After laying low on solo releases and featuring on albums from Russ, Thundercat, and others, Ty Dolla recruits an all-star lineup of artists for his latest single, the long-awaited “Ego Death.” The who’s-who of big names on “Ego Death” includes Kanye West, who reproduces his “I Love It” loop on the beat, FKA Twigs, Skrillex, and Serpentwithfeet. Lyrically, the song deals exactly in its titular subject matter, with Ty sharing his rumination on letting go of self-centered concerns — although, in this case, his “ego death” involves being left behind after a bad relationship.
“Off too many drugs, it’s so bad for us,” he says of the toxic romantic encounter. “One too many drinks and you had enough.” However, on the hook, he details his ex’s escape, crooning, “It hurt my ego when you walked away / Gave you my all, that wouldn’t make you stay / Murdered my ego when you walked away.”
Ty and Kanye first teased the song during the Chicago rapper’s long-winded (and ultimately fruitless) rollout for the abandoned Yandhi, debuting it during Coachella in 2019. All the hallmarks of the Yandhi era’s excesses are present in full here, from credited artists only appearing for a few seconds to Kanye’s conspiracy theorizing in his verse. As a time capsule, it’s a fascinating glimpse at a moment in time. As a potential lead single for a new album… let’s just hope Ty’s got some fresher material up his sleeve for the next one.
Listen to “Ego Death” featuring Kanye West, FKA Twigs, Skrillex, and Serpentwithfeet above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Prior to the NBA going on hiatus, one of the biggest questions in the league was whether the Philadelphia 76ers would have the services of All-Star point guard Ben Simmons for the playoffs.
Simmons missed nine of the Sixers last 10 games before the hiatus with a lingering nerve impingement in his lower back — playing for just five minutes in his lone appearance during that stretch — and did not have a timetable for his return. While the layoff has created a lot of questions around the league about conditioning of players once the restart happenings — among larger, more serious issues — Simmons and the Sixers stand to be among the clear beneficiaries of the time off.
According to Brett Brown, who met with reporters on Wednesday, Simmons is “good to go” for the restart and is near 100 percent health, which is a tremendous difference from March when he was at times vomiting from the pain in his back.
Brett Brown on Ben Simmons: “He’s good to go. He’s put in a tremendous amount of work for me to be able to say that…What I’m told is effectively 100% health.” #sixers
The on-court impact of a healthy Simmons is huge for the Sixers, but beyond that it’s just good to know that he’s no longer dealing with severe back pain, as anyone who has dealt with back injuries can attest to it being a miserable experience. With Simmons back in the fold, Philly figures to play heavily into the race for the Eastern Conference crown, and will be a dangerous team to face in the postseason. Brown also offered an update on the Sixers testing thus far for COVID-19, noting they expect a full traveling party with the exception of Zhaire Smith, who suffered a knee injury.
4th of July weekend is upon us. The nation longs for a stress release and the chance to connect in person. They want to sip beers and eat barbecue. But we are also in the grips of a pandemic, with only two states reporting a decline in cases. And while cities, parks, and public spaces are continuing to reopen, the risk of infection is not necessarily lower by any means. The onus has simply shifted: Governments seem to be trusting their citizens to make decisions that will ensure their safety and the safety of others. (Whether or not we, the people, can manage that responsibility is very much up for debate.)
A quick look at Google Trends makes it clear that for better or worse backyard parties are going to take place across the country this weekend. Some people will do so in creative thoughtful ways — designing small gatherings with social distancing in mind, requiring masks, taking temperatures at the door, setting up sanitization stations, etc. Others will simply throw caution to the wind (please don’t do this. Please.).
If you’re invited to one of these parties, you’ll have to consider the risks, the potential for exposure, the approach that the hosts are taking, and the current status of the virus in your city or county. It’s a lot. To help you manage it all, we reached out to experts in the field of epidemiology to unpack the issues at stake.
Before we get to that, the CDC has a clear set of guidelines if you plan to either host a backyard gathering or plan to attend one. The bullet points are:
Remind guests to stay home if they are sick.
Encourage social distancing.
Wear cloth face coverings.
Clean hands often.
Limit the number of people handling or serving food.
Limit contact with commonly touched surfaces or shared items.
That’s a strong start — and you can read the details here — but we found that three Ph.D. epidemiologists all working, teaching, and researching exactly these types of situations were able to add significant context to the CDC’s guidelines. Our panel is:
Marilyn Tseng, Ph.D. Epidemiology, Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Public Health at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA
We kept this as straightforward as possible and got right to the point. Hopefully, these answers will help you make a more informed decision on whether or not to stay home this weekend.
Even if you’re wearing a mask and use proper hygiene protocols plus social distancing, is hosting a backyard BBQ be worth the risk?
Prof. Martine El Bejjani: If precaution measures are followed religiously, and you keep your gathering to your closest people (people who you know have been careful and taking precautions during this pandemic), then a small gathering can be manageable. It won’t be like the good old times, though. It will require more vigilance about touching, getting your own food, and serving yourself after hand washing and hygiene, and keeping your distance.
Again, any gathering is risky, and it depends on how much the infection is spreading where you are, and how much you can control the risk you are getting yourself into.
Prof. Steve Mooney: I think so, though I would encourage people to move away from each other when eating anything. Most of us aren’t infected and socializing is really important.
But also: the size of the party matters — there’s a huge difference between a BBQ in a big backyard with five people I know and trust to notify me as soon as possible if they develop symptoms and a BBQ with 25 people who I don’t know in a small space.
Prof. Marilyn Tseng: If you’re wearing a mask and using proper hygiene protocols (handwashing, not touching your face, etc.), and maintaining six-foot distance from all others, then theoretically a backyard BBQ should be fine. I also believe strongly in the importance of getting together with others. Realistically, though, it’s hard to keep to those protocols. Backyard BBQs mean having to take off the mask to eat while getting your hands near your face, and then it becomes really easy to ease up on the other requirements. Unfortunately, some portion of the rise in cases recently is due to people getting together.
So I guess I’d say it’s safer not to unless you are incredibly vigilant about staying apart from other people, maybe even bringing your own plates and eating implements to minimize physical contact.
How close do you think some states are to another shut down now that there’s a real spike occurring?
Prof. Martine El Bejjani: It is difficult to say. With the absence of a vaccine, shut-downs are one of the very few tools we have to stop dangerous spikes and their consequences. We just have to be prepared for the potential occurrence of such scenarios, and adjust to the notion that we will have to deal with the many changes that occurred in our daily lives and having to take measures when stepping out for a while. And the more we invest in the small changes (wearing masks, hand and face hygiene, and social distancing) the better our chances of not having to endure the larger-scale ones like a shut-down are.
Prof. Steve Mooney: Based on what I’ve seen, I really hope all the states seeing upticks strongly consider why those upticks are occurring and act to intervene. That doesn’t necessarily mean fully shutting back down but maybe reconsidering the force of language around masks, or the size of allowable indoor gatherings, or whatever else seems like the most effective interventions based on the available data.
For example, it’s not out of the question that, say, reopening hair salons & barber shops is less of a problem than reopening dentist’s offices. If the data backs that up, I’d hope states take that into account when deciding how to react to a spike.
Prof. Marilyn Tseng: At this point, we’re already seeing some states shutting down again to some extent in response to the rise in cases.
What do you think people are failing to understand about gathering in public places in relation to the spread of COVID? Is it really just as mask issue or is it more of a comprehension issue?
Prof. Martine El Bejjani: I see it as a mix of both and that maybe both have the same root — that is, a difficulty to accept that this is a long marathon and to accept this new normal and reality. This is more challenging and restrictive than our pre-COVID way of being in public. So, we see in different contexts different manifestations of it, some are more “innocent” with people being fed-up and craving a little letting go and escaping, and some are more on the misinformation, irresponsible defiance, denial, or unnecessary risk end.
The reality is that we sadly currently cannot escape in public gatherings and that we are in the sphere of prevention, which is in itself a sometimes difficult concept (we can think of dieting or exercising or restrictions/avoidance of certain foods/consumption, and how difficult that can be sometimes). Maybe one way is to find a balance between letting go in safer spaces — on a hike, in nature, at home doing something we love — and understanding and accepting that public gatherings carry a risk and a responsibility to ourselves and others.
Prof. Steve Mooney: Masks seem like the biggest issue right now, for sure. But the deeper issue is that we’re all still learning about modes of transmission risk. We have to make decisions based on what we know, but we also need to make sure we’re studying the ongoing outbreak. We might learn that people shed more virus at certain phases of the disease than others, say, and that would be really important for understanding how public gatherings affect spread.
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What would it take for you to feel comfortable to be in a crowded place (park, bar, movie theater) again?
Prof. Martine El Bejjani: I don’t think I feel or will be in the near future comfortable in a crowded place. I am comfortable in finding remote spots in a park or on the beach — again with the usual and up-scaled precautions — and meeting friends and family who I know have been careful and will be careful too when we meet in uncrowded locations.
Prof. Steve Mooney: I think we’d need the disease to be at a much lower prevalence. But also: we’d need competent and trust-inspiring leadership at the highest levels of government.
I’d be really comfortable being in a crowded place in New Zealand right now. Florida, less so. Even if the prevalence drops, I’d feel a lot less comfortable coming back to crowded places knowing that leadership doesn’t respect expertise or knowledge of disease control.
Prof. Marilyn Tseng: Honestly, it’s hard for me to see myself in a crowded place in the near future, at least indoors. Some things that will help me feel comfortable are:
A redesign of public spaces to provide more space — less crowding — and better ventilation.
A local public health system that is on top of surveillance, testing, and contact tracing. Because it’s important to know that we have a good handle on the level of risk in the community and to know that we can detect a rise in cases when it’s happening.
A research-based understanding of environmental and host factors that will contribute to or lessen transmission and infection, so we can answer questions about the effect on risk of, say, time spent sitting indoors with others in public or having windows open vs. AC.
A vaccine that is proven to be safe and at least as effective as the flu vaccine.
Continued investment in our public health infrastructure so that we’re not as unprepared for the next new infectious agent.
All of this also assumes being in a community that is on board with following these recommendations, and transparency throughout the process by local, state, and national authorities.
Would you recommend people getting together at all, even in a backyard setting?
Prof. Martine El Bejjani: If it’s a small gathering and spread in the community has been low and you know the people who will be there and you know they have been cautious and you know that you and them will respect preventive measures, then people can plan a safe get-together outdoors.
There are a lot of “ifs” there and a whole new form of get-together, but it is where we are.
Prof. Steve Mooney: I would recommend people get together, with masks and with distance. Social interaction is important and, as humans, we can’t just live without it forever. It’s extremely important to be safe about getting together, of course, for both for the personal and for the societal consequences of contagion risk. But in places where disease prevalence is low, small distanced outdoor get-togethers with everyone masked seem like a safe enough thing.
I started dating someone shortly before the pandemic hit, and here’s something I wrote to a friend about how it feels sometimes: I think I read somewhere that opioids address pain by making you not care about the pain (unlike ibuprofen or other NSAIDs that make you not feel the pain in the first place). I feel like that’s what being near or touching someone is like when the world is awful. It’s not that the world is any less awful. It’s just that it doesn’t hurt as much right then, and that’s okay.
Obviously, this is personal. But I think it’s very important to my well-being. When I’ve spent the night at my partner’s house, all challenges the next day seem more approachable. We humans need contact. The pandemic just means we need to be cautious and limit the forms of contact to things that are safe.
Prof. Marilyn Tseng: This is a tough one, but my answer wouldn’t be much different from what I wrote for your social gathering question above. Getting together is important! I can’t overstate how important it is for people to stay connected. If people are satisfied with FaceTime or Zoom, that’s great, but I certainly understand that we all want or even need to see and connect with family and friends in person.
So I would emphasize that a safe get-together is possible, but “safe” requires adhering to recommended distances and wearing face coverings if indoors. The hug is so tempting, but we should keep in mind that an unknown but substantial proportion of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic. Any decision to break rules should factor in:
Your level of certainty that you are not unknowingly carrying the virus (so you don’t unknowingly transmit it to your family and friends).
Your level of certainty that if someone at the party unknowingly transmits the virus to you, that you won’t unknowingly also spread it further.
The stakes involved if you are potentially infected at the get-together — for example, stakes might be higher if you’re at higher risk for severe disease (older or with other health conditions), or if you’re a single parent with kids who depend on you to bring home food and a paycheck, or if you’re in a profession that involves close contact with others.
Spotify already has a family plan designed for several people to share the same account. Now, they’ve announced a new plan aimed at couples who live together. The streaming service unveiled their Premium Duo subscription plan, which allows two users to listen to music on their platform concurrently.
The Premium Duo plan includes all of the Premium amenities like ad-free listening, the ability to download songs, and unlimited skips. Those who already have individual Spotify accounts can move to Premium Duo without losing any of their account information or coveted listening history.
Costing $12.99 per month, the new plan also boasts extra features designed to help couples discover music together. Spotify will create a special Duo Mix playlist which regularly updates with music both partners routinely listen to.
In a statement, Spotify’s CFO Alex Norström expressed his excitement about the new plan. “Today we are proud to launch Spotify Premium Duo, a first-of-its-kind audio offering for just two people in the same household,” said Norström. “Premium Duo includes our extensive music and podcast catalog and everything users love about Spotify Premium. With two individual Premium accounts, you can both listen independently, uninterrupted, and get all of your personalized playlists and features tailored just for you. We are thrilled to bring this unique Spotify Premium plan to even more markets around the world.”
NBA 2K21 will feature a trio of cover athletes. We learned on Tuesday morning that Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard with grace the cover of the game for current generation consoles, and on Wednesday, 2K Sports announced that the young star who helped debut the game during a recent PlayStation 5 event will appear on another cover.
New Orleans Pelicans standout Zion Williamson is going to appear on next generation consoles of NBA 2K21. As was the case with the Lillard news, Williamson’s cover was announced in a video posted to the official NBA 2K Twitter account.
“It’s one of those emotions I’m still processing,” Williamson said to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “It’s a dream come true. At those AAU tournaments, you’re looking at the cover thinking, ‘That’s gonna be me.’ For it to happen that fast, it’s a huge honor.”
There is still one more NBA 2K21 cover that has to be released, and we’ll learn which person will get the nod for whatever that game looks like on Thursday. That will be a big day for the upcoming version of the game, as presales for NBA 2K21 begin on Thursday, too.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Soon after closing the curtain on his elegantly-penned sophomore album, East Atlanta Love Letter, 6lack spent the next year-and-a-half sonically touring the industry, featuring alongside many notable acts. Veering back onto the solo route with promises of a third album nearing arrival, 6lack quick-served a plate of new music for fans as a prelude in the form of his new EP, 6pc Hot.
Named after the inferno-producing plate of wings, an item for which Atlanta is deservedly well-known, 6pc Hot hones in on the main quality of the wings he named them after — brief but enjoyable for what it’s worth. The EP also boasts some of 6lack’s best qualities: confident bars that focus on his persona and impassioned anecdotes on love, both of which he wraps under his cool, calm, collected demeanor.
6pc Hot begins with “ATL Freestyle” while relaying the thoughts that come to mind on an aimless daytime drive. The song’s name is fitting as 6lack rattles off a few names and places that also call ATL home. From mentions of Young Nudy, Gucci Mane, and the Tabernacle in the song’s first verse to radio personality Greg Street, Kirkwood, and Ann’s Snack Bar, 6lack fixes his rapper cap all while breezily immersing himself in Atlanta and its many beauties. Retracing the footprints he left in ATL throughout his life, the track presents the city and all the things from it that influenced 6lack, rather than the must-know names and destinations a tour guide may offer.
6lack’s ability to fluidly transition from confident bars to heartfelt ballads within his body of work is one that becomes more and more refined with each go-around. Boastful proclamations of wealth and a healthy status in the industry on “Know My Rights” quickly turn to an account of 6lack’s love life on “Elephant In The Room,” where he refuses to compromise his goals and priorities for the happiness of his relationship — to his partner’s disapproval. The latter song reeks of a workaholic’s tendencies while taking a quick dip in stubbornness as he sings, “I know love come and goes / I got so much love I can show / But I got so much shit left to do.”
These accounts of love produce the brightest moments on 6pc Hot. Between “Long Nights” and “Outside,” 6lack invites listeners into his lovestruck thoughts as he aims to make the best out of the circumstances at hand. While 6lack directs his partner’s attention and focus to the joy and satisfaction that awaits them in the present moment on “Long Nights,” he longingly looks into the future he once aimed to ignore on the EP’s closer “Outside.” Coming off his East Atlanta Love Letter outro “Stan,” 6lack once again concludes a body of work by placing his heart on wax and proudly portraying his unwavering feelings towards his partner. Like a preschooler to their best friend, 6lack eagerly anticipates their next playdate all while dancing along the line that reveals the song’s double meaning: anticipating future interactions with the world under more “normal” standards than the current ones at hand.
In a world filled with so much wrong, 6pc Hot presents a man striving to do right in his own life. From avoiding the pains of love to promising the pleasures of it as well, 6lack keeps his neck above water through life’s highs and lows while ensuring nothing gets destroyed in the process. As for the music itself, 6pc Hot is reminiscent of a trip I took to the Wing Bar my first time in Atlanta’s Zone 6. It was here I tried my very first plate of lemon pepper wings. Though it was not the most filling meal, its brief satisfaction made it worth all future trips for more. 6pc Hot isn’t the filling listen an album might be, but like its namesake, it’s certainly a worthwhile starter.
6pc Hot is out now via Interscope and LVRN. Get it here.
Gucci Mane is one of the biggest artists signed to Atlantic Records, but he recently expressed some displeasure with the label. A couple weeks ago, he declared his intentions to leave the label and called them “polite racist.” Later, he asked his followers if he should “go independent,” and said he would be announcing his “new situation” this Friday, July 3 (the same day his new project, So Icy Summer, comes out). However it looks like he has apparently thought better of the things he’s been saying lately and has seemingly repaired his relationship with Atlantic.
Mane wrote in a tweet today, “I’m not going independent but so respect those who go that route I apologize for my rude harsh language lately I’m a do better #1017/Atlantic.” Mane has been associated with Atlantic since 2016, beginning with his album Everybody Looking and dropping about two projects per year since then.
I’m not going independent but so respect those who go that route I apologize for my rude harsh language lately I’m a do better #1017/Atlantic
Mane’s apology comes on the same day that he shared the stacked tracklist for So Icy Summer, which features Future, Foogiano, Young Thug, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Young Nudy, Enchanting, K Shiday, Pooh Shiesty, Key Glock, Ola Runt, Moneybagg Yo, Big30, and Big Scarr.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In the wake of the pandemic, nearly every summer festival has been canceled. Now, Austin City Limits is the latest event to follow suit. Austin City Limits organizers announced Wednesday that they will be canceling their 2020 festival and instead focusing their energy on the possibility of next year’s festival.
Austin City Limits was originally scheduled to take place the first week and second weekend in October in Austin’s Zilker Park. Instead, the festival announced they will be celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2021 and encouraged fans to hold onto their tickets. Next year’s Austin City Limits will now take place from October 1 to 3 and October 8 to 11.
In a statement posted to social media, festival organizers explained their decision to cancel the event: “Austin City Limits Music Festival will no longer take place in 2020. We would have loved to put on another memorable show this year, however, with the uncertainty surrounding the current situation in Texas, this decision is the only responsible solution. The health and safety of our fans, artists, partners, staff and the entire Austin community remains our highest priority.”
The festival also encouraged those who live in Austin to support and take advantage of their local parks: “ACL Fest has always been rooted in tradition, our common love of live music, and our community. This including supporting Austin Parks Foundation for the past 15 years to improve parks and green spaces across the city. Take this time to maintain your personal health and wellness by visiting austinparks.org to learn how you can safely enjoy and support parks in our area, and please continue to follow the advice of local officials, look out for each other, and stay safe.”
A collection of Harry Potter-inspired video games have come out over the years, with the most recent release, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, released in 2019 for iOS and Android. One thing that has been lacking amid all of these games, whether they’ve been related to the seven books in the series or some sort of spin-off, is a monstrous, open-world game in which gamers can explore the magical world of Hogwarts.
According to a new report, that is going to change sometime in 2021. Bloomberg brought word of some sort of open-world Harry Potter release, and while details about what is going to be in the game are sparse, the report indicates that there is something in the works that will come out on next-gen consoles. As an added bonus, the report brought word of a new Batman game as well.
The long-rumored project is very real, according to two people currently working on it. The game is in development at a Warner Bros.-owned studio, Avalanche Software in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is scheduled for release late next year for platforms including the upcoming Sony Corp. PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Corp. Xbox Series X, said the people, who requested anonymity over fears they would be fired for speaking publicly about an unannounced game.
Harry Potter is among the highest-profile projects within Warner Bros. Interactive, along with a Batman game that is in the works. Footage from a very early version of the untitled game began circulating in 2018. That video was authentic, but most of the rumors that have come out since are not, said one of the people working on it. Despite a series of challenges—a global pandemic, a fierce backlash against the franchise’s creator, a possible sale of the Warner Bros. video game publishing business—the game remains on track for next year, the person said.
According to Bloomberg, the plan was for the game, which would be set in “Hogwarts and its surrounding areas,” to be announced during E3, but that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The backlash referenced in the report stems from a few incidents in recent weeks in which the series’ author, J.K. Rowling, expressed anti-transgender views. These comments, which are hardly the first time that Rowling has made comments that target the trans community, have reportedly caused unease among members of the team creating the game but WB said Rowling has had minimal involvement with the title thus far.
Almost of the best rap albums this month explored Black America’s moment of protest in some fashion. There were new drops from veteran acts Wale, Run The Jewels, Flatbush Zombies, Skyzoo. There were also releases from newer acts like IDK, City Girls, and Marlon Craft. Here are the 10 best rap albums of the month, in no particular order:
Run The Jewels — Run The Jewels 4
After years of waiting and what seems like hundreds of El-P Twitter updates, Run The Jewels 4 finally dropped this month. The duo has said that they set out to do a “bare minimum of what EPMD did for us,” which is admirable but also selling themselves short. The 11-track album shows the group in prime form as “menaces to sobriety,” with Killer Mike’s intense, caustic mic presence trampling El-P’s ingenious production.
El-P does some funky chopping on “JUST” with Pharell and Zack De La Rocha and “Out Of Sight” with 2 Chainz, but then appeases traditionalists on “Oh La La” with Greg Nice and DJ Premier. Run The Jewels made good on their desire to help distract fans from this moment of peril, but they also touched on the pain themselves on “Walking In The Snow,” where Mike reminds us to “never forget in the story of Jesus, the hero was killed by the state.”
Flatbush Zombies — Now, More Than Ever
With Vacation In Hell, Flatbush Zombies were one of the few recent acts to pull off a hefty tracklist that was enjoyable throughout. This time around, on their Now, More Than Ever EP, they succeeded with brevity. After teaming up with half of the city on Beast Coast’s Escape From New York, their six-track project features just one guest appearance from Sophie Faith, whose vocals underscore the poignancy of “When I’m Gone.” The versatile group explores different moods on the project, crafting an ode to lighting up on “Herb,” getting aspirational on “Iamlegend,” and proclaiming “my omens have only told me to focus on every quote / and expose every single soul with the motives of takin’ over this globe” on “Dirty Elevator Music.”
City Girls — City On Lock
These are urgent, reflective times. But there’s always space to embrace the whole of your humanity, get some self-care in, and belt “if you really in the kitchen, pay a b*tch tuition!” at the top of your lungs. June is ordinarily prime time for City Girls music, with nightly turn-ups and exotic trips throughout the summer. Covid-19 put a pinch in the nightlife and “flewed out” scene (for those with good sense), but the Miami duo still delivered a suite of bangers for the Hot Girls with City On Lock. They’re not reinventing the wheel on their latest project, and lines like “P*ssy Talk’s” “this p*ssy extort these n*****s” are as coarse as Too Short or Pimp C ever were, but that’s why they’re beloved. They’re brash and flashy and unapologetic — and they’re all of that over surging production that could tempt a church girl to shake something.
Wale — The Imperfect Storm
Wale’s The Imperfect Storm EP was a surprise six-pack. The project displays the DC rhymer in reflective mode. He augmented “Blue Yellow Green Pink White’s” bouncy beat not with braggadocio, but the bare admission that, “I ‘prolly traumatize every woman in my life.” The Eric Bellinger-featured “Empty Wishing Well” starts off with Wale asking, “Where do we go? We never been here before” and then surmising that, “Me versus her’s inevitable / She live in my house, I live in my head.” “June 5th“ is the project’s finest moment, with Wale exploring state-sanctioned violence over a soulful production, rhyming, “They beatin’ white people down just to show us what’s comin’ / Or to show us we nothin’.” When Wale gripes about being underappreciated, consider that he might be right.
IDK — IDK & Friends 2
PG County, Maryland’s IDK has steadily been making a name for himself, and he’s now at the point where he can cede the spotlight have a little fun with his peers. Enter, his latest project, which doubles as the soundtrack to Kevin Durant’sBasketball County: In The Water documentary. The DC area rap scene is having its own renaissance thanks to artists like Rico Nasty, Xanman, (who showed out on “Riley,”) and cult hero Big Flock, who appeared on “495’ alongside YungManny, Weensey, and Big Jam. IDK also linked up with likeminded visionaries such as Denzel Curry (“Bulletproof”) and ASAP Ferg (“Mazel Tov”) on the fun nine-track project.
Skyzoo — Milestone (A Story Dedicated To Fatherhood)
It seems like a rite of passage for MCs to dedicate a song to their mother, but notably fewer artists address their fathers. True to his artistic ethos, Skyzoo filled that breach with Milestone (A Story Dedicated To Fatherhood), which he dropped on Father’s Day weekend. The seven-track project shows him giving myriad glimpses of the father-son experience, from the joyous memories of “tryna be outside until outside’s done” as a youth, to his mature realization that he’s “knowing that If I can do for mine what was done for me then I can sleep comfortably” on project closer “Duly Noted.” Skyzoo has a knack for storytelling, and he was batting .1000 on Milestone.
Tsu Surf — MSKYM
New Jersey’s Tsu Surf is fighting the popular perception that “battle rappers can’t make songs,” as well as the mighty shadow of the New York rap scene, which has stifled the visibility of many Garden State artists. But with more projects like MSKYM, his latest offering, he’s poised to breakthrough. He’s one of the rap game’s most adept at expressing the traumatic toll of the streets — and life in general — through palpable couplets like, “Stopped past Mommy house, layin’ in my mother’s bed / She know when her baby trippin’, hold me, ain’t nothin’ said” from the Wyclef and Mary J-sampling “Quarantine Tales.” The 13-track project shows him equally reflective (“Nana Crib”), menacing (“Free My Opps”), and heartfelt (“5’7”) with an admirable versatility.
Kemba — The World Is Watching
Kemba’s latest EP, The World Is Watching, clocks in at an ominous 8:46 in honor of the late George Floyd. He further pays homage to Floyd’s legacy, and assails the system that took him, throughout the four-song EP. “6 Million Ways” shows Kemba culling through the entirety of our moment’s travails, chiding “the black celebrity singers and self-proclaimed leaders” who “be making sure they’re distinguished from these intolerable n****s.” He’s said that the trap-driven “The Get Back (Riot)” was crafted specifically to be a protest song, with a “they say hands up / we say fight back” chant. On project closer “Stand” he scribes the painful couplet, “I don’t even really wanna get to know you / statistics show one of us might go soon.”
Max B — Charly
Max B’s latest release is Charly, a five-song project where the cult favorite offers up an appetizer of his charismatic, melodic brand of music. For those unacquainted, Max B is one of the rap game’s most one-of-a-kind characters. Only he could find the creative space to pull off a raunchy, luxurious song like “Porno Music 2” while incarcerated. The rest of the project is summer-ready, as he effortlessly swags over the smooth “Promises,” and album standout “They Don’t Know,” where he aspires, “Camila Cabello she on the radar.”
Marlon Craft — Work From Home
Rising New York MC Marlon Craft is reflecting the times by titling his latest project Work From Home. The 9-track EP shows that the physical stagnation of quarantining hasn’t put a dent in his creativity — if anything he’s getting sharper lyrically. On it he proclaims, “Walk in the room like ye high sway all the tension / But none of my answers definite,” showing off slick wordplay but also expressing indecision. He shows off his considerable toolbox on his own for the bulk of the project on songs like “Consequences” and “Larry David.” The lone features on Work From Home are Ricky Motion on “Hope Full” and KOTA The Friend on fan-favorite “Mom’s Whiskey.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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