Month: September 2023

After a lengthy five-year period since her debut album, Invasion Of Privacy, Cardi B is ready to share another project. Fans might’ve enjoyed her string of guest verses on tracks such as her “Jealousy” with her husband Offset, FendiDa Rappa’s “Point Me 2,” Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor Again,” but Cardi is ready to drop a record of her own.

Yesterday (September 3), Cardi hinted that she had a major announcement on the horizon. Today (September 4,) the cat’s out of the bag. In a post uploaded to Cardi’s official Instagram page, she revealed her next single as the lead artist. The track titled “Bongos” will be shared onto steaming services on Friday (September 8).

As if the track itself wasn’t enough, it will feature Cardi’s “WAP” collaborator, Megan Thee Stallion, who herself hasn’t shared her own music since last year’s album Traumazine.

Although in August, Cardi told magazine Vogue Mexico, “I’m not going to release any more collaborations, I’m going to publish my next solo single,” based on what she and Megan were able to cook up on “WAP” supporters will surely overlook that statement.

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

Birthdays mark a monumental moment in everyone’s life. But, when you’re an international superstar, that intensity is magnified by one million percent. For singer Beyoncé, her special day is worthy of musical celebration.

Tonight (September 4), the Beyhive monarch will celebrate her birthday onstage during her Renaissance World Tour‘s final night in Inglewood. However, that’s not enough for the highly decorated entertainer. In addition to what will be a magnificent show, she’s shared a new high-energy dance track, “Nine Four Eight One,” (named after her birthday year) for those who can’t groove along with her at the concert.

She took to her official Instagram page to upload the song, which features Kevin JZ Prodigy, TS Madison, and Kevin Aviance, all notable figures and advocates in the LGBTQ community.

The club-ready record mixes ballroom emceeing with flashy EDM production. The song’s opening stanza, “Miss Tina, Miss Tina, what can we say / You gave birth to her on this day / The magic that we all have seen / Made many of us happy, baby / Everything we see is pure,” is an overflow of love to Beyoncé and her mother, Tina Knowles.

Madison (who is also featured on the track “Cozy”) adds in her spicy adds libs, “They say Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor / She still all on his mouth like liquor,” a callback to the Grammy Award record holder’s 2013 interlude “Yoncé.” Madison continues, “You know why? / She’s Beyoncé b*tch / Beyoncé is not to be compared to any other b*tch.”

Her last-minute special wardrobe request for those attending her birthday show was worth it.

Listen to the track above.

Even after his death in 1977, the life and legacy of Elvis Presley have remained a public obsession, which has led to several motion pictures. The late singer’s family history with ex-wife Priscilla Presley is a substantial part of that interest. In the new film, Priscilla, that reality will be explored further.

Today (September 4), before its Venice Film Festival screening, Priscilla took a moment to clear up a decades-long rumor surrounding their coupling. While speaking with the press, she denied that she and her then-husband were ever intimate when she was still underage.

“People think, ‘Oh, it was sex, it was this.’ Not at all. I never had sex with him. He was very kind, very soft, very loving. But he also respected the fact I was only 14 years old. We were more in mind and thought, and that was our relationship,” said Priscilla in a clip secured by TMZ.

She added, “I was the person who really sat there to listen and to comfort him,” she explains. “That was really our connection. Even though I was 14, I was actually a little bit older in life, not in numbers, and that was the attraction.”

Priscilla and Elvis went on to get married in 1967, shortly after they welcomed their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley (who sadly passed in January). In 1973, they had divorced. Elvis then died in 1977.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been known by many aliases throughout his decades-long career, including Puffy, Puff Daddy, and P. Diddy. However, his newest persona, Brother Love, is the main motivating factor behind one of his latest business moves.

According to Billboard, Diddy has given several former Bad Boy Records artists the rights back to their music publishing. Of the once robust roster, the publication could only confirm that Mase, Faith Evans, The LOX, 112, and the Estate of the Notorious B.I.G. were amongst the grantees.

Last week (September 1), rapper Cam’ron let it slip that his longtime friend and It Is What It Is co-host Mase was awarded his publishing back from Diddy after several years of fighting for it. Now, with Billboard’s report, it has been officially verified.

As joyous as the announcement was for the artists, impacted users online were divided on the mogul’s decision to reassign them their rights after such a long time.

“Bad Boy turning 30. Legally, at 35 years, all rights revert back to artists and writers. He held them for 30/35 years, and most likely, those songs aren’t generating the type of income it has in the past. So basically…sounds good,” wrote one user.

Another posted a screengrab of Section 203 of the Copyright Act that further explained the duration of rights to creative works, writing, “Diddy ain’t slick .”

While others applauded Diddy for his actions.

“* WE NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME! @Diddy, it took many years, but you finally did the right thing ,” penned one person.

“Very big deal,” exclaimed another.

Another, shocked by the news, wrote, “Whaaaaaat?! Wow! Ok. I’m glad he did that. That’s a huge step. Black Jesus must have spoken to his heart.”

Regardless of the reason, just as Diddy is entering a new era with the release of his upcoming album, The Love Album, his legacy label might be doing the same.

The Love Album: Off The Grid is due 9/15 through Love Records and Motown. Find more information here.

Former Oasis musician Noel Gallagher isn’t afraid of sharing his thoughts on other recording artists he crosses paths with. At times, it seems Gallagher takes pride in his bluntness (look into his longstanding beef with The 1975’s Matty Healy). But, in July, when Gallagher turned his pricing insults toward Adele by way of her music, fans were perplexed.

Gallagher explained what sparked their feud during his recent appearance on The Matt Morgan Podcast. Although the episode is locked behind a paywall, Entertainment Weekly shared the transcript of Gallagher’s response.

When asked what led to their seemingly one-sided issues, as Adele hasn’t issued a statement, Gallagher said, “She sent someone over to f***ing ask, ‘Did I want to meet her?’. That’s what riled me. I’m not one for causing a scene, I just stick it in the vault and just think revenge is a dish best served cold.”

Despite not being supportive of her Grammy Award-winning records, Gallagher might be open to working with Adele in the future. “If I fall out of love with touring, I could see myself just sitting at home writing songs and sending them to my publishers. I might in the future. I’ll be saying, ‘Get Adele to sing that. Don’t call until she’s done the guide vocal,’” he jokingly remarked.

His initial quote from his last appearance on the podcast in July, “F*ck off, f*cking hell. Name one. […] They’re f*cking sh*t. It’s f*cking awful. It’s f*cking [late British pop singer] Cilla Black. I find it and that whole thing offensive,” brought Gallagher’s disdain for Adele’s popular tracks to light.

Last year, after two years of being cancelled thanks to the pandemic, Burning Man made a triumphant return — which is to say nothing newsworthy happened. This year wasn’t so lucky. Starting Friday, and continuing intermittently through Sunday, severe rainfall pummeled the grounds, turning the playa into a muddy hellscape that made transportation impossible. Tens of thousands of revelers were stranded. There was one death. But some more famous participants managed to escape relatively early on.

Diplo and Chris Rock were among those able to successfully skedaddle from the grounds. It wasn’t easy. The former went on CNN to tell the story of their herculean journey, and to reveal who else was with them:

“[Rock] had his New York Knicks jacket on and he just got up with us and started walking. And we walked about three hours in the mud. He was happy. It was me, I think Cindy Crawford walked with us. Kaia Gerber, Austin Butler, Randy Gerber, a writer, a couple of producers from TV, a couple of people who just wanted to get home to their children. They didn’t take no for an answer.

CNN’s Nick Watt explained what happened next: “So those walkers managed to get to an actual road out of the mud after a few hours, and a guy in a passing pickup truck apparently recognized DJ Diplo and gave them a ride, and eventually they all made it to Reno.”

For the record, that’s not just a random assortment of names: Crawford is married to Gerber, and their daughter is Kaira, who is dating Butler.

Many weren’t so lucky. As of this writing, the 70,000 attendees who’d been told to shelter in place were still awaiting the mass exodus. Some weren’t in any rush.

“But some people are going to stick it out a little bit longer because they plan to burn the man tonight,” Watt explained. “So there are people who want to stay there until the end, and you know, they’ll just be praying for no more rain. And there is no more rain in the forecast.”

However this ends, it will make for a riveting documentary — or maybe even two ones à la the dueling Fyre Festival docs.

(Via Mediaite)

Yesterday (September 3), it was reported that iconic Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell was under hospice care, with Smash Mouth manager Robert Hayes saying, “Although Steve is here with us still, sadly it will only be for a short time.” Hayes was tragically correct: Today, Harwell died at 56 years old.

As for the cause of death, Hayes confirmed in a statement that it was liver failure.

Harwell retired from Smash Mouth in 2021. In a statement announcing the news, it was revealed Harwell had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy eight years earlier. Harwell also had Wernicke encephalopathy, which had an effect on his motor skills, speech, and memory.

In that statement, Harwell wrote in part, “To our loyal and amazing fans, thank you, all of this was possible because of you. I’ve tried so hard to power through my physical and mental health issues, and to play in front of you one last time, but I just wasn’t able to.”

In a statement shared on social media, Smash Mouth wrote, “Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle. Steve will be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom. Rest in peace knowing you aimed for the stars, and magically hit your target. Rest easy.”

Joe Biden hasn’t really begun his 2024 campaign in earnest. Perhaps he’s content to let the Republican field duke it out and wait for its top contender to maybe finally get his comeuppance. But every now and then he’ll let loose some not-so-subtle digs. During a speech on Labor Day, he attacked a certain someone for not being a very good president, and he didn’t even have to say his name.

“The guy who held this job before me was just one of two presidents in history … who left office with fewer jobs in America than when he got elected to office,” Biden told a crowd of union workers in Philadelphia. “By the way, you know who the other one was? Herbert Hoover.”

The president wasn’t done. “When the last guy was here, he looked at the world from Park Ave.,” he said. ““I look at it from Scranton, Pa., I look at it from Claymont, Del.”

Biden talked up all the work his administration has done, including his infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. His and his team’s work has led to strong jobs reports but not-so-hot marks from voters. Still, at least he’s gotten stuff done, unlike You Know Who.

“Guess what? The great real estate builder, the last guy, he didn’t build a damn thing,” Biden told the crowd. “Under my predecessor, infrastructure week became a punchline. On my watch … it’s a headline.”

Biden also slammed conservatives, who have been claiming the country is on the wrong path.

“They keep telling us America’s failing. They’re wrong,” Biden said. “I’ve got news for them: America has the strongest economy in the world right now, today.”

Biden’s not the only presidential candidate who spent Labor Day weekend getting huffy, but at least Biden wasn’t out there vowing some vague but ominous-sounding revenge.

(Via New York Daily News)

The FIBA Basketball World Cup is seven games away from determining a winner. With teams 9-32 all sorted out and four squads from that group (Australia, France, Japan, South Sudan) having already punched their tickets to the Olympics in 2024, eight teams will take the floor over the next few days in the final round of the tournament.

Only two teams will enter the final round with an unblemished record, and perhaps surprisingly, neither of them are Canada or the United States. Instead, Germany was able to get through the first two rounds without a loss — which included an impressive, 100-71 drubbing of Luka Doncic and Slovenia without the services of Franz Wagner — while Lithuania was also about to go undefeated, most notably by knocking off the United States in the final game of Group J.

For the U.S., losing to Lithuania has the potential to be a blessing in disguise. If they won, they would have found themselves going up against a difficult Serbia team in the quarters before a showdown with either Canada or Slovenia in the semis. Instead, that’s Lithuania’s potential path to the finals, while the Americans will have to play Italy in the quarters and, should they advance, Germany or Latvia in the semis.

While this is arguably the preferable route of the two that the Americans could take, it’s by no means an easy path — the Italians are the second-best rebounding team left in the tournament behind only Lithuania, and the inability to grab rebounds has been the United States’ achilles heel during the tournament. Germany has been excellent all tournament long and Latvia have knocked off powerhouses like France, Spain, and Brazil on their road to the quarters.

Here’s the schedule, tip times, and television info for both halves of the bracket as we enter the quarterfinals.

Sept. 5: Italy vs. United States, 8:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2
Sept. 6: Germany vs. Latvia, 4:45 a.m. ET, ESPN+

Sept. 5: Lithuania vs. Serbia, 4:45 a.m. ET, ESPN+
Sept. 6: Canada vs. Slovenia, 8:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+

The teams that lose these games will play on Sept. 7 and 9 to determine who will finish fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth in the tournament. The winners, meanwhile, will move on to the semifinals on Sept. 8, with all four teams playing on Sept. 10 to determine the three medalists and the fourth-placed squad. All games from this point in the tournament on will take place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Smash Mouth co-founder and former singer Steve Harwell passed away on Monday morning, September 4, at 56 years old. The news was confirmed by various publications, such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and Variety, citing Robert Hayes, a representative for the band.

“Steve Harwell was a true American Original,” Hayes said in a statement. “A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle. Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom. And the fact that he achieved this near-impossible goal with very limited musical experience makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable.”

Hayes continued, “His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones. Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.”

The band, best known for their late-’90s staple “All Star,” posted the same sentiment to X (formerly known as Twitter), and several other tributes followed.

Eve 6 offered a heartfelt reaction, tweeting, “RIP Steve Harwell. You brought a lotta joy to a lotta people. You were so much more than a meme [broken heart emoji].”

Guy Fieri shared a photo of himself with Harwell and wrote, “To my brutha Steve RIP. Today is a sad day, I will miss my friend.”

ESPN’s Linda Cohn shared a memory of Harwell, writing, “I remember meeting Steve when he and the band visited ESPN at the height of their popularity. Was so nice. RIP Steve. You’re an AllStar forever.”

Others reminisced about some notable Harwell social media moments, like when he got into a spat with the Oakland A’s on X (then Twitter) and when he stood in opposition of DJ Khaled’s views on oral sex.

There had been several indications that Harwell was in poor health in recent years, including a troubling performance in 2021 that preceded his retirement from music.

TMZ reported at the time, “We’re told he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy eight years ago, which has led to other medical setbacks like heart failure and Wernicke’s encephalopathy … a condition that impacts his motor functions, including speech and memory. He’s also battled substance abuse over the years, which is further contributing to his health crisis.”