The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from City Girls, Drake, and more.

There was so much new music this week, even if not much of it came from bigger names in the hip-hop world. While it’s hard to ignore anytime Drake drops something, even when it’s just a feature as it was with UK rapper J Hus (“Who Told You“), that didn’t prevent other rappers from getting in on the summertime fun. City Girls dropped the LL Cool J-sampling “I Need A Thug,” while Tyga and YG prepared fans for a “West Coast Weekend” with Blxst. Meanwhile, the remainder of the week’s releases came from underground talents and rising stars who definitely deserve your attention as the weather finally warms up in LA, the skies finally clear in NY, and summer seems to have officially arrived.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending June 9, 2023.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Babytron — 6

First up, we have Detroit’s punchline pundit, Babytron, who I would normally say is rapidly becoming one of the more prolific personalities out of his city — except that he already has been. It’s hard to keep up. Still, it’s worth the effort, especially if you’re a fan of hilariously over-the-top gag lines, easy-to-invest-in beats, and the sort of personality that lets Babytron litter his projects with samples from Family Guy, DC Comics-referencing song titles, and more NBA name drops than an episode of SportsCenter.

Doe Boy — Beezy

Doe Boy’s an automatic listen for fans of straight-up street rap and his latest release meets the standard he’s set with his last few releases, 56 Birdz, Oh Really, and Demons R Us. If anything, his wordplay is climbing in proficiency and his beat selection is getting more knowing — the album opens with “Rhude Boy,” which not only samples Shyne, but vows to protect Future the same way Shyne did Diddy (hopefully, with better results though). Another standout? “Dumb,” on which he goes back-and-forth with Lola Brooke.

Kenny Mason — 6

Look. I don’t know what it says that there are two rappers with the same album title today. Maybe the kids just value efficiency. But don’t let the laziness fool you into missing out. This is Kenny’s most straightforward-sounding rap release yet (although it still delves into grunge on “Side II Side”) and although it’s short, that just makes it worth the replay. Project Pat shows up and it’s a chef’s kiss of a cameo.

Rob49 — 4 God II

Rob49 is a name I’ve been seeing a lot of lately, and I fully expect the New Orleans rapper to blow up sooner rather than later, provided he stays out trouble (what with street rappers living their raps so much lately). What he does isn’t really my bag (think piano-banging, opp-stopping artists like Pooh Shiesty and you’re on the right track) but he comes highly recommended by my colleague Cherise, and she’s generally right about these things.

Sexxy Red — Hood Hottest Princess

A few months ago, I asserted that Sexxy Red was perfectly positioned to become rap’s new it-girl. Folks around the Slack office were skeptical, as were followers on Twitter. One day, you people are going to figure out that I’m pretty good at this. The raunchy “Pound Town” has all the hallmarks of a gimmick track, yes, but Sexxy Red also bears a ton of the markers of a savvy star who is far more perceptive and planning than she lets on. With a co-sign from Nicki Minaj and a knowingly filthy sense of humor, Red’s well on her way to proving me right. Again.

Vic Mensa — ’93 To ’23: Victor

Less of a brand-new project and more of a “greatest hits” of sorts, ’93 To ’23: Victor is a compilation of a bunch of the Chicago rapper’s fan-favorite material spanning most of his solo releases from the past six years, from There’s A Lot Going On to The Autobiography to V Tape and his more recent singles from earlier this year. It’s a great primer for an artist who probably deserves better than he’s received over the years (fairly or not), and sets up an interesting look at an unpredictable future.

Singles/Videos

Babyface Ray — “All Star Team”

The Detroit sound is proving to be incredibly versatile and malleable. “All Star Team” is a perfect example; half jock jam, half easy listening summer cruiser, it’s a short, sweet jab to of what Babyface Ray has been doing best lately. Ray’s laid-back flow is deceptive as he sneaks in a few rewind-worthy bars, while the beat makes you wish the song was a little bit longer so you can make (ahem) the most of it.

Boldy James x Chan Hays — “I Tried”

Just months removed from a near-fatal road accident, Boldy James’ relentless work ethic churned out the Detroit rapper’s third release of the year to date, the joint EP Prisoner Of Circumstance with producer Chan Hays. Where much of Detroit’s bubbling underground scene has centered around stretching the limits of the city’s homebred techno sound, Boldy sticks to a more traditionalist formula — to great effect.

Central Cee & Dave — “Sprinter”

The only bad part about Split Decision, the joint EP from which “Sprinter” originates, is that it’s an EP — meaning it’s too damn short. You mean to tell me two of UK rap’s most exciting young talents got together to produce a joint project and all we got was four tracks? [Extremely bad Top Boy accent]You takin’ a piss, bruv? Nah, brudda, that’s long. Mandem need to go back to the studio, lock in, and don’t come out ’til we get a full-length. Still… as far as samplers go, Split Decision ain’t half bad.

City Girls — “Piñata”

Despite already dropping another (mostly superior) single this week, JT and Yung Miami aren’t exactly going to be deterred from going hard. Considering their dominant introduction to the biz came with a flurry of activity ahead of JT’s prison sentence for credit card scamming, it makes sense they’d adopt the strategy for their long-awaited comeback as well. “Piñata” is a lot of fun, even if “I Need A Thug” is the catchier effort.

Fat Trel — “Kill”

The DC rapper has suffered a few legal setbacks, but he back out and hitting the ground running with his new, moody single. He actually references his legal troubles, warning others not to follow his example, while threatening to go back to his old ways.

Femdot. — “2003”

Chi-Town’s Femdot. is an associate of Pivot Gang and Savemoney, so if that’s your bag, you’ll likely enjoy his new EP, Free Samples, Vol. 1. At seven tracks, it’s a worthy introduction for newcomers and a tasty collation for longtime followers to hold them over until he drops a full course.

Skilla Baby — “B’Cuz” Feat. G Herbo

Another Cherise selection, Skilla Baby’s off-kilter flow is fascinating to me, especially as he pairs up with a collaborator known for putting a lot of swing into his delivery. Skilla Baby is yet another Detroit product (was there a meeting this week, or what?) who’s poised for a big breakout this year among fans of hardcore, guns-and-butter rap, and even if this isn’t my taste, I can still appreciate why he’s been getting so much attention lately.

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

K-pop girl group TWICE were caught off-guard by barking at their first-ever stadium tour in the US, last May at the Banc of California Stadium. It wasn’t dogs, but rather their fans.

Collectively known as ONCE, the audience was showing support for the hitmaking women with bark-like chants, which some of the members ultimately joined in a back-and-forth interaction.

While it was new to TWICE last year, in 2023, barking at K-pop concerts in the US is just part of the experience.

Spring and summer 2023 are full of K-pop world tours hitting up American venues, including the return of TWICE to even more stadiums, kicking off the US leg of their fifth world tour on June 10 at SoFi Stadium. And they’re going to be accompanied by that Arsenio Hall-style barking from the crowds.

The barking starts steadily, and then grows among concertgoers, spreading across quadrants of fans until the “hoo! Hoo! Hoo!” resonates through the venue.

If it’s the first night of a concert tour in the US, it’ll probably lead to some confusion, awe, amusement, or excitement, depending on the celebrity, since it’s not an experience K-pop stars meet in any other touring spots.

“Did you guys get trained or something?” asked Suga of BTS during his Agust D solo tour during a night in New York’s UBS Arena at the end of April, and later addressed the experience during a livestream.

“My style,” declared Moonbyul of Mamamoo during a show a few weeks later at the same venue, leading the crowd in the barking.

While K-pop fans have long been known for their unique fan-chants – timing phrases like stars’ names or lyrics between performed verses – barking at K-pop concerts is a relatively new phenomenon among Stateside K-pop fans attending shows.

If you ask around, nobody seems to know why or how barking became a K-pop thing. Some people will say it’s merely natural, an outgrowth of what audiences will do at sports games or hip-hop concerts, a throwback to the ‘90s as nostalgia reigns. Or maybe it’s related to the way barking sometimes appears during gamers’ live streams, a show of support or aggression. Or maybe it’s simply a replacement for fan-chants, which fans must prepare in advance and sometimes fall flat.

Even its origin as a localized K-pop behavior is unclear: Some concertgoers think that it took place for the first time at those TWICE shows in 2022, where member Dahyun thought they were chanting her nickname Dubu, the Korean word for tofu.

“I’ve barked at multiple K-pop concerts, but the first was a TWICE concert,” girl group aficionado Jonny Schneeweiss recalls. “It started as a ‘dubu’ chant for Dahyun, but turned into barking. My assumption was that some people didn’t know ‘dubu’ was her nickname and what we were chanting, or knew the nickname but misheard, and it quickly turned to just standard barking. Once it became that, since it was fun to do, people did it at other concerts. I believe when we did it at Itzy’s Sugarland, Texas concert, the members themselves even mentioned that only American audiences did it.”

But others believe it appeared first during Tomorrow X Together (aka TXT)’s first US showcase tour in 2019, when fans barked along to their song “Cat & Dog.” Others will say no, that barking performed by TXT’s fans, known collectively as MOA, is more of a woof than the more aggressive barking we hear at other shows, and only during that specific song, rather than throughout shows as we now see, continuing throughout the entire concert.

Danielle Henson is an American fan who taught for two years in Seoul, South Korea, where she saw TXT perform on their 2022 Act: Lovesick tour. “During those days leading up to the show, I remember my fellow American friends being excited about the prospect of being able to bark at the show if they played “Cat & Dog”. My non-American friends weren’t too keen on it and apparently, the K-MOAs had no idea that this American canine phenomenon was even a thing. Needless to say, TXT didn’t perform the song at the shows in Seoul, so the barking never happened.”

Henson got to see TXT when they were back in the US during their 2023 tour. “Now, fast forward to this past weekend — it felt like we were in a Humane Society between every song,” she says. “TXT seemed to play into it, but I feel like they have a pretty good excuse to since their song is literally called “Cat & Dog” and features barking. However, during other parts of the show, the barking continued and I was perplexed. I’d never experienced it before because it’s definitely not a thing in Korean concert etiquette.”

Others point to SuperM’s debut showcase at Capitol Records, also in 2019, where the crowd and members of the group alike were heard doing the hoo-hoo-hoo of the barking that’s now become ubiquitous at K-pop shows in the US.

“To be honest, I don’t know who started it,” recalls Jenny P, a fan who attended and has a history of attending K-pop shows in the US since 2016. “I thought maybe it was one of the boys on stage who started it because it was definitely one or two people, who to my ears sounded male – but there were also quite a few men in the audience. I saw a mention on Twitter that it started in the crowd. But I don’t know where or who. To my ears it had a very timid start with one or two people, it fell flat, and then everyone decided to revive it and it got really loud. It was done to fill a dead space while the boys were getting into position before the VCR played. Which is why I thought they were doing some kind of huddle thing that wasn’t intended to be imitated by the crowd. But my guess was probably entirely wrong.

Bianca J. also attended, and has since heard the barking at other concerts.

“It definitely started a murmur after the first round of barking of people’s differing opinions,” she tells UPROXX. “I personally found it really funny and kind of fun to participate in. I will say that the cheers are less formal ‘barking’ and more of an in-between barking and whooping.”

While many enjoy the bark-chants, as they continue, some K-pop fans tell UPROXX they aren’t so sure about it, especially when some K-pop stars have expressed discomfort, especially at instances when the barking isn’t equivalent across the members of a group, turning what at some events is a forthright cheer into a potential catcall.

Opinions are mixed, with fans telling UPROXX that they see both the pros – fun, engaging – and the cons – potentially rude, awkward. A long-time fan of many K-pop acts, Chase, Stream Elements’s PR director who only uses his first name, began attending K-pop shows in the US in 2018, and isn’t into the recent uptick of barking.

“I am not a fan of the barking at shows,” he says. “I attended an ITZY concert and it felt like a very bro/frat party atmosphere. If you wouldn’t do it on the street, then don’t do it at a show. The group seemed to play off it, but it’s difficult to know what a group likes in an industry that is all about pleasing the fans.”

Bianca J., who attended that SuperM showcase, says it is a mixed bag. “In context, I actually really enjoy it. We’re so used to screaming and yelling at concerts that collectively being able to join in on this type of chanting feels less expected, so more exciting. Similar to when everyone in the audience is able to participate in fan chants, and are comfortable doing so, it makes it more of a united feeling in the audience. It’s less about the individual and their biases (people they like in the group) but more of a focus on the experience as a whole. I can definitely see how it could be embarrassing though if someone thought they were actually barking – so I can’t fault those who are embarrassed by those actions.”

For now, the barking is continuing in good fun for most concertgoers, and has the potential to become a K-pop mainstay in the US.

“I think despite it being fun to do, there is still a little bit of awkwardness around it because no one really knows why they’re doing it,” thinks Schneeweiss, who attended TWICE and Itzy’s shows. “But if you and the artists can get past the awkwardness, K-pop barking does capture the different vibe and spirit of international fans. We’re loud, we’re rowdy, we’re full of energy — and we want our favorite idols to feel all that from us when they’re on stage.”

Ever since Vladimir Putin launched his Ukraine invasion in February 2022, he has been unable to escape reports that he’s hiding in bunkers while fearing for his life, not to mention his position of autocratic power. Recently, however, word emerged that the Kremlin began plans to build the ultimate bunker, and as if on cue, we are finding out why that is likely the case. I mean, other than those drone attacks that are now plaguing Moscow.

Many months ago, we heard that the Russian army was resorting to using crappy ammo that’s so outdated and degraded, it could very well blow up in soldiers’ faces at any given moment. Now, the Daily Beast reveals that Putin is finally admitting that Russia is suffering enormous losses in this war and isn’t equipped with enough weaponry at all:

“In recent days, we have seen significant losses in Ukraine, they exceed the classical figure,” he said, according to the Kremlin.

The Russian president also confessed that Russian forces were dealing with artillery problems, adding in his remarks that “Yes, we still do not have enough of these modern weapons, but the defense industry, the country’s military-industrial complex is developing rapidly.”

The outlet follows up with word of recent Russian failed offenses near Bilogorivka, Bohdanivka, Severne, and Nevels’ke. As well, Ukraine and U.S. figures point towards a loss of over 200,000 Russian troops since the invasion began. The White House National Security Council also claims that 100,000 Russian casualties have gone down in the past six months, which does not bode well for Putin riding this out without running out of current troops and prospects to recruit. He’d better build that bunker faster because he might really need it soon.

(Via The Daily Beast)

With the federal indictment against Donald Trump now unsealed, even Fox News is stunned by the “overwhelming” amount of detail contained in the 44-page document. Along with photographic evidence of classified documents stored in a bathroom, the former president is also caught on tape admitting he had top secret intel pertaining to a military operation and confirming that it’s not declassified while showing it to an individual without a security clearance.

Fox News legal commentator Jonathan Turley did not hold back his thoughts on the “damning indictment” and praised the special counsel for making a clear cut case against the former president.

“You know, there are indictments that are sometimes called narrative or speaking indictments. These are indictments that are really meant to make a point as to the depth of the evidence. There are some indictments that are just bare bones — this is not,” Turley said. “The special counsel knew that there would be a lot of people who were going to allege that the Department of Justice was acting in a biased or politically motivated way.”

According to Turley, the Trump indictment is a “heart stopper” that has a staggering amount of witnesses on the record. Via Mediaite:

It’s overwhelming in details. And, you know, the Trump team should not fool itself, these are hits below the waterline. These are witnesses who apparently testified under oath, gave statements to federal investigators, both of which can be criminally charged if they’re false. Those witnesses are directly quoting the president in encouraging others not to look for documents or allegedly to conceal them. It’s damaging.

Turley ended his thoughts by noting that the testimony from Trump’s own lawyers is particularly “interesting,” and bad news for Trump’s case.

“This indictment talks about these conversations with various lawyers who are not identified by name,” Turley said. “You can see how the government succeeded in forcing these lawyers to appear in the grand jury, because these are statements that would go directly to allegations of an effort to conceal.”

(Via Mediaite)

Rock icon David Bowie and supermodel Iman’s daughter, Alexandria “Lexi” Zahra Jones, 22, shared an adorable clip on Instagram of herself dancing with her father as a young girl while listening to “Sing a Song of Sixpence.” The clip is beautiful to behold because Bowie clearly loves spending time with his daughter and has a big smile while singing along to the tune with his instantly-recognizable voice.

He also plays a classic “I got your nose” game with his daughter, just like every other dad would.

Bowie passed away in 2016 from liver cancer when Alexandria was just 15 years old.

“My forever sunshine,” Jones captioned the video. “Never fell for that ‘I got your nose’ shiet,” she added.

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“My goodness, this is priceless—he’s singing and playing to his best audience, you. You have his infectious smile and laughter. Thank you for this,” brendamcnallytwistik wrote in the comments.

See on Instagram

The video shows Bowie as a normal, down-to-earth guy. The image of him in Carhartt pants with white middle-aged-guy sneakers runs counter to his multiple public personas. Throughout his career, he embraced some other-worldly personas such as Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke and the Blind Prophet. Here, he’s just Dad.

According to people close to him, Bowie was a very nice, humble and funny guy in real life.

“Sometimes, because he was my friend, I forgot that he was David Bowie,” comedian Ricky Gervais told The Telegraph. “He was David Jones, a normal bloke. I think people assume he sits around in a silver suit with orange hair. But he’s just a guy who was brilliant at what he did and never stopped creating. He never let me down.”

People did a piece on Bowie’s neighbors after he died, and they shared Gervais’ thoughts. “He was a very reserved person, very kind in the eyes,” Danilo Durante, who owns local Italian café Bottega Falai, told People. “He would sit here and write, scribbling away in a little notebook. Considering how he was singing and acting on stage — a rockstar, you know — he was a normal guy.”

“He was startlingly nice,” Allison Glasgow, who worked at his local bookstore, added. “He just looked like this friendly Irish guy. I was always struck by how completely unassuming [he was]. He would walk into the space, and you wouldn’t know it was him until he opened his mouth.”

See on Instagram

Bowie and Iman worked hard to keep Alexandria out of the public eye for most of her life. But now, in her early 20s, she’s put herself out there publicly through Instagram. She has a personal account and one where she shares her artwork.

“Art has always been a rock in my life for as long as I remember,” she wrote on her Instagram page. “As a kid, I was always doodling and painting in art class and during my free time. It wasn’t until my mid-teens that I became serious and started finding and refining my style. That’s when I developed a deeper passion and I knew I wanted to create and share my pieces with the intent to encourage others to create their own.”

Apple Music has joined the celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with a series of exclusive tracks by various rap artists. The latest is Baby Tate, the Atlanta rising star who is currently surging on TikTok thanks to her resurfaced track “Hey Mickey!” and its new remix featuring Saweetie. Tate pays homage to a hometown hero with her exclusive track, “My Biznazz,” which finds the second-generation performer covering Ludacris’ classic 2001 hit “Rollout (My Business).”

Baby Tate is a few months removed from the release of her Mani/Pedi mixtape, as well as a 2022 that saw her collab with Babyface, assist fellow ATLien JID on his new album, and lyrically spank Hitmaka for making questionable comments about female rappers.

Meanwhile, Ludacris has been receiving increased acknowledgment for his contributions to the hip-hop canon recently, getting a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame (albeit for his acting rather than rapping), landing a slot on the upcoming Hip-Hop 50 lineup for Rock The Bells Festival, and being flawlessly sampled by the younger hip-hop generation.

Baby Tate’s “Rollout” cover, “My Biznazz,” is proof of his impact, as she seamlessly spits every word from the original — with some minor modernizing updates. You can listen to her hometown homage above.

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

Following confirmation that Donald Trump is facing federal charges for the mishandling of classified documents after his term in the Oval Office, the indictment from the Department of Justice has been unsealed and it contains a treasure trove of scathing allegations.

According to the 44-page document, the former president is facing 37 counts of violating national security laws, which stems from both Trump’s handling of classified documents and his alleged refusal to return them to the federal government. The documents were reportedly all over both of Trump’s golf resorts in Florida and New Jersey, and some documents were allegedly stored in a shower as well various bedrooms and bathrooms.

More damning for Trump, the former president is caught on tape showing military intel to an individual while openly admitting that the information is classified. Via The Daily Beast:

“TRUMP told the individuals that the plan was ‘highly confidential’ and ‘secret,’” the indictment notes. “TRUMP also said, ‘as president I could have declassified it,’ and, ‘Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.’”

The indictment also includes allegations that Trump attempted to game scenarios with his attorneys where he lied to the government about the documents.

“I don’t want anybody looking through my boxes,” Trump reportedly told one of his lawyers. “Wouldn’t it be better if we just told them we don’t have anything here?”

You’ll be surprised to know that plan didn’t work. It was not better.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Selena Gomez’s schedule is filled to the brim. Whether she’s taking meetings for her cosmetics line Rare Beauty, filming for one of her shows on the Food Network, or popping into session studios for her forthcoming album, Gomez is swamped. However, the “My Mind & Me” singer still wants to find love.

In a viral video, the entertainer confessed that she is indeed single, and it’s a struggle. While attending a soccer match with friends, Gomez sporadically belted out her relationship status. As weird as it may sound, the hilarious moment was captured on video and uploaded to the actress’ TikTok page.

The post is captioned, “The struggle, man lol,” while in the video, Gomez can be heard yelling to the players on the field, “I’m single. I’m just a little high-maintenance. But I’ll love you soooo much.”

Gomez may be against dating apps, but she doesn’t mind putting herself out there in person. Gomez has been linked to several other musicians in the past, but those whispers are often muffled by the star. Earlier in the year, rumors began to circulate online that she was dating The Chainsmokers’ Drew Taggart. The pair was spotted out bowling together. However, Gomez quickly took to social media to cut those down, writing in her Instagram Stories,”#IAmSingle.”

Janelle Monáe’s new album, The Age Of Pleasure, was released earlier today. Today is June 9, and as many surely noticed when the release date was announced, that date can also be written as 6/9. Given the sexual meaning of 69 and Monáe’s frequently NSFW promotional cycle for the project, it makes one wonder if Monáe chose that date on purpose. Well, Monáe has now given her perspective.

On Elvis Duran And The Morning Show today, Monáe was asked at the start of the conversation if the 6/9 release date was intentional and she responded, “I mean… it’s not… hey, I don’t make the rules. Listen: I didn’t create those numbers to land on this day. […] It’s also World Sex Day. So it was just perfect timing, you know? Right? Don’t we want more pleasure? We want more babies, sometimes babies can come from sex, you know? […] And sometimes it’s just strictly for us.”

While Monáe wasn’t explicit about the 69 connection to the album, it seems at the very least, it was a coincidence she was happy to roll with.

Check out the interview above.

The Age Of Pleasure is out now via Wondaland Arts Society/Atlantic Records. Find more information here.

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

Janelle Monáe’s new album, The Age Of Pleasure, was released earlier today. Today is June 9, and as many surely noticed when the release date was announced, that date can also be written as 6/9. Given the sexual meaning of 69 and Monáe’s frequently NSFW promotional cycle for the project, it makes one wonder if Monáe chose that date on purpose. Well, Monáe has now given her perspective.

On Elvis Duran And The Morning Show today, Monáe was asked at the start of the conversation if the 6/9 release date was intentional and she responded, “I mean… it’s not… hey, I don’t make the rules. Listen: I didn’t create those numbers to land on this day. […] It’s also World Sex Day. So it was just perfect timing, you know? Right? Don’t we want more pleasure? We want more babies, sometimes babies can come from sex, you know? […] And sometimes it’s just strictly for us.”

While Monáe wasn’t explicit about the 69 connection to the album, it seems at the very least, it was a coincidence she was happy to roll with.

Check out the interview above.

The Age Of Pleasure is out now via Wondaland Arts Society/Atlantic Records. Find more information here.

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