New York rapper Ja Rule is still exhaling after a breathtaking Verzuz battle. The hip-hop veteran has stepped up to speak on the Fat Joe clash and some tensions with longtime rap rival 50 Cent. Ja Rule Keeps It 100 On 50 Cent While initially focusing on his battle against Joey Crack, Rule found himself […]
Former Minneapolis police officers Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao have pleaded not guilty to federal charges accusing them of violating George Floyd’s civil rights.
According to a report from NPR, a federal grand jury indicted the four men in May 2021 over their treatment of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020. As many know, Floyd was held face-down with a knee on his neck, with his eventual death sparking protests around the world. The charges alleged that the conduct of all four officers was a direct violation of Floyd’s civil rights.
Chauvin is currently serving a 22.5-year murder sentence, and the disgraced former officer attended the latest hearing by way of videoconference. The other three were also in attendance with their respective lawyers. The report notes that Thao and Kueng are seeking to separate their trials from Chauvin’s, believing that the association would ultimately lead to unfair treatment. Prosecutors have argued that all four men should face the same trial, as their charges all center around the same incident.
As for this most recent indictment, the allegation centers around the violation of Floyd’s civil rights, with Chauvin specifically accused of depriving Floyd “the right to be free from unreasonable seizure and unreasonable force by a police officer.” The others face similar charges, with all four being accused of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care. For context, Keung and Lane restrained Floyd by kneeling on his back and legs respectively, and while Thao prevented bystanders from intervening.
While Chauvin currently serves a 22.5-year sentence, Lane, Kueng, and Thao are set to face trial in March 2022 for aiding and abetting.
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Fat Joe and Ja Rule went head-to-head on Tuesday night for a Verzuz battle live from Madison Square Garden. The two New York rappers brought out a bunch of their biggest collaborators, including Nelly, Ashanti, Jadakiss, Remy Ma, and more. Ja Rule even performed with Lil Mo and Vita, his “Put It On Me” collaborators, but Joey Crack had some disrespectful things to say about the two ladies once they got done performing.
“Oh, them dusty bitches,” said Joe about Lil Mo and Vita. “You had to go to the crack house to find them bitches.”
Many of the people watching were appalled at the level of disrespect shown by Fat Joe when he referred to Lil Mo and Vita as “dusty bitches” before suggesting that they’re addicts, and Lil Mo said after the show that she was “disappointed” in an Instagram comment. Fat Joe has since taken to social media to apologize to the ladies and anybody that he offended.
“Shout out to the ladies very sorry if i disrespected,” wrote Joe on Twitter. “i love vida and lil Moe I’m super sorry love my sisters.”
It was likely unintentional that Joe misspelled both of their names, but it’s pretty funny that things worked out that way.
What did you think when Fat Joe called Vita and Lil Mo “dusty bitches”?
New York rapper Nas is eating like a true king. The hip-hop star comes through with his newly released “Brunch On Sundays” music video packed with tons of celebrity cameos. The star-studded visual is packed with both NBA heavyweights like LeBron James and Russell Westbrook plus hip-hop artists including Swizz Beatz and Hit-Boy. Living up […]
The first year in the new decade was one that was tainted with a feeling of endless loss, and among the great Hip-Hop artists who passed away in 2020 was Injury Reserve’s Stepa J. Groggs. Following his death last summer, the Hip-Hop group went on a year-long hiatus, and last month, Injury Reserve resurfaced to reveal that a new album would be on the way.
In a heartfelt statement, the group revealed the album is both dedicated to Stepa J. Groggs and titled after his desire to repurpose Isaac Haye’s By the Time I Get to Phoenix. Following the album’s announcement, Injury Reserve released two experimental singles, “Knees” and “Superman That.“
Roughly a month later, Injury Reserve’s follow-up to its 2019 self-titled debut has been released, and although it has not yet been revealed whether or not this will be fans’ last time hearing Stepa J. Groggs on wax, the 11-track effort is unarguably one of the most singular albums of the year. On By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Ritchie wit a T navigates the group’s deep dive into a more distorted and industrial sound than they’ve ever attempted, but in contrast to the jarring soundscapes, the intimate and emotional themes throughout the record are absolutely beautiful.
For an uncomfortable, yet intriguing listening experience, check out Injury Reserve’s By the Time I Get to Phoenix below. Rest in peace, Stepa J. Groggs.
Tracklist:
1. Outside
2. Superman That
3. SS San Francisco (feat. Zelooperz)
4. Footwork in a Forest Fire
5. Ground Zero
6. Smoke Don’t Clear
7. Top Picks for You
8. Wild Wild West
9. Postpostpartum
10. Knees
11. Bye Storm
After Keke Palmer, who hosted Vogue’s livestream of Monday night’s Met Gala, took to her IG story to reveal a not-so-great-looking meal, commenters across the internet wondered aloud if food like that was worth the Met Gala’s hefty $30,000-$50,000 per ticket price tag. Palmer was definitely just playing, even saying so in her story, but the narrative over the last 36-or-so hours has been that the Met Gala food was not to die for.
According to TMZ, however, Marcus Samuelsson, responsible for selecting the 10 up-and-coming chefs who created the Met Gala menu, defended his food. Describing Palmers plate as “barley topped with mushrooms, tomato salad with corn and zucchini slices,” Samuelsson said that the meal was a matter of taste and that “it tasted plenty good.”
The Met Gala menu, which Samuelsson, his ten chefs and Bon Appetit colloborated to create, was totally sustainable and totally plant-based which makes Palmer’s plate of vegetables more understandable. But still, for the price tag that comes with the Met Gala it is easy to see why internet commenters likened the meal to the food seen at Billy McFarland and Ja Rule’s Fyre Fest and went so hard after a meal that Palmer dragged on her story.
Either way, this Met Gala food fiasco has been entertaining and when talking about a night where it seems like a couple people *might* take themselves a little too seriously, a side-story like this brings some humor to the event and makes it feel less like an Illuminati ritual, as Lil Nas X put it.
What do you think, though? Are you buying Samuelsson’s defense that the food definitely tasted good? Or are you trying to sneak something into the Met? Let us know in the comments.
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With the end of New York Fashion Week, the MTV VMAs and the 2021 Met Gala all taking place within days of each other, we are seeing what happens when you put all of the hottest names in music in fashion in New York City at the same time.
On Monday night, following the Met Gala, Off-White creator and Louis Vuitton menswear director Virgil Abloh hosted a jam session at Carbone with BadBadNotGood and two of the biggest names at the intersection of music and fashion — Kid Cudi and ASAP Nast — both came through fitted and got on the mic.
Nast, arguably hip-hop’s best dressed individual, got on the mic first. Rocking a bucket hat pulled down low, he rapped over jazzy drums and chords and also let everybody in the building know: “Virigl’s the biggest kid here. He’s just dreaming.”
Kid Cudi, still dressed in his Met Gala fit (green hair, Louis Vuitton head-to-toe with a massive KAWS chain Ben Baller called “the most detailed and intricate piece of jewelry I’ve ever created), got on the mic next and did exactly what Kid Cudi does. With a drink in his hand, Cudi started out harmonizing and using melody to create the perfect environment for his sound and then broke into his raps which, despite being pretty muffled in the videos Abloh posted to his IG page, were powerful and focused on where he and Virgil were and what they had done to get there.
Abloh called the night “different, really different,” and it’s easy to see why. An opportunity to combine the musical and fashion pedigrees of Nast, Cudi and Virgil is something special and not something that happens every day. Cudi is firmly planting himself as a beacon for pushing the envelope in fashion while Nast and Virgil are already cemented as two figures that the entire fashion and streetwear worlds are looking to for inspiration and just as a bonus, all three are nice with music, too.
What do you think? Did Nast and Cudi do their thing or is this just a case of too much hype in the moment? Let us know in the comments.
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Playboi Carti had been hyping up September 13th as a possible release date for weeks, but it turned out that the 25-year-old rapper simply planned to dupe his fans once more with a false-alarm merch release, claiming that his website was hacked after it was updated with Narcissist-branded merchandise, including a $5,000 helmet.
Many of the Atlanta-based artist’s fans were expecting some new music for Carti’s birthday this week, but it turns out that the rapper was actually teasing his Narcissist merch launch — and even at that, it looks like his team hit the green button a little early because Carti is claiming that his website was hacked and he didn’t approve any of the releases.
After fans complained about the $5,000 motorcycle helmet that was added to his website, which some people found for $29 on a Chinese retailer’s shop, it looked as though Carti was truly flourishing in his new drop-shipping business, but it turns out that he was simply hacked. He spoke out and shared text messages with his team after fans also pointed out that he was selling ski masks and other merch as a significant upcharge from similar items on Alibaba.
“THE WEBSITE IS HACKED,” wrote Carti on Twitter. “THE REF FOLDER WAS POSTED LIVE. NEVER APPROVED ANY CLOTHING/ETC.”
This leaves many of his followers asking… what was supposed to happen on September 13? Was a merch drop planned, and then canceled? Was a new album set to be released? Or was the hack simply a coincidence on this exact date?
Check out some reactions below.
With the year steadily winding to a close, there are many who would confidently declare that Nas and Hit-Boy’s King’s Disease is the resounding album of the year. In fact, Nas is already coming off a triumphant win at the 2020 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album, and some would even say that the sequel is a superior effort altogether.
Regardless of where you stand on that particular topic, it’s a great time to be a Nas fan. It’s no wonder that he opted to strike a celebratory tone in his brand new music video for “Brunch On Sundays.” Featuring an all-star line-up of celebrity cameos, including LeBron James, Cordae, Lil Rel Howery, Russell Westbrook, Swizz Beatz, and more, the clip is about what you might expect. But don’t get it twisted — it’s a well-earned celebration for one of hip-hop’s most respected lyricists of all time.
Lil Rel Howery puts it best: “I want to propose a toast to one of the OGs in the game. Nas. Lyricist, poet, prophet. You did it the right way.” Be sure to check out the smooth new visuals for “Brunch On Sundays,” a quiet fan-favorite on the consistently strong King’s Disease 2. Do you think Nas is the current favorite in the album of the year race?
Making an appearance on Time‘s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world is a significant honor, and the publication just unveiled this year’s list. On the 2021 roster is a handful of folks from the music world, who had brief tributes written about them by their pop culture peers: Megan Thee Stallion wrote about Billie Eilish, Kid Cudi wrote about Lil Nas X, J Balvin wrote about Bad Bunny, Miley Cyrus wrote about Dolly Parton, Darius Rucker wrote about Kane Brown, Paris Hilton wrote about Britney Spears, Alicia Keys wrote about Angélique Kidjo, and Brandy wrote about Verzuz creators Swizz Beatz and Timbaland.
Introducing the 2021 #TIME100 featuring the 100 most influential people of the year https://t.co/NEApPrOrN0
— TIME (@TIME) September 15, 2021
Of Eilish, Megan wrote, “Billie Eilish is a unique soul, with a voice, style and attitude all unapologetically her own. I first met Billie at the Grammys this year. She had already achieved worldwide stardom, which might make some people have airs about them, but not Billie. She was so real and laid-back, even though her personality is so big. She is a rare spirit who speaks from her heart with no pretenses. I knew I had found a kindred spirit that night. One who is strong, but still learning and still growing. A woman who stands up for herself and advocates for women everywhere.”
Cudi also said of Lil Nas X, “Lil Nas X is a new twist on some of the themes I was riding on when I first started out: being true to yourself and not giving a f*ck what anyone says. What he’s doing is what we need right now. To have a gay man in hip-hop doing his thing, crushing records — that is huge for us and for Black excellence. The way he’s unafraid to make people uncomfortable is so rock ‘n’ roll. He’s a true rock star. […] I’m going to do whatever I have to do to let him know–you have my support. When we do our song together, however trippy the video is, let’s get sexy with it.
Check out the full list here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
