool as any number of much more animated artists.

Tems’ rise to stardom now has her performing on late-night television shows and videos like “Crazy Tings” racking up millions of plays, making it clear that there are even greater heights in store.

Watch Tems’ Tiny Desk Concert above.

Tems Dances Her Way Through The Streets Of Lagos In The ‘Crazy Tings’ Video

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The rise of Tems in 2021 is real. The Nigerian-born singer has had a sensational year so far, being featured on “Fountains” off of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy and on fellow Nigerian Wizkid’s “Essence,” which also got a remix treatment later on that featured Justin Bieber, and then totally slayed her performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this month. Go ahead and file those as surefire ways to raise your profile and then add in her own excellent EP, If Orange Was A Place, which dropped last month, and she’s cooking.

Today, the video for the opening track off of If Orange Was A Place is out and it shows Tems moving through the streets of her native Lagos like an absolute boss. She weaves around the lives of locals going through the ups and downs of life with the confidence of someone who’s rising above the mess, as she delivers the stoic hook over an African drum-studded beat: “Crazy things are happening / Crazy things are happening / If you need somebody craze / You fit chop somebody’s craze.”

Her delivery is silky smooth, but it’s Tems’ unique appeal across styles that flows naturally from her tongue. She told The Guardian in September that she grew up loving artists like Kate Nash, Lauryn Hill, Lil Kim, Paramore, Outkast, and Green Day, and it’s that eclectic palette that inspired her sublime singular output.

Watch the video for “Crazy Tings” above.

If Orange Was A Place is out now via Since ‘93/RCA Records.

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