Original Article: https://www.papermag.com/audrey-nuna-damn-right-2647574135.html?rebelltitem=25#rebelltitem25
By Logan Potter
Audrey Nuna is a hip-hop artist whose fresh take on the genre — a vision she began to shape upon being discovered four years ago — warrants a playlist addition for any fan. But less than a year ago, Nuna said listeners would be hard-pressed to find any information about her with a Google search.
Nuna realized her need for a name change when it became apparent that the mononym didn't allow for much online discovery, a challenge for an up-and-coming artist. "It was too hard to find me on the internet," Nuna told PAPER. "It legitimately took me one year to pick a name. I hated everything I came up with."
Then her brother called her Audrey Nuna; it wasn't out of the ordinary, as he had called Nuna such for years. But something clicked, and nuna, a Korean word which translates in English to "older sister," became more than a name or a title. Rather, it is now part of Nuna's artistic identity.
Though the change alone may have contributed to a more seamless path to search results, Nuna's increased likelihood to be found online is likely also a product of her early success on the scene. Nuna's name re-introduction is only one reflection of her artistic evolution within the last year.
Enter: "damn Right," her latest single following up a year of tracks including "Time" and the Jack Harlow-featured "Comic Sans," both of which racked up between one and three million streams since their releases. The satirical take on "flexing" is a high-energy bop that takes on the common desire to show off with honest and witty lyrics to match, like "Damn right, she stole that Bacardi/ Damn right, he drive fake Ferrari/ God damn, it ain't even a party without you flexing that Murakami."
From self-styling to creative direction based on sonic energy, "damn Right" showcases the best of Nuna's artistic traits and unapologetic individualism, designed with collaborators that share her vision for a dynamic creation.
PAPER caught up with Nuna to discuss the newfound limitations on collaboration in the age of the pandemic, her growth since she hit the scene and the creative process that produced the track and visual for "damn Right."
How are you? What have you been up to for the past few months?
At this moment in time, I'm overwhelmed. I just went to see Tenet and my brain is liquid. Past few months, I've had a normal sleep schedule for the first time since high school. Been making music, making videos. Quarantine's been almost like a second chance at childhood. I go outside way more and I'm reading again.
You haven't stopped working during quarantine. What is the experience like to create with these new limitations, particularly on in-person collaboration?
It's challenging as hell. I've realized that in-person collaboration is my favorite thing about creating — getting to know the people, getting pizza with them, seeing the posters and trinkets people keep in their workspaces. Fuck Zoom sessions, they are trash. But we're out here.
The pandemic is just one part of a four-year music journey for you. How do you think you've evolved in your artistry since you were discovered at 16?
The sound and visuals have evolved, but I feel and think the same way about creating as I always have. I don't feel less excited or reserved about trying shit. I'm way better at communicating the ideas and sounds in my head.
Your name has evolved, as well. Within the last year, you made the move from Audrey to Audrey Nuna — what inspired the change?
It was too hard to find me on the internet. It legitimately took me one year to pick a name. I hated everything I came up with. I was in my mom's kitchen one day and my brother called me "Audrey Nuna" as he always has (nuna means older sister in Korean) and it clicked because I've been hearing him call me that since he was a baby.
Speaking of change, let's talk about writing. How has the songwriting process evolved for you over the years?
It's always been a shit show. I've always been melody-driven, though. The trap of overthinking shit is a little more present because of the fact that before I was just trying to start and now I have this ambition to get better, which honestly screws me over at times because some of my favorite things I've made were the most effortless.
The process is clearly working out, and your track, "Time," was a streaming hit. How would you compare "Time" to the sound and lyricism of your new single, "damn Right"?
"Time" is butter, "damn right" is pineapple cream cheese.
What was the creative process on "damn Right"?
Nate, the producer, and I met that day. We got tacos, talked about Rick Rubin. He made the beat in 10 minutes and I put down a scratch, finished it when I got back to the east coast. It's a satire about gossip and flexing and human nature.
Which lyric on "damn Right" speaks to you the most? How did it make it on the track?
"Saying plastic on my wrist and they're damn right." I own a lot of plastic/acrylic jewelry. I wear what I like, I don't care if it's cheap. On the flip side, I don't buy or like clothes any more just because they're expensive.
You filmed the music video for the single just weeks ago (and you incorporated a mask shot)! How would you describe the socially distanced video-making experience for "damn Right"?
[Laughs] That wasn't even on purpose. The shoot was one of my favorite quarantine days. It was strange only seeing the upper portion of the crew members' faces. I really miss seeing strangers' full faces, not just the eyes.
What inspired the creative direction for this visual?
We just bottled the energy of the song. The beat is fat, we wanted the video fat. My friend Lolo directed this one and one of the first ideas he sent me for the treatment was the scene was the bathtub of barbies. We built around that energy.
How was this visual styled? Did you have a role in it?
I style/styled myself. I was thinking about working with a stylist, but they didn't get back to me in time. I had the best time though; I want to continue doing it myself. My personal favorites from this video was the pink bandana fit and the baseball bat fit. Shoutout to Bobby Day for the jean sleeves in the trophy scene.
As far as what comes next, this is the latest single from your upcoming EP. What can listeners expect?
Expect nothing because it's more fun that way. I'm stoked to get to do this shit and I'm very excited to live more life and go more places and report what I see to all of you.
Original Article: https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/music/the-kid-laroi-drops-surprise-music-video-for-wrong-featuring-lil-mosey-2756037
By Greta Brereton
The track appeared on his debut mixtape, ‘F*CK LOVE’, which was released in July.
The clip is shot like a high school movie, with LAROI, real name Charlton Howard, pursuing a young librarian. Lil Mosey also makes an appearance to rap his verse, followed by footage of a dance party in the school gym.
It was directed by controversial YouTuber Logan Paul, who caused a stir on the internet when he uploaded a since deleted video from Japan’s suicide forest to his channel in 2018.
LAROI’s ‘F*CK LOVE’ album featured other collaborations with Corbin and the late Juice WRLD, who LAROI considered a friend and a mentor.
The pair’s track, ‘GO’, was released as a single in June. LAROI shared a statement about losing his friend via Instagram.
“it’s been a little over 6 months since you been gone, and it still doesn’t feel right,” he wrote.
“I got to learn from a real life legend. it’s not even in my character to write long ass shit like this but fuck it our song is about to come out and I just wanna say how much I wish you were here with me to enjoy this shit. we all love and miss you back here ❤️”
A month later, LAROI shared a tribute to the late Juice WRLD, with the song ‘Tell Me Why’.
Original Article: https://stylecaster.com/justin-bieber-chance-the-rapper-holy-lyrics-meaning/
By Jason Pham
The Biebs is back. Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper’s “Holy” lyrics are about Hailey Baldwin and how faith brought the couple together. Four months after the release of his duet, “Stuck With U,” with Ariana Grande, Bieber returned with another song dedicated to his wife on Friday, September 18.
In the music video for “Holy,” which stars Ryan Destiny as Bieber’s love interest, the “Yummy” singer plays an oil worker who loses his job, which leads to him and Destiny needing to move out from their home. As the two walk with no destination in mind, the two are approached by a soldier played by Wilmer Valderrama, who offers them a meal with his family. Though the plot seems to be fictional, both the music video and lyrics for “Holy” reference a love that’s strengthened by faith, which mirrors Bieber’s relationship with Baldwin. The two first dated in 2015 before their split in 2016. The couple reunited in June 2018 after they ran into each at a Christian conference. They got engaged in July 2018 and married in September 2018 at a courthouse in New York City. In “Holy,” Bieber sings about how his love makes him feel holy.
“That the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me / Feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy / On God / Runnin’ to the altar like a track star / Can’t wait another second / ‘Cause the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me / Feels so holy,” the lyrics read.
In an interview with Vogue in February 2019, Bieber also opened up about how he and Baldwin connected over their shared love of God. He also explained why he and Baldwin married so fast into their relationship.
“He [God] doesn’t ask us not to have sex for him because he wants rules and stuff,” Bieber said. “He’s like, I’m trying to protect you from hurt and pain. I think sex can cause a lot of pain. Sometimes people have sex because they don’t feel good enough. Because they lack self-worth. Women do that, and guys do that. I wanted to rededicate myself to God in that way because I really felt it was better for the condition of my soul. And I believe that God blessed me with Hailey as a result. There are perks. You get rewarded for good behavior.”
Bieber continued, “When I saw her last June, I just forgot how much I loved her and how much I missed her and how much of a positive impact she made on my life. I was like, Holy cow, this is what I’ve been looking for.”
Original Article: https://genius.com/a/trippie-redd-s-i-got-you-samples-busta-rhymes-i-know-what-you-want
By Chris Mench
Trippie Redd’s new single, “I Got You,” features none other than Busta Rhymes, and it also draws from the legendary rapper’s catalog. The song is produced by Wheezy, and its chorus finds Trippie interpolating one of Busta’s classic hits with Mariah Carey: “I Know What You Want.”
Trippie’s “I Got You” video even pays tribute to Busta’s original, beginning with a meet-up skit in the backseat of a car. Soon after, Busta appears to drop references to Titanic and Boston Market:
Yeah, baby girl, you know you hit the target
Beautiful and sweeter than a box of Boston Markets
Put a stone on you like the diamond was once lost in the Arctic
She know you whipped the Bugatti in the way that you parked it
“I Know What You Want” stands as one of the biggest hits of Busta’s career. The 2003 song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It served as a single for his sixth album, It Ain’t Safe No More, and eventually went Gold.
Trippie Redd was set to drop his new album, Pegasus, this year, but the status of the project is currently in flux following its leak last month. He released the deluxe edition of his 2019 album, A Love Letter To You 4, back in February.
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Original Article: https://buzz-caribbean.com/hot/short-and-sweet-shenseea-and-tarrus-riley-release-lighter-music-video/
By Buzz Writer
“The song is too short, but it’s a really nice song,” one YouTube user said. “I don’t need this, it’s too short, take it back. There’s another 40 sec missing. Lol,” another added.
After weeks of teasing, the music video for Lighter was finally released on Sunday. In less than 14 hours, it was viewed more than 220,000 times on YouTube.
“SONG TOOO NICE FI SO SHORT….. TWO MORE VERSE PON IT…. SHENSEEA WITH THE VOCALS AND VISUALS. YEH AND TARRUS PART BAD TOO.”
— YOUTUBE VIEWER
The song appears on Tarrus Riley’s album called Healing. It also features producer Rvssian.
In the video, the two entertainers were quite close and cute. Tarrus Riley had ‘a buzz’ in his solo shots, as his outfits were on-trend. But it was Shenseea who stole the show in one of the scenes where she was sitting on a chair covered with flowers. Her blue hair was just gorgeous.
“Let’s all just take a moment to appreciate Shenseea’s beauty,” one viewer said.
The entertainer was also given props for how she sang.
“She has such a beautiful voice. It’s good to hear songs that embrace her voice,” one viewer said.
“Song tooo nice fi so short….. Two more verse pon it…. Shenseea with the vocals and visuals….. ❤️… Yeh and tarrus part bad too,” another added.
Original Article: https://www.complex.com/music/2020/08/drake-new-song-laugh-now-cry-later-takeaways
BY ERIC SKELTON, JESSICA MCKINNEY, MATTHEW RITCHIE
Remember when Drake promised that his sixth studio album would arrive sometime this summer? Well, the official end of summer is only a month away, and we haven't even heard anything about a release date. Thankfully, Drake reemerged on Friday with some news.
The album will be called Certified Lover Boy, and it will include a Lil Durk-assisted song called "Laugh Now Cry Later." The new single came packaged with a Dave Meyers-directed music video that was shot at Nike's headquarters in Oregon and features cameos from athletes like Kevin Durant, Odell Beckham Jr., and Marshawn Lynch. Digging into the credits, we learn the song was produced by Cardo, GRy, Yung Exclusive, and Rogét Chahayed.
How did he do? Will this become as successful as previous Drake singles like "God's Plan" and "One Dance"? Or is it a misstep? We put together a short list of our first impressions and takeaways, which you can find below.
It doesn’t have typical lead single energy
For about five minutes after it dropped, "Laugh Now Cry Later" was devoid of context. All we had to go on was a music video full of Nike swooshes and the song itself. So at first, it felt like another warmup to hold us over until it's time for the album. Maybe Drake cashed a nice sneaker check and used the opportunity to flex on a laid-back song with Lil Durk?
Then his Instagram post went live: "'Laugh Now Cry Later' off my next studio album CERTIFIED LOVER BOY.” Oh. It's a single from the album. In this context, the song comes across a little differently. Unlike everything we heard on Dark Lane Demo Tapes, this isn't bonus material. "Laugh Now Cry Later" is the real deal, so why doesn't it sound as big and exciting as some of Drake's past pre-album singles, like "Started From the Bottom" or "One Dance"?
"Laugh Now Cry Later" isn't a by-the-numbers pop radio play or a hard-hitting club record. It's a mellow song with Lil Durk that patiently works its way to a mild conclusion. It's a vibe, but not an obvious hit record. It'll undoubtedly make its way on all our playlists, but it certainly doesn't feel like the kind of explosive lead single that would stand out on Drake's resume a decade from now. Who knows, though. Drake might know exactly what he's doing. Maybe he's been up in Toronto, conducting elaborate focus groups, and figured out this is actually the perfect single to release as America crawls its way out of a pandemic and most of us can't go out at night anyway. Remember Drake at night? Good times. —Eric Skelton
Lil Durk did his thing
Lil Durk's contribution deserves attention. The Chicago rapper slides in on the second verse with melodic bars about coming up in the trenches, seemingly taking a jab at 6ix9ine as he spits, "Can you not play that lil boy in the club? Cause we do not listen to rats." The only problem we have with Durk's part is that it's too short. We want more of this! Nevertheless, this feels like an important moment for Durk, and he did his thing. This year, in particular, has been really great for him. In May, he received positive reviews for his fifth studio album, Just Cause Y’all Waited 2, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Everyone should be watching closely to see what Durk does next. —Jessica McKinney
There’s heavy sports ad energy
"Laugh Now Cry Later" is giving off serious sports ad energy. The music video is basically a cinematic sports ad with cameos of NFL players Marshawn Lynch and Odell Beckham Jr. NBA star Kevin Durant is seen swinging from a basketball hoop, while Drake and Durk don oversized Draft Day suits. The whole video was shot in and around the Nike headquarters, but the song itself also feels like something that was designed to become the soundtrack for an upcoming sports ad. Has Nike already cut him a check? The beat, which is anchored by a horn loop, would work well as entry music in an NBA promo video. Knowing Drake's history as a rabbid sports fan, this all feels intentional. —Jessica McKinney
Drake still thinks about memes a lot
By now, it's fairly obvious that each of Drake's songs and videos are deliberately created to be used as source material for memes. We've seen the marketing genius of Drake's dance moves in the "Hotline Bling" music video and the "tiny Drake" Views album cover, which each spawned countless memes. Now, he knows the formula works, so he's sticking to it. The "Laugh Now Cry Later" video is full of short vignettes that center around Drake popping out of pools, crying, and doubling over in exaggerated laughter. None of these moments do much to advance the storyline of the video, but they do make for great reaction GIFs. Drake is thinking so much about internet jokes that he even invited Instagram comedian Druski to appear in the video. You can go ahead and make fun of the Certified Lover Boy album title on Twitter, but you should realize that's exactly what he wants you to do. I'm sure this will all pay off for Drake, but part of me wishes it wasn't so obviously choreographed at this point. Memes aren't as fun when they're planted by corporate machines. —Eric Skelton
He sounds above it all
For Drake's entire run at the upper echelon of rap, he's receiving subliminal messages and direct shots. 2020 has been no different. From vague and inane tweets from Kanye West, to Pusha-T's reported diss on the unreleased version of Pop Smoke's "Paranoia," the Canadian rapper has had plenty of opportunities to reignite the flames of beef from his past (and present). However, he makes it clear here that he's above shots like that. Are these feuds disinteresting to him now? Just look at the video: he's living out his dreams, getting cooked by Kevin Durant, and catching passes from Odell Beckham Jr. When he raps, "Tired of beefing these bums/you can't even pay me enough to react," he does it with the confidence of someone who clearly understands that he's untouchable at this point. In Drake’s mind, he's above it all. —Matthew Ritchie
It’s safe
"Laugh Now Cry Later" won't be a flop. It's already trending No. 1 on YouTube, and climbing to the top of the Apple Music and Spotify charts. It's a good, solid song that won't blow up in Drake's face or dampen excitement for his next album. Instead, it's an inoffensive single that will easily slide into major playlists and become a streaming monster without much friction. But it's also not very exciting. Drake doesn't take any big risks or evolve his sound in new ways. It's a little disappointing that his guest verse on Headie One's "Only You Freestyle" last month had more interesting creative choices than his own single. It's not a great sign that more people are talking about the music video than the song itself right now. "Laugh Now Cry Later" is fine, and it gets the job done, but let's hope Drake takes more risks on the rest of the album. —Eric Skelton
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Bio from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateez
Ateez (Korean: 에이티즈, pronounced "Ay-Teez"; stylized in all caps), is a South Korean boy group formed by KQ Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho. They debuted on October 24, 2018 with the extended play Treasure EP.1: All to Zero.
On July 12, Ateez announced a voting event to choose the promotion track for their upcoming album. The fan voting period ran from July 14–21, beginning with instrumental and storyline previews uploaded on July 13. Audio previews of the two tracks, "Inception" and "Thanxx", were released on July 14, followed by performance preview videos on July 17. A series of video clips showcasing celebrity voting began releasing on July 17. The title track was announced on July 28 at Ateez Air Con, an online comeback showcase. The following day, July 29 at 6PM KST, Ateez released their fifth EP, Zero: Fever Part 1 with "Inception" as the chosen title track.
Thanxx is their newest music video, debuting August 23 with director Lee Gi-baek
(Tiger Cave) and choreographers 홍재민 (BB Trippin) and Melvin Timtim.
By Jon Powell
Original Write-up: https://www.revolt.tv/new-music/2020/7/21/21333079/chris-brown-young-thug-go-crazy-video
Back in May, Young Thug and Chris Brown joined forces for the fun collaborative release Slime & B, which sees 13 tracks and appearances from Gunna, Lil Duke, Too $hort, E-40, Future, and more. This week, fans get to check out a new visual from the project for “Go Crazy,” which is produced by Murphy Kid and KanielTheOne and sees the two stars harmonizing about the very debaucherous topics one would want to hear if outside was fully open:
“Laid up, got me thinkin’, babe, tell me if you with it ‘cause I’m with it, babe, I haven’t heard from you in a minute, babe, Just tell me what to do when I get it, babe, Gucci and Prada/
Trips to your crib in the middle of the night, I know that you miss me ‘cause I put it down right, damn, babe, I can put you on a flight, you know that a n***a like me can change your life.../”
The Mat Fuller-directed visual is a big mansion party, complete with beautiful people, drinks, flashy cars, and plenty of dancing — some of which is provided by Diddy’s sons Justin and Christian, who make high-energy cameos in the clip. If we weren’t still locked into Coronavirus protocol, I’d imagine that this is how summer would be looking for everyone right now.
Both Chris Brown and Young Thug are sitting comfortably at the top of their respective genres right now. Both artists are currently working on 2020 releases — Young Thug announced the forthcoming Punk last fall, while Chris Brown unveiled the name of his 10th studio album, titled BREEZY, via social media earlier this month. You can certainly expect both albums to produce a few of this year’s biggest hits when they’re finally released.
]]>Original Write-Up By Dante (In Spanish)
https://elfildeo.com/noticias/yandel-nueva-cancion-por-mi-reggae-muero-anuel-aa-video/116830/2020/
Yandel has returned with the King of Trap, Anuel AA in an explosion of fiery rhythm that will make everyone dance.
The living reggaeton legend is partying, premiering his new album "Who Contra Mi 2" in which he participated in his monumental return as a soloist to the urban genre, accompanied by the cream of reggaeton and now the reggaetonero, Anuel AA.
“Por Mi Reggae Muero 2020” is so far one of the most explosive, moving, and exciting songs we have heard from Yandel. This is designed and created to ignite the party and of course to hook you from the first moment you listen to it.
Yandel continues to make his mixes in a way that we have liked so much, where he combines the best of current reggaeton with the "old man" giving us this elixir as a music that returns the soul to the body and also the will to live.
Without a doubt, Yandel knows how to break it down, and with "Who Against Me 2" he continues to show us who is the greatest in the genre, so you can't miss this ish with Anuel AA.
Original write-up by Ayana Rashed
https://thesource.com/2020/07/17/50-cent-teases-pop-smokes-the-woo-video-with-roddy-ricch/
Today, Platinum-certified R&B singer and songwriter Queen Naija shared the official video for her new single, “Pack Lite.” Set in 1960s Atlanta, the clip was directed by fellow R&B artist Teyana Taylor, aka Spike Tey (Macy Gray, Schoolboy Q, Wale, T.I.), who was named Video Director of the Year at the 2020 BET Awards. Queen took to YouTube Live following the premiere to chat with fans about the making of the video.
Shortly after the single’s release, Queen became the highest-charting female on Apple Music’s R&B Songs chart, and “Pack Lite” remains in the top 10 of the tally. The track, which is from Queen’s forthcoming debut album, finds her delivering a sharp ultimatum to a lover: “If you don’t get your act together, you might have to pack lite.” Produced by Oak (Lizzo, Alessia Cara), “Pack Lite” samples and interpolates Erykah Badu’s GRAMMY®-nominated hit “Bag Lady.” HotNewHipHop said, “if the album sounds anything like her recent release, it’s sure to be a hit.”
“Pack Lite” is the follow-up to “Butterflies Pt. 2,” which has amassed over 33 million combined global streams and entered the top 15 at Urban AC radio. Multi-Platinum artist Wale joined Queen on “Butterflies Pt. 2 Remix,” putting a fresh spin on the story. “Butterflies Pt. 2” is the sequel to Queen Naija’s “Butterflies,” which was one of three Platinum-certified singles from her self-titled debut EP, released in 2018 by Capitol Music Group.
With the arrival of her 2018 self-titled debut EP, Queen emerged as an unstoppable new force in the R&B world. Having clocked over 800 million combined global streams to date, Queen Naija features three Platinum-certified singles: “Butterflies,” “Karma” and her breakthrough hit “Medicine”—an independently released smash that made its staggering debut at No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, a nearly-unheard-of achievement for an unsigned artist.
Along with debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, Queen was hailed as “the first soul star of the social media generation” by The New York Times, and earned major recognition in the 2019 awards season with nominations for Top R&B Artist at the Billboard Music Awards, Best New Artist at the BET Awards and three nods at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. The 24-year-old Detroit-area native has amassed over a billion combined global streams to date.
]]>We appreciate you!
]]>Original write-up by Jiggy Jones
https://thesource.com/2020/07/17/50-cent-teases-pop-smokes-the-woo-video-with-roddy-ricch/
50 Cent continues to go all out for his late mentee, Pop Smoke.
The G-Unit CEO served as the executive producer for Pop’s posthumous number one album, Shoot For the Stars, Aim For The Moon. Upon his shocking death, Fif vowed to complete the album. He fulfilled his promise and has seen its success. Last week 50 announced that he will no longer work with the parties involved with Pop Smoke going forward.
The Power television producer took to Instagram to tease the visuals for “The Woo” track featuring Roddy Ricch. The track is one of the many standouts from Pop Smoke’s album. It debuted at No. 11 on the Hot 100 charts, only five spots below “For The Night.”
According to 50 Cent, the video is set to drop on Monday, July 20. Pop Smoke would be celebrating his 21st birthday on that day if he was here.
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