R&B/Hip-Hop

PinkPantheress delivered her acclaimed nine-track Fancy That mixtape this month, and fans are hoping she’ll get back on the road soon to tour around the new project.

Pink has been critiqued as a performer in the past, and she sat down with Capital Buzz where she agreed that the criticism has been “fair” and that she doesn’t make music for the stage.

“I don’t do music to perform, I think is the thing, and that’s perfectly fine,” she said around the 23:55 mark of the interview. “I think that people are probably used to and also expect a singer to be able to perform well. And I don’t blame anyone for thinking that. I’m not the best performer. Again, it’s one of those things where I’m like ‘I’m going to get better.’”

PinkPantheress continued: “But the thing is, no amount of rehearsals can make a difference when you’re in front of like 10,000, 50,000, 100,000. No amount of rehearsal you can do, and as somebody that has got very bad stage fright… I think one of the things people say is like, ‘Oh, I think her performances are a hindrance to her career.’ And I do think there is a level of if you want to make it as like a big, big pop-diva.”

The British artist is at peace in more intimate settings and doesn’t think the performance aspect is a hindrance to her blossoming career. Pink also caught up with Billboard earlier in May, which saw her reveal that touring with Olivia Rodrigo made her learn that she’s “not an arena artist.”

“Watching her and how she combats an arena and how she actually does the arena made me realize, ‘Wow, some people are arena artists and some people are not.’ I’m not an arena artist,” she admitted. “That’s something I learned about myself. What I learned from her is there are ways you can approach an arena and interact with people in the up theres or the far backs. She did that and is amazing at it.”

PinkPantheress added: “What happened when I watched her was, I saw my own failing and my own incapabilities, and I was like, ‘I’m not an arena artist.’ That’s not for a lack of trying. It just made me realize there are some things in life as an artist you’re told you should try one day — but for me, I think I’m one of those artists where I’m comfortable is where I always strive.”

The 24-year-old opened for Rodrigo for six or seven shows before leaving the tour for personal reasons related to her health in 2024.

As for Fancy That, Pink heavily tapped into the drum and bass genre and pulled on inspiration from Basement Jaxx and Calvin Harris to complete the cohesive work, which she thinks is her sonic magnum opus.

Stream the mixtape below.

SZA has come to Megan Thee Stallion’s defense after Tory Lanez‘sattorneys and a Florida congresswoman have spoken out about new evidence that they say will prove the Toronto singer/rapper’s innocence.

SZA was spotted by eagle-eyed fans in the comments of an Instagram video posted by user @theluncheonlawyer, who was speaking on the alleged new evidence uncovered in the 2020 shooting case.

“The density !!!!! I’m actually SO shocked at the amount of ppl fully comfortable bullying a woman that’s proven to be a victim of assault,” SZA wrote in defense of her “Freaky Girls” collaborator. “Like out loud where other ppl can see you ?? Lmao u finna be stupid OUTLOUD ?”

Megan Thee Stallion has also heard the negativity and noise. She clapped back in a comment on her TikTok earlier this week, where she referred to Lanez as a “demon.”

“At what point are yall gonna stop making me have to re live being shot BY TORY,” she reaffirmed. “At what point are Tory and yall FANS gonna stop lying ? Like how much is the check to keep harassing me?”

Meg continued: “One min him/ yall said I was never shot now yall letting him play in yall face AGAIN and say I was shot but it wasn’t him oh ok… ? Ain’t no new f—ing evidence yall been saying the same sh– for years, TORY PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE you are a f—ing demon.”

Lanez was the victim of a prison stabbing earlier in May. A rep for the Toronto singer claimed he was stabbed 14 times and suffered collapsed lungs, but was “in good spirits” while recovering at a nearby hospital. The Canadian artist was attacked by an inmate inside California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi around 7:20 a.m. PT on May 12, according to a spokesperson for the prison who talked with ABC News.

Lanez is serving a 10-year sentence in prison after being convicted on three felony counts for shooting Megan Thee Stallion during a heated dispute outside a Hollywood Hills party in July 2020. She was granted a restraining order against Lanez in January.

The new evidence claims came from the Los Angeles nonprofit social justice organization Unite the People, as attorney Walter Roberts alleged new findings in Tory’s case during a press conference last week. Roberts claimed that Kelsey Harris’ bodyguard, Bradley James, filed an affidavit saying he overheard Harris admit to shooting the gun and not Lanez.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida’s 13th district also called for Tory Lanez’s freedom earlier this week and claimed that new evidence was going to be presented in the next 36 hours, proving Lanez’s innocence.

“I am calling on Gov. Newsom @CAgovernor to review Tory Lanez’s case and issue a pardon,” she wrote. “His 10-year sentence was based on flawed evidence, political pressure, and prosecutorial bias. Justice must be blind— not driven by headlines. Free Tory Lanez.”

She added on Tuesday: “We have compelling evidence proving Tory Lanez’s innocence, and it will be released within the next 36 hours. Those who rushed to call for his incarceration, and worse yet pushed false evidence, should prepare to be held accountable.”

Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) teamed up with YoungBoy Never Broke Again for their long-rumored collaboration “Alive.”

The distorted track has yet to hit streaming services, as West released “Alive” through his Instagram on Wednesday (May 21). “ALIVE YE X NBA YoungBoy YZY SZN 10,” he wrote in the caption.

Production-wise, “Alive” sounds like it could be from the same family tree as Yeezus standout “New Slaves,” free of drum kicks and snares. “This that n—a been stealin’ the swag, they know damn well they ain’t invent/ This that n—s ain’t rich, they broke, want a blessing and they ain’t even repent,” Ye raps on the opening verse.

“Alive” samples DJ Swamp Izzo’s version of “Alive,” which is featured as part of Playboi Carti’s “Crank” track.

YoungBoy takes the baton and aims at his detractors. “I’ll put the b—h on and blick ’em, them youngins gon’ load up and get ’em, they catch em and stretch ’em/ .223, it ain’t missin’ a beat, we gon’ pray up to Heaven and step in eleven,” he spews.

NBA YoungBoy has long been a fan of West and shown his support to Ye over the years on tracks like 2022’s “This Not a Song, This for My Supporters,” which finds him telling Ye to stand his ground. “It hurt my heart that Kanye let them people break his soul/ How the f— that go? N—a, stay in yo’ home!/ N—a, hold your ground! You strong,” he raps in support of the embattled star.

YB also previewed an unreleased song in November 2023, which featured a sample of West’s 2010 My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy single “Power.”

“RIP to the Donda, now I’m the biggest scholar,” YoungBoy rhymes. “I got my own playlist, I say Kanye’s better.”

West has been entrenched in various controversies over the last few months, as he’s spewed anti-semitic and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric on his social media platforms. Ye’s concert slated for South Korea on May 31 was cancelled due to “recent controversies” surrounding the rapper.

Yeezy also claimed that his controversial “Heil Hitler“ song was banned from DSPs after attempting to release the track earlier in May. He even walked off the set of an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored show earlier this month, within minutes of the sit-down. 

Listen to “Alive” below.