Month: March 2023

Over the years, Lana Del Rey has been accused of many things. Since the release of her major label debut album, Born To Die, some critics have claimed she glorifies abusive relationships, and others have accused her of cultural appropriation through her sound and fashion choices.

Many of Del Rey’s critics rehashed these criticisms back in March of 2021, upon the release of her seventh album, Chemtrails Over The Country Club, on the cover of which she is seen surrounded by mostly white women. Seven months after the release of Chemtrails, Del Rey released her eighth album, Blue Banisters, following minimal promotion.

In an interview with Rolling Stone UK, Del Rey said she released Blue Banisters as a way to explain herself amid the accusations of cultural appropriation and glorifying domestic abuse.

“I was just like, ‘Let me try and write an album that maybe could explain why, if that was true, let’s say, I could potentially identify with certain modes of operating,’” she said. “So, Blue Banisters was more of an explanatory album, more of a defensive album, which is why I didn’t promote it, period, at all. I didn’t want anyone to listen to it. I just wanted it to be there in case anyone was ever curious for any information.”

It appears Lana came as close to reaching the goal of nobody listening to the album as somebody as famous as she is could: It’s her lowest-charting major-label album, her only one to not peak within the top three spots of the Billboard 200 chart.

Over the past couple of years, the number of artists selling off portions of their publishing catalogs has risen greatly, with artists from classic rockers like Bob Dylan and Sting putting up their legacy hits to hip-hop artists like Future, Iggy Azalea, and Metro Boomin cashing in on more recent material. Even R&B and pop stars stars like John Legend, Justin Bieber, and Justin Timberlake have joined the gold rush, while the estates of both Juice WRLD and Michael Jackson have sold the stars’ catalogs.

So, why are so many artists selling their old music?

Well, it likely comes down to a couple of reasons. The first, and most obvious, is for the cash payout. While publishing is still the most lucrative revenue stream for artists outside of playing live shows and doing brand partnerships, publishing is really only profitable when songs are licensed for use in advertising, film, television, or sampling in other artists’ music. However, there really are only so many opportunities available there, and things like streaming don’t generate the kind of income that actual album sales did back in the day.

As the late David Crosby wrote on Twitter when he sold his catalog, “I can’t work …and streaming stole my record money …I have a family and a mortgage and I have to take care of them so it’s my only option ..I’m sure the others feel the same.” Now that he’s gone, that cash is likely a comfort to his family — and much easier to deal with than administrating his massive catalog. As country star Travis Tritt said when he sold his catalog to Reservoir Media, “The biggest reason for me selling was not to leave a huge headache for my family that would have to try to administrate a catalog. I’d rather leave them cash.”

The other big reason stars might be selling their catalogs has to do with taxes. Because of the way income is taxed from royalties, artists might end up keeping more of their money by selling the publishing rights all at once. Royalty payments are viewed by the IRS as regular income, which could be taxed as high as 37 percent under current tax codes depending on how much those royalties are. However, a catalog sale is taxed as capital gains — which has a much lower max rate of 20 percent.

With the current administration working to close that loophole, many artists and their business managers view it as a limited window of time to take advantage of it, and they are doing so before time runs out. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, it also makes sense because while the long-term realization of the catalogs’ value will likely be many times when artists are being paid for them now, most artists probably won’t see all that potential — even if they aren’t as old as, say, Sting.

Getting a guaranteed eight figures now rather than a possible larger payout some indiscriminate time in the future seems like a pretty good deal. After all, you can’t take it with you and you’d rather be able to enjoy it while you’re young enough to do so. And while there may be some unintended consequences down the road — monopolies are never good — for now, it would appear to be in artists’ best interests to cash out while their hand is hot — because everyone cools off eventually.

For more information, check out The Washington Post‘s coverage.

WWE has announced that Bad Bunny will make his return to the squared circle for the first time since taking an F-5 from Brock Lesnar at the 2022 Royal Rumble when he hosts the premium live event Backlash in Puerto Rico on May 6.

Backlash will take place live from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It will also mark the first WWE premium live event to take place in Puerto Rico since January 2005. In a release, Bad Bunny expressed regret over being unable to attend that pay-per-view, which was headlined by an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship which was won by Triple H.

“In 2005 when I was a kid, I wasn’t able to attend New Year’s Revolution at el Coliseo,” said Bad Bunny, per the release. “Finally, 18 years later WWE returns to the island with a massive event and this time I won’t miss it.”

Bad Bunny’s inclusion at Backlash comes after he stole the show at WrestleMania 37 in a match where he teamed with Damian Priest to defeat The Miz and John Morrison. It also follows him becoming a playable character in the upcoming WWE 2K23 game, slated for nationwide release on March 17. Pre-ordering any version of the video game will come with access to the Bad Bunny Bonus Pack, which includes Bad Bunny on the game’s roster and a Ruby Bad Bunny MyFACTION Card.

In early March, Jake Gyllenhaal surprised MMA fans by showing up at UFC 285 to film scenes for his upcoming remake of the Patrick Swayze classic Road House. While weighing in for his fictitious scene, Gyllenhall looked noticeably jacked as the actor prepared to enter the ring with fellow actor Jay Hieron. Apparently, Gyllenhall’s take on Elwood Dalton will involve the barroom bouncer being an ex-UFC fighter in the reboot, and actual MMA champ Conor McGregor will be along for the ride.

You can see Gyllenhaal looking absolutely shredded as he filmed Road House scenes at the UFC event in Las Vegas below:

What makes Gyllenhaal’s buffed up look all the more surprising is the actor spent a good bit of 2022 touting his plant-based diet. During a May appearance on TODAY, the actor talked about his family’s long history with eating healthy and how that led him towards plants as the bulk of his nutrition:

“My father was already healthy going up and trying different things. he was the first person to introduce me to soy milk. He cooked things with tofu. When you have models like that, it influences you,” he said. “I think that’s been passed onto me.”

Today, Gyllenhaal said he eats mostly, but not exclusively, plant-based foods. The movement toward a plant-based diet was gradual, stemming from a combination of watching documentaries and simply tracking how he felt based on what he ate.

As for whether or not Gyllenhaal added meat to his diet to bulk up for Road House isn’t known yet. However, UFC president Dana White did crack a joke about where the actor may have got his muscles.

“Listen, what can I say? He looks good,” White told Insider. “I don’t think he’s been USADA tested, but he looks great.”

For those who don’t know, USADA stands for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. We’re going to go out on a limb here and assume that an all-natural guy like Gyllenhaal probably isn’t using steroids. Adding chickens to the mix Hugh Jackman-style? We can definitely see that.

(Via TODAY)

Logic dropped a cover of Ice Cube’s “It Was A Good Day,” and the interesting nature of it has people talking.

The video finds Logic backed by two guitar players — who do a good job at recreating the instrumental — and a green screen that displays clips of Cube. However, unlike the original, he gave it an almost indie spin attempt that has divided the internet.

“I mean I hate logic so I can’t let this rock. But if I’m just listening to the music, Lemme get Frank Ocean covering the joint. The same background players is straight they solid lol,” one person replied.

“Bruh skipped a whole 8 bars. And corny asf,” another commented.

Despite the thoughts many had on the video, it seems a certain relative of the covered rapper has the final say.

“I respect logic,” Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., tweeted. “I think he can rap. And that’s all I really need. But bruh….if if ever hear you sing about my mother again… it’s gone be a misunderstanding lmaoooo!”

Still, that hasn’t stopped him from participating in the jokes about the cover of his dad’s song. One user dropped a clip from The Hangover where a guy gives an off-kilter cover of 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop,” to which Jackson replied, “Bar for bar!!”

View Logic’s “It Was A Good Day” cover above.

Most of us know that while we colloquially throw around the word “narcissist” to label someone as arrogant or selfish, those who are actually diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) are quite rare.

We also know that self-aware narcissists are even rarer. And yet, TikTok has become a booming platform for self-described narcissists to offer insights into how their minds work and even encourage others to seek therapy. This makes sense—you get the ego-boosting attention of likes and views while also developing more altruistic intentions. Win, win.

At the very least, it seems to be further proof that while NPD is a serious disorder that can leave a trail of hurt and abuse in its wake, no two people are alike, and we find more understanding in not lumping all narcissists together.

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TikTok creator Lillith (aka @toxiccwaste0) claims she was formerly diagnosed with NPD in 2021. Bearing in mind we only have anecdotal evidence to go on, Lillith describes behaviors that do align with certain NPD-specific criteria—including a lack of empathy, intense pleasure-seeking, and a habit of “love-bombing”—as she shares her experience of being what she calls a “reformed narcissist

One video, which currently has over 76,000 views, shows Lilith responding to someone’s question about the worst thing she had done physically or mentally to someone. Liltih obliged, adding the warning that anyone who could relate to what she was saying should seek help.

“I’m prefacing this with: This is wrong and you shouldn’t do this to people,” Lilith began, adding that she always viewed potential relationships as a “game of chess” rather than anything romantic.

“Everything that I said or did was planned and thought out to get reactions and to get people to do certain things,” she said. “So I pushed people to really bad places.” One example she gave was an account of manipulating a person into sending $150,000 over the pandemic using triggers she had picked up on.

“I was telling him to kill himself and was being really mean and making him cry all the time, and I would lie to him and then I would give him doses of what he wanted,” Lilith said. “But I was mostly just really abusive…I just wanted to keep him so I could keep using him.”

Watch:

@toxiccwaste0 Replying to @jakiviachantae I always said I’d answer anything honestly, I honestly am so ashamed of this stuff and it’s mad weird of me to put it on the internet but here I am lol #npdtiktok #clusterbpersonalitydisorder #narcawareness #narcissist ♬ original sound – lilith

Though she used to consider her ability to “implant thoughts” into people’s brains as cool, Lilith shared that now she feels “disgusted.” She also wrote in the comments section that she has no desire to be considered a “role model,” but instead sees her confessional-style videos as a form of possible redemption for her “terrible choices.”

Many people saw Lilith taking accountability as a good thing and even validating for some who had been previously abused by narcissists.

One person wrote, “If you’re a narcissist, coming here and admitting this sort of stuff is 100% healing.”

Another added, “All I’ve ever wanted from the people who treated me this way was to admit it and attempt to live in their truth. I appreciate you.”

Again, though it is not common for a narcissist to view their behavior as hurtful (hence one reason it is so painful to be in a relationship with one), certain studies indicate that those with NPD can still learn aspects of emotional intelligence through therapy. And going off of Lilith’s plethora of videos detailing how she is trying to change, there seems to be a sliver of hope.

If you’d like to follow more of Lilith’s videos, you can find her on TikTok.

There’s something about Camp Cope’s music that feels inherently illicit.

At times, listening to the Australian trio’s songs can feel invasive, like walking in on two people having a special moment, like on the dejected “Stove Lighter” on their 2016 self-titled debut: “And I would sneak him into my mother’s house / Where he would draw the things I’d talk about / And we only ever made out / And listen to Tigers Jaw and UV Race,” Georgia Maq relays like a close friend on the phone, name-dropping bands you’d never expect to hear in a song.

On their 2018 LP How To Socialise & Make Friends, “The Opener” and the title track can catch the listener off guard as they call out sexism in the music scene: “It’s another man telling us we can’t fill up the room / It’s another man telling us to book a smaller venue.” These meta moments have a bewildering effect — a brazen crashing down of the fourth wall that didn’t seem possible until it happened. It finishes with the frustrated shout: “Yeah, just get a female opener / That’ll fill the quota.”

Formed in 2015 in Melbourne, Camp Cope is made up of Maq on vocals and guitar, Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich on bass, and Sarah Thompson on drums. They are often described by fans as underrated, which makes sense considering they’re label pedigree. While most Run For Cover acts end up with a devoted cult-following, Camp Cope never quite achieved the same success as their peers, perhaps because they weren’t as easily categorizable. In 2022 they unveiled the triumphant record Running With The Hurricane that opens with the razor-sharp line: “I’ve been seeing my, I’ve been seeing my / Seeing my own death / I’ve been laying down, I’ve been going down / Giving strangers head.” Then, nearly a year after its release, the band announced their breakup on Instagram: “CAMP COPE 2015-2023,” but still assuring that there’s “more to come.”

One of the most common forms of misogyny is the casual condescension from men for women to set aside the emotional from the logical. To separate the personal from politics. Camp Cope knew this is B.S., exploring the complex overlap between the two. Intimacy and vulnerability exist on the same plane as anger and protest. Complicated feelings mix with poetic images. On “How To Socialise & Make Friends,” Maq sings about riding her bike in the dark with no handlebars while reflecting on a complex relationship from her past: “Yeah I guess we both got our problems / And areas to improve / And I know one of mine is to go a night without sympathizing with you.” Never do Camp Cope come across as bitter — they are conflicted, in solidarity with one another and reaching for answers, redemption, and peace — especially as they lift each other up: “Show ’em, Kelly!” Maq howls on the climax of “The Opener,” one of the band’s most iconic moments.

The crux of Camp Cope can be found in the therapeutic ballad “I’ve Got You”: “There’s still some things I don’t understand / Like the casual blindness toward the cruelty of man.” Awash with empathy and persistence, the group’s material was a refreshing broth that approached rough issues with a rare nuance. Sometimes they were too honest for their own good: “And I said that I was sorry about that line / I only wrote it cause it rhymed,” Maq drawls on the impactful “UFO Lighter,” a poignant song buoyed by haunting guitars and capricious bass.

While their outspokenness was a big reason that most fans adored them, it’s possible that it’s also what kept them from getting further. When Maq unleashed “Joe Rogan,” a solo, pop-leaning song about a sh*tty dude (“There’s nothing more dangerous than a man who thinks consent is lame,” she sings), it was met with a wave of backlash over its “wokeness,” boasting a little over 500 likes on YouTube with dislikes at more than half of that and a slew of comments about being desperate for clicks. More recently, Thompson called out Bluesfest for the inclusion of Sticky Fingers, a band who have a history of abuse allegations. This raised the question of how intensely bands can engage in activism without suffering because of it.

The disbanding of Camp Cope can’t help but feel like a massive loss for the indie world. However, their impact remains. For The Conversation, Freya Langley reflected on all they’ve done for gender equality in the music scene in Australia, especially by spearheading the #ItTakesOne campaign, which focused on safety and representation for women at festivals. Merely their existence was empowering; they would have a whole room of music lovers yelling about sexism in productive, inspiring catharsis. Those anthems will live on.

Small samples can be dangerous. That is particularly true in the modern NBA, where three-point variance often dictates results and overreactions can be prevalent, particularly in the “dog days” of the season in March. With that said, the Phoenix Suns might just be terrifying.

This isn’t a hot take, of course, as Phoenix packaged considerable current and future capital to land Kevin Durant at the 2023 trade deadline. While Durant wasn’t immediately available to play due to injury, the Suns are 6-2 in the last eight games and on a three-game winning streak that showcases the team’s considerable ceiling. The Durant era began with the team leaning on its defense to pick up a win over Charlotte, which was a reminder that Durant is also a heck of a defender when engaged. Then, Phoenix zoomed to two of its top four offensive performances of the season in wins over Chicago and Dallas, with the latter coming in front of a large national audience.

In three appearances, Durant’s numbers are essentially out of a video game. He is averaging 26.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in fewer than 33 minutes per game, making 69 percent of his shots and posting a ludicrous 80.8 percent true shooting mark. Durant’s individual success is already translating to team dominance as well, with the Suns scoring 1.28 points per possessions when he’s on the floor with a +21.3 net rating. Throw in Devin Booker alongside Durant and that already absurd net rating jumps to +31.2, even when acknowledging it only covers 67 minutes of court time.

No team can keep up this pace, but the Suns do project to be a virtually unstoppable offense. After all, Booker is already a bonafide star, Deandre Ayton has less offensive pressure with Durant on board, and the presence of the two superstars creates a bevy of open looks for Chris Paul and a rotating cast of wing characters. Granted, the team needs to figure some things out, as Phoenix will ask someone from the group of Josh Okogie, Damion Lee, Terrence Ross, Ish Wainright, Torrey Craig, T.J. Warren, etc. to emerge, defend, and make shots.

Still, it would be wise to view Phoenix through a dangerous lens. The Suns do have a difficult remaining schedule (top-five in the league), but Phoenix is already in the top four of the West and within striking distance of both Sacramento and Memphis. At full strength, Durant lifts the Suns to a different stratosphere, even amid depth and defensive challenges, and the early returns are glowing for a project that already had many on the edge of their seats.

Where does Phoenix land in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s go.

1. Milwaukee Bucks (47-18, Last week — 1st)

Milwaukee no longer has the league’s longest active winning streak after losing to Philadelphia in narrow fashion this week. The Bucks were at risk of falling out of the top spot as a result, but Milwaukee turned around and won the next two games. An 18-1 record in the last 19 games is enough.

2. Denver Nuggets (46-19, Last week — 2nd)

The Nuggets have won 23 consecutive home games with Nikola Jokic in the lineup. Unsurprisingly, that leads Denver to the NBA’s best home record (30-4) and helps to provide the huge cushion the Nuggets now have over the field in the West. Some of that probably gets neutralized in a playoff atmosphere with less travel, but it’s an impressive run by any description.

3. Philadelphia 76ers (43-22, Last week — 5th)

Joel Embiid, James Harden, and company are playing great. The Sixers just finished a five-game road trip at 4-1, beating the Heat, Bucks, and Wolves along the way. With home games against Portland and Washington to come this week, the uptick could continue, and Philadelphia is only 1.5 games back of Boston for the 2-seed.

4. Phoenix Suns (36-29, Last week — 9th)

As noted above, Phoenix’s remaining schedule isn’t easy, but the Suns will have a home-heavy run in the next week-plus to get settled. The Suns have four of the next five in Phoenix wrapped around a quick trip to San Francisco to face the Warriors on national TV.

5. New York Knicks (39-28, Last week — 6th)

We focused on the Knicks last week and, if not for what happened on Tuesday, New York would be even higher. However, the Knicks lost at home to the Hornets. That’s a weird result that shouldn’t inspire concern, but it did happen.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers (41-26, Last week — 7th)

The vibes weren’t perfect in Cleveland as they trailed by 14 points after three quarters against Boston on Monday. The Cavs ended up tying the game, forcing overtime, and winning to avenge a loss at TD Garden earlier in the week. Cleveland does have a tough, two-game road test against Miami on Wednesday and Friday, but it’s sometimes interesting to gauge how much the feeling can change based on one quarter.

7. Boston Celtics (45-21, Last week — 3rd)

For the fourth time this season, the Celtics have lost three straight games. None of the losses were horrendous on paper, but Boston totally melted in blowing leads to both the Nets and Cavs. The Celtics did lose a heartbreaker to the scalding-hot Knicks but, in the big picture, there probably isn’t much to worry about. Granted, Boston does have an upcoming six-game road trip that could compound any lingering issues.

8. Sacramento Kings (38-26, Last week — 8th)

If you’re waiting for the Kings to fade, you’re still waiting. Sacramento is 6-1 since the All-Star break and the only loss came by four points on the second night of a back-to-back. That won’t stop the perception that teams should be lining up to face Sacramento in the first round of the playoffs, but the Kings are good. You can’t fake the No. 1 offense in the NBA over 64 games.

9. Memphis Grizzlies (38-26, Last week — 4th)

Ja Morant is away from the team. Brandon Clarke is out for the season. Oh, and the Grizzlies are 7-13 in the last 20 games. This ranking may be generous with how things are going for Memphis, and only the season-long profile keeps the Grizzlies here.

10. Brooklyn Nets (37-28, Last week — 18th)

It’s not as if any concern evaporated, but the Nets just won three games in a row. Only one of those wins came against a quality opponent, but Brooklyn erased a huge deficit against Boston and kept it rolling from there. As noted last week, the Nets’ talent is considerably better than the initial results after the trade deadline but, ultimately, Brooklyn remains an enigma.

11. Miami Heat (35-31, Last week — 14th)

Just a few days ago, the Heat were in the mud, losing six of seven games. Two home wins over Atlanta won’t change everything, but the Heat needed both of them. Now, the Heat are closer to the No. 6 spot than the No. 8 spot in the East, and Erik Spoelstra’s team still seems dangerous when everything comes together.

12. Golden State Warriors (34-32, Last week — 10th)

No one can figure out the Warriors. Everyone is trying, but nothing makes sense. Golden State has the fourth-most home wins in the NBA. Golden State has the fifth-most road losses in the NBA. The good lineups are good. The bad lineups are bad. Shrug.

13. Dallas Mavericks (34-32, Last week — 15th)

Dallas lost to Phoenix on Sunday and it honestly might have helped the perception of the Mavs. Luka Doncic blew a bunny on the final possession and, given that it was a shot he normally makes, it would be reasonable to conclude the Mavericks did everything they needed to beat the full-strength Suns. Dallas still has major defensive questions, but the offense is terrifying.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves (34-33, Last week — 13th)

It’s hard to be terribly inspired by the Wolves, but they’re just hanging around here. Minnesota is 3-1 in the last four games with the only loss to the Sixers. There is nothing wrong with that result (other than Joel Embiid torching Rudy Gobert), and the Wolves are still in the top eight of the West.

15. L.A. Clippers (34-33, Last week — 11th)

The Clippers finally won a game after the All-Star break. L.A. lost the first five games of the Russell Westbrook era and the takes were flying as a result. Admittedly, it took the Clippers facing a Grizzlies team without Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams, and Brandon Clarke to get back on the board with a win, but it happened nonetheless. The Clippers also have the chance to keep the momentum flowing with four straight at home, none of which are on a back-to-back.

16. Toronto Raptors (32-34, Last week — 12th)

The Raptors have been showing encouraging signs for about a month. Toronto is 9-4 in the last 13 contests, including a close loss to Denver on Monday. A two-game set in Los Angeles should provide another intriguing test this week, but the Raptors are back in the middle of the East playoff pursuit.

17. Los Angeles Lakers (32-34, Last week — 19th)

LeBron is out, but the Lakers aren’t folding. The biggest reason is Anthony Davis, who is averaging 33 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game in his last five appearances. Los Angeles is 3-2 since LeBron went down, and that is a big win.

18. Oklahoma City Thunder (31-34, Last week — 26th)

Every time the Thunder look to be cooked, they rise up. OKC is on a three-game winning streak behind stellar efforts from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. Things get more difficult with a road game in Phoenix on Wednesday, but this is a resilient bunch.

19. Washington Wizards (31-34, Last week — 16th)

Washington and Atlanta meet for a mini-series on Wednesday and Friday in the nation’s capital. That is a wildly important three-day stretch for the Southeast Division rivals, with valuable evaluation information sure to emerge.

20. Atlanta Hawks (32-33, Last week — 17th)

It continues to feel as if the Hawks are running in place. Atlanta made a quality hire in Quin Snyder, but that wasn’t going to change things overnight. The Hawks just got swept in a mini-series in Miami, failing to hold onto a double-digit lead on Monday. Atlanta still projects to reach the playoffs more often than not, but the Hawks are 32-33 despite clearly pushing hard for wins in the short term.

21. Portland Trail Blazers (31-34, Last week — 20th)

Portland is in the middle of a six-game road trip, which could’ve been a make-or-break stretch of the season. The Blazers are 2-1 to begin things, though Boston, Philadelphia, and New Orleans await this week. Long story short, it helps to have Damian Lillard carrying an immense workload.

22. New Orleans Pelicans (31-34, Last week — 22nd)

The downturn continues for the Pelicans. New Orleans is 8-22 in the last 30 games, which is mind-blowing after the team’s incredibly strong start. After all of that, the Pelicans are still in the play-in race, which speaks to how good things once were. Perhaps a four-game homestand, beginning Wednesday, can stop the bleeding.

23. Chicago Bulls (29-36, Last week — 24th)

Chicago is teetering on the edge of falling out of the play-in race. The Bulls are 3-9 in the last 12 games, and Chicago has to visit Denver on Wednesday. Given how the Nuggets have played at home, that’s a tough spot.

24. Charlotte Hornets (21-46, Last week — 27th)

This is probably too high for Charlotte with LaMelo Ball out. With that said, the Hornets are technically 6-3 in the last nine games, and Charlotte ended New York’s winning streak in surprising fashion on Tuesday.

25. Utah Jazz (31-35, Last week — 21st)

A four-game losing skid pushes Utah to the No. 13 spot. That is as far as the Jazz can possibly fall in the pecking order and, admittedly, Utah isn’t even dead in the play-in race. The Jazz are only halfway through a six-game road trip, however, and the losses could keep coming.

26. Orlando Magic (27-39, Last week — 23rd)

Efficiency has been a challenge for Paolo Banchero, even as he leads the Rookie of the Year race. He did put together a nice run recently, though, as Banchero is averaging 22.3 points on 47 percent shooting in the last six games. The next step will be boosting his season-long true shooting mark of 52.6 percent, because everyone can agree that won’t be enough in the current offensive environment across the league.

27. Indiana Pacers (29-37, Last week — 25th)

Since the All-Star break, Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 27.6 points and 12.2 assists per game. That is bonkers enough, but Haliburton also has a 74 percent true shooting mark. It’s not enough to give the Pacers a ton of short-term optimism to make the playoffs, but Haliburton is still the most important thing in Indiana.

28. Houston Rockets (15-50, Last week — 30th)

Other than the potential loss of ping-pong balls, it was a good week for the Rockets. Houston doesn’t usually win twice in a seven-day period and, even with a blowout loss to Brooklyn in the most recent game, the Rockets found something, albeit briefly.

29. Detroit Pistons (15-51, Last week — 28th)

Detroit now has the worst record, worst home record, and worst division record in the NBA to go along with the league’s longest active losing streak (nine). A case could be made for No. 30, but the Spurs just lost to the Rockets twice, so that is the difference.

30. San Antonio Spurs (16-49, Last week — 29th)

The Spurs recently won two games in a row. They give it back, though, losing to the Rockets in both games of a set. Given that Houston has been San Antonio’s closest competitor in the race for the bottom and the Spurs still have hideous underlying metrics, that explains this position.

Ahead of his new album, Oh Me Oh My, Lonnie Holley has shared a special new song with Bon Iver. On “Kindness Will Follow Your Tears,” Holley and Bon Iver vocalist Justin Vernon sing of the woes of getting older, remembering the words of those who raised them. But all-in-all, they maintain a sense of hope.

“Greatness come in the morning / Kindness will follow your tears / Greatness will come in the morning / And kindness will follow your tears / And dry them up / Down through the years,” Holley chants, over a Bon Iver-produced instrumental, with Vernon’s background vocals garnishing the track.

In the song’s accompanying visual, Holley is seen embracing art in a multitude of forms, including sculpture and portrait. He is also seen painting a picture of his own on a large block of canvas.

Holley primarily lives as an artist who works in a multitude of mediums. In an interview with Americana Highways, Holley explained how he maintains his momentum to create both music and artwork.

“The Spirit gave me the power to do all this,” he said. “I got my relatives’ mojo workin’ in me.”

You can check out the video for “Kindness Will Follow Your Tears” above.

Oh Me Oh My is out 3/10 via Jagjaguwar. Find more information here.

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl isn’t ready to put his barbeque apron and comfy grill shoes away just yet. Last week, the rocker partnered with the non-profit Hope of the Valley to provide 500 servings of barbecue at the local homeless shelter for Los Angeles residents.

The inclement weather did not stop the musician from spending 16 hours on the grill cooking ribs, pork butt, brisket, cabbage, coleslaw, and beans. Now, Grohl is volunteering his culinary skills yet again, this time to Feed The Streets, which serves the same greater-Los Angeles community.

On Instagram, the organization spoke about its mission, writing, “We’ve been trying to figure out ways to keep up with our activations and continue to put out 3,500 meals a month. It’s not an easy task, especially when several communities experiencing food insecurity rely on us for a decent meal five times a week.”

Continuing to outline Grohl’s involvement, “On one of those wet and cold rainy days, we received a text from none other than Dave Grohl (code name: Dolce & Gabbana) — he said he heard about what we were doing and wanted to help out. He spent 18 hours straight smoking brisket, ribs, and pork — with a cooking crew. They stayed up all night and into the sunrise.”

Following the full day of cooking and preparation work, Grohl and his team then packaged the food and transported it to MacArthur Park. The organization continued in their praise of Grohl, adding, “All they had to do was drop it off and leave. However, they decided to stay and work the line — serve the BBQ with our crew until everyone at the park was fed.”

Closing with, “If that ain’t a hero, we don’t know wtf is,” ensuring this wouldn’t be the last time they would be working together, “Stay tuned, D & G will be back on the blocks to serve Yucca and Skid Row soon.”