Month: December 2021

The tragic passing of 21-year-old Chicago rapper Juice WRLD in late 2019 left the hip-hop community devastated. Like with many artists who are taken from us in their prime, Juice WRLD’s family and team have decided to release his music posthumously. Starting with Legends Never Die in 2020, which was a commercial and critical success, the next project came out today, and it’s called Fighting Demons. And as fans discovered when the tracklist for the album was shared earlier this week, the album was stacked with high-profile collabs, including the surprising addition of Suga, from the massive K-pop boy band, BTS.

Though BTS was just beginning to break into the mainstream in America when Juice died, they’ve already collaborated with plenty of other pop stars, so it’s not the most unexpected thing in the world. Still, it’s a little bit more left-field than some of the straight-ahead rap features on the album, even if Suga is known for often launching into a rap verse in the middle of a BTS song, like he does on “Butter.” For their joint song on Fighting Demons, “Girl Of My Dreams,” Suga raps his verse in Korean, adding to the wistful mood Juice has already established. Check it out above.

If you’re looking for the perfect present to buy a special someone or want to treat yourself (because you deserve it), look no further, as we have carefully hand-picked our favorites from Upworthy Market! At our shop, you can feel good about your shopping because every dollar you spend directly supports artisans who create their own products. In this gift guide, you’ll find products that range from jewelry to games, accessories and more—all items that we personally love at team Upworthy.

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1. 3D Tic Tac Toe

$23.99

Waraporn Khamsuk creates a challenging tic tac toe from Thailand. Handcrafted from rain tree wood, the game features a square board with nine standing pegs for the addition of complementary X and O shapes. Just like traditional tic tac toe, the goal is for one of two players to arrange their shapes three-in-a-row. With this game, however, the rules of the old pastime are brought into a three-dimensional space—fun for the whole family.

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2. Crafted Woven Alpaca Scarf

$23.99

Celinda Jaco selects a cozy blend of Andean alpaca for this handsome men’s scarf. Classic in style, it features fine stripes of white and gunmetal grey woven through the midnight-black textile. Hand-tied fringe completes a distinguished design.

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3. Puzzle Set

$39.95

Keep everyone entertained with our handcrafted set of 6 or 12 wooden logic puzzle games. Games include falling star, snake cube, ball in jail and more. Thai artisan Waraporn Khamsuk handcrafts each of the puzzles that come in a handy storage box.

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4. Unique Recycled Shoulder Bag

$39.99

Fiesta colors alternate with silver in a charming shoulder bag. From Maria Isabel Ramos, the purse is woven from recycled candy and cookie wrappers and lined with cotton fabric.

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5. Handmade Ceramic Tree Ornaments

$39.99

Made of shaped terracotta and hand painted in bright tropical colors, these festive ornaments depict colorful Christmas trees. Jose Arriola creates a set of six, each one different. Poinsettias with distinct stylizations adorn them, and the set arrives in a pouch of hand-loomed cotton.

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6. Set of Six Guatemalan Worry Doll Ornaments

$25.99

Traditional Guatemalan worry dolls share the love as festive ornaments by the Lopez Garcia Family. Each doll in the set of six is crafted by hand and wears a handwoven skirt and head dress. “The idea is to trust each doll with whatever troubles you. It is said that during the night, while we sleep, the dolls will whisper the solution to our troubles,” says Ana from the Lopez Garcia Family. The set arrives in a hand-loomed cotton pouch.

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7. Stylish Elephant Elephant Charm Anklet

$19.99

Tiraphan Hasub crafts a stylish anklet, centering bright brass beads with colorful agate. A symbol of old Siam, an elephant graces this original design. Jingling bells form the clasp, and the anklet is adjustable in length.

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8. Twirling Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings

$39.99

Pichaya designs modern earrings that appear to dance and twirl. The earrings are expertly crafted by hand with the luminous elegance of sterling silver.

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9. Handmade Rain Tree Wood Bottle Puzzle

$23.99

Demonstrating her creativity and love for games, Thai artisan Waraporn Khamsuk creates this ingenious puzzle that is perfect for entertaining friends and guests. The goal is to figure out how to free a wine bottle using four pieces of interlocking rain tree wood, a task that will prove to be an enjoyable and motivating challenge. The puzzle is reusable and fits a 12-inch by 3-inch wine bottle.

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10. Fair Trade Men’s Brown Leather and Brass Adjustable Bracelet

$25.99

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step,” according to Chinese poet and philosopher Lao Tzu. Show your adventurous spirit with this subtly rugged brown leather wristband bracelet. Thailand’s Chaloemphon crafts the bracelet by hand, weaving a narrow belt of leather along the wider cuff. Brass snaps secure the bracelet at one of three lengths for a comfortable fit.

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11. Apple Green Jade Solitaire Ring

$39.99

Evoking the ancient Maya, this beautiful and simple solitaire ring is crowned by an oval of apple green Guatemalan jade. This stunning accessory is designed by Zandra Lorena Sajbin, who crafts the ring with a band of sterling silver.

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12. All Cotton Multicolored Cosmetic Bag

$14.99

Working with a traditional loom, the House of Antigua Artisans creates beautiful accessories like this cosmetic bag. The all-cotton fabric is a jaspe weave in navy, crimson and avocado. The bag is trimmed with light brown faux suede, and fully lined in polyester. It’s just the right size for cosmetics or travel-sized toiletries.

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13. Happiness Mug

$23.95

Painted onto the surface of this ceramic mug is a colorful and vibrant sun in the tradition of Mexican folk art with the message of “Happiness” on the reverse. Eufrosia Pantaleon creates this simple and classic mug.

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14. Cheerful Turtle Plant Pot

$39.99

A cheerful little turtle comes to life in terracotta. Handcrafted by ceramists from the House of El Salvador Artisans, this versatile design is perfect to hold a potted plant. Geometric patterns in pale brown adorn the ornate shell

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15. Wood Three-Sided Domino Set

$29.99

By Thai artisan Waraporn Khamsuk, this domino set offers a unique twist on the traditional tabletop game. Handmade from rain tree wood, 56 triangular dominoes or “trionimoes” come in a handy wooden box. The corners of each domino are hand-painted with colorful dots. This 2-6 player set offers fun for the whole family.

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16. Sterling Silver Cat Stud Earrings

$29.99

For the cat lover in your life, these stud earrings are designed by Thai artisan Sarote Lochotinunt. He crafts each one from sterling silver, forming the cat’s face with geometric shapes that are accentuated by a brushed-satin finish that gleams in the light.

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17. Owl Trio Statues

$39.99

Three petite green ceramic owls recommend that we “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.” Believed to have originated in ancient Japan, these charming statuettes are crafted by hand and given the crackled glaze that is characteristic of celadon ceramic.

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18. Lotus Flower Sterling Silver Band Ring

$25.99

Realized in darkly oxidized relief, the image of a single lotus flower is featured on this band ring from Bali. Asmara Putra designs the ring, crafted of sterling silver.

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19. Alpaca Wool Beanie

$49.99

The colors of the firmament, when the sun finally bids day farewell, inspire the vibrant design of this alpaca hat. Fernando Cano creates vibrant patterns as he knits the hat in shades of plum, orange, green and brown. Alpaca has been prized in the Andean region for centuries thanks to its warm and lightweight fleece.

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20. Protective Tranquility bracelet

$16.99

Rituu Agarwal honors Buddhist meditation practices with the design of this Shambhala-style bracelet. Meaning “bliss” in Sanskrit, the Shambhala-style bracelet symbolizes tranquility, peace and happiness—the oneness of all. Rituu expertly knots the cotton bracelet by hand with macramé techniques and crowns it with black and enhanced onyx, believed to protect against negativity.

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Andre Ingram‘s basketball career included six NBA games as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and many, many more games in the G League, where he has gone down as the person with the most career games played and the most made three-pointers in league history. Now, Ingram gets to add something else to his collection of career accolades: Wheel of Fortune winner.

Ingram, who is still suiting up for the South Bay Lakers, appeared as one of the contestants on Friday’s episode of the show, and he didn’t just do well, he managed to win big. Thanks to some good fortune on the first two puzzles of the night, Ingram ended up taking home $31,750. In second place, Megan won a very impressive $19,855, and in third, Thipp took home $6,800.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about his big payday is that Ingram did it without winning anything in the bonus round. After getting the usual RSTLNE, Ingram picked the letters GCPO, setting up this:

As Pat Sajak said, getting one more letter would have helped Ingram out in a big way. He figured out immediately that the first word was “FIERCE,” but Sajak’s prediction was correct, and Ingram was unable to get “BLIZZARD.” As a result, he did not add $39,000 to his final total.

Still, this is an impressive chunk of change for Ingram. It is debatable whether or not it is as impressive as spending more than a decade in the NBA G League and, upon playing in your first NBA game with the Lakers, you score 19 points and earn praise from the late Kobe Bryant.

Popeyes might have a problem on its hand. It has, unquestionably, the best chicken sandwich in the fast food universe and for two years every fast food chain — and yes we mean every fast food chain — has been swiping for the top spot. Nobody has come close, but what about the few fast food chains that are at least competitive with Popeyes?

In our definitive ranking of the best fast food chicken sandwiches, Shake Shack, Church’s, Jollibee, and Wendy’s filled out the top five, just under Popeyes. If one of those other brands were to drop an exciting new chicken sandwich, suddenly that top spot is back in play, right?

Popeyes knows this. It’s why they dropped this year’s Hottie Sauce Chicken Sandwich and got Megan Thee Stallion to promote it. I called the sandwich an improvement over the original. But there is a new kid on the block, or well, three new kids technically.

Church’s — our number three pick for best chicken sandwich — has just unveiled a trio of new sandwiches, the Texas-Cut Bacon Chicken Sandwich trio. The bacon-adorned trio is available at Church’s chicken restaurants nationwide until December 26th, so if you want to get your hands on one of these sandwiches, you’ll have to move fast.

We tried the whole flight so you know where to best spend your money, and more importantly, how they stack up against the GOAT. Let’s eat!

Texas-Cut Bacon Chicken Sandwich

The OG Church’s Chicken Sandwich consists of a breaded chicken breast filet on a mayo-smeared bun with thick crinkle-cut pickles, so the only thing that makes the Texas-Cut Bacon version different is the inclusion of bacon. It’s not a big change, but a chicken sandwich with bacon is superior to the same chicken sandwich without bacon every single time, so this is an easy win for Church’s.

The breast filet here is massive and on all three occasions juicy with a crunchy and craggy pepper-forward batter that strikes the perfect balance of the meat-to-breading ratio. The bacon itself is good, but it leaves a bit to be desired. It’s not as thick and glorious as Church’s press photos would suggest, these are unfortunately very thin pieces of bacon, but they add a nice smokey flavor to the whole sandwich, and for $1 more you can get double the bacon. Definitely do that.

How Does It Compare To Popeyes?

The inclusion of bacon elevates this chicken sandwich, but not quite to the heights of what Popeyes has going for them. If we were to redo our ranking today, we’d still give Shake Shack its well-deserved number two spot. But Church’s is definitely onto something.

Texas-Cut Bacon Smoky Honey-Q Chicken Sandwich

The Honey-Q is Church’s answer to Popeyes Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Chicken Sandwich. It features a new sauce —Honey-Q — that attempts to blend the smokey and sweet flavors of BBQ with honey mustard and what Church’s calls “Texas seasoning.” Not really sure what that means, but overall this sandwich has an artificially smokey flavor that I just can’t get down with.

It’s a shame because the sauce on its own is pretty good, I’d love to use it as a dip, but when paired with the already smokey bacon this thing just comes off as overly smoked. It doesn’t have balance like the other two sandwiches in this review and that’s what makes it not quite as good as the Popeyes sandwich it’s trying to imitate.

This flavor isn’t without its merits though, as I said the sauce is good. So here’s the play: Order the Texas-Cut Bacon Spicy Chicken Sandwich with a side of Honey-Q and then dip. This will allow you to control the sauce distribution and will keep it from becoming overwhelming.

How Does It Compare To Popeyes?

It has some things going for it and we’re happy Church’s is stepping out of their comfort zone by dropping a radically reimagined chicken sandwich. Definitely worth ordering if you’re curious, but keep your expectations in check.

Texas-Cut Bacon Spicy Chicken Sandwich

The Spicy version of the Texas-cut swaps out the mayo for a much more delicious and complex spicy mayo, and it makes the sandwich significantly better. The spicy mayo leans on the slightly sweet side, to my taste buds it’s a mix of Sriacha and mayo with a bit of cayenne pepper which pairs really nicely with Church’s black pepper-forward batter.

It strangely helps to highlight some hidden sweet notes that I’ve never noticed in this sandwich. But before things get too sweet the smokiness of the bacon balances things out, resulting in crunchy bite after crunchy bite of balanced hot, sweet, and smokey flavors. It’s not the spiciest chicken sandwich you’ll ever have, but it’s one of the most flavorful on the market. Church’s often gives you a side of fried Jalapeño poppers with every order of their spicy sandwich. Definitely put those poppers into your sandwich if you love flavor. It’ll add a bit more of a spicy kick, more crunch, and ooey-gooey cheese, which can never be a bad thing.

How Does It Compare To Popeyes?

This sandwich comes incredibly close to being as good as Popeyes, but at the end of the day we’re still going to have to give it to the GOAT. Popeyes batter just has a better flavor, there are notes of garlic and onion powder that this Church’s sandwich just doesn’t have. Having said that, this one has bacon, so if you have a craving for the smokey crunch of bacon, that’s something Popeyes just can’t satiate.

The Bottom Line

Here’s the thing, at the end of the day I still think Popeyes makes a better chicken sandwich. But ultimately, it’s going to come down to whether or not you want bacon. If you want a chicken sandwich that is piled high with bacon, order the Church’s Texas-Cut Bacon Spicy Chicken Sandwich with extra bacon. You can’t get that at Popeyes, and you’ll probably never be able to.

The sandwich — especially when smartly hacked — is delicious enough that you won’t miss or even think about the Popeyes sandwich. Even if it isn’t quite as good.

Find your nearest Church’s here.

When picturing a doctor’s office, you might imagine a less than warm atmosphere. Those oh-so-lovely fluorescent lights instantly come to my mind.

Imagine if a doctor told you, “I want to design our visit in a way that makes you feel most comfortable.” Suddenly that annual check-up doesn’t sound so dreadful after all.

Dr. Ryan Stewart, a urogynecologist at the Midwest Center for Pelvic Health, recently asked women to weigh in on the redesign of his office.

Posting the question to Twitter, we wrote: “I have the opportunity to design my office from scratch. I’m asking women. How would you design/optimize a visit to the gynecologist’s office? No detail is too small.”

His tweet ended with “If I’ve ever had a tweet worthy of virality, it’s this one.”

And boy was he right. His tweet nearly instantly received thousands of replies. Turns out, there are a lot of ways to improve a visit to the gyno.

Including:

Empathy toward sexual trauma

Acknowledgement that sexual trauma histories can make exams psychologically overwhelming for many. I’d feel safer if it wasn’t dismissed as “everyone needs these exams, it’s no big deal.” It is a big deal! Empathy would help in improving our sense of safety & reducing avoidance.

— Kara K. (@karabear_1) December 5, 2021

This includes starting the exam off asking if a patient has any trauma, and not dismissing feelings of discomfort, according to commenters.

Improved privacy

No one should ever have to discuss any aspect of their care with anyone (I’m thinking nurse, receptionist) within earshot of other patients. Also, patients should not be able to listen to phone calls or dictation. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve heard while sitting.

— Dr. Erin MacLean MD OB/GYN (ret’d) (@macdoin) December 5, 2021

As part of improved privacy, many advocated to not be asked if an intern can observe while the intern is still in the room.

“It’s hard to say no to them,” one person wrote.

Another added “I’m sitting on the table in the gown and [the gyno] brings in this young guy and says ‘you don’t mind him observing this do you?’ I consented but have been pissed off ever since and never went back to her.”

One person mentioned that their current doctor recently swapped the thin, exposing paper gown for spa style robes, adding both privacy and a dash of luxury.

Diverse posters

I’m black and black is beautiful!
Diversity in Medical Illustration
More of this should be encouraged!
Illustration by @ebereillustrate#pregnant #MedEd #scicomm #inclusion #AcademicTwitter #MedTwitter #illustration #Metaverse
Please support this cause🙏 https://t.co/Tye9WT1hud pic.twitter.com/YGrzINJfoe

— Chidiebere Ibe (@ebereillustrate) November 24, 2021

This suggestion comes aptly timed, as the diagram (above) of a black fetus recently inspired a viral conversation. Many were noting that they had never seen one in medical imagery before.

One person remarked, “I am 53 years old and have never seen myself represented in anything in a doctor’s office, even pamphlets. Change that!”

Mental health screenings

make screening for depression, domestic abuse, human trafficking, anxiety and PPD a normal part of your exam practice. my normal doc screens at every physical for depression, its just normal. Check in on emotional effects of birth control

— Anschteeviee (@iamoutofideas12) December 6, 2021

Waiting until the clothes are ON to disclose important info

Don’t discuss care or diagnoses when people are naked, I remember how much more respected and comfortable I felt when a new gynaecologist introduced himself to me while I was clothed, did the exam, then had me get dressed and meet him in his office to discuss care! Much better!

— B Davie is officially boosted 💉💉💉 (@davieledgerwood) December 5, 2021

Bottom line: It’s already a vulnerable time. Let people have a moment to get comfortable.

One person added “I have always had to specifically ask to be able to talk to my doctor clothed first. Even when I hadn’t met that doctor yet. I feel like that should be default, not up to me to ask for. It’s such a power imbalance already, don’t add unnecessary vulnerability.”

Ditching the pink 

It’s super trivial, but…

Not every place that’s intended for women to inhabit needs to be pink. There are other colors.

— Girl Geek for Getting Shaq some Magenta FFS (@girlgeek_rva) December 5, 2021

To some, it’s mildly annoying. To others, it’s even triggering.

One person tweeted, “I went through a breast cancer scare, & EVERY women’s medical office I went to–pink EVERYWHERE. I was at a really terrified moment in my life, & pink, pink, pink. I 100% can’t stand it anymore.”

Offering pain meds

From my non-Twitter-using wife: offer painkillers. Don’t make people ask/have to know to ask. Anyone getting a cervical biopsy should be offered the same suite of painkillers and anxiety drugs I was for my vasectomy.

— Hairy Seldon 🌎🤖🚀 (@eschatomaton) December 6, 2021

Potentially painful procedures like IUD insertions or cervical biopsies typically only offer medication upon request. This Twitter user suggested offering them, making it clear that the patient has the option.

More accessibility in the exam and waiting rooms

Find women who are wheelchair/cane/walker/prosthetic users, and ask them what they need most. Wider hallways, exam tables that actually DO lower, more than one bathroom that is fully handicap friendly BY HANDICAP USERS CHECKLIST- not some random contractor. Furniture where a 1

— its still a Holly Jolly Pandemic, folks! (@HTTOrganizers) December 5, 2021

Tables that lower for those with mobility issues as well as higher waiting room chairs were among the most frequently suggested items.

And lastly … a variety of speculum sizes

A wide variety of speculum sizes, and introduction to the exam room including a play by play of how the visit will go. Most people never get this and the office staff never ask if it’s their first exam and most people wouldn’t disclose fear or stress if they have it.

— Móniquita (@mvasquez_owner) December 5, 2021

The general Twitter consensus: and while you’re at it, warm them up too.

Dr. Stewart’s tweet did receive constructive criticism asking for more inclusion

I would not just ask women. I’m not a woman and GYN care is essential to my health.

Physical space is important, but invest in comprehensive training for your staff to ensure the safety of BIPOC, queer, disabled, and other marginalized patients. This is essential.

— hannah starflower ♿️ (@HannahntheWolf) December 5, 2021

Dr. Stewart welcomed the insight, sending a follow-up tweet that read:

“Folks have [correctly] pointed out that I [incorrectly] said “women” when what I should have said was “folks who may need gynecologic care.” I named the practice with this in mind @midwestpelvis, but I find that I still have a lot of internalized/implicit bias.”

This viral thread might have started a trend. Soon after another medical practitioner tweeted:

“Love urogynecologist Dr. Stewart asking for input on ideal office design and wanted to ask the oncology community something similar: given that no one wants to come to a cancer doctor…what makes the experience MOST comfortable?”

Though Dr. Stewart describes his philosophy online as “I want you to leave every appointment feeling as though you’ve learned more about yourself,” it’s lovely to see that he is equally invested in learning about his patients as well.

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Music students from Sunderland College teamed up under the band name “Brian and the Buttercups,” and made their own version based on Teasdale’s original.

The freshly made tune has all those endearing nostalgia-worthy sounds: a vintage-y record crackle, soft ukulele (at least I think it’s a ukulele … whatever instrument it is, it’s lovely), a kind of lilting, wistful male singer. And of course, Teasdale’s love for his daughter still shines through in the touching lyrics.

You can listen to it here. It’s easy to see why his Robson remembers this childhood gem so fondly.

On Friday, December 3, a father’s little lullaby—made 56 years ago—found its way to the public when it played on the radio. And it received a huge reaction from listeners. Sunderland College reported that the station received numerous calls asking where they could purchase the song.

Tony Wilson, Sunderland College Music Lecturer, even secured a record deal with Sapien Records Ltd. The single was released, complete with cover art based on a photo of Robson as a child. Talk about a pleasant surprise.

Karen Robson was understandably moved. She said on the air:

“I’m absolutely overwhelmed and I can’t thank everyone enough; Sunderland College, BBC Radio Newcastle; everybody who has helped do this for my dad. This song means everything to me and now everyone can hear it. It’s an absolute dream.”

But she wasn’t the only one touched. BBC Radio Newcastle’s on-air host Gilly Hope shared how she immediately knew the original recording was “special,” as it brought the entire studio to tears. But even she didn’t anticipate how masterful the re-recording would be.

“The brilliant music degree students and staff at Sunderland College did a fantastic job on the track – their version made us all cry all over again. Like so many of the best bits of radio, it started with a listener calling in to tell us her story and we were thrilled to be a part of making such a difference to Karen and her dad,” she said.

Robson’s tribute to her father is a heartwarming metaphor for how parents pass down their legacy. These stories, traditions and memories continue to live on long after they’ve passed.

They might take on new life, however one thing remains the same: love, just like that lullaby created all those years ago, is always timeless.

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Having discovered this, droves of grateful parents have been reaching out to personally thank Nightlock.

“We’re so grateful for what you did and I hope you know that what you do saved so many kids,” said Carri Morris, an Oxford High School parent.

“Nightlock worked,” said Rick Morris, another Oxford parent, adding that “they should be in every building, in every school.”

Oxford parents credit Nightlock with saving kids’ lives | The Donlon Report

Taylor mentioned the company had been selling the locks to schools for nine years, though never imagined them being used in this horrific context.

“We hope that they’re never used, they’re just there for extra support. They’re there in case there’s an emergency lockdown,” he told reporters.

The Oxford shooting was the first scenario in which the barricades were used during an active shooting. And now it’s state law in Michigan to have a Nightlock type device in schools. The legislation was passed strictly to protect against further violence that might happen.

“It just breaks our hearts. When we first got into this business we knew we could help. We were in the residential barricade business, helping protect people’s homes, but when we started working with the schools and protecting people in schools it was a new mission,” said Taylor.

Where it’s incredibly heartbreaking that we continue to struggle with gun violence, at least there’s a solution that seems easily implemented. I shudder to think about the sterile, dystopian feel that things like Nightlock door barricades, metal detectors and other security devices provide school environments. Yet the alternative is unquestionably worse. It’s just sad that it’s come down to one of those two options.

If we can’t come to any real agreement on gun safety measures, hopefully we can at least have these security devices installed in every school throughout the country.

Though Taylor might have never envisioned this sort of purpose for his company’s products, we are all very grateful to Nightlock for taking on this new mission to provide safety for students. School should be a place of learning and growing, not fear.

“I’ve had my eyes on the Flatbush Zombies for sometime now,” RZA said in a statement. And when the RZA speaks, people listen. It’s hard to believe that the Brooklyn crew and the Staten Island producer had never linked in the past, given how Flatbush Zombies’ penchant for the macabre seems so aligned with RZA’s cinematic aesthetic. But now here they are, two NYC entities born in different eras, at the start of a new collaborative arc.

In the new “Plug Addicts” clip, the “glorious dead” Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, Erick Arc Elliott, and The RZA are all dressed like Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs as they take turns dropping a verse. The video is sinister to say the least, and even culminates with RZA’s slasher re-enactment of Michael Madsen’s Mr. Blonde torture scene from the movie. They all play off of each other fluidly on the mic and the production sounds eerily similar to a certain project from the past. “Their style of dark hip hop lyricism is reminiscent of my days in the Gravediggaz,” RZA remarked about the Zombies. “This type of collaboration was overdue,”.

This is the first of their two singles, with another called “Quentin Tarantino” due on December 17th. Flatbush Zombies’ Eric Arc Elliott added some words on the collab:

“In a lot of ways I saw RZA in myself, as a fellow producer/artist. We are making history together at this very moment. The music he’s made over the course of his career had a lot to do with why I wanted to make music in the first place, it’s beautiful to see these things come full circle.”

Watch the video for “Plug Addicts” above and be on the lookout for “Quentin Tarantino” next week.

While it might not hit the streaming service prior to the highly-anticipated premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 17, we now have a release date for Marvel’s Eternals — and it might be quite a bit nearer than you expected. Disney+ has officially announced director Chloe Zhao’s first (and incredibly ambitious) entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will hit the streaming service on January 12, 2022, just two months after it first released in theaters (via The Wrap).

Though it might seem a bit quick, this schedule keeps in line with the release window previously seen with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which premiered on September 3 before moving to Disney+ on November 12. Ultimately, that means this could very well be the pattern we come to expect from the company with future releases — assuming they don’t revert back to simultaneously release as was the case with both Mulan and Black Widow. However, seeing as the Black Widow premiere was, uh, rife with conflict, it seems likely that won’t ever be the case again.

Once on Disney+, Eternals will be available to all subscribers free of charge. This even includes the film’s IMAX Enhanced mode, which shifts Eternals’ aspect ratio to an IMAX format when Zhao’s designated IMAX sequences kick in.

Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame (well, mostly), Eternals delves into the creation and preservation of the Marvel universe through the eyes of an elite group of celestial beings known as the Eternals. As old as time itself, these guardians serve humanity by protecting them from demonic beings known as Deviants — until their mission and loyalties suddenly change.

Despite a compelling plot, an Oscar-winning director, and an all-star cast featuring Gemma Chan, Lauren Ridloff, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Madden, Don Lee, Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kit Harrington, Eternals didn’t sit too terribly well with critics, earning the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score an MCU movie has ever received with a lukewarm 63%. However, the film was still considered a financial success, grossing around $385 million worldwide.

At the intersection of hip-hop, pop and punk, Jean Dawson really stands out as an emerging multi-faceted artist. Last year’s Pixel Bath showcased a full-on genre-blender with a palpable energetic and highly-relatable angst reminiscent of Kid Cudi, Willow, and Bartees Strange. He dropped the documentary Burnout, that gave a window into his creative process, has been shouted out by Travis Barker and is set to go out on tour supporting Brockhampton next year.

Now with “Menthol*,” Dawson has tabbed his pal Mac DeMarco to play guitar on the jam. DeMarco provides a steady riff for Dawson to simply let go on the track in the most powerful way. You can really feel him losing himself in the music and it’s this type of visceral expression that’s going to keep drawing attention to his output. Dawson shared a statement on the song:

“I’ve just been wanting to scream all the time – not out of anger or any emotion I can pinpoint but just scream at the top of my lungs at nothing. I don’t know if the song represents that at all but the song is just where I’m at with s***. I think I fully lost my ability to care about s*** I don’t care about and it’s truly beautiful. I guess I’m really infatuated with the chaoticness that comes with the idea of tomorrow”

There’s beauty in that imbalance he describes and as the song comes to a close, a voicemail from DeMarco to Dawson plays, offering a parting note of comfort: “Jean, it’s Mac D. Just dropping you a line today to remind you that you should take it easy on yourself. Enjoy what you’re doing. And if you stop enjoying it at some point, hey..no problem. Don’t do it anymore. God Bless you. Love you. Ciao.”

Listen to “Menthol*” above.