Month: June 2022

A familiar face roamed the halls of the Lakers practice facility on Tuesday, as Shareef O’Neal, the son of Shaq, was in Los Angeles for a pre-draft workout with the Lakers — who don’t own a pick in the 2022 NBA Draft currently but are widely expected to buy a second round pick at some point and will need to fill out a roster spot or two with undrafted prospects.

Shareef, whose college career was delayed by needing heart surgery prior to his freshman season at UCLA, spent the last two years at LSU playing sparingly for the Tigers before deciding to make the leap to the pro level. That decision was not one made with the guidance of his father, as Shareef explained to reporters after his workout Tuesday, noting that they disagreed on him declaring for the draft, with Shaq wanting his son to stay in school.

That’s not a complete surprise given how often Shaq talks about the importance of getting an education, as the elder O’Neal surely wanted his son to finish his degree while also continuing his development. But for Shareef, he felt there wasn’t much more for him at LSU and with limited playing opportunity — 14 games a year ago at 9.2 minutes per game — he decided his best chance was to show what he can do in workouts. We’ll find out Thursday if any team feels he showed enough to get taken in the second round, but if not he could have opportunities to find a Summer League deal to show his skills in Las Vegas and earn a camp invite or G League deal.

It’s been a while since the seemingly-endless string of Jeopardy! controversies dominated the game show headlines. That’s because most of them were surrounding Mike Richards, the one-time Jeopardy! executive producer who was named the show’s full-time successor to Alex Trebek following what appeared to be some mild chicanery. Richards quickly exited in disgrace and two temporary hosts, Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings, got some less temporary roles with the syndicated game show.

Nearly a year later, though, not much has actually changed by way of an official announcement about the future of the hosting situation. Bialik is currently slated to host most episodes and some primetime events, with Jennings occasionally in the mix as well. But some fans think those a bit further on the inside know some news is afoot. One of the reasons they think this is a very cryptic tweet from Buzzy Cohen in response to who will host the forthcoming primetime Jeopardy! episodes.

Cohen parlayed viral fame during his run on Jeopardy! — including winning the 2017 Tournament of Champions — into a hosting career of his own when he served as a guest host during the first string of temporary roles following Trebek’s death.

He’s also appeared more recently on The Chase. The Jeopardy!-to-Chase pipeline is pretty well-established at this point, which is why Cohen saying there’s “another” host in the works for some episodes certainly turned some heads.

Some speculated that the “another” in question is, well, Cohen himself. And if you look around elsewhere on his timeline, you’ll see that he’s filming something other than The Chase these days. Earlier in the week, for example, he tweeted about an “as yet unannounced project” he’s got in the works.

Whether that’s primetime Jeopardy! episodes or something else is entirely unclear. But given what he’s implied about Jeopardy!, somebody knows something. And hopefully, we learn just what that something is sooner rather than later.

Florence Pugh has been keeping herself lately, up to and including aggressively making out with Harry Styles in Don’t Worry Darling. She will appear in the next Dune installment, has a starring role in an upcoming Christopher Nolan film, and most importantly, she will voice Goldilocks in the upcoming Puss In Boots sequel. Now, she has been cast in her next project: a Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel, East Of Eden.

According to Deadline, the adaptation will be a limited series where Pugh will both star and co-produce, alongside Zoe Kazan, who will pen the series. The story, which was first published in 1952, features a look at two American families throughout the early twentieth century. It’s often regarded as Steinbeck’s best work.

Kazan has familial ties to the story: her grandfather Elia Kazan adapted the novel into a film for Warner Bros. in 1955, which became James Dean’s first major screen role. Of the film, Kazan said:

I fell in love with East of Eden when I first read it, in my teens. Since then, adapting Steinbeck’s novel – the great, sprawling, three-generational entirety of it – has been my dream. More than anything, I have wanted to give full expression to the novel’s astonishing, singular antiheroine, Cathy Ames. Florence Pugh is our dream Cathy; I can’t imagine a more thrilling actor to bring this character to life. Writing this limited series over the last two years has been the creative highpoint of my life. I hope that with our partners at Netflix, Anonymous Content, and Endeavor Content, we can do justice to this material – and shed new light on it for a twenty-first century audience.

Pugh is set to play Cathy Ames, the main antagonist, who is described as a “Psycho Monster.” So that should be good. No director has been attached to the project yet, though Netflix is reportedly in the middle of casting the rest of the ensemble. So Harry Styles could still be cast if he is up for it!

(Via Deadline)

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

Since the last update of this weekly R&B column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists. Beyonce shocked the world and shared the release date for her upcoming seventh album Renaissance and Giveon announced the tour dates in support of his upcoming album Give Or Take which arrives on June 24. Elsewhere, Brent Faiyaz revealed that collaborators on his upcoming Wasteland album, Steve Lacy made his return with “Mercury,” Chloe brought the sultry vibes with “Surprise,” and Diddy and Bryson Tiller united for “Gotta Move On.”

Elhae — “Know”

Elhae is back with his second release of the year, signaling that a new project from him could be on the horizon. Following “FYF,” he returns with “Know,” an endearing record that he uses to show his appreciation and dedication for a new lover in his life.

Babyface — “Keeps On Fallin’” Feat. Ella Mai

Following the release of her acclaimed Heart On My Sleeve album, Ella Mai joins Babyface for “Keeps On Fallin.’” The new track interpolates Tevin Campbell’s 1993 hit “Can We Talk” for a song that Babyface and Ella both use to admit their growing feelings for a new person, despite their attempts to steer clear of it. The song itself is Babyface’s first since signing to Capitol Records and one that will appear on his upcoming project.

August Alsina — “Beautiful Way”

After beginning his year with “Shake The World,” August Alsina returns with “Beautiful Way.” It’s a tender record that sees the singer admiring the way that his partner has fallen in love with him and as well as the way that she made him feel when they’re together.

Chris Brown — “Call Me Every Day” Feat. Wizkid

At the end of the week, Chris Brown will release his solo tenth album Breezy. The project will be his first solo effort since 2019’s Indigo and his first project overall since 2020’s Slime & B with Young Thug. Ahead of the arrival of Breezy, Chris takes a trip into the afrobeats world with Wizkid for the “Call Me Every Day.”

Black Party — “On My Way”

Black Party’s third project Hummingbird is set to arrive next month, and after releasing “Hotline” to further the journey towards the album, he returns with “On My Way.” “The song is very close to my heart, it’s more autobiographical than you would think,” Black Party said about the song in a press release. “I’m always late but it’s important to me that the people I love know that I think of them while they wait for me.”

Ambre — 3000°

Ladies and gentlemen, Ambre is back and with her, she brings a new project for us to enjoy. After sharing the director’s cut of Pulp in 2020, Ambre arrives with 3000°. After a move to LA to further her career, Ambre uses the project to show love to New Orleans, the city that raised her and helped to make her the artist she is today. Through its eight songs, listeners will also catch appearances from Jvck James, Beam, Destin Conrad, and Jay Electronica.

Tempest — “Agua”

Of all the up-and-coming singers that have the potential to create a spotlight moment for themselves this year, Tempest is at the top of that list. Following excellent releases like “Not The Same” and “Sorry To Say,” she returns with the vibrant “Agua.” On the song, Tempest credits her appetizing qualities for her ability to keep a certain man around her despite him having another lady in his life.

Ckay — “Watawi” Fear. Abidoza, Davido & Focalistic

After initially connecting on “LaLa” back in 2020, Ckay and Davido lace another collaboration together with their latest effort, “Watawi.” The song also features Abidoza and Focalistic as continues the streak of strong releases Ckay has been a part of this year, a trend that began with this year’s “Emiliana.”

Tay Iwar — “Bad4u”

The next chapter in Tay Iwar’s career is seemingly underway. He received a big boost in 2020 with an appearance on “True Love” with Wizkid, and the following year, he released his Love & Isolation project. Now, he’s back with “Bad4u” which strikes as a steamy that anticipates some bedroom magic between Tay Iwar and his new lover.

Asake — “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY)”

Asake’s monster year in the afrobeats and amapiano world continues with “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY).” The new song is an epic record that’s carried by solid verses that build up towards a climactic chorus that explodes for an exciting moment on the song. “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY)” joins Asake’s “Sungba (Remix)” with Burna Boy and “Palazzo” with Spinall as his highlights in 2022.

Jada Kingdom — New Motion

Jamaican R&B singer Jada Kingdom steps forward with her debut EP, New Motion. Through the project’s four songs, Kingdom blends reggae, R&B, and pop music for songs that will absolutely make you want to dance. However, beneath the surface lays lyrics that discuss sexual assault, poverty, self-love, and femininity.

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

Last week, Bartees Strange released the explosive Farm To Table, his first album since signing to 4AD. The Washington D.C. rocker put together a hard-hitting collection of incredibly honest music that doesn’t just look at his own vulnerabilities, but also speaks to the greater Black experience in America. There’s not too many artists who can claim that within indie and punk music and it renders Strange undoubtedly unique and important.

Now he’s just announced his first every US headlining tour that will begin later this year. Pom Pom Squad is the direct support for Strange and this easily belongs on your list of must-see tours this year. Check out the complete list of tour dates below. General on-sale begins Friday, June 24th at 10am local time, while Spotify and venue pre-sales start Wednesday, June 22 at 10am local time. All over at Barteesstrange.com.

11/03 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird
11/04 — Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
11/05 — Columbus, OH @ The Basement
11/07 — St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club *
11/08 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall [In The Round] *
11/09 — Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch *
11/14 — Boston, MA @ The Sinclair #
11/28 — Houston, TX @ White Oak *
11/29 — Austin, TX @ Parish *
11/30 — Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Co *
12/05 — San Diego, CA @ Music Box *
12/06 — Los Angeles, CA @ Regent *
12/07 — San Francisco, CA @ Independent *
12/09 — Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
12/10 — Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret *
12/11 — Portland, OR @ Doug Fir *
12/13 — Salt Lake City UT, @ Urban Lounge *
12/14 — Denver, CO @ Bluebird *
12/16 — Oklahoma City OK, @ Beer City Music Hall *
12/18 — Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West *
12/19 — Nashville, TN @ Basement East *
* w/ Pom Pom Squad
# w/ Pom Pom Squad, Spring Silver, No They Hate Change

Farm To Table is out now via 4AD. Listen to it here.

This year’s XXL Freshman lineup boasts several promising acts, including Kali, Babyface Ray, Doechii, Saucy Santana, and Nardo Wick. At 20, Wick is the youngest rapper on this year’s Freshman list.

Wick’s rise in the rap business has been rather meteoric. He released his breakout single in 2020, as a fresh high school graduate without any sort of music to his credit. The following year, he released “Who Want Smoke??” which got him a deal at RCA. A remix of “Who Want Smoke??” featuring 21 Savage, Lil Durk, and G Herbo peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In his minute-long freestyle, Wick raps about the past two years in the rap game and his rapid rise. While he’s accomplished several astonishing feats in a short amount of time, he still feels that he is just getting started.

“I ain’t rush this, I waited / I blew up they hated / Play with me, your life I take it, I need a hat that say, ‘Rated,’ ’cause I’m underrated / I was in debt with attention, I had to pay it / I love my Amiri jeans, they keep me saturated / And I love my 7.62s, they keep me well-protected.”

Check out Nardo Wick’s XXL Freshman freestyle above.

The wait for the second edition of Pharrell’s Something In The Water Festival took a bit longer following its debut in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the coronavirus pandemic put consecutive delays on the showcase, making 2022 the year that it would hopefully make its grand return. The excitement behind SITW was absolutely warranted. Its inaugural showcase was a lively two-day presentation (the first day was nixed because of weather) that brought forth the best talent that the music industry and Pharrell’s hometown of Virginia Beach and the state as a whole had to offer. Jay-Z, SZA, Pharrell, Travis Scott, ASAP Ferg, Missy Elliott, Jhene Aiko, Rosalia, Anderson .Paak, Usher, Busta Rhynes, Leikeli47, DRAM, and Pusha T were just some of the artists I was fortunate enough to see back in 2019.

When the second SITW festival was announced earlier this year, it was clear that some changes were in order. Its venue changed from the coastal beauty of Virginia Beach to the city life of Washington D.C. This was due to Pharrell’s frustrations with how his hometown handled the murder of his cousin, Donovan Lynch, who was killed by a police officer who did not have their body camera turned on. Seeing that this year’s Something In The Water would take place within six blocks in Washington D.C., it was clear that the atmosphere would be different this time – and it certainly was.

With the Virginia Beach edition of Something In The Water, it was clear that Pharrell was inviting us into his home. You could sit on whatever furniture you liked and you were free to grab whatever you wanted from the cabinets. We were welcomed and treated to the best hospitality that the 757 could offer. While D.C. is still a part of the DMV area, this year’s edition of Something In The Water didn’t have that same feeling. This isn’t a knock on the hospitality that D.C. offered as the city also welcomed festivalgoers (and the entire festival itself) with open arms. The showcase just felt like it was crammed into the country’s capital, and to a certain extent, it quite literally was.

Logistically, there were some flaws throughout the weekend. The Sun stage, the festival’s main stage, and the Earth stage were placed too close to each other, making it hard to clearly hear a respective stage depending on where you stood. In total, the three performance stages as well as stands for food, drinks, merch, and more were in close proximity to each other. Long lines for these stands spilled into walking traffic, causing heavy congestion during peak hours. Day two of SITW is where this congestion was felt the most as it caused problems for many on Saturday evening. It began during Snoh Aalegra and Lil Uzi Vert’s sets, and it only worsened as Pharrell took the stage for his star-studded performance. Multiple fans required medical attention, seemingly more so than any other point during the weekend, and reports of overcrowding arrived as some fans revealed they were not allowed to re-enter festival grounds despite having a valid wristband. Seemingly enough, things appeared to be much calmer on day 3 by the main stage (from my point of view at least) as Denzel Curry, Teyana Taylor (and Junie), Pusha T, 21 Savage, and Tyler The Creator concluded the event.

There’s no doubt that this year’s Something In The Water festival was less spacious than the first iteration which brought in 35,000 people. With that in mind, one would think that the attendance count would be around that number, but, during his near-two-hour set on Saturday, Pharrell boldly proclaimed that 50,000 people made their way to Washington D.C.’s downtown area for the showcase. In a post-Astrowold festival world, there are still some similarities and some noticeable differences in how artists handle these big performances. They’re much more willing to pause their sets to allow fans to receive medical attention as we saw during performances from Denzel Curry (who asked that everyone in the crowd be given water), Teyana Taylor, Pharrell, and others. However, the mosh-pitting that often causes some to be put in situations that result in needing medical attention is still alive and well, as we’ve seen through many festivals in the last seven months. With that seeming like something that will remain a festival staple going forward, it’s absolutely essential to prioritize fans’ safety in as many ways as possible.

Despite these negatives, there were plenty of highs from the 2022 SITW festival thanks to some strong performances from artists on the bill. Lil Baby was flashy and charismatic as ever as he ran through hits, B-side records, and new tracks from his discography. Usher reminded the world why he’s one of the best R&B has ever produced with a lengthy set that was more than impressive despite some of his fan-favorite songs not getting stage time. Chloe X Halle showed off their vocals for a great set that was unfortunately shortened due to flight issues they had beforehand. Lil Uzi Vert delivered an out-of-this-world experience with an equally otherworldly hairdo. Pusha T showed off his self-placed crown as hip-hop’s best during an extremely confident set. Teyana Taylor brilliantly dance and sang her way through her set while her daughter Junie joined the stage and proved that she is very much her mother’s daughter. Tyler The Creator closed day three of the festival with a lengthy appearance that reminded the world why he is one of today’s best artists, no matter the genre.

Last but not least, Pharrell’s own performance was a memorable aspect of the weekend. It was highlighted by a Clipse reunion as Pusha T and his brother Malice had not performed in over a decade. Their brief time on stage presented classics like “Grindin” and “Mr. Me Too.” Justin Timberlake also brought out his classics – and some interesting dance moves – while T.I. delivered a set of his own that featured an appearance from his son Domani. N.O.R.E. even checked in too, and through it all, Pharrell made time to perform classics from his artist and production discography.

Pharrell’s Something In The Water was created to highlight Black talent from his home state of Virginia as well as the surrounding DMV area. It’s a grand showcase to display the uniqueness of our culture and that “something” that is in our water. By all means, Pharrell accomplished that, even outside of music, through vendors, activations, off-site events, and more. He even gave back to the community and cleared the student debt of five young adults at an NAACP panel. Maybe D.C. will now be the festival’s permanent home or maybe it will return to that coastal beauty of Virginia where fans can experience the Something In The Water that over 35,000 people fell in love with back in 2019. The thing is, with the D.C. edition, the latter is possible to achieve. However, there is a lot of fine-tuning that needs to be done in order to restore that beauty. Once that happens, Something In The Water will return to being one of the great festivals that the music world has to offer.

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

Released in April, Pusha T’s It’s Almost Dry marked the first time the Viriginia Beach rapper claimed a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. With appearance from Kanye West, Jay-Z, Pharrell, Lil Uzi Vert, Kid Cudi, and others, the album is yet another masterful display of King Push’s supreme lyricism. He holds nothing back, takes a well-deserved parade around the sun, and many rap critics agree that it’s one of the best hip-hop albums of 2022 so far. And who’s a more decorated rap critic than superstar quarterback Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Wait…hold up, what?! That’s right folks, the seven-time Super Bowl champion says that It’s Almost Dry is not just his favorite rap album of the year, it’s the “Album of the year,” period.

Brady, who is about to launch his new “Brady brand” of athleisure wear this week, posted a short ad spot on his Twitter running through a closed off street set to Pusha T’s “Dreamin Of The Past.” As he speeds up the city street, the track plays and Brady talks about his shirt and shorts, saying “this stuff’s pretty light… then again it helps me be the fastest quarterback in the game.” Which is clearly a joke, because one of the things Brady isn’t known for is his legs. He commented on the tweet saying, “You guys know I have 1,124 career rushing yards right? No accident. Brady brand RUN is available Thursday.” Well the clip caught the attention of Push, who quote retweeted it saying, “Wow, Tom Brady really listening to the rap album of the year!!! #ItsAlmostDry #DreamingOfThePast !! Check him out…”

Gotta love Push’s unapologetic gloat. But Brady took the bait and to the rapper who name-checked him in the song (“Walk it down like Brady, gets better with time,”) he tweeted back saying, “Album of the year!”

No word yet on whether Brady will be launching a rap blog following the release of his clothing line but you can check out his unabashed cosign above.

Rob Gronkowski is going to once again hang up his cleats, as the future Hall of Fame tight end announced on his social media channels on Tuesday that he was retiring from the NFL for the second time.

Gronkowski previously retired after the 2018 NFL season, sitting out 2019 until he got the call from Tom Brady to join him in Tampa Bay, an offer he couldn’t refuse. With the Bucs, Gronk won another Super Bowl title and added 100 catches, 1,425 yards, and 13 touchdowns to his already legendary stat line for his career. The 33-year-old walks away, at least for now, with 621 catches for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns, which are the 12th most TD receptions of any player in NFL history.

Unsurprisingly, the reaction to Gronkowski’s latest retirement was met with similar skepticism to his previous announcement that he was done for good, as even his agent Drew Rosenhaus noted that it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Gronk returns to the Bucs at some point this season if Brady puts out the call.

Given the injuries he’s dealt with over his career, it’s hard to fault Gronk for not wanting to go through another full season and we’ll have to wait and see if he’s retired for good or if he’ll parachute in late in the year to help Brady and the Bucs chase another ring. He’s not one to suddenly fall out of football shape, but his days of playing full seasons certainly seem to be done. If this is it for Gronk on the football field, the next stop will be Canton, Ohio.

When HBO’s Winning Time series about the Los Angeles Lakers came out, just about every person associated with the team disavowed it, criticizing it for turning people into caricatures and exaggerating stories for entertainment value — which is part of the allure of the show, since it’s not meant to be a documentary.

There was also the fact that many of the subjects of that show had their own documentaries in the works, with Magic Johnson having an Apple TV+ series coming out and Jeanie Buss putting together a 10-part series with Hulu. The Hulu doc, titled Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers, is set to release this summer (a firm date is still TBD) and on Tuesday they dropped the first extended teaser trailer, showing off the variety of subjects interviewed, from those that played and coached for the Lakers like LeBron, Shaq, Kareem, Pat Riley, Jerry West, and Phil Jackson, to the entire Buss family, with Mark Cuban teasing the Buss family drama as “real life Succession.”

Given the production is overseen by Jeanie Buss, it’ll be interesting to see how much they dive into the battle among the Buss children after Dr. Jerry Buss’ death for control of the Lakers. That would probably be one of the most interesting and potentially revealing things this doc could provide as it’s not something that has been publicly discussed much by the Buss family, but also it seems fair to wonder how polished they’ll make it look for the documentary. It’ll be interesting to see what the appetite for the latest marathon sports documentary is from fans, but ultimately that’s up to how good the stories are in it and how much new information they provide.