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At the end of the day, Gollum is a simple guy. He likes all-powerful magical rings and … big butts? During her Tuesday (Jan. 17) appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Danielle Deadwyler did her expert impression of the famous Lord of the Rings creature while performing Sir Mix-A-Lot’s hit “Baby Got Back.” And as the cursed Stoor Hobbit himself would say, it was absolutely precious.
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Deadwyler began the interview by telling Fallon’s audience about how she fell in love with performing, revealing that she was inspired heavily by the first film in the LOTR franchise — specifically, Andy Serkis’ portrayal of Gollum, aka Sméagol. The Till star confessed that she watched the movie — which was inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien’s popular 1954 fantasy novel — at least “20 to 30 times the summer it came out.”
“Andy Serkis as Gollum, as Sméagol, is divine,” she gushed. “It’s vocality, it’s physicality, it’s all of the things.”
Noting that Deadwyler had practiced acting by mimicking Serkis’ portrayal of Gollum, Fallon asked the 40-year-old actress whether she could show off some of her skills on the spot. “When I was on From Scratch with Zoe Saldana, I did a song,” she said. “I did ‘Baby Got Back’ for her.”
“Are you ready?” she added, her voice suddenly morphing into Gollum’s sickly warble. “Here we go!”
“I like big butts and I cannot lie/ You other brothers can’t deny,” Deadwyler — or should we say Gollum — sang as she broke into song.
At the very end, she personalized one of the lyrics with Gollum in mind: “My homeboys tried to warn me/ But that butt you got makes me so … precious!”
Watch Danielle Deadwyler perform Sir Mix-A-Lot’s 1992 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 on Fallon above.
As a kickoff to the Harlem Festival of Culture (HFC) coming in July, Grammy-winning artist Lil’ Kim will headline a special concert at the Apollo Theater. The Jump Off with Lil’ Kim and Friends will take place on Jan. 26, the 89th anniversary of the legendary venue. Presented by Infiniti, the concert also signals the launch of HFC’s partnership with the Apollo for the upcoming festival weekend.
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“It’s going to be a night to remember to help kick off the Harlem Festival of Culture’s road to the festival with some of my special friends,” Lil’ Kim said in a statement of what will be her first time headlining at the theater. “Apollo was like my backyard; I played there so much and every time it was always love. The crowd is always amazing!”
“As we prepared to start on this road to the launch of the festival, we realized that this was also a milestone year for hip-hop and knew that our first major event out of the gate had to be special and center around hip-hop and R&B,” added HFC co-founder and technical & talent producer Yvonne McNair. “One of the tenants of HFC’s mission is to celebrate and preserve the cultural contributions of the Black Diaspora in music, media, art, fashion and entertainment. Hip-hop culture has touched every single part of society, and there is no artist that better represents its far-reaching impact than Lil’ Kim. We’re so thrilled that Kim will help us curate the evening to bring a full, one-of-a-kind music experience to audiences in the city where it all began. We’re also excited to launch this event and our festival journey with our partners.”
The multiplatinum rapper, actress and fashion innovator will perform her classic hits, including “No Time,” “Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix)” and “Crush on You.” That trio of singles made Kim the first female rapper to land three consecutive No. 1’s on Billboard’s Rap Songs chart. In addition to Hard Core, the double-platinum debut album that spun off those hits, her catalog includes the platinum-certified albums The Notorious K.I.M. and La Bella Mafia and the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Lady Marmalade” with her alongside Christina Aguilera, Pink and Mya. The lineup of hip-hop friends who will be joining Lil’ Kim onstage for the Jump Off will be revealed closer to the show date.
Initially announced in April 2022, the Harlem Festival of Culture was inspired by the historic Harlem Cultural Festival that was held in 1969 and spotlighted in Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul ( …Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Aside from Infiniti and the Apollo, HFC’s official media partners are All Arts and Billboard. Its additional partners include AMC Networks, Steve Madden and Northwell Health.
For more information about The Jump Off with Lil’ Kim and Friends, check out the Apollo Theater’s website. For more information about HFC, visit its website.
Encore presentations of the fifth Urban One Honors will air Thursday at 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CT) and Sunday at 6 p.m ET (5 p.m. Central) on TV One and CLEO TV.
Under the theme “Icons of the Culture,” the fifth annual Urban One Honors premiered on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. R&B star Tank hosted the show, which was taped at The Eastern in Atlanta on Dec. 2. Former Destiny’s Child member LeToya Luckett hosted a special backstage pass segment.
LL Cool J received the Entertainment Icon honor. Other top awards went to Bobby Brown (the inaugural Phoenix Honor), Pharrell Williams (the Music Innovation Honor), David Mann and his wife, Tamela Mann (the Inspirational Impact Honor), and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) (a Lifetime Achievement Honor).
The ceremony included performances by Keke Wyatt and Marvin Sapp; a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop with DJ Spinderella, Monie Love and Doug E. Fresh; and a finale performance from T.I. (Clifford Harris) and his son Domani Harris.
Roland Martin, Pusha T, Rev. Run, Lamman Rucker, Keisha Lance Bottoms (former Atlanta mayor and currently director of the office of public engagement in the White House) and Michelle Rice (TV One/CLEO TV president) also appeared on the broadcast.
The show was executive produced by Eric Tomosunas and James Seppelfrick of Swirl Films. Daniel Moore served as musical director; Marilyn Gill as executive producer.
Kashon Powell is vice president of programming for Radio One and Susan Henry is the network’s executive producer in charge of production.
Women supporting women! SZA used her Instagram Stories on Tuesday (Jan. 17) to celebrate Taylor Swift‘s record-extending run at No. 1 with “Anti-Hero.”
Earlier in the day, Swift had reacted to the news that her latest single was spending an eighth week at the top of the Hot 100 — and becoming her longest leading chart-topper in the process — by writing, “What on earth I love you guys…PS – been listening to SZA’s album nonstop. Absolutely adore her music. So much love and respect for her!!!”
Seeing the thoughtful shout-out, the R&B singer reposted the message with a note of her own. “Congratulations to tay tay!” she wrote. “And thank you so much your album and writing is phenomenal ..as ALWAYS.”
The back-and-forth comes as SZA’s own “Kill Bill” has been giving Swift’s smash a run for its self-loathing money on the chart, settling in at No. 2 just behind the Midnights anthem. (Meanwhile, SZA’s long-awaited sophomore album SOS eked out its fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, where Midnights sits at No. 2 on the chart dated Jan. 21.) as
SZA’s friendly response isn’t the first time she’s heaped praise on the pop star’s latest studio set, either. She shut down any narrative of competition between herself and her fellow superstar earlier this month, writing, “Uhh I feel silly that I even have to say this but i see supporters arguing and I hate that. I don’t have beef w ANYONE especially not Taylor lmao I genuinely loved her album and the writing!”
Check out SZA’s sweet note to Swift before it expires here.
Despite the fact that it actually happened last year, some fans still think Lovers & Friends Fest is too good to be true. But rest assured–the festival lineup, presented by Usher himself, was unveiled today on social media.
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The one-day only festival taking place on May 6 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds will prove to be a star-studded smörgåsbord of nostalgia for Y2K natives and newcomers alike. The festival also recruited some 2010s and 2020s favorites for their 45-act festival. Featured artists and groups will include Usher, Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey, Chris Brown, Nelly, Busta Rhymes, Flo Rida, Master P and No Limit Soldiers, Sean Paul, Shaggy, Beenie Man, Chris Brown, Ginuwine, Remy Ma, JoJo, En Vogue , Blackstreet, Jagged Edge, Next, Wayne Wonder, Kevin Lyttle, 702 , Lumidee and many, many more.
The festival is perfectly positioned amidst the ongoing early 2000s obsession in popular culture, with TikTokers promoting over-the-ear headphones, low rise jeans, rhinestones and paper-thin brows–in other words, the Y2K starter pack.
While last year’s Lovers & Friends fest was a flurry of confusion, with acts like Twista, Mase and Lil Kim initially backing out of their performances, Lil Kim even calling the festival “fake” on her Instagram account. The then-Goldenvoice promoted festival was soon after postponed and subsequently cancelled all together due to COVID-related setbacks. The show did (eventually) go on, with the inaugural event taking place in May 2022 and featuring acts like Lauryn Hill, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Usher, Jodeci, Snoop Dogg, Fabolous, Ja Rule and Ashanti. In the end, even Lil Kim, Twista and Mase showed up.
Despite a few hiccups like a false gun scare leading to three injuries and common festival woes like inadequate shade and long lines, the festival went relatively well. But most importantly, it happened, despite the skepticism.
This year’s Lovers & Friends is to be promoted by C3 (Austin City Limits Music Festival and Lollapalooza), with general ticket sales beginning on Friday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. PST on loversandfriendsfest.com. Pre-sale tickets arrive the same day, at 10 a.m. PST, with individual ticket prices ranging from $250 to $585.
See the full lineup below.
As 2023 unfolds, the new music continues to pour in. We’ve sifted through what’s new this week in R&B and hip-hop so you don’t have to, and rounded up the very freshest releases that are sure to last in your playlist for years to come. From the drill rhythms of Bizzy Banks to French language afro-fusion from Aya Nakamura, we’ve got every sound you need to power through the good, the bad and the ugly this week.
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Don’t forget to share the wealth with your friends through our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Wesley Joseph, “Hiatus”
Wesley Joseph is pushing through growing pains on his first offering of 2023, “Hiatus.” The rising U.K. musician and filmmaker artfully combines downcast chords with somber lyricism and a chilling falsetto for a climactic song about “a teenager talking to his future self and his future self talking back,” he says in a press statement. “The [first verse] perspective is from my angrier and darker teenage self, caught in a small town and needing an escape,” he continues. “It felt like a time capsule moment, and gave me the context to write the second verse as I feel in the present – clearer and more empowered.”
Eem Triplin, “Walked In”
Eem Triplin cuts through the haze of “Walked In” with his signature rasp and infectious lyrics. The self-produced new single mixes submarine radar-like bells with undertones of distorted 808s, as he raps about being rich and strapped.
03 Greedo, “Hype”
Upon his recent release from prison, 03 Greedo wasted no time feeding his fans. Last week, the LA rapper surprise-dropped a 14-track mixtape called Free 03. Entirely produced by Mike Free, standout track “Hype” sees the newly freed rapper delivering a quick freestyle over the phone from jail.
Aya Nakamura, “Baby”
On her new single “Baby,” Malian-French artist Aya Nakamura knows she’s the prize. The singer pairs the new release with a Y2K-esque video, donning colorful makeup and matching cropped sets. The French-language R&B-Afrobeats fusion single about her being the object of a man’s desire is the second single off Nakamura’s upcoming album DNK.
ALLBLACK feat. Curren$y, “Pelicans”
“New Orleans to the Bay, love, it always been that way,” spits veteran rapper Curren$y on Oakland MC ALLBLACK’s new single “Pelicans.” The P-Lo-produced track is extremely bass-heavy, with claps littered throughout, making for a laid-back Bay Area bop.
Malik Baptiste feat. Snoh Aalegra, “All You Need to Know”
With his latest single featuring Swedish-Iranian R&B crooner Snoh Aalegra, Malik Baptiste delivers a touching ode to home with uplifting lyricism atop meticulous, eclectic production. “When I left home, I did so quietly and without many updates on why or what I’ve been up to,” Baptiste shares in a press release. “Relaying this message of love through Snoh, I’ve set out to reconnect with my loved ones and propel myself forward into goals I’ve set for myself.”
Chiiild feat. Lucky Daye, “Good For Now”
Alt-pop/R&B fusion looks great on Chiiild and Lucky Daye. After the Montreal indie act hopped on Daye’s Candydrip deep cut “Compassion,” the singer and group join forces again on “Good for Now.” “Good For Now” strikes a hard-to-achieve balance between conflicting romance and lightness, a song you can vibe out to on a long drive and maybe shed a pensive tear. (Or not.) The track serves as a single in advance of Chiiild’s upcoming album, Better Luck in the Next Life, and it leaves listeners hopeful for the March project.
Bizzy Banks, “Ok Ok Ok”
New York drill artist Bizzy Banks delivers a nonchalant anthem with “Ok Ok Ok.” It’s the 24-year-old Brooklynite’s first single of 2023, which could prove to be a promising year, despite impending charges following his 2022 arrest. Later this month, Bizzy will be joined by Shawny BinLaden for a Gramercy Theatre set, where we’re sure the thumping beat and catchy verses of “Ok Ok Ok” will reverberate through the crowd.
Armani White feat. Denzel Curry, “GOATED”
Armani White is here to prove he’s no one-hit wonder. Following the massive success of his viral single “BILLIE EILISH” and subsequent release “DIAMOND DALLAS,” he’s back with reinforcement on “GOATED.” The Denzel Curry-assisted track is energetic and addictive, with White seen training with none other than ultimate GOAT, Floyd Mayweather Jr., in the single’s video. “GOATED” is a bouncy trap offering, thickly coated in braggadocio and the playful energy we can expect without fail from White.
Jane Handcock, “Layin Next to Me”
It’s hot, it’s sweaty, it’s summer in January. Jane Handcock’s “Layin Next to Me” seeps sunshine, a funky R&B offering from the rapping, singing phenomenon. The hook delivers a simple, relatable refrain: “You should be here laying next to me/ Phone off, do not disturb.” The Oakland native gently serenades listeners with this soon-to-be Sunday morning classic.
Lil Yachty is ready to enter into a new chapter of his musical career, and announced his fifth studio album, Let’s Start Here, on Tuesday (Jan. 17).
“Let’s Start Here. – 1/27,” he captioned the cover art on his Instagram, which featured a distorted illustration of men and women suited up. “Chapter 2. Thank You for the patience.”
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In an interview with Ice Box last year, the rapper revealed he was going in a different direction with the sound of his upcoming studio effort. “My new album is a non-rap album,” he declared. “It’s alternative, it’s sick… It’s like a psychedelic alternative project. It’s different. It’s all live instrumentation.”
This wouldn’t be Yachty’s first dip into the genre, as he collaborated with Tame Impala on a 2021 remix of “Breathe Deeper” from The Slow Rush B-Sides & Remixes, which peaked at No. 47 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.
In October 2022, the 25-year-old MC returned to the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since 2021’s “Hit Bout It,” featuring Kodak Black,” with his frigid, viral sensation “Poland.” The song reached No. 40 on the all-genre chart and entered the top 10 of Billboard‘s Rap Streaming Songs chart. He also produced several songs on Drake and 21 Savage’s collaborative album Her Loss, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Yachty released his last full-length album, Lil Boat 3, on May 29, 2020 via Capitol Records, Motown Records and Quality Control Music. The 19-track set, which included lead single “Oprah’s Bank Account” featuring DaBaby and Drake, launched at No. 14 on the Billboard 200.
See the album artwork for Let’s Start Here below.
It’s been two months since Migos member Takeoff was tragically killed on Nov. 1, and Cardi B is opening up about the heartbreaking moment she and her husband Offset learned the news.
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The “I Like It” rapper is the latest guest on The Jason Lee Podcast this week, where she revealed that she and Offset were planning on going to a Halloween party on the night of Takeoff’s death, but stayed home after their four-year-old Kulture threw up on Cardi’s costume.
“We just fell asleep and out of nowhere, Offset’s phone kept ringing, my phone kept ringing,” she recalled. “Offset picked up the phone and he [was] just like, ‘Noooo,’ and he [was] screaming and screaming. I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ and he’s like, ‘Takeoff is dead.’”
“I smacked him and I said, ‘Don’t say that. Like, don’t say that!’ And then he [was] just screaming and just throwing things, throwing up, running all over and I was so scared,” she continued. “I was just crying so much. It was terrible.”
Cardi added that despite the tragedy, she’s grateful for the time she spent with Migos, consisting of Takeoff, his uncle Quavo and cousin Offset. “I feel like I’m so happy that I experienced all those great moments when they were all together and everything,” she said. “It’s a great memory. Sometimes I cannot even listen to Culture because I get emotional. I love them forever.”
Takeoff was just 28 years old when he was fatally shot following a private party at a downtown Houston bowling alley. Takeoff’s primary cause of death was listed as “penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm,” according to an autopsy.
Drake lives a life that only few can imagine, but in the video for “Jumbotron Shit Poppin” — released on Tuesday (Jan. 17) — the rapper gives his fans and admirers a look into what three days of his life is really like, proclaiming at the beginning of the video, “This is 72 hours for us.”
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The rapper fluctuates between a few locations, much like any megastar would: He spends time at a mansion in California complete with an exotic red car parked in its driveway; hits up the Rolex store with friends to shop for expensive, jewel encrusted watches; dines solo at a dimly lit restaurant; and entertains girls. Lil Baby makes a blink-and-you’ll miss it cameo at the 1:06 mark, as Drake meets up with a few more friends for some after-dark endeavors.
“We ain’t even out in Turks, she finna take sand/ Ridin’ ’round with F&N, we like to hold hands (Oogie Mane he killed it)/ Boat was too sipped out, he ain’t leave the bed/ D–n, they dipped a pint of Tech in a Code Red,” Drake raps on the chorus.
“Jumbotron Shit Poppin” was released as a track from Her Loss, Drake’s studio album made in collaboration with 21 Savage. The set arrived in November, and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The LP additionally spent a total of nine weeks on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and occupied its top spot for four weeks.
Watch the video for “Jumbotron Shit Poppin” above.
Cardi B stopped by the premiere of The Jason Lee Show on Tuesday (Jan. 17) and opened up about her relationship with Offset and how they worked through a rough patch in their marriage.
“Me and Offset, we was not seeing eye to eye. This was, like, the same year that I filed for divorce and everything,” the rapper told host and close pal Jason Lee. “The main thing that was really bothering me, I’m gonna let him say it himself…I want him to say it because I feel like that’s really part of his story.
“The main thing that I wanted him to stop and everything, he stopped and he changed. And it showed me that he wanted to change for me,” she continued. Ultimately, the two musicians reconciled and Cardi dropped her divorce filing in late 2020.
“You [can] just see when somebody’s trying,” the “WAP” rapper added of Offset’s evolution. “I feel like we got married so young, and we got married so, like, spontaneously. And we did know each other, but we kinda didn’t know each other. We just was in love with each other and we had, like, a little toxic relationship…During our marriage and by time passing, we grew. We grew with each other.”
Cardi also reflected on discovering she was pregnant with daughter Kulture when she and the Migos rapper “wasn’t on really good terms.”
“And I was so scared,” she said. “I was scared to tell Atlantic, I was scared to tell my team because we had worked so hard. I had worked so hard and everything and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, like, what’s gonna happen after this?’ I just had this feeling, like, it’s going to be OK.”
Earlier this year, Cardi rang in the new year with a show in Miami, during which she playfully covered Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down” a capella.
Stream Cardi’s full interview with Jason Lee below.
