NLE Choppa quickly rose to fame thanks to his “Shotta Flow” track which was released at the top 2019. Since its release, the song was remixed by Blueface, a remix that landed on NLE Choppa’s Cottonwood EP, as it was also turned into series with NLE Choppa returning three more installments in the “Shotta Flow” series. Continuing work on his Top Shotta album which is set for release this summer, NLE Choppa returns with his latest single and installment in the series, “Shotta Flow 5.”

Released with a matching visual directed by Lyrical Lemonade’s Cole Bennett, NLE Choppa’s “Shotta Flow 5” begins with the young rapper waking up to an intruder in his closet. Approaching it, he fails to find the intruder there but grabs his weapon to scope out the rest of the house for them. Finding them downstairs he quickly fires at the individuals while realizing the intruder was just a version of himself with an afro. Journeying into his kitchen, NLE Choppa is then attacked by toy soldiers, an encounter he overcomes by throwing hot Cheetos at them. After that encounter, he runs into his mother’s room to complain about the intruders but her main concern is whether or not he washed the dishes. NLE Choppa leaves room to do the dishes but lands in more trouble after his mom catches him unnecessarily chopping up some fruit.

The song also arrives after NLE Choppa took on Lil Baby’s “Emotionally Scarred” for a remix of his own with “Different Day,” a track that found him alone in a hotel room and a parked car while showing off money and sneakers.

To hear “Shotta Flow 5,” press play on the video above.

NLE Choppa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lil Keed and Gunna won’t let a little thing like gunplay at their video shoot stop them from forging ahead with the release of their latest collaboration, “Fox 5.” The two Atlanta rising stars put out the song itself today with a press release promising that the video, which was interrupted when gunfire broke out mid-shot, would arrive later today. Meanwhile, Young Thug boasted that his own YSL team was responsible for the gunshots, although he wasn’t clear who they might be shooting at.

The song finds the two rappers trading boastful verses over a rumbling Supah Mario beat, threatening their enemies with some impressive-sounding arsenals. The title comes from their assertion that they “ain’t goin’ on Fox 5,” instead opting to handle their problems through good, old-fashioned street violence. While Gunna warns his foes that “We got ten hundred-round choppers” and sneers that they “used to steal copper,” Keed ignores side talk from anyone who isn’t affiliated and/or about that action: “What the f*ck a p*ssy boy had said? / I don’t know if he ain’t speakin’ sign language.”

“Fox 5” is assumed to appear on Keed’s upcoming tape Trapped On Cleveland 3, which has a presumed June release date. The video is scheduled to go live at 3 pm EST. Stay tuned.

Listen to Lil Keed’s ‘Fox 5’ with Gunna above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expanded the number of Best Picture nominees from five to ten, indirectly leading to “Best Picture winner The Blind Side,” before revising the rule again two years later, so that the number of films nominated was between five and ten. There were only nine nominees for the 2020 ceremony, and eight the year before. But guess what? They’re changing the rule again.

Beginning with the 94th Academy Awards (held in 2022), the number of Best Picture nominees will be set at exactly 10. No more, no less. What would have been the 10th nominee last year? Portrait of a Lady on Fire? Us? Uncut Gems? Knives Out? Joker for a second time? That’s the kind of chaos the Clown Prince of Crime can get behind!

The Academy also announced new efforts to improve inclusion, both on- and off-screen:

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, on the brink of fulfilling its “A2020” goals that were prioritized in the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy of five years ago — specifically, of doubling the number of women and people of color among its membership — has announced the next phase of its equity and inclusion initiative, “Academy Aperture 2025,” tying Oscar eligibility to representation and inclusion standards, starting with the 94th Academy Awards, the one that will celebrate the films of 2021.

For the full announcement, click here (there’s nothing in there about Paddington receiving a lifetime achievement award for being A Good Bear — I checked).

It’s been three full months since the NBA season went on hiatus amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But with many states relaxing their social distancing measures and attempting to enact full-scale re-openings, it’s clear that Americans are tiring of their isolation and are eager to get things back to a sense of normalcy.

The only problem is that the pandemic hasn’t shown many signs of going away anytime soon, as several places have shown spikes in cases in recent weeks. Regardless, the NBA is moving full steam ahead on resuming its season at the end of July at the Disney World Resort in Orlando.

Last week, the NBPA approved a plan that would include 22 teams finishing out an eight-game regular season, followed by the playoffs, in a venture that would require everyone involved to be quarantined in the bubble location for three-and-a-half months. Despite the vote, it’s slowly coming out that not everyone is thrilled with that idea, especially given the added civil unrest that has gripped the nation amid the George Floyd protests.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, there is a growing contingent of unnamed players who believe it’s “bad optics” to restart the season with so much going on in the world.

“What message are we sending by agreeing to this during this time?” a black player told Yahoo Sports. “We’re out here marching and protesting, and yet we all leave our families in these scary times and gather to perform at a place where the owners won’t be at? What type of sense does that make? We’ll be going backwards. That place isn’t that magical.”

Sources said several players have been reluctant to express their views in fear of opposing the superstars who are adamant about playing if proper safety measures are in place.

Then there is a faction of players that is noncommittal on a return because it hasn’t received enough feedback and information on how the league plans to facilitate a safe haven, sources said. Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony expressed this very concern to Ernie Johnson in an NBA Together Twitter Live session.

Despite their trepidation, it’s been made clear that players would be allowed to skip the restart, although those who do not choose to participate in Orlando would not receive pay, a reality that puts disproportionate pressure on the league’s lower-tier players to show up. Still, a lot can happen between now and the end of July, and with some players noncommittal about the return, the rosters in Orlando could look significantly different than we might expect.

(Yahoo Sports)

During a scathing segment in his surprise Netflix special, 8:46, comedian Dave Chappelle ripped into CNN host Don Lemon’s call for celebrities to speak out during the Black Lives Matter protests over the murder of George Floyd. And in a surprising move, Lemon actually agrees with Chappelle’s criticism.

While the special was less comedy and more about Chappelle addressing recent events (the title 8:46 refers to the amount of time that officers had their knee on Floyd’s neck, causing his death), it was still a true to form display of the comedian’s searing social commentary. After seeing Lemon criticize celebrities for not speaking out more, Chappelle unleashed his thoughts.

“Answer me: Do you want to see a celebrity right now?” Chappelle said. “Do we give a f*ck what Ja Rule thinks? Does it matter about celebrity? No, this is the streets talking for themselves, they don’t need me right now. I kept my mouth shut. And I’ll still keep my mouth shut. But don’t think my silence is complicit… Why would anyone care what their favorite comedian thinks after they saw a police officer kneel on a man’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds?”

By the time Lemon hopped on to CNN this morning, the clip of Chappelle roasting him was all over the internet, but the CNN host wasn’t mad. In fact, he agreed with Chappelle’s fierce criticism of older establishments that have failed the Black community, and he was honored to be a part of the special. However, Lemon couldn’t help but notice the irony that Chappelle was doing the very thing that Lemon had asked for: speaking out.

“His special is called 8:46, he’s talking about this issue, and I think it’s great that he’s using his platform to talk about this in the way that he can,” Lemon said.

You can follow the link to watch Lemon’s reaction below:

(Via CNN)

UK singer Jorja Smith’s debut album Lost & Found arrived two years ago, earning her a distinction within R&B for her affinity to jazz-infused percussion. Fans have been anticipating a follow-up ever since, but Smith has responded with just a handful of singles. Now, the singer is exploring her roots in jazz by offering a cover for Blue Note Records, a veteran jazz label founded in the 1930s.

Smith returns with “Rose Rouge,” a cover of a 2000 song first penned by the French jazz musician St Germain. The original version is purely instrumental, so Smith plays around with her vocal range as she repeats the lines, “I want you to get together / Put your hands together one time.” Though the lyrics are sparse, Smith’s voice is at the forefront of the track as she croons the lines in contrast with the swell of accompanying brass instruments.

The cover arrives ahead of Blue Note Records’ compilation project Blue Note Re:Imagined. Along with Smith, the compilation includes music by Shabaka Hutchings, Alfa Mist, Poppy Ajudha, Jordan Rakei, Nubya Garcia, and others.

Other than a duo of songs released for a Triple J performance, “Rose Rouge” is the singer’s first effort of 2020. Smith’s latest single was the 2019 collaboration with Burna Boy “Be Honest,” which saw both an acoustic release and a hip-swinging remix.

Listen to “Rose Rouge” above.

Blue Note Re:Imagined is out 9/25 via Blue Note Records. Pre-order it here.

Dave Chappelle’s surprise stand-up special regarding police brutality and race relations hit the web late Thursday night and addressed a number of different topics, including one of his own most infamous jokes. But he also spent time addressing a major story from the sports world in 2020: the tragic death of Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash.

During Chappelle’s 8:46, which is a reference to the length of time George Floyd had a police officer’s knee on his neck while he died in custody, the comedian covered a wide range of topics regarding race relations. One of the more somber moments involved Chappelle discussing how he felt Bryant saved the country by distracting people from a different tragic moment in the spring of 2016.

Bryant’s last game saw him drop 60 points and upstage the Golden State Warriors winning a record-breaking 73rd game to end the regular season. It also happened in a moment where the city of Houston was reeling from a police shooting that killed five officers and injured others. Chappelle described watching both and how the intense interest in Bryant’s final game impacted how people reacted to the shooting of officers at a Black Lives Matter rally.

“The night those nine police officers were killed felt like the end of the world,” Bryant said. “And the only reason it wasn’t the end of the world, in my opinion, was at the very same time that was happening Kobe Bryant was playing his last game as an LA Laker. And as scary as all that shit was, I kept flipping back as Kobe was dropping 60. And he did. Oh, and he did.”

Chappelle made specific reference to Laura Ingram’s request that basketball players “shut up and dribble,” something many players like LeBron James have rebuked in the aftermath of her racist claim that athletes can’t be politically active. Chappelle pointed out that he feels that night he watched Bryant “dribbling and saving this goddamn country from itself.”

Chappelle then considered Bryant’s death in February, which happened the morning before the Grammys were scheduled at Staples Center. He said he skipped the ceremony because he was heartbroken his “hero” was gone.

“I loved Kobe Bryant. Died the day I won a Grammy, he died. That’s why I didn’t show up at the Grammy’s, because Kobe died,” he said. “They had both of his f*ckin’ jersey numbers hanging up. Eight. Twenty-four. That’s my birthday. I cried like a baby.”

You can watch the full 8:46 special above.

A steady stream of Juice WRLD songs and guest appearance has been trickling out since his death in December of 2019. The latest is a featured appearance on “Go,” a new track from 16-year-old Australia rapper The Kid Laroi. Juice served as a mentor for the young rapper while he toured in Australia in 2018 and 2019.

The song is accompanied by a video that features footage of the late rapper. It begins with Juice talking to Laroi, telling him, “[We’ll] make a hit for your birthday, I’ll give you a verse.” He added with a smile, “That’s a $200,000 gift, lil bro.”

Ahead of the video’s release, Laroi shared photos of himself and Juice, accompanied by a message in which he appreciates and thanks the late rapper: “it’s been a little over 6 months since you been gone, and it still doesn’t feel right. before we even met you were my favourite artist, and I still think everyday how cool it was that I got to b damn near family with my idol. you took me all over the world on a f*cking private jet and showed me a whole different side of life that not many people get to see. from all the months you let me live at your crib, to all the nights I spent watching and learning from you in the studio, to all the concerts and tours I got to witness.. I got to learn from a real life legend. it’s not even in my character to write long ass sh*t like this but f*ck 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 sh*t. we all love and miss you back here.”

Watch the “Go” video above.

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Despite a canceled Electronic Entertainment Expo and a delay amid civil unrest in America regarding police brutality, Sony finally revealed more details about its latest entry into the console wars this fall. The PlayStation 5 has promised a lot for the gaming public, and now we know just what to expect from the console when it gets released later this year.

We already knew what the PS5 DualSense controller would look like and the various features it would bring to the console, but we now know what the hardware itself will be playing. Sony’s “Future of Gaming” event on Thursday was an hour-long online presentation that featured our first official images of the console and new gameplay details about the first titles available on the PS5.

Sony waited until the very end to show us what the console looked like. There was not one but two PS5 models ready to show off, as well as the media remote, gaming headset, and controller charging station that will be available when the console launches in time for the holidays.

Here’s what we learned — and didn’t learn — from Thursday’s events and what you should expect later this fall.

New Networks Available

As far as aesthetics go, the Xbox Series S is firmly in the design category of a large external hard drive. It’s a big black rectangle with some input spots and exhaust ports. Nothing too flashy that won’t necessarily stand out on your entertainment center. The PS5, as everyone on Twitter has pointed out from the moment it was unveiled, looks a lot like a futuristic wireless router.

It’s a nice router, mind you, and there’s only so much you can do with hardware design that doesn’t already look like other pieces of technology. But the monochromatic black console with white fins certainly looks more distinctive than the blocky Xbox Series X. It also looks, if we’re being honest, a lot less fun to dust.

It’s not really the outside that counts with consoles, and it honestly isn’t always about the inside, either. Both the Series X and PS5 promise to provide improved graphics, but game selection and overall ease of use will determine which one gains favor with consumers quicker. Or, at the very least, which one gamers decide to drop their hard-earned money on first.

PlayStation Goes Disc-less
The biggest thing we learned from the reveal is that there will officially be two models of PS5: one with an optical drive and a digital media-only device that looks a bit slimmer.

It’s interesting that the console’s design creates a distinct bulge to its body shape when the optical drive is included. What gamers will get with that drive is a 4K Ultra Blu Ray player, which is nice, but the design almost implies the disc-less future is a cleaner, sleeker one. Plenty of gamers are skipping discs altogether in the wake of higher download speeds and expandable hard drive storage, but a disc-free PS5 is truly a departure for the console that ushered many into the compact disc gaming era. Each version has a (slightly different) stand that allows them to stay vertical, but they both can work horizontally as well, in case you’re in a space crunch under your television.

The Future Is The Past

There were a lot of new games and glimpses even into 2022, but Thursday’s PS5 event started with a game that you probably have already played. Grand Theft Auto 5 will hit the PS5 in 2021 as a free game for anyone who buys Sony’s new console. While many were hoping for an announcement of GTA VI, news that the latest GTA — which came out in September of 2013 — would be free on the PS5 was at least some consolation. The game’s Online version prints money for Rockstar, which is likely why they haven’t exactly raced to make a sequel just yet. But for many, a lack of new GTA news made Thursday an immediate disappointment.

Sequels were the name of the game on Thursday, starting with a Miles Morales-based Spider-Man game, Gran Turismo 7, a new Ratchet and Clank title, Hitman III, and a cleverly named Resident Evil 8. The trailer for Horizon Forbidden West looked absolutely gorgeous, too.

All of these titles promised new generations of familiar IP, and we got some glimpses of actual gameplay with Ratchet and Clank and Gran Turismo. They looked good, which is no surprise considering there weren’t any live demos and everything was meticulously planned out. But we’ll have to reserve official judgement until we get our hands on a console for ourselves.

Something New

Thursday’s event wasn’t without a slew of new IP, either. It’s just tougher to really say what will come of all that just yet. Gameplay and coming titles was a huge element to Thursday’s event. In fact, we learned very little new about the console beyond the images. And there were certainly some intriguing titles from established developers that were designed with the PS5 in mind.

The event did well to show a variety of game genres and graphical styles, and among the most interesting was Deathloop, which puts players on an island where everyone wants to kill them. The game boils down to a time loop where you try to outlast everyone else on the island, including a main rival assassin you’ll apparently be hearing a lot from.

“I don’t like watching you die. I like killing you,” she says. “There’s a difference.”

It looks fun, and the retro movie poster design of the title’s aesthetic fits perfectly here. It’s easy to get excited about highly-stylized trailers, but some were executed spectacularly on Thursday. Stray, for example, showcased a vivid post-human world where you were never quite sure just what was happening — or even what the game was really about — until the very end.

Other intriguing new titles included Ghostwire: Tokyo, Solar Ash, and Kena. We wrote much more about our favorites here.

What We Didn’t Learn

Well, the price for starters. Microsoft and Sony both seem dead set on waiting for the other to show its hand when it comes to pricing details for its latest console. Despite Sony going first with its Future of Gaming event, we didn’t learn any details about what it will cost to pick up either version of a PS5. Will the optical drive-less console be cheaper than one still playing physical discs and offering a high-end Blu Ray experience? Maybe, but we won’t know for sure just yet.

We also didn’t learn the hardware specs in each console. Presumably, the Digital Edition of the PS5 would have a much larger hard drive to store games on over the version that still has an optical disc. But it seems we won’t know about that until later in the summer, which means that anyone who wants to buy a PS5 will most likely have to wait at least a bit longer before deciding which version of the console to buy. And we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see what Xbox has planned for its launch, and what that will cost as well. Oh, and we’re still waiting on a release date, as Sony didn’t get into specifics beyond saying that the PS5 will hit shelves this holiday season.