Since her ugly breakup with Quavo last month, Saweetie has been minding her business and focusing on her craft. The “Best Friend” rapper has graced the cover of Cosmopolitan Magazine, extended her publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music, and landed a major placement on Demi Lovato’s latest albumDancing With The Devil…The Art of Starting Over. Following the disturbing video that showed her and Quavo tussling in a public elevator, it appeared that Saweetie was catching a stride and heading in a positive direction.
The bubble gum pop record features a guest verse from Saweetie, which begins with the cringey opening bar, “Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.” While her verse does improve as it goes on, it wasn’t enough to save the song from its sugary and childish aesthetic, and as a result, fans have taken to Twitter to get their jokes off at Saweetie’s expense.
Watch the video for “Slow Clap” above and check out the reactions from Twitter users below.
Now, Hardin is coming out with even more alleged information about Watson’s conduct. In fact, Hardin is claiming that Watson did have sexual relations with massage therapists although, on every single occasion, it was consensual. Of course, this is a direct counter to what many of the women have said. His accusers claim he continued to act in inappropriate ways despite being told “no” on numerous occasions.
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Per Pro Football Talk:
“Hardin admitted that consensual sexual encounters sometimes occurred with massage therapists. Hardin insists, however, that he did not coerce the massage therapists or use his status as a celebrity to violate the ability of the massage therapists to provide consent.”
Ashley Solis, a massage therapist who came forward, says she has received death threats in light of her accusations, which has led attorney Tony Buzbee to ask that the women not be forced to expose themselves. For now, the judge has ruled with Watson and Hardin on this topic, and details surrounding the case continue to emerge.
Naughty Dog’sThe Last Of Us, directed by Neil Druckmann and originally released on the PS3 in 2013,is widely regarded as a classic in video game history. In the years that followed, a remastered edition hit the PS4, and the anticipated sequel released in June of 2020; it went on to become the most awarded video game of all time.
Now, a new report from IGN has indicated that Sony may very well be revisiting The Last Of Us, with the studio apparently working on a remade version for the PlayStation 5. The development arose following a report from Bloomberg, who claimed that Visual Arts Service Group, a 30-strong team led by founder Michael Mumbauer, had been secretly tasked with developing a remake of the beloved game. Unfortunately, Sony’s decision to keep the team’s existence a secret ultimately left them unable to obtain their desired hiring budget and many of the developers went on to shift focus to The Last Of Us 2 at Sony’s command.
WATCH: The Last Of Us Remastered Trailer
Bloomberg‘s source indicates that upon the completion of the sequel, Sony shifted several Naughty Dog developers back onto The Last Of Us remake project (a move that shifted the dynamic, much to the dismay of the Visual Arts Service group), which seems to indicate that the studio is currently in the midst of moving forward with development. Unsurprising, given that HBO recently cast Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, two Game Of Thrones alumni, to play Joel and Ellie in an upcoming Last Of Us series. With plenty of fresh eyes set to discover the powerful story for the first time, it makes sense that The Last Of Us is getting a facelift for the modern console generation.
Stay tuned for further updates on The Last Of Us, both show and remake, as they surface. Should you be among those who own a PS5, do you intend on revisiting the classic game?
In March, The Joe Budden Podcast got shaken up a bit when fans noticed that Joe Budden‘s co-hosts Rory and Mal were had taken a break from appearing on the podcast. In an effort to “eliminate some of the suspense” regarding rumors that Rory and Mal were allegedly ditching the podcast after years of working with the former Slaughterhouse rapper, Joe addressed the situation on the JBP episode “Tea Leaves.” Days later, Joe also revealed that he and Rory had decided to go to therapy to sort out their issues.
More than two weeks later, however, Rory and Mal have yet to return to The Joe Budden Podcast, and fans are thirsting for updates. So much so, it appears, that listeners have started hitting Joe’s barber for updates regarding Rory and Mal’s return. In a rather hilarious Instagram post, Joe Budden shares a video that features his barber explaining how people keep coming to him for developments regarding the JBP.
Of course, Joe’s barber reveals that he never has any updates for JBP fans, so he and the State of the Culture host get a good laugh about the absurdity of the situation. In the caption, Joe wrote, “was getting a cut when my barber started talking about the podcast… it felt good to know so many ppl care, as the barbershop is a metric for what’s near and dear to the hood’s heart.”
“but why are y’all asking him ANYTHING about a pod ?!” Joe Budden hilariously asks his fans. “F*ck does he know… lmao.”
Although the state of The Joe Budden Podcast is still uncertain, Joe’s not so informative update about Rory and Mal’s return was pretty funny, which is probably why the Certfied Love Boy himself wanted to get in on the fun. In a comment under Joe’s original post, Drake proceeded to use the opportunity to roast Rory.
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“I mean I saw Rory sipping a Sauvignon Blanc tonight and he made a toast,” Drake said, making fun of the JBP co-host, “but everyone else was engaged in coversation so his glass was hanging in the air for like a good 17 seconds before they clued in…if that’s any update.”
Drake recently got pretty heated while being trolled by Instagram comedian TravQue, so it appears that he’s now channeling that towards Rory. Jokes aside, the fact that Joe Budden feels comfortable enough to make fun of the Rory and Mal podcast situation hopefully means that he and his “The Joe Budden Podcast” co-hosts are getting closer to reuniting.
It’s fitting that the cover art of Night Lovell’s new project centers around a ghoulish grin. The Ottawa rapper has been steadily delivering his own unique blend of shadowy hip-hop for some time now, conjuring up distorted and nightmarish soundscapes to back his detached delivery. It’s been enough to elevate the young artist into somewhat of a cult hero, an underrated prospect that continues to run solid numbers.
Today, Lovell has come through to keep his momentum rolling, dropping off a new three-pack boasting the oxymoronic title of BOTTOM TOP. Clocking in at an immensely listenable six minutes, broken up into three two-ish minute songs.
Stylistically, Lovell continues to trudge deeper into the heart of darkness. The introductory title track finds him sliding over an uptempo banger, though not even the most frantic synthesizers could elicit a change in his tone. Easy highlight “Counting Down The List” features a heavy horrorcore vibe, driven by a chilling piano loop and an unsettling synth whine. Last but not least is “Alone,” the climactic track on which Lovell locks in with a focused flow over hard-hitting and distorted percussion.
Should you be looking to indulge in a little bit of under-the-radar Canadian hip-hop, Night Lovell’s BOTTOM TOP is a premium choice — especially if your musical preferences veer toward the dark and unsettling. If this is a prelude to his next studio album, perhaps Night Lovell’s best work is truly yet to come.
New York rapper Busta Rhymes is reminding the world of the good times he had with the late DMX. The hip-hop veteran has come forward to remember the fellow Big Apple legend following his passing at 50. Busta Rhymes Shares Emotional DMX Video The Brooklyn rap heavyweight went to Instagram with a clip of himself […]
Chicago rapper Polo G is keeping the fresh music coming. The hip-hop star has come through with his new “RAPSTAR” single and music video giving the world a glimpse into his daddy duties. Polo G Shows Off Daddy Duties The Arrad-directed music video clocks in at just under three minutes and features G capturing his […]
It may sound like a cliche, but it’s true; DMX shocked the world when he first arrived on the scene in 1995, appearing with Ja Rule, Jay-Z, and Mic Geronimo on the posse cut “Time To Build” and then utterly destroying his standout verse on LL Cool J’s “4, 3, 2, 1” with Canibus, Method Man, and Redman in 1997. By the time he released his debut major-label album, It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot, anticipation was just as high as the temperature in The Bad Place, leading to a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200. When he followed up later that year with Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, he became the first rapper to debut at No. 1 back-to-back in the same year.
From there, he had a string of successive hit albums and singles, including … And Then There Was X, The Great Depression, and Grand Champ. Songs like “Party Up,” “What These B*tches Want,” “Who We Be,” “Where Tha Hood At,” and “X Gon’ Give It to Ya” became pop culture fixtures and have remained popular to this day, with many forming the foundation of memes and samples used in hip-hop by top rappers like ASAP Rocky and Drake.
Unfortunately, a lifelong addiction to cocaine, which started at just 14 years old after he was given a laced blunt by an acquaintance, derailed his career multiple times. Legal issues led to multiple stints in prison, including a 2017 conviction for tax fraud prompting his most recent one. After his release in 2019, he seemed to be on the road to a comeback after completing rehab, plotting out a new album featuring Griselda Records and Pop Smoke, and appearing on Verzuz alongside Snoop Dogg.
X was open about his struggles, often making them the center of dark, sometimes menacing, sometimes vulnerable rhymes on his projects. However, no matter how sinister the subject matter, he always came back to his faith; his penchant for adding prayers to his albums and live shows is well-noted. Meanwhile, his vocal pyrotechnics, ranging from a threatening growl to the explosive barks he used as ad-libs (and reportedly trained one of his actual dogs to add to his live freestyles), were made all the more impressive by his lifelong struggle with asthma — which never stopped him from performing without a hype man, pacing the stage like a caged tiger.
He often stole the show; on posse cuts like Mase’s “24 Hours To Live,” he regularly out-rapped, outboasted, or out-performed his collaborators. For a time, he had a reasonable claim to the coveted “King of New York” title in the wake of Biggie’s death, alongside Ja Rule and Jay-Z, with whom he had an alternately friendly and contentious relationship. Although they came into the game at the same time and even plotted on a group project titled “Murder Inc.,” divisions between led to the dissolution of this idea, while fans pitted them against one another in top rapper debates.
Just check out the freestyle snippet from the Def Jam tour documentary, Backstage, where you can see DMX and Jay-Z trading bars during what was likely one of mania impromptu ciphers during their 1999 Hard Knock Life Tour. Jay-Z is cool, collected, and measured as always, but DMX is downright magnetic, speeding and slowing his cadence, one moment just as disaffected as his friend/rival, the next, agitated, belligerent, showing his teeth — just like one of his beloved pets might when a stranger gets a little too close.
X contained all of these emotions and more; his music was an expression of all things hip-hop, from the streetwise braggadocio typical of the biggest hits to the exposed, bloody trauma that he was never quite able to escape from. By putting it all into his music, he expanded the bounds of what rap could be capable of; he was fallible on “Slippin’,” fiery on “Who We Be,” triumphant on “Where The Hood At,” cautioning on “Stop Being Greedy,” and even played the lothario on “What These B*tches Want.” He could be a comedian, a horror film director, an action star, a drug kingpin, a stick-up kid, and a wounded child in need of comfort.
His albums created space and precedent for future rappers like Kanye West and Kid Cudi to address their own struggles with anxiety and depression. And even though X once professed to hate everything Drake stood for, he later softened his stance, understanding that Drake’s outlook was an extension of his own, with different traumas and worries, but the same vulnerability. Kendrick Lamar credits DMX as his favorite rapper for that quality, and he’s likely not the only one who does, as we’ll likely find out in the coming weeks.
DMX’s story could be tragic, but he never let the tragedies of his life solely define him. After all, this was a man who took the internet’s fascination with his gravelly rendition of “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” and ran with it, releasing a studio version that showed his lighthearted side. He was someone who knew just how hot hell could be, but at the height of his success, got close enough to glimpse heaven. The rap world won’t be the same without him, but it already changed so much because of him. He showed us the soul of a man and hopefully, that soul is finally at peace.
In the first episode of Uproxx’s newest show, Behind The Video, breakout Dallas star Erica Banks breaks down the making of the video for her viral hit, “Buss It.” Right off the bat, she debunks the belief that shooting a music video is a simple, straightforward process, then, she gets into some of the details, including the fact that she styled herself for the shoot, and even responds to a famous admirer’s YouTube comment while watching the video.
She also says that there was another “Buss It” video, but she refuses to let anyone else see it. When asked about the shorts she wears in the video, she reveals that the shorts are coming soon to her official merch site and asks fans to stay tuned.
During Banks’ visit to Uproxx Studios, she also delivered an electric live performance of “Buss It” for UPROXX Sessions. She also recently revealed that before signing to Warner Records, she was offered a deal with DaBaby’s label Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment, but turned it down to consider her options.
Watch Erica Banks break down her “Buss It” video above.
Erica Banks is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
One of the best shoes of all-time is the Air Jordan 1 High OG, which was first worn by Michael Jordan in 1985. The sneaker has been around for 36 years and even to this day, Jumpman is looking for ways to innovate the silhouette and make it even better. In 2021, Jordan Brand has big plans for the AJ1 and it seems like they will even be making this shoe a go-to choice for those who like to go out in the rain and other treacherous conditions.
In new renderings from @zsneakerheadz, we can see that a shoe called the Air Jordan 1 Element will be dropping later this year. The shoe is the first Air Jordan 1 to feature Gore-Tex materials along the upper, which makes it perfect for traversing tough conditions. As for the first two colorways, we will have Sail/Light Bone-College Grey-Black and Black/Chile Red-Particle Grey-Sail, which can be seen below. Overall, these are pretty interesting and they certainly bring the Air Jordan 1 into a tight little niche.
Release dates have yet to be announced for these although the Holiday season seems to be the target, at least for now. Let us know what you think of this brand new model, in the comments section below.
