Lakeyah Gets A Gucci Mane Cosign In Her Boastful ‘Poppin’ Video

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Quality Control rapper Lakeyah recently released her sophomore project, In Due Time, and follows up with a stripper-filled video for “Poppin.” Lakeyah prides herself on her lyricism, so who better to offer a cosign than the Atlantan godfather of witty wordplay, Gucci Mane?

In the video, the two rappers are surrounded by girls in a parking lot as Lakeyah shows off her convertible, then they head to the strip club to enjoy a show. Each rapper gets a braggadocious verse, with Gucci’s playing off the rhyme scheme of Lakeyah’s and both centering on the themes of hustle, ambition, and their respective rapper’s sex appeal — in Lakeyah’s case, to both sexes.

In Due Time dropped this past Friday, just a few months after Lakeyah’s debut album, Time’s Up, also released by Quality Control Music. In fact, the 20-year-old rapper’s association with the label is the result of an elaborate plan she cooked up while still in high school.

Convincing her mother to send her from her hometown, Milwaukee, to the Art Institute of Atlanta, she then dropped out after just two months, sending music to the label until founders Coach and P offered her a contract. Considering she’s got Gucci Mane on her second project and a fan base that is growing by the minute, it looks like she made the right choice.

Watch Lakeyah’s “Poppin” video with Gucci Mane above.

In Due Time is out now on Quality Control Music. Get it here.

Gucci Mane is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Mobb Deep Kicked Things Off With “Peer Pressure”

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Given how much Mobb Deep has accomplished in the rap game, boasting an incredible discography and no shortage of legendary tracks, it’s hard to imagine a time when they were only getting started. Yet on this day in 1993, twenty-eight years ago to be specific, Havoc and Prodigy’s debut album Juvenile Hell was first released. Though hindsight would see it — perhaps unfairly — overshadowed by their classic sophomore The Infamous, there remains plenty of charm found on the Mobb’s first LP. 

Especially on the DJ Premier-produced “Peer Pressure,” a track that eschews their signature darker sound in favor of a more typically old-school sound. Though it might prove a little too vintage for certain modern sensibilities, hip-hop historians should appreciate this blast from the past — especially considering how integral New York’s hip-hop scene was in building the culture as we have come to know it. 

Be sure to show some love to Havoc and the late Prodigy, two key figures in the existing rap pantheon of greats, uncredited though they sometimes are. With a legacy that continues to resonate today, be sure to revisit the place it all began — Juvenile Hell — and show some love in the comments below.

For more from Mobb Deep, check out our exclusive interview with Havoc right here. 

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Most don’t understand how it is
In the world of today growin’ up as a young black teen
I used to dream, of bein’ an architect
Easier said than done, believe me it’s hard to get
Out of the projects, without forgettin’ where you came from
My parents told me from day one
Finish school and avoid all obstacles
But my environment makes it so impossible

DMX Music Streams Rise 928% After His Death

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Following the passing of music legend DMX last week, fans of the late 50-year-old rapper have been streaming their favorite songs and projects of his, marking a tremendous uptick in his streaming numbers. According to initial reports by MRC Data, DMX has experienced a 928% surge in his streaming numbers since his family announced his passing.

According to the numbers, DMX’s music received 75.7 million on-demand streams on April 9 and 10. The rapper died following a weeklong battle in the hospital after suffering a drug overdose and a heart attack. Billboard called out his five most popular streaming songs over the weekend, including “Ruff Ryders Anthem” at 9.59 million streams, “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” at 5.79 million streams, “Slippin'” at 5.52 million streams, “Party Up” with 5.20 million plays, and “How It’s Goin’ Down” with 3.52 million streams.

DMX’s music streams had already surged during the week of his hospitalization, but these latest numbers show a major spike following the announcement of his passing. According to Billboard, the album The Best Of officially re-entered the Billboard 200 album chart based on the streaming stats, hitting #73 this week.

The hip-hop world continues to send love and positivity to DMX’s family and loved ones. One of X’s daughters shared a message over the weekend, writing a heartfelt tweet about her dad. Read more about that here.

Have you been listening to DMX’s classics in the last few days? 

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ILoveMakonnen Delivers New Single “Whoopsy”

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ILoveMakonnen has returned, on a Tuesday no less, with his brand new surprise album My Parade. And while fans are no doubt diving into the thirteen-track endeavor as we speak, one of the easy standouts happens to “Whoopsy,” which arrives complete with a trippy visualizer. With a playful chorus that seems entirely designed to captivate mass attention on TikTok, Makkonen navigates an uptempo instrumental with a pair of flex-heavy verses.

“I done spilled my whole fo on my motherfuckin’ Prada,” he raps, pushing his cadence into a cartoonishly arrogant state. “And that bitch still dancing on me ’cause she know I got them dollars / Throw it up in the sky, see me fuckin’ drive-by / in that purple lemonade, got you sippin’ hi-hi.” While it’s unlikely that many will find much intellectual stimulation with this one, there’s a simple charm in Makonnen’s bawdy approach that might resonate in certain circles. Do you think “Whoopsy” has the legs to give Makonnen a surge of momentum?

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Hello baby, what you need?
I got that molly and that weed
Get your twerking on the pole
Get that money for next week
Send it all out of town, baby riding in the Cadillac
Said she got that pussy and I know that thing is very fat

US To Pause Rollout Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Over Blood Clot Concerns

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For many individuals, developing unanticipated side effects as a result of the COVID-19 vaccination is the titular reason for their hesitation. For some Americans who received the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine, their worst fears are coming true. Federal health agencies in the United States announced on Tuesday (April 13) they plan to halt the use of the vaccine after six different women developed blood clots, including one who passed away. 

The Food and Drug Administration announced this pause, explaining that a half-dozen patients have reported developing a “rare & severe type of blood clot” following receiving the vaccine. These clots were observed in addition to a reduced platelet count, making the usual treatment for blood clots using the blood thinner heparin potentially “dangerous.” 

“Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” tweeted the agency in a joint statement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.

Six women between the ages of 18 and 48 were among the individuals who developed clots within about two weeks of vaccination. One woman has since passed away and another in Nebraska was hospitalized in critical condition. 

People who received the J&J vaccine and are experiencing symptoms like severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks of receiving the vaccine are recommended to contact their doctor immediately. The FDA and CDC hope the pause will push other states to do the same 

“We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” the FDA said. “Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered.” 

Nearly 7 million people in the United States have received the J&J vaccine. The other two authorized US vaccines, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, are not affected by the pause. 

We’ll keep you updated with more information regarding this recall of the vaccination as it rolls in.  

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Obasi Jackson Teases Possible Pop Smoke & Bobby Shmurda Collab

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We’ve gone a full year without prolific rapper Pop Smoke, who was killed in Los Angeles on February 19, 2020. The rapper was in the midst of taking over the world, perfecting one of the most remarkable debut albums of the modern era with Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon. Along with his role in the drill surge in Brooklyn, Pop Smoke was an artist that will remain in the conversation for years.

Over the last year, Pop’s brother Obasi Jackson has been building a platform of his own. He’s been publicly mourning the loss of his brother, and during the latest episode of BagFuel with co-hosts Hynaken and E$$O, Obasi teased some major new records from the late artist that will excite fans of New York’s rap scene.

On the possibility of a record between Pop Smoke and Bobby Shmurda, Obasi said that there’s a pretty high chance that there’s something in the works. “I feel like that’s probably somewhere in the vault,” said Pop’s brother about a song combining their talents. “If they did it for Rowdy when Rowdy was still in there, they got something waiting for Bobby. It’s probably gonna come out on the next project— I got to talk to [Pop’s former manager] Steven [Victor]. We was in talks about working on this album. We got like two months left to really– but it shouldn’t take long. Pop is a talented brother so I’m sure it’s there, we just gotta fine-tune it and figure out what we need to do to bring it together and move forward but I’m pretty sure there’s something there for that man.”

Obasi also touched on Pop’s original verse from “Dior”, which was repurposed for a presently-unreleased song by Obasi. Apparently, the version that’s floating around isn’t official and the song will likely be out in the coming months.

Check out Obasi’s conversation with the BagFuel guys and let us know who you want to see next on the show.

Harvey Weinstein Is Going Blind & Losing Teeth In Jail: Report

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Disgraced television and film producer Harvey Weinstein’s health is reportedly failing him behind bars. According to his legal team, Weinstein, who has been indicted on sexual assault charges in Los Angeles, has lost four teeth while in jail and he is also reportedly technically blind.

The 69-year-old wasn’t in tremendous shape before his arrest at the height of the #MeToo movement a few years ago. However, it’s reportedly been on the decline in recent months, with his legal team alleging that he’s lost teeth and sight. Appearing for a court hearing via video call, Weinstein and his attorneys argued against him being sent to L.A. for his present indictment, citing “humanitarian” reasons as the producer’s health has been in the dumps. Weinstein’s attorney Norman Effman said that his client is technically blind and has said goodbye to four of his teeth. He’s also reportedly in danger of losing more. Weinstein is reportedly scheduled for two upcoming medical procedures in New York: one for his sight and the other for his dental hygiene.


Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

In addition to these latest health issues, Weinstein is reportedly still suffering from cardiac problems, diabetes, back pain, and sleep apnea. His attorneys are fighting for him to remain in a medical unit in New Unit, where he’s serving his sentence for rape.

What do you make of the latest health reports on Harvey Weinstein?


Kena Betancur/Getty Images

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Nas’ Coinbase Investment Could Net Him $100 Million: Report

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There’s a reason Nas stands unwaveringly confident in his business acumen, going so far as to imply victory in a hypothetical Investment Portfolio Verzuz battle. For starters, his QueensBridge Venture Partners company has made notable investments in Dropbox, Ring, Parachute, SeatGeek, General Assembly, Robinhood, Casper, Pillpack, and Pluto TV, with many of said investments proving quite favorable for the legendary lyricist.

Now, a new report indicates that Nas is looking at another incredible investment, this time in the world of cryptocurrency. Having previously made an investment in Coinbase, a new report indicates that the company is looking at a potential valuation of $100 billion dollars when its COIN stock officially lists this coming Wednesday. A report from Yahoo Finance traces Nas’ involvement in Coinbase back to 2013, when his Venture company invested twenty-five million dollars in the cryptocurrency; in 2014, TIME magazine actually named Coinbase as “the second most exciting tech start-up.”

Nas

 Noam Galai/WireImage/Getty Images

The report projects that, based on previous analysis done by Coindesk, Nas’ Queensbridge could own a low-end of 99,329 shares or a high-end of 496,642. Using those figures paired with previous Coinbase share prices of $350, a possible outcome would net Nas’ company between $34.76 million and $173.8 million. Now, a new assessment by investment bank DA Davidson projects an updated Coinbase share price of $440, which would boost Nas’ potential payday by a respective rise of $43.7 million or $218.5 million. The report also cites a source’s confirmation that Nas’ QueensBridge Venture Partners is still very much on the table when it comes to Coinbase. 

Stay tuned for more news on Nas’ potentially massive payday as developments unfold. Do you think Nas has the potential to reach billionaire status in the next ten years? 

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Snoop Dogg Responds To Daunte Wright’s Death With A Colin Kaepernick Comparison

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The death of Daunte Wright, who was shot during a traffic stop in Minnesota over the weekend, has led to reactions from people in all walks of life. Now Snoop Dogg has taken to Instagram to share his thoughts on the situation.

Snoop shared an image that compares two photos, saying, “If this is disrespecting our troops, what’s this?” The first photo is of Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem at an NFL game, while the second is of a Black man emerging from his car with his hands up during a traffic stop. The post was captioned with emojis indicating anger from Snoop. He later shared a photo of a person holding a sign that reads, “We live in a world where trained cops can panic and act on impulse but untrained civilians must remain calm with a gun in their face.” On his Instagram story, he also shared a post from former NBA player Stephen Jackson that reads, “Say his name: Daunte Wright.”

@snoopdogg/Instagram

Meanwhile, it was revealed recently that Snoop had joined the cast of The Voice as a mentor to help coach contestants. He he will work alongside Ariana Grande, Blake Shelton, John Legend, and Kelly Clarkson,

Young Thug Reveals The Release Date For The Long-Awaited ‘Slime Language 2’

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A little under three years after the release of his record label’s debut compilation, Slime Language, Young Thug has revealed the long-awaited release date for its sequel, Slime Language 2. Rather than rolling the project out over an extended period of time, Thug has instead announced its upcoming release date without warning via tweet; it’s due this Friday, April 16.

Although there’s no confirmed tracklist for the project, Thug has teased new songs via social media, usually during one of his impromptu live streams on Instagram. He also previously a handful of loose singles, such as “That Go!” with Meek Mill and T Shyne, that some fans believe will appear on the upcoming compilation. The roster of YSL Records has grown since the original Slime Language, adding the colorfully monikered Unfoonk, Aerolyn Mansion, Yung Kayo, and Wyte Knight to a group that already included Gunna, Lil Duke, Lil Keed, Strick, and Nechie, among others.

Slime Language 2 will be the first full-length release from Young Thug since 2019’s So Much Fun, while several YSL projects have come out in the interim, including albums from Gunna (Wunna) and Lil Keed (Trapped On Cleveland 3), and EPs from Strick (See You When I Land) and HiDoraah and Dolly White (Slimestas). Thug has also teased a new track with Gunna rumored to on Slime Language 2, which you can check out below.

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