Of all the people who were insulted — directly or indirectly — by DaBaby’s Rolling Loud claims that HIV/AIDS “kills you in two or three weeks” and his admonishment about performing fellatio in the festival’s parking lots, one artist who seems to have taken an amused view of the situation is Brockhampton’s Kevin Abstract. Rather than reaching out to inform DaBaby why his statements were offensive and incorrect like Sir Elton John and Madonna, he laughed off the Charlotte rapper’s words by claiming to have done exactly what DaBaby disapproved in his call to action.
While Abstract’s group, Brockhampton, was scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza on Sunday — the same day as DaBaby — the Texan rapper whiled the time away on Twitter, joking about the coincidence that put the two acts in such close proximity. Of course, it could have been an uncomfortable situation, as Abstract is openly gay and has rapped about sexual encounters with men in his lyrics, which he also referenced on Twitter.
wow brockhampton and dababy really play the same day on the same stage tomorrow
However, rather than seeking out a confrontation, Abstract instead quipped, “JUS SUCKED A HUGE D*CK IN [THE] PARKING LOT,” directly referencing DaBaby’s earlier comments and showing he wasn’t about to let those comments deter him from being himself.
Ultimately, the Lollapalooza organizers resolved the dilemma themselves, removing DaBaby from the lineup and replacing him with G Herbo and Young Thug. Meanwhile, DaBaby continues to see the fallout from his comments (and his defiance toward the backlash they incurred), as Governor’s Ball also removed him from the lineup this week.
Ava Max turned some heads with her 2020 debut album Heaven & Hell, including those of some of her peers in the industry. She’s worked with people like Charlie Puth, Kane Brown, and Jason Derulo, but she has also captured the attention of perhaps the most successful pop-rock group of the past 20 years: Maroon 5, who just announced that Max will join them for some of their 2020 tour.
Specifically, Max will open for them on their stadium shows: at Wrigley Field in Chicago on August 30, Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA on September 5, Fenway Park in Boston on September 12, and Banc Of California Stadium in Los Angeles on October 2.
Find the full list of Maroon 5’s tour dates below.
08/10 — Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
08/12 — Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
08/14 — Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater
08/16 — Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
08/18 — Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
08/19 — Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater
08/21 — Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
08/23 — Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/25 — Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake
08/26 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
08/28 — Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
08/30 — Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field *
09/01 — Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
09/02 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
09/04 — Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
09/05 — Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium *
09/07 — Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
09/08 — Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
09/10 — Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
09/12 — Boston, MA @ Fenway Park *
09/13 — Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
09/15 — Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
09/23 — West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
09/24 — Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
09/27 — Del Valle, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
09/28 — The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
10/01 — Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
10/02 — Los Angeles, CA @ Banc Of California Stadium *
10/05 — Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
10/07 — Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
10/08 — Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion
David Marchese is one of the best interviewers in the game. His conversation with music legend Quincy Jones (who called the Beatles “the worst musicians in the world” and “no-playing motherf*ckers” and claimed that Marlon Brando would “f*ck anything,” including “James Baldwin. Richard Pryor. Marvin Gaye”) should be taught in journalism school. He also got Jon Stewart to reveal the “worst legacy” of his time on The Daily Show and Erykah Badu confessed to him that she sees “good in everybody,” including Adolf Hitler.
In his latest interview, Marchese spoke to Jason Momoa for the New York Times Magazine. It got contentious. That’s often a good thing in conversations with celebrities — otherwise, it’s a puff piece. But this one was… awkward.
It started normally enough, but then the Aquaman actor was asked about the sexual violence on Game of Thrones, where he played Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo, and whether he thinks “differently today” about his scenes with Daenerys Targaryen.
“Well, it was important to depict Drogo and his style. You’re playing someone that’s like Genghis Khan,” Momoa answered. “It was a really, really, really hard thing to do. But my job was to play something like that, and it’s not a nice thing, and it’s what that character was. It’s not my job to go, ‘Would I not do it?’ I’ve never really been questioned about ‘Do you regret playing a role?’ We’ll put it this way: I already did it. Not doing it again.”
From here on, Momoa’s answers to Marchese’s questions became curt. For instance:
Marchese: “You said you have a vision for the whole totality of Aquaman. Are you able to articulate that vision for me?” Momoa: “No.” Marchese: “Oh, man.” Momoa: “Sorry.”
Later, when Marchese about the research for Netflix’s Sweet Girl that stood out for him, Momoa replied, “I don’t really want to talk about big pharma right now.” That signaled the end of the interview for Marchese, who told the actor, “OK, I guess we’re done. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me.” But Momoa had one more thing to say:
“Yeah, and I wanted to bring something up that left a bad feeling in my stomach. When you brought up Game of Thrones, you brought up stuff about what’s happening with my character and would I do it again. I was bummed when you asked me that. It just feels icky — putting it upon me to remove something. As if an actor even had the choice to do that. We’re not really allowed to do anything. There are producers, there are writers, there are directors, and you don’t get to come in and be like, ‘I’m not going do that because this isn’t kosher right now and not right in the political climate.’ That never happens. So it’s a question that feels icky. I just wanted you to know that.”
“Yeah, well, thanks again,” Marchese responded. You can (and should) read the entire conversation here.
The NBA 2K League has been one of the many esports organizations that were hosting in-person events that fans could buy tickets to, go to an arena, and watch their favorite teams compete against one another. Unfortunately for them, and many others, they were forced to suspend those in-person events. However, this didn’t mean the end of the 2K League itself. The league moved to an online-only format and even had some matches shown on ESPN2. So while the rest of sports stopped for a bit the 2K League was one of the few that kept going.
As everyone is looking forward to moving back into a sense of normalcy we’re starting to see the return of in-person esports events too. On Monday, 2K League announced that the upcoming playoffs will be taking place at the Mavs Gaming Hub in Dallas, Texas. Not only that, but fans will be able to purchase tickets and attend these playoffs. For those who are choosing to not attend in person, they can still watch the playoffs through live streams on Twitch or YouTube. The playoffs will begin on Thursday, August 26.
Like a traditional sporting event, there needs to be a hook to convince fans to come attend in person instead of choosing to watch on a live stream and the 2K League’s big hook is going to be a unique stage set up. Fans can watch two matches taking place at the same time on two separate stages. The broadcast itself will switch between the two games taking place to try and grab key moments as they happen.
“The NBA 2K League live studio experience and stage is unlike anything in esports, with an electric energy and passion that is palpable. Add the high-stakes of the Playoffs and we have the perfect storm that our fans have been waiting to see for two years.” said NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue. “We are thrilled to be able to bring together the league’s top teams to safely crown a champion and share this excitement with our fans watching around the world.”
Over $1 million is on the line here for the teams competing with the champion of the league winning a $450,000 prize pool. The remaining $630,000 will be distributed among the teams that qualify for the 2021 Playoffs (second place – $180,000, third and fourth place – $80,000, fifth through eighth place – $42,500, ninth through twelfth place – $30,000). So making these playoffs over the course of the next few weeks will be a big deal. The top five teams from each conference will earn an automatic berth into the playoffs and the final two slots will be decided in a tournament with the remaining teams.
Not caught up on the standings but interested in the playoffs? These are the current top five teams in each conference. The full standings can be found here:
In a Monday morning statement across her social media accounts, Kathy Griffin has revealed that she’s been diagnosed with lung cancer. While any cancer diagnosis comes as a blow, Griffin was especially caught off guard because she’s never been a smoker. The comedian shared that the cancer is only “stage one,” and she’s optimistic about the outcome. She also made it a point to note that she has been vaccinated for COVID-19, and that her situation “would have been even more serious” if she was unvaccinated.
You can read her full statement below:
I’ve got to tell you guys something. I have cancer. I’m about to go into surgery to have have half of my left lung removed. Yes, I have lung cancer even though I’ve never smoked! The doctors are very optimistic as it is stage one and contained to my left lung. Hopefully no chemo or radiation after this and I should have normal function with my breathing. I should be up and running around as usual in a month or less. It’s been a helluva 4 years, trying to get back to work, making you guys laugh and entertaining you, but I’m gonna be just fine. Of course I’m fully vaccinated for Covid. The consequences for being unvaccinated would have been even more serious. Please stay up to date on your medical check ups. It’ll save your life.
XXOO, KG
As noted in her statement, Griffin has been fighting to rebuild her career after a 2017 scandal involving a satirical photo of Donald Trump’s severed head led to her being fired from CNN, where she was a staple during the network’s New Years Eve coverage. After blasting the crowd at the 2018 Writer’s Guild Awards for not lifting a finger to support her during the photo controversy, the heat on Griffin has notably died down over the years, after Trump’s bumbling pandemic response and the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building following a “Stop the Steal” rally. A very tasteless joke seems practically quaint after that.
Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.
This week saw Billie Eilish finally follow up her debut album and super-producer Jack Antonoff take the spotlight for a change with a new Bleachers album. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
After much ado, Billie Eilish’s long-awaited sophomore album Happier Than Ever is out. To accompany the release, she shared a rain-soaked video for the title track, an intensely vulnerable and emotional epic on which she all but mentions an ex who wronged her by name. It’s powerful and a key component of an album that’s ultimately a step forward for the young star.
Bleachers — “Secret Life”
Jack Antonoff has been more of a man behind the curtain in recent years with his work on some of pop’s most high-profile projects. Now, though, he’s stepping to the front of the stage again with a new Bleachers album, Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night, which he dropped last week. He preceded the album with “Secret Life,” a single that features one of those aforementioned collaborators, Lana Del Rey.
Silk Sonic — “Skate”
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) released “Leave The Door Open” in March, and in the months since then, fans have been waiting for the duo to follow up the soulful track. Finally, nearly half a year later, they have, with “Skate,” which is directly in the same vein as its predecessor but with some more vigor.
Petey — “We Go On Walks”
Uproxx favorite Petey has a full-length album, Lean Into Life, coming out this fall, and to follow the title track lead single, he dropped “We Go On Walks” last week. Uproxx’s Caitlin White notes of the track, “The chaotic, sometimes aggressive facets of the song are pretty reflective of how plenty of people are feeling after the last 18 months of confusing pandemic-related isolation, as is the practice of going on walks, so it feels very much like a song of its time.”
The Kid Laroi — “Best For Me”
The Kid Laroi’s F*ck Love is the project that doesn’t end. He has released expanded edition after expanded edition of it since its original release in July 2020. The latest is F*ck Love 3+: Over You, which adds six more songs to the album (bringing the total across all F*ck Love editions to 35 songs), and this time, they’re all solo cuts like “Best For Me.”
Angel Olsen — “Safety Dance”
Angel Olsen isn’t necessarily the first artist you’d expect to release a project of ’80s covers, but that’s just what she’s doing with Aisles, and the returns so far have been delightful. Her latest is the Men Without Hats classic “Safety Dance,” and the rendition eschews the pop sensibilities of the original recording in favor of a more brooding post-punk direction.
Jamila Woods — “Fast Car”
This fall, esteemed indie label Jagjaguwar is celebrating its 25th anniversary with Join The Ritual, a big covers album featuring a number of wonderful guests. Among them is Jamila Woods, who put her spin on a timeless classic, Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” Woods managed to breathe new life into the widely covered tune, turning the folk tune into more of a smoldering R&B ballad.
Toosii — “Spin Music”
Toosii is fresh off the release of his new expanded edition of Thank You For Believing, which was given the extended title Thank You For Believing (The Manifestation). A key track from the effort is “Spin Music,” which boasts a guest spot from Fivio Foreign. The track comes with a video that features some visually compelling shots of the rappers enjoying some of the trappings of their opulent lifestyles.
Isaiah Rashad — “Score” Feat. SZA and 6lack
A new full-length effort from Isaiah Rashad, titled The House Is Burning, dropped last week, and among the highlights is a collaboration with SZA and 6lack. Uproxx’s Wongo Okon notes of “Score,” “The well-constructed collaboration is led by mellow and drowned-out vocals from Rashad who opts for a bit of singing as opposed to rapping his way through the beat. SZA steps in for a rather small contribution to the song while 6lack delivers a strong verse of his own.”
Lil Yachty — “Love Music”
While Yachty’s recent work has had a bit of a hard-edged aesthetic, his latest, “Love Music,” is more in the unicorns-farting-rainbows territory. Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes how the song sees Yachty leaving his comfort zone: “Rather than relying on the bass-heavy, bombastic trap that he’s been kicking around the last couple of years or even reverting to his early cartoon-trap styles, this song sees him going soft-rock like it’s 2005 all over again.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Barack Obama’s special blend of no-nonsense presidential airs continues to be missed, even if people did enjoy seeing him truly enjoying life after leaving office. The sight of him surfing for the first time in 8 years could make (almost) anyone smile, at least briefly, but there’s a distinctly un-Obama-like move coming from the 43rd president for his upcoming 60th birthday celebrations at Martha’s Vineyard. It’s right along the lines of Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan’s decision to do a joint “socially distanced” residency in Texas last December while COVID cases surged in Texas. In the midst of those shows, Chappelle tested positive and shut down the residency, and now, things are arguably more dire in the U.S. with cases rising again as the Delta variant runs wild.
Plans for Obama’s birthday, meanwhile, do not look wise. As Axios reports, nearly 500 guests (no Biden) are on the agenda. There is talk of a COVID-coordinator for the event, which will be held outdoors with requests that everyone be vaccinated. However, there’s no guarantee that there will be true verification of vaccination status. Most businesses are operating on the honor system when it comes to customers/guests and masks, so there’s no telling how deep the verification process will dive. Tests are also not foolproof, and breakthrough cases happen. Granted, Axios points out that Martha’s Vineyard isn’t currently a “substantially high-risk” area, but guests will come from far and wide. Here are some details, via Axios’ Margaret Talev:
The party already is the talk of Uber drivers, hotel maids and check-in clerks.
One person with connections to Obamaworld said there were 475 confirmed guests — including friends, family and former aides — and 200-plus staff planning to work the party.
Pearl Jam was set to play, and one local hairdresser had been retained to style the hair of a band member. Steven Spielberg also was expected.
So… this probably involves at least 700 people gathered in one place, and even being “outdoors” doesn’t seem to fully deter Delta when it wants to do its thing. And all this is happening while Democrats are currently attempting to convince their Republican House colleagues (who are throwing tantrums and sh*tposting in retaliation) about taking this stage of the pandemic more seriously. Perhaps Obama needs to rustle up some of his commonsense approach, step in, and call this event off and maybe just go surfing again? That would be a great way to celebrate.
The Weeknd brought a lot of collaborators on board for After Hours, like Oneohtrix Point Never, Lil Uzi Vert, and Ariana Grande. There are some other folks he’d like to team up with, though, including a previous collaborator.
In a new GQ profile, when asked about who he’d like to work with soon, he responded:
“I’d love to work with Arca. Arca’s great. I’d love to work with Kanye [West] again. Especially on production. I got mad love for Tyler The Creator, and what he’s doing right now. Tyler is funny, man. I remember he came to one of my performances — I think it was like a festival performance. And he was very vocal about how ‘Starboy’ was his favorite song at the time. You can tell he’s waiting for the song. I could see him. As soon as the song happened, he’s like, ‘All right, cool. Thanks.’ And he just peaced out. It was pretty funny. But he’s somebody that I really admire, because he wears his feelings on his sleeve.”
West previously produced “Tell Your Friends” from The Weeknd’s 2005 album Beauty Behind The Madness, while The Weeknd sang on West’s The Life Of Pablo track “FML.”
The trainwreck DaBaby caused at Rolling Loud two weekends ago continues as he gets removed from another festival lineup. This time, it’s New York’s Governor’s Ball, which issued a statement via social media that DaBaby will no longer be performing on Friday night ahead of Billie Eilish.
Yesterday, DaBaby was removed from the Sunday night lineup for Chicago’s Lollapalooza and replaced with Young Thug (an iffy selection at best, but at least he knows when to put down the shovel) over the remarks he made from the Rolling Loud stage. During a call to action during that performance, DaBaby told fans to light up their phones if “you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexual transmitted diseases that make you die in two or three weeks” and if “you ain’t suck a n****’s dick in the parking lot.”
When he was called out online, he refused to apologize at first, then as the pressure continued, he did so defensively and halfheartedly before defiantly dropping the music video for “Giving What It’s Supposed To Give,” in which the lyrics seemingly echo his Rolling Loud statements (“we like AIDS, I’m on your ass”) despite being recorded before the Rolling Loud performance.
Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in August. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, August 6
Andrea von Kampen — That Spell (Fantasy Records)
Andrew Rinehart — Have Fun Idiot EP (SonaBLAST Records)
Maisie Peters — You Signed Up For This (Gingerbread Man Records)
Marisa Anderson And William Tyler — Lost Futures (Thrill Jockey)
Mirabai Ceiba — The Quiet Hour (Terrorbird)
Molly Herron — Through Lines (New Amsterdam Records)
Mouse Rat — The Awesome Album (Dualtone/Entertainment 720)
Nite Jewel — No Sun (Gloriette)
Ocie Elliott — A Place EP (Nettwerk)
Opus Orange — Object Lessons (Emoto Music)
Phinehas — The Fire Itself (Solid State Records)
The Poppermost — Hits To Spare (Think Like A Key Records)
Robert Ellis Orrall — Surf And Gun Club (Fixation Records/Infinity Cat Recordings)
Roxy Girls — Roxy Girls Are In The Drink EP (Moshi Moshi Records)
Scarypoolparty — The Act Of Forgiveness (Hollywood)
Snowy Band — Alternate Endings (Spunk Records)
Sonta — Chocolit (Machine Entertainment Group)
Southern Avenue — Be The Love You Want (Renew Records/BMG)
Spirit Adrift — Forge Your Future EP (Century Media Records)
Steve Gunn — Other You (Matador Records)
Straytones — Magic Green River Swimmin’ & Stunning Tarzanka Experience (Robustfellow Productions)
Sugar Horse — The Live Long After (Small Pond)
Suzanne Santo — Yard Sale (Soundly Music)
Terence Blanchard — Absence (Blue Note)
Thalia Zedek Band — Perfect Vision (Thrill Jockey)
Thyrfing — Vanagand (Despotz Records)
Tim Easton — You Don’t Really Know Me (Black Mesa Records)
Trace Adkins — The Way I Wanna Go (Verge Records)
Tré Burt — You, Yeah, You EP (Oh Boy Records)
TSHA — OnlyL EP (Ninja Tune)
Turnstile — Glow On (Grand Jury)
Velvet Starlings — Technicolour Shakedown (Sound x 3 Records)
Yann Tiersen — Kerber (Mute)
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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