Month: September 2021

The hip-hop community can rest assured knowing one of its greats will be back in good health soon. Houston native and Geto Boys rapper Scarface successfully underwent a kidney transplant after nearly a year of waiting. The gracious donor happened to be the rapper’s son, Christopher Jordan, who shared an image of himself and his father on Instagram. “What a journey it’s been,” he wrote in the caption. “Surgery went well my dad is thriving kidney is working great!!!! Thank you all for the prayers. @brothermob love you family.”

The news comes nearly a year after Scarface put out a plea for a new kidney after a bout with coronavirus. “COVID attacked my lungs first, and then it attacked my kidneys and knocked them out,” he told FOX 26 Houston. “I got full lung recovery, but my kidneys never came back.” Seven months later, he was publicly searching for new kidney on Twitter, specifically asking for anyone with a B+ blood type. T.I. and Fat Joe boosted Scarface’s plea while offering financial help for any donor willing to step up.

Earlier this summer, Christopher Jordan announced that he would donate a kidney to his father after learning he was a match. Today he revealed the transplant was a success. After hearing the news, T.I. took to Twitter to celebrate. “My mentor @brothermob Got a new kidney.” he wrote. “From his son no less…#GodIsGood.”

There are many struggles that larger people face that they don’t talk about in public because it’s difficult. That’s why the world is blessed to have Mary Fran Donnelly and her TikTok page.

Donnelly, 27, is a school teacher and a body positivity advocate.

Donnelly has no problem talking about the issues that larger people face and bringing them to the world’s attention. Donnelly has 492,000 subscribers on TikTok and over 5.2 million likes so she’s really getting the word out there.

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Her videos have tackled tough topics such as comments she gets from fatphobic men, mental health, and shopping in the plus-size section.

Donnelly has received the biggest response, by far, for her videos that show what life’s like for plus-size travelers. They’re an eye-opening look at the struggles people have trying to be comfortable in hotel rooms where the amenities are made for smaller people.

In a country where 42.4% of people are obese, why do hotel rooms cater to only half the population?

In her first video, she shows how difficult it is for her to be comfortable on a toilet because it’s too small and wedges her between the sink and a wall. “As one might see, it looks normal. Would you like to take a pee or a poop?” she asks. “Don’t worry, you’ll barely fit.”

Donnelly then shows how it’s nearly impossible to wrap herself in a bathroom towel.

In her follow-up video, Donnelly reveals that whenever she has to get a pool towel at a hotel she’s forced into a real Sophie’s choice. “So you get to choose, is it gonna cover the front or the back?” she asks.

Donnelly also shows how it can be downright dangerous for her to sit on a balcony.

Donnelly told Buzzfeed that her videos help her cope with the stresses of being a larger person. “I cope through humor…I was making light of a situation that is a very real stress for fat, plus-size people…my sister and I could only laugh at how absurd it was.”

She also admits that those stresses prevent her from traveling and probably make others think twice as well.

“I donʻt travel alone because I worry about strangers being upset about sitting next to me on a plane,” she said. “[I also wonder,] will the seat be uncomfortable? Will the seat belt fit? Will the towel fit at the hotel? Will the chairs at the pool hold me? Will the tables at the hotel restaurant be comfortable?” she said.

Donnelly thinks it’d be a win-win for the hotel industry and people of size if rooms were designed with inclusivity in mind.

“I don’t think [the challenges I pointed out] cross the minds of most,” Donnelly said. “But I think that it’s time that [they] do. Body shapes and image have become so relevant in recent years that there isn’t any excuse as to why hotel and travel industries cannot begin to reevaluate their practices. Fat, plus-size people deserve to be seen as valid human beings in an industry that should cater to everyone’s size and physical needs.”

It’s easy to forget in the midst of our seemingly intractable divides, but human beings need each other. Truly.

We are social creatures, of course, but our need for human connection goes beyond family bonds and friendship and social stimulation. In times of distress especially, the simple, purposeful presence of another person can be powerfully transformative—both emotionally and physiologically.

Ryan Kuja, a surfer who also happens to be a trained therapist and theologian, shared a beautiful post that illustrates this fundamental truth.

Kuja wrote:

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“Two days ago I was out surfing and a young guy, maybe 20 or so, was just inside of me by 10 yards or so. Suddenly he started yelling frantically ‘Hey! Hey! Help! Help me!’ As I started paddling toward him he disappeared under water for a second and resurfaced with a frantic look of terror on his face.

‘The leash wrapped around my legs!’ he said to me as I got to him.

‘I’m here. I got you,’ I said, knowing he was in sympathetic hyperarousal and his nervous system was dysregulated due to the perceived threat (being out in waves with the leash wrapped around both legs). In a few seconds his state shifted. The look on his face changed. The co-regulating process moved him from panic and survival physiology to a sense of being ok, that he wasn’t in danger, it had passed.

A few years ago I was surfing on a fairly big day in Washington when I fell taking off on a wave and I heard my collar bone snap. Right up against a rock jetty in 6-8′ surf, survival physiology kicked in and I paddled with my one usable arm to the beach and collapsed in terror and exhaustion.

Another surfer came up to me, looked me in the eye, put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘I’m an EMT. I’m here. I’m going to stay with you. An ambulance is on its way.’ I can feel the tears well up writing this as I remember that moment. My body was going into a state of mild shock from the injury, but his calm presence allowed my nervous system to settle. His presence was co-regulating, allowing my physiology to settle a bit in the midst of a highly distressing situation.

I likely would have developed prolonged survival physiology (trauma) if he hadn’t been there. His attunement didn’t save my life (I had already done that by paddling in with one arm), but it saved me from the potential pitfalls of an overwhelmed nervous system that stays locked in survival mode. I surfed the same spot a few months later, nervous I was going to be triggered. I wasn’t, thanks to that random stranger. I’ve never had triggering symptoms related to this event, something that easily–so easily–could have robbed me of my deep love for surfing and the ocean.

‘I’m here.’ Some of the holiest words I’ve ever known.”

So beautiful and so true. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got you. These simple words from the mouth of a stranger can change chaos into calm, terror into calm, trauma into comfort. How incredible is the power of human connection?

We need each other. And we need to remember we need each other.

Thanks for the reminder, Ryan Kuja.

Norm Macdonald loved to make people uncomfortable. He enjoyed awkward silences, winding people up, repeating the same weird jokes, creating chaos. But he was also a softie. That’s the Norm Macdonald that comes across in untold anecdotes shared since his passing on Tuesday. Even some of the many clips dropped on social media attest to this. That Bob Saget roast segment he did? It ends with him getting serious and sincerely praising his good friend.

So here’s another heartwarming Norm story: Andy Richter — who was there for some of Macdonald’s top shelf Conan O’Brien appearances — shared a story from his sister about the time she ran into him at his office.

The run-in happened what sounds like quite a long time ago, when she was about 18. Richter was “in rehearsal or a meeting,” she wrote to him over text, and while she waited, Macdonald came into her office. They exchanged pleasantries, but instead of him brushing her off as just Andy Richter’s sister, he “seemed excited and sat down and talked to me for abtou an hour asking me questions about me.”

That’s rare, she said. “No one else that I’ve met that is ‘famous’ or even in your field of work has ever done that since,” Richter’s sister wrote. “Maybe he was just bored that day but I have never forgotten that. He also made me laugh. A lot.”

So there you have it. It’s yet another story about how Norm Macdonald was as decent off-screen as he was often giddily combative on-. And there’s a lot like it.

As Nicki Minaj fields criticism over her anti-vaccine tweet from a few days ago from a variety of observers such as Stephen Colbert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Trinidad’s Health Minister, and even Tucker Carlson, she’s also found an unlikely defender in the form of … Tucker Carlson. The Fox News host, whose opinions shift with the wind depending on what point he’s trying to make at the time, switched positions on ridiculing the star when he apparently realized he could use the reaction to Nicki’s tweet to once again needle liberals, progressives, and Democrats.

In a clip from his show on Nicki’s tweet and the resulting backlash, Carlson attributed the backlash to Democrats “bullying” Nicki over sharing anti-vaccine views, likening it to the religious persecution Fox News peddles to its viewers. Nicki herself reposted the clip on her Twitter with a dartboard emoji, implying she believes Carlson is on-target with his assessment.

Unfortunately for Nicki, her post only resulted in even more backlash from followers appalled that she’d side with Carlson, who has, among other things, promoted wild conspiracy theories, parroted reprehensible, xenophobic rhetoric, and defended the QAnon-inspired January 6 insurrectionists. One pointed out, “You know he’s a white nationalist right?” However, Nicki was undaunted, interpreting tweets trying to reason with her as attacks on her character and doing her best “Kanye West circa 2018” impression as fans expressed dismay and disappointment.

Check out Nicki’s ongoing rant below.

It’s been a big year for Marvel in terms of bringing new and more diverse talent front-and-center. Earlier this year, we finally saw the MCU’s first female super hero — Black Widow — get the solo film she’d been gunning for since 2010’s Iron Man 2. Just last month, Simu Liu made news as the franchise’s first Chinese super hero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and as of now, we are less than two months away from the highly-anticipated Eternals — which means also witnessing the first deaf Marvel hero in action.

In a new interview with the New York Times, Lauren Ridloff — a deaf actress best known for her portrayal of The Walking Dead‘s Connie — opened up about her role as Makkari in the upcoming MCU film, sharing what the role means to her as well as some stories from on set. According to Ridloff, while she arrived on set convinced she “had to show how easy [she was] to work with as a deaf person,” she soon realized “everyone has their own unique set of challenges” and made a point to stop apologizing for her needs on set. She also talked about how Hollywood and theaters can be more accessible to people who are deaf, as well as mentioned how this role meant her two deaf sons would “grow up in a world where there are superheroes who are deaf” and could therefore “dream a bit more wildly.”

During the interview, Ridloff also shared a touching story in which none other than c0-star Angelina Jolie helped the actress find a fix to one of her most difficult scenes to shoot. According to Ridloff:

“In some scenes, I had to face a wall. As a deaf person, how do you cue me? At one point, I was sharing my frustration with Angie — Angelina Jolie — at a holiday party after a day of shooting. And she immediately made a suggestion, ‘why don’t we use a laser pen that special effects can easily erase?’ It was an ‘Aha, wow’ moment. Whenever I’m looking at a wall, the interpreters would use a laser pen to make a circle on the wall — ‘rolling, rolling, rolling’ — and once it went away that meant, ‘Action!’”

Luckily for us, we’ll get the chance to watch see this scene (and this ingenious trick in action) in just a couple of months, as Marvel’s Eternals hits theaters exclusively on November 5.

The Milwaukee Bucks run to the 2020-21 NBA title also happened to coincide with the final year of longtime TV play-by-play man Jim Paschke’s tenure with the team. The legendary announcer announced prior to the season that he’d be retiring, and the Bucks just so happened to have a championship run in them to put quite the exclamation point on his career.

Entering this season, Milwaukee needed a new full-time play-by-play broadcaster for the upcoming season, which is one of those jobs that doesn’t open up very often. On Wednesday, they announced their choice, Lisa Byington, who has called college football games for the Big Ten Network, college hoops on FS1, WNBA games for the Chicago Sky, and this spring made history as the first woman to do play-by-play in the men’s NCAA Tournament. Byington will likewise make history with her new gig in Milwaukee, becoming the first woman to be the full-time TV play-by-play announcer for a men’s professional sports team in the Big 4 sports.

As noted above, Byington has quite the resume and is more than qualified for the position. Hopefully, a woman being hired to do play-by-play won’t be a significant story in the future, but for now it is a major moment for women in sports broadcasting as Byington gets to take over the call of one of the NBA’s very best teams.

Britney Spears has been through a lot. But things for her seem to finally be back on the up-and-up. Her lengthy conservatorship battle, which saw her trying to wrestle free from the legal clutches of her father, seems to be coming to an end. And she’s now engaged, having said yes to Sam Asghari, her boyfriend of four years. Fans are so protective of her, so adamant that she be happy again, that when Octavia Spencer made a joke in her Instagram feed, it did not go well.

When Spears broke the news of her engagement on Instgram, the Oscar-winning actress did like many: She left a comment. But she didn’t just congratulate her. She winkingly advised her, “Make him sign a prenup.” Spears’ base came for Spencer. And now Spencer had left a big apology for what she said.

“Y’all, a few days ago Sam and Britney announced their engagement and me being me I made a joke,” she wrote in her own Instagram post. “My intention was to make them laugh not cause pain. I’ve reached out to this lovely couple privately to apologize and now want to restore just a smidge of happiness they were robbed of. Britney’s fans have seen her through a lot of pain and she’s found happiness. We’re thrilled for her. So let’s show them love.”

Asghari responded to Spencer’s post, telling her there’s no ill will. “You are very kind to clarify but I have had no hard feelings whatsoever,” he wrote. “Jokes and misconceptions come with the territory.” As for his fiancée, well, she happily deleted her Instagram account the other day, though she says she’s just on a break.

(Via Variety)

Rap legends Talib Kweli and Diamond D have just dropped a new video for “The Fold,” definitely one of the standout tracks from the duo’s collaborative album Gotham, which launched earlier this year. The video, which was directed by Grammy-nominated visual artist Mathieu Bitton, shows Talib Kweli and Diamond D repping Brooklyn and trades in high production value and cheesy set design for something that feels authentic and organic — almost like it was shot on a phone — a perfect visual accompaniment to the paired down minimalist track.

Kweli and Diamond D each bring their distinct flows to a track that feels like a victory lap for classic New York City hip-hop, and features cameo appearances from Kweli’s tight-knit and very famous group of friends, including comedians Dave Chapelle, Michelle Wolf, Donnell Rawlings, and fellow hip-hop heavyweights like Madlib, Pharoahe Monch, Chace Infinite, and more.

We’re really digging on the rawness of the visuals, which coupled with Kweli’s in-the-pocket flow that occasionally spills over into complex cadences and Diamond D’s ultra-smooth final verse gives us all a reminder of what makes the two New York MCs a couple of the genre’s most legendary figures.

Which cameos did we miss? Let us know in the comments after you check out the video to “The Fold” above. To hear more from the duo be sure to check out the Diamond D episode of People’s Party.

Welcome to SNX DLX, our weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the market. After a slow week that saw Nike almost completely eliminated from our list of the top kicks, the Swoosh is back with a vengeance — once again dominating with a few hyped-up collaborations and a couple of Air Jordans. But Nike hasn’t taken over yet, the other brands are still holding their own and the biggest surprise of the week has got to be the skate-focused four sneaker collection from NOAH and Vans. That release is the clear highlight of this week’s SNX DLX, combining both brand’s skatewear heritage with an autumnal color palette that speaks to the season.

After shopping the shoes, be sure to hit up our list of the streetwear brands you need on your radar for the rest of 2021 to help complete the look. Let’s dive in!

Fragment Design x Sacai x Nike LDWaffle Light Smoke Grey

This three-way sneaker collaboration between legendary Japanese designers Chitose Abe, Hiroshi Fujiwara, and Nike is one of the most hyped releases of the week and you probably woke up early this morning hoping to cop a pair only to be let down once again by the notorious SNKRS app. Don’t take it too hard, taking an “L” on SNKRS is a right of passage for every sneakerhead. It happens to the best of us.

This sneaker sees the designers behind Sacai and Fragment take on the LDWaffle silhouette and features touchstones from both brands, like Sacai’s double-stacked design aesthetic, and Fragment’s love for all things woven. The upper is made from a mix of understated grey mesh with suede overlays with a leather swoosh and the whole thing rides on a grippy waffle-traction outsole.

The Fragment Design x Sacai x Nike LDWaffle Light Smoke Grey is out now for a retail price of $170. The sneaker is clean sold out at Nike so hit up aftermarket sites like GOAT or Flight Club to cop a pair.

Adidas Yeezy YZY DSRT BT Rock/Oil

Yeezy Brand is gearing up for the fall by trading in the slides for two new autumnal colorways of the chunky heavy-duty DSRT BT. Dropping in an earthy Rock or Oil colorway, the DSRT Boot combines a suede and mesh upper with a monochrome triple-dipped colorway.

Not much here to say about this design, if you love Yeezy Boots, you’re going to dig these.

The Adidas Yeezy YZY DSRT BT Rock and Oil are out now for a retail price of $200. The sneaker is sold out at Yeezy Supply and Adidas so you’ll have to pick up a pair at aftermarket sites like StockX.

Sacai x CLOT x Nike LDWaffle Orange Blaze

Not feeling the understated qualities of that Fragment x Sacai LDWaffle? Nike has a louder version for you that see’s Chitose Abe collaborating with CLOT, swapping out that mesh upper for a more futuristic semi-transparent overlay with a bold and bright Orange Blaze colorway that nods to the art of reflexology charts.

The double-layer swoosh in this Sacai x Clot LDWaffle features a combination of reflective materials and snakeskin, double-layered tongues and rides atop a waffle outsole. I like it just a hair better than Fragment’s take but this design feels a little more fit for summer than the somber months of fall.

The Sacai x CLOT Nike LDWaffle Orange Blaze is out now for a retail price of $170. It’s sold out on SNKRS so hit aftermarket sites like StockX to cop a pair.

NOAH x Vans Vaballero VLT LX/ Authentic One Piece VLT LX

Vans is very much the underdog of SNX DLX, but occasionally the So-Cal icon teams up with a streetwear giant and produces something that we just can’t ignore, like this collaboration between Vault by Vans and NOAH.

This collection sees the New York-based brand take on the Vans Caballero and Authentic silhouettes, producing three different iterations of the latter, infusing a little east coast style into west coast shapes. Each sneaker’s upper is composed of suede with the Caballero sporting a spruce colorway and a simplified padded collar, and the Authentic getting a Black, Cashew, or Spruce treatment, with removed seams at the toe-cap for a subtle change-up to the original, creating a clean one-piece design.

Each sneaker from the set was built with skating in mind and should hold up to considerable abuse, despite looking like kicks you can wear to a formal event.

The NOAH x Vans Caballero VLT LX/ Authentic One Piece VLT LX is set to drop on September 16th for a retail price of $98 for the Caballero and $88 for the Authentics. Pick up a pair exclusively at NOAH.

Nike WMNS Air Jordan 14 Low Iconic Red

Nike is clearly feeling a little insecure about this Jordan 14, which was originally identified as “Lipstick Red.” Someone must’ve told Nike that connecting lipstick to a WMNS exclusive pair of shoes was a bad look because now they’re calling it “Iconic Red,” which is fine. Ultimately we don’t care what the shoes are called, but it’s funny to see Nike scramble in the laziest way possible.

What makes it lazy? Nike forgot to update their own description for the shoe, which reads “Everyone loves the perfect shade of red. Symbolizing strength, passion, and love, where you see red, you can feel the natural confidence the color expresses.” That sounds like a description for a shoe called “Lipstick Red,” plus look at the thing, that deep and bold crimson shade of red looks like lipstick. Just own it Nike, all colorway names are silly, last year you dropped the Chunky Dunkies!

The Jordan 14 Iconic red features a black matte nubuck leather upper with bold accents in Gym Red with Metallic Platinum lace aglets, and a speckled black midsole rounding out the design. It’s a fresh take on the 14 and it single-handedly makes the case that Air Jordans in the double digits are worth more time than people give them credit for.

The WMNS Air Jordan 14 Low Iconic Red is set to drop on September 16th for a retail price of $170. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

BAIT x Cowboy Bebop x Adidas Consortium Matchplay

California-based streetwear retailer BAIT has a history of paying tribute to iconic anime series’ and as people who see the clear connection between modern streetwear and vintage anime, we’re here for it. They’ve already hit the vintage racing anime Initial D and a couple of months back they dropped a One Punch Man-inspired sneaker, and now this week they’re hitting the legendary Cowboy Bebop a few months before its live-action debut on Netflix.

Utilizing the Consortium Matchplay silhouette, this sneaker features a smooth black leather upper with a vulcanized sole alternating red and blue heel tabs, and branding that includes BAIT’s logo, Adidas’, and the script logo for Cowboy Bebop in Japanese and English.

The BAIT x Cowboy Bebop x Adidas Consortium Matchplay are up for raffle at BAIT. Move quickly, because the winners will be notified by September 18th. Winners will receive a payment link.

Air Jordan 13 Obsidian

It’s a week for double-digit Jordans! Not only are we getting the Jordan 14 Iconic Red, but Nike is also delivering the must-cop Jordan 13 Obsidian. Featuring a white tumbled leather upper and the 13’s dimpled overlays — which always reminded me of a couch — the Obsidian combines Dark Powder Blue and Obsidian paneling atop a herringbone rubber outsole and stability-improving carbon fiber shank plate.

The Air Jordan 13 Obsidian is set to drop on September 18th for a retail price of $190. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or at aftermarket sites like GOAT.

PUMA x Animal Crossing New Horizons Collection

This collection feels a little late since it’s been over a year since the entire country was deep into an obsession with all things Animal Crossing, but whatever, we’ll take it, these are some of the freshest PUMAs we’ve seen in a while.

The full collection features PUMA’s Wild Rider, Suede, Future Rider, and Leadcat Sandals all dressed in ACNH’s recognizable teal, on beige, on foggy pink color scheme. Each sneaker features subtle details that callback to some of the series’ most recognizable characters and icons, but never in a way that feels heavy-handed or too branded, so even if you aren’t up on your ACNH lore, you can still dig these. The footwear collection releases alongside a full apparel collection.

The PUMA x Animal Crossing New Horizons Collection is set to drop on September 18th in a retail range of $40-$110. Shop the collection at PUMA.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.