Category: Worldwide

Since Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin’s whirlwind engagement and wedding a few years ago, his fans have had a hard time accepting that he’s moved on from an early, extended romance with ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez. But unfortunately, some fans have taken their disappointment out on Hailey, by ceaselessly comparing her to Selena, and not-so-subtly hoping that Jelena might come back together one day. That seems unlikely, given Selena’s perspective on their relationship.

Well, Justin, for one, has had enough. Posting some snippets of a fan asking others to go on Hailey’s upcoming live and flood it with comments about Selena, he shared an understandably emotional reaction to the video on his Instagram story:

“This sad excuse of a human just encouraged people on video to literally go after my wife telling people to say that my previous relationship was better so on and so fourth [sic]. I just wanted to share this so that people get an idea of what we face on a day to dayy. It is extremely hard to choose the high road when I see people like this try and rally to gather people to bully the person I love the most in this world. It is not right. But I will say this. As many people as there are that want to spend their time publically [sic] degrading shaming and trying to humiliate us we would like to ask those who have it in them to lift us up in prayer. We need prayer and support as we continue to put ourselves out there!”

He continued on the next slide:

“After watching that I could easily let it steal my joy, but then I think about her life and how miserable she must be to want to spend her life trying to make others feel small. The lesson here is SHES THE ONE MISSING OUT.. life is fulfilling when you uplift and add value to people! A life where you want to make others feel small will leave you with no friend and no real JOY.”

Here’s hoping people eventually give this young couple the peace they deserve to build a life together.

Thursday nights, also known as new music release nights, have become an event for music industry folks, and for rising artists in particular. Past midnight on Thursday — 9 PM if you’re lucky enough to keep west coast hours — is normally a time when artists are excited and happy, eager to share their new work with fans. But for Saweetie, who has been having an epic year, tonight became something of a fiasco. Apparently, some wires got crossed when it came to the release date of her new single, “Best Friend,” which features fellow rising rapper/R&B star Doja Cat.

The song had been sent out to journalists and insiders to preview, but then word came that the release had been pushed back to January of next year. It seems that some outlets didn’t get the memo though, as the song still went live on Apple Music tonight. Though it’s not up on Spotify or Youtube, Saweetie was expressing her frustration with the situation actively on Twitter tonight:

Some industry insiders noted that the label had communicated the song’s release date had been moved:

And though the song, which is reportedly the incorrect version, will probably be pulled down quickly, it’s easy to see why Saweetie is frustrated about what happened. In the meantime, now I’m looking forward to the music video!

Saweetie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

After staying quiet for over three years, Joey Badass is back on the music scene and his return has come mostly in the form of guest appearances. The Brooklyn rapper made his first feature in 2020 through Westside Gunn’s Pray For Paris album on “327” with Tyler The Creator and Billie Essco. Other appearances came on Statik Selektah’s “Keep It Moving” and on Phony Ppl’s “On My Sh*t.” Adding another one to the list, Joey joins DJ Scheme on “Trust Nobody” which lands on the Florida producer’s new album, Family.

The track sees Joey dive straight into the introspective lane as he reflects on his own mental health and questions the intentions of the people that surround him. The rapper speaks on some of the memories he hoped to live out with past friends, but can’t as they’ve passed away and left him to carry the ideas and visions alone. Elsewhere, he brings the paranoia he holds in life to the forefront and shows listeners that he constantly second-guesses a number of things in his life.

DJ Scheme’s Family album is a 17-track effort that calls on Lil Yachty, Skrillex, Lil Keed, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Mosey, Zacari, and more. The project was also preceded by “Soda” with Cordae, Ski Mask The Slump God, and Take A Daytrip.

Press play on the video above to listen to “Trust Nobody.”

Family is out now via Scheme Records/Empire. Get it here.

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

In just a matter of a few years since he started rapping, Lil Baby has arguably become hip-hop’s most popular name, a title he earned thanks to a great 2020. The Atlanta rapper kicked off the year with his My Turn album, which was quickly accepted and beloved by his fans and helped him earn an even wider fan base. It also landed two nominations for “The Bigger Picture” in the Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance categories. All in all, it’s been a great year for him and he celebrates it with two new singles.

“On Me” and “Errybody” arrive a day removed from the rapper’s 26th birthday. The former single comes with a video that follows the Atlanta rapper as he travels from place to place and while making moves in a private jet, a car, and a boat. The latter track also comes with a video, but this one looks like a scene straight from the Fast & Furious film series as Lil Baby flees an enemy that fires gunshots at his moving vehicle. The pair of singles also arrives after the Lil Baby was named to the 2021 issue of the Forbes “30 Under 30” list. Uproxx also named Lil Baby’s My Turn the fourteen-best album of the year and the sixth-best hip-hop album of the year.

You can listen to “On Me” and “Errybody” in the videos above.

Billie Eilish can basically do no wrong at this point. The ever-savvy young pop star knows just what moves to make when, including recently teasing new music, but for now she’s opted to give fans a perfectly sad classic cover. This is absolutely the perfect time for a melancholic Beatles song, it suits the mood, the weather, the way darkness comes at 5 PM…. everything is right.

Releasing her own piano-heavy take on the iconic foursome’s well-known “Something,” she downplays the song, staying true to its originally sad setup. You can hear every breath she takes between phrases, and that’s the only sound aside from her voice and the piano. Even those breathes, which are more pronounced than they need to be, play into her frequent inclusion of ASMR elements in her music.

It’s not quite clear if this cover is the new music Billie was teasing would come this month, but it’s likely just the beginning, and more original new songs are still on the way. After the extremely positive reception for “My Future” in July, and her latest track “Therefore I Am,” it looks like the success of her debut album wasn’t a fluke at all, but the beginning of a very long career. Listen above.

The wait for Rico Nasty’s official debut album has lasted a full calendar year and then some. The DMV rapper began releasing singles and teasing the Nightmare Vacation debut at the end of 2019 and releases continued to pour in all throughout the year. While the wait may have taken longer than fans originally expected, the album has officially arrived, ensuring that Rico’s promise of an album in 2020 was not broken.

The album arrived with a new video for the thrashing “STFU,” which finds Rico Nasty and her girl gang taking over an all-male fight club to prove that they can brawl with the boys. Decked out in one of her trademark colorful looks, Rico brings the raucous punk energy that has made her a rage fave over the past several years and had fans demanding for her to spit in their mouths on the tour for her 2018 mixtape Nasty.

Previous singles include “OHFR?,” “iPhone,” and “Don’t Like Me,” while the album itself includes features from Aminé, Don Toliver, Gucci Mane, PPCocaine, Rubi Rose, Sukihana, and Trippie Redd.

Press play on the video above to hear “STFU.”

Nightmare Vacation is out now via Sugar Trap / Atlantic. Get it here.

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

Mariah Carey may be the pop star most commonly associated with Christmas, but Ariana has been in that lane for a while now, too. Grande’s Christmas & Chill EP has been a fan-favorite for the holidays, but for those who love both of these stars, a new collaboration is about to top everything that came before. This new track, “Oh Santa!” doubles down on both stars’ love for the season, and with the powerhouse pipes of Jennifer Hudson on deck too, pop has a new holiday anthem.

In an extremely seasonal video complete with elves and Christmas decorations galore, all three divas get a chance to sing about how Santa needs to help them rekindle a recently ended romance. Of course, this is a theme that Mariah has addressed plenty of times before, like on the classic “Baby Please Come Home” and the iconic “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” but despite the subject matter, this new track is actually very cheerful. And when it comes to those hair-rising high notes, Mariah is fine with sharing a spine-tingling moment with Ari where they both hit them toward the end of the song.

Given how dreary the rest of the year has been with the pandemic, a chaotic election, and the pressures of unemployment and quarantine, it’s nice to have an upbeat, celebratory Christmas anthem to ring in the season, even if things might look a lot different for a lot of us this year. Watch the video above, and don’t forget to tune in for the Christmas special Mariah is hosting with Ariana and plenty of other guests on December 4.

This year saw the rise of many female rappers in the music world. Listeners were introduced to names like Flo Milli, Sukihana, and Mulatto, while they witness more familiar acts — Megan Thee Stallion, Blimes And Gab, and others — boost their stock and solidify their position in the game. Looking to insert her name into the conversation before the year ends, Yung Baby Tate arrives with her third project in as many years thanks to After The Rain, which comes with an enthusiastic collaboration with Flo Milli.

Standing tall in their respective positions in the rap game, Yung Baby Tate and Flo Milli flex some muscle on their first-ever collab, “I Am.” The track is a bouncy effort that finds them both in an extremely boastful state. “I am healthy, I am wealthy / I am rich, I am that b*tch,” they rap on the song’s hook, adding “I am gonna get that bag and I’m not gonna take your sh*t.” After hearing both verses from the young rappers, it’s clear that it’ll take more than a few insults to stifle their confidence.

Yung Baby Tate’s After The Rain is a seven-track effort that she’s released through Issa Rae’s Raedio label with guest an additional guest appearance from 6lack. As for Flo Milli, if you’re interested in more from the Alabama rapper, revisit her Ho, Why Is You Here? debut which Uproxx ranked at the sixteenth-best album of the year and the seventh-best hip-hop album of the year.

You can listen to “I Am” above.

After The Rain is out now via Raedio. Get it here.

It’s been two years since Justin Timberlake has graced his fans with an album, which was his 2018 Man Of The Woods album, a project that left fans disappointed as it departed from his usual sound and choice of content. While it’s unknown when the Tennesse native will deliver his next body of work, fans can be happy in the meantime as Timberlake returns with his second guest appearance of the year thanks to a collaboration with up and coming R&B singer, Ant Clemons.

The singers brought their talents together for their new single, “Better Days.” The track is an optimistic number that finds them both alluding to the light at the end of the tunnel for a world drowning in a number of issues: heightened political battles, the coronavirus, and more on top of the issues that already existed in a “normal world.” According to a press release, the song was written on this year’s Election Day, which explains its uplifting and supportive mood.

“Better Days” arrives after Ant Clemons was nominated in the Best R&B Album category for his debut project, Happy 2 Be Here. The effort arrived in February with guest appearances from Pharrell, Timbaland, and Ty Dolla Sign. The song also comes just a day after Timberlake was celebrated for purchasing a wheelchair-accessible van for a 17-year-old boy with cerebal palsy.

You can listen to “Better Days” above.

This year has been all about growth and expansion for California native Blxst, and looking back at the past 12 months, it clear that the singer has achieved that. Following a great feature on Mozzy’s “I Ain’t Perfect” track from his Beyond Bulletproof album, Blxst set out on his own and released his debut solo project, No Love Lost, towards the end of the summer. The effort quickly proved that the singer was here to stay and now, he’s back with his deluxe version.

Adding six more songs to the project, one of the best additions to No Love Lost finds Blxst calling on a pair of well known West coast names, Ty Dolla Sign and Tyga, for “Chosen.” The collaboration sees the three acts praising the woman they have respectively chosen as a partner with stay beside them for the foreseeable future. Across their three verses, Blxst, Ty Dolla Sign, and Tyga introduce their individual love interests to a new lifestyle that will hopefully convince them to stay and enjoy it for as long as possible.

Aside from Ty Dolla Sign and Tyga, the re-issue of No Love Lost also sees guest appearances from Dom Kennedy and Blxst’s frequent collaborator, Bino Rideaux.

Listen to “Chosen” in the video above.

No Love Lost (Deluxe) is out now via Evgle/Red Bull Records. Get it here.

Ty Dolla Sign is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.