Just one unauthorized shot can irk Eminem\u2014or at least some co-owners of his catalog. Although the \u201cSomebody Save Me\u201d rapper frequently shows his affection for Detroit, it seems that a local business is taking advantage of its hometown status.<\/p>\n
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As reported by TMZ, Eminem’s famous track “Lose Yourself” is at the center of a copyright infringement lawsuit. The outlet states that today (January 27) Eight Mile Style, a co-owner of Eminem’s catalog, submitted documents against LaFontaine Ford St. Clair dealership for using the track without permission in its latest advertisement<\/p>\n
The dealer’s latest promotion for a limited edition Detroit Lions Ford F-150 pickup truck featured Eminem’s song along with a lyrical nod in its caption: \u201cYou only get this one opportunity to own a Special Edition Detroit Lions F-150.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In the lawsuit, Eight Mile Style criticized LaFontaine Ford St. Clair for bypassing the appropriate procedures to license the song. Even though Eminem has been a longtime supporter of the Detroit Lions, Eight Mile Style is not prepared to ignore the issue.<\/p>\n
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In the document, Eight Mile Style referred to an earlier Chrysler campaign where the company indeed compensated for using the track.<\/p>\n
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Eight Mile Style is pursuing unspecified financial compensation and has demanded that the advertisement be removed right away.<\/p>\n
Hip-hop is prominently featured in the 2024 Uproxx Critics Poll, in a year marked as much by conflict as by anything else. This is the seventh annual edition of the survey, where almost 300 music critics from throughout the industry provided their opinions.<\/p>\n
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The rivalry between Drake and Kendrick Lamar resulted in at least four of the respondents\u2019 favorite songs for the year, with Kendrick\u2019s unexpected aggressive release GNX narrowly missing out on the top spot since Charli XCX\u2019s Brat had an entire summer to resonate with audiences<\/p>\n
2024 marked the year when popular and critical opinions aligned, while also being a time of surprising breakthroughs, sudden stylistic shifts, and the revival of regional aesthetics in rap. You might observe that the Los Angeles region regained significant visibility with an exclusive, insular strategy reminiscent of the \u201cfor us, by us\u201d ideology. If \u201cNot Like Us\u201d was the dominant feeling in hip-hop, it was a feeling that everyone could support; community prioritized over commercialism, authenticity valued over widespread popularity. The authentic has returned.<\/p>\n
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Make sure to view the complete poll here, and below, discover some of the artists who shone the brightest this year.<\/p>\n
Kendrick Lamar<\/p>\n
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Sure, I understand: It’s clear, isn’t it? However, keep in mind: at the onset of their dispute, many fans thought Drake had a shot, thinking he\u2019d absorbed the lesson from the humiliation he faced five years earlier with Pusha T. Even back then, Pusha\u2019s subsequent album hardly impacted the charts. Kendrick, conversely, transformed his victory over Drake \u2014 whom he had decisively defeated in a rapid exchange of disses during one night \u2014 into a year-long commemoration of West Coast supremacy, a renaissance of LA hip-hop culture, and a variety of catchphrases that have echoed throughout pop culture ever since. This is why he dominates the list, ranking No. 1 on the songs chart with \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d while also appearing at No. 5 and 10 with gritty tracks \u201cEuphoria\u201d and \u201cLike That,\u201d plus a No. 2 for GNX in the albums ranking.<\/p>\n
Doechii<\/p>\n
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It required some time, but the anticipated breakthrough I foreseen for Doechii in 2021 ultimately materialized \u2014 and it came in strong, supported by a stream of creative visuals and a passionate, yet relatable launch rich with references to Black girl magic, elevating Alligator Bites Never Heal to No. 3 on the albums chart. In true Top Dawg style, her label fully committed to an awareness campaign, making sure that every week following the launch of Doechii\u2019s debut mixtape featured a live show, a music video, or a viral occurrence, securing her status as the breakout artist of the year.<\/p>\n
Tyler, The Creator<\/p>\n
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Before the rapid launch of his eighth studio album Chromakopia, Tyler had been somewhat of a recognized entity. Or, at the very least, that\u2019s what the rap industry had persuaded itself to believe. Count on the Odd Futurian to hit a grand slam yet again in his progressively improbable career of home run achievements. Reconnecting with his origins \u2014 both shaped by his family background and his life on the streets of South LA \u2014 enabled Tyler to share some of his most intimate and strangely relatable work to date, resulting in a No. 7 spot on the albums chart and a No. 13 ranking for \u201cNoid\u201d on the music videos list<\/p>\n
GloRilla<\/p>\n
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If GloRilla wasn\u2019t the emerging artist that Doechii became, it was merely because she had her own rise to fame a year earlier. However, rap operates on a \u201cwhat have you done for me lately\u201d basis, and for a while, it seemed the streets (i.e., the rap intellectuals on social media) had united in disregarding the Memphis newcomer. However, she let out, \u201cYeah Glo!\u201d (No. 20 in our music survey). Next, “Thank goodness it’s Friday.” Next, \u201cWhatchu Kno About Me,\u201d which includes her supposed successor Sexyy Red. It was clear that Ms. Gloria Hallelujah Woods intended to remain. THEN, she released her first album, Glorious, which ranks as the 25th favorite album in our poll, shortly after the beloved mixtape Ehhthang Ehhthang. Perhaps that will encourage the skeptics to acknowledge credit when it\u2019s deserved<\/p>\n
Unexpected events:<\/p>\n
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Among the unexpected outcomes in this year’s poll were Drake not completely failing and LL Cool J defeating the ageism prevalent in hip-hop.<\/p>\n
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In Drake\u2019s situation, it might have seemed that following Kendrick Lamar’s thorough defeat, he wouldn\u2019t have appeared at all \u2014 particularly as none of his post-\u201cNot Like Us\u201d tracks connected well with listeners. Nevertheless, \u201cFamily Matters,\u201d the last breath in Drake\u2019s verbal conflict with his more skilled counterpart, made it onto the list at No. 18 (long after all of Kendrick\u2019s entries, by the way). Give the man some recognition; he put up a fight \u2014 even if it resembled Batman’s initial struggle with Bane.<\/p>\n
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In a year when rap veterans such as Common and Eminem did not resonate with critics, LL Cool J managed a respectable position at No. 42 in our ranked-choice survey. It’s somewhat appropriate that the main reason hip-hop harbors such contempt for older rappers (props to Kool Moe Dee) skillfully evaded the repercussions of the trend he initiated over 30 years ago. It\u2019s beneficial that he enrolled himself in a rap boot camp; if he couldn\u2019t stay updated with current trends, he\u2019d demonstrate that he still ranks as one of rap\u2019s most skilled artists.<\/p>\n
Grammys 2025<\/p>\n
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In the meantime, notable differences emerged between our critics poll results and this year\u2019s Grammy nominations, underscoring how \u201cthe industry\u201d and \u201cthe streets\u201d may occasionally clash.<\/p>\n
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Although Eminem and Common received nominations for Best Rap Album, they completely missed the critics poll in music, with Em’s nostalgic video for \u201cHoudini\u201d appearing at No. 16 and his album cover at No. 19 as his only entries. This seemingly underscores the Academy’s tendency to favor familiarity and consistency instead of innovation. For instance, Schoolboy Q and Vince Staples were not nominated for any rap awards even though they ranked among the top 6 rap albums in our poll (Nos. 15 and 26 overall, respectively), receiving positive feedback from both fans and critics \u2014 if not achieving commercial success. Another instance is Rapsody receiving a nomination even though critics have disregarded her. Even though respondents hardly mentioned Kanye West after his actions clearly distanced him from their favor, if not from his fans, it appears the Grammys are ready to ignore some misbehavior as long as there’s a hint of commercial value in the discussion.<\/p>\n
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Just one unauthorized shot can irk Eminem\u2014or at least some co-owners of his catalog. Although the \u201cSomebody Save Me\u201d rapper frequently shows his affection for Detroit, it seems that a local business is taking advantage of its hometown status. As reported by TMZ, Eminem’s famous track “Lose Yourself” is at the center of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\n