Month: March 2023

Toosii is one of the newest rappers dominating social media. Even if you aren’t familiar with his music, you should know his name thanks to Drake’s 2020 track, “Toosie Slide.” Since then, the Syracuse, New York native has dropped his debut studio album, Poetic Pain, and a string of singles, including “Sapiosexual” (watch his UPROXX Sessions performance of the song here).

In a creative industry, it is only natural to pull inspiration from those acts around you. But, when Uproxx’s Cherise Johnson caught up with the entertainer at Rolling Loud California, he wasn’t shy about sharing his unwavering obsession with his own music. When asked about his favorite songs, he named only his past releases instead of naming other musicians. You should expect nothing else from the rapper.

Atop the list is his song, “Favorite Song.” During his performance, the song was clearly beloved by his concertgoing fans as well. Originally released in mid-February, “Favorite Song” debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot Rap songs and No. 17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs charts. Last week (March 4), the song debuted at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Also on the list are his songs “Love Is…” and “Head Over Hills.” Watch the full video above.

Rolling Loud is the festival where rappers go to make a controversial statements. Sometimes it doesn’t go over well. Hi, DaBaby. Other times, due to technical hiccups, it falls flat on the sea of fans. Although it didn’t happen onstage during his performance, rapper Toosii let his opinions on modern dating spill out.

His romantic adventures are often at the center of his music, including on songs, “Keeper,” “Head Over Hills,” and “What I’m On.” When asked by Uproxx’s Cherise Johnson, does he split the bill on the first date his response might come as a shock to many. Especially, the red pill, alpha male, manosphere, podcast mic-owning “dating experts.”

His initial answer to the question posed was, “No. Hell no. We not splitting no bill for nothing. We ain’t splitting bills on the first date, second date, third date, or last date. No, none of that. She gonna pay for everything.”

But before you get upset by the rapper’s response, he ensures it is all just a joke. Watch his full response to the question below.

Outside of Toosii’s first date and financial expectation rules for intimate dating, check out his UPROXX Sessions performance of his single, “Sapiosexual” here.

Last year felt like a make or break moment for the WWE 2K series. After the game’s poor technical performance became the focal point of WWE 2K20, the 2K22 iteration was refreshing, as it was a clear rededication to improving the system and making it easier than ever to play.

Following the successful return of the WWE 2K series, WWE 2K23 brings its ‘Even Stronger’ moniker to life with a slew of updates that make this year exactly that. Without even pointing to the ease of gameplay and updates to Universe and MyRise modes, WarGames makes this iteration a must-have.

Fans can choose between 6- or 8-man WarGames matchups and let chaos reign in the two rings surrounded by cell structure. The game plays out much like you’d see in an actual match — characters are constrained to a platform outside the ring until the clock hits zero and it’s time to head to the match. On the way to the ring, you can grab weapons, climb into the cage, freely move between both rings, and climb the cage for dive attacks. Despite up to eight opponents being in the cage, the two rings gives enough space for this match not to feel crowded.

“There have been a lot of new match types in this franchise throughout the years, and I have to say, hands down WarGames is the best new match type that has ever been introduced in this game,” said Bryan Williams from the Visual Concepts team.

According to the developers, the backstage brawl match in 2K22 helped pave the way for WarGames, and the same could be true for the next evolution of the game. What that next match type could be is currently isn’t known, but the early success of this new game mode has given the team the “confidence to dream” as they build for the future.

When it comes to the nuts and bolts of standard gameplay, it continues to be incredibly easy to pick up and play with no background experience. You can no longer be the king of the reversals and successfully earn the advantage every other move. Matches flow much more similar to what you’d see on an episode of Raw or Smackdown, with developers making significant improvements to stamina to maintain that realism.

Opponents will rely on strings of momentum and your character needing to take advantage of a narrow opportunity to turn the tide. You won’t reverse every time your opponent picks you up off the mat, but you can swing things if you guess right on the first strike from a combo string. Depending on your skill level, that can be frustrating for the more experienced users as you sit back and take a beating with limited openings, or it can level the playing field for folks newer to the gaming experience.

The realism of living out a WWE storyline doesn’t stop with the gameplay, as users have options of sifting through hours of gameplay across Showcase, MyGM, Universe mode, or MyRise.

Showcase lives out John Cena’s “Never Give Up” attitude by putting fans in charge of some of his most famous opponents. Developers listened to fan feedback with the boredom that comes with playing as the same character over and again, thus the change to this year’s game mode.

We hear from Cena and see actual footage from matches as he takes us through iconic moments, such as what he calls his favorite crowd ever from the Hammerstein Ballroom at ECW One Night Stand. As you play through Cena’s rise to stardom, there are plenty of unlockables that come with successfully completing challenges, including fun new modes, historic character models, and a surprise or two.

For fans opting to pave their own path, MyRise offers two unique storylines — The Lock and The Legacy. Through these custom superstars, players journey from the humble beginnings of a rookie, to being immortalized as a WWE Legend. I haven’t had a chance to test out the Legacy story, but the Lock follows what fans sometimes see on WWE television when an indie darling inks a deal with WWE, then is required to change their name, appearance, and style that made them beloved in the first place. There are exclusive unlockables throughout this mode and quirks that are made for die hards, such as a tip not to sneeze around “the boss.”

Those who’d rather use existing stars can find their home in Universe mode, which allows users to play as a single superstar — essentially functioning as a MyCareer for an existing star — or classic mode, giving you total freedom to build match cards as a blend between MyGM and sandbox.

Historically, the giant sandbox that is Universe mode has built rivalries by setting wrestlers up against each other and essentially letting it play out as it would. Arguably the biggest update to this year’s Universe mode is the inclusion of “rivalry actions,” implementing over 100 moments to steer rivalries whatever direction you choose and build momentum of characters through Attack, Cheap Shot, Sportsmanship, Disrespect, and Showdown categories.

These moments can happen at any point through an established show, including opportunities for stars to show up during a rival’s match as a special enforcer, beginning a given match with a knocked out referee, or even setting up a post-match beatdown.

If setting up the matches and letting them play out is more in your wheelhouse, MyGM returns this year with new playable GMs Xavier Woods, Tyler Breeze, and others, as well as new brands, such as NXT 2.0 and WCW. The unlimited seasons offer challenges, such as Slammy Awards, Keepers before a given draft, and a competition to join the WWE Hall of Fame.

Between a plethora of game modes, MyFaction’s opportunities online, and one of WWE’s deepest rosters ever, WWE 2K23 raises the bar from what fans enjoyed last year. The game drops for Icon and Deluxe Editions on March 14, with the standard edition releasing on March 17.

Colin Farrell was clearly not a fan of Saturday Night Live mocking Irish accents over the weekend. While attending Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony, Farrell made it known that he saw the controversial sketch, which mocked him and his The Banshees of Inisherin co-star Brendan Gleeson. Farrell was sitting in the audience when host Jimmy Kimmel approached him with a “fan question,” that did not make the situation any better. The “fan” wrote in that they loved Farrell in Banshees, but they couldn’t understand a word he was saying.

“Watch SNL from last night,” the actor shot back in an obvious reference to the sketch that’s been getting widely roasted for dabbling in Irish stereotypes.

In the sketch, Farrell and Gleeson (played by Mikey Day and Molly Kearny, respectively) are stopped for some red carpet banter at the Oscars. However, they respond in thick, incomprehensible Irish accents, which prompts one of the hosts to quip, “Wow, and they haven’t even started drinking yet!”

You can watch the sketch below:

According to The Independent, the sketch was blasted for being “wildly offensive” on social media:

“Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson will be amongst the most charming and articulate nominees there tonight, but SNL still thinks it’s funny to reduce them to stupid, boring Irish stereotypes? Get in the bin,” one tweet read.

“I really don’t know who SNL thinks it’s appealing to whenever it does these god awful ‘the Irish are drunks and no one understands their accent’ bits. But you could say that about most SNL content tbh,” another viewer tweeted.

There’s also the fact that Farrell has spoken openly about his struggles with sobriety, which made the sketch even worse.

“Not the Irish alcoholic trope in reference to an actor who is very open about his journey with sobriety. Absolutely not the one SNL,” a Twitter user wrote. Even Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee couldn’t resist calling out the sketch.

(Via The Independent)

Tom Cruise was the star of the top-grossing movie of 2022 (at the domestic box office). James Cameron directed the biggest film of the year (at the worldwide box office). So, why weren’t they at the 2023 Oscars on Sunday?

A representative for Cruise told the Guardian that he wasn’t in attendance because “the actor is filming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part II, the action franchise’s upcoming eighth installment, in Europe.” If Top Gun: Maverick was named Best Picture, producer Jerry Bruckheimer would have accepted the Oscar; Everything Everywhere All at Once ended up winning. When Cruise found out that the Top Gun sequel lost, he let out his aggression by jumping his motorcycle over a pit of man-eating lions… I assume.

Meanwhile, Jon Landau, who produced Avatar: The Way of Water, told the New York Times that Cameron’s absence was due to “personal reasons.” If you direct three of the four highest-grossing movies ever, the Oscars need you more than you need the Oscars.

Host Jimmy Kimmel joked about Cruise and Cameron not being at the Oscars during the ceremony. “You know, Tom [Cruise] and James Cameron didn’t show up tonight. The two guys who insisted we go to the theatre didn’t come the theater,” he said. Kimmel later called Cruise “L Ron Hubba Hubba.” Hm, maybe that’s why he didn’t show up?

(Via the Guardian)

Drake interrupted the morning-after-the-Oscars news cycle on Monday, March 13, by announcing a tour with a sentimental Instagram video. The breadcrumbs have been all over the floor for a while.

As part of his and 21 Savage’s fake media blitz to promote Her Loss, their No. 1 November joint album, Drake floated that a co-headlining show at London’s O2 “has to happen.” He also explained on his Table For One SiriusXM vehicle that he was “excited for tour,” which he viewed as “just another opportunity for me to be with my brother.” The following month, he yet again all-but-confirmed a 2023 tour.

But now, it’s official: Drake and 21 Savage are heading out on the 29-date It’s All A Blur Tour — Drake’s first tour since 2018’s Aubrey & The Three Migos Tour.

Per press release, tickets will first become available for Cash App customers on Wednesday, March 15, at noon local time until Thursday, March 16, at 10 p.m. local time. The Sprite presale will run from noon local time to 10 p.m. local time on Thursday. The general public sale is slated for Friday, March 17, beginning at noon local time.

All ticket information can be found here.

Below, check out the official tour poster and all announced North American dates. (Additional shows will be revealed later, including a highly anticipated Toronto stop.)

06/16 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
06/19 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
06/21 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
06/24 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
06/28 — Miami, FL @ Miami-Dade Arena
07/01 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
07/02 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
07/05 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
07/06 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
07/08 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
07/11 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
07/12 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
07/14 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
07/17 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
07/18 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
07/25 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
07/26 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
07/28 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
07/31 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
08/12 — Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
08/13 — Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
08/18 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
08/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
08/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
08/25 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
08/28 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
09/01 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
09/05 — Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena

Season one of HBO’s The Last of Us just ended, but creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are already thinking about season two. There will be more Infected and more episodes covering a single game, but the same amount of Ellie actress / future Emmy winner Bella Ramsey, thank god, who won’t be recast.

“When she joined us, she was 17. She’s only, she’s 19 now. Which by the way is the age of Ellie in The Last of Us Part II. People were like, ‘she doesn’t look like [Ellie]. I’m like, it doesn’t matter. Just watch what happens,” Mazin told Deadline, adding, “And now they know.” Ted Cruz’s former Krazy Gluing roommate also addressed the criticism that season one didn’t have enough z-words, and whether that will change next season.

“We learned by watching the audience watch the show. I personally have noted how much they liked those encounters. And I think we have some really interesting things coming that will be satisfying without burying you.”

Another change coming to the show is that unlike season one, which covered the first game in its eternity, it will take “more than one season” to do justice to the events of The Last of Us Part II. “We will not say how many. But more than one is factually correct,” Mazin told UK GQ. Druckmann added, “Some of the stuff I’m most excited for are the changes we’ve discussed and seeing the story come to life again in this other version. And I think it’s exciting because it leans into those feelings you had from the game, really heavily, in a new way.”

The Last of Us season two isn’t expected to be back until 2025, at the earliest.

(Via Deadline and UK GQ)

In 2022, Drake and 21 Savage had a hit on their hands with the collaborative album Her Loss. Now, the two are gearing up to bring the project out on the road with the It’s All A Blur Tour set for later this year.

Drake fans may notice that there aren’t currently any Toronto shows scheduled, but additional dates for that city and others are set to be announced at a later date.

Find the full list of dates so far below.

06/16 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
06/19 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
06/21 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
06/24 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
06/28 — Miami, FL @ Miami-Dade Arena
07/01 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
07/02 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
07/05 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
07/06 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
07/08 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
07/11 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
07/12 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
07/14 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
07/17 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
07/18 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
07/25 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
07/26 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
07/28 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
07/31 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
08/12 — Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
08/13 — Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
08/18 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
08/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
08/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
08/25 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
08/28 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
09/01 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
09/05 — Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena

This post is being updated.

Lady Gaga had a big night at the Academy Awards yesterday (March 12). Her Top Gun: Maverick song “Hold My Hand” was nominated for Best Original Song (although, just like at the Golden Globes, Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, and Rahul Sipligunj’s “Naatu Naatu” from RRR won). She delivered a powerful performance of the song during the ceremony, ditching her fancy red-carpet look for something more subdued (which her powerhouse vocals were not).

Even on the red carpet, she had a noteworthy moment.

Multiple clips of the incident show a photographer attempting to walk around behind her, but he trips and falls down while doing so. Once she realized what happened, Gaga ran over to the man to help him up and asked if he was OK.

Some people observed, though, that Gaga may not have cared for the man’s response to her gesture, as he gave her a couple pats on the waist once he was back up. Gaga appeared surprised by the touch, as she looked down at where it happened and changed her facial expression.

As one Twitter user wrote, though, “I don’t believe that man meant to SA her, he was just frazzled and wanted to give her thanks. It all happened so fast. With that being said tho she is a victim of SA so I do believe it left her a little confused as to whether that pat was ill intent tho.” Another theorized, “I think she was looking at the woman who was knelt down. Regardless, it was obviously something that happened quickly as you said & surely no one had any ill intent.”

Regardless, there were plenty of social media users who praised Gaga’s kind instincts to immediately help out when she noticed that something had happened (including Dove soap and MTV).

Ice Spice is rap music’s latest darling. The Bronx native made a splash with the release of her breakout single “Munch (Feelin’ U)” and has continued to dominate across streaming platforms thanks to her debut EP Like…?. To some, the musician’s quick success comes as a shock. However, to Ice Spice, she manifested this years ago.

After earning her first Billboard Hot 100 chart placements — thanks to the singles “Gangsta Boo” featuring Lil Tjay at No. 82 and “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2” with PinkPantheress currently at No. 4 — Ice Spice power of manifestation is hard at work. Another thing she manifested was grabbing the attention of rap legend Nicki Minaj.

Back in 2020, Ice Spice tweeted, “Omg, Nicki just followed me agh,” before following up to letting it be clear, it hadn’t happened yet, writing, “practicing.”

However, it didn’t take long before Nicki Minaj actually followed her. Shocked by the moment, yesterday (March 12), Ice Spice returned to the initial post, quote tweeting to write, “omg,” to confirm Minaj has indeed followed her on Instagram.

A follow from Nicki Minaj is quite rare indeed. In fact, Minaj is known for using social media to only connect with her extreme Barb fans. To this day, Minaj only follows a handful of fellow rappers, including JT and Yung Miami of the City Girls, Bia, Katie Got Bands, and a few others. All of those are former collaborators, which has led fans to believe that the pair would jump into the studio soon.

Minaj further fueled the rumors by commenting, “Btchs slow so I gih dem a pass. Nah. Grah! No more passes Princess…Let’s go,” on Ice Spice’s latest Instagram posts.

Ice Spice has publicly shared her love for Minaj several times, just recently on stage on Rolling Loud. “I’m standing on the same stage Lil Wayne and my idol Nicki Minaj were less than 24 hours ago. My life is insane,” Spice said.