Month: February 2021

Rudy Giuliani hosts a daily talk radio show on New York’s TalkRadio 77 WABC, where he was previously free to blabber about god-knows-what without restrictions. That’s no longer case, as the station added a legal disclaimer during Thursday’s episode. “The views, assumptions, and opinions expressed by former U.S. Attorney, former attorney to the President of the United States, and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, his guests and callers on the program are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the opinions, beliefs, or policies of WABC Radio, its owner Red Apple Group, and other WABC hosts or our advertisers.” The disclaimer apparently caught Giuliani by surprise.

“I would have thought they would have told me about that before just doing what they just did. Rather insulting,” he said on air. “And gives you a sense of how far this free speech thing has gone. And how they frighten everybody. I mean, we’re in America, we’re not in East Germany.” Giuliani was complaining about his free speech being restricted on a radio show that was streaming worldwide, but do go on. “They’ve got to warn you about me? I’m going to have to give that a lot of consideration,” he continued. “I also think putting it on without telling me ― not the right thing to do. Not the right thing to do at all.” You know what is the right thing to do? Buying cigars!

The disclaimer came hours after Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Giuliani, among others. The suit alleges that the former-mayor “created a story about Smartmatic” and that Fox News, where Rudy was a frequent guest, “joined the conspiracy to defame and disparage Smartmatic and its election technology and software.” Nevertheless, Giuliani continued to peddle his long-ago-disproven theories.

Throughout the rest of his show, Giuliani continued to advance the same old lies about 2020 election fraud he’s been making since last year. And even some of his listeners seem to have grown tired of it, as evidenced by a caller who asked Giuliani if he felt “somewhat guilty about spreading a lot of unproven conspiracy theories to folks who may not have the ability or critical thinking skills” and if maybe Giuliani was “taking advantage of the gullible.”

Spoiler: he did not feel guilty.

(Via the Wrap)

Netflix is edging into Black History month and Valentine’s Day with a whole lot of fresh content. That’s excellent news, of course, because the massive streaming service is still somehow cranking out as much content as ever. This week’s lineup of new stuff includes an A-lister romantic drama shot during the pandemic, a gathering of Tiffany Haddish’s favorite comedians, a return to TV from a former romcom queen, and a documentary about sultry dancing. Netflix simply cannot stop trying to give us all of the good stuff.

Here’s everything else coming to (and leaving) the streaming platform this week.

Malcolm & Marie (Netflix film streaming 2/5)

Zendaya and John David Washington are getting “achingly romantic,” not to mention dramatic, in this black-and-white film shot during lockdown. Sam Levinson directs and Marcell Rev is on cinematography, so the film looks achingly beautiful as well. Washington’s character is celebrating his movie premiere, and Zendaya portrays his girlfriend, and something goes wrong once they return home with revelations flying and their love put to the test. Levinson meant to send an ode to the Hollywood romances of yesteryear with this one, so Happy (early) Valentine’s Day.

Firefly Lane (Netflix series streaming 2/3)

Now for a different type of love. Katherine Heigl returns to TV with Sarah Chalke as co-star, as the duo portrays two women over three-to-four decades of best friendship. Expect laughs and sentimentality, all based upon the New York Times bestselling book of the same name, and a brunette Heigl. The show’s an exploration of the most important relationship in one’s life and those friendships that can pick up without missing a beat, even after time apart.

Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready (Netflix series streaming 2/2)

Season 2 time, guys. Netflix’s stellar run of stand-up comedy specials took a bit of a breather in late 2020, but there’s some excellent news on the horizon. Girl’s Trip star Tiffany Haddish will return with a fresh collection of half-hour specials that includes a diverse crop of comedians who are near and dear to Haddish. These players include Chaunté Wayans (Wild n’ Out), April Macie (Last Comic Standing), Tracey Ashley (The Last O.G.), Aida Rodriguez (Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar), Flame Monroe (Def Comedy Jam), and Marlo Williams (BET’s Comicview). This season won’t drop a moment too soon because we could really use the laughs.

Strip Down, Rise Up (Netflix film streaming 2/5)

Pole dancing ain’t easy, and Academy Award-nominated director Michèle Ohayon sends up an intimate look at a group of women who come together to heal trauma and put body image issues to rest with this particular type of dancing. Yes, it’s sensual stuff but so much more, and it looks like a take-the-power-back kind of ride.

Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:

Avail. 2/1
The Bank Job
Beverly Hills Ninja
Eat Pray Love
Inception
Love Daily: Season 1
My Best Friend’s Wedding
My Dead Ex: Season 1
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
The Patriot
Rocks
Shutter Island
The Unsetting: Season 1
Zac and Mia: Seasons 1-2
Zathura

Avail. 2/2
Kid Cosmic
Mighty Express: Season 2
Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready: Season 2

Avail. 2/3
All My Friends Are Dead
Black Beach
Firefly Lane

Avail. 2/5
Hache: Season 2
Invisible City
The Last Paradiso
Little Big Women
Malcolm & Marie
Space Sweepers
Strip Down, Rise Up
The Yin-Yang Master: Dream Of Eternity

Avail. 2/6
The Sinner: Jamie

Avail. 2/8
iCarly: Seasons 1-2
War Dogs

And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:

Leaving 2/7
Don’t Knock Twice
Swiped

Leaving 2/10
A Bad Moms Christmas

Leaving 2/11
The Other Guys

Leaving 2/14
Alone in Berlin
Hostiles

Leaving 2/16
Brave Miss World: Collection 1

Leaving 2/19
Bates Motel: Seasons 1-5

Back in February of 2020, Dave Grohl reported that Foo Fighters had finished making a new album, which has now turned out to be the just-released Medicine At Midnight. So, the band has been holding on to this one for a long time, and Taylor Hawkins compares the relief of this album release to another kind of drop.

Hawkins is the subject of a new Metro profile, and in the piece, he was asked how it feels to finally release the album. He gave a candid response, saying with a laugh, “Like taking a big huge sh*t. My stomach’s been hurting for a long time. Finally! A collective sigh of relief. We’ve finally got over our constipation.’

Elsewhere during the piece, he admitted that he was grateful the pandemic gave him some time to really relax for the first time in years:

“It’s been a nice time to kind of get off the treadmill, on a certain level. I’m not saying that sounds unsympathetic because I know the world’s in a lot of trouble, it’s terrible, I know this. I’m just so fortunate and I feel fortunate the time this has given me. I haven’t really got off the treadmill in 28 years. You never really get a chance to look; you get little moments of, ‘Oh, my life’s amazing,’ but you’re usually onto the next record, or gig, or side project. You’re constantly go go go, and when you’re not, you get to reflect, if you’re lucky, which… I’m lucky. I just want this place to heal and people to go be human beings again. We’ve been getting together a lot more, safely, and testing so it feels like… the only difference is we rehearse and do TV shows, so we’ve managed to somehow, in some strange way, be a band still.”

Check out the full feature here.

While the NBA and its Players Association continue to debate the particulars about an add-on NBA All-Star Game in March Atlanta, we can officially count one star footing against it even happening: LeBron James.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday night after the Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets, 114-93, at home, James made it clear: he’s not interested in participating in the game, which was not part of the original schedule for the 2020-21 NBA Season.

James’ lack of “energy” is certainly understandable, as he’s routinely played deep into the postseason the majority of his career and endured a long haul in the NBA’s Disney bubble before the regular season resumed at home courts in December. But the strong rebuke sent a strong wave through the league on a night where word trickled out about the particulars of what an Atlanta All-Star Game could be amid a pandemic that’s canceled dozens of NBA regular season games. If the league decides to hold an All-Star Game, it will undoubtedly look very different than previous All-Star Weekends in all the obvious ways we’ve seen in the sports world in recent months.

It’s important to note that, despite his opposition to an All-Star Game in 2021, James implied that he would go to Atlanta and participate in the festivities. But his statements were an honest assessment of his view of the game, and apparently the frivolity of trying to make it happen in the first place. All things considered, it sounds like he would appreciate the break rather than the obligation of playing.

Other players have spoken out against the All-Star Game amid the ongoing talks about logistics over where players not attending could travel and how they reenter the NBA season. But the Association now sits at an extremely interesting crossroads where its most influential player — and one of its biggest All-Star draws — has flatly stated he’s not a fan of the league planning the event in the first place.

LeBron James is a huge football fan, and can regularly be seen tweeting about his beloved Browns on Sundays and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturdays. James, who once had a promising football career ahead of him before he (wisely) chose to stick to basketball fulltime, loves the game and isn’t often shy about voicing his opinion on a game.

However, that apparently doesn’t extend to this Sunday’s Super Bowl when it comes to making a prediction for the game, as LeBron, ever the diplomat, laughed off a request from Kevin Harlan (who does lots of NFL games on CBS and on radio) for his pick between the Bucs and the Chiefs after the Lakers comeback win over Denver on Thursday night. James, citing the friends he has on both teams like Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, declined to make a pick, instead choosing the trusty cop out of “I just want to see a great game.”

Reggie Miller tried his best to goad LeBron into giving an actual pick, but James wasn’t going to be persuaded to betray any of his friends in the game and was proud of his diplomatic response. It’s probably a wise choice, as he now holds the high ground to simply fire off the postgame congratulations tweets to the guys he knows on whichever team wins.

Flo Milli is on a hot streak at the moment and it continues with a new visual for “Roaring 20s.” In the new video, the Alabama rapper gets dressed up and puts on a show for a small group of people in attendance. The video flaunts a retro aesthetic, fitting for the roaring ’20s time period that the song is named after. It also provides the ideal backdrop for the 1970s song, “If I Were A Man,” that Flo Mill samples throughout the song.

The rapper’s infectious confidence is on full display in the video and it comes with a few dance moves that she shows off for viewers. By the end of it, she’s made a decent amount of money and grabbed the attention of multiple men in the audience as they are left with bulging heart eyes. Furthermore, a case of one man’s attraction to Flo sends him to the hospital with an awkward injury.

“Roaring 20s” joins a recent string of releases that Flo Milli has been apart of. Prior to the video’s release, she joined Rich The Kid, Mulatto, and Rubi Rose for their “Nasty” collaboration, one that they shared a visual for just a few days later. Both tracks arrived after a breakout 2020 that was lead by the release of her Ho, Why Is You Here? debut, a BET hip-hop cypher, and a group of diverse guest appearances.

Press play on the “Roaring 20s” video above.

After embarking on mainstream success in 2019 with his “Pop Out” single alongside Lil Tjay, Polo G was able to experience critical acclaim in 2020. This came about thanks to his second album, The Goat, which many heralded as a great body of work and a strong step up from his debut. Now it appears like the Chicago rapper is already prepared for the next stage of his career as he returns with his latest single, “GNF (OKOKOK).” The track is a strong display of the young rapper’s nonchalant spirit as the record is backed by fearless lines like “If 12 come up, we gon’ take ’em on the chase / Just a cold heart and a banger on my waist.”

The track also arrives with a Cole Bennett-directed video that sees the Windy City rapper surrounded by his crew as he sends out an array of warnings to the opposition. Polo G’s new single comes hours after the rapper celebrated the purchase of a new house for his mother. Stacia Mac, who is also his manager, took to Instagram to flaunt her new humble abode. “To say I’m appreciative is an understatement. Thank you, son! Thank you for being a man of your word,” she said in her post. “Thank you for giving me things, that at times, I was unable to provide you or myself. I love you and I’m eternally grateful.”

In addition to The Goat, Polo G’s 2020 also saw the release of an NPR Tiny Desk concert, videos for “Martin & Gina,” “21,” and more, and a BET hip-hop cypher.

Listen to “GNF (OKOKOK)” in the video above.

Freddie Gibbs is someone who never lets his foot off the gas pedal. Whether it be his undeniable top-tier raps or the hilarious jokes he makes on social media, the Gary, Indiana rapper is always on go. The latest example of that comes on his new “Gang Signs” single with Schoolboy Q. The track is a smooth effort with a hard-hitting bass that also features the duo in a laid-back state. It also comes with a semi-animated video that portrays the rappers as cartoon characters who embark on a peaceful drive through the city.

The new single comes after a huge year for Freddie Gibbs. He shared his latest project, Alfredo, a ten-track effort laced with amazing production from The Alchemist. The album stood as the fourth joint album of Freddie’s career and his second with The Alchemist following 2018’s Fetti release with Currensy. On a more recent note, Freddie Gibbs shared a freestyle over one of the tracks from Madlib’s new album, Sound Ancestors.

As for Schoolboy Q, fans of the TDE rapper are still waiting for the rapper’s sixth album, one he originally announced shortly after the release of 2019’s Crash Talk. At the time he said the new album would arrive at some point in 2020, but for reasons unknown to fans at the moment, his sixth LP never saw the light of day last year. Hopefully, things will be different in 2021.

Press play on “Gang Signs” above.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Fans of Denzel Curry and JID are hoping 2021 brings them new music from both rappers. Denzel Curry has been fairly active lately as the Florida native dropped his Unlocked joint album with Kenny Beats in 2020 and his fourth album, Zuu, prior to that in 2019. JID, on the other hand, has been a bit quieter. He delivered a number of guest verses last year that can be found projects like Revenge Of The Dreamers III and Spilligion, but it’s been more than two years since his supporters received an album from him. While it looks like that will change this year, the Atlanta native returns with Denzel for a remix to a track that he released earlier in his career.

Denzel Curry joins JID to add a killer verse to the Dreamville rapper’s track, “Bruuuh.” The original song was released at the top of 2017, weeks before JID’s signing to Dreamville was announced. On the hard-hitting Willie B-produced song, JID speaks about being underrated and unappreciated while desperately seeking success and a better life in order to put his loved ones in a better situation. Denzel hops on the song to solidify his position in the rap world while flying through his verse with slick punchlines and an overall impressive display of his rap talents.

The new remix comes after JID first revealed its existence back in August 2019. In addition to that, he may have also revealed the title to his third album to be The Forever Story, which would be a smooth sequel to his debut album, The Never Story.

Listen to the “Bruuuh” remix above.

Plenty of fans of indie folk have been following The Staves since their second album, If I Was, because the record was co-signed and produced by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. That kind of high-profile collaborator is a boon for independent artists, particularly women, who don’t always get the attention they deserve on their own merits. Luckily, the co-sign helped catapult the sisters to bigger stages and now they’re focused on family for a new project that came after a six-year hiatus.

After If I Was came out in 2015, the sisters were touring and working on new music, but all of that came to a halt when their mother unexpectedly died in 2018. This loss contributed to the long gap between albums, as did Camilla Stavely-Taylor’s decision to leave a longterm relationship and return to England. Both of those events, and the grief that comes with them, informed the songwriting and feel of Good Woman.

It’s more experimental and than their last album, which tended toward straightforward melodic folk. There’s electronic pulses and warbles here, more guitars, more percussion. Good Woman still boasts a big name producer in John Congleton, but it’s an album only these sisters could make. Check out the video for the title track above and listen to the entire album below.