Year: 2022

Last week, Billboard announced they were partnering with Afro Nation on the new US Afrobeats Songs chart, which “ranks the 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the country based on a weighted formula incorporating official streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of leading audio and video music services, plus download sales from top music retailers.” The inaugural edition of the chart launched today and dominating the top spots are some big names not traditionally/primarily associated with Afrobeats music.

Three of the top five spots on the April 2-dated chart are occupied by songs featuring Ed Sheeran or Justin Bieber: CKay’s “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)” is No. 1, Fireboy DML and Sheeran’s “Peru” is No. 2, Wizkid’s Bieber- and Tems-featuring “Peru” is No. 3, Omah Lay’s Bieber-featuring “Attention” is No. 4, and Tems’ “Free Mind” is No. 5.

Looking at the full top 50, Tems is the clear leader overall with eight entries, followed by Wizkid’s six, Burna Boy’s five, Rema’s four, and Davido’s three.

When the chart was announced last week, Afro Nation founder, co-head of UTA London, and Event Horizon founder Obi Asika said, “The last decade has seen Afrobeats explode into a worldwide phenomenon, influencing culture and fashion across the globe and I am humbled to have made a contribution to growing the genre alongside many talented, passionate people. There is still so much more potential within the scene and the community that has grown around it and I believe it is vital that with Billboard we now have a US chart that reflects this growth and provides a platform for emerging artists from every continent to showcase their talent to new audiences.”

Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard‘s SVP of Charts and Development, added, “Billboard is excited to collaborate with Afro Nation on the launch of the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart. As with much of the world, Afrobeats has grown tremendously as a genre in America and we are proud to showcase the top songs and artists with this new weekly ranking.”

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

Kelly Clarkson has been doing her thing with “Kellyoke” for quite some time now, illustrating just how easily her powerhouse vocals can turn any other artist’s hit song into a power ballad. Or, sometimes, she ratchets the energy up to eleven, and delivers an even more upbeat track than the original. She kind of went the latter route for today’s cover of Kacey Musgraves 2018 Golden Hour standout, “High Horse.” Though Golden Hour was much more devoted to slower, loved up tunes, “High Horse” stood out for bringing the funk, and that’s the element of the song that Kelly decided to highlight in her cover.

Trimming the song down to a brief two minutes, in order to make it work as a segment on The Kelly Clarkson show, Kelly was backed up by a full band and two additional vocalists for the groove-laden cult favorite, turning the chorus’ high notes into a vocal trill that Kacey doesn’t quite have the chops to pull off in her version. Then of course there’s the ad libs that Kelly loves to throw into any song she’s performing. Check out the cover above and look out for more covers from Kelly, she’s constantly finding new ones.

Dereck Lively II will head to Duke next year as the latest star recruit to play his college ball in Durham, NC, leading the nation’s top class in Jon Scheyer’s first year as the Blue Devils’ head coach.

Lively and the class of 2022 will head to Duke coming off, at minimum, a Final Four berth and potentially a championship in Mike Krzyzewski’s final season at the helm. This could lead to a whole lot of pressure being placed on that class to uphold a standard of excellence, but you wouldn’t know it speaking to Lively. The 7’1 center has an air of calm about him that is beyond his years, a steadying influence that figures to be a welcome presence in the Blue Devils’ locker room.

The nation’s top-ranked recruit is in Chicago this week for the McDonald’s All-American Game on Tuesday night, and was recently named the Morgan Wootten Boy’s Player of the Year — Kiki Rice, who is headed to UCLA next year, earned those honors on the girl’s side. Lively spoke with Dime from Chicago on Monday about the experience at the All-American Game, getting some early reps with fellow Duke commit Dariq Whitehead, the influences on his game, and what he plans to work on this summer to be ready to lead the Blue Devils on another deep run in March.

What’s the week been like so far in Chicago getting to be around some of the best players in the country?

It’s really exciting to being able to be recognized as one of these top players and something that I really never expected myself to be gifted. And being able to be with all these top talent and all the top players, it’s just feels great to be a part of and to be accepted.

Does it provide a little extra motivation seeing all of these players and the skill that’s out there, and knowing that these are friends but also competitors that you’re going to see for years down the line in college and then hopefully on into the pros?

Well, I could say that even before McDonald’s, I’ve been playing against most of these players for a long period of time. So being able to be in a position to watch each other rise and grow as players, it’s really enjoyable. And I know that as each player continues to go on their journey, there’s going to be a great time to have companions and friends that are going through the same thing I am.

One of those is you get to play this week with your future Duke teammate Dariq Whitehead. What’s it like to get some early reps with him and continue to get to know him better on and off the court ahead of when you guys are gonna get to Durham next year?

Well, me and Dariq’s relationship has always been good, even before I committed to Duke, and ever since is just continuously growing. So every time we’re able to play around each other or even be at the same event, we just try to have a good time and just try to stay in contact. So to know that we just started building relationship and the chemistry we have now, I can only imagine we’re going to do at Duke.

I’m sure you’ve kept an eye on on Duke’s Final Four run. Does that just add to your excitement to get to Durham next year and try to follow that up?

It definitely does. Being able to have such a great team that is already at Duke just kind of paved the way for us to follow in their footsteps. It’s something that’s really enjoyable, and I’m excited for.

And to be named the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year and join some of the elite names that have earned that honor what does that mean to you and being able to carry that legacy forward?

Well, being able to be gifted such an amazing award was something that I really never expected. I’m really grateful for being given this amazing award, knowing that all the past players that have come before me who have gotten this have gone on to do amazing things in the future. It only makes me think about what I can do.

Who are the players that you’ve looked to and tried to pull things from to add to your game as you’ve gone along in your young career so far?

Well, being 7-foot, I would start to look at the bigs, such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mo Bamba, but as I was trying to bring my game outside of the three point line, you start to look at players such as Kevin Durant to watch his footwork, to watch his timing, to watch Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram and other players who are very tall and use their length perfectly on the floor.

On defense — I talked about this with on the Onyeka Okongwu when he was coming into the draft — he said as a defender, he felt that being a big man his whole career and not being somebody that had a late growth spurt who suddenly found themselves becoming a center was advantageous because he’d always been down there and it was more natural to him to be a rim protector. Is that something that you feel is an advantage in your game, having the natural instincts that you feel you have on the defensive end?

Well, being able to be a big man my entire life has really taught me how to play defense. Ranging from working on my timing, waiting for the ball to leave their hand before I go block a shot, and even footwork. Being able to take those skills that I’ve been using my entire basketball career and use them outside the paint is something that I’ve definitely thought about and been using this entire time.

Definitely. As you look ahead to this offseason and get ready to go off to Duke and play at the college level, what are the things that you’re focusing on in your work this summer — you just mentioned trying to expand your range — but what are the things that you’ll be focused on to be ready for the college level?

Really focusing on the little things. Footwork, timing, making sure that I have my foul shot in the right tempo in the right time, making sure that I have my ball handling as well. Really just trying to refine my game so that all aspects of it is prepared for the level that Duke is playing on.

As we cycle through the long list of celebrities who are speaking up about Will Smith’s Oscar slap, more and more actors and Hollywood legends are commenting on the most “can’t look away” moment in Hollywood. Next up is a take from Jim Carrey!

The Ace Ventura actor appeared on CBS this morning to chat with Gayle King, presumably to promote his upcoming feature film Sonic The Hedgehog 2 which hits theaters next week (yeah, they made a second one) but of course, the Oscars came up. When asked about the slap, Carrey wasn’t pleased with the situation, particularly the audience giving Smith a standing ovation when he won the Best Actor award.

Carrey said he was “sickened by the standing ovation. Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren’t the cool club anymore.” Carrey also implied that Smith should have been arrested for the ordeal.

The actor then bemoaned that the moment overshadowed a lot of other winners of the night. “I wish him the best, I really do,” he continued. “I don’t have anything against Will Smith. He’s done great things. But that was not a good moment. It cast a pall over everybody’s shining moment.”

He added, “A lot of people worked really hard to get to that place. And to have their moment in the sun, to get their award for the really hard work they did, it is no mean feat to go through all the stuff you have to go through when you are nominated for an Oscar. It’s a gauntlet of devotion you have to do. It was such a selfish moment that cast a pall over the whole thing.”

Between this and Tiffany Haddish calling the moment “beautiful,” it seems that many actors are divided on the situation, and there will probably be at least three dozen more comments on the whole thing.

Madison Cawthorn‘s wild claim that he’s been invited to orgies and offered cocaine by his Washington D.C. colleagues is causing a sizable freakout in Republican corners. The young North Carolina congressman made the accusation during an interview with the “Warrior Poet” podcast. According to Cawthorn, he saw firsthand the “perversion” in Washington when people he “looked up to” invited him to their house for a “sexual get-together.” He also claims to have watched them do cocaine right in front of him.

Considering Cawthorn mainly interacts with Republican politicians, there’s been a huge stir in the House over his accusations, and lifelong conservative Meghan McCain is getting in on the action. On Tuesday morning, the former The View host demanded to know which MAGA politicians need to be thrown out of office for hosting drug-fueled sex parties.

“So, Madison Cawthorne [sic] only hangs out with hard core MAGA people in DC,” McCain tweeted. “The American public deserves to know which members of congress are doing cocaine and having orgies because they are unfit for office.”

Meanwhile, in the House, Cawthorn’s colleagues were not thrilled to see the young congressman tossing around wild accusations. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is reportedly planning to speak to Cawthorn. Although, judging how another one of those talks deeply, deeply failed to rein in Marjorie Taylor Greene, maybe don’t expect too much under the category of “results” here.

However, if McCarthy’s stern talking to doesn’t work, other representatives have stepped up to dispute Cawthorn’s claims, which are stirring up lots of questions. Via Politico:

In one case, Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) stood up and addressed his colleagues, telling them that he rarely speaks during the closed-door weekly meetings but felt he must address the topic because he’s now getting questions about participants in Cawthorn’s alleged orgies and drug use. Womack remarked that many lawmakers go to bed at 9 p.m. and still use fax machines and flip phones, stating that it was inappropriate to paint them with a broad brush, as Cawthorn did.

In fairness, “we’re all extremely old and terrified of technology” is a pretty solid defense. We’re talking about an elderly legislative body whose idea of a crazy night is mixing a little bit of regular coffee in with the decaf. When that happens, watch out, folks. Someone’s going for an extra slice of pecan pie!

(Via Meghan McCain on Twitter, Politico)

Camila Cabello has been gearing up to release her third album, Familia, for a while now, but the project is just about a week away at this point. The first taste fans got of new music from Cabello after 2019’s Romance was her summer 2021 single “Don’t Go Yet.” She performed that one at both the VMAs and the Billboard Latin Music Awards, and followed it up with a live debut of her next single, “La Buena Vida” at an NPR Tiny Desk.

After a whirlwind winter, one that included a breakup from her fellow pop star boyfriend, Shawn Mendes, and starring in Amazon’s Cinderella movie, Cabello finally announced the title of her third album and the release date in March, and quickly followed that up with the Ed Sheeran-featuring “Bam Bam.” And though it’s not a formal release of another single, Camila took to social today to give fans yet another update from the project.

In a lengthy clip posted to TikTok, she lip syncs and sings along to a song about trauma getting in the way of intimacy in a relationship, and since we haven’t seen a tracklist yet it’s hard to know what the track title is, but it definitely fits into the breakup narrative that “Bam Bam” covers. Check out the clip below.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week, Summer Walker leads the way with a remix of her and SZA’s “No Love” with Cardi B. The updated track was a standout effort from Walker’s sophomore album Still Over It. Elsewhere, Eric Bellinger unloads another remix from his New Light with this one being a new take of “Go Get It” with Tone Stith while Koffee finally delivers a full-length project with Gifted.

Summer Walker, SZA & Cardi B — “No Love (Extended Version)”

Four months after she dropped her sophomore album Still Over It, a project that became her first No. 1 release, Summer Walker is back with a new remix of one of the album’s most popular songs. Summer and SZA recruit Cardi B for an extended version of “No Love,” and on it, Cardi kicks off with a tender verse that aids the song’s sensual and spicy video.

Eric Bellinger — “Go Get It (Remix)” Feat. Tone Stith

For the second consecutive week, Eric Bellinger is back with a new remix. He calls on Tone Stith to lend a verse to “Go Get It,” a record from his 2021 album New Light. This comes after Bellinger recruited singer Riley to remix “Only Fan” from the same album.

Koffee — Gifted

A few years after she had her breakout moment thanks to “Toast,” “W,” and Rapture, which won her a Grammy award, Koffee arrives with her first full-length project, Gifted. It presents ten songs with no guest features and previously released singles like “Pull Up” and “Lockdown.”

Fana Hues — Flora + Fana

Fana Hues earned herself a bit of a highlight moment in 2021 thanks to an appearance on Tyler The Creator’s chart-topping sixth album Call Me If You Get Lost. She appeared on “Sweet/I Thought You Wanted To Dance” alongside Brent Faiyaz. Now, in 2022, she’s back with her latest project Flora + Fana which features 11 songs and strong entries like “Breakfast.”

Eli Derby — Left On Read

In late 2020, DMV singer Eli Derby joined the LVRN roster and he quickly made an impact with the team. The following year, he dropped off a trio of singles in the months that followed, and now, he’s arrived with his debut project Left On Read. Through its five songs, there’s just one appearance from fellow labelmate 6lack.

Rema — Rave & Roses

Nigerian singer Rema has progressed upward in the afrobeats world over the last few years. He did so thanks to records like 2019’s “Dumebi” and 2021’s “Soundgasm.” At long last, Rema has formally stepped out into the spotlight with his debut project Rave & Roses, an excellent project strapped with 16 songs and features from 6lack, AJ Tracey, and more.

Savannah Re — “Fiji”

Toronto singer Savannah Re dazzled in 2020 with the release of her Opia EP. After nearly two years, it’s our hope that she has a new project on the way. While we wait on word about that, we can enjoy her flavorful new track “Fiji,” which stands as yet another great release from her.

Coco Jones — “Caliber”

Nowadays, you may know Coco Jones for her role as Hilary in Peacock’s Bel-Air. However, prior to that, Jones was a child prodigy on Disney as she sang and acted in films like Let It Shine. After operating as an independent act for nearly a decade, Jones signed a deal with Def Jam and returned with her latest single “Caliber,” the lead single from her upcoming EP out later this year.

Fireboy DML — “Playboy”

Fireboy DML’s 2021 year was carried by the success of his infectious single “Peru,” a track he released after dropping his second project Apollo in the summer of 2020. With another body of work presumably on the way, Fireboy DML returns with “Playboy” with the hope of extending his streak of solid releases into 2022.

Marzz — “FYM”

Months after signing to Keep Cool and RCA Records, Louisville singer Marzz fired off her debut project Love Letterz halfway in 2021. Nearly a year after that project was released, Marzz is preparing to share a deluxe reissue of Love Letterz and she returns with its latest single, “FYM.”

Ogi — “Envy”

Last month, singer-songwriter Ogi released her debut single “I Got It,” produced by No I.D. It was a strong effort from the Chicago-born Nigerian singer who says her music “represents me coming into myself and not being afraid of saying things I wish I said to other people.” A month later, she’s back with her second single “Envy” which describes as “a personal love letter to haters in my life.”

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

On the heels of her sophomore album 777, Latto has revealed the remix of her hit single “Big Energy.” The remix features DJ Khaled and Mariah Carey, the latter of whom sings the chorus of her own song “Fantasy,” along with her iconic whistle tones. Both “Fantasy” and “Big Energy” sample Tom Tom Club’s “Genius Of Love.”

On the song’s chorus, Latto raps, “Bad bitch, I could be your fantasy / I can tell you got big d*ck energy.” In a recent interview with Variety, Latto broke down the meaning of the phrase “big d*ck energy,” explaining this type of energy is something people of any gender can exude.

“It’s a cool way to bring self-love back into the community and to women, specifically,” she said. “When you make these uplifting songs, people think it has to be corny and it doesn’t… It can be in a cool way where you don’t even realize you’re practicing self-love when you listen to this song but you are in a fun, exciting, fresh way. Women can have big d*ck energy, it has nothing to do with what’s in your pants — it’s a confidence, it’s an aura. It’s just believing in yourself and not letting anyone change your mind about yourself.”

In addition to Carey, Latto’s 777 boasts an impressive list of collaborators, including Lil Wayne, Childish Gambino, and 21 Savage.

777 is out now via RCA. Get it here.

Do you remember when Hollywood legend Jamie Lee Curtis held a dog named Mac & Cheese while paying tribute to the late Betty White during the Oscars? Probably not, coming so soon after… y’know.

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock stole the attention away from 1) Mac & Cheese, and 2) the rest of the night’s winners, in that order, but there’s a happy update on the adorable pup: he’s been adopted by John Travolta and his 11-year-old son, Ben.

“Ben adopted this dog from last nights Oscar tribute to Betty White. Thank you @curtisleejamie & @pawworks,” Travolta wrote on Instagram. In her own post, Curtis added, “A MAGICAL ending to the story from last night. At the Oscars I reconnected with my friend, John Travolta. @johntravolta We starred together in the movie PERFECT back in 1984. I had already left the Dolby theater last night after honoring Betty White and was on my way home when someone texted me a photo of John holding little mac & cheese in the green room before his presentation of the best actor Oscar.”

The Halloween star continued:

“I thought it was so beautiful to see him with her and then today I found out that he and his son, Ben have adopted beautiful little mac & cheese and are taking her home today. It is an emotional end and a perfect tribute to Betty White”

Perfect: a movie no one remembers. But Mac & Cheese? Unforgettable.

If there was anyone who was going to worry that Will Smith Oscars slap incident like a dog with a bone, it would be 50 Cent. The compulsive social media troll already weighed in on the surprising moment — along with Drake, Nicki Minaj, Vince Staples, and others — but he’s never been one to simply make the joke and let it go. And because there’s nothing 50 loves more than trolling celebrities in distress (like a fat kid loves cake, you could say), of course, he found a way to also make a Jussie Smollett joke at the same time.

Smollett has been a frequent target of 50’s since being convicted of disorderly conduct late last year. Smollett was accused of filing false police reports after apparently staging a fake hate crime against himself in January 2019. The rapper made fun of an outburst from the actor at his sentencing, vowing to repeat Smollett insisting that he is not suicidal the next time he’s in court.

This time, 50 referenced Smollett’s apparent dishonesty in reporting the false attack, posting a photo of the actor during a tearful interview superimposed with the text “Will Smith hit me too.” It was the Power producer‘s seventh post on social media about the slapping incident, including five posts the night of, and a later commentary on the report that Chris Rock declined to press charges against Smith for their “one little fight.” Knowing 50, it probably won’t be the last.