Category: Viral

After securing a feature from 6lack on “Not Too Deep,” Los Angeles singer-songwriter India Shawn looks a little closer to home for her latest single, tapping Anderson .Paak for an ecstatic verse on “Movin’ On.” The song features stutter-stepping brass, soulful hand-claps, and a skittering drum line as Shawn sings about getting over a breakup.

Meanwhile, .Paak’s verse finds him reflecting on his own past mistakes. “Truth is, I’m running out of lies to tell,” he admits. “New chick after chick, I done lost count of excuses / ‘Bout, oh we can’t be exclusive.” If that sounds a little melancholy, it shouldn’t. The song is actually a hopeful declaration of independence, looking forward to the future and the next chance to get love right.

Although India Shawn may look a lot like a new artist, in truth, she’s a 10-year veteran of the industry, lending her pen to bigger artists behind the scenes and releasing her own EP, Origin, in 2012. After writing for Diddy’s Dirty Money collective, El Debarge, Keri Hilson, and Monica, India is ready to step out to center stage and stake her claim on some spotlight for herself.

Listen to India Shawn and Anderson .Paak’s ‘Movin’ On’ above.

Back in June, Jenny Slate, a White actress, announced that she would no longer voice Missy, a biracial character, on Netflix’s Big Mouth. “Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people. I acknowledge how my original reasoning was flawed, that it existed as an example of white privilege and unjust allowances made within a system of societal white supremacy, and that in me playing ‘Missy,’ I was engaging in an act of erasure of Black people,” she wrote, while the show’s creators, all of whom are white, added that they would “recast a new Black actor to play her.”

Slate’s replacement has been found.

Ayo Edebiri will take over as Missy beginning with the penultimate episode of next season, Variety revealed (Slate will continue to voice her until then). “I was definitely a very uncomfortable child, so I think the show speaks to that and a lot of those feelings, which still resonate with me as an adult,” the actor, comedian, writer, and Iconography podcast host said about playing the Nathan Fillion-loving character. “I was a true dork. So I don’t think I have to go too far to connect with Missy,” as seen on Twitter.

Edebiri was already a part of Big Mouth before she got the role:

She booked the role just a few weeks ago and has already recorded her season four dialogue. She also joined the writers’ room of the show for the fifth season — a job she actually booked and began working first, given the schedule of breaking stories and penning scripts.

As for why she didn’t voice Missy for the entire fourth season, co creator Andrew Goldberg explained, “By the time we made the decision to cast Ayo, we had finished all of season four and delivered it to Netflix.” But the passing of the voice-acting baton, so to speak, comes from “a really organic and cool place.” Here’s more of Edebiri:

Big Mouth season four does not currently have a premiere date.

(Via Variety)

St. Vincent has been keen to re-imagine tracks from her latest album, 2017’s Masseduction. She dropped a remix album last year, and now she has linked up with X Japan’s Yoshiki for a new version of “New York,” which adds a distinct classical flair to the track.

St. Vincent said of the rework, “It was an honor to work with the amazing Yoshiki on this new version of ‘New York.’ Yoshiki’s arrangement added to the song in the way time or distance transform longtime friends or relationships: the original is still recognizable, but subtly and significantly altered.”

Yoshiki also noted, “As an artist, I admire how St. Vincent approaches music in an innovative and courageous way. Her music breaks the boundaries of genres, which is a mindset I can completely relate to. My band X Japan played the Coachella Festival in 2018 at the same time that St. Vincent performed, but at that time we didn’t meet. But this year, through mutual friends, we were introduced. In terms of ‘New York,’ it’s a great song to start with, and I’m grateful that she trusted me to fully rearrange the song with my classical approach. I hope St. Vincent’s fans enjoy it, and that my fans will too.”

Listen to the new version of “New York” above.

Hip-hop is moving as fast as ever. Luckily, we’re doing the work to put the best new rap music in one place for you. This week, there were videos from Octavian, Gunna, And Saint JHN, Nas, Lil Tecca, Princess Nokia, NLE Choppa, Fivio Foreign and DreamDoll, as well as Lil Keed. There were also new tracks from Cordae and Roddy Ricch, ASAP Ferg, Lil Wayne, and Jay Gwaupo, Conway and Dej Loaf, Jucee Froot, Guapdad 4000, Smino, and Thundercat, as well as Travis Scott. Here’s the best of the rest:

Bobby Sessions — “Reparations”

Bobby Sessions is speaking for millions on his “Reparations” single, where he demanded that Black people get there’s over smooth production: “Main goal, be self-sufficient, so if you with it, boss up.”

Doley Bernays — “A Week Straight” Feat. 03 Greedo

Doley Bernays paints a grim picture of the grind on “A Week Straight,” where he rhymes, “When you dealin in that same building that lil bro got killed in / nobody’s tryna learn, a body’s just a body.” 03 Greedo follows up with a fiery, melodic appearance.

Hotboii — “Don’t Need Time” Feat. Lil Baby

Lil Baby jumped on a remix of Hotboii’s “Don’t Need Time,” sounding tailor-made for the street confessional with reflections like, “I came home at the right time, it was perfect for me” over somber production.

Locksmith — “Blasphemy” Feat. KXNG CROOKED

Locksmith and Kxng Crooked are vying for lyrical supremacy on “Blasphemy,” where they trade assonant verses over slick chops of an Ohio Player’s sample popularized on N.W.A.’s ‘Dopeman.”

The Lox — Living Off Xperience

Rap legends The Lox released their Living Off Xperience album today, a project that shows that the trio is still firing on all cylinders after more than 20 years in the game. The gritty project also features guest appearances from Conway and Westside Gunn, Jeremih, T-Pain, and Ruff Ryder brethren DMX, who shows up on “Bout Sh*t.”

Lxst — “Upset”

20-year-old genre-bending artist Lxst is making a plea for love on “Upset,” a breezy, Jordan Knows-produced single where he rhymes the ever-relatable, “Tell me somethin’, I don’t wanna fall but I think that I should trust it.”

MC Eiht — “Honcho” Feat. Conway & DJ Premier

Conway got up with a pair of hip-hop legends on MC Eiht’s “Honcho,” a trip to the gun range where he and MC Eiht get as gruff as possible over Primo’s minimalist, sinister production.

Mike Will Made-It & Chief Keef — “Bang Bang”

Chief Keef paid homage to one of his iconic ad-libs on “Bang Bang,” a single from his and Mike-Will Made-It’s upcoming collaboration project. They paired the track with a dark video that merges horror and action.

Quando Rondo — Diary Of A Lost Child

This week, Quando Rondo released his 16-track Diary Of A Lost Child project, that’s as pensive and somber as it sounds. Quando shines on heartfelt tracks like “Dear Diary,” “Materialistic Pain,” and “Shooters & Movers.”

Radamiz — Synonyms Of Strength

Brooklyn’s Radamiz dropped off his Synonyms Of Strenght EP, a project that he’s been steadily crafting over the last couple of years. The seven tracks reflect that care, with impeccable lyricism laced with a slew of empowering, introspective jewels over lush production.

Rich Brian — 1999

Rich Brian is steadily growing as an artist and person, and that development is apparent throughout 1999, the reflective, melody-driven EP he dropped this week. The 7-track project is full of smooth, impeccably produced tracks that range from“Long Run” to the glossy “Love In My Pocket.”

Rich The Kid — “Too Blessed” Feat. Quavo, Takeoff

The DJ-Durel produced “Too Blessed” shows Rich The Kid praising the good life along with Takeoff and Quavo, who reminds everyone “the way that I move: chess.”

Smoove-L — “Chrome No Heart”

Brooklyn’s Smoove-L Is “[spazzin] on the beat like Mad Max” on “Chrome No Heart,” where he shows off his mastery of flow over a hypnotic soundscape.

TM88 Feat. Calboy — “War Stories”

Calboy delves into the pitfalls of the streets on “War Stories,” where he rides a gloomy TM88 beat and laments, “Mama on my ass she just want me to get a day job” instead of being in the streets.

Wifisfuneral — PAIN?

This week, Wifisfuneral dropped off PAIN?, his latest effort. The 14-track offering shows Wifisfuneral being at times pensive, down, and raunchy alongside guest artists Smoove-L, Coi Lerai, and Mariah Angeliq.

Xavier Wulf — “Trophy Boyz”

Xavier Wulf celebrates his Hollow Squad crew by deeming them the “Trophy Boyz” over Quintin Lamb’s quaking production. The two-minute track is primed to be a trunk rattler for the waning days of summer — and beyond.

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

Pioneering hip-hop group Public Enemy is returning to the record label where they first brought their revolutionary message to the world for a new album due this fall, the group announced via press release this Friday. The new project will be called What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down and will be released September 25 through Def Jam Recordings. The group also retroactively made their “Fight The Power” remix from the BET Awards the first single and officially released it for streaming.

The remix features verses from Black Thought, Jahi, Nas, Rapsody, and YG, with DJ cuts from Questlove. It was first performed at the beginning of this year’s BET Awards to honor the protests against police violence that preceded the awards show and have continued throughout the summer. Public Enemy’s 1989 message has resonated ever since, with protestors adopting the song as an unofficial theme.

The announcement is a 180-degree turnaround from where the band was to start the year. In March, the group announced it had “fired” longtime member and co-founder Flavor Flav over skipping a performance at a Bernie Sanders rally in Los Angeles. Then, later the same month, Chuck D said that he’d actually used the announcement to generate attention for the group’s new single. Although some grumbled, it apparently worked; the group’s been talked about more this year than it has in a decade, just in time to soundtrack a new revolution.

Listen to “Fight The Power: Remix 2020” above.

What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down is due 9/25 via Def Jam.

Melania Trump’s apparent “death stare” may have been the most watchable moment from the last night of the non-socially-distanced final leg of the Republican National Convention. However, news outlets were (of course) bound to discuss the issues, beyond the overarching GOP “law and order” message and the bizarre accusation that Joe Biden is responsible for the civil unrest in Trump’s America. To that end, CNN’s Daniel Dale put together a list of 20+ misleading claims from President Trump, who he called a “serial liar,” during his RNC speech. And Anderson Cooper, who had a long night, couldn’t resist grabbing some coffee to get through the list.

Yes, Dale’s reading of his list — including Trump’s claim that he’s brought down jobless claims this year to his seeming belief that he’s done more for African Americans than any president since Abe Lincoln — was an impressive feat. For three minutes, Dale continued, and yup, we’d probably all need some caffeine for this.

Following praise from NFL Network journalist and radio host Rich Eisen about his “remarkable delivery,” Dale did admit that he used a teleprompter. “I don’t usually use it,” he added. “[B]ut can’t possibly remember that crazy number of things.” No joke.

Well, social media couldn’t help but relate to Cooper’s caffeine injection.

Also, Cooper (like I said already, it was a long night for him) kicked off the evening’s festivities while chatting with former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Things grew a little heated, and Walker may not have wished to continue while Cooper pressed him over the GOP pointing the finger at Biden for U.S. civil unrest (when all of this is happening on Trump’s watch). Walker suggested that Biden’s being far too silent on the issue, and then he seemed to simply turn off the camera and walk away. Cooper was left ending the segment with a “we apologize for the, uh, signal loss.” Oh boy.

The perils of live television!

What were you up to in the summer of 2013? Hanging at the beach? Driving around aimlessly with friends? Working as a summer camp counselor, like me? On the new episode of Indiecast, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen look back to 2013, a pivotal year in recent indie history that saw the arrival of some of the biggest names in the genre, and the staying power of some of its veterans.

2013 brought the emergence of artists like Disclosure (who just this week released Energy, their first album in five years), Lorde, The 1975, and Haim. Vampire Weekend also dropped their seminal LP Modern Vampires Of The City and Sky Ferreira finally delivered her hotly anticipated full-length debut Night Time, My Time. Back in our first episode about Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, we noted how that album helped to mark the end of the aughts. In this episode, Hyden and Cohen declare 2013 to be the official beginning of the 2010s, with many artists remaining in the collective conscience and dominating the genre to this day.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 5 below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts here. Stay up to date and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Letitia Wright has starred in three of the 14 highest-grossing movies ever; was nominated for an Emmy for her performance in Black Mirror; and won the Rising Star Award at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards, all before she turned 26 years old. She also appeared in a movie with Rihanna, the greatest accomplishment of all. Her star continues rise, as the Black Panther standout was cast on the spot by Steve McQueen for his new miniseries Small Axe, where she plays real-life Black Panther and activist Altheia Jones-LeCointe. Wright explained what it was like meeting her to Vanity Fair.

“I just became overwhelmed with honor and gratitude for her because she believed in something. Her and her friends believed in a better future for me,” she said. Wright also discussed why she enjoys going from the biggest movies in the planet, including the upcoming Death on the Nile and Black Panther 2, to smaller-scale theater productions:

“By God’s grace, the work that I’ve been doing has been able to be a reflection of what’s really in my spirit, what’s really in my heart. I don’t mind doing a big blockbuster Marvel movie and have it make a billion and then go do theater. Because I know that that story needs me just as much as that Marvel project did, or Black Mirror needs me just as much as that Marvel project did, or Eclipsed needed me just as much as Doctor Who needed me. I just try to be a vessel for each story and tell the truth.”

Small Axe premieres later this year.

(Via Vanity Fair)

In October 2009, Lil Wayne released No Ceilings, a mixtape that was well received and went on to spawn a number of subsequent releases in the No Ceilings series. However, the project hasn’t been accessible on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, making it difficult for fans who rely on those platforms to enjoy the album. Now, though, Wayne has finally made No Ceilings available for streaming. That said, the version of the project shared today is substantially different than the 2009 original.

The most immediately noticeable difference in the new cover art. While it is similar to the original in that it features the same No Ceilings font and has a similar layout, it features different photos of Wayne. Another huge difference, and the one that will have the biggest effect on listeners, is the tracklist, which has been cut nearly in half. The original mixtape features 21 tracks and runs for about 72 minutes. Meanwhile, the new version has just 12 songs and runs for 45 minutes.

The good news, though, is that fans can still enjoy the complete original mixtape, just with a little more effort required. It was released as a free download back in 2009, and it can still be downloaded today.

Stream the new version of No Ceilings below.

FKA Twigs is a world-class musician, but she also takes her talents not directly related to that seriously. She has gravitated towards pole dancing in recent years after learning how to do so for her 2019 “Cellophane” video. Now she has added a new skill to her arsenal, as she shows off some adept swordsmanship for her new “Sad Day” video.

In the six-minute clip, she follows a man into a cafe and confronts him with some angular dance moves before drawing her sword. From there, the two engage in bladed combat, which eventually spills outside. From there, the two take to the skies, and not to spoil the clip, but Twigs ends up a little worse for wear… or does she?

The clip was directed by Hiro Murai, whose most recent video before this was Childish Gambino’s famous “This Is America” visual. He also worked with Glover on Atlanta and Guava Island.

Twigs said in a press release, “Everything I’ve previously done with my body, all the training and dancing, has led to this point.” The release also notes that she spent three years training in Wushu, a Chinese martial art, under Master Wu of the Shaolin Wushu Centre.

Watch the “Sad Day” video above.