Month: September 2020

Britney Spears is in the midst of a legal battle over her conservatorship, a situation that seems to be evolving every day. Now, one of Spears’ old friends, Paris Hilton, has weighed in on the saga, and like other Spears supporters, she is disappointed by the situation.

Chatting with Andy Cohen on Andy Cohen Live, Hilton said, “I saw her this summer. We had dinners, saw her in Malibu. I love her so much and I feel if you’re an adult, you should be able to live your life and not be controlled. I think maybe that stems from me being controlled so much, so I can understand how that would feel, and I can’t imagine right now if that was still happening to me. After just working her whole life and working so hard… she’s this icon and I just feel like she has no control of her life whatsoever, and I just don’t think that’s fair.

Cohen then asked if she and Spears have discussed the situation, to which Hilton responded, “No, I don’t like bringing things up like that. She’s so sweet and so innocent and such a nice girl. We just talk about happy things: music, fashion… I don’t know, just fun things. I never like to bring up negative things or make people feel uncomfortable, so I’ve never talked about it with her.”

Watch the video above.

Travis Scott’s McDonald’s collaboration is causing fan frenzies and bringing his supporters out in droves to acquire the otherwise mundane meal, but it looks like not everyone is excited about Cactus Jack’s crossover with the food giant. According to a profile of the collaboration in GQ, some McDonald’s employees had to have the entire concept explained to them after wondering, “What’s a Travis Scott?”

Naturally, these were older employees, likely the ones way outside the target demographic for the promotion, which is the chain’s way of jumpstarting sales after a slow first quarter blamed mainly on the pandemic. The manager at a Utah location said, “We have a few older [crew members] with us and they say, ‘What is a Travis Scott?’ And we try to explain, he’s a rapper, blah blah blah.” She was introduced to the Houston rapper’s music through her young son and has since been fielding calls about the promotion, which she says both customers and employees “are really excited about.”

Such is the feeding frenzy for the rapper’s merch with McDonald’s that one woman even offered to buy an employee’s shirt “for her son.” Stores were sent a special uniform to wear for the duration of the promotion, which lasts until October, but some stores still reportedly hadn’t received their merchandise by GQ‘s press time. And yes, those memes you’ve seen on Twitter seem to be pretty accurate. An Orange County manager reported that an unusually busy Tuesday was populated mainly by young kids, teens, and early-20-somethings, all scrambling to get their hands on a menu item, that would normally require like three extra button presses at the interactive kiosk. It doesn’t even come with a toy!

It is, indeed, lit.

Check out Travis’ co-branded McDonald’s merchandise here.

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.

After years of songwriting for some of the industry’s most popular names including Kendrick Lamar, DJ Khaled, and YG, Los Angeles native Blxst looks to take off with his career, one he begins with his debut EP, No Love Lost. The project combines the most ear-pleasing qualities of both R&B and hip-hop, both being genres that he weaves in and out of with ease and impressive finesse. The campaign for No Love Lost dates back to 2019 with his breakout single, “Hurt,” a track that finds him bearing the pain and disappointment of being done wrong by a close friend with a look of undeterred nonchalance. “I can’t sit around waiting on n****s,” he says. “That just ain’t what a hustler do.” The pain cuts deep but his pride is strong enough to handle the grimacing burn that results from the disloyal action.

No Love Lost seeks loyalty, not love, from a ride or die confidant to provide a remedy to the stresses of life’s dangers. It’s a message he makes clear on “Overrated,” as he falls in line with what 21 Savage said on his I Am > I Was highlight track, “Ball w/o You.” “You can love somebody just by being attached / See loyalty is a action / You can love or hate me and still have my back.” Blxst has no interest in having someone who has his heart, rather, he desires someone who has his back and will always be present in his time of need, something the Donell Jones-sampling track highlights. “You know we good, no reason to be explainin,’” he sings. “Just want your loyalty, the love is overrated.” Love as we know it requires too much for Blxst’s liking, from lowering his guard to keeping another person in mind with every move. Loyalty however is a bare minimum commitment and that, to Blxst at least, is enough love for him.

Blxst’s comfort when loyalty leads the way in his relationships is crystal clear. “Wrong Or Right,” one of the many bright spots on No Love Lost, praises his love interest for their unconditional support despite his constant absence while he builds an empire for two. “You be thuggin’ through the lonely nights,” he says. “Always knew you was the soldier type.” Yet, despite this moment of praise, Blxst also seeks confirmation that their tenure as his unconditional confidant will not come to an end in the near future. “You ain’t never folding, right?” he questions. “Even if I’m wrong or right.” However, this bright moment proves to be nothing more than a honeymoon phase that quickly comes to an end.

While the hustle continues for Blxst, the lonely nights also add up for his love interest on “Be Alone.” A once-thrilling ride has been reduced to a boring routine, one that has far lost its appeal and adrenaline-fueled satisfaction. Soon, complaints about his presence (“You be trippin’ on the time we don’t spend”) and fears that come with his occupation (“You be paranoid hearing sirens again”) rain on him. These complaints and fears confuse Blxst as he believed the relationship’s roles were well-defined. “I thought you wanted a hustler, girl, it come with that,” he sings before adding on the chorus, “You signed up, said you’d ride to the end.” Blxst condemns the feelings of his love interest despite being completely worthy of some condemnation of his own as he fails to realize that his perception of love, which emphasizes loyalty above all else, is not common practice to most individuals.

As the EP concludes, passing through “Just Say’n” and “Searching,” Blxst once again ends up as a lone ranger left to wander the streets in hopes of finding a new partner who fits his lifestyle. His perils with love come from approaching it like a written contract, listing the terms that come with being with him while leaving no room for compromise or adjustments down the road. Compromise is a foundational aspect of love, but the unpredictability that comes with its presence is something Blxst can’t cater to as it interferes with his hustler’s ambition and tunnel-visioned focus to make it out of his current situation. While it may be tolerable in the beginning, its inconvenience and the sacrifice it requires from his partner become unbearable in the end.

The phrase “no love lost” signals the continued presence of love despite the end of a relationship, but Blxst himself admits loyalty replaces love in his romantic endeavors and when they fail to last, he seemingly comes out unscathed with love since what was never given can’t be lost. However, the point Blxst seems to make on this project is despite failing to land upon his ideal ride or die confidant, Blxst escapes the mess without having to lower his guard and give away love. Because of this, he may never experience the true beauty of love, but Blxst finds resolve in knowing he’ll also never have to experience its pains. All in all, No Love Lost emphasizes the flaws of a man whose only goal is to be a flawless hustler.

No Love Lost is out now via Red Bull and Evgle. Get it here.

Kanye West goes through runs of increased activity on Twitter, and he’s been fairly consistent lately. A recurring theme of his recent posts is that they shout out others. This month, he has praised Joe Biden, David Blaine, Big Sean, and Travis Scott. His latest Twitter activity is focused on Drake, with whom he has a contentious history.

Last night, Kanye re-tweeted a video shared by XXL, of a young Drake rapping along to the Fugees song “Ready Or Not.” In the brief clip, Drake raps part of Wyclef Jean’s first verse: “Jail bars ain’t golden gates. Those who fake, they break / When they meet their 400-pound mate / If I could rule the world…”

It’s not clear what Kanye’s motivation was for sharing the video, as it was simply a re-tweet with no comment added. Given the positive disposition Kanye has seemed to have had lately, though, it’s possible he just enjoyed the video and wanted to re-share it.

That said, Drake may have rekindled the flames of his feud with Kanye recently. On his single “Laugh Now Cry Later,” there are lyrics that may be targeted at Kanye, as some believe the track features lines referencing Kanye’s Gap partnership and Kim Kardashian.

The Milwaukee Bucks are on the verge of the biggest offseason in franchise history. The team is going to put a supermax contract in front of Giannis Antetokounmpo the second they’re allowed to do so, and though he’s made clear he doesn’t plan on requesting a trade under any circumstance, it’s unclear if he would put pen to paper on that deal.

There is still a ton that the Bucks would need to do beyond that, as is the case for any team with title aspirations that lost in five games in the conference semifinals. One potential course of action is to hit the trade market, and according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, this might mean needing the part ways with backcourt stalwart Eric Bledsoe.

Rival executives expect the Bucks to prioritize acquiring a playmaker and more shooting in the offseason to retool the roster around Antetokounmpo. Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe is under contract for multiple seasons and had another standout season by earning All-Defensive team honors, but he is expected to become a potential trade candidate, sources told The Athletic.

Bledsoe has been in Milwaukee since 2017. One of the best defensive guards in the league, Bledsoe has established a less-than-stellar reputation for struggling when the Bucks make it to the postseason — this year, he averaged 11.7 points and 5.9 assists in 29.7 minutes per game in the playoffs while connecting on 38.8 percent of his field goal attempts. What he does defensively is a big reason why Milwaukee has won a bunch of games last year, but his limitations on the other end of the floor (particularly as a shooter) make him an imperfect fit next to Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks have been mentioned as a team that might try to make a move for Chris Paul, which would seemingly require moving on from Bledsoe to make room. But even if that does not come to fruition, it would make sense that someone would want to bring Bledsoe on board, as he is a pretty good player. What Milwaukee would be able to get in return, of course, remains to be seen.

Despite rapping mostly about the tactile qualities of various parts of her anatomy (for good reason, by the way) Cardi B has become a favored target of the conservative, right-wing establishment. Pundits and shills from across the political spectrum all seem to recognize that Cardi’s popularity comes with a massive platform and she isn’t afraid to wield her influence. While that means courting her favor for Democratic Presidential hopefuls like Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, for the other side of aisle, she’s an enemy that needs to be critiqued to no end.

All that vitriol has had real-life consequences, though. Cardi revealed during a recent Instagram Live with fans that someone even leaked her address online. However, just like with the trolls that attack her online, Cardi was ready with a solution. “Sh*t gets so intense that a Trump supporter posted my address and encouraged people to dox my home, to put my house on fire,” she admitted. However, “I literally hired a private investigator, and served them with a warrant and arrested this boy.” As it turned out, “This boy was a f*cking teenager. His parents were shook.”

It seems that Cardi’s critics have an undue amount of influence as well, but while Cardi is encouraging her fans to vote and decrying anti-Asian xenophobia, they are turning theirs into the sort of people that lash out in the hopes of inciting violence. All told, a message of empowerment and good sexual health seems a lot more positive than that.

Story via The Independent.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Halloween Kills, the sequel to Danny McBride’s 2018 Halloween retcon, was supposed to be 2020’s big Halloween horror movie. But then something scarier than any Michael Myers’ murder-scene happened: incompetence. Spooky! Halloween Kills was pushed to October 2021, followed by trilogy-capper Halloween Ends in October 2022, but don’t worry, Blumhouse Productions has got something else for you. Something… freaky.

Freaky stars Kathryn Newton as 17-year-old Millie who’s “trying to survive the bloodthirsty halls of Blissfield High and the cruelty of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the newest target of the Butcher, her town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries,” according to the plot synopsis. The Butcher is played by Vince Vaughn, but there’s a twist: Millie swaps bodies with the Butcher, so Vaughn is the high school girl and Newton is the murderer. Freaky is Freaky Friday with a horror movie twist, like how Happy Death Day turned Groundhog Day into a unexpectedly delightful slasher film. They’re even from the same director, Christopher Landon.

Here’s more:

When The Butcher’s mystical ancient dagger causes him and Millie to wake up in each other’s bodies, Millie learns that she has just 24 hours to get her body back before the switch becomes permanent and she’s trapped in the form of a middle-aged maniac forever. The only problem is she now looks like a towering psychopath who’s the target of a city-wide manhunt while The Butcher looks like her and has brought his appetite for carnage to Homecoming.

With some help from her friends — ultra-woke Nyla, ultra-fabulous Joshua, and her crush Booker — Millie races against the clock to reverse the curse while The Butcher discovers that having a female teen body is the perfect cover for a little Homecoming killing spree.

Freaky, which also stars Uriah Shelton, Alan Ruck, Katie Finneran, and Celeste O’Connor, opens on November 13.

You may have heard that Halloween has sort-of been cancelled this year. Talks are ongoing. Gatherings are bad. We know this, and one more thing is super clear: staying home to stream an Adam Sandler Netflix film is a lot safer than what’s outside, and on that note, he’s helping us out. Also, the Sandman delivered on his promise-threat (to pretty much make the opposite of Uncut Gems) after not scoring an Oscar nomination.

So, we’ve got Sandler returning to his wonderfully absurd roots to play a very unlikely hero in Hubie Halloween, which features him as an obsessive defender of Halloween safety. However, Hubie becomes embroiled in real murder investigation during his annual pursuits, and yup, this movie looks blissfully ridiculous in the fine Adam Sandler tradition of Happy Madison movies. From the synopsis:

Hubie Dubois (Adam Sandler) thanklessly spends every Halloween making sure the residents of his hometown, Salem, celebrate safely and play by the rules. But this year, an escaped criminal and a mysterious new neighbor have Hubie on high alert. When people start disappearing, it’s up to Hubie to convince the police (Kevin James, Kenan Thompson) and townsfolk that the monsters are real, and only he can stop them.

Also starring Julie Bowen, Maya Rudolph, Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, Kenan Thompson, Ray Liotta, and Noah Schnapp, Hubie Halloween streams on October 7.

It’s been a little over a year since Bruce Springsteen dropped his latest album, Western Stars, but he’s already back with more. While Western Stars was a solo-driven affair, Letter To You (out October 23) sees him reuniting with his famed E Street Band. Indeed, the title track, which he shared today, is a healthy dose of the anthemic rock for which Springsteen is known.

In addition to nine newly-written tracks, the album also features a trio of previously unreleased (but newly recorded) tracks from the ’70s: “Janey Needs A Shooter,” “If I Was The Priest,” and “Song For Orphans.” Press materials describe the record, which was recorded at Springsteen’s New Jersey home studio, as “a rock album fueled by the band’s heart-stopping, house-rocking signature sound.” The album is Springsteen’s first time performing with the E Street Band since his 2016 tour supporting The River.

Springsteen says of the album, “I love the emotional nature of Letter To You, and I love the sound of the E Street Band playing completely live in the studio, in a way we’ve never done before, and with no overdubs. We made the album in only five days, and it turned out to be one of the greatest recording experiences I’ve ever had.”

Listen to “Letter To You” above, and find the Letter To You art and tracklist below.

1. “One Minute You’re Here”
2. “Letter To You”
3. “Burnin’ Train”
4. “Janey Needs A Shooter”
5. “Last Man Standing”
6. “The Power Of Prayer”
7. “House Of A Thousand Guitars”
8. “Rainmaker”
9. “If I Was The Priest”
10. “Ghosts”
11. “Song For Orphans”
12. “I’ll See You In My Dreams”

Letter To You is out 10/23 via Columbia Records. Pre-order it here.

The Indiana Pacers parted ways with head coach Nate McMillan following their playoff ouster at the hands of the Miami Heat. While McMillan won a whole lot of games in Nap Town, the team failed to make it out of the first round during his tenure, and as a result, the franchise is heading in a different direction.

The team is reportedly looking into a number of candidates for the position, whether they be highly-regarded assistants like San Antonio’s Becky Hammon and Philadelphia’s Ime Udoka or folks with head coaching experience like David Joerger and current Brooklyn assistant Jacque Vaughn. One interesting name that popped up on Wednesday evening, via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, is former title-winning guard Chauncey Billups, who is reportedly keen on entering the coaching ranks.

As the Pacers begin preliminary interviews with a number of candidates, Billups and team officials have recently engaged and are planning to talk further about the job, sources said Wednesday.
…
Clippers assistant Ty Lue has discussed with Billups the possibility of him joining Lue as his top assistant coach should he land a head-coaching job this offseason, sources said. But the Pacers present a unique opportunity for Billups, given that it’s not a job — unlike Philadelphia and New Orleans — for which Lue looms as a candidate.

Billups’ name has been floated for both coaching and front office jobs in the past, but nothing has ever come to fruition. He’s a respected name around the sport, and while there are obvious concerns that come with hiring any first-time coach to a role of this magnitude — especially with a team like Indiana that has expectations of making the postseason every year — Billups seems as well-equipped as any ex-player to move into this role.