Month: July 2022

Russia may eventually win the war in the Ukraine, but it’s not nearly as easy as Vladimir Putin imagined it would be. The will of the Ukrainian people is strong, and Putin’s troops have been caught flat-footed on more than one occasion. Halted convoys and troops that are threatening to blow up their general don’t bode well. All the while, Putin seems very concerned about defending his shirtless horseback photos, and god only knows how distracted he is about his prized Botox supply amid economic turmoil.

For sure, a strange dichotomy is emerging from within the Putin regime. The Russian president lost a top commander (a.k.a., “The Executioner”) by way of a sniper in Ukraine. That’s only one recent embarrassment, all while Putin’s goons somehow suggested that that Russia could invade Alaska. And yet! The Russian regime is now claiming that they’re getting their butts kicked because Ukraine genetically modified it’s soldiers… or something? It’s outlandish and baseless, but Putin’s lawmaker allies decided to pass on the conspiracy of Ukraine concocting “monsters” in labs and then putting them onto battlefields. Via Business Insider:

[T]wo politicians — Konstantin Kosachev, the deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, and Irina Yarovaya, deputy chair of the State Duma — are currently spearheading an investigation into the alleged laboratories in Ukraine, per Russian news outlet Kommersant.

This claim appeared to have been taken one step further by the Russian politicians this week, who said they had tested the blood of captured Ukrainian soldiers and found what they claimed was evidence of experiments “for military purposes,” per Kommersant.

There is no evidence of Ukraine deploying genetically modified super soldiers.

Yes, they’re claiming that there’s some Winter Soldier-esque activity going on, and it all sounds like the lamest Marvel re-up in the world. There’s no word on whether these lawmakers were laughed out of the room while claiming that Ukraine conspired to “completely neutralize the last traces of human consciousness” by way of test tubes. Russia’s looking pretty damn desperate with this claim, and of course, Ukrainian President Zelensky has yet to dignify this fiction with a response. That makes total sense: the folk hero is very busy right about now.

(Via Business Insider)

It’s fairly common knowledge that Kanye West‘s early, sample-based production style was heavily influenced by the seminal work of pioneering NY rap group A Tribe Called Quest. Hardcore West heads will even know that quasi Tribe member Consequence was one of his collaborators, writing and appearing on songs like “Spaceship” from his debut album, The College Dropout. But according to Consequence, Kanye also almost joined him as an honorary member of the band proper on its last album, 2016’s We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service.

In a clip from Cons’s upcoming interview with the Drink Champs podcast, Cons tells NORE and DJ EFN, “What many people don’t know is Kanye was, at one point, was supposed to join Tribe for the last album.” This was apparently after original member Phife Dawg passed away, and according to additional notes Consequence provided to HipHopDX, “there were several conversations and sessions to insert Kanye into A Tribe Called Quest for the final LP.” The full details of this creative partnership — and why it never came to fruition, aside from one song, “The Killing Season” — will have to wait until the episode airs on Thursday, July 21.

It should be noted that this was right around the time Kanye was hospitalized during his Life Of Pablo tour and began his slide into increasingly bizarre and problematic behavior following a meeting with then-Presidential hopeful Donald Trump. Kanye’s absence didn’t hurt the album’s reception, though; We Got It from Here debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and eventually went gold. You can watch the clip from Drink Champs below.

While Elon Musk was busy terrorizing the world with shirtless vacation photos from Mykonos and tweets to “free the nip,” the space dork’s father, Errol Musk, was wreaking havoc of his own. According to The Sun, the ever-virile Errol—who recently admitted to secretly fathering a second child (yes, second) with his 34-year old stepdaughter (yes, stepdaughter)—says his seed is in demand. At least in South America.

“I’ve got a company in Colombia who want me to donate sperm to impregnate high-class Colombian women,” Errol said, “because they say, ‘Why go to Elon when they can go to the actual person who created Elon?’” (Yes, you may vomit now.)

So just how much are they paying Elon’s dad for his super-sperm? Nothing—except a free trip to Colombia. “They haven’t offered me any money, but they have offered me first-class travel and five-star hotel accommodation and all that sort of stuff,” Errol said. As for why he would just give away his apparently in-demand emissions, Errol’s answer is simply: “Well, why not?”

Earlier this month, in an interview with The Sun, the elder Musk stated that, “The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce.” He stated this right after talking about how his step-daughter and their two children—who do not live with Musk—had “spent a few days here about six months ago. And the kids were starting to get on my nerves.”

Just think: This cranky old man could be your dad’s children, too!

As for Elon: He seems to have inherited his dad’s penchant for reproduction. He has welcomed 10 children with three women over the past two decades (and those are just the ones we know of).

(Via The Sun)

During the pandemic, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney decided to purchase a football team (soccer to you yanks) despite the fact that had never met each other in person. The two actors had become texting buddies, and through those talks, they somehow ended up the owners of Wrexham A.F.C. football club. There’s just one small problem: Neither of them have any experiencing running a team whatsoever.

Realizing they had the makings of a show on their hands, the actors chronicled their journey for the new FX series Welcome to Wrexham, which just dropped off its first official trailer that’s sure to hit hard with any Ted Lasso fans out there. Welcome to Wrexham melds together the actor’s comedic chops with an underdog tale of a small town that loves its hometown club more than anything in the world.

Here’s the official synopsis:

In 2020, Rob and Ryan teamed up to purchase the 5th tier Red Dragons in the hopes of turning the club into an underdog story the whole world could root for. The worry? Rob and Ryan have no experience in football or working with each other. From Hollywood to Wales, from the pitch to the locker room, the front office to the pub, Welcome to Wrexham will track Rob and Ryan’s crash course in football club ownership and the inextricably connected fates of a team and a town counting on two actors to bring some serious hope and change to a community that could use it.

Welcome to Wrexham premieres August 24 on FX.

Alabama rapper Flo Milli snatched the attention of the world back in 2020 thanks to her debut project, Ho, Why Is You Here? The 12-track effort is a completely solo body of work that flaunts Flo’s impenetrable confidence and cut-throat lyricism. Ho, Why Is You Here? eventually earned Flo a spot in the 2020 BET cypher and an inclusion in the 2021 XXL Freshman class. Afterward, Flo began work on her official debut album and released a collection of singles ahead of the project’s initial arrival on July 22. However, Flo had other plans and decide to release the album a full two days early.

Yes, that’s right! Flo’s debut album You Still Here, Ho? is out now. The project comes complete with 17 songs, including the previously released “Conceited,” “PBC,” “No Face,” “Roaring 20s,” and “Ice Baby.” You Still Here, Ho? also presents appearances from Tiffany Pollard, who speaks on the album’s opening track, Babyface Ray (“Hottie”), and Rico Nasty (“Pay Day”). Flo and Rico’s collaboration marks the second time that they’ve worked on a song together following the upbeat “Money,” released at the end of last year.

The road towards You Still Here, Ho? also included a documentary about her life before rap and collaborations with GoldLink, Baby Tate, and more.

You Still Here, Ho? is out now via RCA. You can stream it here.

“Worldwide sensation” Ana de Armas was the best part of No Time to Die, but would she be interested in becoming the next James Bond if asked? Not really. In fact, she doesn’t believe any actress should play the role portrayed only by white dudes.

Now, before getting so mad that you elbow someone in the face, let de Armas explain herself. “There’s no need for a female Bond. There shouldn’t be any need to steal someone else’s character, you know, to take over,” she told the Sun. “This is a novel, and it leads into this James Bond world and this fantasy of that universe where he’s at.”

This echoes comments made by the most recent (and now former) James Bond, Daniel Craig, who suggested that instead of having a woman play Bond, “there should simply be better parts for women and actors of color. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?”

de Armas continued:

“What I would like is that the female roles in the Bond films, even though Bond will continue to be a man, are brought to life in a different way. That they’re given a more substantial part and recognition. That’s what I think is more interesting than flipping things.”

The Knives Out star will next appear in The Gray Man, alongside Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling.

(Via the Sun)

Big day in Lucy Dacus news today: In addition to covering Cher’s timeless classic “Believe,” she has also announced 2022 tour dates.

The Cher cover arrives on Dacus’ new Spotify Singles release, alongside a new rendition of “Partner In Crime.” In a statement, Dacus made a connection between the two songs, saying:

“I feel like some of my favorite lyrics that I’ve written are in ‘Partner In Crime’ and maybe they aren’t as noticeable because the effect takes you out of it a little bit. So, I just wanted to strip it bare and showcase the song for what it is without any tricky production moves. ‘Partner In Crime’ was partially inspired by ‘Believe,’ so I thought it’d be nice to pair them together. I love Cher’s voice and how low it gets. The timbre of her voice is so unique, you can recognize it anywhere. Even with the autotune, you can tell that it’s Cher and nobody else. But, on our cover, taking away the autotune, I feel like you can tell that the structure of the song is very special and I did feel myself accidentally wanting to become Cher when I was doing vocal takes. It could never happen, but I love a low voiced pop legend.”

As for the tour dates, the North American tour starts in Connecticut in late September and runs through to mid-November.

Listen to both new Spotify Singles recordings above and find Dacus’ tour dates below.

09/30 — New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
10/01 — Columbia, MD @ All Things Go Festival
10/03 — Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre
10/05 — Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
10/06 — Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
10/07 — Orlando, FL @ Beacham Theater
10/08 — Miami Beach, FL @ North Beach Band Shell
10/10 — Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
10/12 — New Orleans, LA @ The Civic Theatre
10/13 — Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
10/14 — Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
11/04 — Edmonton, Canada @ Union Hall
11/05 — Calgary, Canada @ Palace Theatre
11/08 — Vancouver, Canada @ Vogue Theatre
11/09 — Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
11/11 — Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
11/12 — Boise, ID @ Egyptian Theatre
11/13 — Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
11/15 — Healdsburg, CA @ Little Saint
11/17 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
11/18 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
11/19 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park

At the beginning of last year, Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa teamed up on “Shelter” with Wyclef Jean. It was the rappers’ first collaboration in nearly a decade after the initial partners in crime fell out during their respective early rises in hip-hop. Since then, Chance and Vic would reconnect for “Wraith” while teasing fans with another collaboration, but now, for their latest act, the duo is taking their talents to Ghana. Chance and Vic, who is of Ghanaian descent, announced The Black Star Line Festival and it’s set to take place in Ghana’s historic Black Star Square on January 6, 2023.

“Founded in 1919, and operated by Black people, the [Black Star Line] would link America, the Caribbean and Africa, to global shipping and tourism opportunities,” a press release about the festival reads. “The Black Star Line was a symbol of pride, not only for Africans, but also for Black people in all ports of call.” It continues, “After nearly 40 years, the Ghanian government launched their fleet with the same name, in homage to Garvey, and even added a black star to the country’s new flag.”

Chance and Vic also noted that the festival was inspired by Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey as the upcoming showcase is named after his iconic Black Star Line.

Last week, Chance and Vic went to Ghana with eight students from Chicago in order to teach them about their roots. Afterward, Chance spoke about this time in the country.

“When we came here and touched down and felt the love that we received and the fans that we got to connect with, the understanding for the need for the connection became apparent to us,” he said. “We need a music festival bringing major artists to Ghana. This is what we’re working to create.”

For a change of pace, Elon Musk went viral this week for something other than his humiliating legal battle with Twitter. The Tesla CEO was photographed on vacation in Mykonos, Greece, and social media went absolutely wild over the shirtless photos published in Page Six. (Due to licensing issues, we cannot show the photos.) In true Elon fashion, he of course latched onto the one tweet that wasn’t dunking on the unflattering photos and joked that he should show off his bod more often.

“F*ck yea I got my $ behind this man,” Teslaconomics captioned a shot of a shirtless Elon raising a glass. “So so many other smart investors.”

“Haha damn, maybe I should take off my shirt more often,” Musk replied. “Free the nip!! (already back in the factory btw)”

Again, Musk boosted the one tweet that wasn’t making jokes about his notably pale physique. The majority of the tweets made ghost jokes, and in one case, Late Show with Stephen Colbert writer Felipe Torres Median made a solid callback to a scene in the first X-Men movie.

While the shirtless photos dominated social media on Sunday and Monday, Musk is correct that it’s now back to business. On Tuesday, he was dealt a brutal blow in his attempt to wriggle out of purchasing Twitter when a Delaware judge denied his legal team’s request to delay a trial. Musk and Twitter now have a court date in October, and legal experts expect are forecasting that it will not go well for the electric car magnate.

(Via Business Insider)

Logic‘s latest album, Vinyl Days, marks the end of an eight-year journey with Def Jam. In a recent episode of Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, the rapper detailed the creative process behind the album. Most notably, he shared that the album was recorded in less than two weeks.

“I made that album in 12 days so I could get off Def Jam,” he revealed. “That’s my favorite part — I’m off Def Jam. I made that album so I could leave, and guess what? I left them with some of the dopest sh*t I could give them. It’s not like I just wiped my ass. What am I excited about? I’m excited to be independent, I’m excited to do my thing.”

As a newly independent artist, Logic is looking forward to making music without having to deal with any of the politics of a major label. Although it seems he couldn’t wait to put Def Jam behind him, Logic insists that there is no bad between him and the iconic hip-hop label.

“I’m really happy to know that I represented and low-key was the face of the label — one of the illest hip-hop labels of all time — and that I sold millions and millions of records and gave them billions and billions of streams,” he said, “and that it was a good partnership. And I couldn’t be happier to get the f*ck out.”

Check out the full episode of Logan Paul’s Impaulsive (if you must) above.