In a recent interview with Sky Sports, boxing promoter Eddie Heard claimed that this fight is actually going to take place on August 14th and it will go down in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps the craziest part of all of this is that a stadium is going to be built specifically for the event, which is certainly going to make an impression on fans.
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“They want to build a new stadium,” Hearn said. “They have indoors options. In August at 11pm it will be about 23 degrees. They want to create something very, very special. Last time they built a stadium for the Andy Ruiz Jr fight in just seven weeks and it held 18,000. “This will be a similar set-up.”
There has been a lot of back and forth between Fury and Joshua over the last year, and fans have been eager to see what these two will do. With this in mind, give us your fight predictions, in the comments below.
Less than two full months later, Internet Money’s next single has finally arrived, and the highly anticipated “His & Hers” comes stacked with huge features from Don Toliver, Lil Uzi Vert, and Gunna.
The melodic single features Don Toliver, Gunna, and Lil Uzi Vert flexing their wealth, drugs, and guns, and Don’s earworm of a hook is easily the most recognizable early highlight. Check out Internet Money’s new single “His & Hers” below, and stay on the lookout for its forthcoming Cole Bennett-directed music video.
Quotable Lyrics
I was born up in the nineties (Ayy), swag came from the eighties (Yeah, Lil Uzi) I was sweatin’ (Ayy), she on fire, we hot like it’s Haiti (Ayy) And you know I stay with bands on me like my name Katie (What?) So much smoke coming out my blunt, it looked like I was vaping (Yeah)
Over the years, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has branched out into a number of industries outside the expected range of an ostensible rap label. There’s a school of entertainment management, book publishing arm, and a social justice initiative already, but Roc Nation isn’t stopping there. The latest move is a bit of a surprising one; Roc Nation announced today that it is partnering with American Greetings to release its own line of greeting cards.
The line will include traditional paper cards and digital e-cards featuring personalized messages and custom lyrics from artists like Dolly Parton, Donny Osmond, Michael Bolton, Shaq, and Smokey Robinson. It will also include “SmashUps,” although details on what those entail are scant for the moment.
Roc Nation president of business operations Brett Yormark told Billboard about the collaboration, explaining, “When we were introduced to the leaders at American Greetings and began discussing the idea of customized greetings, both on behalf of Roc Nation and its artists, we felt like it was a natural fit. It is an unexpected category that in many respects, given the breadth and depth of our talent, gave us a [different] way to reach new audiences.”
The partnership will begin with digital cards and eventually expand into physical cards in stores.
In 1997, the world was introduced to Missy Elliott by way of her dynamite debut, Supa Dupa Fly. This energetic inauguration was bolstered by the title track’s music video plus several more popular songs and clips, all of which cemented a now well-known brand of refreshingly off-kilter energy. When everyone zigged, Missy zagged, and this change of pace made her a bona fide star. However, her second studio album, 1999’s Da Real World, seemingly fell by the wayside. Though it was not without hit singles like “She’s A Bitch” and “Hot Boyz,” Missy believed that her sophomore effort “could have done a lot better.” (The lukewarm reaction could possibly be due to the shift of mainstream attention to other female rappers at the time, as Foxy Brown and Eve both released chart-topping albums that same year.) So with her next offering, Missy went to work, making sure she was seen, heard, and felt like never before. Enter here, Miss E… So Addictive.
Released May 15, 2001, the 16-track effort solidified the Virginia-reppin’ artist as an artistic force to be reckoned with. The multi-hyphenate once again teamed up with fellow VA native Timbaland for the platinum-selling LP, which implements the best of many musical worlds. As she declares on the “So Addictive (Intro),” “Me and Timbaland gonna give ya shit ya never heard before,” and they don’t disappoint. Miss E shows Misdemeanor’s across-the-board influences and Tim’s arsenal of universally attractive sounds, proving why the talented twosome led the front of rap’s experimental wave.
Tim ditches the robo-heavy rhythms found on Missy’s first two albums for a new palette of internationally alluring sonics, like bedroom-ready R&B (the Ginuwine collab “Take Away”) and Caribbean-spiced vibes (“Watcha Gonna Do”). Far East inspiration catapults the one-two punch of “Lick Shots” and the bhangra-inspired “Get Ur Freak On” to new heights, while the funky, Method Man and Redman-assisted “Dog In Heat” and skating rink-ready “Old School Joint” blend throwback stylings with new school flavor, resulting in influential, turn-of-the-century hip-hop that few producer-artist teams have emulated or surpassed.
Aside from impressively crafted instrumentals, Miss E harps heavily on themes of reciprocal sex and female pleasure, subjects Missy hasn’t dodged in the decades since. (Moment of appreciation for the “elephant trunk” reference in “Work It” and the choral coital coos of “Pass That Dutch.”) For one of the first times on wax, Missy’s animated side takes a slight backseat during Miss E in order to showcase her human side’s physical wants and needs.
From teasing a euphoric, romance-filled evening in the R&B jam “X-Tasy” to affirming her role in a hot and heavy night during the Grammy-winning “Scream AKA Itchin’” (“Lay on the bed he follow, bone him until to-morrah, Make him sing high sopran-ah”), Missy uses her sexuality as empowerment. The project’s features also show the dichotomy of how female MCs, in particular, wield their sensuality; while her verse is not in the album version of “One Minute Man,” Trina’s deliciously raunchy rhymes in its music video further display women’s craving for physical intimacy, and how the vocality and visibility of those desires are equal parts authoritative and arousing. (Additionally, Missy’s alliances with Eve, Da Brat, and Missy proteges Lil Mo and Tweet on Miss E continue her career’s crusade towards stronger camaraderie and tolerance between women in music, an effort which culminated in the 2001 Grammy-winning revamp of “Lady Marmalade,” which Missy produced and co-wrote.)
What else is “so addictive” about Miss E? It’s that it’s undeniably Missy. She takes permanent ink to the project and its corresponding content and definitively underlines her individuality and multidimensionality. “One Minute Man” is as bold and slinky as it is colorful, while the unconventional approach to crafting “Get Ur Freak On” both sonically and visually allowed Missy to let her freak flag fly high, ultimately changing the cultural tides. She also sings in pockets of the LP; while she’s no Mariah, she’s no one-trick pony either, and tying in her love of hip-hop and R&B adds another hint of je ne sais quoi to her recipe.
Missy told VIBE shortly before the release of the album, “I just wanted to cross the border with [Miss E… So Addictive]… I wanted to do what everybody else is scared to do.” That goal was hit, as Keith Harris wrote for Blender that “Missy’s inner bitch is back, but she has grown into her lusty swagger,” and The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis said the “brilliantly realized” project “is further evidence of Elliott’s… desire to change the rules entirely. It’s an album that sets its own agenda and sounds like nothing else in hip-hop: an incomparable achievement.”
Thanks to declarations of her unabashed, untouchable originality, energetic displays of sexual prowess and femininity, and game-changing beats supplied by her go-to guy Timothy Mosley, Miss E… So Addictive finds Missy Elliott taking ownership of herself and the differences she brought to the table. Instead of staying in the lines, she honed in on her knack for coloring outside of them. Through all aspects of her work, she shows the importance of being comfortable in the skin you’re in, and this album in particular proves that Missy Elliott is perfectly fine with being crazy, kooky, mysterious, spooky, and eons ahead of her time.
Missy Elliott is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
With the recent rise of NFTs in the music industry and interest in cryptocurrency, an international festival looking to join the trend. Serbia’s Exit Music Festival is returning this summer, and fans now have the option to buy their passes with Bitcoin.
The process of purchasing a ticket with Bitcoin is fairly similar to paying with a credit card. Once festivalgoers select the items they want to purchase on Exit’s website, they will see an option to “Pay with Bitcoin.” They’ll get a QR code to scan their Bitcoin App and will receive their tickets once the payment has been transferred and confirmed on the Bitcoin network.
Exit is currently slated to be one of the first large-scale international music festivals to return this year. It takes place from July 8-11 at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia and it’s lineup includes artists and DJs like David Guetta, DJ Snake, Tyga, Nina Kraviz, Sheck Wes, and more.
In a statement about the decision to begin accepting Bitcoin, Exit festival CEO and founder Dusan Kovacevic said they want to be at the cutting-edge of technology. “The potential of blockchain, digital exchange and currency is exciting and we wanted to make sure we are at the forefront and are utilizing new technologies and able to engage with our tech savvy audience as technology evolves and changes.”
Tickets to Exit Festival are on sale now. Get them here.
DMX’s death continues to weigh heavy on the hearts of many of his fans and collaborators, including Swizz Beatz, who was heavily involved in the creation of X’s posthumous Exodus album. With the anticipated project due for release on May 28th, complete with guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Conway The Machine, Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, Snoop Dogg, and Bono, Swizz Beatz took a moment to reflect on one of the final songs he worked on with his longtime creative partner.
Speaking with Rap-Up, Swizzy opened up about the creation of “Been To War,” the French Montana-assisted anthem from the Godfather Of Harlem season 2 soundtrack. “I actually made that record for X, and wanted that record for X, but then we was coming with the show,” he explains. “And so it was like, ‘you know what, it’s perfect. Yeah, that might’ve been the last one.”
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“He sent it to me and he was just so excited to be included in Godfather of Harlem again, beyond the theme song,” continues Swizz, alluding to DMX’s . “And he just was like, I’m going to get it. Cause he was taking a little long to finish the verse because he was traveling. And then he called me and he was just like, ‘I’m on it. I’m going to the studio and I’ll have it to you by tomorrow.'”
“He had it to me the next day,” says Swizz. “And I thought it was super fresh and he just was super appreciative, ’cause he was a big fan of Forest [Whitaker]. Big fan of Godfather and it’s something he actually had fun doing.”
Though it’s likely that Swizz will have contributed to Exodus, it would appear that “Been To War” was, at least chronologically speaking, their final collaboration. Should you be interested in hearing that one, you can check it out right here. For more from Swizz Beatz, check out his conversation with Rap-Up right here. Are you excited to hear the album that X was working on prior to his death?
Last night, Musk tweeted that he is worried about the harm Bitcoin is doing to the environment and that effective immediately, Tesla would no longer take Bitcoin as a payment. This led to a huge panic sell from investors, bringing the price of Bitcoin from $55K USD to $50K USD.
“We are concerned about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel,” Musk said. “Cryptocurrency is a good idea on many levels and we believe it has a promising future, but this cannot come at a great cost to the environment.”
The environmental concerns related to cryptocurrency have been well-documented over the last few weeks. Crypto enthusiasts are adamant that most of the energy used is renewable, while others argue that it is doing irreparable harm to the planet. Either way, Bitcoin investors are furious with Musk right now, and they are starting to ponder whether or not it’s normal that one man can sway the market in such a significant way.
Now, following Nicki’s most recent teaser in which she showed off a rare iced-out pink Richard Millie, it turns out that even Coi Leray has been tuned into the Queen rapper‘s moves leading up to her mysterious release this Friday.
“Nicki Minaj so bad,” Coi Leray says in one tweet. After her initial statement garnered mixed reception and confusion from Twitter users, the “No More Parties” artist followed it up with a statement that directly praised the Pink Friday rapper and her flashy new wrist piece. “Nicki Pink Richard Millie is my new motivation for today,” Coi clarifies. “I can’t stop thinking about that damn watch.”
Are you impressed with Nicki Minaj’s custom pink Richard Millie? Or are you more excited that she may finally be dropping new music this week?
Dana White is one of the most outspoken presidents in professional sports and when it comes to protecting the integrity of MMA, he seems to have a chip on his shoulder. He has been especially protective over the last few months as the likes of Logan and Jake Paul have been inserting themselves into the boxing world. Jake recently fought MMA fighter Ben Askren and he wants a shot at other UFC fighters like Conor McGregor.
“First of all, I would never do business with those guys, just no, “White said. “No, this is not what we do. I’m not gonna f*****g loan them a guy for f****g what? There’s no way. […] Listen, you cannot deny the fact that [Jake] has inserted himself into the conversation with real guys. This guy has got three fights, and I gotta tell you that I don’t know if I truly believe the Ben Askren thing. I have a hard time wrapping by brain around that.”
Regardless, White is protecting the UFC from the Paul’s and his stance won’t be changing anytime soon. Needless to say, that Jake vs. Conor fight probably won’t be happening in the near future.
When fans look back at the history of the NBA and think of some of the greatest defenders of all time, Dennis Rodman is always near the top of the list. He was a guy who could pretty well grab every single rebound no matter where it landed and he was always roughing up opposing players in the most legal ways possible. Players like him are extremely rare these days and when it comes to his personality, Rodman is even more of a rare gem.
He has always been an eccentric guy who doesn’t feel about speaking his mind or showing emotion. His personal expression is what has made him such a fan favorite and “The Last Dance” made even more casual fans fall in love with him. Today, Rodman is celebrating his 60th birthday and fans are making sure he feels the love.
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If you go on Twitter, Rodman is actually a trending topic and the trend is filled with fans and big media companies celebrating everything Rodman has done over the years. From his hilarious interviews to the times in which he dazzled fans on the court, Rodman has blessed fans with a lot over the years and it is clearly appreciated.
Let us know your favorite Dennis Rodman moment, in the comments below.
