Month: April 2021

The Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay might be in its final days. According to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN, Rodgers is not happy with how things have gone with the Packers recently, and as a result, he’s made clear to some members of the organization that he wants to seek greener pastures for the first time in his NFL career.

The news comes shortly after reports hit the internet that the San Francisco 49ers made an informal ask about Rodgers’ availability in the lead-up to the 2021 NFL Draft, which Green Bay quickly rebuffed. Schefter wrote that while he is interested in going elsewhere, the Packers have zero interest in moving on from the Hall of Fame signal caller, to the point that a number of members of their organization have made the trip to meet with Rodgers and discuss his future.

The Packers are aware of his feelings, concerned about them and have had team president Mark Murphy, general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur each fly out on separate trips to meet with Rodgers at various points this offseason, sources told ESPN.

“As we’ve stated since the season ended, we are committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond,” Gutekunst told ESPN. “Aaron has been a vital part of our success and we look forward to competing for another championship with him leading our team.”

The Packers have been planning for the post-Rodgers era recently, as the team traded up to select Jordan Love in the 2020 NFL Draft to take over for him some day. If Rodgers, the reigning NFL MVP, has his way, that era may come sooner than later.

Burna Boy‘s first new song of 2021 is “Kilometre,” a meditation on the progress he’s made in his career (as in, “I don’ come, I don’ come, kilometres”). As usual, he employs upbeat production, this time from Chopstix, and a melodic flow that switches between English and Nigerian pidgin to boast about his accomplishments. He denies that any of this happened by accident — although happenstance did somewhat play into his US breakout — insisting, “People think I be Johnny just come / Like I just got rich, like my money just come.”

Debuting the new song on Apple Music 1 radio, Burna told Zane Lowe, “It’s really me talking about how far I’ve come, I’ve come a long way. At the same time, just having fun with it. When the song drops, start running around, wherever you go. Just start running around It doesn’t need an explanation.” Burna also promised a follow-up to his 2020 album Twice As Tall sometime this year: “I’m definitely planning to drop my next album this year,” he revealed. “Especially at the same time I dropped the last one. I’m trying to do that as long as I can.”

Listen to Burna Boy’s new track, “Kilometre,” above.

Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

President Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday did a great job at connecting with viewers according to polls taken last night. CBS News-YouGov found that 85% of viewers approved of the speech and only 15% did not.

Nearly 80% of viewers said the speech made them feel more optimistic about the country and 83% said the COVID-19 pandemic was improving.

Poll respondents described the speech using the following terms most frequently: “Presidential, “Caring,” “Inspiring” and “Bold.”

The address began with a sharp focus on the administration’s attempts to eradicate the COVID-19 virus. At the beginning of the speech, Biden took a victory lap for doubling his initial pledge to administer 100 million COVID-19 vaccination doses over his first 100 days.

Another major focus was The American Jobs Plan which puts a major emphasis on improving the country’s aging infrastructure. The president claims his ambitious plan will create “jobs to upgrade our transportation infrastructure. Jobs modernizing roads, bridges, and highways. Jobs building ports and airports, rail corridors, and transit lines. It’s clean water.”

He also pitched proposals to expand universal primary education, improve health care access, create tax breaks for families, and increase access to higher education.

A big reason why the speech was so well received is that the audience was heavily Democratic. Fifty-four percent of respondents to the CBS-You Gov poll identified as Democrats, while only 18% as Republicans.

It was expected that many Republicans would avoid watching the speech, but it had a positive effect on those who made an attempt to listen to the new president. Republicans who believe Biden’s policies will move the country in the right direction improved from 13% to 27% after the speech. Among independents that number grew from 61% to 73%.

Biden’s speech also looks strong given recent history. Comparing Biden’s numbers to recent presidents, his first address to a joint session of Congress was better received than those by Donald Trump (57%), Barack Obama (68%), and George W. Bush (66%).

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a few hours away from taking their quarterback of the future when, barring something totally unforeseen, they select Clemson star Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. As for who he’ll be throwing to, it turns out that a quarterback from Urban Meyer’s past might be coming back into the fold.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Tim Tebow worked out for the team recently at tight end. It’s unclear if the soon-to-be 34-year-old former signal caller will hop on board full-time, but as Rapoport said, the two sides have discussed Tebow potentially coming on board.

Tebow was one of the most decorated college quarterbacks of all time under Meyer at the University of Florida and was the No. 25 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He was with the team for two years before getting traded to the New York Jets, where he suited up for a year. From there, Tebow was a practice squad player in New England and Philadelphia before his football playing career ended in 2015. In the meantime, Tebow’s done TV work with ESPN and had a brief baseball career, playing in the New York Mets’ minor league system before retiring earlier this year.

It would be very weird if this ended up happening.

Moneybagg Yo’s newest album, A Gangsta’s Pain is the Memphis rapper’s third project in 15 months. After beginning 2020 with Time Served, he teamed up with fellow Memphian Blac Youngsta for their Code Red project which arrived later that summer. The quick releases play a decent role in what makes up Moneybagg Yo the artist. The new project is his tenth since the start of 2017. This consistency coupled with a steady improvement from project to project has brought the rapper a new cast of supporters as his artistry becomes more and more refined.

The frequency of Moneybagg’s releases could cause one to pose the question: is being too active a bad thing? Well, the answer to that is both yes and no. Yes, because one could imagine his growth and improvement making a bigger impression if full-length releases were a bit more spaced out. No, because the Memphis rapper has taken an incremental step upward with each project as they arrive. Prior efforts like Federal 3X and Heartless see an artist slowly figuring it out while later admitting to mistakes thanks to hindsight. Recent efforts like Time Served capture Moneybagg in a new tier while A Gangsta’s Pain sees him finding comfort in this zone while setting his eyes on the next level.

Ironically this new zone the Memphis native has stepped into finds him moving out of his comfort zone a bit. Displaying A Gangsta’s Pain means unearthing the emotions that one most likely ignored and gave a cold shoulder to when asked about. On multiple occasions, Moneybagg tones down the clang of his chains to let the sound of his heartbeat echo. From the intimacy behind “One Of Them Nights” with Jhene Aiko to the uncaged sensitivity on “Love It Here,” Moneybagg’s heart slowly thaws with the warmth of a ride-or-die companion. Backed the return of Future’s Hndrxx alter-ego, “Hard For The Next” notes that while love and its longevity may not be guaranteed, making the best of the present moment is a bar Moneybagg will reach for.

The pains and struggles of yesterday’s inflictions are also laid on wax throughout A Gangsta’s Pain. He questions life and the many let-downs he experienced through it all on “If Pain Was A Person.” His hurt is merely an emotion that rattles the brain and weighs on the heart, but personifying this emotion creates a one-sided discussion that allows Moneybagg to vent and get what he needs off his chest. Strong moments like these come on the heels of weaker ones and as the nostalgic keys of Ashanti’s “Foolish” play underneath a mellow bass, Moneybagg’s “Wockesha” admits to repeatedly succumbing to the toxic drink that always counters his attempt to push it away with a defeating punch like the one Kamaru Usman delivered in front of the world not too long ago.

In between the rain of emotion that flows on A Gangsta’s Pain, the thunder and flash of Moneybagg’s rap prowess arrive to balance out the album. It’s how the Memphis native best knows how to present himself and why many of his fans fell in love with his music. He accomplishes this through assertive raps laced with overt confidence about the man and rapper he’s grown into over the years. Moneybagg isn’t someone who’s done his people wrong, he tells us that on “Projects” with lines like, “If you ever gave your word, then you must stand on that,” adding, “Just jumped off a private, took ten black trucks to the projects.” The self-solidifying talk continues on “Certified Neptunes,” an effort supported by a cold hook from Pharrell that brings listeners back to his days as a Clipse sidekick. “If your loyalty don’t match mine, it ain’t sh*t wit’ you,” Moneybagg proclaims, detailing a simple quality that is foundational in his world, and one that serves as the root of his gangsta’s pain when broken.

When you take a look into the past, it’s hard to deny the progress Moneybagg has made in his career, especially the last five years he’s spent inching closer and closer to the mainstream spotlight. A Gangsta’s Pain is the Memphis native’s most diverse project to date thanks to a deeper and more concise dive into the personal side of his life as well as tapping into production his fans had yet to hear him with him, like The Neptunes for example. A slight critique of the project would be its length as a 22-track — 21 songs and an interlude — effort will often be a bit of drag to listen to no matter the artist. However, when it comes time to detail A Gangsta’s Pain, one may take advantage of all the time they have to get the story across well, something Moneybagg Yo very much accomplished.

A Gangsta’s Pain is out now via CMG/N-Less/Interscope. Get it here.

The San Francisco 49ers are in the market for a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, with reports indicating they’re smitten with Alabama signal caller Mac Jones and North Dakota State QB Trey Lance. As it turns out, they decided to make a call elsewhere and see if they could get someone a little more established, and You’ll Never Believe What Happened Next.

Rumors swirled around the Twitterverse on Thursday afternoon that the Niners kicked the tires on Green Bay Packers star and noted Jeopardy! host Aaron Rodgers’ availability. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network confirmed that a very informal call about whether or not they could make something happen, to which the Packers shot them down.

San Francisco famously passed on the opportunity to draft Rodgers back in 2005, opting to instead select Alex Smith and triggering a fall for Rodgers that ended when the Packers selected him No. 24 overall. While Jones is a good fit for their offense and Lance is a potential star, being able to acquire Rodgers would, at least in the short-term, be far more promising than rolling with a youngster for the foreseeable future.

Green Bay did trade up to take Jordan Love last year, giving them a successor to Rodgers whenever that time comes. It just seems like that isn’t happening any time soon.

The Boys doesn’t know the meaning of restraint, and showrunner Eric Kripke’s adept (and impossible-sounding) harnessing of that vibe is one of many things that makes the show work. One would do well to expect even more abundance, given that Season 3 will put the comics’ notorious “Herogasm” miniseries on the small screen. God only knows what will come of this, since the show’s tackled similarly shocking moments like death-by-cunnilingus and Homelander jerking off (probably all over unsuspecting civilians) from the top of a skyscraper.

So, the Herogasm island-orgy is definitely happening, as is an even bloodier season in general for the show. As Mother’s Milk actor Laz Alonso revealed, things are getting super-literal with three times the amount of blood that viewers saw last year. Yes, that’s after The Whale scene, too, and here’s what Alonso told Collider (and I assume that he’s talking about the blood “supply” used for his character alone?):

“I’ll put it to you this way. I was talking to the head makeup artist and she’s in charge of ordering the blood — that’s one of her many jobs. She told me that all of Season 2… When you talk about bulk, I don’t think they used over a gallon of blood in Season 2, believe it or not. Season 3, we’re already at three and a half gallons of blood. So that should give you a little indication of where it’s going.”

In other words, yeah, get ready to gross out. Speaking of which, Alonso isn’t looking forward to the “Herogasm” stuff. He told Too Fab, “I’m not looking forward to that episode, I’ll leave it at that.” However, he added, “I’m excited for you to see it, but I know filming it is gonna be a long episode.”

(Via Collider & Too Fab)

Grammy-winning Compton native comes through with the assist on emerging Detroit rapper 42 Dugg’s new song, “4 Da Gang.” The track, which combines an uptempo, Detroit grunge rap beat with an eyebrow-raising sample of “No One Like You” from German rock band Scorpion, finds the two rappers contemplating loyalty to their respective crews — and flexing on haters, naturally.

The video reflects those sentiments, opening with Roddy facing questions from authorities and refusing to give up Dugg. Dugg, who’s hiding out in a trailer at a nearby junkyard, arranges to have the agents ambushed by the redneck denizens, which include ski-masked little girls and the elderly bearded manager. The agents wind up in the trunk of their own car while Dugg and Roddy rap in front of a burning Confederate flag.

“4 Da Gang” makes Roddy the latest established rapper to lend the up-and-coming 42 Dugg a leg up, after Lil Baby and fellow Detroiter Big Sean also featured him on their songs “We Paid” and “Friday Night Cypher,” respectively. Dugg also popped up on breakout Louisville rapper EST Gee’s 2020 album, I Still Don’t Feel Nun.

The video for “We Paid” was the subject of a police investigation after a shooting during filming, which led to Sacramento rapper OMB Peezy being arrested.

Watch 42 Dugg’s “4 Da Gang” video featuring Roddy Ricch above.

Roddy Ricch is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been absolutely devastating for the travel industry. As vaccinations roll out in the wealthier corners of the world, that devastation is starting to ease (again, in the wealthier corners of the world). Resorts are re-opening. Restaurants have been rebooted. And from the ashes of shuttered airlines, a new company has emerged.

Avelo Air started flying just yesterday from Southern California to destinations throughout Oregon, Arizona, and California’s wine regions (their wording) and idyllic spots through the Colorado, Utah, and Montana Rockies. The brand’s mission statement reads, “It started with a group of world-class, highly seasoned airline executives who wanted to build a different and better kind of airline.” Their ethos is to be a budget airline for the post-pandemic world.

This all sounds great. More budget airlines are certainly going to help the tourism industry in the U.S. get moving again. Though it’s important to note that this is clearly a budget airline in every sense. There are no TVs, power outlets, or wi-fi. According to The Points Guy’s breakdown of yesterday’s inaugural flight, space is a serious squeeze:

The seats themselves were tight — had the middle seat been occupied, I definitely would’ve felt cramped. Plus, they don’t recline, which puts Avelo on par with the inflight experience offered on Spirit, Frontier and other discounters.

Moreover, standard seats have 29 inches of pitch. That’s one inch more than Spirit, making Avelo’s legroom the second least in the industry. Again, that’s all good, this is a budget carrier and low-cost is their model. But it’s certainly worth paying attention to for taller and wider flyers.

Okay, so… is Avelo really cheaper?

Budget airlines — like Frontier and Spirit — are notorious for offering incredibly cheap airfares only to drive up the cost for seat selection and carry-on bags. Avelo seems similar, though there are some subtle differences. Let’s look at the full cost of booking a flight right now.

Flight Options:

Burbank to Eureka

Avelo Air’s webpage is pretty easy to navigate, though it’s still pretty buggy. I had to refresh about five times to get the “Low Fare Calendar” to load. Anyway, it seems you pay between $80 and $120 for flights to the destination and between $19 and $40 for flights back home.

I test this theory with a different route and …

Burbank to Bozeman/Yellowstone

… yes, this is basically true for all the searches.

The average budget roundtrip was around $110 for the base fare with $96.97 going to taxes and fees. That leaves very little cash on the table for the airline. Which leads up to…

The Rub:

After receiving my fare, I clicked through to see where the real money is being made. First, there was a seat selection fee. The cheapest seats are $4 each and are middle seats in the last few rows. The next cheapest was $5 each, along the window and aisle of the last few rows. From there, the seats ranged from $12 to $32 each. You can skip seat selection, but you should assume that those will be the literal least desirable seats on any given flight.

That’s each way, too. So, in choosing two back-of-the-plane seats at $5, I added another $10 to my bill — not terrible, obviously. But as you can also see from the image above, you also have to pay for a carry-on bag. And that is $35 each way, or $70 round trip.

That takes my total for a roundtrip flight with a reserved seat and one carry-on there and back to a total of $190. Again, not terrible. But not quite as ripping of a deal as the headlines make it sound.

That said, the current deal on checked bags for $10 (which they have said might change) is absolutely a value that keeps the price down and is functional for normal human travel. Spirit and Frontier both have high fees on carry-ons and checked bags, which basically obliterate their savings in many situations. No one flies with nothing.

How Does It Compare:

To compare this fare, I went to Google Flights and searched the same dates. The cheapest roundtrip flight was $195 on Delta with a stop in Salt Lake City for 50 minutes (not a big deal, but direct is better). That also includes a carry-on (both ways) and WiFi on the flight. Delta — being a huge international airline — also offers mileage rewards that you can use to rent cars and fly for free down the road.

This is when I also realize that Avelo glitched out and changed my return date to September instead of August. So, I went back to the website to fix the dates and got the blank pages again as you can see below.

No amount of refreshing brought up flight options back. Perhaps the site was being hammered as news of the launch broke. It’s glitchy for now, be warned.

At the end of the day, if Avelo’s West Coast-centric routes work for you, it is a deal. Let’s say you live in LA and you’re doing wine country, but you’re also trying to make it as a screenwriter and tight on cash. Flying from Burbank to Santa Rosa with a checked back is likely going to be cheaper than a car rental (with insurance and gas) or even the freaking Amtrak. Same if you want to go to airports in rural Oregon — Medford, Eugene, Redmond, etc. The same goes for a little National Park adventure trip to Colorado, Utah, or Montana.

It’s worth noting that those taxes and fees of $96.79 are non-negotiable, though. They won’t change. So even if your flight is literally free and you don’t buy a reserved seat, purchase any food on board, or carry on a single item with you, you’re going to paying at least $110 or so for a flight. Looking around at the flight aggregators this morning, that means you can probably beat the big carriers by around $70 each way on Avelo’s better days. And, depending on your financial situation and how much you value personal space post-pandemic, that might absolutely be worth it.

Squirrel Flower has life after apocalypse in her personal pipeline, as her upcoming album Planet (i) is named after a fictional planet to which humanity will flock once we’ve sufficiently ruined Earth. Ahead of the album’s June release, Squirrel Flower has shared a vulnerable new song, “I’ll Go Running.”

She says of the song:

“‘I’ll Go Running’ is about the darker side of being an artist — the pressure to make things brand new, shocking, to give everything away and open yourself completely without always getting intentional listening and consumption in return. To be vulnerable to a knife. To be fresh, new, to give it all away. But it’s powerful to offer yourself and your art without fear, which is what I try to do with this album. That’s why this is the opening track.”

Listen to “I’ll Go Running” above and check out Squirrel Flower’s upcoming tour dates, all in support of Soccer Mommy, below.

09/15 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
09/16 — Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
09/17 — Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
09/18 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
09/19 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
09/21 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
09/22 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
09/23 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
09/25 — Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre
09/26 — Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
09/28 — Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
09/29 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
10/01 — Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom

Planet (i) is out 6/25 via Polyvinyl. Pre-order it here.