Month: October 2020

Aside from appearances alongside Jhene Aiko, Deante Hitchcock, and Alicia Keys, it’s been a while since fans have received anything new from Miguel. The singer’s last album arrived in 2017 with War & Leisure while his last solo single came at the end of 2019 with “Funeral.” Making his return with promises of more music to come, Miguel unveiled a new video for “Funeral.”

The black and white visual, directed by Savage x Fenty creative director Philippa Price and Nina McNeely, features Miguel surrounded by a number of dancers who proudly show a bit of skin as they show their passionate and expressive dance moves to back Miguel’s suggestive lyrics. Along with the new video, Miguel explained his absence from the music world and confirmed that fans would be receiving plenty of content in the coming months.

“I took a long hiatus from the business of music to reassess my objective as a creator,” he said in a statement provided by NME before revealing the title of his upcoming project. “The Art Dealer Chic EPs have always been reserved for freedom, self-curation and honest expression without the influence of music industry politics,” he said. “I’m excited to introduce my fans to a very different world in my creative expression, and that begins with ADC 4.”

“Funeral” will also appear on an EP of the same title, one that he will release later this year, proving that fans will have plenty of music to enjoy in the coming months. “I’m releasing more music all the way into the new year but ‘Funeral’ is the perfect song to get it started,” he also said in the statement.

You can watch the “Funeral” video above.

(via NME

Cardi B announced her divorce with Offset last month, but it’s been anything but bad blood in recent weeks between the former couple. Shortly after the announcement, she revealed what pushed her to file for divorce from the Migos rapper, citing that frustration from “not seeing things eye to eye” was the reason behind her divorce.

Despite the lingering divorce, Cardi B and Offset were spotted together Sunday night as the two came together to celebrate Cardi’s 28th birthday, but it’s the gift Offset gave Cardi that was most surprising to their fans.

The night began with Cardi, Offset, and a few friends, which included Megan Thee Stallion, celebrating the Invasion Of Privacy rapper’s birthday at a Las Vegas club. Soon after the group headed back to their hotel to continue the celebration. At some point during the night, Offset gifted Cardi a 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan valued at $330,000. In a video, Cardi can be seen completely taken aback baby the gift and her excitement resulted in Cardi giving Offset a kiss as bright camera flashes and onlookers surrounded them. To add to the return of romance between Cardi and Offset, another video shows Cardi giving the Migos rapper a lap dance as the two enjoyed the night with their friends.

The birthday celebration comes after Cardi defended Offset in now-deleted tweets after some fans labeled him a “bad man” on Twitter.

“He a dumbass not a bad man,” she said in one of the deleted tweets. “Cause out of everybody that tried to steal, finesse me into working with their brand for less he got people coming for me with CORRECT CONTRACTS and never ask for a dollar or benefit like every1 else. N****s is n**** but a bad personality he not.”

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

The NFL continues to scramble to make schedule changes as they deal with positive COVID-19 tests coming out of New England and Tennessee.

This week’s Broncos-Patriots and Titans-Bills games were announced as being moved from Sunday to Monday and Tuesday, respectively. For now, the Tuesday game remains on, despite the Titans still having their facility closed after a staff member tested positive again, but the league announced they were pushing Broncos-Patriots to next Sunday. As such, there are a number of dominoes that were knocked over by the scheduling changes, and on Sunday they announced the full schedule shifts, effecting eight total games on the upcoming schedule for the Broncos, Patriots, Chiefs, Bills, Jets, Dolphins and Chargers.

• Broncos-Patriots moves to 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 18 (CBS)
• Chiefs-Bills moves from Thursday Night Football on October 15 to Monday, October 19 at 5 p.m. ET (Fox/NFL Network/Amazon)
• Jets-Dolphins moves from Week 10 to Week 6 at 4:05 ET on Sunday, October 18 (CBS)
• Jets-Chargers moves from Week 6 to Week 11 on Sunday, November 22 at 4:05 ET (CBS)
• Jaguars-Chargers moves from Week 8 to Week 7 on Sunday, October 25 at 4:25 ET (CBS)
• Chargers-Broncos moves from Week 11 to Week 8 on Sunday, November 1 at 4:05 ET (CBS)
• Chargers-Dolphins moves from Week 7 to Week 10 on Sunday, November 15 at 4:05 ET (CBS)
• Dolphins-Broncos moves from Week 6 to Week 11 on Sunday, November 22 at 4:05 ET (CBS)

The league is working very hard to make the full 16-game schedule happen for teams, but they put themselves in a bind when they refused to build in extra bye weeks to the schedule in the first place. Had they made the regular season 18 or 19 weeks, with each team having two or three byes, it would’ve been much easier to shuffle games and now, with teams going on early byes, the margin for error is slim to none with further positive tests.

Celebrities are just trying to help in these trying times, but as Saturday Night Live stressed in its latest episode, not all of those gestures are actually very helpful. The sketch comedy show recruited Jason Momoa to make that point in a Beck Bennett sketch in which he plays an actor trying just a bit too hard to make a difference and, probably, a name for himself in the process.

The sketch starts with what looks like an Instagram video where Bennett’s actor posts a “controversial” video denouncing Donald Trump while shirtless. He’s pleased with the Ring-light aided results, of course, but basically everyone else makes it clear that the video was a bad idea. Bennett’s actor tagged some big names in the video — Leonardo DiCaprio and Momoa himself, who he later hears from via a video call.

“Untag me from that pathetic piece of sh*t,” Momoa says, angrily. “It was the saddest, weakest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m watching it and I’m thinking ‘How the f*ck did this guy even get to that age without dying? You need to take it down. Because it’s pathetic and you’re a loser.”

It’s a harsh and abrupt message in the sketch, but it was clearly done with love. Momoa posted about the video on Instagram and expressed his affection for SNL and his appearance on Saturday.

“I love you,” Momoa said of SNL. “It’s always an honor to be apart of this show.”

It might be a bit awkward in the DC Universe, as Gal Gadot’s video where celebrities sang “Imagine” certainly garnered a lot of ire — and parody. Gadot’s wasn’t the only celebrity trying to spread some good cheer through social media during a pandemic, of course, and the joke here is that this fictional celebrity simply isn’t popular enough to make a seismic shift in the discourse. But any Momoa on SNL is a good thing, even if it doesn’t go viral.

Next month will mark the one year anniversary of FKA Twigs’ critically acclaimed sophomore album, Magdalene. The project arrived four years after her debut album, LP1, but thanks to a recent interview the singer did, fans may not have to wait as long for her third album. Sitting down with the Grammy Museum’s Programs at Home series for a virtual chat, the singer revealed that she recorded an entire new album during quarantine and is “just finishing” the project.

“I ended up, in actual fact, making a whole album in quarantine,” Twigs said at the beginning of the interview. “I just decided one day. It was kind of, maybe one-third of the way through and I just said, ‘you know what, I’m just going to make an album,’ and I just went and did it.”

She also revealed that she created the album with artist and producer El Guincho as well as other collaborators she worked with via FaceTime.

“And it was really amazing because I worked predominantly with an amazing artist and producer called El Guincho,” she said. “I did the whole thing with pretty much all of the collaborators over FaceTime.”

Twigs would later elaborate on her experience with creating the album through FaceTime.

I was working with people I’d never met in real life and we were doing the whole thing over FaceTime and it was great because I couldn’t go in the studio at the beginning. So I was getting beats and having to work from MP3s, and then I would writing melodies in the day with [El Guincho] and then in the night I would call some of my friends in America who made music and I would have a glass of wine and chill and write lyrics and talk about what the song’s about.

The interview arrives after FKA Twigs flaunted her impressive swordsmanship skills in her “Sad Day” video last month. You can watch her interview for the Grammy Museum’s Programs at Home series here.

The Washington Football Team entered Sunday dealing with some quarterback drama after Dwayne Haskins was moved from starter to third string after a 1-3 start to the season. Kyle Allen was elevated to starter and Alex Smith, who has not played in two years since suffering a gruesome compound fracture of his right leg that required 17 surgeries, had an infection that nearly cost him his leg, and a lengthy rehab, was set as the backup.

In the second quarter against the L.A. Rams, Allen took a helmet-to-helmet hit on the sidelines from Jalen Ramsey that forced him out of the game and, as such, Smith was thrust into action for the first time since November of 2018.

His first play was a quick swing pass to the running back for a six yard gain, as the Football Team clearly wanted to get him a low stress attempt for his first throw back in live game action.

From there he almost made an incredible completion for a first down on the run as he climbed the pocket to avoid the rush, but it was ruled incomplete. His third play was another dropback in which he took his first hit in two years, as he hasn’t done any contact in practice, when Aaron Donald got to him and jumped on his back for a sack.

It wasn’t the most spectacular of opening drives, but given how long it took for Smith just to walk again after his injury, that he is playing in an NFL game again is truly one of the more incredible stories of the 2020 NFL season and a testament to how much work he put in to his rehab.

The NASCAR Playoffs roll into Charlotte on Sunday for a trip around the Roval, Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course, as they whittle the playoff field from 12 to 8 before the next trio of races in Kansas, Texas, and Martinsville.

For Alex Bowman, who is starting fifth on Sunday, he needs a solid finish to hold onto his position in seventh and advance to the next round of playoff races so he can keep his championship hopes alive. Bowman’s had one win and 11 top 10s thus far in a strange 2020 season, but is in position to finish off his tenure in the 88 with a strong playoff finish before taking over another legendary Hendrick car next season, when he moves to the 48 to take the place of the retiring Jimmie Johnson.

On Sunday, a couple hours before the green flag drops at the Roval, Bowman talked with Uproxx Sports about the stress of playoff racing — particularly on a rainy day in Charlotte — and the excitement of moving his team to the 48 car and a new sponsor in Ally.

First off, how are you feeling heading into today’s race?

[The Roval] is a tough racetrack, obviously. It’s definitely a stress and anxiety filled weekend. I don’t think anyone knows what to expect with the weather and how much it’s rained and how wet it’s going to be. So trying to learn as we go and have a good solid day, and we should be OK.

How interesting is it having the Roval as one of the playoff races, being a place y’all have run in the series, one time before, right?

Yeah so we’ve run here twice, both times have been a playoff cutoff race so it’s always been that way, but it’s definitely — to come here without any practice and then to add rain to the situation, it’s definitely interesting. It’s a very interesting racetrack in that it’s so narrow and there’s so little room for error. You make one little mistake and you can ruin your day and take yourself completely out of it. So, it’s tough and to not have any experience in the rain and be trying to learn how a race car reacts in the rain on a track that you basically can’t mess up at is going to be really tough.

This has obviously been a season like no other where, as you mention, you come into races without any track time or time in the shop. I’ve talked to guys, especially early on, about how strange it was not having the time in the garage and around your guys. What have you learned from this season and can take forward from what has been such a unique situation?

Yeah it’s definitely been quite a bit different than what we’re used to, we just kind of show up and race. We’re used to three and four hours of practice a weekend and long drawn out weekends with all kinds of stuff going on, that it’s kind of been a little bit refreshing to just show up and race and we’ve shown the on-track product isn’t really effected. So, it’s been cool to just have to be on your game right off the truck, and we’ve kind of learned how our team can best prepare for this situation and how our team needs to work together to do the best we can in this situation. It’s been good for us. I feel like it’s effected some guys differently than others. I feel like most of the time we were typically racing what we were unloading anyways even with a couple hours of practice, that it hasn’t effected us too much, and it’s been good.

And it’s got to be part of the advantage to being at a team like Hendrick that not only has the resources but also you have three teammates you can bounce information off of and in the moment even be in conversation. How much does that play a role in being at a place like Hendrick at allowing some of that comfort even in the chaos?

Absolutely, I think that’s a big part of the success of teams like Hendrick and being at HMS. It’s been really good. I feel like we have a lot of experience on our side in Jimmie and Chase, and William and I. We all bring a different perspective and something different to the table, so being able to lean on each other has been a big help, but there’s such a depth of knowledge at HMS between everybody that works there. The crew chiefs do a really good job, but everybody through the organization is so sharp that it really developed ways to best prepare in these situations and done a really good job of it. So, being able to lean on my teammates and everybody at HMS has been really good.

Next year you’re gonna be moving from the 88 to the 48 and this is something you’ve done before, but having raced with Jimmie, what does it mean to be able to take over the legacy of that number that he made so iconic?

Yeah, it’s really cool, and to have Mr. H and Jimmie and Ally and everybody have faith in me to take over that car is really special. I’m excited to do that and to work with Ally and to, honestly, carry my team over to the 48 is really special. It’s definitely special for my crew chief Greg [Ives], and I think all of the guys are really excited to work on that car. It’s essentially a partner change and a number change, but I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can add to the great success that number’s already had.

You mention Greg [Ives], who was on that car previously. Have you talked with him about what it means to go back to a car he had so much success with as an engineer?

Yeah, I think he’s definitely pumped up about it, and it’s a special number for him. It meant a lot for his career and he was obviously part of what was arguably the most successful run in our sports history and that we’ll ever see. So to be able to have him go from that to crew chiefing that car is really cool for him.

And for you, you’re in a playoff chase this year. What are the things you’ve been able to learn from Jimmie in your time at Hendrick and the things he’s told you about racing for championships and competing in the playoff format?

I think the biggest takeaway from Jimmie is how he approaches race weekends and his work ethic, as well as how he treats people and handles every situation with — he’s just a pro at absolutely everything. Even if it’s a rough situation or a bad day he’s still really positive about everything. He’s such a humble guy and it’s been cool to get to learn from him and reach out to him for advice. He’s been a great teammate and friend, and it’s definitely special to take over that car from him with everything he’s done for my career.

Prior to last week, Scarface’s 2020 was unfortunately similar to that nearly eight million Americans as the famed Houston native confirmed he was diagnosed with coronavirus earlier this year. Luckily, Scarface was able to get through his battle with the virus, one he was quite open up about.

Unfortunately, though, the health issues have not concluded for him as he took to Twitter earlier this week and made a plea to his fans.

“I need a kidney y’all any volunteers?” Scarface asked his followers. “B+ blood type.” The tweet saw a number of comforting responses filled with well-wishes and optimistic remarks, but T.I. and Fat Joe are taking things a step further in order to get Scarface the help he needs.

Upon seeing Scarface’s request, T.I. reposted his tweet to his Instagram page with the hopes of finding a donor for the Houston rapper. “Love & Prayers To Da Homie @brothermob,” he said in post’s caption. “We got a bag for a volunteer… who B+? Serious inquiries only hit my dms to verify ya B+ blood type.”

Fat Joe followed suit and delivered a similar message with a post of his own to Instagram. “This real sh*t right here prayers for the legend @brothermob we gotta bag for any volunteers,” he said in the caption, tagging T.I. as well to show that the two rappers simple wants to get Scarface the help he needs as quickly as possible.

The release of Wonder Woman 1984 is still up in the air as the movie industry continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, but we already know that Patty Jenkins-led universe is expanding once movies can happen safely again. We also now know that Gal Gadot and Jenkins will continue working together on a new project.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the duo will helm a Cleopatra project once their Wonder Woman project is officially out.

Jenkins will direct the drama based on a script penned by Laeta Kalogridis, with Charles Roven of Atlas Entertainment, Gadot and Jaron Varsano of Pilot Wave Motion Pictures banner producing.

Gadot will play Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt role made famous by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 classic.

That Taylor-led Cleopatra was an expensive project that ultimately was the highest-grossing film of 1963. It also earned nine Oscar nominations and won four. It’s unclear if this film will be related to the other film in any way, or if it is simply covering the same subject matter and will not be a true remake.

Either way, Gadot following up Wonder Woman with a turn as Cleopatra is impressive, and under Jenkins she’s thrived both critically and commercially. Considering all the trouble the Wonder Woman sequel has had in getting to the public it’s just nice to know that more movies are coming. You know, eventually.

There is an art to sneaker unboxing, one that YouTubers and social media influencers have spent years mastering as they learned how to create the perfect sneaker videos.

There’s a certain patience required to build anticipation, gently opening the box so has not to disturb the wrapping, then doing a little peek for yourself and making a facial reaction to the camera, and then finally pulling the shoe out to present it to the masses and deliver your initial impressions upon first look. And then, there’s the Dennis Rodman way of unboxing sneakers, which has all the chaotic energy you would expect from The Worm, that will provide a certainly level of anxiety to those who love sneakers and, especially, for those who keep their boxes nice and tidy.

On Saturday, Rodman posted a video of him receiving a couple pair of Yeezys, and we learned that he does not open boxes how they are designed, but instead just grabs in some random place and rips the cardboard until he can reach in and pull out one of the shoes.

I have not been able to stop thinking about this video since I first saw it, because as someone who keeps his shoe boxes stacked in the closet, this both pained me but also showed me what real freedom is like, not caring if the boxes stay pristine and just wanting to see the goods.

I think we all could use a bit more of that energy, but in the meantime we can watch, amazed, at the sheer DGAF-ness of Rodman literally tearing into Yeezy boxes to see what’s inside.