Month: December 2021

For months, Ed Sheeran has been teasing a new Christmas song with Elton John, and now, their holiday tune, succinctly titled “Merry Christmas,” has arrived. The two were clearly going after the classic Christmas vibe, as the song has plenty of bells and cheery hooks. At the same time, though, it addresses hardship, as Sheeran sings on the chorus, “So just keep kissin’ me under the mistletoe / Pour out the wine, let’s toast and pray for December snow / I know there’s been pain this year, but it’s time to let it go / Next year, you never know.”

Sheeran recently explained that the song came about after John noticed his his 1973 track “Step Into Christmas” on the charts in 2020. Sheeran said, “He rung me on Christmas Day and he said, ”Step Into Christmas’ is No. 6 on the charts, and I’m 74, and I’m still having f*cking chart hits, this is great! I want to do another Christmas song, will you do it with me?’”

Sheeran later noted he couldn’t believe the song’s simple title wasn’t already taken by another song, saying, “We write it and I title it ‘Merry Christmas,’ and I’m like, ‘We’re going to have to change that title because there’s probably loads of songs called ‘Merry Christmas.” I went on Spotify and I typed in ‘Merry Christmas’: nothing. There’s ‘Merry Christmas, Everyone,’ there’s ‘Happy Xmas,’ there’s ‘Merry Xmas,’ there’s ‘War Is Over.’ There was not a song called ‘Merry Christmas.’ And then I went on YouTube and checked it out and it baffled me. It’s kind of like this glitch in a video game where no one’s thought to… yeah.”

Watch the “Merry Christmas” video above.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The success Blxst has attained this year began with the work he released to the world to close 2020. His No Love Lost project, and its deluxe reissue, put the West Coast singer on the map as one of the latest artists to catch the attention of R&B world. This would kick off a streak of impressive releases that continued all throughout 2021. Now, with just a few weeks left in the year, Blxst submits another track to appear on his portfolio for the year.

He returns with “About You,” his first solo track in over a year, and on it, he dedicates his time to a new love interest who seems to doubt his commitment to their growing love. Blxst promises that his focus is on her and her only, and while she may have had bad experiences with love in the past, he assures her that this time will be different.

Blxst’s latest release comes after he and fellow West Coaster Bino Rideaux reunited for Sixtape 2 earlier this year. The project came complete with 12 songs that showed how much the duo improved since dropping Sixtape in 2019. Blxst also teamed up with Snoop Dogg for “Go To War” and stopped by The Tonight Show With Starring Jimmy Fallon to play a high school chamber in his video for “Chosen” with Ty Dolla Sign and Tyga.

You can listen to “About You” in the video above.

Ty Dolla Sign is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Saweetie has left her fans waiting for her anticipated debut album, Pretty B*tch Music, for the past six months as the Bay Area native delayed it from its original June release. For what it’s worth, Saweetie has continued to release plenty of music despite the delay. This includes her Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1 project and her latest single, “Icy Chain.” With that being said, it looks like the wait for Pretty B*tch Music will continue as Saweetie announced a different project that’s set to arrive next month.

During a conversation led by journalist Gerrick Kennedy on Thursday, Saweetie said she plans to release a new project, Icy Season, next month on January 7. Tomás Mier, a music writer at People confirmed the news in a tweet, adding that Saweetie “promises collabs galore and considers the new record to be the ‘pretty b*tch bible.’”

The news comes after she contributed “Get It Girl,” a bouncy record that finds her comfortable in her confident pocket, to the soundtrack for the fifth season of Issa Rae’s Insecure. She also made her debut on Saturday Night Live where she performed “Icy Chain” and a medley of “Tap In” and “Best Friend.”

You can hear Saweetie talk about Icy Season in the video above.

Icy Season is out 1/7 via ICY/Warner Records.

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

While it’s been two years since Cordae released an album, the DMV rapper has made the wait for his next full-length release more than bearable. Between a collection of strong singles and guest features, Cordae has supplied his fans with plenty of music to ease the wait for his second album, From A Birds Eye View. That streak continues with his latest single, “Sinister.” The track pairs the young spitter with a hip-hop veteran, Lil Wayne, as the two strike fire for an impressive lyrical onslaught.

The new track arrives with a matching visual that sees Cordae and Wayne lead a well-orchestrated revolution. Similar to what the likes of Malcolm X and Fred Hampton might have done back in the back, the two rappers stand in front of fellow group members to lead a charge against the oppressor. Through it all, Cordae and Wayne deliver very sharp verses that only build anticipation for what will appear on From A Birds Eye View.

“Sinister” arrives after Cordae lent a verse to Nas’ “Life Is Like A Dice Game” and a remix of Eminem’s “Killer” with Jack Harlow. Cordae also dropped off his Just Until EP with Young Thug and Q-Tip earlier this year.

You can listen to “Sinister” in the video above.

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

It’s been a couple of years since Khalid delivered a project to the world. His last release, his sophomore project Free Spirit, arrived in the spring of 2019, and since then, the Forth Worth singer has released a bunch of singles while he continues to craft his third album. That upcoming project, Everything Is Changing isn’t ready for a release yet, but to feed his patiently waiting fans, Khalid returns with his latest tape, Scenic Drive. “Been waiting for this one and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it,” he wrote in a tweet to announce the project last month and now it’s finally here.

The project is highlighted by its lead single which also features Smino and Ari Lennox. The trio brings their talents together for an enticing record focused on escaping to a better place with your partner. Khalid, Ari, Smino each detail the best aspects of their respective partners that they love to run away to. Elsewhere on the project, Lucky Daye, 6lack, Kiana Lede, JID, Majid Jordan, Quin, and Alicia Keys all make appearances throughout the nine songs that appear on Scenic Drive.

Prior to releasing Scenic Drive, Khalid spoke about the struggles and pressures behind making a new body of work. “I only wanna be the artist I want to be, because creating is what keeps me from losing my mind but my passion goes away a little more every day, he wrote on Twitter. “I just want to finish this album and it’s really driving me crazy at this point.” He concluded, “I’m gonna refocus, finish this album without stress, and put out something that I truthfully believe in.”

You can listen to “Scenic Drive” in the video above.

Scenic Drive is out now via RCA Records. Get it here.

Majid Jordan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The music world is just a week away from the release of Juice WRLD’s second posthumous album, Fighting Demons. It’s a project that was announced by the late rapper’s mother Ms. Carmela Wallace and his estate last month. “He left behind an astonishingly deep catalog of music that will ensure his fans will have new songs to listen to for years to come,” Wallace wrote in a statement. “Jarad was always searingly honest about his struggles and through his musical genius he articulated what was on his heart and mind vividly through his art.”

The latest track to get pulled from that “astonishingly deep catalog of music” is Juice’s “Wandered To LA” with Justin Bieber. The new song sees both artists wide-eyed and curious for the good and bad things that await them in the future. “Wandered To LA” is the second single from Fighting Demons as Juice’s team released “Already Dead,” an eerie single, to kick off the project’s promotional campaign last month.

“Wandered To LA” comes after Ms. Carmela Wallace shared a heartbreaking birthday letter to the late rapper who would have turned 23 years old on December 2. “If you were here, I am sure that I would have said something like how it seemed like just yesterday that you were born,” she wrote in part. ” I know that I would have told you how proud I was of the man you became and your commitment to changing lives. I miss celebrating your birthday and all the good times that we shared. I have so many wonderful memories of you that will live in my heart forever.”

You can listen to Juice and Bieber’s “Wandered To LA” above.

Fighting Demons is out 12/10 via Interscope. Pre-order it here.

Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi are more or less a year removed from the release of their most recent albums, those being Positions and Man On The Moon III: The Chosen. In the months that have followed, both artists have contributed to a collection of songs, and now, Grande and Cudi connect for their first collaboration. The track is titled “Just Look Up” and it appears in the newly-released Netflix film, ironically titled Don’t Look Up. The track is quite the majestic and captivating release that makes for an very satisfying combination from two artists who are quite different.

Don’t Look Up arrives on Netflix complete with an A-list cast that includes Grande, Cudi, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, and more. Lawrence spoke about meeting Grande while shooting the film during a conversation with Vanity Fair. Lawrence said Grande “plays a pop star named Riley Bina And that was, like, one of the coolest days of my life. I took a picture with her—I looked like a radio contest winner. She couldn’t be nicer.”

Elsewhere, Grande also delivered a great cover of Britney Spears’ “Oops I Did It Again.” As for Cudi, he recently honored the late Virgil Abloh with a touching Instagram post. He also teamed up with Willow and Travis Barker for a remix of their “Transparent” collaboration.

You can listen to “Just Look Up” in the video above

For the past year and a half, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s Verzuz hits battle series has been more of a celebration of rap’s classic artists and songs than an actual head-to-head competition. However, tonight’s battle between Cleveland’s Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Memphis’ Three 6 Mafia in Los Angeles quickly turned from a metaphorical matchup into a physical brawl that threatened to derail the whole event.

Apparently, some trash talk between the two groups escalated when Bone Thugs member Bizzy Bone took some of the slights personally (you can see a heated Instagram post he dropped earlier today below). He stopped the show to tell Three 6, “You ugly motherf*ckers ain’t finna be mockin’ me while I’m on stage.” When Juicy J told him to “shut the f*ck up,” Bizzy lost his cool, slinging what looked like a water bottle at him and prompting the Memphis crew to rush to Bone’s side of the stage (if you look carefully, even the DJs nearly got involved.

However, it appears cooler heads prevailed and the groups were separated. Eventually, Bizzy returned to the stage and apologized, shaking hands with Juicy J before the show resumed.

The show is currently in full swing, with Three 6 Mafia bringing out strippers and offering attendees lap dances, while it appears that both crews are once again having fun and proving that hip-hop in the ’90s was way more than just New York and LA, with guests including Lil Jon and Lil Wayne popping out to perform some of their more recent hits.

On Dec. 17, 1991, the Cleveland Cavaliers decimated the Miami Heat by a 68-point margin to set a new NBA record for the largest margin of victory. The record stood for nearly three decades but, just 15 days shy of 30 years later, a new baseline has been established. The Memphis Grizzlies walloped the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday evening, setting a new standard with what became a 152-79 victory for the home team at FedEx Forum.

As one may imagine, the Grizzlies dominated the proceedings virtually from the opening tip. Memphis won each quarter by 15 points or more, holding the Thunder to just 5-of-23 shooting in the opening period to take a 31-16 lead. The margin then grew with a 41-20 thrashing in the second quarter, as the Grizzlies shot 77 percent and converted 5-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc. At the halftime break, Memphis was doubling Oklahoma City on the scoreboard at 72-36, and the onslaught didn’t stop.

The third quarter represented Oklahoma City’s best offensive stretch of the game, as the Thunder scored 26 points and made four three-pointers. Unfortunately for Oklahoma City, Memphis was also pouring it on offensively, with the Grizzlies converting seven triples, shooting 61 percent and scoring 41 points. Then, the Grizzlies put together what was actually their most dominant stretch of the entire evening, using a 32-5 run at the start of the fourth quarter to take a 78-point (!) lead with only three minutes remaining in the game.

When the score was 145-67, it seemed as if the Grizzlies might actually score more than double the amount of points that the Thunder produced. Oklahoma City scored 12 points in the final 2:52, the team’s best offensive stretch of the evening, and the visitors avoided that fate, but the final margin of 73 points certainly tells the story of just how lopsided this was for four quarters.

Statistically, the game was also remarkable in many ways. Nine players scored in double figures for Memphis, led by Jaren Jackson with 27 points, and the Grizzlies did it all without Ja Morant. As a team, the Grizzlies shot 62.5 percent from the floor and 19-of-36 (52.8 percent) from three-point range, racking up a whopping 41 assists and also securing 14 offensive rebounds on only 36 missed shots. On the other end, Oklahoma City shot just 32.9 percent from the floor and 28.9 percent from long distance, committing 20 turnovers and generally flailing.

For good measure, there were also wild individual numbers in the +/- column. Thunder guard Luguentz Dort posted a -53 in 25 minutes, and no member of OKC’s roster (which was without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey for the night) finished better than -18 in the game. Grizzlies rookie Santi Aldama finished +52 in less than 29 minutes of action, and five players on the Memphis roster finished at +39 or better in the game.

All told, it is difficult to fully describe the annihilation that took place here, and in truth, the 73-point margin could’ve been worse if not for the late push by OKC. After the final buzzer, the Thunder at least attempted to act as if it was business as usual, releasing a “final score” tweet for the ages.

This record may not stand for nearly 30 years as the previous mark did, but anyone who tuned in to Grizzlies-Thunder on Thursday was presented with a result to remember for a long time.

Alec Baldwin gave his first public interview on Thursday since the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie Rust. “Someone is responsible for what happened,” he told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. “And I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

Baldwin claims that the film’s first assistant director, Dave Halls, handed him an antique Colt .45 revolver and told him, “This is a cold gun,” an industry term for a firearm that does not contain live rounds. “Now, what happened there, and why he made that statement, and what the realities were, I have, again, I have no idea,” the actor said (Halls’ lawyer “would not confirm” if her client was the one who handed Baldwin the gun).

Gun in hand, Baldwin said he and Hutchins began blocking out the scene. She was directing his every move: “Everything is at her direction… This was a marking rehearsal. And [Hutchins] says to me, ‘Hold the gun lower. Go to your right. Okay, right there. All right, do that. Now show it a little bit lower.’ And she’s getting me to position the gun… She’s guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle. I’m holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which ended up being aimed right below her armpit.”

Baldwin is adamant that he “didn’t pull the trigger.” Instead, he asserts he “let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off… I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them.” His first thought when he saw Hutchins hit the ground was, “Did she faint?” It took 45 minutes to “dawn” on him that there was a live round in the gun.

Later in the interview, Baldwin was asked about comments made by George Clooney, who told Marc Maron that it would be “insane” for someone to not check a prop gun for live rounds. “There were a lot of people who felt it necessary to contribute some comment to the situation, which really didn’t help the situation at all. If your protocol is you checking the gun every time, well, good for you. Good for you,” he said, adding, “My protocol was to trust the person that had the job. And it worked up until this point.”

Baldwin’s interview with Stephanopoulos will be available on Hulu.

(Via ABC News)