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Cordae sounds very triumphant in his new record “Checkmate,” in large part due to production by Hit-Boy. The record, featured in Madden 2023, shows the “Unacceptable” artist rapping with fury despite being a downtempo record. Hit-Boy laces him with thumping drums and powerful synths, and Cordae takes the handoff all the way to the endzone, blending introspection and confidence. “I feel unstoppable, odds are not probable,” Cordae says.

This record comes after what has been a big year for Cordae. The 25-year-old shared his sophomore album From A Birds Eye View at the start of the year. The album featured Lil Durk, Lil Wayne, HER, Gunna, Freddie Gibbs, Stevie Wonder, and more. Despite the young rapper’s clear confidence, he had a moment of clarity on a road trip where he played Birds Eye View and his debut solo album The Lost Boy, and noted that the former fell short of the latter.

The Lost Boy, released in 2019, included features from Meek Mill, Pusha T, Anderson Paak, Chance The Rapper, Ty Dolla Sign, and more. The album was nominated for Rap Album Of The Year at the 2020 Grammys, ultimately losing to Tyler The Creator’s Igor.

Cordae appears to already be working toward the next era of his career, as this record comes just months after his dual release of “Unacceptable” and “So With That.” There is no set release date for his next project, but given the aforementioned moment of clarity, it would not come as a shock if Cordae is putting the finishing touches on what he hopes will right the wrongs of From A Birds Eye View.

Check out Cordae and Hit-Boy’s “Checkmate” above.

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

On his new single, “That Was Me,” singer, songwriter, and producer Russ doesn’t shy away from vulnerability. Known for expressing himself vividly in his music and songwriting craft, Russ’ latest cut takes his hallmarked self-awareness to a new level.

Tapping into his emotions, Russ sings “You know that was me who came through when it mattered / You know that was me turnin’ loss into laughter / Divvy up the cash, makin’ sure we all eat / Bring us all together, makin’ sure we all speak,” over a downtempo electronic beat, reflecting on how his need to take care of his family led to depression and alcoholism.

Ahead of “That Was Me,” Russ took to Instagram to share a message with fans.

“I think all of us, especially men, brush things under the rug and ignore the things that are troubling us,” he said. “We’ve been taught that it’s weak to feel. That we should be numb and just keep it pushin. I did that my whole life and the only time I would give anyone a glimpse into what I was feeling was in a 3 minute song. I felt like I was living a double life because in the studio I’d face what I was feeling (sometimes) but outside the studio, I tried to keep a happy exterior because that’s what I thought strength was.”

Check out “That Was Me” above.

Ari Lennox’s new album Age/Sex/Location is here, and though her labelmate J. Cole isn’t listed as an official feature, his voice is still present on the track “POF” as a background vocalist. Lennox rejects judgment of those around her in the soulful record, and Cole’s raspy yet emotive vocals are a nice touch.

“POF” arrives as part of Ari Lennox’s new album Age/Sex/Location. Age features Chloe, Lucky Daye, and Summer Walker and was led by the singles “Pressure” and “Hoodie.” The album was preceded by a surprise EP titled Away Message, labeled a truncated offering to tide fans over while Lennox took a social media hiatus until Age‘s release on Friday (September 9).

This is an exciting time for Ari Lennox fans as Age breaks an over three-year hiatus since her debut album Shea Butter Baby was released. In the interim, she appeared on the Dreamville compilation album Revenge Of The Dreamers III, Wale’s Wow…That’s Crazy, Summer Walker’s Still Over It, and the Dreamville and DJ Drama collaborative mixtape D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape.

Age/Sex/Location is a meaningful release for the 31-year-old, shown in a long text message she sent to her J. Cole. “Transitional space. Very vulnerable codependent and validation seeking part of my life,” she wrote. “I remember the countless times I was kicked out of dating apps because they didn’t think I was really myself, it reminded me of those age/sex/location days where I actually wasn’t being myself in those chat rooms.”

Check out Ari Lennox’s “POF” above.

Age/Sex/Location is out now via Dreamville and Interscope. Listen here.

Weeks away from her upcoming album, CopingMechanism, Willow has shared the latest single, “Curious/Furious.” On the rock-influenced single, Willow expresses her multidimensionality, as she contemplates and embraces the fluctuating feelings of growing up, delivering soulful vocals over thumping basslines.

“I’m getting over it now / And I never wore a frown / Because life doesn’t choose / Either side, win or lose / right or wrong / It’s a battle that’s all in your mind,” she sings on a guitar-and-drum-driven beat.

In a recent interview with Glamour, Willow described the album’s rock-leaning sound, recalling how record labels had previously attempted to pigeonhole her as an R&B artist.

“I love all different kinds of music, I don’t like to box myself into anything,” she said. “I was trained to be an R&B singer so I went in that direction. But I’ve always had a huge affinity for rock music ever since I was just a wee bean…The most beautiful changes on earth don’t happen by being comfortable and expecting other people to change. You have to put yourself on the line sometimes. It’s not fair, but that’s how it is.”

Check out “Curious/Furious” above.

CopingMechanism is out 9/23 via MSFTSMusic and Roc Nation. Pre-save it here.

Coi Leray shows why she needs to be respected as a strong dual threat in her new single “Fly Sh!’t.” The multi-talent weaves in and out of rapping and singing over the flute-laced, mid-tempo beat. She makes a firm statement about her inability to be about anything besides fly sh*t and even makes a nod to the two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his current team with the line “Feeling like Giannis, I get bucks.”

“Fly Sh!t” arrives in what has been an active year for Coi Leray. Back in July, she joined CMG The Label’s 42 Dugg on “Hold Me Down” from their compilation album Gangsta Art. The month prior, she shared the singles “Involved” and “The One (Sprite Limelight)” in addition to appearing on B-Lovee’s “Demon.”

The biggest moment for the 25-year-old came in April when she released her debut album Trendsetter, highlighted by the singles “Twinnem,” “Anxiety,” “Big Purr (Prrd)” featuring Pooh Shiesty, “No More Parties (Remix)” featuring Lil Durk and “Blick Blick” featuring Nicki Minaj. The album also included appearances from Yung Bleu, Fivio Foreign, G Herbo, Young M.A, and HER.

With all of this considered, it is no surprise that she is confident as ever on this new record.

Check out Coi Leray’s “Fly Sh!t” above.

EST Gee and Future have linked up once again in 2022 for the menacing “Shoot It Myself.” Gee takes on the first verse and Future weaves in with ease. The two’s musical chemistry is uncanny, and with the years they are having, it makes perfect sense they declare “F*ck my shooter, I’ll shoot it myself” because who, if not them?

“Shoot It Myself” follows what has been active years for both EST Gee and Future. Gee shared the singles “Hell” and “Love Is Blind” in the last few months. Additionally, he appears several times on CMG The Label’s compilation album Gangsta Art in addition to the collaborative project with his labelmate 42 Dugg titled Last Ones Left.

As for Future, he is riding high off of the momentum of his latest album I Never Liked You, highlighted by “Wait For U” featuring Drake and Tems in addition to appearances from Kanye West, Kodak Black, Gunna, Young Thug, and more. The “March Madness” artist also collaborated with Megan Thee Stallion on “Pressurelicious” from her recent album Traumazine. Amidst all of these releases, Future achieved a major milestone in being noted as one of the top-achieving rappers of all-time by the RIAA. He has had over 95 million units certified Gold, Platinum, or higher over the course of his career.

Check out EST Gee and Future’s new single “Shoot It Myself” here.

Today, Drake paid a visit to the Nike campus for the company’s annual Just Do It Day. In a video shared to social media by Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes, Drizzy is seen shooting hoops in the gym, greeting fans, and rocking some stylish athleticwear.

Drake and Swoopes hug as they face the camera, which is streaming them live on Instagram. Though Drake’s words aren’t entirely audible, he appears to be in good spirits.

Swoopes then brings the camera around, revealing that Basketball legends Carmelo Anthony and Lisa Leslie have also made an appearance at JDI Day.

Before she signs off, Swoopes reveals that Drake will perform later in the day.

It’s no secret that Drake is a big basketball fan. In addition to the several basketball references he makes in his music, he is active in the Sanctuary Basketball League. This past June, his team, comprised of himself, Chubbs, and OVO Mark took home the championship trophy for the third time in a row.

“I did what Kobe did in Game 7 against the Celtics,” Drake said in a post-game interview with Firsty4hiphop. “Shots not falling, play f*cking defense.”

Check out the JDI Day video above.

According to Deadline, showrunner Peter Morgan has announced that The Crown will take a brief pause from filming to show respect for Queen Elizabeth II following her death.

“The Crown is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect. I expect we will stop filming out of respect too,” Morgan said. Series originator Stephen Daldry had previously stated that the show would do just that if they were in the middle of production when she died.

With a fifth season set for November, the Netflix series has chronicled Queen Elizabeth’s life since she was Princess Elizabeth through the Thatcher years (so far). Over the years, the monarch has been portrayed by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, but Imelda Staunton has taken over the role for the upcoming seasons. They’ve already revealed plans to cover Prince William’s courtship of Kate Middleton in season 6, but since Morgan had announced the fifth as their last before a surprising continuation, it’s unclear where they will end their story of Queen Elizabeth’s life. Without a 7th season, they may end in the mid-2010s, or, easy to imagine, they may speed up the timeline in the latter half of the final season to cover some of the final chapters. For now, they’ll take a break out of respect.

(via Deadline)

The Buffalo Bills enter the 2022 NFL season as the favorites to win the Super Bowl for the first time since 1992, and started their quest for the franchise’s first NFL championship with a visit to the reigning champs on Thursday night in Los Angeles.

The biggest reason for optimism in Buffalo is their star quarterback Josh Allen, who has gone from a wild card to an MVP frontrunner in his time in the league, making an astronomical leap from his rookie season to now. As Allen enters his fifth season under center in Buffalo, he has a new offensive coordinator in Ken Dorsey (who was elevated from QB coach after Brian Daboll took the Giants job), but little is changing for Allen in what he’s being asked to do.

That continuity despite a big departure like Daboll was on display in L.A. as the Bills marched down the field on their opening drive for an impressive touchdown to take an early lead. The Rams would tie things up at the half though at 10-10 after three turnovers by the Bills — two on Allen interceptions although one was certainly not his fault. As such, the Bills needed a response out of halftime and did so in decisive fashion, forcing a three-and-out and driving for another touchdown.

On that drive, the Bills faced a third and long just across midfield and when the Rams blanketed the Bills receivers, Allen tucked the ball and showed off his running ability, discarding a Rams defender in the process as he galloped for a first down.

That’s a Derrick Henry quality stiff arm, not one you’d expect to see from a quarterback. That said, Allen isn’t like most quarterbacks as his physicality in the run game is part of what sets him apart. He’s become more selective in when he throws that weight around, trying to take fewer hits, but picking up a key third down in a tie game met that criteria and the Bills paid it off with a touchdown a few plays later.

“Set in the future when technology has subtly altered society, a woman discovers a secret connection to an alternate reality as well as a dark future of her own.”

That’s the official synopsis for Prime Video’s The Peripheral, which is a little like saying that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are “a corn puff snack.”

The series stars Chloe Grace Moretz as Flynne Fisher, a young woman grinding out her days at a server farm in a dystopian-tinged United States whose Marine brother (Jack Reynor) lets her use a headset that connects the user to what seems like cyberspace. Obviously, it goes a lot deeper than that. The novel was a return to sci-fi futurecasting by William Gibson, and it’s great to see a real production budget behind this adaptation. It’s even more exciting to see that Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan are lending their tech-and-philosophy-warping Westworld prestige to the proceedings.

It’s also great to see Moretz return to sci-fi after the gremlin-fighting Shadow in the Cloud and the only-watchable-because-of-her-performance Mother/Android. It’s high time she put those action star bonafides back to the test, and if some brain cells get warped in the process, then all the better. Hopefully, she doesn’t have to fight a weird Mark Zuckerberg pixel puppet.

The Peripheral hits Prime Video October 21st.