Month: July 2022

July is sizzling, and that refers to both the outside temperature and what’s going on inside your living room. Your streaming devices are likely already on overdrive while catching upon the best June offerings (and some of those, like The Boys and Only Murders In The Building, aren’t done with their seasons yet), but there’s more quality TV on the way. That includes multiple psychological thrillers, some true crime offerings, and a lot of love for lovers of comic books. On that note, you’ll see both the return of Harley Quinn and the introduction of Paper Girls, but there’s also a juggernaut on the way.

The month begins with the season finale of Stranger Things, and coincidentally, Paper Girls will finish the month with some of those strange vibes. Apple TV+, Peacock, and AMC+ have new prestige productions on the way (Surface, Moonhaven, and The Resort, to get started), and Paramount+ has the latest gift from the South Park guys on tap to skewer the streaming wars themselves. In other words, there’s a lot of heat for you to appreciate while staying cool. Here are the must-see shows coming your way in July.

Stranger Things: Season 4, Part 2 (Netflix series 7/1)

Well, it’s time for all-out war and overwhelming darkness in Hawkins, Indiana. The Upside Down’s still throwing out more questions than answers, and it’s time for the team to conquer this season’s big villain, Vecna. Maybe we’ll get more Kate Bush amid these immensely long episode runtimes. They’re practically movies! But the whole gang is back to take on the psychic monster, so expect more Millie Bobby Brown (if she comes back from the desert), Sadie Sink, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, and the rest. Is this show ever gonna get down to business and pull a Game of Thrones with character deaths? That’s what Millie wants, and you gotta admit that this outcome wouldn’t be boring. And let it happen with some real bangers.

Moonhaven: Season 1 (AMC+ series 7/7)

Good news for mankind: this show takes place 100 years from now when the Moon hosts a utopian colony. The bad news, though, is that there are shadowy forces at work and a conspiracy and a murder and all that jazz. So an intrepid pilot teams up with a detective, and we’ve got a sci-fi procedural vibe going on, which will hopefully be able to vanquish the evil at work. Emma McDonald, Dominic Monaghan, and Joe Manganiello star, but try not to think too hard about that Magic Mike XXL convenience store scene while you’re enjoying this gorgeous-looking show about the very fate of civilization.

Boo, Bitch: Season 4, Part 2 (Netflix limited series 7/8)

To All The Boys star Lana Condor is a gem, and here, she’s a gem that realizes that she’s a ghost who (naturally) decides that this is the best time to live her best life. This looks charming as heck and like a fuzzy summery confection. Yes, this one’s geared toward a younger crowd, but one can always appreciate the idea of not appreciating what one has until it’s gone, but in TV land, one can always go get that thing, and we can live vicariously in the process.

Black Bird: Season 1 (Apple TV+ series 7/8)

The recently departed Ray Liotta returns to our screens to bid the world farewell in his role as Big Jim Keene. He’s the father of Taron Egerton’s Jimmy in this psychological thriller/true-crime adaptation series based upon the real life Jimmy’s In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption memoir. Dennis Lehane produces, and the cast also includes Paul Walter Hauser (who’s rarely anything but trouble) and Greg Kinnear. I hope you’re in the mood for a suspenseful ride because you’ll get it here.

D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?! (Netflix limited series series 7/13)

Does the world really need another D.B. Cooper take? Well, we’re getting one, even after countless pop culture references (including Loki and Justified) and an HBO documentary. Netflix gives this story a whirl, too, so sign on to watch more about the 1970s skyjacker who disappeared with all that cash and a never-surfaced identity. This limited series takes on quite the task of wrapping itself around all of the rumors and theories and sightings, all in an effort to make some sense out of it all.

South Park: The Streaming Wars: Part 2 (Paramount+ movie 7/13)

Alright, so this is technically a movie that’s part of the canon for the long-running show from Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Yet one cannot resist these subsequent installments while we all wait for Casa Bonita to finally make that comeback. As the title indicates, there’s still ongoing streaming wars (this show is so good at trolling real life), and Cartman’s stuck in the ultimate battle of wills, and he might not be the most hated character of this show? Get ready for Randy to go “full nuclear Karen,” if that tells you anything at all.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin: Season 1 (HBO Max series 7/28)

Get ready for a fresh group of liars from a new generation in the same universe. This group hails the blue-collar town called Millwood, where a great tragedy took place decades ago, and now, a new tormenter has surfaced to remind these liars of what their parents did, back in the day. Will there actually be explicit connections to the O.G. series? The secret’s still out on that detail, but Millwood is not Rosewood, so that that as you will. The principal group include a ballerina, and a track star, a virtual-reality obsessive, and (you guessed it) a horror movie buff.

The Resort: Season 1 (Peacock series 7/28)

Vacation stories are where it’s at (while actual travel is hellishly backed up right now) with recent successes like White Lotus and Nine Perfect Strangers, and here, there’s a story about a unsolved mystery in Yucatan that collides with an anniversary trip. This is also a multi-generational tale and stars one hell of a cast, including Cristin Milioti, William Jackson Harper, Nick Offerman, and Skyler Gisondo. Even better: Palm Springs writer Andy Siara came onboard as showrunner.

Harley Quinn: Season 3 (HBO Max series 7/28)

King Shark, King Shark, King Shark! Oh right, he’s back (the voice of Ron Funches, that is), and so is Kaley Cuoco’s title character with her lady love, Poison Ivy (Lake Bell). They’re on new adventures of DC villainy, but Ivy sure would like for Gotham to be a paradise akin to Gotham. The show also performed some enormous fan service already with the central couple, so surely, no one will mind the “Harlivy” moniker while all of the outrageous profanity and baseball-bound violence does down, too.

Paper Girls: Season 1 (Amazon Prime series 7/29)

There’s more comic book content coming your way. This live-action adaptation (of the works of Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang) follows four paper-delivery girls (yes, this takes place in the past — 1988 to be precise) who end up (while only doing their jobs) stumbling into a war of time travelers. They end up springing into the future and meeting their future selves, and they want nothing more but to get back to their real homes, but first, they need to conquer their differences as well as their own selves. It’s a personal journey with the highest of stakes, and Ali Wong stars as one of the grown-up papers girls, so prepare yourself to witness supremacy.

Surface: Season 1 (Apple TV+ series 7/29)

Because one can never have enough psychological thrillers in one month, this show follows Sophie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) after debilitating memory loss caused by a traumatic blow to the head. She tries, with the “help” (and that’s the term used by Apple TV+) of her husband and pals, to recover her self and what she’s been through, but of course, who knows if the truth matches up to reality. It’s a sexy thriller, too, which also stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Stephan James, and Ari Graynor, and the show digs deep into existential musings about whether self-discovery can really uncover one’s self if there’s any suggestive programming going on as well.

For the past few years, DJ Drama’s work has come through supporting another artist. Most recently, he served as a host on Tyler The Creator’s sixth album Call Me If You Get Lost which was modeled after Drama’s Gangsta Grillz mixtape series. The project went on to win Best Rap Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards, giving Drama his first Grammy. Elsewhere, Drama helped bring the careers of Jack Harlow and Lil Uzi Vert to new heights as both artists are signed to Drama’s Generation Now label which was co-founded with Don Cannon.

Prior to the aforementioned instances, there was a point when DJ Drama was releasing his own albums as the last one, Quality Street Music 2, arrived back in 2016. It appears that Drama might have a new body of work on the way as he returns with “Forever” alongside Fabolous, Benny The Butcher, Jim Jones, and Capella Grey. The records speak about establishing longevity in their careers, and this gets accomplished through verses from Fabolous, Benny, and Jim while Capella took care of the song’s hook.

The record also stands as Drama’s first single as a lead artist since 2019’s “Nasty” with Moneybagg Yo and Pnb Rock.

You can listen to “Forever” in the video above.

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

Less than a week after announcing his debut album, J-Hope has shared the video for its lead single “More.” The visual finds the South Korean rapper performing in a garage, terrorizing an office building, having an x-ray done, and standing within freeze frames featuring spilled coffee and papers thrown in the air. The chaotic visual matches his aggressive diction throughout the near three-and-a-half-minute track.

“More” officially kicks off the 28-year-old’s road to his debut solo album, Jack In The Box, which will be available on July 15. The album’s announcement came on the heels of his group BTS declaring that each member would pursue their own solo ventures. The initial statement of a hiatus generated a lot of curiosity as to the future of the group, especially having released the 35-track anthology project Proof in early June. The group clarified that BTS is not over with.

J-Hope’s “More” and the imminent Jack In The Box release are just the first examples of what one of the seven members has in store for this new direction in their careers. It is an especially exciting time for J-Hope, who also has a headlining set at Lollapalooza. Have no fear, BTS isn’t going anywhere.

Check out J-Hope’s video for “More” above.

Earlier this year, Yo Gotti held a press conference to share some big news regarding his Collective Music Group (CMG) label. It was through that conference that fans first learned about 42 Dugg and EST Gee’s joint project, Last Ones Left, which was released in April. The conference is also where Yo Gotti announced that Mozzy was officially signed to the CMG roster which already boasts a group of impressive rap talents like 42 Dugg, EST Gee, Moneybagg Yo, Blac Youngsta, and Blocboy JB. Mozzy’s addition to CMG has brought forth a new track with another one of its members, that being EST Gee.

Mozzy and EST Gee join forces for “Lurkin.” The track is a menacing effort that captures the rappers on a late-night prowl as they aim to seek out their opposition and take care of business. “On the Gram bluffin’, know what’s up, soon as I see, up it,” EST Gee raps over the haunting beat. Mozzy checks in later, rapping, “Crop out anything that ain’t from the set unless he know somethin.’”

The new record is not the first collaboration between Mozzy and EST Gee. Last year, Mozzy recruited EST Gee and Babyface Ray for “Beat The Case” from his Untreated Trauma project.

You can listen to “Lurkin” in the video above.

Late Wednesday night, word broke that Hornets free agent Miles Bridges had turned himself into Los Angeles police on felony domestic violence charges and been released on $130,000 bond after an alleged altercation on Tuesday night with a woman.

On Thursday night, we learned the harrowing details of the assault from his wife, Mychelle Johnson, who posted the hospital notes of her injuries as well as photos of her bruised and beaten body to Instagram, with a comment that led “I can’t be silent anymore,” and noted that the assault happened in front of her children.

(TRIGGER WARNING: Domestic violence.)

“I hate that it has come to this but I can’t be silent anymore,” Johnson wrote. “I’ve allowed someone to destroy my home, abuse me in every way possible and traumatize our kids for life. I have nothing to prove to the world, but I won’t allow anyone who could do something so horrible to have no remorse and paint a picture of something I’m not. I won’t allow the people around him to continue to silence me and continue to lie to protect this person. It’s unethical, it’s immoral, it’s truly SICK. It hurts my heart because I’ve always had hope, and so much love and as scary as this is for me to do it’s time I stand up for myself. I won’t be silent to protect others anymore because I value myself and my kids more than anyones ‘image’.… a fracture nose, wrist, torn eardrum, torn muscles in my neck from being choked until i went to sleep and a severe concussion. I don’t need sympathy, I just don’t want this happening to anyone else, I just want this person to get help, my kids deserve better. That’s all i want. It hurts, everything hurts, this situation hurts, most importantly I’m scared and hurting for my kids who were witness to everything. Please respect my families privacy and stop with the disgusting rumors and allegations.”

Stepping forward in this manner is incredibly brave of Johnson following such a despicable and terrifying incident, with Bridges apparently choking her unconscious and giving her multiple fractures and torn muscles in front of her children.

Bridges has not responded publicly to his arrest and the Charlotte Hornets released a brief statement saying they were aware of the incident and were gathering information.

Earthgang is back with “Ambeyonce” featuring the silky-voiced rapper Smino. The mid-tempo, instrument-heavy track allows the Atlanta duo and St. Louis talent the ideal canvas to show off their vocals in cohesion with their shape-shifting lyrical flows. This record was actually teased over two years ago and now arrives as part of the deluxe version of Earthgang’s February 2022 release Ghetto Gods, adding six new tracks featuring Wiz Khalifa, Currensy, and Blxckie.

The album’s previous iteration stood at 17 records, namely the singles “American Horror Story” and “All Eyes On Me,” plus “Billi” featuring Future, “Waterboyz” featuring fellow Dreamville mates JID and J. Cole, and “Amen” featuring R&B legend Musiq Soulchild. Prior to Ghetto Gods, the duo joined their original unit Spillage Village for 2020’s Spilligion, a quick follow-up to 2019’s Mirrorland and the Grammy-nominated Dreamville compilation Revenge Of The Dreamers III.

Earthgang has been one of the more active Dreamville acts over the years, often called a modern-day Outkast for their musical versatility, to which Olu and WowGr8 have responded saying the comparison is disrespectful. Despite grinding since 2010 and releasing quality music time and time again, they remain humble and acknowledge they still have plenty of work to do to even come close to such a level.

You can listen to Earthgang and Smino’s “Ambeyonce” here.

Ghetto Gods (Deluxe) is out now via Dreamville / Interscope. You can stream it here.

A month ago, the world expected to receive Joey Badass’ long-awaited third album 2000 by now. It’s a body of work that many have waited for since the Brooklyn rapper released his sophomore album, All Amerikkkan Badass, back in 2017. Five long years have gone by, and we still haven’t been able to enjoy Joey’s third album. That’s because he was forced to delay it due to sample clearance issues. Luckily, that problem has been resolved and there is a new release date. Additionally, Joey aims to numb the wait for the project with a brand new single.

Joey returns with “Where I Belong,” the third single from 2000. It joins previously heard records “The Revenge” and “Head High,” on it Joey takes a moment to reaffirm his positon in hip-hop, a well-timed decision with his third album on the horizon. He takes a quick trip through time to account for and remind others of all that he’s accomplished. The track also arrives with the video that captures Joey Badass in his stomping grounds as he visits his old apartment and a skate park nearby before showing off his mansion and bragging about the art within it.

Along with the song’s release, Joey confirms that 2000 will arrive on July 22, leaving just three weeks until listeners finally get their hands on the project. Through the rollout for 2000, Joey has been anything but quiet. He recently teamed up with Chance The Rapper for “The Highs & The Lows,” a record they later performed at the 2022 BET Awards. He also delivered a boisterous freestyle over Mobb Deep on Funk Flex.

You can listen to “Where I Belong” in the video above.

2000 is out 7/22 via Pro Era / Cinematic Music Group. You can pre-save it here.

The City Girls are back again with a collaboration for the ages, literally, as they call on R&B powerhouse Usher for the “Good Love” video. The visual is full of top notch fashion, twerking, alcohol, and vintage roller skating rink fun. Usher handles the hook, allowing JT and Yung Miami to get their boastful yet sensual bars off.

For the City Girls, this is their second release of 2022 following “Top Notch” featuring Fivio Foreign. They had a very active 2021, releasing “Twerkulator” on their own in addition to appearances on “Scared” from the Bruised soundtrack, Saucy Santana’s “Shisha,” Summer Walker’s “Ex For A Reason,” BRS Kash’s “Throat Baby (Remix)” alongside DaBaby, and “Take Money” with Cashflow Harlem and Jaleel Knight.” JT and Yung Miami’s last full-length was 2020’s City On Lock.

As for Usher, he wowed listeners yesterday (June 30) with his NPR Tiny Desk performance, delivering rousing live renditions of “You Make Me Wanna,” “Superstar,” “U Don’t Have To Call,” “Nice And Slow,” “Confessions, Part 2,” and the title track for his My Way album. As for music that is on DSPs, Usher been a bit quiet since 2020’s “I Cry,” the nostalgia-inducing “SexBeat” with Ludacris and Lil Jon, and “This Day” featuring Kiana Lede from the Netflix original motion picture Jingle Jangle. As for projects, Usher last released A with Zaytoven back in 2018.

Check out City Girls and Usher on “Good Love” above.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took a significant leap in 2021-22, as their young core coalesced into a playoff team, earning the 7-seed by way of the play-in before getting knocked out of the first round by Memphis.

Leading the way for the Wolves were their two former No. 1 overall picks, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, with the former being extension eligible when the clock struck midnight on July 1. After years of people wondering if Towns would want to stick around in Minnesota if the team didn’t take steps forward, there was little intrigue regarding Towns future after this season, and late Thursday night the news of Towns’ agreement to stay with the Wolves was made official as he’ll get a max extension worth $224 million.

Minnesota is happy to pay up for the best shooting center in the NBA, as Towns averaged 24.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game on a robust 52.9/41.0/82.2 shooting split last season. He has continued to take strides as an all-around player and, now with a strong cast around him, the Wolves are reaping the benefits of his development and full skillset. Along with the Towns extension, Minnesota had a nice opening night of free agency as they added Kyle Anderson on a mid-level deal to bolster their wing rotation with another versatile defender, but rumblings persist about them seeking a bigger addition in the trade market with D’Angelo Russell reportedly very available.

There’s no doubt that Cardi B, Kanye West, and Lil Durk are three of hip-hop’s hottest acts in today’s music world. Despite not releasing an album in more than four years, Cardi B has cemented herself as a star in music while making her presence felt in fashion, politics, and other areas. Kanye West is undoubtedly one of the most popular and successful artists today, something he reminded the world of with the release of Donda last summer. Lastly, Lil Durk has recently grown into a star in his own right thanks to projects like The Voice of the Heroes and 7220.

Keeping all this in mind, it’s no surprise that the three rappers joined forces for a new song, and it’s even less of a surprise that’s called “Hot Sh*t.” The new song is a scorching record as the trio arrives with their hottest verses for the song. Cardi pierces through the song’s thumping production with a fierce verse to open the track, and soon after, Lil Durk arrives to match Cardi’s energy with a cut-throat verse before Kanye closes things out with a braggadocios verse.

“Hot Sh*t” arrives after Cardi inserted her name for the verse of the year title thanks to an electric contribution to Kay Flock’s “Shake It.” On the other hand, Lil Durk recently released a deluxe version of 7220 and shared a video for “Did Sh*t For Me” while Kanye honored Diddy through a surprise appearance at the 2022 BET Awards.

You can listen to “Hot Sh*t” in the video above.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.