Month: June 2022

Last week, Beyonce sent the world into a frenzy with the announcement that her seventh album Renaissance would arrive at the end of July. The chaos picked up when she revealed the project’s lead single, “Break My Soul” would be made available for fans on Tuesday. The song arrived a few hours earlier than expected as fans were given the opportunity to press play on it with just hours left in the Juneteenth holiday. Beyonce received sweeping praise from her fans for the song, and The-Dream, one of the song’s co-writers, took to Twitter to thank fans for their words.

“I Love Making You Guys Happy,” The-Dream wrote on Twitter before adding, “and even if for a second I can give anything of [myself] to help you get through a moment in these crazy times I’d use my entire heart to do so.” He continued, “No one’s f*cking sleeping tonight! @Beyonce we have done something special yet again my good friend.”

In addition to The-Dream, Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” also features songwriting from Tricky Stewart, Jay-Z, Fred McFarlane, Allen George, and others. The song itself samples Big Freedia’s 2014 bounce record “Explode” and Robin S.’ 1993 single “Show Me Love.”

You can view The-Dream’s tweet above.

There hasn’t been a ton of pushback from Trumpists against the Jan. 6 committee hearings, at least not beyond some vague denunciations. There’s so much damning — and even embarrassing — evidence that there’s not much concrete for them to say. The main plan seems to be to ignore it, which is what Fox News mostly did at first. But after the fourth hearing on Tuesday, even the right-leaning network had to admit it really doesn’t make their once-favorite president look good.

Host Neil Cavuto brought on lawyer Thomas Dupree, who served in the Department of Justice under President George W. Bush, and proceeded to pick his brain after hours of hearing about Trump and cronies trying to bully state legislators into overturning the results without evidence, as well as demonizing election workers and all but ruining their lives in the process.

“Tom, you’re a lawyer and a great one,” Cavuto said. “And I’m not, but this just seems to make Donald Trump look awful, just awful.”

Dupree seemed to agree. “It seems to be a real theme that the committee members are trying to bring out in their statements and their questioning to show that the former president wasn’t just a bystander or that people that work for him were trying to do this, but that the president was a central player in all of this,” he replied.

Cavuto then asked a very good question: “If you knowingly make statements you know aren’t true and they’re proven untrue and yet you still make the statements – maybe because you’re totally and personally convinced you’re on the right and they’re on the wrong – at what point does that cross a constitutional line and maybe a legal one?”

“It can cross a legal line if you’re making those false statements in conjunction with the certification of an election or you’re trying to corrupt the count or things of that nature,” Dupree replied. He added that if it can be shown that Trump “believed or knew or understood that his claims didn’t have merit and yet, went ahead with this,” then he’s in real trouble.

So maybe it’s time for Trump to really start worrying. His inner circle reportedly is already.

(Via Mediaite)

Kieran Hebden, who records music under the name Four Tet, recently took to Twitter to share that he won his royalty battle against Domino Records. He signed onto a contract with the label back in 2001, and they had been paying him royalties at an 18 percent rate for streaming and downloads. After he demanded an alternative rate of 50, Domino acquiesced and is paying him $70,000. Read his tweets below.

“I have a bodacious update on my case with @Dominorecordco. They have recognised my original claim, that I should be paid a 50% royalty on streaming and downloads, and that they should be treated as a license rather than the same as a CD or vinyl sale.It has been a difficult and stressful experience to work my way through this court case and I’m so glad we got this positive result, but I feel hugely relieved that the process is over. Hopefully I’ve opened up a constructive dialogue and maybe prompted others to push for a fairer deal on historical contracts, written at a time when the music industry operated entirely differently. I really hope that my own course of action encourages anyone who might feel intimidated by challenging a record label with substantial means. Unlike Domino, I didn’t work with a big law firm and luckily the case took place in the at the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court court (where legal costs are capped) so I was able to stand my ground.”

This is one of many instances of artists in disputes with their labels—Megan Thee Stallion is suing her label 1501 Certified Entertainment, HER is suing MBK Entertainment.

After another sub-.500 season, the Washington Wizards are rapidly approaching a crossroads in which they will have to determine whether they are going to tie their future to Bradley Beal. The star guard got off to a slow start and never really got himself going, appearing in just 40 games before shutting it down to have wrist surgery in order to be fully healthy for the 2022-23 campaign.

This summer, Beal had to make a decision on a player option worth just north of $36 million to stay in Washington, work out a new extension/deal with the Wizards, or hit the open market where he would be the most coveted free agent available and have plenty of teams pursuing him via a sign-and-trade. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the first domino in Beal’s next step has fallen, as the All-Star will reportedly decline his player option and hit unrestricted free agency.

It is worth mentioning that this does not mean Beal is going to leave Washington — in fact, becoming an unrestricted free agent means that he is now able to sign a 5-year, $248 million supermax extension with the Wizards. While we don’t know if this is Beal’s plan or if he wants to take visits and see what other franchises can offer, he immediately becomes one of the best players in the 2022 free agent market.

The official start of summer finally arrived today and many of us celebrated it in different ways. Some went outside to soak in the sun — if it was available to them at least — and others worked on plans that would make up the next three months. For Lorde, she used the day to unveil a new video for “The Path,” a track that was housed on her 2021 third album Solar Power. In it, Lorde wanders on a deserted island, and behind her, we can see fellow inhabitants of the island working hard on their daily tasks. They also show off some yoga-based group choreography in the visual.

In a newsletter that she shared with fans, Lorde explained her inspiration for the music video. “On the occasion of the solstice, I wanted to share a sixth video with you, for THE PATH,” she wrote according to Billboard. “This video is the first chapter in the mystical Solar Power story, a prequel to the title video. You see my character joining her friends and family on the island where they’ve chosen to start life anew, arriving in her trademark suit and quickly being transformed by nature’s strange magic. I’m so proud of my buds for learning the dance in this one. Hope you like it.”

Lorde also reflected on the first anniversary of her announcing the Solar Power project. “I can honestly say it has been the year with the highest highs and lowest lows I think I’ve ever experienced,” Lorde wrote. “It took people awhile to get the album — I still get emails every day from people who are just coming around to it now! — and that response was really confounding and at times painful to sit with at first.”

She continued, “I learnt a ton about myself and how I’m perceived by making and releasing this album, and I feel significantly more connected and alive in my art practice and life than pretty much ever before. Sounds dry but it’s true!!!”

The new visual follows “Fallen Fruit” from last fall.

You can watch the video for “The Plan” above.

The last time we saw good ol’ Indiana Jones, some 14 years back, not everyone left happy. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was generally seen as a stepdown from the original three entries, to put it mildly. (Though it might age well.) Perhaps that’s why, with the next one, whose star is about to turn 80, one of the film’s producers is going perhaps a bit overboard in getting people amped up.

Frank Marshall, who produced the 1981 original and Skulls, spoke to the Motion Picture Academy’s site A.frame, and he seemed to be aware that the franchise’s fans need some reassuring that things will be better this time, albeit without offering any specifics.

“It’s a great story, it’s a great character, and I think you’re going to be very happy with this movie,” Marshall said. “It’s everything I think that everybody wants out of an Indiana Jones movie.”

Maybe he’s right and this is a return to the glory of days of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, from 33 years ago. If that’s true, then they did it without Steven Spielberg in the director’s chair for the first time in the series (though he remains a producer). And if it succeeds, it did so after surviving some hiccups and some delays.

As of now very little it known about what Indy 5 even is. The plot is being kept close to the vest, and it’s not clear what its cast — including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, and Boyd Holbrook — will be doing. All that’s been seen is a dark picture of Ford with a whip.

The fifth Indiana Jones romp, which wrapped principal photography in February, is due in theaters on June 30, 2023.

(Via A.frame)

Last year, rock legend Jack White announced The Supply Chain Issues Tour to support his pair of 2022 albums Fear Of The Dawn and Entering Heaven Alive, the former of which arrived already in April. Even though that run was already massive, he’s announced more dates today.

Extra dates include Flint, Michigan at the end of August, and then over 15 dates in the United States, Mexico, and South America. Check out the full list below.

04/08/2022 — Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
04/09/2022 — Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
04/10/2022 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
04/12/2022 — Chicago, IL @ Credit Union 1 Arena
04/13/2022 — Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center
04/14/2022 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Events Center
04/16/2022 — Laval, QC @ Place Bell
04/17/2022 — Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena
04/19/2022 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
04/21/2022 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
04/23/2022 — Portsmouth, VA @ Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion
04/24/2022 — North Charleston, SC @ High Water Festival
04/26/2022 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
04/27/2022 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
04/28/2022 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
04/30/2022 — Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
05/01/2022 — Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
05/23/2022 — Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
05/24/2022 — Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
05/25/2022 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
05/27/2022 — El Paso, TX @ El Paso County Coliseum
05/28/2022 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre
05/29/2022 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan
05/31/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater
06/01/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater
06/03/2022 — Reno, NV @ Reno Events Center
06/04/2022 — Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
06/06/2022 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
06/07/2022 — Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum
06/08/2022 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
06/10/2022 — Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
06/11/2022 — Broomfield, CO @ 1STBANK Center
06/27/2022 — London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
06/28/2022 — London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
06/30/2022 — Cologne, Germany @ Palladium
07/01/2022 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
07/02/2022 — Leipzig, Germany @ Haus Auensee
07/04/2022 — Berlin, Germany @ Verti Music Hall
07/07/2022 — Lyon, France @ Le Radiant
07/10/2022 — Madrid, Spain @ Mad Cool Festival
07/14/2022 — Zurich, Switzerland @ Samsung Hall
07/15/2022 — Frankfurt, Germany @ Jahrhunderthalle
07/16/2022 — Brussels, Belgium @ Forest National
07/18/2022 — Paris, France @ L’Olympia
07/19/2022 — Paris, France @ L’Olympia
07/20/2022 — Paris, France @ L’Olympia
08/13/2022 — Minneapolis, MN @ Armory
08/16/2022 — Milwaukee, WI @ UWM Panther Arena
08/17/2022 — Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
08/19/2022 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
08/20/2022 – Flint, MI @ The Whiting
08/21/2022 — Lewiston, NY @ Artpark
08/23/2022 — Portland, ME @ Cross Insurance Arena
08/24/2022 — Baltimore, MD @ Pier Six Pavilion
08/25/2022 — Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
08/27/2022 — Huntsville, AL @ Orion Amphitheater
08/28/2022 — St. Louis, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park
08/29/2022 — Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
09/15/2022 – Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond
09/16/2022 – Asheville, NC @ Rabbit Rabbit
09/17/2022-18 – Atlanta, GA @ Music Midtown
09/19/2022 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre
09/20/2022 – Miami, FL @ James L. Knight Center
09/21/2022 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live Orlando
09/23/2022 – New Orleans, LA @ The Fillmore
09/25/2022 – Shreveport, LA @ Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
09/27/2022 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion
09/30/2022 – Tucson, AZ @ Tucson Music Hall
10/01/2022 – Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Festival
10/7/2022-8 – Tecate Coordenada @ Guadalajara, MX
10/09/2022 – Pepsi Center @ Mexico City, MX
10/14/2022 – Primavera Sound Buenos Aires @ Buenos Aires, AR
10/12/2022 – Popload Festival @ São Paulo, BR
10/16/2022 – Primavera Sound Santiago @ Santiago, CL

In just a few days, French Montana will release his fifth album Montega, an effort that is produced entirely by Harry Fraud. The project will arrive just seven months after French released his fourth album They Got Amnesia, a 21-track effort that featured appearances from Rick Ross, Kodak Black, Pop Smoke, Lil Durk, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Fivio Foreign, Ty Dolla Sign, Moneybagg Yo, and many more. Before Montega, French and Harry decided to drop off one more single, this one being “Bricks & Bags” with Jadakiss and Benny The Butcher.

The new record is carried by a hook that Jadakiss and Benny repeat throughout the song, as they rap, “I should’ve signed to Coke Boys, but I was selling dope, boy.” Together, Benny, French, and Jadakiss deliver sharp verses on the song in that order as they all rap with confidence over the Harry Fraud-produced beat.

“Bricks & Bags” follows “Blue Chills” which French released last week. The release is one of four singles from Montega as French previously shared “Drive By” with Babyface Ray and “Alcatraz.”

You can listen to “Bricks & Bags” in the video above.

Montega is out 6/24 via Epic Records. You can pre-order it here.

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

Earlier this year, Spoon returned with their tenth studio album Lucifer On The Sofa, the follow-up to 2017’s Hot Thoughts. Today they’re sharing the music video for the track “My Babe,” as well as a remix by Adrian Sherwood.

The video, produced by Jamie-James Medina, stars “Cowboy” Jack Clement as a host of a ’70s variety show as well as Brad Leland from Friday Night Lights. It’s so VHS tape-like that it’s not on YouTube; it premiered on the band’s Facebook. The band will be bringing their Lucifer On The Sofa to the road soon, on a headlining tour and a co-headliner with Interpol plus openers The Goon Sax.

Listen to the “My Babe” remix above, watch the video here, and find their headlining tour dates underneath.

07/07 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom *
07/08 – Albany, NY @ Empire Live *
07/09 – Quebec City, QC @ Festival d’ete de Quebec
07/11 – London, ON @ London Music Hall #
07/12 – Kalamazoo, MI @ State Theatre #
07/13 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee #
07/15 – Urbana, IL @ Canopy Club #
07/16 – Iowa City, IA @ The Englert Theatre #
07/18 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre ^
07/19 – Regina, SK @ Conexus Arts Centre ^
07/20 – Saskatoon, SK @ Coors Event Centre ^
07/22 – Edmonton, AB @ Midway ^
07/23 – Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Fest
07/25 – Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom ^
07/26 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom ^
10/06 – New Orleans, LA – Toulouse Theatre
10/07 – New Orleans, LA – Toulouse Theatre
10/07-9 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Music Festival
10/11 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
10/13-16 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Music Festival

* Water From Your Eyes
# Bodega
^ Widowspeak

Ever since his career exploded, Quentin Tarantino has had this pesky habit of promising projects that never materialized. He’s talked about making a Vega brothers movie, about the characters played by John Travolta in Pulp Fiction and Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs. He’s talked about making a Bond movie and a Star Trek movie. As of last fall, he was still threatening a third Kill Bill.

And then there was that time, in 2019, he floated a movie with comic Jerrod Carmichael. It would be an adaptation of DC/Vertigo comic Django/Zorro, which would find the gunslinger teaming up with an aging Don Diego de la Vega, better known as Zorro. Tarantino first talked it up in 2014, two years after Django Unchained, and it would have been a sequel set several years later. Jamie Foxx presumably would return. It wasn’t clear what Carmichael would be doing, but now we know he would have been Tarantino’s co-screenwriter.

Anyway, that’s no longer happening. But they tried. “Quentin’s a lunatic who I love, and I’m happy that I got to spend the time,” Carmichael told GQ (as caught by The AV Club). “We saw exploitation flicks at the New Beverly, he read me scenes that never made it to his movies, that he had typed out, in his kitchen after making fresh-squeezed lemonade for me.”

But, Carmichael says, that’s society’s loss. “It was really special. It’s actually an incredible, incredible script that came in from that Django/Zorro that I would love for Sony to figure out, but I realize the impossibility of it,” he said. “But I still think we wrote a $500 million film.”

Since their collaboration was first announced, Carmichael’s life has changed dramatically. The star and co-creator of the dearly departed sitcom The Carmichael Show has come at as gay, had a hit Netflix stand-up special, and even uses a picture of him with Taylor Swift as his Grindr profile pic. But maybe someone, some day can give us the Django-Zorro mash-up he swears up and down is great.

(Via GQ and The AV Club)