Ye

2021’s Highest-Paid Musicians Include Bruce Springsteen And Mostly Others Who Also Sold Their Catalogs

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2021 saw a lot of artists leave the year with a lot more money than they had at the start of it. Now, Rolling Stone has compiled a list of last year’s highest-earning musicians, and on top is Bruce Springsteen, who, largely to his massive catalog sale, brought in $590 million in 2021.

The rest of the list is mostly populated by artists who secured their bags with similar sales: Paul Simon is No. 3, Ryan Tedder is No. 5, Red Hot Chili Peppers is No. 6, Lindsey Buckingham is No. 7, Motley Crüe is No. 8, and Blake Shelton is No. 9. Meanwhile, Jay-Z is second on the list with $470 million and therefore No. 1 among artists whose 2021 earnings weren’t mostly thanks to catalog sales. Other big sales were involved, though: He sold half of his Armand de Brignac champagne for $300 million, and he and other Tidal co-owners sold 80 percent of the company for $302 million. The only other artists on the list who didn’t make bank from catalog sales are Ye (aka Kanye West) at No. 4 and Taylor Swift at No. 10. Swift is also the only woman on the list.

Zack O’Malley Greenburg, who penned the Rolling Stone post, also unveiled an extended version of the list in his newsletter, which includes Neil Young at No. 11 (the highest-ranking act not born in the US) and The Rolling Stones at No. 12.

As for the methodology used to compile the list, the publications notes, “The list measures pre-tax income for calendar year 2021 before deducting fees for agents, managers, lawyers, living expenses, etc. Estimates are generated by scouring public documents and interviewing individuals with direct knowledge of major deals.”

Check out the list here.

Kanye West Is Being Investigated For Allegedly Punching A Fan In The Face Outside A Club

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Kanye West is being investigated for battery after allegedly punching a fan in the face outside a Los Angeles nightclub according to LA’s Fox affiliate. The fan reportedly approached Ye as he sat in his SUV outside Soho Warehouse at around 3 am this morning. The rapper allegedly reacted violently, punching the fan in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. There was apparently an argument, but police are not revealing details, and at the time of the report, police hadn’t spoken to Kanye yet.

In a video posted on TMZ which was apparently shot around the time of the incident, Kanye can be seen arguing with someone near a vehicle, saying, “Did y’all say that or not? Did y’all say that or not? ‘Cause that’s what happened right f*cking now.” He’s clearly upset about something, but details remain scant. In California, Battery is a misdemeanor and the maximum jail sentence is just six months.

The man accusing Kanye of punching him also apparently captured at least some of the incident on his mobile phone camera, and police are looking into it as part of their investigation.

Meanwhile, Kanye recently confirmed that he’s working on the followup to his 2021 album Donda and was recently revealed as one of Coachella’s 2022 headliners.

Ye And Moneybagg Yo’s Text Message Exchange Confirms That ‘Donda 2’ Is On The Way

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Kanye West was responsible for one of 2021’s most popular albums, Donda. The project had a very dramatic rollout, with West performing unfinished versions of it during livestream stadium shows in Atlanta and Chicago. It arrived at the end of August complete with features from Jay-Z, Young Thug, Playboi Carti, Kid Cudi, Don Toliver, Lil Baby, The Weeknd, and many more. Less than three months later, West returned with its deluxe version, which featured five more songs and additional guest appearances from Andre 3000 and more. Now he’s giving the album a sequel.

Moneybagg Yo posted a screenshot of a text message between him and West after the two were spotted in the studio together. West begins by greeting Moneybagg and commenting on some songs they worked on together in the studio. He then adds, “I got to lock in with you on Donda 2,” before adding, “Money in front of us, bullsh*t behind us.”

The news comes after West shared a video for “Heaven And Hell,” which aired on ESPN during the College Football National Championship game.

You can read the text message conversation above.

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

Coachella 2022 Reportedly Confirms Ye, Harry Styles, And Billie Eilish As Headliners

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By the time Coachella officially opens their gates to gleeful music lovers this spring, it will have been three years since the last time the Indio, California festival took place. As one of the more buzzworthy music events of the year, there had been much speculation about which performers organizers would book to headline the anticipated 2022 event. Rumors alleged that musicians like Billie Eilish and Ye would be invited to headline in addition to Swedish House Mafia, but fans weren’t sure who the fourth closing act would be. On Wednesday, Coachella organizers reportedly confirmed that, along with Billie Eilish, Ye, and Swedish House Mafia, Harry Styles will be invited to headline their 2022 iteration.

The report comes through Billboard, which claims to have received confirmation from a source at Coachella. Apparently, a poster was making the rounds on the internet which alleged headliners Ye, Eilish, Styles, and Swedish House Mafia.

It wouldn’t be the first time some of the musicians have taken the Coachella stage. Eilish performed music from her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? at Coachella 2019. Meanwhile, Ye was invited to take over a nearby field to share an installment of his Sunday Service gospel event.

Coachella 2022 will once again take place over two weekends to accommodate for the massive number of music fans who hope to attend. It kicks off the weekend of April 15 to 17 and continues the next weekend, April 22 to 24. Tickets sold out pretty much as soon as they were made available, but fans can still join a waitlist in hopes of securing a ticket.

Ye’s Career-Long Confidence In On Display In A New ‘Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’ Documentary Teaser

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In early 2021, it was revealed that a Ye (then Kanye West) documentary was heading to Netflix, with reports noting that it would “deal with the death of West’s mother, Donda West, and the impact it had on the rapper; his personal evolution in recent years; his successful move into fashion design and his unsuccessful run for President in 2020.” Then, a few months ago, Netflix shared a first-look clip from the film (then titled Jeen-Yuhs), and now, they’ve offered the first official teaser of Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy. They also note “the once in a lifetime three-week global event begins February 16.”

The clips begins with Ye chopping it up with some associates and calling himself a genius… in 2002, well before the release of his 2004 debut album The College Dropout. Elsewhere, there are videos of what looks like Ye post-wisdom teeth removal, working on music, spending time with his mother, and more.

In case you missed it, Netflix has shared a couple other video about the documentary in recent months. After the aforementioned first-look clip, last month, they also shared a ten-minute conversation between directors Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah (aka Coodie And Chike) about the documentary and their early experiences with Ye. In the clip, Simmons says, “When I started filming Kanye, I’m like, ‘OK, I’m going to just document and see how far he’s going to take his career.’ Seeing him win Grammys, I’m still… […] But then to be documenting Kanye, you understand you’re going to see an array of characters.”

Watch the new teaser video and the aforementioned other clips above.

21 Savage Insists Kanye Dumped Kim (And Not The Other Way Around) On Gunna’s New Album

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It’s often said that there are two sides to every story and in the case of Kanye West’s ongoing divorce from Kim Kardashian, it looks like he’s sharing his side with friends and collaborators. Although the initial reports had Kim filing for divorce, citing many “little things” that made their differences more apparent, at least one of Kanye’s rapper homies believes it went the other way around.

On “Thought I Was Playing” from Gunna’s new mixtape DS4EVER, fellow Atlanta rapper 21 Savage uses the celebrity split as the subject for a twisted punchline: “SF90 cost a M, dumped his Glock like Ye did Kim.” Fans on Twitter who caught the line sparked a lighthearted but spirited debate about just who dumped whom.

Of course, both stars have since seemingly moved on. Kim has apparently been dating comedian Pete Davidson after remarking that she had no intention of reconciling with Kanye, and while Kanye has made repeated public overtures, even going so far as declaring that God would reunite the couple, he has since also been seen out with a new romantic interest. Actress Julia Fox, with whom Kanye had dinner in New York City, described their date in glowing terms, prompting some fans to give their skeptical impressions of the pairing, drawing comparisons with Fox’s character’s relationship in Uncut Gems.

You can check out the full song above.

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

Ye’s Yeezy Gap Is Teaming Up With Balenciaga For A New Collection

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Ye’s Yeezy Gap partnership has so far offered more hype than it has actual products, but now he has announced a new venture: Yeezy Gap is teaming up with Balenciaga for a new collection called Yeezy Gap Engineered By Balenciaga.

The endeavor is a collaboration between Ye and Balenciaga creative director Demna (who also had a Ye-like name change recently, as they were previously known as Demna Gvasalia). It’s not currently clear what sort of items the collection will include, but the first drop is expected this June, with another following later in the year.

Ye teased the announcement by sharing an image of a contract related to the collaboration this morning. Additionally, he told Vogue, “It is a vision come true to work with Gap and Demna, the creative director of Balenciaga, to make incredible product available to everyone at all times.”

Demna also said, “This is a very different challenge. I’ve always appreciated the utilitarianism and the accessibility of Gap. I share some of the same sensibilities in my creative language. This project allowed me to join forces [with Ye] to create utilitarian fashion for all. […] There’s a certain urban minimalism and poetry in our aesthetics, [and] also a desire to push boundaries.”

He was also effusive about the process of working with Ye, saying, “There are very few people that I know, especially of Ye’s caliber, who really understand my work so well. He makes me come out of my comfort zone and be a better designer. There’s no ego when we collaborate, just a mutual drive to evolve and do something great and new.”

Julia Fox Details Her Bonkers Date With Kanye West, Complete With A Totally Normal Photoshoot

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Next month will mark a year since Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from Kanye West, who she’d been married to since 2014. Despite some recent attempts from the rapper to reconcile with his ex-wife and hopefully call off the divorce, Kim stood firm on her decision. This left Kanye no choice but to move on, and it’s something he’s very much doing in the new year. On New Year’s Day, Kanye was spotted with actress Julia Fox in New York City as the two had dinner together at the city’s Carbone restaurant. It left many wondering if a new romance was brewing between the two or if things were simply platonic. Well, Julia herself has your answer to that.

In a written piece she submitted to Interview Magazine, she describes her date night night with Kanye. “I met Ye in Miami on New Year’s Eve and it was an instant connection,” she began. “His energy is so fun to be around. He had me and my friends laughing, dancing, and smiling all night.” She goes on to say that they two flew back to New York City to see the Broadway show Slave Play, one they arrived on time for to her surprise.

After the show, the two enjoyed dinner at Carbone, and it’s here that Julia says Kanye directed a photoshoot for her as people dined. After dinner, he surprised Julia with a hotel suite full of clothes that he prepared for her. “It was every girl’s dream come true,” she wrote. “It felt like a real Cinderella moment. I don’t know how he did it, or how he got all of it there in time. But I was so surprised. Like, who does things like this on a second date? Or any date!”

She concluded the piece by writing, “I don’t know where things are headed but if this is any indication of the future I’m loving the ride.”

You can view some of the photos from the shoot above and read the full Interview Magazine piece here.

Kanye West Will Reportedly Headline Coachella’s 2022 Festival With Billie Eilish

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Coachella’s 2022 festival is just three months away, and it seems like organizers have finalized their lineup. Those who were once supposed to headline —Travis Scott, Rage The Machine, and Frank Ocean — wound up not working out. But organizers appear to have found their replacements. Last fall, Swedish House Mafia already confirmed an appearance, reportedly as headliners. Earlier today, TMZ reported that Billie Eilish signed on to the festival to replace Travis Scott. This leaves one remaining open spot for a headliner and it’s reportedly being taken by Kanye West.

Variety reports that Kanye will serve as the headliner for the respective Sunday editions of the festival, which takes place on the weekends of April 15-17 and April 22-24. Billie Eilish will headline on Saturday for the respective weekends. Variety also reports that it’s unclear if Swedish House Mafia will serve as the festival’s third headliner, their traditional “throwback” slot which is often reserved for a veteran artist or group to reunite at the showcase.

While it will be Billie’s first time performing at Coachella since 2019, it would be Kanye’s first time headlining since 2011. The news comes after Kanye said he is planning another show, this one at New York’s Madison Square Garden. It would be his second show in as many months after he and Drake over the Los Angeles Coliseum for their Larry Hoover benefit concert.

Kanye West Says He Is Planning Another Show At Madison Square Garden This Month

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Kanye West is planning his return to Madison Square Garden this month, according to a video that was uploaded to social media in which he tells a fan as much while posing for pictures during a night out. While leaving a restaurant in New York City, Kanye stops just before getting into his car to take a few pics with nearby fans, while off-camera, someone can be heard asking him, “When we getting another MSG show?” It’s muffled, but Kanye can be heard saying what sounds like “this month.”

Kanye’s last show at the Big Apple venue was in 2016 for the Life Of Pablo tour, where he reportedly sold $780,000 worth of merchandise in just one night. He also debuted his album there earlier that year in a combination fashion show/release party for The Life Of Pablo. Unfortunately, since then, his widely publicized endeavors have included more awkward campaigning as a smokescreen for Republican candidates who hoped he’d play spoiler for the Democratic vote than touring behind new music.

However, with the listening parties for his latest album, Donda, taking over stadiums in Atlanta and his native Chicago and his recent Free Larry Hoover concert showcasing a renewed passion for performance, it’s not entirely impossible that he’ll be able to follow through and deliver a similar concert experience for longsuffering New York City fans.