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To paraphrase the words of “Tomorrow 2” rapper Cardi B, once someone has beef with her, they are going to beef forever. This is a motto that 50 Cent lives by to this day. After visiting the Target Arena to celebrate his spirits company, Sire Spirits, closing a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he couldn’t help but throw in a jab at his longtime rival, Ja Rule.

As the musician walked through the office, he joked with the Timberwolves staff mentioning his foe’s 2019 halftime performance for the team that didn’t garner much crowd participation.

“We had a curse! Somebody f*cked up, and they let Ja Rule perform at halftime,” 50 said before adding, “Now, what we’re gonna do is take the curse off!”

To add insult to injury, in the video uploaded to the rapper’s Instagram page, he took a few creative liberties to insert the clip of Ja’s performance onto one of the T-Wolves staff member’s computer screens including the audio of a joke former pro-athlete and Undisputed sports commentator Shannon Sharpe saying, “Skip, this might be worse than Fyre Festival.”

Once, again, 50 Cent proves that he’s not above taking jabs at anyone.

Watch the full clip above.

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

If you’re considering checking out Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and wondering if you have time to squeeze it in between all your other weekend errands, we’ve got some good news: the movie’s runtime is just 107 minutes — or 1 hour and 47 minutes.

While that may sound like a lot of movie for a film based on a role-playing game, consider this: the average time it takes to play a game of D&D ranges from three to 72 hours — so consider yourselves lucky.

While the movie might not initially appeal to everyone, it’s already receiving a pretty positive response. In his review of the movie, UPROXX’s Mike Ryan called Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves “lighthearted and fun.” Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds an 89 percent rating with critics — and rates even higher with audiences.

The official synopsis of the film — which stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, and Hugh Grant — reads as follows:

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.

Every month, Uproxx cultural critic Steven Hyden makes an unranked list of his favorite music-related items released during this period — songs, albums, books, films, you name it.

1. Yves Tumor, Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

It’s not quite radical enough to qualify as “experimental” and not quite catchy enough to work as a full-on pop move. But sonically it’s one of the best-sounding indie albums of early 2023. With the assistance of Noah Goldstein, an engineer who worked on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Alan Moulder, who’s one of the great architects of ’90s alt-rock, Praise A Lord invites you to get lost in its grooves. It’s a very good headphone record. The instrumental tones are on-point. On my podcast, I’ve talked semi-seriously about the “upscale Måneskin” lane that’s opened up in indie, in which artists are once again embracing sleazy rock vibes but with a tasteful flair. Yves Tumor might own that lane now.

2. Ratboys, “Black Earth, WI”

The latest single by this very likeable Chicago band was my most replayable song of the month. At more than eight minutes, “Black Earth, WI” takes its time getting to the titular rural destination, and most of that time is taken up by a long, epic guitar solo. Anyone planning on taking a road trip in the near future is well-advised to cue this song up.

3. Ryley Walker, Live In Malmo

Speaking of guitar solos, the king of indie jam returns with this great live album, in which he extends old favorites like “Telluride Speed” and “The Halfwit In Me” well past the 10-minute mark on a series of thrilling improvisations. Also, because Ryley is also a master of patter, you also get a funny comedy album tucked between the long jams. Who could ask for anything more?

4. M83, “Laura”

This synth-pop institution released their first album in seven years this month, and it felt like a conscious return to the sweeping cinematic sound of 2011’s landmark Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. I can’t say that Fantasy always hits the mark, but the highs on that record — and “Laura” for me is the highest high — prove that Anthony Gonzalez is still the best at making retro ’80s-sounding music that aches with deep and heartfelt melancholy.

5. Lankum, False Lankum

This was the slow burn favorite for me this month. On paper, it might sound daft: It’s a traditional Irish folk record put through a post-rock filter, basically like if the Pogues sounded more like Sunn 0))). I don’t know how to explain it but there’s something metal about this record even though it’s not metal at all. Maybe it’s because of the album cover, which makes them look like a Profound Lore band. But it’s the most beautiful “coming out of winter” music I’ve encountered this season.

6. Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.

I have two immediate thoughts about this record: One, I think it’s her best since Norman Fucking Rockwell. Now, 2019 is really not a long time ago, but it did feel like she had a bit of a hangover with Chemtrails Over The Country Club and Blue Bannisters. What I appreciate about LDR is that she’s one of the last old-school rock stars we have left. Unlike virtually every other big-name artist now, she appears to have zero interest in coming across like a normal person. And I really appreciate that. It makes her seem less predictable than her contemporaries, even though she has an extremely well-defined persona by now.

My other thought is that this album is at least 20 minutes too long, and it feels like it’s 40 minutes too long because there are virtually no drums. Seriously, I would love it if a jam band would lend LDR one of their drummers so we give these songs a little more pep. Nevertheless: Seems like one of her best LPs.

7. The Hold Steady, The Price Of Progress

Can you believe this band turns 20 this year? Yet another instance of life slipping away from me. Things that helped to shape my life in my 20s and early 30s are now multiple decades old! This new album is another collaboration with producer Josh Kaufman, who entered THS’ orbit via Craig Finn’s solo albums. His project has been helping the band expand its sonic palette, which in this case means a lot of synths, strings, and keyboards. At the same time, there are songs that reference Robert Plant and LeBron James, so it seems like a happy medium between a “mature” sound and the band’s classic themes.

8. Dazy, OTHERBODY

Last year, Virginia-based singer-songwriter James Goodson released his charming debut full length OUTOFBODY. A very fun and catchy record that breezes by in 26 minutes, OUTOFBODY is punky power pop with zero perfect fat. Apparently he left some gems on the cutting room floor, because he put out an EP this month that feels like an extension of the full-length. Funny enough, OTHERBODY is barely shorter than its predecessor, clocking in at eight songs in about 20 minutes. But it hits even harder.

In January, Quavo shared “Without You,” a powerful tribute to Takeoff, his late nephew and fellow Migos member. He took the song to the Grammys for the In Memoriam segment. The lyrics found Quavo in mourning: “Tears rolling down my eyes / Can’t tell you how many times I cried / Days ain’t the same without you,” he sings. Now, he’s back with another song for Takeoff.

“Honey Bun” is more playful than the last one; it unexpectedly references Drake and 21 Savage’s recent hit “Rich Flex”: “Honey bun, can you do somethin’ for me? (Do somethin’) / Can you go automatic just for me?” Quavo sings in the same melody. This time, he’s not asking for sympathy: “I don’t wanna hear no sorry for my loss,” he raps.

Last month, he also unveiled the song “Greatness.” He alluded to the end of Migos, rapping, “Came in, swept the game like a storm with the motherf*ckin’ flow, Take’ did that / So don’t ask ’bout the group, he gone, we gone…it can’t come back.”

The other week, he also went on NBC’s That’s My Jam to perform a humorous cover of Lil Jon and The Eastside Boyz’s “Get Low.”

Listen to “Honey Bun” above.

At the start of this week’s episode, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen try to come to terms with the fact that Ed Sheeran doesn’t think music critics are necessary. Ultimately, we concede that the man has a point — after all, if music critics had any power, Ed Sheeran would not be a hugely successful pop star.

In the banter segment, we talk about the upcoming tour by Smashing Pumpkins, Interpol and Stone Temple Pilots, which is like Pavement’s “Range Life” come to life. We also talk about the new album by The Hold Steady, The Price Of Progress, in which Steve wonders whether Ian might finally come around on his band and Ian suggests … that he might?

In our mailbag, a reader asks for our favorite sophomore albums. Can we interest you in a little record called Nevermind? How about The Bends? Actually, our letter writer stumps for Weekend In The City, because it is now Indiecast law that we mention Bloc Party in every episode. Finally, we get to the meat of the episode, in which we review two big spring indie releases by Lana Del Rey and Boygenius.

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the American Football side project Lies, while Steve raves about the Irish folk (with a post-rock twist) band Lankum.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 132 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

Jacob Chansley, a.k.a. the QAnon Shaman, has been released from federal prison early and moved to a halfway house in Arizona. Thanks to his outlandish outfit and memorable photos of him wielding the American flag like a spear, Chansley was practically the face of the January 6 riot. However, during his trial he denounced Trump and publicly called on the former president to take care of “all the jackasses” he “f*cked up.” Chansley also denounced QAnon, but a judge did not buy his change of heart and sentenced the shaman to 41 months in prison.

As for why Chansley is getting released after 27 months, former New York prosecutor Mark Bederow told Insider that that federal sentences getting cut short is normal.

“It’s relatively common for an eligible offender to have a federal sentence moderately reduced before an offender completes the full term of a prison sentence,” Bederow said.

Chansley’s former attorney also praised the decision in a statement to Insider:

“It is appropriate this gentle and intelligent young man be permitted to move forward with the next stage of what undoubtedly will be a law-abiding and enriching life.”

Watkins wrote that he attributes the early release of Chansley — who walked the Capitol building wearing a horned headdress and paint — “to be a function of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons evaluating Mr. Chansley’s eligibility for release based on the plea agreement, the sentence imposed, the model behavior of Mr. Chansley while confined, the programs he completed and a host of factors routinely taken into consideration by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.”

What isn’t the cause of Chansley’s release is Tucker Carlson’s January 6 footage. The Fox News host aired heavily edited footage of the Capitol attack where he attempted to portray the MAGA rioters as peaceful sightseers. Even Carlson’s network colleagues weren’t buying the narrative, but Elon Musk was on board. The Twitter CEO called for the QAnon Shaman’s release on Twitter while sharing Carlson’s footage. But in the end, Chansley got out of prison through the normal process of good behavior.

(Via Insider)

Grant Kirkhope composed the scores for some of the most well-known video games ever, including GoldenEye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie. But his greatest contribution to culture is rhyming “dudes” with “mood” — and he’s OK with that. Kirkhope penned the lyrics to the Donkey Kong 64 intro song “DK Rap,” which Seth Rogen, who voices Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, called “objectively one of the worst rap songs of all-time.”

In response, Kirkland tweeted, “If you’d told me in ‘97, when I wrote the worst rap track in the history of rap tracks, that it would go on to be in a Mario Bros movie I’d would’ve burst with excitement! Long live the DK Rap!”

Let’s give it up for Kirkland for resisting the “my name is [BLANK] and I’m here to say” cliché. Although now I want to know what Lanky Kong is here to say…

Rogen discussed his opposite of method acting approach to voicing DK in the Mario movie (let Jeremy Strong voice Diddy Kong). “I was very clear, I don’t do voices,” he told Comic Book. “And if you want me to be in this movie, it’s gonna sound like me and that’s it. And that was the beginning and end of that conversation.” He is the leader of the bunch, after all.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens on April 5.

Streetwear can’t get enough of Godzilla. For decades, brands have looked to the King of Monsters as inspiration and Etsy is littered with vintage screen-printed Godzilla shirts from the ’80s and ’90s that show the kaiju in all its glory. But as great as a lot of the pieces floating around on the internet are, none of those brands is Teddy Fresh.

The LA-based fashion label just has an attention to detail and aesthetics that is on another level compared to most of the competition. When Teddy Fresh links with a huge IP, it doesn’t feel like an empty cash grab that relies on simple fandom and familiar iconography to move products. Instead, the brand’s CEO Hila Klein and her team put making a great product first — which is why we’re psyched to see the brand teaming up with Toho International, INC. for its own Godzilla-inspired drop.

Given Teddy Fresh’s general playful but cozy vibe and soft color palette, you wouldn’t think the brand is a natural match for the intense imagery of a giant monster terrorizing a cityscape. But that’s what makes this collection so interesting. It swerves around the obvious and gives us designs that feel completely original. Take for instance, the bright distressed color block sweater, which sees Godzilla’s silhouette in magenta over a minty green base with lilac sleeves. Or my personal favorite, the CityScape Sweater, which features an all-over print of Godzilla absolutely wrecking a starlit city, managing to look equal parts terrifying and peaceful.

It’s the juxtaposition of imagery and execution that makes this collection so fun, but it’s not limited to colorful reimaginings of Godzilla,. If you’re into the more hardcore and, dare I say, metal, aspects of the legendary kaiju, Teddy Fresh has that in supply as well.

The 15-piece collection consists of streetwear staples like hoodies, button-downs, tees, neckties, mesh tops, and more with a skate deck rounding out the collection, in a price range that goes from $36-$110. Shop the Teddy Fresh x Godzilla collection starting on April 6th exclusively at the Teddy Fresh webstore.

Check out the full collection below.

Dominique Armani Jones, better known as Lil Baby, has risen in just a few short years from being an unknown, 22-year-old felon from Atlanta to one of the hottest stars in rap. In 2020, his second official album, My Turn, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 before earning a quadruple platinum certification just two years later. It was the best-selling album that year. Meanwhile, Lil Baby himself has become one of the most in-demand rappers in the business, working with everyone from his hometown’s fellow trap-rap staples Future and early champion Young Thug to left-field names like J. Cole and Vince Staples. His third album, It’s Only Me, is already on track to repeat its predecessor’s accomplishments, also debuting at No. 1 with 216,000 album-equivalent units sold last October (the third-highest one-week streaming total for albums released in 2022).

Even with all that in his pocket — or 4 Pockets Full, as he calls his burgeoning label, to which he’s signed rising stars 42 Dugg and Rylo Rodriguez — he shows no signs of slowing down. He’s already begun teasing yet another album even as he continues to promote It’s Only Me with videos for standout tracks like “Forever” featuring Fridayy and collaborating with more surprising peers such as EDM stars Fred Again.., Skrillex, and Four Tet. Oh, and by the way: That new album he’s teasing? It could very well be a joint project with Drake, the Canadian kingmaker whose blessing helped to jumpstart Baby’s ascent to superstardom in 2018 with the inescapable “Yes Indeed.”

So, on the cusp of Baby’s next big leap into icon status, what better time for me and my partner in scribe Yoh to look back on the best tracks that got Lil Baby here? Since Yoh is a fellow ATLien, I let him take the lead… but you’ll be able to tell when I just had to get my two cents in. Let’s go!

40. “Dive In”

Too Hard, Lil Baby’s third mixtape after Perfect Timing and Harder Than Hard (fourth, if you count 2 The Hard Way with Quality Control labelmate Marlo) saw the Atlanta rapper finally starting to drill down on the style that would ultimately distinguish him from his contemporaries and establish him as a force in the trap rap world. “Dive In” features more Autotuned vocals and a woozy, undeniable hook that displays his then-burgeoning hitmaking sensibilities — Aaron Williams

39. “Trust”

On Lil Baby’s 2017 debut mixtape Perfect Timing, he sounds raw and unformed, like every bit of the rap greenhorn that he was when Young Thug paid him to leave the streets alone and take his studio time seriously.

But even though he sounds for all the world like a knockoff Gucci Mane here, he also flashes glimmers of the traits that served Gucci well and would go on to do the same for Baby. For as much as he was a rap rookie, he was a trap veteran, and that world-weariness gleams through every bar. — A.W.

38. “Catch The Sun”

There aren’t too many outright love songs in Lil Baby’s catalog. More’s the shame because when he does deign to wear his heart on his sleeve, his efforts often yield soul-stirring results. On this Hit-Boy-produced gem from the 2019 on-the-run romance drama Queen & Slim, Lil Baby spins the yarn that many filmgoers probably wished they got from that criminally underrated film; the song has a much more optimistic outlook, which finds the Atlanta trapper letting his guard down and getting beautifully honest with a paramour. — A.W.

37. “Russian Roulette”

A favorite rap trope of mine is when artists reference prior works of theirs, particularly when they’re especially meaningful to the artist but perhaps less well-known by fans. It offers a fascinating opportunity for comparison and contrast, highlighting their artistic growth and serving as a subtle reminder that for us, it’s entertainment, but for them, it’s a moment in time, with all the related emotions attached.

Anyway, “Russian Roulette” from Baby’s triumphant 2022 album It’s Only Me features a sneaky subtle reference to “Dive In” from Too Hard. I’m a sucker for sneakily sentimental songs. — A.W.

36. “Days Off”

Another Perfect Timing standout, the time capsule “letter to himself” quality of “Days Off” gives it the charm that its predictable premise falls short of. He’s “grinding every day, can’t take no days off,” but hey, so is everybody. The encouraging note to self, though (“I know times get hard but it’s gon’ pay off”) and the manifestations on the rest of the hook make this motivational anthem all the more endearing in hindsight because as we all know, he really made these dreams come true. Plus, the harrowing second-verse storytelling is a pristine example of the form. — A.W.

35. “Staying Alive” With DJ Khaled & Drake

What does DJ Khaled do again?

Well, for one thing, he makes incredible collaborations like this happen. Like, regularly. As I noted in a previous best-of artist list, the man truly deserves some respect for putting together tracks like this one from his 2022 thirteenth (!) studio album (seriously, can we just appreciate that the man has reached a career milestone that many — most — rap artists do not ever get to see?).

Look, I shouldn’t have to sell you on a Drake and Lil Baby collaboration. They’ve done a few now, and all of them are somewhere on this list. The proof is in the pudding, baby. — A.W.

34. “The Bigger Picture”

George Floyd brutally lost his life three years ago when police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on the back of his neck for more than nine minutes. Nationwide unrest followed his heart-breaking death once a video of the murder was uploaded online.

Historians who write retrospectives on the aftermath of American life throughout the 2020s must mention Floyd, Chauvin, and potentially Lil Baby, who reacted to the brutality by recording “The Bigger Picture.” The “politically-charged” song debuted at No. 3 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart, becoming his highest-charting single and one of the biggest records to be released during the pandemic.

Admittedly, “The Bigger Picture” is not a perfect song, nor does it present a flawless outlook. However, it’s the sincere passion behind a venting young man attempting to offset chaos with compassion and the timing of his assertion that allowed an unlikely rapper to reach ears that never thought Lil Baby would be a voice of reason as several states in the U.S. teetered on the verge of mass mutiny. — Yoh Phillips

33. “Woah”

Pre-“Whoah,” Lil Baby had a star-in-the-making buzz. The kind of beloved-by-the-streets and revered-by-his-peers rapper that grows gradually, that wins eventually. Then “Whoa” dropped in 2019, cracking the barrier of entry between emerging and full-blown rap stardom.

Why did “Whoa” work? Was it the hypnotic high hats? The easy-to-recite hook? Or the Whoah dance that originated in Houston? The latter, on social media, sent “Woah” to the stratosphere. Becoming Baby’s first viral record to affect Triller and TikTok with engagements in the billions. Pushing “Woah” up the Billboard Hot 100 charts, peaking just below the top ten.

The QC rapper had caught the algorithm off guard, arriving with a hit that had real reach – the first of many. – A.W.

32. “Never Needed No Help”

In 2018, I wrote this of Lil Baby’s debut studio album Harder Than Ever after watching his ascent from simmering trap rapper to watch to full-boil star-in-the-making: “The rhymes tumble out of his mouth one after another like a bubble gun, but evenly, so that his voice becomes almost as hypnotic as the beats he raps over.”

This is the style he finally settled on after trying out Gucci Mane soundalikes, melodic crooning, and Young Scooter-ish bellows, and it works for him. It’s been working for him ever since. I’ve come around. — A.W.

31. “Best Of Me”

Another of Lil Baby’s many, many motivational anthems, “Best Of Me” is about counting your blessings — and shrugging off your setbacks. His penchant for painting vivid portraits of his street tribulations surfaces again in this gem from Too Hard, centering on shootouts (and their resulting regrets) and the disappointment of watching keyboard thugs glorify his mistakes.

It’s disconcerting to hear a 22-year-old admonish the youth for their indiscretions but it should really throw you for a loop to consider the circumstances that forced a boy barely out of his teens to feel the need to take that role — with the record to back it up. — A.W.

30. “Close Friends” With Gunna

While Lil Baby’s debut album set him up for success, it was his joint album with Gunna later that year, Drip Harder, that changed his career trajectory, sharply angling it upward and dumping a quart of rocket fuel in the tank. Incidentally, one of the biggest standouts from that album, though, was a solo track from LB that like “Catch The Sun,” presented a more tender version of his traumatized reformed gangster persona. To this day, it’s one of Baby’s most-played tracks with over three-quarters of a billion combined plays across platforms to date. — A.W.

29. “Fit In”

“Fit In” is yet another signature Lil Baby track from his debut album highlighted by a haunting reminiscence on his reckless, self-destructive youth. “I had a carbine I was fifteen / We tryna steal and rob everything,” he recalls. The devastating consequences of those days haven’t caught up to him yet, though; “I’m rich now and that’s why they mad.” As far as rags-to-riches stories go, “Fit In” is emblematic of Lil Baby’s core values, a thread that still runs through his music today. — A.W.

28. “2040” With Lil Durk

Lil Baby and Lil Durk’s 2021 joint tape, The Voice Of The Heroes, does not hit the same exciting highs as their solo material, but “2040” comes close without committing any deplorable crimes.

The joy of the record is largely due to the production by Flex Otb and Forever Rollin, which complements the duo’s individual strengths. Baby’s feverish flow sets a pace that Durk doesn’t quite match, but he does accelerate his delivery to a speed that’s outside the comfort zone of the slower, melodic rap-singing he’s known for.

How the Chicago rapper flips the switch, finds his footing, and performs with hastened urgency to match the missile-like stride set by his Atlanta counterpart gets better with every listen. – Y.P.

27. “California Breeze”

Hey, look. Call me biased if you want. Baby showing love to my home state on It’s Only Me can only be met with reciprocal appreciation. It does help that he’s been improving so consistently since his debut that his rapping on this track is as good as it’s ever been — something I’ll always appreciate over club or car speaker appeal. It’s also the most focused he’s sounded in his career, which is a sign of his growing commitment to the craft. After all, anyone can string cool-sounding punchlines together, but truly executing a concept is a rare and valuable skill, indeed. — A.W.

26. “In A Minute”

Ellie Goulding’s “Don’t Say a Word” was first sampled by Drake on the Jay-Z-featured “Pound Cake” in 2013, but a more contemporary flip is Lil Baby’s “In A Minute.”

It’s Only Me’s “In A Minute” doesn’t mask the source material. To directly follow in the footsteps of two giants, adding two sharp verses over a composition they touched, feels intentional. A way to align Baby’s meteoric rise with legends who did it before him without living in their shadow.

Compared to prior singles, Baby’s rapping on “In A Minute” doesn’t sound like an eager newcomer sprinting to higher heights, but a mountain climber strolling around a newly reached peak. Appreciating the view, reflecting on the path climbed and the obstacles overcome.

What he lacks in swiftness and sauce is made up in sincerity and sureness. – Y.P.

25. “We Win” Feat. Kirk Franklin

Once an artist settles into a groove, it can be a short road to complacency, where every song sounds the same and artistic growth stagnates. As popular as Lil Baby is, to an outsider, his music runs the risk of being sort of … samey. This is why the Space Jam Legacy soundtrack — and Lil Baby’s contribution to it — was so timely in 2021. Outside the context of solely serving his fanbase, Lil Baby gets to flex outside his comfort zone, with a joyous, gospel-tinged beat from Just Blaze that brings a different kind of energy out of him. — A.W.

24. “No Sucker” Feat. Moneybagg Yo

Prior to 2020’s “No Sucker,” Lil Baby and Moneybagg Yo released enough music together to make a joint mixtape, à la Drake and Future’s What A Time To Be Alive, but none of those previous tracks were produced by Tay Keith.

Keith’s supply of snappy snares, swollen bass, and stout 808s are to rappers what steroids are to bodybuilders. “No Sucker” is a suitable sample of the Memphis-born producer’s knack for creating canvases that compliment southern sensibilities.

Both artists match the lively production by letting loose lyrically. Launching laughable lyrics into a robust beat that matches their vigor and mirrors their virility. The effective trifecta that makes “No Sucker” a strong record may never become a supergroup, but it did provide Bagg and Baby with their best collab to date. – Y.P.

23. “Sum 2 Prove”

If Harder Than Ever was Lil Baby’s underdog album and It’s Only Me was his victory lap, then 2020’s My Turn was the “proving it” project, on which he laid out every argument for why he belonged on top. Among them was this thesis statement of a single, which relayed his mindset and his mission in stark, hard-hitting fashion.

It didn’t stray too far from his established M.O., but it did inject a fire that listeners hadn’t heard from him yet; his usually laconic flow is shot through with a thrill of desperation that finally matched the wordplay. — A.W.

22. “Time” Feat. Meek Mill

Meek Mill and Lil Baby are kindred spirits in bravado and braggadocio on “Time,” a Quay Global-produced showcase of rapid-fire rapping and self-assured stunts from Street Gossip.

The mixture of energized boasting and earnest vaunting doesn’t revolutionize the rulebook for lust-for-life lyricism, however, there is a certain je ne sais quoi to how they accelerate across the rolling hi-hats and buoyant keys like rhyming hellcats.

How they turn their self-aggrandizing into an addictive amphetamine for hungry eardrums looking to hear two rap titans advertise the fruits of their fame, the reward of their riches is reason enough to include “Time” on a list of Baby’s best. – Y.P.

21. “Low Down”

I don’t know how many will agree, but I find the deluxe songs added to albums rarely are better than the original tracklist. Now, there are exceptions. “Low Down” is one. The Quay Global-produced deep cut is track 23 on the My Turn Deluxe.

“I’m tired of these strippers, I’m going at nurses and doctors and dentists,” raps Lil Baby, a funny way to frame his changing interest, but much of “Low Down” is hearing a rapper aware of his elevating status.

He’s still the same Baby, a street rapper that rose from the concrete, but he’s also platinum-selling, at the peak of new-found fame, and only getting better. – Y.P.

20. “Pride Is The Devil” With J. Cole

When J. Cole unleashed his wind-sprints-and-300-shots-a-day workout regimen The Off-Season in 2021, fans thought they knew what to expect. But clearly, Cole delights in juking his listeners just when they think they’ve got him figured out as much as he does honing his craft alongside out-of-the-ordinary sparring partners. Equally delightful: Lil Baby not just keeping up with his host lyrically — after Cole’s lauded feature verse rampage of 2019, no less — but kind of low-key stealing the show. — A.W.

19. “Errbody”

It’s odd and kind of astonishing that one of Lil Baby’s most outstanding records is, for the purposes of album placement, basically homeless. What we have here is Lil Baby so comfortably in his bag, he’s just letting prime material fly for free, unconcerned with album sales, accolades, or the acclaim that comes from having an attention-grabbing track in the midst of an album rollout. Jay-Z once coined the term “lyrical exercise” for a track that wound up being a bonus on one of his most critically-acclaimed albums. Here, Lil Baby is doing that activity just for the reps. — A.W.

18. “Ready”

“Ready” begins at a slow-burning pace with ominous keys that have this softness subtle enough to furnish the atmosphere with a feeling of subdued sound. What cuts through the quiet is Young Thug’s voice, who recites six of the most iconic words to start a song: “Metro Boomin want some more, n****.”

Next comes the weighty 808s, kicking like a steel Timberland Boot on the foot of Bruce Lee. Gunna’s hook, melodic and light-footed, crawls across the beat first. Building up to Baby’s opening declaration: “I can’t f*ck with none of y’all n****s, y’all disgust me.”

His attitude, throughout the verse, is irritated and reflective, a ruminating rapper who knows where he came from, where he’s going, and whom he doesn’t want around: Maggots, crossbreeds, and anyone wishing for his demise.

And although it’s another track with Gunna, the Drip Harder duo has no other record quite like the Metro-produced “Ready.” – Y.P.

17. “Intro”

Rappers, as writers, have the poetic license to exaggerate details. There is a thrill when those exaggerated details are poised as facts – like Jay-Z rapping about losing 99 bricks. Although it sounds like a myth, the line is legendary.

Lil Baby’s version of losing 99 bricks appears on the explosive “Intro” from the 2018 mixtape Harder Than Ever. It’s a hook-free freestyle that has the energy of a giant shaking the ground with every step.

Towards the end, Baby starts reminiscing about a loss that required him to go in the safe. “I had got that shit back in like twenty-some days,” he raps before adding, “Ain’t no chump change, “I’m talkin’ bout 500k.”

It’s the additional detail about the sum that makes “Intro” a myth-making record about Lil Baby, the hustler. – Y.P.

16. “Dates”

2017’s Harder Than Hard occupies a fascinating nook within Lil Baby’s growing discography. Released just three months after the revelatory Perfect Timing, Baby’s second mixtape didn’t so much build on that foundation as it did advertise its existence. It was the second jab of a year-long combo, designed more so to set up the remaining punches to come — 2 The Hard Way, Too Hard, and Harder Than Ever. Still, it had its moments. “Dates” is one of them, presenting an invigorated Baby getting into his groove. — A.W.

15. “Exotic” Feat. Starlito

Every now and then two rappers you wouldn’t expect to collab cross paths, and the results are rewind worthy. Such is “Exotic,” the one time Quality Control’s Lil Baby and Grind Hard’s Starlito found themselves over-thumping Tay Keith’s production.

In a 2018 interview with Complex, Baby called Starlito “one of his favorite rappers.” The living southern rap legend turned in a verse for Harder Than Ever that would excite any fan. Lito’s voice follows a lively Lil Baby verse and matches the inspired performance with cold-hearted contemplation.

They’re so different, from two separate eras of southern rap, yet “Exotic” doesn’t sound like a generational divide. It’s more like hearing an older uncle, with far more life experience, do a track with his younger, enthusiastic nephew. Classic. – Y.P.

14. “Never Recover” Feat. Drake

“Never Recover” does not have the popularity of “Sicko Mode,” “Story Of Adonis,” or “Duppy Freestyle,” but it did bring Lil Baby and Gunna into Drake’s block-spinning hostility against Kanye and Pusha-T on their 2018 joint project Drip Harder

How the passive diss record landed in their hands is outside my purview, but Lil Baby did not waste the chance to make his presence felt. His rapid-fire flow closes the record with breathless flexes. “Seem like everything I get on a number one,” he boasted, a line that speaks to the self-assurance that having a hot hand will give an artist. They start to feel like Midas.

And although you may disagree that everything he rapped on was high temperature, to argue against Baby’s golden touch at the time of “Never Recover” would be like arguing against Will Smith, the actor, after Bad Boys. -– Y.P.

13. “Pure Cocaine”

Although 2018’S Street Gossip predated Lil Baby’s commercial crossover, his fifth mixtape had a major label polish that further positioned the Quality Control artist as an emerging rap icon and your favorite neighborhood superstar.

“Pure Cocaine” puts that duality in perfect contrast. The 3x platinum track, produced by Mattazik Muzik and Quay Global, starts with these gliding keys fans have compared to Christmas music. One Reddit user claims it sounds like “if the Grinch went to the hood.”

Baby’s rapping makes no mention of Kris Kringle or Mariah Carey, but he does perform with the spirit of ten Waffle House cooks hustling for the holidays, creating a record that sinks into ears like a catchy jingle but doesn’t lose the raw edge of a trapper-turned-rapper. –- A.W.

12. “Crush A Lot”

Every Gucci Mane needs a Zaytoven. Every Future needs a Metro Boomin. Every Drake needs a Boi-1da. Quay Global and Lil Baby’s producer-rapper chemistry feels reminiscent of the aforementioned pairs, especially after the 2018 release of Street Gossip.

Of the nine records produced by Quay, track 3, “Crush A Lot,” has the bounce of a Sky Zone trampoline park. The beat alone would be hypnotic enough to entrance any audiophile, but what elevates the record is how Baby puts every syllable where it should go for a flow that moves with the spring of a Mac McClung dunk.

The second verse alone, where he slows the flow down, shifting the delivery mid-verse, is a flash of how the longtime collaborators do more than make hits, they design records to be remembered on and off the charts. — Y.P.

11. “Dreams 2 Reality” Feat. No Cap

“Dreams 2 Reality” is arguably the best outro to close any Lil Baby album. Production, incredible. Rapping, excellent. The No Cap feature, impressive. Not only does he deliver a strong verse on the Street Gossip outro, he also kills the chorus and the bridge that close out the record.

In many ways, “Dreams 2 Reality” feels like a No Cap record featuring Lil Baby. Baby intended to sign Cap before a falling out split the two. I’m sure there’s an alternate timeline where they mend their relationship, and No Cap becomes Drake to Baby’s Lil Wayne.

Unfortunately, we’ll never know. — Y.P.

10. “On Me”

“On Me” was released on December 4th, 2020, Jay-Z’s 51st birthday, which happens to fall the day after Lil Baby’s 26th birthday. There’s something telling about two of rap’s most well-known Capricorns being born within a day of each other.

Of all the Lil Baby loosies, “On Me” is the one that feels like a street single with commercial appeal. It’s melodic but muscular; it’s rap heavy, yet has a sing-song hook; it has an ear candy flow paired with a diddy bopping beat.

Although it’s no surprise that Megan Thee Stallion jumped on the remix, I am shocked it only peaked at No. 15 on Billboard’s Hot 100. — Y.P.

9. “East Point Prayer” With Vince Staples

BIAS!! Vince Staples’ 2022 album Ramona Park Broke My Heart was, for my money, one of the best albums of that year and I won’t stop fighting to reverse the injustice of its relatively lukewarm reception. I get it: Vince ain’t for everybody. Combined with his reticence to play industry politics any more than he absolutely has to, Vince’s prickly personality makes him a tough sell for the mainstream rap audience.

But. But. But. He’s more than willing to work with his peers, provided their hood passes come back with all the correct credentials. Lil Baby’s does. And, apparently, so does Vince’s for Baby — the Atlantan trap star allegedly refused to charge the Long Beach native his usual six-figure feature fee because he saw in him a kindred spirit. That chemistry is embedded in every bar of this moody collaboration, which should leave fans hankering for more team-ups between these two in the future. — A.W.

8. “Yes, Indeed” Feat. Drake

If I had to predict, without looking, what Drake’s top song on Apple Music is, “Yes Indeed” would not be in my top ten guesses. But, to my surprise, the song formerly known as “Pikachu” has maintained the top spot since dropping five years ago.

“Yes Indeed” may start with a Drake verse, but it’s Lil Baby’s song – yes, it appears on Lil Baby’s Harder Than Ever mixtape, but also Baby completely raps circles around the Toronto titan.

It’s easily one of the most prominent exhibitions of how good Baby is as a fast-footed rapper. The iconic, “Wah-wah-wah, bitch, I’m Lil Baby,” shifted something in the culture. It’s been Lil Baby’s world ever since. – Y.P.

7. “Emotionally Scarred”

Lil Baby is often earnest. At times wholehearted. I’ll even say he can be candid. The latter is rare. So, when he does rap candidly, there is a weight to his words. A gravity to his gravitas.

“Emotionally Scarred” from My Turn is revealing without ratting. Sharing without saying too much. Opening up while getting feelings across that aren’t in need of further explanation.

“I ain’t got nothing against you, we human, we all got issues, but I’m tired of being tired of being tired,” hits differently when you too are tired of being tired.

“Emotionally Scarred” doesn’t drop the rap star persona, but it does lower a guard that is rarely taken down and allows for one of his most relatable songs to date. — Y.P.

6. “We Paid” Feat. 42 Dugg

“We Paid” is a pandemic classic. Although the timing, released two months after the March lockdown, was dire, Lil Baby and 42 Dugg’s 2020 banger also overlapped with stimmy checks, PP loans, unemployment benefits, Robinhood stocks, and the rise of cryptocurrencies.

As money entered checking accounts in abundance and the worry of going broke like Joc subsided, “We Paid” became a proper 5x platinum summer anthem, further solidifying Baby as a prominent hitmaker while introducing the still emerging 42 Dugg to the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and strengthening the Detroit-Atlanta rap pipeline. — Y.P.

5. Southside:

YouTube comments you’ll find under the “Southside” music video: “You can tell he put his entire heart into this song,” “Never gets old,” “Lil Baby in his prime,” and “WE NEED THIS BABY BACK !!!!”

Regardless of how you might feel about that last one, can we all agree the Southside-produced “Southside” is a moment of magnetic music and should be regarded as one of Baby’s many breakthrough bangers?

Not just a commercial breakthrough, either. “Southside” is a breakthrough in development. The confidence embedded in Lil Baby’s delivery, that sense of triumph radiating from his flow, the catchiness in his cadence, none of those attributes appeared overnight. They were earned in long studio sessions and refined through constant repetition.

Maybe we do need that Baby back after all. — Y.P.

4. “My Dawg”

A Harder Than Hard banger that sticks to the ribs and finds a rare thread of universal relatability in Baby’s catalog (everybody’s got a friend they would ride for, right?), “My Dawg” is one of the Atlanta rapper’s earliest viral favorite tracks, forming one of the major cornerstones of the success to come. — A.W.

3. “Drip Too Hard” Feat. Gunna

Baby’s first truly signature “hit” (look, “Yes Indeed” was a hit mostly by virtue of Drake’s guest appearance), the centerpiece of Drip Harder gave Baby and Gunna their first immortal banger. It still pops up in other artists’ pre-show hype DJ sets and on industry event playlists, highlighting its longevity and undeniable catchiness. With Gunna’s standing in the rap game appearing somewhat shaky of late, though, it becomes more imperative than ever to appreciate the rarity of two rappers finding such great chemistry, since we might not see it again anytime soon. — A.W.

2. “Grace” Feat. 42 Dugg

Although “We Paid” received the commercial success of a smash record, “Grace” is the better collaboration between Lil Baby and 42 Dugg. The My Turn standout is not just their best track together, it’s home to one of Baby’s most inspired verses.

He raps like greatness is in his eyes, millions are in his pocket, but there is a hunger in his heart. An insatiable need to get these words off his chest. It’s the kind of rapping that shows he can still tap into the energy of a starving artist when the kitchen has private chefs, when the garage has foreign cars, and all the bills are on autopay.

“Grace” won’t make a dent on the Billboard charts, but it’ll be the music you play to remember why Lil Baby should not be slept on as an artist with a catalog of great music. — Y.P.

1. “Freestyle”

There is a technique in the anime series Dragon Ball Super called Ultra Instinct. When protagonist Son Goku enters the Ultra Instinct form, consciousness separates from the body allowing for much greater reaction speed, as he no longer needs to take the time to process his actions. He doesn’t think, he reacts.

To hear “Freestyle” from Lil Baby’s debut album is like watching Goku fight in Ultra Instinct. His rapping feels thoughtless, he’s operating solely off intuition. and every line lands with pristine precision. There is no flaw, no error, no moment where he loses focus or the flow stumbles. It’s a perfect performance.

“Freestyle” is the art of grinding, the service of motivation, the craft of a never-stagnant style using words of classic elegance seemingly out of thin air—manipulating them at will into arrangements of remarkable grace. Classic. — Y.P.

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

The beginning of the end has arrived for Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and the gang. On Wednesday, March 29, The CW aired the very first episode of the seventh and final season of Riverdale. But fans of the series still have a while to go before they must bid their favorite time-traveling teens farewell.

As Hidden Remote reports, the final season of the comic book series-turned-TV series will be a fairly lengthy one, with a reported 20 episodes in total. That’s good news for viewers who have stuck with the series over the years, as it has a ton of questions still left to be answered — especially after its bonkers sixth season finale.

For some viewers, the biggest question seems to be: How did Riverdale make it to seven seasons in the first place? For a brief period in 2017 and 2018, Riverdale was one of the most surprising new series on television. While it’s technically an adaptation of the Archie comic book series, viewers saw a closer link to Twin Peaks than the Riverdale High School that’s been a staple of the comic book world since 1939. The show gained even more viewers when it arrived on Netflix shortly after its first season run, making its second season premiere a hotly anticipated event.

In the years since then, however, Riverdale has gone to places even David Lynch wouldn’t dream of. In 2022, The CW canceled a number of its fan-favorite shows, and audiences were shocked that Riverdale wasn’t among the titles.

If it has been a while since you watched, just know that Archie and Betty both have superpowers now. And that there have been time jumps. As Decider reports, the seventh season opener is set back in 1955 — with the show’s main characters somehow being teenagers again, but with no memory of the bonkers plot lines that have transpired (except for Jughead, who remembers their past). Where these wacky kids go from here is anyone’s guess, but we know that they have 19 more episodes to do it.

(Via Hidden Remote)