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If fans were asked to sum up West Coast rap pillar Snoop Dogg in just one word, the answers would vary so much, it might be hard to recognize that they are all talking about the same person. For six-year-old viral sensation VanVan, who just joined the cast of Snoop’s children’s YouTube series, Doggyland, as Vancy the Dalmatian, the rap elder statesman-turned-mentor is, simply, “kind.” VanVan, who has become popular online due to her freestyle raps and incredible memory for lyrics, both acts and raps as the new addition on songs like “Thanksgiving,” which released earlier this week in honor of the upcoming holiday.

It’s a sentiment echoed by VanVan’s manager, another hip-hop veteran whose legacy precedes even Snoop’s. “I just think that it’s so great that he has enveloped her and shown his kindness, which she can feel, and so happy that they’ve landed on something that’s so positive and so uplifting,” says MC Lyte, whose Sunni Gyrl, Inc. has signed on to manage the prepubescent rapper’s career. “It was the conversations that they had where they felt comfortable enough knowing that we would get out and do what we needed to do to expound on her short-lived career at this point. But since joining forces, she’s been able to do some amazing things.”

Here’s where I admit, that as a rap fan of a certain age, the idea of a “kid rapper” still sparks some skepticism for me, even as I have championed the expansive nature of the form (God’s working on all of us, as Desus and Mero would say). But it helps that the show’s creator is such a force in the hip-hop world. Claude Brooks is perhaps best known as the creator of another rap-centric kids’ show, Hip-Hop Harry, but real heads know he got his start in showbiz as the creator of the 2000 MTV series, The Lyricist Lounge Show, which brought the popular New York underground rap showcase to the screen as a sketch comedy show in which the talent (which included Mos Def and the TV debut of Tracee Ellis Ross) rapped their way through bank robberies and traffic accidents.

He says the surprising part about VanVan’s smooth addition to the cast is that they “weren’t looking to add another character.” However, “it came up so organically. She was buzzing doing her thing on social, and we were doing ours. But we did start talking and realized how much of a true hip-hop head she is. So we leaned in and we sent her a track. We gave her ‘The Affirmations Song’ and gave her eight bars to work something in. She ended up killing this thing and this thing goes crazy viral. So, eventually we find out, ‘They want to do something with Doggyland.’ And so we did ‘The Cleanup Song’ with her, which is great. And then ‘I’m Grateful’ was just this amazing song that just came out this week.”

VanVan actually had a hand in the design of her character, from Vancy’s breed to her wardrobe. “She’s really fancy, and I like that she’s a Dalmatian,” says the precocious proselytizer, lighting up at the chance to get to talk fashion. “And she wears my style. My mom styles me. My favorite outfits are the ones where I have a tank top and I have [points at legs], so it all be colored. It all has to be the same color. So I like when I have the tank top and I have the jacket and I have the pants and the bow. And one time I had that, and I loved it. That’s my favorite style.” As surprising as VanVan’s viral freestyle ability can be, it’s a fun reminder that she’s still allowed to be just a kid — a kid who is still just now learning to read.

Lyte notes how important it is to protect her charge, and the complications that her age brings to VanVan’s burgeoning career. “I think it’s more about, wow, she’s only now six, which means the thought of when she did the BET Awards, she could only be on set for a certain amount of time because they only allow minors [for a limited time]. So we have to strategize, okay, she’s got to rehearse, but then we got to get her out of the building and not let the six-hour maximum time be spent frivolously. And if she was going to sit and watch the show, the show is three hours, so it’s almost like we had to split it up three and three and be very careful about it.”

The young rapper isn’t sweating the hard work, though, because for her, it’s all fun. “You can have fun while you have to work really, really hard,” she enthuses. “You can just play, you can dance… it just makes me happy when I’m done with raps and my dad just hype me up.” As to her stint on Doggyland, she says she “really wanted to be a character,” and despite her young age, she recognizes the value in the work. “I like that they play some songs that teach kids to start doing stuff that they say on videos. I really like that they do that.”

Taylor Sheridan must never sleep. That’s the only way to explain how he’s not only releasing about as many shows as Ryan Murphy but also writing them, too. Recently, he wrapped up Tulsa King‘s sophomore outing, and Lioness is pushing through its brutal second season as well. Also, Sheridan killed off John Dutton, which rattled Yellowstone addicts while Kevin Costner was just fine. I mean, it wasn’t literally a “f*ck you car crash,” but it was close enough, yet Costner was likely prepared for worse.

Anything else? Landman made a bawdy debut and is ready for more.

When Does Landman Season 1 Episode 3 Come Out?

Billy Bob Thornton will still probably be hanging onto that Dr. Pepper when it happens on Sunday, Nov. 24 on Paramount+.

Hopefully, Sheridan will let Tommy Norton relax and also cool it with those stressful oil-rig explosions. Instead, maybe we can have more of Michael Pena and Emilio Rivera shooting the sh*t while grilling up a storm? We’ll see. Soon, Ali Larter is set to move from FaceTime nightmare to in-person menace, so watch out, Billy Bob.

Before long, Sheridan viewers will also be staring down the final 1923 season and The Madison. Could 6666 finally be on the way, too? Only Taylor Sheridan knows for sure.

In addition to Thornton, Pena, Rivera, and Larter, Landman presents Jon Hamm and Demi Moore dripping in opulence along with a worse-for-wear Jacob Lofland, Andy Garcia, Paulina Chavez, and Kayla Wallace.

What a day: Out of nowhere, Kendrick Lamar just released GNX, a surprise new album. An immediate question some might have is:

What Is A GNX From Kendrick Lamar’s New Album?

The album title refers to a car: the 1987 Buick Grand National Regal GNX.

In a 2012 interview with Complex, Lamar explained that after he was born, he was driven home from the hospital in a Regal, saying, “My pops put me on to rap. When I was born, I came home from the hospital in an ’87 Buick Regal while my pops was bumping Big Daddy Kane. He would say, ‘This is Rakim. You get your whole style from Rakim!’ Or, ‘Go listen to Biz Markie!’ Sometimes I sit back and listen to hip-hop with him to see where my hip-hop roots come from.”

Earlier this year, Lamar showed off photos of a GNX he apparently acquired (as XXL notes), likely the same one that appears on the GNX album cover (below). On his finsta, he wrote, “aye life get real tricky. no matter where you at with it. i never pick and choose what stories to relate to. all of them is relative. like my momma say tho. different strokes for different folks. a good ol saying can snap you back into reality sometimes. but in the moment of confusion, the best thing you can do is find a gnx. make you realize the only thing that matters in life is that original paper work. that TL2 code. 1 of 547. yea i finally changed. its over with. dhz. my big cousin pat dogg smiling down. anybody wanna line it up. i’ll pull heem off the floor and flip yo sh*t.”

Kendrick Lamar’s GNX Album Cover Artwork

GNX is out now via pgLang/Interscope. Find more information here.

Kendrick Lamar shocked the world today, releasing his new album GNX without any advance warning. The album features the long-awaited release of “Squabble Up” and production from frequent Taylor Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff. However, it doesn’t list the guest artists, despite featuring some familiar voices like Kendrick’s former labelmate SZA. So, who are the features on Kendrick Lamar’s new album GNX?

The features include:

Regional Mexicano singer Deyra Barrera, and South Central/Compton rappers AzChike, Dody 6, Hitta J3, Peysoh, Siete, Wallie The Sensei, and Young Threat. Clearly, GNX is a hometown affair, with Kendrick sharing his spotlight with plenty of rising stars from Hub City. Many of the above names appeared during Kendrick’s Pop Out concert earlier this year, so it’s unsurprising to see him continuing to share his platform with the city.

Barrera appears on the first song, “Wacced Out Murals”, and “Reincarnated,” while AzChike pops up on “Peekaboo.” Dody 6 features on “Hey Now,” while “Dodger Blue” features Siete and Wallie The Sensei and the title track features Hitta J3, Peysoh, and Young Threat. In addition, singer Sam Dew shows up on multiple tracks providing background vocals alongside Ink.

The release of GNX caps an extremely successful 2024 for Kendrick, which unofficially kicked off with his industry-breaking feature verse on Future’s “Like That.” That song restarted Kendrick’s long-simmering feud with Drake, sparking a back-and-forth that culminated in Kendrick’s song “Not Like Us” becoming a massive hit and effectively putting Drake’s career in the dirt. K. Dot followed up his victory with the announcement of his upcoming performance at the Super Bowl, while “Not Like Us” and “Like That” were both nominated for Grammys.

GNX is out now. You can listen to it here.

Thanksgiving isn’t until week and Christmas is over a month away, but Kendrick Lamar just gave us a gift to be thankful for.

The “Not Like Us” rapper and Super Bowl Halftime Show performer dropped a new album, GNX, out of nowhere on Friday. It will take the weekend to fully absorb the album, Lamar’s first since 2022’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, but there’s one question on many people’s minds: where is Taylor Swift?

Is Taylor Swift On Kendrick Lamar’s New Album, GNX?

Earlier this week, producer DJ Snake claimed Swift and Lamar have teamed up for a new song. It would make sense: Swift enlisted Lamar for a remix of “Bad Blood,” and he once thanked her for “supporting not only my music but just the hip-hop culture. There’s really no gap. It’s music and it feels good.”

However, whether DJ Snake’s claim turns out to be true or false, we do know that Swift is not on GNX.

The only “Taylor” to be found is when Lamar references Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” on “Wacced Out Murals” (“Snoop posted ‘Taylor Made,’ I prayed it was the edibles/ I couldn’t believe it, it was only right for me to let it go”). However, there is at least one connection to the “Fortnight” singer on GNX: much of the album is produced by Jack Antonoff, who also worked on 1989, Lover, Folklore, The Tortured Poets Department, etc.

GNX is out now via pgLang/Interscope. Find more information here.

By no means is Panchiko a new act (but they could still secure a Best New Artist Grammy nomination). Last year, the band shared their long anticipated album, Failed At Math(s). Now, keyboardist Andy Wright, guitarists Owain Davies and Robert Harris, bassist Shaun Ferreday, and drummer John Schofield are ready to drop their follow-up.

Today (November 22), Panchiko announced their forthcoming album, Ginkgo. Although the body of work isn’t set to be released until April 2025, Panchiko unveiled the project’s official title track. As an added bonus, Panchiko uploaded its supporting video. While Panchiko only make a few spontaneous appearances in the visual, director Simon Ellis found something worthy to fill its 2-minute-36-second runtime.

With the help of a kennel of chickens, Ellis treated viewers to a poultry version of Gladiator. If you need a refresher of Gladiator II‘s predecessor, a handful of feathered fighters unleash their inner warriors fitting for the track’s fiery nature.

“The heat it makes you lazy / And out of phase / It’s bending you out of shape / More than I ever could my love / Such a funny thing / I don’t know where you’ve been / You command the leaves to fall / The Ginkgo bends at will,” sings the group.

Listen to Panchiko’s new single “Ginkgo” above.

Ginkgo is out 4/4/2025 via Nettwerk. Find more information here.

Kendrick Lamar fans, rejoice! The Compton rapper has officially released that song from the beginning of the “Not Like Us” video. It’s called “Squabble Up,” and it appears on his newly released surprise album, GNX“. The full version of the song samples ’80s electro classic “When I Hear Music” by Debbie Deb, and sees K. Dot aggressively defending his patch, warning enemies to “get the f*ck out my faaace.”

Fans have been demanding the song’s official release ever since it first appeared in the “Not Like Us” video, but many had lost hope; after all, we never did get a full version of the snippet from the “Alright” video. However, it seems Kung-Fu Kenny was just waiting on the appropriate time to let it go, and now we can all bop along to the ode to good, ol’-fashioned fisticuffs in all its glory — and, true to Kendrick’s recent run, it’s an eminently quotable jam that’ll be as omnipresent in clubs as on the streets, blasting out of lowriders and barbershops.

“Squabble Up” is one of 12 songs that appears on the new project, which also includes, “The Heart, Part 6,” a not-so-subtle jab at Drake that snatches back the title of K. Dot’s long-running song series after Drake hijacked the name in the midst of their battle earlier this year.

You can listen to “Squabble Up” above.

GNX is out now. You can get more info here.

Last month, a Kendrick Lamar collaborator tweeted, “mood cause new k dot album otwwww,” and SZA shared the tweet in an Instagram Story. Well, it turns out a new project indeed was on the way: Today (November 22), Lamar, with no advanced promo whatsoever, released a surprise new album, GNX. He also shared a video for the title track.

It has been rumored lately (via DJ Snake) that Lamar and Taylor Swift have a new collaboration on the way. Whether that’s true remains unclear, because there’s no Swift collab on GNX. Worth nothing, though, is that frequent Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff is credited as a producer on multiple GNX tracks.

In October, it was reported that Lamar was working on a getting a stadium tour together for 2025, a report that now appears more legitimate given the rapper now has a new album to promote. No tour dates have been announced as of yet, though.

Check out the GNX cover art and tracklist below.

Kendrick Lamar’s GNX Album Cover Artwork

Kendrick Lamar’s GNX Tracklist

1. “Wacced Out Murals”
2. “Squabble Up”
3. “Luther”
4. “Man At The Garden”
5. “Hey Now”
6. “Reincarnated”
7. “TV Off”
8. “Dodger Blue”
9. “Peekaboo”
10. “Heart Pt. 6”
11. “GNX”
12. “Gloria”

GNX is out now via pgLang/Interscope. Find more information here.

Kendrick Lamar has dominated 2024 largely on the backs of just two songs: Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” which featured the incendiary K. Dot verse that sparked the Compton rapper’s battle with Drake, and “Not Like Us,” the Drake diss that more or less ended said skirmish and doubled as an extended victory lap. Both songs are nominated for Grammys next year and saw Kenny return to the top of the Hot 100 for the first time since 2017.

They’ve also left fans clamoring for new music. Now, four months later, Kendrick follows up with “GNX,” a short, reflective new song that finds the Pulitzer Prize winner doubling down on the other half of the message of “Not Like Us” — solidarity with real ones, rejection of culture vultures, and a reminder that this deep into his career, he’s still only just getting started.

Although “GNX” is the first official release from Kendrick Lamar, he did tease a new song on his Instagram back in September that some fans initially interpreted as a diss song until rap analysts like Rob Markman cleared the air. Meanwhile, Kendrick was also selected to headline the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which means his victory lap could last all the way into next February.

In the meantime, you can watch the video for “GNX” above.

The New York Giants made the decision to bench starting quarterback Daniel Jones earlier this week amid a brutal year where the offense has struggled to find any sort of consistent rhythm. Now, in a shocking turn of events, the team announced on Friday afternoon that the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft asked for and was granted his immediate release.

In a statement, which you can read in its entirely below, Giants president John Mara praised Jones for his handling of his benching, and made clear that parting ways was a mutual decision.

Daniel came to see me this morning and asked if we would release him. We mutually agreed that would be the best for him and for the team.

Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first class in every way. His handling of this situation yesterday exemplifies just that. We are all disappointed in how things have worked out.

We hold Daniel in high regard and have a great appreciation for him. We wish him nothing but the best in the future.

Jones has had a tumultuous tenure in New York, as the decision to draft him that high was largely based on his perceived upside. While he’s certainly flashed the ability to be an accurate passer and a threat with his legs — so much so that the team gave him a $160 million extension in 2023 that was cited as a reason why they could not bring back Saquon Barkley in free agency this offseason — he’s never been able to become the face of the franchise the team envisioned.

The Giants sit at 2-8 on the season, and are playing host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon. The team has already announced that Tommy DeVito will start under center. To add some intrigue to this, the Giants face the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving this year. Dallas has had its own QB struggles this season as Dak Prescott is out for the year with the injury, and if they wanted, it would make sense to bring in Jones and try to get him up to speed ahead of Thursday.