Month: October 2020

If the first “sh*t storm” of a presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is remembered for anything (although I pray that it’s forgotten and never spoken of again), it will be for the president refusing to condemn white supremacists. Even Fox News, which generally sides with Trump on, well, everything, has been criticizing #45. Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade said on Wednesday that he “ruined the biggest layup in the history of debates by not condemning white supremacists,” while John Roberts is “tired” of the president’s refusal to say anything bad about the far-right group Proud Boys.

During a heated press conference on Thursday, Roberts asked White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany for a “declarative statement” explicitly condemning white supremacy on Trump’s behalf. She didn’t. Instead, she accused the reporter (and presumably, every non-Breitbart outlet) of “contriving a storyline and a narrative.” If you look closely in the clip below, you can pinpoint the exact moment Roberts snapped.

“For all of you on Twitter who are hammering me for asking that question: I don’t care,” snapped Roberts. “Because it is a question that needs to be asked, and clearly, the president’s Republican colleagues a mile away from here are looking for an answer for it, too. So stop deflecting, stop blaming the media. I’m tired of it.”

Don’t give Fox News too much credit, however. Following Roberts’ report, pundit Bill Bennett defended Trump (“I’m sorry [Roberts is] angry, but he’s just wrong”), while host Melissa Francis said, “I feel like we have had this specific conversation so many times. And it’s so easy to predict what the response in the media is going to be. They have decided he is a racist. So just go with that. Why are we still treading this territory?”

The election is in 32 days.

(Via Axios and Deadline)

Nicki Minaj can now officially add ‘mother’ to her multi-hyphenate resume — without counting all the bitches who are her sons. TMZ reports the “Move Ya Hips” and “Trollz” rapper gave birth to her first child with husband Kenneth Petty in Los Angeles on Wednesday (September 30). Nicki has not announced the child’s sex or name yet.

The colorful rapper first announced her pregnancy in July after months of secrecy, posting a surprise baby bump photo to her Instagram. And while the bump photo did come out of the blue, Nicki had been planning on starting a family for some time before that, announcing that she was “retiring” from rap in pursuit of that goal. Although her fans lamented the announcement with some dramatic reactions, it turns out that her retirement was short-lived, as she returned with the new track “Yikes” just weeks later — after announcing her marriage to Kenneth Petty due to an expiring license.

Ironically, Nicki’s experienced almost as many career highs since “retiring” as she did in the decade prior. Calming her Barbz’s attack on Doja Cat for calling them Twitter gangsters, she joined her meme-loving, anime-inspired successor on her “Say So” remix, garnering the first No. 1 of Nicki’s career. Her next collaboration — with Tekashi 69 for “Trollz” — also peaked at No. 1 despite its controversial reception from fans. While her next collab with ASAP Ferg turned out to fall well short of that benchmark, prompting an amusing overreaction from the Barbz, Nicki has joined her onetime rival Cardi B in proving that motherhood is no bar to career success. Congrats to Nicki and Kenneth!

Hip-hop rose to the occasion during this first month of fall. The theme of the month seemed to be the release of anticipated projects. The September hype started with Big Sean’s long-awaited Detroit 2 album. Action Bronson made a long-anticipated return with Only For Dolphins, while Public Enemy dropped their urgent What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down. Conway dropped his long-hyped From A King To A God project, and Kamaiyah released a project with fellow Town native Capolow. While rap vets showed out, there were also releases from up and coming acts including Armani Caesar’s The Liz debut and Lil Tecca’s Virgo World. There was a lot of good work this month, but here are the 10 best projects.

Armani Caesar — The Liz

Griselda’s self-proclaimed “first lady” Armani Caesar dropped off her long-anticipated The Liz album this month. The Buffalo crew has been on fire all 2020, and her introduction is the latest dose of razor-sharp rhymes over soulful, sinister production. She matches their menace with a feminine touch, with witticisms like “my n**** got a lit b*tch / Give him a brick and a big kiss” on “Drilla A Rama” with Benny The Butcher.

Griselda’s “Spurs 3” shows up on the project, but Caesar is capable of holding her own, telling a seductive tale of underworld romance on “Palm Angels,” rhyming, “He say he heard I was on some gold dig sh*t / I told him, ‘nah, I’m just the type of b*tch that look right rich.’” She’s set to look however she wants with more offerings like The Liz.

Big Sean — Detroit 2

After a long wait, Big Sean finally dropped his long-awaited solo project in September. He put extra pressure on himself by naming it Detroit 2, harkening to his beloved 2012 mixtape. The lengthy project is a cathartic glimpse of his growth over the past several years. He explores unfulfillment on “Everything That’s Missing” realizing, “If he doin’ what he love in his free time, then his dream already happened.” On “Deep Reverence” he rhymes alongside a posthumous Nipsey Hussle verse, culling through their collective struggles but accepting, “I’m the don ’cause the streets said it”

Beyond the internal excavation is the hazy, world-roaming “LIthuiana” with Travis Scott, and “Body Language,” where he gets sultry with Jhene Aiko and Ty Dolla Sign. He also takes it to the “Friday Night Cipher” on a marathon track featuring Eminem, Royce Da 5’9”, Tee Grizzley, and other Detroit standouts. The project shows Sean mostly locked in and offering his honest, oft-polarizing brand of lyricism over a suite of warm. layered production.

Conway — From A King To A God

Conway framed his From A King To A God project as an exhibit of his evolution — and he delivered. The 14-track project shows Conway talking as filthy as ever on tracks like “Juvenile Hell,” “Lemon” with Method Man, and “Seen Everything But Jesus” with Freddie Gibbs. But he shows different sides of the spectrum on tracks like the grieving “Forever Droppin Tears” and “Front Lines,” where he delves into police brutality and pleads, “We ain’t takin’ no more, we ain’t just pressin’ record / Can’t watch you kill my brother, you gon’ have to kill us all.”

But no matter how far you go, there you are. One of the track’s most standout moments is “Spurs 3” with Griselda brethren Westside Gunn and Benny The Butcher, where Con thumps his chest about the movement’s power, rhyming, “Lotta albums are suddenly startin’ to feel a lil’ more Griselda-esque.” He ain’t lying, and you almost can’t blame the biters. Griselda has a winning mixture, and Conway added some more potency to the batch on From A King To A God.

Currensy & Harry Fraud — Director’s Cut

One of hip-hop’s most reliable duos dropped more heat with Director’s Cut, their second project in three months. The two are back at the familiar, engrossing well of Currensy’s easygoing-yet-locked-in mic presence over a hoard of Harry Fraud samples. Currensy shines on solo tracks like “News On Mute” and “White Ashes,” but he also leaves room for a slew of collaborators such as Snoop Dogg on “180 Days,” Styles P on “KITT” and Larry June on the aptly-titled Vintage Haze. But regardless of the stellar features, the main attraction is Currensy and Fraud — who deliver again.

Elzhi — Seven Times Down, Eight Times Up

One of the rap game’s most talented, underrated lyricists is back with Seven Times Down, Eight Times Up, an affirmatory (if inaccurate) album title that’s met with reflective, aspirational lyricism. He could have garnered respect just by dishing off rhymes for the sake of rhymes, but the Detroit MC dug deep, offering gems for listeners to take away from his traverse through life. On the melancholy “Smoke & Mirrors,” he reminds, “You can’t fix a shortcut in the long run.” The album is held together by Elzhi, who narrates and gives the project even more bonding than the head-snapping drums and overarching themes of achievement, trials, and triumph.

GQ & 9th Wonder — A Midsummer’s Nightmare

Jamla Records artist GQ has said that the title of his A Midsummer’s Nightmare refers to “the time we’re in as a country and world,” as well as “the thoughts and moments of myself at this moment in my life.” He scribed his perspective of this perilous moment in impressive fashion. But if that’s not enough, the entire project is produced by 9th Wonder. GQ rhymes about a would-be relationship on the smoky, brooding “Ms. Out,” then speaks for so many by rhyming, “everything on time, I been tryna’ rush it” on smooth standout “Big Lutha.” He rhymes with a steadiness and easygoing dexterity that’s right at home on 9th’s production, making for an incredible listen.

Kamaiyah & Capolow — Oakland Nights

Oakland may be reeling not only from quarantine but the fall out of wildfires, but there’s always space to enjoy life. That’s where Kamaiyah comes in. She linked up with Town native Capolow for Oakland Nights, a 10-pack of slappers live from the West Coast. She and Capolow are locked in throughout the project, from the arrestingly smooth intro “Finer Things” to “Gang Gang,” where they rep their crew but let us know, “I keep it lit / f*ck all that beefin’ sh*t.” Oakland Nights is a fun, enjoyable listen where two Oakland artists collided for a thumping, funky, feel-good project.

Mozzy — Occupational Hazard

The ever-prolific Mozzy dropped off another project this month with Occupational Hazard. The sarcastic title cues to the treachery of getting street money, and Mozzy chronicles the pitfalls in a way that few others can. He imbues listeners with a weathered, pragmatic view of the streets with cold summations like, “It ain’t a time the suckers died and we ain’t celebrated,” on the fatalistic “Death Is Callin.” On “Heartbroken” with Quando Rondo, the two spill their pain over somber pianos. But the menace is rife on songs like “Hazardous,” where “it’s shots fired, body fell, fell asleep in the puddle.”

Radamiz — Synonyms Of Strength

Nearly a year after his Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes album, Brooklyn MC Radamiz dropped off the cleverly-titled Synonyms Of Strength EP. He goes onto affirm that title with a seven-track project loaded with gems over warm production. On the title track, he rhymes “there ain’t enough pride to outweigh my dependence on God.” His “Goya” collaboration with fellow Brooklynite KOTA The Friend showcases the two trading thoughtful, passionate verses, with Radamiz surmising, “If I’m not the best rapper, I’m the best at not givin up.” Each verse is laced with nuggets to take away that can only be missed by marveling at the dizzying flows that Radamiz pulls off throughout the project.

Spillage Village — Spilligion

After a couple of years doing solo work, the abundantly-talented Spillage Village collective linked back up on the long-awaited Spilligion album. The title is a testament to both how devoted they are to top-tier lyricism as well as the heavy spiritual themes throughout the project. They offered solace for this tumultuous moment through tracks like the pro-Africa “Mecca,” the lush, Mereba-showcasing “PsalmSing,” and the apocalyptic “End Of Daze,” where ponder what their final exploits would be. The project captures the paranoia and desperation of the times, but Spilligion also showcases some God-tier rhyming.

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

Because 2020 hasn’t been strange enough, Hugh Jackman appears in a new ad for R.M. Williams, which features the Wolverine actor wearing literally nothing but the British company’s boots.

In the cheeky spot shared to Jackman’s Twitter account, an ad exec tries to explain to a very naked Jackman that he took the company’s instructions to “only wear R.M. Williams” a bit too literally. Unfortunately, Jackman isn’t concerned at all that he’s giving away quite the show as he marvels at the boots while completely missing the point of the meeting. You’re either going to thank God for video blurring or curse him because the spot doesn’t leave a whole lot to the imagination.

You can watch the full video below:

Never one to miss a beat thanks to his ongoing “feud” with Jackman, Ryan Reynolds was quick to hop in the comments with a terrifying realization: “Is that the chair from my office?”

Making headlines for being in the buff seems to be a recurring trend for Jackman. When X-Men: Days of Future Past made its Disney+ debut, the actor celebrated a milestone for the streaming service. It was the first film to air uncensored, which means the nude shot of Jackman’s chiseled, time-traveling butt is clear to see. Jackman commemorated the moment on Instagram with a self-deprecating joke about the ravages of time.

“Days Of Future Past becomes the first movie to air on Disney+ uncensored,” Jackman wrote. “That was my future but let’s be honest… it’s more like my past.”

The actor also included a clip of the infamous nude scene, but with some cleverly placed emoji. You can see the full post below:

(Via Hugh Jackman on Twitter)

Lady Gaga released her dance floor-ready album Chromatica back in May and while the instrumentals may seem carefree, Gaga has revealed much of the music is a response to her a dark period of her life. Now, in an effort to be transparent about her creative process, Lady Gaga has described the personal message behind the album on a giant billboard in LA.

On the large canvas, Gaga penned a heartfelt letter to her fans:

“I wrote this album when I was sad. I wrote this album when I was mad. I wrote poems about fear, and I asked my poems to sing. I heard sines from above I’ve never heard before — to keep going, to keep breathing, to know each lyrics was a step forward, each melody was a gift. Chromatica was a dream I had that became real. My art always teaches me something.

Chromatica taught me to dance my way through the pain. That the pain could get better, that music was my faith. Music is my religion. People are my God. I am here to serve the world and inspire as many people as possible to rejoice no matter what their circumstances are. We all deserve happiness. We are all valuable. Sometimes it just requires patience and fortitude to recognize our own strength. That is Chromatica.”

The sincere billboard is the latest insight Gaga has offered into her mental health. Recently, the singer opened up about continuing to struggle with fame, saying she’s oftentimes “triggered” when people approach her in public: “If I’m at the grocery store and somebody comes up very close to me and puts a cellphone right in my face and starts taking pictures, just total panic, full-body pain. I’m braced because I’m so afraid,” she said. “It’s like I’m an object, I’m not a person.”

See the full billboard above.

Chromatica is out now via Interscope. Get it here.

We’re willing to call it — if you ask any American to name five of the healthiest fast food options, Subway is definitely landing in that top five. Well, Ireland begs to differ. The Irish Supreme Court has officially ruled that the bread served at Subway cannot be legally defined as “bread.” According to the Irish Independent, every bread variety at Subway contains too much sugar to be legally defined as a staple food, which means it’s subject to Ireland’s Value-Added Tax Act of 1972.

According to the Guardian, the ruling followed an appeal by Subway franchisee Bookfinders LTD who attempted to dodge the VAT by arguing that despite Subway’s bread sugar content being five times higher than the qualifying limit under the tax, because it is labeled “bread” it should be considered a staple food, which would exempt it from the VAT.

Unfortunately for Bookfinders, the court wasn’t buying that the bread was bread to begin with, offering this hilarious legalize-tinged ruling:

“The Argument depends on the acceptance of the prior contention that the Subway heated sandwich contains ‘bread’ as defined, and therefore can be said to be food for the purposes of the Second Schedule rather than confectionary. Since that argument has been rejected, this subsidiary argument must fail.”

So if Subway sandwich bread isn’t bread, then what the hell is it? Well according to the Irish Court, it should be considered a confectionary, which is defined as a food “rich in sugar and carbohydrates.” Basically, cake.

Following her breakout year and her sweep at this year’s Grammys, Billie Eilish and her brother/producer Finneas were awarded the opportunity to record the theme song to the upcoming James Bond film “No Time To Die,” which stands as Daniel Craig’s last time portraying the iconic character. The track was released back in February but as the film nears its premiere, Eilish and the Bond franchise have shared a gloomy video to the theme song.

The black-and-white visual shows Eilish crooning the song’s brooding lyrics in a dark room. Eilish is juxtaposed with snippets from the upcoming film, which depicts tense moments between Craig and love interest Léa Seydoux.

About the opportunity to write the Bond theme song, Eilish said: “It feels crazy to be a part of this in every way. To be able to score the theme song to a film that is part of such a legendary series is a huge honor.” Adding to the sentiment, Finneas said that “writing the theme song for a Bond film is something we’ve been dreaming about doing our entire lives. There is no more iconic pairing of music and cinema than the likes of Goldfinger and Live And Let Die. We feel so so lucky to play a small role in such a legendary franchise, long live 007.”

The track was praised by the film’s director Cary Joji Fukunaga, who said he’s a “huge fan” of the musicians: “There are chosen few who record a Bond theme. I am a huge fan of Billie and Finneas. Their creative integrity and talent are second to none.”

Watch Eilish’s “No Time To Die” video above.

No Time To Die hits theaters 11/12.

The Los Angeles Lakers fell behind early in Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals before turning on the jets and never looking back. Los Angeles put forth a complete and dominant performance from about halfway through the first quarter until they took their foot off the gas late, winning 116-98 in a game that somehow did not feel as close as the final score indicated.

With the result of the game looking inevitable for a long stretch, the Lakers were feeling themselves a bit. The team’s bench did what you expect a good bench to do — celebrate things in an extremely over-the-top way — although this came much to the chagrin to their most prominent player.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, a pair of incidents rubbed James the wrong way. The first came when Dwight Howard celebrated an outlet pass to James that prompted a timeout by the Heat, while Anthony Davis told his loved ones in attendance to cheer. The second occurred after a dunk by Davis prompted another timeout and the Lakers saw their lead reach its largest of the night, at that point 32 points, and players celebrated once again.

Per Haynes, James let the first one slide, but spoke up after the second.

“Hey, hey! Stop it! Stay locked in!” James screamed. “This sh*t ain’t over, man.”

It’s unclear whether James was referring to the game — which was effectively over save for the clock hitting 0:00 — or the series as a whole. He did, however, speak to the media after the game about a time in his career when a teammate celebrating a bit too early in the Finals led to something that “burns me to this day.”

“The best teacher in life is experience,” James responded. “I’ve experienced moments in my career where you have all the momentum in the world and you felt like you had the game under control, and one play here or one play there could change the course of a series or change the course of a game. One in particular that always rings home for me is Game 2 of the 2011 Finals in Miami vs. Dallas. [Dwyane Wade] hits a three right by their bench. I believe it put us up either 13 or 17. From that moment on, Dallas went on a hell of a run and finished it off with a Dirk Nowitzki left-hand layup to steal that game. That sh*t burns me to this day. I always talk about the best teacher in life is experience, and I’ve experienced a lot. That’s what prompts me to be who I am today, is being able to have those experiences.”

Dallas famously went on to win that series in six games, rallying back after losing Game 1 to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy over Miami. James very obviously wants to make sure history does not repeat itself, and this time, he’s the one toppling the Heat.

Lisa Bonet sure knows how to pick them, there’s no sarcasm in that statement. As you’re no doubt aware, she’s currently married to Jason Momoa and was previously married to Lenny Kravitz (father to Zoe), so she’s one lucky woman. And we’re not simply talking about looks here (although that’s certainly a bonus), because Momoa’s a seriously thoughtful chap (who recently stunned her on video by restoring her first car). Rather, the two Mr. Bonets genuinely appear to get along with Lenny recently posting a birthday photo of himself with Jason and the following caption: “One family. One love.”

In the October issue of Men’s Health, Kravitz also doesn’t try to hide his adoration for Jason. But first, you must observe this cover: “Lenny In Lockdown.”

Lenny turned 56 over the summer, and he’s rocking eight-pack abs. It’s nuts, and he’s chalking much of it up to this secret: “Your state of mind — that’s so important.” And in this profile, he appears to be relatively serene while the pandemic rages, all after he blew out of Paris for his home in the Bahamas. And there he’s been, working out and eating clean ever since. He’s always been of the “I don’t do gyms” variety, but he’s proving it in photos where his backyard is his gym, and a curved tree trunk is his weight bench. Stop the madness.

Seriously though, do visit the Men’s Health piece to feel the full effect. Officially, he’s promoting his upcoming memoir, Let Love Rule, but there’s so much happening here. There’s a video of him doing crunches, and this excerpt about how much he adores Jason Momoa is what the kids refer to as “couple goals”:

“People can’t believe how tight Jason and I are, or how tight I still am with Zoë’s mom, how we all relate,” Kravitz says with a shrug. “We just do it because that’s what you do. You let love rule, right? I mean, obviously, after a breakup, it’s work — it takes some work and time, healing and reflection, et cetera. But as far as Jason and I? Literally the moment we met, we were like, ‘Oh, yeah. I love this dude.’”

Like most of us, Lenny probably can’t wait to attend gatherings again, mostly so he can stand around looking effortlessly fabulous next to Momoa. And yes, the man who Gwyneth Paltrow actually refers to as “Leonard” would like to tour as well. In the meantime, though, he was gracious enough to invite the Men’s Health crew into his seclusion compound, where he showed off his refrigerator full of fruit and veggies that he’d largely picked from his own lands. He also leans against a car to tell everyone goodbye before sprinting off on an evening run. You can’t even get mad at it all, so, like, let. love. rule.

(Via Men’s Health

After months of protests, memes, and calls for justice in the case of Louisville police shooting and killing local EMT Breonna Taylor in her sleep, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that only one of the officers involved would be charged — and then only for “endangering” Taylor’s neighbors by shooting from outside her apartment. Although many believe justice for Taylor was not served, the 26-year-old has become a rallying point in the movements for police reform and/or abolition.

To ensure that Taylor won’t be forgotten, fellow Louisvillian Bryson Tiller secured a pair of massive billboards paying homage to her, with one reading, “We love you, Breonna Taylor” and the other noting, “You’ve brought the city of Louisville together like I’ve never seen before and we will never forget you…” Both bear the #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor and #SayHerName hashtags.

Meanwhile, one of the grand jurors who deliberated on the charges has since filed a motion to release the transcripts of the deliberations, claiming that jurors were never even given the option to indict officers Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly for murder, while Brett Hankison was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment of the first degree. The transcripts will be released and jurors will be allowed to speak freely about the case, according to The New York Times.

Tiller is also gearing up to release his third studio album, Anniversary, this Friday, sharing an early virtual listening session link with fans last night.