Month: June 2021

Since releasing his debut album, Baby On Baby in March 2019, DaBaby has wasted little time between projects. The rapper doubled back a little over seven months later with his sophomore effort, Kirk. In April 2020, just under seven months after his second album, DaBaby once again reappeared with a new full-length effort, his No. 1 album, Blame It On Baby. At this point, it’s been well over a year since the North Carolina rapper has dropped an album so it’s only right that we expect its arrival in the near future. Thanks to the rapper’s second single in as many weeks, it appears that its release could be just around the corner.

DaBaby is back with his latest single, “Red Light, Green Light.” It’s a track that captures the rapper showing off his luxury vehicles as well as bragging about their quick speeds. “I like my Lamborghinis ’cause they drive fast,” he raps at one point on the song adding, “But the Maybach is probably my favorite whip.”

The rapper’s new song comes just a week after he shared “Ball If I Want To,” a braggadocios track that arrived as a defiant declaration towards excellence. Prior to that, he joined Yo Gotti for “Drop” and Polo G for “Party Lyfe.”

You can listen to “Red Light, Green Light” in the video above.

Tyler The Creator turned to a new chapter in his career with the 2019 release of Igor, the rapper’s fifth album. It saw him truly putting his artistry on display in the way that he wanted to. Luckily for him, it all paid off as the album would go on to win Rap Album Of The Year at the 2020 Grammys despite Tyler’s ill sentiments with the honor. That’s all in the past now as he’s returned with his latest album, Call Me If You Get Lost.

Across the project’s 16 songs, an eye-catching track on Call Me If You Get Lost comes on “Juggernaut” with Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell. The track is a bass-knocking number that’s equally chaotic and erratic as it is energetic and bouncy. This is thanks in large part raucous placement of the song’s drums that provide a unique landscape for the three rappers to lay their bars on.

Altogether on Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler invites 42 Dugg, Ty Dolla Sign, NBA Youngboy, Lil Wayne, Teezo Touchdown, Domo Genesis, Brent Faiyaz, Daisy World, and Fana Hues. The project was also led by two singles: “Lumberjack” and “Wusyaname.”

You can press play on “Juggernaut” in the video above.

Call Me If You Get Lost is out now via A Boy Is a Gun/Columbia. Get it here.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The wait is finally over. After teasing her third album, Planet Her for the better part of the last year, Doja Cat has finally graced her fans with its release. The project arrives after she spent most of 2020 promoting songs from her second album, Hot Pink. This includes the chart-topping “Say So” and the TikTok favorite “Streets.” All of that is in the past now as Doja begins the third chapter of her career for Planet Her with a brand new video for “You Right” with The Weeknd.

The new track is also accompanied by a majestic video that follows Doja as she walks through an elegant palace as she details her desires for a man despite being in a relationship with another one. Planet Her was led by two singles, “Kiss Me More” with SZA and “Need To Know.” The former was an effort that submitted itself onto the list of song of the summer contenders. The duo also performed it at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. The latter was a track Doja delivered to hold fans over until the album’s release. All in all, Planet Her arrives with additional features from Young Thug, Ariana Grande, and JID.

As for what’s next, Doja will soon make an appearance in the second season of Lil Dicky’s TV show, Dave, and take the stage alongside Justin Bieber, Lil Baby, and more for the Made In America festival.

You can watch the video for “You Right” above.

Planet Her is out now via RCA Records. Get it here.

The Phoenix Suns held serve at home to begin the 2021 Western Conference Finals, punctuated by a walk-off win in Game 2 over the Los Angeles Clippers. On Thursday evening, the Clippers attempted to avoid a disastrous 3-0 deficit in the series, taking on a Suns team that was set to benefit from the return of Chris Paul from a two-game absence in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Los Angeles trailed at the halftime break, but they put the pedal down in the third quarter, riding the wave to a 106-92 victory.

In a carryover from Game 2, the opening period was close-fought, with offense driving things at the outset and defense taking its turn late in the period. Los Angeles scored the final six points of the period to take a 29-21 lead, becoming the first team to take any modicum of control on the scoreboard.

Paul and Devin Booker combined to miss all nine of their field goal attempts in the first quarter, partially explaining Phoenix’s offensive shortcomings. Los Angeles was just 3-of-13 from long distance in their own right, but they generated stops and received welcomed contributions from Ivica Zubac with seven points and seven rebounds in his first ten minutes of action.

Though Paul and Booker continued to scuffle from a shooting standpoint, the Suns made their first run of the game early in the second quarter. Phoenix zoomed to a 14-4 spurt to claim the lead, and they benefitted considerably from four turnovers from the Clippers, including three in a disastrous stint from Rajon Rondo.

The Suns maintained a small lead for the majority of the second quarter and carried it into halftime. Part of that could be attributed to the Clippers missing 12 consecutive three-point attempts, but Phoenix’s defense was strong in holding Los Angeles to 36.6 percent shooting overall. From there, the Clippers failed to take advantage of an off-brand shooting performance from both Paul and Booker, and Paul George’s late dunk only managed to cut the deficit to two for Los Angeles.

During halftime, the Suns announced that early-series hero Cameron Payne would miss the second half with an ankle issue, putting the Suns behind the eight-ball in terms of their rotation. Though it didn’t happen immediately, the Clippers threw the first haymaker of the second half, scoring ten consecutive points to take a 60-53 advantage. Six of those points came in succession from Terance Mann, who continues to enjoy an impressive playoff run.

Shortly after, Booker picked up his fourth foul, capping an unfortunate run of three personal fouls in fewer than two minutes. As Booker headed to the bench, he picked up a double technical foul with Patrick Beverley.

With Booker sidelined, the Clippers continued to build their lead. Los Angeles put together a 21-3 onslaught, turning a narrow deficit into a 71-56 advantage.

Phoenix did respond, climbing back within a seven-point margin in the final minute of the third. The Clippers ended with a flourish, though, with Luke Kennard burying a three-pointer and George knocking down a halfcourt heave to put Los Angeles up by 11 with 12 minutes left.

The home team kept it rolling to start the fourth, eventually building an 18-point lead. At that point, it seemed as if the Clippers may run away and hide, but the Suns promptly scored 12 straight points, trimming the margin to 89-83 and injecting uncertainty into the proceedings with seven minutes remaining. Los Angeles had another counter, though, and they were able to extend the advantage back to 11 points in short order.

The Suns were unable to mount a serious challenge from that point forward, with the Clippers cruising to the finish to secure their first win of the series. George struggled from the floor, shooting 9-of-26, but he was exquisite in terms of floor game, putting up 27 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. Reggie Jackson continued his red-hot play with 23 points, with Mann (12 points, five rebounds) bringing energy and Zubac adding a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds.

For the Suns, this is the team’s first loss since May 27, a staggering run of success. Phoenix still takes on favorite status in the series, particularly with the uncertainty surrounding Kawhi Leonard, but this game does provide optimism for the Clippers. Still, the Suns can take solace in a relatively competitive game on a night when neither Booker nor Paul had their fastball offensively, combining for a 10-of-40 shooting night that tells much of the story from Thursday.

The series will continue with Game 4 on Saturday evening at Staples Center. Los Angeles will again be in a pressure-packed scenario, but they seemingly found life on Thursday, adding even more intrigue to what should be a pivotal contest over the weekend.

Rihanna might not have given fans a new album yet, but she’s has given them a new romance to fawn over. The singer and ASAP Rocky are the music world’s latest couple and their respective supporters got a decent glimpse at the lovebirds as they were seen walking together on their way to a date in New York City. While many had their eyes on the musicians, their outfits, and even a bouncer for a bar who refused to let the singer in because she forgot her ID, some noticed something small, yet fairly interesting, about Rihanna.

An image of the singer revealed that she turned the matching shark tattoo she received with Drake into a crown. She got the tattoo around September 2016 and weeks later Drake was seen with a matching one on his right arm. This of course occurred when Drake and Rihanna were dating and shared their respective collaborations “Too Good” and “Work.” While it’s unknown when the singer modified the tattoo, Rihanna’s fans had plenty to say about it in a number of posts they shared on Twitter.

One person wrote, “OOP! Rihanna covered up the shark tattoo she got for/with Drake” while another said, “Rihanna covered the shark tattoo…. I know Drake somewhere out there bawling his eyes out.”

As for the new couple that is Rihanna and ASAP Rocky, the latter spoke about the relationship in light detail during a GQ interview. The rapper labeled her as “the love of my life” and dove a bit deeper when he was asked how it feels to be in a relationship. “So much better,” he said. “So much better when you got the One. She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones.”

You can read more comments from fans below.

HBO Max has become something of a haven for cartoon fans in its first few months, with the very excellent Harley Quinn escaping DC’s streaming service and JG Quintel’s Close Enough delighting as well. That’s not to mention all of the great Studio Ghibli projects on the platform as well. But the latest cartoon set for HBO Max brings back a number of famous Hanna Barbera creations for a Yogi Bear-centric series called Jellystone!

Set in a town alongside Yogi’s beloved park, Jellystone! has a much different feel (and sound) in the trailer than the rote stories you may have grown up watching. The show seems ready to dive into a more modern take on absurd cartoon plotlines than simple picnic basket-stealing. But one of the takeaways from the trailer is that Yogi is far from alone in Jellystone!

One of the jokes of the trailer is, well, there are a lot of very well-known characters in Jellystone! that go far beyond the classic Yogi Bear Cinematic Universe. Sure, Yogi is there performing patient care without a medical license, and Boo-Boo and Cindy Bear are also here as well. But everyone from Captain Caveman to Johnny Quest is apparently hanging out in Jellystone looking for some shenanigans to get into.

And there’s also jacked, athletic Yogi playing tennis.

We’ll see just what all those characters get up to when Jellystone! hits HBO Max on July 29.

Brintey Spears saw fans rush to her defense once again on Wednesday after details of her conservatorship hearing were made available to the public. It was here that the singer spoke to a judge for the first time in the thirteen years that conservatorship has existed and asked that it be terminated. She labeled it as “abusive” and added, “I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized. I just want my life back.” She also detailed the restrictive lifestyle it forced her to live.

Her comments resulted in an outpour of support from the music world, which included her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake. On Thursday, for the first time since that hearing, Spears spoke out in a message she shared on Instagram.

“I’m bringing this to peoples attention because I don’t want people to think my life is perfect because IT’S DEFINITELY NOT AT ALL,” she wrote in part under an image that displayed a quote written by Albert Einstein. “And if you have read anything about me in the news this week [newspaper emoji]… you obviously really know now it’s not !!!!

“I apologize for pretending like I’ve been ok the past two years,” Spears wrote. “I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me … but honestly who doesn’t want to capture there Instagram in a fun light.” She concluded, “Believe it or not pretending that I’m ok has actually helped.”

You can read the full statement from Britney in the post above.

The past year hasn’t been the best of times for Tory Lanez. The singer, who once spent heavy time within the mainstream R&B world, would see this popularity quickly vanish after Megan Thee Stallion confirmed that the Canadian act shot her last July. The incident forced Megan to get surgery for her injuries while Tory was later hit with assault and gun charges. It also saw many fans across the music world rightfully turn their backs on the singer, and if you thought those ill feelings faded away a collection of tweets from them in response to a message from Tory has proven otherwise this week.

Tory revealed that he was recently involved in a car accident during an Uber ride in Sherman Oaks, California. “We almost just died,” he said about the matter to his followers. “We got into a car accident in a fu*kin’ Uber. Oh my gosh, bro.”

In a later tweet, he added, “It almost felt like someone knew to crash into us.” After fans caught wind of the news about Tory’s car accident as well as his suspicions about it, many decided that giving him a taste of his own medicine was a better move than sending get well wishes.

One person wrote, “Was yall there to see the accident in the car that he was supposedly in? Gotta hear both sides before we jump to conclusions.” This of course is a reference to Tory denying that he shot Megan and going as far as to question the validity of her claims. Many other fans would share similar responses to the car accident news. Another asked, “Is the car good?” while a third person wrote, “I’m on the cars side! we don’t know everything that happened.”

You can read more responses from fans below.

Megan The Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals gave NBA fans plenty to get excited about, but Marvel enthusiasts got their fill of excitement before the game even started. ESPN gave fans a new trailer for Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings on Thursday night, airing during NBA Countdown before the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers squared off at Staples Center.

The trailer shows our closest look yet at the world of Shang-Chi, laying the groundwork for a young Marvel hero trying to prove his father wrong in what appears to be a film leading to their inevitable showdown.

“Throughout my life the ten rings gave my family power,” a voice says during the trailer, speaking to a young boy. “If you want them to be yours someday you have to show me you’re strong enough to carry their power.”

There are training montages, huge battle scenes and a lot of scaffolding as the trailer jumps from vibrant night scenes to more ancient-looking landscapes. At one point, what looks like a large lion throws a man an absurd distance. Oh, and there’s apparently an underwater dragon encounter.

Awkwafina makes a brief appearance in the trailer beside Simu Liu when speaking about his fruitless attempt to escape his past in San Francisco.

“I thought I could change my name, start a new life,” Shang-Chi says. “But I could never escape his shadow.”

We’ll see just what Shang-Chi has in store for the MCU when The Legend Of The Ten Rings hits theaters on September 3.

On the same day the Dallas Mavericks moved toward hiring Jason Kidd as their new coach, they also are in the processing of hiring a new executive to helm the front office.

Per multiple reports, Dallas is in negotiations with Nike executive Nico Harrison for him to take on a ‘front office leadership position.’ It’s unclear exactly what his title will be, or even who he’ll report to, but, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, he’ll work in tandem with current VP of Basketball Operations Michael Finley and has relationships with both Finley and Kidd — which, considering how the Rick Carlisle-Bob Voulgaris-Donnie Nelson era ended, feels intentional. Per Woj and Marc Stein, negotiations with Harrison, as well as Kidd, are in “advanced stages.”

Woj noted that Harrison has been pursued for several front office jobs in recent years, but has yet to make the leap from Nike where he is currently the Vice President of Basketball in North America and has direct relationships with a number of players. One of those is Doncic, as he reportedly played a major role in Doncic moving from Nike to Jordan in 2019. He was also Kobe Bryant’s sports marketing manager while Bryant was active NBA player.

The move here clearly seems to be about installing a front office figure that Doncic knows and trusts, and, perhaps, knows other elite players via Nike and can play a part in recruiting them to the Mavericks. Doncic had reported friction with Voulgaris (as well as Carlisle) so bringing in a brain trust that he is already comfortable with feels like a major reason why this move is happening.

Will it work? It’s unclear as of now — Dallas has a lot of challenges ahead of it in the next few years in order to build the best team possible around Doncic. But starting by hiring an executive who Doncic knows well seems like a reasonable place to start when the top priority this summer is inking the young superstar to a supermax extension.