Based on the titling of 50 Cent’s current live show excursion, The Final Lap Tour, fans may assume that the rapper-turned-mogul will hang up his microphone to focus on his film and television ventures. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. During a recent interview, the Queens native revealed his appearance on Nas’ album Magic 2 was just the beginning.
When Capital XTRA’s hosts Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie asked if there were any other musical acts he’d be interested in working with, he immediately answered that he’d like to collaborate on a new song with Lil Wayne.
“I didn’t do [a song] with Wayne directly. He’s one of the ones that, like — Wayne has been trained,” said 50 as he praised the Young Money Records star.
If a record does come from this shoutout, it wouldn’t be the first time the pair rubbed shoulders. 50 Cent revealed that they rocked the same stages earlier in his career. “People don’t know. I was on the Cash Money/Ruff Ryders tour — before they opened the curtain. Before the show started, people were still walking in and sh*t, and I was doing my sh*t,” he joked.
He continued, “They thought I was lightweight, but then I came back around.” Even back then, 50 Cent had the foresight that he’d shift the culture of hip-hop.
In a world of negative headlines, misinformation, and the various pitfalls of social media, it’s easy to get down on the internet. Most people surveyed say they’d like to return to pre-online days when life seemed simpler, and we weren’t bombarded with information and distractions all day long.
But the internet has also allowed us to connect, create and learn in ways that were previously unfathomable. We can talk face-to-face with loved ones from across the planet in real time. We can send photos, videos and art to one another in the blink of an eye. We can share things that made us laugh with countless others to bring an immediate smile to their faces, wherever they are on the planet.
Here at Upworthy, we’re all about bringing out the best of humanity, which includes sharing gems of joy that remind us of the good in people and our world. We hope this week’s roundup makes you smile as well!
1. Flower girl takes her job seriously, and schools her dad in what’s what
Replying to @gourdfarmer in which we see a sideways skiddily dap and a very underwhelming butt fluff trophy #labradorretriever #fightclub #dogsoftiktok #catsoftiktok #capcut #animals
Bamboozled by the sideways skiddily daps. Perfection. Read the full story here.
7. Woman’s neighbor tells her to wear her yellow dress to her art show opening for the best reason
Scroll through for the whole story. What a sweet surprise (though, according to people in the comments who live or have lived in Ithaca, not at all surprising—apparently quite a wonderful community there).
8. Is there anything sweeter than a 96-year-old grandma meeting her 1-day-old grandchild for the first time?
Chappell Roan has been turning heads with alluring songs like “Naked In Manhattan” and “My Kink Is Karma.” These beloved tracks will appear on her debut LP The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, which she announced recently and described as a “14-song album holding stories of unearthing my true self and fearlessly embracing queerness.”
She’s back with an anthemic new single called “Hot To Go!” It bursts with her vivacious energy that fans love her for as she makes her own danceable chant: “H-O-T-T-O-G-O / Snap n’ clap n’ and touch your toes,” she sings against buzzing synthesizers. In the music video, she’s as enthusiastic and entertaining as the music, donning an array of glittery outfits.
Chappell said about the song in a statement, “I wrote this song so I could live out my cheerleader fantasy! I just wanted to make something simple and silly that I could do with the audience because I’m a huge fan of audience participation. Also, selfishly (and shamelessly) wanted to bounce around on stage singing a song about being hot.”
Watch the video for “Hot To Go!” above.
The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess is out 9/22 via Amusement/Island Records. Find more information here.
One of the best albums of the last few years, Big Thief’s masterpiece saw multiple years of support, but both Buck Meek and Adrianne Lenker announced that the band would be taking a year off from touring following the sold-out show (don’t worry too much, the time off will include at least the upcoming Buck Meek solo album). Lenker went on to thank the band’s crew, management, and even merch person by name, noting that it was an emotional moment to close this chapter. But anyone who’s been following Big Thief knows that the band’s eras are much more blurry than other artists. At this point in the tour, nearly half the set was comprised of music that has yet to be released, following the Animal Collective model of touring the album to come as much as supporting the album released.
All that said, it was a magnificent 90-minute set in a perfect atmosphere, with Lenker acknowledging the weirdness of playing where people are buried (and possibly performing for their spirits). Early in the set, the band set the bar high by inviting a fan, Sophia, to the stage to sing harmonies on “Sparrow” — and she knocked it out of the park. Elsewhere, “Simulation Swarm,” “Not,” “Masterpiece,” “Spud Infinity,” “Certainty,” the recent “Vampire Empire,” and the finale, “Change” all elated fans ranging from children to grandparents. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Big Thief is the best band in the world right now and it isn’t particularly close. Their rest is much deserved, and based on the new material, their next era might raise the bar even higher.
Check out some exclusive photos of Big Thief at Hollywood Forever Cemetery below:
It’s been just about a year since DJ Khaled’s last album, God Did, highlighted rising star Lil Baby with Drake and Future-assisted singles and reminded the world just how good at this rap stuff Jay-Z really is. So, what with the accelerated album release cycles we’ve seen in the streaming era, it stands to reason it’s just about time for a new DJ Khaled album to drop soon.
Evidently, Khaled himself agrees. After announcing the impending release of his fourteenth(!) studio album, Til Next Time, he followed up today with its first single. Fittingly the new single, “Supposed To Be Loved,” also features Lil Baby, as well as Future and Lil Uzi Vert. Til Next Time will be Khaled’s first album under a new joint venture between his We The Best Music and Def Jam.
To announce the album, he tapped into his recent infatuation with golf, crafting a four-minute trailer that sees him hit some impossible shots alongside his sons Asahd and Aalam, and his wife Nicole. The first single, “Supposed To Be Loved,” contains a sample of Michael Jackson’s “PYT” and marks Khaled’s first-ever collab with Lil Uzi Vert. While a release date for Til Next Time has yet to be announced, considering his usual rollout schedule, it can’t be too far off. Check out the album’s trailer and the first single below.
Petey is doing well: His comedic videos have earned him 1.5 million followers on TikTok and his music recently landed him a new record deal with Capitol Records. The signing was announced last month when he dropped “I’ll Wait,” the first single from his upcoming album, USA. (His social media handle has long been @peteyusa, hence the album title.) The project is set to drop in a few weeks, but ahead of that, Petey has shared a new single, “Did I Mention I’m Sorry.”
He also shared a video for the track, in which he and his band give their debut talk show performance… on a fictional, low-budget Bulgarian talk show. Press materials describe the song as “a high-octane anthem for anyone who’s ever been caught in a loop of missteps and half-hearted apologies.”
Towards the end of the year, Petey is set to embark on a tour in November (with one December date, at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles). The trek kicks off in Atlanta and will hit storied venues like Washington DC’s 9:30 Club, Philadelphia’s Union Transfer, and New York’s Irving Plaza. More information on the tour can be found on Petey’s website.
Watch the “Did I Mention I’m Sorry” video above and revisit our 2021 interview with Petey here.
USA is out 9/22 via Capitol. Find more information here.
Sacha Baron Cohen might be dusting off one of his classic characters. While the comedian is best known for his portrayal of Borat, who now has two movies under his belt, Cohen looks to be going back to his roots by bringing back Ali G, the character that started it all.
According to Variety, Cohen is reportedly developing a stand-up tour featuring Ali G, whose absurd interviews put the actor on the map. Ali G originally appeared in the late ’90s on the British TV sketch series, “The 11 O’Clock Show” before making the jump to HBO where Ali G became a breakout hit with American audiences in the early-to-mid 2000s.
However, a source close to Cohen made it a point to “strenuously deny” that a new Ali G movie was in the works and that Cohen is “strictly abiding” by strike rules. “As a SAG and WGA member he is supporting the ongoing strike alongside his fellow writers and actors,” the source told Variety.
While Cohen has focused mainly on Borat, Ali G has reemerged a handful of times. The actor famously surprised audiences with the character at the 2016 Oscars thanks to the help of wife Isla Fisher. More recently, Cohen dropped a secret Ali G set at The Comedy Store in Sydney in 2021 where he may have been laying the groundwork for the pending stand-up tour.
“I just wanted to get on stage and muck around and see what Ali G would be like with a crowd,” Cohen said after the performance. “It was really good fun.”
Along with the record, the star has shared a music video for the third track, “Mi Ex Tenía Razón.” It’s a stunning visual accompaniment that depicts the pink-haired performer singing by the water in a chic translucent cowboy hat.
In our interview with Karol about Mañana Será Bonito, she touched on who the music is intended for. “There are songs for everyone,” she said. “There’s a song for people in love, if you have a broken heart, if you’re feeling crazy, or if you want to party with perreo. With everything that’s happening, I want to enjoy the present with my music and remember that tomorrow everything will be great. Tomorrow will be beautiful.”
Watch the video for “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” above.
Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season) is out now via Universal Music Latino. Find more information here.
It’s hip-hop’s 50th birthday and to celebrate, LL Cool J and The Roots appeared on The Breakfast Club to talk about the genre’s culture and impact while sharing anecdotes from their own pioneering careers. One detail revealed by LL in the course of the interview was that he and fellow Queens native 50 Cent once recorded an entire album together — but that LL decided to shelve it himself.
The album was first announced in 2006, right around the height of 50’s reign, with LL saying at the time, 50 reminds me a lot of the things that I used to do and the places I used to be in my life, and I think we can have a good time together. He’s talented and I feel like I have something I want to say — I think he can help me get it off my chest.”
Unfortunately, he wasn’t so fond of the end result. As he tells The Breakfast Club in the interview above, “When it was done, I listened to it. I’m like, ‘It sounds good. I like the music, it sounds cool, but it ain’t me.’ So, I ain’t put it out. It was nothing against 50, I love 50. I just wanted to try something different. Maybe we collaborate, write together … It didn’t work.” The collaboration did produce one of LL’s later hits though.
“50 wrote the chorus on ‘Paradise’ for Amerie, which she sung,” LL notes. “He didn’t write my rhymes … when that happened, I didn’t even know 50 was involved. That was The Trackmasters, they got that done.”
Earlier this week, rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert didn’t exactly go ballistic over the price of groceries, but she did post a photo of herself launching grenades after ranting about Bidenomics and, yes, the price of groceries. Granted, reaching for ammo is her default mode, and now her ex-congressional friend, Marjorie Taylor Greene, has arrived on the subject of groceries, too.
Greene is not known for being a lover of logic, and she tends to leap into conclusions whereas at least some of her MAGA colleagues will cautiously back into their chosen perspective. And Greene is here with yet another call to impeach Biden, and this time, her reasoning has to do with (hmm) cereal and bread prices. As absurd as that sounds on its face, it sure bolsters the revival of comments made earlier this year by The Purge creator James DeMonaco, who made clear that Greene’s ideology is an inspiration for an upcoming sixth movie in the franchise.
While speaking to Newsmax, Greene’s grocery-store remarks do not improve the situation:
Greene: This comes down to consumers like a single mom who can’t afford to buy cereal because the price of grain has gone up so much with this war in Ukraine.. and this is why we have to do everything we can to impeach Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/hnC0kr7xZD
Take for example, a single mom that is just trying to feed her kids. When she goes to the grocery store, she can hardly afford cereal and bread. Do you wanna know why? Because those products are made with grain. Let’s look at where the bread basket of the world is. That is in Ukraine… so this comes all the way down to consumers like a single mom who can’t afford to buy cereal because the price of grain has gone up so much with this war in Ukraine… you have to connect the dots… and this is why we have to do everything we can to impeach Joe Biden
Rebutting a Greene argument can often seem like a fruitless exercise, but it bears mentioning that the war in Ukraine is widely considered unjust as launched by Vladimir Putin. Additionally, Russia is responsible for recently shutting down a deal (previously brokered by the U.N. and Turkey) that allows Ukraine grain exports on a global basis (primarily Africa and Asia). This was, of course, a Putin chess move, and he has recently attempted to drum up goodwill for Russia by offering a “benevolent” deal to send Russian grain to African countries, from which there were apparently few or even zero takers. Meanwhile, Reuters quotes an expert that expects Putin’s maneuvering to have little effect on global grocery prices, or at least, not in the long term.
Meanwhile, Greene argued about connecting the dots but didn’t really do so herself, so there’s that.
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