NBA teams need ways to kill time during media timeouts. As such, in-arena entertainment is a familiar part of the experience of going to a game. Sometimes, it’s as simple as sending folks out there with the mascot and launching a ton of t-shirts into the crowd, other times, cameras will go around and find fans in attendance who look vaguely like celebrities or something.
But the real good stuff comes when fans are brought down onto the floor and participate in some sort of competition. There are the ones that get you a gift card or something relatively inexpensive — i.e.: make more free throws than someone else in 30 seconds — and then there are the ones that are for a ton of money but are extremely difficult. On Friday, one of those happened in Portland, but there was a twist: the person who was picked to play the game won.
The Trail Blazers played host to the Houston Rockets, and during a stoppage in play, a dude named David had to put a golf ball from one end of the court to the other. If the ball went into an itty bitty little window, David would win $50,000 that he could put towards a house. It looked pretty good off of the putter, and 94 feet later, he earned himself a whole heck of a lot of money.
A small Jesuit school in New Jersey with fewer than 3,000 students is officially making NCAA Tournament history. Saint Peter’s, which won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and made it out of the first weekend of the tournament by beating Kentucky and Murray State, became the first 15-seed to ever punch its ticket the Elite 8 with a shocking 67-64 win over Purdue on Friday night.
The Peacocks’ vaunted defense absolutely stifled the Boilermakers, which boasted the No. 1 offense in the country per KenPom. Purdue shot 42.6 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from three, while standout guard and potential 2022 NBA Draft pick Jaden Ivey just could not get going. Ivey had nine points on 4-for-12 shooting with eight rebounds, two assists, and six turnovers. While the Boilermakers attempted to use their size advantage with big men Zach Edey and Trevion Williams serving as the focal points of their offense for much of the game, they just could not provide enough of a lift while the Peacocks swarmed the team’s backcourt.
On the other end of the floor, guard Daryl Banks III scored a team-high 14 points, while forward Clarence Rupert came up huge in the first half, scoring all 11 of his points before the break to keep the team in the game. High-scoring bench option Doug Edert gave them 10 points off the bench, and while he struggled from the field, he hit seven of his eight free throws.
It was a legitimately spectacular basketball game — any time one team started to create a little separation, the other seemed to have an answer to get right back in it. In all, the game had 15 lead changes. Purdue got a chance right at the end to force overtime, but Ivey’s three from the logo was just short.
We tapped Tate McRae as a rising pop star to watch back in 2021, and since then she has not disappointed. Also an extremely talented teenage dancer, Tate has shifted gears lately to focus on her music career, and the transition has been a seamless one. Following up her initial 2020 EP, All The Things I Never Said, she came out of the gate in early 2021 with the follow-up, Too Young To Be Sad, which spawned hit singles like “You Broke Me First” and “Rubberband.”
Now, she’s finally ready to put out a full-length project, and her debut album is slated to drop sometime later this year. Early singles for the project include “Feel Like Sh*t” and the insanely catchy anthem “She’s All I Wanna Be,” which might still technically be sad, lyrics-wise, but is a much more upbeat tune from Tate. Today, she’s back to the vulnerable, slower ballads with “Chaotic,” the third single for the forthcoming album. This song is a bluesy reflection on how hard it can be to change, to grow up, and leave behind old habits and old relationships. It sits comfortably within the sad-streaked palette Tate has already established for getting her emotions out in song form. Check it out up top and keep an ear out for more information about her forthcoming debut record.
A brand new Tyler The Creator freestyle was thrust into the spotlight today when a fan misinterpreted the song’s credits and tried to imply Tyler doesn’t write his own music. Though the rapper has been abundantly clear throughout his career just how involved he is in the entire process, from verses, to production, to orchestration and feature selection, one fan was upset by the list of names that preceded Tyler on the freestyle.
The “Lost And Found Freestyle 2019” features both Tyler and ASAP Rocky laying down bars alongside Nigo on a track off the hip-hop legends first album in close to 20 years, I Know Nigo! Since the song samples both “3 Kings” and “Like a Boss” by Slim Thug, along with production from The Neptunes, those names are added to the song’s credits, and then lists Tyler and Rocky after them. But all those names in front of Tyler led a fan to claim “everyone in the industry is a robot.”
“You big f*cking dummy,” Tyler wrote. “first beat is 3KINGS by slim thug which the produces had to credit the writers of the song they sampled, second half is LIKE A BOSS by slim and they credited the producers for that as well, then u have the two credits of the rappers u bozo, think first.”
Tyler has since deleted his tweet, but Complex preserved his pristine dunk, which, honestly? Seems pretty justified given the circumstances. Check out the “Lost And Found Freestyle 2019” up top, and give credit where credit is due.
Mental health has been in the news a lot lately, especially as it pertains to high-performing athletes. We’ve seen several athletic stars share their struggles with anxiety and depression and their need to take breaks for their mental health. Ohio State offensive lineman Harry Miller has taken this one step further and announced he’s retiring from football altogether after revealing his mental health struggles.
Miller is a junior studying engineering at Ohio State. He reported to his coach last year that he had been having suicidal thoughts. Throughout his struggles with mental health, he felt supported by his teammates and coach, who got him set up with counseling at the university. He wrote about his experiences on March 10, when he announced he would be medically retiring from football. The lineman said that he “would not normally share such information.” And continued, “However, because I have played football, I am no longer afforded the privilege of privacy.”
Miller wrote in his letter announcing his retirement that he returned to football weeks after informing his coach of his mental health struggles. But he returned with scars on his wrists and neck. Miller said, “Maybe the scars were hard to see with my wrists taped up,” and went on to say that “there was a dead man on the television set, but nobody knew it.”
The athlete reported while being interviewed on the Today Show that he has struggled with anxiety and depression from an early age, but that the pressure of playing college football for Ohio State exacerbated his anxiety and stress. Miller described some of the messages he would receive after a hard game, including some saying “transfer, you suck.” He said, “Some people get death threats that I know on the team, and I’m trying to text my mom, that’s the first thing I see, and then you can’t worry about it too much because you have an exam the next day. And then you have that for weeks and then months and by the end of the semester and you’re like ‘What is happening right now?’”
The pressure placed on elite athletes starts well before college. There have been reports of high school kids struggling with the pressure placed on them to perform at an exceptional level. Adults hurling insults at teens and young adults who are only trying to do a sport they love, while trying to balance academics, family and friends, doesn’t help. These are things that need to be looked at more closely. As a society, the weight we place on athletes to just suck up whatever is thrown at them and perform at a level that most of the country could not perform at is breaking their spirits and causing irreparable harm to them as human beings.
What weight are we asking elite athletes to carry?
u201cThen out spake brave Horatius,nThe Captain of the Gate:nTo every man upon this earthnDeath cometh soon or late.nAnd how can man die betternThan facing fearful odds,nFor the ashes of his fathers,nAnd the temples of his gods.u201dpic.twitter.com/K5pXZNy2DW
Harry Miller made a decision to choose himself, his life and his mental health over continuing to play a sport at a level that demands nothing short of perfection. Here’s to hoping other athletes follow his lead, and choose their mental health, and society takes note of how we treat them to evoke societal change.
If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is in need of help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (273-8255) or text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line: 741741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Spring is springing here in the Northern Hemisphere, and even though the same thing happens every year, it never gets old. No matter how long and dark and cold the winter gets (for those of us in the northern climes, anyway), the sun always comes out, the greenery always returns and the flowers always blossom.
It’s refreshing and beautiful and life-giving, every time—and a metaphorical reminder that growth and renewal are possible. There are rainy days and muddy messes and old, dead stuff to clear out of the way, but it’s all in the service of life reasserting itself.
It’s the season for celebrating hope, friends. Let’s do it.
This week’s round-up of internet delights includes humans being excellent to each other, people sharing their amazing talents, animals being hilarious and sweet, and heartwarming examples of support and unconditional love. It’s joy and hope in 10 small packages, which when you put them all together, will hopefully give you a little boost in your faith in humanity.
Jules Hoogland is a junior at Zeeland East High School in Michigan, and she plays on the United Sports team, which organizes teams with and without disabilities to play together. Awesome example of meaningful inclusion. Read the full story here.
The musical talents of the Wilson family are just PHEW.
Totally in love. Golden retrievers aren’t known as one of the friendliest dog breeds for nothing.
Anne Hathaway blows Kelly Clarkson away with her own song in a karaoke competition.
anne hathaway is a theater kid, you will never beat a theater kid at these types of games (even if you are the untouchable kelly clarkson)pic.twitter.com/FQiopkySqQ
You’d think going up against Kelly Clarkson in a singing competition would be a huge mistake, but Anne Hathaway can hold her own. And Clarkson’s reaction to missing her own song is hilarious. Read the full story and watch the full segment here.
The love of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s family during her opening statement was so beautiful.
Love how Ketanjiu2019s hubby keeps crying.pic.twitter.com/325HWQHOdl
The tears her husband wiped away. The look of knowing admiration on their daughter’s face. Her parents were in the crowd, too, their faces beaming with pride. A beautiful highlight in this historic moment. Read the full story here.
Hope that restored a little calm and joy to your heart at the end of a long week. Come back again next Friday for another roundup of smile-worthy finds from around the internet.
I remember sitting in advanced algebra and trigonometry class in high school wondering if I was really ever going to use any of what I was learning. Math at that level meant nothing to me in a practical sense. I planned to study English and education to become an English teacher, so I couldn’t imagine why I’d need to learn the ins and outs of trig.
As it turned out, some of what I learned came in handy in the functions class I was required to take to fulfill my math requirement in college. But again, I found myself sitting in class with zero idea of why I was learning this level of math and suspecting that I was never going to actually use that knowledge in my adult life.
Now I’m a middle-aged adult and I can say with absolute certainty that I was right. In 27 years, I have not used anything I learned in functions. Not once. Not even a little bit. I agonized my way through that class to eek out a B-minus and to promptly forget everything I’d learned because it was utterly useless to me.
To be clear, higher math isn’t useless—it’s amazing. It was just completely useless to me.
You know what would have been useful? Learning about financing a car or a mortgage or understanding how and why and where to invest money. In all that time I was doing trigonometric proofs and calculating polynomial functions, I could have been learning all the various real-life math-related decisions I’d have to make as an adult.
I see the same thing happening with my kids in high school and college. It totally makes sense for students who are interested in going into math and science fields to take math beyond basic algebra and geometry. But for those who aren’t—why? There are so many more valuable things for them to take the time to learn—things that every single person really needs a basic knowledge of, such as:
Basic Psychology/Mental Health Maintenance
Every one of us has a brain and mental health is an issue for a huge percentage of people. Even those of us who don’t struggle with mental illness benefit from learning about how our minds work, gaining strategies for managing our thoughts, emotions and behaviors, and understanding why people do the things they do.
How many people would have been saved by learning how to spot a narcissist before getting into a relationship with one? How many people could mitigate an anxiety spiral right when it starts because they learned to recognize the signs earlier? How many people would appreciate the support and understanding of everyone having a basic understanding of their mental health disorders?
Basic Sociology/Human Behavior
Similarly, every one of us lives in a society. Understanding social connections, relationships and group behavior might kind of come in handy. If we don’t understand the causes and consequences of human behavior, we’re going to be confused by society at best and allow or enable atrocities to occur at worst.
From learning how cults and conspiracy theories work to recognizing how our prejudices can blind us to reality, sociology has useful knowledge we all need to internalize.
Media Literacy
If we’re going to be bombarded with media 24/7, we’d better know how to process it. Understanding how journalism works, what makes a source credible, how information can be skewed and how to recognize misinformation and disinformation is vital. What is bias and how can it be mitigated? How can we recognize when an outlet values accuracy?
So many of the problems the U.S. is facing currently are due to people watching or listening to dubious news sources. Mandatory media literacy courses would (hopefully) go a long way toward changing that.
The Stock Market and Other Investments
I underestimated how much I’d need to know about the stock market when I was younger. None of that economic stuff interested me, but I wish I understood it better now.
But really, it’s investing in general that we need to understand more about when we’re younger, especially since starting young is the No. 1 best advice any financial advisor will give you.
How Banking, Credit and Credit Cards Work
Every single one of us uses a bank or credit union and credit is a huge part of adult life. And yet most people I know have had to piece together how credit and credit cards actually work through advice from friends and family and good old trial and error, sometimes with devastating consequences.
Taxes
Good gracious, right? Not just how to do taxes, but what taxes get used for.
Financial literacy is what I’m saying. We need mandatory financial literacy classes. (Florida has actually just become the first state to require personal finance education to graduate, so yay Florida.) I think I was required to take economics in high school, but it was much more high-level economic theory than personal finance. We need personal finance first, then the bigger picture.
First Aid/Safety/Self-Defense
Most of us probably got some first aid and/or CPR training in health class, but how comprehensive was it? Did it include infant CPR? Do we know how to recognize if someone is having a stroke? Signs of infection?
What about basic everyday safety, like why you shouldn’t leave a car running in a garage or common household fire dangers or how to spot asbestos?
Self-defense seems like a no-brainer. Basically, a “How to Stay Alive and Keep Others Alive” course that includes most everything you need to know to protect yourself and your loved ones on a daily basis.
Navigating our Healthcare and Health Insurance System
Ugh. I’ve been an adult for almost three decades and everything about our healthcare system confuses and frustrates me. Maybe if we required schools to teach young people how it works, it would shine a big spotlight on how ridiculously and unnecessarily complicated it is because no one could possibly explain it in a way that’s understandable. Maybe that would push lawmakers to actually do something about it, because honestly, it’s just a gigantic mess.
There are surely others, but those are the major subjects that come to mind as vital after being an adult for a long while and seeing what my own kids need to have a decent grasp on as they make their way into the world. And honestly, there are some classes that adults should be required to take well into adulthood. Parenting classes, for example. Or local government and voting.
All subjects and courses have value to some people, but if we want students to be prepared for adulthood, we should make sure they are given the vital knowledge and skills every person actually needs and will use.
Latto has been having a huge 2022 so far, and it sounds like it’s about to get a lot bigger. The rising rap star is coming off the release of her 777 album today, her second full-length project and follow-up to her 2020 debut Queen Of Da Souf. But a mystery feature on the tracklist has been generating a lot of speculation, as the massive single off the project, “Big Energy,” has been quickly working its way up on the Billboard chart and is due for a remix.
The song samples a rather iconic song from the early ’80s, Tom Tom Club’s 1981 single, “Genius Of Love,” which most fans will recognize from Mariah Carey’s own iconic hit, “Fantasy.” And since the two stars share a sample on respective hits, it only makes sense they’d team up for the remix. While a lot of fans thought Latto would tap either Nicki Minaj or Cardi B for the new version, she made it clear that while she loves them both, she’s not getting into any drama by picking sides.
These tweets between Latto and Mariah today make it pretty clear that we’ll hear Mimi on Monday’s remix. Stay tuned for that, surely Mariah is going to bring a big verse and some signature vocal gymnastics for this one.
The connection between cannabis and sleep is far more complex than the simple assumption “weed makes you sleepy.” As with all things cannabis, the truth behind the trope is difficult to deduce in layman’s terms. This makes the industry, especially its consumers, vulnerable to misinformation. End users are often misinformed, confused, and even purposefully misled by brands implementing marketing ploys aimed at selling expensive products.
The cannabinoid CBN, which has been lauded as a miracle sleep molecule, is a perfect example. Like most buzzy trends in cannabis, (ex: the focus on high THC, the fixation on indica and sativa, the idea that rosin is higher quality than resin…), CBN is more of a marketing term than the wonder cannabinoid it’s made out to be. And it’s a pricey one at that.
“The idea that CBN equals sleep is where lazy science, negligent industry myth-making, and low consumer knowledge collide,” says scientist Carolina Vazquez Mitchell. Vazquez Mitchell has spent years studying the effects of cannabis on sleep in the formulation of her product Dreamt, one of my favorite cannabis sleep aids on the market. “It reduces the burden on the product developers to actually review scientific literature when they create these drugs, and it gives marketers a very simple way to explain what their products are supposed to do. But in my opinion, this is disingenuous.”
Cannabinol (CBN) is a cannabinoid that is produced when tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is degraded by air, heat, light, or acids. Some research has shown CBN to have similar effects to THC, though between four and ten times weaker. In short, it’s just old THC that is no longer as effective. To get more granular on the current research:
One study showed THC plus CBN to be no more effective than THC alone.
Another showed you would need 9x the amount of CBN to get the sleep effect of THC.
According to Vazquez Mitchell, “It’s also important to note CBN binds two times weaker to the CB1 receptors than THC. The CB1 receptors are the only cannabinoid receptors that regulate sleep.”
While CBN isn’t the miracle cannabinoid marketers make it out to be, it can still make you feel sleepy — because CBN is nothing more than degraded THC and THC is the most active cannabinoid in the sleep cycle. But simply adding CBN to a product then labeling it “for sleep,” is both reductive and deceptive.
So what does work?
“THC and CBD in a ratio of 2.5:1 have been shown to be the most effective ratio for inducing sleep quickly and without the risk of becoming stressed or paranoid,” says Vazquez Mitchell. “But the cannabinoids only help with deep sleep, and have been shown to hurt your REM sleep long term.” (REM sleep is crucial to your cognitive function and your ability to store memories.)
In order to foster a healthy night’s sleep, you have to supplement the cannabinoids with non-cannabis ingredients that help REM, like melatonin, valerian root, and certain terpenes. But while plenty of weed sleep products seem to focus only on marketing, there are a few great brands that emphasize all aspects of proper sleep. Here are some sleepy deepy cannabis products that don’t include CBN.
Dreamt
Dreamt
Dreamt’s line of products has totally revolutionized the way I access sleep, specifically their vaporizer pen. Vazquez Mitchell’s unique, scientifically formulated blend of THC, CBD, melatonin, GABA, and Valerian root, has proven to work for every single person I’ve recommended it to, which over the years has been more than a few.
It works so well that sometimes when I’m bored I’ll just hit my Dreamt pen and see how long it takes me to fall asleep. I’ve even done exhaustive field research (consuming like every psychedelic and upper known to man at the same time) to see if it would still put me to sleep. It took a couple of hits and a little more time than usual, but it worked. Pretty impressive!
The other thing I like about the Dreamt pen is that it doesn’t make you groggy in the AM, which is a huge downside to many cannabis sleep aids. This pen puts you into deep, restful sleep that lasts the whole night, not just until 3:30 am when anxiety springs your eyes open like a reverse beartrap.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most effective sleep aids on the market by far. Cannabis or not, you’d be hard-pressed to find something better.
Low Tide Gummies by Seaweed Naturals stole my heart for three reasons. First, the brand is by Jacques Cousteau’s grandson and his wife, which is just chic. Second, these gummies contain beneficial ocean botanicals like kelp omegas and generally just have great ingredients. And third, they are ocean conservationists who care about the environment, with a portion of sales going to benefit marine organizations.
The first time I tried them, I was initially impressed with the flavor. It says blackberry, but it tasted more like raspberry sorbet, a little sour and not too sweet. The texture was nice and refined for a gummy, clearly a really high-quality product. At first, the feeling was euphoric and I was wondering if I was going to get tired, then I was lulled into sleepiness like the lapping tides of a warm sea.
Bottom Line:
Aside from being shaped like little pink starfish (swoon), the product itself I found to be really effective. These gummies contain 10mg THC and melatonin, a perfect combo for lights out.
Rose Delights are so artful, impeccably executed, and delicious that we as consumers aren’t fully worthy of them as a brand. Each of their seasonal drops of live rosin-infused Turkish delights is limited-edition collaborations with the best cannabis brands and local fruit farms around California.
Their new Deep Sleep delights are no exception. Their first mood state product, passionflower, vanilla, and mulberries from the organic Frog Hollow Farm in Brentwood, California balance a blend of 28 different phenotypes of Holy Tonic flower, grown from seed by Rose and pressed into rosin. I ate one still vibrating from a particularly stressful day and physically felt my anxiety melt away.
Bottom Line:
From intention to packaging to flavor to efficacy, this is a perfect product that will lull you to sleep in style.
Amalfi by the legendary, 2nd generation Humboldt farm Huckleberry Hill Farms is an exquisite example of how good weed can be. This strain is extremely potent yet still in balance with nature. The THC is super high (34 percent), but… so is everything else. The chemical profile of this flower is highly elevated, vibrating on a level far above almost everything else on the market.
As the name Amalfi would indicate, this flower literally makes you feel like you’re bobbing in a boat on a warm salty sea, splayed out in the sunshine. I included it in this list because of its extremely euphoric, languid, fun, and relaxing effects. While it starts off silly, you often end up completely asleep without even realizing that you’ve fallen asleep because you are just that relaxed.
In fitting with the flower for the people philosophy of small Humboldt farmers like John Casali and Rose Moberly of Huckleberry Hill, these jars even come with a feminized seed pod attached, so you can grow your own plant and enjoy her magic for free. This weed is a medicine from the earth for your mind, body, and soul, and everyone deserves access to it. Major props to them for spreading love instead of greed. Our industry could use a lot more of this!
Because this strain is from a small farm with limited distribution, it could take a little more effort on your part to locate her. But, trust me, it’s beyond worth it. Think about if you were on vacation in a new city. Of course, it would be easier to eat at McDonald’s the entire trip, but wouldn’t you take the time to do a little research and find the best restaurants? Cannabis consumers need to be doing this, too! And trust me, it’s worth it. I try a large percentage of cannabis that hits the market, and the indoor mids that corporate dispensaries are feeding you could never even touch this level of magic!
Bottom Line:
Gassy, spicy, nutty, and sweet, she’s a heavy hitter that will waft you gently into dreamland. Take the time and seek her out. It will change your view on what cannabis can be, I promise!
Buy it here: Check here or contact [email protected] to check availability near you.
Sleep Gummies by New Phase Blends
New Phase Blends
The Sleep Gummies by New Phase Blends are one of those products that work so well it’s almost mind-blowing. This brand is hands-down my favorite effect-based CBD line on the market, which is saying a lot because I don’t usually fuck with CBD brands that say their products are going to do things other than make you relaxed. Without other added botanicals, cannabinoids, and active substances, that’s literally impossible, which is why New Phase Blends is so epic. All their products are patented blends that really work.
These little red gummy bears knock you the fuck out. I like the tincture too, but the gummies have an air of nostalgia with their little bear shape and synthetic cherry flavor. I’ve been obsessed with their sleep line for years. Regardless of how stressed, anxiety-ridden, or generally unsleepy you are, these will take you to a place of deep euphoria and rest. My bedside is never without it.
Bottom Line:
Regardless of your mental state, sleep is literally minutes away, 15 mins tops, when you use these products.
NightCaps by Perfect are cute little prerolls that have been infused with live resin and are designed to put you to sleep. They hit hard, they work fast, and they’re perfect when you want to shut your mind down after a long day. The wildest thing about them is that they’re so strong, you really only need one hit to feel the effects, making it instantaneously effective. I like to hit it once or twice, clip the joint in my bedside ashtray (does everyone have one of those or just me?), and save it for future use.
Verdure’s 1:2 Sleep Tincture truly has it all. The correct cannabinoid ratio! The supporting role of sleep-inducing botanicals! A soothing lavender flavor!
I was really impressed when I tried this product. Each serving has 16mg THC, 8mg CBD, lavender, vanilla, chamomile, bergamot, valerian, and clary sage. Gorgeous. While it took a little while to put me to sleep (I would say about 45 minutes) the sleep that I enjoyed was deep, long, and restful. I woke up in one of those super jubilant fashions where you spring forth from bed, excited to meet the day.
Bottom Line:
This is a great option that falls in line scientifically with what is proven to help you sleep. 10/10 check it out.
A busy week across music saw the releases of the loopy Pusha T fast-food battle rap track “Spicy Fish Diss,” 42 Dugg and EST Gee’s “Free The Shiners,” Deante Hitchcock’s “Alone,” DDG and Gunna’s “Elon Musk,” Chance The Rapper’s moody comeback single “Child Of God,” Kid Cudi’s Sonic 2 soundtrack contribution “Stars In The Sky,” Mount Westmore’s “Bad MF’s,” and the newly resurgent Nicki Minaj’s drill rap foray “We Go Up” featuring Fivio Foreign, along with the releases listed below.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending March 25, 2021.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
Buddy — Superghetto
Buddy
Compton rapper Buddy returns after four years with the follow-up to his fan-favorite 2018 debut Harlan & Alondra. This time around, he’s got an expanded palette of sounds and support from the likes of Ari Lennox, Blxst, T-Pain, and Tinashe.
Denzel Curry — Melt My Eyez, See Your Future
Denzel Curry
A more eclectic effort than 2019’s Zuu, Denzel Curry’s latest takes visual inspiration from the genre films he grew up watching and gets introspective with assists by a motley crew consisting of 454, 6lack, Jasiah, JID, Karriem Riggins, Rico Nasty, Robert Glasper, Saul Williams, T-Pain, and more.
Larry June & Jay Worthy — 2 P’z In A Pod
Larry June & Jay Worthy
The Bay Area mainstay and the Compton flag-waver connect for a collaborative project that makes the most of their similar, independent mindsets. With groovy production and features from Jim Jones, Roc Marciano, and Suga Free, this is a smooth, unexpected take on West Coast rap.
Latto — 777
Latto
Uproxx cover artist Latto finally follows up her impressive 2020 debut album Queen Of Da Souf with this tight collection of bangers which includes the unexpected collab “Sunshine” featuring Childish Gambino and Lil Wayne, as well as her biggest hit to date, “Big Energy” — a remix of which is expected to follow in the coming days.
Nigo — I Know Nigo
Nigo
Japanese fashion designer and DJ Nigo taps his fashion-obsessed musician friends for this upbeat compilation of eclectic-sounding club thumpers. Naturally, Pharrell makes a few appearances, but so too do his direct musical descendants like Tyler The Creator, Clipse, and Pusha T.
Phife Dawg — Forever
Phife Dawg
Shortly before the death of A Tribe Called Quest co-founder Phife Dawg, the band revealed he was working on a new solo project — his first since 2000’s Ventilation: Da LP. In the years since the announcement, fans have waited impatiently for word that the project was complete. Now, we have proof: It was well worth the wait.
Supa Bwe — No Thanks
Supa Bwe
One of Chicago’s many, many super-rappers, Supa Bwe disappeared for a while but made a triumphant return a couple of years ago with Just Say Thank You and Jaguar. He proves he’s here to stay with his latest, which features not just Chi-Town stalwarts like Chance The Rapper, Mick Jenkins, and Twista, but also unexpected collaborators like the NBA’s Iman Shumpert.
Singles/Videos
Bfb Da Packman — “Can’t Blame Ye”
While everybody else was chastising Kanye for his immature, reckless behavior, the Flint MC tried his best to empathize, detailing the wild upbringing that resulted in his off-kilter sense of humor and understanding that sometimes, you just have to wild out.
Bankroll Freddie — “Broke ASF”
Arkansas born Quality Control rapper Bankroll Freddie really came from rags to riches — he says as much on his latest single — which makes him kind of easy to root for, as do the hard-hitting beats he’s been using to assert himself as one of the rappers to watch.
D3szn — “Drip” Feat. E-40 &Ohgeesy
YG’s 4 Hunnid signee makes his entree to the rap game proper with some help from both a fellow West Coast rising star and one of the godfathers of the California rap scene. It’s a punchy, un-PC, post-ratchet anthem and a salute to the grimy dudes down to do whatever for the come-up.
Dreezy — “Covid Flow Freestyle”
Welcome back, Dreezy, we’ve missed you. In my estimation, the Chicagoan drill scene survivor is hands-down the best female rapper of the modern wave — even if she had the misfortune of popping up a couple of years too early to take full advantage. Here, she sounds revitalized and ready to recapture the excitement that surrounded her earliest offerings.
Lil Skies — “PlayThisAtMyFuneral” Feat. Landon Cube
I’ll admit I’ve been slacking on Lil Skies. After being one of his earliest champions, I sort of let myself forget that he remains one of the Rolling Loud generation’s absolute favorites. Sometimes, I get too stuck on trying to support elevated rap or local favorites. Look past the face tats and the extremely 2016 SoundCloud rap aesthetics and you may find you enjoy his boom-bap-informed take on the syrupy, melody-driven style beloved by zoomers.
Open Mike Eagle — “Multi-Game Arcade Cabinet” Feat. R.A.P. Ferreira, Still Rift., & Video Dave
Boy, it’s easy to miss a good, old-fashioned posse cut. Get four or more really good rappers in a room and let them cut loose. That’s what’s going on here. The game needs more of it.
Superior & Stove God Cooks — “Sweet Dreams” & “161”
Admittedly, I don’t know much about Superior, other than he’s a producer that loves the soulful, cinematic loops of fellow retro backpackers like Alchemist and Daringer and that his beats make the perfect backdrop for Syracuse rapper Stove God — who is likewise heavily associated with the Griselda crew style of gritty, late-90s revivalist rap currently bubbling in upstate New York — to show off his witty wordplay and confident charisma. Their double release this week may well leave fans hankering for more.
Trapland Pat — “Hellcat” Feat. Eli Fross
Trapland Pat and Eli Fross are relative newcomers, hailing from Florida and New York, respectively, but their chemistry on this track suggests both have been listening to a lot of ’90s and early aughts hip-hop. Because I am an absolute sucker for cross-regional connections and the back-and-forth flow they use here, they get a nod and I’ll certainly be checking for more from both in the future.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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