Over the past few years, rappers like Guapdad 4000 and Smino have helped transform the durag from a necessary hair care product to an all-out fashion statement. That’s why it’s only right for them to appear on the remix of Thundercat’s “Dragonball Durag,” a funky ode to the attractive powers of the newly acceptable accessory.
While Thundercat’s original video for the song joked about how his weird, weeb-ish signal flare was more off-putting than magnetic, naturally, the two new guests on the song flip it into an advantage. Both Smino’s and Guapdad’s verses boast about their prowess in pulling women with their smooth lyrical games and fashion senses. “I took a power nap after she threw it back for me,” Guapdad grins. “My durag fell off, I was sleep, she put it back for me.”
“Dragonball Durag” was the first single from Thundercat’s new album, It Is What It Is. Of course, it’s not the only time he got to express his love for animation; he was recently tapped to write music for the animated series Thundercats Roar, a zany reboot of the show from which he got his name. Meanwhile, Guapdad 4000 has continued his Falcon Fridays campaign with new tracks featuring Boogie and Deanté Hitchcock, while Smino last appeared on the Kenny Beats-produced “Baguetti” with JID.
Listen to Thundercat’s “Dragonball Durag” remix with Guapdad 4000 and Smino above.
Guapdad 4000 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Welcome to Wednesday Night’s Alright, my Thursday column on Uproxx Sports, recapping the events of Wednesday Night. Except today it’s a Tuesday column, recapping the events of Saturday night. AEW Dynamite was moved to make room for the NBA, while NXT had TakeOver 30 on the WWE Network. So let’s catch up with what those Thursday night brands were doing on Saturday.
Exciting Arrival: Thunder Rosa
The NWA Women’s Champion is challenging for the AEW Women’s Championship at All Out! That’s pretty awesome, and should lead to a great a match between Rosa and Shida. For those of you who haven’t watched NWA Powerrr and don’t know Thunder Rosa from the indies, you might remember her as Kobra Moon on Lucha Underground or even Serpentine on WOW. Whether in a snake mask or sugar skull face paint, she’s a very good wrestler, and she’s going to come at Shida as hard as anybody ever has.
I’m not sure what her presence in AEW implies about the future of NWA Powerrr, but considering she put over their Women’s Title it makes sense to assume that, as Billy Corgan has claimed, they’ll be back in production soon. In the meantime, this match is a great move for both promotions. Hikaru Shida is a big fish in a small, poorly-booked pond in AEW, and honestly Thunder Rosa’s NWA pond of women is even smaller. But crossing the two over, opens up a whole world of women’s wrestling potential. Let’s hope AEW finds ways to pay that off beyond one great match.
Runners Up
I’m not sure Rhea Ripley counts, because it’s not exactly strange to see her in NXT, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to see her after the NXT Women’s Title Match. Clearly her next fight is with Raquel Gonzalez, with whom she had a face-off of mutual intimidation, but in the longer term she’s absolutely coming for Io Shirai and the Women’s Title that Rhea previously held for far too brief a time.
TakeOver also featured an ad announcing another exciting return: Tommaso Ciampa, who arrives on Wednesday.
I love when guys dress up like other guys and then beat up the guys they’re dressed as. Ricky Starks’ impression of Darby Allin reminds me of Strong Bad making fun of Strong Sad. Of course Strong Mad is there too, in the form of Brian Cage, who takes things from mockery to pummeling, a transition Ricky is happy to embrace. Allin/Starks is going to be a hell of a match, and perhaps the first big fight Darby’s had that feels like it could go either way. He’ll never stand a chance against Cage, of course, but that’s what friends are for. I know Moxley’s busy with MJF right now, but he’s beaten Cage before and he needs to help out his young friend out of this, like the Homestar Runner of AEW we all know he is.
Runners Up
Raquel Gonzalez and Candice LeRae did the usual thing of helping out their beloved Dakota Kai and Johnny Gargano, respectively, but neither of them managed to get their partners a win. And of course the Inner Circle beat up Orange Cassidy this week, but that’s becoming normal. They have to do something to make sure he keeps caring about the feud.
Most Exciting Title Change: The Exalted One Brodie Lee becomes TNT Champion
Cody has been pushing himself too hard lately, wrestling every week against top opponents for the TNT Championship, and it finally caught up with him. Brodie Lee isn’t just a charismatic cult leader (although he is that), he’s also huge guy and a hell of a wrestler. Still, nobody expected him to squash Cody the way he did. It was too short to be a contender for Best Match, but it was a hell of a moment.
Brodie didn’t stop with winning the Title, either. He led the Dark Order in a beatdown of the Nightmare Family, including directing Anna Jay to take out Brandi, which she did. As a big fan of Brodie Lee, I’m happy to see he has a belt, and I’m also really interested in the idea of the Dark Order becoming the dominant heel faction in AEW, while Chris Jericho leads the Inner Circle directly into the midcard chasing Orange Cassidy.
Runners Up
Damien Priest won the vacant NXT North American Championship in a very good ladder match. Priest hasn’t really won me over yet, but I’m open to seeing what he does with a belt. I did like that he immediately jumped in a hot tub with two ladies. I think part of the reason I haven’t been into him since he arrived is that he seemed like another big scary moody guy, trapped in between Aleister Black and Karrion Kross, so if his character is evolving into something flashier that definitely helps.
Speaking of big moody guys, Karrion Kross is your new NXT Champion! His match with Keith Lee dragged on a bit and definitely showed Kross’s limitations as a worker, but he’s clearly not being positioned as the kind of champion who has five-star matches (the usual NXT kind of champion). Kross is the kind of champion everyone is afraid of because he’s a confoundingly large psychopath with a creepy tattoo of a wendigo on his back and a witch-girlfriend who summons fire at will. It’s an unusual move for NXT, and I understand the fears of those who think it points to the Yellow and Black brand becoming more like mainline WWE where huge champs who don’t wrestle that well have been pretty normal since at least the Hulkamania era. That said, I’m interested enough in Kross and Scarlett’s characters to want to see where things go from here.
Better Than I Expected: Pat McAfee
Okay, I was kind of wrong, and I’ll be the first to admit it. Pat McAfee can go, turns out. It’s not just that he’s in fantastic shape (strongest legs “in the history of legs in general” as he said in a pre-match promo), it’s that he’s clearly been dedicated to learning to wrestle, and really he’s taken to it. His transitions are smooth, his swanton bombs are impeccable, and his dive to the outside looked fantastic. It’s still important that Adam Cole won, because again, he’s a professional wrestler, but McAfee turned up ready to go for real, and props to him for that. If he wants to come back and wrestle another time or two, I’d be a lot more open to that.
Runners Up
I don’t dislike Brandi Rhodes, but I understand everyone’s dismay at the probability of the Nightmare Sisters winning the Women’s Tag Team Tournament. She’s not a great wrestler and she is an exec in the company, and it just wouldn’t be a great look. Nevertheless we all expected it, especially when the finals pitted her and Allie against Diamante and Ivelisse, two women who aren’t even signed to the company. But in another great upset, Diamante and Ivelisse won! The match had its shortcomings for obvious reasons, but the finish was exactly what it should have been, and I really hope it leads to the signing of the winning team, and maybe even some Women’s Tag Titles for them to fight over (as long as I’m dreaming).
Best Promo: Eddie Kingston
Eddie Kingston is one of the best talkers in all of wrestling, and thank the gods he’s now getting to talk not just on TV, but on TNT instead of wherever Impact was airing when he was last there. He points out to the Lucha Bros, Butcher and Blade that they’re too good to be costing themselves matches by squabbling with each other. He puts all four of them over bigtime and then gets them to join him in a group hug, which might seem like an odd move for a heel, but then he turns to the camera and gives the greatest wink ever, letting us know that his plans are about something other than unity and togetherness.
I have to assume that Eddie’s recruitment of the Lucha Bros means that Death Triangle is dead, at least for now. It makes sense, since we have no idea when PAC will be back. I can’t believe that guy’s stuck at home for months instead of working again. When he does make it back, I’m sure he’ll channel that into the nastiest of promos. In the meantime, I’m ready to see what Kingston and his two tag teams get up to.
Runners Up
Other than Pat McAfee talking about his great legs, all the promo weight was on AEW this week, because promos just aren’t what TakeOver events spend their time on. Jon Moxley had another good one, in which he challenged MJF to go talk to his wife for a list of his flaws, which got everybody talking since Mox’s actual wife, Renee “Young” Paquette, just left WWE. I suspect she’s bound for a job outside of wrestling, because she’s good enough to do whatever she wants, but I am excited by the prospect that no longer working for WWE likely means she can make an appearance in AEW here and there without getting in trouble with whoever she works for next.
Chris Jericho also cut a promo on Orange Cassidy, in which he announced the new gimmick match he’s invented for All Out, the Mimosa Mayhem Match. The guy who loves a bit of the bubbly and the Orange guy trying to throw each other into a giant vat of mimosas is hard to argue with, and plus it ought to end their feud without either of them taking a “legit” loss. I also loved Jericho putting himself over as a gimmick match genius by reminding everybody that he invented Money In The Bank.
Best Match: Io Shirai vs Dakota Kai
I went into TakeOver absolutely sure that Io Shirai was retaining the NXT Women’s Title, but this match was so well-told that there were moments where I really believed Dakota might take it. She didn’t, but she gave Io the fight of her life. I think that, like Shirai pointed out in the build, there is a part of Kai that really is still that same scared girl who was bullied by Shayna Baszler. But having her own monster Raquel Gonzalez at her back gives Dakota confidence, and having confidence enable her to show everyone that she really is one of the best wrestlers around. She just needs that crutch of a giant woman keeping an eye out for trouble so she can focus.
Of course, Dakota’s hold over Raquel seemed to come into doubt as Raquel was distracted by how much she wants to fight Rhea Ripley, so there may be conflict coming to this team too. And the thing is, I’m good with that. I just want to see all these women work, in whatever configuration the story requires.
Runners Up
For those who love the wrestling part of wrestling, you can’t ask for much better than Timothy Thatcher’s match against Finn Bálor, which was both a technical clinic and a lot of fun to watch.
The North American Championship Ladder Match also had a lot of fun spots in it. Bronson Reed continues to impress—that splash off the ladder with Candice LeRae on his back was really something—and Cameron Grimes continues to win me over.
Sadly, there wasn’t a match on Dynamite that I’d consider for this slot. It was a fun show, but most of that fun came down to promos, shenanigans, and one surprising squash. As far as in-ring work, it really wasn’t their best episode. You win some, you lose some, no matter what day of the week.
That’s all for this Saturday edition of Wednesday Night. This week things are still weird, with AEW Dynamite airing on Thursday, but I’ll find a way to cover that too. Plus, I’ll be back tomorrow to discuss Summerslam and its RAW aftermath.
2020 is a big year for The Weeknd: “Blinding Lights” is one of the year’s most successful singles, and likewise, After Hours is one of 2020’s biggest albums. The musician’s continued prosperity has landed him on the cover of the latest issue of Esquire. In the profile, he reveals that the lyrics of his hit song come from a dark place, and that he doesn’t endorse the story the song tells.
The Weeknd said “Blinding Lights” is about “how you want to see someone at night, and you’re intoxicated, and you’re driving to this person and you’re just blinded by streetlights, but nothing could stop you from trying to go see that person, because you’re so lonely.” He continued, “I don’t want to ever promote drunk driving, but that’s what the dark undertone is.”
He also discussed his headspace early in his career, saying that he didn’t think his appearance would led to him being successful: “I wasn’t too confident with how I looked. I didn’t think that I could sell the music looking like me. I was very hardheaded. To this day, I don’t think I’ve ever done a radio interview. I just feel like I would give a horrible interview.”
After joining WWE almost eight years ago, Renee Young has officially made her exit from the worldwide leader in sports entertainment. While rumors had circulated for nearly a week, the move was made official during the SummerSlam pre-show Sunday night, followed by Young herself weighing in on her transition later Monday.
Despite current WWE talent, fans and media paying their respects to Young, it somehow doesn’t do her time in the organization justice. Young really hit her stride hosting Talking Smack alongside Daniel Bryan, leading to one of the transcendent moments of the show’s short tenure.
Young would call her time on the weekly show the “single thing” she enjoyed the most during her time in WWE in an op-ed in the Players Tribune.
“Like I finally got a chance to do something approaching ‘my thing.’ I could be fun, I could be sassy, I could be a little messy and a little rough around the edges and real — and that’s just always been my M.O. I think it worked, too: talent got to be themselves on Talking Smack: there was sort of this IDGAF attitude, but at the same time you were seeing work. Like, some of the character work that guys did on our show was just unreal. And PEOPLE GOT OVER!!”
It was understandable then — and obviously now — why it hurt for Young to learn the show was moving from weekly to monthly. On Twitter of all places.
The work she put into that show was outstanding and her talent shined through in an undeniable way. From there, Young would set on a trailblazing path over the next three years, lining up what the future could look like for aspiring broadcasters. She joined the broadcast team for the first-ever Mae Young Classic, became the first woman to take on a permanent role on the Raw announce team and was a member of the broadcast team for the first-ever all women’s Evolution event.
As Young reflects on her time in WWE, she recognizes the moments — like being the first woman to call a full episode of Raw — as untouchable, but wishes she fought for herself a bit more when moments got tough.
“I wish I’d fought for myself a little more, just in general, in those moments when I felt like I was drowning or even just treading water. And I wish I’d gone to more of the right people for more of the right advice, instead of letting my emotions or my insecurities get the better of me,” Young wrote. “I also think that’s the gift and the curse of going first, though, you know what I mean? No one said blazing trails was easy.”
Despite those second thoughts on her career, Young’s work will be remembered fondly on the impact she made throughout the Women’s Evolution. While stars like Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Bayley will top the Hall of Fame list as their careers come to a close, there’s no question Young should be right there in the spotlight as well.
Who knows what’s next for Young. She acknowledged in her Instagram post that fans can still find her on Fox Sports. But outside of that, there’s no real knowledge of where she’ll end up next.
Fans will try to make the connection with AEW, where her husband is the reigning World Champion. And while she may end up there, that speculation does nothing but do a disservice to the work Young has done. She has established herself as a top personality that has the talent to do whatever she wants, whether that be in the scope of wrestling or not. And as young women grow up with aspirations to main event WrestleManias and call weekly episodic wrestling episodes, they’ll do so following the steps of women like Young, knowing fully that it’s well within their reach.
Travis Scott has become one of the biggest names in music over the past few years. Now it appears he will be teaming up with the world’s biggest food brand, McDonald’s, for some sort of collaboration.
McDonald’s US chief marketing officer Morgan Flatley wrote in a leaked internal memo obtained by Business Insider, “From his impossible-to-get Nike sneaker line, to a cereal collab with General Mills that sold out in 30 seconds, to a record-setting virtual concert series inside Fortnite, Travis Scott is the definition of big in culture. Beyond this, he is a true fan of McDonald’s and our craveable, iconic food. He will resonate and spark excitement with our youthful multicultural customers, and has a few surprises to delight our crew and ensure they are part of the excitement.”
Flatley noted in the memo that the brand is also readying to work with other celebrities as well: “Travis is the first in a suite of big celebrities that resonate across segments and are true fans of our food and our brand. We can’t wait to share the rest of the lineup… in due time.”
This news follows rumors from earlier this month, when an image surfaced of a collection of Scott- and McDonald’s-themed merch.
A Travis Scott Mcdonald’s collab is rumored to be in the works for a September release. Unfortunately, sneakers are not releasing only apparel. Marketing promotion is set to start soon. pic.twitter.com/LoWLD099P6
Neon, the indie distributor behind two of the best films of 2019 (Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Best Picture winner Parasite) and this year’s “damn near perfect” Palm Springs, has released the trailer for the company’s next awards seasons contender.
Ammonite stars Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet as… does it matter? It’s a movie with Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet. You’re going to see it. But in case you need more convincing, Winslet plays Mary Anning, an “acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever,” according to the official plot synopsis. Ammonite was directed by Francis Lee, and while it may lack the sweaters of his last film God’s Own Country (seriously, SO many great sweaters), it looks equally moody and romantic. Speaking of that romance, Anning’s relatives criticized the film for depicting a same-sex relationship that they claimed never happened. Lee responded on Twitter:
After seeing queer history be routinely ‘straightened’ throughout culture, and given a historical figure where there is no evidence whatsoever of a heterosexual relationship, is it not permissible to view that person within another context…?
As a working class, queer film maker, I continually explore the themes of class, gender, sexuality within my work, treating my truthful characters with utter respect and I hope giving them authentic respectful lives and relationships they deserve.
Netflix loves Stranger Things‘ Millie Bobby Brown, and the feeling must be mutual. The 16-year-old actress’ upcoming role as Sherlock Holmes’ rebellious teen sister in Enola Holmes should draw quite an audience, and having Henry Cavill onboard to play Sherlock (and Sam Claflin as Mycroft Holmes) can only help with that cause. This trailer shows off a rip-roaring adventure set to an orchestral riff of Hole’s “Celebrity Skin.” That really sets the stage, as does the presence of Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer.
Enola Holmes follows the title character’s super-sleuthing in her own right, and she’s doing it her way after her mother (Helena Bonham Carter) disappeared without a trace on her daughter’s sixteenth birthday. Sherlock and Mycroft have had about enough of dealing with a “wild child,” so they’re keen on sending her off to finishing school, where she’d become a “proper” lady. Cue the twirling of mustaches, but Millie Bobby Brown’s the perfect actress to send Enola striking out on her own. From the synopsis:
Refusing to follow their wishes, Enola escapes to search for her mother in London. But when her journey finds her entangled in a mystery surrounding a young runaway Lord (Louis Partridge), Enola becomes a super-sleuth in her own right, outwitting her famous brother as she unravels a conspiracy that threatens to set back the course of history. Based on the beloved book series by Nancy Springer, ENOLA HOLMES is a dynamic new mystery-adventure that introduces the world’s greatest detective to his fiercest competition yet: his teenage sister. The game is afoot.
In response to Michelle Obama’s speech at last week’s Democratic National Convention, The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, who gets paid to tell jokes, was unable to tell a joke. “My job is to have a joke for every time somebody says anything in public. After watching Michelle Obama’s speech, I have never been more happy to fail at my job,” he said, in awe of the former-first lady’s speech. Colbert was not speechless following the first night of the Republican National Convention, however — last night’s The Late Show could have been four hours long, and he still wouldn’t have run out of material.
Colbert called “PROUD American” Kimberly Guilfoyle, she of the Rita Repulsa-esque speech, a “vengeful banshee who will haunt your dreams.” About her relationship with California Governor Gavin Newsom, he said, “I’m guessing that was not an amicable split. But I think I know who was awarded custody of the rage, because when it came to the president’s agenda, she had some very nuanced screams.” Those screams were the “first time in my life I’ve had to turn down the volume on C-SPAN. I’m glad we already had our kids because I think if I was too close to the TV, I might have been sterilized by that.”
Colbert then moved on to Guilfoyle’s current partner, Donald Trump, Jr., who a campaign aide referred to as “the emotional center of the MAGA universe. Makes sense. He’s like a black hole in that he sucks.” Hm, maybe not your best work. Got another one? “It was his keynote address, in that he looked like he had snorted a key.” Better. Colbert also noted Trump, Jr.’s “sweaty face and wet, bloodshot eyes,” meaning he’s “either he’s high or that’s what happens when you live in the splash zone of Screamin’ Guilfoyle.”
While the world is still basking in the wet glow of “WAP” and waiting for Cardi B’s next album, there are still plenty of fans out there still listening to her 2018 debut, Invasion Of Privacy. In fact, the album just set a new chart record.
Chart Data noted in a tweet that Invasion Of Privacy is on the Billboard 200 chart for its 124th week, which makes it the longest-charting album by a female rapper. Cardi was grateful to hear the news, as she shared a screenshot of the tweet and wrote on Instagram, “It feels very good !Thank you guys for still supporting and listening to invasion of privacy.Working on my second album,it’s takin time but I want to make sure i put a amazing project.”
LeBron James led the way with 30 points and 10 assists in just 28 minutes of action, as he looks to be fully rounding into his usual playoff self in Orlando. After the game in his walkoff interview with TNT, James wasn’t wanting to talk about basketball, as he noted the Lakers were playing with an awful lot going through their minds, both in honoring Kobe and Gigi Bryant and in thinking about the latest tragic shooting of an unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“Having two boys of my own and me being an African American in America and to see what continues to happen with the police brutality towards my kind … it’s very troubling.”
“Extremely blessed and honored to play on 8/24 and continue to remember Kobe Bryant and Gigi Bryant and all of the fallen people who were a part of that tragic incident. And then at the same time having the emotions of what’s going on and what happened outside of Milwaukee to James Blake — Jacob Blake, sorry, Jacob Blake.
“It’s what we’ve been talking about, and what we’re going to continue to talk about. Having two boys of my own and me being an African-American in America and to continue to see what continues to happen with the police brutality towards my kind, continue to see what goes on with the just injust — it’s just very troubling. It’s very troubling. We play a beautiful game that brings so many great families together and people should be able to rejoice and enjoy it, but at the same time never losing track of what’s really going on in our world, especially here in America. My prayers go to that family, and hopefully we can have some change and it starts with November. I believe it starts with November and it’s why I stared my initiative with More Than A Vote, and getting people to understand what’s really at risk and the change — we continue to talk about change and we have an opportunity to make change. But it still doesn’t stop there, even with whoever comes next.”
Chris Paul likewise took his opportunity in speaking in the walkoff interview earlier in the day to speak out on the latest instance of police brutality caught on tape, and players from around the league voiced their continued anger, sadness, and frustration that this continues to happen and the need for drastic change to policing and systemic racism.
It is extremely disheartening to continue seeing this happen and continue seeing police shoot unarmed Black people even in what feels like an inflection point in America where there have been nationwide protests that have continued for months against police brutality. At the same time, those continued protests offer the hope that change can come provided we remain focused on that issue and continue applying pressure to government on a local, state, and federal level — which as James said involves voting but continued work beyond that to make sure elected officials know what is important to the people.
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