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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 Kendrick Lamar dominate all conversation in the music world with his feverishly anticipated new album. 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. Also find our Uproxx HQ Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly with the best new music, at the end of this post.

Kendrick Lamar — “N95”

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers was the most anticipated hip-hop album since probably the 2017 release of Lamar’s Damn. The album has been out for a few days now and thousands of hours have surely been spent listening to and dissecting it. After the LP dropped, Lamar put the focus on one track in particular by dropping a video for “N95,” a cinematic and eventful clip.

Post Malone — “Cooped Up” Feat. Roddy Ricch

Last week was indisputably all about Lamar, but Post Malone had himself a nice run, too: He stopped by The Tonight Show ahead of his appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he performed the new single he released last week. The song is the Roddy Ricch collaboration “Cooped Up,” a song that perhaps could have been called “Pooped Up.”

The Smile — “Thin Thing”

While Radiohead proper hasn’t had an album since 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool, two of the band’s primary figures — Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood — teamed up with Sons Of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner to form a new band, The Smile. A year after making their public debut in May 2021, they’ve released their debut album, A Light For Attracting Attention. Uproxx’s Steven Hyden notes of final pre-album single “Thin Thing,” “[Skinner’s] machine-like Motorik groove on ‘Thin Thing’ accentuates the song’s robo-funk amid the splashes of sci-fi synths.”

Tate McRae — “What Would You Do?”

Pop up-and-comer Tate McRae has a new LP, I Used To Think I Could Fly, on the way, which she previewed last week with “What Would You Do?.” As has become more common in pop over the past couple years, McRae works a rock influence into the single, which plays well with her pop melodies.

My Chemical Romance — “The Foundations Of Decay”

Since MCR’s 2013 break-up, Gerard Way had tremendous success in the comic book world, creating The Umbrella Academy (which was adapted into a Netflix series) and co-creating Peni Parker, an alternate version of Spider-Man who would later appear in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. So, it seemed he was fully over MCR, or at least too busy to revisit it. However, the group reunited in 2019 and last week returned with their first comeback single, “The Foundations Of Decay,” a six-minute, in-your-face epic.

Bartees Strange — “Hold The Line”

Bartees took on a powerful topic on his latest single, saying of the song’s inspiration, “I remember watching George Floyd’s daughter talk about the death of her father and thinking wow — what a sad introduction to Black American life for this young person. It was painful to watch her grow up in that moment, like all Black kids eventually do.”

Death Cab For Cutie — “Roman Candles”

Ben Gibbard and company have been going at it for decades now, and soon they’ll reach the decade milestone in terms of albums, as they recently announced their tenth LP, Asphalt Meadows. Alongside that news came “Roman Candles,” a rock-forward track that’s a strong introduction to the album, both by itself and in that it’s structured like a two-minute album-opener.

Burna Boy — “Last Last”

African music is having a major moment right now; Tems recently became the first African artist to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100, for example. Burna Boy, perhaps the biggest artist to ever emerge from Nigeria, made his voice heard last week with “Last Last.” Uproxx’s Wongo Okon notes that on the song, “Burna conquers heartbreak and reinforces the claim that he is the best of the best.”

Vic Mensa and Chance The Rapper — “Wraith (Writing Exercise #3)”

Chance has kept busy since 2017’s The Big Day, but not necessarily with new music. Fans are still awaiting a new album and while one hasn’t been announced yet, he’s been more active on the musical front this year. After dropping “Child Of God” in March, he popped up alongside fellow Chicago favorite Mensa on “Wraith (Writing Exercise #3),” which sees the pair just straight-up rapping for two minutes and change.

Florence And The Machine — “Dream Girl Evil”

Last week was a tough one for releasing an album if your name isn’t Kendrick Lamar, because inevitably, that’s where all the attention went. Nonetheless, Florence And The Machine had an anticipated release of their own: Their fifth album, Dance Fever. Included on the LP is “Dream Girl Evil,” a classic example of the group’s storied combination of soaring instrumentation and equally lofty vocals from Florence Welch.

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

Since their debut in early 2021, Silk Sonic has been a welcomed helping of nostalgia in an era where too many artists lean on the magic of yesteryears. For their 2022 Billboard Music Awards performance debut, Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars delivered a cover of Con Funk Shun’s “Love’s Train” accompanied by backup vocalists and live instrumentalists. Clad in red suits, .Paak sported the same laid hair he sported at this year’s Grammys as he and Mars sang their hearts out. It didn’t just stop at vocals, as they also had tight choreography to fully push the barbershop quarter-like showing.

Though the duo did not bring home any awards together, Bruno Mars did walk away with Top R&B Tour recognition for his work at Park MGM. This likely wasn’t too disappointing as they won every Grammy they received a nomination for at the April show, namely Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, Song of The Year, and Record of The Year. Their long-awaited album An Evening With Silk Sonic was released in November 2021, backed by successful singles “Leave The Door Open,” “Skate,” and “Smokin Out The Window.” Given their popularity and talent, one could say the door is left wide open for many more awards down the road if this album wasn’t a one-and-done situation.

Check out their performance of “Love Train” at the 2022 BBMAs above.

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

After Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings officially cemented Simu Liu as a Marvel superstar, the Canadian actor had his choice of roles. One project he immediately jumped on was the live-action Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and directed by Greta Gerwig. During a recent interview in London where the film is shooting, Liu revealed how he ended up in the star-studded production thanks to an agent who went HAM over the Barbie script. Via GQ:

He was on a group call with his entire team, who ran him through an array of prospective big-budget studio films for him to star in. None of them particularly stood out, until one junior agent spoke up, describing one of the best scripts he’s ever read. “He literally said this verbatim,” Liu recalls. “He was like, ‘If I could stake my career on any one script, it’s the Barbie script. I really think you should do it.’”

According to Liu, he made Gerwig laugh during the audition, which helped him locked down the role that will apparently involve a lot of dancing. Gerwig found it hilarious that Liu had a background in competitive hip-hop dancing, and that was enough to get him on the project. “She audibly guffawed, she giggle-screamed – and then I got the part,” Liu said.

Liu joins an all-star cast that includes Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and a strong comedic presence thanks to Issa Rae, Michael Cera, and Will Ferrell rounding out the production.

(Via GQ)

French Montana has been ordered to pay nearly $130,000 to his former pool cleaner after a jury decided a 2018 lawsuit against him. According to TMZ, French was sued by Juan Lomeli, who said that French’s German Shepherd, Zane, bit him while he was working on French’s pool in May 2017. Due to the attack, Lomeli said he lost income because he couldn’t work… around $39,500 in past economic loss. Meanwhile, another $60,000 was added to the judgment for non-economic loss and $30,000 in future non-economic loss, bringing the total to $129,500.

On Sunday, March 15, French Montana joined Sean “Diddy” Combs onstage at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards to introduce Travis Scott, who made his return to the awards show stage after a six-month hiatus in the wake of the Astroworld Festival disaster. The Bronx rapper has otherwise been enjoying the success of his 2021 album, They Got Amnesia, releasing videos for no fewer than seven of its songs since its release, including “Panicking” featuring Fivio Foreign; “Handstand” with Doja Cat and Saweetie; “Bag Season” with Lil Tjay; “How You King?“; “Business“; “FWMGAB” featuring Moneybagg Yo; “Push Start” with Coi Leray and 42 Dugg; and “Mopstick” with Kodak Black.

However, there are a few legal issues looming on the horizon. In 2020, French was sued by an anonymous woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her (although the case was settled out of court); since then, two more women have accused him of the same in two separate incidents.

The Voice has been a regular television presence over the past decade, as their have been 21 seasons of the singing competition show since 2011. One thing that’s not consistent, though, is the show’s lineup of coaches, as there tends to be at least once change in that lineup between seasons. During the 21st season, which concluded last December, Blake Shelton, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, and Ariana Grande sat in the famous rotating chairs. Now, though, a new vocal great is joining the show: Camila Cabello.

This will be Cabello’s first time as a regular coach on the show, although she has previously appeared as a team mentor. Grande is leaving the show, as is Clarkson. Stepping in to fill the other vacancy is Gwen Stefani, who was a coach in five previous seasons, most recently on Season 19 in 2020.

Cabello made the announcement yesterday with a TikTok video, in which Shelton, Legend, and Stefani harmonize on the hook of Mika’s “Grace Kelly” before Cabello pops up. She captioned her post, “See you this fall #TheVoice.”

Cabello certainly has the resume to help guide up-and-coming vocalists to greatness on the show: She has three top-10 albums to her name, including her No. 1 debut, 2018’s Camila. She also has a pair of No. 1 single: “Havana” with Young Thug” and “Señorita” with Shawn Mendes.

Patton Oswalt’s well-known for his predictions in the nerd-culture realm, but it’s almost impossible to avoid the serious issues out there, too, mostly because they keep hitting the U.S. in the face, at places that should be safe. Sadly, not even grocery stores are immune from mass shootings, and over the weekend, Buffalo, New York was ground central for what appeared to be a racially-motivated attack by a gun-wielding, manifesto-writing suspect who took 10 lives. Oswalt isn’t afraid to hop into the political realm at times, including the gun-control subject (he’s done so on a few occasions over the years), but his Sunday tweet packed a lot of punch into less than 280 characters.

“We don’t need gun control,” Oswalt tweeted. “We just need to avoid churches, malls, supermarkets, mosques, concerts, synagogues, cinemas, parks, pre-schools, middle schools, high schools, college campuses, mass transportation, the outdoors in general… (1/513)”

The “(1/513),” of course, doesn’t suggest (as it is commonly used) a lengthy thread that actually exists. Rather, the suggestion is that the mass shootings will continue (and they could continue everywhere), which is a fair assumption to make. And there seems to be no stopping these shootings from happening, since no amount of on-site security guards could possibly keep grocery stores safe. The same goes for (also this weekend) the California church attacked by a gunman, who killed five people before being detained by parishioners.

The weekend’s two mass shootings have reignited the gun-control arguments with no resolution in sight. In other words, The Onion’s own “‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens” article has more reasons for circulation.

Last year, global pop star Ed Sheeran released his new album =, which became his fifth straight No. 1 album. The song “2Step” was a highlight, and he invited Lil Baby onto a remix of the track. It came with a music video, which Sheeran revealed was shot in Ukraine through a message at that video’s start. He noted that the visual was done before Russia invaded Ukraine, but moved by a stay in which he “felt so welcomed,” Sheeran revealed that he would donate “record royalties from YouTube streams of the video to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.”

The song was a natural pick for his performance at this year’s Billboard Music Awards. Instead of showing up actually at the ceremony, he filmed himself playing the song at a packed show of his in Belfast, Ireland. He’s energetic and charismatic, and the crowd is happy to see him as he runs around a circular, revolving stage.

Sheeran has been making a lot of headlines this year, from unexpectedly collaborating with former metalhead heroes Bring Me The Horizon to divulging his plans to build a crypt on his Suffolk estate, which has a pub, a gym, a nearly completed chapel, and a wildlife pond.

Watch his performance of “2Step” above.

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

While the world burns around her like Homer Simpson setting his high school diploma on fire, Marjorie Taylor Greene wants everyone to know that she is so s-m-r-t. The controversial far-right congresswoman from Georgia, who doesn’t believe in the “so-called science” of evolution but does believe in “Jewish space lasers,” blamed the media for people thinking that she’s not intelligent. I can, um, think of other reasons.

“They create me as someone to not be liked,” Taylor Greene said on The Truth with Lisa Boothe podcast (via Raw Story) “They make me out as if I’m angry or crazy or basically just unintelligent, which, you know, is completely unfair.” She continued:

“But they say give me all the ‘isms.’ You know, ‘ists.’ Like the racist, the homophobic, um, you know, anti-Semitic. They put all those labels on me and none of them are true.”

As if to prove a point (although not the point she thinks she’s making), Taylor Greene also had words about “communists” in the United States government. “Our government, it’s not the same government. It’s a regime. They’re communists. They are waging a war against America,” she complained. “Anyone that went inside the Capitol on January 6, whether they just walked around or they fought with police officers or they broke their way in, no matter what level they were on, they have become political targets. They have been arrested. They’re being prosecuted.”

MTG thinks her “unintelligent” reputation is unfair, but Twitter disagrees.

(Via Raw Story)

Megan Thee Stallion delivered another reminder that her knees were created in a laboratory in her performance debut at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. The Houston artist graced the stage sporting a thong bodysuit and lace-up boots with an initial solo rendition of “Plan B” before her backup dancers joined the fun. She then transitioned into “Sweetest Pie” sans co-star Dua Lipa.

The 27-year-old walked away from the night with the Top Rap Female Artist award, a form of recognition she’s already familiar with having won it at the 2020 BBMAs. She also previously won the 2019 Billboard Women In Music Powerhouse award.

Megan Thee Stallion has been riding a huge wave of momentum over the years, seeing much success due to collaborations with Cardi B (“WAP”), Beyonce (“Savage Remix”), and Nicki Minaj (“Hot Girl Summer”). She’s taken home a Grammy at each of the last three shows and set Guinness World Records for being the first Female Lead Rapper to win Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. She last released Something For Thee Hotties back in October 2021, following up her debut album Good News in November 2020. Revlon and Essence took to Twitter to salute Megan for her 2022 BBMAs victory, which likely will not be her last.

Check out Megan’s performance above.

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

Earlier this year, Latto admitted that Cardi B’s 2018 Coachella performance inspired her to improve her own live show, and last night at the Billboard Music Awards, she put what she learned to good use with a blowout, exuberant performance of her own massive hit, “Big Energy.” Flanked by a fleet of dancers and backed by a soaring live band, Latto gave the BBMAs a taste of the charismatic, explosive performances she recently showed off on her first-ever headlining tour.

The single, which kicked off the promotion for her new album, 777, has become her biggest hit to date. In April, “Big Energy” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart propelled by a sample of Mariah Carey’s 1995 single “Fantasy.” Latto tapped Carey herself for the song’s remix, furthering its reach, and along with singles like “Soufside” and “Wheelie,” “Big Energy” helped push 777 to a top-20 debut on the Billboard 200.

Those accomplishments didn’t go unnoticed. Although Latto wasn’t nominated for any awards at last night’s ceremony, her showstopping performance will undoubtedly result in an invitation to come back — and the success of 777 will almost certainly warrant a nomination if she keeps the momentum going until next year.

Watch Latto perform ‘Big Energy’ at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards above.