With the announcement that his beloved mixtape Crybaby had been made available on all DSPs, Lil Peep re-entered the conversation for the day (before it was derailed by Ice Cube conspiracy theories and the backlash against Tekashi 69’s reunion with Nicki Minaj) as fans discussed the tape’s impact. As fans reminisced about their hero’s life and legacy, a charming reminder of Peep’s personality appeared on the timeline as well: A vintage interview the young emo rapper conducted with with the Ham On Everything podcast in 2016, which he recorded shortly after playing the hosts his then-new mixtape in its entirety.

The interview, recorded when Peep was just 19 years old, describes the recording process for Crybaby, as well as revealing behind-the-scenes tidbits for fans about his inspirations and influences. He admits that he recorded the tape in just three days on a $150 microphone with a sock over it as a pop screen. He also says that he was inspired by LA underground group Seshollowaterboyz, which consists of SoundCloud rappers Bones, Chris Travis, Eddy Baker, and Xavier Wulf. There are also fan call-ins, as Peep chops it up with fans via phone.

Listen to the throwback interview above and stream Crybaby on your favorite DSPs now.

Ever since production began on Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to the’80s classic, Tom Cruise has been adamant that the movie will feature real flying and practical effects. In fact, the actor wouldn’t even agree to do the film unless the studio promised him that there would be “no CGI stuff,” which should come as no surprising considering Cruise’s reputation for routinely risking his life while making the Mission: Impossible films.

“I said to the studio, ‘You don’t know how hard this movie’s going to be. No one’s ever done this before,’” the actor told Empire back in January. “There’s never been an aerial sequence shot this way. I don’t know if there ever will be again, to be honest.”

True to his word, there is footage of Cruise definitely flying a jet. In a new interview posted to Skydance studio’s Twitter account, high speed fighter jets are seen rattling crew members and kicking up dust as they zoom overhead for the cameras. Sure enough, there’s Cruise right there in the cockpit, and there’s nothing CGI about it.

You can watch the high-octane video below:

After the Top Gun: Maverick trailer blew audiences away, director Joseph Kosinski revealed that one of the shots featured Cruise literally launching his jet off an aircraft carrier, which no actor had ever done before; it even required special permission from the Navy. “It was one of the most extreme aerial sequences that we could come up with,” Kosinski said. “Also, getting to do a real launch off a carrier and a real landing on a carrier — no one else has been able to ever do that in a movie before. Tom got to fulfill every kind of aviation dream that he had.”

For his next trick, Cruise will film a movie in space, so we’re really looking forward to hearing what kind of requests he’ll make to NASA when production blasts off.

(Via Skydance on Twitter)

If you forgot that Anna Kendrick was in Twilight, don’t feel bad, she forgets about it sometimes, too!

Thanks to a new interview with Vanity Fair, it’s starting to become clearer why Kendrick isn’t overly sentimental about her time playing Bella Swan’s friend, Jessica Stanley, in the vampire love story. Filming often took place in Portland, Oregon, and if you’re not familiar with the Pacific Northwest, it rains a lot, which led to some less than fond memories for the actress, though her choice of words might not land too well.

“I just remember my Converse being completely soaked through and feeling like, ‘You know, this is a really great group of people and I’m sure that we would be friends at a different time, but I want to murder everyone,” Kendrick told Vanity Fair (via Entertainment Weekly).

Although, despite the soggy times, the actress still considers it a bonding experience in a back-handed sort of way. “There was like something about it like you go through some trauma event like you imagine people who survive like a hostage situation, and you’re kind of bonded for life.”

But this isn’t the first time Kendrick’s aired a grievance with the Twilight films. Earlier this week, the Trolls actress revealed that she almost lost out on her Oscar-nominated role in Up In The Air when a scheduling conflict arose with Twilight: New Moon. According to Kendrick, the Twilight folks had the contractual right to pull her from Up In The Air, but fortunately, everything worked out in the end. As long as you don’t count wet shoes.

(Via Vanity Fair)

One of the most popular calls to action by protesters in America’s streets after George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer is to “defund the police.”

The city of Minneapolis took the call to heart and a veto-proof supermajority of city council members have approved a plan to defund and dismantle the city’s police department.

“We committed to dismantling policing as we know it in the city of Minneapolis and to rebuild with our community a new model of public safety that actually keeps our community safe,” Council President Lisa Bender told CNN.

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Now people are calling for city governments across the nation to do the same, but what does that actually mean? Will cities be devoid of law enforcement altogether, leaving residents to fend for themselves?

Is it a call for privatized security forces, who aren’t deputized by the state to use violence?

via QB Factory / Twitter

Camden, New Jersey defunded its police department in 2012, and it’s a wonderful example of how blowing up a corrupt organization can revitalize a community.

In 2012, Camden was the most dangerous city in the United States with over 170 open-air drug markets in just nine-square miles.

The city also had a big problem with police corruption and with officers routinely planting drugs on its citizens.

According to the ACLU, in 2013, the City of Camden agreed to pay $3.5 million in damages to 88 people whose convictions were overturned because of widespread corruption in the Camden Police Department.

“This prolonged campaign to plant evidence on innocent people was a true stain on Camden Police and represents one of the most serious forms of police corruption,” said Alexander Shalom, policy counsel for the ACLU-NJ.

“Unfortunately, the systems that are designed to prevent corruption and protect the public eroded and allowed rogue officers to operate unabated for years,” the statement continued.

As crime escalated in the city, the town wanted to add more officers to the streets, but the average unionized officer cost the city $182,168, on average, with benefits. So the city disbanded the police department and created a new a county community force instead.

The city fired its entire police force, rehiring 100 officers at an average cost of $99,605 per officer.

WSMV / Twitter

This massive windfall allowed the city to reallocate funds to other community-building initiatives. The local economy received a boost from new educational and workplace programs and the city’s blighted and abandoned properties were demolished.

The new community-oriented police force now focused on the de-escalation of violence instead of sending officers out with an us-against-them, warrior-like mentality. This approach to policing would have prevented the death of George Floyd.

A major reason for Floyd’s death was that fellow officers stood by, doing nothing, while Derek Chauvin kneeled on his throat for nearly nine minutes.

This new approach to law enforcement starts with officers on their first day of employment. On day one, they are asked to knock on doors in the communities they serve to introduce themselves and ask residents how they can help.

“Back then residents of Camden city absolutely feared the police department and members of the department,” Louis Cappelli, Camden County freeholder director, told CNN. “They (the residents) wanted that to change.”

“We want to make sure residents of the city know these streets are theirs,” he said. “They need to claim these streets as their own, not let drug dealers and criminals claim them.”

Overall, this new approach to community building and policing has had a tremendously positive impact on the city. Data shows that over the past seven years, violent crimes have dropped 42% in the city, and the crime rate has dropped from 79 per 1,000 to 44 per 1,000.

However, there is still work to do in Camden. it is still still America’s 10th most dangerous and the population has declined by about 10% over the past seven years.

The success of Camden’s approach to law enforcement was evident on May 30, when police and citizens marched arm-in-arm with the police to protest the murder of George Floyd.

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On Saturday, J.K. Rowling angered and disappointed many by dropping a tweet thread filled with controversial comments about trans people. In the days since, a number of actors associated with her works — and in some cases wouldn’t have careers or their wealth without the Harry Potter-verse — came out in defense of the people she was targeting. First came Daniel Radcliffe, then Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne. On Wednesday Emma Watson, the erstwhile Hermione Granger, joined them.

While Radcliffe made his statement on The Trevor Project, the non-profit devoted to suicide prevention among LGBTQ+ youth, and Redmayne released his to Variety, Watson went straight to Twitter.

“Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are,” Watson wrote. She continued:

“I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are,” Watson added, noting the number of Potter fans among the trans and non-binary communities, who’ve made their hurt and anger well-known since Saturday. Watson also asked people to donate to the U.K. charity Mermaids, which supports gender diverse and trans children, and the feminist fund Mama Cash. She ended by celebrating Pride 2020 and “sending love.”

Despite the pushback from fans and a growing number of actors, Rowling has not retracted or apologized for her comments. Instead, earlier on Wednesday, she released an open letter in which she attempted to defend her statements while talking about the mistreatment of women.

The NBA, it seems safe to assume, will take every step possible to keep players and coaches who enter the upcoming bubble league safe and healthy. But the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and in the face of a worldwide pandemic, there is no guarantee that individuals who head to Orlando to compete for an NBA championship will be able to stay safe and healthy, because COVID-19 is not something that cares about whether or not basketball games are going on.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, this is causing some concern among a handful of players, who allegedly hopped on a conference call to talk about whether or not going to Orlando is a good idea considering everything that is going on right now.

As a result, per Wojnarowski, both the league and its Players Association are expected to come to terms on an agreement in which players who are not comfortable with the bubble league do not have to attend. While they would not face any sort of discipline for this, their salaries would be impacted.

This has always been the question hanging over top of every sports league’s return before there is a widespread COVID-19 vaccine. Making this especially timely is that Florida, the state where the bubble league is going to happen, has seen a rise in cases in recent days, although that could be contributed to the fact that the state has expanded testing recently. Regardless, this was always going to be a concern for some players, particularly those with the kinds of pre-existing conditions that can exacerbate the novel coronavirus’ symptoms, and coaches, especially older ones. As for which players voiced these concerns, that remains to be seen, but fortunately, it looks like there will be an option for them to stay home if they’re not 100 percent comfortable.

While it’s a pretty light week on the footwear front, Nike absolutely dominated the top five with a few great iterations of some of their classic silhouettes. If you’re a hardcore Adidas fan — a brand that notably didn’t land on our list this week — then you’re about to experience a painful month. We’ve peeked at next week’s offerings and it’s looking like the Swoosh is locking down June. Sorry, we have no brand loyalty here — only a stern devotion to dope design.

On the apparel end, this week brings a Sonic Youth collection that 90s rock fans will love and a few charity t-shirts from labels that have pledged to give their profits to organizations supporting the fight to end police violence. Let’s dive into the week’s best drops.

Nike SB Dunk Low University Red

A classic skate sneaker dressed in a classic colorway, the Nike SB Dunk Low is dropping in striking University Red this week. In celebration of the sneaker’s 35th anniversary, the SB will be dropping throughout the year in the color-coordinated college program colorways that the silhouette first debuted in back in 1985 — before the design had cemented itself as a skate and streetwear staple.

The SB Dunk Low features an all pattered leather upper with embroidered Nike branding on the heel and a large wraparound swoosh. If you haven’t owned a pair of SBs yet, this is the pair to start with.

The Nike SB Dunk Low in University Red is set to drop on June 12th for a retail price of $100. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app or select Nike retailers.

New Balance 850 White/ Team Teal

What better way to spend your summer than by rocking a pair of New Balances that look straight out of the halls of Bayside High. If your 90s fashion icon is Zach Morris, you’ll be all about this white, teal, and purple colorway of New Balance’s 850 silhouette. Featuring a leather cage panels over a mesh upper, the 850 sits atop an ABZORB midsole for added comfort and a modern fit.

The New Balance 850 White/ Team Teal is out now for a retail price of $100. Pick up a pair at the New Balance webstore.

Nike Air Force 1 Jewel Home & Away Pack

Inspired by the distinct contrast between rival teams’ sneakers on the soccer field, this special iteration of the Nike Air Force 1 silhouette sees the design dressed in two contrasting colorways that reveal additional colors through wear and agitation. The Home & Away pack drops in both an all-grey or all-black colorway with blue or orange accents in the lace and ventilation holes, as well as along the threading, that reveal themselves the more you travel in the shoes.

The Home & Away pack also makes a nod to traveling, in both its name and the compass graphic on the sneaker’s tongue, and a hang-tag meant to mimic luggage labels. If you’re having a hard time choosing between the black and grey, go with the grey. The shades of grey and true blue will complement your summer wardrobe much better than the black and orange of its counterpart.

The Nike Air Force 1 Jewel Home & Away pack is set to drop on June 13th for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app or select Nike retailers.

No-Comply x Vans Daniel Johnston Collection

The late artist and musician Daniel Johnston continues to make his mark on the streetwear community with this collaboration between Austin-based skate shop No-Comply and Vans, the second notable capsule collection this year to honor Johnston. The capsule features Johnston’s iconic doodle art printed all over Vans’ Old Skool, Slip-On, and Authentic silhouettes. All three pairs feature a grey and white upper with subtle orange accents that manage to make the Johnstons art appear both loud, and subdued, which is a pretty apt reflection of his music.

It’s a thoughtful collection that was clearly made by fans. Other highlights include PopCush insoles for added comfort, and a bright orange outsole featuring white stars and Johnston’s death and birth years.

The No-Comply x Vans Daniel Johnston collection is set to drop exclusively at No-Comply on June 13th before a wide-release on June 21st for a yet to be announced retail price. Proceeds from the capsule will go directly to the Hi, How Are You Project, a mental health charity that got its name from Daniel Johnston’s artwork.

Nike Pegasus Trail 2 Dark Smoke Grey

Although the “Dark Smoke Grey” colorway is more fitting for winter, this moody take on Nike’s new Pegasus Trail 2 silhouette will be a dope addition to your summer workout wardrobe. Featuring an aerodynamic shape and a toothed rubber outsole, the Trail 2 is sleek, durable, and responsive, giving you a running shoe that is reliable on all sorts of different terrain.

The Pegasus Trail 2 has so far only dropped in loud and bright colorways, but this Dark Smoke Grey iteration will make your feet look like they’re straight out of SpaceX.

The Nike Pegasus Trail 2 is available now for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair now at the Nike webstore or through select Nike retailers.

The Hundreds x Billionaire Boys Club Black Lives Matter Charity T-Shirt

The Hundreds and Billionaire Boys Club are linking up for a simple co-branded graphic t-shirt that features the Hundreds’ Adam Bomb alongside BBC’s Astronaut logo on the backside under text reading “Black Lives Matter.” On the frontside, BBC’s iconic font branding is swapped out with the initials BLM alongside the Hundreds’ logo. It’s not the flashiest collaboration, but the shirt will generate proceeds for both Black Lives Matter and the Black Mental Health Alliance.

It’s a collector’s item for a good cause.

The Hundreds and Billionaire Boys Club Black Lives Matter t-shirt is set to drop today on The Hundreds webstore.

18 East x. ALLCAPSTUDIO Silence Is Violence Charity T-Shirt

New York City-based men’s clothing store 18 East has tapped the talents of streetwear label ALLCAPSTUDIO for a charity t-shirt that will see 100% of the profits divided evenly between the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund and Covid Bail Out NYC. The t-shirt is printed on 6 oz. cotton and has been hand-screened in Philadelphia. On the back of the shirt the words “Silence is Violence” and “Black Lives Matter” are accompanied by a message that reads “The breath that built America is being choked by the hands that brought it here. They demand we shut up and know our place, but what we allow, will continue. Breath in. Speak up. Take Action.

The Silence is Violence t-shirt is now available for a 72-hour presale at ALLCAPSTUDIO.

Monkey Time Sonic Youth T-Shirt Capsule

It’s a great week for 90s music lovers. In addition to Vans Daniel Johnston collection, Monkey Time will be releasing a four t-shirt capsule collection that pays homage to alternative rock band Sonic Youth. The t-shirts each feature imagery from the band’s most recognizable albums, like the blue and white Washing Machine t-shirt, or the sock-puppet sporting Dirty T-shirt.

The Monkey Time x Sonic Youth t-shirt collection is set to drop on June 12th and will be stoppable at the United Arrows & Sons webstore.

Kanye West bucked back at entertainment media who have criticized him in a new interview with Pharrell Williams for i-D Magazine, comparing himself to Michael Jackson and insisting that Black celebrities should be protected from scrutiny.

“We should have something that says we can’t allow any company to tear down our heroes,” he posited. “Not on The Shade Room, not on social media and especially not in documentaries. I’m like every time the media isn’t happy with me it’s like, ‘Here they go. They’re gonna come and Wacko Jacko me.’ Which in some ways, they’ve tried to do.”

Of course, Kanye may be referring to the last several years, in which he stumped for Donald Trump, insisted that slavery “sounds like a choice,” tried to leverage his bipolar diagnosis for sympathy, and stoked his now decade-long feud with Taylor Swift to sell more records. He certainly has been called out and criticized for many of these actions — several times on this very site — but as with most of the outlandish or self-aggrandizing comments he makes, there is a sliver of truth.

Tabloid outlets like The Shade Room do encourage readers to slam, shame, ridicule, and mock the subjects of their posts, often with little regard to the fact that their targets are human beings who deserve empathy. However, what Kanye would like sounds less like asking for empathy and more like immunity to behave however he likes without scrutiny, which is a thing that no public figure should ever warrant. If he wants the accolades, praise, and wealth that come from having a giant platform, he also has to accept the responsibility to use it properly and the scrutiny that comes from abusing it.

Meanwhile, Pharrell spoke at some length about the possibility that social distancing may become “the new normal.” “”I don’t think there will be such a thing as a new normal – it doesn’t do enough justice to the difference in who we were pre-pandemic and who we will be moving forward,” he said. “I think it’s made a lot of people very wary and on edge. Life’s going to have a different kind of gravity than it’s ever had before… But we have been through many plagues before. We have been through pandemics. We survived. We’re gonna make it. In a lot of ways we got ourselves into this, we gotta get to work to get through it.”

Read the full interview here.

She just dropped the NXT Women’s Championship to Io Shirai on Sunday. On Monday Night Raw, she had two matches with Raw Women’s Champion Asuka. She’s also been a regular presence on Friday Night Smackdown, and there’s no reason to expect that will change. Out of every WWE Superstar, male or female, Charlotte Flair currently seems to be getting the most attention, and the strongest booking.

And it’s true, she is one of the best wrestlers in WWE, but does that mean she needs to be everywhere, all the time? Charlotte herself says in an interview with Sportskeeda that she things her omnipresence leads to fans taking her for granted:

I really do think that my consistency is a detriment to people missing me. I feel like I am doing some of my best work of my career right now, promo-wise and in-ring-wise but, because people see me all the time, I think they’re used to it and the expectation is so high, and it’s so frustrating because it’s like, “Well, am I not supposed to be hungry? Am I not supposed to always want to be on top? Am I not supposed to be fighting to get better?” I don’t know. It’s like a Catch-22.

To hear Charlotte tell it, none of her appearances on the various brands are meant to be about her; she’s trying to elevate everybody else.

I think the biggest thing for me is, yes, I’m on all three brands but, if you look at my storylines that I am a part of, I am a part of someone else’s storyline, it’s not like anything is a “Charlotte Flair” push. Like, there’s nothing that… I’m just put [there] because I can basically do anything and everything they ask.

Like, going to SmackDown was not for me. That’s not a push. That is “Charlotte Flair is a name and she’s coming to SmackDown”. So, currently, I am just all over the place, brand-wise, because I am the hardest worker, and I will say that, for the women.

For somebody who didn’t grow up wanting to be a wrestler, Charlotte has clearly come to love doing it, and doesn’t seem able to imagine not doing it as much as she possibly can:

I’ve been going straight for six years. And, you know, I don’t know, I like getting better, I like being at work, this is my job, I love it. I don’t want to go away. But it is frustrating because I think people take the growth and my work, you know, for granted because they see it all the time. It’s not like, “Oh, man…” It’s hard. I don’t know what the right answer is.

Speaking as a Charlotte Flair fan myself, I think it might actually be good for her to take a break, so that we can miss seeing her, and so that WWE can build up more female stars in her absence. But with Becky Lynch out of the game indefinitely, it doesn’t seem like WWE is inclined to let that happen.