All it took was an open letter for Lana Del Rey to immerse herself into the center of a bonafide controversy. While it could be argued that she knew exactly what she was getting into, the Norman Fucking Rockwell songwriter has never been one to bite her tongue. In case you missed it, Del Rey initially sparked the madness by directly naming Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Camila Cabello, and more in a complicated open letter meant to highlight the hypocritical views many hold toward female songwriters in the game.

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

It didn't take long before people began accusing her of being racist, a narrative that quickly began gaining steam on social media. With things seeming to spiral out of control, Del Rey took to Instagram to further elaborate on her position -- once more drawing a comparison with another prominent female songwriter. But first, she doubled down on the thesis statement. "I just want to remind you that in that post – my one and only personal declaration I’ve ever made, thanks for being so warm and welcoming – was about the need for fragility in the feminist movement."

“I just think it’s sad the women I mentioned, whether they sing about dancing for money – the same stuff, by the way, I’ve been singing about chronically for 13 years, " she continues. "Yes, they are my contemporaries, yes they are my friends. The difference is, when I get on the pole people call me a whore, but when [FKA] Twigs gets on the pole, it’s art. I’m reminded constantly by my friends, that lyrically there are layers and complicated psychological factors that play into some of my songwriting," she continues. "But the culture is super sick right now. People want to turn my advocacy for fragility into a race war -- it's really bad." 

Check out her full PSA below, and sound off -- do you think Lana Del Rey has a point?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lana Del Rey (@lanadelrey) on May 25, 2020 at 2:29am PDT

As new artists step into the music scene, they’re often compared to other established artists topping the charts. Tinashe shares that she is no different and throughout her career, people have attempted to size her up against other singers. The Songs for You crooner recently chatted with Just the Sip, and during the talk about her career, Tinashe shared that she was pitted against “every black girl.”

Roy Rochlin / Stringer / Getty Images

“First, it was the superstars, which was like, whoa,” she said. “How are you guys gonna pit me against these people? It would be: Tinashe, the new Aaliyah. Tinashe, the next Beyoncé. I would be like, you guys are setting me up left and right. These people are icons.” After the “icons” were other artists who just fell into the same look and style.

“It started off there, and then it was everyone. I literally could name six different people at one point that has been Tinashe versus Jhené [Aiko], Tinashe versus FKA twigs, Tinashe versus all the R&B girls. Literally any black girl…Cassie. All the ‘whisper’ singers, whatever that means.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Tinashe touched on her public breakup with Ben Simmons. The singer said that she doesn’t regret being vocal about how she felt following their split because it helped her inspire the changes she needed to make in her personal and professional life. Check out Tinashe’s clip with Just the Sip below.

Coming off the release of his latest and arguably most introspective project, uknowwhatimsayin? (2019), Danny Brown has earned his right to be considered one of hip-hop's most respected underground kings. Currently on the European leg of his 2019-2020 tour and recently unveiling a blossoming relationship with Rockstar that will immortalize the Detroit emcee forever, Danny Brown was pleasantly surprised to learn that his 2017 single "Ain't It Funny" was used during Christopher John Rogers Fall/Winter 2020 presentation at New York Fashion Week, this past Saturday (Feb. 8). 

The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund-winning designer, Christopher John Rogers presented a total of forty different garments utilizing boisterous silhouettes, iridescent fabrics, and a color-coordinated lineup of models ranging in complexion, wearing natural hairstyles. The packed house was able to consume the designs to a very fitting soundtrack, curated by Skype Williams, which included tracks like FKA Twigs and Dennis Ferrer’s "Hey Hey," Eurythmics’ "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," SBTRKT’s "New Dorp. New York," and more. 

The fashion presentation came to a climax as Danny Brown's "Ain't It Funny" instrumental was played during the show's finale. Christopher John Rogers himself took a moment to capture the models walking the runway in unison to the experimental beat his Instagram account. Yesterday evening, Danny Brown saw the clip on Twitter and simply quote Tweeted the video simply stating, "Ain't It Funny."

Check out the clip of Christopher John Rogers NYFW Fall/Winter 2020 collection featuring Danny Brown's "Ain't It Funny" as well as the "Savage Nomad" rapper's reaction in the videos provided below.

While Usher's tribute to Prince at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards last night (Jan 26) was more of a miss than a hit amongst many fans, no one could deny that FKA Twigs killed it as the lead dancer throughout the performance. However, lots of viewers felt like the "Cellophane" singer was, well, not treated as a singer when she rightfully should've been. Surprisingly enough, Twigs had something to say on the subject in her own words.

Those tuning in last night to the 2020 GRAMMYs may have been surprised to see Usher giving a grand tribute to music icon Prince, but unfortunately praise for his performance wasn't exactly universal. However, before we get into public opinions, check it out in its entirety below, featuring longtime Prince collaborator Sheila E. and a show-stealing pole performance by FKA Twigs:

When FKA Twigs dropped off her “Cellophane” video last year (before the arrival of her Magdalene album) the singer showcased her impressive pole dancing skills as the video showcased her stripping her way into another universe. After the visuals were released, the UK bred singer released another short documentary on the extensive training and practice that went into perfecting her moves. 

Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Such training and effort into learning her new skill have not gone to waste since FKA is still perfecting her moves and has showcased a video of her latest effort on Instagram. In the clip below, you can see the “Water Me” singer hanging upside on a pole as she twirls around with her leg holding her steady. “Can u find the birthday cake?” she captioned the clip. 

FKA’s latest upload comes just days after she was spotted with 1975 singer Matt Healy. The duo has been seen cozying up around town leading us to believe that a new romance is on the rise. FKA split things off with Shia LaBeouf in June of last year to focus on her career. “They both have put their relationship on hold. FKA has been focusing on her tour and she wanted to put all of her heart and soul into it. They are really up in the air right now and we’re waiting until all of her work commitments were fulfilled to figure it out,” a source said at the time.  

The 2020 BRIT Awards kick off on February 18th, and just ahead of the ceremony, the British Phonographic Industry has unveiled the nominees for the coveted music prizes.

Among nominees are the usual suspects as Harry Styles and Stormzy find themselves among nominees for Best Male Solo Artist and Mastercard Album of The Year. In the category for Female Solo Artist of the year, you’ll find Charli XCX, FKA Twigs, Freya Ridings, Mabel, and Mahalia.

 Ian Gavan/Getty Images

The international counterparts for these categories find Bruce Springsteen, Burna Boy, Dermot Kennedy, Post Malone, and Tyler The Creator up for International Male Artist of the year while the female category is host to Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Lana Del Rey, and Lizzo.

Catch the full list of 2020 BRIT nominations below.

Male Solo Artist

Dave
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy

Female Solo Artist

Charli XCX
FKA Twigs
Freya Ridings
Mabel
Mahalia

Best Group

Bastille
Bring Me The Horizon
Coldplay
D-Block Europe
Foals

Song of the Year

AJ Tracey – “Ladbroke Grove”
Calvin Harris & Rag’n’Bone Man – “Giant”
Dave feat. Burna Boy – “Location”
Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber – “I Don’t Care”
Lewis Capaldi – “Someone You Loved”
Mabel – “Don’t Call Me Up”
Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus – “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart”
Sam Smith & Normani – “Dancing With A Stranger”
Stormzy – “Vossi Bop”
Tom Walker – “Just You and I”

Mastercard Album of the Year

Dave – “Psychodrama”
Harry Styles – “Fine Line”
Lewis Capaldi – “Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent”
Michael Kiwanuka – “Kiwanuka”
Stormzy – “Heavy Is The Head”

Best New Artist

Aitch
Dave
Lewis Capaldi
Mabel
Sam Fender

International Female Solo Artist

Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Camila Cabello
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo

International Male Solo Artist

Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Tyler The Creator