Month: October 2020

Gorillaz have built up some major clout in the music industry over the years thanks to their boundary-pushing-but-still-accessible ways. Consequently, they’ve been able to line up a lot of stellar guests for their collaborative Song Machine series. They’ve teamed up with legends and newer artists on the songs they’ve released so far, and they got one of each on their latest: They are joined by Elton John and 6lack for “The Pink Phantom.”

Ahead of the song’s release, John said of it, “The @Gorillaz track I worked on is out tomorrow! I’ve always been a Gorillaz fan so when Damon reached out and asked me to get involved it was a no-brainer. The way the song turned out is just great – I can’t wait for you to hear it.”

Meanwhile, Gorillaz recently announced their first ever livestream performances, which will take place towards the end of the year. They didn’t indicate if they would be joined by any of their Song Machine guests, although that seems likely, so perhaps John (or his animated version) or 6lack will make an appearance.

Watch the “The Pink Phantom” video above.

Song Machine: Season One — Strange Timez is out 10/23 via Parlophone. Pre-order it here.

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

Not a day goes by where Rihanna fans fail to press the singer to release her highly anticipated ninth studio album. Rihanna, however, is infamously tight-lipped about the upcoming project, urging fans to be patient because it’s “going to be worth the wait.” But now, amid the continued pause on live music and touring, Rihanna is wary that a tour won’t even be possible for this album cycle.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Rihanna opened up about her current creative process, saying she’s trying to make up for not being able to tour: “I want to go on tour but I can’t, so I’m stuck with music that I love, and now I’m trying to figure out how I can even create visuals to that. That’s a challenge as well. But I love challenges so, you know, I’m gonna get it done.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Rihanna discussed which direction she took with the upcoming release, saying she’s asking herself some tough questions in order to figure out her sound: “What do I feel personally? What do I want to put out, and as an artist, how do I want to play it with my art? How do I want to interpret that?” she asks. “How do I want to reimagine it because it’s been so structured before,” Rihanna said, adding: “You do pop, you did this genre, you do that, you do radio, but now it’s just like, what makes me happy? I just want to have fun with music. Everything is so heavy. The world that we live in is a lot. It’s overwhelming every single day. And with the music, I’m using that as my outlet.”

Game of Thrones featured cameos from many musicians (and one New York Met pitcher) over its seven-season run, including Ed Sheeran, the bearded dudes in Mastodon, Coldplay’s Will Champion, Of Monsters and Men, and Sigur Rós. Indie favorites The National, who performed “The Rains of Castamere” for the HBO series, visited the Thrones set in Belfast, Ireland, and even climbed the Wall. But they weren’t invited to appear on the show itself — and singer Matt Berninger is (jokingly) “pissed.”

In a career-spanning interview with Stereogum, Berninger explained how The National got the “Rains of Castamere” honors. “Alec Bemis, who was [Bryce Dessner’s] friend in school, is also really close friends with Dan Weiss, who was one of the creators of Game of Thrones, and Dan Weiss has been a huge fan of the National, I think, from literally the first record… The National’s been to the top of the Wall.” They also visited Castle Black, where The National of people, Jon Snow, resided with the Night’s Watch. When the interviewer pointed out that other musicians, like Sheeran (who wishes that his character had been “brutally murdered”), were on the show, Berninger came to a realization:

“You’re right. I’m pissed. I’m fucking pissed! I’m pissed I never got to be in it. I mean, we were literally there and we all have beards and shit… They were doing a big scene. It was on the other side of the Wall, at the entrance to the cave, where all the giants and everybody are collecting. It was mostly Jon Snow — he was there kind of by himself standing there, and they were going to CG in some giants or something… We spent all day in the freezing cold watching Kit Harington stand in front of that gate for a while.”

That’s the magic of television, baby. It’s not all singing about bathrooms.

Berninger’s solo album, Serpentine Prison, is out on October 16.

Jay-Z and Meek Mill’s REFORM Alliance is celebrating a “major victory” in its mission after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new bill into law that limits probation terms. AB 1950 caps probation sentences at one year for misdemeanors and two years for felonies. This would theoretically lower the number of potential violations, which would keep probationers from being returned to prison for minor offenses.

REFORM campaigned extensively for the bill, which was introduced by California Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager-Dove of Los Angeles. Explaining her reasoning behind introducing the bill, Kamlager-Dove elaborated, “When you get violations, it increases the time that you’re on probation. So, you can be on probation for three years, you have some technicals, it increases to five to seven to eight to nine. There’s some people that are on probation for their entire life.” Meek Mill can attest to this; before his original case was reviewed and thrown out due to corrupted evidence, he’d spent his entire adult life on probation.

Michael Rubin, executive chairman of Fanatics and co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team, helped Jay-Z and Meek Mill launch REFORM Alliance in 2019. He said in a statement, “This is exactly why we created REFORM — to change laws and create a smarter criminal justice system focused on rehabilitation and redemption all while keeping communities safe. We’re grateful for Governor Newsom and Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove’s commitment to making such meaningful change in California and we hope it sets a necessary precedent for state leaders across the country.”

Meek Mill is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

With Chris Rock locked in to host the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, the first in-studio episode since the pandemic, the comedian signed on for an unusual experience even for a SNL veteran. NBC and producer Lorne Michaels have reassured fans of the sketch comedy staple that the network would be taking every precaution to ensure the safety of the cast and crew. And, now, we’re getting a glimpse at what that process looks like.

In a new set of photos shared to the the SNL Instagram page, a masked-up Rock is seen sitting down for the first ever socially distanced read through. But while nothing looks too unusual in the first photo, it’s the second shot that really captures the complexity of the situation. If you scroll through to the next pic, you can see the massive ring of tables that takes up the whole studio floor. It’s like the dinner scene from Batman when Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne has to walk the salt all the way down to Kim Basinger’s Vicki Vale. How do they even hear each other?

You can see the table read photos below:

Oddly, there are no signs of Jim Carrey, who will be playing Democratic candidate Joe Biden when SNL returns, but maybe Michaels doesn’t want both of his biggest celebrities in the same room until the last minute? While the iconic producer is definitely concerned about navigating the safety protocols, and openly admits that even he’s not sure if the show can pull if off, he recently told the New York Times that doing more “At Home” episodes wasn’t an option going into this new season:

No, we just had to go back. It’s an election year. It’s what we do. There are four [presidential and vice-presidential] debates in the month of October, and I was trying to figure out how to take a week off, but it didn’t work out. So we’ll do five shows in a row, which we’ve never done, and under these circumstances. Everybody has just thrown themselves into it. It’s difficult, but we’ve done difficult a lot of times. Comedy, when there’s a little danger involved, it doesn’t necessarily suffer.

Saturday Night Live returns October 3 on NBC with host Chris Rock and musical guest Megan Thee Stallion.

(Via Saturday Night Live on Instagram)

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.

Action Bronson knows his roles and he plays them all well. The New York native has a lengthy resume filled with all types of highlight placements. On the music scene, he boasts a collection of projects, including work with talented producers like Harry Fraud, Statik Selektah, and The Alchemist. He’s ventured into the film & TV world with his own food travel show Fuck, That’s Delicious, and a nightly food talk show The Untitled Action Bronson Show. He also landed an appearance in the 2019 film, The Irishman. Meshing the beauties of his food world with that of the music world, Action Bronson fires up the stove and serves up a fantastic dish with his new album, Only For Dolphins.

Bronson described the Only For Dolphins title in a press release at the time of the album’s announcement. “The dolphin is one of the most intelligent creatures ever created on whatever planet we’re on,” he said. He also compared the underwater creatures to a “five-tool baseball player.” It’s this versatile attribute that Bronson soaks himself in and wrings out over the heads of his listeners on his new album. “Author, singer, dance, exotic olive oil taster,” he raps on “C12H16N2.” For Bronson, he has every reason to be confident. While some rely on the hanging pitch to get on-base, Bronson knows no matter what’s thrown his way, he’ll find a way to shine.

Only For Dolphins arrives nearly two years after Bronson’s last effort, White Bronco, a project that severely underwhelmed fans for reasons including its brief 26-minute duration. The project left many wondering if Bronson lost his touch, but these doubts are quickly erased on his new album. Every chef has had at least one bad dish and with Only For Dolphins, Bronson proves that’s all his 2018 album was. On his new album, Bronson regains his balance by gravitating back to his childhood passion, that being his food and cooking talents.

While the hip-hop world is often filled with dark tales about the streets and its dangers, Bronson opts to live elsewhere. Instead, he ties his songs to the flavor-heavy aroma of his trusty kitchen. His punchlines are placed with caution like a well-plated dish. He uses his love for all types of food to connect with listeners, drawing on different meals to help make sense of what he says. “My hash got me spinnin’ like a hula hoop,” he raps on “Vega.” “Couple noodles lose from the chicken noodle soup.” On “Cliff Hanger” he introduces a love interest and boastfully raps, “I’m in the shower with my Latin maid / That ass is hot, you could crack an egg and cook it.” By combining the two worlds where he thrives the best, Bronson’s confidence appears at double the dose.

Staying true to himself and the personality that he’s carried over the past decade, Bronson reassumes the role of the comical and at times out-of-pocket, yet appreciated, uncle on Only For Dolphins. Lovable with good intentions, Bronson is the relative who’s unable to refrain from saying all the wrong things around the kids. Using a reggae sample as his backdrop on “Golden Eye,” Bronson raps, “F*ck around and get your sea bass smothered. I’ll choke you the f*ck out like I’m a Diaz brother.” He later settles down as the threat is later juxtaposed on “Vega” when he says “I’m recognized as a standup guy by five families.”

Action Bronson sticks out like a sore thumb. While he holds no desire to operate like the rest of his rapping comrades, he aims for many of the fruits one can bear in this field. “I might not be able to touch my toes,” he says on “Latin Grammys.” “But I will still fuck these hoes.” One way or another, Bronson will get it done to continue enjoying the perks that he’s earned in his rap life over the last decade. This is exactly where his versatility comes into play. Whether it’s in the booth, in the kitchen, on the big screen, or some combination of the three in a medium of his choice, Bronson finds a way to keep his footing and press onward. The regained balance presented on Only For Dolphins is admirable and certainly worthy of a chef’s kiss to top it off.

Only For Dolphins is out now via Loma Vista. Get it here.

The NFL had hoped to salvage this week’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans by moving it from Sunday to either Monday or Tuesday following a handful of positive COVID-19 tests among members of the Titans’ organization. However, after additional positive tests occurred in Tennessee on Thursday, the league announced that the two teams won’t square off this week.

Instead, according to a release by the NFL, the plan is to try and find a time when the Steelers and the Titans can play later this year. The league also announced that the Titans’ facility will be shut down for the foreseeable future after testing showed that one more player and one more personnel member tested positive — previously, three players, a coach, and five staffers had tested positive for the virus.

Trying to figure out when the game will end up taking place is unclear, as is whether or not canceling it outright is on the table, although there are a handful of options on the table for how this can all play out, with one scenario laid out by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network being using this as the Titans’ bye week.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Tennessee believes that this outbreak did not occur because any players any of its COVID-19 protocols, and as such, no fines will be doled out in relation to this.

David Guetta and Sia’s professional relationship started off with a bang: Sia featured on Guetta’s “Titanium,” which was a major hit for both artists in 2011. Since then, they’ve paired up on many other occasions. In fact, earlier this month, they dropped their ninth collaboration, a new single called “Let’s Love.” Now, they’ve shared the video, a clip directed by Hanna Lux Davis. The video captures visions of the future as depicted in ’80s pop culture, with throwback styles and vehicles in a neon-colored and technologically advanced world.

Guetta recently told Billboard of the song:

“‘Let’s Love’ was made 100 percent during confinement. We worked on Zoom together with Sia. Really, I felt like the world needed something to make the people to feel happy. There’s been so much depressing music lately. And on top of that, with everything that happened, I really wanted to inspire the world and just a make a feel good song. So, I called Sia, and we wrote this song online. It was first a ballad and then it became this incredible ’80s, crazy record. And I am super, super happy about it. I hope you love it as much as we do.”

Watch the “Let’s Love” video above.

David Guetta is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

As each day passes, it looks more and more like Cardi B chooses to battle the accusations against her in her New York strip club fight case. Page Six reports that during a virtual hearing on Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Ryan Nicolosi offered one last chance for Cardi to plead guilty to a misdemeanor: “The People are offering for the last time an offer of a misdemeanor,” he said. We are not going to go lower than a misdemeanor. We are again offering this misdemeanor but we cannot guarantee that that offer will be held open or offered again in the future.”

The Bronx rapper was indicted for 14 charges, including two felonies, after an August 2018 incident in which her entourage reportedly threw bottles and chairs at a bartender at Angels NYC. Cardi was accused of ordering the attack, which resulted in injuries to the bartender and charges of assault, conspiracy, criminal solicitation, harassment, reckless endangerment, and felony attempted assault for Cardi. She turned down the initial plea deal in June 2019 which would see her hit with misdemeanor assault and reckless endangerment.

Cardi was unfazed then, pleading “not guilty” to the charges and scoffing at the idea that she could lose. “F *c k you mean?” she was noted as asking during a BET Awards show in LA. “I ain’t going to jail, I got a daughter!”

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

“Weird Al” Yankovic is the undisputed master of musical parody, and his turnaround times these days are impressive. The first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was only a few days ago, and already, Yankovic has come out with his satirical take on it, “We’re All Doomed.” Yankovic features on the song from The Gregory Brothers (the folks behind the Auto-Tune The News series and the viral “Bed Intruder Song” from 2010) on their Schmoyoho channel.

In the video, Yankovic serves as the moderator of the debate. After his smile quickly turns into a panicked scream, Yankovic reports, “We’re all doomed! People are breathing out this living poison and it’s trying to float into my orifices!” After being told in his ear to not be so hysterical, the song kicks off with Yankovic asking Biden and Trump questions. The pair answer via re-compiled and Auto-Tuned footage and Yankovic sings on the hook, “Who’s it going to be in the West Wing? We’re living in the apocalypse, I’m begging you to put a stop to this, please!”

The Gregory Brothers also shared a behind-the-scenes video of the making of the clip, which shows Yankovic filming in front of a green screen and other production goings-on.

Watch the “We’re All Doomed” video above, and also check out the behind-the-scenes video below.