Month: September 2024

Latin music has gone global. The biggest pop stars in the world today like Bad Bunny, Shakira, Peso Pluma, Karol G, Feid, and more sing in Spanish while bringing new rhythms into the mainstream. Even if listeners don’t fully understand the language, they’re connecting with the sounds and heart of their music more than ever.

Bad Bunny continues to proudly represent his homeland of Puerto Rico while bringing reggaeton and Latin trap music to the masses. For his debut at the MTV Video Music Awards last week, Rauw Alejandro also celebrated his Puerto Rican heritage while performing “Diluvio” with bomba musicians and dancers. Following some time off with his family, Colombian superstar J Balvin returned with latest album Rayo last month. After making their hometown of Medellín another hotbed for reggaeton music, Karol G and Feid have since become two of the most-streamed artists in the world. Colombian pop icon Shakira also came back with a vengeance this year with her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran album.

After helping música Mexicana go global last year, Peso Pluma has continued to hold the flag of Mexico up high with his performances on the Coachella mainstage and his arena tour of the US. With Hispanic Heritage Month here, Uproxx is highlighting 10 more Latin music acts to check out not just now, but all year round. These are artists who are poised to make waves next.

Xavi

Xavi started out the year at No. 1 on Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart with his breakthrough single “La Diabla” for multiple weeks. While other música Mexicana acts are thriving off of collaborations, the Mexican-American singer has shined solo with his other hits like “La Víctima” and “Corazón De Piedra.” After conquering with his romantic corridos, Xavi is working on his debut album with Interscope Records.

Kenia Os

Kenia Os is bringing Latin pop music back into the mainstream. After going viral on TikTok last year with the flirty “Malas Decisiones,” the rising Mexican star translated that success into over 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Os continued to embrace pop while putting a spotlight on the emerging reggaeton Mexa wave on her latest album Pink Aura. Ahead of Os’ US tour in November, Peso Pluma tapped her for the sultry track “Tommy & Pamela.”

El Malilla

Reggaeton Mexa is the name of the reggaeton movement that’s bubbling up in Mexico. An artist leading that new wave is El Malilla from Valle de Chalco, which is on the outskirts of Mexico City. While proudly representing chacales (Mexican slang for “bad boys”), he has injected the genre with plenty of Mexican swagger and slang in his hits like “Dime” and “Rebote.” El Malilla’s debut album Ñerostars includes the remix of “B De Bellako” featuring Puerto Rican reggaeton pioneers Jowell y Randy.

FloyyMenor

A new reggaeton scene is also emerging in Chile. An artist leading that movement is FloyyMenor, who has scored one of the year’s biggest hits with “Gata Only” featuring fellow Chilean singer Cris MJ. Hot off amassing over a billion streams on Spotify with the alluring reggaeton banger, FloyyMenor released his debut EP El Comienzo and the joint project MJ (Mala Junta) with Cris MJ.

Ela Taubert

After releasing her debut EP ¿Quién Dijo Que Era Fácil? last year, Ela Taubert’s breakthrough hit was on the horizon. The Colombian singer-songwriter channeled her pain from heartbreak into the angsty anthem “¿Cómo Pasó?,” which has over 90 million streams on Spotify. Taubert has continued to translate her confessional lyrics into power pop bangers like the country-infused “¿Para Qué?”

Lismar

After Bizarrap’s collaborations with Shakira, Peso Pluma, and Young Miko, everyone wants to do a “BZRP Music Session” with him. For “BZRP Music Sessions #60,” the Argentine producer tapped rising Dominican rapper Lismar, who unleashed her fierce flow and knockout bars in Spanish. Following their second collaboration, the fiery “Subió La Temperatura,” the future of Latin hip-hop is bright in Lismar’s hands.

Latin Mafia

Following a sold-out arena tour of Mexico last year, Latin Mafia made its US debut at Coachella last April. Mexican brothers Mike, Emilio, and Milton De La Rosa are pushing Latin music to new places with their hits like the symphonic pop of “Patadas De Ahogado” featuring Humbe, the trap-infused R&B of “No Digas Nada,” and the explosive reggaeton of “Julietota.” After signing with Rimas Entertainment, the home of Bad Bunny, in July, Latin Mafia is working on its highly anticipated debut album.

Borja

While co-writing songs for acts like Reik, Lasso, and Nicole Zignago, Borja was independently working on his debut album for two years. The Spanish singer-songwriter brought romance back to Latin pop with Rimas Del Verbo Amar, which included the breathtaking ballad “Aire” and earned him a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist last November. Freshly after releasing the feel-good “Mallorca” in July, Karol G invited Borja to open for one of her concerts at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.

Juan Duque

Medellín, Colombia is the home of J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G, Feid, and Ryan Castro and in a neighboring town, a new rising star is emerging. Marinilla native Juan Duque is capturing hearts with his romantic spin on reggaeton in his EP Qué Momento Pa’ Estar Vivo. Following his hits like the “Maria” remix featuring Castro, Duque is continuing to charm listeners with his Colombian swagger in the nostalgic “Lejos De Mis Ojos” and the bachata-infused “Ni Con Él, Ni Conmigo” with Andy Rivera.

Elena Rose

After co-writing hits for artists like Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Karol G, and Becky G, Elena Rose has carved out a space for herself as a beam of light in Latin pop. The Venezuelan-American singer has released empowering anthems like “Caracas En El 2000” with Danny Ocean and Jerry Di and featured on Boza’s global hit “Orion.” Now Rose is continuing to channel her glowing spirit in the soulful “Me Lo Merezco,” which includes a lyric from Paula Cole’s iconic “I Don’t Want To Wait.”

When you get the man who plays Carmy Berzatto on stage, it would be weird if he didn’t let some sort of obscenity slip. So over the weekend when Jeremy Allen White won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, whoever was on Curse Patrol had to be on high alert… especially when John Oliver was also a winner.

While accepting the Emmy (his second win in the category) White’s audio was cut at a certain point in his acceptance speech and, surprisingly, it wasn’t for the F word, which he uses healthily and often, but for something else. As IndieWire reports, White’s audio was dumped when he said “Jesus Christ” during his speech. If only he was thanking Jesus then maybe it could have been fine, but his usage was a little more chaotic which warranted censoring.

This wasn’t the only time the term was cut. Richard Gadd, who won three Emmys for Baby Reindeer, was also censored during his speech for Outstanding Limited Series.

Is “Jesus Christ” a normal censored phrase? It depends on the usage, according to the FCC, but it was pretty clear that White was not thanking him, so it was taken as profanity. But White went home with another statue to add to his collection, so he probably doesn’t mind.

No matter what the rules are, at least we’ll always have this.

(Via IndieWire)

Cher has ended her pursuit of a conservatorship over Elijah Blue Allman, her 48-year-old son.

“The team successfully defended Elijah, resulting in Cher voluntarily dismissing her petition,” Avi Levy and Steven Brumer of Cage & Miles, LLP, Allman’s attorneys, shared in a statement to People. “This outcome allows the parties to focus on healing and rebuilding their family bond, a process that began during mediation and continues today.”

People additionally confirmed, “The two have reached a private agreement.”

Last December, TMZ reported that Cher had filed for a conservatorship over Allman because, she claimed, Allman was “substantially unable to manage his own financial resources due to severe mental health and substance abuse issues.”

Cher’s emergency bid was denied, as per Rolling Stone this January. Allman appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom to oppose Cher’s filing.

At that time, Allman expressed that he had “struggled with addiction and spent money in ways that have not always been the most responsible,” but he was in a different place — attending AA meetings and “reconciling with my wife.”

Cher was denied again later in January, and by March, Rolling Stone reported that Cher had been granted “a three-month delay to gather medical records and pursue a private settlement.”

Cher shared Elijah Blue Allman with the late Gregg Allman.

Gloria Hallelujah Woods has had a great 2024, and just might be getting better. The Memphis rapper — better known as GloRilla — has already released a mixtape this year, but may soon be following up with her official debut album. Ehhthang Ehhthang produced a couple of hits — namely, “Wanna Be” with Megan Thee Stallion and “Yeah Glo!” — but she’s since released the borderline inescapable “TGIF,” and it seems now we know where that’s probably going to end up. Thanks to a red carpet interview from the 2024 MTV VMAs, where GloRilla performed last week, we also have a pretty good idea when Glo’s debut will drop.

“I’m dropping an album next month, in October,” she told Extra. “I’m so excited about that. We gon’ go number one! [The title] starts with a G.” At a guess, I’m thinking Gloria or GloRilla. Self-titled albums are all the rage lately (just look at Megan and Michael, two of the biggest albums of the last two years), and as a debut, a self-titled could be a strong move in generating some brand awareness.

Of course, album release dates tend to move around, so unless Glo drops an official announcement, take “October” with a grain of salt. Still, it’s exciting that we might be getting a landmark album from an artist having a banner year.

The Las Vegas Aces picked up a win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday night, but the story of the night wasn’t just a win over a strong opponent, it was A’ja Wilson once again making WNBA history.

The two-time MVP — and the heavy favorite to make it three this season — had another big game with 29 points and nine rebounds in the win. With that performance, Wilson eclipsed 1,000 points on the season, becoming the first player in league history to accomplish that feat.

Wilson is averaging 27 points and 12 rebounds on the season as she continues to find ways to up her production, and crossing the 1,000 point Mark was a momentous occasion. After the game, her Aces teammates gave her a water bath celebration in the locker room before Wilson delivered an incredibly emotional and heartfelt speech to the team. Wilson fought back tears while trying to explain how special this team is, saying they’ll never fully know what they mean to her on and off the court. Wilson explains that her teammates inspire her every day when she comes into the facility and makes sure they know how much she appreciates everything they do.

It’s a very cool moment for Wilson and the Aces and it’s great fans get that peek behind the curtain to see that bond between the star and her teammates, as they celebrate a major milestone in league history. It likely won’t be the last record Wilson sets this year, as she’s just three rebounds shy of the single season record (set this year by Angel Reese before her season ending injury).

It looks like Megan Thee Stallion isn’t yet done rolling out new music for 2024. Ahead of the release of her new album, Megan, the Houston Hottie shared plenty of promo material featuring chrysalis imagery, to reflect the new stage of her career and life she was entering (even as some fans protested that it was inconsistent with the reptile theming she used to kick off the rollout).

Apparently, she considers her metamorphosis complete. Meg shared a teaser on social media for something called Megan: Act Two (which is, presumably, a follow-up or extension of her new album) in which she transforms, growing butterfly-like wings. In the caption, she wrote, “Stay tuned, hotties.”

If this means new music is on the way from Thee Stallion this year, it’ll round out one busy 2024 for the big anime fan. In addition to Megan, she also joined Latto on her “Sunday Service” remix with Flo Milli, collaborated with GloRilla on “Wanna Be” and the “Wanna Be Remix” with Cardi B, and dropped “Neva Play” with RM — a song that now seems likely to end up on Megan: Act Two and is the official theme song for the WWE’s current season. Aside from those official singles, she also helped create a remake of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” for Pepsi and the NFL.

You can watch the teaser for Megan: Act Two here.

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw The Weeknd continue his new album rollout and Charli XCX keeping Brat alive. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

The Weeknd — “Dancing In The Flames”

Hurry Up Tomorrow, the final part of the After Hours and Dawn FM trilogy, is coming, The Weeknd confirmed earlier this month. Last week, he shared the new single “Dancing In The Flames,” and the synth-pop tune is clearly in the same aesthetic universe as the albums that preceded it.

Charli XCX — “Talk Talk Featuring Troye Sivan”

Brat Summer is over (per Charli XCX herself), but that doesn’t mean she’s done with Brat: She just announced Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat, and among the tracks featured on the project is her new remix of “Talk Talk” with Troye Sivan and even a Dua Lipa cameo.

Playboi Carti — “All Red”

Carti just announced his new album Music, and while he didn’t unveil a release date, he did share “All Red.” Carti strays away from his typical higher-pitched voice here for a deeper-sounding flow.

Eminem — “Kyrie & Luka” Feat. 2 Chainz

Eminem dropped some new music via The Death Of Slim Shady: Mourner Edition and among the fresh tracks is the 2 Chainz collaboration “Kyrie & Luka.” Likening themselves to Dallas Mavericks stars Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić, the two flex all over the boastful track.

FKA Twigs — “Eusexua”

“Eusexua is like a feeling of ‘I’m that b*tch,’” a new video from FKA Twigs explains of her upcoming album. She recently said the album “isn’t techno but the spirit is there,” and you can definitely hear the spirit on the title track.

Tate McRae — “It’s OK I’m OK”

Former Uproxx cover star Tate McRae is back with the catchy “It’s OK I’m OK.” The tune is McRae’s first single since her 2023 album Think Later, so hopefully this signals a new LP on the way.

Fousheé — “Feel Like Home”

Fousheé (another former Uproxx cover star) just released her second album, Pointy Heights. It’s named after a plot of Jamaican land owned by her grandfather, and Fousheé honors “the people that truly make a place feel like home” on the dreamy “Feel Like Home.”

Nilüfer Yanya — “Just A Western”

Yanya’s new project My Method Actor is here, and she preceded it with one final pre-album sneak peek, “Just A Western.” Her signature soothing voice carries the warm and comforting tune.

Suki Waterhouse — “Model, Actress, Whatever”

Waterhouse recently told Uproxx of her new album Memoirs Of A Sparklemuffin, “I was on Google late one night and found this Sparklemuffin spider, which has a ridiculous name, and thought, ‘I would love to have that in an album title.’ I started fleshing out the story around the Sparklemuffin and writing out each song connected to the story. […] I just love the idea of this little Sparklemuffin on the quest of redemption, with me as the Queen Sparklemuffin.”

The Linda Lindas — “No Obligation”

We’re about a month away from No Obligation, the latest album from young rockers The Linda Lindas. The unveiled the title track last week and the tune is two minutes of non-stop punk energy.

A few days ago, Cardi B announced a major life change: She had given birth to her third child, a daughter. She revealed the news with some photos and videos from the delivery room. Now, she’s back with more.

Yesterday (September 15), Cardi shared a behind-the-scenes video on TikTok (find the video here). The clip is similar to the previously shared photos and videos, but is a better slice-of-life representation of what the room was like. The video shows Cardi holding her newborn, Offset getting some skin-to-skin contact with the baby, and Kulture telling Cardi on FaceTime that she’s going to see her new sister.

When Cardi initially announced her pregnancy, she wrote, “With every ending comes a new beginning! I am so grateful to have shared this season with you, you have brought me more love, more life and most of all renewed my power! Reminded me that I can have it all! You’ve reminded me that I never have to choose between life, love, and my passion! I love you so much and can not wait for you to witness what you helped me accomplish, what you pushed me to do! It’s so much easier taking life’s twists, turns and test laying down, but you, your brother and your sister have shown me why it’s worth it to push through!”

Nicki Minaj is back on her Pink Friday 2 World Tour, and she was supposed to have several new songs from Pink Friday 2: Gag City Reloaded for her setlist. But the deluxe album did not release last Friday as previously announced.

Instead, Minaj will be releasing “a brand new album,” and she’ll “announce the new [release] date within the next couple weeks.”

Minaj initially dropped Pink Friday 2 on December 8, 2023, and the LP debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Read Minaj’s full X (formerly Twitter) announcement below.

“Dear Barbz,

IMPORTANT #GagCity ANNOUNCEMENT:

Instead of doing a DELUXE to Pink Friday 2, I’ve decided to do a brand new album. I’ll still incorporate new songs like #Mamita & [The ‘anxiety’ song] for the remainder of the tour tho…and I’ll announce the new date within the next couple weeks. The new music is just too good to be thrown away on a deluxe album. Last night, the songs I recorded were just way too iconic. I love you guys so much. You know that. I know you do. I’ll still give you something leading up to the announcement, so no worries.

PF3 is about to do PRECISELY wtf BEEN needed to be done. TRUST ME BARBZ. IM SO EXCITED. BLESSED. LOVED (by the Barbz) & fortunately (for the Barbz & me), I’ve learned A LOT since 12/08/23.

PF2 means so much to me. As my 1st album as #PapaBear mama, it’s just very special to me for so many reasons you guys aren’t aware of. I put every song on there in a specific order, etc. So to honor that, I’m going to give it the respect & integrity it deserves as a beautiful body of work & not add anything else to it. 1 or 2 songs is no big deal but 5-7 songs feels a little sloppy right now (In my humble opinion). This era has just been so successful, rewarding, satisfying, etc. after much thought, I want to be for CERTAIN that I am being intentional about every single decision being made around both PF2 AND PF3.

I’ll be hitting the stage shortly in #GagCityBIRMINGHAM

@TYGA just came off stage. let’s go!!!!!!!!

After tonight…
Next stop = DALLAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

onika”

There’s nothing “casual” about Chappell Roan‘s love of horror movies.

During a recent Rolling Stone cover story, your favorite artist’s favorite artist revealed that she has a private Letterboxd account, which contains an ever-growing list of horror movies she wants to see. It’s largely “horrifying” titles from Japan and Taiwan, although her recent favorites include A24’s Talk to Me (“I thought that was so special for a horror movie to make me cry”) and twist-filled Barbarian. If Roan is looking for a new song to cover on her The Midwest Princess Tour, might I suggest “Fire Fire Fire, Hiss” from Longlegs?

Roan also discussed why her first Billboard Hot 100 top-10 hit “Good Luck, Babe!” (which, come to think of it, would be a good name for a horror movie) doesn’t have a music video. “I’m too tired,” the “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” singer said. “Do you know how hard it is to do a music video when you’re this exhausted and burnt?”

She added, “It’s a hit without a video. I have a top-10 hit with a lyric video.”

Roan’s The Midwest Princess Tour wraps up in October with a pair of festival performances over two weekends at Austin City Limits 2024.