Kendrick Lamar has declared fellow Californian rapper, songwriter and record producer Baby Keem – who is also Lamar’s cousin – to be a “musical genius”.
READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar live at Glastonbury 2022: thought-provoking rapper takes the Pyramid Stage
Being relatives, Lamar and Keem have worked closely together since the latter started his career in the mid-2010s. One of Keem’s earliest credits was a nod for production on ‘Redemption Interlude’, a track on Lamar’s 2018 soundtrack for Black Panther. March 2020 then saw Keem sign to Lamar’s company/label, pgLang, and the following August, their first collaborative single came in the form of ‘Family Ties’.
That song, as well as another joint track titled ‘Range Brothers’ – and ‘Vent’, which featured an uncredited guest spot from Lamar – appeared on Keem’s pgLang-issued debut album, ‘The Melodic Blue’ (which NME called one of the best debut albums of 2021).
Advertisement
The NME 100 member linked back up with Lamar for three songs on his own latest album, ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’, co-writing and -producing ‘N95’, co-producing the Blxst and Amanda Reifer-assisted ‘Die Hard’, and guesting on ‘Saviour’ alongside Sam Dew.
The cousins have also appeared together onstage a handful of times over the past couple of years, including spots at this year’s Coachella and Glastonbury festivals. For the past month, Keem has been opening for Lamar on the ‘Big Steppers’ world tour – they’re currently midway through the North American leg, with shows in Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand still to follow.
Overnight, Lamar hit Twitter with a range of declarations pertaining to the tour, calling his current setup “the greatest show alive”. He then referred to Keem as a “musical genius”, and described Tanna Leone – who is also supporting the tour, and performed alongside Lamar on ‘Mr. Morale’ from the titular album – as “generation next”.
steppers tour the greatest show alive
— Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) August 13, 2022
baby keem musical genius
— Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) August 13, 2022
tanna leone generation next
— Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) August 13, 2022
Advertisement
Lamar, notably, gave no context whatsoever for his takes.
The North American leg of the ‘Big Steppers’ tour continues in Detroit tonight (August 14), with a further 22 dates on the itinerary before the run heads to Europe. Lamar, Keem and Leone will then play 16 shows in the region – as well as 10 in the UK – and then head to Australia and New Zealand for the final leg of eight shows. See the full list of dates here, then find tickets for the American shows here, for Europe and the UK here, and for Australia and New Zealand here.
‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ earned a five-star review from NME – wherein Kyann-Sian Williams called it “a cathartic, soul-baring autobiography” – while the album has also received praise from the likes of Lorde, Pharrell Williams, Madonna, producer DJ Dahi, Eminem and Tyler, The Creator.
Yesterday (August 13), it was reported that Lamar would be eligible for the Best Live Action Short award at the 2023 Oscars, thanks to the extended music video for ‘We Cry Together’ being screened theatrically. Earlier this month, he played a surprise intimate show in New York, and shared a heartfelt letter reflecting on the power of rap music.
At the start of the month, Sounwave – a collaborator and producer of Lamar’s – revealed that he and Lamar had begun working on the follow-up to ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’.
Snoop Dogg has confirmed he is working on new music with Dr. Dre for the first time in 30 years.
READ MORE: Pop powerhouse Benny Blanco: “Do I consider myself a ‘hitmaker’? I think I’m a loser!”
The pair reunited for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, alongside Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent earlier this year.
Now, the rapper confirmed on the red carpet at the LA premiere of his new movie, Day Shift, that the pair were working together again last night (August 10).
Advertisement
“We’re cooking up a little something,” he told ET Online. “I don’t wanna talk about it too much, but we’re back together again. It’s been 30 years since we worked on a record, and we’re doin’ something, we’re workin’ on something.”
Snoop featured on Dre’s debut solo single, ‘Deep Cover’ and 1992 LP ‘The Chronic’. The pair also teamed up on Dre’s 1999 album ‘2001’.
It comes after Dre recently said that he spent the last two years working on at least a dozen albums’ worth of material.
Snoop meanwhile also spoke about his recent collaboration with Benny Blanco and BTS – ‘Bad Decisions’.
“Hey, I just try to stay active,” Snoop said of the team up. “The youngsters, they reach out, they call me… I’m all about music. One thing about me, I don’t like being boxed in. I like being a part of every genre of music so when they reach out and call, I’ll usually say yeah.”
Advertisement
The new song features vocal contributions from Snoop and BTS’ Jungkook, Jimin, V and Jin.
It arrived last week alongside a video in which Blanco excitedly prepares for a BTS concert, baking them a cake and creating an elaborate heart collage. He arrives at the venue only to be informed he’s a day early.
Måneskin have released a video for their cover of Elvis Presley’s ‘If I Can Dream’ – check it out below
READ MORE: Måneskin: “Nobody is keeping rock ’n’ roll alive – it’s just impossible to kill”
The track was originally recorded as part of the soundtrack for the Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic Elvis.
The band first teased the track during their performance at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, before releasing it on streaming services last month. Now the Italian rockers have shared an official video for the track, featuring clips from the film it was recorded for. Check it out below:
Advertisement
Speaking to NME for their recent Big Read cover story, Måneskin frontman Damiano David said of their cover: “We were talking about it with Baz Luhrmann, who had this really cool, super-smart idea, because it would have been so easy to give us an up-tempo song and go super rock-ish. He saw that between the lines that we were going to be able to give something else to show the sweet side of Elvis. I think we did a great job!”
David continued: “The meaning of the song is very contemporary: ‘If I can dream of a better land / Where all my brothers walk hand in hand.’ It’s about uniting, it’s about peace, freedom and happiness, and it’s coming out at the right moment. We’re really proud of what we did, and to be part of this project. I have a feeling it’s going to be amazing.”
Elsewhere, David said the group will likely “always do covers” in their live sets. “It’s one of the coolest things you can do,” he explained. “When you write a song and then publish it, it’s not yours anymore. You’ve gifted it to everyone.”
The soundtrack to Elvis also includes tracks from Eminem, Tame Impala, Stevie Nicks, Jack White, Swae Lee, Diplo, Chris Isaak, Denzel Curry, Jazmine Sullivan, Pnau and more.
Måneskin are set to play Reading & Leeds Festival 2022 in August, before headlining The O2 Arena in London on May 8. Visit here for tickets and more information.
The full list of nominations for this year’s MTV Video Music Awards has been announced, with hip hop mainstays Jack Harlow, Kendrick Lamar and Lil Nas X leading the pack with seven nominations each.
READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar live at Glastonbury 2022: thought-provoking rapper takes the Pyramid Stage
Harry Styles and Doja Cat are close behind the trio with six nominations, followed by Taylor Swift on five. Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Rosalía, and Ed Sheeran are also among the nominees with nods in multiple categories.
The annual awards show will take place on August 28 this year. While performances on the night have yet to be confirmed, fans have been assured of “show-stopping surprises,” according to a VMA press release.
Advertisement
Notably, Madonna‘s nomination for ‘Madame X’ means she is now the only artist to receive a VMA nomination in every decade since the show started – totalling 69 nominations and a record 20 wins.
Fan voting on the awards begins today at the MTV VMA website. See the full list of nominees below.
2022 MTV Video Music Award Nominees
VIDEO OF THE YEAR Doja Cat – ‘Woman’ Drake ft. Future & Young Thug – ‘Way 2 Sexy’ Ed Sheeran – ‘Shivers’ Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’ Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – ‘Industry Baby’ Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Brutal’ Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’
ARTIST OF THE YEAR Bad Bunny Drake Ed Sheeran Harry Styles Jack Harlow Lil Nas X Lizzo
SONG OF THE YEAR Adele – ‘Easy On Me’ Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’ Doja Cat – ‘Woman’ Elton John and Dua Lipa – ‘Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)’ Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’ The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’
Advertisement
BEST NEW ARTIST Baby Keem Dove Cameron Gayle Latto Måneskin Seventeen
PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR September 2021: Griff – ‘One Night’ October 2021: Remi Wolf – ‘Sexy Villain’ – Island Records November 2021: Nessa Barrett – ‘i hope ur miserable until ur dead’ December 2021: Seventeen – ‘Rock With You’ January 2021: Mae Muller – ‘Better Days’ February 2022: Gayle – ‘abcdefu’ March 2022: Sheneesa – ‘R U That’ April 2022: Omar Apollo – ‘Tamagotchi’ May 2022: Wet Leg – ‘Chaise Longue’ June 2022: Muni Long – ‘Baby Boo’ July 2022: Doechii – ‘Persuasive’
BEST COLLABORATION Drake ft. Future and Young Thug – ‘Way 2 Sexy’ Elton John and Dua Lipa – ‘Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)’ Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – ‘Industry Baby’ Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa – ‘Sweetest Pie’ Post Malone and The Weeknd – ‘One Right Now’ Rosalía ft. The Weeknd – ‘La Fama’ The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’
BEST POP Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’ Doja Cat – ‘Woman’ Ed Sheeran – ‘Shivers’ Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’ Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’ Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Traitor’
BEST HIP-HOP Eminem and Snoop Dogg – ‘From The D 2 The LBC’ Future ft. Drake, Tems – ‘Wait For U’ Kendrick Lamar – ‘N95’ Latto – ‘Big Energy’ Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Baby – ‘Do We Have A Problem?’ Pusha T – ‘Diet Coke’
BEST ROCK Foo Fighters – ‘Love Dies Young’ Jack White – ‘Taking Me Back’ Muse – ‘Won’t Stand Down’ Red Hot Chili Peppers – ‘Black Summer’ Shinedown – ‘Planet Zero’ Three Days Grace – ‘So Called Life’
BEST ALTERNATIVE Avril Lavigne ft. blackbear – ‘Love It When You Hate Me’ Imagine Dragons and JID – ‘Enemy’ Machine Gun Kelly ft. WILLOW – ‘Emo Girl’ Måneskin – ‘I Wanna Be Your Slave’ Panic! At The Disco – ‘Viva Las Vengeance’ Twenty One Pilots – ‘Saturday’ Willow and Avril Lavigne ft. Travis Barker – ‘Grow’
BEST LATIN Anitta – ‘Envolver’ Bad Bunny – ‘Tití Me Preguntó’ Becky G and Karol G – ‘Mamiii’ Daddy Yankee – ‘Remix’ Farruko – ‘Pepas’ J Balvin and Skrillex – ‘In Da Getto’
BEST R&B Alicia Keys – ‘City Of Gods (Part II)’ Chlöe – ‘Have Mercy’ H.E.R. – ‘For Anyone’ Normani ft. Cardi B – ‘Wild Side’ – Keep Cool/RCA Records Summer Walker, SZA and Cardi B – ‘No Love (Extended Version)’ The Weeknd – ‘Out Of Time’
BEST K-POP BTS – ‘Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)’ Itzy – ‘Loco’ – JYP Entertainment LISA – ‘Lalisa’ Seventeen – ‘Hot’ Stray Kids – ‘Maniac’ Twice – ‘The Feels’
VIDEO FOR GOOD Kendrick Lamar – ‘The Heart Part 5’ Latto – ‘Pussy’ Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’ Rina Sawayama – ‘This Hell’ Stromae – ‘Fils De Joie’
BEST METAVERSE PERFORMANCE Blackpink The Virtual – PUBG BTS – Minecraft Charli XCX – Roblox Justin Bieber – An Interactive Virtual Experience – Wave Rift Tour ft. Ariana Grande – Fortnite Twenty One Pilots Concert Experience – Roblox
BEST LONGFORM VIDEO Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles’ Foo Fighters – ‘Studio 666’ Kacey Musgraves – ‘Star-Crossed’ Madonna – ‘Madame X’ Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Driving Home 2 U’ Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar – ‘Family Ties’ Camila Cabello ft. Ed Sheeran – ‘Bam Bam’ Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’ Kendrick Lamar – ‘N95’ Normani ft. Cardi B – ‘Wild Side’ Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’
BEST DIRECTION Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar – ‘Family Ties’ Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’ Ed Sheeran – ‘Shivers’ Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’ Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – ‘Industry Baby’ Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’
BEST ART DIRECTION Adele – ‘Oh My God’ Doja Cat – ‘Get Into It (Yuh)’ Drake ft. Future & Young Thug – ‘Way 2 Sexy’ Kacey Musgraves – ‘Simple Times’ Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – ‘Industry Baby’ Megan Thee Stallion ft. Dua Lipa – ‘Sweetest Pie’
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Billie Eilish – ‘Happier Than Ever’ Coldplay and BTS – ‘My Universe’ Kendrick Lamar – ‘The Heart Part 5’ Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – ‘Industry Baby’ Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa – ‘Sweetest Pie’ The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber – ‘Stay’
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY BTS – ‘Permission To Dance’ Doja Cat – ‘Woman’ FKA twigs ft. The Weeknd – ‘Tears In The Club’ Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’ Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow – ‘Industry Baby’ Normani ft. Cardi B – ‘Wild Side’
BEST EDITING Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar – ‘Family Ties’ Doja Cat – ‘Get Into It (Yuh)’ Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Brutal’ Rosalía – ‘Saoko’ Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)’ The Weeknd – ‘Take My Breath’
Kayne West made a surprise appearance in LA on Friday (July 8), joining The Game to perform their recent joint single ‘Eazy’.
READ MORE: On the scene at Kanye West’s ‘Donda 2’ event in Miami: “It felt like a cult convention”
As he’s known to do in recent times, West appeared onstage clad entirely in black, wearing a mask and gloves to conceal his face and hands. After performing ‘Eazy’ with him, The Game spent a minute gassing West up onstage. “This is the first time that I’ve been on my stage with my brother,” he told the crowd. “And I’m’a tell you something about him: he ain’t come to perform no songs, he was clear about that.
Advertisement
“He came for his brother. He told me how he was coming, he told me he was gon’ be three minutes late – he said he might show up in the middle of the verse ‘cause he got shit to do. I said, ‘N**** you can come at the end of the show just to give me a hug, n****, I love you. This n**** friendship, it don’t waver. No matter what I do to this n****, or what I say about this n****, he just love me. It’s like this n**** Yeezus or something.
“Hey man, I’m’a tell you this in front of my home – ‘cause when you in LA, it’s just like the shot, and every other ghetto around the world, man, I love you for always being there for me, man. You my motherfuckin’ brother – he know it, I tell him in front of y’all…”
Have a look at fan-shot footage of the performance below:
pic.twitter.com/dFXMk9M4tm
— Donda’s Place (@dondas__place) July 9, 2022
According to XXL, the intimate show at The Novo came in celebration of The Game’s forthcoming 10th album, ‘Drillmatic – Mind Vs. Heart’. That was initially slated to land on June 17, but was pushed back to July 1 when The Game failed to get all of its samples cleared in time. The album is still yet to materialise, but earlier this week, the rapper claimed that he had just three more samples to clear before it would hit streaming platforms.
‘Eazy’ was initially released back in January, and immediately drew controversy for its questionable lyrics. After a few bars spent embracing his ego as “Mr. Narcissist”, West’s verse takes aim at his ex-wife (Kim Kardashian) and her current partner (Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson), as he raps: “N****, we havin’ the best divorce ever / If we go to court, we’ll go to court together / Matter of fact, pick up your sis’, we’ll go to Kourt’s together.”
Advertisement
Later in his verse, West appears to hit out at Kardashian’s parenting (“I got love for the nannies / But real family is better / The cameras watch the kids / Y’all stop takin’ the credit”), and referenced his purchase of a house on the same street as Kardashian (“Non-custodial dad, I bought the house next door / What you think the point of really bein’ rich for?”).
Two videos for ‘Eazy’ were released over the following months. In both of them – one claymated, and the other animated with 3D models – West appears to violently attack Davidson. Many of Davidson’s colleagues spoke out in support of the actor after the videos came out, leading West to address the backlash by claiming that “art is not a proxy for any ill or harm”.
Meanwhile, The Game has been teasing ‘Drillmatic’ for the past few months, sharing tidbits about it on social media. He declared it to be “the best album of 2022” because the energy behind it “feels like I just signed my deal”. The album was executive produced by Hit-Boy, and will land as the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Born 2 Rap’, which The Game had previously claimed would be his final album.
Speaking to NME at the time of the LP’s release, he said the only thing that might bring him out of retirement would be a collaboration with either Eminem or JAY-Z.
Harry Styles and Ed Sheeran have scored the biggest singles and albums in the UK in 2022 so far.
READ MORE: Harry Styles – ‘Harry’s House’ review: grounded star finds home is where the heart is
Styles’ long running Number One hit ‘As It Was’ is the biggest single of the year beating Sheeran and Fireboy DML’s single ‘Peru’ into second place.
The track, which has topped the charts for 10 weeks, racked up 95 million streams and was also the most physically purchased (11,000 units) and digitally downloaded (33,000 units) song of the year so far in the UK, according to the Official Charts Company.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ from the Disney movie Encanto came in at Number Three.
It is the most-streamed track of the year to date in the UK with 110 million streams overall, including 36 million video streams, the most for any song so far in 2022.
The best singles of 2022 so far are:
1. Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’ 2. Fireboy DML and Ed Sheeran – ’Peru’ 3. Encanto soundtrack – ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ 4. Ed Sheeran – ‘Bad Habits’ 5. Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott – ‘Where Are You Now’ 6. Ed Sheeran – ‘Shivers’ 7. Cat Burns – ‘Go’ 8. Glass Animals – ‘Heat Waves’ 9. Belters Only featuring Jazzy – ‘Make Me Feel Good’ 10. Dave – ‘Starlight’
In the albums chart, Sheeran took the top spot with his 2021 album ‘=’ after clocking up 689,000 combined UK chart sales. It is also the most streamed and downloaded album of the year to date.
Styles’ new album ‘Harry’s House’ also scored highly coming in at Number Two, while Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Sour’ came in at three.
Advertisement
The biggest albums of 2022 so far are:
1. Ed Sheeran – ‘=’ 2. Harry Styles – ‘Harry’s House’ 3. Olivia Rodrigo – ‘Sour’ 4. Adele – ‘30’ 5. Little Mix – ‘Between Us’ 6. Fleetwood Mac – ‘50 Years – Don’t Stop’ 7. The Weeknd – ‘Highlights’ 8. Ed Sheeran – ‘÷’ 9. Eminem – ‘Curtain Call – The Hits’ 10. The Weeknd – ‘Dawn FM’
The latest figures come after Yard Act, Frank Turner and Tears For Fears scored the biggest selling vinyl albums and singles so far in 2022 earlier this year.
Dr. Dre has spent the last two years working on at least a dozen albums’ worth of material, the modern hip-hop legend said in a new video.
READ MORE: Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’: A 4/20 deep dive into the album that changed hip-hop forever
In the clip, shared to Instagram on Thursday (June 30), Dre can be seen sitting behind a mixing desk in a studio, while Busta Rhymes looks at him inquisitively. After being asked a question about his output, Dre repositions himself to look at Busta and says: “N****, I got… Yeah, 247 songs during the pandemic, and then we paused and did a whole album with Marsha Ambrosius [her upcoming fourth album ‘Cascablonco’].
“That’s fucking nutso – and then we came back, and … I did the Grand Theft Auto shit, and now we’re working on my n**** Snoop. And y’know, we’re two days in right now and we’ve got, what, like six bangers?”
Advertisement
Have a look at the full video below:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Special ENT (@special_ent_)
The “Grand Theft Auto shit” that Dre mentioned refers to the six songs he made for the Grand Theft Auto Online expansion The Contract, which was released last December and featured Dre as a character. For the songs – which were later compiled into an EP that landed on streaming services this February – Dre collaborated with the likes of Eminem, Anderson .Paak, Rick Ross and Snoop Dogg.
The same month that Dre released ‘The Contract’ as an EP, he performed alongside Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak for this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. In the following weeks, Dre’s albums surged up the US’ albums charts, and the music video for his and Snoop’s 1999 single ‘Still D.R.E.’ hit one billion views on YouTube.
In March, Snoop claimed he became the owner of the master tapes for Dre’s debut album, 1992’s ‘The Chronic’, when he acquired Death Row Records. Dre snapped back at those claims, though, saying he owns 100 per cent of the rights to and masters for the classic album.
The following month, Dre was pictured in a studio – the same one seen above – with Fat Money, the co-writer of Kanye West‘s latest album ‘Donda 2’. It came as rumours began to swirl around a possible release of Dre’s much-delayed album ‘Detox’, which was first announced in 2002 but still hasn’t materialised after two decades. Dre’s most recent full-length effort was 2015’s ‘Compton’.
Advertisement
A new album from Dre was rumoured to be on the cards for last December, after Grandmaster Flash claimed a few months prior that it “will change the game”. Work on that record – which Flavor Flav has also claimed he will be a guest on – was reportedly finished in November of 2020. According to Diamond D, the album could have a runtime of around two hours. It is, of course, yet to be formally announced.
Of all the filmmakers who could have made an Elvis biopic, it had to be one whose aesthetic is more Vegas bloat than Sun Studios leanness. Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis lives up
to the swooning excess of his Moulin Rouge, even down to its digital diamanté-studded end credits. Less a narrative than a deluxe jukebox musical with touches of Douglas Sirk melodrama, Elvis is framed as a sort of Citizen Kane deathbed reverie from Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s Dutch-born, Mephistophelean manager. He’s played by Tom Hanks with a bizarre, undefinable European accent, in makeup suggesting a cross between the Penguin and a papier-mâché effigy of Rupert Murdoch.
ORDER NOW: THE BEATLES ARE ON THE COVER OF THE LATEST ISSUE OF UNCUT
How Parker ‘created’, or rather enslaved Presley is the narrative drift, but the film’s real pleasure lies in its full-tilt comic-strip stylistics and a terrific performance by Austin Butler (a TV stalwart previously seen in Tarantino’sOnce Upon A Time…). His Elvis is something of a coy innocent, less of a confident joker than the original, not quite aware of his powers, but rebellious when it comes to doing things his own way, as on the ’68 TV Comeback Special.
Don’t expect the dark stuff – the decline isn’t touched on, nor his attempts to ingratiate himself with Richard Nixon (this film paints Elvis as a tender-hearted liberal). Priscilla, played by Olivia de Jonge, barely gets a look-in. The film is best experienced as a showbiz panto, with famous names flitting by – Kelvin Harrison Jr as BB King, Alton Mason show-stealing as Little Richard.
Advertisement
The emphasis on Elvis’s debt to black music might have expressed itself more subtly than with tarted-up rap recreations of his work – Doja Cat, CeeLo Green and Eminem are among the soundtrack contributors – but then this is no more a film for purists than Luhrmann’sRomeo + Julietwas for Stratford-on-Avon regulars. Elvis is hyperbolic, one-dimensional and ludicrous – but as high-excess cinematic myth-making, it’s a blast.
The Drake impersonator known as ‘Fake Drake’ has stated his ambition to enter a boxing match with the real rapper.
READ MORE: Drake – ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ review: rapper’s house makeover provides long-overdue career boost
The copycat has attracted attention recently for attending a number of events designed to fool members of the public into mistaking him for the multi-platinum-selling Canadian star, including nightclub appearances.
Speaking on the We In Miami podcast, ‘Fake Drake’ said: “I’m challenging Drake to a boxing match. I just signed with Celebrity Boxing. If you win, I’ll change my name from Izzy Drake to just Izzy, you know.”
Advertisement
If he defeats Drake in the match, Izzy is asking the rapper for $1million and a deal with Drake’s record label OVO, “’cause I’m just trying to feed my family.”
Watch the interview below.
Last month, ‘Fake Drake’ spoke out publicly, claiming that his style and personality is all his own, despite booking a variety of public events based on his supposed visual likeness to the rapper.
Speaking on Instagram, Fake Drake said: “This is just who I am. I’m just like, I’m just going with the flow, you know? I didn’t ask to become famous.” The women asking him questions in the clip suggest that Fake Drake both looks and acts like Drake, to which he responds: “I act like Drake?”
Fake Drake also audaciously implied that his haircut, matching the OVO artist’s distinctive heart-shaped style, was his own idea.
Advertisement
“I’ve had the heart for like a year and a half,” he claimed. “Nah, ’cause I have the heart because you know, if you do things with your heart it’s come back.”
Elsewhere, the real Drake released new album ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ this month, breaking an Apple Music record within an hour of its release and going on to earn his 11th US Number One album, moving past Kanye West and Eminem to tie Bruce Springsteen and Barbara Streisand for the third-most Number Ones in Billboard 200 history, trailing only The Beatles (19) and JAY-Z (14).
Reviewing the album, NME wrote: “Arriving so quickly after his last body of work, as most Drake releases often do, ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ is an unexpected elevation from the bland trap, R&B remakes and Drake’s melancholic attitude to love we heard last time around.
“He doesn’t quite shift the latter as much as one would hope – the album is as tiresomely woe-is-me as anything he’s ever done – but the house sound has at least given him the creative boost that his recording career has been crying out for recently.”
Kendrick Lamar has closed his Glastonbury set with an emotional speech thanking fans, followed by a performance of ‘Savior’.
At the end of the ‘Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers’ track, he repeated the chant: “They judge you, they judged Christ. Godspeed for women’s rights”, before promptly leaving the stage as fake blood poured down from his crown of thorns.
READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar – ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ review: a cathartic, soul-baring autobiography
The chant is significant because of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade (June 24). Multiple musicians have referenced the ruling during their Glastonbury sets, including Billie Eilish, Lorde and Phoebe Bridgers.
Advertisement
Lamar opened his set with an instrumental interlude from ‘Savior’ before launching into ‘United In Grief’. Elsewhere, he played ‘Count Me Out’ and ‘N95’, as well as hits like ‘Humble’ and ‘Alright’.
He was joined by dancers throughout, both men dressed in black trousers and white shirts like Kendrick, and women in flowing red dresses.
After performing ‘Love’, he said: “On behalf of me and my team, I want to thank every individual out here tonight. I consider y’all family, this shit is special, it means a lot to me.”
He continued: “I look out into the crowd and I see different creeds, different colours.
“I wear this crown. They judged Christ. They judge you, they judged Christ. We gonna continue to walk in his image.”
Lamar has spent the week in France, performing in Cannes on Monday night (June 20) as part of a Spotify event. He then moved on to Italy, where he performed at the Milano Summer Festival on Thursday night.
Kendrick kicking off a powerful performance! LS pic.twitter.com/JDUFHLCReL
— Glastonbury Live (@GlastoLive) June 26, 2022
Advertisement
‘Mr. Morale And The Big Steppers’ was released in May 2022. In a five-star review, NME described the album as “a cathartic, soul-baring autobiography”.
In a recent interview, Tyler, the Creator heaped praise on ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’, following the likes of Eminem, Lorde and Pharrell Williams, who have all shared positive comments about the album.
Lamar will bring his ‘The Big Steppers’ world tour to the UK and Ireland in November for a series of live dates. Baby Keem and Tanna Leone will provide support on all dates of the tour. Find any remaining tickets here.
Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos and more from Glastonbury 2022.
The Game has released a brand new track called ‘Violence’, produced by Hit-Boy – check it out below.
READ MORE: The Big Read – The Game: “Me and 50 Cent should have died in that beef”
It’s the first preview of the rapper’s long-awaited 10th album, ‘Drillmatic – Mind Vs. Heart’, which will now be released on July 8 via Prolific/eOne, after being pushed back a couple of times from its original release date of June 17.
The track was first teased by Hit-Boy last month during an appearance on Sway Calloway’s Sway In The Morning radio show. “I gotta hear that Game shit,” Sway told Hit-Boy, after which the producer pushed play on the track which features his uncle Ian on the intro.
Advertisement
Over the soul-stirring strings and back-breaking drum kicks, Game opens up the first verse by rapping: “It’s like Hov in this motherfucker/ But it’s just me and Hit, we brought the stove in this motherfucker/ Cook somethin’ (Cook somethin’)/ Whoop you n***as ass like you went inside your mama’s purse and took somethin.'”
On the second verse he makes reference to Dr. Dre‘s groundbreaking debut album, ‘The Chronic’, as well as late NFL legend John Madden. “I break down the chronic, then I smoke it like the exhaust/ Yeah, broke down The Chronic, and I made me a career/ I’m here, ain’t nobody sheddin’ a tear/ John Madden died but The Game still here/ Still holdin’ the stick/ Said John Madden died but The Game right here,” he raps.
You can check listen to ‘Violence’ below:
‘Drillmatic’ follows 2019’s ‘Born 2 Rap’, which The Game claimed would be his final album. Speaking to NME at the time of the LP’s release, he said the only thing that might bring him out of retirement would be a collaboration with either Eminem or JAY-Z.
In a four-star review of ‘Born 2 Rap’, NME‘s Will Lavin said it wasn’t “just a library of classic records blended together: it’s a lesson in storytelling, something The Game has never received enough credit for.”
Advertisement
Meanwhile, The Game has been getting very vocal lately about how he’s a better rapper than Eminem, saying that he would happily go up against him in a VERZUZ battle.
In March, he told N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN on the Drink Champs podcast: “I like Eminem, he’s one of the fucking good MCs, great MCs.”
“I used to think Eminem was better than me,” he admitted. Game was then asked how he feels now, to which he replied: “He not. He not. He’s not. Challenge it.”
He reinforced his belief that he’s the superior rapper in a recent interview with All The Smoke, while suggesting that Eminem isn’t played in public – at least not at the club or in a locker room.
“When have you ever heard Eminem in a club?” he asked hosts Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. “When have you ever heard it in the locker room? And I’m not taking away from that, I don’t hear Eminem in the streets. I just don’t. It’s not saying he can’t rap. The skillset is there. I’m just the better rapper. I just haven’t been given the light he’s been giving.”
Judas Priest have announced a new run of North American dates as part of their ongoing ’50 Heavy Metal Years’ tour – find tickets here.
READ MORE: Judas Priest’s Rob Halford: “I tried to throw a TV out of a hotel window once. It was like Mr Bean does Spinal Tap”
The tour was originally due to begin in 2020 but was postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It kicked off in August 2021 instead, but was cut short when guitarist Richie Faulkner had to undergo emergency heart surgery.
He had suffered an aortic aneurysm during the band’s performance at the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 26.
Advertisement
The tour continued this year but not before guitarist Andy Sneap was removed from the Judas Priest touring line-up. At the time, Sneap released a statement (via Blabbermouth), saying that the band’s decision to remove him was “incredibly disappointing”.
The decision was reversed just five days later, with the band confirming that they would continue touring as a five-piece with Sneap remaining as touring guitarist and Glenn Tipton making appearances when he can.
The new dates are due to begin in Wallingford, Connecticut on October 23, finishing up at Houston’s 713 Music Hall on November 29. Queensryche will be on support duties for those dates.
General tickets go on sale on Friday (June 24) at 10am local time. See full dates below and find tickets here.
US Tour Dates announced! With special guest Queensrÿche
Oct & Nov 2022
Most dates on sale 06/24/22 @ 10am Local pic.twitter.com/mWPH9kRBwL
— Judas Priest (@judaspriest) June 21, 2022
Earlier this year, it was announced that Judas Priest would be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2022, alongside names like Eminem, Duran Duran, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Eurythmics, Carly Simon and Pat Benatar.
Advertisement
The honourees – voted on by more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals – each “had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture and helped change the course of rock ’n’ roll,” said John Sykes, the chairman of the Rock Hall, in a statement.
The 2022 event, which will be the Hall’s 37th annual induction ceremony, will be held on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Judas Priest are currently on tour in mainland Europe, and will be joining Ozzy Osbourne in the UK in 2023 during his rescheduled ‘No More Tours 2′ shows.
St. Vincent covered Eurythmics‘ classic hit ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)’ at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 2022 ceremony last night (June 16).
READ MORE: St. Vincent announces 2022 UK and European tour: “I want people to be like, ‘What the hell just happened to me?’”
The singer-songwriter kicked off the ceremony with her rendition of the track, footage of which you can view below, ahead of the band’s induction at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York.
She later came to the podium to recount the time she first caught a glimpse of the band – featuring Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart – on MTV when a “beautiful, orange-haired androgynous creature appeared wearing a suit and tie.”
Advertisement
“They were scary, they were sexy, they were smart and they were impossibly cool,” she added via the Associated Press.
The Eurythmics then reunited for a rendition of ‘Here Comes The Rain Again’.
.@st_vincent covering “sweet dreams are made of this” in homage to Eurythmics – songwriters hall of fame is back! pic.twitter.com/DeuK47F6OR
— Jem Aswad (@jemaswad) June 17, 2022
Other inductees on the night included Mariah Carey, Lil Nas X, The Neptunes, Steve Miller and The Isley Brothers. Songwriters are eligible for induction after writing hit songs for at least 20 years.
Meanwhile, Eurythmics are also set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame later this year, alongside Eminem, Duran Duran, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Judas Priest and Pat Benatar.
The honourees – voted on by more than 1000 artists, historians and music industry professionals – each “had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture and helped change the course of rock ’n’ roll,” said John Sykes, the chairman of the Rock Hall, in a statement.
Advertisement
The 2022 event, which will be the Hall’s 37th annual induction ceremony, will be held on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Elsewhere, St. Vincent recently shared her contribution to the soundtrack for Minions: The Rise Of Gru – a trippy and tantalising cover of Lipps Inc’s 1979 hit ‘Funkytown’.
Anderson .Paak joined BTS on drums during the K-pop band’s ‘Proof: Live’ online event. You can see footage below.
READ MORE: BTS’ new single ‘Yet To Come’ offers poignant reflection and an optimistic invitation into the future
The livestream saw the band introducing .Paak for their rendition of ‘Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment In Life), the lead single from their new anthology album ‘Proof’.
Afterwards, .Paak spoke briefly to the band, telling them his thoughts on the track: “I love it, it reminds me of church, it’s great. It’s fantastic,” he said. He also revealed that it was his son, Soul Rasheed, who first introduced him to the K-pop group. “He’s a big fan, so he made me a fan, and ever since I’ve been obsessed. I’ve been ARMY ever since.”
Advertisement
‘Yet To Come’ and the album ‘Proof’ were both released on June 10. The record is a 48-track compilation that includes many of the boyband’s hit singles, from ‘Boy With Luv’ featuring Halsey to their debut single ‘No More Dream’.
It’s not the first time .Paak has appeared as a surprise guest drummer. During the Super Bowl, he made an appearance during the Half Time show alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J Blige and 50 Cent.
.Paak’s love of K-pop will also see him direct his first feature film, K-POPS!, a dramatic comedy in which the rapper will also star alongside his son.
The film follows a musician who travels to Korea to write for K-pop stars, only to discover that his long-lost son is about to front one of the country’s most popular new groups
Baz Luhrmann has commented on Harry Styles in a new interview, saying the singer “embodies so much of Elvis”.
The director’s biopic about the king of rock’n’roll will be released in cinemas in the UK on June 24 and is simply called Elvis.
READ MORE: Harry Styles live in New York: pop don transforms arena into an intimate house party
Speaking to The Times about the new movie – which stars Austin Butler in the titular role – Luhrmann observed that Elvis had “incredible style”. “Before people talked about [gender] fluidity, he had knitted bolero tank tops with his midriff hanging out, truck driver sideburns, make-up and dyed black hair,” he said. “He wore what would have been called, in the 19th century, dandy clothes.”
Advertisement
When Styles was mentioned to him as the modern version of that, the filmmaker replied: “I know Harry well. He sent me a video of him impersonating Elvis as a six-year-old. Harry embodies so much of Elvis. He has the nail polish, feather boa and sparkly jumpsuit. Yet he’s incredibly masculine. Mick Jagger? Same thing. But Elvis did it first, in terms of the white performers.”
Baz Luhrmann CREDIT: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Warner Bros
The pop star had auditioned to play Elvis in the new film, but the director felt he wasn’t quite right for the role. “Harry is a really talented actor,” Luhrmann explained during a recent Australian radio interview. “I would work on something with him… but the real issue with Harry is, he’s Harry Styles. He’s already an icon.”
He added: “Harry and I came to a place, genuinely I mean, he was just desperate to put the suit on and explore. He’s such a great spirit and I have nothing but great things to say about Harry Styles.”
Elvis also stars Tom Hanks as Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker, Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley, Kelvin Harrison Jr as B.B. King, Alton Mason as Little Richard and more. The soundtrack, meanwhile, features contributions from the likes of Doja Cat, Måneskin, Eminem, Tame Impala and more.
Pharrell Williams has praised the writing prowess of Kendrick Lamar, declaring that his bars hit so hard “because he knows how to be very disciplined with a subject matter”.
READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar – ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ review: a cathartic, soul-bearing autobiography
The claims came in a new interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, celebrating the release of Williams’ new Tyler, The Creator and 21 Savage-assisted single ‘Cash In Cash Out’. The song was released yesterday (June 10) and marked Williams’ second time joining forces with Tyler, after he produced Tyler’s track ‘Come On, Let’s Go’ for the ‘I Love Nigo’ compilation.
Speaking to Lowe, Williams referred to Lamar as “one of the greatest writers of our times”, explaining: “He knows that stickiness is important, and he knows that it has to feel great.”
Advertisement
Williams and Lamar have a long history, and linked up most recently to work on this year’s ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ album. For it, Williams co-produced the Tanna Leone-assisted track ‘Mr. Morale’. Opening up about the process, he said: “I watched the rhythms hit [Lamar] and I watched it just bubble to the surface – whatever the song was making him feel – and I watched him commit to that, and I watched him stay disciplined.”
He went on to say that Lamar is “different”, and praised the ‘Mr. Morale’ album for addressing “a whole lot of conversations that not only we as Black men, but just men, period – and even other matters, just humans – needed to talk about”.
Williams continued: “It was like nobody was really saying it, and if they were, they weren’t really saying it in a cohesive way, and he just raised his hand and said, ‘I’ll do it.’ This album’s going to be medicine to a lot of people.”
Have a look at the full interview below:
Williams and Lamar first linked up when the latter was working on his second studio album, 2012’s ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D City’. Like he did on ‘Mr. Morale’, Williams co-produced the album’s quasi-title track, ‘Good Kid’. He returned to aide in the making of Lamar’s next album, 2015’s ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’, where he co-produced and sung on the track ‘Alright’.
Advertisement
He was absent from the credits of 2017’s ‘DAMN.’, but that year did see Lamar feature on the N.E.R.D. songs ‘Kites’ (alongside M.I.A.) and ‘Don’t Don’t Do It!’, both of which appear on their ‘No One Ever Really Dies’ album.
In a five-star review of ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ – which also saw praise from the likes of Lorde and Eminem – NME’s Kyann-Sian Williams wrote: “In laying his soul bare, [Lamar] hopes we realise how we can set ourselves free from generational curses too. This album is as much about struggle as it is freedom, and what a beautiful sentiment that is.”
The footage, which you can see below, features a cameo by Shonka Dukureh, the singer and actress who plays early rock n roll pioneer Big Mama Thornton in Luhrmann’s Elvis. Thornton’s original version of ‘Hound Dog’ is incorporated into Doja Cat’s new track, and was famously re-recorded by Presley to huge success.
Eminem, Tame Impala, Stevie Nicks and Jack White are among the others who will feature on the soundtrack.
Advertisement
It will also include “original songs and recordings” by Presley himself along with the film’s star, Austin Butler. Cee Lo Green will join Eminem on a song, while Swae Lee and Diplo will also unite. Elsewhere on the compilation will be songs from Chris Isaak, Denzel Curry, Jazmine Sullivan, Måneskin, Pnau and more.
Kacey Musgraves, meanwhile, recently revealed she recorded a rendition of Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ for the soundtrack.
Following a premiere at Cannes Film Festival in May, Elvis is released globally on June 24, with the soundtrack released on the same day. It will chronicle the life and career of Presley, played by Butler, particularly focusing on his complex relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks.
Last month Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, took to social media to praise the film, saying that she’d seen it twice. “Let me tell you that it is nothing short of spectacular. Absolutely exquisite,” Presley wrote on Twitter. “Austin Butler channeled and embodied my father’s heart & soul beautifully.”
The Game has announced the release date for his long-awaited 10th album, ‘Drillmatic – Mind Vs. Heart’.
READ MORE: The Big Read – The Game: “Me and 50 Cent should have died in that beef”
The rapper has been teasing the new LP for the past few months, sharing tidbits about it on social media including how it will “be the best album of 2022” because the energy behind it “feels like I just signed my deal”.
On Saturday (May 28), The Game took to Instagram to reveal that ‘Drillmatic’ will be arriving on June 17 and that it is executive produced by Hit-Boy. The announcement came alongside an old photograph of himself and his son, but it’s unclear at this point if this will be the album’s cover art.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Game (@losangelesconfidential)
Advertisement
Hit-Boy recently stopped by Sway Calloway’s Sway In The Morning radio show, and while he was there he played a snippet of a new track from The Game which looks set to appear on ‘Drillmatic’.
“I gotta hear that Game shit,” Sway told Hit-Boy, after which the producer started a track that featured his uncle Ian on the intro. You can check it out below.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by HIT-BOY AKA Tony Fontana (@hitboy)
‘Drillmatic’ follows 2019’s ‘Born 2 Rap’, which The Game claimed would be his final album. Speaking to NME at the time of the LP’s release, he said the only thing that might bring him out of retirement would be a collaboration with either Eminem or JAY-Z.
Advertisement
In a four-star review of ‘Born 2 Rap’, NME‘s Will Lavin said it wasn’t “just a library of classic records blended together: it’s a lesson in storytelling, something The Game has never received enough credit for.”
Meanwhile, The Game has been getting very vocal lately about how he’s a better rapper than Eminem, saying that he would happily go up against him in a VERZUZ battle.
In March, he told N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN on the Drink Champs podcast: “I like Eminem, he’s one of the fucking good MCs, great MCs.”
“I used to think Eminem was better than me,” he admitted. Game was then asked how he feels now, to which he replied: “He not. He not. He’s not. Challenge it.”
He reinforced his belief that he’s the superior rapper in a new interview with All The Smoke, while suggesting that Eminem isn’t played in public – at least not at the club or in a locker room.
“When have you ever heard Eminem in a club?” he asked hosts Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. “When have you ever heard it in the locker room? And I’m not taking away from that, I don’t hear Eminem in the streets. I just don’t. It’s not saying he can’t rap. The skillset is there. I’m just the better rapper. I just haven’t been given the light he’s been giving.”
Måneskin have spoken to NME about working with director Baz Luhrman on their cover of ‘If I Can Dream’ for upcoming Elvis biopic.
READ MORE: Måneskin on the cover: “Nobody is keeping rock’n’roll alive – it’s just impossible to kill”
Elvis, the upcoming Presley biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann that’s set to arrive in cinemas next month, comes with a soundtrack of covers along with “original songs and recordings” by Presley himself and the film’s star, Austin Butler. Artists to have contributed include Eminem, Tame Impala, Stevie Nicks, Jack White, Swae Lee, Diplo, Chris Isaak, Denzel Curry, Jazmine Sullivan, Pnau and more.
Speaking to NME for this week’s Big Read cover story, Måneskin told us about recording their version of Evlis’ “huge ballad” ‘If I Can Dream’.
Advertisement
“We were talking about it with Baz Luhrmann, who had this really cool, super-smart idea, because it would have been so easy to give us an up-tempo song and go super rock-ish,” said frontman Damiano David. “He saw that between the lines that we were going to be able to give something else to show the sweet side of Elvis. I think we did a great job!”
David continued: “The meaning of the song is very contemporary: ‘If I can dream of a better land/ Where all my brothers walk hand in hand‘. It’s about uniting, it’s about peace, freedom and happiness, and it’s coming out at the right moment. We’re really proud of what we did, and to be part of this project. I have a feeling it’s going to be amazing.”
Guitarist Thomas Raggi added: “Elvis is an amazing artist, so it was great to just be able to contribute and pay tribute. We recorded the song in a really special moment during the writing sessions for the album.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Måneskin (@maneskinofficial)
David also opened up about the “incredible” experience of working with the Romeo + Juliet and Great Gatsby director.
“I love how despite that he’s one of the biggest directors in the world, he’s like a kid,” David told NME. “He’s super enthusiastic with millions of ideas. He puts his faith in everything. You never talk to his team – it’s always directly with him. He’s always there saying, ‘You guys did an amazing job’.
Advertisement
Asked if the film was going to live up to fans’ expectations, David replied: “Fuck yeah! It’s crazy good – like Bohemian Rhapsody good! Also, me and Elvis were born on the same day! Just like Bowie.”
Måneskin on the cover of NME
Also among the names for the soundtrack is Kacey Musgraves, who recently revealed she recorded a rendition of Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ for the soundtrack. One song has already been released from the film’s soundtrack thus far – Doja Cat‘s ‘Vegas’ arrived earlier this month.
A release date is yet to be revealed for the soundtrack, but the film itself is set to arrive on June 24.
Check out the full Big Read cover interview with Måneskin here, where they also talk about dealing with fame, the aftermath of the Eurovision cocaine speculation, their success in America, having breakfast with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, work on their new album, their stance on playing covers, and the pleasure they take in “pissing off” naysayers.
Måneskin recently shared their new single ‘Supermodel’, before performing it on The Tonight Show in the US with host Jimmy Fallon joining the band on bass.
The band play Reading & Leeds Festival 2022 in August before headlining The O2 Arena in London on May 8. Visit here for tickets and more information.
Pusha T has revealed the advice that Pharrell gave him while writing his latest album.
READ MORE: Pusha T: “I’ve won the wars. I have withstood everything”
Speaking to NME for this week’s Big Read, Pusha revealed that while working at Pharrell’s compound in Miami, the rapper gave him invaluable advice about getting in character on his songs.
“[Pharrell] said the evolution of me is being more of a character,” Pusha explained. “He doesn’t like me rapping. He tells me all the time: ‘You can do that verse in your sleep. You have to give me the character, that matter-of-fact evil guy.’”
Advertisement
Pusha went on to explain how Pharrell played him Joker, the 2019 Batman prequel starring Joaquin Phoenix, and had it playing on mute in the background while they dug through crates of beats, finding the right ones for Pusha to rap over.
“One of the songs we created was ‘Neck & Wrist’,” Pusha said. “He was like, ‘Look at this shit – you don’t get those bars without those visuals.’”
He then went on to explain how JAY-Z ended up on the track.
“If there’s one thing that Jay realises about me,” Pusha said. “He knows that if I’m hitting him about a song, I’m not fucking joking. It’s not a game. I knew we were going to move culture with this and JAY-Z is the holy grail of street rap. I don’t know anyone else that can make ‘Neck & Wrist’, that can harness that energy, except for us three.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the Virginia rapper talked about the creative and personal differences between him and Kanye West – now known officially as Ye. The rapper worked with Ye’s G.O.O.D Music as a signed artist before becoming the label’s President.
Advertisement
“Ye and I are very different people,” Pusha told NME. “The only thing we have in common is our love of street rap. He’s a huge fan and I’m the DNA of that. We’re really parallel on it. I feel like everything else is a debate because we’re just very different people.”
“He’s very emotional and I am way more calculated than him,” he continued. “So, music is never the debate; it’s the strategy that is the debate with us all day long. His superpower is his instinct, so when that’s your superpower, the shit works the majority of the time.”
Pusha added: “My superpower is my calculated, methodical fucking way of going about things, being able to sit back and withstand whatever before I strike.”
Earlier this month, Pusha commented on a supposed beef between himself and Eminem, explaining it is a “misinterpretation”.
“I saw just recently on Twitter people saying myself and Eminem,” he said. “I’m like, bro! It was a misinterpretation of something I don’t even remember. Something I said or whatever. But you know, people decode, and they have their own thing.”
Jack Harlow has spoken about his friendship with Pete Davidson in a new mini-essay for Time magazine.
READ MORE: Jack Harlow – ‘Come Home The Kids Miss You’ review: storytelling charm and filler tracks
The rapper’s friendship with the comedian started on a FaceTime call, and over the past couple of years they’ve collaborated on a number of things including a Saturday Night Live sketch about NFTs.
Davidson – who recently left SNL after seven seasons – has been named one of Time‘s 100 Most Influential People, and along with the accolade came praise from Harlow, who also walked readers down memory lane.
Advertisement
“My first introduction to Pete Davidson was a Comedy Central roast of Justin Bieber,” Harlow wrote. “I was a junior in high school at the time, and I had never seen or heard of him. He got to the mic, made a joke about his own dad dying during 9/11, and I immediately knew he was a different breed.”
Going on to explain how he and Davidson met, the ‘First Class’ hitmaker recalled: “A couple years ago, I was on FaceTime with a girl who said she and her friend were with someone who wanted to meet me. She passed the phone, and suddenly I was looking at Pete Davidson. He told me we had to meet. I agreed.
“After a few months of knowing each other (but never meeting), Pete successfully pushed to get me on SNL, which was a genuine dream come true for me and my family. I grew up watching the show with them and got to bring them on set. My mom was in tears. The night before the show, I went over to Pete’s apartment and he made my friend and me laugh until our stomachs hurt. I felt like I was experiencing elite comedy up close and personal.”
Harlow then talked about Davidson’s global appeal and how he “doesn’t try to hide the person that he is”.
“I would consider myself truthful, but being around Pete makes me want to continue to reach even further for the realest version of myself,” Harlow wrote. “We don’t have another one of him. He’s daring, thoughtful, and simply hilarious. And he’s only 28. An icon with so much more left to accomplish.”
Advertisement
Davidson – who is currently dating Kanye West’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian – recently spoke about Harlow appearing on West’s ‘DONDA‘.
“People ask does that bother me? No. He’s a rapper, that’s his field. That’s what they do” explained Davidson. “That doesn’t hurt my feelings. It would hurt my feelings if I saw (comedian) Bill Burr at Sunday Service.”
In January, Davidson made a surprise appearance at one of Harlow’s shows in Los Angeles.
The former SNL comedian joined Harlow on stage for a brief appearance, taking the mic to help the rapper deliver a version of his 2021 track ‘SUVs (Black on Black)’. The pair swapped lines on the track, which originally featured guest vocals from Pooh Shiesty.
Meanwhile, in one of Pete Davidson‘s final sketches for Saturday Night Live, the comedian called upon Eminem to help pay tribute to the show’s creator Lorne Michaels.
Flipping Dr. Dre and Eminem’s 2000 hit ‘Forgot About Dre’ into ‘Forgot About Lorne’, Davidson – using deepfake technology – paid tribute to Michaels’ legacy while namechecking a number of past cast members that went to become household names because of Michaels.
Kendrick Lamar‘s new album ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ has hit the top spot in the US Billboard album charts, with the biggest first-week sales in 2022 so far.
The album was released on May 13, and narrowly missed out on the UK Number One album to Florence + The Machine‘s ‘Dance Fever’ after a heated chart battle.
READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar – ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ review: a cathartic, soul-baring autobiography
In the US, ‘Mr. Morale…’ became Lamar’s fourth album to hit Number One on the Billboard 200, becoming the fastest-selling album of the year so far.
Advertisement
According to Billboard, the album breaks a record set only the previous week by Bad Bunny‘s new album ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’.
‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ sold 295,500 equivalent album units across its first week.
In a five-star review, NME called ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ a “cathartic, soul-baring autobiography” that “serves up vignettes about what it’s like to be a Black adult whose trauma still haunts them”.
“In laying his soul bare, he hopes we realise how we can set ourselves free from generational curses too. This album is as much about struggle as it is freedom, and what a beautiful sentiment that is.”
It also struck a chord with Eminem, who called it f****** ridiculous” and said it left him “speechless”.
Advertisement
Later this year, Lamar will tour the world on ‘The Big Steppers’ tour. The jaunt will kick off with a raft of dates in the US on July 19 before reaching European and UK shores in October and November, which include two shows at The O2 in London on November 7-8.
Tickets to the UK and European dates are available here, while you can purchase tickets for the US dates here. See the full list of dates below.
JULY 19 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center 21 – Austin, TX – Moody Center 22 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center 23 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center 24 – Miami, FL – Rolling Loud 27 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena 29 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center 30 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena 31 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
AUGUST 2 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center 4 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena 5 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center 6 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center 7 – Long Island, NY – UBS Arena 9 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center 10 – Boston, MA – TD Garden 12 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena 13 – Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena 14 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena 16 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center 18 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum 19 – Chicago, IL – United Center 20 – Minneapolis, MN – Xcel Energy Center 21 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena 26 – Portland, OR – Moda Center 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena 28 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena 30 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center 31 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
SEPTEMBER 1 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena 6 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena at San Diego State University 7 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center 9 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena 10 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center 14 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
OCTOBER 7 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome 10 – Prague, CZ – O2 Arena 11 – Berlin, DE – Mercedes-Benz Arena 13 – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena 15 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena 17 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena 19 – Oslo, NO – Telenor Arena 21 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena 24 – Stuttgart, DE – Scheleyerhalle 25 – Zurich, CH – Hallenstadion 26 – Laussane, CH – Vaudoise Aréna 28 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis 30 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena 31 – Frankfurt, DE – Festhalle
NOVEMBER 2 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro 3 – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena 4 – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena 5 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena 7 – London, UK – The O2 8 – London, UK – The O2 13 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena 16 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
DECEMBER 1 – Perth, AUS – RAC Arena 4 – Melbourne, AUS – Rod Laver Arena 8 – Sydney, AUS – Qudos Bank Arena 12 – Brisbane, AUS – Entertainment Center 16 – Auckland, NZ – Spark Arena
