Month: November 2020

We Are Who We Are (HBO, 10:00pm EST) — The Season 1 finale has arrived with Caitlin preparing to leave Italy while she and Fraser sneak off for a big hurrah. This leads Fraser to feel comfy enough in admitting a secret, and it’s been a vibe-filled trip for this show that’s a microcosm of the United States at large. This show is Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino’s first stab at a TV series, and it will appeal to the Euphoria audience while they await Season 2.

The 2020 SNL Election Special (NBC, 9:00pm EST) — Dave Chappelle’s hosting next weekend’s regularly-scheduled SNL episode, but in the meantime, the show’s gathered up some fan-favorite political sketches in one place.

Filthy Rich (FOX, 9:00pm EST) — Kim Cattrall’s still huffing her way through this melodramatic series full of power struggles following a Christian TV magnate’s death.

In case you missed these picks from the weekend:

The Mandalorian: Season 2 Premiere (Disney+ series) — The Baby Yoda star vehicle has made its highly anticipated return with plenty of callbacks to the first Star Wars movie and a pretty big subsequent comeback (maybe?). Also, they’ve got Timothy Olyphant now, and of course he plays a marshal, which no one would protest.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Remembering RBG – A Nation Ugly Cries with Desi Lydic (Comedy Central special) — The terrifically funny Desi Lydic comes together with a group of whipsmart women to process the loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Together, they work through the stages of grief over the liberal firebrand and discuss how she changed America while giving her a proper sendoff amid our current chaos.

How To With John Wilson (HBO docuseries) — John Wilson dives into New York’s vast and sprawling scaffolding “protection,” which stretches 300 miles throughout the city. Wilson also spoke with us about capturing the intimacy and absurdity of life in New York.

Truth Seekers: Season 1 — (Amazon Prime series) Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End, Spaced, and several more team-ups weren’t enough for Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They reunite once again for a British serial take on The X-Files about a ragtag group of paranormal investigators who travel the U.K. in pursuit of ghosts. No location will be left unturned (from World War 2 bunkers to abandoned insane asylums), and it’s the perfect weekend for this brand of wackiness.

His House (Netflix film) — Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country) leads this British horror movie about a young refugee couple who flees war-torn South Sudan but finds a whole new horror in England, where evils lurk in their new home and threaten their seemingly newfound better situation.

Election Day is tomorrow, which means that people who haven’t already voted will have one more chance to cast their ballots. Ahead of then, Taylor Swift, who has spoken politically a fair amount in the lead-up to the election, has given her fans a reminder about voting with a new video.

She says in the video, “Hey. So we are all very stressed out about this election, rightfully so. I feel you. But allow me to be the one millionth person to remind you that tomorrow is your last chance to make your voice heard and to make your vote count. So if you haven’t voted yet, please do. Stay safe, wear a mask, take care of yourselves, I love you very much, happy voting.”

About a month ago, Swift explained why she’s voting for Biden, saying, “The change we need most is to elect a president who recognizes that people of color deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included. Everyone deserves a government that takes global health risks seriously and puts the lives of its people first. The only way we can begin to make things better is to choose leaders who are willing to face these issues and find ways to work through them. I will proudly vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election. Under their leadership, I believe America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs.”

The San Francisco 49ers entered this season with high hopes for a return to the Super Bowl as one of the top contenders in the NFC. They had one of the league’s best defenses with a number of top players returning and an offense that was hoping to see continued growth from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and a variety of weapons.

However, through the midway point of the season, San Francisco is just 4-4, which puts them last in the very competitive NFC West, and Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks saw them add two more prominent names to a long list of injured players. Young star defensive end Nick Bosa is already out for the season with a torn ACL suffered early on this year and seemingly every running back on the roster has spent time on the injury list. Now, Garoppolo, who suffered an ankle sprain in that same Week 2 game as Bosa’s injury, is back on the injury list with an aggravation of that high ankle sprain that will keep him sidelined for an extended period, with the possibility of him going on injured reserve.

His top target, tight end George Kittle, will also miss significant time as he has suffered a fracture in his foot that will likely leave him sidelined for eight weeks (which would effectively put him out for the rest of the regular season).

It’s two huge blows for the Niners, who will now turn things over to Nick Mullens at quarterback and, while they still have an outside chance at the playoffs, it seems wise for them to be careful with the health of their stars and put their long-term prospects ahead of trying to rush anyone back for this season.

In another sign that tensions are cooling between John Boyega and Disney/Lucasfilm, the actor revealed that he had a conversation with a high-level Disney executive after he voiced some brutally honest advice following his experience on Star Wars. In a new interview to promote Small Axe, Boyega seems to be at peace with where things landed with Disney after the talks, which he hopes will make it easier for the other actors.

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“It was a very honest, a very transparent conversation,” Boyega says. “There was a lot of explaining on their end in terms of the way they saw things. They gave me a chance also to explain what my experience was like. I’d hope that me being so open with my career, at this stage, would help the next man, the guy that wants to be the assistant DOP, the guy that wants to be a producer. I hope that the conversation is not such a taboo or elephant in the room now, because someone just came and said it.”

To rewind, here’s what Boyega told British GQ back in September: “What I would say to Disney is, do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”

Boyega is, of course, referring to early marketing material for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which prominently featured Finn holding a lightsaber and led fans to believe he would be the star of the new films. Instead, Daisy Ridley was revealed to be the Jedi hero of the sequel trilogy. While speaking to British GQ Boyega questioned why he was being sidelined, unlike his white co-stars: “[You] knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver, you knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f*ck all.”

Fortunately, Boyega and Disney appear to have reached an understanding, which could explain why the actor was recently receptive to the idea of reprising the role of Finn fter making comments on social media that he was “done” with Star Wars.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

With just one day to go before the presidential election, it’s good to find things to laugh at — even if they happen to be shoddy conspiracy theories bolstered by glaringly bad photoshop skills.

Of course, we’re talking about the current administration’s obsession with using social media as their makeshift megaphone to attack Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Donald Trump’s communication team regularly takes to Twitter to call out Biden and his supporters using the @TrumpWarRoom handle — even “anti-fracker” Lady Gaga isn’t safe — but if they were hoping to scare undecided voters into voting Trump with their latest tweet, their plan backfired.

Trump’s team posted a doctored photo around noon on Monday, one that appeared to be pulled from a CNN news clip with the headline “Demolition Of Washington Monument Underway.” The photo showed two demolition trucks parked in front of the monument with the iconic spire already bulldozed. It was accompanied by the caption, “This would be Joe Biden’s America.”

While we’re sure the thought of Biden laying waste to some of America’s historical phallic-shaped monuments strikes terror in the heart of every true patriot, this whole ruse would’ve hit different if Trump’s communications team invested some time — maybe a training seminar or two — into their Photoshop skills.

Not only did the president’s social media cronies severely underestimate our collective tolerance for B.S. right now, they also clearly forgot some basic demolition mechanics and seemed to have exhibited a blatant disrespect for the rule of Microsoft’s Paint application.

As ridiculous as all this is, it feels important to remind people this is a verified account run by the president of the United States’ campaign team that’s not only trying to defraud the American people by using dangerous disinformation tactics just a day before a national election, but they’re doing it in the most half-a**ed way possible.

On an entirely different note, if we are going to replace archaic structures, we vote to replace them all with giant mushrooms like this dude suggests:

I’m a longtime fan of Survivor, the CBS reality series that wrapped up its 40th season last spring. I’ve seen every season, and several seasons more than once. Survivor puts 20 or so people on an island, and in each episode, a player is voted out. There are a number of challenges and immunity idols, but ultimately, Survivor is a social game, and often the players themselves have little say in their own fates. In more recent years, it’s a game that more often than not rewards mediocrity, because the better players are seen as “threats” and voted out as soon as possible. Often in the last couple of years, when I mention to someone my love of Survivor, he or she will invariably ask if I have watched Alone, the History Channel reality documentary series that also streams on Hulu.

While it’d be easy to describe Alone as a hardcore version of Survivor, it actually has very little in common with the CBS series, although it is decidedly hardcore. It is not a social game; it’s the opposite of that. There are no challenges. There are no opportunities to earn catered meals from Applebees. In Alone, ten contestants are dropped in the middle of nowhere (Vancouver Island, or Mongolia, or Patagonia); they are separated from each other by several miles; and they have to remain out in the wilderness for as long as they possibly can. They are allowed to take 10 items with them, and with those ten items, they must construct their own shelter and find their own food. There is no camera crew, either; the contestants have their own cameras, and they film themselves. The only contact they have with the outside world is when a medical team drops by occasionally to see if the player is healthy enough to continue with the game.

It is an insane endurance competition; it’s not about outwitting or outplaying the other contestants. It is simply about outlasting. The player who survives the longest wins. The people who are chosen as contestants are not picked because they have interesting personalities or look good on camera. They are chosen because they have survival skills. They know how to fish; they know how to hunt; they know what plants to eat, and they know how to live completely alone out in the middle of nowhere.

It is an insanely difficult show, and it is tremendously fun to watch, but perhaps not for the reasons one might imagine. The reason it’s such a great pandemic show is that Alone is a strangely serene television series. It’s like nature ASMR; these contestants live peacefully and quietly out in the middle of the wilderness until either they can’t stand to be alone anymore; they’re injured and have to leave the game; or they are medically evacuated because they are too close to starvation to remain any longer.

There’s a $500,000 prize, and initially, the prize money is what keeps everyone playing. As the weeks and months go by, however, players often find ways to rationalize their decisions to “tap out,” or leave the game (each of the players is given a radio, and as soon as they are ready, they can call in and resign the game). After spending that much time alone living off the land, the money almost always becomes secondary to their “journeys.”

It’s a calming game, and yet, the stakes are very high. The most exciting moments often involve catching a fish, because a fish might allow them to stay a few more days before they starve. We’ve seen an herbalist find plants to treat nasty, dangerous spider-bites from a Chilean recluse; we’ve seen players hiding out in their shelter while pumas circle them; we’ve seen players literally outfoxed by a fox (night after night after night), and we’ve seen players pulled after losing more than a third of their body weight.

As often or not, however, players leave not because of spider bites or starvation, but because of loneliness. Because they miss their families. Because they miss the simple comforts of home. I was finally convinced to watch the series, in fact, when a friend told me about a player who had had a lot of survival training, and who was particularly well suited to living in the wild for several months, and who bragged about how long he’d be able to survive out in nature, weeks or even months!

He tapped out after three days because he missed his wife.

That longing for simple comforts — for a coffee from Dunkin or a vanilla cupcake or a hug from a child — is more often than not what compels these skilled survivalists capable of building intricate shelters with fireplaces or guitars out of a log and some fishing string to tap out. It’s not nearly as exciting as a game like Survivor, but in times like these, that almost works to its credit. There is no pretension here. No artifice. No crazy twists, or contrived drama. Sometimes, it’s as simple as someone going mad listening to the pitter-patter of rain on their shelter for hours and hours at a time.

Some days, when it feels like the world is on fire, it’s almost comforting to know that, if we had to, we could survive on the land as long as we have someone with whom to survive. Watching someone live in the freezing cold on a fish a week and some roots he digs out of the ground also works as an incredible reminder of the comforts we take for granted, even in these tumultuous times. It is strangely compelling television and a reminder of what we are capable when everything else is stripped away from us.

‘Alone’ airs on The History Channel. The first six (of seven) seasons are also available on Hulu.

Considering the fact that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic that is particularly uncontrolled in the U.S., this year’s Halloween was certainly unusual. Many families and communities skipped trick-or-treating in favor of alternative fun and festivity. Those who did trick-or-treat often had altered methods, from candy chutes to keep social distance to leaving bags of candy out on a table for the kiddos.

For the Thomas family in Atlanta, Georgia, this Halloween was particularly unusual. Courtney Thomas shared a post on Facebook saying that she had put out a sign on Halloween explaining that their household had a child with cancer, so they wouldn’t be giving out candy. Their neighborhood usually gets a lot of trick-or-treaters and she didn’t want kids to come to their door and be disappointed.

“Cool costume!” the sign read. “Sorry, no candy, child with cancer. See you next year! Have fun!”

But what Thomas found left beneath the sign left her in tears.

---

She wrote:

“I can’t stop crying

If anyone thought there was no hope in our kids and teens you’re wrong. The SOLE purpose of us putting this sign in our yard today was so kids wouldn’t run to our door and be disappointed (our neighborhood usually gets 300-400 kids).

I looked on our doorbell camera tonight and saw that kids had been stopping at the sign. T.j. Thomas and I just went outside and found this

The picture doesn’t do it justice, it’s a LOT and the good stuff even

Seriously… If the parents of anyone who did this sees this, PLEASE tell them how much it means to us and our kiddos. On the best candy night of the year kids freely and generously shared with strangers and showed so much love and kindness. So amazing “

Oh, man. Instead of just walking away from a house where they weren’t going to get any candy, kids and teens left pieces of their own Halloween candy stash for the family. That’s just beautifully sigh-worthy.

People loved the post, which has been shared more than 367,000 times in two days. Thousands of comments have poured in as well, with people offering prayers and good wishes to the Thomas family as well as gratitude for sharing a story that highlights the good in people.

Thomas also shared information about childhood cancer with links to organizations and fundraising efforts people can support:

“Childhood cancer is something we wish no family ever had to endure, but there is so much love, hope, and support!

If anyone feels led to support financially, this is the link to post directly to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, https://give.choa.org/…/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000…

Users can select Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center under “Direct my gift to:.” All funds go directly back to the patients and family needs during their stay on the units!

Also, these are 2 AMAZING groups we know of and are so thankful for (they provide meals weekly for families inpatient, provide family emergency funds, raise awareness and fundraise for pediatric specific cancer research, and so much more!):

https://curechildhoodcancer.org/ways-to-give/

https://rallyfoundation.org/“

According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, an estimated 15,970 kids ages 0 to 19 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the U.S. Cancer is a diagnosis no parent or child wants to receive, but it’s especially worrisome during our novel virus pandemic, as it puts kids at higher risk of developing complications if they come down with COVID-19. The Thomas family was wise to take extra precautions to keep their child safe, and to see the kids of the community spontaneously support them by volunteering some of their own candy stash—even the good stuff—is heartening to see.

While there is plenty to challenge our faith in humanity right now, there are also countless stories like this one that illustrate the generosity and kindness ordinary people can—and so often do—offer one another. Thank you, Thomas family, for the timely reminder.

When Daryl Morey was hired to run the Philadelphia 76ers last week, there were some heads turned given he’s the godfather of the most prolific three-point shooting team in NBA history with the Rockets and is now in charge of a Sixers roster that features two famous non-shooters in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

What the obsession with Houston’s three-point shooting and playing style fails to account for is that Morey is all about maximizing talent, and with James Harden, that meant spacing the floor around him to give him room to isolate and drive. Once Chris Paul was traded for Russell Westbrook, that pushed them to the super small-ball style that saw them move center Clint Capela and bring in the likes of Robert Covington, to fully open up the floor for Westbrook and Harden to dive and attack and surround them with shooters.

However, while he’s obsessed with efficiency, that’s not a one-track thought process. In Philadelphia, he has quite the task ahead of him of constructing a roster around Embiid and Simmons, but both of the Sixers young stars are plenty efficient at what they do best. What they do best just isn’t shooting threes — and you can bet that is what Morey looks to address first on this roster is adding that spacing in other places.

On Monday, Morey was introduced officially in Philly and was asked plenty of questions about how he felt his beliefs fit in with a big man like Joel Embiid, and gave a resounding vote of support for what Embiid can do for a team with title aspirations.

He elaborated further on those questions of his style and Embiid, noting that he is all about talent and making everything work around them, saying that if he had Shaq, he’d want to give him the ball 100 times a game.

As such, one can expect that Morey will be thinking of ways to get Embiid the ball in his best spots and Simmons the ball going downhill to the basket where he is tremendous — Simmons is also one of the best passers to the three-point line in the league, which Morey will look to take advantage of. Morey liking Simmons and Embiid shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the question remains as to whether you can make two stars who thrive in the same space work at a championship level. That’s the task for Morey and Doc Rivers, but you can bet they’ll give it a full go before possibly considering splitting the two up.

Last month, it was revealed that the new season of The Eric Andre Show (which premiered last week) would have a bevy of musical guests on the program, including Grimes, Anderson .Paak, Lil Yachty, Joey Badass, Toro y Moi, Big Freedia, Machine Gun Kelly, and Odd Future’s (and Dave‘s) Taco Bennett. It turns out that Lizzo is also part of that roster, as she made a fun appearance during the season’s fourth episode, which premiered last night.

Lizzo took over hosting duties for the show’s regular “Bird Up” segment, in which Andre puts on a green screen bodysuit and has odd interactions with people on the street. So, it was Lizzo who put on the green suit and took to the streets, although she did so with her signature flute in hand. She walked around, danced with people, and invited a bongo-playing street musician to replace the drums with her backside. A woman sitting by him wasn’t a fan of the idea, though, since she declared, “I’m his woman,” after which Lizzo scurried away.

Meanwhile, Lizzo has remained involved leading up to the election. She chatted with Kamala Harris on Instagram Live and helped spread information on how to register to vote.

Watch the Eric Andre Show clip above and check out our recent interview with Andre here.

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

This was another strong month for rap albums. Last month, there were highly anticipated releases from 21 Savage, Benny The Butcher, Def Loaf, Junglepussy, Westside Gunn, and Reason. Rap vets T.I. and Black Thought, Open Mike Eagle also released projects. Last month also saw the release of Jay Electronica’s Act II, which became an “official release” after Tidal put the leak on their platform. Check out all the best new rap projects below.

21 Savage & Metro Boomin — Savage Mode 2

Four years after 21 Savage and Metro Boomin linked up to go into Savage Mode, the trap stars offered another dose of menace. It’s a beautiful thing to see artists know who they are and revel in it. 21’s steely delivery and menacing metaphors sound right at home on Metro’s murky, thumping production — and yes, alongside Morgan Freeman’s voluminous narration. The Atlanta-based artist doesn’t delve far from street tales — the most spiritual moment on the album is, “I did a 69 with hеr friend, I’m prayin’ to God she don’t tell on mе” on “Rich N***a Sh*t” with Young Thug.

He does offer some “TLC” on “Mr. Right Now,” where Drake makes an appearance and outs an old relationship with SZA. But aside from that and 21’s errant shot at Jeezy on “Many Men,” there’s not much gossip-fodder on the project, just a gifted duo showing off their savagery for 15 tracks. (Check out the chopped not slopped version, too).

Benny The Butcher — Burden Of Proof

Griselda has been flooding the streets with work all 2020, but Benny The Butcher waited patiently to release his long-awaited Burden Of Proof. He’s talking as filthy as ever on the Hit-Boy produced project, offering a 360 view of the streets and noting on “New Streets” that “It’s rubbin’ me the wrong way when these rappers speak comfortably / ‘Bout street life, it seem like they only givin’ y’all luxuries.”

We’ve come to expect certain production from Griselda projects, but Hit-Boy imbued Burden Of Proof with a glossier soundscape and expertly chopped samples that intentionally harken to the days of Roc-A-Fella yore. Benny is often regarded as a throwback to that early ‘00s East Coast sound, and he got with Hit-Boy to create a project that replicated its winning aesthetics while still sounding modern.

Black Thought — Streams Of Thought: Vol. 1: Cain & Abel

Black Thought is “chasin chicken like a chupacabra” (“State Prisoner”) on the third volume of his Streams Of Thought series, but he’s also speaking for the moment throughout the 13-track project. On “Quiet Trip,” a quintessentially impressive track, he reflects that he’s “hopin’ I don’t get cut / by these police makin’ raids on those of us who know what’s up” alongside Portugal. The Man and The Last Artful, Dodger, who appear throughout the project. Black Thought is locked in per usual, but the project’s various guest stars play off of Thought well. Pusha floats over Swizz Beatz’ caustic “Good Morning” beat, while Schoolboy Q is “Beethoven to the bass swollen” on “Steak Um.” where he builds off Thought’s bid to go from “showman to shaman.” The project is another strong lyrical exhibition tinged with pro-Blackness and timely gems.

Jay Electronica — Act II

Jay Electronica finally dropping his debut album was one of the most shocking moments even by 2020 standards. So seeing him drop another, by turning his Act II leak into a Tidal exclusive release, surged the surreality into overdrive. Those who waited a decade for a Jay Elec project were rewarded handsomely this year. There are no illusions that he’s here to “save rap” as was the case in 2011. But perhaps that’s a good thing, as fans can experience the partially finished, but fully impressive lyrical exhibition without any superlatives or expectations attached to it.

External expectation is in fact what kept this project, as well as A Written Testimony, from being released early. It’s apparent that Jay stepped away from Act II at some point, with short songs, especially toward the end. But even incomplete songs like “Night Of The Roundtable” and the short “Life On Mars” show off his artistic brilliance. Devout Jay Elec fans may have already heard many of these tracks, but unacquainted listeners got the gift of hearing them in the context of a project, almost as the reclusive rhymer intended at one point.

Junglepussy — JP4

Brooklyn artist Junglepussy dropped her JP4 project after a two-year hiatus. She has said that JP4 sounds like what she “really, really, really,” wanted to embody as an artist all along. Apparently, she wanted to do a little of everything — and do it well. JP4 is a thrilling ride from haunting opener “Bad News” through the rest of the 10 tracks, which merge elements of trap, electronic, R&B, and a slew of other aesthetics into a canvas ripe for her to express her bold, empowered lyricism.

JP4 explores a range of moods, dropping nuggets of introspection that illuminate her many sides. She boasts, “You be the beauty, I been the beast, I don’t bite but / My boundaries form a fence of piranha teeth” on “Spiders,” but also admits, “My friends say I’m just a wreck when I’m in love” on “Telepathy.” She’s the “Main Attraction,” yet “not trynna be pretty / I’m goodie in a Champion hoodie” on “What You Want.” We’re all multi-faceted, glorious or gloomy depending on the circumstance. Junglepussy is an artist gifted enough to make every angle sound like the ultimate truth.

Larry June & Harry Fraud — Keep Going

Larry June and Harry Fraud linked up for Keep Going, where June reflects and gives game over a suite of smooth Fraud production. Larry June reflects on his story to motivate listeners, rhyming ”took the negatives out my life, then I got rich” on album standout “Organic Miracles.” June’s easygoing delivery sounds at home over Fraud’s impeccable samples, whether he’s channeling early-90’s Bay vibes on the funky “I Like You” or reminding us, “To live like this, you gon’ have to take Ls / You gon’ have to bounce back” on the soulful “Let’s Go To New Orleans,” featuring Currensy. June has gained a cult fanbase with his aspirational narratives, which is why it’s great to see him lean fully into that power on Keep Going.

Open Mike Eagle — Anime, Trauma, and Divorce

Yes, great art comes out of pain, but who the hell wants to go through it? Who deserves the pain that becomes melody? Open Mike Eagle may have many pondering those questions after a listen to Anime, Trauma, And Divorce, a deeply personal project that reflects a year of turmoil and loss — on top of societal peril.

Kari Faux offers harrowing vocals on “Bucciaratti,” where he explores the “broken to pieces” adage with poetic flourish, rhyming, “Part of me struck an original trauma / Part of me wears an invisible armor.” On the doleful, “Everything Ends Last Year,” he brilliantly surmises, “Regardless where the sun is, I’m my own personal winter.” The 12-track album explores similar tones, with Mike using his encapsulation brilliance to draw poignant reflections from his laments and regrets. He was gracious enough to publicly express his catharsis on Anime, Trauma, And Divorce, not just offering fodder for those going through the same trials but dropping one of the best projects of the year.

Reason — New Beginnings

LA rapper Reason introduced himself to new fans by re-releasing his 2018 There You Have It project on TDE last year. But this year he fed his burgeoning fanbase a formal debut with the aptly-titled New Beginnings, a 14-track reflection of just who the TDE newbie is. The first impression for most listeners may be that he’s a damn good rapper, as evidenced by holding his own with J.I.D and Isaiah Rashed on “Extinct,” and “Flick It Up” with Ab-Soul. He also got introspective on the soulful “Fall” and album closer “WIndows Cry,” where he speaks on his navigation through the shady industry, rhyming, “You signed a paper to get rid of your n****s, now you got strangers.”

But Reason shows off his mass appeal throughout the project, especially on “Show Stop” and “Pop Sh*t” with Schoolboy Q, where he sounds ripe to fit right in on the next TDE posse cut. For now though, listeners can just enjoy New Beginnings, a strong effort that shows he belongs.

T.I. — The L.I.B.R.A.

I wrote a retrospective appreciation of T.I. the rapper on his 40th birthday — but he’s still out here. In fact, he says he’s Back Runnin Atlanta on his latest album. The trap rap godfather has done his best to balance out his subject matter to reflect his age and newfound political agency. On “Respect The Code” with “Rick Ross,” he affirms himself as a “full-time family man, part-time politic / Trap n***a, fashion icon, I’m all of it.” He offers up a little of everything on The L.I.B.R.A., talking his talk on “Pardon” with Lil Baby and “On The Hood” with Mozzy and 42 Dugg. He grapples with his present and past on “Horizons,” rhyming, “I got a vision, and a journey, and an attorney / Just in case, I use this burner to keep me off of the gurney,” then raps with his gifted son Domani to entrench his “Family Connect.”

While some may feel like the project could have been more cohesive, it also speaks to his talent that he can hold his own with the disparate skill sets of Young Thug, Lil Baby, Conway, Benny The Butcher, and Jadakiss on the same album. T.I. doesn’t have to worry about actually “running” Atlanta — his catalog puts him in a stratosphere that transcends the now. But it doesn’t hurt that his sustained lyrical excellence makes it a compelling conversation.

Westside Gunn — Who Made The Sunshine

Westside Gunn is apparently on the home stretch of his rap career. Work like October’s Who Made The Sunshine may have fans wishing he wouldn’t back out of the game. He showed up and showed out with gaudy, gritty bars throughout the project, making an album with a slew of features sound cohesive. He has two tracks with the iconic Slick Rick, including the smooth “Ocean Prime” with Busta Rhymes. He collaborates with Griselda mates on “The Butcher And The Blade” as well as “98 Sabres.”

He, Boldy James, and Jadakiss also traded bars on the pensive “All Praises,” while he got sensual (to an extreme degree) on the polarizing “Liz Loves Luger” with Armani Caesar. The 11-track project is yet another strong showing that further entrenches Griselda’s run as one for the rap history books, and makes it hard to deny that his presence will still be felt through executive producing.

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