Lil Yachty has come full circle. Before music, Yachty worked as a McDonald’s crew member, during which time, he crafted one of his artistic hallmarks — the signature vibrant red hair that made him stand out when he first stepped onto the scene.
Dropping tracks on Soundcloud in between shifts at Mickey D’s, Yachty maintained his momentum before deciding to move to New York to pursue music full-time. Nearly a decade later, Yachty delivered an energetic halftime performance at the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Games this past Tuesday (April 2). Additionally, he starred in a commercial for McDonald’s Canada, which featured him delivering a trippy rendition of the Menu Song.
Yachty’s most recent solo album Let’s Start Here showed us that his name is no longer synonymous with the Soundcloud era. Inspired by psychedelic sounds, Let’s Start Here proved to listeners that Yachty is serious about his artistry and is no flash-in-the-pan. And since its release over a year ago, Yachty has not taken his foot off the gas.
Last month, Yachty announced the launch of Concrete Recordz, as part of a partnership with Quality Control and HYBE. On the roster is his new rap collective, Concrete Boys, comprised of rappers Camo!, DC2TRILL, Draft Day, Karrahbooo, and Yachty himself.
Uproxx chatted with Yachty ahead of his halftime performance, as well as the release of Concrete Boys’ compilation album, It’s Us Vol., 1, which is set to drop Friday (April 5). With 10 years in the game, Yachty isn’t letting up anytime soon — not before pushing more bounds with his own artistry, and cultivating a new generation of movers and shakers.
Hey Yachty, how are you?
I’m blessed, man. Happy that we are having nice sunny days. I had a milkshake. And I’m lactose [intolerant], but I took my lactose pills. I took two of them. And they’re working, so we’re good. It’s always a plus when you’re lactose, and you drink milk, and you’re good. That might be too much information, but you asked, and I’m truthful.
[Laughs] I’m not tripping. How are you feeling, leading up to your performance?
It’s always a good feeling to have a full-circle moment in life. I worked for McDonald’s, and it was the first job I ever had when I was 15 or 16 years old. My McDonald’s commercial also just came out for McDonald’s Canada.
I love your commercial. It’s really trippy! How did that collaboration come together?
Separate from this, actually, McDonald’s reached out. And they wanted to redo the classic song, and I thought that was awesome. And very few artists get the opportunity to do these types of things, so it was actually a no-brainer.
What are some of your fondest memories as a McDonald’s crew member?
My mom was a very business-savvy woman. I had long, black braids back then. When I was about to go in for my interview, my mom was like “Oh, you can’t have braids, you have to look professional if you want to get hired.” She took me to the barbershop, and she made me cut off my hair.
I went to the interview, got hired, and on my first day working, everyone had long hair. I remember coming home to my mom crying and being like “You made me cut my hair! I would’ve still gotten the job.”
She felt so bad, and she was like “Okay, well let’s do something different.”
And I was like “I don’t have hair,” and then she said “dye it red.”
That’s the origin of my red hair.
And you’ve never shared that before?
You honestly just unlocked that memory in my brain. I forgot all about that.
So you’ve got It’s Us Vol. 1, dropping Friday. It’s the first album with the Concrete Boys crew. What was the process like assembling talent for this collective?
These are my friends. So it wasn’t like I was looking high and low for talent. These were friends that I’ve made along the way. The most important thing to me is my friendships — and trying to bring everyone up to a level of success so they can provide for their families is the goal. Plus, I’ve always just loved the idea of groups and crews.
How do you envision your label Concrete Rekordz growing, say five or 10 years from now?
Man, that’s more than enough time. You could say one year from now. But five or 10 years from now? That’s much more time than any artist needs to become successful. I want to make sure I say that. With today’s time, and internet [platforms], six months is all you need. But in five years, I plan to have four moguls, doing their own things, starting their own labels.
Your last album, Let’s Start Here was a sonic risk, as you experimented with psychedelic sounds. What kind of sounds are you exploring for your next project?
I can’t tell you, my guy. But what I will tell you is that I’m definitely not done taking risks. I can’t say what I’m doing next, but I can say that I’m not done taking risks. That wasn’t a one-and-done.
You also have an album with James Blake coming out soon. What can you tell us about that?
I’m really excited about it. It’s really amazing. When [artists] make collab projects, I think a lot of times, they don’t access the full extent of what could be. Me and James really connected and just created a brotherhood. We made a really special project that is far beyond both of us, and I’m super excited for it to come out.
Can you give us a hint as to when it’s going to drop?
It keeps getting pushed back, man. It was it was supposed to come out this month. But I don’t know if it will. But it’s done. Mixed and mastered.
So earlier this week, you said that some rappers are angry because they’re “ugly as f*ck,” and therefore, lack confidence. What would you say is the key to maintaining confidence?
[Laughs] Well, I was just talking sh*t. But, I don’t know, man. I don’t take things too serious. I enjoy the life that I was given and try to stay stress-free. I’m well aware of the blessings and the cards I was dealt, and I’m just grateful. I think I can I can only speak for myself when I say that it’s very easy to be happy.
It’s been about a decade since you moved from Atlanta to New York to pursue music. As an artist, and now, the owner of your own label, what would you say is the biggest thing you’ve learned in your career?
Staying true to yourself and not letting anyone’s negative comments bring you down. The negative side of the internet isn’t real. It’s not a real place. It’s all just trolls and make-believe. It’s not real, it doesn’t translate over into the real world.
A three-year hiatus may be a big obstacle for some artists to recover from, but not Davido. The afrobeats star returned in 2023 with his fourth album Timeless, a 17-track effort that lived up to its name as it thrust Davido back into the spotlight — a place he’s called home for the better part of a decade. Davido’s legacy as one of afrobeats’ best artists is undoubtedly cemented in stone, but — in true African fashion — it should also be celebrated. That’s exactly what Davido will look to do when he takes over the legendary Madison Square Garden for a show that kicks off another run of Timeless performances.
“No rest!” the afrobeats star exclaims via Zoom call after I note his continued work amid a 12-month run of success. “These opportunities don’t come like that. So when God gives you a platform and gives you his blessings, you can’t take it for granted. [There’s] no time to waste at all, the world is looking at us. This is not the time to relax, I feel like there’ll be a time to relax. For now, we’re going hard — go hard or go home.”
Davido’s newfound focus follows a time where he admits “time was wasted,” but all of that is in the past. The future looks very exciting for the singer who is just as, if not even more excited to fulfill his lifelong dream of performing at Madison Square Garden. Ahead of that show, Uproxx caught up with Davido to hear about his plans for the MSG show, reflect on the Timeless, and dive into what the future looks like once he steps off the MSG stage.
It’s been a year since you released Timeless. What are your thoughts about the album when you look back at everything that’s occurred since its release?
2023 was crazy, man. A little hiatus [and] coming back with Timeless — a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to come back with a bang like that. I was fortunate to have a great team of producers, engineers, and writers who helped me with Timeless. After that, we did a six-arena tour, and sold every city out — it was crazy. [We] did shows around Africa, did a Timeless show in Nigeria, Timeless was nominated for three Grammys, my first time being nominated. It’s been a great year, I debuted for the first time [on] the Billboard Hot 100.
Is there anything in this Timeless era you wish you achieved that you haven’t yet?
I’m grateful so far for what God has done. I’m in my creative space right now. I definitely want to just keep dropping. I felt like, in the past, a lot of time was wasted, but now I’m focused. Timeless gave me that ginger and vim. It would have been amazing to have more time to do more with the Timeless album because it’s such a great body of work. I picked 17 songs from 80 songs. I’ve recorded at least another 40 [songs] now. I can’t just have all this music sitting. This is my Bitcoin, this is my cash. So yes, I wish I had more time. I’m doing better now, but I wish I had more money [laughs].
With your arena run last year, what was your favorite part of it that might’ve been new to you?
One show that was special to me was the Atlanta show. As a kid, my big brother used to take me to Hawks games all the time. Just walking in that building like, “Damn, I used to drive past this arena almost every weekend.” I used to go to school outside of Atlanta, close to Alabama. I’d come to Atlanta on the weekends, that’s where I was born. Atlanta is my family’s base outside of Nigeria. So I think that show was special [and] dope to me. One of the first shows where my whole family was in town. My dad, my aunties, it was just great to see people that saw me grow up in Atlanta look like, “Damn, that boy really did it.”
You’re the latest afrobeats artist to take the MSG stage. What are some things you plan to do differently to make this show the true Davido experience?
First of all, every artist has fans who like their music. So this is an opportunity for my fans to finally see me in The Garden. I want it to be on a very emotional night. I want us to party, I want us to cry, I want us to dance, I want us to talk [and] reason, and just celebrate the culture as a whole. I’m trying to see people in their African clothes. I don’t want to see the Dior, I want to see people come to celebrate Africa. I’m even trying to talk to the venue to get some African food — some jollof rice, some puff puff, some akara — just to give fans the whole African experience apart from the music.
Can we expect any special guests at the show? Any that you can reveal?
I got a lot of guests coming out. We have so much planned. The production… I’m damn near spending a ticket ($1 million) on the production just to make us look good. If you go all over the world, you have Nigerian doctors doing amazing things. You look to your right, you have Africans in sports doing crazy things. So [on] the music side, we have to hold it down. We’re trying to give the best production. It’s gonna be a night to remember, for sure.
Why has it always been a dream for you to perform at MSG? What about this venue specifically has been so special to you?
New York [and] the East Coast were one of the first places [in the US] to get hip to afrobeats, since time, even before it became mainstream. I remember doing a show in New York, about 9-10 years ago, and it was crazy. The fire marshall had to come, which just shows you that African music has been loved, since time. We just never got the opportunity to be in the big buildings [and] be in the big rooms, but good things last over time. I always knew the narrative would change. I remember walking by Madison Square Garden about seven years ago, and I was like, “Yo, man, I want to sell out this place.” The Garden is just different. I’ve sold out arenas all over the world, but The Garden is one for the books.
The relationship between the United States and Africa continues to grow strongly, especially when it comes to music. What do you think needs to happen or keep happening in order to preserve this relationship and even take it further?
First of all, I think ownership. We need to own our own. In Atlanta, I started this thing called Away Fest because I was like, “Why don’t we have our own Coachella? Why do we have to wait to get booked for these things when we can do it ourselves?” It took somebody one day to wake up and book an arena and sell out a show. It starts with a thought. We have so many amazing things back home. I’m talking about shooting more videos back home, showing the beauty of Africa.
The most important thing is not forgetting where you’re coming from and not being too thirsty for Western recognition. Africa is a whole continent, don’t forget that. If you’re supported by a whole continent, whatever support comes from outside is just a plus. So yes, we should appreciate the love we’re being shown overseas, but the most important thing is we should not forget where we come from.
After achieving a dream moment like performing at MSG, what comes next for you in your career?
I think we’re gonna add five more arena dates. My new album is almost done, so it’s about to be another ride. We’re about to shoot [the] “Kante” video with Fave and drop that. I have a documentary we’re working on. I want to invest in movies, I want to executive produce movies — there’s a lot of stuff that we’re planning. I’m building a new home, my dream home. [I] just [want to] keep pushing the culture and whatever God brings to our front we will receive it and be glad in it.
You’ve done a lot of collaborations since releasing Timeless (i.e. Chris Brown & Kizz Daniel), what are some others you’d like to make happen in the future?
I’m collaborating with a lot of people right now for the album, but I can’t spill that now. But people that I would love to collaborate with are Drake, for sure, Rihanna [too]. I’ve been listening to Jelly Roll, he’s really dope. But we got some people on the album. I don’t want to say too much. Africa-wise, I love amapiano so [I’m] definitely gonna do some more collaborations. Me and Musa keys did “Unavailable,” that went crazy. I got music coming with a lot of South African artists as well, so watch out for that.
Davido’s Timeless North American Tour kicks off on April 17. Find out more information here.
Tori Kelly thought TORI. was finished. Then again, she thought she was certain about a lot of things before she was rushed to the hospital due to blood clotting last July. She didn’t have time to process her brush with mortality until after her Tori EP release and The Take Control Tour. But when she returned home, Kelly was greeted by unresolved emotions in the silence. So, the two-time Grammy winner did what she’d always done. She filled the silence with music and wrote “High Water.”
“I wanted a song that I would’ve sung to myself during that time,” Kelly tells Uproxx the week before the release of TORI., executive produced by Jon Bellion, due out this Friday, April 5. “High Water” sprung from Kelly’s hospitalization, but it ballooned to include a verse about the death of her best friend’s husband, emphasizing her unshakable faith. “It became this bigger thing where I was like, ‘This isn’t even necessarily about me anymore. This feels like a song that I hope could help other people,’” she says.
TORI. is Kelly’s first full-length studio album since 2019, and Kelly’s growth flourishes across its 15 tracks. Over the past five years, especially during this album-making process, Kelly learned that her desire to serve others could only be fulfilled once she fully embraced herself.
“This probably sounds conceited, but TORI. is inspired by Tori,” Kelly says. (She does not sound conceited, by the way. She sounds like a 31-year-old woman with clarity around everything that was required of her to become a self-assured 31-year-old woman.) “It’s me just digging into myself as an artist and thinking, How do I want to presentmyself?What are some sounds that we’ve never heard from me? What are some things that maybe I’ve been holding back? It feels so authentically me. It’s exciting to be in this place where it’s take it or leave it. This is where I’m at right now.”
Below, Kelly further explained where she’s at right now.
Eight or nine months removed from your medical emergency, what clarity do you have around what that experience forced you to confront?
That whole time was very scary — very sudden — and it felt surreal. It felt like it just happened so fast. It came and went. I was in one state, and then I was out of the hospital, and I felt great. And people would constantly ask, “Are you okay?” Which is awesome. People are so sweet. But it was strange for me because I was ready to go. I was like, “Alright, let’s go. I want to get on tour.” I think I almost wanted it to go away. And through therapy, which we love, I was able to talk through stuff and realize that I have so many people around me who were affected more than me.
Overall, to actually answer your question, I think the clarity that I got is such a cliche phrase that I’ve always said, and we throw it around, but to go through something like that and realize life is so fragile, and you never know what’s going to happen. There’s this general feeling of gratitude — not taking anything for granted and being confident in my decisions. I thought I was doing all those things before, but it just feels like this new level of giving it the best I’ve got and loving people harder.
The album’s tracklisting all feels very intentional. I thought I understood what you were trying to tell me, but I couldn’t actually understand it until now. So, what is this master puzzle?
We made it that way. These songs, most of them were pretty much done, and we decided to let people have a taste of what I was calling “Part I” of the album because it had been a while since my last project. But the whole time, seeing people’s reactions to it — some negative, some positive — which, sidebar, I’m always down for. I actually love it. I would rather you have a really strong opinion one way or the other instead of just saying, “Oh, yeah, it was cool,” and then you forget about it.
Even if it’s negative, at least they’re thinking critically about it at all.
Exactly. You’re forced to think about it. So that didn’t bother me because, the whole time, I was like, “Oh, but there’s more.” Wait until they hear the whole thing. Jon and I — Jon Bellion, who, as you know, produced the whole project — were always so excited about the full body of work. It always felt like “Cut” makes sense when you’ve heard “Thing U Do.” Like, this song makes sense when you hear [another] song. So, like you said, it all really did feel like a puzzle to me. It makes me way more excited to be putting out the full thing because this was always the vision: To showcase all these different sides of me. When you hear it together, I’m hoping that it kind of makes sense because, in my brain, it makes sense. It’s very much me and all my different sides.
Does the experience of releasing an album in your thirties differ from releasing albums in your twenties?
That’s a good question because I actually think this kind of is the first time — at least from my perspective — that I’ve gotten strong reactions. And I think the reason is because, throughout my career, I have placed myself in different genres. I just love so many things. I love gospel music, so I was like, I want to do a gospel project. I’m super sad right now, so this sort of singer-songwriter, heavily guitar-driven album is what makes sense right now. Without realizing it, I gained fans from all different places. I really feel like this is the first time that they’re all kind of looking at this music like, “Okay, what’s she doing next? This is a whole new thing.” On this album, there is a little something from all of these chapters of my life. I think there’s something for everyone. But yeah, this is the first time where I’m like, Ooh, people have opinions.
Has your internal measuring stick for what you consider success changed?
I don’t actually know. There’s one thing, I guess, I’m proud of myself for. I listened back to some of my older songs. I have this song called “Confetti” that I wrote when I was 18 years old. When I listened back to that, it was almost like my younger self was putting her foot down and being like, “Hey, Older Tori, no matter what happens, let this be your compass. Stay true to yourself and your faith, and stay the course.”
I listen to that song, and it’s almost like she was speaking to me in the future because at 18 years old, I hadn’t experienced anything [yet]. I think I was on YouTube at the time, and it was just starting out. But the fact that I hadn’t really experienced fame yet, and I was already singing as if I had — there’s a line, “I’m living for right now / ‘Cause what if tomorrow never comes? / I’m not waiting for the confetti to fall.” So, to answer your question, I don’t think my definition has changed because when I listen to that song, I still feel that way.
Knowing that you revisited that song recently is awesome because on “Same Girl,” you’re singing to your past self.
Yeah, that’s true. I am. We’re having a conversation lately.
To further my nostalgia agenda, I was immediately taken aback by the “Tom’s Diner” interpolation in “Thing U Do” — not to mention Jon Batiste’s background vocals. Craig David’s “Fill Me In” is interpolated in “Missin U,” and “High Water” is a nod to Des’ree’s “You Gotta Be.” Why did you zone in on those three songs as direct influences?
Jon and I were already in that zone. I think “Shine On” was the first song that we did together. That one has that throwback nineties hip-hop [feel]. We took it even further once we did “Cut,” and that opened the floodgates into the whole realm of Y2K. With “Cut,” we were specifically playing off of Timbaland, [Rodney] “Darkchild” [Jerkins] ad-libs. We loved how it sounded, and so we felt like we should probably hit up Timbaland and Rodney Jerkins to get their blessing on it.
We wanted them to hear it and see if they liked it. Timbaland was like, “Yeah, this is great, but I want to do the ad-libs.” So, he hopped on the song, for real, and I was like, “Great, that’s even better.” We did “Missin U” right after that. Every song we did, we were like, “If we’re going to go there, let’s really go there and give these nods to that era.” We were very intentional about still making it feel fresh at the same time.
Can you identify what you had to square away within yourself to where you can feel comfortable standing on a self-titled album?
It really just felt like this album was a statement. Once we had the body of work for weeks, I was just like, “What is the throughline here? What is the theme?” I didn’t go into the process with an album title at all. I knew I was in this more confident headspace and wanted to take my career by the reins, so I was trying to think of phrases or cool themes that could tie everything together. I just kept coming back to, “What if it’s just called TORI. in all-caps? What if the theme is just my self-titled moment?” And I became even more inspired. I was still unsure.
And then, I started thinking about artists who came before me who had these amazing self-titled albums. I thought about Aaliyah, Beyoncé, Janet [Jackson], Diana Ross, and incredibly powerful women in music. When those came out, it was such a defining moment in their careers. So I was like, “I think this feels like that. This feels like that moment for me.” Whatever happens with this music, I just know that that’s what it feels like for me.
Sasha Samsonova
Do you already feel nostalgic for the process of making this album with Jon?
Yeah, I mean, we’ve been talking about getting back in the studio. We already have the writing bug again. We’re talking a year or two ago of us being in the studio, and now that the songs are finally coming out, we’re like, “Let’s do it again. Let’s get back in and build on what we started.” Because it was so fun — just goofing off in the studio. We would create these different characters when I was trying to figure out what sound I wanted for a particular song.
Well, now I have to ask for an example of you coming up with a character for a song.
[Laughs] I’m trying to think of a good one. I always do Britney impressions in the studio. For some reason, I just start singing, “Ooo yeah.” It always started as a joke. Jon would look at me and be like, “No, wait, there’s something there. Let’s keep exploring that.” It would start as this funny thing, and then I would slowly get back to my actual voice, but my approach was different than if I had just sung the song as myself. Those are the little details no one would really know while listening, but I brought something new to this album where I still sound like myself, but there are new tones that you haven’t heard yet.
Is there something that you stumbled upon while making this album that you didn’t know you could do or wanted to do?
When it comes to how I move when I listen to these songs, I think I’ve always loved to dance. I took dance classes when I was seven, and I loved it, but then the music thing took off. I had a viral video of me playing guitar, so people associated me with blonde hair and guitar, and I was like, Alright, cool. I am not going to change anything. Subconsciously. If something’s working, you just run with it.
You know what it is? I thought about this the other day. It’s almost like this music unlocked my younger self. Before the YouTube covers, when I was just dancing in my living room and having fun as a little kid. I’m giving her the album that she wanted. It’s like, you grew up and became this artist, and people think that they know your sound, and they think that they know you, but there are all these different sides of you that you didn’t even realize that you were suppressing. So, let me now give you that dream that you always had. It even gets me a little emotional because her dream was so pure.
I have no regrets in my career whatsoever. But if I didn’t make this album, I actually think later on, I would’ve regretted it because these are those types of songs [that challenged me] like, “Ah, should I put this out? This is a little different than what people are used to.” But I just love them so much. They are a huge part of who I am as an artist.
How many people have the opportunity to become the artist that their younger self would have wanted a poster of in their childhood bedroom?
That’s what it feels like, yeah! This one’s for you, girl.
Having sat for a little bit with everything you pulled off creatively, musically, and vocally with this album and everything that Jon helped you unlock inside of yourself, has the bar changed for what you expect from yourself — or want for yourself — moving forward?
Absolutely. To be honest, this was the first time I’ve ever worked with a creative director in my whole career. I didn’t necessarily pay attention to the presentation of songs before this album. I was just so focused on being in the studio and crafting the songs and the music, and then once it’d be time to promote or do the music videos, I was just kind of saying yes to the people around me. Even with my fashion, I was like, “Sure, I’ll wear that. That’s comfortable. I just want to be comfy.”
Now, I think the expectation for myself is [to] take everything to the next level where the actual songs are super high quality — making sure that I love them — but when it comes time to present these songs, I think my taste is a lot more fine-tuned. Maybe it’s an age thing, too. I know what I like now. I don’t know exactly what that looks like moving forward. I just know that I don’t have time to not be loving every single part of it.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Rico Nasty is constantly evolving. When the world first met the Maryland rapper, she was hip-deep in the “sugar trap” subgenre she’d invented — think Lil Uzi Vert’s woozy cloud rap with much more saccharine sounds. Then, she broke out with the fist-pumping rage rap anthem “Smack A Bitch.” But just when fans began to define her by that sound, she shifted again on each of her last two albums, Nightmare Vacation and Las Ruinas.
She’s doing so again on her latest project, HARDC0RE DR3AMZ, a joint EP with German producer Boys Noize. After previously working with Boys Noize on tracks like “Girl Crush” and “Money” with Flo Milli, Rico is leaning all the way into the producer’s EDM trappings on her latest, as seen in the EP’s first single “ARINTINTIN.”
And while her pivot to EDM is only a piece of a larger reclamation of the form by Black artists like Cakes Da Killa, Channel Tres, Duckwrth, and Leikeli47, Rico is naturally going to do things her own way. Uproxx reunited with our first-ever cover star via Zoom and as we vibed like a family reunion, she gave us her take on EDM, traveling, and why rage rap is now “really f*cking boring.”
Is there anything you would like for me to know about HARDC0RE DR3AMZ going into it? I would love to know how this one advances you guys’ previous collaborations, how it builds on those.
Our first song was “Girl Crush” and it was some really cool UK grime mixed with German techno. That was my first experience with Boys Noize and just dance music in general. After that, we did “Money” with Flo Milli, and obviously we did songs in between that never came out. It was super fun watching him go out and perform the song, as well, for hella people. And then it was also fun performing the song and barely have been performing the song and everybody knows it because he’s played it so many times.
I met Alex or Boys Noize through Kenny Beats, which was how I got introduced to the EDCs, the Hard Fest, going to Berlin, going to raves. And early on I tried to incorporate that into the relationships that I have with my fans, how the rave kids be like Blur and shit like that. The rave culture is all about looking out for one another and loving one another. So I try to incorporate that with the moshing and all the other shit that I do. Now, I travel a lot and do a lot of shows overseas and they still love to dance out there, so I just wanted to do something that I never did before and really dive into what that could sound like.
I’m interested to see how your fans react to it because obviously you’re known more for the thrash rap, screamo, sugar trap, that sort of thing. And this is a left turn.
Yeah, but we always do that. I mean, when everybody thought that I was sugar trap, I went rage, and now I just keep growing and liking different stuff and literally f*ck anybody who’s expecting me to make something like “Smack A Bitch” anymore. It’s been years, bro.
One thing I hate the most about music is that everybody thinks you’re just going to drop this project and never drop music again, and they don’t allow you to be an artist anymore. I’m an artist. I want to try sh*t. I want to do stuff I never did before. I’m living my life. I’m going places I’ve never been before, eating sh*t I never ate before. I’m around people I’ve never been around before. Of course, sh*t is going to be different. Because I’m a rapper, I’m going to rap, but sometimes a girl wants to have fun. Sometimes I just want to make music that’s c*nt. What’s wrong with that?
Absolutely. And you know what I think is genuinely interesting about you coming around to EDM is that I’ve noticed an industry-wide thing: Black people have come back to EDM. EDM and hip-hop have always been kind of interconnected.
Yeah. ASAP Rocky and Skrillex.
Even before that …here comes old Uncle Aaron. I’m going to tell you there was a group called the Jungle Brothers back in the ’80s. And they were mixing house in with the hip-hop, and they had a song, “I’ll House You.” And people were like, “What is this?” But hip-hop was so new, it wasn’t like, “Oh, you can only do this anymore. You can’t smile, you can’t dance, you can’t have fun.”
I think it’s the energy of it, man. Truly. Black people have been at the forefront of almost every genre. When you look back on electronic music… like, I said that ASAP Rocky song because I remember being on YouTube really heavy. That was the beginning of shit going viral. And I remember it being like two worlds colliding because at that time it was like electronic music but it was called dubstep at that time.
It’s also weird because I hear so much dubstep influence in hyperpop now. There’s a lot of young Black artists that are in hyperpop and I feel like hyperpop is damn near an art version of electronic music.
I do love the way it’s a conversation. It’s like we start something, it changes, but then when we come back to it, it’s like, “Ah, nah, we going to-
Make something new.
Yes, absolutely. With that being said, what was the criteria for the songs that made it onto this EP as opposed to ones that maybe you held onto or just cut entirely?
I feel like they had to sound like I was making dance music and not too much rapping or too wordy with lyrics to where people can’t … It’s not fun to dance to when you’re thinking so hard. I wanted catchy stuff. “Vvgina” is my favorite song on there because I always wanted to make a really, really sad song a happy song, and that’s what that is.
It’s one of those sneaky ones.
The “Pumped Up Kicks.”
Some Rico Nasty lore that we explored the last time we talked was how much we both loved anime growing up, and I had been working on this piece when Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, died. And I wanted to get you on it so bad and I just didn’t have the time to get you on it.
That would’ve been insane.
I’m just going to ask you a question that I asked everybody. If he was here, what would you want to say to him right now?
He’s a bad bitch. The baddest bitch.
So what’s something that you want people to take away from HARDC0RE DR3AMZ when they listen to it? Like the main idea?
I want them to take away that we’ve become f*cking boring. Everything is so f*cking boring, y’all, and I feel like if you’re going to have fun, whether it’s in the car by yourself or you’re going to have fun, I’ve always provided that space for us to have fun. And I feel like somewhere along this road that I’ve taken with my fans, everything just became being angry. We’re so f*cking mad all the time. We’re screaming. We’re doing all this. It’s like, “Why the f*ck? Why do I have to be like that forever?” That’s what I want them to take away from it. Let’s just vibe, man. Just vibe. Let me cook. Period.
HARDC0RE DR3AMZ is out 3/29 via Sugar Trap/Atlantic Records/Big Beat.
Rico Nasty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It’s a cliche, but it’s true: Rappers want to be hoopers and hoopers want to be rappers. Just look at Drake, J. Cole, Lil Durk, and Quavo — all guys known for melodic gifts who put a lot of free time into showing off on the hardwood. Drake even hosts his own pro-am league at his mansion in Toronto. Meanwhile, we all know about Shaq, Kobe, and Dame DOLLA, professional basketball players who trade Wilson for Shure in their off-hours.
It might be time to add the Los Angeles Clippers’ Bones Hyland to the latter list. The third-year guard is known for his swagger on court, but less known is his affinity for hooks and harmonies. He’s got a couple of excellent clips on YouTube and just dropped a new single, “Skarred,” in September. He’s also self-released three full-length projects since 2020 under the name Bizzy.
Where fellow NBA rap aficionados like Dame reflect the workmanlike focus on punchlines and wordplay of a day-job rapper like J. Cole, Bizzy tends to wear more melodic influences, like those of his favorite rapper Rod Wave, on his sleeve. This approach serves him well, though; in the same way the 6’2 player uses his lanky frame to shift defensive players and slither his way to the rim, something about his vibe suits his singsong delivery.
Uproxx stopped by the Clippers’ practice facility in Playa Vista to chat with Bones about his musical ambitions, what basketball and rap have in common, and his rap-baller starting five.
Tell me how you got started making music.
I experienced a house fire, and it had set me back by eight months. So I was on house rest, chilling, trying to recover from my knee surgery. And I always had a voice to melodize hooks to songs. I would just sing hooks over and over again and I’m like, “Damn, let me try this music thing out.” So a couple of my other friends made music, and I’m just like, “Yeah, I’m just going to do the hooks and y’all got the verses,” and that’s how we would put the songs together.
From there, we were like, “We could do something with this.” We started doing shows around the city, getting paid, and then I dropped a single. Once I dropped my single, that’s when it just blew up like crazy. I’m like, “Yeah, this is something I can do besides basketball.”
You know what they say, that’s what helps you with basketball. If you have something else.
Yep. Facts.
So who are your favorite rappers?
So I would say Rod Wave, NBA YoungBoy, I’d say Lil Baby too, Hurricane Wisdom. But Hurricane Wisdom and Rod Wave, those two are my favorites though. Just the way they make music, the melodies they put into music, how their soul was into the music, how they harmonize with the beats, that’s amazing music that they’re making. So that’s something that those two guys are, for sure.
Because of the overlap between basketball and rap, have you gotten a chance to really hang around in the music world with some of the big-name musicians that you have been a fan of?
Yeah, recently before the season started, I had hung out with Rod Wave and just got to pick his brain and just talk to him. He’s a great, down-to-earth guy and I found out he was a Virgo. I’m like, damn, we’re just alike. It’s just crazy.
Did he give you any advice that you are using now that is helping you?
For sure. Just be yourself. Stay down, because he’s working, but the big thing he said is, “Don’t let the outside world affect you.”
You have to approach it the right way. And that’s something that I had to do with league basketball too. Everything you have to deal with, it’s the same thing. So it’s really dope how me and him connected on that. I’m like, “Damn, that’s really crazy. You connected with me on the fact that you’re going through this for rapping and I got to go through this for basketball.” It’s crazy.
Obviously, a lot of people when they hear a basketball player wants to rap or a rapper wants to play basketball, they’re like, “How do you balance that?” They don’t understand it’s a job. You clock out at the end of the day. You go home every time. So how do you balance that in terms of that expectation from people?
So people just be thinking basketball is something we do all day. We literally clock in the morning till a certain time in the evening and the rest of the day is ours unless we have a game or something. So we have free time where we can literally do what we want to do, enjoy time with family, go make some music, shop, whatever you want to do.
But I usually make my music during the off-season because I like to really focus on just music and enjoying time with my friends and stuff. I feel like that’s when my best music comes out, during off-season. I feel like if I make music during the season, I’m rushed because maybe I go to the studio at 9:00 and I make a song till 11:30, 12:00, I got to get some rest because I got a game tomorrow or something, so I got to get back to the hotel. But if it’s something like in summertime, I don’t have to leave the studio early. I could be in there how long ever I want.
Going back to rappers who ball and ballers who rap, if you had to pick a starting five of rappers who hoop, would be your starting five?
So I haven’t really heard that many rappers who hoop, but I’d say me. I’d say, this is a player that I just heard that raps, Jaren Jackson Jr., Miles Bridges, and Dame. That’s the only four. And Lonzo, yeah. I like Iman Shumpert too.
Have you hooped with any actual rappers like Drake, Lil Durk, J. Cole, or any of those?
I hooped with Rod Wave.
Is he any good?
Nah. Hell, no.
Listen…. Hanging around with you guys makes me so mad because I’ll be like, “Oh, yeah, I’m trash. I’m never going to be good at this ever. You guys set the bar too high.” There are a lot of aspects, I think… We were talking about the overlap. It’s crazy because, like J. Cole, he took the practice aspect of basketball and applied it to rap for The Off Season. Do you ever feel like that’s something that you could do or are you already doing that and how are you doing it?
No, not really. I just think every year I just make better music. It’s kind of crazy. I just recently dropped the tape. It got taken down, but that was my best piece of work so far. But I feel like every year, I really get better at making music. Maybe it’s the music that I’m listening to other than myself that’s helping me make better music. Obviously, my recent past life, what I’ve been through — that helps me make music too, make heart-touching music — but also just stuff that I’ve accomplished during my life now that I overcame… Because maybe some people can’t relate to the stuff that I’ve talked about in the past, but they can relate to the good life that I talk about.
In basketball, of course, you have concrete goals. You have, “Oh, this is the season we’re going to make at the playoffs. This season we’re going to get to the third round. This season we’re going to win the championship. I want to be able to add this to my game.” What in your wildest dreams are the things you want this music thing to be able to do for you?
Really just take off. I feel like my message and my songs are really touching. I feel like a lot of people, once the world really hear my music they’ll be like, “Damn, like how the f*ck did he make music like this and he played basketball?”
I recently dropped a little snippet on my Instagram page and it blew up crazy, but I see a lot of people that’s coming from just everywhere that I’d never seen on my page before. And they like, “Damn, he makes music too?” And then I’m like, yeah, it’s getting to new fans. People are hearing my music, so I know once it touches way more, they’ll be like, “Damn, nah, this dude cold, cold at making music. He really knows how to make music. He really sounds like a rapper.”
In terms of the differences between basketball and rapping, what is the biggest difference between how you approach it and how it feels? What’s the payoff? What’s the difference in the payoff for you emotionally?
I feel like there’s no difference in making music and basketball. It’s literally all the same thing. How the beat is, is how your footwork is. How the song is, is how sweet your jump shot is.
I don’t know. You got teammates out there, the engineer and the producer. So it all goes hand in hand. It’s literally all the same thing, for real.
Issa Rae’s City Girls-inspired musical dramedy, Rap Sh!t, has returned for a second season of Miami-based indie rap shenanigans on Max. With its return comes another season soundtrack packed with the underground hip-hop and R&B talent that makes the show’s tale of a burgeoning buddy rap duo sing.
As with Rae’s prior hit show, Insecure, the soundtrack not only lends the narrative its authenticity but also propels the story forward as songs written for its stars Mia and Shawna (portrayed by Kamillion and Aida Osman, respectively) reflect their struggles and triumphs, while songs inspired by show’s events set the tone for their quest through Miami’s nightlife in search of their big break.
While the last season’s soundtrack highlighted songs from rising rap stars like Dreezy, Jean Deaux, Tokyo Jetz, and more, this season brings even more emerging voices to the foreground, like Cam & China, Connie Diiamond, and Guapdad 4000 (and many, many more, including breakout sensation Sexyy Red). They, along with Raedio VP Sarah Bromberg and the label’s General Manager Xtina Prince, gave Uproxx some insight into how the show highlights the future of music — and how the music makes the show another Issa Rae hit in its own right.
What is the core theme of this season narratively and how does the soundtrack/song tie into that theme?
Sarah Bromberg – Raedio VP, Music Supervision & Library: The season taps into the artist’s struggle to succeed and all of the outside factors that can influence a breaking artist when they are on that journey to become established. In creating music for the show, especially for the soundtrack, we brought in both artists that have reached that established place and those that are still on the journey there. In that way, some of the pairings on the soundtrack are almost a reflection of the story told this season.
Xtina Prince – Raedio General Manager: This season is full of drama. Drama with family, Drama with ego, Drama with competition, Drama in relationships. This season was hard. It has light and funny moments that create a balance but it is definitely serious. Records like “He Can’t Reach,” that talk about moving on from a relationship with your pride and self-respect and the airy and sinister production on tracks like “On Site” and “Want No Beef” were the perfect backdrops to the moments of intensity and struggle reflected in this season.
What are the challenges and advantages of writing/producing a song intended for television/narrative rather than radio/playlist/stage?
Connie Diiamond: When it comes to television there’s usually a narrative/topic they need you to stick to. When I’m creating dolo, I can do and say what I want. Overall it’s still a great experience and it pushes me to be greater than what I already am.
Cam & China: One of the challenges we come across is writing lyrics outside of ourselves as artists and seeing things in perspectives within the task we have at hand without sounding cheesy. Since we own being authentic artists ourselves, we take pride in spilling that into everything we do no matter the circumstances.
With that being said, one of the great advantages of writing for anything/anyone outside of ourselves is creating our own imaginary character and putting our all into assuring it feels real and loving what we’ve accomplished and sometimes wanting it for ourselves lol. We appreciate these tasks because not only do they challenge us, but they also better us as artists.
Guapdad 4000: They often don’t use the whole song; it’s very specific so each section needs to completely articulate the energy or mood of the scene. This, of course, contrasts with making something for radio, or the playlist, or stage, because there are a lot less controlled elements. Both are challenging and fun to me either way.
Which Rap Sh!t character do you relate to the most and how are you alike/different from them?
Cam & China: We relate to Shawna the most. We know how it feels for your family to resent you for rapping and having a lot to lose. We also know how it feels to get turned down or humiliated for standing up for yourself and calling out people’s bluffs, especially the ones in higher power that people try to overlook because of it. We also relate to how driven she is for her career and how she likes to play the back.
Guapdad 4000: Some days I am Shawna standing on my feelings, some days I am Mia trying to stand on business, so I switch off as they make mistakes and develop. Fortunately, I am pretty much never Reina Reign.
Connie Diiamond: Definitely KaMillion, that’s my girl on and off camera. I resonate more with her because I know her struggle in real life. It’s very similar to the script. Just a creative tryna make it. I love her, I love the show, and I love Issa Rae for shining the light on the girlies.
The show is oddly true to life in how it depicts the music industry. Which of your own experiences would make a good episode?
Guapdad 4000: Oh nothing much in my life to write an episode about. I’ve only dealt with small things such as poverty, traumatic brushes with death and jail, tragic losses of houses and loved ones, severe combination type ADHD — that might actually be autism — manic episodes followed by my famous season-long mental breakdowns, and not to mention my career working backwards and the constant battle that is being an independent artist. So you know… I clearly don’t have much to talk about.
Connie Diiamond: My experience would be the entire signing process for me. From creating a freestyle, going viral, & then having the CEO of a major label having an interest in signing me. I think that’s every artist’s dream. To genuinely make a statement and then being rewarded with the recognition of a major label.
Cam & China: Being told what to look like, what sells, and what to wear to be successful, or how we should dumb it down and rap sexier, all while taking away from our authentic self and ignoring what we can do with music. People hear music differently once they see what you look like but if you have an ear for talent, or just a dope ass artist all around and relatable? Nothing else matters.
Rap Sh!t season 2 is now streaming on Max. Rap Sh!t: The Mixtape (From The Max Original Series, S2) is out now via Raedio, LLC and Def Jam Recordings.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
When a lot of people think of British rap, they often default to drill and grime artists like Skepta or Stormzy, or more recently, Central Cee or Dave. This is probably a function of how they’ve been co-signed stateside by institutions like Drake, whose approval has been a career booster for many artists, or Rolling Loud, the festival that has come to define the image and direction of hip-hop in recent years.
But when I interview London’s Loyle Carner about the disparity between this perception and his own, jazz-influenced approach to thoughtful, traditionalist rap, he dismisses any pressure to conform to the archetype known by both Americans and Brits. “It’s quite nice to have a space where it’s so much more laid back and small as opposed to something that feels so high pressure and big,” he says via Zoom the day after performing his first-ever show in Los Angeles at El Rey Theatre — nearly ten years after making his debut with the 2014 EP A Little Late.
Like Carner’s music, the concert at El Rey is intimate and personal; onstage with his band, he shares the compelling story of how he named his most recent album, 2022’s Hugo, after his dad’s car, where he and his patriarch hashed out nearly 30 years of resentments. As a performer, he’s composed and collected, sweeping from one song to the next with barely a pause to chat until the halfway mark of the set. As befits a veteran performer, if he felt any nerves about performing for the first time in LA, he sure didn’t show it — if anything, he transported his audience to the South London streets of his youth.
Although Hugo was distributed by Virgin EMI, Carner’s operation is basically independent, so playing his first US tour three albums into his career is more of an accomplishment than it may appear at first glance. It took a long, circuitous road to get here, along which the 29-year-old was nominated for a Mercury Prize, stretched his philanthropic wings, and became a father, in 2020. The latter, he says, not only informed the depth and growth he displayed on Hugo but also ensured that he was ready to embrace his own version of the American Dream when he got here.
During our Zoom, he revealed how he became “brave” enough to share some of his most confessional material yet, how fatherhood changed his artistry for the better, and just what it means to make it in America.
That show last night was absolutely incredible. You are one heck of a performer, sir.
Yo, man, thank you so much. Truly, it means a lot, especially in a place like LA. I’ve spent my whole life looking at this place, so yeah, it means a lot.
This is your first time coming to LA ever? How are you enjoying it?
Loving it, man. The weather, man. Fucking hell, it’s beautiful out here. There’s been a few false starts for us. We wanted to come here a few times, and visas got fucked up, or flights got canceled, so it kind of felt like this was the right time to come.
What’s been something that has changed in terms of the touring and the promotion for this album that you didn’t have before or that you’ve learned something and it’s unlocked a new level for you?
I’m a father now, so I guess the main thing was being away trying to look after myself, as opposed to just going out every night and trying to have fun — going to bed early and waking up early as opposed to going to bed late and waking up late. But for the shows, we have a band now, and that’s completely revolutionized the way we play. I feel like I’m part of a community on stage as opposed to just on my own.
It was my best friend’s birthday a couple of days ago, so I took him to the show. And he was just fascinated and enamored with the beats, because I think when I told him, “Oh, it’s this British artist,” he immediately heard in his head Top Boy, like the grime/drill sound. And then you come out there and you have these soulful beats. Is that something you’ve encountered a lot of, people being thrown by the British/American divide?
It’s funny. It’s why it’s such a trip for me being out here, because I grew up on American rap probably more than UK. I loved a lot of UK stuff, but really when I was growing up, I was listening to Common and Most Def, and I guess everyone in and amongst that world, A Tribe Called Quest, et cetera. So I was so affected by the relationship of jazz and rap and the poetry of it and the focus on what you were saying and how you had to be saying something.
Which is why I always felt so strange coming here to play music, because, to me, it’s kind of like I can’t reinvent the wheel. I take a lot of my inspiration from this place, yes, from other places too, but I was always scared to come and go, “Hey, you see that thing that you guys do? I kind of do it, too.”
You feel like even though you’ve kind of proved yourself, you’ve worked hard, you’re still stepping into an arena where now you’re the little fish in the big pond?
I think I finally feel brave enough to do that, but I think the pressure I put on myself is very different. I’m happy being out here and being more small and grassroots as opposed to what it’s like in the UK or Europe, where we play quite big shows. I think for me, it’s quite nice to have a space where it’s so much more laid-back and small as opposed to something that feels so high-pressure and big. I think the music reflects that. It’s nice at the moment because the people in the UK who are blowing up are like Dave, Central Cee, et cetera, et cetera. So it’s nice to come in and people are like, “Oh, hey, you know Central Cee?” And I’m like, “Yeah, but we don’t make the same kind of stuff.”
I find that fascinating because everything I know about the UK scene is peripheral, is third party, is at a distance, like blogs, and magazines, and movies, and things like that. So I know you guys had the rave scene. And it always felt more communal for you guys to me, so now you’re telling me it feels the same way, there’s that mutual feeling of like, “Oh, they have it figured out over there,” and we both feel the same way.
For sure. I think that’s what’s so cool. I think the things that have always seemed to do the best from the UK coming over to America, too, are things that are individual and truthful to where we live and what’s going on for us, and not trying to fit into the box of what’s going on over here.
When you think about the culture of rap music, in particular, hip-hop as a thing, like basketball, baggy pants, rap music, movies, all of this stuff is so heavily influenced by the culture of growing up and looking to America in the ’90s for me. And I think that’s still true now, but what’s cool is for the first time, guys in the UK are kind of equally part of that, which is so exciting. That’s why it’s so exciting thinking about someone like Central Cee or whatever, just being over here and being able to say, “Yeah, I’m from this part, I live in this part of London. This is what I see every day. This is our slang, this is how we speak.” Very exciting.
I always ask this question during interviews. I know you do a lot of interviews, and you have to answer a lot of similar questions. I have to ask a lot of the same questions. Have you ever thought of a question that you wish somebody would ask you that they’ve never asked you?
When you look at an artist that you love, I always want to know — like I love Kendrick Lamar, for example — and I always want to know what kind of art he’s digesting to make the stuff that he’s making. What movies is he watching or what books is he reading?
When I was making Hugo, I read a book. My girlfriend got me a book called, My Name Is Why, which is by a guy called Lemn Sissay. He’s a poet from the UK. But he grew up in the care system. And the care system anywhere in the world is fucked up, but in the UK, particularly difficult, especially for ethnic minorities and especially young Black boys, Black women. So yeah, it was a book about him growing up without any parents and trying to find a way of being a parent to himself, which I kind of resonated with. So I thought that was beautiful.
I watched Le Hain, which I’d watched many times. I watched a film called Manchester By The Sea, which I was really moved by. Yeah, a lot of drama, a lot of sad shit it sounds like.
Sometimes you have to watch some sad stuff to get to the meaning of life. The meaning of life is finding the joy. I think that’s something I get from your music. What do you want people to take away from Hugo?
I think it really is just that the main idea is that people are capable of change and forgiveness.
I think about rap music a lot, and the overarching theme of it always, especially from young men, is “I grew up without a father. It was fucking hard. Now I’ve made it and fuck my dad.” That’s the trajectory. People start off kind of jaded by the lack of infrastructure and kind of male presence they’ve had in their life, and you kind of culminate to a place of like, “Okay, now I’m that person with the power and the relationship, and I choose to put all the focus on my mom.” And that was me saying that’s kind of what I’m raised by.
I felt like never had I listened to a rap album that comes from my community that was like, “Hey, what happens if we actually try and understand where the deadbeat dad is coming from?” Not making excuses, but begin to kind of understand, okay, what was happening 20, 30 years ago that led to this? What’s the generational cycle? How do we break the cycle further instead of just kind of perpetuate it? And I guess, yeah, the thing that really I was struck by with this album is trying to say that people are capable of change. Forgiveness not only helps them, but helps yourself.
You told a story about how you named your album after your dad’s car, and I’d love for our readers to see it.
The story of the car was my dad, when he found out I was going to be a father, he was like, “You need to learn to drive because you need to pick up your kid from nursery and the hospital and all this shit.” And I was like, “I do need to learn to drive.” It’s very different in the UK because, especially in London, there’s so much transport that you don’t need to drive. But when you have kids, you kind of do need to. So he pulled up to my house and his red VW Polo, and we started to talk in these driving lessons. And the car’s a really good conduit, a great space for conversation because we’re both looking forward. So it’s not intimidating to when you’re talking to someone, you’re looking at them, it’s very intense, but when you’re both looking forward, you can be a bit more open.
I’m saying shit to my dad that no son should ever have to say to his father. My father’s saying stuff to me that no father should ever have to say to his son. And then I just at some point just gave up being angry and was like, “Okay, let me just start listening.” I stopped talking and started listening. I heard his side of the story, and he began to just explain what it was like for him, the pressures he felt, what he’d been shown by his father and by his father’s father and by the men around him, and in popular culture and the way that Black men are referenced in movies and all this shit. Everything is leading him down one path. And I think it takes a lot of strength and emotional support to go against what the whole world is expecting from you.
And I think sadly, he just kind of succumbed to the pressure. So yeah, I guess ultimately I forgave him, and the reason I was telling the story at the shows and stuff is for two reasons. One, I already said about learning to forgive and how you can set yourself free, and not only set someone else free. But the other one was just, yeah, my dad’s license plate was S331HGU, and everyone called my dad’s car Hugo. So I called the album Hugo because it was a space in time. It was a safe space for me, and without the car, the album wouldn’t exist.
I love when people put that kind of thought and intention behind creative endeavors. It just makes it feel like something that is more meaningful. This is something we’re going to be listening to in 20 years still.
I’m kind of getting to the point in my career where I’m kind of accepting of the fact that maybe the day it comes out, it’s not going to get a million views, but I’d love that maybe if one person listened to it every day for the next million days, it would get like a million plays that way, and I’d much prefer that. It’s like cave drawings. The whole point is to show people in 20 years, 30 years, 50 years where we were at. People right now, they know where they’re at. For me, it’s like a time capsule. I’m just hopeful in however many years people can look back and go, “Oh, no doubt. That’s kind of what was going on. That was the state of affairs when Loyle was growing up.”
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been two years since BNXN (formerly known as Buju) landed the biggest moment of his career with a feature on Wizkid’s “Mood.” BNXN wasn’t new to the spotlight at that point as two years prior, Burna Boy lent him a verse for a remix of his “Lenu” record. What “Mood,” and months later, “Finesse” with Pheelz brought BNXN is a future at new heights and the chance to accomplish lifelong dreams in the music industry.
BNXN recently released his third project Sincerely, Benson which, compared to his first projects Sorry I’m Late and Bad Since ‘97, feels like a more proper release thanks to its 15 songs. During an interview with Uproxx over a video call, BNXN tells me that Sincerely, Benson feels like the transition from “small boy to teenager” and it’s the discovery that his music is “very, very expressive,” something he further expounds on with his new project.
Elsewhere in this interview, BNXN spoke about the special cast of features on Sincerely, Benson, his spirituality, and how he makes sure to live in the moment – regardless of how successful he gets.
This album Sincerely, Benson is a letter to your fans and supporters. What is the message that you’re trying to deliver to them?
I used to be in a relationship and I got out of that relationship, or rather, I messed up that relationship by cheating. That’s one part of what inspired this album, the fact that I need to make an apology, but at the same time, I need to give it my all. I need to fully accept fault, I need to be as transparent as possible. That emotion created songs like “Pidgin and English,” “Regret, “Realize,” and “Toxic.” There are songs that describe me and the things that I go through personally — or artists go through personally — that people don’t get to see, even when they’re close to you. There are [other] songs for people to feel good to [and] to groove because I know how it is for me to share my emotion with you all, share my pain with you. But it’s like, every time you meet somebody you’re always telling them about the problem. It’s not a good look. So it’s like I’m here to also show you that in this same space of many things going on, I’m still happy. I still find time to enjoy myself. I still find time to appreciate the little things that matter
On “Maximum Damage” with Headie One you say, “I’m from a place where nobody makes it out without people thinking it’s magic / Cause if they can’t have it you can’t have it / You see that mentality just tragic.” How has that mentality made things harder for you and how have you made sure not to have that mentality yourself?
Sometimes you still get that weird feeling. I’m gonna be honest men, there are times at this level that you can look to the next man, or the next man looks at you like, “What are you doing differently that’s bringing you all this?” At that point, it’s a natural feeling. Envy is a natural feeling, but it’s like, you just got to snap out of it. The sun has its time to time, the moon has its time to shine. You can look at somebody from two angles: from the angle of envy or from the angle of inspiration. Like, “This is how this guy is moving. I like it. I’m going to amplify what to a level whereby it kind of feels like that.” That is motivation, that is literally somebody inspiring us to do something. It’s different when someone is doing it and you’re like, “Huh? Why is it him that is doing it?” or “Why is it them that doing it? I can do better than that.” Personally, I have once felt like that before, but it’s something that you have to outgrow. It’s something you have to snap out of because it’s a very terrible feeling. If you’re feeling like that, it kind of hinders a lot of blessings.
The guest features on this album mark the first time that you’ve worked with these artists. How did it turn out this way rather than it be with artists you’ve worked with before?
These features were selected because of the level at which I knew they could deliver and how the story of the song kind of affects them or what it means to them. You hear the songs and it’s not hard for you to interpret them. You can tell your life story or express yourself, I’m talking about artists that featured themselves.
For “Maximum Damage,” Headie hears the song and is like, “This is the song whereby I can literally show everybody that there’s been a whole lot of things going on.” That song helped Headie express that this is what I want for my life. 2Baba hears “Regret” and he sees this is a perfect opportunity for me to be able to express something solemn and express an apology that is sufficient and precise. With Popcaan, “Final Answer” is about literally nothing and can really stop what is about to come. The trajectory is miles up high and Popcaan understood that.
With songs like “Pray” on the album, your spirituality and religious outlook are clear. How has your faith, in whatever regard it plays out, helped you as an artist over the years?
All this and everything I have that’s good comes from God and he’s always guided my decisions. I’m not the most perfect person, but it’s like I always feel like there are certain things that would not happen naturally with my own power. There are times, even as I am, I still pause to pray for help, guidance, or assistance. That’s the reason I feel like I always have God. This industry is crazy, there are certain things in this industry that just be happening. My parents are very spiritual too, so I’m a very spiritual person. I just always know that there is good and evil and I have to pick a side. My music is personal and everything that happens to me I have to be able to express. I always have to direct some songs back to God and what he’s done for me. On the last project, there was “Modupe,” and on this project, there’s “Pray” and “Final Answer.” Spirituality is just something I hold very dearly [to myself].
How did this collaboration on “Regret” come to life and what was your reaction when it finally happened?
“Who could bring the difference to the song?” My friend said 2Baba on this song and whenever I heard the song I couldn’t stop hearing 2Baba on the record, so I just had to reach out. I reached out to Larry Gaaga and I sent it to Larry and Larry sent it to 2Baba. It’s hard to imagine a song like that having 2Baba be that transparent and open. I was happy he let that happen. Some stories are very personal to people. So whenever they share it or express it, it’s very nice. Especially if you’re not really an expressive person, it’s very hard to do. It’s such a special record, it’s why I left only he could’ve done that to that level — a level whereby I can feel it.
What is your favorite memory in the process of creating this album Sincerely, Benson?
I don’t know, *laughs* it’s from even getting a name for the project. I was in the club with Burna [Boy], and he’s like, “I need you to have your name or your album. Your album has to have your name there.” It’s like wow, okay I’ll take that. It’s crazy that after having that conversation months later, he dropped Love, Damini. So many things were going on man. With this project, one minute there’s nothing going on, the next thing I’m in the studio I’m just recording something. N****s telling me to try shrooms for the first time. I didn’t try it, but after that conversation, I go in there and I record “My Life” and some many [other] beautiful records. I don’t know, there are too many memories. Traveling, the producers, the sessions — they were always so warm and very sweet. I just really had fun making this project.
With all of the success you’re having in your career, what are some things you do to make sure you live in the moment and don’t time and things altogether pass you by quickly?
I like to take time to reflect. It’s where a lot of my songs come from. I take a lot of time to analyze everything so I can know how this thing works. After this phase of the album, I intend to get into a phase where I “just play.” What I mean by play is holding back a little seriousness from the music just to see what the dynamic is. Mainly because what I do is afro-fusion and I feel like it’s a fusion of everything. I need to be able to give you Gbedu (groove), play around with it, and have fun. I feel like that’s the next stage I’m about to move to.
Sincerely, Benson is out now via TYE and EMPIRE. Find out more information here.
Everything Tori Kelly did and subsequently learned about herself in the last 10 years of her Grammy-winning career led to Tori, her seven-song EP released on July 28.
Kelly unveiled a return to her natural brunette hair and R&B roots with “Missin U” in March. The video oozes Y2K, from the Juicy Couture Sidekick she adored as a preteen and performance shots saluting Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, Missy Elliott, and TLC. Ecstatic fans saw a “new” Kelly, while Kelly saw the “nerdy” 2000s kid who desperately wanted to express herself this way but needed time to develop the necessary confidence.
“I have a childhood picture of myself in my closet,” Kelly told Uproxx days before staging her The Take Control Tour and dropping the deluxe version of Tori, which is due out on September 15. “Every day, I’ll get dressed, and I look at her, and I’m like, ‘I feel like she’d be proud.’”
Below, Kelly explained the deeper meaning behind her Y2K aesthetic.
To start, I have a theory to run by you: Our age group has a unique relationship with Y2K because, technically, we were alive and lived through it, but we weren’t old enough to really know what was going on, so we can romanticize it and have an even stronger sense of nostalgia for it.
Wow. I think you nailed it. I’ve never heard it put like that. That was on the nose.
What about Y2K fascinates you?
There is something about our generation and being a nineties kid — I mean, a nineties baby, I should say. It’s exactly what you said. I was growing up in the 2000s and very aware of things. There were people in pop culture and what was cool, the different outfits and the fashion and the music, where I was still this nerdy little kid. I’m more looking up to it and watching TRL all the time being like, Ugh,I want to be in a music video one day. So I definitely agree with the fantasizing part, and I think that’s why it’s so fun now as an adult to kind of pull from that era and just have fun with it because it’s all the things that I loved growing up.
When your Y2K-themed 30th birthday party happened last December, had you already decided Y2K was going to be the predominant aesthetic for Tori?
Yeah, I was playing with some ideas. That was definitely a theme for this music — that nostalgic Y2K thing. A lot of that music was done by then. When my birthday came up, I wasn’t going to automatically do a Y2K theme, but as it was getting closer, I was like, Shoot, I don’t have a theme. I love themes for birthdays. I think a friend of mine was like, “What if you just did Y2K?” They didn’t even know that I was already kind of in that headspace for my [EP], and I was like, you know what? That’d actually be perfect because I’m literally going into that whole vibe with my music.
I imagine living in Jon Bellion’s basement while working on Tori helped dismantle any barriers to self-expression because you were just rolling out of bed into the studio. What was he able to help you produce sonically that perfectly complemented the visual vibe you were going for?
I think this whole world really started with Jon and I, to be honest, because I came into the studio being a huge fan of Jon already. But I came in hoping he would understand all the things that I love and what I want to bring to the table, which he totally did, and he brought out even more of myself. I would say I came in with a pretty open mind. The only thing that I really wanted was big songs. I literally walked in, I was like, “I’m ready to step back into this pop space,” or pop/R&B. I knew I wanted that feel, and I knew I just wanted big songs that you could sing along to in your car. I wanted to blast my own music in my car, just having the time of my life, not any particular lyrical theme.
But as we started writing, I realized that this theme of confidence kept coming up. And I was like, This feels really good to step into these different versions of myself that have been a part of me for so long, but I haven’t really shown yet. I’ve always kind of been known as this type of girl, but people have never seen sides of me that are very authentic to me and how I grew up. I think that’s where the Y2K vibe came in because women back then just oozed confidence. When I think of Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, and TLC, and all these females in that R&B space, I remember their confidence being what stood out to me — how they carried themselves.
Is this the most authentically yourself you’ve ever felt?
I’ve heard it said a bunch of times, “Your thirties are where you really figure out who you are.” I definitely think that has happened. I’m just better at knowing what I want and saying no, being more sure of myself, I guess. I still haven’t figured everything out, but stepping more into myself has been a theme. Not being scared to explore these different sides. They’ve been there this whole time. I just maybe didn’t have enough confidence to show it. And also, everything I’ve done has led up to this.
I’ve seen so many people comment they’re loving your “new style,” but this is not new to you at all.
Yeah, no, that’s literally what it feels like. I totally get why it would feel new to most people, and people have come up to me and said, “I’ve been waiting for this!” Some people saw it in me, and then other people [think] this is so new. I’m having fun with it. My main thing all along has been, it has to feel authentic, and I never would want to do anything that doesn’t feel like I’m being myself. I always try to check in with myself.
It’s funny. I have a childhood picture of myself in my closet. Every day, I’ll get dressed, and I look at her, and I’m like, “I feel like she’d be proud. She’d be really excited about everything I’m doing because this was her dream.”
What was your adolescent style?
Well, speaking of childhood photos, there’s one I just saw where I did rock the bucket hat, and I rock bucket hats now. I had that one down.
Is there an outfit you’ve rocked this year that you don’t think you would’ve been confident enough to wear before now?
I think all the fits in the “Missin U” music video, especially that red look with the slicked-back hair. I think it’s something that I would’ve looked at and been like, “Oh, that looks cool.” I would’ve liked it, but it wouldn’t have fit the music I was doing. Now, it feels so authentic. It is such a direct connection to the actual music. The style in that video, that’s definitely something I’ve always loved, but it just wouldn’t have made sense to wear those things. I am really into puffer vests lately, too. They’re fun to perform in.
The metallic silver one in the “Missin U” video is awesome.
Why was everything silver in Y2K?
It’s giving Zenon: Girl Of The 21st Century.
Yes! Oh my gosh. “Zetus Lapetus!”
So, you mention those elements from the “Missin U” video. The metallic puffer coat, the monochrome sets — so many monochrome sets — obsessed with it all. What is your favorite characteristic of Y2K clothing and style?
I definitely love the metallics. I feel like purple has been a theme for me, too, with this album. I just remember seeing a lot of purple back in the day. It’s really fun for me to play with masculine/feminine, which is something I think about in Y2K. I think of Aaliyah, who had such a dope tomboy style, but she also could be super girly and feminine. So I think things like that are a fun part of the 2000s that I like to play with. Just that duality.
What Y2K Easter eggs are in the “Cut” video?
It was less obvious. Sonically, that song is already so Y2K. I mean, you got Timbaland on it [and] Rodney Jerkins. We really went all out — super inspired by Craig David as well. With fashion, we injected some of that Y2K style, especially in that club scene at the end.
A hybrid between Aaliyah and throwback Gwen Stefani.
You’re starting your The Take Control Tour. How have you taken back control?
I love that question. My style is one way I’ve taken back control, just kind of doing things that I want to do and wearing things I want to wear because I like ’em and they’re fun. Even if later on, I’m like, “That maybe wasn’t the vibe.” Taking some risks.
And I think my hair is a way that I’ve taken back control — going back to my natural color and rocking my big curls. Musically, taking control of my sound and really honing in on what the sound is that I want to put out? What’s the music that I want to make? I’ve been doing this too long to not be doing what I want, then have regrets later. It’s felt really good.
I think, even just from a literal sense, taking control of a stage. I’ve missed performing so much. That’s what I’m looking forward to doing: being on tour, performing, doing what I love, and really owning that stage, connecting with my fans, and having fun with them. It’s just been so long.
In “Young Gun,” you and Jon sing, “To stay forever young / Is a war that’s never won,” and that song is obviously heavy and so much more meaningful than how I’m about to equate it to self-expression and style. But in relation to Y2K, how do you discern between healthy nostalgia and clinging to the past at the expense of growing?
Whoa. Some of these questions require an hour of me writing notes and sifting through my thoughts. I guess it is a fine line, but what makes it make sense in my mind — aesthetically, and everything I’m doing with Y2K, what’s exciting about it is I’ve noticed those trends were already sort of happening with the younger generation. They’re totally dressing like Y2K, and they were being born [then].
This stuff is fascinating to me, generational stuff, because I remember my mom tripping out that skinny jeans were back in from her generation. She was like, “Oh my gosh! That’s so eighties. Y’all are wearing skinny jeans?” And I was like, “What do you mean?” As a kid, I was like, “That’s not weird.” And so, now, it’s just funny being on the other side of that. I am proud to be in the generation that got to live through all these music trends and fashion trends that are in again. This is exciting because I get to wear what I would’ve worn if I was cool enough as a kid, but also I get to be one of the ones bringing those sounds back and being really inspired by all of those artists from that time. I see it more as an honor. I don’t feel stuck in the past.
It’s like you’ve said earlier: It required growth in your music and in yourself to get to a point where you felt confident enough to revisit that time, so growth is inherent in doing it.
Absolutely. That’s a great way to wrap up my answer.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
d4vd’s rise to fame happened at the speed of light. This hyperbole accurately describes how the 18-year-old Houston native went from an active video gamer who uploaded clips of himself playing Fortnite to YouTube (where he tallied 15 million views in total) to a touring musical act who is set to hit the road with SZA for her second leg of the SOS Tour. It’s all happened in the blink of an eye, but don’t be mistaken, d4vd is extremely talented as his debut EP Petals To Thorns proves.
The nine-track project is one that d4vd used to excellently capture a rise and fall in love. The petals — the first half — represent the good moments, while the thorns and final half of the project capture the bad and the eventual end of the relationship. Just three months after releasing Petals To Thorns, d4vd is back with another project: The Lost Petals. This new body of work contains just five songs and lives as the aftermath of the events on Petals To Thorns.
Together with the arrival of The Lost Petals, Uproxx caught up with d4vd to talk about his rise in the music world, The Lost Petals, touring with SZA, and his future plans for both music and gaming.
You’ve had a quick rise to fame, which can be a bit rattling for anyone. How have you adjusted and does it feel a bit normal now?
Yeah, it’s always been normal. I feel like I’ve acclimated well. I was home-schooled for four years so being outside was like a need for me. I was inside the house for way too long. So as soon as the time came for me to start going on tour, things like that, going on press runs, [and] traveling to different countries, it was like boom, this is what I needed to get out of the house. So I ran with it.
If you had to take all your influences, what qualities would you take from each one to make the artist you are? Like who most inspired your writing? Singing style? Artistic direction?
My biggest writing inspiration isn’t even in music. It’s an author from Japan named Hajime Isayama who wrote Shingeki no Kyojin, most famously known as Attack On Titan. Yeah, so Hajime Isayama for my writing, sonically it’d be Chet Baker and Michael Jackson. My stage presence? Michael Jackson and maybe XXXTentacion.
You’re a couple of months removed from your Petals To Thorns project. What would you say you’re most proud of about it?
The theme. I feel like sonically, it made sense, and the theme was very clear. I tried my best to tell the story with it. Having all the songs made already, without even having the intention of making a project that had to be cohesive, is mind-blowing to me. Everything was already done before I even had an idea of making an EP. But just being me and being a storyteller, it kind of just worked anyway. So I’m very proud of storytelling. Looking at the rose, having the thorns all representing love, just the theme of going through a relationship from top to bottom. It was just cohesive.
Now we have your The Lost Petals project, which fits into the world of Petals To Thorns. Do they fall in line with the original project or would you say this is more of a different perspective?
If we’re talking experience-wise, Petals To Thorns is the concert, you’ve been at the show, and “The Bridge” is leaving the show and now, The Lost Petals is that post-show depression. So it’s very sad, there’s not one single happy song. The way “The Bridge” left off, this [The Lost Petals] picks up and then it’s kind of like the conclusion. It’s like a closing of the book, two chapters being Petals To Thorns and The Lost Petals]. We’re closing that book and we’re moving on after that.
What would you credit most to your success?
My faith in God bro because God did amazing things early on. The way it kind of worked instrumentally with the gaming and everything. It’s like all the full circle moments of me wanting to be a professional esports player so bad that I was like tunnel vision into that one goal. But then, as soon as the copyright strikes hit, the gaming kind of pushed the music and the music started to push the gaming and they kind of worked together and they both went up at the same time. I don’t know, it would not have happened if it weren’t for those copyright strikes.
You’ve had a couple of tours already in your career, and now, you’ll be joining SZA on her SOS North American Tour. What experience do you hope to take from that may be different from the others?
The audience, of course. Playing in front of 10,000-15,000 people, that’s gonna be insane. I feel like getting used to not being so close to the crowd because it gives you a chance to really be a performer. When you’re that close to the crowd, really feeding off of them, but [at arenas], sometimes you can’t see everybody especially when you’re on that big stage and it feels like it’s just you up there. I feel like the nerves kind of go away when you can’t see. I feel like I’ve had the most nerve-wracking experience when I’m playing in front of maybe three people doing a little acoustic performance or even doing a music video shoot. But when it’s that many people it kind of becomes you and I’m just excited to see myself progress in that stage.
Stepping off music for a second, you said that music and gaming have worked hand-in-hand for you. What are some plans you have for the gaming world next?
I want to leak too much, but I literally just left a meeting about gaming. I’m working a lot on Fortnite stuff, the new Fortnite season is dropping, and everybody’s on the game again. Gaming is going back on the radar, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is dropping. I’m working hand in hand and being more in the gaming space and telling a story because that’s where I came from. I’m more of a gamer than a musician, it’s telling that story even more. I’m working on scoring and a lot of soundtracking, too. The thing is with the Fortnite montages, I would make a Fortnite little montage and then make a song for it. So I was really doing scoring before I was even thinking about actually scoring. So having the opportunity to go back into my roots, and just be able to make music for the game that I’m such a fan of is insane to me. Maybe a concert in a Fortnite. A lot of stuff is coming gaming-wise, and 2024 is about to be lit on the controllers.
You’ve achieved a lot in such a short period of time, what are some goals you have for yourself going forward?
I want to make the best music possible. I feel like this past week I made my best music. I feel like I’m finding what I want to do. In terms of the artistry. I produced on a song for the first time two days ago. I’m getting used to being back on the keys playing piano again and finding myself instrumentally. So just becoming a greater artist. I’m not very sentimental, but I really do enjoy the evolution of self rather than the fruits that come from it. I feel like the best goal for me is just to be a better me. So, 2024 is all about evolution. I feel like it’s gonna be very evident in the music, the visuals, and the creative surrounding everything. It’s going to be next level.
The Lost Petals is out now via Darkroom/Interscope Records. Find out more information here.
