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Erica Banks may have recently left her label 1501 Certified Entertainment, but the label’s founder, former MLB player Carl Crawford, insists that he was really the victim of shady business practices, not the perpetrator. During an Instagram Live stream, Crawford argued that he’s the one who is in debt to Warner Music Group after Banks’ departure, which he blamed on her following Megan Thee Stallion’s example.

According to AllHipHop, during the stream, Crawford said, “Erica’s not even making no money for me to take… I was just as surprised as y’all [were] to hear we’re greedy and stealing money. I’m still trying to figure that one out because last I checked we’re $500,000 in the hole with Warner. That’s all I know. So who owes who money?”

He also referenced Meg, with whom 1501 has been engaged in a years-long legal battle, saying, “The only reason why the one’s doing it is because the other one did it, so if the first one hadn’t took this route, the second wouldn’t have took this route. They only follow each other.”

The first indications that Banks was also feuding with the label came with a late-June snippet of her new song “Real Rap B*tch.” In it, she raps, “Give a f*ck about that label they see me / And they owe me some money, they greedy.” The full song was released this past weekend on YouTube.

Megan Thee Stallion sued 1501 in 2020 after the label refused to release her from or renegotiate her contract and tried to block her from releasing new music. Since then, the dispute has only grown more contentious, with Meg recently accusing the label of hiding money to keep from paying her royalties.

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

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw the Taylor’s Version empire continue its rapid expansion and Cardi B roll on with her impressive stretch of collaborations. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Taylor Swift — “Castles Crumbling (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”

Taylor Swift has been on a tear with her Taylor’s Version albums: The new Speak Now rerecording is her third one since 2021 (and there was a new album, Midnights, out during that window, too). Like its predecessors, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) comes with “From The Vault” songs, including “Castles Crumbling,” a Hayley Williams collaboration that just might be about Swift’s infamous night at the VMAs.

FendiDa Rappa and Cardi B — “Point Me 2”

While Cardi hasn’t been dropping a ton of her own songs lately, she’s kept busy delivering features on tunes from promising hip-hop up-and-comers. The latest example of that is FendiDa Rappa’s “Point Me 2,” a remix of Fendi’s raunchy viral hit “Point Me To The Sluts” on which Cardi adds even more heat.

Dominic Fike — “Think Fast” Feat. Weezer

On his new album Sunburn, Fike mostly goes at it alone. There’s one feature, though: Weezer on “Think Fast.” The song is actually a new take on the band’s “Undone – The Sweater Song,” and it does a great job at showcasing the strengths of the original song while Fike makes it his own.

PartyNextDoor — “Resentment”

While PartyNextDoor really had his fans’ attention when he brought Drake out on stage, he made an announcement: PartyNextDoor 4 is on the way. Last week, he offered a taste of the project with “Resentment,” of which Uproxx’s Flisadam Pointer notes, “The singer has broken quite a few hearts in the past, but on his new single ‘Resentment,’ he acknowledges that it’s no fun when roles are reversed.”

Tomorrow x Together and Jonas Brothers — “Do It Like That”

The ongoing Jonas Brothers comeback has been an undeniable success, and now the siblings are venturing into the world of K-pop by linking up with Tomorrow x Together on “Do It Like That.” It’s an irrefutably catchy bop that oughta dominate playlists worldwide this summer.

Flo Milli — “Flo The Whistle”

Flo Milli paid homage to Too Short’s 2006 hit “Blow The Whistle” on her latest, the appropriately titled “Flo The Whistle.” Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes of the difference between Flo’s song and the one that inspired it, “Where the original is mostly remembered for repeated refrains of Short’s favorite word, Milli’s is an empowerment anthem in which she boasts that she’s getting money and can have any man she wants.”

Lil Baby — “Merch Madness”

On “Merch Madness,” Lil Baby raps about giving back. He does so in the song’s video, too, and he’s not alone, as the clip also features Michael Rubin, Chris Paul, Meek Mill, Quavo, and NFL icons Eli Manning and Tom Brady.

Rauw Alejandro and Ivy Queen — “Celebrando”

Alejandro has become one of Latin music’s biggest stars over the past few years, and his profile will only increase following the release of his latest album, Playa Saturno. He marked the release with the Ivy Queen collab “Celebrando,” a stomping number ready to bring an edge to the summer.

Petey — “I’ll Wait”

Things have been going fantastic for Petey: His 2021 debut album Lean Into Life was terrific, and it was revealed that his second LP, USA, will be his first on Capitol Records. His first single at his new major-label home is “I’ll Wait,” a rollicking rocker in which he confronts the anxieties of modern life in his idiosyncratic way.

Fifty Fifty — “Barbie Dreams” Feat. Kaliii

Barbie is already the movie event of the summer, and the stacked soundtrack is part of that, too. While the movie arrives later this month, cuts from the soundtrack have been gradually making their way out into the world. The latest is Fifty Fifty and Kaliii’s (who recently changed her stage name from Kali) “Barbie Dreams,” a take on Janet Jackson’s “Together Again” that celebrates just how perfect life can be.

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

Travis Scott previewed Utopia for Houston Astros players in May. “It’s on the way now,” Scott told Fox 26’s Mark Berman at the time. Roughly two months on, Scott announced he’s on the way to the Pyramids Of Giza in Egypt.

“UTOPIA LIVE AT THE PYRAMIDS TICKETS AND UTOPIA PACK On TRAVISSCOTT.COM,” the Houston rapper posted to his Instagram. A separate Instagram post teases, “Utopia is wherever you are.” Similarly, he tweeted, “UTOPIA LIVE AT THE PYRAMIDS CANT WAITTTT TO SEE YA.”

The “once in a lifetime gig,” as it’s described on Scott’s official website, is scheduled for July 28. Tickets were made available here, but both the Premium and VIP Golden Circle options are sold out.

Scott has yet to confirm a release date for his highly anticipated Utopia album, his first since 2018’s Astroworld, but it’s available for pre-order here. The online shop boasts five different “Topia Pack” bundles ranging from $50 to $150.”

Over the weekend, Scott headlined Wireless Festival 2023 at London’s Finsbury Park on Saturday, July 8, before headlining Rolling Loud Germany in Munich on Sunday, July 9. Per setlist.fm, Scott opened both sets with his recent collaboration with Lil Uzi Vert, “Aye,” from Lil Uzi Vert’s new album, Pink Tape.

Scott is scheduled to headline Rolling Loud Miami on Saturday, July 22.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Jamie Foxx has been spotted out in public for the first time since his mysterious “medical complication.” The actor was filmed (via TMZ) taking his boat down the Chicago River on Sunday afternoon where he was seen waving to fans and in good spirits. Foxx even fired off his first tweet since the medical emergency that’s sparked a wave of online rumors about his health status.

“Boat life Celebrating summer with @brownsugarbbn,” Foxx tweeted. “Stay blessed!”

According to TMZ, Foxx was “looking pretty vibrant” and “cheerful” as he said hello to boats passing by. On top of that, the actor reportedly hit the town later that night, further solidifying his friends and family’s claims that he’s on the mend:

Here’s another positive update TMZ can provide … we’ve seen more footage of Jamie spending a night out on the town in the Chicago area Saturday, getting active on his feet, no less, and looking to be in great spirits there too. That clip is yet an extra sign that the man appears to be doing fairly okay at this point … and that he’s perhaps ready to start venturing out more and more as he gets back to 100%.

Not much is known about what happened to Foxx to put him in the hospital, and according to those closest to him, folks may never know. Foxx is notoriously private, and he doesn’t plan to change.

“If you’ve noticed, Jamie Foxx has always been on the low,” Foxx’s Dad Stop Embarrassing Me co-star Porscha Coleman recently told Entertainment Tonight. “Even when it came to dating, Jamie’s always been private, so it never surprised me. Once I heard the news, of course, I reached out, but how Foxx is doing it is how Foxx should be doing it. He’s resting, he’s well. And he’s going to be back. Trust and believe.”

(Via TMZ)

New episodes of Hulu’s The Kardashians premiere on Thursdays, and on the latest, Kim and Kourtney find themselves having a spat. Andrea Bocelli, of all people, has now weighed in, but it makes sense.

As People notes, Kim and Kourtney have a tense conversation due to Kim’s decision to partner with Dolce & Gabbana, which recently served as the designer for Kourtney and Travis Barker’s wedding. Kim pointed out that Bocelli performed at both of their weddings, citing that as an example of the two taking inspiration from each other.

In a confessional, Kim said, “I got married in Italy. Am I saying you copied me by getting married in Italy? Who performed at my wedding? Andrea Bocelli. Who performed at Kourtney’s wedding? Andrea Bocelli. You stole my f*cking wedding country and my wedding performer. Andrea Bocelli is my favorite male singer of all time, but I’m copying her dolce vita lifestyle? OK.”

The two ended up settling their differences, and after the episode aired, Bocelli took to social media to share his perspective, writing in an Instagram Story, “Dear @kimkardashian and @kourtneykardash, I’m so flattered that you both love my voice and I’ll always be happy to sing for you [smiling emoji] but know that there’s a younger and far more helpful artist @matteobocelli who your mother @krisjenner also knows very well [winking emoji] See you soon in Tuscany! Andrea.”

Bocelli, by the way, remains active as a musician: His 17th album, Believe, was released in 2020.

Many years after Joaquin Phoenix portrayed Emperor Commodus in Ridley Scott‘s Best Picture-winning Gladiator, they have paired up again for Oscar season. This time around, Phoenix will stretch his acting skills by portraying a famously short 5’6″ emperor despite being a full 5’8″ (according to Google) in real life. Surely, he can manage this after winning Best Actor for Joker, in which he brought us a Clown Prince of Gotham like we’ve never seen before.

Phoenix now stars in this trailer for Scott’s Napoleon, which promises “some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. As well, we’ll see the cinematic story of the first French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, who hailed from Corsica and was reportedly trolled by his own soldiers for that accent. We’re seeing (or, rather, hearing) no indication of whether this will be addressed in Ridley’s upcoming blockbuster of a historical epic. We are being, however, teased about some steamy scenes between Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby, who portrays Josephine.

From the Apple TV+ film’s synopsis:

Directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by David Scarpa, “Napoleon” stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military leader. The film is an original and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby. The film captures Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.

Napoleon arrives in theaters on November 22.

Yikes? That’s the first word that comes to mind after Elon Musk asked Mark Zuckerberg to really take their feud to extreme limits. This was only to be expected, perhaps, from a guy who answers press inquiries with a poop emoji, but one wonders whether Zuck will lower himself to actually respond to the most ridiculous (and X-rated) challenge that Musk has offered to date.

To briefly recap, Zuck has so far appeared game for a superiority game. The two tech “titans” have agreed to face each other for a UFC cage match, which has actually led Elon to physically train (albeit with a podcaster) to go toe-to-toe with the jiu-jitsu enthusiast that Zuck has already proven himself to be. Elon has, however, conceded that this “could go badly” for him.

Yet over the weekend, the stakes got higher, though, at least for Elon, and it doesn’t take much of a leap to conclude that he must be frustrated as hell after having spent $44 billion for Twitter, only to watch it circle the drain with Threads already snapping up 100 million signups. Granted, one cannot un-signup for Threads without deleting Instagram, too, so who knows how many users will actually end up regularly using Threads.

Still, Elon must be foot-stomping mad and called Zuck a “cuck” over the weekend, and now, this is (literally) getting uglier. And dumber.

Yes, sit down for this one. Elon has (literally) suggested a “literal dick measuring contest” against Zuck.

As of now, Zuck has not answered this call, but *sigh* we will keep checking. Stay tuned for more mature tactics from the billionaire who’s recently blew up a massive rocket yet is still trying to get that self-driving thing going and wants to implant chips in people’s brains.

Hey wait, no eggplant emoji? Weak.

On Saturday (July 8), Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds was supposed to perform at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. They never ended up taking the stage, though, due to a bomb threat.

Billboard notes that openers Metric and Garbage were able to perform before the venue was evacuated due to the threat shortly before 10 p.m.

Journalist Jon Campbell was in attendance, and he tweeted, “Weird things happening at SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center, for non locals). The stage was all set for Noel Gallagher. Then a guy came on stage and said: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, the show will not continue.” His tweet also included a photo of a message shown on a screen on stage, which read, “ATTENTION! At this time, we will need to evacuate the venue. We ask you to calmly proceed to the nearest EXIT. Please follow directions of staff and police officers. For the safety of everyone, please do NOT rush or push. Thank you for your cooperation.”

In a Facebook post shared yesterday, New York State Park Police explained what happened: “On 07/08/2023, The New York State Park Police, New York State Police, Saratoga Springs Police Department, Troy Police Department, and Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office responded to a bomb threat at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Out of an abundance of caution, the concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center was suspended ‪at 9:40 pm and concert attendees were evacuated without incident. K9s completed a sweep of the venue after the crowd exited, with negative results. This incident is under investigation.‬ This case will be investigated as, Making a Terroristic Threat, a Class D Felony.”

The past week-plus has been tough for Madonna. In late June, the pop icon was reportedly found unresponsive before being transported to the ICU. A few days later, it was reported she was recovering in the comfort of her own home. Last week, Rosie O’Donnell also noted, “she is recovering at home – she is very strong in general.” Now, it looks like Madonna is continuing her upward trajectory.

Page Six reports that over the weekend, Madonna was seen out and about with a friend in New York City’s Upper East Side. The publication notes Madonna “was wearing giant sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat and Nike sneakers — and that she leaned somewhat heavily on a lamppost while waiting to cross the street at East 80th Street and Lexington Avenue.” They also reported, “Page Six spies say she looked happy and chatted with a blonde pal as they wandered on a hot Sunday afternoon. She seemed to have no trouble walking, though seemed to be taking her time.”

Podcaster Lauren Conlin also shared photos of Madonna’s walk in a TikTok video.

Madonna has yet to publicly address what happened, but when the news was revealed, Guy Oseary, her longtime manager, explained, “On Saturday June 24, Madonna developed a serious bacterial infection which lead to a several day stay in the ICU. Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected.”

The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t been able to make much in the way of substantial offseason moves since free agency began, as they have a crowded cap sheet and have been focused mostly on James Harden’s future after he picked up his player option and requested a trade — that Joel Embiid hopes he’ll change his mind about.

In the meantime, they signed Patrick Beverley and Mo Bamba earlier in free agency, but their biggest free agent decision came on Sunday night when they had to decide whether to match the 3-year, $23 million offer sheet the Utah Jazz got Paul Reed to sign. Reed averaged 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last year as Joel Embiid’s backup and is a promising young player. That said, the Jazz made him a unique contract offer that featured one year fully guaranteed, but a stipulation that all three years will be guaranteed if his team makes the conference semifinals.

It’s a rather wicked contract incentive given the Jazz would be an unlikely second round playoff team in the West, but that is the expectation for Philadelphia. As such, matching the offer sheet shows at least a bit of commitment from ownership to this team and being willing to pay the tax bill to keep them competitive around Embiid — with Harden’s situation still pending, of course.