Month: May 2021

Bebe Rexha’s new album Better Mistakes came out yesterday, and it’s already been racking up accolades from fans and peers alike. Speaking of peers, there’s plenty of fellow stars on this packed tracklist, including cameos from Lil Uzi Vert on “Die For A Man” (my current personal favorite), Travis Barker on “Break My Heart Myself” — which comes with a brand new video — and other hip-hop artists like Rick Ross, Pink Sweats, Doja Cat and more.

This is only the young pop star’s second album release ever, but it’s pretty clear the record has a very special place in her heart. After it was finally released yesterday — among a series of delays due to COVID-19 — the singer took to Instagram to post her own emotional take on what the album means. “My Sophomore album BETTER MISTAKES Is OUT NOW EVERYWHERE!! ,” she began. “I wanted this album to convey the beautiful parts of me, as well as the broken parts. If you feel broken or not good enough. I want you to know that you are not alone. If you feel crazy or out of place. I want you to know you are not alone. If you feel misunderstood or lonely you are not alone. We are all imperfect and beautiful. We all make mistakes. The best we can do is try to make better ones and accept that we are just human. This is my story. #bettermistakes.”

Check out her post below and if what she’s saying resonates with you, stream the album here.

Rookie of the Year hasn’t been one of the awards that has received a ton of attention this season, if only because it’s been LaMelo Ball’s to lose for seemingly the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign. Karl-Anthony Towns has some thoughts on this, and unsurprisingly, he disagrees with that read on the entire thing.

Towns was joined by Anthony Edwards during his postgame media availability following the Timberwolves’ 121-112 loss to the Miami Heat and used the occasion to make the case for his teammate’s Rookie of the Year candidacy — Edwards had just gone for 25 points, six rebounds, and three assists against Miami.

Via The Rookie Wire:

I’ve said it from Day 1: We made the right pick. I don’t think there is any question on who should have been the No. 1 pick in this draft. I don’t want it to be missed. I don’t want it to be looked over. There is a reason he was double-teamed (versus the Heat). They should double-team him. No other rookie has earned that respect in this league.

There ain’t no other rookie in this league getting double-teamed. There ain’t no other rookie putting up the numbers Ant is. There ain’t no other rookie causing the havoc and mayhem before the game even starts with the scouting reports like Anthony is. I don’t want to hear nothing about no other people who are rookies. I don’t want to hear that. I don’t go by hype, I go by stats.

The obvious caveat — Karl-Anthony Towns is not going to say that Anthony Edwards doesn’t deserve to be recognized for his rookie campaign — applies here, but the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has had a nice rookie campaign. Edwards is up to 19 points and 4.7 rebounds in 31.9 minutes a night, and although his efficiency numbers (41.2 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from three) aren’t particularly great, the former Georgia standout has done a nice job growing into his role in the league as the year has gone on.

Does this mean he’ll end up beating out Ball? Almost certainly not, unless the fact that he’s played in 21 more games becomes something a bunch of voters cannot overlook. Still, Edwards has looked like a foundational piece for the Timberwolves this season, and his fellow former No. 1 pick believes he deserves some love.

It’s been a month since DMX tragically died following a heart attack that resulted from a reported drug overdose. His passing left many close family members, friends, and fans to grieve at the unexpected loss. One of those was Swizz Beatz, who shared a passionate speech at the late rapper’s memorial service last month. Swizz had some harsh words for those who failed to check on DMX before his death, despite claiming to be close to him. During a recent interview with Angie Martinez, he explained what inspired the speech and why he felt it was necessary to deliver it at the service.

“From the fans’ standpoint, X got a lot of love. It’s just the other love he was looking for I don’t think he got a lot of,” Swizz said. “And that’s what made me want to say what I said at his homegoing because I was dealing with a lot of that.” He added, “I was with X a lot. Especially, recently. So I was very current in his life and understanding where he was at and what he was going through. So when I started seeing things, naturally as his brother, it just bothered me.” He also said he had no regrets for the speech and would do it all over again if he had to.

Swizz also spoke about DMX’s upcoming album, which he called a “well-deserved masterpiece.” “X was really in a good mood after doing Verzuz,” he said. “He really got excited because he was able to see the love that the youth had for him and the energy that Snoop gave him…We didn’t leave L.A. We stayed there and finished the album at Snoop’s studio like from Verzuz. That energy bottled, bottled up and we just stayed on it. X was just saying that ‘I just wanna get some new music out so I can contribute to this new energy that I’m feeling.’” He continued, “He was going to get back in the best shape that we’ve ever seen him in a long time physically as well.”

You can watch clips from the interview above.

It’s been a while artists could safely interact with crowds, but with big-name music festivals set to make their return within the coming months it appears this period is nearing an end. With that in mind, Saweetie took her talents to the Santa Monica Pier for a surprise performance. The rapper shared a clip of her performance on Instagram, showing her rapping along to her 2019 track “My Type.” Another video that was posted on social media shows her also performing her new single “Fast (Motion).”

For the performance, Saweetie pretended to be an up-and-coming artist looking to make ends meet, complete with a small container that read “Pretty B*tch Summer Donation” on the floor near her. The set seemed to be a way for Saweetie to bring some additional attention to “Fast (Motion),” which she shared on Friday, with a music video that saw her take the role of a soccer player, racecar driver, skydiver, and more.

Last month, Saweetie appeared in a trailer for the third season of Call Of Duty: Warzone. She later revealed she attended an artist development boot camp to work on her craft.

You can watch videos of Saweetie performance above.

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

Luka Doncic has reached the portion of stardom where his off nights are still the kinds of games most dudes would like to have. An example: The Dallas Mavericks took down the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, 110-90, with Doncic going for 24 points and seven rebounds. He wasn’t on fire from the field — 8-for-17, 1-for-5 from three — and he only had one assist, but it was a nice game where Doncic helped lead his squad to a comfortable win.

His best moment of the night didn’t even happen during the 23 minutes he was on the floor. Heck, it didn’t even come during the game. It instead came during pregame shootaround, when Doncic showed off his comedy chops both by telling an extremely corny joke and by spectacularly missing a hook shot from out of bounds and behind the backboard.

Really terrific execution by Doncic here … well, at least when it came to telling the joke and having that transition right into shooting a hook shot. Although in a way, it is much better that he missed by a lot from an impossible angle as opposed to doing this right in the paint and making a bunny, because it makes the whole thing a little funnier. Anyway, I hope Doncic has one NBA-inspired joke that he can bust out before every game for the rest of his career.

Jay-Z has spent the bulk of 2021 buying and selling a number of companies he either owned or invested in. According to TMZ, his latest move brings him into the world of TV and film production. The publication reports that Jay recently filed a trademark through S. Carter Enterprises for the name “2/J” under the category of “entertainment services in the nature of creation, development, and production” for television programming, TV series, movies, and similar projects. The new trademark would suggest that Jay is entering the media and television business, following in the footsteps of names like 50 Cent (G-Unit Film & Television) and LeBron James (SpringHill Company).

This comes just a couple of weeks after the rapper’s investment firm Marcy Venture Partners teamed up with former MLB baseball player Adrian Gonzalez to invest in the Los Angeles-based LIT Method, a fitness company launched by Justin and Taylor Norris back in May 2020. Larry Marcus, co-founder and managing director of Marcy Venture Partners, spoke about the move in a statement. “Justin and Taylor are tenacious and adaptive entrepreneurs with so much drive and passion,” he said. “Their engaging content, motivating style, and innovative equipment are a winning combination.”

Prior to that, Jay-Z sold half of his champagne company, Ace Of Spades, to LVHM for what Forbes estimates was a $315 million deal. He later sold his streaming service, Tidal, to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s Square for $297 million in cash and stocks. In exchange, Jay was given a seat on the mobile payments company’s board.

Back in 2005, Mariah Carey released her classic album The Emancipation Of Mimi. While the effort was responsible for producing one of her best singles, “We Belong Together,” it was also home to another favorite, “Shake It Off.” More than sixteen years later, that song once again became a topic of conversation after YTK, a rapper from Baltimore, sampled it in his song “Let It Off,” which went viral on Twitter.

The song comes with a video, in which its soft vocals and R&B production are met with imagery including ski masks and guns, similar to what RMR did in early 2019 which helped his breakout song, “Rascal,” go viral. After Twitter user @rnbtommy reposted the video on his account with the caption, “Mariah Carey has 24 hours to respond,” it took off, tallying more than 24,000 retweets and 62,000 favorites. Mariah eventually discovered the tweet and had a lighthearted response about it. “How about y’all have 24 hours to respond to my lawyers (purple heart),” she replied.

After seeing Mariah’s tweet, the response was divided. Some were disappointed that YTK’s song might be removed while others offered responses along the lines of “well, what did you expect?” However, @rnbtommy later clarified Mariah’s tweet. “hey I want to reiterate that Mariah was joking, please stop saying rude sh*t to her,” they wrote in a tweet. “She told that same joke to Quest Love hours before she responded to the tweet and put us in contact with the people who can help us clear it! so it’s not a problem on her end.” They shared a screenshot of a direct message conversation Questlove that reveals he spent almost four hours speaking to Mariah about YTK’s track.

You can listen to the song in the video above.

Tawny Kitaen — actress, television host, and heavy metal music video staple — has passed away, reports Deadline. She was 59. No cause of death has currently been given.

Kitaen was a major icon of the 1980s. She began as a model and segued into the music scene, first appearing on the covers of the first EP and the debut album by heavy metal band Ratt. Later she appeared in four videos for the band Whitesnake, including their signature tune “Here I Go Again,” in which she’s seen doing all manner of things with and to a car.

She was able to pivot into movies as well. She’ll forever be known as Tom Hanks’ fiancée (and later wife) in the 1983 comedy Bachelor Party, back before her co-star rebranded as his generation’s James Stewart. She also appeared in the horror hit Witchboard as well as the European adventure romp The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak — an Indiana Jones knockoff that distinguishes itself by including lots of bondage and S&M.

The ‘90s saw a slightly cleaner Kitaen. She co-hosted America’s Funniest People with Dave Coulier — an America’s Funniest Videos off-shoot in which people sent in videos that were intentionally, accidentally, funny. (Or so they hoped.) She appeared on an early episode of Seinfeld, Married…with Children, and various Hercules shows. In the aughts she popped up on a season of the reality show The Surreal Life.

When news of her premature passing broke, people were quick to honor her memorable work in the ‘80s metal scene.

And others remembered her for her work opposite Tom Hanks.

So honor the passing of Tawny Kitaen by watching some of her finest work, in the classic video for Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again.”

(Via Deadline)

Figuring out what to do for a mom on Mother’s Day can be a tricky thing. There’s the standard flowers or candy, of course, and taking her out to a nice brunch is a fairly universal winner. But what do moms really want?

Speaking from experience—my kids range from age 12 to 20—a lot depends on the stage of motherhood. What I wanted when my kids were little is different than what I want now, and I’m sure when my kids are grown and gone I’ll want something different again.

We asked our readers to share what they want for Mother’s Day, and while the answers were varied, there were some common themes that emerged.

Moms of young kids want a break.

When your kids are little, motherhood is relentless. Precious and adorable, yes. Wonderful and rewarding, absolutely. But it’s a LOT. And it’s a lot all the fricking time.

Most moms I know would love the gift of alone time, either away at a hotel or Airbnb or in their own home with no one else around. Time alone is a priceless commodity at this stage, especially if it comes with someone else taking care of cleaning, making sure the kids are fed and safe and occupied, doing the laundry, etc.

This is especially true after more than a year of pandemic living, where we moms have spent more time than usual at home with our offspring. While in some ways that’s been great, again, it’s a lot.

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Reader Heather W. wrote that she wanted “A night at a hotel by myself (Love my kids but after this year, everyone home plus having a baby I could use a bit of a break).” Tons of other readers concurred.

Some moms might not want or need time alone, but getting a break from the day-to-day mundane tasks of childrearing and/or housekeeping is always welcome. That’s why reader Emma K. wrote that she wanted a day off: “A day where I don’t have to cook or clean or think for anyone else. A day where these things still get done and not just left for the following day for me to take care of.”

Tip for this stage: Clean the house, give her a short-and-sweet “Happy Mother’s Day!” and then either take the kids away for a night or send her away for a night. If a night isn’t possible, a big chunk of the day will suffice. Anything that will give her stress-free, guilt-free time to herself in a clean space.

Moms of tween and teens want to be appreciated.

As kids get older, the relentlessness of motherhood becomes less physical and more emotional. While moms of wee ones are physically tired, moms of middles are often emotionally drained. Older kids and teens can be a lot of fun, but they can also be oblivious to how much their mother does for them. Moms in the middle years really want to know their family sees and appreciates their years of ongoing dedication and sacrifice.

While a scrawled-out card from a little kid is super sweet, a heartfelt message from an older child is truly touching. The tween and teen years can be contentious and connections can feel tenuous as kids start preparing to leave the nest, so letting moms know that they are loved, seen, and treasured at this stage can go a long way.

Doing things around the house without being asked goes a long way too. That’s huge at this stage.

Tip for this stage: Encourage older kids to communicate their love and gratitude directly to their mothers. Many don’t realize how much their mom might appreciate a simple expression of appreciation. Also have them look for thing they can take off their mom’s plate to help her relax.

Moms of adult children want family bonding time.

Once kids have flown the coop, what moms really want is time as a family again. Yes, it’s ironic that moms want to get away when their kids are young and want nothing but togetherness when kids are older, but such is the nature of the beast. It’s not that moms of younger kids don’t love to have family time, it’s that for many moms “family time” is most of the time. It may not always be as quality or relaxed as we want it to be, but it’s still family time.

Once kids are gone, moms might relish the freedom and rejuvenation of getting plenty of alone time, and at the same time yearn for the fun family times that are now fewer and farther between. Flowers are fine, cards are nice, but for empty nest moms, a fun family outing or get-together at home is a gift.

Reader Lori C. summed it up: “My two grown boys are spending the afternoon with me. I can’t wait just to be with them and talk.”

And again, after the past year, this yearning is all the more relevant. As Christina S. wrote, “I haven’t been able to hug my adult children in over a year because of COVID. I just want a hug.”

Several moms said they wanted their family to get vaccinated for this very reason.

Tip for this stage: Coordinate a family gathering for moms of adult kids, in person if it can be done safely or virtually if that’s a better option.

Moms want their own moms back.

Mother’s Day isn’t all sunshine and puppies; it’s a hard day for a lot of people for lots of reasons.

A number of commenters said that what they really wish they could have for Mother’s Day is time with their own moms who are no longer with them—a heartbreaking but real sentiment. Equally as moving are the comments from moms who don’t have good relationships with their own mothers and wish they did.

These folks provide a needed reminder to treasure the relationships we have with our moms if we have them, while we have them.

Tip: Acknowledge the loss and grief some people might be feeling on Mother’s Day. A special framed photo of a mom who has passed on might be appropriate. For others, a simple, “Thinking of you today, I know it’s hard,” message may be appreciated.

Whether a mom in your life wants a day away from family or a day filled with family, whether she wants a special creation from her kids or a day at a spa (or both), Mother’s Day is her day. Ask her what an ideal day would look like to her, and then do what you can to make something like it happen for her.

Wishing all the moms out there a Happy Mother’s Day! Hope you get what you want and need, whatever that means for you.

A very easy way to get people riled up is to put out any sort of ranking of basketball players, which will invariably include one or two things that get social media buzzing. Every now and then, a player will opine on said ranking — ex: Jamal Murray recently calling out something Nick Wright said about where Nikola Jokic would rank among MVP winners — and on incredibly rare occasions, we get one of the dudes involved in said ranking voicing their discontent.

That last thing happened recently when Shaquille O’Neal was made aware of a tiered ranking of players who suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers based on the impact they had with the team. He noticed that he was one step below the top tier — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson — and placed on par with LeBron James and Jerry West, which he did not particularly appreciate.

“I do not agree, hell no,” Shaq wrote.

Shaq is very much someone who has strong reactions whenever his greatness as a player is questioned, so it probably isn’t a big surprise that he wasn’t happy when he saw this. Still, he has a point that if you’re going by impact as a Laker, putting him anywhere other than at the very top is incorrect.