Month: August 2020

A devastating explosion in Beirut, Lebanon has killed over 100 people, injured more than 4,000 and left an estimated 300,00 homeless. Unfortunately, these early reports of the injured and dead are expected to rise in the coming days as more information is made available.

Lebanon’s General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim says the blast that occurred in the city’s port area was caused by “high explosive materials.” It’s believed that a warehouse fire ignited 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored nearby.

Lebanese officials say that the ammonium nitrate was confiscated from in 2013 from an Africa-bound ship.

The blast was so massive it’s said to have been about one-fifth the size of the atomic blast that leveled Hiroshima, Japan in 1945.

The news traveled around the world through shocking videos taken by first-hand witnesses.

One of the most striking early images of human resilience in the face of tragedy was taken at the Al Roum hospital on the outskirts of Beirut by photojournalist Bilal Jawich. He captured the image of a nurse wearing her scrubs and mask while holding three newborn babies.

The photographer told CNN that he” followed the smoke until I reached the port of Beirut” and that his “journalistic instinct” led him to the hospital.

The photo was taken shortly after the blast rocked the medical center, killing 12 patients, two visitors and four nurses.

According to the photographer, the nurse was surrounded by dozens of bodies wounded or killed in the blast. The unidentified nurse told Jawich that when the blast hit she was in the maternity ward and it left her unconscious.

When she woke up, she “found herself carrying these three children,” said.

“I was amazed when I saw the nurse holding three newborns,” Jawich told CNN. “I noticed the nurse’s calm, which contrasted the surrounding atmosphere just one meter away.”

“However, the nurse looked like she possessed a hidden force that gave her self-control and the ability to save those children. People stand out amidst these violent and dark and evil circumstances and this nurse was up to the task,” he added.

Jawich says that he has covered “lots of wars” throughout his career as a photographer but has never seen anything like the devastation in Beirut.

A doctor told Al Arabiya English that hospital officials are now working to relocate its patients to unaffected medical facilities.

“We’re bringing the patients to the emergency building, and from there, we’re trying to send them to different hospitals because the urgent care is also full. What can we do?” Hospital director Firass Abiad said according to Metro UK.

The image of the nurse managing to hold three babies and take a phone call while surrounded by chaos shows the incredible resolve that healthcare have during times of crisis. The nurse is a fantastic example of how this power can be harnessed to create moments of triumph during even the darkest of tragedies.

Sparklehorse became a respected indie group in the ’90s and 2000s, and now a new vinyl set is giving new life to the Virginia band’s first four albums. The records — 1995’s Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, 1998’s Good Morning Spider, 2001’s It’s A Wonderful Life, and 2006’s Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain — are getting a Vinyl Me, Please reissue, which marks the first time the four albums have been available on vinyl together.

Box Of Stars: The Sparklehorse Collection was remastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound, on 7-LP, 180-gram vinyl with exclusive side D etchings. The deluxe edition also comes with a t-shirt. Only 1,500 copies are being pressed, and the set will cost $239 (or $189 for Vinyl Me, Please) members.

Sparklehorse leader Mark Linkous died at 47 years old in 2010 by suicide. His family confirmed the news, saying in a statement following his passing, “It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There’s a heaven and there’s a star for you.”

Learn more about the release here.

Wearing a hat embroidered with the simple phrase “VOTE” during his daily media availability on Wednesday in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers responded to President Donald Trump’s continued animosity toward the NBA by saying “justice is on our side.”

“We lost one guy, so really I don’t even care,” Rivers said in response to a question about Trump’s latest comments on Fox News Wednesday morning, when the president called the league’s peaceful pregame protest “disgraceful.”

The coach has been among the most vocal in the NBA about prioritizing social justice even during a championship run for his Clippers team. Rivers has joined in efforts to increase voter turnout and as one of the few Black coaches in the league, been open about his own personal perspective on racism in America.

“We know that justice is on our side,” Rivers added, “and this hat that I’m wearing is what our president is trying to get us to not do, which I think is just as disgraceful.”

Voting increasingly has become a vocal point among professional basketball players, from LeBron James’ More Than A Vote campaign, WNBA stars openly campaigning against U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler this week, and both leagues creating a dialogue with former Georgia State Rep. Stacey Abrams and her organization, Fair Fight, to use athlete activism to move more voters to the polling place this November.

Though Beabadoobee just has two EPs in her catalog, the 20-year-old singer has toured with Clairo, graced the cover of magazines, and shares a label with big-name musicians like Rina Sawayama and The 1975. Following last year’s seven-track effort Loveworm, Beabadoobee shared the single “Care” and now returns with a new song and the announcement of her debut album.

Beabadoobee’s apologetic track “Sorry” officially signals her debut album, Fake It Flowers, is on its way. Starting softly with just her guitar, “Sorry” erupts into a cascade of revved-up alt-rock chords and thundering drums. About the song, Bea explains she wrote the track as her way of “confessing my mistakes in a friendship and watching someone who I love break down and fade away as a person. It’s the idea of dismissing something because it felt too close to home and a personal reminder to never take for granted what that person could have had.”

Watch Beabadoobee’s “Sorry” above and find her Fake It Flowers cover art and tracklist below.

1. Care”
2. “Worth It”
3. “Dye It Red”
4. “Back To Mars”
5. “Charlie Brown”
6. “Emo Song”
7. “Sorry”
8. “Further Away”
9. “Horen Sarrison”
10. “How Was Your Day?”
11. “Together”‘
12. “Yoshimi, Forest, Magdalene”

Fake It Flowers is out 10/16 via Dirty Hit. Pre-order it here.

We are now officially in the first week of August and the last full month of summer, which means its almost time to ditch the shorts and t-shirt combo you’ve been secretly wearing for the duration of the season, and start thinking about layering up and filling your wardrobe with jackets and hoodies again. In truth, quarantine has had us rarely in pants, and while much of the country continues to be more or less locked down, totally obliterating any need for us to actually put on a pair, we’re just itching to put a legit outfit together. Even if it’s just for future use or for a routine visit to the grocery store.

The way we see it, the colder it is, the more clothes we get to wear, which *deep sigh* is the only way we’ll get to show off the cool wardrobe we’ve been accumulating during the lockdown. Oh, how we miss public life…

Anyway, let’s dive into the week’s best sneaker and apparel releases, which feature some Japanese Nike designed Air Jordans, new fall apparel from Anti Social Social Club and Palace, and a refresh of JJJJound’s surprise New Balance release from last month.

Air Jordan 1 CO.JP Tokyo

We highlighted this sneaker back when it dropped a month ago as a Japanese exclusive and we’ve decided to double-dip for the first time in SNX history because we’re including this week’s stateside release as well — it’s that dope. Originally released as a Japanese exclusive colorway in 2001 in a limited run of 2,001, the metallic silver colorway of the Air Jordan 1 CO.JP is a favorite amongst sneakerheads everywhere and features a premium leather upper with neutral grey paneling and CO.JP branding on the insole.

The Air Jordan 1 CO.JP Tokyo is set to drop on August 7th for a retail price of $170. Pick up a pair through the Nike SNKRS app.

Adidas x HUMAN MADE Campus and Stan Smith Pack

The Stan Smith is an interesting silhouette. While it’s one of Adidas’ best, it’s also one of the simplest which means unfortunately, we rarely get excited by a new Stan Smith. You either pick up a pair with green heel tabs or mix it up and go with a navy blue or black tab. Which is why anytime someone is able to take the silhouette and do something fun with it, it grabs our attention. Legendary Japanese designer Nigo has done just that with his HUMAN MADE take.

With HUMAN MADE branding in place of the perforated three stripes and a font makeover on the tongue and heel being the only real deviations, Nigo’s version isn’t exactly groundbreakingly different, but it does add a little flair to the otherwise basic meat and potatoes design of the OG. As for the Campus, well, we’ll always accept new takes on this underrated silhouette with open arms.

Here Nigo gives the Campus a plush suede makeover and adds “Gears For Futuristic Teenagers” on the three stripes, which we don’t love, but it is what it is.

The Adidas x HUMAN MADE Campus and Stan Smith pack is set to drop on August 6th at Nice Kicks. The Stan Smiths will retail for $140 and the Campus will retail for $150. Pick up a pair exclusively at Nice Kicks.

Air Jordan 3 CO.JP Denim

We’ve expressed this sentiment before, but we’re going to go ahead and do it again — if you want the dopest streetwear you can find, look to Japan. Like the Tokyo AJ1 above, this CO.JP take on the Air Jordan 3 is simply one of the silhouette’s all-time best colorways. But unlike the Tokyo AJ1, this one is still a Japanese Nike exclusive. Bummer, but that’s not going to stop us from trying to cop a pair.

The Air Jordan 3 Denim features the AJ3’s classic elephant print toe box, but instead of leather, the upper material here is denim — sitting atop a white leather upper in the classic Fire Red colorway. Rounding out the design is the Nike Air logo in Japanese which is a touch so nice we have to give it a chef’s kiss. If you can do without the Japanese script, END will be releasing the colorway for $255 with the traditional English logo.

The Air Jordan 3 CO.JP Denim is set to drop on August 7th for a retail price of $190 via the Nike Japanese webstore or Mita or $255 through END.

JJJJound x New Balance 992

Take it back to the dad zone with JJJJound’s take on the New Balance 992. We’ve been avoiding dad sneakers for a while as we feel the trend has lost its luster (which is ironic, considering the lack of luster IS the trend) but JJJJound’s iteration on the 992s are just too good to pass up. These sneakers surprised released at the tail-end of last month and sold out almost instantly, so this global release will thankfully give us hardcore New Balance heads a second chance.

Dropping in both a forest green or a dusty grey colorway, the 992s feature a premium suede and mesh upper atop dual-cushioned ENCAP and ABZORB midsoles.

The JJJJound x New Balance 992 is set to drop on August 7th for a retail price of $260. Pick up a pair at Sneakersnstuff, Mita, Dover Street Market, or KITH.

Nike Air Ship Pro BRED

We’re a little torn about including this special drop of the Nike Air Ship Pro. On one hand, it’s hands down the dopest sneaker release of the week, if not the season. On the other hand, your chances of getting one are next to impossible unless you’re chilling in Italy right now. Dropping as a Back-Door Bottega exclusive, the sneaker is limited to just 150 pairs, with raffle tickets bidding throughout the city of Bologna. Basically, if you want a pair you’re going to have to cop on the aftermarket.

The Air Ship Pro, which is dressed in the legendary BRED colorway, is an almost exact replica of the pair Michael Jordan got famously banned for rocking on the court in 1984, only this version is updated with a modern React midsole for increased comfort, which is a welcome touch.

The Nike Air Ship Pro BRED is set to drop on August 7th exclusively at Back-Door Bottega. Hit aftermarket sites like StockX or eBay to cop a pair.

Anti Social Social Club x Cactus Plant Flea Market x UNDEFEATED

This monster collection is a features collaborations between LA labels Anti Social Social Club, Cactus Plant Flea Market, and UNDEFEATED, for an ultra west coast collection of Fall staples and accessories. The full collection features hoodies, graphic t-shirts, tank-tops, caps, an apron, sleeping mask, and underwear and is way too massive for us to cover here.

If you’re a fan of ASSC’s minimalist aesthetic, and Cactus Plant Flea Market and UNDEFEATED, you’re going to find a lot to love here.

The Anti Social Social Club collaborations are set to drop on August 8th at the Anti Social Social Club webstore.

Palace Fall 2020 Collection

Just when we finally got a break from the near-constant summer Palace drops, the British streetwear label had to go ahead and unveil their Fall 2020 collection and we can’t look away. The collection goes heavy on the outerwear with an emphasis on hoodies and jackets, perfect if you’re looking to layer up. Palace kept the design simple for the most part, relying heavily on the brand’s Tri-Ferg logo, though a few pieces do jump out with some wild prints.

The Palace Fall 2020 collection is set to drop on August 7th. Shop the collection at Palace’s webstore.

Joe Freshgoods MCA Chicago The Youth In You Is Happy Capsule

King of Chicago streetwear Joe Freshgoods has linked up with the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art for a minimal but playful capsule collection that helps to support exhibitions and programs hosted at the MCA Chicago. The collection features four t-shirts, a hoodie, a sketchbook, a puzzle, and two posters designed by Joe Freshgoods himself.

“This whole collection is based off 12-year-old Joe being happy that I still remain myself, in having to grow up and be an adult,” says Joe of the collection. The highlight of the capsule is easily the Link Up Hoodie, which is composed of heavyweight fleece and ring-spun cotton with a 70% cotton 30% polyester blend — though we also dig that simple white MCA t-shirt. All proceeds from The Youth In You Is Happy capsule collection go to the MCA Chicago.

The Youth In You capsule is available now at the MCA Chicago webstore.

After a fan publicly called FKA Twigs out for using sex workers in her art without giving them credit, the singer has launched a relief fund to benefit sex workers who have been affected by the pandemic. The singer began a GoFundMe account with hopes of raising £30,000 and she’s already half-way to her goal.

In a statement on Instagram, FKA Twigs detailed her own experience with sex work and said she’s now using her platform to spotlight challenges sex workers face every day:

“i was 19 when i learnt my first pole move, i learnt a back hook spin from a stripper when i was working as a hostess in a gentleman’s club. for those of you who don’t know, hostessing is when one person pays another person for their time, anything from a conversation over dinner to sex work, and the club gets a cut of the fee. my lived experience as a very young woman in these environments has not only informed the strong and formidable woman that i am today, but also a lot of my work as a music and visual artist – sometimes even subconsciously.

i feel like now is the time for me to step forward, pay respect, and shine a light on the challenges facing sex workers, especially during these uncertain times. sex workers I know and have met have discipline, craft, talent and work ethic – not only do they deserve better long-term, but their income has been wiped out by the lockdown and many are invisible to the financial aid available to others.”

The singer continued that there are many stigmas to overcome surrounding sex work still, but she’s working with a handful of organizations to raise funds. FKA Twigs is partnering with Swarm, a grassroots collective fighting criminalization of sex work, Lysistrata Mutual Care Collective, an online emergency aid fund, and East London Strippers Collective.

Read Twigs’ full statement above and check out her GoFundMe page here.

Yesterday, photos from the first day of school in two different Georgia school districts revealed the startling reality that “safe” school reopenings aren’t happening in some areas. Now it’s come to light that one of those same school districts had a positive case in an elementary school classroom on the first day of school, proving that opening schools in an uncontrolled pandemic is simply not going to work.

According to WSVN News, a second grader at Sixes Elementary in the Cherokee County School District tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday. On Tuesday, the classroom was closed for cleaning and all 20 students in the class as well as the teacher began a two-week quarantine at home.

Just one day of school, and an entire class has already been shut down for the next two weeks, at least.

Cherokee County School District “encourages” students to wear masks, but does not require it. (It’s worth noting that Cherokee County School District has a dress code for students, which says students must cover their shoulders, can’t wear pants or skirts with frayed ends or pant legs that touch the floor, and must wear “appropriate undergarments” that no one will ever see—but they won’t require students to wear a mask during a pandemic. Seriously.)

Opening schools in an area where the virus is not under control is already a risky undertaking. Opening without very strict protocols in place—a mask mandate being one of the most basic—is simply foolish. The World Health Organization has recommended delaying reopening plans until an area has a lower than 5% positivity rate with coronavirus testing. Currently, Georgia’s positivity rate is higher than 12%—nowhere near what they should be in order to even consider reopening.

No one denies that students learning in person is important. No one denies that schools provide a much-needed service for many families. No one denies that there are no easy decisions and that schools and families are largely stuck between a rock and a hard place. But no one can deny that in-person schooling under the circumstances in many areas of the U.S. simply won’t work. We have too many cases. We don’t have the virus under control enough to do the testing and contact tracing necessary to make school reopenings actually work without constant disruption.

This classroom had to shut down for two weeks after the first day. That will have to happen every time a student or teacher tests positive—imagine the disruption that will cause throughout the school year as the virus continues spreading. If cases were low enough, it could be doable with mitigation measures in place. But at the peak of the outbreak, without stringent safety measures in place? Come on. No one is fooling anyone but themselves.

Dr. Anthony Fauci has encouraged school reopenings if they can be done safely. President Trump tweets in all-caps “OPEN THE SCHOOLS!!!” with no additional direction on how and when and where to do so safely. We know that children can get and spread this disease. We know that schools are petri dishes for the spread of all kinds of viruses. We know that teachers have expressed concern about reopening without clear safety protocols in place.

And we can guess what the outcome will be in these school districts that are allowing students to come to class without masks, gather for school photos without masks or social distancing, and crowd high school hallways as if life goes on as normal. It’s not good. Not for Georgia, and not for the U.S. as a whole.

Justin Vernon has worked with some noteworthy people in the music world over the years. He’s contributed to Kanye West material, he has a feature on Taylor Swift’s new album (which just became his highest-charting song ever), and he and now-Swift collaborator Aaron Dessner of The National teamed up as Big Red Machine for a self-titled 2018 album. Now Vernon has added more musical partners to his lengthy list of them on his new Bon Iver song, “AUATC” (short for “Ate Up All Their Cake”).

Most notable is the presence of a legend: Bruce Springsteen, who contributes vocals to the track. Also credited are Jenny Lewis, Phil Cook, Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner (who has been a member of Bon Iver since last year), and others.

The release of the song supports a number of causes, as the song’s YouTube description reads, “From celebrating art and music, to empowering women, to liberating incarcerated people, to fighting climate change, these organizations work tirelessly to foster a world that celebrates our humanity on a local, national, and global level. Please explore, support, and take action.” It then shares links for Minneapolis Sanctuary Movement, Red Letter Grant, Equal Justice Initiative, National Independent Venue Association, and 350.

“AUATC” follows the similarly titled “PDLIF” (“Please Don’t Live In Fear”), which he released back in April.

This song has been floating around for a while now. Vernon shared an unfinished version of it in the summer of 2018, and Vernon’s digital platform PEOPLE described the track as “a rough draft of a song Phil and Justin worked on last summer. We want to finish it but havent had time in the same space to do so. We’re open to ideas.” That version of the song was also said to include a sample of “live james taylor 1997 in there.” On a similar note, Vernon also tweeted when sharing the track, “Draft of a song me and @philcookmusic made last summer. I love the idea so much, dont know how to finish it. Also, Phil is my main musical teacher AND my life long brother.”

Watch the “AUATC” video above.

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

With the next season of Westworld not arriving anytime soon, HBO Max just unveiled its latest series that looks like it will scratch that sci-fi itch nicely. In the first trailer for iconic filmmaker Ridley Scott‘s Raised by Wolves, viewers are introduced to Mother (Amanda Collins), an android responsible for restarting human civilization on a mysterious and treacherous planet. As she tells the children the classic fairy tale The Three Little Pigs, it rapidly becomes clear that Mother and the children will be facing adversaries both human and other. Not to mention, the very interesting twist at the end of the trailer.

With imagery evocative of Scott’s work on Aliens, Prometheus, and The Martian, the upcoming HBO Max series seems primed to be an epic sci-fi tale that questions humanity’s place in the universe and the concepts of god and nature.

Here’s the official synopsis:

From executive producer Ridley Scott, Raised by Wolves centers on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet. As the burgeoning colony of humans threatens to be torn apart by religious differences, the androids learn that controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous and difficult task. The highly-anticipated series premiere will debut on September 3rd on HBO Max. Scott directed the first two episodes of the 10-episode series, marking his television series directorial debut for American audiences.

Fans of Scott have been waiting for Raised by Wolves to hit TV screens for awhile now. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series was originally supposed to air on TNT where it was picked up back in 2018. But as WarnerMedia re-examined its content strategy as it prepared for the launch of HBO Max, Raised by Wolves was shuffled over to the new streaming service.

“As we strive to set a high creative bar for HBO Max, there’s no better person to set that bar than Ridley Scott as he delivers his first season of yet another incredible vision realized,” chief content officer Kevin Reilly told THR back in December.

Raised by Wolves debuts on HBO Max on September 3, 2020.

Step aside Nicki Minaj’s Queen Radio, there’s a new musician-led show on Apple Music. On Wednesday, Lady Gaga announced she will be the host of her very own radio show, Gaga Radio. The first episode drops Friday and the singer will use her platform to discuss her music and activism.

For the show’s premiere episode, Lady Gaga will sit down with close friend and Chromatica producer BloodPop. The two will discuss the process of making of the record, complete with the challenges and triumphs they faced along the way including depression and self-doubt. During the first conversation, Gaga opens up about how cathartic the recording process was for her, saying she would “just stare into the open sky and chain smoke cigarettes and cry” after trying to write a song.

In a statement about Gaga Radio ahead of its debut, Gaga said she’s been brainstorming ways to garner a sense of community among her listeners and the world: “The last few weeks I’ve been figuring out different ways at home that I can be of service to what I would call the singular global community, one that I believe to be kind in nature, one that I believe to be very special to my heart and I believe to the hearts of many. And so I’ve been thinking of all the ways that I can be someone that contributes to the society and the world. I’m super thrilled, excited to have this show and this opportunity to play an incredible mix of music every week.”

Gaga Radio premieres 8/7 at 11 a.m. PT. Listen to it here.