Jorja Smith’s ‘All Of This’ Is An Afrobeat Breakup Anthem With GuiltyBeatz

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Since her breakout record Lost & Found in 2019, Jorja Smith has been quietly figuring out her next move. On this spring’s new EP, Be Right Back, she’s still expanding her sound and riding the line between pop, R&B, and hip-hop. That’s the blueprint for our new era of pop stars, but Smith also had the jumpstart of a co-sign from Drake on his 2017 project More Life to get her going, which never hurts. On today’s new video for “All Of This,” a song with the Ghanaian DJ and record producer GuiltyBeatz that’s inspired by Amapiano, a South African style of house music.

Leaning into the Afrobeat genre is a great next move for Smith, and the new single is a bit of a departure from her more straightforward EP. Jorja talked about meeting Guilty in Jamaica and how the song came about in a press release. “I met [Guilty] when I went over to Port Antonio in Jamaica for a writing camp in 2019,” she said. “He’s so wonderful to work with and when we initially started the song, it was more a fall to the floor type beat. He’s shared Amapiano playlists with me before and then during the first lockdown in 2020, he sent me a version of the song like it is now. We then finished writing the song remotely, exchanging messages over WhatsApp with his girlfriend Abby who is also a writer. It’s all about someone who doesn’t deserve you and thinking wow, you really had all of my once, ew.”

Check out the new track above.

Victoria Monét Returns With The Sunny ‘Coastin,’ Featuring Production From The Stereotypes

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After the release of her debut album, Jaguar last year, Victoria Monét has been laying low. As one of the go-to songwriters for pop stars like Ariana Grande, and a frequent collaborator with her on songs like “Monopoly,” the R&B star is just starting to get her career underway as a solo artist. After Jaguar came out last summer, she was focusing on becoming a mother. In an interview today she told Apple Music that being a mom has changed her perspective because “I have a little angel in my arms daily to remind me of the importance of life.”

Speaking of the importance of life, today, she’s back on the scene with a brand new song called “Coastin’,” that features production from The Stereotypes and channels all the best parts about summer. Talking further with Apple, Monét said she made the sunny new song during winter, and was channeling what she wanted to feel. “It was definitely a lot of fun and I actually made it in the winter time, so it was an interesting, nice way to escape into an, cause we were also still pretty quarantined and social distanced. So I was able to kind of jump into a summertime that I wish existed and just, I was really inspired by some old classics, one being “Tell Me” by Groove Theory. I just wanted that energy.”

Check out the funky new song above, and look more new music and the follow-up to Jaguar coming soon.

Damian Lillard Hilariously Reacts To Carmelo Anthony Lakers Signing

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Carmelo Anthony seemed down and out just a couple of years ago. He had been released from the Houston Rockets after just 10 games and it seemed like there wasn’t a single team that wanted him. Eventually, Melo was able to get a fresh chance at glory with the Portland Trail Blazers who needed some depth. Melo revitalized his career with the Blazers and immediately made a huge impact out on the court.

In free agency, Melo opted to leave the Blazers and sign with the Los Angeles Lakers on a veteran minimum contract. This was a massive move for the Lakers who are trying to add to their depth in time for next season. While Melo opted to leave Portland, he is still delighted with his experience in the city, as he explained on IG.

Damian Lillard & Carmelo Anthony

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

“Portland, all I can say is thank you. Thank you for letting me love the game of basketball again. Thank you for welcoming me into your community, and supporting me both on the court and in your city. These two years were some of the most important ones of my career, and for that I’ll always be grateful,” Melo wrote.

Melo’s former superstar teammate Damian Lillard opted to make a joke out of the situation as he took to Melo’s Instagram comments with a joke for the new Lakers veteran. As you can see, Lillard wrote “off the property bruv” as a way to jokingly tell Melo that he needs to pack up his things and get out of Portland immediately. 

Of course, there was no animosity to be had here, although it’s cool to see Lillard keeping the mood light as he competes for Olympic gold in Tokyo.

Lou Williams Re-Signs With the Hawks: Details

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Lou Williams has always been heralded as one of the best bench players in the entire NBA. His numerous sixth-man of the year awards tell the tale of a player who is a natural scorer that comes off the bench and gives his team the goods on a nightly basis. Throughout his career, Williams has been all around the league, and as he gets up there in age, he continues to be a journeyman. Last season, Williams started the season with the Los Angeles Clippers although he was eventually dealt to the Atlanta Hawks.

During his time with the Hawks last year, Williams was able to experience a deep run in the playoffs as Atlanta went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Over the last few days, Williams’ future has been up in the air as he is a free agent. Today, however, the scorer got some clarity on his situation.

Lou Williams

Michael Zarrilli/Getty Images

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Williams has just signed a brand new deal with the Atlanta Hawks which is good for one year and will be worth $5 million. This is a great deal for both sides, and when it comes to the Hawks, they will be able to keep their depth intact heading into next year.

The Hawks are a team with tremendous upside, and with Williams on the roster, they will maintain that veteran presence that is so crucial when teams start to get hot.

Let us know what you think about the signing, in the comments below.

Hear Kanye West, Dr. Dre, And Snoop Dogg’s New Song ‘Glory’ In An Ad With Sha’Carri Richardson

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Kanye West may be notorious for failing to drop albums when he promises, but this time around may be different. Fans are waiting to hear the rapper’s latest album Donda, named after his late mother, which he is hosting a listening party for tonight on Apple Music. Though fans will still have to wait a few more hours the LP, a new Beats commercial offers a snippet of new music to hold his listeners over.

Beats debuted a lively ad for their earbuds starring track and field sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson. The commercial features a one-minute preview of Kanye’s new track “Glory,” which was produced by Dr. Dre and features Snoop Dogg. Press material state the song will not appear on Kanye’s Donda album, but it does give fans an idea of the style of music the rapper has been working on lately. As of now, “Glory” has yet to receive an official release date but does drum up anticipation for his Donda LP.

This isn’t the first time Kanye has shared a new song for a Beats commercial. Back in July, Richardson starred in another ad for Beats’ earbuds that featured Kanye’s unreleased song “No Child Left Behind.”

Hear a snippet of Kanye, Dre, and Snoop Dogg’s “Glory” in the Beat commercial above.

Lil Durk Vows To Stop Name-Dropping The Dead

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Over the last couple of years, Lil Durk has seen a massive career resurgence that has put him on the map alongside some of the biggest artists in the world. The Chicago artist even dropped a collaborative album with Lil Baby earlier this year, called Voice Of The Heroes which ended up being well-received by fans. He is an artist who has a big spotlight on him right now, and it should come as no surprise that his lyrics are being looked at a lot closer as a result.

If you’ve been following Durk for quite some time, then you would know that he has name-dropped the dead quite a bit in his songs, and typically, it is done in a negative light. These actions can have massive real-life implications, which could only exacerbate bad situations. Durk is well-aware of this, and he is looking to change his ways.

Lil Durk

Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET

While talking to Twitter, Lil Durk gave a message to his fans saying “I’m not mentioning the dead in my songs no more or performing songs with they name in it.” This latest tweet comes after a recent podcast episode between 6ix9ine and Wack100, where the two had a heated confrontation about dissing the dead. This is a topic that is a hot-button issue right now, and it would only make sense that Durk would deliver his stance.

This is a sentiment that Durk has expressed in the past. For instance, back in January, Durk said he would do the same thing, albeit he never mentioned anything about performing.

Either way, it’s clear that Durk is looking to make a big change in his music, and only time will tell whether or not he honors that promise.

Game Is Doing Half Off Rap Verses Right Now

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West Coast rapper Game is trying to get to the bag. The hip-hop veteran lights up Instagram with a random deal too good to be true. The rap heavyweight reveals he’s doing a ton of guest verses for independent artists. Game reveals it’s only for serious inquiries and even reveals the e-mail address people should […]

Former Gap CEO Criticizes Kanye West’s Deal With The Clothing Brand

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While DONDA hype is at an all time high, other aspects of Kanye West’s enterprise have come under fire. West entered into a ten-year deal with the Gap clothing brand in June 2020 with plans to “modern, elevated basics for men, women and kids at accessible price points.” His experience in the fashion world is not one of a novice – he has previously worked with brands like Nike and Adidas, creating iconic footwear models for both, in addition to collaborations with high-fashion and streetwear brands. With this new Gap deal in place, and his first piece for the brand – a blue puffer jacket – selling out instantly, it seems he still has some detractors. Namely, the former CEO of the clothing brand.

Mickey Drexler, former Gap CEO and previously a member of Apple’s board of directors, spoke with Yahoo Finance about the brand’s latest endeavors, including West’s first released collaboration with the brand.

“I probably shouldn’t say this but I told him he shouldn’t do the deal because it doesn’t make any sense in my opinion,” he said. “I have a lot of friends at Gap still, but it doesn’t work for someone like Kanye. He is not a corporate person and Gap is a big corporation.”

Continuing on, he said, “So, I know the jacket sold out. They did $7 million on the jacket overnight. [Kanye] is a smart guy but he shouldn’t have done it. And I don’t think they should have done it, either.”

Despite the detractions, what Drexler said is true – the first piece, which was released on West’s 44th birthday, racked up millions in sales. West has previously rapped about the fashion industry attempting to box him and his creativity out on records like Yeezus and The Life of Pablo. Drexler’s comments look to be another notch of opposition against Kanye’s creative efforts in the fashion world.

Check out a clip from the interview below. What do you think of Drexler’s comments?

Lionel Messi Parts Ways With Barcelona: Report

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Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players of all time and when all is said and done, he could very well be considered the best. Just last month, Messi won his first-ever Copa America title, and since then, he has been basking in his success. In the midst of all of this, however, Messi has been dealing with contract negotiations. His contract with Barcelona expired just a few months ago, and there was optimism that he would be able to return to the club that he’s spent his whole life with.

Unfortunately, due to LaLiga regulations, Barcelona won’t be able to sign Messi for the upcoming year. He is simply too expensive for them, and if he were to get re-signed, Barcelona would be breaking various salary cap regulations. In a statement, Barcelona explained just how regrettable this situation is.

Lionel Messi

Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Per Barcelona:

“Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations). As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled. FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life.”

Moving forward, it is unknown as to where Messi will play. There have been rumors that he would want to come to the MLS, although there is no guarantee that such a thing would ever happen. However, there are certainly a lot of teams interested in the superstar, and it will be interesting to track where he lands.