Year: 2022

Chance The Rapper fans haven’t heard much from the Chicago MC in the last few years as he’s concentrated most of his energy on being a dad and the living embodiment of the wife guy meme, but that may soon change. After being featured on Supa Bwe’s “ACAB” posse cut last month, today, Chance shared a teaser of a new song with fans via social media. Doubling the excitement, the song appears to be another reunion with his longtime friend and collaborator Vic Mensa, with whom he reconciled after a few years of tension on last year’s “Shelter.”

“Felt cute might delete later,” Chance wrote in the caption of the video containing the snippet. Over a lush, soulful beat, the two rappers discuss the ills of the world, with Chance recounting an apocryphal theory about President George Washington’s death from a possible throat infection due to antiquated, unhygienic treatments that were used at the time. The fiery verse also appears to include references to various uprisings of Black people against oppression and cuts off just before Chance gives former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover a piece of his mind.

The presentation of the new song appears in line with the rollout for “Shelter” and another (relatively) recent Chance single, “The Heart & The Tongue.” Although Chance hasn’t yet announced a follow-up to his 2019 “debut” album The Big Day, Chance’s increased activity — and a mysterious video posted by DJ Khaled on Instagram a few weeks ago — suggest that one could very well be in the works. Check out the snippet above.

One of the coolest parts of this year’s All-Star weekend in Cleveland was seeing the stars of past and present come together as the league honored its 75 Greatest Players for the league’s diamond anniversary.

There were some incredibly cool moments captured on video between the current stars of the league and their heroes, like Michael Jordan sharing an embrace with LeBron James (and later Luka Doncic). On Tuesday, we saw another such moment that showed just how much that 75th anniversary team meant to those current players who landed on it, as Giannis Antetokounmpo was like a giddy little kid when he saw Allen Iverson before the team photo shoot, running up to The Answer to tell him that he was the reason he started playing basketball.

It’s always cool to see how some of the most famous people on the planet shed all of that in these moments and can’t help but be in awe of the stars of the past that inspired them to play basketball. It’s an incredible moment and shows the influence that Iverson had on this generation of players, even a big man like Giannis. Iverson, in particular, has long been one of the NBA’s legends that has been quick to give flowers to this generation — most recently evidenced by him putting a Ja Morant jersey on his MVP award after Morant’s 52-point game on Monday night — and it’s great to see Giannis showing him respect and love in return.

Hot off the release of her seventh studio album Love Sux, Avril Lavigne has just delivered a fiery performance of “Love It When You Hate Me” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Joined by the song’s collaborators Blackbear and Travis Barker, Lavigne bounces with high energy and thrives on the musical chemistry between herself and Blackbear.

After the first chorus, Lavigne briefly flips off the audience.

Love Sux sees a return to Lavigne’s pop-punk roots with the help of Barker, who produced “Love It When You Hate Me” and “Bite Me” from the album.

“It’s just been really great to see him evolve,” Lavigne said of Barker in a previous interview with Uproxx. “He’s so much more than a drummer. He has a great sense of production. He knows a lot about songwriting. He’s a businessman. He’s a studio wizard. Like, there’s so much more to him than being a drummer. He spends every waking moment — like, he’s always working, he’s always in the studio. He loves music, he’s so passionate about it, and really shows. I’m really enjoying working with him, because he’s also an artist, so he understands. He’s been around for a long time and doing his thing for a long time, and so have I, and so we can really relate to each other”

Check out the performance of “Love It When You Hate Me” above.

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

Over the course of his nearly-20-year career, Compton rapper The Game has been renowned, respected, and ridiculed for his charismatic storytelling, which can range from introspection on intimate moments between himself and his rap game associates to wild, borderline unbelievable tales of late-night shootouts with compatriots such as 50 Cent. Even more of the same is undoubtedly on the way when he appears on NORE’s Drink Champs podcast this week, which the cast’s Instagram page announced along with a teaser of one of the more outrageous moments to come.

In the teaser clip, Game asserts that Kanye West, with whom he recently collaborated on the song “Eazy,” famous for featuring Kanye’s line about beating up his ex’s new man, has done more for Game than Dr. Dre did in the Compton rapper’s whole career. This is, of course, after he spends at least part of the interview with a black balaclava and winter coat before overheating and removing both.

That said, the wild claim has Twitter buzzing, because even accounting for recency bias, there’s no way Game can truly believe that — his sophomore album is called Doctor’s Advocate, for crying out loud (even if it was released on Geffen after Game left Aftermath over his falling out with 50 Cent). Some have attributed the comment to Game’s supposed bitterness over being left off Dre’s recent Super Bowl halftime show performance, but he shot down that supposition early, saying, “I don’t feel no way about not being included.” Then again, Drink Champs has kind of become the go-to podcast for making over-the-top claims to promote new work — even for Game’s benefactor Kanye.

You can check out the clip, as well as some of the reactions to it, below.

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got the new album by Gang Of Youths, a beginning of a new era for Florence + The Machine, and Sasami’s anticipated sophomore album.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Gang Of Youths — Angel In Realtime

Aussie five-piece band Gang Of Youths has been gaining traction in the US for the past several years, but their latest LP Angel In Realtime is sure to be their most-talked-about release to date. Lead singer David Le’aupepe infuses witty lyrics and self-effacing jabs over cascading chords and bright melodies for a release which Uproxx’s Steven Hyden calls a “real achievement.”

Sasami — Squeeze

Sasami first arrived on the indie scene with her gentle and acoustic guitar-driven self-titled debut LP. But for her sophomore album Squeeze, released this week, Sasami shows off a harder edge. Throughout eleven tracks, the singer absolutely shreds on electric guitar and toes the line between metal and EDM with tracks like “Say It” and the raucous “Sorry Entertainer.”

Bakar — Nobody’s Home

UK musician Bakar has been creating buzz around his name ever since his 2018 debut. With this week’s album Nobody’s Home, Bakar cements himself as an indie star. The release sways between his playful and his vulnerable side, critiquing people’s biases in on the track “Not From Here” while showing off his catchy songwriting on “NW3.”

Caroline — Caroline

Fans of Black Country, New Road are probably still reeling from the lead singer’s departure and the band’s canceled North American tour. Thankfully, UK group Caroline’s self-titled LP similar enough to BCNR to keep fans entertained. The London-based eight-piece collective shared their entrancing debut this week, an album that at times builds momentum through a flurry of instruments while also appreciating the importance of a quiet, string-driven ballad.

Florence + The Machine — “King”

It’s been several years since Florence + The Machine last released an album, but that’s all about to change as this week, the band returned to kick off a new era of music with the ballad-like track “King.” Not only does the song offer space for Welch to show of her insanely powerful vocals, but it’s also a heady commentary on gender roles in the music industry, as Welch herself reflects on how she used to model herself after male performers in her early career days.

Toro Y Moi — “The Loop”

Toro Y Moi‘s Chaz Bear has been releasing music under the moniker for nearly 12 years, and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. Continuing to prepare for his eighth studio album Mahal, which is slated for a late April release, the musician drops the groovy number “The Loop.” The track is driven by a funky bass line and buoyant keys and features lighthearted lyrics about staying up-to-date with friends in different time zones.

Mdou Moctar — Afrique Victime (Deluxe)

Niger-based Mdou Moctar earned a massive US following last year with the release of the delightful album Afrique Victime last year. After touring around the world behind the release, the band return to beef up the LP with a deluxe release. The neo-psychedelic rock project adds a few demos and live tracks from the time since the original album’s release, showing Mdou Moctar’s ability two create captivating and intoxicating tunes.

Girlpool — “Dragging My Life Into A Dream”

Duo Girlpool continue teasing the follow up to their 2019 album with “Dragging My Life Into A Dream,” another single from their forthcoming fifth studio album Forgiveness. The brooding and melodic track explores the themes of insecurity and isolation, as singer Avery Tucker confronts his tendency to romanticize the past.

Jean Dawson — “Porn Acting”

After making countless end of year lists in 2020 for his Pixel Bath album, Jean Dawson shares the refined track “Porn Acting” as his first release of the year. With the new single, Dawson once again proves himself an endlessly innovative songwriter, combining confident with a chaotic mix of heavy melodies and piercing guitars. About the song, Dawson explains: “We are all the same, we are all bags of flesh, tryna prove that we’re not as bad as we know we are.”

Talker — “My Meds”

LA-based musician Talker has shared a number of playful tracks ahead of her upcoming In Awe of Insignificance EP, but with her latest track “My Meds,” Talker shows off a more intimate side to her songwriting. The blissed-out track is a way of understanding the ups-and-downs of mental health and the fact that even though becoming medicated is sometimes necessary, it can still be difficult to accept.

Giant Waste Of Man — “Swim”

Following up their 2019 release The Politics Of Lonely, LA-based group Giant Waste Of Man shares the gripping ballad “Swim.” The song showcases the vocalist’s textured lyrical delivery, very reminiscent of The National’s Matt Berninger.

Cola — “So Excited”

Cola, the new band formed by a few members of the recently broken up group Ought, officially announced their debut album Deep In View this week with the shuffling song “So Excited.” The single is a more detached look at their songwriting, combining drowned out vocals with urgent instrumentation to create a song which the band sees as a “capstone” of their upcoming debut.

Enumclaw — “2002”

Washington group Enumclaw have quickly positioned themselves as ones to watch with a handful of songs released in 2021. Now armed with a new label and new material, the group share the aloof single “2002.” As the self-proclaimed “best band since Oasis,” Enumclaw sure have a lot to live up to. But if their upcoming music is anything like “2002,” their assertions don’t seem so lofty.

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

The Haim sisters and Paul Thomas Anderson are peas in a pod. They’ve enjoyed a fruitful professional relationship over the years, most notably in recent days with Alana Haim starring in Licorice Pizza. Now, Anderson was part of the inspiration behind a new single from the group, a quick and gentle number called “Lost Track.”

On Instagram, the band explained the song’s origins:

“‘I’ll never get back what I lost track of’

We had that line written for the last year but could never figure out what to do with it. We kept writing it down, not knowing where it should live. Cut to PTA shooting the director’s cut issue for @wmag with our baby sister on the cover! An opportunity arose to do a quick music component while shooting the story. Paul mentioned having the book ‘Appointment in Samarra’ as a possible direction. So we did some digging around the book and were inspired by the scene where the main character throws a drink in someone’s face at a country club. We were inspired by the idea of someone doing something so drastic to get out of a situation they felt uncomfortable in – just to feel something. We finally remembered that lyric and wrote and recorded the song and shot the whole thing in a few days! Anyway, felt fun to do something very collaborative/ off the cuff.”

Listen to “Lost Track” above.

Elden Ring is one of the most highly rated games of all time. As reviews have poured in for the game the consensus across the games industry is that it’s a gem with some going so far as to call it one of the best games ever made. While nobody is shocked From Software, the creators of Dark Souls, managed to make another hit game it is a little surprising to see how seemingly everyone in the gaming space has been talking about their latest hit in Elden Ring.

Among those talking about is A Song of Ice and Fire creator, George R.R. Martin, who actually contributed to the creation process of Elden Ring. While he wasn’t in the game studio every day coding the game himself, he did have a significant role in the world-building and lore of the Elden Ring universe. He knocked his assignment out of the park because one of the best parts of Elden Ring has been exploring to see what this strange land has to offer. That’s been part of why the game has been reviewing so well. Martin has been happy to see all of those positive reviews and mentioned in a post about the game on his blog that all of the positive reviews have been “music to his ears.”

“Once in a generation… masterpiece… beautiful and brutal… a sumptuous open world… ”

Music to the ears.

Of course, almost all the credit should go to Hidetaka Miyazaki and his astonishing team of games designers who have been laboring on this game for half a decade or more, determined to create the best videogame ever. I am honored to have met them and worked with them, and to have have played a part, however small, in creating this fantastic world and making ELDEN RING the landmark megahit that it is.

Elden Ring on the review score aggregation site, Metacritic, currently sits between a 95 and 97 across all platforms. This puts it among many all-time great games such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Mario Galaxy. With how positively the game has been received we’re likely going to be hearing about this game for a long time. Martin and everyone at From Soft should be proud of what they’ve accomplished.

Following Donald Trump‘s speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida over the weekend, Jimmy Kimmel got right to work hammering the former president for continuing to push his “most insane” lie about Vladimir Putin as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. During his Monday night monologue, Kimmel blasted Trump for saying that no one was harder on Putin than him, to which Kimmel quipped, “No one was harder for Putin.”

The very same night the Ukraine invasion began, Trump made headlines for calling the move by Putin “smart” and “savvy,” so Kimmel really doesn’t want to hear from the former guy that he could’ve stopped all of this from happening when Trump’s love for Putin couldn’t be more blatant. Via HuffPost:

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not particularly interested in hearing Capt. Bone Spurs’ thoughts on war when his only military credentials are leading an attack on his own vice president at the Capitol,” Kimmel said. “Be an American for one minute and shut up. Even the clown from ‘It’ took a few years off between terrorizing children.”

As the late night host continue to blast Trump’s not exactly subtle appreciation for Putin, Kimmel got in a dig by gaming out how Trump will be screwed if Biden and the rest of the world cripple the Russian economy.

“This is a tough one for Donald Trump,” Kimmel said. “If Biden’s sanctions work and Russia runs out of money, in 2024 there’ll be no one to fund his campaign.”

(Via HuffPost)

Yesterday, Spotify’s old West Hollywood office was crowded with songwriters advocating for better pay, according to a Billboard reporter. Tiffany Red was the event organizer, a professional songwriter with clients like Jennifer Hudson and Jason Derulo. She founded The 100 Percenters, who stated on their website that the mission was to host “a peaceful protest in Los Angeles in support of better royalty rates for music creators from Spotify and other streaming platforms.” With picket signs, they demanded one cent per stream.

Protesters brought up the fact that Spotify gave notorious podcaster Joe Rogan a $200 million deal despite his repeated behavior of spewing misinformation and saying the N-word: “They tell us they can’t pay us more and then they go and give a podcaster that much money?” artist and songwriter Bianca “Blush” Atterberry said. They pointed out that Spotify is worth $67 billion. The protest, though, is a part of the group’s larger goal to get all streaming services to pay better including Apple Music, Amazon, and Pandora.

Meanwhile, UK indie group The Pocket Gods recently protested Spotify’s royalty rates for artists with 1000X30 – Nobody Makes Money Anymore, an album that consisted of 1,000 songs that all run for about 30 seconds. Bandleader Mark Christopher Lee noted his band earns about £0.002 (about a quarter of a US cent) from each Spotify stream of their songs.

YG and Moneybagg Yo cracked open a bank vault to perform amidst the crates of cash in their late-night performance of “Scared Money” on The Tonight Show. The pre-filmed performance finds YG and Yo dressed up in matching two-piece suits rapping the camera as dollar bills fly around them inside a replica bank vault. While their third collaborator, J. Cole, apparently wasn’t able to make the appearance, the remaining performers hold it down with charismatic stage presence and braggadocious rhymes.

YG and Yo appeared on The Tonight Show to promote YG’s upcoming album Pray For Me, which is due this year under Def Jam Recordings. The album will be the Compton rapper’s first since 2020’s My Life 4Hunnid, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 64,000 album-equivalent units in the first week. However, in 2021, YG did also release Kommunity Service, a joint album with Sacramento rapper Mozzy, which. produced the videos for “Bompton To Oak Park,” “Dangerous,” “Gangsta,” “Perfect Timing,” and “Vibe With You.”

Since then, YG has released one other single, “Sign Language,” and concentrated his efforts on his philanthropic endeavors, which included handing out more than $20,000 worth of his signature sneakers to former cons and delivered teleconferencing devices and applications for mental health services to low-income residents of Los Angeles.

You can watch YG’s late-night performance of “Scared Money” above.