Month: December 2020

This September, Idles followed up their acclaimed 2018 record Joy As An Act Of Resistance with their raucous LP Ultra Mono. Continuing to maintain their lively energy and their love for animated videos, Idles share their playful visual alongside the recent track “Kill Them With Kindness.”

Animated in a whimsical fashion, the visual shows vocalist Joe Talbot and his fellow band mates using kindness to their deathly advantage. The black-and-white video was animated by Pip Williamson and directed by James Carbutt, who said the clip’s pub setting is based on a real bar: “The dingy pub setting in the film is based on the Working Men’s Clubs of my hometown, Barnsley. It was nice to imagine IDLES bursting in and spreading a message of love. During our research we discovered that no two Wetherspoons carpets are the same, they are all unique like snowflakes, so yeah making this film was a wild ride.”

Speaking to Uproxx in an interview about the album, Talbot said that stomping around on stage, as seen in the “Kill Them With Kindness” video, is actually an act of tenderness:

“If you look at the most tender moments in your life when you’ve been the most sincere and loving to someone, they’re the most violent, potent, and memorable moments. People confuse tenderness with softness. Tenderness can be something that cuts through everything else like an explosion. Stamping my feet comes from love and empathy as much as it does anger and shame. I’m definitely violent on stage but that comes from all sorts of emotions. Sadness, loss, love, lust. Sometimes I’m just hungry.”

Watch Idles’ “Kill Them With Kindness” video above.

Ultra Mono is out now via Partisan. Get it here.

English rock duo Royal Blood have teamed up with American rap duo Run The Jewels for a “Royal Jewels” remix of the latter group’s song “The Ground Below.” Originally appearing on RTJ4 and featuring a sample of Gang of Four’s “Ether,” the track somehow gets even more aggressive than ever, bringing chunkier guitars, harder-hitting drums, and vocal work from Royal Blood’s Mike Kerr between El-P and Killer Mike’s bruising bars, replacing the spoken chorus originally performed by the Jewels.

Run The Jewels teased the defiant single’s remix on Twitter a day before its release, ensuring that the hype would be at a high. Since dropping RTJ4, the duo has kept busy with “live” appearances, original tracks, and cross-branded merch, giving the fan-favorite project even longer legs. In October, they performed the album in its entirety for Adult Swim’s “Holy Calamavote” event, while in November, they released their contribution to the long-awaited video game Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack, “No Save Point.” They continued their collaboration with the game by launching a line of IPAs celebrating its (eventual) release.

RTJ4 and its song “A Few Words For The Firing Squad,” appear on Uproxx’s Best Albums Of 2020, Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2020, and Best Songs of 2020 lists.

Listen to the Royal Jewels mix of “The Ground Below” … above.

Royal Blood is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Hip-hop, you really outdid yourself this year. Rappers used the time spent in isolation to write and record such a wide variety of work that the debates over what to include in this year’s Best Of list turned downright contentious. In the end, though, the 30 albums here are the ones we feel best represented that variety. While the genre has pushed its boundaries outward each year, within those boundaries, the rules have changed. Once disparate subgenres now intermingle and coincide, feeding off one another and inspiring entirely new interpretations of each.

Sure, more rappers than ever are using that slurry, melodic trap delivery, but have you ever noticed how astute their observations are or how clever their wordplay is? Traditionalist rappers have — and they’ve upped the ante by borrowing the sticky 808s from their Southern peers, proving that even the most staccato, sharp-edged flows have a place alongside the more fluid cadences that dominate playlists. The samples in the beats got weirder, the drums sometimes disappeared altogether, and one guy even brought his disco ball and roller skates to the party.

Hip-hop is more diverse, strange, poignant, and self-aware than ever. This year taught us a lot about ourselves, not just who we are but who want to and could be. That applies to the music that was made as well; here are the best examples of that principle as exercised through the most powerful genre in the world.

30. Young Dolph – Rich Slave

Young Dolph has mastered his brand of trap music like few others. That skill permeates Rich Slave, his first album in three years. He’s the boss of his domain on “To Be Honest,” and “RNB” with Megan Thee Stallion. But as the title suggests, he knows that racists view him as anything but, as he reflects on “The Land.” The Rich Slave dichotomy could have been deeper explored, but he’s so good at braggadocio we understand why he didn’t.–Andre Gee

29. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode II

21 Savage was missed from the hip-hop game for nearly two years, dating back to the rapper’s 2018 album I Am > I Was. The Atlanta native made his return in 2020 with the same man that helped introduce him to the world: Metro Boomin. The two reunited for Savage Mode II in what was a cinematic affair that showed 21’s raw and unfiltered world in such a thrilling manner thanks to the booming narration from none other than Morgan Freeman.–Wongo Okon

28. Duckwrth – SuperGood

In the late stages of the blog era, LA rapper Duckwrth emerged as an exciting and promising genre bender, dropping the acclaimed Nowhere mixtape with The KickDrums. Unfortunately, the energy from that early wave had already begun to dissipate, leaving him stuck in a limbo between engaging and overlooked. Then, however, the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack came along, reinvigorating interest in his unique take on hip-hop mixed with punk and other subcultures’ aesthetics. For his deferred grand arrival, he settles into a disco-themed, dancefloor friendly blend of rap, R&B, and EDM. You can practically see the mirrorball glittering as bops like “”Quick“” and “”Coming Closer“” transport you to a euphoric dance fantasyland with Duckwrth as the ever-affable host.–Aaron Williams

27. Benny The Butcher — Burden Of Proof

Benny The Butcher paid homage to a classic era of East Coast rap on Burden Of Proof. Griselda is known for loops that are alternately warm, sinister, and warped — but Benny tasked Hit-Boy to get to choppin’ on tracks like “Where Would I Go” and “Trade It All.” For his part, Benny isn’t lost in the nostalgia. He tells his story and holds his own with Freddie Gibbs on “One Way Flight” and Lil Wayne and Big Sean on “Timeless.”–A.G.

26. G Herbo — PTSD

G-Herbo’s PTSD album art is one of the most jarring things many of us will ever see. He’s holding a flag containing over 50 deceased friends, including Juice WRLD, who appeared on the eponymous track with Chance The Rapper and Lil Uzi Vert. All four are distinct artists but are bonded by proximity to a traumatic environment that Herbo deftly delves into on “Feelings,” “Death Row,” and “Gangsta’s Cry” with BJ The Chicago Kid.–A.G.

25. Boldy James & The Alchemist — The Price Of Tea In China

Despite originally breaking out in the early blog era and seemingly fading away since, Detroit rapper Boldy James found a second life in 2020 as an affiliate of Griselda Records. In fact, Griselda’s onslaught revitalized and brought new fans to the audience of one of James’ oldest and most prolific collaborators, The Alchemist, with whom he’d crafted his 2013 Mass Appeal debut My 1st Chemistry Set. Reuniting under the banner of Alan’s new label, James and Alchemist get right back to business, cutting together druggy gems like nary a day had passed. With the inclusion of bubbling collaborators like Benny The Butcher, Freddie Gibbs, and Vince Staples, Boldy is finally getting the recognition he’s long deserved.–A.W.

24. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist — Alfredo

More than most artists, Freddie Gibbs is a testament to doing you and winning. There’s no confusion about what you’re gonna get from a Gibbs record or project, and his purist fanbase loves him for it. Enter Alfredo, another Alchemist collaboration where Gangsta Gibbs tears through a 10-pack of warm, minimalist tracks geared to let his melodic flow shine on tracks like “God Is Perfect,” and “Scottie Beam” with Rick Ross.–A.G.

23. Rod Wave — Pray 4 Love

It would have been easy for St. Petersburg, Florida sing-rapper Rod Wave to coast on the success of his 2019 debut Ghetto Gospel. After all, that album was stellar; it earned him a spot in the 2020 XXL Freshman Class and generated a massive groundswell of goodwill for his traumatized street anthems. Instead, he doubled down and proved he could maintain his consistency with Pray 4 Love. Songs like “F*ck The World” and “Rags2Riches” detail his brokenhearted world view, tugging on heartstrings and pulling back the curtain on the emotional interior life of a trap veteran.–A.W.

22. Big Sean — Detroit 2

It was only right for Big Sean to return to one of his fan favorite mixtapes for inspiration for his long-awaited comeback album. He’d only been gone for two years since I Decided but it felt like longer; between the pandemic and watching so many of Sean’s peers turn in the polished, mature works we’d sought from them since the blog era, fans couldn’t help feeling like there was 5’8″ hole in the rap game. Fortunately, he returned in prime form on Detroit 2, bearing a fresh vulnerability on “Harder Than My Demons” and “Body Language” and rhyming like a man possessed on “Friday Night Cypher” and “Deep Reverence.” He’s also gotten even more proficient at crafting pop radio-ready anthems like “Wolves” and “Lithuania.” Detroit 2 is the complete package, the album we’ve always known Sean had in him.–A.W.

21. Blu & Exile — Miles

Following up on the chemistry of their seminal 2007 debut, Below The Heavens, and its sumptuous 2012 follow-up Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them, Miles: From An Interlude Called Life finds Blu in a contemplative, nostalgic mood. He graciously looks back at all he’s accomplished — and the places where he’s come up short — over suitably jazzy sample work from his best production partner. They told Uproxx their back-to-basics approach brought them closer as brothers, but it also reminded us all why we loved them best as a duo in the first place.–A.W.

20. Don Toliver — Heaven Or Hell

From top to bottom, Don Toliver’s debut album Heaven Or Hell is an entire draped-up and dripped-out vibe. The chop not slop version helmed by DJ Candlestick and the legendary OG Ron C offers another level of audio experience supercharged-up with Houston culture, where the phenomenal melodic rapper is from. All 2020, H-Town folklore invaded TikTok with his Sonny Digital-produced track “After Party” in both versions of the song — regular and slowed up, thanks to Donny. Tracks such as “Cardigan” and “No Idea” also found a loving home on the TikTok platform as well. The way Toliver inflects his voice, giving a variety of emotions and sounds to immerse in, it’s hard not to fall deep into his world and want to stay there for the album’s entirety.–Cherise Johnson

19. Jay Electronica — A Written Testimony

In 2020, the sheer abundance of surprising news desensitized us to surprising news. Still, the release of A Written Testimony is a shocker. Jay promised it several times over the 2010s and finally delivered — with Jay-Z. Fans could anticipate moments like “Ezekiel’s Wheel” and “The Neverending Story,” but the invigorating “Flux Capacitor” and “The Blinding” indicated that he had the versatility to be a one of a kind presence all along — if he wanted to be.–A.G.

18. Burna Boy – Twice As Tall

The biggest moment of Burna Boy’s career came with his 2019 album, African Giant. The project launched the afro-fusion singer into a higher level of mainstream acclaim. However, this success failed to bring in the accolade Burna truly desired: a Grammy. He lost in the World Music category and a year removed from that career-boosting album, he shared his fifth album Twice As Tall to emphatically prove that his defeat simply made him stronger than ever.–W.O.

17. Mulatto – Queen Of Da Souf

This year, Mulatto came through with much assertion and confidence on her debut project Queen Of Da Souf. It’s expected, though. Big Latto has been rapping since she was Little Latto and it’s evident in her Southern-charged delivery on tracks such as “Youngest N Richest” and “Muwop” with Gucci Mane. On “Pull Up,” Latto shows how she can switch up her flow, keeping her debut fresh, while songs like “In-N-Out” featuring City Girls and “On God” offer something for all the strip club trappers of the world. There are a lot of women in rap on the come up, Latto however, has been doing this for a long time and it’s clear as day this young lady is here to stay. “From the jump, I was like, ‘I know I’m here to say,’” she told Uproxx in an exclusive interview. “‘Nobody can convince me otherwise.”–C.J.

16. Deante’ Hitchcock – Better

Atlanta’s Deante Hitchcock gained some acclaim with his invitation to the 2019 Dreamville recording sessions in his hometown and paid off that promise in full on Better — with interest. He smoothly runs the gamut of rap mainstays — the club banger (“Gimmie Yo Money” with Yung Baby Tate), the relationship drama song (“How TF” with 6lack), the triumphant celebration of his move from ashy to classy (“I Got Money Now“) — but he does so with a poise and panache few rappers can carry off for a full project.–A.W.

15. Westside Gunn – Pray For Paris

When Jay-Z “said goodbye” to rap in 2005, he made a farewell album. Westside Gunn has made three and counting. Pray For Paris made our list because it’s his best reflection of Westside at his best: danger and designer over stick-to-your-ribs soul samples. From top-to-bottom, Pray For Paris’ soundscape makes his buoyant boasts all the more captivating, showing that he’ll still be an impactful presence in rap as an A&R.–A.G.

14. Gunna – Wunna

The marketing rollout for Wunna reflected Gunna’s newfound appreciation for astrology. But he didn’t pivot into experimental, soul-searching Neo Soul or anything, he stuck to his script of slinky harmonies over murky, 808-based production. Astrology, more than anything, is all about knowing who you are. And Gunna was firmly in tune with his greatness on tracks like “Nasty Girl / On Camera,” “Skybox,” and “Dollaz On My Head” with Young Thug.–A.G.

13. Megan Thee Stallion – Good News

Nothing can stop Megan Thee Stallion’s reign. Not a pandemic, not a bullet. Her debut album Good News is proof of her triumph, which landed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Hot Girl Meg offered her fans an assortment of sounds to dig into on this project including TikTok’s favorite “Body” and the pop-leaning track “Don’t Rock Me To Sleep.” Megan is showing everyone that she can make more than music to make that ass shake. She can make feel-good songs made for sunny trips to the beach, too. “Freaky Girls” featuring SZA, which samples Adina Howard’s ’90s hit “Freak Like Me,” is one of the Good News standouts produced by Juicy J and is one of many tracks on the album that samples music from the nostalgic ’90s and ’00s eras. Good News is Megan Thee Stallion’s victorious collection of songs that offer a variety of positive vibes, despite the tragedy she went through this year.–C.J.

12. Kota The Friend – Everything

After making a splash with 2019’s Foto and proving his lyrical skills with his Lyrics To Go, Vol. 1 EP, Brooklyn rapper Kota The Friend wanted to make a, well, friendlier album. He accomplishes that goal deftly on Everything, which sees him contemplating the question, “What means everything to you?” Family, friends, financial freedom, and legacy are Kota’s answers, on feel-good songs like “BQE,” “Morocco,” and the title track.–A.W.

11. Blimes And Gab – Talk About It

The next time someone says women in hip-hop “don’t rap about anything” or “can’t rap,” pull this album up on the streaming service of your choice and immediately smack them across the head with the screen (I’ll cover the damages). Blimes Brixton and Gifted Gab dispel all that crap from the first song with a devastating lyrical “Baptism” that gives way to show that even this backpacking-ass rap duo can tackle a variety of sounds and moods. From the dance-pop, ’80-inspired “Shellys (It’s Chill)” and the house party vibes of “Feelin It” to the smoothly sensual “Hungover With You,” these two are more than capable of setting a mood, but when it’s time to drop fire and flames on a misogynist rap hater, B&G can fricassee any doubter with blazing bars on “Hot Damn” or countdown doubters’ demises with “Un Deux Trois.” Do. Not. Sleep.–A.W.

10. Polo G – The Goat

Polo G is the leading figure in the new generation of Chicago drill. He’s showed off why throughout The Goat, his thrilling, affirmative sophomore album. He’s right in line with his predecessors throughout the gritty, melodic project. But he’s transcendent through his avid curiosity for the “why” on songs like, “Trials And Tribulations” and “Wishing For A Hero.” Again, the environment Polo explores here shouldn’t exist — but he’s damn good at reflecting it.–A.G.

9. Aminé – Limbo

From the opening strains of “Woodlawn Park” to the semi-social-consciousness of “Becky,” Adam Aminé Daniel offers up one of the genre’s most fully-imagined and emotionally-resonant works. He’s a bar-smith of the highest order on songs like “Shimmy Ya,” where he channels the spirit of the dearly departed ODB with a wicked, Biggie-Esque lyrical bent. Then he bares his heart on “Compensating” and “Riri,” fully embracing hip-hop’s turn toward romanticism and the heartbreak endemic to it. It’s on songs like “Becky,” “Mama,” and “Fetus” that Aminé offers the most trenchant reveals, as he wrassles with the anxieties inherent to being a minority in America, leaving a legacy through offspring and paying homage to the ancestors before they’re gone. Limbo sets the bar as high as it’s ever been.–A.W.

8. D Smoke – Black Habits

One of my early personal picks for top albums of the year, this one remained a favorite throughout a year packed with stellar releases mainly because of its dedication to an institution that doesn’t get nearly enough love in hip-hop: The Black family unit. That’s what Black Habits primarily deals with: D Smoke’s upbringing and how his family has helped shape him into the man and artist he is today. As a highly biographical work, it’s still expansive and inclusive enough to encompass a broad array of experiences, while from a technical standpoint, you’d be hard-pressed to find better lyrical displays than “Bullies” or “Like My Daddy” or “Lights On.” With this album, D Smoke proved that he’s got the scope for a career far beyond Netflix.–A.W.

7. Flo Milli – Ho, Why Is You Here?

The dope thing about Flo Milli is that everything she raps clearly comes from a place of experience. Ho, Why Is You Here? sees the Alabama native spitting hyper bars over bouncy beats aided by catchy hooks. Her breakout single, “In The Party,” was a viral sensation in 2019 and though she didn’t have a project out at the time, the anticipation for a full-length collection of songs was high and Flo did not disappoint. Keeping the same energy that previously caught the attention of millions, Flo Milli spits rhymes that boast of confidence and braggadocio. Out the gate, between “Beef FloMix” setting the tone as the album enters into the essence of the rest of the project, Milli’s storytelling capability jumps out accompanied by affirmations of self-love. Ho, Why Is You Here? is an incredible debut from Flo Milli as a woman in rap who is fresh on the scene.–C.J.

6. Lil Baby – My Turn

After taking the melodic rap formula first popularized by Future and innovated by Young Thug then putting his own, confessional spin on it, Lil Baby straight up entered the flow state on his sophomore project. When he broke out in 2018 with the Harder Than Ever and Drip Harder mixtapes, it’s fair to say that some tweaks were needed. He had a strong sense of his identity and the things he wanted to do with his flow and lyrics, but he was still solidifying all those components, requiring timely assists from the likes of Drake and Gunna to up the “wow” factor while he tinkered. But on My Turn, he’s the star of the show no matter which guest is rhyming alongside him. He spends the entire album in the zone, from vulnerable revelations like “Emotionally Scarred” to boastful declarations like “Sum 2 Prove.” He even improved on the formula with the deluxe edition, adding “The Bigger Picture” and becoming an inadvertent focal point of the summer’s uprisings against police brutality.–A.W.

5. Run The Jewels – RTJ4

There was a point during this summer where everything aligned to make it feel like the latest dystopian (or maybe post-apocalyptic) effort from El-P and Killer Mike wasn’t just paranoid fantasy or pessimistic speculation but instead the soundtrack of a movie we were all trapped in like The Final Girls. The police had killed George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, people took to the streets in droves to protest the injustice amid a deadly global pandemic, and a demagogic wannabe dictator was making nihilistic pronouncements from his golf course in Florida. RTJ4 is damn near a history book in audio form, from the defiant “A Few Words For The Firing Squad” to the capitalism burning video for “Ooh La La.” We aren’t out of the woods yet, but shout-out to the Jewels for keeping our spirits high as we fought against what felt like the end of the world.–A.W.

4. Roddy Ricch – Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial

Compton native Roddy has had one hell of a year, riding the success of his single “The Box” (which spent no less than 38 weeks on the Hot 100, 11 of which were at the No. 1 position) and popping up on fan-favorite singles from the likes of DaBaby and Lil Baby (their names get stuck together a lot, don’t they?). All of that, though, was launched from the impressive late 2019 debut album that saw him go from burgeoning hometown hero to a legit superstar as he wrestled with the results of trauma (“War Baby“), bragged on his newfound success (“Boom Boom Room“), and warned haters away from making any moves that might be hazardous to their health (“Start With Me” featuring Gunna).–A.W.

3. Mac Miller – Circles

Circles, which was completed by Jon Brion after Mac’s tragic death, showed the Pittsburgh artist scrutinizing his discontent over a soundscape that fused rap, funk, and emo. The raw despair of thematic predecessor Swimming had lessened with songs like ”Blue World” and “Complicated,” where he eerily vocalizes “Some people say they want to live forever / That’s way too long, I’ll just get through today.” Through Circles, he lives forever.–A.G.

2. Lil Uzi Vert – Eternal Atake

Lil Uzi Vert had the rap world waiting on Eternal Atake for years. When he finally dropped it at the top of 2020, he delivered. The 18-track project is a quintessential exhibition of why people love Uzi, with earworm melodies over vibrant, often-quaking thumping production. Maybe there’s a universe where the genre-bending stargazer isn’t one of the most fun listens in music — but it ain’t this one.–A.G.

1. Spillage Village – Spilligion

Imagine if Bob Dylan somehow joined the Dungeon Family in their late-90s heyday, but with all of the technical advancements and foreknowledge of the trash fire 2020 would turn out to be. They might make something similar to Spilligion, the first album from Atlanta-based super crew Spillage Village since 2016’s Bears Like This Too Much. Borrowing folk tradition, marrying it to Southern Baptist gospel, and slathering the whole thing in trap rap secret sauce, 6lack, Earthgang, JID, and the gang (Benjj, Jurdan, and Mereba — you thought I wasn’t gonna shout everybody out??) untangle their complicated feelings — and, by and large, ours as well — about the gnarly happenings of the last 12 months on songs like “End Of Daze.” The answers they tease out aren’t for everybody, but the musical process they use to do so sure is.–A.W.

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

If this latest claim of voter fraud doesn’t convince you that the Saturday Night Live writers are scripting 2020, we don’t know what will.

Roger Stone, Trump’s infamous hype-man and a conservative political lobbyist who was convicted on seven felony counts related to the Mueller investigation (and recently pardoned) has tossed his hat into the ring for most-absurd-election-tampering-conspiracy-theory. Stone graced The Alex Jones Show to spread his theory that North Korea interfered in the 2020 Presidential Election.

“I just learned of absolute incontrovertible evidence of North Korean boats delivering ballots through a harbor in Maine, the state of Maine,” Stone told Jones. “If this checks out if law enforcement looked into that and it turned out to be true, it would be proof of foreign involvement in the election.”

If your head is also spinning after reading this, let’s break it down a bit. Stone, a man convicted for witness tampering and lying to investigators during Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 Presidential Election, is now claiming that North Korea — a country whose dictator Trump has claimed to be close friends with — sent votes for Biden by boat to Maine and that, somehow, those votes were accepted and counted. He’s making these claims on Alex Jones’ show — hosted by the guy who tried to convince people the tragic 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary was a hoax — and he’s free to do so because Trump commuted his three-year prison sentence.

Even if this bizarre claim was coming from a reliable source, it seems odd that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un would allow an operation like this to happen. After all, Trump has bragged about the pair’s friendship, stating the Supreme Leader sent him “love letters” over the course of his presidency, and that friendly relationship has helped North Korea ramp up their nuclear efforts. Still, Stone’s latest conspiracy theory seems in line with Trump’s renewed push to cast doubt on election results before the Electoral College meets on Dec. 14th.

Ballots coming in by boat from North Korea? Sounds like the kind of bonkers thinking that a guy with a Richard Nixon back tattoo would have.

Former president Barack Obama has been making the rounds doing press for his new book, “The Promised Land,” and after interviews with everyone from 60 Minutes to Oprah Winfrey, the 44th president took to Instagram Live with two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry to chat about their shared experiences as fathers and leaders.

As Curry enters a later stage of his NBA career, he asked the former president about how to lead when expectations are high and all eyes on are on you.

Here was Obama’s response:

One mistake I think a lot of people make is that you’re just either born a leader or you’re not. When, in fact, leadership is, like anything else, it’s a skill. And there are a bunch of different ways to do it. I‘ve known people who were great leaders but really soft spoken and weren’t always trying to seek attention. The thing I try to communicate in the book and I learned this, I wasn’t always perfect at it…number one was realizing that the most important thing a leader does is they set a tone in terms of culture as a team. Whether the team is a a basketball team or a business or an administration. What are the values in which you are organizing yourselves?….Being clear about what your values are as an organization, that’s part of leadership.

Obama also added how important it is as a leader to empower those around you and give them to space to be their best:

The second thing, and this, I know you can relate to, because it’s a direct analogy to basketball or any team sport…is figuring out, how do you help the people around you succeed?…If you can figure out how to empower the other folks on your team so they’re doing great, that’s good for you. And by the way, they’ll feel good about your leadership because they’re seeing that you’re invested in their success. And the mistake I think some folks make is to think being a leader is “How do I dominate and stay on top of other folks?” If you have that kind of approach, your organization or whatever it is, is not going to be as good as it should be and by the way, you’re not going to have the same tight bonds so that when, inevitably, something goes wrong, you got other people to pick each other up.

The two also discuss different moments from across Obama’s political career, including his 2004 Democratic National Convention speech that served as a springboard into national politics and the raid he directed to take down Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in 2011.

As the year begins to near a close, the music world is reflecting on all that 2020 had to offer. Uproxx rounded up the best albums and the best songs of the year this week, but we’re not the only ones compiling impressive releases. Billboard is looking back at the artists who secured No. 1s on their charts this year, and 2020 sees Post Malone as their top-charting artist for the second year in a row.

Per Billboard‘s year-end report, Posty has gone back-to-back as the top-charting artist. His charting success is thanks to the continued interest in his 2019 album Hollywood’s Bleeding. The LP debuted at No. 1 on the 200 Albums chart in September of 2019, and continued to remain in the top ten for the entire 52-week 2020 charting period.

Along with being top artist of the year, Posty’s Hollywood’s Bleeding was also the top album of 2020. The rapper is the first artist since Adele in 2016 to have the top album and also be Billboard‘s top artist. Posty’s consecutive top-charting artist win also takes a page out of Adele’s playbook. He is the first since Adele to be the top-charting artist back-to-back, after Adele claimed the feat in 2011 and 2012.

Though this is the rapper’s second year as the top artist, Posty has managed to place at least one album in the top ten year-end 200 Albums chart for four consecutive years. Last year, his Beerbongs & Bentleys landed at No. 5 at the 2019’s close, and it was at No. 3 at the end of 2018. His album Stoney was at No. 8 in 2018 and came in at No. 7 in 2017.

Despite not putting out an album in 2020, the rapper has appeared on a couple of singles. Posty lent a verse on Tyla Yaweh’s track “Tommy Lee,” which he performed at the BMAs this year, as well as Ty Dolla Sign’s “Spicy,” which he recently starred in a video for.

Last month, Bad Bunny was supposed to be one of the performers at the AMAs, but he had to back out after testing positive for COVID-19. The good news, though, is that he appears to have made a full recovery.

Bad Bunny spoke about it with James Corden on The Late Late Show, saying, “I feel great, thank God. I already tested negative, so I’m so happy. I feel great. I feel perfect.”

Elsewhere during the chat, Corden asked for Bunny’s thoughts on being the most-streamed Spotify artist of 2020, and he expressed his gratitude, saying, “That’s so crazy, you know? Five years ago, I was so excited when I get my first, I don’t know, 5,000 plays, and now I am the No. 1 artist on Spotify around the world. I guess, just be grateful, you know? Because this is a dream come true and I’m doing what I love.”

He also spoke about his joy at being nominated for a couple Grammys in 2021, saying, “It was crazy, but obviously, I’m so happy and grateful to the Academy and fans and people who support me. Singing in my language, Spanish, and being nominated to the Grammys is something that I feel so proud and happy.”

Bad Bunny also performed “Te Deseo Lo Mejor” on the show, so watch clips from his Corden appearance above and below.

Francis Ford Coppola has been working overtime to promote his upcoming director’s cut of The Godfather Part III, now titled Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, and in the process, he may have tipped Paramount’s hand on the future of the franchise. While talking to Dave Itzkoff about returning to the cinematic crime family that put his name and Al Pacino‘s on the map, Coppola revealed that there were talks for a fourth Godfather movie that would’ve built on the events of the third movie, despite it being regarded as the “weaker” film in the saga. While those talks stalled in the late ’90s following the death of Puzo, Pacino and Andy Garcia quipped that the renewed attention over the director’s cut is going to have someone at Paramount sniffing around for a fourth installment.

However, both actors wouldn’t be interested in returning to the franchise unless Coppola is involved, and he has “made clear that he wants to move on.” But that doesn’t rule out The Godfather Part IV happening. Via The New York Times:

This does not prevent Paramount from making sequels if it wants to. “There may well be a ‘Godfather IV’ and ‘V’ and ‘VI,’” Coppola said. “I don’t own ‘The Godfather.’” (Paramount said in a statement, “While there are no imminent plans for another film in the ‘Godfather’ saga, given the enduring power of its legacy it remains a possibility if the right story emerges.”)

Of course, the struggle between Coppola and Paramount over sequels stretches all the way back to the first movie. While The Godfather Part II is considered to be one of the greatest sequels of all time, Coppola did not want to make second movie. He was eventually “seduced” by Paramount and their philosophy on the situation: “You’ve got Coca-Cola, why not make more Coca-Cola?”

(Via The New York Times)

Brooklyn rapper Casanova, an up-and-coming artist closely associated with the city’s burgeoning drill movement, has surrendered to federal authorities after being charged with racketeering, murder, and other offenses, according to the New York Daily News. Earlier this week, the FBI announced it had indicted 18 members of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation group, calling for information on the rapper, the only one not yet in custody.

According to the New York Daily News, Casanova surrendered himself at the Midtown South precinct in Manhattan yesterday. Among the charges against the group are firearm possession, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and unemployment fraud, which can all apply to each member under the blanket racketeering charge, similarly to the Nine Trey Bloods to whom Tekashi 69 was affiliated.

The indictment accuses two members of using other people’s IDs to file fraudulent applications for COVID-19-related unemployment benefits, while other members are accused of selling crack, cocaine, and ecstasy throughout Co-op City and Castle Hill in the Bronx. Casanova himself is accused of punching and robbing a young woman in Greenwich Village. The most serious charge against the alleged gang is murder; one member is said to have driven an accomplice to Poughkeepsie to kill a 15-year-old.

For the second consecutive offseason, the Houston Rockets pulled off a trade to give James Harden a new backcourt running mate. Last year, the team swapped out Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook, and after rumors swirled for a few weeks about the latter wanting out, Westbrook was moved on Wednesday night for John Wall.

Whenever one half of a big-name pairing is moved, questions inevitably pop up about the role that the other had in the entire ordeal. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN brought some insight into this on Thursday morning’s edition of Get Up, and after mentioning that both teams were trying to appease the stars they still in place — Harden and Bradley Beal — he revealed that Harden was especially fond of this move.

“He had a preference of John Wall over Westbrook,” Wojnarowski said of Harden when asked about what the future holds for the former league MVP, who reportedly would like a trade. “Although in the last couple years, Harden has moved teammates in and out. Brought Chris Paul in, moved him out, same with Russell Westbrook now. Whether that’s going to be enough to convince him to want to be there long-term, [the] Rockets aren’t sure about that.”

It’s a very interesting nugget because Harden and Westbrook have a long friendship, something that was mentioned a whole lot when the former Thunder teammates joined forces in Houston last year. This is not to assume there was a big falling out or anything between the two, but perhaps this was an example of something that worked well in theory and not as well once that became reality — the mind cannot help but wander to a piece done by The Athletic which indicated that Harden “wasn’t as receptive to criticism as other teammates” that came after Westbrook led a meeting in which he “went around the room indicating what was wrong and what each player needed to do to fix the losing streak, starting with himself.”

Of course, there are legitimate risks that come with trading for Wall, who has not appeared in an NBA game since December of 2018 due to injuries. But Houston’s No. 1 priority is making sure Harden is happy, and if this helps them achieve that goal, then it makes sense why this deal happened.