Category: Trending

As summer comes to an end, music fans everywhere have one question on their mind: What was the song of summer? In 2023, the song of summer can be defined using all sorts of criteria: What was popular on streaming apps? What went viral on TikTok? What was inescapable on the radio?

Today (September 5), Billboard dropped their Top Songs Of The Summer 2023 list, which factors in all of this data (specifically, chart data from June 10 to September 9).

At No. 10 is Gunna, who made a return to music this year after being released from jail on racketeering charges. His latest single, “F*kumean” has proven to be a hit, as his return has proven polarizing.

Occupying spots 9 and 8 are SZA, with her hit singles, “Kill Bill” and “Snooze,” respectively. Also taking two consecutive spots is Taylor Swift. At No. 7, Swift pops in with her remix of “Karma,” which features Ice Spice. At No. 6 is “Cruel Summer,” which was originally released in 2019 on Swift’s seventh studio album, Lover.

Lil Durk and J. Cole came in at No. 5, with their collaboration, “All My Life.”

“Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, which was released this past January, continues to be an anthem for the summertime. This one came in at No. 4. Rema‘s remix of “Calm Down,” which features Selena Gomez, earned the No. 3 spot.

This summer proved to be a country music summer, as Luke Combs‘ cover of Tracy Chapman‘s “Fast Car” made its way over to No. 2. And at the top spot is Morgan Wallen‘s “Last Night.”

You can see the list below.

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

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

Since the last update of this weekly R&B and Afrobeats column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists.

Jorja Smith took one step closer to her Falling Or Flying album by unveiling its tracklist which features J Hus and Lila Iké while Tinashe revealed the tracklist for her BB/ANG3L album. The tracklists continue with Diddy sharing his for The Love Album: Off The Grid and the R&B world was left to grieve with news of the death of Los Angeles singer August 08. Elsewhere, SZA and Summer Walker’s twerk battle went viral, as did Miguel’s performance of a new song “Ropes” while hanging from rope hooks, and Janelle Monáe and Daniel Caesar kicked off their tours.

Here are some more releases on the new music front that you should check out:

Jorja Smith — “Falling Or Flying”

With Jorja Smith’s sophomore album Falling Or Flying coming in a couple of weeks, the British singer returns with the project’s title track. The record is a sleek and shiny release that also marks her directorial debut with its accompanying video. Jorja said the video “came to mind ‘cause i always wanted to shoot a video in space,” adding, “‘Falling Or Flying’ just made me think of that. I wanted to go up into space with someone I love and cherish, but they didn’t want to come with me.”

Ama Lou — I Came Home Late

Years after her debut EP Ama, Who?, British singer Ama Lou answers that question with her debut album I Came Home Late. An entirely solo effort, Ama Lou blends pop and R&B for a soaring record that impresses both through her singing and songwriting skills.

Queen Naija — “No Fake Love” Feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again

Queen Naija has been letting singles fly since the beginning of 2022, which seemingly signals the start of a new era after her 2020 Missunderstood. Her latest release pairs her with YoungBoy Never Broke Again for their single, “No Fake Love.”

Eric Bellinger — “Find Someone”

The machine that is Eric Bellinger keeps chugging along as he’s back with his new single, “Find Someone.” It’s his first single of the year and first release since December’s “BNB,” but if we know Eric Bellinger for anything, it’s that he’ll be back soon with more.

Laya — Bet That

Staten Island R&B singer Laya checks back in with her new EP Bet That. Through seven songs, Laya is as confident as ever and the ruler of her own world, and despite this unapologetic attitude, there are moments when she is also vulnerable which makes for a great body of work altogether.

Marzz — “In The Morning”

Marzz is back in action after her Love Letterz project. She returns with “In The Morning,” a moody effort that is both simmering and silky as a result of Marzz’s vocals. “This song represents a feeling of waiting until the morning, getting excited of the unknown,” Marzz said about the song. “It’s the wishful understanding of everything within a relationship. Sometimes we need understanding about falling in love when we’re not sure.”

Chase Shakur — It’s Not You, It’s Me… It’s Love (Deluxe)

Atlanta singer Chase Shakur is a rising name in the R&B world and his It’s Not You, It’s Me project is clear proof of that. With that being said, if that project wasn’t enough for you, Shakur returns with its deluxe edition, It’s Not You, It’s Me… It’s Love (Deluxe). Three new songs are added to the project which feels more than an album — a great one — from the new talent.

Raiche — “Big Daddy”

Massachusetts singer Raiche is finally back with her first single of the year, “Big Daddy.” In a press release, Raiche said the record is “one of one.” She adds, “It feels good and it’s authentically me. I had apprehensions about the term ‘Big Daddy’, but I redefined it, and it describes what I am looking for in a future partner.”

Tekno — The More The Better

Nigerian singer and producer Tekno is back with his latest album The More The Better. Thirteen songs make up the project, which is a triumphant return for Tekno following a nine-month period of voice loss as well as a challenging record label.

Ruger — RU The World

Following success with records like “Asiwaju” and “Red Flags,” Ruger arrives with his debut album RU The World. Complete with 18 songs and features from Stefflon Don, Sauti Sol, Amaarae, and Projexx, Ruger aims to showcase his unique sound and versatility as one of afrobeats’ newest stars.

Dominic Scott — Dear Summer

New Orleans multihyphenate Dominic Scott arrives with his latest project Dear Summer, the follow-up to 2022’s Color Theory. Dear Summer is a brief listen at just eight songs, and thanks to features from Blu, Sleazy EZ, Pell, and Cubs The Poet, the project is a bright and warm listen.

Vladimir Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine hasn’t miraculously become more successful following the fiery death of Coup Guy Yevgeny Prigozhin. This has apparently only caused the Russian president to maneuver even harder while denying Turkish efforts to revive a grain deal with Ukraine. Putin has also been dealing with Ruble woes around the same time that he’s been cozying up more to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. And according to a new BBC report, Putin is so desperate to replenish Russia’s drained artillery supplies that he is preparing to buy a ton of subpar and even dangerous replenishments from North Korea.

Kim Jong Un, of course, would love any Russian money that he can get, given that Western sanctions have been dragging down his game for awhile. At what price for Putin, though? We’ve already heard that his soldiers have long had to resort to using ammo that’s so antiquated and degraded that it could kill Russian soldiers upon firing. The BBC is now reporting that North Korea’s stockpiles probably won’t make matters better for Putin, and even though Kim Jong Un has apparently wavered on actually visiting Putin, the exchange of weapons and money could still happen even though they are in a terrible state:

John Everard, who served as UK ambassador to North Korea between 2006 and 2008, told the BBC that publicity around the possible visit was a “strong reason why the visit is now unlikely to take place”, as Mr Kim is “completely paranoid about his personal security”.

North Korea has stockpiles of weapons that Moscow needs and which would work with Soviet-era military equipment, although Mr Everard said the weapons were “in very poor condition”.

The New York Times originally reported upon this planned deal, which is said to please Kim Jong Un to pieces, not only for the money but because he wants to “finally be needed by an important neighbor.” However, this deal sound like a (further) disaster in the making for Russia since Putin’s replenishment troops have been largely inexperienced and cannot repair their own tanks. Now, he’ll likely be sending them out into an even more dangerous situation. As long as the cabbage situation is still working for Putin, though, he probably isn’t losing all hope yet.

(Via BBC & New York Times)

Mitski is just a few days away from dropping her new album, The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We.

To get fans extra excited for the release, she has now announced that she will be performing at several intimate performances across the globe — giving attendees a chance to hear the songs live.

The dates, which run through September and October, find Mitski stopping in Mexico City, North America, and other cities across Europe. Tickets for the Mexico City date on September 11, which starts the run of performances, are on sale now.

According to Mitski’s Instagram post, the North American presale is running off a lottery system. Sign-up is now open and will end Sept. 10, with invites sent out on September 13.

Finally, the European presale sign-up access ends tomorrow, September 6, with the tickets opening for fans on Thursday, September 7 at 12 p.m. BST. All pre-orders of Mitski’s album from her European shop will receive guaranteed access to the presale.

Continue scrolling for a complete list of dates for Mitski’s intimate shows.

09/11 — Mexico City, MX @ Teatro De La Ciudad
09/20 — Los Angeles, CA @ Theatre At Ace Hotel
09/26 — New York, NY @ Town Hall
09/29 — Toronto, ON @ Trinity Church
10/07 — Edinburgh, UK @ Queens Hall
10/09 — Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
10/11 — London, UK @ Union Chapel
10/14 — Berlin, DE @ Babylon
10/16 — Utrecht, NL @ Tivolivredenburg
10/20 — Paris, FR @ Le Trianon

The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We is out 9/15 via Dead Oceans. Find more information here.

Even though it’s 2023 and schools are much more concerned with protecting children from bullying than in the past, parents still have to be aware that kids will be kids, and having a child with a funny name is bound to cause them trouble.

A mother on Reddit is concerned that her future children will have the unfortunate last name of “Butt,” so she asked people on the namenerds forum to help her convince her husband to name their child something different.

(Note: We’re assuming that the person who wrote the post is a woman because their husband is interested in perpetuating the family name, and if it were a same-sex relationship, a husband probably wouldn’t automatically make that assumption.)

“My husband’s last name is Butt. Can someone please help me illuminate to him why this last name is less than ideal,” she asked the forum. “I totally get we can’t shield kids from everything and I understand the whole family ties thing, but c’mon. Am I being unreasonable by suggesting our future kid either take my name, a hybrid, or a new one altogether?”

---

The posters on the forum overwhelmingly supported her.

“I can see hubby being a bit of a stickler because he wants to keep the family name, but I find it a bit baffling that he doesn’t get why it would be a concern,” Babelight wrote. “If you have to club him over the head with it, indicate that for children/young persons hearing the name, they would equate it to someone’s last name being ‘Pooh,’ ‘Vaginah’ or ‘Peenis/Peniss.’”

Other posters noted that her opinion is just as valid as her husband’s when naming their child.

“You are absolutely not being unreasonable. Your husband’s last name is objectively pretty awful, and of course, you don’t want your child to have it. Also, even if it wasn’t that bad, you would be still entitled to at least suggest that your child takes your last name since you are also going to be their parent,” SwordfishBrilliant 40 wrote. “Also, he needs to think about his child, let’s be honest, their life is going to be a lot easier with a ‘normal’/not bad’ last name.”

Having a last name like Butt opens a child up to being bullied, which can lead to feelings of rejection, exclusion, isolation, diminished self-esteem and long-term mental health struggles, including depression and anxiety.

“I knew a kid named Zack Butt. Teased relentlessly. At every age,” Kwam26 confirmed.

There is also the practical problem of living in a digital world where algorithms often filter out names deemed offensive. This issue is known as the “Scunthorpe problem.” Back in the late ‘90s, people from the town of Scunthorpe in the UK couldn’t sign up on AOL because a filter blocked out the name due to the offensive term that sits in the middle of it.

The husband is proud of his family heritage and, possibly, of having learned to live with a name that would make most people chuckle. But it’s also understandable that his wife has a real problem bringing a child up in this world with a name that will make them the butt of jokes throughout their lives.

One wonders why this wasn’t discussed before the couple got married.

While we still don’t know much about Nicki Minaj’s upcoming album, Pink Friday 2, the visual aspects of the project have been peak. Even renowned hater Azealia Banks was impressed by the promo images for the album’s first single, “Last Time I Saw You,” and we all know it takes a lot to get her to say anything nice about anybody. On Monday (September 4), Nicki revealed the first of two upcoming covers, and it looks like that trend may continue.

The image finds Nicki still cozily nestled into her soft girl era with an Afrofuturistic twist. Nicki wears a baggy sweatsuit with an ultra chunky heart pendant and her hair in dizzying curls as she stands inside what looks like a deconstructed pink subway car, gripping the safety pole. In the distance behind her, we can see a shimmering futuristic New York covered in cotton candy clouds — perhaps a vision of a potential future? In her post, Nicki credits the stylists, makeup artists, and fashion label (Vetements) for the looks and promises another presumably dropping in the much nearer future.

What we DO know about Nicki’s next album so far is that she wants a song featuring Drake on it. She’s already delivered a verse for his upcoming album, For All The Dogs, so it’s not too much of a stretch to think he will return the favor. We should be finding out when the album drops on November 17.

When a historic hurricane hit California in late August, Ted Cruz did what Ted Cruz does best and owned himself by falling for a notoriously fake viral photo of a shark. The photo has been bouncing around the internet for over a decade, but that didn’t stop Ted from retweeting Barstool Sports with the caption “Holy crap.” Apparently, the senator actually believed that a shark was swimming around Los Angeles.

Naturally, Cruz got lit up in the replies and a Community Notes was added to his tweet spelling out that the shark photo is, indeed, a viral hoax. With another natural disaster happening at Burning Man, the photo once again resurfaced, but this time, Cruz was ready.

BuzzFeed News reporter Katie Notopoulous got in on the gag this time around by tweeting the viral shark photo with the caption, “At Burning Man. Tried to drive out of here but saw this on the road. [yes I give permission for any media to use my photo]”

Referencing his previous blunder, Cruz once again wrote, “Holy crap,” but this time added the fingers crossed emoji.

The joke was a surprisingly self-aware move for the Texas senator, who routinely steps on rakes with his social media presence. For once, people were actually impressed that Cruz does have a self of humor when he’s not pretending to chug beer with his buddies in lame attempts to look like an everyman.

You can see some of the reactions below:

(Via Ted Cruz on Twitter)

Chloe Bailey is killing it in her solo era. This year, she released her debut album In Pieces and embarked on a solo tour. She and her sister, Halle, also released a line of activewear, and they teased that they will be hitting the studio to work on their third studio album as Chloe X Halle.

Today (September 5), Tiny Desk has dropped a special performance featuring Chloe Bailey, who performs solo as Chlöe.

During her Tiny Desk debut, Chlöe performed with an acoustic band, delivering some of her solo cuts.

She opened with “Surprise,” her sexy standalone single from 2022. She made a slight nod to Janet Jackson shortly after, saying “My name is Chlöe, Miss Bailey if you nasty,” making a smooth transition into the In Pieces fan favorite, “Body Do.”

Continuing with her momentum, she then performed “I Don’t Mind.” She slowed it down a bit with the performances on “In Pieces,” the title track from her solo debut album, which was co-written with Mikky Ekko.

While both of the Bailey sisters can guarantee us solid albums, their live performances always prove to be worth a watch. The work they put into their performances is unmatched by their peers, and promises longevity in the years to come.

You can see the performance above.

Love Island series 10 concluded with Sammy and Jess taking the crown in what was a surprise win to many fans of the show. Whitney and Lochan came in second, Tyrique and Ella finished third, and Molly and Zach claimed fourth place. In just a matter of two months, the aforementioned names and others went from being unknown to creating a whole fan base for themselves through the show. That’s usually how it goes season to season on Love Island, but not for the upcoming one. This time around, you’ll be familiar with the people in the series.

Through a press release and Instagram posts, Love Island and ITV announced a Love Island: All Stars season will arrive at the top of 2024. It appears that the new season will take place during the show’s winter season which lasts roughly from January to March. A cast for the all-star season has not been revealed yet, but the press release did note that “familiar faces” will “venture back into TV’s most talked about Villa for a second chance at finding love.” The all-star season will be produced by Lifted Entertainment, part of ITV Studios, and GroupM Motion Entertainment and it will air on ITV2 and ITX.

“It has been rumoured now for a while but we are thrilled to finally confirm that we are making Love Island: All Stars early next year for ITV2 and ITVX,” Mike Spencer, Creative Director at Lifted Entertainment said. “It’s set to be a must watch series seeing some of your favourite Islanders from across the years heading back to the stunning South African villa to once again ‘graft’ as their search for love continues. I simply can’t wait!”

You can view the Love Island: All Stars teaser Instagram post above.