Month: February 2022

In recent years, Ye (aka Kanye West) has been open about dealing with bipolar disorder. Perhaps most notably, on his 2018 Ye track “Yikes,” he says, “That’s my bipolar sh*t, n****, what? / That’s my superpower, n****, ain’t no disability.” Since then, though, some people have decided to use his mental health against him and Ye is tired of it.

In an Instagram post last night, Ye called out Billie Eilish for seemingly dissing Travis Scott’s handling of the Astroworld Festival tragedy, when she paused a recent concert because a fan was having an urgent health issue. “I wait for people to be OK until I keep going,” Eilish said on stage. Ye noted, “I NEED BILLIE TO APOLOGIZE BEFORE I PERFORM.”

(Eilish responded, by the way.)

He followed that post quickly by sharing a screenshot of a comment that’s presumably representative of many comments he received on the previous post and others over the years. The user wrote, “Man’s off the meds album gonna go crazy.” Ye captioned the post, “THE WORLD IS RACIST SEXIST HOMOPHOBIC AND CRAZY PHOBIC AT OUR CORE ITS CHEAP AND DISMISSIVE TO SAY IM OFF MY MEDS ANYTIME I SPEAK UP PHOBIA IN THIS SENSE DOESN’T MEAN BEING AFRAID OF IT MEANS NOT GIVING POWER TO LETS BE MORE CONSCIOUS AND NOT WRITE EACH OTHER OFF SO EASILY.”

Indeed, some comments on the Eilish-targeted post use Ye’s mental health for punchlines. Examples include, “why is kanye having his midlife crisis on instagram feed,” “Bro has lost his mind,” “are u good?,” “oh he’s really lost it,” “Lmao u r manic beyond compare,” “take your meds baby,” and “Kanye take your meds pls…”

(Spoilers for Netflix’s Inventing Anna will be found below.)

Inventing Anna is a dramatization of the real-life story of Anna Sorokin, a.k.a. “Anna Delvey.” It’s heavily inspired by Jessica Pressler’s New York magazine profile called “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People.” Shondaland did this story up to showcase the dastardly financial deeds of Delvey, who is now languishing in ICE custody on a visa violation after serving time at both Rikers Island (19 months) and Albion Correctional Facility (21 months following her sentence, beginning in 2019).

What happened to all of the people that Anna defrauded, though? There are bankers and investors and hotel chains and friends, all of whom made the mistake of loaning money to a master con artist. Let’s talk about where a few of these defrauded and/or tricked people are these days:

– Rachel DeLoache Williams (portrayed by Katie Lowes): Oh, Rachel. She’s the character who wrote up her story in Vanity Fair (this really happened) and who ended up in truly dangerous, intense, arms-of-the-chair-gripping circumstances in Morocco after Anna failed to come through with any sort of luxury-resort payment card. Rachel ended up putting expenses on both her personal and professional credit cards, which caused her problems in both arenas. Most recently, she penned a TIME editorial about how she felt that the Netflix show was a mistake, and in doing so, she declared that she’d optioned her own story to HBO.

– Kacy Duke (portrayed by Laverne Cox): The take-no-prisoners personal trainer to the rich and famous, and she’s still doing her thing. Unlike Rachel, Kacy ended up leaving Morocco before the sh*t really hit the fan, and sure, she ended up helping Anna in a few smaller ways (compared to Rachel), and at this point, she appears to hold no sympathy for her former friend’s plight. Kacy’s still personal training and basically living her best life. In other words, she got off the Anna train while the getting was good.

– Neff (portrayed by Alexis Floyd: Neff’s real-life name is Nefferati Davis, and she’s the hotel clerk that was incredibly connected and enjoyed when Anna “made it rain” with all of those $100 tips. She befriended Anna while working at the Soho’s 11 Howard hotel, and to this date, Neff and Anna remain friends. That’s sort-of to be expected, given Neff’s defiantly supportive stance throughout the show, but girl, be careful.

– Billy McFarland (portrayed by Ben Rappaport): You vaguely know the name. This is the grifter responsible for the ridiculous Fyre Festival of 2017. In 2018, he received a six-year prison sentence and later landed his butt in solitary confinement for starting a tell-all podcast. And he and Anna totally deserved each other, even if the limited series showed that she wasn’t too impressed by him at all. I guess it takes one to know one?

Inventing Anna is streaming on Netflix.

After building up their names in the hip-hop world, Mozzy and Roddy Ricch are supplying us with their first collaboration together. It comes after Mozzy connected with YG for their Kommunity Service album, which he followed with his solo effort Untreated Trauma some months later. Roddy Ricch also dropped an album in 2021, with his sophomore release Live Life Fast arriving in December. Now, Mozzy and Roddy bring their talents together for “Real Ones.”

The track is a somber release that finds both rappers paying tribute to the real ones that they’ve lost in their lives. Whether it be that they’re incarcerated or deceased, Mozzy and Roddy’s new single is certainly an honorable release to remember their friends. The track arrives after Yo Gotti announced that Mozzy would be joining the Collective Music Group (CMG) roster alongside Moneybagg Yo, 42 Dugg, EST Gee, Blac Youngsta, and others. It also arrives after Mozzy teamed with Kalan.FrFr in a video for their “Whole 100” collaboration.

As for Roddy, he recently delivered collaborations with 2 Chainz and Gunna. He was also set to perform on Saturday Night Live, but he postponed his set due to a COVID-19 exposure that occurred on his team.

You can listen to “Real Ones” in the video above.

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

Orville Peck has slowly been surely been building his own gay country empire — a shoegaze-y cowboy with a soft spot for Dolly Parton? What’s not to love! It sure doesn’t help that bonafide star Lil Nas X was getting into the same lane right around the time Peck was coming into his own, but while Nas was happy to use his “Old Town Road” fame to pivot back toward pop and hip-hop sounds, Peck is decidedly country. It sure doesn’t hurt that his music caught the attention of the likes of Harry Styles, either, and now he’s got another full-length project coming.

His new album, Bronco, will be out on April 8, and he’s introducing it with the campy lead single, “C’mon Baby, Cry.” This album follows up his debut, Pony, and the follow-up EP, Show Pony. But Peck said he thinks this is his best work so far. “This is my most impassioned and authentic album to date,” he said in a press release. “I was inspired by country rock, ’60s & ’70s psychedelic, California and bluegrass with everything being anchored in country. Bronco is all about being unrestrained and the culmination of a year of touring, writing in isolation and going through and ultimately emerging from a challenging personal time.”

The album will be released in three chapters over the next few weeks, with the first chapter dropping tonight, which includes “C’mon Baby, Cry;” “Daytona Sand;” “Outta Time” and “Any Turn.” Check out the full tracklist below and the video for “C’mon Baby, Cry” up above.

Bronco tracklist:

1. “Daytona Sand”
2. “The Curse Of The Blackened Eye”
3. “Outta Time”
4. “Lafayette”
5. “C’mon Baby, Cry”
6. “Iris Rose”
7. “Kalahari Down”
8. “Bronco”
9. “Trample Out The Days”
10. “Blush”
11. “Hexie Mountains”
12. “Let Me Drown”
13. “Any Turn”
14. “City Of Gold”
15. “All I Can Say”

Bronco will be out 4/8 via Columbia Records. Pre-order it here.

Future is one of the many artists in the music world who’s been deemed toxic by listeners. A large reason for that came after the release of his 2017 album Hndrxx which was filled with toxicity from top to bottom (take “My Collection” for example). After some years as one of the trap kings of Atlanta, Future is back to reclaim his toxic crown and it comes just in time for Valentine’s Day. Future returns with “Worst Day” and it finds him sharing the problems he experiences on the romantic holiday.

The rapper admits that because of his polygamous ways, which finds him entertaining multiple women at a time, Valentine’s Day tends to be a chaotic holiday for him, so much so that he deems it the worst day. In a music video he released with the song, which features an appearance from Kevin Samuels, Future displays the struggles he experiences on Valentine’s Day. Multiple dates, multiple gifts, and the need to stretch himself thin trying to satisfy all of his partners are just some of the things he goes through on February 14.

Future’s latest single is presumable the first offering from his upcoming ninth album, however, it could also just be a loosie he released for Valentine’s Day. It’s been almost two years since Future released a solo album, that being High Off Life, so hopefully he has one on the way.

You can watch the video for “Worst Day” above.

In what was one of the more unexpected collaborations of 2021, Fivio Foreign and Kanye West struck magic on Donda. The two, along with Playboi Carti, joined forces on “Off The Grid” and the track turned out to be one of the year’s favorite hip-hop records. Kanye later admitted that he recruited Fivio for the song after hearing his impressive freestyle on Funk Flex’s radio show. Now, the two have connected for another song and this time, it sees Fivio leading the way and Kanye supplying a guest verse with help from Alicia Keys.

The trio puts their talents together for “City Of God.” The track is carried by drill production and Alicia Keys’ interpolation of The Chainsmokers’ “New York City,” which serves as the hook for the song. Fivio lays two hard-hitting verses before Kanye arrives to lay a lengthy verse to close out the song, which also features ad-libs from Playboi Carti. For over two minutes, Kanye drops direct and indirect references to the Chicago Bulls, Pete Davidson,SNL, Justin LaBoy, Drake, Donda, Donda 2, College Dropout, and more. He also declares that his contribution to the song will be the best verse of 2022.

In addition to the new song, Fivio revealed that his debut album, B.I.B.L.E., will be released on March 25 and feature executive production from Kanye himself. Fivio also noted that the album will be dedicated to his friend and long-time collaborator Tahjay “T Dott” Dobson.

You can press play on “City Of Gods” in the video above.

Though she’s already found her niche as an actress, and like most Gen-Z stars has been blowing up on TikTok, 2022 is the year that Dove Cameron breaks out as a musician. With numerous roles in the Marvel universe and in the Descendants series, Cameron got her start on the Disney Channel, like plenty of other present day pop stars (Ari and Selena, anyone?). Though she’s released several soundtrack albums, a handful of singles, tons of pop covers, and even gone out on tour, her latest song, “Boyfriend,” feels much more focused than her past work. And Dove herself agrees.

“In writing ‘Boyfriend,’ I feel like I finally found my sound, my perspective and myself in a way I wasn’t sure I ever would,” she said in a press release. “I am so immensely happy to have this song and this part of me out in the world. I hope you feel access to yourself when you listen to it too.”

Highlighting her queerness, the new single emphasizes the speaker telling the object of their affection just how much better a partner they’d be than their current boyfriend. As in, maybe what the girl in question needs… is a girlfriend. It’s dramatic and dark, and hits like a queer James Bond anthem. “Boyfriend” will definitely put Dove on the map in a new way, and might just turn her into one of your new favorite rising pop stars.. Check it out above.

Nicki Minaj is wasting no time going to work in 2022. After going nearly a year without any new music, Nicki is back in action and she’s gearing up to release her long-awaited fifth album, and she takes another step in promoting it with her second single of the year. Nicki reunites with Lil Baby for “Bussin,” their second collaboration of the year. The track, which was previewed at the end of Nicki’s music video for her previous single, “Do We Have A Problem?” with Lil Baby, sees her laying down a quick rap flow over a hard-hitting beat. On it, she brags about the surplus of money, luxury cars, and more.

So far, Nicki is off to a great start in 2022, which was kicked off by the release of “Do We Have A Problem?” The song was released with a lengthy music video that also featured an appearance from Joseph Sikora who plays Tommy Egan on Power and Power Book IV: Force. After she released the single, Nicki had a few highlight moments in the entertainment world in the week that followed.

During an appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden, Nicki delivered quite the impressive Adele impression. She also cleared the air with City Girls’ JT and Yung Miami after the artists spent the last few years not seeing eye to eye.

You can scroll up to watch the video for “Bussin.”

Nobody loves a holiday release more than Kim Petras. The pop star is infamous for her Halloween projects, but this year, she decided to be sweet and drop a little something for Valentine’s Day. Her new EP, Slut Pop, is heralded as a “sex-positive” release and dropped in full tonight. Packed with gems such as “Treat Me Like A Slut, the title track “Slut Pop,” “XXX” and “Throat Goat” — which sounds like a Slayyyter song tbh — this new material is definitely in line with her latest single, “Coconuts,” which is, uh, not about fruit.

Still, it should be clear for fans who are familiar with Petras’ very prolific release style that “Coconuts” and the single she used to kick off her new era and signing to Republic Records, “Future Starts Now,” are from her upcoming album. None of the Slut Pop material is part of that more official release. According to a press release, this is just a reminder of how no one should be stigmatized for being sexual. Kim teased the new release with a tweet yesterday that shared the cover art and tracklist on a very retro CD. She also teased the title track “Slut Pop” on Twitter. Check out “Slut Pop” up above or stream the full EP below.

(Spoilers for Netflix’s Inventing Anna will be found below.)

Shondaland’s newest show, Inventing Anna, has arrived on Netflix, and with it, the story of Anna Sorokin, a.k.a. “Anna Delvey.” It’s a fascinating portrait of a con artist as a young woman, and Julia Garner’s great in it. She’s got a very un-Ozark-like accent going on, mostly German-sounding but with a touch of Russian, and this dramatized story is inspired by Jessica Pressler’s New York magazine piece called “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People.”

The series actually shows Anna going further than that. She tricks bankers and high-society mainstays that aren’t necessarily party people. She even tricks Vivian (who’s based upon Pressler) into empathizing with her plight, and this was all part of a long game that eventually landed Anna in prison. Her many victims (including friends, investors, mentors, and hotels) were left with unpaid debts while Anna supposedly went to pay her debt to society at large. What’s going on with Anna Delvey now, though?

The faux heiress is no longer out there passing $100 bills to anyone with whom she comes into contact. She’s also no longer asking her marks for money to cover these supposedly generous acts while claiming that she’s waiting on a wire transfer or clearance on a multi-million-dollar bank loan for the Anna Delvey Foundation while piggybacking from victim to victim. Instead, Anna Delvey is still in custody. Mind you, she’s not in prison any longer (she was sentenced to 4-12 years behind bars with credit for time already served). She ended up at both Rikers Island (19 months) and Albion Correctional Facility (21 months following her sentence, beginning in 2019), and then she emerged to declare that time to (as she told Insider) “a huge waste of time.”

Anna emerged on parole in February 2021, but she’s not a free woman. Instead, she landed at an ICE detention center in New York after she overstayed her visa. In January, she tested positive for Covid-19 and declared, “I’m sure I’ll live, but I haven’t been this sick in years.” She currently remains in ICE custody.

Inventing Anna is streaming on Netflix.