Month: February 2022

The original Fraggle Rock TV series premiered back in 1983. Fast-forward a few decades to last month, when the Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock reboot premiered on Apple TV+. The show got some big names involved with the soundtrack, most notably Foo Fighters, who performed a rendition of “Fraggle Rock Rock” for it.

The band appears as themselves on the show, on Episode 112 (“Into the Trash”), and now that clip has been shared. In it, the band, joined by Fraggle Rock, performs the song, although there’s a bit of tension as the two groups compete for attention throughout the song.

Along with Foo Fighters, the soundtrack also features contributions from Ed Helms, Kenan Thompson, Patti LaBelle, Cynthia Erivo, and Daveed Diggs.

This could be seen as a bit of a teaser for Foo Fighters’ next big-screen moment, as their new movie, Studio 666, is set to hit theaters on February 25. They shared a trailer for the film a month ago, and in it, Dave Grohl becomes possessed by an evil spirit, which has its benefits and drawbacks.

Watch Foo Fighters and Fraggle Rock perform “Fraggle Rock Rock” above.

Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock is out now via Lakeshore Records. Get it here.

With some Super Bowl halftime performances, the issue is a lack of appeal. Here’s looking at you, Maroon 5. With others, it’s a generational gap. What’s up, The Who? Other times, though, the team behind the scenes nail the selection. I hope Katy Perry and that shark are doing well. With the coming show set for Super Bowl LVI, the main problem that seems to be percolating is how, exactly, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar will all have enough time to go through a hit or two. The performances generally run about 12-15 minutes, so that gives each artist two and a half to three minutes to run through hits, collaborations, and unexpected surprises. It’s going to take creativity to build a balanced, nuanced set, but here’s how they might do it.

In 2021, The Weeknd managed to squeeze in nine songs during his allotted time, and relied on cinematic tricks and off-stage pre-recorded shoots to turn his performance into a cinematic statement on the After Hours era. He was the first artist since Lady Gaga in 2017 to perform without any guests or surprise acts, which was mildly surprising considering his star power when compared to some of his predecessors. For 2022, it’s not likely any guests will be used for songs by the featured artists, as there’s simply not enough time to give anyone else the mic, unless that person is a hologram of 2Pac (though a 50 Cent rumor is bubbling). Speaking of, the best way for the set to end would be for Snoop, Dre, Kendrick, and 3-D Shakur to drop “California Love,” perhaps the greatest ode to the state ever recorded to tape, and one that would honor football returning to football, both with the Super Bowl and the home team Rams making the big game.

The most intriguing question outside of how they’re going to pull this thing off is what song the quintet will begin with. The show is Dr. Dre’s. All artists are affiliated with him, he’s the godfather of the group and the artist who made the initial announcement. But, is there a better Super Bowl pump-up song than Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”? It seems like the perfect way to fire up a crowd, though it does leave Em alone to begin the performance. That’s why the safest bet is an early cut from Dre and Snoop, and we’re putting our money on either “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” or “Still D.R.E.” The former features Snoop more prominently, but the latter may be the more recognizable of the two among mainstream audiences, and Snoop can always serve as the world’s most overqualified hype man.

The best comparison to this show may be Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s performance from 2020. Shakira took the first set, running through seven hits, before J-Lo got six of her own. For the last two, they dueted on “Let’s Get Loud” and “Waka Waka (This Time From Africa).” We will probably see a similar structure this year, with each artist getting to perform snippets of two songs before coming together for a grand finale.

In our scenario, Dre leads off with “Still D.R.E.” before surprising with a late-era hit, perhaps “Animals” from Compton, with a drum performance from Anderson .Paak thrown into the mix. He’ll end his featured set with a nod to diehard fans by offering “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thing.” From there, Snoop will segue his verse into his own section of the show, repping his LA credentials as the face of the city. We’re looking at “Gin N Juice” as the intro to get the party started (if Snoop doesn’t cut it), before trying to shoehorn in a new song, regrettably choosing something from his latest album, The Algorithm. After all, this is a promotional tool first and a concert second. Snoop will wrap things up with a clear hit, but one more recognizable for casual watchers at home, performing “Drop It Like It’s Hot” before Mary J. Blige comes to bring some R&B goodness. “Family Affair” seems like the logical place to start for Mary, as the event is, you know, a family affair. Mary, too, has an album coming out February 11th, so look for her to sandwich something from Good Morning Gorgeous in between two hits. “Be Without You” is a good place to end, with the low-key anthem giving way to the crisp guitars of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”

Em has the most connections to each of these artists outside of Dre, so look for him to drop “The Real Slim Shady” before giving his mentor Dre the nod by going into “Forgot About Dre.” It’d be an epic moment, protege and student on stage together, reminding fans why they’ll never be forgotten. This leads the way to Kendrick Lamar, who though there are rumors of a new album coming, will stick to classics and help the group segue into the grand finale. Perhaps he’ll start with “HUMBLE.” or “Backseat Freestyle,” anything to keep the energy moving after a long, knotty performance. Though To Pimp A Butterfly is his most acclaimed project, its neo-jazz flavor doesn’t quite fit the theme of the performance, so perhaps he’ll look towards a radio hit from good kid m.A.A.d city like “Swimming Pools (Drank).” Kendrick’s logical closer is the good kid bonus cut, “Compton,” which features none other than Dr. Dre.

The finale is the hardest section of the show to map out, just because there are so many remaining options to pool from. Maybe they go with a deep cut like Snoop and Dre’s “Deep Cover,” an ode to Los Angeles that real heads will be giddy about hearing. Or maybe the finale is where the group brings out guests. YG, ScHoolboy Q, and Baby Keem come to mind. Maybe they go with an unaffiliated yet nevertheless celebrated star-like Ice Cube to perform “Today Was a Good Day.” Regardless, the first track of the finale is likely to be a California anthem, which is why Dre may save “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang” for the closer. Regardless of what the group pulls out for the penultimate track, though, it’s hard to imagine them closing the show with anything outside of a massive shoutout to the home state of Dre, Kendrick, and Snoop. Regardless of what happens throughout this exciting, unpredictable event, all roads lead to “California Love,” one of Dr. Dre’s best productions of all time, and a fitting finale to a show paying homage to Compton, Long Beach, and everywhere else in the City of Angels.

Setlist:
“Still D.R.E.”
“Animals”
“Gin N Juice”
New Snoop Song Snippet
“Drop It Like It’s Hot”
“Family Affair”
New Mary J Song Snippet
“Be Without You”
“Lose Yourself”
“The Real Slim Shady”
“Forgot About Dre”
“HUMBLE.
“Swimming Pools (Drank)”
“Compton”
Potential 50 Cent Guest Appearance
“California Love”

Australian rapper Masked Wolf is enjoying the success of his 2021 sleeper hit “Astronaut In The Ocean,” but he brought a different song to the UPROXX Sessions stage, injecting a little “Pandemonium” into his performance. Having already proven himself a capable performer in the past, his comfort level here reveals a veteran who is just getting started.

Masked Wolf has been going strong since 2018 when he debuted with the single “Speed Racer” on Teamwrk Records, where he released a string of solid singles, including “Astronaut In The Ocean.” “Astronaut” became his signature hit after becoming a viral favorite on TikTok, where it has soundtracked over 7.5 million videos to date. Its success there prompted its re-release in 2021, which led to it being certified 3x Platinum in its home country, and 2x Platinum here in the US, where it peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100. Masked Wolf followed up with the release of his debut album Astronomical last September and will undoubtedly look to build on that success in 2022.

Watch Masked Wolf’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “Pandemonium” above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Kendrick Lamar has a history of dropping new music in a live setting. Well, sort of… Back in 2014, when producer Flying Lotus closed out LA’s FYF Festival Lawn Stage on Sunday night, he dropped the Kendrick Lamar collaboration “Never Catch Me” for the first time ever in the middle of his performance, set to a dizzying three-dimensional visual display. For those who were there, it was a sublime moment hearing what would soon become one of the best tracks of the year. But back then, Kendrick Lamar wasn’t in attendance and his voice on the track more than did all the heavy lifting. Now at this Sunday’s Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, when he takes the stage alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, things could look a lot different.

According to radio host Ebro Darden, who co-hosts Apple Music’s Rap Life Review, Lamar might very well have a new song out in time to perform it on the biggest of all stages. In yesterday’s episode, Darden and co-hosts Nadeska and Lowkey were speculating about a new single from the “Humble” rapper when Darden begins to speak on what he’s just been informed. “What I’m reading here provided by our producer Sasha… the way this reads, it sounds like it’s confirmed that we will get a single from Kendrick Lamar before his performance,” Darden begins. “It says: ‘With the release of his single to be debuted ahead of his performance, what we know so far is that his next project will be the last project that he will release under Top Dawg Entertainment,’ which, we already knew that.”

It sounds like a press release was sent to the popular hip-hop show to put the information out there ahead of the Super Bowl and that come Sunday, Lamar could indeed be playing the song on stage.

Thursday’s NBA trade deadline was as wild a deadline as we’ve seen in years, as stars were on the move, headlined by the blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons deal, but they weren’t alone in big names changing rosters.

The Washington Wizards, who now will be without Bradley Beal for the rest of the season after wrist surgery, were willing to part with just about anyone other than Beal or Kyle Kuzma at the deadline, per reports, and jumped in the ring in a big way with under an hour to go. After sending Montrezl Harrell to Charlotte, the Wizards moved Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans to Dallas in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis and a second round pick, as the Mavericks decided to breakup the Doncic-Porzingis pairing that has had some tension in the past.

The Mavs are clearly banking on Dinwiddie refinding his form next to Doncic and hoping Bertans can give them the floor spacing juice they crave. Washington, meanwhile, takes on Porzingis in hopes that a change of scenery will also be good for him, and at least for this season, he’ll get a chance to be the lead option again with Beal on the sidelines.

It’s a bit of a surprise that the Mavs jump in with both feet like this in the trade waters, as they were solidly in fifth spot in the West, but they must think getting more offensive firepower is the answer around Doncic to make them a viable threat to make a deep postseason run.

The Charlotte Hornets have been tabbed as a potentially active team in the NBA’s trade market all year due to their relatively meager options at center. The team has primarily turned to steady veteran Mason Plumlee and the undersized PJ Washington in that role, but whenever a center’s name has been kicked around in trade rumors, it’s always seemed like Charlotte has been mentioned as a potential destination.

Perhaps, then, it’s unsurprising that Charlotte went out and acquired a center right before the NBA’s trade deadline on Thursday afternoon. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Hornets called up the Washington Wizards and made a move to acquire Montrezl Harrell.

The report was confirmed by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who mentioned that the Wizards will receive Ish Smith, Vernon Carey, and a second-round pick in exchange for Harell.

While Harrell is probably not going to help the Hornets all that much defensively — the team is 24th in defensive rating, so at the very least, they can’t get all that much worse — it’s hard not to be excited about what a player with his offensive profile can do alongside a guard like LaMelo Ball. Harrell came to the Wizards from the Los Angeles Lakers in the Russell Westbrook trade this past offseason, and has averaged 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per game this year.

The Hornets sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference at 28-28. The team is 3.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors for the 6-seed and boast a 2.5-game cushion above the Wizards for the 11-seed.

Ed Sheeran made a splash at the BRITs this year, taking the awards show stage to perform “Bad Habits,” but a harder-edged version for which he was joined by Bring Me The Horizon. It turns out Sheeran and the band are keen to work with each other more, as they’re apparently planning to work on a new song together.

Speaking with The Daily Star (as NME notes). Sheeran said, “We’re going to write a song together… Playing with Bring Me The Horizon was a dream. I got in touch with [singer Oli Sykes] and we were going to write together but then the pandemic happened, so we were in touch — I’ve been a fan for a long time. Oddly enough, that’s the kind of music I grew up listening to and had a Kerrang subscription and I listened to it constantly.”

“I actually said ‘Bad Habits’ would be a bit of a wet fart if I was just going up there and playing it normally. The song is EDM and they’ve taken it and make it a whole new thing. I was just like, you know what, these guitars are going to be great. It was a week’s turnaround — we emailed each other two weeks ago, recorded it a week ago and rehearsed it three days ago.”

This isn’t the first time Sheeran has expressed an interest in music heavier than his own, as he said last summer, “I was really into death metal as a kid. I listened to Cradle Of Filth and Slipknot and all that stuff. I’m not saying I could ever step into that world. I learned all those riffs on guitar as a kid. That’s something I’ve never thought about doing, but something I would not be opposed to creating.”

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

The Indiana Pacers have been busy over the last week, as they’ve become one of the biggest sellers of the NBA trade deadline. They’ve already dealt Caris LeVert to the Cavs and Domantas Sabonis (and more) to the Kings, but weren’t done moving off of players for swings on young players and future draft assets.

On Thursday, as the NBA world was freaking out about the James Harden for Ben Simmons swap actually happening, the Pacers made another trade, sending Torrey Craig back to Phoenix where he finished last season in exchange for Jalen Smith and a second round pick.

It’s a deal that makes sense for both sides. Indiana gets a flyer in Smith as they need frontcourt depth behind Myles Turner — who appears to be staying put — and add a second rounder. Craig goes back to the best team in the West, who have plenty of center depth with Deandre Ayton, JaVale McGee, and Bismack Biyombo all making Smith expendable, while adding wing depth in the form of Craig, who already knows exactly what his role will be with the Suns.

On a day filled with major moves by the top of the East, the Suns stayed mostly put but this move helps them bolster their depth as they seek another Finals run.

Since premiering in 1999, Futurama has known three homes (Fox, Comedy Central, and soon, Hulu), and even during the initial creative-peak run, it was shifted all over the schedule. Take it from someone who lived the pain of new episodes of Futurama and King of the Hill being preempted by football: f*ck the Dallas Cowboys. One of the few consistencies through the animated show’s 140 episodes, including four direct-to-DVD films, is the voice cast. Billy West is always Fry, Professor Farnsworth, and Dr. Zoidberg; Katey Sagal is always Leela; and John DiMaggio is always Bender.

But that may no longer be the case when Futurama returns on Hulu.

Deadline reports that Bender is “currently being recast ahead of the first table read on Monday. The decision was made after DiMaggio’s negotiations with Futurama studio 20th Television Animation came to a standstill though there is a desire on both sides to have him rejoin the cast and reprise his role.” Since the news came out, DiMaggio, who also voices Jake the Dog on Adventure Time, has been retweeting ticked-off Futurama fans who are threatening to boycott the revival if he doesn’t return. Like so:

DiMaggio also commented on his possible return (or lack thereof) as Bender, tweeting, “Thanks for the concern and the props, everyone. I really appreciate it. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted, but until then… CHEESE IT! #bendergate.”

Hulu and 20th Television Animation would have to be a bunch of chumps and chumpettes to not get DiMaggio back.

(Via Deadline)

Despite the news just breaking this morning, The View found time to tackle Maggie Haberman’s claims that White House sources told her Donald Trump would allegedly flush government documents down the toilet, clogging them in the process. Needless to say, the subject was a field day for The View panel as co-host Joy Behar fired off zingers about Trump being “anal retentive” while Ana Navarro went right for the jugular.

“I mean, I knew they were full of crap, but I didn’t realize it went this far,” Navarro quipped about the former administration.

In an interesting catch, the panel discussion noticed that flushing toilets has been an odd, recurring theme during Trump rallies. He’d often say people are complaining about how their toilets flush, which was a random thing to bring up. Via The Wrap:

“Well, he has some fascination with toilets, right? He’s mentioned it over and over again,” Hostin answered, referring to the numerous times the twice-impeached former President claimed during his rallies that people were flushing their toilets at home 10-15 times.

“He does,” Behar shot back. “Anal retentive, they call that.”

In between the jokes, Behar made it a point to mention that Trump has “categorically denied” flushing government documents down the toilet. However, The View had the benefit of former White House communicator Alyssa Farah filling in as a guest host and dropping some insights. While Farah says she never saw Trump flush documents or even the presidential bathroom during her time at the White House, she did reveal that her sources in Trump’s orbit have said that the former president is “terrified” of Haberman’s book.

(Via The View on Twitter)