Month: June 2021

While rap songs and videos can have the unintended side effect of making gang life look cooler than it is, YG & Mozzy are here to remind you that it’s still quite “Dangerous” in the latest video from their recently released joint album Kommunity Service. The first verse finds the California natives trading quick-witted quatrains upbraiding posers who claim affiliation without the muscle to back it up, while G Herbo brings the song home with his own chest-beating feature to close things out.

The stripped-down video keeps to the established aesthetic from their “Bompton To Oak Park” clip, with a legion of goons mean-mugging the camera to underline the street-loyal lyrics, shot through a perspective warping fish-eye lens. The duo has shown an impressive degree of flexibility with the album rollout so far, as well; while thoroughly praising their expected “Gangsta” credentials in these videos, they’ve alternated them with more positive messaging in the semi-romantic clip for “Perfect Timing.” Album cuts like “Vibe With You” have also offset the menace, because you can’t always be in war mode.

Meanwhile, the duo’s members have done their fair share of good work in the world, too. YG recently gave away $20,000 worth of sneakers to former inmates to ensure that the project’s title wasn’t just figurative.

Watch YG & Mozzy’s “Dangerous” video above.

Noted English muffin addict Stephen King is prompting all kinds of pop-culture worlds to collide in my mind lately. Watching Matt LeBlanc’s memed Friends reunion appearance reminded me of how Joey Tribbiani found The Shining to be so scary that he kept the book in his freezer, and King has (presumably) revealed himself to be a fan of HBO’s Mare of Easttown and even accurately predicted who killed Erin McMenamin in the Kate Winslet-starring limited series. King wasn’t so keen to gobble up a certain horror movie, though, back in the day.

The film, The Blair Witch Project (1999), is a movie that King has discussed before, but the subject came up again on Eli Roth’s History of Horror series on Shudder. Via Dread Central, King revealed (and this may have partially been due to being “doped up” in the hospital after an accident) that he couldn’t finish the movie in one sitting:

“The first time I saw [The Blair Witch Project], I was in the hospital and I was doped up. My son brought a VHS tape of it and he said, ‘You gotta watch this.’ Halfway through it, I said, ‘Turn it off it’s too freaky.’”

I gotta admit, that movie’s found-footage approach felt so novel and realistic back in 1999 that the movie spooked me, too, especially during that moment where a lead character was made to stand in a corner by the witch. Yikes! King didn’t get there in the first run, but he eventually made it through the whole film and even lived to write an essay about Blair Witch Project in a 2010 footnote to Danse Macabre, as transcribed by Bloody Disgusting years ago. Here’s what King wrote about the film’s final moments:

“Finally, [Heather] plunges down to the basement, where one of the hokey stories they were told before their rash entry into the woods turns out to not be bullsh*t after all. Michael (or is it Josh?) stands in the corner, dumbly waiting for the thing from the woods to do what it will. There is a thud as that unseen thing falls on Heather from behind. The camera drops, showing a blurred nothing. The film ends. And if you’re like me, you watch the credits and try to escape the terrified ten-year-old into whom you have been regressed.”

I don’t know about you, but it sure feels like time to go put that old VHS copy of The Blair Witch Project in the freezer.

(Via Dread Central & Bloody Disgusting)

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got the highly anticipated new albums from Black Midi and Bachelor, a new single from the forthcoming Sleater-Kinney LP, and the return of hardcore heroes Turnstile. Check out the rest of the best new indie music below.

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Black Midi – Cavalcade

If you thought Black Midi’s debut album Schlagenheim was a challenging listen, just wait until you hear its follow-up. On their sophomore album Cavalcade the English outfit is what Steven Hyden calls for Uproxx “the rare rock band with a significant profile that is unafraid of irritating people.”

Bachelor – Doomin’ Sun

The debut album from Bachelor was born out of a mutual love of chicken tenders and reality TV. Across the ten tracks of Doomin’ Sun, Palehound’s Ellen Kempner and Jay Som’s Melina Duterte make music that Carolyn Droke calls for Uproxx “both atmospheric and comical, laying out anecdotes like falling in love with the no nonsense confidence of a trashy Florida woman or the endearing charm of a partner unknowingly kicking you all night in their sleep.”

Gulfer/Charmer – Split

The art of the split 7″ seems to have been lost with the advent of streaming, which is a big bummer. But that isn’t stopping Gulfer and Charmer, two of the emo scene’s shining stars, who each contributed one song to a split release that showcases each of their strengths. Gulfer’s “Look” and Charmer’s “Diamond (Sprinkler)” serve as good entry points for both bands.

Sleater-Kinney – “High In The Grass”

The first preview of Sleater-Kinney’s forthcoming LP had a Janet Weiss-sized hole in the arrangement, but the latest offering gets a little closer to filling the void. “High In The Grass” features the off-kilter guitar lead that we’ve come to know and love from Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, and Tucker’s vocals sound as good as ever while she sings of coming alive alongside the blooming spring after a long winter.

Turnstile – “Mystery”

It’s been nearly three years since Turnstile released their major-label debut Time & Space. “Mystery” is the hardcore outfit’s first proper release since then, and showcases a bit of a more experimental vibe than its predecessor. “The loud/soft dynamic — paired with lyrics about fighting for a love that’s running out of gas — gives the song an urgent, Sleigh Bells-meets-“Motorcycle Drive By” kind of vibe,” writes Sarah Grant for Uproxx.

Foxing – “Where The Lightning Strikes Twice”

Foxing have been teasing their forthcoming fourth LP for months, and now the effort finally has a name. Draw Down The Moon is coming this August, and is preceded by the booming and moving single “Where The Lightning Strikes Twice.” “Only Brandon Flowers and company have made songs that are as The Killers-esque as this one,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx.

Orson Wilds – “dec 19”

Canadian outfit Orson Wilds have been dropping standout after standout single over the last several months, and “dec 19” might just be the strongest of all. Where previous singles “Stand Up” and “Mothers Daughters” took on a more grand and anthemic approach, “dec 19” represents the opposite end of the spectrum. It’s a full-speed-ahead rocker that features epic guitar and vocal melodies.

Ellis – “What If Love Isn’t Enough”

It’s only been slightly more than a year since Ellis released her debut album Born Again, but she’s already back for more with a follow-up EP called Nothing Is Sacred Anymore. “What If Love Isn’t Enough” is the second sampling from the effort, a track about the falsehoods of romantic love that features what Carolyn Droke calls for Uproxx “comfortingly warm guitar chords.”

Lightning Bug – “Song Of The Bell”

The third taste of Lightning Bug’s forthcoming album A Color Of The Sky is a gorgeous number that Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx “a neo-nostalgic burst of ’90s-style shoegaze that’s in the same family tree as The Verve’s early-career material and My Bloody Valentine.”

Koreless – “Joy Squad”

In just over a month, Welsh producer Lewis Roberts, who makes music under the name Koreless, will release his debut album, Agor. With the announcement of the new album, Roberts also shared “Joy Squad,” the a glitchy electronic number that seems to build and evolve as it goes on.

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

In perhaps his most delusional move yet, Donald Trump is reportedly telling close friends and allies that he’ll be back in the White House by the end of the summer. According to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, “Trump has been telling a number of people he’s in contact with that he expects he will get reinstated by August.” As Haberman notes, “that isn’t how it works,” which should go without saying, but naturally, the talking point is already taking hold amongst Trump’s rabid supporters.

However, Trump isn’t the the first person to parrot the “reinstated” talking point. Sidney Powell (a.k.a. “The Kraken”) made headlines over the holiday weekend when she attended a QAnon conference and claimed that Trump would be reinstated, but he wouldn’t be credited for lost time after Biden is ousted. “But he should definitely get the reminder of his term and make the best of it, that’s for sure,” Powell told the QAnon crowd.

But with Trump starting to run with the “reinstated” claim, prominent Republicans like David Frum are calling the former president “delusional” while also noting the dangerous implications of rehashing the “Big Lie” that led to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building.

Even Fox News contributor Byron York warned that this latest Trump move will have serious consequences for the Republican Party:

In an interesting move, Jenna Ellis, who helped lead Trump’s legal efforts to overturn the election results has also come out against the “reinstated” talking point. Although, she attempted to thread the needle by calling the election stolen in the process.

Despite pandering to the MAGA crowd by claiming the election was stolen to soften the blow that Trump can’t be reinstated, Raw Story reports that Ellis was blasted by Trump supporters and called “incompetent,” which is surely a sign of things to come.

Comic-turned filmmaker and actor Bo Burnham’s Inside (which you can stream on Netflix) exists at the cross-section of comedy, anger, and stir craziness while wrapping moments of pathos and eviscerating social commentary with colorful kaleidoscopic projections and musical vivacity.

Epic in its emotional depth and scale (for a comedy special filmed within the space of one room during lockdown), this year-long voyeuristic voyage into Burnham’s fraying mind seems at once deeply personal and stunningly relatable to anyone who spent time isolated from the world and loved ones while listening to sirens and mainlining news reports (but, perhaps not, if you spent your year in a second home, an uninvested spectator in the chaos). It’s also a hilarious reclamation of satire.

All respect to Hamilton and the quarantine episode of Mythic Quest (which both hit at the exact right time last year), but Inside is also the most consequential musical and the most visually diverse and stunningly conceived “captured during lockdown” project I’ve seen in this era. Even if it’s hitting at a time when people may not be keen to relive a nightmare that they’re actively trying to run away from. Depending on your state of mind, this might be a time capsule or it might be an emotional Pandora’s Box.

Is Burnham fucking with us in his return to comedy? Is he truly melting before our eyes? Is it something in between? It seems right to take this at face value because it feels like the first truly raw, truly authentic appraisal of those and these times. Like, if this is all some Andy Kaufman-esque put-on, I’ll tip my cap and then scream into my pillow for nine years.

Burnham cautions at the start of the special that what he’s about to present will be scattered, and it is at points. But Inside also follows a clear topical path as it presents songs and bits that touch on myriad elements of human existence during this weird time of mass isolation. Something that begins with a mocking ode to comedy’s powers in the midst of tragedy and social decay before moving on to the frustration of family connection through Facetime, obsessions with reaction videos, and Twitchstreams. Eventually, we land on the special’s primary target.

Much has been said about technology and how it enabled us to stay connected during COVID. Some of it by me. But while it was a lifeline for a lot of us, we should also emerge from our own darkened rooms questioning the larger embrace of tech as a substitute for face-to-face interactions and how weird shit got when we were trying to stay sane. Like, seriously, I made videos where I crysang the Cheers theme at 1AM and interviewed my dog. I also turned my camera on to scream, cry, pray, and vent moments after my wife had to be rushed to the hospital by our roommate at the height of COVID when experiencing severe stomach pains. Because I had nowhere else to put those feelings. No one to go to and no way to be at the hospital with her. While it wouldn’t be as funny or brilliantly presented, each of us could easily do our own version of this special.

It probably doesn’t need to be said at this point, but Inside can be an uncomfortable watch at times. Not just because it hits close to home, or because it’s difficult to view what feels like someone’s slow-rolling nervous breakdown or his asides about suicidal ideation. But also because Burnham isn’t just punching up and punching himself in the face. You will feel judged by this and feel like Burnham might be frustrated by his audience and the whole of humanity at points. Do we need to express all thoughts on all things at all times? Are the cliche poses we throw on Instagram a cry for help? Is intimacy being beaten to death by an eggplant emoji? These are thoughts that went through Burnham’s head during lockdown that strike at the core of some of our everyday behaviors, but while that’s uncomfortable, they are worth larger contemplation. For whatever that is worth.

Nothing lands with more precision and impact than Burnham’s immensely catchy circus siren song about the internet, though. How being extremely online fills a life with “a little bit of everything all of the time” and seduces us with the idea that the entire world is in our hands. Imagine the song from Willy Wonka’s psychedelic boat trip remade for this dark part of the internet age. But here, there’s a very clear determination on which direction we are going thanks to a spigot we can’t turn off and senses that are becoming deadened from the repeating flash of scandals, tragedies, and distractions. Something that only increased in velocity during COVID-times… or was it just that we had little else to stare at?

What’s the value of Burnham examining societal fade through billionaire deification, overshare, underfeel, and the rush toward those distractions while set to song, though? As I said before, Burnham makes it clear that it’s not his responsibility or within the purview of a comedian to heal the world with smiles and comedy. He’s throwing those punches and calling attention to the absurdity of these last 15 months (and, to a degree, what’s been brewing for these last 15 years).

At one point in the special when talking about his personality failings during a meta-commentary on commentary, Burnham says self-awareness “does not absolve anyone of anything.” The meaning is, just because we acknowledge and are aware that something is wrong, it doesn’t mean we’ve done enough or anything to right it.

Inside is funny, it helped Burnham accomplish the stated goal of not putting a bullet in his head during a bleak time, and it put a mirror in front of our faces. As the song says at the start of the special, he made you some content… open wide. Whether it becomes another well-meaning distraction or something that makes you think isn’t really on him.

Bo Burnham’s ‘Inside’ is streaming now on Netflix.

A group of recent college graduates owes a sizable sum to the owner of the Airbnb where they threw their graduation party after their exuberant dancing caused the floor to cave in, resulting in $15,000 worth of damages. The musical culprit that caused the overly enthusiastic reaction? Atlanta’s own Young Nudy, whose 2017 song “EA” featuring cousin 21 Savage is playing the clip that captured the heart-stopping scene, which the party’s organizer posted to Twitter along with the link to a GoFundMe raising funds to pay off the damages.

“We threw the littest graduation party of 2021 at a AirBnB and the floor caved in,” reads the explanation for the clip. “We was listening to EA by Young Nudy and n****s got too lit. Now I have to pay for 15k in damages.” You can see the results in the videos below.

According to the poster, the party was approved by the home’s owner and was upstairs the whole time. He also requested that followers “spam” the rapper to let him “kno what his music doin to people.”

Incidentally, this isn’t the first time a street rapper’s music prompted partygoers to collapse a floor. In 2018, a group of Clemson college students attending a fraternity party and dancing to Chief Keef’s “Faneto” also broke through a floor leaving 30 people injured.

For the past several years, Taylor Swift has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. The singer has slammed politicians for their discriminatory voting records and continuously offered support for pro-LGBTQ+ legislation. Now, Swift continues to position herself as an ally by ushering in Pride Month with a celebratory post.

The singer took to social media to give her support to LGBTQ+ folks who are “bravely living out their truth.” The singer also called for support for the Equality Act, a bill she has petitioned for in the past. The Equality Act previously passed the House and was introduced to the Senate this February. If passed into law, the bill would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, federally funded programs, credit, and jury service.

Swift wrote:

“I want to take a moment to thank the courageous activists, advocates and allies for their dedication to fighting against discrimination and hatred. And as always, today I’m sending my respect and love to those bravely living out their truth, even when the world we live in still makes that so hard to do.

Who you love and how you identify shouldn’t put you in danger, leave you vulnerable or hold you back in life. I proudly join GLAAD in their #summerofequality and add my voice to those who support the Equality Act. Happy Pride Month!”

Check out her post below.

Music festivals across the US have been steadily rolling out their 2021 lineups in recent months, and many of them have one thing in common: a Foo Fighters headlining set. The veteran rockers have been booked at 2021 festivals like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, and Bottlerock, which has made fans wonder if they’re planning to reschedule their canceled 2020 tour. Foo Fighters returned Tuesday to answer questions about their canceled tour by sharing a list of upcoming show dates.

Foo Fighters unveiled six tour dates this summer, which will act as their rescheduled 25th anniversary tour (now 26th anniversary, technically). The shows will be in support of their recently released album Medicine At Midnight, which dropped this February. Their tour kicks off in late July in Cincinnati, Ohio, and comes to a close in mid-August in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The band had originally announced their 2020 25th anniversary tour just one month before lockdown. Foo Fighters were slated to revisit all the places they performed during their debut tour back in ’95. But since canceling all the dates, Foo Fighters have trimmed their trek down from ten shows to just six.

Check out Foo Fighters’ 2021 tour dates below.

07/28 — Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center
07/30 — Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater
08/03 — St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
08/05 — Bonner Springs, KS@ Bonner Springs, KS Azura Amphitheater
08/07 — Oklahoma City, OK @ The Zoo Amphitheater
08/09 — Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater

Tickets to Foo Fighters’ tour are on sale 6/4 at 10 a.m. local time. Get them here.

With so much music being created, shared, and stored digitally these days, it’s easy to take for granted the easy access to rarities and behind-the-scenes snippets that at one point would have been impossible to hear. Highlighting this, Virginia rap veteran Skillz (aka Mad Skillz) recently posted a rare treasure indeed: An original cassette tape given to him by Detroit production legend J Dilla containing the original instrumentals for Skillz’s breakout singles “It’s Goin’ Down” and “The Jam,” as well as the one for The Pharcyde’s 1995 fan-favorite “Runnin’.”

Skillz found the tape over the weekend, taking a photo, posting it to Instagram, and tagging Q-Tip in his excitement at unearthing a one-of-a-kind, historical item. Unlike digital formats, cassette tape can degrade over time and the casing can become damaged, so Skillz had to perform “surgery” on the cassette (as he put it in his Instagram Story documenting his discovery). After fixing the tape, he was able to digitize it and share its contents, which included some previously unheard samples as well tracks from some of Dilla’s best-beloved beats, including “Runnin’,” revealing how the song was transformed from its original incarnation to the one heard on the LA group’s album Labcabincalifornia.

It’s truly a fun discovery for any hip-hop head and a glimpse into a creative process that would ordinarily have been lost to time. Check it out above.

This week in the best new pop music saw a number of upbeat releases. Bad Bunny returned with his first new single of the year, J Balvin delivered a pumped-up duet, and JoJo dropped a snappy and reflective tune.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop releases. Listen up.

Bad Bunny — “100 Millones” Feat. Luar La L

After taking center stage and dropping three albums in 2020, Bad Bunny fires off some well-deserved flexes in his surprise-released track “100 Millones” with Puerto Rican rapper Luar La L. Over a hard-hitting beat, Bad Bunny trades verses about being in his prime. The song signals even more music on the way, as he revealed to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe.

J Balvin — “Que Más Pues?” Feat. María Becerra

J Balvin has been steadily releasing singles this year, and this week was no different. He tapped Argentinian singer María Becerra for a smooth reggaeton number featuring a driving beat and watery guitar chords. Dusting off his melodic flow, J Balvin and Becerra shoot off lyrics as they debate whether or not to stay in a relationship.

JoJo — “Creature Of Habit”

On the heels of her reveal as the black swan on The Masked Singer, JoJo shares her hypnotic new single “Creature Of Habit.” A departure from her folksy single released earlier this year, “Creature Of Habit” features a snappy beat. On the track, JoJo leans on her powerhouse vocals to deliver a captivating tune about recognizing her own toxic habits in a relationship.

Griff — “One Foot In Front Of The Other”

Fresh off her 2021 Brit Award for Rising Star, songwriter Griff shares “One Foot In Front Of The Other,” a touching tune about the painful process of healing. The single showcases Griff’s optimism as well as her showcases as her captivating vocal range, and serves as the title track from her forthcoming project of the same name.

Tate McRae — “Darkest Hour”

Following up on her standout EP Too Young To Be Sad, Tate McRae returns with a release off the soundtrack for the Amazon Original Series Panic.”Darkest Hour” is the perfect mix between a piano ballad and a soulful dark pop tune, opening with McRae’s sultry lyrical delivery and picking up speed to craft a sense of urgency.

Oliver Tree — “Life Goes On”

Oliver Tree is back with his signature bowl cut and tongue-in-cheek pop music. This week, the musician dropped a deluxe version of his debut album Ugly Is Beautiful: Shorter, Thicker & Uglier. On it arrived the snappy track “Life Goes On” featuring wonky synths and Oliver Tree’s rolling lyrical delivery, where he manages to turn existential dread into something catchy.

Ericdoa — “Fantasize”

18-year-old artist and producer Ericdoa leans further into their lovelorn hyperpop sound with the new track “Fantasize.” The feel-good tune features Ericdoa’s saccharine and metallic-twinged vocals as they imagine an improbable perfect future with their crush.

Olivia Lunny — “Who Could Say No?”

With her new single “Who Could Say No?” Canadian singer/songwriter Olivia Lunny pivots to disco-pop. Warm-toned guitars open to a funky bassline on the fun and carefree track, offering an exciting preview of her impeding self-titled debut album.

Gabrielle Current — “Make It Right”

Neo-soul singer Gabrielle Current expands her down-to-earth style of music with her dazzling EP Virgo. Her track “Make It Right” offers a summery of the skipping, comforting music. “My main goal for music is to spread love and encourage community, it’s just how I was taught growing up,” she said about the project. “I’m proud of my Asian-American heritage and I’ve learned through my Filipino culture how important our values of family and togetherness is.”

Master KG, David Guetta — “Shine Your Light” Feat. Akon

This week, famed producer David Guetta joined forces with Master KG and Akon to deliver an upbeat and rhythmic banger just in time for the sunny summer. The dance-ready tune boasts feel-good lyrics with a beat to match, as Akon sings of human connection. “My hope is that ‘Shine Your Light’ brings joy to listeners around the world as we join each other on the dance floor once again,” Guetta says of the joyful tune.

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