Month: December 2020

Lil Uzi Vert managed to have a very productive 2020, despite the pandemic, quarantine, and general chaos. Releasing his long-awaited Eternal Atake project to acclaim, he followed that up almost immediately with Luv Vs. The World 2, which was initially branded as the “deluxe” edition of Eternal Atake, but included fourteen new songs to basically become a follow-up album.

While Uzi’s contributions to a new hip-hop canon were especially appreciated during a year where a lot of us wanted to escape, the sheer volume of work he released, including a joint mixtape with Future, Pluto X Baby Pluto, had fans worried that his retirement threats just might be real. Well, a message from the young rapper tonight seems to contradict any signs of slowing down.

In an Instagram Live with fans, Uzi shared that his plans to release projects Forever Young and Luv Is Rage 3 are still in full swing. He even floats the idea of debuting both of those projects live first, before they even come out. As starved as fans are for live music right now, it wouldn’t be surprising if that tactic got picked up over the next few months as it becomes safe to go to shows again due to the vaccine. Check out Uzi’s assertion below, and look out for even more music from him coming soon.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Tory Lanez quickly took a nosedive this year after he was involved with the shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Initially, Megan didn’t disclose Tory was the one who shot her, leading to some confusion when she did confirm he was involved. For his part, Lanez has shown little remorse and been defiant — even going so far as to accuse Megan of framing him — while multiple artists and previous collaborators revoking their verses or features due to his behavior.

After releasing the project Daystar to little attention earlier in the year, Lanez has apparently now released another new body of work, this one called Loner. Ah, clever title. Despite the name, though, the tracklist for the new project is packed with guests, including big hip-hop names like Lil Wayne, Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd, Rich The Kid, and Tyga.

Lanez said on Instagram the project is a “capsule,” dubbing it the rap playlist version, and mentioning either the “island” or “R&B” capsules as potential future drops. Initially slated to come out last Friday, Tory pushed the release back to tonight. Given the reaction of the hip-hop community to Tory’s behavior in his situation with Megan, it seems likely these songs were recorded prior to the drama. But any commentary from the artists involved remains to be seen.

Not only is Rihanna a musician, beauty guru, and fashion icon but now, she’s trying her hand at being a chef. The singer is looking to bring traditional food from her Barbadian roots to the table with an upcoming cookbook.

Rihanna revealed her plans in an interview with the UK tabloid Closer this week. Apparently, the inspiration to start a cookbook came from having the time to make home-cooked meals in lockdown. The singer said she “loves food from my Barbadian roots,” primarily the use of fresh fish. But even with the healthy options, Rihanna said Caribbean cooking can also lend itself to comfort food like mac ‘n’ cheese, shepherd’s pie, and rum punch (which are among her favorites).

Elsewhere in the interview, Rihanna spoke about how quarantine offered her a much-needed break from her busy schedule. “I love what I do – but I am always busy and quarantine gave me the time to do things I wouldn’t always have been able to do – watch an entire box set in a day, cook, go for walk,” she said. “It’s important we do little things we enjoy and are kind to ourselves.”

With her newfound down-time, the singer added that she’s been able to unlock a new kind of creativity. “At first it was strange because I am not used to being still – but during quarantine you have no choice but to be still,” she said. “Then you start to realize during lockdown you are stuck there with your own thoughts and your imagination and it really helped my creativity blossom.”

Rihanna has yet to unveil more details about the cookbook project. Lately, the singer has been preoccupied with her new beau ASAP Rocky, but time will tell when the singer is ready to announce the endeavor.

It’s been almost two months since the 2020 presidential election was called for Joe Biden, which is to say it’s been almost two months since the Four Seasons Total Landscaping debacle — a clown show so ridiculous it almost dwarfed the day’s bigger news. At the time it was hard to get a straight answer on what happened. Was it a miscommunication? Was it Trump’s fault? Rudy Giuliani’s fault? A new piece by New York’s Olivia Nuzzi makes it seem even more chaotic than it did originally. But one thing’s for certain: Giuliani is somehow even more of a mess than we thought.

Nuzzi spoke with 37 sources for her report, and — understandably! — she couldn’t get anyone to confirm a clear story on how the Four Seasons mishegoss happened and who was to blame. Some say the now-notorious Philadelphia press conference was supposed to take place at the prestigious Union League; others at the United Republican Club. One staffer simply said, “Honest to God, I have no idea how that came about.” All that’s clear (or clearer) is the Trump administration is a chaotic shambles. Perhaps that’s the closest to an explanation we’ll ever get.

But Giuliani certainly doesn’t help. Nuzzi says that, shortly after Election Day, campaign staffers said that the former New York City mayor was, at that point, “becoming more and more of a problem.” (That is to say, even more than previously, of course.) As the Trump team tried to keep it together, both before and after Election Day, they found themselves distracted. By Rudy:

But in the final sprint to Election Day, managing the known unknowns of Giuliani’s endless capacity to f*ck up so much that he was often at the center of several personal and international legal dramas at once was consuming time and manpower at campaign headquarters when there was little left to spare. “We were spending hours each day trying to prevent Rudy from creating a disaster,” a senior campaign official said. “Hours and hours.”

And so staffers who had bigger fish to fry were instead, Nuzzi says, “focused on devising ways to distract the once celebrated mayor of New York City.” This description only adds to Giuliani’s embarrassing mystique: “In the office he was a nuisance, but out of sight he was a terror.”

Keeping Giuliani out of the office but in sight was one reason he was sent to Philadelphia, where absentee ballots — whose early counting had been forbidden by state Republican lawmakers — were slowly being tallied, and were clearly tipping the state towards Biden. But instead of keeping quiet, he wound up presiding — though perhaps not instigating — the first of many post-Election Day Rudy embarrassments. (Not even melting goo sliding down his head at another disastrous presser could top the Four Seasons one.)

It may take much longer into a post-Trump America — and, reminder, as of this writing he still has yet to concede — for us to get a straight answer on how the world came to know the name of an obscure landscaping business, located far from the heart of Philadelphia’s Center City. But the lack of a clear answer — and the continued presence of Rudy Giuliani — is its own explanation. Perhaps there will be no more damning takedown of what’s wrong with the outgoing administration than this turn of phrase from Nuzzi: “It’s hard to know what counts as a f*ckup when you work for Donald Trump.”

(Via New York)

Last month, indie veterans Grandaddy reissued their 2000 sophomore album The Sophtware Slump, this time as a box set. But it didn’t take long for vocalist Jason Lytle to share even more music. The singer hand-picked two songs that hold personal meaning and reimagined them with pensive covers.

Lytle released covers of Belle & Sebastian’s “The Fox In The Snow” as well as Beach Boys’ “In My Room” to his Bandcamp, then explained his decision to cover them:

“‘The Fox In The Snow’- I’ve loved this Belle & Sebastian song for ages. I had to slow it down and tame the ‘bounce’ that it had though. I wanted it sweeter and sadder. That’s how I hear it: sweet and sad.

‘In My Room’ – For anyone who claims introversion as a primary characteristic and has found themselves in some sort of career that requires communicating in public, this Beach Boys song is yours. Also, scarily fitting for just being anyone out there in the year 2020.”

Earlier, Lytle chatted with Uproxx about the The Sophtware Slump reissue. Speaking about the original album’s inspiration, Lytle praised other well-known bands of the early aughts. “I wanted to make it the most interesting, imaginative sounding record that I could,” he said. “There was a lot of exciting shit going on at the time, too. The Flaming Lips were making these really amazing, cool, weird-ass, imaginative sounding records. Radiohead’s OK Computer blew my f*cking mind. I was just feeding off of all that stuff.”

Listen to Lytle cover Belle & Sebastian’s “Fox In The Snow” and Beach Boys’ “In My Room” above.

Few who saw George Washington, David Gordon Green’s low-key debut from the year 2000, could have ever imagined the strange and twisty career that awaited him — surely not even Green himself. It used to seem odd that the guy who made small, sensitive indies like All the Real Girls also helmed the stoner comedies Pineapple Express and Your Highness. Jump a decade and he was suddenly making sequels to Halloween. Now he’s doubling down on old horror IPs: As per Variety, Green is in talks to do another sequel for another, even more shocking ’70s classic, The Exorcist.

The news was first reported by Observer, and THR confirms that Green is still “in talks” to make a follow-up to the biggest hit of 1973, from a time when Nixon-era America couldn’t get enough of watching a 12-year-old girl get possessed by a demon, vomit pea soup, spin her head 360 degrees, shout saucy expletives, and masturbate with a crucifix. Like Green’s 2018 film Halloween, it will be a direct sequel to the original, and it’s worth noting that two of its stars, Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair, are still with us. (Of course, we’ll how much of the nastiness will remain in a post-Trump/post-COVID world, but surely America will still have some, well, demons to exorcise for quite some time to come.)

The news comes mere days after the original’s director, William Friedkin, shot down rumors that he was involved in the reboot. He also had nothing to do with any of its sequels and prequels, including the notorious and brazenly nonsensical Exorcist II: The Heretic, which featured little in the way of exorcising but did include a great uptick in the number of locusts (as well as this deranged banger of an Ennio Morricone track). A threequel, helmed by the novel’s author William Peter Blatty, was better received, as was a prequel by Paul Schrader that was infamously rejected by the studio for being too slow and smart, prompting Cliffhanger’s Renny Harlin to redo it as something a whole lot dumber. But, as was the case with Green’s revisionist Halloween, you can forget all of those follow-ups ever happened.

(Via Variety and Observer)

The Holidays aren’t just about giving gifts to the humans in your lives. Man’s best friend needs some gift love, too. Sure, your dog might be happy with the leftover wrapping paper from the other gifts, but why not treat him anyways?

Hide-A-Squirrel Squeaky Puzzle Plush Dog Toy

You can give your dog a gift that is both fun and educational. This tree-trunk shaped puzzle allows your dog to find hidden hedgehogs. It probably won’t help your dog do better on the puppy SATs, but it’ll at least keep him busy!

Outward Hound, $18.75; Amazon

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Nylabone Dental Dinosaur Chew Toy

When you’re a dog, you can never have too many things to chew on. Chewability is the one guarantee that your dog will love whatever you get it. This long-lasting chew toy also promotes dental healthy, so it’s fun and healthy. Plus, how cute is the dinosaur shape?

Nylabone, $9.99; Amazon

Nerf Dog Tennis Ball Blaster Dog Toy

Take fetch to the next level. This Nerf gun can blast a ball up to 50 feet. Of course, the distance is adjustable if you don’t want that much muscle during playtime. This blaster allows your to pick up tennis balls hands-free, so no more slobbery balls. It’s like a gift for both of you.

Nerf, $19.99; Amazon

Pet Drinking Fountain

Your dog probably drinks out of the toilet any chance it gets, but with this chic water dispenser, your dog will have access to filtered water on demand. It also has a waterfall mode to increase the water oxygen content. Definitely better than that toilet.

NPET, $28.99; Amazon

Ice Cream Mix for Dogs

Just add water to the powder mix and freeze, and voila! Real ice cream for your dog. This dog ice cream is formulated for even sensitive dog tummies, so you can let your dog indulge in a cool treat guilt-free.

Puppy Scoops, $8.99; Amazon

Dog Camera

This Alexa compatible dog-camera doesn’t just allow you to monitor your dog on your phone, it also lets you interact with your dog while you’re away. Through the Furbo app, you can feed your dog treats or receive notifications when your dog is barking. Because the future is now.

Furbo, $133.99; Amazon

Calming Donut Cuddler

This dog bed was designed with thick shag fur to feel like their mother’s fur, giving the bed anti-anxiety benefits. Your dog can curl up on a cloud, or rather, a bed that feels like a cloud, because a bed from an actual cloud would be impossible.

HACHIKITTY, $83.99; Amazon

PupCups with Sprinkles

Treat your four-legged friend with these cupcakes meant for dogs. They’re made by hand with human-grade ingredients, and even though they look and smell just like human cupcakes these are FOR DOGS. Do not eat your dog’s present.

Claudia’s Canine Bakery, $22.99 for 12; Amazon

Leopard Pattern Dog Turtleneck

It’s an animal print designed to go on another animal. How cute is that? Only the most stylish dogs will truly appreciate this chic sweater. The rest will probably shake it off, tear it up, and use it as a chew toy

PASRLD, $17.98; Amazon

Few who saw George Washington, David Gordon Green’s low-key debut from the year 2000, could have ever imagined the strange and twisty career that awaited him — surely not even Green himself. It used to seem odd that the guy who made small, sensitive indies like All the Real Girls also helmed the stoner comedies Pineapple Express and Your Highness. Jump a decade and he was suddenly making sequels to Halloween. Now he’s doubling down on old horror IPs: As per The Hollywood Reporter, Green is in talks to remake an even more shocking ’70s classic, The Exorcist.

The news was first reported by Observer, and THR confirms that Green is still “in talks” to redo the biggest hit of 1973, from a time when Nixon-era America couldn’t get enough of watching a 12-year-old girl get possessed by a demon, vomit pea soup, spin her head 360 degrees, shout saucy expletives, and masturbate with a crucifix. We’ll how much of that will remain in a post-Trump/post-COVID world, but surely America will still have some, well, demons to exorcise for quite some time to come.

The news comes mere days after the original’s director, William Friedkin, shot down rumors that he was involved in the reboot. He also had nothing to do with any of its sequels and prequels, including the notorious and brazenly nonsensical Exorcist II: The Heretic, which featured little in the way of exorcising but did include a great uptick in the number of locusts (as well as this deranged banger of an Ennio Morricone track). A threequel, helmed by the novel’s author William Peter Blatty, was better received, as was a prequel by Paul Schrader that was infamously rejected by the studio for being too slow and smart, prompting Cliffhanger’s Renny Harlin to redo it as something a whole lot dumber. In other words, David Gordon Green may find himself among august company indeed.

(Via THR and Observer)

Nine months after the first pandemic lockdowns began across the US, Congress is finally voting on a second relief bill. Most of the negative attention has gone towards the modest $600 stimulus checks, which got Nancy Pelosi slammed online after she called it “significant.” But because the bill is thousands of pages, there are some peculiar clauses politicians that people didn’t catch on first glance. One provision includes a statement on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation process and another addresses the punishment for illegal music streaming.

The “Felony Streaming” provision was first presented by Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina. According to Consequence Of Sound, Tillis’ proposal suggested to increase the penalty for those found guilty of streaming unlicensed works, whether it be music, television, or film, making it possible for them to face up to ten years in federal prison.

Along with making illegal streaming a felony offense, the bill would help those looking to file copyright infringement claims. Rather than forcing copyright holders to go through the costly process of taking an infringement claim through federal court, the proposed system would make it possible for them to settle cases in a more streamlined manner.

Tillis isn’t the first senator to propose harsher action against illegal streamers. Nearly a decade ago, Senator Amy Klobuchar, who ran for president this year, made a similar proposal similar. That one did not pass, as people were concerned that the increased restrictions may end up sending Justin Bieber to jail.

The San Francisco 49ers lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, falling to 5-9 on the season with their sixth defeat in the last seven games. For a team with reasonably high expectations, the 49ers have been disappointing in the grand scheme, though it should be noted that San Francisco has dealt with myriad injuries on both sides of the ball, crippling their once lauded depth. To that end, starting running back Raheem Mostert, who burst onto the scene with 336 rushing yards and five touchdowns during the 2019 playoffs, suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him after just 14 carries and 68 yards against Dallas.

Mostert has been dealing with the ankle injury for most of the season, appearing in just eight of the team’s 14 games, but a particular segment of NFL fans seemed to find his Twitter account and lob what he called “disrespect’ in his direction after the game.

Given the presence of the fantasy football playoffs, it was fair to assume at least some of the ire came from overzealous individuals who were invested in Mostert’s success, and he confirmed that as part of an extensive rant.

Quite honestly, Mostert is in the right here, as players want to be on the field whenever possible, and it isn’t as if it is a pleasurable experience to deal with and rehab from an injury. Beyond that, he was spot-on in expressing a desire for people to be respectful of one another.

Fantasy football is, of course, a potentially enjoyable experience, albeit a frustrating one for many, and has become for some the main lens through which they view the NFL. Still, there is clearly no need to lash out at players for underperformance (and even less of a need to tag them on Twitter), and that is doubly true for injury-related absences. Mostert isn’t the first, nor will be the last, player to push back on fans hurling insults in his direction, but it would be wise to note his objections in this case and, hopefully, folks won’t feel the need to express their displeasure in this way again.