Month: May 2023

will.i.am has a vision for the future of creative collaboration. As a rapper, producer, tech mogul, and philanthropist, working with other creators has always been his source of inspiration — now he’s delivering a tool to help fuel the next wave of creative innovation. This past weekend in Miami — on the heels of premiering “The Formula” with Lil Wayne as F1’s new theme song during Miami race weekend — Will and his team took over Soho House’s Miami Pool House to debut FYI, “the world’s first AI Web 3.0 messenger geared towards creative collaboration.” The first-look event featured panel conversations, product demos, and an all-around vibe of celebrating creativity, collaboration, and peering into the future — hallmarks of will.i.am himself.

The key differentiator for FYI — outside of being co-founded and developed by a global music icon — is putting all the tools for creative collaboration in one place and then further fueling efficiencies by utilizing AI to streamline workflow and make the most of everyone’s time and creative energy. But this isn’t a case of “humans vs. machines,” instead will.i.am wants to empower creatives to reach their full potential.

“My vision for FYI is to help creatives organize, collaborate, and communicate in one place,” he says, “rather than have all their communications and digital assets spread across five different products. Starting there will ease how creatives collaborate, network, and strategize. Having AI baked in the core of the product will give them the ability to supercharge their creativity and their strategizing with AI and their team flow.”

Being a futurist is one of the many things will.i.am is best known for and he has a track record for being at the forefront of AI predictions, specifically in the music video for “Imma Be Rocking That Body.”

“Me and my crew pointed out a futurism,” he says. “In the future, back then, we said this little box — this AI box — is going to sing, produce, and do everything. You can type in the lyrics, but this machine right here is going to do it all. We said that in a video back in 2010.”

The opening skit is legit uncanny given the recent developments and headlines around AI and music creation.

“And the reason I had a glimpse of that futurism is because of the work I was doing with one of the world’s greatest — Professor Patrick Winston, who taught at MIT in the AI lab. He’s since then passed away but he was an amazing force in the AI field. He inspired me to even go down this path of AI. I’ve been working in and around AI since 2009.”

FYI’s initial AI implementation is aimed at practical usability — like asking FYI to summarize a long project thread the user has spent time away from for that user personally, catching them up on the conversation and their place in it without having to scroll and decipher which parts are meaningful to them and where they owe responses.

“We’re starting with collaboration, strategizing, and communication. Because right now the creatives — me being the creative — I needed that solved. Conversations and your intellectual property, the things you care so much about and work for, the conversations around that stuff, are all over the place.”

The FYI launch wasn’t just intellectual conversation and product specifics. It was also a party, complete with cocktails, laughter, an impeccable playlist, and Miami’s most influential creatives hanging poolside, taking it all in — truly a summation of will.i.am’s ethos and ability to combine fun with important critical thinking and a vision of the future. Special guests for the panels included Chris Lyons (President Web3 Media, a16z), Julie Pilat (Chief Growth Officer, FYI), Trevor McFedries (DJ, Artist, and Technologist), Jesse Kirshbaum (CEO, NUE Agency), and Jesus Mantas (Global Managing Partner, IBM), discussing everything from how FYI works to their own experiences in business, technology, music, and creative endeavors.

You can download the app at FYI.me/app and follow FYI on Instagram. Key FYI features include:

• AI-Powered Idea Generation: FYI’s AI-powered system offers users creative suggestions and intelligent insights to help generate new ideas and explore new directions.
• Centralized File Management: FYI offers users an all-in-one platform to store, organize, and access files quickly and easily, eliminating the need for multiple tools and systems.
• Interactive Workspaces: The platform provides interactive layouts that allow users to present their work to clients, stakeholders, or team members, using both predefined and customized layouts.
• Advanced Communication: FYI’s integrated voice and video calling platform, with its AI assistant and built-in transcription service, ensures reliable and efficient communication across teams.
• Enhanced Security: FYI employs top-of-the-range encryption and security measures, allowing users to protect intellectual property and keep sensitive information confidential.
• User-Friendly Interface: FYI’s sleek and intuitive interface is easy to use and customize, helping users focus on work and increasing productivity.
• Collaborative Features: FYI’s platform features comprehensive collaboration tools like team assignments, task management, progress reporting, and milestone tracking. The platform ensures all critical team activity happens in a secure, centralized workspace for increased productivity, efficiency, and transparency.

Here’s a glimpse into the FYI launch in Miami during race weekend…

Happy May! As summer slowly approaches, more and more pop artists are competing for the title of being the song of the summer. But why can’t there be more than one these days? This week has kicked off with new releases (and albums) from major K-Pop girl groups, and some unique-but-creative collaborations by other artists.

Check out Uproxx’s Best New Pop roundup below.

aespa — “Welcome To MY World” (feat. Nævis)

Continuing their massive momentum this year, aespa dropped a song, “Welcome To MY World,” last week as the first teaser from their brand new mini album, MY WORLD. (Both are now out to listen to.) While the first minute relies on a dreamy instrumental and slower vocals, things kick off — at the same time the girls are heading on a road trip together in the music video.

Ed Sheeran — “End Of Youth”

A track from Sheeran’s new album, – (Subtract), “End Of Youth” finds him grappling with exactly that: getting older and everything that comes with it. As Sheeran himself told Apple Music, darker themes were woven throughout this record, as he is currently going through a lot emotionally.

“I sent this record to the record label, and they were like, ‘Is it a breakup album?’ And it’s not. It’s an album about… grief and depression and stuff,” he said. “I feel that I don’t want to give too much context and hammer it home…I want people to listen to it and relate it to their own life.”

Le Sserafim — “Unforgiven”

Le Sserafim‘s “Unforgiven” also doubles as the name of their new debut album, and what better way to honor a title track than with a feature from Chic’s Nile Rodgers? The music video finds the girl group embracing their villain era by dancing on tables, Coyote Ugly style.

Marshmello — “Fell In Love” (feat. Brent Faiyaz)

On Marshmello’s new collab with Brent Faiyaz, the EDM producer adds a hypnotic layer to Faiyaz’s retelling of the aftermath of how he “Fell In Love.” The chill vibes cross over into the music video, as he’s seen driving through the woods.

Fred Again.. — “Enough” (feat. Brian Eno)

Another collaboration on this week’s list, Fred Again.. enlisted Brian Eno to perform vocals on “Enough,” as well as the entirety of their new joint album, Secret Life. “Don’t you even think of givin’ up,” he repeats, urging someone to seemingly not leave him behind.

Sadie Jean — “Just Because”

“‘Just Because’ articulates the space between holding on and letting go. That period of time when you know you deserve better but you still haven’t adjusted to the absence of what’s been lost,” Sadie Jean shared about “Just Because,” her latest single. “Writing this song taught me that my feelings don’t have to co-exist in perfect harmony for them to be valid. It’s okay to miss someone who hurt you and to want to call someone you know you should probably never speak to again.”

Céline Dion — “I’ll Be”

Céline Dion is no stranger to being a standout when it comes to movie soundtrack contributions. “I’ll Be” is featured as part of the new film, Love Again, so it also acts as a romantic complimentary song. “You are a shooting star and I wanna be your night sky,” Dion notes, using each verse to showcase ways the couple works well together.

MisterWives – “Nosebleeds”

MisterWives is ushering in their new era as a band with “Nosebleeds,” the lead single from a recently-announced album of the same title. After a turbulent few years for the group, including being dropped from a label, it serves as an uplifting message that they can truly come back swinging — all by going back to the beginning.

“Nosebleeds was a homecoming to truth and freedom of self-expression. In doing so, we find ourselves in new territory both sonically and lyrically that unlocked our most raw and empowering music yet,” lead singer Mandy Lee told Rolling Stone. “Learning along the way that the journey is both heavy and delicate, vulnerable and strong, betrayal and trust, ugly and beautiful.”

Peso Pluma, Eladio Carrión – “77”

Peso Pluma’s “77” also features Eladio Carrión and will seemingly be included on his next album. Upon the song’s announcement, fans were loving that the two joined forces for a high-rolling song, where they detail how they’re unafraid and extravagant — in Rolexes and nice cars, as some examples.

Bruno Major – “We Were Never Really Friends”

“‘We Were Never Really Friends’ paints a picture of the blurry line between friends and lovers,” Bruno Major told Clash about the emotional struggles in his new song. “Ostensibly lamenting the loss of a good friend, until the ultimate realization arrives that it was always something more.”

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

While everyone is waiting for Nick Canon and his small army of offspring to form their own 12-person basketball team, Robert De Niro very quietly welcomed baby number 7 into his clan.

The actor was promoting his new film, aptly titled About My Father, when an ET Canada reporter asked about his six kids. De Niro responded, “Seven, actually. I just had a baby.” We can assume that someone else physically had the baby, though he didn’t clarify who. The 79-year-old already has six kids, ranging in age from 11-51, in addition to a handful of grandkids. That must make the holidays very fun and not at all confusing.

When it comes to his parenting style, De Niro takes the “no-nonsense” approach. He told ET Canada, “I mean, there’s no way around it with kids. I don’t like to have to lay down the law and stuff like that. But, [sometimes] you just have no choice,” he explained. “And any parent, I think, would say the same thing. You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt but sometimes you can’t.”

De Niro also said that while he doesn’t consider himself a “cool dad,” he thinks he is doing “okay” at this parenting thing. “You know, my kids disagree with me at times, and they’re respectful. My daughter, she’s 11, she gives me grief sometimes and I argue with her. I adore her, but, you know. And my youngest now, that’ll be more to come. But, that’s what it is.”

So…who is The Godfather? We are all thinking it, right?

(Via People)

Sharon Van Etten has released a new cover of Ink Spots’ “I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire,” and it features a very fun surprise guest. Listeners might recognize the voice in the song’s spoken word section as Michael Imperioli, best known for his acting work as Christopher from The Sopranos and his recent role on HBO’s The White Lotus (he also has a band called Zopa).

Van Etten’s vocals open the jazz-influenced moody song, adding in the chorus, “I don’t want to set the world on fire / I just want to start a flame in your heart.” Imperioli’s voice can be heard after that in the bridge, as she hums along in the background.

Produced by Este Haim, the cover song appears in episode three of the new National Geographic series, A Small Light, where she also served as an executive music producer. The show centers around the life of Miep Gies, a woman who helped hide Anne Frank and her family in an Amsterdam attic.

The full soundtrack for A Small Light: Songs From The Limited Series arrives May 23, as Este Haim brought on a number of other musicians for songs, including Angel Olsen, Danielle Haim, Kamasi Washington, Weyes Blood, Moses Sumney, and more.

Check out Van Etten and Imperioli’s cover of “I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire” above.

Janelle Monáe doesn’t dress “like the Monopoly Man” anymore, as one fan recently put it. In fact, the musician/actor has been making headlines lately for things like her topless birthday party, dancing at the Met Gala after-party in a bikini, and NSFW teasers for new music. Speaking of the latter, she’s back with a new one today and it’s certainly risqué.

The video starts with Monáe wearing a wide-brimmed hat, playing an acoustic guitar, and singing a new song. After about 30 seconds of that, the video cuts to a revealing clip of Monáe, wearing a wet, white t-shirt that says “pleasure” on the chest as she emerges from a pool. The song continues all the while and the video ends by noting the song, called “Lipstick Lover,” is set to drop this week, on May 11.

On the track, Monáe sings, “I’ll take my time / Just wanna feel your hips on mine / I really got a thing for my lipstick lover, lover, lover, lover / I’d do anything for my lipstick lover, lover, lover, lover / I really got a thing for my lipstick lover.”

While Monáe’s primary output lately has been related to her successful acting career, she’s been paying more attention to the music side of things recently, like in February when she dropped the new single “Float.”

Aminé and Kaytranada’s upcoming joint album Kaytraminé has been exciting fans on the internet since it was announced, and lead single “4eva” drove the buzz to a deafening pitch. After Kaytranada brought out Aminé during his Coachella set, the wait for their album became borderline unbearable, but today, they’ve shared some information that should ease the impatience of their ravenous fans: the cover, tracklist, and release date, which isn’t too far off now.

Both artists appear on the cover in summery outfits lounging on deck chairs, with Kaytra dressed for the pool and Aminé holding a glass of champagne. The pool theme continues on the tracklist, with sun umbrellas and beach balls dotting the blue background between the track titles. The whole thing gives the vibe of a late ’80s/early ’90s catalog, with bright colors and oversaturated photo processing imitating the film photography and glossy pages of the two artists’ early youth.

Meanwhile, the tracklist includes some impressive features, with Big Sean, Freddie Gibbs, Pharrell Williams, and Snoop Dogg all putting in some appearances, while Kaytraminé gives a leg up to rising singer Amaarae. In the comments, fans are already calling Kaytraminé the album of the summer. It’s due on May 19.

Last year, Dolly Parton was announced as a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, despite her public statements to not be considered — as she thought the other nominees deserved it more. The voters picked Parton anyway, so she accepted it, with a twist. While on the stage, she revealed she would be making a rock cover album titled Rockstar, which would include collaborations with artists in that genre.

Now, Parton has shared not one but four of the album’s various covers — and fans are LOVING it. Keeping her original energy, she is seen riding on a motorcycle in a leather jumpsuit, driving in a car with a cheetah-print steering wheel, rocking out on an electric guitar, and channeling her inner Kiss member.

“WOAH she grandmothered so hard in all of these,” one user wrote.

In addition to the cover reveals Parton posted a teaser on her social media, where past clips of herself play on a tv graphic. “Who’s ready to rock?!” she captioned. Last but certainly not least, she also shared the tracklist and release date.

Check out the full list below.

1. “Rockstar” (feat. Richie Sambora)
2. “World On Fire”
3. “Every Breath You Take” (feat. Sting)
4. “Open Arms” (feat. Steve Perry)
5. “Magic Man” (feat. Ann Wilson with special guest Howard Leese)
6. “Long As I Can See The Light” (feat. John Fogerty)
7. “Either Or” (feat. Kid Rock)
8. “I Want You Back” (feat. Steven Tyler with special guest Warren Haynes)
9. “What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done For You” (feat. Stevie Nicks with special guest Waddy Wachtel)
10. “Purple Rain”
11. “Baby, I Love Your Way” (feat. Peter Frampton)
12. “I Hate Myself For Loving You” (feat. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)
13. “Night Moves” (feat. Chris Stapleton)
14. “Wrecking Ball” (feat. Miley Cyrus)
15. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (feat. P!nk & Brandi Carlile)
16. “Keep On Loving You” (feat. Kevin Cronin)
17. “Heart Of Glass” (feat. Debbie Harry)
18. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” (feat. Elton John)
19. “Tried To Rock And Roll Me” (feat. Melissa Etheridge)
20. “Stairway To Heaven” (feat. Lizzo & Sasha Flute)
21. “We Are The Champions”
22. “Bygones” (feat. Rob Halford with special guests Nikki Sixx & John 5)
23. “My Blue Tears” (feat. Simon Le Bon)
24. “What’s Up?” (feat. Linda Perry)
25. “You’re No Good” (feat. Emmylou Harris & Sheryl Crow)
26. “Heartbreaker” (feat. Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo)
27. “Bittersweet” (feat. Michael McDonald)
28. “I Dreamed About Elvis” (feat. Ronnie McDowell with special guest The Jordanaires)
29. “Let It Be” (feat. Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr with special guests Peter Frampton & Mick Fleetwood)
30. “Free Bird” (feat. Ronnie Van Zant with special guests Gary Rossington, Artimus Pyle and The Artimus Pyle Band)

Rockstar is out 11/17 via Butterfly Records. Find more information here.

Showing pride in how far he’s come in life, Meek Mill proudly proclaimed that he’s “taking things far from being a trench baby.”

Now, the musician is using his platform to impact the youth. In a video uploaded to Meek’s Instagram profile, the recording artists took a moment to offer some sound advice to a few young kids who asked to perform a freestyle for him. After the young boys delivered their original bars, Meek asked the group, “Why are y’all talking all that crazy stuff,” referring to the aspiring rappers referencing violence and guns.

Meek added, “Y’all got to rap about y’all life too, though. Y’all got a good one? I need that good stuff.”

To not discourage them, the entertainer closed with an explanation as to why they need to clean up their raps, “You gotta turn your cuss words down so you could get on Spotify, YouTube.”

Although his music often reflects those rough times, the “Dreams & Nightmares” rapper has dedicated himself to helping those who are growing up in the same conditions that he did. The entertainer has donated millions of dollars to Philadelphia schools and has even posted bail for local women to help reunite them with their families through his criminal justice reform-focused non-profit Reform Alliance.

Watch the clip above.

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

With a $14.52 billion worldwide total, Scarlett Johansson is the highest-grossing actor of all-time. Much of that comes from Johansson’s work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but she’s been in numerous non-franchise movies to break the $100 million mark, including The Jungle Book ($953 million), Lucy ($457 million), and Lost in Translation ($117 million). For her box office success, Johansson regularly commands a $15 million-$20 million salary, but she took a major pay cut to star in Wes Anderson’s new film, Asteroid City.

Variety reports that “she happily earned a paltry $4,131 a week for two months of work on the Focus Features film that shot in Spain.” Based on figures available online, that appears to be the paid scale — the lowest rate a union actor can accept on a project — for a SAG-AFTRA member. It’s how Asteroid City, with a reported budget of $25 million, can afford not only Johansson, but also fellow A-listers Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie.

“I was curious: Who is this person? How did she get here, to be so successful at that time? She’s this star of stage and screen — what drove her there?” Johansson said about her preparation to play actress Midge Campbell, her character in Asteroid City, who Anderson wrote for her. “I like the sort of constraints of Wes’ precision. I think in some ways, it’s more liberating.”

Asteroid City comes out on June 23.

(Via Variety)

When last we heard from Danny Brown, the Detroit rapper was checking himself into rehab for alcohol abuse. In March, Danny told fans he was voluntarily seeking treatment as he had overstepped during a recent episode of his podcast which he’d filmed while drunk. “Alcohol is something I need to be done with cause it makes me hurt the people that care the most,” he admitted.

Well, he’s returned with a new episode of The Danny Brown Show in which he addresses going to treatment head-on. He called the experience “humbling” while saying it gave him a newfound appreciation for his work, especially compared to some of those who were also in the program with him.

“Being in treatment… one thing it did do: It humbled the f*ck out of me,” he said. “It made me real f*ckin’ umm… Just showed a lot of gratitude. I got a cool-ass life, man. Hearin’ other motherf*ckers stories… ‘Cause a lot of these motherf*ckers that’s in there, they had drinking problems, drug problems, they gotta go back to work…. I have one of the best jobs in the f*cking world. I was taking a lot of sh*t for granted.”

It’s good to see Danny focused and grateful ahead of his upcoming tour with Jpegmafia. They may be scaring the hoes, but at least it’ll be for the right reason. You can watch the full episode of The Danny Brown Show up top.