Month: February 2023

Tensions flared in the third quarter of Thursday night’s game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Memphis Grizzlies. Donovan Mitchell and Dillion Brooks got into it with one another after Brooks hit Mitchell below the belt, the Cavaliers star unsurprisingly reacted strongly to the whole thing, and players and coaches from both teams sprinted in to break up the ensuing fracas.

Brooks was contested at the rim by Evan Mobley while the Cavaliers were up, 81-76, with 5:48 left in the third. The ball landed in Mitchell’s hands, at which point Brooks rolled over and smacked Cleveland’s All-Star guard below the belt with his left hand.

Mitchell was not a fan of the maneuver by Brooks, who was called for a foul. After he fell to the ground, Mitchell threw the ball at Brooks, and while the Grizzlies wing was not in any rush to get off the ground, Mitchell sprung to his feet and shoved Brooks, which led to things really popping off. Brooks got shoved to the ground and appeared to get tackled as he was trying to get up by a Grizzlies assistant, and eventually, everyone was able to get separated.

Both Mitchell and Brooks were eventually ejected after the situation was reviewed. If there is any additional punishment, we should hear about that in the coming days.

After hinting at it for a while, Unknown Mortal Orchestra finally announced their forthcoming double album, V, and that it will drop next month.

The new single, “Layla,” pulls from Ruban Nielson‘s influence in “Hawaiian Hapa-haole music,” according to a press release. He also dropped a music video, directed by Vira-Lata, that is the first in a two-part series about two young women.

Last October, they also teased the new album with “I Killed Captain Cook” and another video — this time that starred Nielson’s mother Deedee Aipolani Nielson, who was Miss Aloha Hula in 1973.

“In Hawaii, everything shifted off of me and my music,” Nielson shared in a statement. “Suddenly, I was spending more time figuring out what others need and what my role is within my family. I also learned that things I thought were true of myself are bigger than I thought.”

“My way of making mischief – that’s not just me – that’s my whole Polynesian side,” he added. “I thought I was walking away from music to focus on family, but the two ended up connecting.”

Listen to “Layla” above. Below, find the V album cover and tracklist.

1. “The Garden”
2. “Guilty Pleasures”
3. “Meshuggah”
4. “The Widow”
5. “In The Rear View”
6. “That Life”
7. “Layla”
8. “Shin Ramyun”
9. “Weekend Run”
10. “The Beach”
11. “Nadja”
12. “Keaukaha”
13. “I Killed Captain Cook”
14. “Drag”

V is out 3/17 via Jagjaguwar. Pre-order it here.

Maluma and Marc Anthony have teamed up for an all-too-relatable break-up anthem. On their new collaboration, “La Fórmula,” the two Latin music superstars are trying anything to get their past loves off their minds.

On the chorus, each of the two take turns singing, “No hay una fórmula para olvidar tus besos / Ni una ecuación que el resultado lleve a eso / Por más que sume y multiplique, me da menos / Ya que te fuiste, por fa’, no te vayas lejos,” which, in English, translates to, “There’s no formula to forget your kisses / Nor is there an equation that leads to that / No matter how much I add and multiply, it gives me less / Since you left, please, don’t go far away.”

In the song’s accompanying visual, Maluma and Anthony are seen cutting vocals to the duet in a recording studio. It appears the bro time is therapeutic as they recover from their respective broken hearts.

The song is expected to appear on Maluma’s next album, which would follow up last year’s The Love & Sex Tape. Not much is known about the upcoming album, however, it appears Maluma may be introducing a new alter ego with this project. In an Instagram post teasing “La Fórmula,” Maluma shared a clip from the video and captioned it with “EMPEZÓ LA ERA DON JUAN,” which means “Let the era of Don Juan begin.”

Check out “La Fórmula” above.

It sure seems like Derek Carr will never play football again as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. After losing the starting job at the end of the 2022 NFL season and leaving the team altogether, Carr, the veteran signal caller who has spent his entire NFL career with the franchise, is among the quarterbacks who are expected to seek greener pastures during the offseason, while the Raiders are listening to trade opportunities.

Where he ends up is unclear, but Carr has a little bit of unfinished business in Sin City. No, he doesn’t have to do anything with the Raiders — Carr was one of the AFC’s alternates in the Pro Bowl this year, so he’s participating in the festivities in his soon-to-be former digs. This included slinging the pigskin around during the Pro Bowl Games on Thursday night, where Carr put on a show in the Precision Passing challenge and helped the conference pick up a win.

Carr looked excellent during the event, and afterwards, Ryan Clark of ESPN paid him a compliment, asking him if he’s ever been “that hot in Las Vegas.” In response, Carr couldn’t help but get a joke off.

“Not that hot,” Carr said with a smile. “That’s probably while I’m going somewhere else.”

The line was a hit, presumably because it is extremely funny. It’s not always easy being able to joke about this sort of thing, so good on Carr for finding some humor in what could be a tough situation.

Karol G has shared her hotly-anticipated new collaboration with Romeo Santos. On their new single, “X Si Volvemos,” the two have no regrets about parting ways, however, with their unmatched sexual chemistry, they can’t resist coming back to each other.

“Con eso nos vamos / pero antes de irnos / Vamos hacerlo por última vez, bebé / Que en el amor no, pero en la cama nos entendemos,” each of the two sing, which, in English, translates to, “With that we’re leaving, but before we go / Let’s do it one last time, baby / In love we don’t understand each other / but we do in bed.”

“X Si Volvemos” features production by Karol’s frequent collaborator, Ovy On The Drums, who has produced several of her tracks, including her Nicki Minaj collaboration, “Tusa, ” her Becky G duet, “Mamiii,” and the breezy, romantic track, “Cairo.”

The song is set to appear on Karol’s upcoming fourth studio album, Mañana Será Bonito, which, as she teased on social media, is arriving “soon.”

According to a press release, Mañana Será Bonito, which translates to Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful, was inspired by “a difficult and intimate time in [Karol G’s] life” and named after “a mantra she would tell herself when things weren’t going so well.”

While we wait for what’s sure to be an incredible album, you can check out “X Si Volvemos” above.

Ahead of the 2023 Grammy Awards this weekend, the Recording Academy has announced that they’ll be hosting a special segment to honor the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. LL Cool J will open the tribute with an introduction and a performance.

Questlove is the segment’s producer and musical director. He will also be providing music with his band, The Roots. Another hip-hop group, Black Thought, are set to narrate.

Fans can also expect to catch Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz, and Too $hort contributing to the hip-hop dedication.

“For five decades, hip-hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy’s CEO, shared on their website.

“Its contributions to art, fashion, sport, politics, and society cannot be overstated,” he added. “I’m so proud that we are honoring it in such a spectacular way on the Grammy stage. It is just the beginning of our year-long celebration of this essential genre of music.”

The 2023 Grammys will air live on CBS and Paramount+ this Sunday, February 5 at 8 p.m. ET.

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

On Thursday, the NBA announced the reserves for the 2023 All-Star Game, as voted on by the league’s coaches. That comes on the heels of starters already been chosen and announced, meaning 24 exceptionally talented individuals have tickets punched for Salt Lake City in mid-February.

As always, there are disagreements on the margins when it comes to which players should, or should not, have been included, and the 2023 slate is no different. DIME’s Jackson Frank put together his choices for the reserves, which did not match the coach’s in perfect fashion, and if you glance at the internet, the word “snub” might be trending by the time you read this. Alas, it is impossible to make every constituency happy, but in an effort to highlight some of the players who narrowly missed the cut, here is a look at the most prominent snubs.

Honorable mentions

• Kawhi Leonard (28 games played), Anthony Davis (28 games played), and Devin Booker (29 games played)
• Jalen Brunson
• Darius Garland
• Aaron Gordon

James Harden

If he qualified (34 games), Harden would be leading the NBA in assists with 11 per game. He’s also shooting more than 39 percent from three-point range on the way to a 61.9 percent true shooting mark. Harden will always be a polarizing player given his on-court style, and that was the case even before his playoff flame-outs gained more attention and his exits from Houston and Brooklyn drew widespread ire. He’s still very, very good, though, and his absence could be almost certainly tied to missing 16 of 50 games.

Pascal Siakam

Siakam has never been the most efficient star, and that is the case this year with 56 percent true shooting in 43 games. Still, he is leading the NBA in minutes per game (37.7) and putting up huge counting stats (24.9 points, 8 rebounds, career-high 6.2 assists per game) for a team that badly needs him to carry the load. Siakam was almost certainly dinged for a lack of team success, but it could be argued he’s been better this season than he was a year ago, and Siakam was a second-team All-NBA selection in 2021-22.

Jimmy Butler

I guess the coaches only had room for one member the Heat. Butler is certainly a top-12 player in the Eastern Conference in an overall sense, and he brings two-way value to the proceedings. Is he limited by his jumper at times? Sure. Has he played only 37 games? Sure, and that’s probably part of the reason. But it does feel weird to have Jimmy Butler playing a notable majority of his games, playing quite well, leading a pretty good team, and not making the trip to Salt Lake City.

Trae Young

This is the second snub for Trae Young in three years and, by the numbers, it is wild to leave him off. Young is No. 3 among qualified players in assists (9.9 per game) and No. 13 in scoring (27 per game). Those are league-wide numbers, not just the East, and he’s the only player in the NBA averaging at least 27 points and 8.5 assists per game. Also, the Hawks are much better when Young plays than when he sits, particularly on offense, and he isn’t really at fault for Atlanta’s .500 performance this season. Still, Young will always been controversial for his lack of defense and, as soon as the Hawks didn’t live up to expectations, his absence here was foreseeable.

Anthony Edwards

No player in the NBA has played more minutes (1,977) than Edwards and he has career-highs in true shooting percentage, assist rate, defensive rebound rate, steals, points per game, and myriad additional categories. There is probably a theme on this list in that team success always plays a huge part, and the jokes were flying about Minnesota for the entire first half of the season. Ironically, the Wolves are in the top six of the West on the night of the announcement, and Edwards had a pretty interesting claim on an All-Star spot.

De’Aaron Fox

It would’ve been fun to get two Kings players on the list. Domantas Sabonis did make the cut, which was the right decision when choosing one member of Sacramento’s roster, but Fox has a case himself. He has been exceptionally good in clutch situations this season, helping to lead Sacramento to its gaudy record. He also has a career in true shooting percentage (59.1 percent) and a career-best mark in turnover rate to go along with 24.3 points and 6.1 assists per contest. It’s not baffling that he was left off or anything, but there was a real case for him to make it.

Last month, Iggy Azalea revealed her “Hotter Than Hell” OnlyFans project. Through “Hotter Than Hell,” Azalea shares music, illustrations, poetry, photography, and videos encompassing sexuality, and nodding to the concept of the centerfold model.

This week, a since-deleted tweet from popular stan Twitter account @ThePopTingz reported (per HotNewHipHop) that Azalea’s “Hotter Than Hell” project had garnered her over $4.2 million in profits since its launch. This number was said to have come from Azalea’s makeup artist, however, Azalea quickly shut these rumors down.

“FALSE. That isn’t a real tweet. No one on my team would EVER do that,” she said in a tweet responding to the claim. “Y’all really need to stop lying! it’s not the way earning on onlyfans works stat wise. You can’t earn ALL THAT in subscriptions & yet only $512 dollar in messages.”

It doesn’t seem like Azalea plans to share her earnings anytime soon — or possibly ever. But if she does, she expects for her revenue to put her among the world’s top earners.

“Just know if I ever discuss what I earn it will be in Forbes,” she continued. “With loveeeeee!”

In addition to new music and “Hotter Than Hell,” Azalea plans to put out a coffee-table book by the end of this year, with images from the OnlyFans project.

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game will take place in just over two weeks, as the league will descend on Salt Lake City for the annual midseason festivities in Utah.

A week ago, the league unveiled the starting lineups, headlined by LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will serve as captains in the game and make their selections in the All-Star Draft on Sunday night before tipoff. On Thursday night, the 14 reserves for the game were announced — seven from each conference — as the coaches from around the league made the tough picks on who would fill out the rosters.

As always, there are players who will feel snubbed by the selection process, but there’s a chance for one or two more players to find their way onto the All-Star rosters this year as injury replacements, as starters Kevin Durant and Zion Williamson are both sidelined currently with injuries and their ability to play in the game still in question.

WEST

STARTERS
Captain: LeBron James (Lakers)
Zion Williamson (Pelicans)
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
Stephen Curry (Warriors)
Luka Doncic (Mavericks)

RESERVES
Ja Morant (Grizzlies)
Domantas Sabonis (Kings)
Paul George (Clippers)
Shai Gilgeous Alexander (Thunder)
Damian Lillard (Blazers)
Lauri Markkanen (Jazz)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)

EAST

STARTERS
Captain: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
Kevin Durant (Nets)
Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
Kyrie Irving (Nets)
Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)

RESERVES
Joel Embiid (76ers)
DeMar DeRozan (Bulls)
Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
Bam Adebayo (Heat)
Jrue Holiday (Bucks)
Julius Randle (Knicks)
Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)

It’s been a weird NFL season for the Jim Nantz and Tony Romo pairing on CBS. The two were once viewed as the best booth in the game, with Romo in particular drawing praise for his ability to diagnose plays before the ball was snapped and serve as a breath of fresh air in a role that can become very stale very easily.

But recently, Nantz’s general operating procedure and Romo’s scattershot approach to calling a game has come under an increasingly level of fire from football fans, particularly as Romo’s NFL career becomes more and more of a distant memory. And in the most recent episode of “The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast,” Andrew Marchand laid out some of the issues that are going on behind the scenes with the pair.

“If he had someone who could bounce things off of and who could make some of the stuff Tony says work, it would probably be better,” Marchand said at the 9:57 mark of the podcast. “But the problem is, Nantz is about Nantz, he’s been like that for a long time — you see it in the postgame when he does the broadcast and then he’s going down and doing the podium, I don’t understand why Tracy Wolfson or someone else can’t do that. That doesn’t make sense to me, they have everyone there, too. But it’s Nantz all the time, so that’s number one.

“Number two is, when you struggle as … we heard about this, this was a narrative out of CBS when Romo was getting all the publicity, and then you heard from Nantz’s side and people at CBS that Nantz was the one creating Romo,” he continued. “And so, the issue now is, why isn’t Nantz helping Romo get to this next level? All that said, Tony Romo needs to study more, needs to be better prepared, because as you move away from the sidelines and not studying tape, you need to do more work. And I know CBS is aware of this, they tried to intervention last offseason. They knew, they anticipated this, so that’s a credit to them, people in charge there. But it has not gotten better and it’s a problem.”

Marchand and John Ourand went on to lay out some of the things that are wrong here — Ourand brought up concerns that Romo could be like his former Cowboys teammate, Jason Witten, while Marchand mentioned the “fear” that “the broadcast lacks discipline” in the lead-up to CBS airing the Super Bowl next year — before Marchand revealed that he’s skeptical that the intrapersonal dynamics between the two are strong.

“The idea that they’re getting along, too, I don’t think that’s true,” Marchand said at the 13:53 mark. “They can do interviews and say we love each other, I know better, I think, in terms of what goes on. And I think that’s an issue, and I don’t know if they’ll … they gotta figure out a way, I’m not saying there’s no turning back, but they’re in a difficult spot.”

While we don’t quite have a full-blown Shaq and Kobe with the Lakers situation here yet, it sure seems like this is a situation worth monitoring in the lead-up to next year’s Super Bowl.