Month: July 2023

Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton sparked a lot of conversation when their collaborative song “Rainbowland” was banned from an annual spring concert at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Now, according to WISN, Melissa Tempel, the teacher who suggested including “Rainbowland” in the concert, has had her job terminated after a unanimous vote (9-0) by the School District of Waukesha Board of Education, on Wednesday (July 12). They claim she made three violations.

“Ms. Tempel deliberately brought negative attention to the school district because she disagreed with the decision as opposed to following protocol and procedure and I believe that behavior is intolerable,” said Waukesha School District Superintendent Sebert.

“I thought that the fact that the tweet that I made, that ‘Rainbowland’ wasn’t going to be allowed, was something that the public would be really concerned about and that they would be interested in knowing about it,” Tempel said during the hearing.

Back in March, Cyrus reacted to the ban of the song by donating money to an organization called Pride and Less Prejudice through her Happy Hippie Foundation. “To the inspiring first grade students at Heyer Elementary, keep being YOU. We believe in our Happy Hippie heart that you’ll be the ones to brush the judgment and fear aside and make all of us more understanding and accepting,” they wrote on social media.

The Hip-Hop 50 celebrations continue. The Criterion Channel throws its hat into the ring, announcing that it’ll start streaming a “mixtape” of pivotal hip-hop films in August to highlight the culture’s rich film history and influence on cinema. Included in the collection will be documentaries like Style Wars and Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest, early features such as Wild Style and Krush Groove, and of course, what hip-hop film collection would be complete without Hype Williams’ hood classic feature debut, Belly?

It looks like the collection will be released onto the platform in roughly chronological order, mirroring hip-hop’s growth from a local youth movement with films like Beat Street and Krush Groove coming in August, while September will see entries from the late ’80s and early ’90s when hip-hop began to burst onto the national scene. Those will include Boyz n the Hood, Do the Right Thing, and Poetic Justice. Then, in November, you can watch the triumph of the platinum era, Belly, as well as its sequel Belly 2: Millionaire Boyz Club (which suggests that maybe Criterion couldn’t secure rights to quite as many of hip-hop’s most important feature films as perhaps it would’ve liked).

For a list of more hip-hop films — specifically documentaries — worth checking out, here’s a list we wrote a few years ago.

Billie Eilish attended the Barbie premiere in Los Angeles on Sunday, July 9, and told Variety that she was “going for more of a Ken thing” with her pink carpet look. Toward the end of a sit-down interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe published today, July 13, Eilish explained exactly what she’s going for with all of her decisions right now.

Lowe joked that Eilish’s oversized ERL sneakers gave a “severe nut allergy vibe.” Eilish cracked up before saying, “Yeah, dude. I’m trolling. I’m trolling these b*tches. Me at the f*cking premiere — ugh, I looked like a giant toddler. But I’m like, I’m trolling, bro. … Please. I tried to take myself seriously with the Happier Than Ever period, and I was like, ‘OK! Did that. Let’s do something else.’”

The preceding 31 minutes of Eilish’s conversation with Lowe also took on a more serious tone, as she unpacked the origin story and inspiration behind her and Finneas’ devastating piano ballad, “What Was I Made For,” for the Barbie soundtrack.

“I find it really hard to write about my exact feelings in my life, and so, ‘What Was I Made For’ would never have ever been written [other than for Barbie], even though every single lyric is exactly how I feel,” Eilish said to open the interview. “Every lyric. Exactly how I feel. You hear me? Look at my mouth. It’s exactly how I feel! It’s about my life.”

Eilish relayed that the opportunity to write “What Was I Made For” came about organically and unexpectedly.

“Through this last winter, [she and Finneas have] both been incredibly uninspired, and we’ve still been working and trying to make stuff, and honestly, that song was the first thing we’d written in a minute,” she said.

In December 2022, Finneas started a group text between him, Eilish, Barbie director Greta Gerwig, and Barbie: The Album executive producer Mark Ronson. By January 16, 2023, Gerwig organized a private Barbie screening for Eilish and Finneas.

“[Gerwig] played us the first 30, 40 minutes of the movie, and I mean, like a minute in, Finneas and I looked at each other like, ‘Whoa. This is insane,’” Eilish said.

The 21-year-old seven-time Grammy winner then compared the impromptu making of “What Was I Made For” to the drawn-out process for their Oscar-winning Bond theme, “No Time To Die”:

“Literally the next day, we were working, and we were writing something. I don’t know. It was kind of a dud of a day. Nothing was really made, and it was late. I was like, ‘Alright, I think I’m gonna go. We’ve done enough. We’re done for the day.’ And Finneas was like, ‘Should we try to write a Barbie song?’ And I literally was like, ‘Dog, no. What? We’re not gonna make – c’mon.’

I thought about ‘No Time To Die,’ that was months of thinking and talking and coming up with different melodies and stuff. That was also one of my favorite processes of all time, but very different. I was like, we can’t recreate that. How are we gonna do that? We truly sat down, and Finneas started playing piano, and those first couple lyrics, ‘I used to float, now I just fall down,’ just came out.”

“What Was I Made For” was released this morning, July 13, and Barbie will enjoy its long-awaited theatrical release on July 21.

Watch the “What Was I Made For” video above, or watch Eilish’s interview with Lowe below.

Last week, surfer Sarah Brady claimed that actor Jonah Hill, who she dated from 2021 to 2022, was “emotionally abusive” while they were together. She shared a screenshot of a text exchange between herself and a contact saved as “Jonah,” who wrote that if Brady wants to surf “with men,” “model,” and “post pictures of yourself in a bathing suit,” among other demands, that he’s “not the right partner” for her. Brady posted the texts as a “warning to all girls,” she wrote. “If your partner is talking to you like this, make an exit plan.”

Since then, others have spoken out against Hill, including former Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas, who alleged that he kissed her without consent when she was 16 years old and he was 24, and Australian radio broadcaster Fifi Box. Page Six reports that the Fifi, Fev, & Nick host spoke to the actor in 2012 while he was promoting 21 Jump Street in an interview that she described as “scary.”

Box played the resurfaced audio, in which [then co-host Jules Lund] told Hill, “Last time you were out here [in Australia], Jonah, you hooked up with a friend of mine, and you didn’t call her.” The actor, who was doing press with his “21 Jump Street” co-star Channing Tatum at the time, blew up on the spot over the “bullsh*t” question.

“That’s not true. That’s not [the] last time I was out here, first of all,” he began. “You’re talking to two people who have no shame in hiding anything from their past, right? But we don’t know enough about you to dig up all the sh*t from your past, to make fun of you about on live radio… If I knew anything about you and I cared enough, I’d dig up embarrassing sh*t from your past to rip on you about it, but I don’t care, and I don’t know, so I don’t have the luxury.”

Box called Hill’s response “uncomfortable” and “scary.” Lund, who asked the question, previously told news.com.au that he instantly regretted bringing it up. “He tore me a new a**hole. He was just being a f*ckwit,” he said.

Hill has not publicly responded to Brady’s claims.

(Via Page Six)

La La Anthony is one of the most prolific and cross-generational personalities that hip-hop culture has ever witnessed. There’s absolutely no one like her. The Brooklyn, New York-raised talent, born Alani Nicole Vázquez, got her start in radio at just 16 years old and it’s been on ever since. From radio to landing the coveted role as an MTV VJ for Total Request Live to huge acting roles as well as hosting the 2023 Met Gala red carpet for Vogue — and on top of it all, being a mother — there are so many reasons La La is important to the culture and with Hip Hop’s 50th approaching, it’s time to highlight that.

Right before the 2023 BET Awards, at the Amex & BET Watch Party at House of BET, I got a glimpse of La La at work with the lights, camera, and mic on. Oh, and the many eyes staring and all the ears listening (because it has to be quiet on the set, of course) while she did it. It looked like she could do this in her sleep — which should come as no surprise. She’s been thriving for years in an ever-changing media space and in so many ways. It’s to the point where there’s something comforting about knowing that La La’s involved. Whether it’s on Starz’s BMF or a cameo in a Drake music video, there’s a certain standard that comes with her association.

“I started on TRL really young and that was live TV, and you couldn’t mess up,” she told me after she wrapped filming. “So, I think I’ve gotten trained over the years to try to just do it in one take because on live television, you can’t do it again. So, I’m used to it.”

Exactly. There’s a reason La La will always be famous. During our conversation, we discussed her early days on the radio, with Ludacris giving her a shot, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and the music she’s looking forward to the most this year.

How did you get your start at the radio station in Atlanta?

I was an intern. And then from there, I worked really hard, and Ludacris, they gave me a shot at actually being on the radio with him when I was 16 years old. So that’s how everything started, and that’s how my career kind of started. I know, I know. It was young. It was young. Well, I lied and said I was 18 so I could get the job, but I was really 16. It was young, but I was driven. I knew I loved music, I knew I wanted to do something with music, so once the opportunity to intern came up, I knew that was something I wanted to do.

You took that risk?

I did. I took a chance. It was a fun job for me to intern at a radio station as a teenager. You get to hear all the music you love and you get to meet all the artists that you love.

And also, since… He wasn’t Ludacris then, right?

Chris Luva Luva.

Right. So you guys are both at the top of y’all’s game at this point. During that time though, when you both were on the radio, did you two ever discuss what you wanted the future to look like?

Chris always wanted to be a rapper and we knew that. I’ll never forget the day he came in the radio station and he said, “I’m going to leave this job now.” He said, “So you got two options. You’re either going to get in the car with me and we’re going to travel all over the country selling my mixtape or you’re going to have to find another radio job.” And I was like, do I want to be in his Hyundai for however many months just on the road? Or, do I want to pursue my own career? I always supported Chris, but I wanted to find my own lane.

I decided to go with the option of getting on another radio station. That’s when I moved to LA, probably at about 18 or 19 years old, and got on the radio here in LA.

It’s been so dope to see you go from radio to TRL to doing all the TV shows like Power and BMF and reality shows to hosting the Met Gala red carpet. What would you say is your most memorable interview moment?

The internship that we talked about started because I remember Method Man and the Wu-Tang Clan, they were opening up a clothing store in Atlanta and I wanted to meet Method Man. I wanted to meet the Wu-Tang Clan. I was such a fan growing up. So, it wasn’t an interview, but it was the moment where kind of my career started when I went to the clothing store that they were opening. I got the internship because the radio station was there.

I always think about Wu-Tang as what kind of started me in this career and everything, and then years later, I was also a part of the Wu-Tang series. So it all came full circle, to be acting in the Wu-Tang series and knowing that my career started following Wu-Tang at the clothing store that day. I feel like hip-hop is the soundtrack to my life and my career and my path, so I have so much love for it. It started my career in music. It’s been great to see a little bit of everything.

Do you remember the first rap you ever memorized?

Yes. “Anything” by Nas I memorized, and I still to this day know by heart.

Which album drops were you the most excited for this year?

I loved Drake and 21‘s album. Thug’s album was great. There’s been some great music this year for sure.

Do you have any projects that you’re looking forward to?

Well, if Drake does, then I’ll look forward to that, of course. Nicki Minaj said she was releasing, so definitely Nicki for sure. I mean, I just take them as they come, and then I get right into them. I know there’s some great concerts happening. Definitely, Beyoncé’s concert, so that’s going to be great. I know Drake is going on tour with 21, so I’m going to definitely go to that. It’s a great time for music.

Speaking of Beyoncé, I do have a question about a specific picture though, because I know one year at the Met Gala you, Beyoncé and Nicki took a photo. Tell me about that moment.

It’s always great energy with all of us. I think that Nicki, we were sitting next to each other at the Met, and then Bey was walking around and came over to say, ‘Hi,’ and then we just snapped a picture together. The Met is so fun. You never know who you’re going to see or who you’re going to run into. That was a couple years ago. It was a fun night.

What’s it like inside the Met Gala?

It’s like a dinner and then a performance — but it’s really fun. You get to see people that you love, people that you’re fans of and you get to see friends. It’s like a gathering of just great energy and people you don’t see all the time. So, it’s really a fun night and it’s in New York, which makes me happy because a lot of events are in LA, and I’m from New York and I live in New York, so it’s nice to have events like the Met be in New York.

What’s next for you or something we should look out for?

I just had a movie drop, The Perfect Find on Netflix with myself, Gabrielle Union, and Keith Powers. I just finished filming season three of BMF, which will drop in January, so people seem to be excited for another season of BMF.

Jay-Z likes celebrating his hometown, whether that’s investing $16.5 million in a robot pizza truck company in Brooklyn, or naming a song “Brooklyn Go Hard.”

Now, it looks like Brooklyn is celebrating Jay-Z. Footage is circulating of the Brooklyn Public Library covered in the rapper’s lyrics. According to Hell Gate, the library is closed today (July 13) as it prepares for a Jay-Z exhibit opening tomorrow.

“What I’ve heard is that Roc Nation is covering the cost of all the installations,” a source told Hell Gate.

Following the Grammys, Jay-Z discussed Beyonce’s loss for Album Of The Year. “I remove myself from the process and hope they just get it right,” he said. “It got to the point where I was like, it’s just a marketing thing. You go, you got an album out and it could help the sales go up.”

“Look what it’s done to the culture,” he continued about Renaissance. “Look how the energy of the world moved. They play her whole album in the club. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that. The whole entire joint — like, everything?! Every remix is amazing. Everyone’s inspired. It has inspired the world. Every remix is better than the other one.”

When Donald Trump visited NATO headquarters in 2017 and literally shoved world leaders out of the way to get a better position for a photo, most people viewed that as yet another embarrassing sign that he’s unfit to be president. Not Jesse Watters! The Fox News host couldn’t stop gushing about the viral moment while bashing Joe Biden for not doing the same.

Biden met with NATO leaders in Lithuania this week where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a pressing topic. Like a respectable politician and human beings, Biden did not shove other world leaders out of his way, and in true Fox News style, Watters argued that America is weaker for it.

“The American president usually dominates every room,” Watters said. “When [George W.] Bush went overseas, he commanded authority. Every leader was trying to get facetime. Optics is always important in politics, especially overseas. The world’s watching.”

Cue the Trump gushing. Via Mediaite:

Trump knew that – 2017, when all the leaders were heading to a photo op, Trump pushed the president [sic] of Montenegro out of the way so he could be front and center. Sorry, Montenegro. we got the F-35s. Biden doesn’t do that. Looks like a freshman on the first day of school.

As Mediaite notes, this isn’t the first time that Watters has worshipped at the feet of Trump’s childish impulses. He made similar remarks when Biden visited Brussels last year.

“Remember, he pushed the president [sic] of Montenegro out of the way so he could be upfront and center on stage – leading? Everybody knew there he was in charge,” Watters said. “Not Joe Biden. He’s not acting like a leader.”

Yes, Donald Trump, a real manly man who reportedly spends hours each morning applying pancake makeup and elaborately constructing his hair before going out into the world.

(Via Mediaite)

Lil Wayne has successfully straddled the line between rap and sports for decades. The 2023 ESPYs were last night, July 12, and some athletic figures walked away with a higher honor than a trophy: An improvised name-check from Lil Wayne during his performance of “A Milli” to open the broadcast.

Lil Wayne seamlessly altered the song’s famous bars to include nods toward LSU women’s basketball standout Angel Reese, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, San Antonio Spurs 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, and NFL Hall Of Famer-turned-Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.

The mad dash ended with Wayne spitting, “I want my NIL so I’m goin’ back to college / Tattoos on my face, you can call me Dennis Rodman.” Wayne thanked the crowd before leaving the stage and welcomed everyone to the 2023 ESPYs.

If such a category existed, Wayne would have been the frontrunner for Best Sports Analyst In Rap. The New Orleans icon recently ranked LeBron James as the best basketball player of all time while visiting Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson’s All The Smoke and weighed in with empathy on Ja Morant’s public slip-ups. Perhaps most stunningly, Lil Wayne praised Eli Manning’s rapping during an appearance on ManningCast last December.

Watch Lil Wayne’s custom-made “A Milli” performance for the 2023 ESPYs above.

For more than a decade, K-pop’s global status has only grown bigger, expanding beyond charts and online streaming. As Korean artists continue to make a name for themselves with their albums and songs charting simultaneously both domestically and globally, so does the demand for the producers and songwriters behind their hits.

Justin Reinstein, a producer based out of New York, has generated his own discography of K-pop tracks he’s worked on over the last 7 years. (IVE’s “After Like,” Stray Kids’ “I am YOU,” ITZY‘s “Cheshire,” and a good number of TWICE‘s Korean and Japanese discography including their first English single “The Feels,” to name a few.) Before dipping his toes into K-pop, the East Coast producer has been involved in the music industry for eight years prior, working mostly with J-pop and some western artists. Over the pandemic, he started NuVibe Music, a production team and publishing company that primarily focuses on the Asian music market. The team consists of three other producers and topliners recruited by Justin. “I had a vision of starting a company that promoted positivity and forward-thinking creativity,” he says during the chat. “I didn’t want it to feel too business-like. All of us are good friends and work really well together.”

“I remember feeling very honored when Justin reached out,” Anna Timgren, the group’s topliner in Finland says. “He’s one of the top producers in the industry and we had a really good connection from the first song!” Anna was the second member to join NuVibe after Justin came across her pen work with Chung Ha’s “Stay Tonight.” She’s worked on LOONA’s “So What,” fromis_9’s “Stay This Way,” Viviz’s “BOP BOP!” and TWICE’s “The Feels” with Justin as well. The two disclosed they’ve worked together a year before reuniting in NuVibe, while Anna has been working in the industry for 10 years.

NuVibe’s two on-the-rise members consists of Suhyppy, a topliner from South Korea who just began working with K-pop last year and recently made her production debut with NMIXX’s “Rollercoaster,” and DTP, a producer based in England who started producing for K-pop in 2019 and joined the team two years ago.

While the K-pop hit-making collective consists of members from different sides of the world, the group works closely so often to create some of the best earworms the industry has to offer. In the midst of producing a busy summer and fall ahead, UPROXX chatted with Justin and Anna to breakdown what it takes to make a K-pop hit.

First thing’s first. How and what is the process like working with K-pop?

Justin: For me, I’ll usually get an idea for a track first. Or sometimes I’ll jam out at the piano and get a topline idea, and work around that. From there, it’s just figuring out the details. Putting together the puzzle until there are no more pieces left on the floor — if you’re putting the puzzle together on the floor. But it can definitely take some time – from the track, to vocal editing, to mixing. Actually, I like to work for just a few hours at a time, unless I’m so inspired that I just have to finish the project in one shot, then I’ll lose sleep for the sake of the craft. Or, unless there’s a deadline of course.

Anna: I like to really focus on creating the best melodies possible for the song. I won’t move on to recording until all of the sections feel 100% there. I usually give the topline process max of 2 days, that includes writing and recording demo vocals.

Justin: Anna and I are a bit similar in that she actually writes really fast. If you’re inspired, sometimes the melody just hits you. Recording the vocals is the “work” part, for sure. Figuring out the vocal arrangements, the right vibe of the singing, that all is what ends up taking the most time on the toplining side.

What’s the most important thing when it comes to producing a K-pop song in your opinion?

Justin: I pretty much look at it like producing any other song. The track has to groove. There has to be great sound selection. It’s gotta feel alive. And then on the technical side, I like to try to come up with moments that make you go “whoa.” Reverb automation is one of my favorite tricks to deploy.

How about the pitching process?

Justin: We’ll send the songs out to our contacts at labels, or other pitching partners in Korea. Sometimes the labels will already have an idea of the direction of a project, so we’ll send the song straight to them.

On top of working with K-pop, you all managed to work with some Korean K-pop producers as well.

Justin: I do a lot of work with Woo Min Lee “collapsedone.” We met in New York in 2018 and started working together regularly. We’ve produced a lot of TWICE, fromis_9 and other acts together.

Anna: I work with several producers and enjoy the diversity. It keeps things interesting!

Any culture shock moments working with the Korean music industry compared to western music?

Justin: Just the fact that I could get into my zone with jazzy chord changes. I love how widely accepted beautiful chord changes are in K-pop. There’s a lot you can do there and make it sound modern.

Anna: To me, K-Pop is a very melodically free genre. I really enjoy challenging myself because the groups have multiple singers and sometimes have rappers. So as a songwriter, I have to be able to write and sing (and sometimes rap) parts that fit the idols

Any obstacles or struggles you face working with K-pop? Such as time differences? Language barriers? Too many members? Deadlines?

Justin: You definitely have to be on call almost all the time. Being in New York, I’m getting e-mails when I’m going to sleep, and right as I wake up. We’re super grateful to be busy, though sometimes it’s good to turn your phone on silent and recharge the batteries. Literally, and figuratively.

Anna: I’m happy to be in Europe, I usually get a quiet morning until Justin wakes up haha!

How often do you have to travel or meet with artists in person? Or has it been all remote?

Justin: The majority of the time we work remotely, but now that the pandemic’s subsided, I think we’re aiming to visit Korea 2-3 times per year. It’s always great connecting with the kind folks that work at the labels, our songwriter friends, and of course if we get the opportunity to meet artists, that’s always a blast.

Anna: Yeah, I mostly work remotely, but I also do songwriting camps here in Europe from time to time.

You’ve worked with so many artists. What’s your most prized track or album then?

Anna: The song of my life is definitely “The Feels” by TWICE. I’m so happy that one of the first songs me and Justin, along with Justin’s regular collaborator collapsedone, made together ended up being such a big song!

Justin: I agree, that one is really special. I also love one of our latest releases “What I Want” by fromis_9. Anna and I worked hard and developed an interesting sound that we were exploring at the time. It was so rewarding when the label believed in our vision. It goes to show that you should always follow your gut when it comes to trying something a little left field, creatively.

What was the moment when you realized you’ve gained success in your work.

Justin: It’s a never ending journey. I still feel like we’re striving for success.

Anna: I agree, well said Justin. High five!

Dream collaboration or project.

Anna: Ahh there are so many great artists that we’d like to collaborate with. aespa, LE SSERAFIM, Red Velvet, NCT to name a few. But we don’t think too much about that, what drives us is the desire to create what we’re feeling at the time.

Justin: I agree. If we love the song as we’re creating it, we have faith that some A&R is gonna love the song eventually. It’s always a thrill when the labels take interest in songs that we create just because we felt like creating.

What’s one thing about this profession you wish you could tell others that you haven’t had the chance to tell?

Justin: If you’re a new writer, I’d suggest focusing on building with other new writers. If you aim straight for the top, oftentimes (but not all the time) those more established writers already have their set collaborators, and won’t be as likely to agree to a collab. When you build with other people who are on the same level, you can learn & grow together.

Anna: Yeah, I totally agree. Building your own relationships and finding your own connections and growing together with people is the most important thing, in my opinion. It’s not always easy, but we shouldn’t forget the reason why we do this: the love of music. That’s what’s gonna keep us going even in the hard times.

Finally. What makes K-pop pop?

Anna: I think the reason why K-pop is so popular is the mix of refreshing sounds and melodies combined with great dancing and performances.

Justin: Definitely. It’s something fresh and new for the world. It’s infectious.

It seems like it’s been a long, long time since Chicago rapper/poet Noname put out a new song. However, the wait will soon come to an end, as the outspoken MC has announced the release date for her next single. It’s called “Balloons,” it features New Orleans rapper Jay Electronica and Detroit singer Eryn Allen Kane, and it’s due on July 21.

The track constitutes Noname’s first new single since 2021 when she released “Rainforest” without much fanfare. Prior to that, her last release was the fiery “Song 33,” her June 2020 response to J. Cole’s “Snow On The Bluff,” which criticized an unnamed commenter for shutting down questions online. Fans interpreted the song as a shot at Noname, and after the hype died down, it seemed that the Chicago rapper was exhausted by the scrutiny.

She announced that she was canceling her album Factory Baby in December 2021 to focus on her activism — namely the Radical Hood Library in Los Angeles — but after taking a few months away opted to return the stage at Afropunk in 2022. Then, this April, she told fans, “My new album is called Sundial. It will be released in July 2023. Thank you for everything.”

It looks like Noname’s aiming for a late-July release for the album if she’s releasing a single next week. Fingers crossed.