Month: June 2021

There is perhaps no greater sign of a rising artist’s impending superstardom than their album tracklist. After releasing two well-received albums in back-to-back years with relatively few big-name co-signs, it looks like Windy City upstart Polo G will finally arrive at that coveted echelon with the release of his third album, Hall Of Fame. He released the tracklist today, and it’s got some real doozies on it.

While his 2019 debut Die A Legend and its 2020 follow-up The Goat certainly didn’t lack for star power — the first included an appearance from Lil Baby and Gunna just months after their joint mixtape Drip Harder launched a veritable mania for the two Atlantans and the latter had a posthumous Juice WRLD appearance — Hall Of Fame sees Polo attracting the sort of names that get the big font on festival flyers. Those names include DaBaby Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Pop Smoke, and Young Thug, while fellow Chicagoans G Herbo and Lil Durk and fellow XXL Freshmen Fivio Foreign, Rod Wave, and Roddy Ricch also look to contribute. With such a star-studded cast in the wings, the anticipation for Polo’s latest is higher than it’s ever been; thank goodness we only have to wait a week to hear it.

Hall Of Fame is due 6/11 via Columbia Records. See the full tracklist below. Pre-save it on Apple Music and Spotify here.

1. “Painting Pictures”
2. “Rapstar”
3. “No Return” Feat. Kid Laroi & Lil Durk
4. “Toxic”
5. “Epidemic”
6. “Gang Gang” Feat. Lil Wayne
7. “Boom”
8. “Black Hearted”
9. “Broken Guitars” Feat. Scorey
10. “GNF (OKOKOK)”
11. “Go Part 1” Feat. G Herbo
12. “Heart of a Giant” Feat. Rod Wave
13. “Zooted Freestyle”
14. “Party Lyfe” Feat. DaBaby
15. “Losses” Feat. Young Thug
16. “So Real”
17. “Fame & Riches” Feat. Roddy Ricch
18. “For the Love of New York” Feat. Nicki Minaj
19. “Clueless” Feat. Pop Smoke & Fivio Foreign
20. “Bloody Canvas”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Nneka Ogwumike will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a Grade 2 left knee sprain, the Los Angeles Sparks announced on Thursday. The 6’2 forward left Tuesday’s game in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Wings after falling awkwardly on a cut to the rim.

This is tough news for both the Sparks and Ogwumike. The 30-year-old former MVP was off to a terrific start to the season scoring 16.4 points per game on 58.6 percent shooting with seven rebounds and 1.2 assists. With Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray signing elsewhere in free agency, Ogwumike was expected to shoulder the bulk of the team’s scoring load.

The logical replacement for Nneka would be her sister, former Rookie of the Year Chiney Ogwumike, but the Sparks also announced on Thursday that she’s week-to-week with right knee soreness. She’ll be re-evaluated before L.A.’s trip to Washington D.C.

With rookie Jasmine Walker sidelined to a torn ACL, the Sparks have few options at the forward spot currently on the roster. Amanda Zahui B is likely to play big minutes, along with Nia Coffey and Bria Holmes. L.A. is likely to look to add another contributor through a hardship exception until Chiney returns. But it won’t be easy to replace what the Ogwumikes do on the floor.

If Chiney is able to return on the shorter end of her timeline, she’d still miss the Sparks’ next 10 games. That’s a brutal hit in a 32-game regular season.

Music video director Nabil Elderkin, credited mononymously as Nabil in his video credits, is set to release his feature debut Gully this week, and today, Epic Records revealed the tracklist for the soundtrack that accompanies the film. Elderkin, who is also the soundtrack’s executive producer, has gathered some of music’s biggest names on the soundtrack, including 2 Chainz, 21 Savage, Don Toliver, Dua Lipa, Miguel, Snoh Aalegra, and Ty Dolla Sign. The film is set to release in theaters on June 4 and on VOD June 8.

The film, which was premiered in 2019 at the Tribeca Film Festival features some heavy hitters in the film world, including Jonathan Majors of Lovecraft Country, Amber Heard, and Terrence Howard. Singer Jacob Lattimore, star of Showtime’s The Chi leads alongside Charlie Plummer and Kelvin Harrison, Jr. The film was produced by Romulus Entertainment in association with Roc Nation. Elderkin’s prior video credits include Kanye West’s “Welcome To Heartbreak,” Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA.,” and SZA’s “Love Galore,” among plenty of others. You can see the full tracklist below and pre-order your digital copy of the film here.

1. 21 Savage –- “Betrayed”
2. Ty Dolla $ign, Schoolboy Q, & B-Real -– “Blacks n Mexicans”
3. Don Toliver –- “Won’t Stop”
4. Miguel –- “Violent Dreams”
5. Buddy –- “Murderer”
6. Snoh Aalegra –- “Troubled Waters”
7. Gary Clark, JR.- “We Stay Up”
8. 2 Chainz, Sleepy Rose, & Mike WILL Made-It –- “Posed To Be”
9. Dua Lipa -– “Can They Hear Us”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

We Are Lady Parts: Season 1 (Peacock series) — A Muslim female post-punk band called Lady Parts looks for a lead guitarist in this subversive series, which follows the ups and downs of the group as they seek a real gig. A geeky, hard-sciences Ph.D. recruit named Amina Hussain ends up being the unlikely lucky lady to pick up the ax, and she’s soon swept up into the group’s anarchic energy. Naturally, Amina’s caught between two worlds, that of her conservative friends and the irresistible lure of the band’s joyful spirit. Together, they’re fearless, rowdy, and sexual and every ultra-religious family’s nightmare. As a show, it’s silly and irreverent and inspiring; for sure, you’ve never seen women like quite this on your TV screen.

Why Women Kill: Season 2 (Paramount+ series) — This round of new episodes is set in 1949 and digs into the meaning of beauty, along with an exploration of the masks people wear for the world and exactly what extravagant lengths one women will go to while attempting to match society’s expectations.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie (Netflix film) — This double-dose anime film takes place with the scattered Sailor Guardians attempting to bring light back after a total solar eclipse gives way to a dark power. All of this takes place when Tokyo’s seeing the annual cherry blossom bloom, so the visuals should be extra magical.

Dancing Queens (Netflix film) — This follows a 20-something young woman (with dancing aspirations) who begins cleaning a drag club called Queens. There, her talent is discovered, and as the synopsis teases, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I think we can guess where the story goes from there.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC, 9:00pm) — Fin and Phoebe are planning their wedding (!) while Benson wishes to help a homeless single mother who’s being sex trafficked.

Law & Order: Organized Crime (NBC, 10:00pm) — The octopus-wielding Wheatley’s somehow already in court while facing a buffet of charges while Richie’s attempting to save himself and his family’s totally non-Mafia reputation. Good luck?

Rebel (ABC, 10:00pm) — Rebel’s attempting to recruit a key witness while Lana gets confrontational with Grady about a ghost from the past.

From Cradle To Stage (Paramount+ series) — This Dave Grohl-directed series follows Dave and his mom, Virginia, meeting up with another artist and their mom each week.

Jimmy Kimmel Live — Michael Che, Cillian Murphy, The Linda Lindas

Though rumors have been swirling for months that the world’s most beloved New Zealand pop star would be returning with new music this year, so far a new Lorde record has been a moot point. Her fans can’t quite take no for an answer, though, and after all those signs at the top of the year — like that book she’s releasing about her trip to Antarctica, which apparently had an influence on her new album’s title, that time when she updated her Facebook profile pic, oh and then her inclusion on the Primavera 2022 lineup — we’re talking serious signs, people!

An unconfirmed tweet from a small music blog claiming the singer was going to be releasing two new songs set off a new flurry of chatter, even though it doesn’t seem to be based in reality.

Truthfully, the last real update was summer 2019’s “in the oven” reassurance, but with Olivia Rodrigo’s new album Sour reminding everyone how great pissed-off-girl-pop can be, the mood is high for Melodrama stans. Oh and speaking of Olivia? As you could probably already tell if you heard the bridge of “Drivers License” even once, she’s a Lorde stan, too.

Check out more Lorde fans hopefully plotting her comeback below, and seriously, if anyone has any real information on when we’re getting LP3, can you please post that along with all the memes and jokes? We’re dying for an update out here.

Just prior to the start of the NBA Playoffs, word emerged that Vanessa Bryant had decided not to renew a contract with Nike to allow them to continue producing the Kobe line of sneakers that has been one of their most popular. This applied to both the public and in the NBA, as more players wear Kobes than any other shoe.

For those players, many looked to get their hands on as many pairs as they could before production halted on any future pairs, and it seems that has included snagging some colorways and designs that were in the works but had not been released prior to the contract not being renewed. Among those was a Mambacita design, with a black and white silhouette, a gold number 2 on the side for Gianna, and the Mambacita logo on the back.

According to Vanessa Bryant, they were initially to be sold with all proceeds going to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, but she implored Nike not to sell them and has questions about how they got out in the hands of some in an Instagram post on Thursday.

Her issue seems to be with someone randomly getting them when she and her girls have not received any and they weren’t supposed to be in production. That doesn’t necessarily mean she has frustrations with players who may have gotten a pair — like Khris Middleton who wore a pair during the Bucks’ first round series against Miami — but it’s clear she’s not happy there were apparently numerous pairs made that have gotten out.

Sneaker companies work on designs well in advance of any release, so it’s not a surprise there are some floating around, but it’s certainly not a good look for Nike that there was clearly a lack of communication with Bryant’s family that the sneakers were being produced and no pairs were given to Vanessa and the girls at the very least.

Despite almost the entire Bush family denouncing Donald Trump, signifying a growing political rift inside the Republican Party, George P. Bush has embraced the former president as he attempts to leverage Trump’s base to win the race for Texas Attorney General. It’s a surprising alliance considering as soon as Trump started dipping his toes in making a presidential run back in 2012, he famously trash-talked the Bush family including making racist remarks about George P.’s own parents, Jeb and Columba Bush.

However, that hasn’t stopped George P. from cozying up to Trump, who not only loves the attention, but has reportedly taken to calling the Texas AG candidate “My Bush.” Via Politico:

“Don’t get me wrong: George P. has played this exactly right, and he’s definitely more conservative than his dad, and Trump knows that,” said one Trump confidante who discussed the race with him recently. “But I can tell you the president enjoys the prospect of knowing how much it kills Jeb that his son has to bend the knee and kiss the ring. Who’s your daddy? Trump loves that.”

While George P. may be willing to forget how Trump treated his family, the internet has not. The wayward member of the Republican dynasty has been getting dragged on social media for essentially choosing Trump over his own flesh and blood.

It also didn’t help that George P. unveiled a new beer koozie to promote his campaign on Wednesday. The odd swag features a picture of Trump shaking hands with the candidate along with his infamous quote, “This is the only Bush that likes me. This is the Bush that got it right. I like him.”

Naturally, Twitter had a field day:

The non-profit group Change Today, Change Tomorrow got a surprise six-figure donation this week, with a heartfelt message to go along with it.

According to NPR, a white descendant of a Kentucky man who enslaved six people has donated a large portion of their family’s inheritance to the organization, which helps Black and marginalized communities in Kentucky, as a form of reparations. The anonymous donor sent a written statement along with the money, explaining that they had recently received the inheritance on their 25th birthday and began looking into the family history to see where the money came from. That search led to the discovery that their great-grandfather had enslaved six Black people in Bourbon County, Kentucky.

“He inflicted the trauma and violence of slavery on six people for his own monetary gain,” the donor wrote, “and did not even bother to record their names. Although no amount of money could ever right that wrong, their descendants deserve repayment for what was taken.”

The donor is a graduate student who lives in the South but has never lived in Kentucky. Since the donor couldn’t track down specific descendants as recipients for the reparations, they decided to donate to an organization that helps Black Americans in Kentucky in general.

Nannie Grace Croney, deputy director of Change Today, Change Tomorrow, said in a press release that the donor was “aware of how hoarding wealth is a huge contributing factor of inequity in this country, they decided that they should give most of it away.”

The donor also explained in their statement why they chose to remain anonymous.

“As white people we all unfairly benefit from racism,” they wrote. “We have to be willing to part with what was stolen, and do so without expectations of praise or control over how the money will be spent.”

The donor also said it was their first payment of reparations, but would not be the last.

The leaders of Change Today, Change Tomorrow were almost in disbelief when they received the message from the donor, until the money arrived by wire.

Andreana Bridges, an administrative associate at the nonprofit, told NPR, “We are very grateful on one hand. But on the other hand, we understand that the work that we do requires this type of investment in order to be sustainable.”

Bridges said the money will be used for the people the organization serves, who are mostly Black and low-income. “We don’t have the luxury to kind of just sit on it,” she said, “so it’s literally money that’s going to go right back into the community.”

The idea behind reparations is that the enslavement and legal oppression of Black Americans has had a lasting economic impact on the Black community, directly preventing the creation and passing down of generational wealth for many. “Reparations” refers to money or other economic settlements meant to repair that damage. Some also see reparations as a repayment of a debt owed to the descendants of those whose labor was stolen to enrich enslavers—and the U.S. in general—for generations.

As Trevor Noah points out, the bigger conversation about reparations is one that Black Americans need to have with the U.S. government. But more and more individuals, churches, and organizations are recognizing how they have benefitted from the historical oppression of Black people and making moves toward reparations themselves. The “who” and “how” questions are always tricky to navigate, but considering how long and how egregiously Black Americans were had economic opportunity deliberately withheld from them (not just through slavery, but through Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, redlining, etc. that followed) the reparation question is worth exploring.

This anonymous donor’s reparations offering is just one example of how it can be done.

It was made official a few weeks ago that the second season of Lil Dicky’s beloved FX series Dave will premiere this summer. Now there’s a new trailer for the upcoming episodes and it reveals some of what will be going on this season. The new season, by the way, is set to premiere on June 16 at 10 p.m. on FXX before streaming on Hulu the next day.

Dicky seems to be experiencing a creative block and having trouble making his debut album, despite other things in his life going well. For example, Dicky seems to have connected with Doja Cat through an online dating platform. Elsewhere, he encounters Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd, as well as Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner at Benny Blanco’s house. The trailer wraps up with him hilariously talking with NBA legend (and Airplane star) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about how basketball used to be.

Other celebrities not in the trailer but previously revealed to be making appearances this season are Lil Nas X, CL, Kyle Kuzma, J Balvin, Lil Yachty, Kevin Hart, and others.

Press materials previously said of the new season, “Dave knows he’s destined for rap superstardom — but at what cost? With the pressure mounting as he records his debut album, he has to decide if he’ll sacrifice friendships, love, and his own sense of self in order to make his dream come true. Simultaneously exasperating and inspiring to his friends, Dave vows to leave no stone unturned on his quest to become the next superstar.”

Watch the new trailer above.

After making the decision to cancel their 2020 event because they refused to “risk even one Juggalo life,” Insane Clown Posse herald their return with an extremely bonkers announcement. Officially unveiling the dates to their 2021 Gathering Of The Juggalos, Insane Clown Posse say the “great and hallowed jubilee of Juggalo souls” will be one for the books.

The group noted that their 21st annual event will kick off the weekend of August 19 to 21 in Thornville, Ohio at Legend Valley. The rest of their announcement didn’t hold much relevant information but did say they will “rise from he ashes” to “rebuild our Greatest Show”:

“Luv rises from the ash like the Butterfly as we join together once more in reunion, in celebration, for the mighty Dark Carnival! This great and hallowed jubilee of Juggalo souls will feature the unbreakable bonds of a tribe that has traveled lifetimes, running and chopping through every obstacle, with hatchets in our hands and clown luv in our hearts. Know this, straight from the depths of our souls: This will be a Gathering for the True Juggalos. The chosen. The Family! Know that it will be different from past Gatherings as we rise from the ashes and work to rebuild our Greatest Show. It will be a new fire. A new moment in Juggalo history, as we rebuild, refresh, renew, and rise, igniting the spark of our new dawn together. The time has come for a new beginning. Quietly, distant in the woods, you can hear the sound and feel the ground tremble with the vibrations of music and laughter–moments that last Forever. The mighty Wagons of the Dark Carnival creak and moan as they reawaken and roll on. Listen closely and you will hear… the call… of the Butterfly. The Juggalo Nation will Rise!”

While the group’s announcement didn’t really shed light onto what exactly goes down at the annual Gathering Of The Juggalos, Succession‘s Cousin Greg has that covered. Apparently, the actor Nicholas Braun was preparing for a role in a now-canceled film where he played a character who was a big fan of Insane Clown Posse. He attended a former Gathering Of The Juggalos to take notes, saying after he drank “the grossest alcohol” he could get, he found himself on stage with a hundred other juggalos where they “were all drenched in a solf drink called Faygo.”

See Insane Clown Posse’s full announcement below.