Lil Nas X faced some criticism recently after a video of his mother begging for money surfaced. The rapper has yet to publicly address the video, but now his father has come to his defense.
In an Instagram post, Nas’ father, Robert Stafford, wrote that the rapper does provide for his parents and that when it comes to his mother’s struggles, a lack of support from Nas isn’t part of the problem. He wrote, “Despite what people say @lilnasx is the greatest kid a parent can be BLESSED with. Although his mom is in a struggle with an addiction she’s STILL a QUEEN and he goes through great lengths to make sure we’re taking care of. Those who have family members and friends dealing with addiction understands that there ain’t enough money you can throw at this situation to make it right. I dont usually address personal issues publicly but felt like this need to be. Please join us in keeping her in your PRAYERS. And to those out there trying to create a false story you wont prosper. #controlthenarrative”
In an early 2020 interview, Nas said of his mother, “I never really talk about my mom. She’s an addict so we don’t have the closest relationship. Even trying to get her better — things didn’t quite work out. But there’s still love. The biggest surprise of becoming globally famous? On the outside, everybody loves you — but on the inside, everything [feels] the same.”
Today marks the release of McCartney III Imagined, a new version of Paul McCartney’s 2020 album that features the record’s tracks reworked by an array of artists. He shared a few of these collaborations ahead of the album, but now that the album’s out, they’re all available, including Phoebe Bridgers’ version of “Seize The Day,” which is gentle but also a bit of a quiet storm.
Aside from Bridgers, the new album also features Anderson .Paak, Idris Elba, EOB (Ed O’Brien), Dominic Fike, St. Vincent, Damon Albarn, Beck, Khruangbin, Josh Homme, 3D RDN (of Massive Attack), and Blood Orange.
In a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, presumably before she got the call to work with McCartney, she declared that she doesn’t much care for classic rock but that John Lennon is far and away her favorite member of The Beatles: “I, for the most part, f*cking hate classic rock. I love John Lennon. Easily best Beatle. He’s been such an icon for so many people who are my heroes, like Elliott Smith and Daniel Johnston.” Shortly before the publication of that feature, Bridgers joined Mandy Moore, Jackson Browne, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and others for a live cover of the Beatles classic “With A Little Help From My Friends.”
Listen to Bridgers’ version of “Seize The Day” above.
McCartney III Imagined is out now via Capitol Records. Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The combined budget of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Best Picture winner The Return of the King — is an estimated $280 million (money well spent). Amazon plans to pony up nearly twice as much on the first season of the upcoming Lord of the Rings series alone.
In an article about tax rebates in New Zealand (exciting stuff!) for the prequel series, which is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth’s history, Reutersreports that the online giant is “spending about NZ$650 million ($465 million) filming the first season of the show for broadcast on its Amazon Prime streaming platform, meaning it would be eligible for a rebate of about NZ$162 million ($116 million).” Stuart Nash, the country’s Minister for Economic Development and Tourism, confirmed the news, saying, “I can tell you is Amazon is going to spend about $650 million in season one alone”:
Amazon will get an extra five percent from New Zealand’s Screen Production Grant in addition to the 20 percent grant the production already qualifies for, the government said in a statement… The first season entered production in Auckland last year with more than 1,200 people employed. Approximately 700 workers are indirectly employed by providing services to the production, the government said.
The $465 million is on top of the $250 million that Amazon paid for the rights. (Amazon *really* wants its own Game of Thrones.) The still-untitled LOTR series does not have a premiere date, but the first season will supposedly be 20 episodes long.
Netflix already sprang into spring with plenty of seasonal joy, and the content coffers simply cannot run dry. The streamer continues to add to its library with an impressive number of original selections, and this time, there’s truly something for everyone. There’s a fond farewell to an artist who passed before his time, a spooky series, a very hot-dad series, and the continuation of a very popular, shade-filled show. Not only that, but there’s a Thelma and Louise-esque movie and a documentary series that charts love through the decades, which might give everyone hope that, yes, some couples do make it in the long run and actually like each other. As usual, you’ll never be able to watch everything here this weekend, and that’s a great problem to have.
Here’s everything else coming to (and leaving) the streaming platform this week.
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait Of An Artist (Netflix documentary film streaming 4/17)
Following the Black Panther and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom star’s too-soon death last August, the streamer fathered an all-star team for this documentary that aims to explore “Boseman’s extraordinary commitment to his craft [and] an intimate look at the Oscar-nominated actor’s artistry and the acting process which informed his transformative performances.” Settle in for a long list of participants, including Viola Davis, Danai Gurira, Spike Lee, Phylicia Rashad, and Glynn Turman. This one will be available for a limited 30-day window, so don’t let it languish in your queue for too long.
Two women take a road trip together. Sound familiar? Well, it’s a pretty Thelma and Louise vibe with one killing for love while the other made her do it, and of course, a chaotic journey follows. No spoilers here, but this story’s a lot deeper than it seems from this brief discussion, and as it turns out, these women have known each other for quite some time, and by the end of the movie, they’ll be even closer.
My Love: Six Stories of True Love (Netflix series streaming 4/14)
This docuseries spins off from an acclaimed Korean documentary (of nearly the same name) into a global focus, which sees local filmmakers (in different countries) follow a couple for a year of their marriages. From Tokyo to India, Spain, and the United States, these couples might just show us the secret to forever love.
Why Did You Kill Me? (Netflix film streaming 4/14)
This chilling true-crime documentary film follows a mother’s search for both justice and revenge after her daughter (24-year-old Crystal Theobald) is killed. The mother uses MySpace to investigate the crime, and there’s immense fallout for multiple families as a result.
Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! (Netflix series streaming 4/14)
Jamie Foxx is now playing a dad, y’all. He’s doing full-time duties for a teenage daughter while juggling business ownership and some semblance of a personal life. Good luck, Jamie Foxx, because life is total chaos, so you might as well embrace that face. The series also stars Kyla-Drew (as the lucky daughter who gets to laugh at dad), David Alan Grier, and Porscha Coleman.
The Circle: Season 2 (Netflix series streaming 4/14)
The social-media-focused reality show continues with plenty of shade, twists, shade, turn, and more twists. This season, eight fresh contestants will attempt to figure out who is catfishing and who is real. My goodness, this looks dizzying and maybe a little bit depressing, but people can’t stop watching, so maybe you’ll get sucked in, too? Good luck.
Avail. 4/13 The Baker and the Beauty: Season 1 Mighty Express: Season 3 My Love: Six Stories of True Love
Avail. 4/14 Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!
The Circle: Season 2 Law School
The Soul
Why Did You Kill Me?
Avail. 4/15 Dark City Beneath the Beat
The Master
Ride or Die
Avail. 4/16 Arlo the Alligator Boy
Ajeeb Daastaans
Barbie & Chelsea The Lost Birthday
Crimson Peak
Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Season 4: Mexico Into the Beat
Rush
Synchronic
Why Are You Like This
The Zookeeper’s Wife
And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:
Leaving 4/15 Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant
Leaving 4/19 Carol
The Vatican Tapes
Leaving 4/20 The Last Resort
Leaving 4/21 The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass: Seasons 1-3
One thing we don’t talk enough about as a society is how DMX was a legitimate action star for a 5-10 year window in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Maybe “we” is the wrong word here. What I mean to say is “you” don’t talk enough about it enough. I talk about it constantly to anyone who will listen or can’t get out of an unrelated conversation before I careen it toward “Remember when DMX was an action star?” He was in Belly, which is good, and two different movies with Jet Li (Romeo Must Die and Cradle 2 the Grave), which is great. In a different and better world, DMX would have popped up in the Bourne movies and eventually gotten the lead in the spinoff that eventually went to Jeremy Renner. Picture DMX yelling “Are you running Treadstone?” and tell me I’m wrong. And now he’s gone and it will never happen. It’s all heartbreaking on a number of levels, some of which are too sad to get into in any real way.
And so, instead, let’s pivot to something that is a blast to discuss: The 2001 action movie Exit Wounds, which starred DMX and Steven Seagal. Did you know there was a 2001 action movie called Exit Wounds that starred DMX and Steven Seagal? I’m going to be so mad at you if you did not. It’s an incredible movie, full of crooked cops and gratuitous violence and Steven Seagal in one of the last roles he played before things really started going off the rails. Also, it features one of the wildest and most flabbergasting twists you will ever see in a movie. I am so excited to tell you about it that I might actually forgive you if you had not heard about the movie before today. But we’ll get to that. We have other business to get to first.
The time has come to talk about Exit Wounds.
1. The plot of Exit Wounds, in short: Steven Seagal plays a loose cannon Detroit cop named Orin Boyd whose captain — Bruce McGill, who was born to play Detroit police captains — has enough of his shenanigans and transfers him to the city’s worst precinct and makes him take anger management classes. Upon being transferred, he uncovers corruption in the police force that stretches all the way to the top, and his investigation of a local drug dealer proves to be the key to bringing the whole system down. It is all very Seagal and, yes, there is a sword fight at one point even though the film is set in 2001 Detroit, because plausibility has never once stopped a Steven Seagal movie from letting Steven Seagal have a sword. At one point early on, his new boss, played by Jill Hennessy, literally calls him “a lone wolf,” just to drive it all home. It’s a perfect plot. That’s what I’m getting at.
Warner Bros.
2. But you’re probably sitting here thinking, “Hmm, I bet there was some big incident early on in the movie that led to his transfer. I bet it was huge and dumb and ridiculous, too.” Buddy, you are dead-on. A Michigan militia group attempts to assassinate the Vice President during a visit to Detroit and, because they are dressed as cops, the chief orders the real cops to stand down to prevent confusion, which, I mean, sure. Seagal ignores this order (loose cannon, lone wolf, etc.) and proceeds to do the following things:
Hijack a bright yellow cleaning van to storm the bridge
Shoot down a helicopter using a handgun
Kill all the bad guys and save the Vice President by heaving him off the bridge and into the river below
For this, for heroically saving the life of the Vice President and taking out an entire domestic terrorism operation, he is punished and demoted. It’s wonderful. As is the fact that all of this, the attempted assassination and thwarting of treason and the meeting with the chief, happens in the first 10 minutes of the movie. The efficiency is to be commended.
3. DMX shows up some time after this. His character is named Latrell Walker and is the biggest drug dealer in the area Seagal is banished to. He’s great. He does all sorts of movie drug dealer stuff, like, for example, owning a nightclub that has a shark tank in the office and counting huge amounts of money right in front of it.
Warner Bros.
He also spends a lot of time visiting a guy named Shaun Rollins in jail. It is not clear exactly why he keeps visiting a guy named Shaun Rollins in jail, at least not at this point, but if you’re hoping it is something tied to the tremendous twist I referenced earlier, I have some excellent news coming your way shortly. It is taking everything I have not to just shout it at you now. But there is so much more to explain first. Please, bear with me.
4. Tom Arnold is in Exit Wounds. It’s one of those things where your first reaction is, like, “Whoa, Tom Arnold is in this movie” but then you think about it for a second and realize how much it actually makes sense. I mean, of course Tom Arnold is in the action movie that stars DMX and Steven Seagal. He plays a Detroit talk show host who meets Seagal’s character in anger management class. In the first meeting, he discusses how he got in a fistfight at a Krispy Kreme. It’s all very Tom Arnold and even better because his character plays a very important role in getting us to the twist, which I apologize for continuing to tease, but I promise you’ll see why soon. For now, let’s just focus on the fact that Tom Arnold, DMX, and Steven Seagal probably had multiple conversations on the set between takes. I would pay up to $300 for the raw, unedited tapes of these conversations.
5. Exit Wounds was directed by a guy named Andrzej Bartowiak, who made a few of these movies where hip-hop and martial arts drive the action, including both Romeo Must Die and Cradle 2 the Grave, the latter of which has a number in the title despite it not being a sequel. He is an extremely important figure in the DMX: Action Star movement and his Wikipedia page features what I consider to be the greatest and most informative chart ever made, in a section titled Collaborations.
WIKIPEDIA
6. But let’s not throw the guy a parade. He also cast Eva Mendes in this movie — Eva Mendes is in Exit Wounds — but, if you watch it, you might find yourself thinking “That looks like Eva Mendes but it sure doesn’t sound like her.” And there’s a good reason for that: it’s not her voice. They dubbed in a different voice in post-production, as she explained to Jon Stewart in a Daily Show appearance from 2013:
“They dubbed my voice,” Mendes said. “It was an English film in English.”
Mendes said that when she looked into why, she got a note back from the producer that she didn’t sound intelligent enough. “It was a Steven Seagal movie and I didn’t sound intelligent enough,” Mendes said.
This is, of course, bad and dumb and some extremely 2001 garbage, but please do imagine the moment this decision was made, and please also imagine the people involved thinking they’re not the cartoonish villains in the story. It’s not even a big role. Not a single person watching it would have put a single second of thought into it. Again, this is a movie where Steven Seagal shoots down a helicopter using a handgun to save the Vice President and it results in him going to anger management classes with a Tom Arnold character who is wearing a bandage on his head due to fisticuffs over donuts. It says a lot that these dudes were willing to put that much thought and effort into being creeps about it. Hollywood is relentlessly weird.
7. A few quick pieces of plot-related business:
Every cop in this movie is dirty except for Steven Seagal and Jill Hennessy and one other dude, and it is really funny to watch the movie reveal each one separately after putting very little effort into a series of misdirects, like we’re supposed to keep being shocked
DMX’s character’s big drug operation involves dipping t-shirts in liquified heroin and transporting the packs of shirts to other dealers, which is also hilarious because, like, it is honestly so many t-shirts
There’s a point earlier in the movie where a cop asks Seagal if it’s true he once beat a suspect unconscious with a dead cat and Seagal replies, “No. The cat wasn’t dead,” which is a combination of preposterous and horrifying, especially if you take another more than five seconds to think about it
Anyway, Seagal starts looking into this Latrell Walker guy. And he enlists Tom Arnold’s character for help. And when he does, Tom Arnold is at a strip club and dressed like this.
Warner Bros.
This brings us to the twist. Please sit down and hold onto something.
8. Tom Arnold’s team of investigators discover that Latrell Walker is a front. DMX’s character is actually — I swear to God this is true — a computer genius billionaire named Leon Rollins who created a website called 999 dot com that sold everything for less than $10 and he cashed out before the tech bubble burst. He is using his fortune to try to free his wrongly imprisoned brother, Shaun, who was the fall guy the police pinned a series of crimes on to hide their corruption. Leon and Eva Mendes have been running a high-tech sting to videotape the dirty cops, which Seagal discovers after, again, getting the information from a morning show host who is wearing a fake mustache in a strip club. This development will require more bullet points:
Find me a better twist than this in any movie
DMX is a secret computer genius
All of the cops in Detroit never put it together that the huge drug dealer and the guy he kept visiting in prison were actually brothers
They also never put it together that the huge drug dealer looks exactly like the local tech billionaire computer genius
In any reasonable universe, the young black computer billionaire would have been covered extensively by the national media and been a recognizable figure who appeared on the cover of a number of magazines and almost certainly could not disappear into a new identity he barely hides, considering he continues visiting his brother in prison
All of this is blown wide open after a brief investigation by some dudes Tom Arnold hires, and DMX proceeds to explain it all in a massive exposition dump when Seagal shows up to confront him about it
I would have watched just a movie about DMX navigating Silicon Valley during the Dot Com bubble
I am so happy I got to tell you all about this. It is one of my favorite things to talk about. DMX plays a billionaire computer genius who goes undercover as a drug kingpin to expose police corruption and reveal it to the people over the internet with the help of Eva Mendes. Also, this is their headquarters.
Warner Bros.
Exit Wounds is a perfect movie.
9. The last half hour is a steady stream of shootouts and violence and, yes, again, the sword fight between Seagal and the leader of the corrupt cops, who is played by Michael Jai White, because Michael Jai White is also in Exit Wounds. At one point Steven Seagal jumps up and over a moving car, which might be a bigger reach than the twist I just got done explaining. But I assume you already knew all that. It’s a Steven Seagal movie. Of course it ends with 30 minutes of sword fights and violent revenge. What I want to do here instead is point out how legitimately good DMX is in this silly movie. He really is. DMX was a surprisingly solid actor, and not just in a “non-actor acting in a movie” way. He was a better actor than just about anyone else in Exit Wounds, Seagal very much included. He could have done this as a whole second-act of his career. He easily could have been a character in the Fast & Furious franchise. It’s one of the many reasons it’s such a bummer how things ended up for him. He had tons of talent and tons of demons and they spent his whole life trying to take each other down.
10. But let’s close on a happy note. Let’s close on my favorite scene in the whole movie that doesn’t involve a shocking reveal about secret billionaires and Eva Mendes in front of a dozen tiny flat-screen monitors. Earlier in the movie, back when the movie was trying to show Latrell Walker’s bona fides as a big-time drug dealer, it had him show up at a car dealership and buy an exotic convertible with a bag of cash, surprising the snobby salesmen who assumed he couldn’t afford it because he is young and black. You’ve seen this scene in a bunch of movies. It’s a good scene. But that’s not what I love about it. What I love about it is this…
Warner Bros.
This is Anthony Anderson, who plays DMX’s associate, because Anthony Anderson is also in Exit Wounds, blasting “Good Girls, Bad Guys” by DMX on the car’s radio inside the dealership, which is a fun little wink at the audience. But it also opens up a fascinating wormhole. Back to the bullet points:
Playing this song means DMX, the real person, exits in the Exit Wounds universe
Which means there was a Dot Com billionaire from Detroit who looks exactly like world-famous rapper DMX
Which makes the twist even funnier because it means the billionaire who looks exactly like DMX went undercover as a drug dealer who also looks exactly like DMX and no one figured any of it out until Tom Arnold and Steven Seagal looked into it
No character at any point says “Dude, did anyone ever tell you that you look exactly like DMX?”
No one on earth has put as much thought into this as I have
I regret none of it
Thank you for indulging me. Go watch Exit Wounds. And then come over and talk to me about it.
For the past few summers, Saweetie has provided a song for the soundtrack that lives during the year’s warmest months. From “Icy Grl,” “My Type,” and “Tap In,” the Bay Area rapper consistently provides bangers for her fans to turn up to. Hoping to keep up that streak, Saweetie returns with Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1, a collection of songs teasing her debut album due this year.
The seven-track effort is led by “Risky” featuring Drakeo The Ruler — a song she previewed for fans a few weeks ago — and its accompanying video. The bright and colorful visual captures the warm and high-spirited aspects of summer as Saweetie and her girls turn up to the bouncy track. Drakeo The Ruler joins the fun with a straightforward verse that flexes his rap status and lays down the law for any of his opponents who may be listening.
Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1 also presents contributions from Bbyafricka, Kendra Jae, Los, and Lourdiz as fans await Saweetie’s long-awaited debut album, Pretty B*tch Music. The effort also arrives after Saweetie teamed up with Gwen Stefani for “Slow Cap (Remix).”
You can watch the “Risky” video above.
Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1 is out now via Warner Records. Get it here.
Saweetie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Despite being two of today’s most popular artists in the hip-hop world, collaborations between Young Thug and Drake have come far and few over the years. Prior to today, their list of songs together stood at just three official songs, which the most recent being “D4L” from Drake’s 2020 project, Dark Lane Demo Tapes. Thankfully for fans of both artists, Drake and Young Thug have provided a new track to that list with help from Gunna thanks to “Solid.”
The track is a chilled-out, melodic effort that kicks off with Drake discussing his vacation preferences and his questionable interactions with a woman in his life. Gunna then arrives takes the torch to express his own romantic qualms, which prove to fall in line with Drake’s, before a seamless transition occurs and Young Thug steps forward to take the mic and close out the song.
Slime Language 2 arrives after months of anticipation and patience from fans. The 23-track effort is a star-studded affair with contributions from Travis Scott, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Keed, Rowdy Rebel, Nav, Future, Kid Cudi, Meek Mill, and many more. Young Thug originally initially said the project would arrive in August 2020, but he quickly changed his mind and took back the initial release date.
Listen to “Solid” in the video above.
Slime Language 2 is out now via Young Stoner Life Records/300 Entertainment. Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The streaming services appear to be moving past the awkward content stage of the past year or so with production getting back to full steam. Netflix never ran out of fresh offerings, but now, the rest of the top services are starting to catch up and be real contenders. Disney+ proved that they can still excel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe game on the small screen, and this week, John Stamos’ new basketball-coach-redemption show lands with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier moving towards some final confrontations; and the service is offering a soothing new National Geographic series, along with the continuation of The Mighty Ducks revival series. For that reason, Disney+ easily crushes most of the competition this week, but it’s a close one with this week’s closest competitor, which would be HBO Max.
The WarnerMedia streamer puts up a damn good fight with a new true crime limited series and some informative (if a bit cheeseball) fun with the new Mark Wahlberg show. There’s also a Cartoon Network show and (on Sunday) the debut of HBO’s new limited series starring Kate Winslet. So, not too shabby! The same goes for Amazon Prime and Apple TV+, both of which have a few new options, and of course, Netflix, Hulu, and Paramount+ step up with their own fresh offerings this week as well, which include a Chadwick Boseman documentary film and the conclusion of a Darren Star show. Oh, and AMC+ has a new spy series and more of Gangs Of London. Here are the best offerings of this week, and yes, Disney+ wins this one.
Disney+
Disney+
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+ series) — Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are still doing their buddy action-comedy thing, but things accelerated quickly last week with John Walker basically turning Captain America into a villain. So, there’s a damn fine mess to be cleaned up, and hopefully, we’ll see Sharon Carter kicking ass again before the season finishes? There also needs to be some sort of are-they-good-or-bad conclusion with the Flag Smashers, and Bucky should go to Aruba at the end of all this.
Big Shot (Disney+ series) — David E. Kelley co-created and executive produces this series starring John Stamos as a down-on-his luck, ousted NCAA coach who’s attempting to get back on his (angry) feet with a ritzy private high-school gig. While reluctantly seeking redemption, Coach learns that his new team benefits from him showing some actual emotion beyond rage and stoicism, so he must — gasp — learn how to be vulnerable and empathetic. He might actually become a better person, too. The show co-stars Yvette Nicole Brown, who I hope gives Coach a really hard time (dude seems like he deserves it).
Earth Moods (Nat Geo series on Disney+) — This five-part series launches this weekend to show us various “moods” from the corners of the globe to soothe us with the natural world. Each one (from glaciers to deserts to rain forests to cities) will take us on voyage to help our minds reset. Sounds fantastic.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (Disney+ series) — Emilio Estevez is back in this new-generation revival of the classic films. Co-starring Lauren Graham and Brady Noon, the Mighty Ducks junior hockey team is now a powerhouse in its division, and it’s brutal in selecting who can make the cut. Estevez is still the Ducks’ original coach, and he’s helping a new team of underdogs after the New Ducks boot a 12-year-old boy.
HBO Max
HBO Max
Wahl Street (HBO Max series) — Take a peek behind the Wahlcurtain of Mark Wahlberg’s empire — and settle in for some business and life lessons — including a rigorous film schedule, of course, and several successful businesses (a clothing line, a gym studio, Wahlburgers, and his production company). The season was filmed amid the global pandemic and includes appearances of his real-life entourage.
Pray, Obey, Kill (HBO series on HBO Max) — Catch a double-dose installment of a five-part documentary series from investigative journalists Anton Berg and Martin Johnson in a project directed by The Bridge‘s Henrik Georgsson. Follow along while Berg and Johnson retrace what happened on a frigid night when a small Swedish village saw a woman murdered and a neighbor shot before a nanny confessed to the acts of violence while citing a strange motivation. This led to a scandalous tale of a love triangle and a link to a prior suspicious death. Yet is the whole mess tied to the local tight-knit Pentecostal congregation and its charismatic leader, who referred to herself as “The Bride of Christ”? Get ready for an unpredictable true-crime ride.
Our Towns (HBO series on HBO Max) — This film (which is based upon journalists James and Deborah Fallows’ book, Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America) zeroes in on how local initiatives lead to change that spark a different future.
Mare Of Easttown (HBO series streaming on HBO Max) — Kate Winslet returns not only to TV but to HBO (a decade after her award-winning Mildred Pierce turn) to star as a hard-vaping detective in a small town where she both portrays and elevates the “complicated” cop trope. She’s captivating while digging into a murder mystery that has rocked her small town and caused the community to feel utterly claustrophobic. Evan Peters portrays her young, whippersnapper partner on the case, and he’s electric, as are the wonderfully sarcastic Jean Smart (as Mare’s mom) and an understated Guy Pearce (as the maybe-love interest). This show will suck you in, and you won’t mind one bit.
The Nevers (HBO series streaming on HBO Max) — This Joss Whedon-created show offers an intriguing setup about a group of “orphans” (almost exclusively women) who find themselves “gifted” with supernaturally-powered abilities. Although there’s far too many plot lines (and some plot holes), there’s also a fair amount of butt-kicking, and the atmosphere is killer. The embattled Buffy and Firefly creator officially exited the series last year, but you won’t be able to forget his presence. Whether that hurts or helps the show remains to be seen.
Infinity Train: Book Four (HBO Max series) — This show might be seeing the final season, too, for this Cartoon Network series. Two childhood best friends have a falling out and find themselves aboard the Infinity Train, where a strange concierge helps them on their journey, and the friends must work together or be stuck forever on the train.
AMC+
AMC+
Spy City (AMC+ original series) — Preacher‘s Dominic Cooper stars as an English spy in 1960s Berlin, right before the Berlin Wall goes up. He’s tasked with locating a traitor among the Allies or in the UK embassy, and he’s possibly surrounded by spies and double agents. He’s also dancing around the threat of nuclear war while American, British, and French troops are barely separated from their East German and Soviet counterparts. Good luck?
Gangs of London (Sky Atlantic/AMC+ series) — AMC+ viewers who already enjoyed the first season of this series and may even be tempted to revisit the turbulent power struggle all over again as it hits the traditional TV schedule. Fans of the beloved Peaky Blinders, as well, should pay attention because this new series makes Peaky seem like a pleasant walk in London’s Hyde Park. Warring gangs and a power vacuum and a city on its knees are only part of the attraction here. The rest is down to character-based writing and a wonderful cast that embodies a decidedly unglamorous take on warring criminal elements, all of which will prove to be addictive for anyone who loves The Sopranos or any of Marty Scorsese’s mob pictures.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime
Frank of Ireland (Amazon Prime series) — Two of the world-famous Gleeson brothers (Domhnall and Brian) join forces about a man who’s fruitlessly hoping to get some respect after he finally decides to grow up. Brian portrays Frank, and Domhnall portrays a character that’s named, uh, Doofus. Their brand of comedy is rather absurd and juvenile at times, but there’s a heart to this show if you can hang through sophomoric jokes. This is certain: this show will make you forget about the serious things in life.
Them (Amazon Prime limited series) — This story’s sure to remind horror fans of Jordan Peele’s Us in more ways than a few, and for good reason. This show promises to explore American-bred terror with an anthologized approach, so the first season is all about the 1950s. Allison Pill’s reliably frightening, and here, she’s terrorizing a Black family, who moves into an all-white LA neighborhood and the welcome committee isn’t there for them, that’s for sure. Soon enough, the horror show begins; and both from a reality-based and a supernatural standpoint, this is pure nightmare fuel.
Invincible (Amazon Prime series) — This animated romp drops a new episode and pleases both fans of The Boys and The Walking Dead, and the latter reference has everything to do with the source material by Robert Kirkman. Invincible is an ultraviolent deconstruction of the superhero, and yes, we’ve seen plenty of dismantling already, but this story has heart. Stephen Yeun makes a fantastic leading man here, and the cast (J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Zazie Beetz, Zachary Quinto, Mark Hamill, and several TWD names) is ridiculously good.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+
Mythic Quest: Everlight (Apple TV+ series) — Ahead of official Season 2 launch, this second pandemic special drops on Rob McElhenney and crew upon their return to the office. Yep, it is Everlight party time, and it’s sure to be plenty awkward as they navigate a return to the office amid you-know-what that’s still happening. There’s a LARP (Live Action Role-Play) tournament happening, and Sir Anthony Hopkins is sort-of on hand for voice work.
The Year Earth Changed (Apple TV+ film) — This is undoubtedly a timely documentary special that covers the year of lockdown in a way that you’ve never seen before. Nature has its way in deserted cities and suburbs, and before all is said and done, viewers will be able to observe how changes in human behavior (beach closings, less cruise ship traffic, etc.) can make planet Earth unbelievably happy. The project’s narrated by Sir David Attenborough as a love letter of sorts, all to show how nature can bounce back, and hopefully, so can humanity.
Netflix
Netflix
Chadwick Boseman: Portrait Of An Artist (Netflix documentary) — Following the Black Panther and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom star’s too-soon death last August, the streamer fathered an all-star team for this documentary that aims to explore “Boseman’s extraordinary commitment to his craft [and] an intimate look at the Oscar-nominated actor’s artistry and the acting process which informed his transformative performances.” Settle in for a long list of participants, including Viola Davis, Danai Gurira, Spike Lee, Phylicia Rashad, and Glynn Turman. This one will be available for a limited 30-day window, so don’t let it languish in your queue for too long.
Ride Or Die (Netflix film) — Two women take a road trip together. Sound familiar? Well, it’s a pretty Thelma and Louise vibe with one killing for love while the other made her do it, and of course, a chaotic journey follows. No spoilers here, but this story’s a lot deeper than it seems from this brief discussion, and as it turns out, these women have known each other for quite some time, and by the end of the movie, they’ll be even closer.
My Love: Six Stories of True Love (Netflix limited series) — This docuseries spins off from an acclaimed Korean documentary (of nearly the same name) into a global focus, which sees local filmmakers (in different countries) follow a couple for a year of their marriages. From Tokyo to India, Spain, and the United States, these couples might just show us the secret to forever love.
Why Did You Kill Me? (Netflix film) — This chilling true-crime documentary film follows a mother’s search for both justice and revenge after her daughter (24-year-old Crystal Theobald) is killed. The mother uses MySpace to investigate the crime, and there’s immense fallout for multiple families as a result.
Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! (Netflix series) Jamie Foxx is now playing a dad, y’all. He’s doing full-time duties for a teenage daughter while juggling business ownership and some semblance of a personal life. Good luck, Jamie Foxx, because life is total chaos, so you might as well embrace that face. The series also stars Kyla-Drew (as the lucky daughter who gets to laugh at dad), David Alan Grier, and Porscha Coleman.
The Circle: Season 2 (Netflix series) The social-media-focused reality show continues with plenty of shade, twists, shade, turn, and more twists. This season, eight fresh contestants will attempt to figure out who is catfishing and who is real. My goodness, this looks dizzying and maybe a little bit depressing, but people can’t stop watching, so maybe you’ll get sucked in, too? Good luck.
Hulu/Paramount+/FX on Hulu
Paramount+/Hulu/TV Land
Younger: Season 7 (Paramount+/Hulu series) — Final season time has arrived for this Darren Star show as it follows up on Liza mulling over whether to marry Charles while Kelsey made strides professionally. Things will be wrapped up soon with Liza struggling in her personal life while struggling not to lose herself, all while Maggie gets canceled, and Kelsey looking for a new creative outlet.
Mayans M.C. (FX on Hulu) — This biker drama’s in a darker third gear with the club all wrestling with various personal and professional demons. This week, EZ’s recovering from that pesky gunshot wound, so everyone needs to reel in Angel before he does something rash, alright?
Snowfall (FX on Hulu) — The John Singleton-co-created series sees Teddy trying to save his own butt (operation- and career-wise) while Franklin is battling to survive.
If there’s one thing to be known about the Griselda collective, it’s that they’ll release multiple quality projects at a rapid clip. The group is already well into their 2021 campaign as Benny The Butcher is a couple of weeks removed from his The Plugs I Met 2 project. Now, Conway The Machine steps up to the plate with his own project, La Maquina. The 11-track effort finds Conway joining forces with 2 Chainz for “200 Pies,” an easy-going track that sees both acts flexing lyrical musical for over four minutes.
The track is not the first time this year that 2 Chainz has worked with a Griselda member as he previously worked with Benny The Butcher for the their “Plug Talk” track. La Maquina also presents features from Ludacris and JID (“Scatter Brain“), Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, and more. It’s an effort that arrives just under two months after Conway delivered If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed, a joint album with Big Ghost Ltd, and just over seven months after he shared his last solo album, From King To A God.
La Maquina comes as rumors Conway reportedly left the Griselda collective were shut down by the rapper and Westside Gunn, who denied having any conflict with the fellow Buffalo native. “U do know that’s my brother,” Gunn said in response to the reports.
Just a week ago, the world was hit with the sad news that hip-hop legend DMXpassed away at the age of 50. His death arrived a week after he was hospitalized by a reported overdose, which led to a heart attack that left him in a coma. The news came as the rapper prepared to return with his first album in more than eight years. While fans wait to see if and when they’ll receive that project, they can enjoy a new verse from the rapper through guest feature alongside Swizz Beatz and French Montana.
The three artists join forces for “Been To War,” a rambunctious effort that sees all parties expressing the lack of fear they each possess as they’ve each seen the worse that life has to offer. Swizz Beatz leads the way with a raucous hook that serves as the perfect opener for DMX to arrive and lay a sinister verse. Then, French Montana comes through to close things out on the track. The song was released as a part of the soundtrack to the new season of Epix’s Godfather Of Harlem series.
“Been To War” arrives after DMX’s music streams jumped by almost 1,000% since his death. The rapper’s passing also saw his autobiography return to the bestsellers list.
You can listen to the new song in the video above.
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