Month: June 2021

Over the weekend, a report from British tabloid The Sun sparked rumors that Mariah Carey had split with Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation management after an “explosive meeting which did not go well at all.” The Sun reported that a source said that Carey is working on a new album and was seeking other management. However, Mariah herself shut down the rumor on Twitter this morning, quoting her longtime business partner Jay-Z and sharing a clip from their 1999 collaboration “Heartbreaker” to remind followers just how deep the roots of their partnership run.

“The only ‘explosive’ situation I’d ever ‘get into’ with Hov is a creative tangent, such as our #1 song ‘Heartbreaker!!’” she wrote. “To the people who make up these lies I say ‘Poof! —Vamoose, sonofa*****”!’” The final quote of her missive comes, of course, from Jay-Z’s 2001 Blueprint single “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” on which Jay addressed naysayers and detractors: “He who does not feel me / Is not real to me, therefore he doesn’t exist / So poof – vamoose, son of a b*tch!”

Clearly, Mariah Carey has similar feelings toward The Sun and its unnamed source. It wasn’t the first time the longstanding pop-R&B icon used her social platforms to clear up misunderstandings. In May, she jokingly teased a Baltimore rapper who sampled her 2005 hit “Shake It Off,” but eventually revealed she had allowed the use of the sample after Questlove got in touch. Meanwhile, Jay-Z is said to be expanding Roc Nation’s already extensive list of services to include television and film production sometime in near future.

Over the weekend was the 20-year anniversary of Songs In A Minor, the breakout debut album from Alicia Keys. She marked the occasion over by joining Ebro Darden on Apple Music Hits to discuss the album. Since the release contains a cover of Prince’s “How Come You Don’t Call Me,” they talked about The Purple One (who would have celebrated his 63rd birthday today, June 7), including the specific demand Prince had of a young Keys before letting her perform at Paisley Park.

Keys told the story:

“He takes me to Paisley Park, and this place is like a dream. And he’s walking me through Paisley Park, [I’m] 18 years old. He has like 900 pianos. ‘This is the piano from Purple Rain. This is the piano when I wrote ‘When Doves Cry.’ This is the room that we sit on the floor with the purple things, and we write songs.’ I could not believe it. Then he says, ‘This is the stage. We want you to perform a little set for my closest people.’ He would invite them to Paisley Park every whatever he did. He had his own universe going. And he was like, ‘One thing: You can’t curse.’ And I was like, ‘Well, he must not know me, because I curse.’”

Keys was there to request Prince’s approval of her cover, which she eventually got. During a Tonight Show appearance from 2017, Keys spoke more about her first phone call with Prince, the first step in getting his blessing for the cover:

Watch the full Apple Music Hits interview here. Also revisit Keys’ cover of “How Come You Don’t Call Me” below.

With less than 48 hours to go until the premiere of Loki on Disney+, Marvel is still slowly doling out secrets about the time-warping show that will follow the Trickster God as he attempts to save reality — or do what he does best and stab everyone in the back.

While dropping what seems like a pretty standard teaser full of Loki footage that’s been seen before, Disney+ slyly tucked in a character detail that has Marvel fans’ attention. During a very quick moment, there’s a brief glance at Loki’s Time Variance Authority file, and it contains an interesting piece of information: the MCU version of Loki is gender fluid.

You can clearly see the Loki gender reveal in this screenshot:

You can see the new teaser below:

Of course, this information won’t be surprising to comic fans or anyone who’s familiar with Norse mythology, where Loki once got knocked up by an eight-legged horse. However, it is notable that Marvel is finally leaning into this part of Loki’s comic history and bringing it to life in the heavily-hyped series. In addition, fans will be interested to see whether Lady Loki might, as rumored, make her MCU debut when Loki starts streaming. And judging by the latest interview with head writer Michael Waldron (Rick and Morty), the series is sure to be a wild ride, since he revealed that the show’s inspired by both Blade Runner and Mad Men.

Loki premieres Wednesday June 9 on Disney+

(Via Loki on Twitter)

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw more Happier Than Ever teasing from Billie Eilish and two of hip-hop’s premiere Lils joining forces. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Billie Eilish — “Lost Cause”

We’re about two months away from a new Billie Eilish album, and in the meantime, she’s been good to her fans in terms of singles to hold them over until then. Last week saw the release of her fourth Happier Than Ever single, “Lost Cause,” another fine example of Eilish’s distinct brand of alternative, subtle-yet-catchy pop.

Lil Baby and Lil Durk — “Hats Off” Feat. Travis Scott

Baby and Durk’s joint project Voice Of The Heroes was supposed to be out sooner, but the rappers pushed it back out of respect for a posthumous album from DMX (a rap hero with an iconic voice). They did end up dropping it a few days ago, though, Travis Scott’s appearance on “Hats Off” was a highlight. Aside from Cactus Jack, the album also features Meek Mill, Young Thug, and Rod Wave.

Roddy Ricch — “Late At Night”

Roddy Ricch became a defining artist of 2020 thanks to Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial (which came out in late 2019, but “The Box” made its impact the following year). Post Please Excuse Me, though, Ricch has mostly kept to himself and seldom popped up with new material. He did just that last week, though, with “Late At Night,” a smooth, romantic, and laid-back single.

Japanese Breakfast — “Slide Tackle”

In an interview with Uproxx’s Steven Hyden, Michelle Zauner said that of all the songs on her new album Jubilee, there’s one that has grown on her more than any other: “I hated ‘Slide Tackle’ for a long time. I was like, ‘Man, I should have really buried that record. It’s so basic.’ I didn’t know what I wanted it to be for a really long time. And then, re-listening to the album, I was like, ‘These sounds are weird, and kind of cool. And not really like anything that we’ve done before.’ I don’t know if other people will feel that way, but I certainly did while I was re-listening to it.”

Dua Lipa — “Can They Hear Us”

The Future Nostalgia era has been a long one, beginning with the release of “Don’t Start Now” in October 2019 and extending through to the present day. However, Lipa shared her first post-Future Nostalgia song last week (on the same day she shared a new video for one of the album’s songs). The song is “Can They Hear Us,” which appears on the Gully soundtrack and is appropriately cinematic.

Denzel Curry — “Bad Luck”

Speaking of soundtracks, Denzel Curry also found himself in that world last week. DC Comics is dropping their Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack this month, and it serves as a complement to the new Death Metal storyline. Curry’s contribution, “Bad Luck,” definitely strays into the titular music genre, and while it’s not necessarily familiar territory for Curry, his distinct energy is a natural fit in this style.

John Mayer — “Last Train Home”

So far, John Mayer’s new era for his Sob Rock album has been defined by a retro aesthetic and it really is reflective of the music, at least so far. He dropped the album’s first single, “Last Train Home,” last week, and it sees Mayer going head-first into an ’80s-inspired sound for the first time on a song that sounds like a step-sibling to Toto’s “Africa.”

Fousheé — “My Slime”

In a recent Uproxx cover story, Fousheé said she wants her debut album to “be genuine, organically me,” adding, “I want to take out a new sort of space.” She certainly seems to be doing just that on her latest, “My Slime.” Lush production carries the languid track alongside Fousheé’s singing, which addresses the thrill of falling head over heels over a new romantic interest.

Bad Bunny — “Yonaguni”

2020 wasn’t awesome for a number of reasons, but it was at least great for Bad Bunny fans, who got three (three!) full-length projects from the pop star. The WWE champion isn’t resting now, though, as he dropped “Yonaguni,” a warm and soothing reggaeton tune that will find its way onto innumerable playlists this summer.

Hayley Kiyoko — “Chance”

Last week was the first one of Pride Month, and a new track from Hayley “Lesbian Jesus” Kiyoko was the perfect way to kick things off. Her latest is called “Chance,” and as Kiyoko describes the song, its theme of getting past self-doubt is perfectly timely: “[It’s] based on those moments when I denied my true feelings for someone out of fear of rejection, and therefore didn’t allow someone to take a chance on me.”

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

We could use some summer vibes up in here, and there are no better breezy vibes that the ones coming from HBO’s skater ladies on Betty. The refreshing, free-wheeling series, which might be the coolest show on TV these days, will soon glide back into our lives for a second season. The main players are all back — as seen above, Moonbear as Honeybear, Ajani Russell as Indigo, Nina Moran as Kirt, Dede Lovelace as Janay, and Rachelle Vinberg as Camille — as if to prove that both nature and the streets are healing while they tear through New York City.

We could all stand to live vicariously, and this show gives it to us in a very slice-of-life manner. The series is, of course, a successor and continuation of the 2018 narrative feature film, Skate Kitchen, from director Crystal Moselle. As their collaboration’s origin story goes, a subway-riding Moselle overheard a conversation between Nina and Rachelle, and she immediately felt compelled to learn more about the pair and their skate crew. Soon enough, the film brought us the group’s semi-fictionalized, coming-of-age adventures; and the stories continued in a lighter manner on Betty, but things do get real(er) with the newest batch of episodes.

Somehow, Moselle managed to regather the ladies during the pandemic and film on the streets of New York. They even ended up making masks look cool. Heck, they’ll probably still even mop up the blood when you fall of your own skateboard. All five Betty leads were gracious enough to speak with us about injuries, their inherent coolness, and what happens when you tangle with the wrong banana peel.

When I spoke with Rachelle and Ajani last year, the skate parks had closed for lockdown, but things are getting better, I imagine?

Rachelle Vinberg: Oh yeah, and [with the pandemic], the community came together more to make things happen in different places.

Ajani Russell: Well, I don’t really like skate parks! So I was really glad not to be in those parks. I think that with street skateboarding, you have to be the most creative as far as the options go and working with what you have, and sometimes in New York, you have crunchy streets, and that’s what you’ve got.

The streets are obviously emptier this season, so that’s a big difference.

Dede Loveless: Oh, that definitely makes it easier, and we had a lot of interior shots this season. We were outside, but a lot were inside.

Nina Moran: Yeah, we didn’t have a lot of outside shots, actually, but there wasn’t a lot of people around either.

Dede: I don’t really know the process around permits and stuff, if COVID made it harder or easier, but in terms of us being outside, I personally didn’t feel like there was a huge difference. The atmosphere was different, but it wasn’t too much.

You guys probably get asked about injuries a lot. How do you ward them off?

Nina: You can’t really stop it.

Dede: It’s inevitable. You gotta be really careful.

Nina: Or you stop skating rails, that’s how.

Dede: Because honestly, people get hurt the worst, and I’m not saying all the time, but a lot of times, it happens when you’re not really doing anything on your skateboard, and that’s the worst. It definitely is a thing.

Nina: You gotta wear a helmet.

Dede: Oh yeah, for what you do.

Nina: Because I’ve cracked open my heeeeeeeeeeead. Yep, you gotta wear a helmet and kneepads.

Rachelle, on your Instagram, you fall in a certain way. You kind-of roll into it.

Rachelle: Oh god, yeah. The way I fall? When you’re skateboarding, you learn with time how to fall.

Well, you also have that banana peel video.

Ajani: I was just about to say… she found it!

Rachelle: So that one was a false ending, you know don’t see what happens.

And what happened after that video cuts off?

Rachelle: I almost fell, and then I caught myself with the other leg.

Ajani: She actually slipped on the banana peel! Like, she was gonna fake-slip on the banana peel, and then she really slipped. It was like, “I’m gonna show this girl who thinks she can use me for content!”

I’m learning so much here today.

Rachelle: Oh, those banana peels are definitely, like, real. They’re slippery.

The show itself has always felt organic, and I think a lot of that is down to how Crystal came into your lives. I understand that some moments are based upon real experiences. Is that the same for Season 2?

Moonbear: It’s a little mixed up each time. There are some parts that are true moments, and they add to it.

Rachelle: That’s a thing where we use our own experiences and brings things that happened to our friends to the table. Crystal lets us come in and say, “Well, this happened to my friend.” They’ll say, “Let’s fit this into the story because that’s something that you guys are going through.” Not only do we kind-of play ourselves but we really play the community around us.

Dede: Yeah, it’s like when you bring in your own chocolates, and then there’s a party mix, but then you bring your chocolates, and then you throw ’em in there. You’ve got a mix, but there’s a lot of stuff in there, along with the candy that you brought.

Nina: Mmmm, chocolates.

Indigo embarks upon a new endeavor this season, and it’s, well, rough. How did you get through those scenes, Ajani?

Ajani: I disassociated! [Laughs] No, I really had to take a lot of time for myself, before and after I was doing those scenes. The story wasn’t really my story, but… it can bring up trauma sometimes playing scenarios that are parallel to your own. But I know that this story, with the person who inspired Indigo’s story, she’s not the only one who’s been through it, and we need more representation around [her situation]. It was hard, but I think it came out beautiful.

On a lighter note, if you guys could put your characters into another TV show or movie, where would you want them to go?

Nina: [Perks up] Oooooh!

Moonbear: I want Honeybear to be in Law and Order: SVU! You can do that, it’s the same city and everything.

Nina: I wanna be in Pokémon, like, animated. That would be so cool. Or RuPaul’s Drag Race. I wanna be on the stage or whatever!

Moonbear [to Dede]: What about that show on HBO that you like, with the older guy? He’s bald, Larry something?

Dede: Oh Curb Your Enthusiasm? Nooooo. I mean, yeah, like a day in the life would make sense.

Nina [to Dede]: I don’t know… Sesame Street?

Dede: Actually, yes. Sesame Street, thanks for reminding me. I wanna teach Elmo how to skateboard.

Rachelle: Dazed and Confused. Where could we fit into that?

Ajani: Oh, maybe. I could see Indigo being in Gossip Girl.

Rachelle: What about together? Powerpuff Girls?

Ajani: The Amazing World of Gumball!

I’ve read that you are an anime fan, so that’s not too surprising.

Ajani: Oh yeah, of course. It’s so good. Oh no, there’s an anime show I just started watching, Odd Taxi, and I could totally see Camille and Indigo being in that show. Everybody’s an animal.

Rachelle: Hmm?

Ajani: There’s a walrus taxi driver, and it’s really dry humor? That’s probably a discussion to continue later.

You guys are just so laid back and cool. Do you have any tips on how to be cool?

Nina: Awww, how to be cool? Listen to yourself and not other people.

Dede: That’s a cool saying.

Ajani: Oh gosh, I already have so much to worry about and now to worry about being cool?

Rachelle: With being cool, you just have to be yourself and not care. I think that people who aren’t trying to be cool are automatically cooler. You can sense that in people. When you’re talking to people, you can tell when they’re trying to be cool. Being cool is being insecure, so you have to announce and say it.

Ajani: People should be more confident in their insecurities, I suppose. And I don’t mean like the generic “I believe in myself” but just like allowing yourself to be present and being comfortable sitting in your uncomfortability.

Rachelle: Being “go with the flow” is a big deal because no one likes anyone who isn’t.

Ajani: Yeah, you gotta be flexible.

So, let’s talk about authenticity and sponsorship. There’s some pushback this season on the idea of sponsoring skaters, especially for Camille.

Rachelle: I think there’s a fine line between it all, and I’m still figuring it out, but you have to stay true to yourself, and if any brand really cares about you, they’re not gonna make you uncomfortable, and they’re gonna want it to be about you, not to try to make you or create you into something that they want. You have to stay true to yourself and work with people. Honestly though, at the end of the day, if they don’t want you, then you shouldn’t want them, even if they’re offering you stuff that you might like, it’s not worth your identity or to feel uncomfortable.

Ajani: Yeah, you gotta think about it in terms of the long run, and for me, the most important thing about working in adds is “do I click with these people who are reaching out to me?” These are the people that I’m working with, and I want them to respect me, and I want to respect them.

Rachelle: Or do they look at you without looking in the eye. Do they actually talk to you as a person?

Ajani: [Laughs]

Rachelle: Like, it’s so weird sometimes. You have to understand your position and power. You’re the one who can actually skate, so yeah.

How far do you all see the show going into the future, realistically?

Moonbear: I don’t see it going for years and years because they’re gonna age up, and I think that’s when the show would wrap.

Ajani: Oh, I have no idea! Everything is so temperamental. One day it’s yes, the next day it’s no, and things happen in the world that have nothing to do with us but can affect decisions that people make.

Rachelle: I’m happy that it’s come so far. I mean, looking back, from being on the train.

Ajani: Yeah, this is not common.

Dede: I think that the theme of the show will live on for decades, but Betty was just adding another perspective into a world that’s not familiar to people.

I must ask a very bizarre question. Do you have any updates, Nina, on how Kirt’s soulmate/pet rat, Perstephanie, might be doing?

Nina: Uhhhh, very good! I have a lizard on my shirt today, you can’t see it, in my pocket.

You could probably fool me into thinking that’s a real lizard.

Nina: Well… he’s at home.

Last season, you had one of my favorite lines from the whole show: “I just want to stop fighting the patriarchy and start helping the matriarchy.”

Nina: Yeah, so many girls message me and say, “I saw the show, and I wanna start skating.” I don’t have to say, “I don’t like men.” I just say that I support men because I feel it works better, and the more numbers that we can get of girls who can skate, then everything will be better in general in the skate world.

‘Betty’ will return to HBO on Friday, June 9 at 11:00 pm EST. The season premiere is on YouTube already.

Over the years it’s become more common than ever for rappers to supplement their music income with investments in business and tech, like Nas striking it big on crypto and Meek Mill following his footsteps. Two of hip-hop’s more successful young rappers are making their own foray into the tech world; Lil Yachty and Bhad Bhabie have made a hefty investment into a new dating app called Lox Club, according to Variety.

As its name suggests, Lox Club bills itself as a private, membership-based dating app for Jewish people with “ridiculously high standards.” In a press release, the app’s founders call it “a virtual speakeasy hidden within an old-school deli and offers users the chance to speak with a real-life matchmaker instead of solely relying on a computer algorithm like most of today’s dating apps.”

Bhad Bhabie and Lil Yachty were connected to the opportunity by their shared agent Adam Kluger’s Scoop Investments, collectively investing $1 million. Kluger previously managed Bhad Bhabie and partnered with her on multiple businesses, while he worked with Yachty on prior ventures such as Yachty’s partnership with Reece’s Puffs cereal. Yachty and Bhad Bhabie have been friends since their shared breakouts, with both rappers appearing in each other’s songs and videos and Yachty acting as a sort of “big brother” and mentor in the music business.

Bhad Bhabie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Jeff Bezos is wasting no time after stepping down as Amazon’s CEO and aiming for a childhood dream, but wow, July is coming soon, and it’s a double header for the guy. Bezos is scheduled to formally relinquish his CEO title on July 5, and two weeks later, he will take on a childhood dream. That is, he will be hopping aboard the first manned rocket-ship flight of his own space company, Blue Origin, with his brother. Well, many Americans are looking forward to taking at least a slight vacation this summer, but yeah, leave it to Jeff Bezos to take things to an extreme.

“Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space,” Bezos wrote on Instagram. “On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend. #GradatimFerociter”

Naturally, Bezos dropped a Latin phrase in there, meaning that he’s gradually taken a step-by-step approach to this next ferocious frontier in his life. Given that his first job (as a teenager) was at a McDonalds, he’s certainly gone places, and USA Today has published details about Jeff’s brother, Mark, who’s worked as an executive at Robin Hood (the anti-poverty charity in NYC, not the controversial stock-brokering app) and has been a long-time volunteer firefighter who’s ready for a new adventure.

As CNN points out, Bezos will be the first billionaire in space, before both Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk:

If all goes according to plan, Bezos — the world’s richest person with a net worth of $187 billion — will be the first of the billionaire space tycoons to experience a ride aboard the rocket technology that he’s poured millions into developing. Not even Elon Musk, whose SpaceX builds rockets powerful enough to enter orbit around Earth, has announced plans to travel to space aboard one of his companies human-worthy crew capsules.

Naturally, there are plenty of jokes out there on social media. That includes jabs about space trips “for fun” and a possible “Amazon fulfillment center on the moon” somehow being in mankind’s future.

Previously, Bezos opened up bidding for anyone who wanted to join the 6-person flight, and the highest bid rose to at least $3.6 million. It’s worth noting that Amazon rarely pays taxes and, in fact, paid a mere 1.2% in 2020 after not having done so since 2016.

Billie Eilish’s new “Lost Cause” video is decidedly casual. The clip shows her and some friends enjoying a day around the house, doing things like playing games, snacking, laughing together, and just enjoying a fun time. The video isn’t entirely freeform, though, as there are some shots where Eilish and company do choreographed dancing. Over the weekend, Eilish shared some behind-the-scenes footage of rehearsal for those scenes, and thanks to her loose and revealing outfit, she experienced some wardrobe malfunctions.

On TikTok, Eilish shared a clip of her and her co-stars practicing the dance routine. At one point, Eilish’s chest is more exposed than she apparently wanted the world to see, so she covered it with an emoji and wrote in text superimposed onto the video, “titties was falling out.” Soon after, she messed up her dance moves and captioned the moment, “forgot the choreo.” Later, Eilish turns around so her back is facing the camera, but she was apparently showing off too much skin in that moment, as she used another emoji cover-up and wrote, “not showing u this.” She had one more revealing moment but elected not to obscure it, just writing, “titties falling out again.”

Meanwhile, Eilish will be teaming up with Amazon for their Prime Day Show later this month, for which she (along with Kid Cudi and HER) will be sharing exclusive performances on Prime Video.

Check out Eilish’s behind-the-scenes video above.

Amorphous grew up beatboxing to Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life” and various Aaliyah songs on the porch of his family’s Philadelphia home, but he never predicted that passion would become his reality. Born Jimir Reece Davis, the 23-year-old is a viral sensation. With a love for producing and filmmaking that stemmed as a toddler, he used Twitter to share his brilliant mash-ups over the past six years.

Amorphous’ knack for uniting generations through melodies caught the attention of artists like Beyoncé (whose team used his 2017 Bey-Z mash-up album on tour) and DVSN (his mash-up of Usher’s “Nice & Slow” was sampled on the R&B duo’s 2020 album A Muse In Her Feelings). The spotlight continued to brighten on the creator, who provided musical comfort throughout the pandemic’s harsher times. Then last November, his mash-up of Rihanna’s 2016 “Kiss It Better” and Luther Vandross’ 1981 classic “Never Too Much” ignited Twitter with over 100,000 likes. Fat Joe and DJ Khaled soon got word of it, and asked Amorphous to hop on Joe’s mash-up-sampling “Sunshine (The Light)”

As he grows into his own artistry, dropping his debut single “Back Together” featuring Kehlani in May, Amorphous wants to make it clear that his talent extends far beyond solely mash-ups. And he plans to prove it with his upcoming debut EP, set to release in early July.

“We’ve known each other for a minute, so you’ve seen me out here grinding. But I think, especially during this time with the pandemic, that energy resonated with a bunch of people,” Amorphous tells UPROXX. “So since I’ve been producing, I’ve incorporated that energy into my original production. You kind of hear that a little bit in ‘Back Together.’ It brings that nostalgic sound, but I still kept it fresh. You can expect pretty much every single track [on the EP] to have a feature on it.”
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Below, UPROXX caught up with Amorphous to discuss his trajectory and how he wants to take over the industry next.

Kehlani’s aura is so inviting, and that energy translated on the record. Did she reach out to you to hop on the song?

She did, which just speaks to her character. The fact that she wanted to be the first person to really work with me meant a lot. When the big Rihanna-Luther mash-up kind of took over on Thanksgiving, I remember we had a little Twitter exchange: “Listen baby, things are about to take off for you. You have no idea.” I really didn’t believe her at first, but then, seven months from that I’m looking at what’s happening with [my career] like, “Damn she was right. Shit’s popping off!” [Laughs]

[Her team] was originally inquiring about something for her own project, and I was obviously honored to hopefully do something for that. But as soon as I came to LA in early February, my team surprised me: “You have a two-day session with Kehlani starting tomorrow.” I was super nervous going in. I mean, it’s Kehlani, it’s my first major studio session. I’ve obviously been in the studio by myself and with friends. But to be working with a major recording artist, I felt a lot of pressure.

So we talked and got to know each other. I started playing some productions I had in the vault that were super moody and I felt like were a bit Kehlani-esque. She loved all of them, but she stopped me in the middle of what I was doing: “Did they tell you what the session was for? I want to be on your project.”

I can imagine your reaction, like “Stop playing!”

I was like, “HUH?” She said, “Don’t feel like you got to just play what you think I was going to like. You’re super talented and you belong here. Let’s challenge ourselves and do something super cool.” So that really opened a lot of doors for me, just confidence-wise. Like, that’s the biggest co-sign you could ever get. So it took a minute for her to break it into my brain that I was leading the session, ‘cause I can be super timid and polite and respectful — as I should be. But she was like, “Jimir, you better tell me what to do!” [Laughs]

I got to co-write with her, which is amazing. It’s really a song about two mature individuals ending a relationship, but not on any bad terms. It’s just like, look, we’re really good friends. I’m there for you when you need me, you can always call me if you’re going through something. That’s what I really loved about it because I don’t think you hear a lot of that in today’s R&B, especially. Everything kind of is like “F you!” and “I’m independent!” Which is great, but I kind of missed that.

That feel-good energy is why people gravitated towards you during the pandemic. We were all going through the motions and between you, DJ D-Nice, and Verzuz, there were really cool moments in music where we had something to look forward to.

Thank you so much. I mean, it was definitely a bit unexpected. You know that I’ve been dropping mash-ups for a minute. But even when that happened, I was in such a depressed state. My grandfather just passed away and I went back home for a month. My friend was like, “You need to get on TikTok”. And I said, “Girl, no. They already be stealing from Black creatives. I don’t even want to support that platform in that kind of way.” But I just decided to do it. I had an Ariana Grande and Nelly Furtado mash-up that blew up all over TikTok. People were actually starting to see the face behind all this stuff that I’ve been doing for the last few years. So when I got back to Orlando where I was living at the time, I had my production equipment and was like, “You know what? Just have a good time.” It was really nothing more than that. It wasn’t any type of that whole marketing thing.

That’s why it worked — there was no ulterior motive behind it.

For sure. It’s a beautiful thing. I’ve gotten so many messages over the months from people. I remember this young lady, she had just undergone surgery that was really, really difficult on her body. She saw the video of me doing the mash-up of Rihanna and Luther Vandross and that made her actually physically get up out the bed. It wasn’t even just about the music. It was about seeing you in your zone, having a good time and smiling. That is the power of what people can do with their lives. You might not think what you’re doing is that impactful. But even the smallest piece of influence that I give to people just warms my heart.

It’s the power of social media. Of course, bad things can come with it. But it’s worked to your advantage.

Just because of Twitter. I think it was from 2016 to November 2020, I had gone from 2,000 to 10,000 [followers], which to me was a lot. It’s not even about the following, but like genuine support from people that shared the music. I’m just very grateful because like you said, social media is such an interesting vortex. One minute they love you and the next minute they can turn on you, but I can’t even think of it like that. I have to think of what I’m doing with my voice and my platform. As long as I’m inspiring someone, that’s all I really care about.

Speaking of the Rihanna and Luther mash-up, I love the full circle moment because your dad introduced you to Luther when you were younger. Then Luther became the catalyst for your career.

So, so beautiful. When I woke up Thanksgiving morning, I was in that little void between sleep and awakeness. I don’t want to sound like Raven Baxter, but I low-key had a vision, you know what I mean? [Laughs] I was in the back of my dad’s car and on the radio was something in that vein of the mash-up. I was like, “That doesn’t exist. So let me get my behind up and do it.” So yeah, my dad grew me up on a lot of Luther Vandross, James Brown, Anita Baker, and Marvin Gaye. My mom was gospel music and then my brother was a lot of ‘90s R&B. So I’ve definitely had multiple generations of music that have influenced me.

My dad is in prison. So when that whole thing happened — I don’t know how he’s been able to see it on social media, I guess word gets around in there — he was very proud of me. He was like, “See I was the one who put you on!” [Laughs] Even with RiRi, I’ve been a huge fan of her since “Pon De Replay.” And when I did the documentary on her [in 2018] —

She followed you after that, right?

Yeah. And I was like, “Oh my God!” I think that just speaks to me as a person. Again, it shows the [music] that influenced me to pull two different generations of music together and make it sound so seamless. That’s what I feel like the best DJs can do.

It’s such an art form as well. It’s quite difficult but I think you have an innate ear for melody.

Which I’m so grateful for. I’ve definitely heard that a lot, not even just interviews, but talking to the leads of major labels. They’ll be like, “I’ve never really heard of a mash-up!” I’m like, “Let me help y’all understand. There’s a huge culture behind it.” So as a producer of original music, mash-ups were something I just kind of did for fun.

I do realize in some ways I am opening even more doors for those kinds of people. But you need to give them the credit and the love that they deserve, even more so than me. Because as much as I have that ear, I look at myself as a producer and filmmaker first. [Mash-ups] are just something I kind of fell into. I feel like there’s so many people that live and breathe it. I guess to an extent I am passionate about it — you see me pumping that stuff out every other day — but I just feel like it’s important for people to recognize what’s happening on TikTok. So I’m always trying to use my platform in whatever kind of way to make sure that everyone in the community is getting something out of it instead of “Jimir is the kid who blew up!”

Would you want to dive into filmmaking even more?

I have gotten some film offers from production companies. That’s always been my end goal, to direct. I’ve written my own scripts and obviously edited my own work. So it takes a minute to develop. And unfortunately, sometimes I’ve had to put it on hold because I have to put out a musical project. It’s gonna be a dual career and I’m super excited. I just know that the moment when I can legit commit to it, which will most likely be early next year, is just going to be the greatest feeling.

The word “amorphous” represents not fitting into a certain box. You’ve definitely executed that by breaking your own boundaries.

I honestly just want people to want to be inspired. Life is just so short, so today just sitting here talking to you, I’m super fulfilled with what I’ve been able to accomplish in my life. I feel like it’s super important to just be content with where you are in life and accept that. What I want people to think of when you look at Amorphous or the name Jimir, is just creative expression. That’s why I chose the name, because like you said, I didn’t want to box myself in.

I do so many different things. I didn’t want to just be known as the “mash-up kid” or a DJ. I’m just Amorphous. I might wake up and write a book one day. I might wake up and start singing. I mean, who knows what going to happen. A lot of people feel like they have to just stick to one thing, There’s so many multifaceted people and you can make it work. You just have to do it on your own terms and not let anyone else try to dictate you.

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

Following the success of his chart-topping hit “Peaches,” Justin Bieber recruited two of Georgia’s finest, Ludacris and Usher — plus, “ambassador of legalization” Snoop Dogg — for an all-star remix of the song he recently performed during the season finale of The Voice.

The remix starts off with Luda in slowed-down love declaration mode. The Georgia State alum (Luda majored in music management) ladles out goopy come-ons, like: “All these candy-coated kisses, you my strawberry shortcake / That ass’ll make me catch a charge and miss the court day / Sweet as honeydew, watch me kneel right in front of you.”

Bieber hands the next verse off to his mentor, Usher, who moved to Atlanta with his family as a teenager to pursue a singing career. “She from Decatur so she got little attitude / She do what she wanna do,” Usher croons. During the part when he sings “I bought a flight, I need her with me / On the west side, she’ll be here tonight,” Usher’s tight, breathy harmonies make the song — they always do.

Snoop Dogg closes out the remix with his signature Yoda-like bars: “Land of the tree, home is the base / Kush in my woods, smokin’ with grace.” It’s delightfully Snoop. The only rapper who can get away with rapping about the virtues of California zen — “a lot of money, weed, and patience” — in a song about a different state altogether.

“Peaches” is the fifth single from Bieber’s album sixth studio album, Justice. When the album was released last March, it made Bieber the first male solo singer to debut at No. 1 on both song and album charts simultaneously. Bieber’s Justice World Tour launches in February 2022.

Check out the “Peaches” remix above.