Month: July 2021

In a new report on The Old Guard getting a sequel that will start filming early next year, Vin Diesel told Variety that he has writers working on a Fast & Furious spinoff for Charlize Theron‘s character, Cipher. While Theron’s character was the main villain in the eighth film in the franchise, The Fate of the Furious, she spent most of the latest installment, F9, inside a glass box doing hacker… stuff. A spinoff would give her character more ample use of screen time.

Whether or not the Cipher spinoff pans out, it does signify the Fast & Furious‘ franchise efforts to do better by its female characters. In a significant move to push the car series into having better gender representation, Michelle Rodriguez held out on returning for F9 until the studio agreed to hire a female writer. “You should evolve with the times, not just pander to certain demographics that are stuck,” she told Bloomberg back in 2019.

Rodriguez also pushed for her character, Letty, and Jordana Brewster’s Mia to finally have a meaningful onscreen conversation in F9. “Michelle was like, ‘Dude, we’ve never had a scene together. We’re always secondary with the guys. We don’t interact. We have a sisterhood. We need to explore this,’” Brewster told Insider. “Michelle’s always been very outspoken about not doing anything that isn’t true to character, and that means not placating the guys, that means not playing second fiddle to the guys.”

(Via Variety)

Okay, you’re making a movie. Or a television show. A movie or a television show. It doesn’t really matter which one for this hypothetical. The key is that you need someone to play some sort of disgruntled authority figure. Chief of Police, embattled CEO, mayor who has had enough of some loose cannon cop’s shenanigans, whatever. You know these guys. They’re usually glaring at an underling or saying lines like “You better be right” or grumbling the main character’s name under their breath. Sometimes at the end, they’ll say something like, “I don’t like your methods, but goddammit, you get results.” This is an important role. It has to be done right, big enough to convey the severity of things but not so big that it all becomes McGarnagle. There’s an art to this.

And so, you start running through the people who might be able to pull this off. Dennis Franz was a great option but he’s been retired for well over a decade. Paul Giamatti does some of it extremely well but there’s a kind of blustery exasperation in his performances that would need to be sanded down a bit, and why the hell would you cast Giamatti if you’re not going to let him give you the full Giamatti? Dennis Haysbert has the voice and gravitas but not the right level of crankiness. Glenn Close is great but there’s only one of her. JK Simmons is a world-class yeller but his dance card is pretty full these days. The Rolodex gets thin fast. But then, a light bulb. It was right in front of you the whole time. You pick up the phone and you call Lance Reddick, just like you should have done from the start.

Lance Reddick is the best. He’s been the best for a while, too, especially at these kinds of roles. He did it as Cedric Daniels on The Wire, the perpetually beleaguered Baltimore lieutenant who tried to find actual justice amidst a bureaucracy. He did it as the powerful CEO on Comedy Central’s Corporate, lending years of earned authority to a wickedly sharp satire. Hell, he even popped up for like two minutes in Godzilla vs. Kong earlier this year, wearing an incredible black coat and delivering bad news to Kyle Chandler, exactly as he should.

So, yes, again, the best. And I would have mentioned his role in the John Wick franchise here, too, as Charon, the exceedingly polite and helpful concierge at The Continental, if not for one small issue: Lance Reddick should be managing his own Continental somewhere, not working the front desk under Ian McShane. Imagine Lance Reddick grumbling “Dammit, Wick” in his regular voice. It’s perfect. I could talk about this for one hour, easily, with no interruption. But I won’t. Not now, at least. Because now is the time we discuss his role on Bosch.

It’s honestly incredible. He plays the Los Angeles Chief of Police and his character’s name is, I swear this is true, Irvin Irving, and he is always so fed up with something someone has done or is doing, and that person is usually Bosch, the loose cannon detective who plays by his own rules but, you guessed it, gets results. The screencap up there is an all-timer. The man is sitting at a piano with a glass of wine just steaming about Bosch’s refusal to play by the rules. It’s beautiful. And it’s not even the best example of Lance Reddick being a disgruntled authority figure on the show. Because there’s also this…

… which is delightful, both because of the “[quietly]” in the front that drives home how tired he is of all of this, and because it — a moment from the final season of the show — marks something like the seventh or eighth time a character has grumbled this exact profane phrase after Bosch pulls some classic Bosch antics. It’s not even the only time Lance Reddick has gotten to say it. There was also this one from a previous season that got the all-caps treatment in the captions.

Look at how spot-on this whole image is. Let’s just hit the highlights:

• Face: Open contempt, sneering, looks like smoke might start shooting out his ears or nose at any moment
• Posture: Rigid as a flag pole, collar buttoned tight as a drum, dignified as all hell, the look of a man who wants things done The Right Way and has zero tolerance for foolishness
• Voice: You can’t hear it just looking at a still picture, the deep rumble of disdain that comes out dripping with fury and contempt, but, like, you also kind of can hear it, right?

It has everything you could possibly ask for in a role like this, and yet, somehow, against odds so long you could wrap them around the planet three or four times, it’s still not even the best example of the stuff I’m talking about. For that, we will need motion. We will need action. We will need a GIF.

We will need this GIF, to be specific.

Watch that a few times through to really let it sink in. Look at the timing on the slow blink and head turn. Look at his face — staring straight ahead now, as though the blink represented the last moment he would ever acknowledge that poor soul’s existence — as the tinted window glides up and the car pulls away. Imagine what you would do if Lance Reddick ever did this to you in real life. I’ve been thinking about multiple times a month ever since the scene aired a few years ago and I’ve come to two primary conclusions:

• I would burst into a cloud of pathetic molecules and dissipate into the atmosphere
• I would do this kind of thing a lot if I were Lance Reddick, in real life, just for fun, like at busy intersections or when I pull away from a drive-thru

And I am pleased to report that this all gets even better. Because after he did this, like years later, when the final season dropped a week ago, something truly breathtaking happened. I need you to collect yourself here.

Are you ready?

Are you really, honestly ready?

Please be sure.

Because guess what.

HE DID IT AGAIN.

The greatest. Maybe the best that has ever done it. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone do it better. I’ll go as far as “as good as,” I guess, only because I’ve seen Dennis Franz throw a tantrum about John McClane shooting up the airport in Die Hard 2, but not better. I don’t even see how you could do it better. There’s no area left to improve. It’s as close to a flawless performance as anyone has ever given. Lance Reddick does this one thing as well as anyone has ever done any aspect of their job. It’s remarkable. We should talk about it every day. We should give him an award for this exact thing. I am barely kidding.

So, yes, please, call up Lance Reddick. Ask him to play the disgruntled authority figure in your movie or television show. Do not give him any notes on the set. He knows what he’s doing. He was born to do it. This part of the production is now in good hands, strong hands, ones that might ball up into fists and slam a stack of papers on the desk upon hearing that the reckless protagonist has disobeyed a direct order, again.

Just make sure not to insult him with your offer. Make sure you don’t do that even a little. You do not want to be sitting across from an angry Lance Reddick. Because that’s when something like this might happen.

Devastating. But, again, flawless. We are witnessing history here, people. We are watching greatness happen right in front of our faces in real-time. Please do not take it for granted.

The worlds of gaming and sneakers continue to collide, not only do we have famous Twitch streamers making shoes, but aftermarket sites like StockX have begun to expand their offerings to include hard-to-find game systems like the Playstation 5 and Nintendo Switch. Now things are getting official with the Nike SNKRS app set to drop an exclusive wireless Xbox Series X/S controller.

Launching as part of a bundle celebrating the release of Space Jam: A New Legacy, the controller will come bundled with a pair of low-top LeBron 18s that pay tribute to Looney Tunes favorites Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. LeBron is no stranger to wild sneaker designs, so it doesn’t surprise us that this Looney Tunes-inspired take on the LeBron 18 is insane (in a very cool way).

Featuring a mismatched colorway, the LeBron 18’s left shoe is dressed in desert-like earth tones with a swoosh wrapped in dynamite fuse to represent Wile E. Coyote, while the right shoe is dressed in tones of blue with yellow accents and a swoosh sporting dust clouds evoking the speed of Road Runner. The whole design culminates in the controller, which depicts the aftermath of Wile E. and the Road Runner’s encounter.

Nike and Xbox could’ve thrown any random Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner graphic on the controller and called it a day, but the fact that the design is intertwined with the shoe creates a cohesion we appreciate. Xbox continues the celebration by also launching Space Jam: A New Legacy — The Game, an arcade-style video game today on Xbox Game Pass.

The Space Jam bundle is set to drop on July 15th via the Nike SNKRS app, and Xbox will also be dropping three more controllers inspired by the movie on July 8th.

The Los Angeles Clippers saw their season come to an end on Wednesday night, although for one player, things ended a few minutes earlier than everyone else. During the fourth quarter of the Phoenix Suns’ conference finals-clinching Game 6 win over the Clippers, Patrick Beverley’s emotions got the best of him, as he shoved Chris Paul in the back and was promptly tossed from the game.

Beverley’s entire career revolves around his willingness to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but during Game 6, this got the best of him. And according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, that might end up costing Beverley a few games when the 2021-22 season tips off.

“Beverley will face a suspension to start next season for that dangerous behind-the-back push, sources told Yahoo Sports,” Haynes wrote.

To his credit, Beverley realized he messed up, and on Thursday afternoon, he took to Twitter to offer up an apology to Paul.

It’s hardly a surprise that the league would want to reprimand Beverley for this, although one could make the case that getting eliminated from the playoffs is enough of a slap on the wrist. We’ll have to wait and see whether this means he’ll miss any substantial period of time, or if Beverley will also have to part ways with some cash for the shove.

In August, Sleater-Kinney will get to do something bands haven’t been able to pull off for a while: tour in support of a new album. They’ve gotten to perform some of their new Path Of Wellness songs ahead of then, though, like during their new Tiny Desk Concert that was shared today.

Performing at Halfling Studio in Portland — where they recorded the album — Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker busted through a four-song set that featured the title track, “High In The Grass,” “One Beat,” and “Worry With You.”

Notably, the band performed with the same backing band they used for their Late Show performance last month: Fabi Reyna (of the bands Sávila and Reyna Tropical), Galen Clark (of Outer Orbit and Trio Subtonic), Vincent LiRocchi, and Bill Athens. So, it seems possible, then, that Brownstein and Tucker have settled on this group as their touring/performing lineup.

The band previously said of Path Of Wellness, “We wrote it last spring and summer, holed up in Portland, and recorded it in late summer and early fall. This is the first S-K record we’ve produced ourselves. The entire process relied upon taking stock of who and what was nearby, upon generosity of time, spirit, and input, but mostly upon a mutual love, need, and gratitude for making music.”

Watch Sleater-Kinney’s Tiny Desk performance above.

Path Of Wellness is out now via Mom+Pop. Get it here.

Jim Beam’s American Stillhouse in Clermont, Kentucky is a cornerstone of Kentucky bourbon and American whiskey in general. The distillery is where the world’s best-selling bourbon is made, Jim Beam. But like the Buffalo Trace Distillery down the road, Jim Beam’s Clermont campus doesn’t only make Jim Beam. Nine brands are pulled from the stills and rickhouses in Clermont.

Today, we’re going to rank all nine brands and call out the one bottle from each brand that’s worth investing your time and money in. We’re not going into the wider world of the Beam Suntory multinational conglomerate just yet. That includes dozens and dozens of brands spread out all over the globe. We’re also not including Maker’s Mark on this list. Although the brand is owned by Beam, it’s still made at their own facility in Loretto, Kentucky. This is all about the Beam juice that’s made in Clermont.

If any of these bottles pique your interest, click on the prices to give them a try yourself. Okay, let’s dig in!

9. Old Crow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $13 (1-liter bottle)

The Whiskey:

This is a classic bourbon that became part of Jim Beam about 30-odd years ago. Until then, it was famed for being the drink of choice of President Grant back in the 1870s, which gave it a lot to hang its hat on, as a brand. The juice in the bottle is a year younger than a typical Jim Beam bourbon but still holds up to any other bottle in this price range.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a bit of sweetness on the opening that’s very reminiscent of Beam while leaning into caramel and vanilla. An undercurrent of popcorn draws the sweetness back. The body of the sip is hot and not for the faint of heart while touching on caramel apples, more popcorn, and plenty of that vanilla.

The end is shortish, hot, and has a slight salted and buttered popcorn flourish.

Bottom Line:

The nickname for this bourbon is “rotgut.” Need we say more? (Okay, we will — it’s a mixer and a budget one at that.)

8. Old Grand-Dad — Bonded Old Grand-Dad

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $22

The Whiskey:

The juice is made with a mash bill of 27 percent rye, offering a very clear picture of what that grain can bring to bourbon. The whiskey is then aged for at least four years in a bonded warehouse and bottled at 50 percent, which lets a bit more of the aged juice shine in the bottle.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a clear sense of green spice counterpointed by a creamy vanilla pudding with a touch of brown sugar and spices. There’s an orange blossom floral/fruity nature that sharpens to an orange oil cut with Christmas spices, which leads towards more of that vanilla pudding with a touch of oak. The finish leans into the vanilla, green pepper, dark spices, fruit, and oak as a final note of corn arrives to remind you this is bourbon and not rye.

Bottom Line:

This is the most nuanced Old Grand-Dad by far. Still, this is a mixer more than anything else. That being said, no one’s going to stop you from shooting this one with a beer back.

7. Old Overholt — Old Overholt Bonded

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $28

The Whiskey:

This rye hails from the Pennsylvania rye traditions of the early 1800s. The brand was moved to Kentucky almost 200 years later thanks to Beam. The juice in the bottle is a bit of an enigma since Beam doesn’t disclose the mash bill (a rarity for them). It is aged for four years and bottled at 100 proof per bottled-in-bond laws.

Tasting Notes:

This leans a bit more towards a high-rye bourbon than an out-and-out rye whiskey, with hints of vanilla, dry oak, and sweet corn. The taste really leans into the vanilla with a creamy pudding vibe leading towards salted caramel, more dry wood, roasted almonds, and a final spurt of heavy spice with a grassy edge. The finish stays dry and nutty as the spiciness stays more woody than peppery with a green edge to it.

Bottom Line:

This is a nice and fairly unique rye. The thing is, there’s not a lot of depth to any of this, and it really feels like a mixer more than anything else.

6. Legent Bourbon

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

This bottle from Beam Suntory marries Kentucky Bourbon, California wine, and Japanese whisky blending in one bottle. Legent is classic Kentucky bourbon made by bourbon legend Fred Noe at Beam that’s finished in both French oak that held red wine and Spanish sherry casks. The juice is then blended by whisky blending legend Shinji Fukuyo.

Tasting Notes:

Plummy puddings with hints of nuts mingle with vinous berries, oaky spice, and a good dose of vanilla and toffee on the nose. The palate expands on the spice with more barky cinnamon and dusting of nutmeg while the oak becomes sweeter and the fruit becomes dried and sweet. The finish is jammy-yet-light with plenty of fruit, spice, and oak lingering on the senses.

Bottom Line:

This is where we break into true workhorse whiskey territory. This is a great cocktail base that also works perfectly well as an on the rocks sipper. It’s deeply flavored while also being soft and accessible to a passive whiskey drinker.

5. Basil Hayden’s — Basil Hayden’s 10 Year Rye

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $78

The Whiskey:

This is Beam’s high-end brand and their high-end rye within that brand. The barrels are the ones that made it to ten years and hit just the right marks of flavor and texture to be batched, proofed down to a very accessible 80 proof, and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

The result of the ten years of maturation is a softening of the spicy rye, giving this offering a much richer, more approachable flavor. Before you even take a sip, you’re met with aromas of peppery rye, subtle toasted oak, and lingering vanilla. The sip leads you into a symphony of sweet toffee, rich caramel, and warming rye spice. It’s all finished with a flourish of warming cinnamon and smoky dark chocolate.

Bottom Line:

Basil Hayden’s is a great line of whiskey. The one drawback is that all the bottles are only 80 proof or 40 percent ABV. That makes them very easy to drink, but sometimes they can feel a bit shallow.

4. Baker’s — Baker’s Single Barrel Minimum 7 Year

ABV: 53.5%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This is a newish release from Beam’s high-end line. It’s also the first single barrel release from Baker’s, which intends to phase out its small-batch expressions in favor of this bottle. The juice comes from hand-selected barrels from specific spots in the Beam warehouses, with whiskey that’s at least seven years old. In this case, we’re talking an eight-year-and-seven-month-old barrel.

Tasting Notes:

This is so different than the last sip that it’s jarring — in a good way. There’s a big note of holiday spices with a rich and creamy vanilla backbone next to soft leather and a touch of old cellar beams. There’s a whisper of vanilla pound cake next to wet apple tobacco. The taste then veers towards savory herbs with a nod towards rosemary stems and … maybe tarragon and … dill.

Bottom Line:

This is pretty new so it’s hard to judge it against bourbons I’ve been drinking for decades. Still, this is such a funky and delightful departure from the whole Beam vibe that it’s hard not to dig it. This also benefits from being the first release and sparking a lot of anticipation for what’s coming next.

3. Jim Beam — Jim Beam Bonded

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $22

The Whiskey:

This bourbon is Jim Beam’s high watermark when it comes to Kentucky bourbon. The juice is aged in a bottled-in-bond facility for four years where it’s also bottled at 100 proof with no bullshit. This is the standard Beam bourbon mash bill (77 percent corn, 13 percent rye, and ten percent malted barley) but there’s just something extra happening that makes this expression shine.

Tasting Notes:

This bourbon beckons you in with notes of toasted oak, red cherry, and vanilla. That leads to fresh honey, sweet caramel corn, rich toffee, bold vanilla, crisp apple, more of that red cherry, peppery spice, and a note of fresh mint. With a little water, the dram edges towards bitter dark chocolate with a nice billow of pipe tobacco while holding onto the mint, toffee, and vanilla oakiness.

The end is long, meandering, and full of warmth, fruit, spice, and bourbon goodness.

Bottom Line:

I really wanted to rank this higher (yes, I toyed with number one). It’s absurd how well-rounded this whiskey is at this price point. I’ve tasted bourbons that cost three times as much that are far more muddled or one-note than this. But, the next two bottles really are stellar.

2. Booker’s — Booker’s Rye

ABV: 68.1%

Average Price: $386

The Whiskey:

This limited release from 2016 was Booker’s first rye release from some of the last barrels laid down by Booker Noe back in 2003 before he passed away. Those barrels were racked in Booker’s favorite spot in his favorite warehouse. His son, Fred Noe, kept an eye on the barrels and pulled them in 2016 to be barreled without filtration or cutting with water.

Tasting Notes:

There’s softness on the nose that draws you towards mild doses of fine pepper, crusty rye bread, soft leather tobacco pouches, and a drop of salted caramel. The taste explodes with dark holiday spices, leaning heavily on allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and black licorice. A counterpoint of dried orange peels arrives with a touch of eggnog creaminess as the spices continue to build. As the sip starts to fade, you’re left with a chewed cinnamon stick in the back of your mouth and a spicy tobacco head buzz layered atop a full Kentucky hug of warmth.

Bottom Line:

This 2016 limited release is a bit of a unicorn now. Still, if you can find this one, buy it. It’s something from another time that hits every note true. This is the ultimate sipper where you take your time and just think about it, your life, and the universe itself more deeply with every sip.

1. Knob Creek — Knob Creek 12

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $70

The Whiskey:

This is classic Beam whiskey with a low-ish rye mash bill of 77 percent corn, 13 percent rye, and ten percent malted barley. The juice is then left alone in the Beam warehouses for 12 long years. The barrels are chosen according to a specific taste and married to create this higher-proof expression.

Tasting Notes:

You’re greeted with that classic Beam cherry that has dark chocolate and brandy candy depth alongside clear Christmas spices next to a hint of menthol tobacco. The spirit carries on those paths as it layers in buttery and sugary streusel over tart berries with plenty of that spice next to a nice dose of salted caramels covered in a bit of bitter dark chocolate. The finish is spicy and sweet and fades gradually.

Bottom Line:

This Knob Creek hits so many high marks. The most important one being that this is amazingly easy to drink while still having serious depth and nuance. Better still, you can easily get this pretty much anywhere for a reasonable price. There are ten-year-old bourbons out there that cost two or three times as much as this and aren’t quite as refined. That makes this today’s winner overall.

---

As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

If like so many of us you’ve fallen far, far down the TikTok rabbit hole, you’ll be pleased to know the amount of times you hear “like and follow for part 2” is about decrease significantly. Earlier today, TikTok announced the social media and video sharing app is rolling out the ability for all users to create three minute video, tripling it’s current limit. According to the official TikTok blog post announcing the update, the increase is meant to help with “paving the way for even richer storytelling and entertainment on TikTok.”

“Creators are already well-versed in weaving multi-part stories together on TikTok … but we often hear from creators that they’d love just a little more time to bring their cooking demos, elaborate beauty tutorials, educational lesson plans, and comedic sketches to life with TikTok’s creative tools. With longer videos, creators will have the canvas to create new or expanded types of content on TikTok, with the flexibility of a bit more space.”

The major update is one that’s been in the works since late last year, and it’s pretty likely you’ve already stumbled across a few lengthier vids while scrolling though videos by the apps top creators. In TikTok’s announcement, product manager Drew Kirchhoff shared a few of these already-viral TikTok’s that take advantage of the new three-minute time limit. Each video showcased how this increase in time can provide an increased opportunity to help educate viewers, whether it be through safety tips, history lessons, or cooking videos.

As of right now, TikTok didn’t say how longer runtimes will affect its recommendation algorithm. Fingers crossed the app creators don’t follow YouTube’s suit and favor longer videos and viewer retention above all else. If so, we might start to see less of the short, viral clips that made TikTok so special in the first place.

One of the two injured superstars in the Eastern Conference Finals will officially miss Game 5 on Thursday night. The Milwaukee Bucks announced that Giannis Antetokounmpo, who suffered a knee injury in the previous game that prevented him from playing in much of the second half, will not be able to go as the series shifts back to Fiserv Forum.

Antetokounmpo went up and attempted to break up a lob attempt to Clint Capela during the third quarter and came down awkwardly on his left leg. He needed help getting to the locker room, and while he tried to walk back to the bench, Antetokounmpo was eventually shut down with what the team referred to as a hyperextended knee. The Hawks went on to win the game, 110-88, to tie the series up at two games each.

Now, all eyes are on whether Atlanta will also enter the game shorthanded, as Trae Young suffered a bone bruise in his left foot during Game 3 that prevented him from playing on Tuesday night. Reports indicated that Young is going through rehab with an eye on suiting up in Game 5, but as of this writing, there is no word on whether or not he’ll be able to take the floor.

In April 2020, Steven Taylor, an unarmed Black man, was murdered by a white police officer in a Walmart in San Leandro, California. Officer Jason Fletcher was charged with felony manslaughter, and during his pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, the Anti Police-Terror Project came to support Taylor’s family at the courthouse.

The group, which is “building a replicable and sustainable model to end state-sanctioned murder and violence against Black, Brown, and poor people,” arrived with “Justice for Steven Taylor” banners. They were hanging from the walls when police officers interfered. “When they moved the banner to the stairs and again gathered to listen to the hearing, the officers then told them that people ‘could trip,’ despite the fact that no one was walking through the area,” according to Gizmodo. “Burch said the group felt compelled to film because the over-aggressive approach started to feel ‘concerning.’”

The sheriff’s deputy noticed that the interaction was being filmed, so he took out his phone and started playing “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift. “Are we having a dance party now?” policy director James Burch asked. “No, sir,” the cop responded. Another Anti-Police Terror Project member wondered, “Are you playing pop music to drown out the conversation?” He was doing something even more duplicitous, as explained by Verge:

Bystanders have a First Amendment right to record police, but police officers have allegedly tried to exploit copyright law to prevent people from sharing those videos, playing music that could trigger a takedown notice. While playing music in the background of a video isn’t necessarily against YouTube’s rules, it can set off the company’s automatic takedown system.

The officer freely acknowledges, “You can record all you want. I just know it can’t be posted to YouTube.” If YouTube’s “Content ID” system picks up a video using an unauthorized song from, say, the biggest pop star in the world, it will be taken down with a copyright notice. “We’d heard about this phenomenon but no one had captured it on video until now. Now not only do we have a video of a cop doing it, we also have the cop admitting why he was doing it,” the Anti-Police Terror Project wrote on YouTube, where the video (“Cop Plays Taylor Swift to Prevent Video Sharing of Him Harassing Protesters”) is active… for now. It’s also available on Twitter, just in case.

(Via Gizmodo and the Verge)

Electronic artist Dawn Richard is one of those creators who seems to never rest. A former member of Danity Kane, the last decade saw Dawn drop four celebrated albums, appear in several films, guest on other artists’ albums, become a curator at Adult Swim, and open up her own successful vegan food truck in New Orleans, Papa Ted’s. When we entered a new decade, no one would’ve blamed the woman for resting on her laurels.

But we all knew that wasn’t happening, right? This year brought Richard’s latest — and greatest — album to date, Second Line, which rightfully debuted at #1 on the iTunes Electronic charts when it released a few months back. The nocturnal, pulsing rhythms throughout the whole run of Second Line harken back to the early days of techno, house, and the electronic genres that Black producers pioneered in the late ’70s and early ’80s, genres that would go on to define the sound and feel of modern music. In that sense, Second Line is both nostalgic and contemporary, with hints of futurism via the album’s imagery and production that point to where music might be in another five to ten years.

As the pandemic continues to wane, we hit up Dawn for a travel guide. We told her she could pick anyplace to focus on that she wanted and she hit us back with a guide to her five favorite Black-owned art spaces in Los Angeles. Before you jump into the guide, be sure to give Second Line a spin and watch the animated video for “Voodoo (Intermission)” below.

California African American Museum, Los Angeles

The inspiration I get walking into this place moves me. When I want to sketch, I always go there to get inspired. There is so much history in this place; it’s one of the popular Black Museums in Los Angeles. This was the first museum I visited when I moved to LA… I was just blown away.

Another fun visual is the interior design of the museum; I love the way the museum is designed and mapped. The flow feels good. I know most people wouldn’t look at that but I do, lol!

Brockman Gallery, Leimert Park

As soon as you walk into this Gallery you can feel its pulse. It’s small, boutique even. And that’s part of its charm. I’m someone who prefers light crowds and I feel like I can admire the art in such a better way at a gallery like this. Los Angeles can be massive, so finding a small gem that feels like it’s all for you is perfection.

I recommend all creatives check this slice of heaven out.

The Museum of African American Art, Los Angeles

I love the outreach that this museum does for artists in the community. Coming from New Orleans, community outreach was crucial for artists like me who had limited resources. I think the appeal of this museum for me is at any given time you can find local artists being supported or highlighted.

Not many museums showcase local talent like this space.

The Crenshaw Dairy Mart, Los Angeles

A lot of incredible artists can be found here! I try to go on Wednesdays because I find new intriguing artists every time. I like that it was founded by a collective of creatives, which makes it a haven for people like me. You get a sense of local support and community. When I was recording my album Goldenheart, I would come to the Mart for artistic stimulation.

Galerie Lakaye, Los Angeles

I love this space because they celebrate and showcase Haitian, Cuban, and contemporary ethnic art. Fabius, who was born in Port-au-Prince, came to the US when she was eight years old and runs the space along with her partner, Giacomini, a French American sculptor and artist. Being of Haitian decent it was something that felt close to home. Six years ago, I discovered my Haitian culture and have been learning and delving into my heritage ever since.

This modern space shows the best of Haitian art and its artists. I learn new visual stories every time I visit, and feel closer to Haiti artistically when I visit. I grab a cup of coffee and just experience the beauty!