Category: Viral

Earlier this week, Raye said she is no longer letting those Amy Winehouse comparisons intimidate her, just in time for her to drop a song with frequent Winehouse collaborator Mark Ronson. Just as Winehouse teamed up with Ronson in 2007 for a cover of the Zutons’ “Valerie” (utterly hijacking the song from them for all time in the process), Raye and Mark’s collab is a brassy soul song named after a woman. This time around, it’s “Suzanne.”

In the song, Raye describes the titular muse, who might just be a metaphor for the English countryside: “Eyes are like the ocean, her nails are painted green / A cigarette in her mouth, and she mouths, ‘Hey, dear, how you been?’ / Grey skies out the window, but she’s a summer breeze / Come and set the tone, I dare, come and sit down next to me, Suzanne.”

The duo was paired up, funnily enough, by Audemars Piguet, leading to an intriguing coincidence. The brand tapped Raye as an ambassador after her massive 2024 BRIT Award wins; Ronson was already partnered with the brand. After they completed “Suzanne,” they later learned that a descendant of both of the brand’s founding families was named Suzanne Audemars. The track was debuted in a showcase at London’s 180 Studios, celebrating AP’s 150th anniversary.

After dropping off the radar a bit to recalibrate, Drake lends an assist to his OVO artist Smiley. They return with a new collaboration, “2 Mazza,” paying homage to their hometown slang. The two Toronto rappers shrug off the concept of chasing mass appeal, instead making an insider cut that is just for those in the know.

It’s an interesting and potentially smart strategy for Drake, who spent the last year being roundly abused by an iconoclastic and deeply insular foe. So withdrawing to his own familiar bubble and reconnecting with his roots, perhaps he’s hoping to marshal his hometown base, and use that groundswell as a foundation for his bid to return to mainstream glory.

In many ways, this constitutes a hard reset on his career; his initial successes were with local artists like Kardinal Offishall, which helped him connect with audiences in Canada long before he linked up with Lil Wayne and became the center of the hip-hop universe for a bit.

It also makes sense for him to do so with Smiley, one of his own OVO artists; after spending a decade collaborating with artists from the American South to build his popularity stateside, perhaps that’s why it seemed like he lost touch. Solidifying his home fort might just keep him grounded enough to get back into the public’s good graces.

Gunna is rapidly proving to be one of Atlanta’s most productive artists, starting a new album rollout less than a year after his last. His new single, “Won’t Stop,” is technically his first of the year, not counting his and Turbo’s joint single “Classy Girl” in March. And although his relationships in music have changed in the past few years, as he says on his newest song, he has no plans of knocking off anytime soon.

Gunna, who has become ever more elusive since his release from Fulton County Jail in 2022, teased a possible release date for his next full-length album, although he left the exact day tantalizingly blank. All we know is that it’ll release sometime in June, just a little over a year since his last one, One Of Wun. Some fans are convinced it’ll drop on June 20, the night of his headlining performance at HOT 97’s Summer Jam this year. He’ll be performing alongside GloRilla, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Muni Long, Asake, Ayra Starr, Kash Doll, Bobby Konders & Jabba Feat. Masicka, Jim Jones & Friends, Cash Cobain, 41 (Kyle Rich, Jenn Carter, Tata), and more.

He also explained his prolific nature in a recent interview about his ongoing collaboration with his longtime producer Turbo, saying, “We’re the ones that are going to stay at the studio the longest and work on the song until it’s all the way complete and sounds the best.” With that level of work ethic, Gunna’s pace doesn’t look to be slowing down just yet.

You can listen to Gunna’s “Won’t Stop” above.

J-Hope is building up quite the list of collaborators. Since his discharge from mandatory military service, he’s released “LV Bag” with Don Toliver and Pharrell, “Sweet Dreams” with Miguel, and now, the crossover between K-pop and hip-hop continues with two of those genres’ hottest rising stars. J-Hope taps Memphis rapper GloRilla for his latest single, the kinetic “Killin’ It Girl.” The song comes with a dizzying music video that was show in an unusual zoom and frame rate, creating some stunning, unique (and possibly motion sickness-inducing) visuals with Hope’s usual flashy dancing.

In addition to his collaborations, the BTS member also dropped the “Mona Lisa” video, in which he traipses through an art museum. He certainly seems to have developed a flair for eye-popping visual concepts, which perhaps grew from his broadened experiences as a result of military service. “I’ve learned a different life,” he said of the experience. “And in many ways, I got to meet people from all walks of life and I received a lot of good energy. And I heard a lot of good things. But also, you know, a year and a half is actually not a very short time. That bit made me feel a lot of things. In the end, I think the most important thing was I realized how important the work I’ve been doing for all these years is incredibly meaningful to me.”

You can watch the video for J-Hope’s “Killin’ It Girl” featuring GloRilla above.

Roddy Ricch has entered the race. As the F1 film inches closer to its theater green light, another gem from its soundtrack has surfaced. Roddy Ricch taps into the primal theme of the film with “Underdog,” produced by D.A. Got That Dope. The former Uproxx cover star applies a propulsive flow to the murky, menacing beat, akin to his approaches “Start With Me” with Gunna or “Tip Toe” with A Boogie.

The single adds yet another dimension to the expansive, diverse sounds present across the soundtrack — which appears to be rolling out in full, one track at a time. Doja Cat and Don Toliver kicked off the rollout with “Lose My Mind,” a more club-friendly hip-hop track. Likewise, “Baja California” by Myke Towers adds similar flair in Spanish, as does Sexyy Red’s EDM experiment Tiësto, “OMG.”

But rather than sticking to that one mode, the soundtrack veers across lanes (heh), incorporating K-pop with Rosé’s “Messy,” country music, with Chris Stapleton’s “Bad As I Use To Be,” and dance-pop with tracks like Tate McRae’s “Keep Watching” and Dom Dolla’s “No Room For A Saint.”

F1 The Album is out 6/27 via Atlantic Records. You can find more info here.

F1, the movie, is out in theaters 6/27.

Roddy Ricch has entered the race. As the F1 film inches closer to its theater green light, another gem from its soundtrack has surfaced. Roddy Ricch taps into the primal theme of the film with “Underdog,” produced by D.A. Got That Dope. The former Uproxx cover star applies a propulsive flow to the murky, menacing beat, akin to his approaches “Start With Me” with Gunna or “Tip Toe” with A Boogie.

The single adds yet another dimension to the expansive, diverse sounds present across the soundtrack — which appears to be rolling out in full, one track at a time. Doja Cat and Don Toliver kicked off the rollout with “Lose My Mind,” a more club-friendly hip-hop track. Likewise, “Baja California” by Myke Towers adds similar flair in Spanish, as does Sexyy Red’s EDM experiment Tiësto, “OMG.”

But rather than sticking to that one mode, the soundtrack veers across lanes (heh), incorporating K-pop with Rosé’s “Messy,” country music, with Chris Stapleton’s “Bad As I Use To Be,” and dance-pop with tracks like Tate McRae’s “Keep Watching” and Dom Dolla’s “No Room For A Saint.”

F1 The Album is out 6/27 via Atlantic Records. You can find more info here.

F1, the movie, is out in theaters 6/27.

Roddy Ricch has entered the race. As the F1 film inches closer to its theater green light, another gem from its soundtrack has surfaced. Roddy Ricch taps into the primal theme of the film with “Underdog,” produced by D.A. Got That Dope. The former Uproxx cover star applies a propulsive flow to the murky, menacing beat, akin to his approaches “Start With Me” with Gunna or “Tip Toe” with A Boogie.

The single adds yet another dimension to the expansive, diverse sounds present across the soundtrack — which appears to be rolling out in full, one track at a time. Doja Cat and Don Toliver kicked off the rollout with “Lose My Mind,” a more club-friendly hip-hop track. Likewise, “Baja California” by Myke Towers adds similar flair in Spanish, as does Sexyy Red’s EDM experiment Tiësto, “OMG.”

But rather than sticking to that one mode, the soundtrack veers across lanes (heh), incorporating K-pop with Rosé’s “Messy,” country music, with Chris Stapleton’s “Bad As I Use To Be,” and dance-pop with tracks like Tate McRae’s “Keep Watching” and Dom Dolla’s “No Room For A Saint.”

F1 The Album is out 6/27 via Atlantic Records. You can find more info here.

F1, the movie, is out in theaters 6/27.

For the past month or so, Latto has been touring Europe and the UK promoting her 2024 album Sugar Honey Iced Tea. The former Uproxx cover star has clearly gotten comfortable across the pond, forging musical friendships with locals like rising Manchester rapper Nemzzz. Cozy enough, it appears, to join Nemzzz on his latest single, “Art,” and give him a tour of her hometown, Atlanta, in its video. The visual hits all the A-Town staples: a gas station link-up, a cruise through downtown, and of course, a trip to the strip club.

While prepping for her first trip overseas, Latto has continued to roll out visuals for Sugar Honey Iced Tea, such as “Blick Sum” with Playboi Carti, and released a new single, “Somebody.” She also teamed up with GloRilla in the video for the Memphis rapper’s Glorious standout, “Procedure.”

Nemzzz, meanwhile, is fresh off the release of his second mixtape, Rent’s Due, which features guest appearances from Central Cee and Kyle Richh. The project reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 1 on the UK R&B Albums chart, while its singles, “Cold” and “Bad Decisions,” charted in the UK and New Zealand. Nemzzz followed up with a deluxe edition, adding features from D-Block Europe and Chy Cartier.

Watch Nemzzz’s “Art” video featuring Latto above.

Last Saturday, Lexa Gates was supposed to perform at Governors Ball, her very first music festival. But unfortunately, the morning she was set to play, the fest sent a message to fans: the performances would be delayed and early sets — the ones more likely to feature up and coming acts — would be canceled. When Gates realized her set was one of the performances scrapped from the lineup, she sent a direct and witty (much like her lyricism) message to fans via Instagram: “Sorry, they told me to F off” she captioned a photo of multiple DMs from followers asking if she’d play.

However, the Queens-born singer and rapper took the cancellation in stride, bringing her hometown show to the streets of New York City. On Monday, she played a free show in the middle of Canal Street, blasting her hits from the top of a car. She announced the renegade gig to fans only a few hours before the performance went down, sharing a flyer to Instagram with the caption “(complimentary) pull up. rain or shine.” What’s more New York City than that? “I gotta show love to the people of New York, this is my city,” she tells UPROXX, after the impromptu show. “It was nice to do something anyone could go to free of charge and it made me feel loved to see so many people show up.”

Last Friday, the day before her would-be set, she dropped her latest single “Latency,” — a soulful, honest, hypnotic track produced by Grammy Award-winning producer, Jasper Harris (Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Nas X). The track pontificates on the push and pull of an almost romantic connection, sampling “Tell Me You’ll Wait,” by Hamilton Bohannon, as Gates sings, “I got ideas of you making moves on me, what’s the latency?” It’s a fresh and organic sound, one that could only come from a Gen Z creative with internet access, a push against what’s trend-worthy, and no allegiance to rules. Last year, she released her debut album, Elite Vessel, followed by a sold-out US tour. She’s been making the rounds on ‘who to watch lists,’ and, with an impending next album on the way, it’s safe to say she’ll be making her way up multiple festival line-ups.

We spoke to Gates about “Latency,” her favorite fan interaction so far, and what it means to be from New York City.

Let’s talk about “Latency.” What was the inspiration? How did it come to you?

It’s a term in music, when the microphone isn’t working. It’s a cute romantic song. I made it with Jasper Harris. It was his idea, the beginning that … “I got ideas about you” and then we just ran from there. It was just fun. It’s the only fun song on the album. Everything else is pain.

How do you hope people react to the track when they hear it live or when it drops?

I hope they dance a little bit. I hope they listen, I hope they put it on TikTok.

You shared Elite Vessel last fall. How has it been to have that out in the world?

Amazing. I’m happy people liked it. I was just doing it for fun. I was listening to it this morning actually, and it was really good.

You’re like, “I’m also a fan.”

Yeah, exactly.

I know you just had a sold-out tour. What are some of the memories that you have from playing those shows and interacting with fans?

I remember when I was in Atlanta and there was a girl in the front who was crying the whole time. Looking me in my eyes, just crying. I had to not look at her ’cause she was making me hella emotional.

I wanted to ask about your personal style — from your signature cat eye to the way you deliver your bars. There’s a lot being said about your authenticity, but what is authenticity as an artist to you?

I’m just doing what I want to do and I never really listened to anything new growing up. I just didn’t care about anything or any movies or anything trendy at all. I feel inspired by walking outside and just looking into the world. So I guess moving without fear … that’s what that means to me.

I love that — just being inspired by yourself and not tracking what everyone else is doing.

Yeah, exactly. Not trying to do what other people are doing ’cause it’s popular. You know how when Cash Cobain started doing sexy drill, everybody did sexy drill. I just feel like that’s not a good idea.

What’s inspiring you right now?

I actually feel more into the trends right now. I love Labubus. Being in new environments … I’m also into interior design right now.

Are you making mood boards? Are you decorating your home?

No, no. I’m just going to people’s houses and seeing that they have a bunch of cool things, and I want that too.

What are you most excited about sharing with fans?

This album, I’ve been working on an album for like hella long and it’s just taking a long time to clear everything, but I’m ready to just do full rollout and put everything out.

Without spoiling it, what can we expect from the album?

It’s like an autobiography. It’s a recording of whatever the present moment I was in.

I have to ask, since we were talking about Gov Ball, NYC’s signature fest, what does it mean to be a NYC artist for you?

I don’t wanna necessarily identify myself with anything. I hate when people are like, ‘Oh, you’re a Latina female rapper.’ You know? I’m trying to create my own type of thing. That’s how I feel about it. But obviously it is really important and I’m heavily influenced by my neighborhood and how I grew up. I’m just like the most New York person ever.

What else do you want your fans to know?

I’m dropping an album. In a few months. In a few months. We’ll just keep it vague.

Sabrina Carpenter released her latest album, Short N’ Sweet, last August. Less than a year later, she’s already onto a new album with yesterday’s announcement of Man’s Best Friend. That’s a relatively quick turnaround, but the way Carpenter sees it, she didn’t want to wait to drop a new album just because she might be expected to.

In a new Rolling Stone interview, Carpenter said:

“If I really wanted to, I could have stretched out Short N’ Sweet much, much longer. But I’m at that point in my life where I’m like, ‘Wait a second, there’s no rules.’ If I’m inspired to write and make something new, I would rather do that. Why would I wait three years just for the sake of waiting three years? It’s all about what feels right. I’m learning to listen to that a lot more, instead of what is perceived as the right or wrong move.”

She also shared her mindset ahead of the project’s release, before anybody outside of her circle has heard it yet, saying, “I’m living in the glory of no one hearing it or knowing about it, and so I can not care. I can not give a f*ck about it, because I’m just so excited.”

Read the full feature here.