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#LetUziDrop: Sorry Nav Fans, Looks Like ‘Bad Habits’ Is Dropping Without “Habits”

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Nav and Uzi Vert

Source: Prince Williams/ATLPics.net/Adriana M. Barraza / WENN

DJ Drama Says Nav Clearance Issues Are Not About Money

Toronto rapper Nav’s new album ‘Bad Habits’ is set for release at midnight but it appears that it will be dropping without “Habits,” his song with Lil Uzi Vert.

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Crazy but its true #FreeUzi

A post shared by Nav (@nav) on

Nav took to Instagram Wednesday to reveal issues with Uzi’s Generation Now label execs DJ Drama and Don Cannon:

I know yall wanted habits on the album. I had an open verse for the longest and Uzi blessed us with one. Unfortunately dj drama and don cannon wont clear his verse legally. I use to be big fans of them since gangsta grillz mixtapes and always thought they support new artist. I guess its all about the $$$$ for them now! Its crazy but its true.

Drama commented on the post with what many fans considered to be a slap in the face in the form of faux promotion saying:

“Bad Habits” on all Platforms tonite! Go Get it! @cashxo

Don Cannon replied to Drama with several praise hand emojis.

Meanwhile the track’s producer Wheezy Outta Here posted four broken heart emojis in the comments.
💔💔💔💔

Sadly it seems Nav and Wheezy may simply be suffering collateral damage from the ongoing problems between Uzi, Drama and Cannon.

“It’s not about the money,” Drama exclusively told Janeé Bolden, iOne Digital’s Sr. Content Director, Pop Culture. “We turned down $100,000 before.”

As for Nav’s post, Drama said “Social media is a crazy thing,” before declining to comment on whether the song could be cleared in time for Nav’s release.

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Tonight!!! 😈

A post shared by Nav (@nav) on

Nav alson posted the edited artwork to his socials with the Uzi feature “Habits” crossed out. The project features collaborations with Gunna, Meek Mill, Young Thug, Lil Durk and The Weeknd, who also executive produced the project alongside Nav and manager Cash.

Sources close to the rapper tell HipHopWired that Nav going public with the issue is a sign of how deeply it troubled him.

“He’s really close with Uzi so it’s upsetting,” the insider told HHW. “To have Gunna, Thug, Durk, Meek Mill, Abel and all them on the album and not be able to get that song, which is the song the album was named for, it’s bad.”

Definitely a tough situation for Nav and his whole team, not to mention Uzi. In the meantime over 600 some fans hurled insults at Don Cannon and DJ Drama in Nav’s comments over the incident.

For now, at least, it seems “Habits” will have to wait. Do you think Uzi and his label will resolve their issues any time soon?

Are you still looking forward to ‘Bad Habits’?

Source: HipHopWired.com

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Hip Hop, Hip Hop Community News, Hip Hop Culture | Hip Hop Arts and Lifestyle, Hip Hop Music | Listen To and Download Hip Hop Tracks, Hip Hop News, Hip Hop News | Trending Hip Hop Stories, Hip-Hop, News

5 Years Later: How ‘My Krazy Life’ Solidified YG as a New Age West Coast Rap Pioneer

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Compton-bred rapper YG — “Keenon Daequan Ray muthafuckin’ Jackson” as his mom eloquently refers to him on the intro to the album we’re about to talk about — is one of the leaders in today’s roster of young Hip-Hop kings, right there along with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Meek Mill and the immensely-missed Mac Miller. While Cole is a representative of the south by way of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Meek a proud representation of Philly through and through, Mac giving Pittsburgh its well-deserved props and K. Dot telling the story of living in Compton from a deeply introspective and oftentimes poetic point of view, YG found a way to rep the West Coast from its original G-funk gangsta rap roots from the very beginning of his career.

His platinum-selling debut album, My Krazy Life, turns five years old today (March 18), and is officially available as a 2LP black vinyl by way of Urban Legends. It’s one of those records that will look good plastered on your wall of other preserved rap records, or for a few good spins if you actually own a player to scratch it on. Either way, there’s no arguing that My Krazy Life is a modern day classic. Let us break down why real quick.

Before you go cop the record and add it to your collection, read on to see why YG’s My Krazy Life was so important to the climate of Hip-Hop in 2014 and how it’s shaped the rap game up to this day:



The Album Topped Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums & Rap Albums Charts, While Also Debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200

The week of April 5, 2014, My Krazy Life was held out from the top spot by one astronomical album: the soundtrack for Disney’s Frozen. Granted, nobody was stopping the Frozen train, so we definitely give YG cred where it’s due. However, he was able to top the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and the Top Rap Albums, the latter where it finished at #9 on the year-end list. Overall, it was one of the most successful rap releases of 2014.


The Guest Features Were Phenomenal

Not only was he able to get rap vet Jeezy on the hit lead single, as well as Lil Wayne on the remix, YG also found a way to use My Krazy Life as an opportunity to prove that there was definitely a unity within his rap class. ScHoolboy Q and Jay Rock on “I Just Wanna Party,” Tory Lanez on “Me & My Bitch,” Nicki Minaj on the aforementioned lead single remix as well, Drake on “Who Do You Love?” and Kendrick Lamar on the classic deep cut “Really Be (Smokin N Drinkin)” were all examples of that. While friendly competition is always in the atmosphere, these MCs supported and rocked with each other heavy.


The Album Helped Put DJ Mustard on the Map

Granted, DJ Mustard had been producing hits as far back as 2011 with Tyga’s top 10 banger “Rack City,” but his working relationship with YG can’t be compared to any rap/producer duo in the game. While they went through a brief beef that has thankfully been squashed, there’s no denying the classic songs they were able to create as a unit on My Krazy Life. We saw them recreate the magic recently on “Big Bank” off last year’s Stay Dangerous, proving that the YG/Mustard union is a much-needed force in Hip-Hop for the majority of us that love a good G-Funk-laced club banger.


My Krazy Life Proved YG Could Represent the West Coast As a Solo Force

Having a tight rap crew to fall back on definitely helps elevate you up the ranks in Hip-Hop, which is why we give YG even more cred for being able to navigate up the charts dolo. While his contemporaries had groups that range from TDE and A$AP Mo to Dreamville and even Young Money, YG held things down on his own under his 4Hunnid imprint, which operates as a record label and fashion brand alike. The leader of his own pack, for sure.


The Universal Praise of “My Nigga”

As controversial as the title is, nobody can deny the takeover of the rap game that “My Nigga” had on Hip-Hop and music in general. A certified quadruple platinum hit, the song also referred to as “My Hitta” made it to the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 (#19 peak position) and garnered YG two BET Hip Hop Awards, including “Best Collabo, Duo or Group” alongside Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan plus recognition for the coveted “Track of the Year” that was awarded to DJ Mustard for production. Even today, drop that track and watch the room go crazy.


Happy five years to My Krazy Life by YG! Shop the new 2LP vinyl release right now over on Urban Legends, and let us know your favorite tracks off the project over on our Facebook and Twitter.

The post 5 Years Later: How ‘My Krazy Life’ Solidified YG as a New Age West Coast Rap Pioneer appeared first on The Source.

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Hip Hop, Hip Hop Culture | Hip Hop Arts and Lifestyle, Hip Hop Music | Listen To and Download Hip Hop Tracks, Hip Hop News, Hip Hop News | Trending Hip Hop Stories, News

The Source Black History Icon of the Day: Tupac Amaru Shakur

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The Source has been profiling Black History Icons for the entire month of February, ranging from heavy-hitters in sports like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali, to the beautiful and wise Maya Angelou who blessed us with her activism as much as she did with her poetry. Today, we look at one that holds a special place for us as a Hip-Hop publication: rapper, actor and all-around visionary Tupac Amaru Shakur.


“It seems the rain’ll never let up /
I try to keep my head up…and still keep from gettin’ wet up /
You know it’s funny when it rains it pours /
They got money for wars, but can’t feed the poor /
Said it ain’t no hope for the youth and the truth is…
…It ain’t no hope for the future.”

— 2Pac, “Keep Ya Head Up” (1993)


Known simply by his stage name 2Pac — a moniker that lead to others such as “Pac,” “Makaveli” and often, yet arguably, “The Greatest Rapper of All Time” — the multifaceted entertainer lived for 25 years on this Earth before being taken down in his prime due to gun violence spearheaded by the “East Coast vs. West Coast” rap war that also claimed the life of his adversary, The Notorious B.I.G. In his lifetime, Tupac would release four critically-acclaimed solo rap albums, including the debut LP 2Pacalypse Now in 1991 that featured a classic cut called “Brenda’s Got a Baby,” 1993’s Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z… that included his signature song “Keep Ya Head Up” that gave us the featured quote seen above, Me Against the World in 1995 that gave him his first Billboard 200 chart-topper and is considered the best work of his life and finally All Eyez on Me, the first double-disc album in the history of Hip-Hop which was released exactly seven months prior to his murder in 1996. Each of these projects individually helped mold Pac into the revered legend that we recognize him as today, and his memory has only grown in the 23 years since he died by continuing to influence a countless number of rappers after him and individuals from all walks of life.



He wasn’t just an ill MC, either; Tupac starred in hit ’90s films like Juice in 1992 with Omar Epps (seen above), Poetic Justice a year later in 1993 alongside pop queen Janet Jackson, Above the Rim in 1994 with Duane Martin and even on television in 1993 alongside lifelong friend Jada Pinkett Smith in her co-starring series A Different World. After his death, three posthumously-released films arrived in theaters, starting with Bullet just one month after his demise in 1996, plus the 1997 releases of both Gridlock’d and Gang Related, respectively. It’s also widely-known that John Singleton wrote the 2001 film Baby Boy with Tupac as the first choice to play the main character Jody (later replaced by Tyrese), and it’s been said that he even read for Samuel L. Jackson’s role as Master Mace Windu in the 1999 sci-fi hit film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. In addition to his strong stance on politics, both in the lyrics of his biggest songs and in reaction to his many real-life run-ins with the law, there’s really no telling what the future could’ve held for such an astounding figure in Black History. Dare we say, President Pac?



His full life was immortalized in the 2017 biopic All Eyez on Me, with budding actor Demetrius Shipp Jr. playing the title role, and most recently in last year’s 10-episode anthology series Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. that aired on USA Network and starred Marcc Rose as the bandana-bearing rap legend. With as many as three unreleased albums currently in the works from his official estate, we have yet to see or hear the last from our dearly-missed brother. While his memory is eternal, we’ll always miss the even greater man that he would’ve become in the physical.

R.I.P always, Pac.


The post The Source Black History Icon of the Day: Tupac Amaru Shakur appeared first on The Source.

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Hip Hop, Hip Hop News, Hip Hop News | Trending Hip Hop Stories, News

Our President Still Cooler Than Yours: Barack Obama Top Songs of 2018

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While living in the era of Trump seems like an ontological nightmare that we just can’t seem to wake up from, we continue to get glimpses of the good old Obama days. You know those days… when the our Commander In Chief looked like us, watch the same movies we did, inspired us to hope and even listened to some of the same music/songs that we in everyday Hip-Hop America listened to. There were so many ways that 44 sought to connect with Gen X and Millennials, many have felt a sense of withdrawal with out his consistent engagement.

However, this holiday season he and his family have been keeping us smiling with their random acts of charities, Michelle’s new book and look what we have here… a new listicle of his favorite tunes.

Michelle Obama Extends Her Becoming Book Tour

And keeping in the tradition Obama set while in office, he is sharing on social media his year end list of favorites of 2018: Songs, Movies & Books.

At the head of the lists that he posted are some shockers (proving that 44 has his finger on the eclectic pulse of a generation). His favorite songs of the year included some of Hip-Hop’s hottest tracks like The Carters’ “Ape Sh*t,” Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin’s “I Like It,” J. Cole’s “Kevin’s Heart,” and The “Wow” Freestyle by Jay Rock (featuring Kendrick Lamar).  His list of favorite movies included some industry blockbusters and critically exclaimed projects like Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman and the new film based on the  James Baldwin book, If Beale Street Could Talk.  Topping his book list was Michelle Obama’s Becoming and some amazing African authors such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chinua Achebe and Nelson Mandela.

Check out the list and let me know if you agree with his taste in artistic expression.

 

The post Our President Still Cooler Than Yours: Barack Obama Top Songs of 2018 appeared first on The Source.

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Hip Hop, Video, Videos

Meyhem Lauren & DJ Muggs Find The “Balance” In New Visuals

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DJ Muggs came through with his Dia del Asesinato album this past Summer, and doubled up with a diamond edition of the project. Tucked away on the album is “Balance,” which features Meyhem Lauren. The New York rapper drops harsh bars over delicate pianos, mixing grit with beauty for a unique banger. Muggs and Lauren have touched down with visuals for “Balance” that aims to bring the visual representation of the same mix to life.

Lauren sits down for a clean beard shape up as he drops the grimy bars. The barbershop scenes flash by as Muggs appears and the two men take to the streets. The corners and parks of New York are explored by Lauren. Bodegas line the concrete streets and the atmosphere of the Big Apple intensifies the raspy rapper’s bars. The scenes change to a venue where Busta Rhymes shakes Lauren’s hand before he steps out on a stage to rock a packed club. The balance between the streets and the music is evident.

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Hip Hop, International Hip Hop, New Music, News

NEW MUSIC // BIRDZ feat ECCA VANDAL – PLACE OF DREAMS

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BIRDZ RELEASES NEW SINGLE AHEAD OF FORTHCOMING EP

“PLACE OF DREAMS” FEAT. ECCA VANDAL

BUY/STREAM HERE

Bad Apples Music signee Birdz is proud to share his new single “Place of Dreams” feat. Ecca Vandal, taken from his forthcoming EP of the same name. As premiered via Complex, the release arrives ahead of a huge year for Bad Apples Music, announcing their partnership with Universal Music Australia to offer a platform for excellence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices.

Balancing moments of delicate keys between formidable beats, the track tells a tale of limitations laid down by others and ultimately having the strength to believe in oneself. Leading with the explosive vocal prowess of Ecca Vandal, the single flows with production by Trials, and the raw rap that has cemented Birdz’ status as one of the country’s most exciting hip hop acts today. Always formed by his heritage, the track evokes a compelling story told through both lyrics and organic composition.

Birdz says of “Place of Dreams”: The song really touches on the concept of a glass ceiling and the limitations people try put on you, especially where I come from and if you’re Indigenous… Ultimately, Place Of Dreams is about believing in yourself, having the strength to break through the bullshit and continue paving your own path.

Born & raised in the Northern Territory and now based in Melbourne, Birdz has seen accolades galore following the release of his debut record in 2017, Train of Thought. Combined with a compelling Like a Version performance, the young emcee was launched into the national spotlight through support from community radio, triple j and triple j unearthed for his honest words and raw perspective on prolific social issues. The debut record, awarded Best Independent Hip Hop Album at the 2018 AIR Awards, included singles “This Side” feat. Serina Pech, “Rise” feat. Jimblah, and the politically charged “Black Lives Matter”, which collectively hold over 600k streams on Spotify. The groundbreaking artist’s burgeoning popularity has also seen him take the stage with the likes of Briggs, Sampa The Great, Loyle Carner, The Funkoars, and Thundamentals, while also igniting crowds across Woodford, Sprung Festival, The Hills Are Alive, St Kilda Festival, Groovin the Moo and this year’s Bad Apples showcase at Melbourne’s CHANGES Music Industry Summit.

This first taste of Birdz’s forthcoming EP is set to lead the way for many new releases on the horizon from Bad Apples. A commanding message delivered with fervent passion, the first bite with “Place of Dreams” will leave you craving more.

“PLACE OF DREAMS” FEAT. ECCA VANDAL
BUY/STREAM HERE

OUT TODAY VIA BAD APPLES MUSIC

BIRDZ
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | SOUNDCLOUD

BAD APPLES MUSIC
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE

LOVE FOR BIRDZ

“Birdz’s passion and conviction is off the charts.” TRIPLE J

“Black Lives Matter is the latest example of BIRDZ’s ability to wrap a masterful delivery around the oppression of our Indigenous community.” AU REVIEW 

“The content in Birdz’ songs is abundantly important, and he still manages to be musically interesting and creative plus, the dude got skills for days!” THE MUSIC 

“Get onto it immediately, be blown away, and boast to people in 20 years time that you were a fan before it was cool.” BEAT MAGAZINE

Source: BadApplesMusic.com

Source: AussieHipHop.com

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Hip Hop, Hip Hop Culture | Hip Hop Arts and Lifestyle, Hip Hop Music | Listen To and Download Hip Hop Tracks, Hip Hop News | Trending Hip Hop Stories

The NBA Partners Up With Steve Stoute’s UnitedMasters Label

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The NBA has announced a partnership with music startup UnitedMasters, which will see artists’ content distributed across its range of digital platforms.

UnitedMasters, which was launched last year, allows independent music artists to license their own music and distribute it to businesses via its promotional services.

The NBA plans to use up-and-coming music artists across NBA digital platforms and its social community of 1.5 billion, including NBA.com and the NBA App, as well as league and team social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and Snapchat.

NBA senior vice-president Jeff Marsilio said: “With this partnership, fans will now have a new way to discover music while they enjoy NBA highlights across our social and digital media. Up-and-coming artists will have a massive digital stage to share their music.”

“We’ve seen that there are a lot of synergies between the music industry, sports leagues, and individual personalities across athletes and musicians,” says Steve Stoute,  founder and CEO of UnitedMasters. “The overlap between UnitedMasters artists, their fans and the NBA’s following provides a mutually beneficial opportunity to tap into an artist pool that is also a target consumer for the NBA.”

The global partnership creates a direct line between musicians and the NBA, resulting in access to worldwide audiences and the ability for artists to amplify their music at scale.

UnitedMasters debuted in November 2017 with the help of a US$70 million investment which included stakeholders such as 21st Century Fox.

 

The post The NBA Partners Up With Steve Stoute’s UnitedMasters Label appeared first on The Source.

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Hip Hop

NBA Youngboy – Dope Lamp (Official Video)

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YoungBoy Never Broke Again breaks new grounds with the release of “Dope Lamp”, a fresh hip-hop joint that comes with a visual. NBA Youngboy pulls the gangster shii on this joint as he raps about ’em b!tches, thuggin’ and smokin’.

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Hip Hop

Ice Cube – “Arrest The President” [Audio]

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Hip Hop, Videos

Chief Keef Performs “Love Sosa” & “Faneto” w/ a Live Orchestra | Trap Symphony

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Audiomack is proud to present the Drill Symphony with Chief Keef. Always moving music forward, the Drill Symphony was filmed at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California. With an enchanting ensemble - Summer Swee-Singh on piano, Camille Miller and Yasmeen Al-Mazeedi on violin, Tim Richardson on viola, Eru Matsumoto on cello, and Jon Brick on drums - recording […]

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