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Carbon Sound

Vote for your Top 10 Beyoncé Songs!

Lil Uzi Vert, the elusive rapper who has previously made headlines for attempting to buy a planet and undergoing a $26 million forehead diamond implant, made headlines again for revealing that they are nonbinary in July of 2022. Receiving mostly supportive comments on social media following the announcement, the rapper joins the ranks of other artists like Kehlani and Sam Smith who use the singular they pronoun or are openly nonbinary. The positivity from this headline broke a trend of negative press and online buzz for the rapper; pointing to disappointing snippets released after Uzi’s debut 

 as well as a lukewarm response to last year’s 

EP, YouTube thinkpieces and hip-hop forums aplenty debate whether Uzi has “

”, the artistic brilliance from their earlier Soundcloud era lost forever.

Lil Uzi Vert has never been a stereotypically masculine rapper. Their flamboyant style and shrugging off of traditional styles of expression for men in rap are arguably a major part of their appeal. In any case, Uzi seems to be enjoying an uneventful transition into a more openly queer life, something that is too often taken for granted in an age where “coming out” as non-straight or non-cisgender still feels like an exhausting and unending rite of passage.

I’m happy for Uzi. So why am I left with a sour taste in my mouth?

Because as each of these headlines pass, a more damning headline is further buried, one that isn’t about their opulent expressiveness, planetary acquisitions, or new album: allegations of stalking and mental and physical abuse against their ex-girlfriend, Brittany Byrd, in July of 2021. 

, after Uzi discovered that Byrd and rapper Saint Jhn were at a cafe in West Hollywood together, they entered the building, struck Byrd in the face multiple times, and pointed a gun to her stomach before leaving; Byrd was hospitalized for her injuries. 

Just as with other high-profile cases of domestic abuse and sexual violence from 

, the allegations against Uzi made headlines but were quickly buried. Searches for “Lil Uzi Brittany Byrd'' return articles emphasizing Byrd’s conflicting accounts of the incident, or ignore her injuries by focusing exclusively on the interaction between Uzi and Saint Jhn, portraying the incident more as jealous ex-collaborator beef than an instance of domestic assault. (Uzi was featured on Saint Jhn’s 2020 song “High School Reunion, Prom”.) On the subreddit r/liluzivert, a post with the title “

” [sic] is populated with comments discrediting Byrd’s account and calling her ugly and brain-dead. Other posts make a running joke of Byrd’s supposed unreliability and paint her as needy and attention-grabbing.

These kinds of posts are likely to see a resurgence with the release of Uzi’s long-awaited third studio album, 

, on June 30. The album is an adventurous but uneven attempt to solidify Uzi as a true punk-rock rapper; thrashing electric guitar, breakbeat drum loops, and autotuned growls contribute to a maximalist listening experience that is frenetic and unpredictable. Despite these elements, it sometimes feels as though Uzi leans too heavily on the record’s production – as well as a lengthy feature from deathcore band Bring Me The Horizon – to provide 

with a true punk rock feel. It doesn’t help that there’s no unified sonic identity to the album, perhaps owing to the astonishing 56 producers credited on the record. 

Despite critics and fans alike bemoaning 

’s hour-and-a-half runtime and thematic inconsistency, excellent tracks still abound. “x2” highlights solid Uzi wordplay over a bubbly, frantic beat. “Nakamura” marries arena rock with a throaty, autotuned chorus to perfectly evoke the Japanese wrestler they so idolize. And the addictive Nicki Minaj collab “Endless Fashion” is a case study of how to sample a song as ubiquitous as “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” and still make it lyrically inventive and intriguing. Maybe David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s rendition would’ve been a tad more memorable if they had only evoked Chrome Hearts, Carhartt, and Natalie Nunn’s chin within the first minute.

glaringly omits the charges leveled against Uzi, despite them actively undergoing probation, community service, and rehabilitation for the incident. (Uzi recounts their seven months of inpatient care on “

,” which coincided with many of the internet allegations of “falling off.”) It’s hard to say why the media has seemed to turn a blind eye, but the fact that Uzi has never been a stereotypically straight or masculine rapper works, in my mind, like a double-edged sword. Bigoted attitudes make Uzi’s nonbinary presentation an easy target for mockery, painting them as a harmless purse-wearer and 

 even when faced with serious assault allegations. (And, as they make clear in the 

, the gay rumors are categorically false.) Flattening queer-presenting people as cute but harmless individuals does not only serve to put queer expression into a box, but it also protects queer abusers from being held accountable for their actions – and allows rappers like Uzi to get away with larger-than-life publicity stunts that obfuscate the ugly truth.

Anyone is capable of committing abusive and violent acts that are rooted in patriarchy, even if they themselves aren’t straight or cisgender. Until Lil Uzi Vert makes a public statement about their alleged assault, it’ll be hard for me to be excited for 

, much less their broader journey as an androgynous, trend-setting rapper. And until hip-hop and the broader music industry can see queer people as people, inherently worthy of respect but also capable of violence, testimonies like Brittany Byrd’s will continue to be swept under the rug.

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Kaj Johnson

The rapper’s rambunctious third album Pink Tape is breaking the internet. It’s also another attempt to shift the narrative from allegations of their abusive behavior.


Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording A

Lil Uzi Vert’s Skeletons in the (Glass) Closet

Each week, we add new music, older tracks, which are known as “Gold adds”, and tracks that might not fit our general format, but still deserve a place in rotation because they serve our mission of showing the depth, breadth, and influence of Black musical expression - These are known as “Variety adds.”

. If you make music and want it considered for rotation, 

 If you want to give feedback directly, reach out to me at jgreen@mpr.org.

Tune in to hear our host Sanni B. live on The Message from 10 AM to 1 PM Monday through Thursday!

Keep all these tracks in one place with the 

 Spotify playlist. This playlist is updated weekly with all the new adds. When that playlist is cycled with new tracks, the tracks live forever on the 

 playlist. That playlist contains all of the music that we've added since the week of July 11, 2022 in chronological order of when it was added. All of the tracks available on Spotify, at least.

“Put It On Da Floor Again” feat. Cardi B

“LK” feat. Stamina MC [Marcus Intalex & St Files Remix]

Julian Green built and manages the music library for Carbon Sound and oversees content creation.  


Julian Green

All of the tracks added to rotation on Carbon Sound the week of July 3, 2023.


Image for New on Carbon Sound Spotify playlist

Natalia Toledo

New on Carbon Sound

Old on Carbon Sound

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of July 3, 2023

Destiny Spike is a showgirl in every sense of the word.

Styling herself as a modern “Hoe-sephine Baker,” the local artist is a jack of all trades, with an over decade-long career spent rapping, dancing, and “shaking some titty” (her words) everywhere and anywhere worth going, including SXSW, TC Pride, and the 

There is no shortage of theatrics — Amid the massive wigs and lavish costumery, Spike is ever the consummate performer, infusing her mix of contemporary dance and great music with plenty of shock value. A careful shoulder pop, a wig snatch, an impromptu Soul Train line with the crowd. In just one night, I've watched her freestyle effortlessly, vogue in mile-high heels then descend into the splits, and perhaps most notably, coax a reticent Minnesotan crowd from the shadows.

“Y’all are being cute,” Spike chided the crowd at 

 Hi Cotton Ball. “I don’t see any dancing. I don’t want cute. I want chaos.”

2023 is the year of righteous returns for Spike, including a 

 gig, and a booked and busy Pride month. Her debut LP, 

(2023), is almost incidental among all these feats, yet a masterwork of its own; a playful, raunchy mix of club anthems and gauzy, introspective tracks. (Consider this a plea to give Spike’s 

“Destiny is a generational talent,” friend and musician Blu Bone shared in a phone interview. “Just to see someone really in command of themselves and their body in such a raw and truly liberating way, it invites that same energy into you and the space. She really can do anything.”

The Destiny Spike I meet for coffee is not the Destiny Spike you see onstage. Despite her outsized live presence, Spike is a mere 5 ‘3, understated in wire-rimmed glasses and shorn hair. Upon arrival, she immediately enveloped me in a hug.

Over an espresso, Spike launched into her tale. Destiny Davis, better known as Destiny Spike, was born and raised in north Minneapolis. The come-up is simple, and glimmers with signs of prodigy — Davis began dancing at age two, then flit between a host of renowned dance studios, including the Debbie Allen Dance Academy at age 15. After stints at several performing arts schools, Davis eventually dropped out of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

“I didn’t want to be a backup dancer, and that’s what they were teaching us to be,” she said. “My love for dance wasn’t for the money. College just wasn’t flowing, and it was ruining my love for the art. I didn’t dance for years after.”

Amidst this creative rut, music was a happy accident. With her first gig at SXSW in 2013, Davis discovered a newfound passion for hip-hop: “I was actually originally there to dance. I was there with Mod Sun, I didn’t even know who he was! I managed to meet a lot of people in the industry, and they heard me freestyle and just loved it. They kept asking why I wasn't rapping already.” 

Long inspired by the likes of Pusha T, Lil’ Kim, and Missy Elliot, music felt like a natural next step. Upon returning to Minneapolis, Davis began working with local artist Chandria Benson to further refine her craft: “They helped me create bars. My songs used to be never-ending verses. We worked on making hooks, then breaking down my songs and rearranging them… It wasn’t bubblegum, it wasn’t simple, ABC-type rap. The whole process, it was raw, it was new. It felt right.”

A whirlwind of studio sessions followed suit, with Davis’ mother lending Davis her last $40 for studio time. “The rest is history! I’m a rap girl now.”

The years since have yielded a steady stream of shows, Davis performing everywhere from LA to Detroit to Atlanta (the latter most notably a link-up with rapper 

). On the sidelines, Davis quietly compiled the best of her work, finally releasing the mastered tracks this year in 

“I’ve been sitting on some of those tracks for eight years,” Davis lamented. “They’re my babies! Once I let them out into the world, I can’t change them!” 

 isn’t just in service of a good time — under the hi-hats and crunchy synths is rumination over Davis’s past and present, of her multifaceted identity as a queer person, a former sex worker, and a proud “Black thot.”

“She’s like a fusion of BbyMutha, Junglepussy, and Nicki Minaj, all at once,” 

 co-runner Annetifa Burns effused over the phone. “But even gayer.” 

“We love her,” Anne’s co-runner Marquis Fleur-de-lis went on. “[Davis] is just so punk. There’s a level of stage presence that comes with someone who has performed a million times for a million people. She is electric. When we worked with her [at House of 1000 Queers’ last show], we ran into a million technical issues. She rolled with every punch.”

A warm, even-keeled conversationalist, Davis kept me laughing well past the cafe’s close. Often derailing, we talked astrology (“It is Gemini season, so I have to buckle up,” she sighed) and chatted about pesky exes, one of Davis’ own calling her midway through our interview. “He wanted to know if this one restaurant was any good,” she divulged afterwards, rolling her eyes. “He could’ve asked Google.”

Davis brings this same effervescent energy to her side projects, including guest appearances on shows 

 and the Wholesome Podcast. It’s obvious Davis could (and should) expand even further than music, though her future is bright as is.

This isn’t to say new music isn’t already in the works: “I have so many emotions about growing up and turning 30. I’m really going through heartbreak and change, and it’s maturing into a sound I’ve never heard from myself. This next chapter is going to be so intense. But don’t worry, I’ll still throw you a party track, a Black thots anthem.” 

“I see [Davis] being the future of hip-hop, especially for women,” producer and frequent collaborator Major G shared over the phone. “She’s so open with her sexuality, and she’s taking everything to the highest decibel possible. It’s all intentional.”

“[Davis] really does have it all,” Blu Bone said. “With her performances, she hearkens back to greats like Josephine Baker and Grace Jones… She shakes the table. She is one of the best performers we have, not just in Minnesota. but nationally. She has so much ahead of her.” 

Fatima Rahman

The Twin Cities jack of  all trades makes anthems for Black sexual liberation.


Darin Kamnetz for MPR

Grabbing Coffee with Minneapolis Showgirl Destiny Spike

Olivia Dean has clearly nailed a lot of first impressions. Our initial interaction happened on a cloudy Thursday in midtown Manhattan. In a fugue state after a cross-country flight and an uncertain subway trip, I was standing sheepishly in the lobby of Universal Music’s office like a lost child. I was on three hours of sleep and was checking my phone on the train every 17 seconds to ensure I was heading in the right direction. There was no time to soak in the scenery of Central Park or study people’s outfits to see what trends to bring back home. No, I was on a mission. I had to meet Olivia Dean. 

The door opened, and in walked Olivia Dean and her manager. She was dressed in a tank top and hoodie, big striped pants, and stylish Prada shoes. We shook hands, her grip light and easy, and exchanged smiles, hers filled with radiant tooth gems. We would get time to talk later, but first someone from Island Records ushered her in for a meeting. I tailgated behind them and sat with Teddy, the front desk guy, while they wrapped their business.  

Dean is a 24-year-old singer from London, England. She started singing at a young age in a gospel choir and attended the prestigious BRIT School, whose alumni include renowned voices like Imogen Heap and Amy Winehouse. In 2019, Dean released her first commercial EP 

. Since then, she has kept busy with a string of singles and EPs. To date, her most-streamed song is 

 about a relationship perhaps permanently strained, which is closing in on 40 million plays on Spotify. Now she’s gearing up to make an all-important first impression with her debut full-length album, 

Dean and her team are seizing the moment. This year she has done a string of interviews, 

, and, most importantly, she finished recording the album. 

 sounds like the album that Olivia wanted to make. There is a level of comfort in Olivia’s music and presence that feels self-actualized. Nostalgic, genre-fluid, organic. Glimmers of some of her influences like Sam Cooke and Bill Withers shine through on 

 cuts like “Ladies Room” and “Danger.” 

This trip to New York was Olivia Dean’s first -- or her first real one, anyway. When she was 18, she spent about four hours here to do backup vocals for 

Rudimental’s performance on Jimmy Fallon

When her label meeting wrapped, I walked in and took a seat. Dean slouched comfortably into a green suede couch across from me. We had a few minutes before she would head to soundcheck for her first-ever solo performance in the U.S. – a sold-out show in the round at Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village. Just thinking about how busy all of that must be is enough to start an old-fashioned anxiety stomachache for me, but Olivia was as cool as ever. 

“I think when I got into the first sort of chunk of going, ‘OK, I'm going to make an album,’ I was holding myself back for a long time,” she said as she drew circles with her fingers on the suede. "I was like, ‘This is gonna define me ... I need to make the best thing I've ever made.’ I definitely gave myself a box, which I was creating within. And then I was like, ‘It doesn't really matter.  All I can do is write about how I'm feeling right now.’” 

Making any sort of debut is a nerve-racking process. My palms get sweaty before shaking someone’s hands for the first time, so I can’t imagine how it feels to release a debut album. She agreed. It can be a lot of pressure, but it’s not the end of the world. “I think it's what you allow -- the pressure that you're allowed to put on yourself and you allow other people to put on you,” she said. “I've just tried to think really simply about it. I've made the best music I could have made at the time and I really like it. So, if you like it, that's great. If they don't like it, that's cool.” 

When we met, she had been in the city for about 24 hours already and hoped to have some free time the next day to explore Central Park and the Empire State Building. Given her packed schedule, I’m not sure if she had the time. After about 15 minutes, I received a polite-but-firm text to wrap our interview so that she could make it to Le Poisson Rouge. We shook hands, said goodbye, and I headed off for a much-needed nap. 

Excitement was in the air that night at Le Poisson Rouge. Some came from the label folks, of course, eager to see a return on investment. Much came from the crowd, a diverse mix of young people that packed the tables surrounding the stage and lined the walls, phones in hand and smiles on faces. As I walked in, one person in line asked if I had any extra tickets. No dice.  

I do feel for that person, though. They missed out on a special performance – her first ever as a solo artist in the U.S. Dean had a gentle, yet commanding stage presence that enamored the audience. Joined by a pianist and bassist --her drummer’s visa got denied)-- she performed a 45-minute set that explored tracks from her EPs. Before “Be My Own Boyfriend,” an audience member correctly guessed it was coming, shouting the song title during Dean’s monologue about self-love. Of course, there were also yet-unreleased tracks from 

. She played piano and guitar, covered the Aretha Franklin classic “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and brought out Leon Bridges to perform their new duet version of 

When I asked her what the hardest part of being Olivia Dean is, her manager shouted an answer as Olivia paused to think: “Perfection.” Olivia’s answer for herself was “Separation,” delineating between Olivia Dean the person, and Olivia Dean the budding pop star. She acknowledged her perfectionism, though. “I

like striving for things to be excellent, which I think is a good trait but also a bad trait,” she mused. “Because sometimes you don't get anything done. You're waiting for something to be perfect. But, sometimes 80% perfect is still really good. You can't be perfect all the time ... My album is called 

because it's a reminder to myself to relax.” 

The desire to eschew perfectionism guided the process of recording 

. The tap of a piano pedal, the odd slightly off-beat guitar lick, and other uniquely human touches were kept in to create a sense of warmth and soul. Although she tries not to let the pressure get to her, she realizes the impact a debut can have. A debut can stand the test of time and become a statement for the artist’s entire career.  

 as an example of how to do it right. “It was just her in music form. It wasn't her trying to do a bit of that, or a bit of this,” she said, reaffirming her belief that honesty in music is non-negotiable. Part of being honest is doing what you feel. Olivia believes that doing this allows great music to be made. “I think you have to be a little bit selfish at the beginning in the creation pile on, like, allow yourself to be a bit self-indulgent so that you can be vulnerable.” 

The show at Le Poisson Rouge was intimate and honest, two things she strives for in her music. Dean chose not to adopt a stage name because she wants her true feelings to come through. “I want to be honest... It just felt like the obvious thing to do,” she reflected. “I'm not a particularly abstract person. I'm not writing about big things. I like small things and human things. That made sense.” 

With her start in gospel choir and history with musical theater --which she studied at the BRIT School before she believed she could pursue singing solo-- Dean is a natural performer. “Ladies Room,” a standout from 

, is the track that she’s most excited to perform live. “I just wanted to create something that will be so fun to perform live. It’s an homage, like a love letter to the girls’ bathroom. I love the chaos in there sometimes.” Her original idea was to take a voice recording of someone she met in the ladies’ room at her local pub, but decided against it. “How would I feel if I heard a song on the radio or, you know, just stumbled across something, and it was me like chatting shit about my boyfriend?” 

 will be released for all to hear on June 30. Who knows what will happen once it comes out? Regardless, she wants to be present through it all. Immediate joy, she says, is most important. “I'm trying to practice [being happy] day by day, rather than constantly like looking ahead and then actually not taking in moments when you're in them,” she shared. “Like, especially on this trip. I've just really tried to wake up every morning and be like, ‘You must be happy today and be thankful and, like, just live hour by hour.’” 

Olivia Dean seems to be enjoying the moment, dizzying as it can be. She smiled after the show at Le Poisson Rouge. She shared that she was nervous before coming out. I told her that if she wouldn’t have said that I would have never guessed.  

Between laughing about the legal and moral efficacy of recording strangers or talking about crying while watching 

remake, it seems like her talk about being herself and being honest are, well, honest. Olivia Dean has the sort of sincerity and charm that makes her hard not to root for. I hope she had some time to check out the Empire State Building. 

Messy will be released on Friday, June 30.

Editor’s note: Looks like she got to see it

The singer has high hopes behind her debut album, ‘Messy.’


Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Empire State Re

One day in New York with U.K. phenom Olivia Dean

Minneapolis-based artist Blu Bone visited Carbon Sound's studio for an interview and live performance of four tracks. Watch the full video above and visit our YouTube channel for videos of his performances of “Don’t Run,” “Swamp,” “River,” and “Hi Cotton.”

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more!

Watch Minneapolis-based artist Blu Bone do an interview and live session in the lab with Carbon Sound


Blu Bone in The Lab with Carbon Sound

Blu Bone - "Don't Run" (in The Lab with Carbon Sound)

Blu Bone - "Swamp" (in The Lab with Carbon Sound)

Blu Bone - "River" (in The Lab with Carbon Sound)

Blu Bone  - "Hi Cotton" (in The Lab with Carbon Sound)

Carbon Sound celebrated it's first year of existence with a night of DJs and dancing at Fine Line on Juneteenth. Over 350 people came to celebrate Black music. Many calories were burned on the dance floor. Watch Carbon Sound Correspondent Liam Armstrong's recap to relive the night. 

Liam Armstrong

Check out Liam Armstrong’s recap video from Carbon Sound’s 1st Birthday Party at Fine Line on Juneteenth.


Carbon Sound's 1st Birthday

Video: Carbon Sound's 1st Birthday

Bump Opera

Check out photographer photos from this Monday’s street festival


BUMP OPERA

Photos: Soul of the Southside brings Minneapolis together for Juneteenth

Darin Kamnetz

Check out Darin Kamnetz’s photos from Carbon Sound’s 1st Birthday Party at Fine Line Minneapolis.


Photos: Celebrating a year of Carbon Sound

“If You Asked Me To (Single Version)”

“You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)”

All of the tracks added to rotation on Carbon Sound the week of June 19, 2023.


Stories

Vote for your Top 10 Beyoncé Songs!

Lil Uzi Vert’s Skeletons in the (Glass) Closet

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of July 3, 2023

Get the Carbon Sound app

Grabbing Coffee with Minneapolis Showgirl Destiny Spike

One day in New York with U.K. phenom Olivia Dean

Blu Bone in The Lab with Carbon Sound

Video: Carbon Sound's 1st Birthday

Connect with Carbon Sound

Photos: Soul of the Southside brings Minneapolis together for Juneteenth

Photos: Celebrating a year of Carbon Sound

New Music on Carbon Sound - Week of June 19, 2023

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