It’s been just a few months since Jazmine Sullivan returned to release her critically acclaimed album Heaux Tales, which detailed all that the singer learned about herself in the six years since her last record. Continuing to share her new music, Sullivan brought her soulful track “Pick Up Your Feelings” to a captivating performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Joined by a full band, Sullivan belted out each lyric with candor while showcasing her powerful vocal range. Her performance follows a busy couple of months for the singer. Not only is she on the heels of her Heaux Tales release, but Sullivan was also invited to deliver the National Anthem at this year’s Super Bowl game.
Ahead of her late-night performance, Sullivan sat down with Uproxx for a conversation about all she learned while recording Heaux Tales. Sullivan said the process helped her understand that she doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders as a woman:
“Especially as a woman, because we feel like we have to do everything perfectly and just be perfect. We have the world on our shoulders normally anyway so we feel like we have to live up to a certain standard and, as a woman growing up, I always felt that way. This process and making the project helped me to do that by listening to the tales of other women, my girlfriends, and older women. And, just knowing that we’re human and we don’t have to be perfect and just allow ourselves to figure things out.”
Watch Sullivan perform “Pick Up Your Feelings” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! above.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
When asked about how he’s been handling the last year of pandemic, Sacramento rapper Caleborate paraphrases Bruce Lee: “What I’ve been doing to keep things all together is just being like water.” The quote, which implores the listener to be flexible, malleable, and to go with the flow, aptly describes Caleborate’s music style as well. Although his new album, Light Hit My Skin, is ostensibly a hip-hop album, it’s also a genre-fluid affair that allows Caleborate to transform according to his whims and needs of the lush production. And yet, while water can fill a container or run like a river, it remains water — that’s a lesson Caleborate puts into practice here, as well.
So, while he tackles straightforward, storytelling rap on “Contact” with fellow indie rap stalwart Kota The Friend, he also spends several of the interludes — titled “Light 001,” “Light 002,” and “Light 003” — vocalizing like a praise leader on Sunday morning. He calls these his favorite tracks on the album. He demonstrates his versatility throughout; there’s the house-inspired, synth-pop experiment “Homecoming” with Duckwrth, the soft-rock ballad “Untitled (Hit Record),” and the post-hyphy intro “Cliquot Shower.” Each emanates authenticity — there’s no major label-mandated push for algorithmic ambivalence. Instead, Caleborate is like the titular light on his skin — a full spectrum of wavelengths and colors — all of them are not always visible, but they are the same beam of light.
Over the phone with Uproxx, Caleborate reflects on his unique artistic philosophy, other lessons he’s learned over the past year, and questions why, with such a multifaceted array of lights to choose from, mainstream hip-hop continues to constrain itself to just a few shades of red.
What have you been doing over the last year of quarantine?
I’ve been doing some Caleb work, some Caleborate work, some Mr. Parker work, you know what I mean. All different facets of me. Some work as a brother, as a son, as a businessman.
I’ve had a lot of time to reconnect with my family because before COVID and everything popped off, I was really planning to move to LA. My manager and I were about to move in together, he had found an apartment. We literally had gone to go see it the day before I came back to live in the Bay with my mom.
COVID kicked off right in March, so I ended up staying in the Bay. My manager ended up staying where he was located out in Pennsylvania. My workflow changed drastically. My plans changed drastically. Performances: Gone. And certain things that I had going in process for the album shifted up. So, I just kind of had to adjust my workflow and sort of catch my rhythm in the water. I just had to catch my rhythm.
That’s really what we’re here for is for the album, which has a very interesting title, Light Hit My Skin. Obviously, there’s probably a lot of layers to that. Why don’t you kind of give me a little bit of an overview of what inspired this title and the concept of the album?
It’s so many different types of light. We were listening to “The Madness” and we just keyed in on that line. We’re driving in the car and everybody keyed in on that line. It’s so multi-layered, it has so many different meanings. And I have a lot of different versions of the light that hit my skin, whether it’s on stage or out in the street or whether it’s cop lights cascading over our car or it’s phone flashlights taking pictures with people.
Or even the light in me if you want to get metaphorical. The light that I can shine is who I am and enlightening people. All the different forms of that word really hit me at that moment and it’s something that I referenced a few times in the album. So to me, it’s just all the different situations in which light hits my skin. I’m about to go into the grocery store right now and lights are about to hit my skin, they got fluorescent light in there, and that’s a setting for a story, a moment of life.
I love that you can find so many different ways of looking at such a simple phrase, that really speaks to your gift as a writer, which is one of the things that drew me to you as an artist. Speaking of lines that jump out, one that hit me was about how you used to wear hoop shorts under your jeans on “We Make.” It just sent me right back to my own high school experience.
Oh man, bro, man, that was a thing that we did back in middle school and high school, we stopped sophomore year of high school because we got real lockers. We would hoop before school, you would literally come to school dripped out, shorts on underneath your jeans, come to school a little bit early, take your jeans off.
You might put hoop shoes in your backpack or over your shoulder, the next thing, you’re hooping. And then we hoop for 15 minutes, put your jeans on. We had to buy our jeans a couple of sizes higher. You have to buy thinner shorts.
Those moments help teach you a little bit about who people are. And when you have a confrontation on the court and disagreements or you’re picking teams or you have to take initiative or share with teammates. It was just kind of these young man moments that I had reminisced on that I sometimes see the matured version of them in our culture.
So as an independent artist, you have a lot more control over what you put out and how you put it out. But because it’s coming out of your pocket, you don’t have the budget of a bigger artist. How do you go about executing without really having the same resources as major label artists?
Well, for me, it’s relationships. Keeping those relationships is invaluable because we’re the artists and whether you’re signed to a label or not, real artists can see each other. And so I’m blessed. There are other people that I meet that are blessed to do it that way, musically, whether it’s production or writing or singing or whatever, for the sake of music, I’m keeping them relationships.
I have a very strong core of artists that I’ve been working with and people that support me. And it’s definitely all based on music. Money is secondary, but money has come because of that. As far as reaching out to newer artists like Deante Hitchcock or working with Cantrell or working with Tone Sinatra or working with Duckwrth… I make sure that they’re compensated and make sure that their time is valued.
But first comes first, do they like to record? Do they want to be in this thing? Are they down for the ride of this record? And everybody featured on the project, man, they’re real artists. And so it’s just an honor to work with other people like that.
How have you adapted to not having a tour life over the last year? What’s something that you miss about touring and what something you don’t miss about touring?
Man, touring is this very bittersweet thing, absolutely love and miss traveling in general. The number one aspect of touring is being out with friends — three, four like-minded individuals — experiencing life together at a new point in time. And then when you compound making money and having a reason to be here, it’s amazing.
Traveling is great, but it’s also not great, it’s tiring. Also, “traveling while Black” is a thing, just like “traveling while a woman” is a thing — especially international travel. People look at you, look at what you’re wearing… That could be kind of draining, so that part of travel I don’t miss.
God took it away from all of these artists, all of us for a reason. So we’ll never forget it. That’s how I feel. But, yeah, I miss that and what I’ve been doing to keep things all together is just being like water and learning more to be like water.
The change in sort of workflow for the whole world really has sort of allowed for, I think, me and people like me maybe to focus on what’s in the now. “What can I actually do? What do I need to do? What’s something I need to be doing, what stuff I want to be doing? And how can I get what I need to get done in spite of what’s going on in the world?” And I’ve been learning a lot of stuff through just approaching stuff with that mentality.
As we wrap things up, I always like to ask artists this question because you have to get asked the same questions over and over again. What’s something that you want to talk about that you wish somebody had asked you?
That’s a really good question. I almost want the right person to ask. I want somebody to ask me, or even once someone to have a real, everything-on-the-table conversation about the history of hip-hop and rap music and its impact on the Black community, as far as things that are promoted in the music and how they correlate to health, violence as promoted in the music and how it correlates to crime rates, and trends that occur in the music industry as far as artists who perpetuate certain themes in their music.
Because I believe over time, hip-hop has gotten bloodier and bloodier and there’s been more money put into bloodier and bloodier music. And I don’t have anything against bloody music. It’s not my preferred genre. It’s not my preferred experience. But when something has been systematically controlled by capitalistic entities like major corporations that do billions of dollars in revenue every year and can invest hundreds of millions or 20 to 50 million into the specific genre of music… Maybe you can have conversations. I would just be interested in having that conversation.
Light Hit My Skin is out now on TBKTR. Get it here.
“Coconut Oil,” Lizzo’s 2016 self-love anthem, is the subject of a lawsuit recently filed by a church elder who claims his voice was sampled on the song without his permission, causing him “anguish, embarrassment, and outrage,” according to The Detroit News (Lizzo was born in the Motor City). Detroit resident Orlandus Dunning demands $750,000, saying that Lizzo sampled him singing a hymn at a mutual relative’s private funeral.
The lawsuit reads, “(Dunning) had a reasonable expectation of privacy and that his voice would not be heard publicly, as the funeral where he sang was held privately and open only to family and close friends… When Plaintiff sang the devotional, it was at a private funeral and done for the specific purpose of uplifting his family and friends during their time of bereavement.” Dunning says that he wouldn’t have consented to the use of his voice because of his beliefs; he’s an ordained elder in the Church of God In Christ and feels that the song’s messaging runs counter to his position — although he doesn’t say exactly how. The song’s mostly about Lizzo learning self-care, although she does say “sh*t” once on the record.
You can hear the song for yourself below.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
There were a few stars present for the Brooklyn Nets’ win against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night. Sitting courtside were Lil Baby and 42 Dugg, who are friends with superstar James Harden. The rappers chopped it up with the shooting guard before the game and prompted the latest meme to pop off, once again making fun of 42 Dugg’s short stature.
Not the tallest man on the planet, 42 Dugg has been clowned time and time again on social media for his height. Last night, people cracked their jokes after the rapper was spotted hanging out with James Harden, specifically after they shook hands and Harden bent down to speak with his homies.
“Harden did not have to disrespect 42 Dugg like this,” wrote one commenter, going viral with over 33,000 likes on the tweet. The picture shows James Harden bending over pretty low to address 42 Dugg, who reportedly stands 5’1″. “Talking to him like he a kid,” added another.
Prince Williams/Getty Images
Dugg hasn’t commented on the memes breaking out about him but he did tease Harden during the game, posting a video of the star attempting a three-point shot that was unsuccessful. “Gotta make that cuz,” he wrote on Instagram Stories.
Check out some of the best posts about 42 Dugg and James Harden below.
It’s no secret that many hip-hop stars are solid on the basketball courts, often showing off their skills whenever the opportunity presents itself. Sometimes, rappers are given free rein to shine in a publically broadcasted scrimmage, as we previously saw during BET’s 2017 Celebrity Basketball Game. Other times, rappers showcase their hooping acumen on social media, often inviting a bit of healthy competition from their peers in the process.
John Sciulli/BET/Getty Images
Yesterday, practiced baller Snoop Dogg took a moment to speculate on a potential tournament lineup, presenting two separate squads of rap talent and opening the floor for discussion. “Who you got?” he inquires, pitting red against blue — it should be noted that Snoop did not arrange the lineups. On the red side, we’re looking at a few of the game’s veterans, with a roster Cam’ron, J Cole, Snoop Dogg, Jim Jones, and Fabolous. On the blue side, the young generation is represented, with Chris Brown, Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Durk, and Romeo Miller.
Unfortunately for Snoop, many commenters were quick to pledge their allegiance to the Blue team, citing age as a deciding factor. “The Blue team I can’t lie Unk,” writes Mike Will Made-It. “Blue all day,” adds actor Jason Mitchell. “Y’all too old.” Others, like Gillie Da Kid, were not impressed with either lineup; “Come on unc who made these bullshit teams up,” he laughs. That’s not to say Red received no love. “Snoop Team All Day,” writes Chuck D, while Big Daddy Kane chimes in with a spirited “Red Team LET’S GO!!!”
Check out Snoop’s post below, and sound off with your own projected winners in the comments below.
There are rumors circulating across the internet that rap group Migos, which consists of Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff, ganged up on Instagram personality Justin LaBoy and beat him up in Atlanta following the blogger’s interview with Saweetie.
Saweetie was a guest on Justin LaBoy’s new show Respectfully Justin, which he co-hosts with Justin Combs. During her episode, the rapper spoke about sex and specifically answered whether or not she would have a threesome with Quavo. Revealing that she would allow her boyfriend, Quavo at the time, to pick the man who joined them in the bedroom, many deemed the response to be shocking. It quickly went viral on social media and, not even a few days later, Saweetie and her boyfriend Quavo broke up.
Justin LaBoy has denied that his interview with Saweetie prompted her split with Quavo but, according to new rumors coming out of Atlanta, the Migos are pretty upset with the social media star and are rumored to have jumped him on Monday.
All night on social media, people have been speaking about Justin LaBoy reportedly getting jumped by the Migos at a nightclub. There is presently no video evidence of the attack but alleged eyewitnesses say something went down in the city, ending with LaBoy on the ground after getting the beats from Quavo and Co.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Justin LaBoy has been posting on social media this morning as though nothing happened, ignoring questions about the incident. None of the Migos have commented on the rumors either. See what people are saying below.
John Gabbana, formerly known colloquially as Boonk Gang, had perhaps one of the meanest rebrands in rap history. Previously known for his wild media antics and tattoo-covered visage, these days the Jacksonville native stays out of trouble and away from substance abuse. Being no stranger to controversy himself, it is likely why the Florida rapper took some time out of his day to offer some words of wisdom to fellow industry mate Lil Nas X.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
“Lil Nas X,” addressed Gabbana via Instagram stories yesterday (March 30). Getting into some more words of wisdom he had for Nas, he continued, “Now I don’t know ya or know your situation, but I wanted to give you some advice lil bro. Don’t make a permanent decision in a temporary reality. Let that soak in.”
While vague in his advice, Gabbana seems to be speaking on the “MONTERO” artist’s recent lawsuit from Nike for his Air Max 97-inspired “Satan Shoes.” Before his rebrand, the rapper used to use similar media antics as a marketing tool for his music. In his advice to the 21-year-old Georgia artist, he seems to be telling him to not let the current backlash he’s facing for his Satanic visuals push him to make a decision that could permanently impact his career.
As mentioned briefly before, Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoe” venture with brand MSCHF has landed him in hot water with Nike. The company is suing the brand for trademark infringement for designing the hell-inspired shoes.
Thoughts on Boonk Gang’s advice? Let us know down in the comments.
These days, it’s never that surprising when rappers announce that they’re teaming up for a collaboration album. Of course, the actual release of those collaboration albums doesn’t always come to fruition — but that doesn’t mean we can’t get hyped nonetheless. Today, HipHopNMore reports that another upcoming joint project is on the way, as Mozzy and YG have officially come together to make it happen.
Robin Marchant/Getty Images
The news was actually broken by Mozzy’s manager DaveO, who took to Twitter to react to some of the music he’s been able to hear so far. “This Mozzy YG Album Is Everything You Want It To Be!!” he writes, a claim that sparked hype for an unapologetically west coast aesthetic. Based on their previous track record, which includes songs like Stay Dangeroushighlight “Too Brazy” and Mozzy’s 2018 single “Thugz Mansion, it’s clear that the collaborative chemistry has already been established; it should be exciting to see how it develops across an entire project.
Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Unfortunately, few details surrounding the upcoming Mozzy/YG endeavor have been revealed — in fact, we’re basically in the dark about the entire album, including release window, potential titles, guest appearances, and producers. Still, the fact that there is enough music for DaveO to tease bodes well, and we can’t help but hope to see either Mozzy, YG, or both step forward to share some concrete news about what’s in store.
Are you excited to see a collaborative album from YG and Mozzy? If so, sound off in the comments with your hopes and expectations.
Just when you thought “Whoopty” mania had reached its peak, Staten Island rapper CJ comes out of nowhere with a surprising new remix to extend the shelf life of his breakout hit. This time around, he offers a “Latin Mix” of his runaway drill smash featuring two of Latin music’s hottest stars in Anuel AA and Ozuna.
Rather than write a new verse for this version, CJ talks a little smack in Spanish then steps back to let his guest stars hold the limelight. Both Anuel and Ozuna go on extended, rapid-fire, bruising lyrical runs, with Anuel name-dropping Kobe Bryant and claiming he’s a real son of a gun while Ozuna flexes his watch collection and delivers a fatalistic outlook on life. The video, meanwhile, takes place at an underground fight club, which apparently has both male and female divisions for its brutal, bare-knuckle brawls.
The Latin mix is the second remix of CJ’s popular hit after the New Yorker shared a Big Apple-centric remix earlier this month featuring French Montana and Rowdy Rebel. The infectious beat for “Whoopty” has also provided the backdrop for a wide-spanning array of colorful freestyles from the likes of Compton’s Westside Boogie, Chicago’s Polo G, and Philadelphia’s Tierra Whack.
Watch the video for CJ’s “Whoopty Latin Mix” featuring Anuel AA and Ozuna above.
Lil Mama has been in the headlines for the last few weeks, earning backlash for her transphobic comments about children that are transitioning. The “Lip Gloss” rapper compared trans children to dogs and cats, also joking that she was going to start a “heterosexual rights movement” to fight back against the LGBTQIA2+ community, who she says has been bullying her online.
As everybody in hip-hop seemingly tries their hand at the same three viral beats this month, Lil Mama has come through with her own freestyle over CJ’s “Whoopty”, releasing “Spooky” as a single on YouTube. The freestyle was accompanied by a music video, in which she name-drops Saweetie and Pooh Shiesty.
Listen to the new freestyle below and let us know if you’re feeling it.
Quotable Lyrics:
I’m not with the gossip so I’m not pullin’ up if you toxic I’m single, Saweetie, icy Period Pooh, Shiesty I take a vow, wifey And I’m spinnin’ again like swipey
