The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Cordae, Latto, Pusha T, and more.

This impressive week saw the releases of Joey Badass’ “Head High,” Dave’s “Starlight,” Morray’s “Still Here” featuring Cordae, Nigo’s “Hear Me Clearly” with Pusha T, Blxst’s “Sometimes” featuring Zacari, and Latto’s remix of Omeretta The Great’s controversial “Sorry Not Sorry,” along with the releases listed below.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending March 4, 2021.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Babytron — Megatron

The rising Detroit rapper is a little risque, but utilizes his off-kilter flow to deliver some truly gut-busting, borderline unhinged punchlines. He’s been gaining a faithful following on social media; now is the best chance to jump aboard the bandwagon.

BlueBucksClan — See The Difference

Speaking of swinging flows and head-turning punchlines, the LA rap duo has had that style on lock through the release of a string of mixtapes that have made them a fan favorite on the West Coast. Although this EP only contains four tracks, those tracks have plenty of replay value for fans awaiting BBC’s official debut.

Cool Kids — Before Sh*t Got Weird

You simply cannot discuss the blog rap canon without taking on the outsized legacy of this Midwestern duo. The impact they had on the landscape — even without experiencing the commercial heights of cohort peers like Kid Cudi and Wale — couldn’t be overstated if you tried. And now they’re back, supported by a who’s-who of the artists they’ve influenced over the years including Chance The Rapper, Guapdad 4000, JID, and Larry June.

King Von — What It Means To Be King

Von was just getting started when he was gunned down in Atlanta two years ago. More’s the shame, because he was so prolific that we’ve received two full-length bodies of work from the late Chicagoan — which is made all the more impressive by the relatively few guest verses that needed to be tacked on to complete this one (even if the songs themselves are pretty short).

RZA & DJ Scratch — Saturday Afternoon Kung-Fu Theater

Anyone who knows the origins of the Wu-Tang Clan is unsurprised by the title and theme of RZA’s first solo project since 2008’s Digi Snacks. While DJ Scratch holds down the production end, the rhymes are all Bobby Diggs, as he details the philosophy born of his fascination with martial arts matinees.

Singles/Videos

Duckwrth — “Power Power”

After his triumphant return in 2020 with SuperGood, Duckwrth teased his forthcoming album with the SG8* EP last year before dropping “Power Power,” his first single of 2022. He continues to illustrate the same genre-agnostic sensibilities of his last album, combining house and hip-hop into an irresistible, toe-tapping party anthem.

G Perico — “Switch”

Appearing on his 8-song album Tango, which was released last month, “Switches” sees the South LA native sticking steadfastly to his street-certified script, lauding his block bonafides over a post-G-funk beat made for the trunk.

Joey Fatts — “Bright Lights” Feat. Allyn

Long Beach rapper Joey Fatts admonishes listeners to stay ten toes down on this inspirational selection from his upcoming mixtape, Quicksand.

Price — “Without You” Feat. Elhae

In addition to constituting one-half of Audio Push, the IE native has been spreading his wings as a solo artist in the past two years and drops off this upbeat, romantic-edged single to kick off the next leg of his solo campaign.

Smoke DZA, Nym Lo, & 183rd — “Trust Issues”

Hailing from the New York trio’s Driplomatic Immunity EP, the two MCs preach prosperity and demand loyalty over a hypnotic beat produced by 183rd.

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

Niko Is has linked up with Talib Kweli, MidaZ the Beast, A.L. Punchline, and Wordsworth for a classic hip-hop posse cut titled “Live From The Blue Note.” Take “classic” with a grain of salt though, while this harkens back to a golden age of hip-hop group cuts, “Live” is anything but traditional. The video is shot in a moody black and white and sees the MCs trading dense lyrical verses over an eerie minor-key piano motif which acts as the song’s sole rhythm track.

The sparse and eerie track’s minimal arrangement allows the natural musicality of the words and the rhythms of each MC’s flow to really shine. Kweli, in particular, has a fiery verse that boils with a steady intensity (including lines that dance around his recent public conflict with Ye).

“See the grifters dressing like they’re post-apocalyptic fly fishers, you get the picture when I frame and capture, I’m the famous rapper posing as a backpacker…” and “your mental state seems to be in a defensive place, your fans must’ve got the Corona and lost their sense of taste.”

Or you know, maybe he’s talking about some other bridge-burning headline-making rapper who talked publicly about posing as a backpacker.

Despite the song’s downcast vibe and long length (it’s past the six-minute mark, with no drums in sight!) it never drags on or feels out of step with the rhythm of current and classic hip-hop. Watch the video for “Live From The Blue Note,” above, the song is set to appear on Niko Is’ upcoming LP with Juni Ali, Young Viejos.

Antony Starr, best known for his role as The Homelander on Amazon Prime’s The Boys was just handed a 12-month suspended prison sentence for assaulting a local at a pub in Spain earlier this week, according to reports.

The actor was in Spain shooting a new Guy Richie movie when the assault happened. Bathuel Araujo, the victim, says Starr was “very drunk” at the time, and began to lash out when Araujo asked him to calm down. Starr then threatened and punched the 21-year-old Araujo, who later revealed he needed stitches.

A suspended sentence, for those unaware, is when a judge sentences a defendant to jail time but delays the prison sentence in order to give the defendant time to serve probation instead. In other words, Starr will likely avoid spending months in jail but will have to shell out $5000 to the victim within 72 hours in order to avoid that 12-month sentence.

Authorities said: “The detainee’s state of drunkenness was taken into account as an extenuating factor. The sentence was the result of an agreement between the state prosecution service and the man who was subsequently convicted. His prison sentence is being suspended on the condition that he doesn’t commit another crime in two years and pays the compensation in the next 72 hours.”

Starr plays the sarcastic superhero The Homelander on The Boys, which returns this summer for its third season. The ensemble cast also includes Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Chace Crawford, Jessie T. Usher, and Nathan Mitchell.

One of the things that makes Cardi B so relatable — which is what makes her such a big star — is that she’s quick to join in on culture conversations surrounding viral favorite TV shows like Euphoria and You. Last year, the “WAP” rapper forged an unlikely but delightful friendship with You star Penn Badgley, which found the two stars swapping profile pics and prompted fans to petition to get her on the show.

It seems she’s just as enamored with HBO breakout hit Euphoria, which she commented on when fans unearthed a video of one of the show’s stars, Angus Cloud, bussing tables to her song “Bartier Cardi” before being cast on the show. Cardi expressed her approval, praising him for going from serving food to serving fiends (in the show; Cloud plays a drug dealer named Fezco who has become a fan-favorite character). “Look at him now pushing weight,” she quipped. “You go Fez.”

Cardi’s celebrity circle seems to grow every time she comments on a show she’s watching — and even due to her own show, Cardi Tries. After being ordained to officiate a wedding on one episode of the show, a chance “missed connection” encounter with actor Kal Penn led to Cardi being enlisted to officiate Penn’s own upcoming nuptials. Meanwhile, Cloud’s clout is beginning to grow as well; he recently made a cameo in Juice WRLD’s “Cigarettes” video, and is currently filming two feature films.

Justin Bieber has found himself working more with afrobeats artists in recent years, like when he jumped on WizKid’s “Essence” remix and recruited Alpha P and Omah Lay for “Peaches (Masterkraft Remix),” both in 2021. Now, Bieber and Lay have reunited, as Bieber features on a new tune from the Nigerian artist, “Attention,” which also arrives alongside a video.

Lay told Billboard of the song:

“‘Attention’ is one of those songs where I’m just saying the truth, where I’m telling my story. It’s basically about sometime in everybody’s life, you’re lonely. You can’t just always have somebody all the time. Especially as an adult. That was actually the headspace that I was in when I made this song, a little lonely. I want the people that are going through the same thing to feel like I was talking to them. I’m human. I’m just like them. I feel exactly the same way they feel.”

Lay also explained how the track came together, saying of the fateful Los Angeles recording session, “I was in the studio one day with Harv [a frequent Bieber collaborator]. As soon as I heard the beat, the lyrics were already in my head. We didn’t even spend 30 minutes making the song. Harv called him and I FaceTimed Justin Bieber for the first time in my life. Later on, Harv got to play the song for him, and […] before I knew it, he sent in his verse and the song was good just like that.”

Lay also noted, “One thing I loved about working with Justin Bieber was how easy it was. I didn’t even expect it to be that simple.”

Watch the “Attention” video above.

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

One of the most innovative producers in hip-hop, Grammy Award winner Flying Lotus (née Steven Ellison), is actually a graduate of the Los Angeles Film School too. He made his film debut with the grotesque 2017 horror comedy, Kuso, which he directed and co-wrote the screenplay for (along with Zack Fox and David Firth.) He then really hit his stride with Netflix’s anime series, Yasuke, about a real Black samurai from feudal Japan. He co-wrote the screenplay along with LeSean Thomas of The Boondocks and it starred Lakeith Stanfield as the voice of the titular role.

Yasuke was awesome, and showed that Ellison definitely has the chops to make creative film and visual entertainment (he also scored the music for the show, natch.) Now, he has signed a multi-picture deal via his Brainfeeder Films, with French company Logical Pictures and XYZ Films, to direct and produce a slew of upcoming films. The projects are said to be focused on horror, thriller, and sci-fi realms, and the first flick, Ash, has already been announced with production happening this year. “I’ve a strong desire to innovate in the sci-fi space and I really want to show the world something they’ve never seen before,” Ellison said in a previous statement about Ash.

Logical Pictures Group President Frédéric Fiore added that: “FlyLo is a highly talented and respected musician with such a unique creative universe,” and expressed his enthusiasm for the deal. The statement pretty much sums up who Steven Ellison is as an artist and we’ll look forward to the continued blossoming of his audiovisual universe.

Although Hulu’s Pam & Tommy limited series is a blast to watch, the show also arrived with a shadow over it, given that souces kept making it clear that Pamela Anderson had no interest in watching the project. And it’s impossible to blame her for feeling that way, given that the theft (and rampant circulation) of Pam and Tommy Lee’s “home movie” was not only a horrific violation but also dealt heavy blows to her personal and professional life. And Pam stayed silent without giving an official statement on the subject, but this week, she did reveal how she’s teaming up with Netflix to tell “the real story” to the world.

Meanwhile, Sebastian Stan is following up his butt-bearing, animatronic–penis chatting role with Hulu’s Fresh, and he responded to an inquiry from Variety‘s Marc Malkin about Pam’s next move:

I caught up with Stan on Thursday night at the premiere of his new movie “Fresh.” I asked him for his thoughts on the Anderson documentary news. “I think it’s great,” he said. “I’m feeling grateful and hopeful that the show inspired further conversation and another deeper look that it deserves, so I look forward to seeing it.”

There’s surprise there, really, and I mean that in the best way possible. Sebastian’s always ready to entertain different perspectives during interviews, and of course, he wants to further the nuanced discussion that Pam & Tommy embedded within its layers of debauchery. As for Pam, she alluded to how she’s endured “A thousand imperfection, A million misperception” within the public portrayal of her image, and she’s ready to reveal how she’s “[n]ot a victim, but a survivor.”

(Via Variety)

In a very on-the-nose example of art imitating life, or maybe life imitating art, the French set of Lupin was targeted by thieves who reportedly made off with over $300,000 worth of equipment. Considering the popular Netflix series is about a thief who pull off a series of elaborate robberies, headlines ran wild with calling the incident a “heist,” but eyewitnesses are now saying the whole thing is anything but. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“That’s a big word, ‘heist,’” laughs Brahim Rochdi, owner of Le 35, the restaurant in which a scene was being filmed that day. “You use that word for a bank robbery,” he says in an interview conducted in French. “What I saw was kids with firecrackers that showed up, that’s all.”

Rochdi, whose restaurant serves standard brasserie fare as well as North African specialties, was inside Le 35 when he heard pops going off on the sidewalk. “I didn’t realize [what was going on] at first,” he says. “I thought it was in the movie.” But for those outside, Rochdi says, it was “general panic.”

After rushing to help the cast and crew hide out inside of his restaurant, Rochdi observed the commotion and said none of the perpetrators looked older than 15, and some were possibly even 12. However, they were able to make off with camera equipment just a day after robbers held up the set of The Crown and made off with jewels. Police have not said if there’s a connection between the two, but the haphazard execution of the Lupin robbery suggests it wasn’t the work of criminal masterminds.

To cap off an already rough week for Netflix, on Thursday, a historic textile mill often used on series like Peaky Blinders went up in flames as over 100 firefighters rushed to put out the “full building fire.” Now, if that ends up being the work of kids with fireworks, too, then maybe call Interpol.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

It’s truly remarkable how entertaining Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty turned out to be. At this point, I’ve seen eight episodes and, honestly, I could watch 100. A huge reason for this, as showrunner Max Borenstein confirms, is the work of John C. Reilly as Dr. Jerry Buss, who at the beginning of the series buys the Lakers and demands the team draft Magic Johnson (played by Quincy Isaiah, and even both of these aspects are very complicated and almost don’t work out). So many truly crazy things happen during the course of this series about the beginnings of the Lakers dynasty, but Dr. Buss kind of becomes our, the viewer’s, pal. He’ll often break the fourth wall and talk straight to us. And it gets to a point, well, why wouldn’t he talk to us? He is, after all, our pal.

Another interesting aspect is Jack McKinney (played by Tracy Letts), who replaces Jerry West as head coach. When you think of the Lakers head coach from that era, you think of Pat Riley (played by Adrien Brody, surprisingly, at least at first, as kind of a sad sack). But McKinney starts out that first season as the head coach and, today, is almost forgotten. His story alone could be its own series. And, ahead, Borenstein explains why he hopes Winning Time might restore some of the credit that’s due to McKinney.

(At the time of this interview I was supposed to speak to both Borenstein and fellow producer and writer, Rodney Barnes at the same time for a set period of time. What happened was, right before the interview, it was changed to speaking to both separately, with one half of the allotted time being used for Borenstein and the other half for Barnes. I mention this because at the end of this interview I ran out of time and make a comment how I’ll save the question for Barnes. Which I did and that interview will publish next week.)

How did you crack this story? This really could just be people in a boardroom going, “maybe we should draft Magic Johnson.” As opposed to being unbelievably entertaining.

Well, I love to hear that. I mean, the truth is the whole story is about the way in which Magic Johnson, Jerry Buss, a whole group of people transformed basketball. From a sport that was the third, fourth, fifth tier sport in the country into the thing that was the most exciting thing to watch. And they did it on the court with this incredible fast-break style that Magic was the point guard of, that Jack McKinney initiated, that all these characters were part of. Jerry Buss created this show around the sport, a way of presenting sports as entertainment. And that’s what this moment was about.

They made sports into entertainment. And in doing that, they transformed the way that sports impacts culture at large – from fashion, aesthetics at every level. And so it felt like we absolutely had to find a way, totally, to bring to our show the same kind of energy, the same kind of showmanship. And that’s really how we landed on things like talking to the camera or cutaways to animated sequences. For all of those things, it was about having a freewheeling style that was similar, in its own weird way, to the freewheeling style of the game.

I always knew who Jerry Buss was, but I didn’t know his personality that well. As you mentioned, with John C. Reilly talking to the camera, after a few episodes, as a viewer, it starts to feel like, oh, my new pal, Dr. Jerry Buss, is going to take me through another hour of this wild world.

Yeah, it’s funny you should say that because John C. Reilly, it’s hard to imagine, honestly, anybody filling those shoes so brilliantly, but he looks at it that way. He sees himself as the kind of your escort into this world. And he brings such a level of charisma and charm and humanity and depth of emotion at the same time, to this character who’s larger than life. He’s a PT Barnum. He’s a very American success story who came from nothing, has a dream and the drive to accomplish it, and a great deal of charm along the way.

Speaking of that, obviously a lot was made about the situation with Will Ferrell, but now that I’ve seen this show I can’t imagine anyone else playing Jerry Buss. And it makes so much sense why it had to be John C. Reilly.

I can’t wait for audiences to watch John. And I mean, I love John in every role he’s done for his 80 odd movies, but I think still there’s something he’s bringing to this that’s special, that we’ve never seen before.

You mentioned Jack McKinney. There’s literally there’s an episode titled “Who the Fuck is Jack McKinney?” I think there is kind of a misconception that Pat Riley just took over the Lakers and off they went. And you portray Pat Riley, at first, as a sad sack. And then Jack McKinney’s this genius who comes in and then this thing happens to him. It feels like McKinney got kind of a raw deal with his place in history.

Well, I mean, I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but assuming that you’ll treat it with kid gloves in that respect. Yeah, the story of Jack McKinney is something I didn’t know when I, even as a Lakers fan, first read Jeff Pearlman’s book. And he was the visionary who started it all and had the initial conception of what this sort of fast break offense could look like and brought it into being. And for reasons that I won’t divulge, has been largely forgotten from the history. I hope that one of the things that our show gets to do is bring him back into the public’s attention, or into the public’s attention in a way that he’s deserved.

At the same time, the story of Pat Riley is every bit as counterintuitive to what we’ve come to expect. We know Pat Riley, the Armani-clad icon of ’80s. The fashion and sex symbol that he became and has kind of remained. What people don’t know is that, at this moment in time when we begin, he was a washed up NBA player who was wandering the beaches of Southern California wondering what the next act of his life would look like. And it was not obvious or inevitable that he would become the Pat Riley that we remember. Because how many NBA players retire and never become these iconic figures?

It’s a similar thing with Jerry West. Jerry West is one of the most famous and beloved and respected figures in the league as a general manager. He’s arguably one of the greatest general managers, if not the greatest general manager ever in the game, or in any game. At this moment in time, he’d never been a general manager. What he was, was a retired player who hated coaching and who didn’t know what his future was going to hold. So one of the fun things about the show is that even though people think they know what happens, and maybe know where it ends, there’s a lot along the way that’s surprising and compelling.

I was going to ask you about this Jerry Tarkanian and the mob story, because all of that is insane. But I’m out of time, so I’ll save that for Rodney Barnes…

Excellent. Yeah, ask Rodney!

[And we did ask executive producer and writer Rodney Barnes about the Jerry Tarkanian story and much more, coming soon.]

‘Winning Time’ premieres March 6th on HBO and HBO Max. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

The Regrettes, a rock band that’s been increasingly orbiting the pop music sphere, have just announced their third album called Further Joy. Out on April 8th, the band says the album explores the proverbial pursuit of happiness in the midst of these wild times we’re living in.

“That phrase, ‘further joy,’ summarized what it meant to be on the hamster wheel of constantly chasing happiness, but in turn, that’s what makes you unhappy,” singer songwriter Lydia Night said in a statement. “I was stuck in a loop of wanting to be better, wanting to be good, and therefore I couldn’t be here. I couldn’t be present.”

Along with the album announcement comes a full headlining tour and the new single, “That’s What Makes Me Love You,” a buoyant poppy jam that’s super sticky. It has a more indie pop lean than the big, pop rock shine of the previously released “Monday,” which featured Olivia Rodrigo in the music video.

Listen to “That’s What Makes Me Love You” above and check out the Further Joy art and tracklist, as well as the band’s upcoming tour dates, below.

1. “Anxieties (Out Of Time)”
2. “Monday”
3. “That’s What Makes Me Love You”
4. “Barely On My Mind”
5. “Subtleties (Never Giving Up On You)”
6. “La Di Da”
7. “Homesick”
8. “Better Now”
9. “Rosy”
10. “You’re So F*cking Pretty”
11. “Step 9”
12. “Nowhere”
13. “Show Me You Want Me”

03/04 – Burlington, VT at Higher Ground*
03/05 – Albany, NY at Empire Live*
03/06 – Poughkeepsie, NY at The Chance*
03/09 – Richmond, VA at The Broadberry*
03/11 – Louisville, KY at Headliners Music Hall*
03/13 – Cincinnati, OH at The Ballroom at Taft Theatre*
03/15 – New Orleans, LA at Toulouse Theatre*
03/16 – Houston, TX at Warehouse Live Studio*
03/17 – San Antonio, TX at Paper Tiger*
03/21 – Las Vegas, NV at 24 Oxford
03/22 – Fresno, CA at Strummer’s
03/24 – Eugene, OR at Sessions Music Hall
03/26 – Boise, ID at Treefort Music Festival
03/28 – Sacramento, CA at Ace of Spades
04/15 – Indio, CA at Coachella
04/18 – Pomona, CA at The Fox Theater Pomona^
04/21 – San Diego, CA at Humphreys Concerts By the Bay^
04/22 – Indio, CA at Coachella
04/23 – Tucson, AZ at Rialto Theater+
04/26 – Austin, TX at Scoot Inn+
04/27 – Dallas, TX at Echo Lounge & Music Hall+
04/30 – Atlanta, GA Shaky Knees Festival
05/01 – Charlotte, NC at The Underground+
05/03 – Washington DC at Lincoln Theatre+
05/04 – Philadelphia, PA at Theatre of Living Arts+
05/06 – Boston, MA at Big Night Live+
05/08 – New York, NY at Irving Plaza+
05/10 – Toronto, ON at Opera House+
05/12 – Columbus, OH at Newport Music Hall+
05/13 – Chicago, IL at Metro+
05/14 – Madison, WI at Majestic Theatre+
05/15 – Minneapolis, MN at Varsity Theater+
05/17 – Denver, CO at Summit Music Hall+
05/18 – Salt Lake City, UT at The Depot+
05/20 – Portland, OR at Roseland Ballroom+
05/21 – Vancouver, BC at Fortune Sound Club+
05/22 – Seattle, WA at The Neptune Theatre+
05/24 – San Francisco, CA at The Fillmore+
06/17 – Manchester, TN at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
07/01 – Rotselaar, BEL at Rock Werchter
07/03 – Bilbao, ESP at Bilbao Bizkaia Rock Day
07/06 – Madrid, ESP at Mad Cool Festival
07/08 – Glasgow, UK at TRNSMT Festival
07/09 – Cheltenham, UK at 2000trees Music Festival
09/22-25 – Dover, DE at Firefly Music Festival

* support from Kississippi
^ supporting Wallows
+ support from Alex Lahey

Further Joy is out 4/8 via Warner Records. Pre-order it here.

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