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Coi Leray had a breakout year in 2021. She landed her first successful record with “No More Parties,” a song that entered the top-40 section of the Billboard Hot 100. It was also remixed by Lil Durk after gaining viral attention on TikTok. She later released “Big Purr (Prrdd)” with Pooh Shiesty, which also made its way onto the Billboard singles chart, in addition to making an appearance in the 2021 XXL Freshman class. All of that points to signs that Coi could be in for a big year in 2022 as she’s due for another project.

The New Jersey makes her return with “Anxiety,” her first song of 2022. The track is a bright record that takes a step into the pop lane as Coi speaks about the nature of anxiety and how it affects her from day-to-day. “I still got anxiety, that’s why I keep it on me / Sometimes I feel like, can’t trust no one around me,” she sings on the new track. “There’s another side of me but I don’t even show it / ‘Cause I got way too many people eating off me.”

Coi’s new song arrives after she concluded 2021 with “Medicine,” another record that touched on the topic of anxiety. She spoke about her struggles in a statement that she shared with the song. “Kind of been a rough year, even though I made millions, it came with a lot of depression,” she wrote before hinting at her plans for 2022 with a confident end to the statement. “This new year is going to be one of the biggest years of my life,” she wrote. “My album is going to be one of the biggest female artist albums in the world, I can promise you that.”

You can listen to “Anxiety” in the video above.

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

At the top of the year, The Chainsmokers let everyone know they’d be taking 2022 by storm with a parody clip that detailed just how hard it is to be them. After that uh, “illegal and reckless” concert in New York, maybe they’re not wrong? ) Anyway, not to say their exceptional 2021 decision to support the Emo Nite film wasn’t a great thing, too, just that they’ve made it clear they’d have more new music this year.

Right at the end of the short video they shared a few days ago teasing their return, we got a tiny preview of what their new single was going to sound like, and now the brand new track is here. Dubbed “High,” the song details an up and down relationship that seems to have more highs when the person involved is, well, high. It’s slightly more pop-punk than some of their previous EDM-heavy material, but still pretty signature Chainsmokers.

In the cinematic new video, one half of the duo is falling through the sky and landing on an airplane, while the other is inside the plane freaking out about a person landing on the wing! More sky high airplane drama ensues, but in the end, The Chainsmokers come out on top. Check out the new song and video up top, and look for more information on a new album from the DJ/producer duo coming later this year.

At the end of last year, fashion designer and producer Nigo revealed that his first album in nearly two decades was on the way. The upcoming project, titled I Know Nigo, is set to drop at some point this year and it’ll feature Tyler The Creator, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Lil Uzi Vert, the Teriyaki Boyz, and more. I Know Nigo is handled by Steven Victor who is Pusha T and the late Pop Smoke’s manager. The album also includes an appearance from ASAP Rocky who appear on “Arya,” the newest single from I Know Nigo.

The track is a laid-back braggadocios release that sees Rocky flexing his riches and how it places him above the completion. It’s a satisfying offering from Harlem rapper who hasn’t delivered an album, and much music at that, since his 2018 project Testing. The new song gives big promise for what the rapper has to offer as many wait for his fourth album, which is tentatively titled All Smiles.

He previously revealed that the project will come with contributions from The Smiths’ lead vocalist Morrissey. “Anything you need him to do, he show up and do,” Rocky said about the singer during a GQ interview last year. He added that the two spent some time remotely working on the album, which Rocky described as a “ghetto love tale” and “way more mature” than his previous projects.

You can listen to “Arya” in the video above.

Following up the success of a song like “Boo’d Up” is a tough thing to do, but Ella Mai is doing just fine. The rising R&B star made sure her 2017 song that turned into a 2018 hit wasn’t the only thing fans had to tide them over, releasing a full-length self-titled album that same year. In fall of 2020, she returned with a new single, “Not Another Love Song,” but has mostly been quiet on the release front since then.

Tonight, she’s changed that by sharing a brand new song with fans, rather mysteriously titled “DFMU.” A cursory listen will help most fans figure out what Ella is singing about on this one, though, as she sings “Don’t f*ck me up / don’t let me down.” There’s a video for the song coming tomorrow morning, so tonight we just get the song, but it’s a bit more woozy and about the same mid-tempo pacing as “Not Another Love Song,” though neither are quite as percussive as her infamous “Boo’d Up.” Either way, the song is a great step forward for an R&B artist that fans have been craving new music from for a few years now. Hear the new track below and keep an eye out for the video tomorrow.

Finally, after a wait that lasted nearly four years, the music world will receive a new album from Saba next week. The Chicago native is preparing to release his third album, Few Good Things, and so far it stands as a promising follow-up to his 2018 album Care For Me. The rapper has released three singles from the project: “Stop That,” “Fearmonger” with Daoud, and “Come My Way” with Krayzie Bone. Ahead of the release of Few Good Things, Saba returns with the album’s fourth single, “Survivor’s Guilt” with fellow Chicagoan G Herbo.

The duo’s new single is a bass-heavy effort that finds the both of them grappling with their individual survivor’s guilt. Saba fires off lines like, “I’m tryna move better, what’s really eatin’ when you from a food desert? / I see the news letters, can’t listen to them, they be movin’ too careless,” during a pair of verses on the song. To close things out, G Herbo arrives with a verse of his own that gives a glimpse of how he pushed through his past struggles. “Stay on the grind, had to plot for some years,” he raps. “Ain’t have no fear, I weren’t droppin’ no tears.”

The song arrives after Saba unveiled the official tracklist for Few Good Things. The project will offer 14 songs to listeners with guest appearances from 6lack, Smino, Black Thought, Mereba, Foushee, G Herbo, Eryn Allen Kane, Benjamin Earl Turner, Pivot Gang, Cheflee, Daoud, and Day Wave.

You can listen to “Survivor’s Guilt” in the video above.

Few Good Things is due 2/4 via Pivot Gang, LLC. You can pre-save here.

NFL Divisional Weekend was an all-timer in 2022, headlined by a battle between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen that will be discussed forever. From a handicapping perspective, it wasn’t an all-timer in this space, though disaster was averted, and Championship Sunday brings an opportunity to right the ship. Both games are extremely intriguing and, with only three games remaining in the NFL season, all eyes will be on the gridiron.

Before we get into a limited slate for a two-game schedule, let’s take stock of the full-season progress with exactly 100 selections in the books.

• Last Week: 2-3
• 2021 Season: 56-43-1

Come get these winners.

TEASER: Kansas City Chiefs (-1) AND San Francisco 49ers (+9.5)

We’re getting weird right out of the gate. If I’m being candid, this isn’t a slate that I love in terms of sides and totals, but we aren’t just going to punt the week. I do think the Chiefs will hold serve at home against a Bengals team that can’t block, and my confidence level on that side of this teaser is high. From there, I’m far less convinced on the Niners, but San Francisco has had the Rams’ number for a while and last week’s defensive performance from San Francisco was notably impressive. I’d bet on the Rams to win at home, but 9.5 is juicy, particularly in the era of missed extra points.

Kansas City Chiefs team total OVER 31 points

The Chiefs would be 5-1-1 against this number in the last seven weeks. Patrick Mahomes isn’t holding back from scrambling in the high-leverage realm of the playoffs, Travis Kelce is running around doing Travis Kelce things, and Cincinnati’s defense isn’t at the level of what the Chiefs have seen from teams like Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Granted, the Bengals did hold the Chiefs to 31 points just a few weeks ago, but Kansas City scored 28 first-half points before pedaling off. The main fear would be a total meltdown of Cincinnati’s offense and Kansas City turtling, but we’ll fade that.

San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams UNDER 46 points

As noted above, I was very impressed with San Francisco’s defense a week ago, even when accounting for frigid conditions in Green Bay. From there, only one game involving the 49ers has featured more than 44 points since Week 14, and San Francisco has been dialed in defensively for a while. On the other end, I can very easily see the 49ers leaning on the ground game against the Rams and trying to take the air out of the ball a bit, particularly if Jimmy Garoppolo is still limited by injury. This would’ve been a little bit juicier at the opener of 47, but 46 is enough.

After the tragic stabbing of Drakeo The Ruler at the Once Upon A Time In LA festival in December, the young rapper died from the injuries he
sustained at the event. Directly after her son, born Darrell Caldwell, was murdered, his mother, Darrylene Corniel, said she planned to sue the event over this wrongful death. Today, Billboard reports that the family’s lawyer, James Bryant, has outlined some of their legal action against Live Nation, C3 Presents, and Bobby Dee Presents.

Bryant said a lack of precautions to protect the rising young artist led to a situation where he was “essentially lynched,” and said the family will be seeking up to $20 million in damages. “His life was taken way too soon,” Bryant continued. “This should never have never happened if those promoters had actually had the proper security protocols. This was a preventable death,” he added, citing the fact that Drakeo was assigned “no security” and noting the barricades at the event were completely insufficient. Those who failed Drakeo the Ruler, they’re going to be held accountable,” the lawyer concluded.

Drakeo was stabbed during a skirmish backstage, much of which was captured on video, and the lawyer’s displayed this footage during their press conference. Billboard reached out for comment from the promoters involved but so far they have yet to respond.

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the biggest road draws in the NBA, thanks to the combination of the large number of Laker fans around the country and how fans of the home team flock to root against the Lakers.

That can create great atmospheres for regular season games, but it also can lead to fans crossing the line, as we’ve unfortunately seen on a few occasions with the Lakers on the road in the past few years. LeBron James has been at the center of a pair of fan incidents in the past year — one in Atlanta and one in Indiana — as he’s had games stopped to eject fans who go too far in their chirping at him. On Thursday, it was Carmelo Anthony who had enough of some fans in Philadelphia who engaged him during a Sixers blowout win.

A pair of fans seated a couple rows behind the scorer’s table got pointed out by Melo and were tossed for whatever they said, and then as that was going on a courtside fan got in Melo’s ear and earned himself an early exit as well.

On the broadcast, Ian Eagle points out that the two on the sideline fans were giving it to Melo for a few possessions before he finally had enough, while the one in the corner earned his ejection quickly for getting in Melo’s ear as security dealt with the other two. Per Chris Haynes, the fan repeatedly called Anthony “boy” as he jeered him.

In a little over a week, 2 Chainz will release his seventh album Dope Don’t Sell Itself. It’s a project that’ll check in with 12 songs and features Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Lil Durk, Swae Lee, Moneybagg Yo, 42 Dugg, and more. 2 Chainz also billed the upcoming effort as his “last trap album,” but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

During an interview with DJ Akademiks on the Off the Record podcast, 2 Chainz gave an update on ColleGrove 2, his long-awaited joint project with Lil Wayne, and the sequel to the 12-track effort they dropped off back in 2016.

“We were in the studio together,” 2 Chainz said. “I think the last time we were in the studio together maybe twice. This time, we’ve been in the studio together multiple times working on this project. Whether going back in after we’ve done something or whatever.” He added, “I feel super excited about this f*cking project because it don’t sound like nothing I’ve ever heard before. And doing something like that with Wayne, it’s welcoming, it’s warming, and it’s going to be accepted.”

2 Chainz also noted that ColleGrove 2 is “definitely coming out this year” and that Wayne will appear on every song.

You can listen to 2 Chainz talk about ColleGrove 2 in the video above.

Dope Don’t Sell Itself is out 2/4 via Def Jam. You can pre-save it here.

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

The 2022 NBA All-Star Game is on the horizon and, on Thursday, the Inside The NBA panel revealed the 10 starters. There was one notable surprise in the form of Andrew Wiggins landing among the trio of Western Conference frontcourt players but, for the most part, the real dialogue will continue until the NBA announces the reserves in both conferences on Thursday, Feb. 3.

As a quick reminder, the five starters from the East are Kevin Durant (captain), Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, DeMar DeRozan, and Trae Young. The West starters are LeBron James (captain), Nikola Jokic, Andrew Wiggins, Stephen Curry, and Ja Morant.

From here, the NBA’s coaches will vote on the seven reserves for each side and the format is crucial. Two reserve guards must be chosen from each conference, with three reserve frontcourt players and two “wild card” choices that can come from any position. There is positional guidance from the All-Star voting ballot itself but, for the most part, it is open season and creative results are possible.

In this space, we’ll lay out the candidate pools (in alphabetical order) for each of the four position groups, with the coaches doing the rest in the coming days. Up first is the jam-packed guard race in the East, made more difficult by the bizarre inclusion of DeRozan as a guard despite playing the entirety of his season at forward.

East Backcourt

• LaMelo Ball (19.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 7.7 apg; 42.4% FG, 36.3% 3PT, 88.6% FT) – At the time of this post, the Hornets are 27-22 and comfortably in the No. 7 spot in the East. While Miles Bridges and others have played well, Ball is driving a lot of the offense in Charlotte, and the numbers are impressive.
• Bradley Beal (23.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6.5 apg; 45.5% FG, 30.1% 3PT, 83.7% FT) – It hasn’t been a good shooting season for Beal, but he is the centerpiece of a decent Washington team. The three-time All-Star is also averaging a career-best mark in assists and the second-best rebounding total of his career.
• Jaylen Brown (24.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.0 apg; 45.4% FG, 36.4% 3PT, 78.7% FT) – Brown has played in only 35 of Boston’s first 47 games, but he’s been good when he’s on the court. Playing in three-quarters of the games is enough to maintain candidacy, and Brown’s efficiency and productivity are strong.
• Darius Garland (19.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 8.2 apg; 46.7% FG, 36.4% 3PT, 90.7% FT) – With Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio both out, Garland has been the only ball-handler for Cleveland at times this season, and he is enjoying a full-fledged breakout. The game is in Cleveland, adding to the mystique, but his play has earned consideration on the merits.
• James Harden (23.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 10.1 apg; 42.0% FG, 33.7% 3PT, 87.1% FT) – Even in a “down” year, Harden is putting up huge numbers on a good team. The nine-time All-Star is a mainstay at this point, and he has been thrust into more prominent duty with Kyrie Irving out for a while and now serving as a part-time player.
• Jrue Holiday (17.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 6.4 apg; 48.9% FG, 38.1% 3PT, 74.2% FT) – Holiday is one of the best defensive guards in the NBA and he’s still a prominent force on offense. The counting stats aren’t at the same level as other competitors, but the impact is up there.
• Zach LaVine (24.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.3 apg; 48.8% FG, 40.4% 3PT, 87.1% FT) – Charles Barkley famously thought LaVine should start over Trae Young, and Chicago is a great story. LaVine is playing at an All-Star level and, if you squint hard enough, you might even be able to make a case for him over DeRozan.
• Fred VanVleet (21.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 7.0 apg; 42.1% FG, 39.3% 3PT, 87.0% FT) – Toronto’s broadcast team has taken to calling him “Freddy All-Star” and VanVleet is playing incredible basketball. He’s a plus defender despite modest size, and VanVleet has been the best player for the Raptors this season.

East Frontcourt

• Jarrett Allen (16.1 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 1.9 apg; 68.9% FG, 68.8% FT) – As noted above with Garland, there will be a push for Cleveland representation but, again, Allen is deserving on his own. He’s been a force and, alongside Evan Mobley, has anchored an impressive and surprising Cavs defense.
• Jimmy Butler (21.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 6.0 apg; 48.4% FG, 23.6% 3PT, 88.2% FT) – The only knock on Butler is that he’s played in only 30 games. Otherwise, he’s been a two-way force for a top-tier team, and Butler is a five-time All-Star selection with a long track record.
• Khris Middleton (20.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.3 apg; 44.4% FG, 39.2% 3PT, 88.8% FT) – Middleton is sometimes forgotten, but he’s just plugging along at a star level. He’s best cast as a No. 2 or No. 3 piece but, in Milwaukee, that is what he is, and he’s very good at it.
• Domantas Sabonis (19.0 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 4.9 apg; 57.7% FG, 32.7% 3PT, 74.4% FT) – Sabonis might be dinged for Indiana’s dismal win-loss record, but the counting stats are there and this is the most efficient shooting season of his career.
• Pascal Siakam (21.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.2 apg; 47.7% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 72.5% FT) – Like Butler, Siakam might have a games question after appearing in only 33 thus far. He’s still playing well, though, and could be underrated at this point after vanishing into the wilderness last season.
• Jayson Tatum (26.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.9 apg; 42.7% FG, 33.1% 3PT, 84.2% FT) – Tatum has disappointed this season when compared to expectations, but he’s still playing at an All-Star level. It’ll be interesting to see how he’s viewed.

West Backcourt

• Devin Booker (25.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.4 apg; 44.2% FG, 37.7% 3PT, 86.1% FT) – The Suns are the best team in the league and Phoenix doesn’t have a starter out of the West. It seems likely that both Booker and Chris Paul (see below) will make it, and they both should.
• Luka Doncic (25.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 8.7 apg; 43.5% FG, 30.0% 3PT, 75.3% FT) – Doncic isn’t having a great season by his standards, but he’s (by far) the best player on a top-six team in the West and the numbers are still there.
• Anthony Edwards (22.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.5 apg; 44.6% FG, 37.6% 3PT, 79.3% FT) – At the time of this post, the Wolves are the No. 7 seed in the West and, while Karl-Anthony Towns gets a lot of credit, Edwards should also receive some attention. The former No. 1 pick has ramped up his defense and he’s scoring at a prolific rate with solid efficiency.
• Donovan Mitchell (25.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.2 apg; 45.0% FG, 33.9% 3PT, 87.6% FT) – Mitchell’s numbers are quite similar to last year’s and that is a positive thing. Utah also has the best offense in the league and he’s the biggest individual reason for that success.
• Chris Paul (14.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 10.1 apg; 48.7% FG, 33.1% 3PT, 83.5% FT) – The Point God continues to defy the aging curve. He should be a lock.

West Frontcourt

• Anthony Davis (22.8 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.8 apg; 51.8% FG, 17.5% 3PT, 73.0% FT) – Davis is back from injury, returning on Jan. 25, and that gives him more of a chance to make the cut. His shooting has evaporated, though, and the Lakers’ lack of team success might join forces with his lack of playing time to make a tough decision.
• Paul George (24.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 5.5 apg; 42.1% FG, 32.3% 3PT, 88.0% FT) – George would be an absolute no-brainer if not for injury, but he’s appeared in only 26 games and hasn’t taken the floor since before Christmas. It’s a testament to how good he is that he’s even on the list.
• Draymond Green (7.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.4 apg; 53.7% FG, 28.6% 3PT, 59.7% FT) – Golden State is holding its breath about Green’s back injury but, even if he can’t play before the All-Star break, Green should be in. He was the leading DPOY candidate when he exited and the Warriors have the best defense in the league because of his presence.
• Rudy Gobert (16.0 ppg, 15.1 rpg, 1.2 apg; 70.7% FG, 69.0% FT) – Gobert was a serious candidate to start and should be a lock here. He remains the best rim protector in the league and, even with self-creation, Gobert is a big-time weapon for an elite offense.
• Karl-Anthony Towns (24.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg; 3.6 apg, 51.6% FG, 41.0% 3PT, 81.1% FT) – In a just world, either Towns or Gobert would be starting in place of Andrew Wiggins. Both should make the team anyway.