Last summer, Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion were involved in one of the biggest rap whodunnits of the last few years. Megan claimed that she was shot in her feet, refusing to break the street code and name her shooter. Eventually, after Tory began using the situation for his own profit, Megan called him out, which led to Tory’s latest studio album Daystar, which he used to paint a picture of himself as an innocent man. Months have gone by and, still, the world doesn’t know the full story of what happened between Tory and Megan. After Thursday’s court hearing, that much won’t change.
Megan Thee Stallion was granted a win in the courtroom today after Tory’s motion to have the gag order on him removed was shut down. Tory’s attorney Shawn Holley reportedly tried to argue that it was “unfair” for the artist to not be able to speak about the case since Megan was freely talking about the incident. However, Megan didn’t actually press charges– the charges were filed by the L.A. County’s DA office.
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Despite his future being in the judge’s hands, Tory has been moving around as though nothing happened, evading cancel culture through regular music releases and collaborations with high-profile peers.
Do you think he’ll end up getting the win in this case?
Tom Holland (Spider-Man) and co-stars Zendaya (MJ) and Jacob Batalon (Ned), who are returning to the superhero series, each shared a humorous fake movie title on their respective social media accounts. Holland, the first to stir the pot, shared a post with the movie title Spider-Man: Phone Home, Batalon followed up with Spider-Man: Home-Wrecker, and Zendaya joined in on the fun via Twitter sharing the title Spider-Man: Homeslice. Shortly after, the official Spider-Man movie Twitter page announced the real thing, much to fans relief.
In April 2020, there were rumors floating around that the previous Spider-Man actors, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, would be joining Holland for the third film to follow the concept of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018). However, in an interview with Esquire, Holland denied that the spider veterans would be joining him for the third movie.
In other news, there have been several reports that other fan-favorite characters from past Spider-Man movies will be coming back, including Alfred Molina who played the iconic Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 with Tobey Maguire. Jamie Foxx (Electro from the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies), and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange have been rumored to be making appearances in the film as well. However, none of these have been explicitly confirmed.
From the rise of the internet, to political and social issues creating a more self-aware society, it’s safe to say that the world has experienced extraordinary shifts in the past 10 years.
Keeping this in mind, it’s not surprising that the music scene would also undergo changes in more ways than one. Each year, music’s biggest hits have carried a distinct style of production which becomes widely emulated, or a theme echoing hot-button topics of conversation. Additionally, industry advancements such as streaming and album bundling have changed the way music is consumed. And of course, social media places the power in the fans’ hands, helping to distinguish who tops the charts.
Ready to take a trip down memory lane? Read on as we look back at some of the biggest music trends and industry changes of the last decade.
2011
In 2011, the sounds of electropop — a hodge-podge of pop, EDM, techno, and dubstep — wash over the industry. Ordinarily viewed as just the “sound guys,” EDM producers Calvin Harris and David Guetta garner top billing with collaborations like Chris Brown’s “Yeah 3X” and “Titanium” featuring Sia. Pop stars like Pitbull and Britney Spears keep fans on the dance floor with EDM-tinged hits “Give Me Everything” and “Til The World Ends.” Kanye West, Jay-Z, and duo LMFAO also combine the electronic sound with their hip-hop and rap-heavy work, evident by Watch The Throne’s “I Can’t Stop” and LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem.”
In addition to getting people moving, pop music carries conceptual introspection during this time. This year not only births Adele’s stunning 21, but self-love anthems “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga and “Raise Your Glass” by Pink. Rap — which continues to rise in popularity amongst teens and college-students — also features songs about complex emotions (Lil Wayne’s “How To Love”), pushing through adversity (Lupe Fiasco’s “The Show Goes On”), and life challenges (Diddy-Dirty Money’s “Coming Home”).
2012
In a near-180 from the previous year, alternative rock and indie pop reigns supreme. Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” is the year’s best-selling song, and the band Fun dominates critically and commercially with their album Some Nights, lead by “We Are Young.” Neon Trees, Bon Iver, Alabama Shakes, and Mumford and Sons break new ground with their respective projects and accolades.
Internet virality (a trend which won’t be uncommon in the years to come) also goes to new heights. “Somebody That I Used To Know” sees a slew of covers and music video parodies upon its release, while Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” becomes an internet sensation. South Korean artist PSY’s “Gangnam Style” is so popular, it results in a change to how songs are considered for Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Per the Harvard Business Review, tracking “listens” through YouTube videos now factors into the chart’s ranking methodology.
2013
In 2013, top-notch production is the name of the game. Hit tunes are balanced between show-stopping sounds (Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop,” Avicii’s “Wake Me Up”), nostalgic instrumentation (Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” Bruno Mars’ “Treasure”), and minimalist stylings (The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey,” Lorde’s “Royals”).
This year also marks the beginning of the end for digital singles and iTunes in favor of streaming, and emphasis on “vintage” ways of buying music (vinyl), which decreases the importance of CDs and pure album sales. Per Billboard, “digital track sales fell 5.7 percent from 1.34 billion units to 1.26 billion units, while digital album sales fell 0.1 percent to 117.6 million units from the previous year’s total of 117.7 million.” Non-traditional album and CD merchants like Starbucks, Urban Outfitters, and Amazon see an increase to 36.5 million units sold, in comparison to the dwindling sales of indie merchants (a drop of nearly 12 percent).
2014
While empowerment pop has always been popular, uplifting themes of self-confidence carry 2014. Children and adults enjoy songs that make them feel seen and accepted for who they are. Kids gravitate to Despicable Me 2’s “Happy” (performed by Pharrell Williams), while members of the LGBTQ+ community christen a new anthem with Ariana Grande’s “Break Free.” Taylor Swift’s new pop-heavy sound also provides a message for haters: “Shake It Off.”
Songs about body positivity are also popular. The surprise drop of Beyoncé’s fifth studio album in winter 2013 gives listeners a new catchphrase for 2014 — “I Woke Up Like This” from her song “***Flawless.” Nicki Minaj and pop star Megan Trainor drop songs about pride in their prominent posteriors with “Anaconda” and “All About That Bass.”
2015
Electronic dance music is taking over the scene again. This time, a recognizable characteristic — the drop — is center stage. This sudden change in sound or rhythm is central to hit songs both by EDM-leaning producers (Major Lazer’s “Lean On,” DJ Snake’s “You Know You Like It,” Calvin Harris’ “How Deep Is Your Love”), and pop stars (The Weeknd’s “I Can’t Feel My Face,” Demi Lovato’s “Cool For The Summer,” Zara Larsson’s “Never Forget You”). The trend continues into 2017.
This year also kicks off the re-emergence of viral dance crazes, which continues into 2021. Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson steal the show with “Uptown Funk,” while Drake becomes a meme for his moves in “Hotline Bling.” Silento’s “Watch Me (Whip, Nae Nae)” and iLoveMemphis’ “Hit The Quan” become fixtures on and offline.
2016
Dancehall and Caribbean-inspired tracks are a mainstay in 2016 pop. While Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” was released at the tail-end of 2015, it is the biggest song of 2016, per Billboard. Drake leans into this craze with his hits “One Dance” and “Too Good.” The latter is a collaboration with Bajan musician Rihanna, who drops a whine-inducing ditty, “Work,” also featuring Drake.
Additionally, Ariana Grande, Sia, and Clean Bandit create hit songs with island flavor: “Side To Side,” “Cheap Thrills,” and “Rockabye,” respectively. This trend continues until at least 2019, however, as conversations of cultural appropriation of Black music heat up, these sounds taper off. Per The Observer, modern dancehall music has always been appropriated. Reggae/dancehall superstar Sean Paul says in the interview: “It is a sore point when people like Drake or Bieber or other artists come and do dancehall-orientated music but don’t credit where dancehall came from and they don’t necessarily understand it.”
2017
R&B/hip-hop surpasses rock music as the most-listened to genre on the planet, per Nielsen Music. Its supremacy becomes exceedingly evident in 2017 with the takeover of the trap sound—classified by heavy bass, atmospheric sound and brash attitude. Migos, Future, and Rae Sremmurd’s popularity soars with trap hits “Bad And Boujee,” “Mask Off,” and “Black Beatles,” while social media superstar Cardi B breaks the mold with her major-label debut single, “Bodak Yellow.” Soundcloud-style trap rap, which employs a more ethereal, trippy sonic inspiration, is found in Post Malone’s “Congratulations” and Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Life.” The trend continues into 2018 with Juice Wrld’s “Lucid Dreams.”
Given a tepid national climate, songs featuring socially-conscious and self-aware themes become popular. Rapper Logic’s experiences with depression prompt him to pen the rap/sung collaboration “1-800-273-8255,” which increased calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by more than 30 percent. Alessia Cara, a featured artist on Logic’s song, releases her self-love anthem “Scars To Your Beautiful.” Kesha drops “Praying” in the hopes that the abused and their abusers can heal. The song was written in response to the alleged sexual assault and emotional abuse she’s experienced at the hands of producer Dr. Luke.
2018
Due to the success of Luis Fonsi’s monster hit “Despacito” the year prior, it’s no surprise that Latin pop and hip-hop completely command the airwaves in 2018. J. Balvin’s “Mi Gente” and Camila Cabello’s “Havana” were released in 2017 and continue to have chart success this year. Cardi B’s Latin-heavy rap track “I Like It” hits No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, while Becky G, Marc Anthony, Will Smith, and Bad Bunny drop “Mala Mia” and “Esta Rico,” respectively.
2018’s crossover collaborations also find unexpected success. Zedd and Maren Morris’ ‘The Middle” receive Record and Song of the Year nominations at the 61st Grammy Awards. Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha’s “Meant To Be” hits No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, and DJ Snake’s “Taki Taki” featuring Selena Gomez, Cardi B, and Ozuna reaches one billion streams on Spotify.
2019
The theme of 2019 is that…there is no theme. Genreless music — sounds that fit an artist’s mood, vibe, or idea without boundaries or confines — encapsulates the music world. Newcomers Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X shatter expectations with “Bad Guy,” (an electropop, hip-hop-flavored dance track) and “Old Town Road” (a record-breaking country trap hit). Music superstars Ariana Grande and Tyler The Creator also take part in the sonic shattering. Her song “7 Rings” pairs Broadway with trap, while his song “Earfquake” combines R&B, hip-hop, and soul.
Self-love anthems also make major comeback, and highlight the various levels of self-acceptance. Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes” is about self-confidence. Self-love and exploration is the base for Selena Gomez’s “Lose You To Love Me” and Ariana Grande’s “Thank U Next,” which was popular in 2018 as well. Through her album Because I Luv You, Lizzo proves that spreading positivity is her M.O.
2020
Nothing captures 2020 in music quite like social media’s reign over the charts. TikTok, a popular video creation app, is the place for viral dance crazes to take over. Routines to Doja Cat’s “Say So” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” boost their popularity, while the dedication of Internet stans catapults Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain On Me” and BTS’ “Dynamite” to the top of the charts.
Despite strict social distancing rules in the age of COVID-19, dancefloor-ready tunes are an undeniable trend. Dua Lipa rules the year with her album Future Nostalgia, and “Say So” carries palpable ’70s-inspired energy. Other disco-tinged hits include Jessie Ware’s “Remember Where You Are,” Kylie Minogue’s “Say Something,” and Victoria Monet’s album Jaguar.
2021
There haven’t been too many distinguishing music trends as of late. (Especially since it feels like we’re still in 2020.) However, it appears that budding music stars are about to make their mark.
Since the beginning of 2021, singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo’s song “Drivers License” has been on top of the charts, and “Mood” by 24kGoldn and Iann Dior has held the second seed position for several weeks. Relative newcomers may also find success if they continue to collaborate with major stars, such as singer-songwriter Jhay Cortez with “Dakiti” (his collaboration with Bad Bunny), and rapper Yung Bleu with “You’re Mines Still” (his link-up with Drake).
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Now, a new report has surfaced via Adam Schefter of ESPN. As he claims in the tweets below, Wilson has not directly asked for a trade, however, in the case that the team decided to move him, there are four teams he would like to go to. These teams include the New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and Chicago Bears.
It’s also important to note that Wilson has a no-trade clause, which means the team can only move him if he signs off on it. This ultimately puts all of the power in Wilson’s hands, which is a great point of leverage for the star player to possess.
There is still a lot of information coming out in regards to this situation, so keep it locked to HNHH as we will continue to bring you the latest updates.
No matter how many new flows DaBaby brings to the table, it’s likely that his detractors will continue to accuse the North Carolina rapper of recycling. In truth, DaBaby has been continuously switching things up, if not entirely drastically; look no further than his standout effort on the remix to Kanye West’s “Nah Nah Nah.” Now, with the stage set for a proper follow-up to 2020’s Blame It On Baby, DaBaby has taken to Instagram to preview a new snippet, one that may very well end up appearing on his next project.
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“All the way retarded send a n***a to the doctor,” he spits, over a bouncy 808-driven instrumental. “Fully automatic with the chopper / I need some gunsmoke, I save the money, ain’t saving a freak I’m a pimp if you don’t know / I just got a new hat and I want more, elephant in the room yeah I’m Dumbo / bitch tattooed the logo, she wanna fuck big CEO for some promo / brand new Maybach truck going dodo.”
Though it’s unlikely the snippet will convert DaBaby detractors, it does bode well for fans excited to hear his next move. From the sound of it, he’s already got a few cuts ready to go, so don’t be surprised to see a proper rollout kick off in the near future. After all, DaBaby has proven himself to be a prolific worker, having released three studio albums in a brief two year window. Are you excited to hear this new banger in full?
Thanks to a Twitter account called @Brandon1an, we now have some incredibly detailed photos of the shoe. As you can see in the images below, this sneaker contains a white base, all while blue primeknit can be found on the side panels, toe box, and even the back heel.
For the first few years of Yeezy’s existence, blue sneakers were never really on the table, but now, it seems like Kanye can’t get enough of the color. This has been a nice change of pace for fans, and we expect these Yeezy kicks will prove to be huge sellers when they come out.
According to the post, these are expected to drop on March 27th of this year although that is subject to change. Keep it locked to HNHH for any updates as we will be sure to bring them to you.
Lil Wayne is one of the most beloved figures in Hip-Hop, but over the last few years, he has also increasingly become one of the genre’s most polarizing artists as well. From rubbing elbows with former President Donald Trump to recently working with the disgraced Tory Lanez, many people have become wary of Wayne’s antics, but others, like Lil Boosie, think that the Funeral artist has simply been making major chess moves.
That remains to be seen, however, in regards to a recent branded tweet that Lil Wayne sent out on behalf of Burger King. Earlier this morning at 11 am sharp, the legendary emcee unleashed what could possibly be one of the most lackadaisical branded tweets of all time. Just in case he ends up scrapping it and going back to the drawing board, here is a screengrab.
According to Uproxx, Lil Wayne fulfilled his contractual obligation with Burger King by simply tweeting, “Sourdough @BurgerKing #AD.”
While Burger King’s Sourdough King sandwich is not a completely new menu item, it is making its return to Burger King in a variety of iterations starting on April 19. Hopefully, Lil Wayne’s tweet will get the masses excited for the fast-food giant’s highly-anticipated sandwich.
Do you think that this is another case of Lil Wayne just being Lil Wayne or do you think he planned to finesse Burger King?
The Alchemist is on a tear, having laced some of the grimiest projects of the last few years — including one that earned him his first Grammy nomination for Freddie Gibbs’ Alfredo. Now, Al is set to keep the ball rolling with another new album, this time teaming up with Billy Woods and Elucid’s Armand Hammer for the upcoming HARAM.
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Taking to Instagram to share the project’s official album artwork, an image that will inevitably infuriate vegans the world over, Alchemist also provided a glimpse at the fourteen song tracklist. Featuring guest appearances from KAYANA, Fielded, Earl Sweartshirt, Curly Castro, Armani Caesar, and Quelle Chris, the album is set to be released on March 26th.
“HARAM. an album by Armand Hammer & The Alchemist,” captions the producer. “MARCH 26th. PREORDER NOW AT BACKWOODZSTUDIOZ.COM.” The project marks the first time that Billy Woods and Armand Hammer are working with a singular producer, and Alchemist has done wonders in bringing the vision of his collaborators to life. Described on the website as “warmly inviting on the surface, black and bone-crushingly cold at depth,” HARAM will likely be an essential album for fans of lyricism and cohesive listening experiences. Check out the divisive album cover and tracklist below, and sound off if you’re excited for this one to drop on March 26th.
