The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Russ, Rico Nasty, Sean Paul, Kamaiyah, Wale, and more.

It’s another light week in terms of major releases, but there are a lot of gems that may have passed you by if that weren’t the case. Thus, this is a welcome reprieve from the exhaustion from the middle of April to the middle of May. Let’s enjoy it while we can.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending May 27, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Sean Paul — Scorcha

Who could ever turn down new music from a legend? Sean Paul returns with his eighth studio album, Scorcha. Though he’s nearly 50, the Kingston artist is very tapped into the times with a bop like “Only Fanz” featuring Ty Dolla Sign. Paul even got Gwen Stefani back outside for “Light My Fire” also starring the fast-rising Shenseea. Perfect Memorial Day Weekend energy.

Kamaiyah — Divine Timing

Kamaiyah is back with a 7-song offering titled Divine Timing featuring Sada Baby, Cash Kidd, and Da Boii, previously featured in the column for the single “F.W.I” on this project. If you know anything about Kamaiyah, then it shouldn’t surprise you she is rapping with a purpose here, fitting in time for both fun and vulnerability.

Jayson Cash– Read The Room

New Atlantic signee Jayson Cash wants us to Read The Room. After all that he’s endured, the title is apt and each song aligns with it in some way. “Priority” featuring Blxst handles awareness within a romantic relationship, and “With The Homies” is all about not bothering him when he is with his crew. Cash raps with clarity and the Carson, California DNA oozes through the production and diction.

Maino & Jim Jones– The Lobby Boyz

Jim Jones has truly emerged as an admirable rapper over the years, and his consistency in releases is astounding. The best part is he isn’t afraid to spar either, linking up with Maino for The Lobby Boyz. “Praying” is an immediate standout, with Maino and Jones trading lines on the hook and a short but solid Benny The Butcher verse. Fivio Foreign, Fabolous, Styles P, and Dave East also appear on the project, but the most enjoyable linkup comes in “King Of The City’ featuring fast-rising star Capella Grey on the chorus. It’s big New York energy, meaning confidence galore, spanning across multiple eras.

Rick Hyde — Stima

Rick Hyde dropped off eight new records with his project Stima featuring Benny The Butcher, Rome Streetz, Loveboat Luciano, and Jonezy. Whether you’ve got a decent-timed car ride or an upcoming gym session, these brutal bars are bound to motivate you to do something.

Le$ — L E Dolla

Le$ handles his latest project L E Dolla by his lonesome. These ten new tracks follow his last album E30 from December 2021.

Singles/Videos

Wale — “The Trip (Downtown)”

This is a new release depending on who you ask. Wale’s classic project More About Nothing was officially added to streaming services at the end of April, but as we know, sample clearance issues often ruin the songs we loved a while back and are excited to hear again. Thankfully, Wale and his team did what needed to be done as “Downtown” by SWV was cleared, and “The Trip (Downtown)” can be properly enjoyed. It also serves as yet another reminder that when it comes to samples, flips, and interpolations, Wale is among the elite.

Fredo Bang — “Hard For U”

Fredo Bang rolls out the proverbial red carpet for his lady in “Hard 4 U,” scooping her up from the airport to hop in a private jet. Though it’s admirable he’s rapping sweet nothings to his lady, a few lines are laughable or even cringy. “I might buy a ring and lock you down like a white cop” and “That pussy like mashed potatoes” are just two examples of this, but it’s the chorus that takes the cake. “My d*** only get hard for you.” Hey, you have to admire Fredo’s willingness to be unfiltered with his love right? Right?

Russ ft. Ktlyn — “Handsomer (Remix)”

Russ puts forth a huge effort to make music videos matter beyond the sales again with the full-length “Handsomer (Remix)” starring comedian Tiffany Haddish and rap legend Snoop Dogg. Haddish makes fun of the names of drinks being offered at the event before trying to pursue the party host Russ, who acknowledges having money makes him more desirable — and he’s okay with it. Featured artist Ktlyn admits that though she has her own money she would like to spend a man’s first in the opening verse. As if it can’t get any funnier than Haddish pretending she knows Russ’s music, the “Losin Control” artist gives her a fake number that belongs to none other than Uncle Snoop, who is not pleased by the random call.

DreamDoll ft. French Montana — “Ice Cream Dream”

Well, it would not be surprising if DreamDoll just became everyone’s favorite ice cream truck driver after her new video for “Ice Cream Dream” featuring French Montana. Where else can you get a snow cone and some free bars? French Montana joins the fun, referencing how he needs that “Jada p****” that will have him “slap a n****” and giving a nod to Zendaya and Euphoria. Only French. All of this happens over a sample of the classic “Ice Cream” by Raekwon featuring Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man.

Dreezy — “LA Leakers Freestyle”

Dreezy stops by LA Leakers once again to drop confident bars over Kanye West’s “Clique.” A dual-threat, she’s been embracing the rapper within lately, alongside the release of Hitgirl alongside Hit-Boy. She likens herself to the Golden State Warriors and tells the story of going toe-to-toe with Ye in the studio before joining Dreamville in 2019 during their Revenge Of The Dreamers III camp. In summation, Dreezy makes it look easy.

K Camp — “Woozie”

K Camp keeps it simple in the “Woozie” visual, turning up alongside his homies in the midst of strobe lights which can certainly make one feel like the title of this song. Camp is sure to highlight the women present as well, with multiple isolated scenes of them dancing and showing off their bodies. If the lights won’t knock you out, these women’s moves might.

Tony Shhnow– “Keep In Touch”

With a font similar to that of a BET 106 & Park video following a nostalgia-inducing graphic, it is clear Tony Shhnow is trying to trigger something with his new video for “Keep In Touch.” He raps in what appears to be a pool hall he has all to himself about his palms itching and a woman who only wants sex from him. The one-minute, 49-second video is short but gets his multiple points across.

Quelle Chris ft. Pink Siifu & Moruf — “The Sky Is Blue Because The Sunset Is Red”

Scenes driving past a cemetery and the piano-key laced beat found on “The Sky Is Blue Because The Sunset Is Red” make this Quelle Chris outing feel somber. Throw in verses from Pink Siifu and Moruf, now you’re lost in your thoughts for the rest of the day.

Wynne — “Holiday / U Sick”

The Portland Oregon rapper drops off a two-pack, spitting ferociously over the video game-like synths of “Holiday.” “U Sick” sounds Playboi Carti-esque as she brands a slightly more reserved flow, opting to ride the beat instead of attacking it head-on. Overall a strong showing for Wynne.

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

Today, Charli XCX was supposed to perform in Brussels, Belgium, at the city’s La Madeleine venue. Tomorrow, her plan was to play at TivoliVredenburg (Ronda Hall) in Utrecht, Netherlands. Unfortunately, though, neither of those shows will go on as planned, Charli revealed today. The reason is that Charli has “completely lost” her voice, which means “singing is literally impossible right now.”

In a message shared on social media, Charli wrote, “I am devastated to have to inform you that I have to cancel my shows in both Brussels and Utrecht today and tomorrow. I have completely lost my voice and despite trying many techniques to revive it, it is not returning. I am under doctors orders to go on both vocal and physical rest in the hope that my voice will come back as soon as possible. I wish that there was a way I could perform for you guys, but singing is literally impossible right now and the show is too physical to tackle whilst my glands are flared up and in pain. I am so so so sorry to let you down, I really am.”

Charli’s next scheduled show is on May 30, at Astra in Berlin, Germany.

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

When discussing the Star Wars prequels, many fans will jump at the chance to discuss Anakin’s storyline, the Galatic Republic, or the much-hated Jar Jar Binks, which is fair. But one topic that is never discussed enough is the Padawan hair.

Sure, Leia and Padme get a lot of attention for their flashy styles, but what about the iconic braids and tiny ponytails that were worn by Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen? They never get the attention they deserve, and the actors know it!

While discussing the new Obi-Wan series with LADBible, the two actors were asked about Obi-Wan’s mullet, which sparked a discussion about the hair in the Star Wars universe. Christensen excitedly defended McGregor’s mullet from the previous films, saying, “You rocked that mullet very well. It’s quite iconic.” McGregor then rightfully compared it to The Bee Gees.

The duo then reminisced about the Padawan hairstyle, which consisted of a small braid and even a smaller ponytail, which was quite A Look at the time. Christensen then said that he kept a couple of hair extensions after filming.

CHRISTENSEN: I did like the braid, mainly because [McGregor] made it look so cool in episode one. I’ve also met people with their own Padawan braid.
MCGREGOR: You also had the [hair] on the back as well.
CHRISTENSEN: You had to grow your hair so they could attach, and the rest was very short. So if you weren’t filming, your hair looked very odd.
MCGREGOR: I remember that! First thing in the morning, having it glued in.
CHRISTENSEN: I kept a couple of them.
MCGREGOR: You see them up for auction every once in a while. Somebody sells them like it was the only one. We had a new one every day. People were saying it was the Jedi braid. Like, no.

The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi debuted today on Disney+. The series reunites Christensen and McGregor nearly two decades after the two worked together on the prequels. McGregor also mentioned how scary it was to see Vader for the first time while filming.

“I didn’t work with Vader in episodes 1-3. Then in this series to see you coming at me with that….made me feel like I was 7 years old again,” McGregor explained. “The fear in me was genuine. I’ve never had that while acting before, an actual fear moment. But I felt that when I turned around and there you were, 7 feet tall with the helmet.” It would have been taller if he kept the Padawan pony, but alas.

Check out the interview above.

There was much excitement this week when Joe Budden promoted his now-released interview with Isaiah Rashad, Rashad’s first public interview since a sex tape leaked back in February revealing that he may be homosexual. The House Is Burning artist did speak on it in his Coachella performance, but of his own volition. Joe Budden questioned the tape head-on and how Rashad identifies, to which the TDE rapper replied that he was “sexually fluid.” Budden seemed to not understand what that meant by that and assumed the 31-year-old was not monogamous before Isaiah provided clarity. Needless to say, the internet was not pleased with Budden artist after seeing this.

Beyond the sexual preference implications here, people simply feel like Isaiah didn’t need to speak on this at all. This occurrence has forced viewers to once again question why Budden and other former rappers are allowed to operate within a journalistic capacity. The lines between journalists and media personalities have blurred over the years as rappers and celebrities with large platforms have brought their fanbases along into the podcasting game, quickly edging out independent creators who have been doing this long before them. This phenomenon won’t stop any time soon, and neither will the outspoken journalists who feel they would handle these opportunities with much more care than those who end up getting them.

Check out the Joe Budden and Isaiah Rashad interview above, and more reactions below.

Most of the tributes for Ray Liotta, who passed away this week at 67, were centered around his performance Goodfellas. Rightly so: it’s one of the greatest (and most rewatchable) movies of all-time. But there are other gems in Liotta’s filmography, including Something Wild, Killing Them Softly, and Narc. The 2002 cop thriller got him an Independent Spirit Award nomination — and the chance to “have a go” at Tom Cruise.

Narc was financed by Cruise/Wagner Productions, Tom Cruise and his agent Paula Wagner’s production company, but it took a risky gamble to get that money. “Tom Cruise wanted to have dinner with us,” writer and director Joe Carnahan told Rolling Stone. “So we go to Giorgio’s [in Los Angeles], and the thing about Ray is, he wasn’t like a tequila guy. His drink of choice was Chablis [wine] and crushed ice. That was his jam.”

As Liotta is getting tipsy, “he decides he’s gonna have a go at Tom. He wants to get argumentative with the biggest movie star in the world,” Carnahan said. Cruise/Wagner Productions was coming off the success of Mission: Impossible 2 and The Others, but Liotta told Cruise, “C’mon, Tom, let’s cut to it. You guys are not necessarily doing that great as a company… You need a movie like this.” Carnahan continued:

“Ray’s whole thing is basically: ‘YOU need Narc, we don’t need you.’ We leave, and I’m just apoplectic, like ‘What in the f*ck are you doing going after Tom Cruise?! He’s Tom Cruise!’ And Ray says, ‘We got the hot movie! C’mon!… I’m testing him. I want to see if he’s up to it!”

He was up for it: Cruise/Wagner acquired the rights to Narc, and the “Sundance darling,” as Carnahan called it, received a wide release and doubled its budget. The lesson here is: Ray Liotta was more daring than you or I will ever be. And much, much cooler.

(Via Rolling Stone)

When Olivia Rodrigo announced the dates for her first-ever US tour, it didn’t take long for a minor uproar to occur. While she was playing venues whose size was considerable for anyone touring for the first time, including two nights at the 6K capacity Greek Theater in Los Angeles this week, they also didn’t match the demand. They sold out lightning fast, with many Rodrigo fans missing the chance to see her on this first go-around. The flipside would have been a Harry Styles-esque residency (the pop megastar is playing 15 arena shows in Los Angeles later this year), but Styles is three albums and a boyband career in. Rodrigo has 11 solo songs outside of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series to her name.

On Wednesday night, at the penultimate show of this American jaunt, it became clear that her touring strategy was quite wise. Not only because she just doesn’t have the amount of material to necessitate an arena-level production — even playing all of her landmark debut, Sour, an HSM:TM:TS cut, and a couple covers barely filled an hour — but the need to present herself in a reasonably sized space to connect with her fans proved essential. At the Greek, Rodrigo was able to look her fans in the eye, hear them singing back every lyric with such intensity that she sometimes felt more like a conductor than a performer, and relish the moment she’s spent 19 years preparing for. While the show might not have sold the maximum amount of tickets that it was capable of selling, the performance was constructed to be the best experience possible for both the artist and the lucky audience members who scored seats.

One thing that we can say definitively is that the framing of the tour has nothing to do with her readiness. The Rodrigo that took the stage on Wednesday would feel at home in a club or a stadium, playing an afternoon festival set or headlining Coachella. She moved around the stage with total command, a rock star and a pop star at the same time, and never for a second demonstrated any uncertainty that she was acing the assignment. Early in the set, she spoke about her own insecurity as a young woman, noting that coming to terms with insecurity that is a part of being human and something that every person in the audience had in common. Rodrigo knows that honesty about her teenage heatbreaks, struggles, and myriad emotions are what make her so engaging as an artist. But, it’s the ability to transcend them that make her a knockout of a performer.

Because of its compact nature, the show didn’t have lulls. The hits played like the hits that they are, and the non-hits and covers, well, they also played like hits. There wasn’t a bathroom break song, while tunes such as “Happier,” “Favorite Crime,” and “Traitor” all were impactful enough that they could be heard sung by fans all the way back to the parking lot at the end of the night. And if you ever need to have your breath taken away, just witness 6,000 people yelling “like a damn sociopath” in unison.

Last year, with the release of Sour, a lot was made about who the album was for. People tripped over themselves arguing whether or not it was okay for grown-ups (or men in general) to like Olivia Rodrigo, and it all got very dumb, very quickly. In person, Rodrigo fans come in all ages and sizes, but it would also be silly to not acknowledge that the teens (and straight-up children) should be treated as the VIPs for these events, with the rest of us being engaged fans, but still guests in their church. Tiny little Olivia cosplay outfits were everywhere as parents, aunts, and grandfathers escorted their young ones to their seats, with the kids breaking into little pods of adolescent angst and palpable joy. It was a show designed for people feeling the biggest emotions at extreme volumes, with Rodrigo positioning herself as a guide through these murky waters. The message: I’m not that different from you, our feelings are both completely individual and universal at the same time, and though we might look back at these emotions as overdramatic in the future, they are valid and true in the moment.

Though Olivia may throw in a few swears here and there, the ultimate feeling was that the young women in the audience were in good hands with Rodrigo as a role model. All night, it was hard not to be impressed by the sense of community. Opener Holly Humberstone, another excellent young songwriter, received an enthusiastic response from the crowd, who even gave her a phone flashlight display rarely seen for an opener, leaving Humberstone genuinely moved by the reception. Celebrities like James Cordon and Tate McRae were treated like royalty, with fans forming selfie lines to get pics with the audience (Billie Eilish was also spotted in attendance, but understandably she had to take more precautions from mixing with the crowd). And when it was all said and done, the fans gathered up bits of confetti by the handful to go with their Sour tour sweatshirts and Sour bucket hats.

For Rodrigo and her fans, every aspect of the night was treated as holy, its impact surely lasting long after the lights turned on and the venue emptied. It was pretty dang cool.

Neil Young has a lot of unreleased music in his vaults, some of which he’s about to unveil: This summer, he’s going to share the album Toast with Crazy Horse, out via Reprise on July 8. It was recorded in 2001 at San Francisco’s Toast Studios, and the single “Standing In The Light Of Love” is out now.

The reason the Spotify protester held onto the album because it was “so sad that I couldn’t put it out,” he wrote. He continued:

“I just skipped it and went on to do another album in its place. I couldn’t handle it at that time. 2001.

John Coltrane, one of my heroes, made some music at ‘Toast’ studio back in the day. It may have been called ‘Coast’ then, but maybe not. The name changed a few times back and forth. It was on Mission in SF. The back door opened onto an alley. It was so stuffy in there that we left the door open until one day we saw rats coming in and out. After that, we just went outside for a smoke.

The music of Toast is about a relationship. There is a time in many relationships that go bad, a time long before the break up, where it dawns on one of the people, maybe both, that it’s over. This was that time.”

Listen to “Standing In The Light Of Love” above. Check out the album art and tracklist below.

1. “Quit”
2. “Standing In The Light Of Love”
3. “Goin’ Home”
4. “Timberline”
5. “Gateway Of Love”
6. “How Ya Doin’?”
7. “Boom Boom Boom”

Toast is out 7/8 via Reprise. Pre-order it here.

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

As Abbott Elementary, a very good show, continues to receive accolades for its breakout first season that locked down an impressive 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, creator Quinta Brunson has been making the interview rounds to talk about the smash sitcom and about teachers getting the job done despite the struggles of teaching at an inner-city Philadelphia school.

While talking to The Wrap (prior to the Uvalde shooting), Brunson had nothing but love and respect for how teachers everywhere “just have to teach these kids.” As Brunson explains, “they just have to” despite everything that’s going on from underfunded school districts to the bleak and depressing realities of the world:

And I think in my life, I was getting a little exhausted of having the time and the space and the energy to talk about politics 24/7. My teachers don’t have that time. They are affected by the political decisions that are made, but at the end of the day, they have to do that job. They have to go home, they have to do that job. That’s it. End of story. And I think that it is fascinating. I value it very much, not because I think it should be the case, but because it is the case.

Finding comedy and “humanity” in those tough moments is what Abbott Elementary is all about. “Other shows or movies might show them as, ‘Woe is me’ in the school, but that’s not how many people are,” Brunson said. “They find their joy, they find their fun, they find their funny. You would think nobody ever laughs in a hospital, but you’ll go in there and see people, and that’s the kind of weird beauty and sickness of humanity. But I find it to be really resilient.”

Of course, Brunson slipped into comedy mode by bluntly revealing why she could never be a teacher. “I always felt, which is horrible, ‘They don’t make enough money. I can’t be one. I’m not that virtuous or good or patient,’” Brunson said before quickly adding. “Which is why I think they should get paid more.”

(Via The Wrap)

In the wake of Ray Liotta’s untimely death, his co-stars and Hollywood legends have been reacting to the news. One of Liotta’s best roles was his portrayal of real-life mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorcese’s legendary 1990 film Goodfellas, which snagged dozens of prestigious award nominations, and one Oscar win, and also gave us some of Hollywood’s most iconic comebacks.

Scorcese made a statement to People in which he praises the “gifted” actor.

I’m absolutely shocked and devastated by the sudden, unexpected death of Ray Liotta. He was so uniquely gifted, so adventurous, so courageous as an actor. Playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas was a tall order, because the character had so many different facets, so many complicated layers, and Ray was in almost every scene of a long, tough shoot. He absolutely amazed me, and I’ll always be proud of the work we did together on that picture. My heart goes out to his loved ones, and it aches for his loss, way too early.

Several more of Liotta’s costars have been paying tribute to the late actor, who allegedly died in his sleep while in the Dominican Republic. His on-screen wife Lorraine Bracco made a moving post on Twitter: “I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray,” Bracco said. “I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”

Co-star Robert De Niro reacted to the news in another statement, “I was very saddened to learn of Ray’s passing. He is way too young to have left us. May he rest in peace.”

Liotta was busy up until his death, most recently filming Dangerous Waters alongside Eric Dane earlier this month. He also starred in last year’s The Sopranos prequel movie, The Many Saints Of Newark.

In recent days, rumors have been swirling that Taylor Swift could pop up in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Specifically, fans noticed that Swift’s name turned up on the IMDb page for the show’s upcoming 400th episode, which is titled “Out Of Blood.” The credit was later removed, but the show’s star certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Swift pop up at Grey-Sloan Memorial.

At an event promoting the 400th episode, Extra asked Pompeo if a Swift cameo could happen and she responded, “I think she’s pretty busy, but that would be fun. I would love it.”

Making an appearance on Grey’s would likely be a dream come true for Swift, since she’s been a fan of the long-running medical drama for years. In 2008, Swift’s “White Horse” appeared on the second episode of the show’s fifth season. In a video of her seeing that scene for the first time, she’s beyond excited.

Later, in 2015, Swift got Pompeo to appear in her “Bad Blood” video. Then, in 2019, she posed for an Entertainment Weekly photo in a pin-covered jacket, one of which featured Pompeo and Sandra Oh (in character as Meredith Grey and Christina Yang).

If Swift were to appear on the show soon, the timing would be good, since she just received an honorary doctorate from NYU.