Month: June 2022

Pusha T has spent most of 2022 promoting his fourth album It’s Almost Dry. The 12-track project is his first full-length effort since 2018’s Daytona, and it’s a body of work that Pusha thinks very highly of. He’s billed the project as 2022’s rap album of the year, something Tom Brady agrees with, and he’s made sure to remind fans about that at every chance he gets. One of those moments came during a recent interview with HotNewHipHop where he spoke about a number of topics regarding It’s Almost Dry. Pusha also took a second to speak about a recent album from one of his rap competitors, that being Kendrick Lamar.

During the interview, Pusha was asked for his opinion on Kendrick Lamar’s fifth album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. “I think he made a strong album,” Pusha replied. “I think his album is definitely a conversation piece, for sure. I think that Kendrick does what he does lyrically. I think… man, it was impressive. I think it was impressive, for sure.”

He continued, “I think it’s great competition. It’s a matter of what you want to hear. I feel like for what it is that I do and what I was going for, and like I said, this is rap album of the year to me. It’s Almost Dry. That is the mood and that is the energy. I think I put out that type of energy. I don’t think me and Kendrick made the same type of album, at all. It’s two different listens.”

Both Pusha and Kendrick are responsible for big moments in hip-hop this year thanks to their respective 2022 albums. Another big moment came last weekend when Pusha T and his brother Malice — a duo better known as Clipse — reunited to perform together for the first time since 2010.

You can read Pusha T’s full interview with HotNewHipHop here.

Russell Westbrook struggled during his first season in Los Angeles and made clear that he thought lines were crossed with how people responded to that, going as far as to say that his family did not feel comfortable going to Lakers games at one point. One issue, in particular, that Westbrook had was people using the nickname “Westbrook,” a not exactly kind way to highlight the issues he’s long had as a consistent jump shooter.

The nickname is hardly new, but Westbrook told the press that “Westbrick, to me, is now shaming. It’s like shaming my name. It’s my legacy for my kids. It’s a name that means more, not just to me, but to my wife, my mom, my dad are he ones that kind of paved the way for me.” One person who has gotten a whole lot of mileage out of that nickname over the years is Skip Bayless, and after the Lakers drafted Max Christie of Michigan State, the Fox Sports personality saw an opportunity to get that joke off.

Westbrook caught wind of this a day later and told Bayless to tread carefully.

His wife, Nina, was likewise clear that Bayless repeatedly crosses a line with his use of the nickname.

Bayless has not issued up a response.

Republicans are none too happy about the Jan. 6 committee hearings, and no wonder: Not only are they unveiling one damning bombshell after another, but they’ve been ratings hits. There’s been little pushback, partly because there’s not much they can say. But some have been trying the “I know you are but what am I?” approach. Tucker Carlson bizarrely described some late night comedy creators, including a dog puppet, staying a bit too long on Capitol Hill an “insurrection.” And now Marjorie Taylor Greene has done the same to peaceful protests over the end of federal abortion rights.

After the Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade after half a century, throwing the nation into chaos, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one of the Democratic lawmakers seen speaking with protesters in D.C. That really got to Greene, who was one of the GOP lawmakers alleged to have sought pardons after the events of Jan. 6. “AOC just launched an insurrection,” Greene tweeted. “Any violence and rioting is a direct result of Democrat marching orders.”

But Ocasio-Cortez, who in the past has been harassed by Greene, didn’t let that one go unanswered. “I will explain this to you slowly: exercising our right to protest is not obstruction of Congress nor an attempt to overturn democracy,” she wrote. “If one were a heinous enough person to do that, they’d likely seek a pardon for it too. But only one of us here has done that. And it ain’t me.”

Greene was but three days into her tenure as a Georgia representative when the Capitol was stormed by violent Trump supporters, all revved up on election fraud lies spread by Greene and many others. Since then she’s done very little actual congressional work, having been booted from committees over her incendiary comments and actions, leaving her plenty of time to make bizarre news on an almost daily basis. For instance, on Thursday she went off on a British journalist over gun control, claiming that the U.K. is rife with “mass stabbings.”

Los Angeles Football Club is on the verge of acquiring arguably the best player to ever play in Major League Soccer. According to a report by MLS insider Tom Bogert, LAFC will bring former Tottenham and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale on board, making the Welsh free agent the second high-profile acquisition the team has made in recent months.

The report was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, while ESPN’s Taylor Twellman brings word that Bale and the team’s other recent acquisition, Italian center back Georgio Chiellini, will debut on July 8 when LAFC takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy.

While the last few years of Bale’s career have seen things grow increasingly tense between himself and supporters in the Spanish capital, he is among the greatest players of his era and perhaps the greatest Welsh footballer of all time. Bale went to Real Madrid from Tottenham in 2013 on a transfer worth €100.8 million, a world-record at the time of his move.

He was part of three La Liga-winning sides and won Champions League five times with the club. Across all competitions, Bale scored 106 in 258 appearances for the club. In 2018, Bale scored one of the best Champions League final goals of all time with a breathtaking overhead kick that put Madrid ahead — he would go on to score one more time en route to a 3-1 victory over Liverpool.

Bale had been linked to moves to both Cardiff City and Getafe in recent weeks, with reports indicating that he wanted to get consistent playing time ahead of Wales’ first appearance in the World Cup since 1958. Instead, he’ll head to America with an eye on getting in form ahead of his national team’s opener in Qatar on Nov. 21 against the United States.

Donald Trump only served a single term in office, but he radically changed America. Arguably his most lasting effect will be that he put three far right justices on the Supreme Court. Sure enough, they spent last week dropping one jaw-dropping decision after another, including bringing Roe v. Wade to an end after nearly half a century, prompting horror and even shock by those who should have known better. While Trump has praised them in public, sources claim that in private he has buyer’s remorse.

As per Rolling Stone, a Trump insider said he’s been fuming about the end of safe and legal abortion ever since the decision was leaked in early May. Allegedly even he’s worried about the tidal wave of extremist limitations on women’s rights that’s already begun — not for moral or ethical reasons, mind you, but because he perhaps rightly fears a massive backlash against the GOP for a stance that’s incredibly unpopular.

“He keeps sh*tting all over his greatest accomplishment,” the insider told Rolling stone. “When you speak to him, it’s the response of someone fearing the backlash and fearing the politics of what happens when conservatives actually get what they want [on abortion].” They added, “I do not think he’s enjoying the moment as much as many of his supporters are, to be honest with you.”

That’s very different from Trump’s public statements. After the ruling, Trump gloated, saying it was “only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court.”

But maybe now that women’s lives are in danger and maternity deaths are bound to skyrocket, he’s secretly more in line with what Danny DeVito thinks of the Supremes.

(Via Rolling Stone)

Last week, people were shocked to learn Donald Trump had invited a documentary crew to film him as he tried to overturn the 2020 election. Who was the most shocked? Some Trump insiders, who said they had no idea it existed and were worried about what the cameras captured. (It’s coming to television later this summer.) But they weren’t the only non-fiction filmmakers recording potentially damning acts.

In March, it was revealed that Roger Stone — the longtime Republican fixer, who allegedly played a key role in the failed Jan. 6 insurrection — also invited documentarians to follow him around in the wake of the election Trump lost. Now, as per The Washington Post, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot want to see it, just as they did the doc about Trump. But that might not be so easy.

The documentary, which is still being assembled, was made by Danish filmmakers Christoffer Guldbrandsen and Frederik Marbell, who shot 170 hours of footage of Stone, who has a tattoo of Richard Nixon on his back. Among the reported gets are Stone communicating with leaders of far-right groups over an encrypted messaging app, as well as being in contact with Trump as the Capitol was stormed.

But the filmmakers have refused to relinquish their footage, despite several requests by the committee. (They have yet to subpoena them.) Their reason? They maintain their need for journalistic independence. “These are legitimate and important investigations, not only for Americans but for anyone in a democracy,” Guldbrandsen said in an interview, “but our independence from government and law enforcement is impossible to compromise.”

Stone has denied any involvement with the Jan. 6 riot. But given that there’s not one but two documentaries following alleged attempted insurrectionists, it sure seems like these guys crave attention even more than they crave power. It’s not even the first time Stone has asked documentarians to film his dodgy shenanigans.

(Via The Post)

On Friday, the Supreme Court decision people knew was coming finally arrived: In a 6-3 ruling, the highest court in the land overturned Roe v. Wade, which for the last half century has kept abortion safe and legal. The ruling had been leaked in early May, causing widespread panic about the chaos that will now ensue. When they day finally came, people were righteously angry. Meanwhile, two people who played a key role in the ruling at least claimed to be shocked: senators Susan Collins and Joe Manchin.

Collins, a moderate Republican, had infamously helped appoint two Trump-chosen justices: Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. In both cases, she asked them point blank about whether or not they would one day overturn Roe v. Wade. She believed both when they said they wouldn’t. Meanwhile, Manchin, a conservative-leaning Democrat, has been one of the few (okay, just him an Kyrsten Sinema) to break with his party on such issues as codifying Roe v. Wade when the party had the chance. And in public statement after it was obliterated, both claimed to be gobsmacked that the two justices weren’t exactly truthful.

“This decision is inconsistent with what Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said in their testimony and their meetings with me, where they both were insistent on the importance of supporting long-standing precedents that the country has relied upon,” Collins said.

As for Joe Manchin, he declared, “I trusted Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh when they testified under oath that they also believed Roe v. Wade was settled legal precedent and I am alarmed they chose to reject the stability the ruling has provided …”

Are Collins and Manchin simply gullible? Are they lying? Or is it a bit of both and they believe their own BS? Whatever the case, after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the justices that had told them it was “legal precedent,” an angry nation took to social media to drag them but good.

Some argued they knew well and good that they were being lied to.

Luckiy for Collins and Manchin, some people had some practical solutions to fix the mess they’ve helped make.

Or maybe they’re okay with just being shocked and alarmed till the end of time.

Last night, Billie Eilish brought her talents to England for the annual Glastonbury Festival. This year’s edition was headlined by Eilish herself as well as Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar, and for the showcase’s first night, Eilish closed things out with a grand performance at the festival’s Pyramid Stage. She’s Glastonbury’s youngest ever solo headliner and the first born after 2000 to top the bill. On the flip side, Paul McCartney is the festival’s oldest solo headliner after he turned 80 last weekend. During an interview with NME, Eilish expressed what it felt like to share a festival headlining spot with Lamar and McCartney and how the latter influenced her at a young age.

“My name next to theirs and being on the same level as them… it’s bonkers,” Eilish said, referring to Lamar and McCartney. “I remember Kendrick headlined a festival I went to when I was 14, and I couldn’t believe he was headlining this small festival because he was so huge. And now I’m headlining the same festival as him and Paul McCartney… are you kidding me?”

She continued, “The Beatles were what raised me. My love for music I feel 95 percent owes to the Beatles and Paul. It’s insane to think about.”

Speaking of festivals, Billie’s performance at Glastonbury comes after she admitted that she used a body double to sneak around Coachella earlier this year.

Every June, Pride celebrations take place in cities across the country, from Los Angeles to Washington DC. But it all started with New York City. The reason Pride is celebrated in June in the first place is to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots, during which queer New Yorkers fought for the right to live their truth.

New York is still one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the world, bringing the whole community and its allies together for an epic weekend. With all the partying, dancing, marching, and everything else, it can be an overwhelming few days to schedule, but hopefully in the best way.

Luckily for you, we’ve gone ahead and created the ultimate 2022 NYC Pride guide, so that you can focus on what really matters: celebrating progress, toasting the community, and hitting the dance floor until the sun comes up.

Thursday, June 23

While there will be ample opportunities to get your dance on all weekend long, Pride is also about remembrance as well as celebration. Start Pride off on a historical foot by joining the Gay Bars That Are Gone tour, a free community-led walk starting in East Village at 6pm where you’ll learn about queer history in NYC. Over at the New Amsterdam Library in FiDi, there will also be a 5pm local history discussion, centered on how the queer community reclaimed the West Side Piers.

Then, located in one of New York’s most iconic LGBTQ communities, Motto Chelsea is kicking off NYC Pride Weekend with Drinks & Drag Happy Hour starting at 5pm, complete with Drag Queens Pattaya Hart and Andora Official, live performances, specialty cocktails and more.

Later that night, it’s time to hit the dance floor. Skorpios in Midtown East will be hosting a WLW dance party called “Take the Bait” ($20) starting at 9pm, and a free For the Gworls event kicks off at Club Lambda an hour later in Bushwick. In Bed-Stuy, Dyke Beer will be flowing at C’Mon Everybody during their Rebel! Dance party ($8), and disco lovers should make a beeline for Black Flamingo in Williamsburg for their Holy Rollers Disco Pride Party ($20).

Friday, June 24

Friday night is when the real fun begins, starting with the iconic Dyke March from Tompkins Square Park in East Village and ending at Stonewall in the West Village, where the protests for equality first took place in 1969.

Drinks company Avec will be hosting a colorful cocktail activation at The James NoMad featuring edible flowers, and colorful pride-themed fun starting at 5pm, including a live tribute to LGBTQ+ artists.

Or, if absolutely massive dance parties are your thing, Hot Rabbit is throwing one called PRIDAY ($35) at 42 D’Or—a 15,000 square foot event space in Hudson Yards—starting at 4pm and ending a full half day later at 4am. Robyn stans who head to Bushwick’s Three Dollar Bill ($20) starting at 5pm definitely won’t be dancing on their own, and femme-lovers would do well to stop by the Sultan Room’s Pride edition of Raw Honey: Femme Seduction ($35), from 11pm to 4am.

Another erotic-themed party, the legendary HustlaBall ($99) for MLM, will be bringing the heat to Polygon Club in East Willamsburg. The party will feature a rotating set of DJs and a XXL dark room where the most fun will no doubt be taking place.

Later into the night, Brazilian beats will be on full volume at Bushwick’s THE MEADOWS for FRISKY ($50), a dance party that starts at midnight and doesn’t end until the sun is up. Brazilian DJs will keep the music pumping, and there will be a special performance by Grog Queen—winner of the Paramount+ show Queen of the Universe.

Saturday, June 25

Start your Saturday afternoon off with something decidedly less dance-y: a Pride Market at the Hester Street Fair at the South Seaport. Starting at 11am on Pier 17, exclusively LGBTQ+ vendors will have cute artisan wares to covet. Meanwhile, in Chelsea, another queer marketplace begins at 2pm and runs for two days—part of a huge celebration by Live Arts’ Pride, called The House Party. Besides the marketplace in their open air courtyard, there will also be DJ sets to listen to and art installations to see.

Brunch lovers can stop by Vinyl Steakhouse at noon for the debut Pride Listening Party & Drag Brunch ($65) for a raucous interactive drag show, music from the restaurant’s vinyl collection of 2,000 records, and brunch service.

Pride wouldn’t be complete without a circuit party, and NYC Pride’s Fantasy Days ($75) is the official circuit party of the weekend, serving up drink specials and DJ sets at the indoor and outdoor spaces of the Harbor Rooftop on West 46th starting at 2pm.

Across town, also at 2pm, is the long-awaited return of Pride Island ($115), one of the biggest blowout events of every New York Pride (save for the last two years). For the first time, the festivities will take place on Governors Island, with DJ sets throughout the day and a headlining set by pop princess, Kim Petras. If Pride Island isn’t really your thing, you might be more inclined to head to the Knockdown Center in Bushwick for something more avant garde—the return of the Bushwig x Gardens Pride party, called Flowers ($36). Expect DJ sets and drag performances.

For the ultimate chance to brush shoulders with (and see performances by) RuPaul superstars such as Gottmik, Aquaria and Violet Chachki, one of Pride’s other blowout events is Planet Pride ($145), running for a whopping 12 hours at The Brooklyn Mirage. Separated into six parties with three stages, expect sounds from a major lineup that includes Galantis, SG Lewis and a *surprise popstar*.

Come up for some fresh air after all that partying at the 30th Annual Dyke March, which steps off from Bryant Park at 5pm. Thousands of queer folx will then parade down 5th Avenue towards the fountain at Washington Square Park. If you don’t plan on ending up in the fountain at the end of the march, what are you really doing?

It’s only fitting that the Dyke Beer’s free Dyke March afterparty, “Feelin’ Cute” would take place in Bushwick, so grab a G train and find yourself at The Wandering Barman at 9pm. Or don’t, and head to the bklyn boihood pride party ($25) at The Bell House—an annual affair since 2010 whose dance floors have provided “a sacred space for Black, queer, and trans folks to be in community with each other, and to feel safe, seen, and celebrated.”

Sunday, June 26

Kick your Sunday off with an extravagant Pride brunch at No Bar at the Standard East Village where queer chefs will be cooking up magic in the kitchen for the “Queens of the South, a queer brunch celebration”. It’s all a part of a week-long residency by queer-owned Brooklyn cafe, Ursula, culminating in a celebratory Sunday Pride brunch. There, enjoy live music and drag performances curated by The Soapbox Presents, a Harlem-based community organization celebrating the brilliance of Black and Brown people through art Sunday afternoon.

A Pride Drag Brunch will also be taking place at Burger & Lobster with special guest from Rupaul’s Drag Race: Brita Filta. A Pride Parade Pregame will be taking place at Bar Calico at the Freehand Hotel, just around the corner from the entrance to the parade, on Sunday, June 26 starting at 11am.

Entrance is first-come-first served, and those who arrive between 11am and 1pm will have access to an open bar. Nearby at The James, the hotel will have themed music playing and LGBTQ+ makeup artists from PRIV doing complimentary pre-parade glam in the lobby.

The NYC Pride March starts at noon, and is set to be bigger and better than ever after a two year hiatus. It will begin in Manhattan at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street before heading south and then turning west on 8th Street. From there, it will make its way to Christopher Street and pass the Stonewall National Monument and the New York City AIDS Memorial before ending in Chelsea at Seventh Avenue and 16th Street.

Once you’ve had your fill of the parade, the 10th Annual Queer Garden Pride ($30) starts at 2PM in Brooklyn with al fresco dancing, DJ sets, and special guests. A few hours later, Color Me Queer ($20) kicks off at the Delancey in the Lower East Side at 6pm. At the Delancey, three floors of DJs, drag performances and belly dancers will be at your disposal, with ticket sales benefitting queer and trans BIPOC charities.

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life we forget the important things: like taking care of ourselves. While binge watching your favorite show and ordering take out can be just the treat-yourself-thing you need, your body might not always feel the same. So we’re bringing you 5 easy ways to practice self-care that both you and your body will thank us for.

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1. Stay hydrated – This may seem like an easy one, but it’s hard! Getting enough water is critical to the way your body functions and can also help improve your sleep quality, daily thinking, and mood. If you’re like the rest of us and just cannot get through your recommended 16 cups of water a day, then consider a hydration boost with Hydrant packets. These flavored electrolyte packets are pourable, packable and practical. Add them into your daily routine and stay easily hydrated all day long. Hydrant’s system of hydration is proven, effective and it takes all the guess work out of guzzling glasses of water all day long. It’s a small, easy way to give yourself the big win of being properly hydrated everyday.

2. Take Care of a Something – Sometimes taking care of yourself means taking care of others. No we’re not suggesting you start a family of four or take on a high-maintenance fur-baby that only eats designer pet food. But maybe a plant buddy is just what you need. House plants can boost your mood, reduce fatigue, lower anxiety and improve focus. The Sill offers happy, healthy plants in chic, modern planters that are easy to care for and bring a little life, into your life. If you’ve already got your own home jungle growing, consider re-potting your plants for an updated look and improved growing environment. And if you’re not quite ready to commit to taking care of a living, breathing thing they also have faux-plants that can give you just a taste of greenery and a spacial refresh.

3. Chill the F Out – Literally… and also literally. Sometimes the best thing you can do for self-care is take a load off, but that doesn’t always mean more screen time and endless social scrolling. Consider taking a long walk or a hot bath. If you need a little extra boost the Apothèkary Chill the F Out herb blend might be just the ticket. With a peppermint hot chocolate flavor profile this blend helps reduce inflammation, decrease stress and increase digestive support. Reishi mushrooms, also known as The Queen Healer, have powerful anti-inflammatory properties and Ashwagandha is a popular root adaptogens, primarily used for stress relief and fighting adrenal fatigue. Mix it with water or nut milk for a drink that tastes like as big of a treat as it is!

4. Refresh – Again… not your social media feed. And yes, we know what you’re thinking, but it really isn’t as hard as you think! Treat yourself to an at-home spa day. Use all the products, hydrate that skin, lather on a hair mask, kick your feet up and let yourself unwind! Maya Chia has some amazing all natural products like their wonder balm and revitalizing body oil that are sure to give you that transformative, spa-like refresh that you so deserve!

5. Eat Something Amazing – Not just for your taste buds, but for you entire body. Eating a healthy, hearty, satisfying meal is one of the best forms of self care, because you not only nourish your body, but you enjoy doing so! We get it, not all of us are MasterChefs and take out from health-food cafés doesn’t always leave you satiated. That’s why Fresh N Lean offers affordable, healthy meal solutions, for whatever your diet may be. You can order a meal plan or something a la carté, like their chimichurri chicken sausage with roasted yukon potatoes, or herb salmon with a sun-dried tomato aioli and brown rice. They also have vegan options, breakfasts and over 100 meals each week! Treat yourself to a great meal that will leave you feeling even better afterwards. And now with Fresh N’ Lean, doing so has never been easier!