Month: April 2022

J. Cole and his Dreamville crew surprised the music world on Wednesday with news that they teamed up with DJ Drama for a Gangsta Grillz mixtape. The project is titled D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape, and as promised, they released the mixtape to the world on Thursday. D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape arrives with 15 songs and appearances from the entire Dreamville crew which includes Cole, Ari Lennox, JID, Earthgang, Cozz, Bas, Lute, and Omen. Additionally, 2 Chainz, ASAP Ferg, Young Nudy, G Perico, Reason, Kenny Mason, and Sheck Wes also appear on the new project.

The mixtape is the latest compilation project from Dreamville, who has been quite active in that department over the years. It makes for their fourth project as a group following 2014’s Revenge Of The Dreamers, 2015’s Revenge Of The Dreamers II, and 2019’s chart-topping Revenge Of The Dreamers. As for D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape, some highlight points on the project are Ari Lennox’s sample and interpolation of Rose Royce’s classic record “I’m Going Down,” Cozz’s freestyle over The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya?” and excellent verses from the likes of J. Cole, Bas, JID, Earthgang, and more.

D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape touches down two days before Dreamville and friends bring their talents to North Carolina for a weekend filled with performances from some of the industry’s best names. The Dreamville cast, Lil Wayne, Jeezy, Moneybagg Yo, Wale, Rico Nasty, Fivio Foreign, Larry June, Bia, Morray, Blxst, T-Pain, and more will all appear at this weekend’s Dreamville Festival which takes place on April 2 and 3 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape is out noa via Dreamville and Interscopre. You can stream it here.

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

Most professional athletes these days have incredibly strict nutrition plans to go alongside their workout regimens, allowing them to stay in top shape. At the very top, many of the top players in the NFL, NBA, and beyond have private chefs to curate a menu that fits their nutritional needs.

However, Seahawks star receiver (and generally freak athlete) DK Metcalf is not among those, as his dietary plan is, well, let’s just say much more elementary — that is to say, the kind of diet you’d expect from a child left unsupervised for a weekend with access to unlimited money and food delivery services. Metcalf joined Kevin Garnett on the KG Certified podcast this week and the Hall of Famer asked Metcalf to describe how important nutrition is, to which Metcalf laughed and explained why he’s the worst person to ask, running through his daily intake of one Starbucks coffee, one actual meal, and “three to four bags of candy” that left Garnett in total disbelief.

The best part is Garnett asking Metcalf to “define bags of candy, man” because he cannot wrap his brain around the idea that DK is just housing bags of gummy candies and not eating actual food until an 8 pm dinner then going to bed. There are a lot of questions I still have about this, namely, how big is this meal every night, because if you’re doing two workouts in the morning, apparently without eating breakfast, and only having coffee for lunch, I don’t understand how he is a functioning human being, much less one of the greatest athletes on the planet.

This is a man who was competitive with the best sprinters in the world last year and regularly makes NFL defenders look like children, and he’s apparently doing that fueled almost exclusively by Skittles Gummies and Lifesavers.

The Oscars weren’t boring this year, that’s for sure. Still, the powers that are attempting to quell the controversy that won’t stop swirling after Will Smith smacked Chris Rock for a GI Jane joke about Jada Pinkett (who struggles with alopecia). It truly was the slap heard ’round the world, and the incident prompted approximately 550,000 people (who weren’t already watching) to turn on the broadcast. Likewise, the LAPD descended upon the scene.

Oscars producer Will Packer (who has already called the slap “a very painful moment for me”) sat down with GMA for an interview that will air on Friday. As Packer reveals, cops used the word “battery,” which sounds accurate in a criminal-law sense because the word refers to nonconsensual “harmful or offensive conduct,” with or without intent. Assault, on the other hand, is a word that’s often used interchangeably but actually “causes the victim to apprehend imminent physical harm, while battery refers to the actual act causing the physical harm.” One can have battery without assault (which usually requires general intent to qualify), or together.

Long story short, the cops were ready to proceed with arresting Will if Rock had wanted to press charges for battery. Rock immediately dismissed the possibility, and it sounds like Packer wanted to make sure that Rock had made his final decision. According to Packer (via Variety), here’s how the police involvement went down:

“They were saying, you know, this is battery, was a word they used in that moment. They said, ‘We will go get him. We are prepared. We’re prepared to get him right now. You can press charges, we can arrest him,’” Packer said. “They were laying out the options. And as they were talking, Chris was — he was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m fine.’ And even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish.’ The LAPD officers finished laying out what his options were and they said, ‘Would you like us to take any action?’ And he said no. He said no.”

Will has since publicly apologized to Rock, who broke his silence during a Wednesday night stand-up comedy gig to declare that he’s still “processing” what happened, which is completely understandable. We’ll likely hear more from both parties at some point, but for now, Packer’s full GMA interview will air on Friday morning.

(Via Variety)

How great is Australia? A relaxed cultural vibe that is progressive, inclusive and seems like a literal day at the beach. They even give us some of our favorite Marvel superhero film actors. Must be tough to make a buck there though, right? Actually, they’ve got a significant edge on us there as well. Take a look at Australian’s minimum wage and how much further it goes for the average worker than for your typical hard-working American.

Australian unions are currently pushing for a 5% increase to the minimum wage to counter inflation. Australia’s minimum wage is 20.33 Australian dollars per hour, which is the equivalent of $15.23 (as of the writing of this article).

Meanwhile, Americans are still sitting on the same federal minimum wage we’ve had since 2009—a whopping $7.25 an hour—while we are also dealing with inflation.

Minimum wage by U.S. state varies—a lot—from $7.25 to $15.90. And most states have different minimum wages for tipped jobs such as wait staff in a restaurant, on the assumption that you’ll earn enough tips to make up the base wage. Though employers can choose to pay above the minimum, they aren’t required to. And the minimum tipped wage in 17 states is $2.13 per hour.

Let me repeat that. In 17 states in the United States of America in 2022, the tipped minimum wage is $2.13 per hour.

That’s bonkers. And the disparity between states is, frankly, shocking. If you live in Washington state, for example, you’re guaranteed to make at least $14.49 per hour in any job, whether you get tips or not. If you live in Idaho—literally the state next door—you’re guaranteed $7.25 per hour for standard labor and just $3.35 per hour for tipped employment. So the base pay for a waiter on one side of an imaginary line is four times more than on the other. So weird.

Anyway, back to Australia. They’re a little worried about us, and it’s not hard to see why.

A 16-year-old Australian on Reddit was shocked to learn that the federal minimum wage here is $7.25 per hour. “There is no way someone can live off that wage even if they’re working full time.” Yep, nope.

Another Aussie responded to a sign for Buc-ee’s, a chain of country stores and travel centers in the southern United States, announcing wages for full-time work ranging from $15 to $17 per hour for associates to $22 to $32 per hour for department leads. To American eyes, in most states, this sign is a unicorn of awesome hourly starting wages for “unskilled” labor.

To Australian eyes, these are the lowest wages they ever see in their country.

This is what I canu2019t wrap my head around. In Australia, I work at a shop assistant level, I make $27.91 per hour. I donu2019t have a degree and I barely graduated high school. Yet in America people are busting their ass for $9/ hour. Absolutely disgusting that itu2019s even allowed.

— Brett Klein (@Brett Klein)
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Despite Australia having a minimum wage of AU$20.33 ($15.23), most workers actually make more than that. In addition to its minimum wage, Australia has a system under its Fair Work Act called Modern Awards, which establishes base pay and benefits for workers in a variety of industries, from fast food to health and beauty to caregiving.

One caveat: Workers under age 21 can make less than minimum wage in Australia, so teenagers may make significantly lower wages than AU$20.33 per hour (though still not as low as $7.25 per hour). However, the Modern Awards system dictates higher than minimum wage earnings for most workers—even for basic fast-food jobs—for people over 21. For example, the starting pay for a Level 1 fast-food worker over age 21 is AU$22.33 ($16.72) per hour during the week, AU$27.91 ($20.90) per hour on Saturdays and Sundays, and AU$50.24 ($37.63) per hour on holidays.

Not too shabby.

Another Australian pointed out that the amount some Americans pay for a college education is bonkers, in addition to our low minimum wage.

Iu2019m in Australia, we accrue a u201cHECSdebtu201d that we pay off gradually once we earn above a certain pay bracket. Also we have higher minimum wage due to a strong union foundation. Even as a casual MH support worker I make $40/hour (no degree needed)

— amybroomstick (@amybroomstick)
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Australians graduate with less student loan debt than Americans, on average, and their student loan payments only start over a certain income threshold (and are linked to the amount you make).

Oh and let’s not forget that Australians don’t have to pay for healthcare out of their own pocket, either. And they have paid maternity leave of up to 18 weeks at the national minimum wage. And they have a minimum of four weeks of paid vacation time for all employees, on top of paid national hoildays.

But don’t Australians pay a much higher tax rate than Americans for these benefits, you may ask? No, not really. According to the Tax Foundation, a single worker earning an average wage in the U.S. pays an average tax rate of 28.3% while in Australia they pay an average of 28.4%—so basically the same tax burden, at least for single people with no kids.

It’s not that Australia is perfect, of course. But when it comes to paying people reasonable wages and guaranteeing paid time off and providing healthcare to all, they’re light years ahead of the U.S.

Rather than seeing it as a woe-is-us comparison, however, let’s look at it as “Hey, look at what’s possible!” We, too, could have wages people can actually live on and not go into bankruptcy over medical bills and ensure that everyone gets paid time off so they can actually relax a little. It doesn’t have to be some distant pipe dream; it’s a matter of collective and political will. If Australia can do it, there’s really no good reason we can’t, too.

Last week, Harry Styles arrived with great news for his supporters. He revealed that his third album would be titled Harry’s House and added that it will be released later this spring. The upcoming project will be his first full-length effort since 2019’s Fine Line, a project gave him his second No. 1 album, his first chart-topping song, and his first Grammy award. That same success is hopefully in order for Styles with Harry’s House, and today, he kicks off the campaign for the album with its first single “As It Was.”

The new track sees Harry set on moving on from the past and accepting the things that life is currently offering him. The somber track is carried with lyrics like “I want you to hold me in the palm of your hand / Why don’t we leave it at that? / Nothing to say and everything gets in the way.” Together with the song, Harry also released an eccentric video for the track and it features a heartful dance routine with a woman he appears to be emotionally invested in. He also shows off some dance moves to conclude the video.

Harry confirmed that Harry’s House will arrive on May 20, and thanks to a press release for “As It Was,” we know that the album will arrive with 13 songs. The project will also feature songwriting by frequent collaborators Kid Harpoon, Tyler Johnson, and Mitch Rowland.

You can watch the video for “As It Was” above.

Harry’s House is out 5/20 via Columbia Records. You can pre-save it here.

Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, according to head coach Billy Donovan, will again ramp up his rehab after he arthroscopic knee surgery in January. The news also comes after Ball had to roll back his rehab 10 days ago and stop running for a period of time, delaying his possible return to the court.

Per Donovan, Ball’s ramping up process will not be “zero to 60,” perhaps indicating that a return is not imminent. Ball has not played since Jan. 14 and was sidelined with what the team originally described as a bone bruise. When treatment did not help Ball recover, he had to undergo surgery for a partially torn meniscus.

Chicago plays on Thursday against the Clippers and, after that game, will have five games left in the regular season. Three of those games — April 2 vs. the Miami Heat, April 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks and April 6 against the Boston Celtics — are against teams above the Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings. Currently, the Bulls are in a battle to remain in the top-six of the Eastern Conference, as they are jockeying for position with the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers to remain above the play-in tournament. Entering Thursday’s game, the fifth-place Bulls have a two-game lead on the seventh-place Cavaliers.

If Ball can come back at some point and contribute, it would give Chicago a needed shot in the arm if they hope to make any noise in the playoffs. How realistic that is, however, remains unclear even as he begins to ramp up his rehab again and theoretically get closer to a return.

Daniel Radcliffe declared that he was “dramatically bored” with hearing about Will Smith smacked Chris Rock at the Oscars, and he does have a point. That doesn’t mean, however, that people will stop talking about it anytime soon. We’ve heard countless celebrity/artist weigh-ins, including the strange take of noted hothead Alec Baldwin likening the incident to the Jerry Springer Show. And more takes are coming for sure, as people (including Rock) continue to process the very unordinary Oscars incident.

A notable reaction follows how Smith, who may or may not have been asked by the Academy to leave the premises, went on to accept the Best Actor award for King Richard. He then proceeded to give a weepy speech in which he referenced the act of defending his family out of love. And that doesn’t sit too well with Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (Pain and Glory, Talk to Her, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), who’s notched a few Oscar wins over the years. Almodóvar wrote an essay for IndieWire about his experiences at Sunday night’s ceremony. And he’s not thrilled with Will’s speech, which he thought felt cult-like in its phrasing:

What I saw and heard produced a feeling of absolute rejection in me. Not only during the episode, but afterward, too, in the acceptance speech — a speech that seemed more like that of a cult leader. You don’t defend or protect the family with your fists, and no, the devil doesn’t take advantage of key moments to do his work.

(None of this will stop those Scientology rumors, obviously.)

Almodóvar went on to call Will’s speech “fundamentalist” and of a nature that “we should neither hear nor see.” He laments that this event has overshadowed the winners of the night, and he then characterizes social media as “the faceless monster” for embracing the discussion and being “avid for carrion.” Of course, Almodóvar himself is contributing to the discussion as well, so this is all very circular. And he expresses a wish that people will go back to movies, which (of course) would include the approximately 550,000 people who tuned into the broadcast as soon as the smack happened. The dilemmas, they just won’t stop, and nor will the Smith-Rock discussion.

(Via IndieWire)

“Actually, I did,” she disclosed, to the interviewer’s surprise.

Malala explained that her colleagues organized a call with the men who had shot her all those years ago. After the young men tried to apologize for their brutal actions, this is what she had to say:

“All I had was sympathy. All I had was empathy. Because you wonder … what are the reasons that lead to these actions?”

Malala showed genuine compassion and understanding as she described the incident from the attacker’s perspective, who were handed a picture of Malala and told “this is a girl and she is against Islam. Go and shoot her.” For them, it was about loyalty, purpose and fulfilling a job.

See on Instagram

As she continued, Malala chose to focus on solutions, rather than placing blame.

“Whatever hatred you have against this person, it’s not going to solve any of the problems … There is a system in there that will create more terrorists. It’s the narrative that is wrong … It’s the ideology that we need to challenge.”

Her stance was clear: The problem isn’t people, it’s what people are taught. It takes getting deeper insight into how history has shaped us, so that we can take new steps toward a better society. That is what can be gained by letting go of anger and resentment in favor of progress.

As for revenge? Malala told the audience, “I can take my revenge by educating girls. That’s the best way to fight back.”

Despite receiving such hatred, Malala’s vision remains fueled by hope.

“There can be a society where we can live together. We can know what it means to be just. What it means to be fair. I think as individuals, we can use reason. We can have good emotions and powerful emotions that can really guide us in creating a better society.”

Malala is now a household name as an advocate for women’s education, wrote a bestselling book and heads a highly successful platform “working for a world where every girl can learn and lead.” She took what was arguably the most horrific experience of her lifetime and made the conscious choice to transform it into a force for good.

Forgiveness often comes down to one simple question, “How will I use this moment to become a better person?” The choice is ours.

Plastic Lego bricks are so durable they can be played with forever. But eventually, most kids grow out of their Lego phase and parents are stuck with a big bucket of bricks that eventually makes its way to the garbage.

Studies show that it can take up to 1,300 years for a Lego brick to decompose.

However, most people don’t know that when their kids outgrow their Legos, the company will gladly take them back and send them to needy children who can’t wait to play with them. This amazing gesture took actress Kristen Bell by surprise and she had to tell the world about it on Instagram.

How to recyle Legos

See on Instagram

“I just figured out that you can donate Legos, back to Lego,” “The Good Place” actress told her 15.2 followers on Instagram. Then she showed how easy it is to print a free shipping label on Lego’s website and send the bricks to kids who really want them.

“We work closely with multiple donation partners who proudly give your much-loved LEGO bricks new life,” the toymaker said on its website. “The children who receive the bricks continue to play with them, creating endlessly.”

The program is a win-win-win for everyone involved. Parents get rid of their boxes of toys, kids in need have something to play with and the planet gets a break from all the plastic.

“I am obsessed with recycling. I’m always looking for some new way to reuse anything and everything around my house,” Bell wrote in her post. “I do love when companies make it really easy. Nice work, @lego!”

Paul Rudd is a prolific and perseverant prankster. Just ask Conan O’Brien.

In 2004, Rudd was a guest on Conan O’Brien’s talk show and he told O’Brien he’d brought a clip of the finale of “Friends” to share with him and the audience. He set up what the clip would be, but when O’Brien cut to it, what played was a scene from the cheesy 1988 film “Mac and Me.”

Paul Rudd’s First “Mac And Me” Prank | Late Night with Conan O’Brien

www.youtube.com

It was cute and silly and the beginning of a nearly two-decade-long running gag.

In the years since, Rudd has pulled the “Mac and Me” clip out around a dozen times on Conan O’Brien’s show while promoting various projects, from “Anchorman 2” to “Ant-Man.” Sometimes he starts to show a clip from an actual film he’s in, which then suddenly switches to the “Mac and Me” scene. And Paul Rudd has remained deadpan, every time.

After so many years of Rudd pulling this prank, you’d think Conan O’Brien would anticipate it. And indeed, he does know to expect it on his talk show. But Rudd managed to surprise O’Brien this week by pulling the gag with a twist—playing the audio of the clip on O’Brien’s podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.”

Rudd told O’Brien that he’d been working on a podcast project of his own, a four-episode narrative on Audible. He described how excited he was to get to record it with some of his friends, including Adam Scott and Ken Marino. He explained the basic premise of the series, with the characters and background story. He said he brought a clip from the series to share—and this time, O’Brien really didn’t see the prank coming.

Watch:

Damn you, Paul Rudd.https://twitter.com/TeamCoco/status/1508886962660274176u00a0u2026

— Conan O’Brien (@Conan O’Brien)
1648600736

O’Brien’s repeated “You can’t do that on a podcast!” is hilarious. He genuinely wasn’t expecting it this time, which makes it all the more delightful.

How dedicated do you have to be to keep a gag going for 18 years? And to make up an entire series just to get O’Brien to fall for it? The guy is a legend.

Watch the supercut of all the times Rudd has pranked O’Brien’s audience with “Mac and Me” to see how he’s managed to keep it going for so long:

Totally predictable after a while, but honestly? It’s Paul Rudd. Even when you know it’s coming, it’s still great. Moving the gag to the podcast realm was just extra next level. We wouldn’t expect anything less.