Month: January 2022

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.

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet! After a slow first week, it’s finally looking like we’re in a brand new year of footwear. The releases are still trickling out at a snail’s pace — we once again aren’t able to give you a full list of dope recommendations — but this week brings six sneakers that can legitimately be anyone’s favorite of the week. Whether you’re looking for high-profile luxury collaborations, simple $100 pickups, or hype-inducing Jordans, we’ve got it all covered this week in a light and tight list of fire footwear.

This week’s biggest surprises come courtesy of Nike and Reebok, the former is dropping a brand new Air Huarache colorway that we’re sure is going to guarantee an uptick in the number of Huaraches you see in fashionable circles while Reebok has linked up with BAPE for a two sneaker reimagining of the Club C and Instapump Fury. Let’s dive into the six best sneaker drops of the week and prepare to cry over some Jordans because a good portion of us are going to catch an L on this week’s biggest release.

Nike Air Huarache Off Noir

After a few strong drops on 2021 and now this Off Noir release of the Air Huarache, I think it’s safe to say that the Air Huarache is back! Expect to see this sneaker silhouette a lot on the streets this year. This week’s colorway combines a black and white colorway over a nubuck leather upper atop a Summit White midsole.

Rounding out the design is a comfort-focused neoprene-like inner bootie and a matching heel clip. The design is part functional performance-based sneaker, part sandal, the best of both worlds!

The Nike Air Huarache Off Noir is out now for a retail price of $135. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or your favorite aftermarket site.

New Balance 550 White/Black with Marblehead

The New Balance 550 is a bit like the Nike SB Dunk. It has such a strong silhouette that all New Balance has to do is offer it in a new color and it makes sneakerheads lose their shit. Case in point, the 550 which just debuted this morning in an all-white and black colorway and is already sold out on the New Balance website.

We’re talking about a shoe that is just over $100 selling out like an $300 exclusive Jordan. That’s the power of the 550. Really though, we have Aime Leon Dore to thank for making this sneaker so popular.

The New Balance 550 White/Black with Marblehead is out now for a retail price of $109. Watch New Balance’s website for future updates or pick up a pair at aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Prada x Adidas Forum Lo/Hi

The Adidas Forum is quickly becoming one of the brand’s strongest and most popular sneaker silhouettes and this week they’re giving the design the luxury treatment in a four sneaker partnership with frequent collaborator, Prada. Featuring an all-black or all-white colorway available in both high-top and low-cut form, the Prada Forum features a removable storage pouch over the laces (or on the collar, for the high-top) and an upper composed of recycled nylon fabric with dual branding throughout the sneaker.

The Prada x Adidas Forum Lo/Hi are set to drop on January 13th for a retail price of $850 for the low-top version, and $1,120 for the high-top version. Pick up a pair at the Adidas or Prada webstores.

Nike Air Jordan 4 Crimson

The Air Jordan 4 Crimson is year-end sneaker list material, we’re already earmarking this one for the close of 2022 and it’s only the second week of January — it’s that dope. Hopefully, this is a sign that 2022 is finally going to kick into gear.

Featuring an all-black suede nubuck upper with contrasting red mesh quarter panels, the Crimson utilizes the design template from the “Thunder” series of sneakers and delivers one of the line’s best colorways to date. It is alternatively known as the “Red Thunder” Jordan 4, but Nike has its official name as “Crimson.” Naming confusion aside, this is easily this week’s most fire release and it has us hyped for what is ahead.

The Air Jordan 4 Crimson is set to drop on January 15th for a retail price of $190. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.

Reebok x BAPE Club C 85

This week brings a two sneaker collaboration between Reebok and BAPE. First up is this dual-branded edition of the Club C 85. Without question, the Club C is Reebok’s strongest silhouette, so BAPE didn’t have to do much to make this sneaker stand out. For this rendition of the Club C, the usual white stitching was replaced by red and blue stitching as well as Bape STA branding on the inner medial panel and heel cap.

The red and blue stitching really pops nicely against the clean white leather upper.

The Reebok x BAPE Club C 85 is set to drop on January 15th for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair exclusively at the BAPE online store and BAPE storefront locations.

Reebok x BAPE Instapump Fury

Before the Yeezy Foam RNNR was the world’s most polarizing sneaker (if you consider it a sneaker at all), there was the Instapump Fury, and since 2021 this sneaker silhouette has been trying to claw its way back into the spotlight. One way to guarantee people don’t miss you is by teaming up with a powerful brand like BAPE — which has given this sneaker the full BAPE treatment by dressing a pair in the label’s iconic CAMO print.

The sneaker features an alternating colorway design with the right shoe featuring a mix of green, red and purple camo, while the left sneaker goes for a blue orange and alternate green camo color. It’s like a greatest hits package of all of BAPE’s best CAMO colorways. Rounding out the design is a beautiful BAPE Ape stamp on the sneakers pump.

The Reebok x BAPE Instapump Fury is set to drop on January 15th for a retail price of $200. Pick up a pair exclusively at the BAPE online store and BAPE storefront locations.

Cardi B’s libel case against YouTube blogger Latasha Kebe, aka Tasha K, is underway. During her testimony, the rapper revealed the extent of the mental harm Tasha’s comments inflicted on her with her posts in 2018 and 2019 claiming that Cardi contracted STDs while working as a prostitute, according to TMZ. Cardi filed a lawsuit against Kebe in March of 2019, prompting Kebe to respond with a lawsuit of her own. However, a judge later threw that case out, leaving Tasha K on the defensive against Cardi’s initial suit.

Today, TMZ reports that Cardi tearfully took the stand against the vlogger, saying that due to the claims she made, Cardi “wanted to commit suicide over the things” she said. “I felt defeated and depressed and I didn’t want to sleep with my husband,” Cardi said. “I felt like only a demon could do that sh*t.” She even admitted she believed “I didn’t deserve my kid,” as the comments were made shortly after the birth of Cardi and Offset’s first child, Kulture.

TMZ says Kebe’s defense will cross-examine Cardi later today, so more updates could be on the way shortly.

Cardi recently got into another feud with fellow rapper Cuban Doll, who alleged that Offset made a pass at her on Twitter. However, in that case, Cardi dismissed Cuban’s claims and felt compelled to delete her own responses, believing that the other rapper was just using her for attention.

Steve Aoki’s really into Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). This trend is growing quite common among recognizable pop-culture names (Reese Witherspoon, Nas, Eminem, and Melania Trump among them), even as many people roll their eyes at the thought of people who dump too much money into something that doesn’t tangibly exist, but hey, if that’s where people wanna spend cash, so be it.

Aoki’s so into this game that he launched an NFT marketplace with comic book creator and legend Todd McFarlane, who’s offering up his own NFTs on the platform. To that end, Aoki decided to stop a recent DJ set to show off one of his own NFTs, which was a crudely drawn “doodle.” Then (to people who were there for the music) he even tweeted a clip (of this cringeworthy moment) with this caption: “Had to stop my show to celebrate my excitement on my doodle! Nfts make me feel like a kid again.”

Although Aoki proudly tweeted the video clip of him shoving his phone into the audience’s view, it’s clear that no one else in the room shared his excitement. In fact, no one really cared at all. It’s actually quite zen to see people not getting worked up about NFTs. Humans do enjoy experiences, after all, not imaginary things that people apparently put on sale for hundreds of thousands of hard-earned dollars.

As one might expect, Aoki’s getting roasted for this spectacle. People simply wanted to go outside and enjoy themselves after being pandemic-stuck-at-home for so long, and well, they probably should have stayed at home even longer. (Risking Omicron for an NFT solicitation doesn’t sound too fun.)

Yes, this is probably going to be on a future South Park episode.

Celebrity bourbon, like celebrity tequila or anything else “celebrity”, is an odd beast. White labeling is a very real thing — that’s where big-name celebrities slap their names on a label, spend some time promoting the bottles, and then collect checks with little to no real influence on the process. But that’s not always how celebrity-driven bourbons come to be. Some famous folk actually dig into the process of making whiskey, help pick barrels and make blends, and spend a large amount of time championing the whiskeys they helped make.

Today, we have a bit of a mix of both worlds. Some of these bottles are sourced whiskeys that were released in an effort for a celebrity to jump on the bourbon boom. Some of them are passion projects. But does that love for the game shine through in what’s actually in the bottle? Or can an indifferent star make a better bourbon with a great brand backing them?

We’ll see!

Today, I’m tasting five bottles blind and then ranking them on taste alone. I’ve kept this a little smaller purposefully. The main reason is that when I’m tasting ten or 12 (or more) drams at once, some simply get lost in the mix — a few rise to the top, a few sink to the bottom, and the middle can become sort of an extended tie. When there are fewer drams competing, the competition becomes fierce because there’s nowhere for a middling dram to hide.

Our lineup today is:

• Drake’s Virginia Black Decadent American Whiskey
• Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door Redbreast Edition
• Matthew McConaughey’s Longbranch
• Scottie Pippen’s DIGITS Bourbon
• Terry Bradshaw’s Bradshaw Bourbon

I was lucky enough to score a few of these from a bar owner and whiskey collector down in Prague where I host whiskey tastings to help keep things new and varied (hence the small taster bottles in some of the images). Let’s get to it!

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

This is thin from the nose to the end. There’s a touch of vanilla extract with a plastic vibe on the nose that leads towards a hint of old lemon peel. The taste is pretty watery with a touch of caramel and a mild spice that leans towards cinnamon toast. The finish arrives pretty quick with a little note of oakiness.

This feels like “bourbon” but only just.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

The nose draws you in with a worn leatheriness next to dark stone fruits, brittle toffees, and something that feels like apricot jam with a good dose of winter spices. The palate is nutty (ranging from nutshell to marzipan) with a sticky toffee pudding vibe that leads towards plum candies. That sweetness gets very creamy with a vanilla pudding base as a light sense of stringy cedar barks leads back to that sweet plum candy.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

There are very light notes of citrus on the nose that feel like a distant lemon-lime with a wet wood vibe. The taste dried that wood out immediately, driving it towards almost pine wall paneling with hints of dry and dark spices, peach pits, and vanilla that all leads to this beautiful caramel candy end.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a sense of vanilla extract that leads towards slightly singed popcorn with a touch of butter and an echo of cherry soda. The palate is classic bourbon with notes of caramel sauce, dark spice, light oak, and vanilla dancing with slight hints of leather and cherry tobacco. The end holds onto the vanilla before going full cherry candy on the finish.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

This is a wild nose that goes from Wether’s Originals to leather-bound books to drug store aftershave. The palate is all about soft spices with a woody vibe that’s a little bit wicker and a little bit oak. The finish holds onto the spice and warms up considerably before veering headfirst into apple candy sweetness.

Part 2: The Ranking

5. Virginia Black Whiskey — Taste 1

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is a collaboration between tequila maker Brent Hocking of DeLeón Tequila and Drake. The juice is a blend of high-rye bourbons from MGP that aged for two, three, and four years. That blend is then proofed all the way down to 40 percent before it’s bottled in what best can be described as a fancy art-deco perfume bottle.

Bottom Line:

This was last and it wasn’t even close. The 40 percent ABV meant that water kind of took over the whole flavor profile and left a faint hint of what whiskey might have been in those barrels.

This was just … so disappointing.

4. DIGITS Bourbon — Taste 4

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $70

The Whiskey:

This bottle is a collaboration between Bulls superstar Scottie Pippen and Napa wine superstar Dave Phinney. The juice is a sourced five-year-old whiskey that’s distilled in Tennessee, likely in a place that rhymes with “Tacoma”, alongside some MGP whiskey from Indiana. The barrels are sent to Mare Island, off San Francisco, where they continue aging before vatting, proofing, and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is miles ahead of the bottle above. There’s a real sense of a well-built whiskey here that weirdly starts off a little thin but builds towards a very solid finish. I could see using this in cocktails very easily but I don’t know if it’s quite a sipper, like its price point suggests.

3. Wild Turkey Longbranch — Taste 3

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

A few years back, Wild Turkey brought on Matthew McConaughey to be the brand’s Creative Director and design his own whiskey. The product of that partnership was launched in 2018. The juice is a wholly unique whiskey for Wild Turkey, thanks to the Texas Mesquite charcoal filtration the hot juice goes through. The bourbon then goes into oak for eight long years before it’s proofed and bottled.

Bottom Line:

I think this could have won that day had the first half (the nose and the opening of the palate) had been bolder. This dram ends amazingly but you have to sort of force yourself to get there. Still, it’s pretty solid once you’re past the first act.

2. Bradshaw Bourbon — Taste 5

ABV: 51.9%

Average Price: $52

The Whiskey:

Bradshaw Bourbon is made by Green River Distilling Company in Owensboro, Kentucky. The bourbon (and now a rye) is a collab between former Super Bowl champ Terry Bradshaw and Silver Screen Bottling Company, which acts as a sort of bottling fixer between a celebrity and a distiller or barrel house. The juice is a two-year-old bourbon made with 70 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and nine percent malted barley. It’s proofed to a hefty 103.8.

Bottom Line:

This really stood out. That aftershave moment of the nose threw me a bit (it’s not too out of leftfield) but made total sense with the whole experience. Then the palate truly popped as a very classic Kentucky bourbon. There weren’t any big bells or whistles but there didn’t need to be. This felt like a really solid “table bourbon” that you could sip on the rocks or throw in a cocktail and all will be well.

1. Heaven’s Door Redbreast Edition — Taste 2

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $115 ($99 MSRP)

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is a collaboration between Heaven’s Door Master Blender Ryan Perry and Redbreast’s legendary Master Blender Billy Leighton. The duo worked long and hard to create multiple whiskey expressions, which Bob Dylan taste-tested and granted final approval on. The juice in the bottle is Heaven Door’s low-rye 10-year-old Tennessee bourbon. They take that whiskey and fill it into Redbreast whiskey casks that had previously aged Irish whiskey for 12 years. After 15 months of final maturation, those barrels are vatted and slightly proofed down with soft Tennessee spring water.

Bottom Line:

Nothing came close to this. It’s complex, accessible, pronounced, nuanced. There’s a real depth that makes sense and welcomes you in. This is the winner by a country mile. I wanted to immediately go back. Given that Dylan actually helps select barrels and works with the blending, I have to think that he’s got one hell of a whiskey palate.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

I think I would have been shocked if Heaven’s Door didn’t win. The majority of their lineup is pretty damn fine whiskey across the board. Still, when I saw that Bradshaw Bourbon was my second-place pick, I was shocked. I had written that bottle off as “Terry probably just slapped his name on a bottle.” That’s not exactly true, he is part of the process, in theory. He’s out there pounding the pavement for the brand and has a long history of barrel picks going back a long way. It shows in this whiskey as it feels like it was made by someone who adores bourbon.

For me, the Longbranch was the splitting point. That whiskey finished so beautifully that it felt like a real shift from “shitty” to “okay” to “very nice” in this lineup. Still, I wanted a bit more up top and up just wasn’t there.

When it comes to Scottie Pippen’s bourbon, my best summation is this “yup, that’s bourbon alright.” It just left me a bit cold while tasting it and now while thinking about it. I can’t really see myself ever going back to it.

Finally, there’s Drake. Sorry, but cool perfume bottle aside, this was “meh” at best and “try again, folks” at worst. The 80 proof just let too much water take everything over and there was very little left.

I guess that means Bob Dylan remains the GOAT, in more ways than one.

In the lead up to the premiere of Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog on Netflix, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst opened up revealed their intense method acting process, which is already racking up award nominations for their performances. However, in a new interview, their fellow co-star and Dunst’s husband, Jesse Plemons, has opened up about being on the receiving end of Cumberbatch’s method acting, and according to Plemons, there was one moment where things got a little tense. It’s all good now, and the two had a good laugh about it, but Plemons reveals it got dicey there for a minute.

Via Variety:

Plemons admits that Cumberbatch unknowingly almost took things too far. “There was one time he got under my skin,” he says. “He was like, ‘Hey, big boy.’ It wasn’t ‘fatso.’ I feel like a few people in life have been like, ‘Hey, big boy,’ and I was like, ‘Goddamn it. What the f*ck.’”

According to Plemons, Cumberbatch apologized that night at dinner when Plemons told him that the “big boy” remark “pissed me off.” In fact, Plemons ended up laughing while recalling the incident and attempting to imitate Cumberbatch’s English accent, which came back as the actor immediately broke character after learning of the offense.

“He was like, ‘I’m so sorry,’” Plemons said. “I was like, ‘No, don’t worry. It was great.’”

(Via Variety)

As someone once said, “Whatever it takes, I know I can make it through.” They were referring to the great Degrassi drought of 2017-2022, where no new Degrassi content has been made. The drought is over.

HBO Max has green-lit a new Degrassi revival, set to hit the small screen in 2023. The new series will be produced by Lara Azzopardi, of The Bold Type, and Julia Cohen, known for her work on Riverdale and A Million Little Things. No word yet on if any original producers will be involved, such as longtime producer and actor, Stefan Brogren, who has played Archie Simpson in several reincarnations of the show.

In addition to the revival, HBO Max has also acquired the streaming rights to the original seasons of Degrassi, which are set to air this spring. Taking place at Degrassi Community school outside Toronto, the series is known for its ensemble cast of teens, touching on controversial topics, such as drugs, sexual assault, homophobia, racism, sexism, and much more, which was unheard of for a children’s show.

Degrassi has a long and complex history, beginning with the original series, The Kids Of Degrassi Street, which ran from 1979 to 1986. The series was then followed by Degrassi Junior High (1987-89), Degrassi High (1989-1991), Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001-2015), then the Netflix revival series, Degrassi: Next Class (2016-2017). The latter launched the careers of several stars, like The Vampire Diaries’ Nina Dobrev and Drake.

In 2019, Avril Lavigne dropped Head Above Water, which was her first album in over five years. She’s not waiting that long between releases this time, as today, she announced that Love Sux, her seventh album, is set for release on February 25.

She also shared the tracklist, and it features Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus, Machine Gun Kelly, and Blackbear. While not given a feature credit on any of the songs, Travis Barker is also involved, as he’s a producer on the album and he played drums on “Bite Me.” Furthermore, the album will be released on Barker’s DTA Records label and Elektra Records.

Included on the project is Lavigne’s late-2021 single “Bite Me,” as well as the Blackbear collab “I Love It When You Hate Me,” which Lavigne will be sharing tomorrow.

Find the Love Sux art and tracklist below.

1. “Cannonball”
2. “Bois Lie” Feat. Machine Gun Kelly
3. “Bite Me”
4. “I Love It When You Hate Me” Feat. Blackbear
5. “Love Sux”
6. “Kiss Me Like The World Is Ending”
7. “Avalanche”
8. “Déjà Vu”
9. “F.U”
10. “All I Wanted” Feat. Mark Hoppus
11. “Dare To Love Me”
12. “Break Of A Heartache”

Love Sux is out 2/25 via DTA Records/Elektra Records. Pre-order it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Houston Texans will enter the NFL‘s coaching carousel for the second year in a row. Despite only giving him one year to serve in the position, multiple reports indicate that the Texans have decided to fire head coach David Culley, who led the team to a 4-13 record during the 2021 campaign.

According to Schefter, the possibility of Culley being a one-and-done as the head coach for the Texans existed from the moment he put pen to paper on a contract, as the 66-year-old only had two years of guaranteed money on his deal.

Culley came to the Texans after a long career as an assistant. After becoming a college coach in 1978, Culley took his first NFL job in 1994 and has been in the league ever since. He joined Houston after spending the previous two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens as the team’s assistant head coach, wide receivers coach, and passing game coordinator.

According to McClain, the search for a new coach will be conducted by general manager Nick Caserio, and we should not “be surprised if it’s someone he and [football executive Jack] Easterby worked with at New England.” It is worth noting that one such person who would fit this bill is now-former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores.

The past year has brought the union of many unexpected celebrity couples, like the recently engaged Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly or the newly emo-revivalist Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker. But there were also a few headline-making couples who decided to part ways — and Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello were one of them. Shortly after the split, Mendes shared the gloomy breakup track “It’ll Be Okay,” and he’s now returned with a fitting video alongside the single.

“It’ll Be Okay” was filmed in the singer’s Toronto hometown and was directed by Jay Martin, who has previously worked with Mendes on visuals to his songs like “Stitches,” “Mercy,” and “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.” It shows the Grammy-nominated singer strolling through downtown during a picturesque snowfall and looking despondently out at the landscape as he sings of moving on.

Mendes and Cabello’s breakup was announced in a joint statement by the two in mid-November. “Hey guys, we’ve decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever,” they wrote. “We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends. We so appreciate your support from the beginning and moving forward.”

Watch Mendes’ “It’ll Be Okay” video above.

With the first three episodes of Peacemaker out in the wild, fans are absolutely loving the opening credits to the new HBO Max series that builds off the events of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. While promoting Peacemaker, Gunn broke down why the manic superhero drama opens with a dance number, and it’s all about making sure the people behind the show get the credit they deserve. Via Polygon:

“I really wanted to do a dance number where everybody was doing something incredibly ridiculous, and looked incredibly serious while they were doing it,” Gunn tells Polygon. Among other things, he envisioned it as a way to “vanquish the skip forward button” and allow people to see the credits of those who worked on the show. “I thought it was something that would, you know, be a signpost for people that this isn’t just your normal DC or Marvel TV show.”

Peacemaker also features Cena rocking a solo dance number in his underwear, which the wrestler turned actor described as an “exercise in bravery.” You can see him expand on rocking out in his skivvies:

As for the opening dance sequence, the intro put Cena’s dancing abilities to the test, which he’s reluctant to brag about while sitting down for an interview with TV Guide:

While Cena might not want to boast about his dance skills, Peacemaker fans definitely aren’t being shy about it. The opening dance number is getting rave reviews on social media, and not surprisingly, so is the sight of seeing Cena shaking his stuff in nothing but a pair of briefs. Twitter was all about that action.

(Via Polygon, Extra, TV Guide)