Month: March 2023

The Dare, Harrison Patrick Smith’s solo project, is back with a brand new song, “Good Time,” on the heels of his massive debut 2022 single, “Girls.” Opening with an attention-grabbing and fuzzy electronic instrumental, things eventually kick off with a click as he encourages listeners to “have some fun tonight.”

“Oh, come on, let’s turn the lights out,” Smith repeats in the verse before lowering his voice for the chorus. “Girl, I got no money / You got no money / We’ve got a good time.” Interspersed with rocking screams, it’s likely that this song will carry the craziest of parties throughout this year. And he seems to agree.

“‘Good Time’ represents the darker side of hedonism,’ Smith described about the song in a statement. “The hangover to the celebration of ‘Girls.’ It’s about trying to have fun when everything is f*cked up, and failing.”

As Smith told Uproxx last year, he hopes to continue the popular revival of indie sleaze.

“There’s a feeling of optimism and openness in underground music from that time that I feel faded into genre camps again in the mid 2010s,” he said. “I wanna bring that feeling back.” The musician also described his sound as “cheeky, fun, sexy, and punk.”

Check out The Dare’s new song “Good Time” here.

Miley Cyrus is repaying fans immensely for the massive success of her recent single, “Flowers,” off her forthcoming album, Endless Summer Vacation. As a treat, Cyrus has now dropped the song’s original demo.

“We were good, we were gold / Kind of dream that can’t be sold / We were right till we weren’t / Built a home and watched it burn,” she sings on the emotional-yet-empowering anthem. Compared to the original, this one has a much somber tone, with a slowed piano instrumental.

The standard version of “Flowers” has maintained its momentum, spending six weeks (and counting) at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 — making it the pop star’s longest-charting release to date. She’s also expressed her gratitude repeatedly on social media.

“Flowers is spending it’s 3rd week at #1 & as magical as this moment feels I know it doesn’t happen by chance,” Cyrus tweeted a few weeks ago “This song & it’s success represents the power of YOU! This is your moment & it’s my honor to be the messenger.”

Just a few weeks ago, fans had thought that there was a possibility that Cyrus would drop a “Flowers” remix with Bruno Mars, as there’s been theories that the song pulls inspiration from his 2012 track, “When I Was Your Man.” She also revealed the Endless Summer Vacation tracklist earlier this week.

Listen to Miley Cyrus’ demo version of “Flowers” above.

Is NM5 finally upon us? Tonight, Nicki Minaj finally shared the much-anticipated solo follow-up to her No. 1 smash hit, “Super Freaky Girl.” On her new single, Minaj introduces a new alter ego named “Ruby Red Da Sleeze,” for whom the single is named after.

On her new song, Minaj delivers her crafty bars over the Diwali riddim, as well as a sample of Lumidee’s 2003 hit, “Never Leave You (Uh Ooh, Uh Oooh!)”

Over the course of nearly two decades since Minaj first stepped on the scene, the rap game has evolved, but no matter the how much things change, or how long she’s been gone, Minaj reminds everyone that she always comes out on top.

“Only on them Cs if it’s breeze / Red Ruby Da Sleeze / Chinese on my sleeves / These wannabe Chun Lis / Anyway, ni hao / Who the f*ck told b*tches they was me know,” she raps.

With a new single, the Barbz are restless with anticipation, as it appears Minaj is getting closer to dropping her fifth studio album. She’s kept details about the album rather mum, however, in an interview with i-D last year conducted by JT of City Girls, Minaj revealed that it is on the way.

“I’m not gonna say when it’s gonna come out,” Minaj said, “but the album will be out soon.”

In the meantime, you can listen to “Ruby Red Da Sleeze” above.

During a new interview with Art Of Dialogue, Grandmaster Melle Mel (the lead vocalist of Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five) shared his personal thoughts about Eminem making the top five of Billboard‘s greatest rappers list — and did not hold back.

“Obviously, he’s a capable rapper,” Melle Mel said. “If you was talking about sales, he sold more than everybody. If you talking about rhyme style – OK, he got a rhyme style. But he’s white! He’s white! If Eminem was just another n**** like all the rest of us, would he be Top 5 on that list when a n**** that can rhyme just as good as him is 35?”

As the opposite, Melle Mel noted that he’d be able to match Elvis’ success if he was a white rapper.

“If he was a Black rapper, he wouldn’t even make the list probably,” he added. “Busta [Rhymes] … see this is the difference between who writes what list. Busta, I would say, is the No. 1 rapper overall. Nobody’s gonna take Busta. Busta could rap just as good as Eminem. Eminem, he has his style. He’s got a nice little tricky, gimmicky style … But to say that he would be [able to] sell as many records if he was just another brother, that’s not true. It’s just not.”

Listen to Melle Mel’s full thoughts on Eminem above.

WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s episode of Snowfall will be found below.

Season six of Snowfall is underway and it’s beyond clear that turmoil is at its highest in Los Angeles. In episode one, the Saint family is at war after Franklin stole more than $3 million from Jerome and Louie, a decision that was made after they refused to help Franklin after he had $73 million stolen from him. After failing to convince Franklin to return the funds, Jerome brutally attacked and killed Black Diamond as retaliation to begin the season.

In episode three, “Door Of No Return,” things begin with Leon and Wanda in Ghana. The couple left Los Angeles in the season five finale to escape the growing chaos in their home. In Ghana, Leon and Wanda are happier than they’ve ever been and they even got married. However, as the saying goes, home is where the heart is and Leon gets the increasingly loud call in his mind to return home and do what he can to fix and free both his friends and hometown. Upon his return to Los Angeles, Leon learns that Jerome killed Black Diamond after Franklin robbed him and Louie. Leon also discovers that Franklin’s war with Jerome and Louie has resulted in both sides being targeted as well as their places of business, their friends, families, and, associates. Leon tries to be a peacemaker, but neither side is receptive and because he has close ties to both sides, Leon is now left to make a decision: pick a side or stay far away from the whole war.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways that we have after season six’s episode one, “Door Of No Return.”

You Can’t Run From The Truth Because The Truth Will Find You

Leon’s departure from Los Angeles at the end of season five was most likely rooted in his desire to make it out of the mess alive and well. He no longer wanted to participate in the drug game, and with his longtime lover Wanda feeling the same way, an exit from it made perfect sense. However, during his time in Ghana, Leon realizes that he contributed heavily to the problem that ravaged Los Angeles. He sees a quote from Ghanaian president Jerry Rawlings during his time in the country and it reads, “The errors of the past must be corrected in order to reestablish the confidence of our people in a secure future.” He later visits an old slave castle and learns that some Africans took part in slave trade, something he likens to his participation in the drug game in Los Angeles. The truth is that Leon is very much a notable contributor to the mess in Los Angeles, and though he tried to escape the problem he helped cause, the truth about it followed him to Ghana and reminded him in a way that was too loud to ignore.

Peace And War Cannot Coexist

The Saint family has their hands in a lot of the bloodshed that is all over Los Angeles as a result of their drug operation. Franklin refuses to back down and so do Jerome and Louie, so as far as either side is concerned, the war will continue until someone falls down. Bless Leon’s heart as he returns to Los Angeles with the goal of getting the Saint the resolve their disagreements. Maybe it’s due to his absence, but Leon absolutely underestimates the severity of the war within the Saint family. This isn’t a simple disagreement that requires a conversation. Matter of fact, Jerome and Franklin tried that and it only made things worse. Leon desperately wants peace due to his love for the parties involved and for the fact that it will be the first step towards bettering the community. However, Franklin, Jerome, and Louie are so dead set on trading shots that it seems likely that the war will have to reach its most gruesome days before the desire for peace can even come into play.

Freedom Requires The Chance, The Will, And The Environment

One of my favorite moments from this episode comes after Leon and Wanda complete their tour of the old slave castle. After hearing stories about how some Africans contributed to slave trade, Leon realizes that it’s similar to his participation in the LA drug game and the pain it caused in his community. He then goes on to say that he believes it’s easier to escape slavery than it is to escape the hold crack can have on someone. He adds, “If you gave a slave an opportunity for freedom, he’ll take that and never look back. If you gave the same opportunity to a crackhead, they may always look back.” At this moment, Leon truly sees the grip that drug addiction can have on a single person, and the effects are amplified when it’s an entire community. Through his conversation, he seems to understand that gaining freedom requires the chance, the will, and the environment. The thought or the opportunity to be free from something must arrive, something that isn’t always present, especially to a drug addict. Then, the desire to go through with it must be there which is always a taller feat than expected. Lastly, the environment around you must allow you to achieve and maintain that, something that’s damn near impossible in LA where the government is the one putting the drugs into the communities. For Leon, he found freedom in Ghana but he failed to maintain it as his will to do so deteriorated in favor of returning to his true home and doing whatever he could to give them that freedom he briefly enjoyed.

Revenge Proves Its Own Executioner

Most of “Door Of No Return” is focused on Leon’s return to Los Angeles, his discoveries upon arrival, and his changed relationship with those he once considered close. However, in brief moments throughout the episode, we see interactions between Franklin and Jerome and things reach new levels that prove the war isn’t over yet. The two meet to discuss squashing things, but it only ends with Franklin disrespecting Louie in Jerome’s face, Jerome returning the favor by slapping Franklin, and Franklin retaliating by pulling a gun on Jerome (that now makes two Saint family members that Franklin has pulled a gun out on). Though Franklin, Jerome, and Louie are completely in their right to defend themselves, this back and forth is self-damaging just as much as it is hurtful to their new enemy. Franklin’s real estate office is riddled with broken glass and other damage, as is Louie and Jerome’s club. Franklin and Kane have lost people in the war and so have Jerome, Louie, and Deon. Though the war continues, the battles proves that Franklin, Jerome, and Louie are to blame for their own battle scars just as much as they are for the damage done on the other side.

New episodes of ‘Snowfall’ are available on FX on Wednesdays at 10pm EST/ PST.

It has been quite the week so far for conference tournament tensions boiling over. We saw some fireworks between Kentucky and Florida in the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, with Tatyana Wyche rocketing the ball at Ajae Petty’s head sparking a brawl that saw eight ejected.

On Thursday night in the Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, things escalated far beyond your typical basketball scuffle, when SIU-Edwardsville’s DeeJuan Pruitt threw a right hook at midcourt that caught UT-Martin’s Rifen Miguel square in the face. Miguel was leaning on Pruitt as he jogged up the floor with his hands in the air and before one of Pruitt’s teammates could pull him away realizing nothing good was going to come from this, Pruitt absolutely clocked him, sparking a brawl.

Pruitt, Miguel, and UT-Martin’s Jason Myers were all ejected for the fracas, with Miguel certainly getting the worst of it all as he took a brutal punch and was wobbly after. While Miguel’s antics running up the court were unquestionably annoying, punching him directly in the face was certainly not the appropriate retaliation and, should SIU-E end up winning and advancing in the tournament, one has to imagine Pruitt will not be available to play in their next game (or for most of the tournament) for his actions.

Tonight (March 2), John Mayer will make a special appearance on Impractical Jokers, pulling pranks on unsuspecting victims, as reported by People.

In a clip shared ahead of the show’s airing, the show’s pranksters James “Murr” Murray, Sal Vulcano, and Brian “Q” Quinn convince a stranger named Sage to pose as the Senior Vice President for fake company Donkey Dan’s Margarita Blenders.

In the clip, Mayer presents an original jingle for Donkey Dan’s.

“When we did that party, I had that idea for that song from the very beginning. I told you I wouldn’t even let you hear a bar of it until I got into a room with you,” says Mayer in the clip.

He sings, “Fist fights and fender benders / He sings Donkey Dan’s Margarita Blenders.”

Unfortunately, Sage is tasked with breaking the news to an enthusiastic Mayer that the company cannot afford to use his music.

After Mayer sings the song, Sage tells him, “OK, no… we’re sticking to the program,” appearing unimpressed by the song.

Mayer then tries to convince Sage to give him another chance, saying, “I promise you if I never played it again, you’ll be singing it when you took your shoes off tonight.”

You can check out a sneak peek here.

It’s possible that you will know what Star Trek 4 is about before Chris Pine. According to the Captain Kirk actor in his new Esquire profile, the cast is always the last to know anything about the Star Trek films, joking(?) that the costume department read previous installment script drafts before he ever got one.

“I would say it’s frustrating,” Pine said about being kept in the dark about the pre-production process. “It doesn’t really foster the greatest sense of partnership, but it’s how it’s always been. I love the character. I love the people. I love the franchise. But to try to change the system in which things are created — I just can’t do it. I don’t have the energy.”

Granted, it might be even more frustrating this time around, because the fourth film is in a bit of development hell following Quentin Tarantino and Noah Hawley scripts that failed to launch, Matt Shakman joining and leaving, Anton Yelchin’s death, and Paramount dropping Star Trek 4 wholesale from its release calendar.

“I’m not sure Star Trek was ever built to do that kind of business,” Pine added. “I always thought, ‘Why aren’t we just appealing to this really rabid fan group and making the movie for a good price and going on our merry way, instead of trying to compete with the Marvels of the world?’ After the last one came out and didn’t do the $1 billion that everybody wanted it to do, and then Anton…passed away, I don’t know, it just seemed . . .”

Pine trailing off there seems symbolic of the franchise’s fate, but he makes a shockingly good point that will undoubtedly be ignored by executives.

(via Esquire)

The famous jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter passed away at age 89. The news was confirmed to Rolling Stone by his team, noting that it happened earlier this morning (March 2), and there was no cause of death provided.

“Visionary composer, saxophonist, visual artist, devout Buddhist, devoted husband, father, and grandfather Wayne Shorter has passed away at age 89, departing the earth as we know it and embarking on a new journey as part of his extraordinary life. Shorter was surrounded by his loving family in Los Angeles at the time of his transition,” Shorter’s record label, Blue Note, added in a statement.

Some of Shorter’s fellow famous collaborators, close friends, and those who were influenced by his work have also shared touching tributes in the late musician’s honor.

“Wayne Shorter, my best friend, left us with courage in his heart, love and compassion for all, and a seeking spirit for the eternal future. He was ready for his rebirth. As it is with every human being, he is irreplaceable,” Herbie Hancock wrote.

“Rest in peace to longtime Joni friend and collaborator Wayne Shorter. A visionary musician and composer, his contributions to the world of music will always be remembered,” Joni Mitchell’s team shared.

“I love Wayne Shorter with every fiber of my being. Saw him play 20 times, listened to him in every context I could. A spiritual, intellectual and viscerally transcendent giant. My hero forever. I aspire to be a fraction of the musician and human he was. Love for ever,” Flea, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, posted.

Continue scrolling for some more heartfelt posts about Wayne Shorter from musicians.

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

New documents reviewed by Bloomberg reveal the FBI’s conversation with Leonardo DiCaprio about his relationship with international fraudster Jho Low, the fugitive accused of trying to milk billions out of the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund known as 1MDB. The conversation, which took place April 2018, included a wide array of topics including the gifts Low gave DiCaprio (Marlon Brando’s Oscar for On The Waterfront, a Basquiat painting) and DiCaprio’s failure to accurately vet Low before getting into business with him. According to the actor during the conversation, he let his team handle the vetting, and claims they gave him a report, but that he couldn’t remember what was in it.

Bolstered by thousands of Blackberry messages and emails, the FBI has focused on DiCaprio despite Low partying and lavishing gifts on tons of stars, including Kim Kardashian. Low reportedly once handed over casino chips totaling $350,000 to Kardashian, who took most of it out of the casino in a trash bag filled with hundred dollar bills. Yet his relationship with DiCaprio went deeper, with the two collaborating on potential ideas like a $1 billion fund for films and a Warner Bros. theme park in Asia with DiCaprio movie-themed rides (Shutter Island roller coaster would have been sick).

Heat was already on Low in 2015, but apparently the relationship finally went fully sour when Low didn’t come through with a promised Roy Lichtenstein piece to auction in support of DiCaprio’s foundation. Further proof that celebrities are just like us.

(via Bloomberg)