According to TMZ, singer Chris Brown is under investigation for battery after a woman told police that he slapped the back of her head so hard her weave came out. Police responded to the troubled R&B star’s home in the San Fernando Valley over the weekend after the alleged victim filed a police report naming Brown as her assailant. The victim had no injuries and no one was arrested.
Chris Brown’s career has seen a resurgence thanks to his Slime And B tape with Young Thug in 2020 and some smartly placed features this year, including one with HER and another with Wale, as well as a relatively quiet 2020 on the scandal front. Perhaps it was just quarantine or maybe Brown had enough to deal with after being accused of rape in France in 2019 and was just laying low, but it had been a while since he had to deal with police, although they did show up to shut down his birthday party in May after neighbors complained about the noise.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ offseason began on Monday as they now try to figure out how to pick up the pieces after a dismal collapse in the conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, losing Games 4 and 5 with spectacular meltdowns and then Game 7 at home after failing to score consistently down the stretch.
For many, Ben Simmons became the focal point of the Sixers’ issues, as it was easy to point to the team’s starting point guard who outright refused to shoot or try and score the ball in the fourth quarter of four consecutive games. Simmons’ value to the Sixers goes well beyond scoring, as his defense was integral in slowing down Trae Young and he is an elite passer, but when crunch time arrives and he becomes unwilling to attack with any type of desire to try and score the ball, his flaws become apparent and the Sixers struggle.
The play that exemplified that best was a turned down wide open dunk to tie the game, where Simmons instead shoveled a pass to Matisse Thybulle who was fouled and split two free throws to keep Philly down one — they would never tie the game again or take another lead. Joel Embiid called it a turning point, Doc Rivers was as flabbergasted by the decision as anyone, and it became the moment of the game, even if there were plenty of examples of the Sixers’ failures that extended beyond Simmons.
Ever since frustrations with Simmons were apparent on Sunday night, the Sixers have been doing a bit of damage control on Monday and Tuesday. Doc Rivers insisted on Monday he believed in Simmons and felt he could do the work necessary to improve this summer, and Daryl Morey spent much of his press conference on Tuesday offering his public support of Simmons, noting he’s “committed to this group” while also leaving the door open for major moves by saying he’ll do whatever is best for the team.
Daryl Morey: “We need to be an overall better team with better players, and we need to make that happen. Of terms of specifics, I can’t give you that.”
Daryl Morey asked if Ben Simmons will be on Sixers next year
“We have a very strong group we believe in. We love what Ben brings. What’s next? We’re going to do what’s best to bring the Sixers a championship” pic.twitter.com/xsMENTgLWP
It is the epitome of GM-speak in this situation, as he can’t come out and say the Sixers are going to look to trade Simmons, because that’s how you tank someone’s trade value. It is still very possible the Sixers start next season with a new point guard and Simmons gets a fresh start that seems like it might be what’s needed for him to get things turned around, both physically with a team offering a new approach and mentally just being in a new place. Everything said publicly by a front office executive should always be taken with a grain (or mountain) of salt, because they will never be fully truthful about what they want to do (and nor should they) because it’s so dependent on other teams being willing to make that happen.
Still, there are some truths to what Morey said on Tuesday. He did say they need to be a better offensive team, which I don’t think anyone will disagree with having watched that series. The question is how they view themselves getting better in that area, because trading Simmons for, say, a CJ McCollum is the most dramatic way to do that (but also opens up the chance to get significantly worse defensively). It’s clear they need more ball-handling on the court and for as great as Seth Curry was in the Atlanta series, that’s just not a role he can consistently play in key moments and situations, so even if they keep Simmons that has to be at the top of their to-do list.
As is always the case with GM/VP/President exit interviews, Morey is going to say the right things to try and keep everyone happy. He’ll acknowledge the general faults of the team and say they’ll address them moving forward. He’ll say he has full belief in the team’s core, which will surely become a clip brought back the moment he trades either Simmons or Harris — I feel confident that Embiid is untouchable, here — because, well, he has to. Morey has to preach calm right now and insist the sky isn’t falling in Philly, but come August we will find out exactly what he believes of this roster when the draft has come and gone and free agency arrives.
Courtesy of Leune, Aster Farms, Stone Road, Mello, Lowell Herb Co.
Queer communities and cannabis have had a long history together. It wouldn’t be possible to discuss the history of legal cannabis without mentioning Dennis Peron, also a gay rights activist, who is considered the “father of medical marijuana.” In 1993, Peron released an edibles cookbook with activist Brownie Mary. In 1996, he co-authored Proposition 215 in California — “The Compassionate Use Act” — in memory of his deceased partner, who used weed to manage pain from AIDS complications.
Peron died from lung cancer in 2018, just after the first adult-use dispensaries debuted in California, but his legacy (while complicated) lives on. Meanwhile, an increasing number of queer-run brands have entered the conversation — infusing queer identities into how they present their products. This Pride month (and beyond!), check out these Pride-related weed products which help celebrate how far the LGBTQI liberation movements have come and fund further progress in the march toward equality.
For the entire month of June, Mello will be donating 100% of proceeds from their popular sex product Mello Bottoms suppositories, to For the Gworls, a Black, trans-led collective that helps Black transgender people pay for their rent, gender-affirming surgeries, and smaller co-pays for medicine/doctor’s visits and travel assistance. Each limited-edition pack of Pride Mello Bottoms will also come with a pack of Pride-inspired stickers for sharing the love.
Bottom line:
Mello’s suppositories are CBD-only and contain 75-milligrams of the cannabinoid. They are good for relaxing the bottom half and dulling the pain that sometimes comes with sex, whether vaginal or anal. In the brand’s own words, it’s “better than poppers!”
Emerald Cup-winning, queer-owned Madame Munchie walks the walk when it comes to representation: her staff is made up entirely of women, some of whom are also queer. Besides supporting a queer-owned business, buying Madame Munchie macarons, madeleines, and other French-styled edibles will also get you some of the best cannabis-infused desserts on the market.
Bottom line:
Spring for the duo pack, which comes with two macarons at 40-mg each. The chocolate-coated macarons are a dream.
Just in time for pride month, House of Saka debuted their single-serve bottle of dealcoholized sparkling Chardonnay infused with the essences of orange blossom and nectarine, as well as 5-milligrams of organic, emulsified Mimosa strain-specific live resin.
House of Saka is a lesbian-owned luxury cannabis beverage brand that sources grapes from Napa Valley.
Bottom line:
For those who want to linger for longer than it takes to pop a gummy, this low-dose, 19-calorie infused drink is the perfect celebratory tipple. It’s not too strong and tastes just like a mimosa that’s heavier on the good stuff.
Limited on the market is the deliciously named (and tasting)‘Hot Honey’ PAX cartridge, which is made in combination with stylish cannabis company Leune. All net proceeds from this hybrid-strain cartridge will be donated to Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ organization.
In celebration of Pride this year, Lake County sun-grown cannabis growers Aster Farms asked LGBTQ+ queer Guatemalan-Slovak artist Ludi Leiva to design a label for the company’s popular one-gram Mimosa pre-rolled joint. All proceeds will be donated to a charity of Leiva’s choice.
Leiva’s work has been featured in The Smithsonian, Vogue, Planned Parenthood, OkCupid, Twitter, Refinery29, and more.
Bottom Line:
Aster Farms’ Mimosa gives a bright, euphoric high with a citrusy taste, making it one of the most appropriately named strains.
Sonder is a wife-and-wife premium vape brand that recently released infused pop rocks, which is the ultimate party accessory, Pride or otherwise. They taste exactly as you remember them from childhood and are intended to be absorbed sublingually, which means they’ll dissolve in the mouth and hit faster. Each pouch contains 10-milligrams of THC.
Bottom line:
Whipping out a bag of weed-infused pop rocks is the ultimate party trick. For Pride, check out the Cheers Queers! flavor, in particular, which tastes of Champagne.
Lowell Herb Co. launched limited-edition Pride Packs for the month of June to raise funds for leading nonprofit organization, GLAAD, in the process teaming up with pro-cannabis activist and entertainer Laganja Estranja to promote it. Lowell has committed $1 from each Pride Pack sold to directly benefit GLAAD. The Pride Pack includes six premium, pre-rolled smokes featuring curated, effect-based blends, each containing 3.5 grams of flower.
Bottom line:
I like the Passionate pack, which is a hybrid good for carrying someone through a whole day of imbibing. For more Laganja Estranja, check out her brand new Pride and cannabis merch collection.
During June, queer-led pre-rolled joint company Stone Road will be donating 10% of all of its profits to the LGBTQ Freedom Fund, an organization that pays bail to secure the safety and liberation of queer people in jails and immigrant facilities in the United States.
Bottom line:
Stone Road grows its cannabis on an off-grid sustainable farm in Nevada City, CA. The bud is good, whichever strain you choose, and it’s always moderately priced, especially considering its quality.
“I was sad when I made this song, but I’m happy it’s out,” Jaden said of his new song “Bye” in a press release. “Welcome to CTV3, welcome to trippy summer. It was the time of our lives.” The new single is the first release from the upcoming deluxe edition of his recently released mixtape CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3,, titled Day Trippers Edition.
“Bye” operates in the same mode as “Cabin Fever,” with a groovy, danceable beat and nostalgic lyrics about a lost love. However, it updates the production, to include more synth and a slightly more futuristic outlook than the throwback vibe on “Cabin Fever.”
While the original version of CTV3 mostly found Jaden performing solo on tracks like “Rainbow Bap” and “Photograph,” the Day Trippers Edition will feature an impressive array of guests, including Joey Badass, Justin Bieber (with whom he previously collaborated on “Falling For You“), and ¿Téo?.
It’s been nearly two decades since Avril Lavigne released her Platinum-certified track “Sk8er Boi” as the second single from her debut album. The song quickly became a cultural staple and ignited a generation of pop punk fans, so it’s only right that Lavigne is giving Gen Z a proper introduction to the track.
Lavigne decided to make her TikTok debut in a big way this week. She tapped pro skater Tony Hawk to assist her in fully leaning into Y2K nostalgia. The clip opens with Lavigne dressed in board shorts, suspenders, a cutoff tee, and a loosely-fitted tie, an outfit she definitely would have worn on stage in the early ’00s. She lip-syncs to the chorus of her “Sk8er Boi” track before the camera transitions to Hawk pulling off a few tricks on his own personal skate ramp.
Hawk also shared some behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot where he attempted to show Lavigne how to use a vert ramp. The first attempt didn’t go so well, but the singer eventually seemed to get the hang of things. “Breaking news: Sk8er Boi singer learns skating move from old Sk8er Man,” Hawk wrote alongside the clip.
While it’s been almost 20 years since Lavigne made her musical debut, the singer is still steadily releasing music. She confirmed earlier this year that she’ll be returning to her pop punk roots with her upcoming seventh studio album, which has yet to be announced.
You don’t become the master of a bizarre sex cult built on blackmail and manipulation without learning a little something about collateral. While NXIVM mastermind and noted volleyball enthusiast Keith Raniere will be spending the next 120 years of his life in prison after being charged with multiple counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, and possession of child pornography, his protégé—Smallville actress-turned-cult master Allison Mack—is hoping that the courts will show her some leniency. Considering that Mack is the one who provided federal prosecutors with one of their most damning pieces of evidence against Raniere, they seem to be on the same page.
On Monday, Deadline reported that a sentencing memo filed in a federal court in Brooklyn detailed the assistance that Mack provided to prosecutors. Specifically, Mack handed over an audiotape that was played several times during Raniere’s trial as a key piece of evidence against him. The recording is of a disturbing conversation between Mack and Raniere, in which they discuss the process of “branding” their slaves.
Perhaps sensing the legal troubles that might one day find him, at one point in the conversation Raniere suggests that Mack videotape the branding ritual, so that it could later be used as “collateral” if necessary. He also says that, “The person should ask to be branded. Should say, ‘Please brand me, it would be an honor,’ or something like that. ‘An honor I want to wear for the rest of my life,’ I don’t know… And they should probably say that before they’re held down, so it doesn’t seem like they are being coerced.”
The memo, which recommends favorable sentencing for Mack, acknowledges that while the former actress was cooperative, she could have provided much more information to investigators. “Although Mack could have provided even more substantial assistance had she made the decision to cooperate earlier, Mack provided significant, detailed, and highly corroborated information which assisted the government in its prosecution,” the memo read.
Mack was arrested on April 20, 2018 for her role in NXIVM and charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy. She pleaded guilty to racketeering charges one year later and is looking at between 14 and 17 ½ years in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 30th.
Raniere and Mack became the central figures in several true-crime docuseries that were released between 2019 and 2020, including HBO’s The Vow, Starz’s Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult, and Hulu’s The Lost Women of NXIVM.
Marvel Cinematic Universe fans expected Disney+’s Loki to charm, and the series has beautifully done so thus far, even throughout an absolute ton of exposition between Tom Hiddleston’s trickster god and Owen Wilson’s Mobius. They’ve glided through those conversations about free will and jet skis with controlled abandon, but still, there’s no line like the infamous utterance that turned out to be Loki’s first line in this show: “I am Loki of Asgard… and I am burdened with glorious purpose.”
That’s what the mischievous scamp told Time Variance Authority agents in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. It was his first line in the whole damn show, and fans wanted no less, since it’s his signature dialogue that runs throughout MCU projects. These fateful words were instantly popular, and that’s precisely why the masses of San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H lost their sh*t back in 2013 when Hiddleston appeared in full God of Mischief regalia to utter his character’s infamous catchphrase while berating humanity.
What is Loki’s “glorious purpose,” really? This might seem like a rhetorical question, but it’s elemental to this series. Heck, it’s the title of the first episode. Swiftly in this show, Loki became more of a tragic figure than we already realized (due to being a Frost Giant raised by Odin, which fueled loads of resentment). This Loki variant — the one who popped into the end of Avengers: Endgame to steal the Tesseract — somehow has more issues. We see him gaze upon the film reel of his own life. He watches the redeemed Loki being killed by Thanos during Avengers: Infinity War, and this Loki is stunned. He scoffs with disbelief to see all of his narcissistic delusions come crashing down around him. “Glorious purpose,” he scornfully mutters. Does Loki have a glorious purpose at all?
Let’s forget for a moment that (on this show) Loki Variants can look like anyone and take any form. Instead, let’s focus on the two Lokis we now know best: (1) The Loki who died in Infinity War after causing far too much mayhem, reforming himself, and dying a noble death; (2) The Loki Variant who’s “helping” the TVA in this Disney+ series.
Disney+
This little stunt ^^^ actually does help the TVA, and I’m being a trickster by inserting it after emphasizing how saddened Loki was to see that his glorious purpose was a hot pile of garbage. Loki is full of joy in this moment because he’s proven that acts of free will don’t muck up timelines nearly as much as previously believed (and also, Variants can hide inside of apocalypses). It’s an incredibly funny moment, but I do believe that it points towards Loki’s true purpose(s). Yes, he’s the bringer of chaos, but also this:
(1) Loki acts as a mirror for the state of the MCU at any given moment. Really, it’s that simple, and it follows that Loki helps the MCU evolve (or devolve, depending on how one feels about the multiverse happening); (2) I believe that Loki is fated to ensure that free will exists (as counterproductive as that might seem) and that the multiverse happens.
Work with me here on Loki and the state of the MCU. Arguably, more than any other character (even Star-Lord, who remains the worst), Loki has consistently propelled MCU action. He’s the reason why the Avengers found themselves in hot water after the destruction of NYC, when they were held accountable for the collateral damage of their actions in saving humanity after Loki invited the Chitauri to Earth. That was the first of the dustups leading to the Sovokian Accords, which sparked the events of Captain America: Civil War and most of the following MCU films. Yet (and this is the sentiment of Lady Loki, or Enchantress, in Episode 2) this has never really been about Loki, right?
That leads me to the most tragic moment we’ve seen so far in this series, which is when Mobius crushes Loki’s belief that he was predestined to rule. Mobius, who might actually be a wiped variant himself, points out that Loki would never have known what to do after achieving his purpose as previously believed: that Loki was born to be a leader. Mobius prods him on this, too: What if Loki ruled Midgard and Asgard and became King of Space or whatever? We don’t know what Loki would have done next because he’s never been successful. He’s tried and failed at the hands of the Avengers. Over and over again, Loki is defeated and muzzled and imprisoned, and almost as though his purpose to rule is guaranteed to be a self-defeating one, and therefore, it’s not his true purpose.
Mobius did more needling, by the way, by telling Loki that he was “born to cause pain and suffering and death.” Beyond that negativity (which is valid), Mobius suggests that Loki’s only real purpose has been to motivate others (The Avengers) to become their best selves. It would follow that even Loki’s death wasn’t really about Loki at all: It was about propelling Thor into a new phase, that of the bread-loving Lebowski Thor. That is kind-of a righteous outcome, although not really the kind of purpose that Loki would consider glorious.
Again, one of Loki’s purposes (as I see it) is to mirror the MCU as it transforms. Therefore, his place in this show appears to be guaranteeing that the multiverse exists and show that Variants aren’t necessarily the evil entities that the TVA holds them out to be. Yes, the Loki Variant who’s been dodging in and out of time, murdering TVA agents, seems evil, but hey, what about the guy who showed up late for work once? He’s won’t crush the Sacred Timeline, yet TVA agents feel free to vaporize Variants for whatever reason they deem fit. Not good! Loki could eventually prove that the TVA is a nefarious organization that should be disbanded. This, in turn, will help Loki prevent a black-and-white view of reality. After all, the TVA lore has aimed to convince everyone that the Sacred Timeline is worth protecting above everything else. And as Loki has told Mobius, he knows an ultimate truth: “No one is ever truly bad, and no one is ever truly good.”
This doesn’t appear to be all talk on Loki’s behalf. In effect, he’s pushing for people to be able to shun binary constructions. He’s outwardly explained that this means that no one is 100% anything, but the sliding scale of everything can also be interpreted through Disney+’s surprising decision to confirm that Loki is gender-fluid. And because Loki is such a (charismatic) proponent of free will, it feels as though the TVA will eventually be outed as not-great. Whether that means the TVA is the villain, or the TVA is simply full of nonsense, I can’t guess. The thought of Loki taking down the TVA, where the Infinity Stones are used as freaking paperweights (the nerve!) is a delicious one.
I’d like to think that we can assume that Loki will survive this season because I can’t fathom that Kevin Feige intends to kill this beloved character again (Feige has even suggested that multiple seasons are in the cards for Loki). He’s a Variant yet will likely survive, which would prove that Variants have value and shouldn’t be obliterated. By that interpretation of things, the multiverse will likely prevail, which could point toward Loki’s purpose as being to set up the MCU for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and beyond. That’s Loki’s most glorious purpose: He’s the MCU mover and shaker, and things look like they’re about to get awfully shaky on this series and moving forward.
Disney+’s ‘Loki’ streams new episodes on Wednesdays.
The controversial NFT based on Jay-Z’s debut album Reasonable Doubt has been blocked by a judge as the lawsuit against Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Damon Dash continues. According to The Hollywood Reporter, U.S. District Court Judge John Cronan granted a temporary restraining order to Roc-A-Fella after the label sued Dash on June 18 over his alleged attempt to sell virtual ownership of the career-launching record.
Dash said that he wasn’t trying to sell the rights to the album, but his partner in the endeavor, SuperFarm, announced the NFT auction “of Damon‘s ownership of the copyright to Jay-Z’s first album Reasonable Doubt. This marks a new milestone in the history of NFT’s, entitling the new owner to future revenue generated by the unique asset.” The auction, which was set for June 23-25, was canceled after the label sent a warning letter to SuperFarm, but the label pursued additional legal action against Dash out of concern he’d attempt another sale on his own. Dash says he was trying to sell his Roc-A-Fella stake, not the rights to Reasonable Doubt.
U.S. District Court Judge John Cronan sided with the label during a hearing this morning, noting Roc-A-Fella owns the copyright to the album. The lawsuit will continue, but the sale will not — for the time being. Incidentally, it was a dispute over the publishing rights to Reasonable Doubt that ultimately caused Dash’s initial split with Jay-Z when Dash refused to sell Jay the album masters after the latter was offered a role as president of the parent label Island Def Jam. Jay offered to turn down the role in exchange for the masters, but ultimately took the role and kept the rest of his catalog after Dame’s refusal, causing a rift that led to the demise of Roc-A-Fella at the height of its success.
When Peacock TV, the NBC/Universal streaming network, launched last summer, the streamer offered early-bird subscribers a year-long subscription for around $25, which comes to a little more than $2 a month. I leaped at the offer thinking it would be a bargain. We were only months into the pandemic, and I looked forward to all the new offerings to help get us through the year. Six months into the subscription, however, and that expense had started to feel like a disappointment.
Peacock launched with the drama Brave New World, which was not the House of Cards or even The Morning Show that the streamer had hoped. The nine episodes came and went and Peacock didn’t even bother to order more. Beyond that, the streaming network had very little else among its original series except for a batch of international shows that it licensed from the UK, most of which were middling (Hitmen, The Capture) to bad (David Schwimmer’s Intelligence), although there was one gem among them, Lennie James’ Save Me.
Beyond that, the best original programming that Peacock had going for it was the third season of the wry and funny A.P. Bio, spun off from NBC and starring It’s Alway Sunny’s Glenn Howerton. It was good, but not worth the year-long Peacock subscription price. In the new year, at least, Peacock was finally able to begin streaming Netflix’s biggest hit, The Office, but by then, most of the rewatchers had gotten their fill watching it on Netflix during the pandemic.
Lately, however, the streamer has begun to show signs of life, beginning really last September, when they gave Larry Wilmore and Amber Ruffin their own weekly late-night shows. Wilmore’s show didn’t last beyond 11 episodes, but The Amber Ruffin Show has become one of the few successful late-night shows to succeed on a streamer. She (and head writer Jenny Hagel, also over from Late Night with Seth Meyers) are an absolute delight, and the show was quickly able to establish a unique voice and presence in the late-night landscape.
Meanwhile, the Saved by the Bell reboot launched last November, and while it was met with skepticism among many, it’s actually good. Really good, the kind of series that fans of the original can happily watch with their kids. It’s progressive, smarter than it has any right to be for a show called Saved by the Bell, and it’s even taken a few hilarious shots at the original series. The Punky Brewster revival came along in February, and while it’s certainly not worth the price of a subscription, it’s a pleasantly decent family show.
In the spring, however, is when Peacock really started to come into its own, launching the Ed Helms, Mike Schur, and Sierra Teller Ornelas. comedy Rutherford Falls, easily the best new show on the streamer at the time. It’s a delightful sitcom about a well-meaning white guy (Helms) who thinks he’s doing the right thing by trying to salvage the legacy of his family in a town where the Indigenous population had been sidelined (and worse) by his ancestors. It’s not only an excellent series but features one of the largest Indigenous writing staffs and casts on American television.
The streamer soon built upon Rutherford Falls with Girls5Eva, the new best show on Peacock, a hilarious series about a one-hit-wonder girl group who reunite in their 40s in an effort to resurrect their star. It comes from Meredith Scardino (a protege of Tina Fey), and it has all of Fey’s sensibilities — it’s loaded with pop-culture references and stacks jokes on top of jokes — only it’s better built for the 2020s (it is, in fact, better than the actual Tina Fey sitcom currently airing on NBC, The Mayor).
Moreover, earlier this month, Peacock even brought aboard its best international series, We Are Lady Parts, a British comedy about a punk-rock band that consists of Muslim women (it currently sits at 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes).
It’s hard to say, with the existing original content, that Peacock is worth a year-long paid subscription, although it’s certainly worth subscribing to for (at least) a month just to watch Rutherford Falls, We Are Lady Parts, and Girls5Eva (and watch The Amber Ruffin Show while you have it). However, there’s also plenty of good content in the pipeline for Peacock TV. They’re working on Bel Air, a darker, more dramatic re-imagining of the Will Smith sitcom. Will Forte’s MacGruber series has found a home on Peacock. Seth MacFarlane is turning Ted into a television series there. Battlestar Galactica is being rebooted again for the streamer, and Emmy Rossum’s Angelyne is currently in post-production. A revival of Queer as Folk has been ordered, a Joe Exotic miniseries starring Kate McKinnon is on its way, another Law & Order series, Hate Crimes, will premiere later this year, and Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol is being turned into a series. Perhaps most intriguing is the fact that Peacock landed Damon Lindelof’s follow-up to Watchmen, Mrs. Davis, which he is developing with Tara Davis.
All of which is to say: unless you’re a fan of The Office, the WWE, or the Fast and Furious films, Peacock is not fully stocked yet, but with its huge library of content and its growing list of originals, it is well on its way to becoming a real contender among the streaming platforms.
Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B jams that fans should hear.
This week, HER released her debut album Back Of My Mind, Tone Stith dropped off his EP FWM and Leon Bridges offered his new single “Why Don’t You Touch Me.”
HER — Back Of My Mind
This week, HER released her debut album Back Of My Mind. It’s been long awaited and features her previously released singles “Slide,” “Damage,” and “Come Through” with Chris Brown. Stacked with 21 tracks, Back Of My Mind seems to have been well worth the wait.
Tone Stith — FWM
Tone Stith‘s FWM is the talented R&B singer’s first project of the year featuring nine songs which include appearances from HER, Kiana Lede, and Lonr. If there was ever a time to get to know Tone Stith, FWM is the time.
Leon Bridges — “Why Don’t You Touch Me”
As Leon Bridges preps for his forthcoming project Gold-Diggers Sound he offers, “Why Don’t You Touch Me.” It’s a sweet, yet honest number that deserves a spin.
Poo Bear — “The Day You Left”
Poo Bear wrote “The Day You Left” in honor of his late mother and it’s a priceless ode. “’The Day You Left’ is the perfect balance between pain and joy and consistent selfishness and selflessness.” Poo Bear said in a statement. “It embodies the true meaning of a bittersweet loss.”
Queen Naija — “Marvins Room”
Queen Naija took on Drake’s “Marvins Room” like it was 2011 for Amazon Music. When “Marvins Room” first hit the internet it was something special and Queen Naija definitely delivers on that familiar feeling.
Jacquees — “Bed Friend” Feat. Queen Naija
Jacquees and Queen Naija together on “Bed Friend” is pure magic. The song is expected to make an appearance on Jacquees’ upcoming release P.T.O.F: Vol. I (Panties Thrown On Floor).
Majid Jordan — “Been Through That”
Majid Jordan is back and the song of the moment goes to their latest release “Been Through That.” Here’s to looking forward to more MJ for the rest of 2021.
Otis Kane — Purple Blue
“First On SoundCloud” artist Otis Kane has arrived with his project “Purple Blue.” It’s filled with 13 songs of R&B goodness, including his previously released tracks “Good Love” and “Sweet Sensation.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
