People’s Party once again takes place via video chat for the latest episode with special guest Method Man. After The RZA recounted the origins of Wu-Tang Clan on People’s Party Live in April, Method Man gives his own take on the iconic hip-hop supergroup’s formation, as well as explaining how he got his own start as a solo artist before his fateful meeting with The RZA.
Meth explains how he wrote “Method Man,” his formal introduction to the world from Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the group’s groundbreaking debut album. He says the inspiration came to him while he and Cappadonna were on an all-night drug trip listening to Hall & Oates. The chorus of “Method Of Love” became the basis for the hook on “Method Man,” while the rhymes derived from Meth incorporating pop culture references like Fat Albert.
He also explains how comic books and Saturday matinees of Shaw Brothers kung-fu movies opened the group’s minds to RZA’s Eastern philosophies and approach to “strength in numbers.” “I’ll let you in on a little Wu-Tang trivia,” he says. “Wu-Tang originally was just supposed to be GZA, RZA, and Ol’ Dirty… [“Protect Ya Neck”] was supposed to be a bunch of friends from around the way spitting on this record. Being the scientist that he is, RZA said, “Let’s see if we can attack it like that.” RZA had to overcome some dissent from GZA, who snuck subliminal shots at RZA’s process into their debut, but eventually the crew became the foundation for an entire movement of grimy, lyrically-focused hip-hop from New York. The rest, as they say, is history.
Watch a preview of Method Man’s People’s Party interview above and catch the full episode on Monday, June 29.
People’s Party is a weekly interview show hosted by Talib Kweli with big-name guests exploring hip-hop, culture, and politics. Subscribe via Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.
Athlete A (Netflix documentary) — This film digs into the claims of abuse at USA Gymnastics through the eyes of The Indianapolis Star reporters. It’s heavy stuff but a valuable watch to expose the culture of cruelty that persevered through the elite-level gymnastics system for far too long.
Home Game (Netflix series) — On a brighter note, this series will explore unusual and extreme sporting traditions across the globe, including roller derby and… voodoo wrestling?
Burden Of Truth (CW, 8:00 p.m.) — Joanna’s not thrilled about helping out with a class-action suit, but it’s probably worth it, right? Billy might be able to save the day with help from his dad.
In The Dark (CW, 9:00 p.m.) — The stakes are high for the whole group with fallout over Nia’s supply complicating matters for everyone.
Blindspot (NBC, 9:00 p.m.) — This crazy tattoo show’s now taking on a high-stakes undercover mission, and Madeline’s son will hopefully be intercepted, but an old ally is on the way? Hmm.
Cake (FXX, 10:00 p.m.) — Two Aussie brothers experience love, life, and humanity while leading a dangerous mission against man’s eldest enemy.
The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon: Shaquille O’Neal, John Lithgow, Ozuna
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert: Patton Oswalt, Ibram X, Kendi
Late Night With Seth Meyers: Rachel McAdams, John Early
The Late Late Show With James Corden: Russell Crowe, SpaceX Crew Dragon Astronauts, Charlie Puth
The Hellboy reboot starring David Harbour didn’t do too hot in theaters despite featuring a character whose head literally bursts into flames. The film was a financial and critical dud, and even Harbour himself admitted that it had “major problems.” Fans were also puzzled by the seemingly odd choice to recast the character despite Ron Perlman‘s beloved portrayal of the beer-chugging demon. However, in a new interview, Perlman drops the revelation that he actually was approached to star in the Hellboy reboot, but he turned it down because it was missing one very vital component.
While promoting the VOD release of his new movie Run with the Hunted, Perlman revealed to Comic Book Movie that the third Hellboy movie was offered to him, but he had to give it a hard pass if original Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro wasn’t involved:
“The reboot was something I had the opportunity to participate in and decided that the only version of Hellboy I’m interested in is the one I do with Guillermo and so in walking away from it, I truly walked away from it, and haven’t seen it or heard much about it. I wished them well, but it was not in my bailiwick.”
While fans of the first two Hellboy films from Perlman and Del Toro have been patiently waiting for that story to be wrapped up in a third installment, the Hellboy reboot bombing may have completely scuttled the chances of that ever happening. Then again, with the advent of streaming services battling for new content and reviving projects, who knows what might happen down the road.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Despite having just three albums to her name, make no mistake of it: Teyana Taylor is a veteran in the R&B world. Ten years ago, Taylor withered her way onto Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album at the final hour. It’s there she provided background vocals and, thanks to the satisfaction of Mr. West, would be signed to his GOOD Music imprint in 2012. Two years later, she would release her debut album VII while her sophomore effort would arrive nearly four years later in 2018. After successfully executing a quick turnaround for album No. 3, Taylor looks to present her one-of-a-kind artistic vision once again with her spotlight-claiming release, The Album.
The Album attempts to ensure that Taylor will receive her crowning moment among the masses. It’s a moment that would have arrived with her 2018 album K.T.S.E. — if her vision had not been shelved for that of her label boss’, who saw it fit that projects shave off half their weight for a quicker-yet-unfulfilling listening experience. This time around, Teyana cruises with two hands on the wheel while backseat drivers are left to find their own ride.
With all outside interference removed from her creative field of vision, Taylor’s third album presents a love absent from the fairy tale experience. Listeners are instead introduced to an emotional whirlwind that resides heavily in lust, persuasion, and sadness. Backed by Rick Ross and daughter Junie on “Come Back To Me,” Taylor seeks a momentary end to the fights and struggles of her relationship. Propelled by exhaustion and doubts towards the true nature of his feelings for her, she wearily loosens her once-tight grip with the hope that if the love is real and true, they will find their way back to each other. Two songs later the persuasion continues with Taylor calling on Erykah Badu for a modern-day version of Badu’s “Next Lifetime” record on “Lowkey.” Fighting against a “right person, wrong time” premise, she attempts to persuade her secret lover to try and make things work, despite all signs pointing to its failures. “I want it / But this ain’t the right time,” she sings. “But, dammit, you’re so fine / So take me tonight.”
Moving away from the moments of persuasion on The Album, Taylor dives headfirst into accounts of her sexual pleasures. Intending to make sure every minute of the night is filled with satisfaction, Taylor recruits Kehlani for a steamy night between the two women on “Morning.” “I’m five foot five, I can handle it / You fine, fine, fine, you scandalous,” Kehlani says on the song, while Taylor promises to “give it to you just how you want it.” Taylor continues to satisfy her desires two songs later on “69.” Fantasizing and then detailing a night focused on simultaneous satisfaction, Taylor begs her lover to let go of their grudges against her as she has done the same with him. Not looking to place the blame on anyone, she instead poses the idea of simultaneously apologizing for their part in the issue by playing their respective numerical roles in the bedroom. “Mad about some argument from yesterday,” Taylor says. “’Cause tonight, no need to fight, I can ease your mind.”
Embarking on the last third of The Album, Taylor veers into moments of sadness as her ventures into love prove to be one-sided and unfulfilling for herself. Tired and fed-up on “Concrete,” she compares her unsuccessful attempts of getting through to her hard-headed partner to parsing through concrete. Her pain can be felt as she emotionally belts out her displeasures with lyrics like “Tryna get through to you feels like a burden / Why am I so confused if we’re for certain?” Time and time again her complaints and concerns are downplayed and viewed as not serious, leaving her to privately seek a relationship that is rock solid rather than a partner with an impenetrable ear to her needs. The following song, “Still,” is quite literally soaked in tears as she sings, “I keep crying for love / But it won’t wipe my tears.” Playing as a double entendre for the pain inflicted by love and being a part of Black America, especially as a woman, Taylor is left to be consoled by her tears as the love she desperately seeks is nowhere to be found.
The Album goes on for a bit too long and, as a fan, the eyes eventually grow tired and the ears overworked. Not to say the quality of the songs diminished at any point on the album, but the quality of The Album and its listening experience would have been boosted by a considerable amount. Setting the few flaws aside, Teyana Taylor’s third album is a well-written book of love in her own eyes, one that shows the many faces of pain, confidence, hope, pleasure, and happiness enclosed in an emotional playback of the birth of her first child and a celebratory discovery of love.
The Album is out now via G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam. Get it here.
The 1975 are fresh off the release of their new album, Notes On A Conditional Form. Although the group doesn’t often have guests on their songs, they recruited Phoebe Bridgers for “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America,” and now Bridgers has spoken up to defend them against haters.
In a new profile from The Forty Five, she explains why she thinks disliking the group could be considered sexist, saying, “Hating The 1975, I feel like, is sexist, because teenage girls invented that band being famous. Like, teenage girls invented The Beatles. Teenage girls invented music. You’re trying to say that something’s stupid just because teenage girls like it? It’s f*cking insane.”
Elsewhere in the piece, she spoke about Billie Eilish, and how the singer’s family having connections in show business shouldn’t count against her material: “People trying to cancel Billie Eilish is my favorite. It’s just like, you can’t handle how cool she is. Or people saying that female indie rock stars were invented by a trust fund or something. It’s like, you know where The Strokes came from? Nepotism and wealth has always informed music. It has never not. You get more opportunities or whatever, it doesn’t mean that their music is bad. And if we’re gonna shine that light on women, f*cking look around at the men whose parents bought them music as a career.”
She also expressed hope that “middle class musicians,” as she called them, don’t become an endangered species due to the coronavirus pandemic: “I hope middle class musicians survive, because there’s already not enough of them. It’s either you have a trust fund, and you can pay to go on tour… You either can afford to not make any money, or you stay in your hometown, you can barely even afford to play gigs. The middle class is disappearing, because there’s such little reward. There’s a danger that [the pandemic will] really increase the privileged divide of music, which is heinous.”
Basketball is a sport that’s practically built for the drama of movies. The fast-paced action is perfect for montages, and the tension of last second-heroics punctuated by the sound of a buzzer are all the makings of cinematic greatness. But not all hoops films are made equal. Some, in fact, are downright mediocre and others, while originally praised as brilliant, have fared worse over time than others.
There are plenty of basketball movies — whether they follow a team’s journey or use the game as the backdrop for the larger thrust of the film. But a good basketball movie needs to be well cast with a strong story, some realistic-looking game-play and maybe some classic moments and quotes that stand out to fans years later.
Having trouble sorting it all out? We’ve got you covered.
13) Semi Pro
There has to be a straight-up comedy on here with zero appetite for drama or anything but laughs, and Semi-Pro is it. The heyday of struggling basketball teams is ripe with comedy, and this Will Ferrell movie is criminally underrated in his overall comedic cannon. Ferrell as a player/coach/owner of an American Basketball Association team is a gem. This movie is not realistic in any way — Andre Benjamin of Outkast plays a prominent role — but it doesn’t have to be. Basketball in Flint, Michigan looks like a hell of a lot of fun in this one, and its enduring legacy is the occasional Tropics jersey you’ll see at an NBA game.
12) Hoosiers
Hoosiers needs to be on this list because it is regarded as a classic basketball movie. The Indiana Pacers have a Hickory High jersey that looks very cool. And Gene Hackman in a coaching role is always something to appreciate. But there is not a movie on this list that has aged worse than Hoosiers, a film made in 1986 and a film about an all-white small-town basketball team triumphing because they got one good player. In this particular movie, they are the good guys. But three decades later, it’s hard not to view the team they beat as the far more interesting story.
11) Coach Carter
High school basketball is ripe with stories that make for good movies. And making your entire team because they violated your academic agreement is a pretty compelling way to draw an audience in, right? This is one of those basketball movies where the team grows and changes as it gets better on the floor, teaching a lesson along the way. It’s fairly formulaic, but it tells a nice story. A sneaky highlight of this film is an appearance from a very young, extremely bald Channing Tatum. Another early highlight is Samuel L. Jackson, a high school basketball coach, getting challenged by one of the team’s better players to a fight. You can imagine how that goes, but that alone is worth a look, right?
10) Glory Road
Speaking of more interesting basketball stories, there is Glory Road, a Disney-fied version of Texas Western’s run to the men’s NCAA Championship Game in 1966. The 2006 film doesn’t nearly have the cult following of Hoosiers, but the true story is far more compelling and highlights an issue that basketball in that era certainly suffered from: racism. Texas Western’s run to the title game against Kentucky is given the proper weight it should, and Josh Lucas’ turn as The Bear, coach Don Haskins, is a worthy center for this underrated film.
9) The Way Back
A heavy film whose box office fortunes were impacted by COVID shutdowns that happened right as it was coming out, The Way Back demands a lot from its lead as Ben Affleck leans on some of his own experiences with the bottle to play a damaged alcoholic trying to find a rope in the dark and a way out of the hole that his life has become after being pummeled by loss. Basketball factors in as that rope, with Affleck’s former high school standout character finding renewed purpose as a fiery and sometimes unorthodox leader of young men. 8) Teen Wolf
Michael J. Fox is a teen who is also a wolf. I’m not sure what’s not to like here. His character, Scott Howard, turns into an extremely athletic mythical beast. This is a harmless, if not ridiculous classic. And there’s something to be said for that kind of movie getting made in 1985 and still being true today. This is definitely the most “cult classic” of the films listed here, but there’s a particular affection for this movie, which actually sparked an equally-ridiculous MTV show in 2011.
7) Space Jam
Listen: Space Jam is not really a great movie. When you take away the nostalgia for it and a banger of a soundtrack, much like The Mighty Ducks, the bones of the plot are a bit bare. But it’s hard to hate a movie that puts Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny with equal billing on a movie poster. There’s a reason LeBron James has been hounded for years to make a sequel to this 1996 blockbuster: people love the idea of the best player in the game getting sucked into a cartoon vortex. If anything, it’s still the only logical explanation for Jordan deciding to play baseball for a few years.
6) Above The Rim
Above The Rim plays out as a battle for one young man’s soul, standing out as an excellent showcase for the acting talents of Tupac Shakur, whose character, Birdie, does his best to steer the film’s protagonist, Kyle (Duane Martin) off his course as a basketball prodigy with college ball in his future. The film is also a tremendous showcase for ‘90s hip-hop (due to its iconic soundtrack) and a film that aimed for authenticity when showcasing streetball culture.
5) He Got Game
Spike Lee’s ode to basketball is a classic. Denzel Washington’s turn as Jake Shuttlesworth is a great performance and a dynamic role, and an appearance from Ray Allen as his son, Jesus, is a fun surprise for those coming to the film for the first time. This is another movie that settles on a plot involving a five-star high school recruit, but the tale of Shuttlesworth coming to grips with his father’s incarceration for killing his mother is compelling and well-executed here. It’s not the apex of Lee’s or Washington’s career in cinema, but it’s certainly worthy of this list.
4) Blue Chips
Nick Nolte is a conflicted college basketball coach in this 1994 film that has some legendary performances from actual NBA players. Shaq and Penny Hardaway appear as players here, while Rick Pitino and Larry Bird pop up as well. Compared to the kind of scandals that have engulfed college athletics these days, getting a tractor pales in comparison. But the story here is strong, and it’s got some of the best actual basketball scenes out of any movie on this list.
3) Love And Basketball
Basketball is the thing that brings Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps’ characters together and the thing that tears them apart in this smartly-executed, years-spanning love story from writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood. Impeccably cast with familiar faces sprinkled in throughout, the film is careful to really examine the strains and isolation of both being a heralded athlete and someone who feels like no one else believes in their dreams. The pressures of living up to both your parent’s expectations and legacies is also explored, but while it sounds like a lot is going on, Love And Basketball doesn’t get bogged down, injecting enough gentle and intimate moments of connection that you never lose sight of the point or find yourself not rooting for the pair at the center of this story to get out of their own way and into each other’s arms.
2) Hoop Dreams
Maybe the best basketball documentary ever, filmmaker Steve James tells the story of two basketball prospects — William Gates and Arthur Agee — trying to launch basketball careers to get themselves out of inner-city Chicago. The movie follows both players for four years as they go through high school hoops, recruiting and school issues and try to stay on track despite the outside pressures of their lives. This film got an Oscar nod for best film editing, and pouring over all the footage of their stories to weave this one together into a cohesive picture certainly seems worthy. This is a must-see.
1) White Men Can’t Jump
This is a great basketball film that happens to be a lot of fun, playing around in the worlds of trash talk and pick-up ball while leaning heavily on the strength of the uneasy partnership between Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson’s characters (with Rosie Perez thrown into the mix to steal every scene she’s in, as per her usual) and the grift at the heart of that partnership. Everyone loves a film about a good grift and White Men Can’t Jump certainly delivers. Written and directed by sports movie master Ron Shelton, White Men Can’t Jump furthers the truth he also highlights in Bull Durham: that sports can be the foundation for truly great relationships, but the trick is in making those relationships interesting and entertaining.
Jessie Ware is making a pivot from soaring ballads to synth-heavy dancefloor bangers. She’s set the tone for her upcoming record, What’s Your Pleasure?, through a handful of revved-up singles. Now, just a day ahead of the record’s debut, Ware gives fans one last preview with the shimmering number “Soul Control.”
“Soul Control” opens with a clapping beat and rubbery keys before a funky bass guitar takes over. With her breathy vocals, Ware details the euphoria of dancefloor attraction. “Baby I see the future / It’s me and you / We got to stay in motion / Tell me what you want to do,” she sings.
In a 2018 interview with Billboard, Ware said she’s breaking into new territory with her upcoming album: “I feel really confident about the new music I’m doing. I don’t feel like I’m trying to impress or please anybody, I’m just making the music I feel like making. […] This whole new record is about fantasy and escapism. It’s for the fans who have been there for a start. It was funny seeing the comments from fans like, ‘At last! You’ve given us a groove, Jessie!’ It’s a record people can dance to or have sex to, I hope. […] I’m proud of everything I’ve done, but I needed some energy. I can sing ballads till the cows come home, but I also can do dance music, and it’s where I came from, so I just wanted to dip my toe back in that.”
Listen to “Soul Control” above.
What’s Your Pleasure? is out 6/26 via Virgin/Universal. Pre-order it here.
Venezuelan producer Arca is gearing up to release her latest enigmatic album, Kick I, which drops tomorrow. She has shared some fascinating advance looks at the record, one of them being “Mequetrefe.” Now she has offered a visual for the song, and unsurprisingly, it’s a surreal visual oddity.
Filming the clip was likely a straightforward affair, as the raw footage is just Arca singing the song in front of a blank wall, albeit with a handful of outfit changes. The footage doesn’t remain raw by any means, though, as her head and body become distorted along with the song’s percussive hits, exploding out from the center of her being as the track’s rhythm chugs along. It’s ultimately a clever way to create a visually interesting visual during the pandemic.
Arca previously explained that “mequetrefe” is a slang word she heard while growing up in Venezuela, which was used derogatorily towards men. Arca’s aim with the song was to reclaim the word and alter its meaning, saying, “The song ‘Mequetrefe’ invokes the tenderness behind expressing who you are without shame, and the confidence and bravery it requires, because expression of gender-nonconforming self-states in a public space can often result in static within your environment.”
Even before HBO announced that it’s developing a series for the the award-winning video game The Last of Us, fans have been feverishly hoping that Josh Brolin would play the main character Joel in an eventual adaptation of the post-apocalyptic adventure. And, now, Troy Baker, who voices Joel in the game and its sequel, is sharing his thoughts along with a surprising anecdote about how he personally pitched the character to Brolin just as first The Last of Us was getting ready to storm the gaming industry.
While sitting down with the Collider Games Podcast, Baker said that he hopes to see an actor who can take Joel to the next level, “What I’m excited about is finding someone that can give me a completely different side of Joel, and show me how far that character can stretch.” One of the actors he has in mind is Brolin, and Baker even went so far as to personally approach Thanos himself at the airport and tell him that if he ever gets the chance, take the part.
“I remember being at LAX [Airport] and Josh Brolin was there, we were in the lounge together, and I walked up. I was like, ‘Man, I doubt you remember this, but you and I were doing a movie.’ He was doing No Country [for Old Men], and I was doing a western. And I was like, ‘You and I met, we had drinks this one night, we had a good night.’ He was like, ‘I think I remember that,’ and I was like, ‘I doubt you do, because I know how much we all had to drink.’ I said, ‘There is a game that’s coming out. And I want you to know that, for me, so much of your work was very influential.’ And he really, really was. And I was like, ‘If you ever get the call for a character named Joel, I would be honored and I think you would be enriched to play that character.’”
Baker went on to call Brolin a “knockout choice” for Joel, but he also reiterated his stance that, more than anything, he just wants to see the character branch out in new directions. The Last of Us is currently in development for HBO from Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin.
Before the pandemic hit, Pearl Jam had big plans for 2020. Before the veteran group released their album Gigaton back in March, they were set to embark on a massive world tour and even perform at Eddie Vedder’s curated music festival, Ohana Fest. Both Pearl Jam’s world tour and festival appearances have since been scrapped due to the pandemic, but the group still wanted to offer fans an uplifting performance.
Pearl Jam reunited virtually for a benefit performance of their Gigaton track “Dance Of The Clairvoyants” on Wednesday. The group’s rendition was a part of the coronavirus benefit concert All In WA: A Concert For COVID-19 Relief and it marked the first time they played the song for an audience.
Pearl Jam members performed the song from their respective homes. Even with the distance, Pearl Jam managed to bring infectious energy. In the spirit of experimentation, Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard switched to bass while bassist Jeff Ament tried his hand on the keys.
The “Dance Of The Clairvoyants” rendition was just one part of the All In WA benefit concert. Along with Pearl Jam, Washington-based musicians like Macklemore, Brandi Carlile, Ciara, Ben Gibbard, The Black Tones, Dave Matthews, and Sir Mix-A-Lot offered performances of their hit songs.
Watch Pearl Jam perform “Dance Of The Clairvoyants” above.
Gigaton is out now via Monkeywrench. Get it here.
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