Month: August 2022

St. Petersburg hip-hop group Nu Age Syndicate is combining fresh style with hazy sounds. Formed when its two founding members Chester Watson and Kent Loon were in high school, Nu Age Syndicate (including collaborators Nikola and Kanisona) is on a mission to help each other grow as artists, and help their St. Petersburg scene grow as a hub for hip-hop.

As you can see in the above season premiere episode of Scenes, members of Nu Age Syndicate place an emphasis on individuality and personal aesthetic, encouraging each member of the four-piece to tap into what makes them unique. As they shop for clothes, however, Watson and Loon notice how different their tastes are and encourage each other to wear what feels right for them. “Style is extremely important,” Watson says. “You don’t have to be the same to respect something. And I think [Loon and I] both have that. Our energies, they mesh extremely well.”

Elsewhere in the video, the group hits the studio, where their musical chemistry comes into play. With Watson at the helm of much of the production for Nu Age Syndicate, Loon and the others are able to create the evergreen sound that will still sound fresh for years to come. “Coming from the bottom, St. Petersburg is really lowkey,” Loon says. “When it comes to my music, I want to stamp my music so everything’s timeless. They’re able to listen to a Kent Loon track 20 years from now.”

Check out the full video above.

Kendrick Lamar says that he’s not anyone’s savior on his new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, but for one writer, he was apparently a lifesaver when a potentially dangerous situation took place during an interview. When a Twitter user posted a prompt to “tell us a true story from your life that sounds made up,” rock critic and author Jessica Hopper shared her own experience about how Kendrick was a real-life superhero.

“I was doing a phone interview with Kendrick Lamar,” her one-tweet story began. “When my then-toddler son appeared holding a very sharp kitchen knife he did not want to let go of.” Anyone with kids can probably relate to how scary it is when their unknowing little ones get to playing around with dangerous objects. Toddlers can be especially stubborn since they are in a time of their lives when they are learning and testing their own sense of agency but still don’t have any idea that certain things can hurt them.

Fortunately for Hopper, it seems Kendrick knew what to do. “Kendrick talked me through safely disarming him,” she wrote, although the story itself was light on details. Presumably, it involved distracting the wee one long enough to get the sharp and pointy bits of the kitchen tool pointing away from the fleshy bits of both mom and son and depositing said implement in the drawer where it belongs.

The story blew up on Twitter, as the kids say, and the responses range from sharing in Cooper’s relief to sardonic jabs at Stan Twitter. Unfortunately, Kendrick himself isn’t on social media to give more answers, but you can check out some of the best responses below.

HBO Max just made it clear that Harley Quinn is safe despite the upheaval at the streamer and its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. The hit animated series starring Kaley Cuoco has been renewed for Season 4, but it will arrive with a new showrunner. Harley Quinn writer Sarah Peters will be stepping in for Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumaker who assured fans that the show will continue to be its wild self.

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“We are ecstatic that HBO Max wants the story of Harley and Ivy to continue,” Halpern and Schumacker said in a statement. “And we are equally thrilled that this next season will be in great hands with Sarah Peters as our showrunner and Ceci Aranovich overseeing animation production, as they have both greatly influenced the show with their brilliance since the beginning.”

HBO Max also released a statement cementing its commitment to Harley Quinn during a time when DC Comics projects are not exactly in the safest of positions following the shelving of Batgirl.

“Patrick Schumacker, Justin Halpern and their incredible team of artists and writers have created something so explosively funny and original, and we are thrilled to continue this journey with them and the show’s legion of fans,” Senior VP of Comedy and Animation Billy Wee said in a statement. “It has been amazing to watch the show grow and evolve this season and we could not ask for a more talented and dedicated team of collaborators.”

If anything, the renewal should put Harley Quinn fans’ nerves at rest. At least for another season.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Millennials and Gen-Xers have been reeling over the title of Ari Lennox‘s upcoming album, Age/Sex/Location. Named for an introductory question often used in the chatrooms of the ’90s and early aughts, Age/Sex/Location represents a time in Lennox’s life where she feels she wasn’t being her authentic self.

Ahead of the album’s release next Friday, Lennox’s Dreamville label founder J. Cole shared a message from Lennox explaining the experiences from which she drew for the songs on the album.

“I asked Ari what this new album means to her,” said Cole in the caption of the post. “I needed to know cuz I f*ck with it so heavy. What I hear is the highs, lows, joys and pains of dating life in 2022. But her answer made it even deeper for me. Appreciate you @arilennox Looking forward to the rest of the world hearing it.”

In her message, Lennox said the album represents “Transitional space. Very vulnerable codependent and validation seeking part of my life,” she wrote. “I remember the countless times I was kicked out of dating apps because they didn’t think I was really myself, it reminded me of those age/sex/location days where I actually wasn’t being myself in those chat rooms.”

Elsewhere in her message, Lennox explained that she is at a point in her life, in which she is “Allowing accountability and maturing. Allowing growth to happen. Allowing self worth and self love and inner work to happen. Allowing therapy. Allowing dating me to happen. Doing things I like to do whenever I want.”

Age/Sex/Location is out 9/9 via Dreamville/Interscope. Pre-save it here.

Joining the Game of Thrones franchise seems a bit like going to an exclusive, one-of-a-kind camp. All of the cast is a little nervous but excited to be embarking on this new journey, which could be amazing or horrible, depending on how the camp counselors (HBO) decide to run with it. If you add in the fact that millions of fans are watching your every move, it’s going to be a little stressful.

It comes with the territory, but a former Game of Thrones actress is sending out well-wishes to the next generation of dragon-slayers in House of the Dragon. Nathalie Emmanuel, who played Missandei on the HBO series, is sending a light warning to the current cast, mostly focused on the “passionate” fanbase.

When she was asked in a recent interview about what advice she would give to the House of the Dragon stars, Emmanuel used her words carefully. “I’m sure they already know, but this fanbase, whew, They are passionate and they are amazing,” Emmanuel said. “And who knows how this series will be received, but I hope it’s a huge success. And if it is, it’s an experience, and it will be an adjustment, for sure. If you’re not used to that level of attention or recognition, it’s definitely something.” Other GoT stars have opened up about the scrutiny and trauma they have gone through while starring in one of the biggest TV franchises ever.

Of course, Emmanuel wanted to give some hopeful advice to the cast. “So I guess my advice would be to just enjoy it and look to each other. It was really important that we, as a group, went through all of that together and held each other down.” We all know that the original GoT cast still has a group chat with each other, so it’s important to stick together!

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Last week, Jay-Z made a triumphant return to the forefront of the hip-hop discourse with an awe-inspiring verse on the title track from DJ Khaled’s new album God Did. For nearly four minutes, Jay flexes, reflects, proselytizes, and educates listeners with stunning wordplay and bodacious boasts which had rap fans on Twitter blown away.

On the day of the single’s release, Genius’ Rob Markman posted several clips from an extended discussion he had with Jay-Z’s longtime engineer Young Guru about the song’s creation. In the course of the discussion, Guru breaks down the hidden meanings behind some of the lines, which he says have multiple levels. Beyond just being clever puns, he says, Jay also makes references to the workings of his inner circle which only his closest associates are meant to catch.

Of course, fans wanted more, prompting Markman to ponder dropping the full video, which he did yesterday.

Naturally, the extended cut is home to even more gems, as Guru explains how recording this Jay-Z verse was different than ever before. While it has long been known that the Brooklyn rapper doesn’t write his raps and often records them in one take, Guru says he was floored by Jay’s hunger to lay this one down.

“This one was different because normally, we’ll sit down, we’ll do a song, its three verses, two verses or whatever, and he’ll have a verse and then we’ll figure out what’s next,” he says. “He’s spitting the verse to me — one take. He’s literally asking me, ‘Guru, put the beat on.’ I’m like, ‘Khaled didn’t send me the beat. You didn’t send me the beat. Send me the beat.’ So then he sends me the joint and I started trying to loop it. He was just like, ‘No, no, no, hit Khaled and get the whole instrumental,’ so he could spit the whole verse.”

You can watch the full talk in the video above.

Britney Spears is just days removed from releasing her latest single, the Elton John collaboration “Hold Me Closer.” She has had a good handful of collabs throughout her career, one of the most famous being the 2003 Madonna meet-up “Me Against The Music.” Now, Madonna has declared that she is eager to work with Spears again.

Yesterday, Madonna shared a YouTube video titled “Finally Enough Talk: 50 Questions With Madonna.” The clip is a take on Vogue‘s “73 Questions” series, and at one point, the off-camera interviewer asks Madonna, “Can we ever expect another collaboration with Britney?” Madonna responded, “I am gagging to work with Britney again.”

(“Gagging to,” by the way, is apparently an actual expression. Basically, Madonna really wants to collaborate.)

Elsewhere in the clip, Madonna mentioned sex a lot, as that was her answer to questions about her greatest guilty pleasure, zodiac sign, “current favorite obsession”, life mantra, and secret to success. She was also asked about “a decision [she] made that looking back maybe wasn’t the best idea” and her answer there was, “Getting married… both times.”

As for Spears, “Hold Me Closer” is performing well commercially. It’s currently in contention for a No. 1 debut on the UK chart and rumors indicate it could debut in the top 20 in the US.

Check out the video above.

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

Revolt Summit will return to Atlanta this September for its latest iteration. With a mission to drive forward and explore the future of hip-hop, Black artistry and culture, the theme for this year’s Revolt Summit is “The Future Is Now”

On the musical line-up at this year’s Revolt Summit are Coi Leray, Gucci Mane, Big Freedia, Iddris Sandu, activist Tamika D. Mallory, Pretty Vee, Fly Guy DC, and 19 Keys. In addition to musical performances, this year’s iteration of the Revolt Summit will feature keynote speeches by artists and entrepreneurs like DJ Drama, Tezlyn Figaro, Tariq Nasheed, Claima founder Bimma Williams, LaRussell, and more.

“The Revolt Summit is coming back bigger and better than ever with the goal of inspiring the next generation of cultural leaders to understand that the time is now to achieve your dreams, change your life, and more importantly change the world,” said Revolt chairman Diddy in a statement. “The future is happening in real-time, so we all have a responsibility to share the access, information and opportunities that will move the culture forward and the Revolt Summit is where it all starts.”

Tickets for this year’s Revolt Summit are available for purchase here.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Like the Eagles of Manwë (That’s right. We’re getting nerdy right out of the gate.), the first reviews for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are swooping in, and the consensus is clear: Every dollar that Amazon spent can be seen on the screen. In fact, one critic went so far to say that the visual effects make House of the Dragon look like a child’s video game. More importantly, The Rings of Power goes deep into Middle-earth lore as it weaves J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary world-building with epic cinematic wonder that fans of the Peter Jackson films have come to expect. In short (not a Hobbit pun), the series looks fantastic, and it’s attention to characters and detail are here to reward fans of both the books and the blockbuster movies alike.

Here’s what critics are saying about the first two episodes of The Rings of Power:

James Whitbrook, io9:

Here’s the long and short of it, or Ent and Hobbit of it if you’re already packing your bags to be whisked off to Middle-earth again: The Rings of Power is The Lord of the Rings through and through. It looks incredible, it bursts with hope, and, above all, it’s very long and takes a bit of time getting going. This is said with all the love and affection the world has had for Peter Jackson’s original Lord of the Rings films—and their slightly-less beloved successors in the Hobbit trilogy—themselves known, especially in their extended editions, for likewise being epic endeavors to sit down and watch.

Joelle Monique, The Wrap:

It’s rare to feel that one is stepping into another world; the seams of our reality are frequently present. Get lost in the beauty of this series. While it may feel heavy, there is an attempt to bring in comedy and heart with the dwarves, and the writers and directors (J.A. Bayona directs the first two installments) have tapped beautifully into fantasy-romance and horror to bring layers of texture to the script. Overall, “Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power” makes for an engaging and awe-inspiring watch.

Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter:

Through two episodes made available for critics, The Rings of Power works far better than the three-year publicity build-up led me to fear. The first episode is dedicated primarily to world-building, exposition and proving that storytelling on this scale can be executed for television and generally succeeds, even if some of that exposition lags. Then in the second episode, the story starts to actually move along and there are characters and scenes that I found utterly charming in the way a show like this requires for long-term survival, even if some of the effects and epic scale diminish a tiny bit.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian:

It is so rich and gorgeous that it is easy to spend the first episode simply gawping at the landscapes, as it swoops and swooshes between the lands of elves and dwarves, humans and harfoots. This is TV that is made for big screens, although surely destined to be watched on smaller ones. It is so cinematic and grand that it makes House of the Dragon look as if it has been cobbled together on Minecraft.

Dave Nemetz, TVLine:

Rings of Power is not just good, it’s great: a gorgeously immersive and grandly ambitious spectacle packed with stunning imagery and compelling plot threads. Most importantly, it captures the same sense of awe we felt while watching the Lord of the Rings movies — one we don’t often get to experience on the small screen.

Therese Lacson, Collider:

This is only an offering of the sheer scope of Amazon’s series, which feels absolutely immense. From the tempestuous Sundering Seas to the glorious halls of the dwarven kings, each location is richly created. It’s clear how much of the budget went into making these places look as magical as imagined. On top of that, composer Bear McCreary’s soundtrack plays off the familiar tunes of Howard Shore’s iconic soundtrack and instantly tugs at the heartstrings of anyone who would find themselves affected by the music of Middle-earth.

Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge:

Regardless of whether it’s streaming or airing on traditional networks, it’s rare that a series lives up to its studio’s dreams of it simultaneously feeling like a bingeable TV show and like a big, expensive cinematic event. Between a slate of strong performances, an eye for impactful minutiae, and a solid sense of its own ability to grow beyond the canon that it’s not technically a part of, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power definitely seems like it could be just that.

Caroline Framke, Variety:

For now, however, it’s safe to say that Amazon throwing the weight of its coffers at this property has resulted in a perfectly winning adaptation that unfolds swashbuckling adventures with clear reverence and affection for the considerable mythos behind it. As the series forges ahead, combining storylines and leaving literal translation from page to screen behind, it will be telling to see just how ably “The Rings of Power” can stay rooted in its venerable source material while, inevitably, bending it into something new.

The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiere September 21 on Amazon Prime Video with new episodes arriving each Thursday.