After recently moving from primetime television to streaming and ditching the show’s beloved host Tom Bergeron, Dancing With The Stars is now experiencing another roadblock in the form of four new COVID cases on set.

The hit dancing show just premiered its 31st season on Disney+ after spending the last decade and a half shimmying comfortably on ABC. Bachelorette contestant Gabby Windey, TikTok icon Charli D’Amelio, Selma Blair, and Jordan Sparks are among the stars who will debut on the dancefloor this season.

Despite the COVID cases, filming for the series is expected to go on as normal. It seems like the cases were found on the production side of things, so the dancers will be safe to waltz in peace for next week’s episode. A spokesperson for the show released the following statement:

Over the course of five days, there were a total of four Covid positives among more than 300 production employees. All four individuals work in completely different departments that do not have in-person contact with each other, based on our pod system. Contact tracing was immediately conducted. All close contacts were notified and put on an increased testing cadence. No close contact of the four positive production employees has since tested positive. The entire set has been disinfected. As an extra precaution, we asked the majority of employees to work from home.

What would Tom Bergeron say?! Dancing With The Stars airs Mondays on Disney+.

(Via TheWrap)

While rumors of a Migos breakup have been swirling for the better part of 2022, it hasn’t stopped Quavo and Takeoff from announcing their joint, Offset-less, project, Only Built For Infinity Links. After dropping the lead single, “Big Stunna” featuring Birdman last month, the pair have now revealed the entire tracklist for the project which is set to arrive next month.

Along with the already released Birdman collab, featured guests on Only Built For Infinity Links include Youngboy Never Broke Again on “To The Bone,” Summer Walker on “Mixy,” Gucci Mane on “Us vs. Them,” Mustard on “See Bout It,” and even Young Thug and Gunna hop on “Chocolate.”

Check out the album artwork and complete tracklist for Only Built For Infinity Links below.

1. “Two Infinity Links”
2. “Tony Starks”
3. “Hotel Lobby”
4. “Bars Into Captions”
5. “See Bout It” Feat. Mustard
6. “To The Bone” Feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again
7. “Not Out”
8. “Chocolate” Feat. Young Thug and Gunna
9. “2.30”
10. “Look @ This”
11. “Mixy” Feat. Summer Walker
12. “Messy”
13. “Nothing Changed”
14. “Integration”
15. “Big Stunna” Feat. Birdman
16. “Us Vs. Them” Feat. Gucci Mane
17. “Hell Yeah”
18. “Tools”

Only Built For Infinity Links is due out on 10/07 via Motown Records. Pre-order/save it here.

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

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Cardi B, Moneybagg Yo, Freddie Gibbs, and more.

As of this Friday (September 23), it is officially hoodie and light jacket season on the east coast. Thankfully, there is plenty of new music to provide a necessary blanket of warmth. It has been a pleasure writing this column and keeping you all hip to what is hot and who is up next. Thank you for tapping in and enjoy this week’s slate of tracks.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending September 23, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Lucki — Flawless Like Me

Lucki is feeling like he is at his absolute best on his latest album Flawless Like Me. The 24-track effort is loaded with confident flexes and adds Future and Babyface Ray to push forward his infallible attitude.

Cam’ron & A-Trak — U Wasn’t There

Killa! Cam’ron has seen it all in hip-hop, and despite how often many people try to act like it, he is here to remind everyone that U Wasn’t There. This collaborative effort with A-Trak is nine songs long and features his Dipset comrades Jim Jones and Juelz Santana, in addition to Conway The Machine and Mr. Vegas.

Dreamdoll — Life In Plastic 3

Dreamdoll acknowledges the fabricated aspects of life in her new project Life In Plastic 3. The eight-song effort features Lunchmoney Lewis, French Montana, and Capella Grey.

Young Devyn — Baby Goat 2

Young Devyn has her eyes locked in on the future but acknowledges her current stature in her new project Baby Goat 2. The eight-song effort features Capella Grey, Fivio Foreign, and Kenzo B.

Lakeyah — No Pressure (Pt. 2)

Lakeyah is well aware of how daunting being in the music industry can be, yet she stands firm through it all on No Pressure (Pt. 2). The 10-song project has a star-studded cast of features, namely Latto, Lucky Daye, Flo Milli, and Icewear Vezzo.

Dess Dior — Raw

Dess Dior is coming through with unfiltered bars on her new project Raw. She takes on the eight-song effort on her own, but doesn’t need the help on standout records such as “It B*tch Freestyle” and “Rich And Raw.”

Wifisfuneral — 4MonthBingeBeforeRevenge

Wifisfuneral has retribution on his mind on his latest project 4MonthBingeBeforeRevenge. He takes on the 12-track effort alone, capturing the highs and lows of life on records like “Euphoria,” “In Too Deep,” and “Im Mad Lol.”

Young Crazy — Gucci Mane Of VA

Young Crazy has no shortage of confidence, going so far as to liken himself to a trap legend on his new project Gucci Mane Of VA. Crazo takes on the seven-song effort alone, delivering an overwhelming amount of bars on records like “Man Down (Freestyle),” “Suburban Kid,” and the project’s eponymous opener.

Singles/Videos

Kamaiyah — “Comme Des Garcons”

Kamaiyah is talking big money on “Comme Des Garcons.” The mid-tempo jam outlines some of her nefarious activity but also her inability to fall off like everyone else. “Me and you, we got nathin’ in common.”

Icewear Vezzo — “They Can’t FWM”

Icewear Vezzo believes he is in a class of his own, and displays that attitude on “They Can’t FWM.” The Detroit rapper references his jewelry, TikTok, and Nicki Minaj in this boisterous, drum-heavy record. Given his talent, the title may very well be true.

Reason — “Sign Language” Feat. Ice Cold Bishop

Reason and Ice Cold Bishop rap circles around the competition on “Sign Language,” so much so that it may be difficult for their opposition to hear. Thus, it may be more appropriate to have an interpreter explain what is being said on this high-energy record.

Toosii — “Heartaches”

Toosii has never run away from difficult emotions, and offers one of his most somber records in “Heartaches.” He’s fallen for a lady and embraces her regardless of what has happened in her past. What she has been through and overcame does not make her any worse than him or anyone else. What a guy.

Rico Blu — “Template”

Rico Blu makes music for the soul and “Template” is the perfect example of that. “I been makin’ these songs with no caution / Even homies had to tell me not to drop ’em / I will never understand the fragile state that some be in / It’s perspective with these messages I scribble with my pen.” He adds in a warm, soulful vocal sample here to really push forth his message.

OfAllBank$ — “Dad Say”

OfAllBanks$ recently released his project Slugfest and “Dad Say” is one of its most earnest offerings. The video shows him speaking with his father before playing him some of his music. As the track begins, he speaks on how society has caused both him and his father to have anger issues before outlining everything the Black man has to endure in this harsh world. Through it all, Bank$ is committed to succeeding and this vintage-sounding rap track certainly indicates he is well on his way.

Allstar JR — “Run Through It”

Allstar JR drops off a fun track in “Run Through It.” He discusses having the best product available and how his customers finish it fast, references Roddy Ricch records, and his ease in landing women.

Jeleel! — “Deliver!”

Jeleel! showed the world how energetic he can be, doing his best Jeff Hardy impression at a recent show. “Deliver!” follows suit, blending EDM, rock, and hip-hop while he raps about Serge Ibaka and having dimes in his face.

Che Noir — “Wash The Dishes” Feat. Benny The Butcher

Che Noir and Benny The Butcher encourage proper home maintenance on “Wash The Dishes.” The downtempo rap record is loaded with soulful vocal samples and drug bars. It is the ideal pocket for both rappers to get off their hard-hitting lyrics.

Fabolous — “Bach To Bach” Feat. Dave East

Fabolous and Dave East do a less angry, more luxurious Drake impression on “Bach To Bach.” As per usual, Fab flexes his clever wordplay, and Dave East raps furiously about not passing his blunt to anyone else. They do a fun back-and-forth on the chorus and of course reference the “Six God.”

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

Just like rotary phones, shopping malls and popcorn you heat on the stove, stick shifts (or manual transmissions as the pros call ’em) may soon be a thing of the past. A report in The Atlantic shows that in the year 2000, manual transmissions accounted for 15% of the new and used cars sold by Carmax.

In 2020, that figure dropped to just 2.4%.

The sad thing is that countless people will never experience the pleasure of driving a manual transmission. There’s something to be said about the feeling of actually driving and controlling a vehicle with a stick shift. It’s a sensation you can’t get behind the wheel of an automatic.

Manual cars are also cheaper, less likely to be stolen and have lower maintenance costs.

Given the manual transmission’s decline in popularity, seeing a teen learning how to drive one warms the heart. That may be why Cleveland County Deputy Kendrae Traylor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, went out of his way to help a stalled teen learn how to drive her manual transmission.

Traylor and his partner, Ryan Graham, came across the stalled car in the middle of the road recently and pulled up to investigate.

“We came across a stranded vehicle, wondered what was going on with it. Made contact with this young female, brand new driver of a standard, didn’t know what she was doing,” Traylor said in a post shared by Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office. “I asked her if I could help assist her. So I kinda went through the steps of helping her out.”

Traylor helped the girl pull the car into an empty parking lot where he taught her how to drive her stick shift with confidence.

“Once we were in an empty parking lot, I helped her step-by-step understand how to drive a manual transmission,” he continued.

“You want me to talk you through it? I can do that,” Traylor can be heard saying in his partner’s bodycam. The footage was later shared by the Sheriff’s Department where Traylor got a lot of love for being such a wonderful public servant.

u201cDeputy Kendrae Traylor with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office helped a new driver learn how to drive a stick shift after finding her stalled in the middle of the road.nnhttps://t.co/poj4EX83Zhu201d

— KOKH FOX 25 (@KOKH FOX 25)
1663844401

“I love it. He was so patient and now she will be,” Jennifer Rachel Trum commented on a TikTok post of the footage. “I know Kendrae through some friends, he’s such an amazing guy and an outstanding Deputy,” brianramos0315 added.

“She will never forget your calm and caring lesson! Thank you for protecting and serving!” Stephanie Anne Morros said.

This story was especially touching for me because when I was 18 years old, I got my first car, a 1989 Toyota Tercel that had a manual transmission. My dad gave me an hour-long lesson on how to drive the car and then told me to take it home, alone. It was normally a 20-minute drive, but it took me more than an hour because I kept stalling in the middle of traffic.

The drive home was one of the scariest experiences of my life. I couldn’t get the car going at a traffic light and all the cars behind me were beeping as the light switched from green back to red.

I would have loved to have been helped by a kind deputy like Traylor during my fateful first trip alone in a manual transmission. Good news is, I made it home alive and I love driving a manual transmission so much that my next three cars were all sticks.

Ime Udoka’s suspension for a season from the Boston Celtics for violating team policies as it pertains to an improper relationship with a woman on the team staff has become the dominant story in the sports world this week, as the presumptive favorite in the Eastern Conference will now go forward without its head coach.

To this point, there aren’t many details on exactly what took place, as the official statements on the matter have been, unsurprisingly, vague given the sensitive nature of the situation, and the reporting beyond that hasn’t offered much beyond Shams Charania noting that Udoka made “unwanted comments” to the woman in question which sparked the team to hire a law firm to investigate the matter.

There were even fewer details on Friday morning prior to the Celtics press conference, but that didn’t stop Stephen A. Smith from offering a vociferous take on the situation and how the Celtics need to answer for allowing this to become public, saying either they should’ve fired him or let him handle it privately.

It certainly seems like, in this clip, Smith had not read the portion of the Charania report that noted there were unwanted comments from Udoka and that this was not just a situation of there being an affair but, clearly, something more. As such, Malika Andrews called into First Take after the Celtics press conference to push back on Stephen A. saying his issue was mostly with Boston, and not Udoka, as well as noting correctly that we clearly don’t have the full picture of the situation, leading to a heated exchange between the two.

It’s unclear when, if at all, we ever will get clarity, which makes it an impossible subject for a show like First Take to discuss properly. It is not a show where Stephen A. Smith says he doesn’t have all the information and as such will be waiting for that and not making any strong comments until that happens. It’s a show where he is to have a strong opinion on every subject and make headlines. For most things in sports, the worst thing that happens is he might look silly when a player or team proves him wrong on the field or court, but in this case it’s far too serious to be making declarative statements and pointing out blame when there’s just not enough information available.

Making that part clearer is what Matt Barnes posted to his Instagram on Friday, when he explained why he deleted his own tweets backing Udoka in a similar manner as Smith, saying that he spoke to someone who called him immediately and explained the situation, saying it’s much worse than what is out there and he took his tweets down because he was given further information.

What this means specifically, we can’t really know right now, but it should be an indicator to the likes of Stephen A. that it might not be the best idea to stake such a strong claim to a side at this point when it’s clear there is much more we don’t know that could make him look very bad for such little upside.

The release of Guapdad 4000 and LaRussell’s “F*ck 12 Freestyle,” officially ushers in the ambitious Tales Of The Town multimedia project. In its entirety, Tales Of The Town presents not only an album, but also a podcast, book, and short film that all look to present a comprehensive Black History of Oakland.

The album will not only feature the East Bay street rap of Guap and LaRussell, but there are also appearances from staples in the scene like P-Lo, Rexx Life Raj, Allblack, G-Eazy, Elujay, Samaria, and more. The first episode of the podcast entitled “The Great Migration” is already out and it’s hosted by Delency Parham and Abbas Muntaqim of the Oakland-centric Hella Black Podcast.

Tales Of The Town’s website describes it as, “Detailing nearly one hundred years of Oakland history through the people whose families have called Oakland home for generations.” The 12-episode podcast series will look at everything from The Town’s long history of radical activism, crucial stories in sports, the economics of houselessness and gentrification, and more.

On the album’s lead single, LaRussell seemingly sets the stage for the direction of the project’s examinations, rapping, “Never get complacent, the house ain’t a home when it’s vacant. Tryna fry a pig I smell bacon. How they built a hood and a power plant adjacent? Never thought we’d make it in a house from the basement.”

Listen to Guapdad 4000 and LaRussell’s “‘F*ck 12’ Freestyle” above and check out the album artwork and tracklist for Tales Of The Town below.

1. Tales of the town & Mani Draper ft. Rexx Life Raj – “23 In The 4th”
2. Allblack & Ymtk ft. Kevin Allen – “All Black Power”
3. White Dave & Pallavi aka Fijiana – “Rise Up”
4. 22nd Jim ft. Lil Bean – “Get Dangerous”
5. Prada Mack ft. Samaria – “We Made It”
6. Elujay & Jane Handcock – “Risen”
7. Tales of the Town ft. G-Eazy, P-Lo, Fredobagz – “Part With The Gang”
8. Black Jacobins – Fully Folks & J.Stalin ft. Koran Streets
9. Tales of the Town ft. LaRussell & Guapdad 4000 – “‘F*ck 12’ Freestyle”
10. Shy’an G & Ian Kelly ft. Myl3z – “Holla”
11. ShooterGang Kony & Wantmoren8 ft. Jalil Muntaqim – “To the Streets/Clipped Wings”

Tales Of The Town: The Album comes out on 10/14 via Empire. Listen to the podcast here.

Guapdad 4000 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Wizkid has become an undeniable global sensation over the years. As his stardom grows, he looks to bring his infectious Afrobeats jams to New York City once again when he has his first headlining show at Madison Square Garden in November.

Tickets for the November 16 show go on sale next Friday (September 30) at noon through Ticketmaster. Those looking to attend can also purchase their tickets in person starting October 1 at three different box office locations in New York City: Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and Beacon Theatre. There is also a special advance sale on Ticketmaster for Chase cardholders beginning on Monday (September 26) at noon and closing on Thursday (September 29) at 10 p.m. ET.

This is a major milestone for the “Essence” artist, who just last year performed a sold-out, three-night run at London’s O2 arena. It is also significant for Nigeria as a whole, as Wizkid will be the second Nigerian artist to ever headline a show at Madison Square Garden, with the first being Burna Boy.

Wizkid released his recent single “Bad For Me” last week, his first release of the year after sharing the deluxe version of Made In Lagos in 2021.

Find more details about purchasing tickets to Wizkid’s Madison Square Garden show here.

Earlier this summer, celebrity couple Halle Bailey and DDG took turns gushing about their relationship. After DDG told DJ Akademiks that the actress-singer “inspires him,” Halle admitted that she’s in love with the rapper from Pontiac, Michigan. DDG even put Halle in his “If I Want You” video, cemented their partnership in the public eye. It seems like they are both really benefitting from it — and in a recent interview, DDG revealed just how much he’s learning from being with the rising star.

Appearing on the Bootleg Kev Podcast, DDG talked about the backlash to Halle’s casting in the live-action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid and how it taught him that society isn’t quite as evolved as he believed. “I didn’t know people was this racist – I didn’t know this was a thing,” he says, admitting to being blown away by the racist #NotMyAriel comments that proliferated in the wake of the film’s teaser trailer debuting Halle as the titular character. “I thought this sh*t was gone already, I thought that sh*t was gone! I thought Martin Luther King [Jr.] canceled that sh*t out! This sh*t is crazy, I was like ‘what the f*ck is these n****s talking about?’”

He also deflects some of the criticism away from his girlfriend, saying, “She be laughing it off [but] they be going a little too hard. But I feel like the people is more attacking the character rather than her, personally.” However, in his estimation, all this negative attention won’t stop the film from being a success; “It’s going number one, regardless!” he predicts.

For what it’s worth, fans of the casting have been sharing videos of their children’s reactions to the teaser and it looks like the target audience — you know, children — are all in, even, yes, the redheads, who already had the original animated version to watch for the past 30 years.

You can watch the full interview above.

Canadian actor Ryan Grantham has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his mother during the early days of the pandemic. The 23-year-old actor who has also appeared in The CW’s Riverdale and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie reportedly committed the act as part of a larger murder spree that was to include the assassination of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau as well as a school shooting.

Ultimately, Grantham never took his plan any further than the murder of his mother and turned himself to authorities. Via The New York Times:

The crime occurred on March 31, 2020, when Grantham, then 21, shot his mother, Barbara Waite, in the back of her head as she played piano in their home in Squamish, a town in British Columbia about 37 miles south of Whistler, Johnson said. Grantham recorded a video shortly after that in which he confessed to the murder and then left by car, Johnson said. Grantham told the authorities that he initially had planned to kill the prime minister, but changed his mind and at some point decided he would carry out a mass shooting, possibly at Simon Fraser University, where he had been a student.

During his sentencing hearing, Grantham’s lawyer argued that his client has a documented history of mental illness and has “committed himself to trying to rehabilitate himself.” Despite the life sentence, Grantham will be eligible for parole in 14 years. Prosecutors had asked for 18 years while Grantham’s attorney argued for 12. The judge split the difference.

(Via The New York Times)

Following the news of his Latin Grammy Award nomination this week, Pol Granch dropped his new single “Nena” today (September 23). The Spanish singer-songwriter also announced the release date for his upcoming album Amor Escupido.

Pol Granch received his breakthrough moment last year as part of fellow Spanish singer’s Marc Seguí hit “Tiroteo.” When Puerto Rican superstar Rauw Alejandro jumped on the remix, their collaboration skyrocketed in popularity. The remix has amassed over 381 million streams on Spotify. Granch also received an international boost when he started appearing in the hit Netflix series Elite last year.

This past week, Granch’s name was further boosted when he was announced as one of the Latin Grammy’s nominees for Best New Artist. On the heels of that news, he released his new single “Nena.” The guitar-driven love song reflects the alternative route Granch has taken in his recent singles like “No Te Bastó, Mi Corazón” and “Kriño.” He also has roots in France and it shows in his accent as he sweetly serenades his lover in a heartfelt performance.

Granch also revealed the cover art and the release date for his album Amor Escupido. The LP will be released on October 28. All the aforementioned tracks, including “Nena,” will appear on the album. The collaborations include “Platicamos” with Mexican singer Leon Leiden and “Desconexión” with Spanish EDM act Garabatto.

Amor Escupido is out 10/28 via Sony Music Spain. Pre-order it here.