Month: April 2023

Childish Gambino, real name Donald Glover, has made weirdness into a pretty lucrative career. Of course, in the beginning, his music wasn’t received as well. Just listen to his story about being booed while opening for Kid Cudi. Fast-forward to the present day and the multihyphenate talent has developed the creative formula to covert creepiness into a financial cash cow (see: Swarm).

During a recent interview with GQ, Gambino said that not all of his weird ideas get to see the light of day. When discussing his breakout Grammy Award-winning song “Redbone,” the musician revealed that the version that fans have come to love wasn’t the first version of the track.

“I wish you guys could hear the first version of ‘Redbone,’” exclaimed Gambino before bursting into laughter. “It was so weird. I was actually listening to it the other day. I was like, ‘what a weird song this was.’ Then [Ludwig Göransson and I] cleaned it, and we were like, ‘oh yeah.’”

“Redbone” was released in November of 2016, which marked Gambino’s long-awaited return to music. The song appeared on his third studio album, Awaken, My Love!, which interpolated elements of the 1975 funk classic “I’d Rather Be With You” by Bootsy’s Rubber Band. The song went on to earn the recording artist several awards, including a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Watch the full interview above.

Food influencers are… well let’s face it, kind of annoying. On the one hand, every person who loves food naturally loves seeing food porn on their social media timelines. If you live for good eats, you’re always on the hunt for new things to try and social media and food influencers in particular are really good at showcasing that. On the other hand, if most ordinary humans were inside of a place while a food influencer was doing their thing, they’d be absolutely enraged.

Social media is a performative platform, and watching people perform in public as obnoxiously enthusiastically as food influencers can be downright cringe-inducing, especially if it’s distracting you from your lunch break. Saturday Night Live’s Please Don’t Destroy team understands this, which is why their latest sketch is being passed around the internet and has already been hailed as the group’s masterpiece. In a piece titled “Street Eats,” the PDD team, consisting of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy, hit up NYC as a trio of food influencers, and from the first shot which shows an Applebees, a Chase bank, and a suspiciously well-kept trash can over the words “this… is New York,” and in which they identify the three cultures of NYC as Mexicans, Italians, and College Students, you know it’s a sketch written to make New Yorkers blood boil. Even as a West Coaster, my blood pressure was rising as the group ordered jerk chicken from a Jamaica Queens spot with no cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, or pepper.

In just three minutes, PDD manages to capture all of the obnoxious touchstones of a modern food influencer: from being a public nuisance to an overbearing use of puns, a total misunderstanding of well-known and established neighborhoods, fumbling easy-to-pronounce words like “bodega,” exoticizing communities of color, and a misplaced obsession with authenticity and “the right way to order.”

Lorne, I know you’re reading, give these guys more screen time. Watch the clip above and let us know your least favorite food influencer behavior.

It’s hard to imagine life without a cell phone. Ever since they became small enough to fit into our pockets and hold all of the world’s information on a tiny glowing screen, we’ve kept them glued to us. Not literally, but they may as well be glued to us since they’re usually in our hands or within reach at any given moment. Our whole worlds are on our phones—baby pictures, saved voicemails, new ideas, calendars, maps and even our blood type.

We have more information held on our phones than we might have held in a safe, and yet, the cell phone hasn’t been around for a full lifetime yet. In fact, former Motorola engineer Marty Cooper recently sat down with the “Today” show to mark the 50th anniversary of the very first cell phone call.

For the milestone occasion, Cooper took “Today” to the spot where he made the first cell phone call on a nearly unrecognizable mobile device. It’s certainly a far stretch from what we would recognize as a cell phone now, but the brick-like device is where it all began.

Cooper tells host Joe Fryer that the old phone weighed 2.5 pounds. Who needed dumbbells back then when you could just make a few phone calls on your way home from work? If you’re curious about who was the lucky recipient of the very first muscle-building phone call, it wasn’t the obvious answer. Cooper called Motorola’s rival at the time, Bell Labs.

“I’m calling you on a cell phone. A real cell phone. A handheld personal, portable cell phone,” Cooper said, recalling the words he said to his competition.

It took 10 more years for the phone to hit the market and it came at a hefty retail price, even by today’s standards. The brick of a phone was selling for around $4,000, so it wasn’t something average folks were buying. You were much more likely to see the luxury item on the big screen than in line at the grocery store. The evolution of the phone is truly fascinating.

Watch Cooper talk about the phone below:

Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films — and to a lesser extent his protracted Hobbit trilogy — are some of the most beloved cinematic artifacts of the 21st century. But what about Amazon’s incredibly, absurdly expensive Lord of the Rings TV series? The show bowed last year, and while the company was confident enough in the reaction to grant it a second season, there’s one problem: A lot of people who started watching it never finished it.

In a new Hollywood Reporter piece on Amazon’s streaming service (in a bit teased out by Gizmodo), sources tell the publication that in America, the splashy, orc-filled show only had a 37% completion rate. That means the majority of people who fired it up, expecting more Middle-Earth magic, never made it to the end of its eight-episode run.

Overseas was a little better, but not great either, reaching a 45% completion rate. For context, hitting 50% would be solid turnout but still not ideal, especially for something that cost Amazon so much dough.

Again, that doesn’t Amazon is pulling the plug. Not only did they grant it a second round, but Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke even defended the low completion rate.

“This desire to paint the show as anything less than a success — it’s not reflective of any conversation I’m having internally,” she said. She also added that the second season will be a bit more dramatic. “That’s a huge opportunity for us. The first season required a lot of setting up.”

Of course, if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, there’s no rush to finish their Lord of the Rings show any time soon. They paid a fortune for it and it’s probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

(Via THR and Gizmodo)

Liam Neeson may be a beloved Hollywood figure, but in 2019 he almost permanently torpedoed his affable ass-kicker image. While promoting his thriller Cold Pursuit, he revealed a bizarre story about how, when he was younger, a friend of his was sexually assaulted by a Black person. He said that prompted him to take to the streets with a weapon, hoping to find a “Black bastard” who would “come out of a pub and have a go at me…so that I could kill him.” He quickly apologized for the anecdote, which he said was supposed to show how he overcame youthful racism and became a better person. He later made fun of it on an episode of Atlanta — a move that took some doing on creator/star Donald Glover’s part.

In a new interview with GQ (in a bit caught by Variety), Glover recalled how he reached out to Neeson after deciding he needed to be on his show.

“When I got in touch with him, Liam poured his heart out,” Glover said. But Neeson was reluctant to return to his screw-up. “He was like, ‘I am embarrassed. I don’t know about this. I’m trying to get away from that.’ And I was like, ‘Man, I’m telling you, this will be funny! And you’ll actually get a lot of cream from it because it’ll show you’re sorry.’  He asked me to let him think about it. Then he sent me an email saying, ‘I don’t think I can do it and best of luck with “Atlanta,” blah-blah-blah.’ ”

But Glover wouldn’t give up. Neeson had told him that after the incident, he reached out to people like Morgan Freeman, Spike Lee, and Jordan Peele. “So I was like…Jordan Peele!” Glover recalled thinking. “I hit Jordan Peele up and I was like, ‘Look, man, I got this idea. He said that he trusted you. Tell him it’s a good idea!’”

That’s what Peele did, and soon Neeson was playing a fictionalized version of himself on the Season 3 episode “New Jazz,” which bowed lat year. In the episode Neeson has a run-in with Brian Tyree Henry’s Paper Boi at a bar called, appropriately, the Cancel Club.

“You might’ve heard or read about my transgression,” Neeson-as-Neeson tells Paper Boi. He continued:

“You know, what I said about what I wanted to do to a Black guy, any Black guy, when I was a younger man in London. A friend of mine had been raped and I acted out of anger. I look back now and it honestly frightens me. I thought people knowing who I once was would make clear who I am, who I’ve become. But with all that being said, I am sorry. I apologize if I hurt people.”

You can watch the Atlanta episode in question on Hulu.

(Via GQ and Variety)

As the old proverb goes, the tongue is mightier than the sword. Rapper NLE Choppa knows this firsthand. After all years of both private and public displays of admiration, NLE manifested a collaboration with Lil Wayne. However, his mastery of the English language doesn’t stop there.

Hailing from Memphis, Tennesee, the “Mo Up Front” rapper has his own secondary language of unique slang terms to help spice up any conversation. NLE Choppa stopped by the Uproxx studios to share a few of his favorite Choppa Language phrases. During the chat, the musician opens up about commonly used words not just in his hometown but other southern cities he often visits, including Atlanta, Georgia.

“Trim is an Atlanta slang that I kinda picked up on, but I’ve kind of made it my slang,” said NLE. When asked to use the word in a sentence, he gleefully said, “I ain’t gonna lie, this new car that I brought is trim.”

Watch NLE Choppa’s full Choppa Language 101 for Uproxx Music video below.

Outside of his NLE Choppa’s Choppa language, be sure to check out his dream NBA team roster with musicians or his UPROXX Sessions performance of his single, “23,” here. You can also watch his Behind The Video episode for the track here.

NLE Choppa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Donald Trump may have kept quiet during his historic arraignment on Tuesday, but social media was another matter. The first American president to ever be indicted on criminal charges has been a loose cannon maniac on his rinky-dink Twitter clone, where he’s done things like whip up his base to “PROTEST” his legal woes and, when the big day finally arrived, give a play-by-play en route to the courthouse. Trump may think he can do whatever he wants with no consequences, but the judge had other ideas.

During the arraignment, when Trump pled not guilty to 34 separate felony counts, the prosecution brought up his habit of firing off incendiary tweets, including about Judge Juan Marchan. They implied that he should issue a gag order, which would refrain anyone from mentioning the case as it’s going forward.

Marchan replied that he wouldn’t be giving a gag order, at least at the time. But there was a “but”: He then addressed Trump and his legal team, sternly telling them, “I don’t want to see this anymore,” referring to him riling up his base with reckless posts about anyone involved, including himself and Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg.

Trump’s attorney tried to push back, arguing that “selective leaks” about Trump regarding the case were “harming” him. He needed to be able to “defend himself” by siccing his infamous base on those working in the justice system. Judge Marchan was not moved.

It wasn’t the only time Judge Marchan chided Trump during the court appearance. At one point he warned him that he could be removed if he was disruptive. MSNBC’s Kyle Griffin reported that Trump “noticeably” sighed upon hearing that warning, then said, “I know.”

Perhaps the reality of what he was facing finally dawned on Trump, who, apart from not being able to carry on a second presidential term after losing re-election, has never faced any real comeuppance for his actions. Anyway, we’ll see how long he lasts before dropping some self-incriminating post.

(Via Mediaite)

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

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new music from Boygenius, Jenny Lewis, Clairo, The Drums, and more.

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

Boygenius — The Record

Even if you’re not interested in Boygenius, it’s likely your social media timelines were engulfed in The Record discourse. However, it’s much more pleasant to listen to these songs without tuning into the internet’s opinions; listen to “Satanist” in a field and feel the world around you become electric. Their best moments are ones like those, laden with noisy instrumentation and pop melodies, like on the infectious “Not Strong Enough,” which opens with a startling image: “Black hole opened in the kitchen / Every clock’s a different time.”

The Beths — “Watching The Credits”

Expert In A Dying Field was one of the best indie-rock records of 2022, and this track was recorded during the making of that album. It’s a great example of their signature brand of emotive power-pop; the instrumentation is infectious and ebullient, while Elizabeth Stokes sings of disillusionment: “I spend all day putting out fires / Listening to choirs singing / The end is nearing.”

Panchiko — “I Know”

It’s been over 20 years since cult-followed band Panchiko called it quits. 2000’s D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L is a significant record to many internet users, and now their new song “I Know,” an entrancing dose of dream pop, is exciting a lot of them now. In a press release, they described writing it: “Sat on the sofa. Surrounded by snacks. Games consoles and music machines were sampled, lyrics mumbled and 3 chord progressions were strummed over drum loops and blips & bloops.”

Scowl — “Psychic Dance Routine”

Scowl are getting ready to release Psychic Dance Routine, a scathing EP to follow their ruthless 2021 full-length debut How Flowers Grow. Following singles “Opening Night” and “Shot Down” is the title track, a tame but electrifying burst of post-hardcore. “I could be animal, for you I can’t resist / No spirits in my dreams / No psychic dance routine,” Kat Moss lilts, her voice volatile.

Jenny Lewis — “Psychos”

Jenny Lewis is back with the announcement of her first album since 2019. Joy’All arrives in June and “Psychos” is a pleasant taste. Against a mellow, twangy sound, she sings softly, “I am a rebel / All American made / Jesus Christ and the devil / Yin and yang.” Each line captures the acerbic wit she’s known for: “I’m not a psycho / I’m just trying to get laid.”

The Drums — “I Want It All”

There’s a subtle darkness to The Drums, whose brand of indie rock exudes ecstasy. Their new song “I Want It All” opens with the dismal lines, “I sensed a hesitation / The first time that you held me / So I closed the eyes of my heart / So I didn’t have to see.” Despite this, the sound is bright and dreamy, as if to disguise the pain.

Cheekface — “Popular 2”

Cheekface make catchy, jingle-like anthems about our current dystopia. “Popular 2” is an entertaining hit at surveillance culture: “I just want to be popular to watch / In the movie you put on from the camera on your porch,” Greg Katz quips. You’ll be tempted to chant along: “This is private property! This is private property!”

Clairo — “For Now”

https://clairecottrill.bandcamp.com/track/for-now

On Bandcamp, Clairo shared this new piano-driven track “For Now,” a stripped-down love song that used simplicity to its advantage: “Loving you is simple, sweet / And I’m bound to fall,” she lulls earnestly, unafraid of ultimate vulnerability, which feels like a return to her earlier material.

Hand Habits — “Something Wrong”

“Something Wrong” is an off-kilter ballad, blazing with a vibrating rhythm and a texture of electricity. “I’m aching / To see you again / Mistaken / Beginning inside of the end,” Meg Duffy intones with a confrontational voice. In three minutes, the sound culminates into a hypnotizing mess that ends jarringly.

Jess Williamson — “Hunter”

Jess Williamson’s “Hunter” is a country gem, made beautiful with her stunning vocals crooning breathtaking lines like, “It’s a life of delusion and love is the cure.” The images she conjures are poetic and tangible: “My love is purе as the universe / Long as an ashtray,” she sings arrestingly.

There’s a new weight-loss craze hitting Hollywood (and the NYC subway) but Sophie Turner is not a fan.

The Game of Thrones star posted to her Instagram Stories Monday night, slamming the ridiculous amount of Ozempic ads lining subway stations across New York City. Turner shared a screenshot of a Tweet that read, “The ozempic ads plastered across the Times Square subway station can f*ck all the way off,” before captioning the photo “WTF”.

Ozempic is a drug designed to help improve blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes but it’s also being used (without FDA approval) as a weight-loss medication. Plenty of celebrities and social media influencers have either copped to relying on the injections to lose weight quickly or been suspected of taking the drug, leading to a surge in usage. At one point, so many people were requesting Ozempic that the rise in demand led to a national shortage which impacted diabetes patients that relied on the drug for their well-being.

While many tout the benefits of Ozempic (and similar weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro) Turner seems worried the brand’s marketing tactics are crossing over into the fat-shaming realm. The actress has been open about her struggles with an eating disorder that became so severe, she needed a live-in therapist to keep her accountable. She’s spoken out about Hollywood’s obsession with unhealthy body standards in the past and it sounds like she’s adding Ozempic to the list of problematic diet fads on her takedown list.

(Via Page Six)

The Dallas Mavericks are rapidly approaching the end of their season, as they will watch Tuesday night as the Thunder take on the Warriors in San Francisco to find out if they’ll be 1.5 games or 0.5 games back of the 10-seed when they play again on Wednesday against the Kings.

It’s rather stunning that the Mavs are in 11th right now, just one year removed from a Western Conference Finals run. While not everyone expected them to be a top contender again, very few thought they’d find themselves in jeopardy of missing the play-in tournament entirely. With three games to play and OKC owning the tiebreaker, the Mavs likely need to win out to have a chance at making up the gap to the Thunder — and get some help in the process.

As such, there’s been rumblings about whether the team will shut down their stars and just punt on the end of the season, which Luka Doncic pushed back on immediately saying he’s playing until the Mavs season is done. However, that hasn’t stopped the conversation from feeling very final about the Mavs season, even in Doncic’s conversations with the media, most recently when he was asked how much the team misses Jalen Brunson, who is now starring for a Knicks team that is soon to lock up the 5-seed in the East. Doncic didn’t even try to hide how much he misses his former backcourt mate, unable to hide a smile as he spoke wistfully about Brunson.

When the Mavs let Brunson walk to New York, everyone knew it’d have an impact, but not many thought it’d be as disastrous for Dallas as it’s been — particularly after they traded for Kyrie Irving to try and fill that void. The problems extend beyond Brunson’s absence, but not retaining him required the Mavs to move key roster pieces for Irving, further causing balance issues that have wrecked havoc on their defensive strength.

As for Brunson, he also sees what’s going on with his old team and is surprised to see them struggling as much as they are, but isn’t focused too much on what they’re doing amid the Knicks’ playoff run.

You’d have been hard-pressed to find many that would’ve had the Knicks making a guaranteed playoff spot and the Mavs finishing outside the play-in coming into the season, but we are just a few games away from that being the reality and the Mavs needing to do some serious work this offseason to right the wrongs of this roster’s construction that started with not bringing Brunson back.