Month: June 2023

On Wednesday, the newly Chris Licht-free CNN held another one of their town halls for Republican presidential candidates. (After all, it went so great the first time.) This time it was Mike Pence’s turn. Earlier that day, Donald Trump’s former vice president, who he (remorselessly) almost got killed, formally announced his campaign, which he did by slamming his former superior. Pence used his time to slightly back off (or dance around) some of his more bold attacks. But at the end, he made a confident, one could say naïve prediction: Donald Trump will not be the nominee — despite currently crushing it in the polls.

As CNN’s latest GOP town hall wound down, Pence reiterated something he’d said earlier: that no matter what, he’d support whoever became the Republican nominee in 2024. That seemed to contradict what he’d said during his campaign announcement, namely that Donald Trump should never, ever, ever be allowed back in the White House. To her credit, moderator Dana Bash pursued this line of questioning, asking him, “How can you say that you support him if he’s the nominee?”

But Pence had a smart answer at the ready: “Well, because I don’t think Donald Trump is going to be the nominee.”

Bash didn’t let it go, quickly asking him, “But what if he is?”

Pence was adamant, reiterating, “I don’t think he’s going to be the nominee.”

“But what if he is?” Bash pressed.

So Pence elaborated. “I have great confidence in Republican primary voters,” he said. “We have a field of strong and experienced candidates that grew up one today. And I truly do believe that people here in Iowa are going to recognize the challenges that we’re facing and understand that different times call for different leadership.

“The American people don’t look backwards. We look forward,” Pence continued. “And I truly do believe that, whatever the polls show, whatever the pundits are saying, that when the time comes the people of Iowa are going to take a fresh look at all of us that have stepped forward. I don’t think my old running mate is going to be the Republican nominee for president, and I’m very confident — very confident — that I’ll be able to support the Republican nominee for president of the United States.”

He then shrugged and said, “And I hope it’s me.”

Of course, Republican candidates and pundits and anyone from the pre-Trump GOP were saying much the same thing in 2015 and 2016: that the American people would reject the guy from The Apprentice. And the American people sure do look backwards. Trump’s slang, in 2016 and now, is about returning America to some perceived former glory.

In other words, in trying to appear confident about something that very well could happen — and if the polls from today hold into next fall, it’ll definitely happen — Pence looked even weaker than when he spent two-plus years not trashing the guy who, again, almost got him killed.

LANY’s unbreakable relationship with their fans is based upon their fearless, well-rounded approach to love songs, including “ILYSB,” “Malibu Nights,” “Ex I Never Had,” and “The Older You Get, The Less You Cry.” Drummer Jake Goss and singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Paul Jason Klein are entering their I Really Really Hope So era by releasing the forthcoming album’s lead single, “Love At First Fight.”

The accompanying video finds Goss and Klein performing to an empty theater, in their robes. Goss’ drum sticks are enlarged toothbrushes. Klein is strumming an even bigger toothbrush as he softly sings, “Two months and twenty-four days / Toothbrush on the sink at my place.”

As the poppy soundscape escalates, Klein can’t help but dance like nobody’s watching — maybe it’s helpful that there is nobody in this theater — while delivering the contentious yet endearing chorus: “Under the moonlight, clenching your jaw / And that’s when I saw the fire in your eyes / Clothes on the floor, you stormed out the door / And that’s when I knew that I can’t live without you / It was sparks at first sight / But it was love at first fight.”

Goss and Klein finish performing “Love At First Fight” and put their hands up toward the manmade moon hanging over the stage. The curtain falls, but that’s not the end of the video. Klein returns to the stage with an acoustic guitar to play a different song, but he’s interrupted by an unidentifiable astronaut. The astronaut claps, stands up, and walks out of the theater into a blinding light.

In a statement, Klein said, “In a relationship, you learn a lot about a person from the first argument. It’s an indicator of the relationship’s trajectory and whether it’s going to work out or not.”

Klein opened up further about his songwriting process with People, saying, “It’s much less stressful just being honest, and you don’t have to keep up with a façade or a character. I find that I sleep better at night just telling the truth, and just writing about my experience.”

“Love At First Fight” is the first of four singles scheduled to drop ahead of I Really Really Hope So‘s September 29 arrival.

Watch the “Love At First Fight” video above, and check out LANY’s upcoming tour dates as well as Klein’s I Really Really Hope So announcement video below.

First The Moon, Then The Stars: A Tour Before A World Tour

08/10 — Hong Kong @ Rotunda 2
08/12 — Bangkok @ Sonic Bang Festival
08/15 – Singapore @ Mediacorp Theatre
08/19 — Osaka @ Summer Sonic Festival
08/20 — Tokyo @ Summer Sonic Festival
08/22 — Seoul @ Olympic Hall
08/24 — Kuala @ Lumpur Zepp KL
08/26 — Jakarta @ XYZ Festival
08/31 – Honolulu @ The Republik

The I Really Really Hope So World Tour

10/29 — Oslo @ Rockefeller Music Hall
10/30 — Stockholm @ Berns
11/01 — Copenhagen @ Amager Bio
11/03 — Berlin @ Columbia Theater
11/04 — Cologne @ Bürgerhaus Stollwerck
11/06 — Frankfurt @ Zoom
11/07 — Milan @ Alcatraz
11/10 — Madrid @ Sala de Conciertos – Wizink Center
11/11 — Barcelona @ Razzmatazz – Sala 2
11/13 — Paris @ Alhambra
11/14 — Rotterdam @ Maassilo
11/16 — Manchester @ Manchester Academy
11/17 — Dublin @ The Academy
11/19 — London @ Eventim Apollo

Last month the ever-cursed Rudy Giuliani was hit with yet more bad news: He was being sued by a former employee. The allegations by one Noelle Dunphy were wide-ranging and shocking. She claims the former “America’s Mayor” failed to pay her a promised $1 million salary. Dunphy also claims he dangled a high-profile job in front of her that never materialized, all while engaging in sexual abuse. Now Guiliani is striking back — by trying to get some of his bigger humiliations stricken from the record.

As per Insider, Giuliani filed a motion last week asking that a number of items in Dunphy’s lawsuit be tossed because, he argued, they don’t bolster her claims of sexual assault. Those include relatively frivolous tidbits, such as an unethical lawyer character on Showtime’s Billions who’s a clear stand-in for Giuliani, as well as discriminatory remarks he was caught on tape making.

Arguably the most prominent thing Giuliani wants vanished from the lawsuit is his role in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. The sequel, released in 2020, included plenty of attention-nabbing moments, as well as a break-out, Oscar-nominated turn from Maria Bakalova. Speaking of, it also featured a scene where Giuliani was caught in a, uh, compromising position with Bakalova, unaware that she wasn’t a real journalist.

As per Dunphy’s lawsuit, Giuliani acted in similar ways around her in his apartment, then forced her to give him oral sex.

“This is the very definition of a scandalous and prejudicial allegation,” Giuliani and his attorney Adam Katz wrote in their filing. “What transpired in the satirical Borat Movie – where Mr. Giuliani was tricked into thinking he was giving an interview – has no bearing or relevance on any of the causes action in the Complaint.”

According to Dunphy’s lawsuit, Guiliani demanded oral sex during a phone call with then-president Donald Trump. Giuliani has claimed that he had a consensual relationship with Dunphy “for a few months” back in 2019.

Dunphy’s attorney Justin Kelton responded to Giuliani’s motion, saying it’s “filled with misrepresentations,” and is a “transparent attempt to avoid answering Ms. Dunphy’s detailed allegations under oath.”

Giuliani is also being sued by the guy he accused of nearly killing him after he patted him on the back.

(Via Insider)

When it comes to babysitting, you can hit the jackpot with someone who not only enjoys hanging out with your kiddos but also cleans out of boredom. The only babysitter I’ve had that experience with is my mom, but I do hear they do exist. While walking into a spotless house after a much-needed night out would be amazing, it’s not really part of a standard babysitting package.

Typically, whoever babysits for you is solely there to focus on the well-being of your children. They feed them snacks, play games with them, and follow their bedtime routine to the letter. Then they hang out on your couch reminding Netflix that they’re still watching and wait for you to return. Sure, they clean up dishes from dinner and whatever toys were pulled out during their time with your kids, but they don’t typically clean your house.

But in a private parenting group I belong to, a long debate was started when a mom asked a group of 260k of her closest friends if it would be appropriate for a parent to ask a babysitter to clean their home.

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The anonymous mom explained that her college-aged daughter had recently started babysitting for a family, but on the second day, her duties suddenly changed. There was a list of chores waiting for the babysitter that included cleaning the family’s dishes and cleaning up messes that were there before the sitter arrived.

This revelation set off a firestorm of comments with many agreeing that anything outside of cleaning up after the children while they’re in your care is a separate job. But not everyone was on the same page and it was clear that this was a topic that was going to cause some intense debate. Since summer months are here, there’s no wonder this topic is coming up and views are split.

Scary Mommy recently published an article posing a similar question, only this was coming from a parent who wanted her babysitter to clean while her children slept. Elizabeth Narins explains that she and her husband are stretched thin and have an active toddler she jokingly calls a “toy tornado.”

“Given the amount of housework that clearly needs to be done, paying someone to sit on our toy-covered couch during naps or after bedtime just seems… inefficient,” Narins wrote before posing the question. “Is it completely out of line for me to ask her to declutter when my kids are in bed?”

Whether it’s the expert interviewed for the Scary Mommy article or the parents in the private group, there does seem to be one common theme among the discourse: Any additional chores should be clarified in the original job description, and if it wasn’t, then it should be directly brought up in a conversation with the babysitter.

Many parents in the comments believed that a housekeeper should be hired in addition to the babysitter, while others thought the babysitter should be offered more money for the additional work. But there were several people who thought it was just common courtesy for a babysitter to clean the house while the kids were asleep.

It may seem that you’re paying a babysitter to do nothing while your children sleep, but you’re paying them to be there in the event of an emergency. No matter which side of the debate you’re on, it seems proper communication about expectations will save everyone a headache in the future.

Do you think cleaning should be expected from a babysitter?

If you grew up in the ’90s then you were part of the last generation of kids who lived without being constantly connected to the internet. You lived during that last gasp of the analog era where most of your entertainment came on tape and if you wanted a new pair of Guess jeans or LA Gear shoes, you had to drive to the mall.

Also, if you wore parachute pant, aka “Hammer Pants,” people actually thought you were cool.

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Families mattered on Friday nights.

People listened to rock ‘n’ roll because it was important.

Hip-hop was at its peak.

People spent time talking to each other instead of staring at their phones.

It was a time of hope and optimism.

Some folks over at Reddit have been sharing funny memes that explain exactly what life was like in the ’90s. From the terrible pastel-colored designs that were everywhere to the charming, but antiquated, technology kids today will never understand.

Here are 19 of the best memes from r/90s/.

1. 1992 was 30 years ago

Sorry, if that made you feel old.

2. “Go! Go!” (Fill in the blank)

This person is living the Gen X dream.

3. Oh snap!

There was no greater diss in 1991.

4. Make a run for the border

Does this picture make you instinctively think “You quiero Taco Bell”?

5. In the ’90s, every night was a Blockbuster night

It’s like looking back in time.

6. We’ll always have Chuck E. Cheese’s

Our immune systems were forged through miles of sweaty PVC.

7. Don’t touch the ‘purple stuff’ 

Ingredients: Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup and 2% or Less of: Concentrated Orange Juice, Concentrated Tangerine Juice, Concentrated Apple Juice, Concentrated Lime Juice, Concentrated Grapefruit Juice, Concentrated Pear Juice, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Natural Flavor, Modified Cornstarch, Canola Oil, Sodium Citrate, Cellulose Gum, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Neotame, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Potassium Sorbate to Protect Flavor, Yellow 5, Yellow 6.

8. These actually existed

How in the world did they cram 25 different colored pens into one super writing utensil?

9. Nu metal didn’t last long

A.D.I.D.A.S.

10. People aged quickly in the ’90s

This is what happens when you have children.

11. This weighed 25 pounds and went everywhere you went 

I can still hear the sound of the rumpling plastic as I flip through the pages.

12. They got ‘Jerry Maguire’? 

Of course they have “Jerry Maguire.” In fact, they have 500 copies of “Jerry Maguire.”

13. The hippest computer lab ever

After the iMac dropped, only vertified dorks used an IBM.

14. Just looking at this hurts

This may have hurt your fingers, but was probably safer than licking the battery to see if it still had “juice.”

15. It’s like they didn’t want you to play solitaire

Solitaire wasted more people’s time in 1998 than Instagram does in 2022.

16. In 1993 this could cure anything

Stomach ache? Flu? Munchausen’s syndrome? This unique combination would have you back on your feet in no time.

17. Synergy

To quote a popular philosopher from the ’90s, they went together like “peas and carrots.”

18. This cup went perfect with pizza

If the joint had all-you-can-drink refills, you drank ’em out of this cup. It held tokens, too.

19. The only pattern that mattered in the ’90s

Throw on those shorts, then hop in your Miata and get yourself some action!

This article originally appeared on 01.06.22

In March 2021, Fat Joe told Swizz Beatz and Timbaland said he and the late Notorious B.I.G. “cut about five songs together” for an album before he was murdered on March 9, 1997 at 24 years old. This week, Fat Joe is back with more Biggie-related revelations.

Iconic Records, a visual podcast series hosted by Angie Martinez, is digging deep into Biggie’s iconic 1997 album Life After Death. The sixth episode premiered on Monday, June 5, and focused on the track “Notorious Thugs” featuring Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

Around the five-minute mark, Fat Joe told Martinez that he was in the studio with Biggie when he made “Hypnotize,” noting, “From 12 to 1, it was 10 Spanish girls. From 1 to 2, 10 Black girls. From 2 to 3, 10 Asian girls. From 3 to 4, 10 Italian girls. I mean, I never seen nothing like this in my life! I’m sitting in the studio like, ‘This is what it’s like to be The B.I.G.!’ … The ladies loved B.I.G.”

Fat Joe later laid out how he linked Biggie with Bone Thugs, whom he’d “clicked up with” as fellow signees to Relativity Records at the time.

“I would go to Cleveland, hang out with them. I would ride with them on their tour. These guys sold 30 million records, so they were selling out stadiums. The stadiums looked like they was gonna collapse. The stadiums would look like it’s bending,” Fat Joe said. “Biggie hit me up and was like, ‘Yo, bro, I’m trying to get in touch with your guys. They don’t wanna do it. They’re ignoring me.’ They didn’t want to do a song with Biggie.”

He continued, “Just for Biggie to think that advanced because New York wasn’t up on Bone Thugs like that. He knew that they was gigantic, and he was like, ‘Yo, I need to do a song with them.’”

Fat Joe explained that Biggie saw him as “the plug” capable of connecting him with Bone Thugs, but Bone Thugs felt a conflict of interest because “they had already been cool with Tupac.”

“They was like, ‘Yo, Joe, we can’t do it. We cool with Tupac.’ And I’m like, ‘Yo, bro, this is B.I.G. You know what it is to do a song with B.I.G.?! And so, I convinced them,” he added.

Martinez pressed for more details, and Fat Joe rightfully took another victory lap:

“I made them go do the song with B.I.G. I don’t know how to explain it to you in any other language. They’ve confirmed. Like, ‘Yo, you gotta go do it. This is my brother.’ And they’re the happiest people in the world to confirm this because they still touring off that record. That record is one of the biggest treasures in hip-hop, and so, they happy they listened to Fat Joe and they did that.”

Fat Joe additionally relayed that Steve Lobel, Bone Thugs’ manager, was the one to inform him of Biggie’s death. Martinez is joined later in the episode by Lobel, Layzie Bone, and Lil Cease.

Watch the full 45-minute Iconic Records episode above.

Anyone who grew up in the late ’80s and early ’90s—Gen X, I’m looking at you—grew up in a world that was dominated by 8-bit graphics. Back in the day, computers and video game systems had a limited amount of processing power so the graphics had to be simple.

That meant the heroes that we played with such as Mario from Super Mario Brothers or Link from The Legend of Zelda, had to be super simple looking and we had to fill in the rest with our imaginations.

Video graphics have come a long way over the past 30-plus years, but people still love the old designs because it takes them back to a simpler time. This has led to an 8-bit movement where people use their creativity to make art within the confines of the limited medium.

Some people also use the limited 8-bit soundscape to create music that’s reminiscent of the old games. Sure, computer game music may be much more sophisticated these days, but is there anything better than the soundtrack to the original Tetris? Would Super Mario Brothers be the same with a sophisticated soundtrack? I think not.

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Swedish artist Johan Karlgren, who goes by the name Pappas Pärlor, creates pixelated 8-bit-looking art and then inserts it into everyday scenes. The interesting thing is that his 8-bit art isn’t done with computer graphics, but Perler beads.

Perler beads are small, plastic beads that one places on a grid, and when the picture is done, they are melted with a household clothing iron. The beads are a fun hobby for kids who love to see the melting beads ooze their way into a fully-formed picture.

Although they weren’t originally intended to make 8-bit art, because the beads are placed on a grid when they melt together the designs look like they came straight out of a Nintendo Entertainment System.

Super Mario 3 Tanooki Suit Perler Beads Timelapsepic.twitter.com/Ywed4B3y47

— Soma ud83dudc9cud83cudf19 | AlleyCat ud83dude38ud83dudc08u200du2b1b (@Soma ud83dudc9cud83cudf19 | AlleyCat ud83dude38ud83dudc08u200du2b1b)
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Karlgren recreates iconic images from comics, cartoons, video games and movies with the beads and then adds them to the scenarios, turning the mundane into the whimsical.

What’s Karlgren’s big inspiration? “Anything that makes me feel something,” he told Bored Panda. “It could be anything from childhood memories to politics or people doing awesome stuff that I wanna interpret.”

See on Instagram

For Karlgren, his work is the byproduct of having a good time. “I don’t really choose what to create. My work is sprung from playing, and I’ll try to go with the ideas that come up in my head,” he said.

One of the hallmarks of Karlgen’s work is taking drab places such as a parking lot or other types of urban infrastructure and livening them up with the addition of one of his Perler bead creations. “It’s something that makes me happy, and hopefully other people [when] seeing it as well,” he told Newsweek.

Karlgren is a father of four and started posting his creations on Instagram back in April 2014. Since then, his fun, old-school designs have earned him more than 144,000 followers. Here are some of his coolest, and funniest 8-bit designs.

8-Bit Joker

See on Instagram

“Rose!”

See on Instagram

Raiders of the Lost Fence Knob

See on Instagram

Mario Kart: Snow Speeders

See on Instagram

“Here’s 8-Bit Johnny!”

See on Instagram

The Man of Steel

See on Instagram

That Creep Can Roll

See on Instagram

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

See on Instagram

Anthony Adams Rubbing Hands Meme

See on Instagram

“I Said God Damn!”

See on Instagram

“Take My Money!”

See on Instagram

Darth’s Day Off

See on Instagram

Jaws

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“Go Ahead, Make My Day.”

See on Instagram

Mini Bernie

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Tony Montana

See on Instagram

The Homer Meme

See on Instagram

This article originally appeared on 02.25.22

Killer Mike is a beloved member of Run The Jewels, but nobody can question his investment in his solo career. Michael, his first solo album since 2012’s R.A.P. Music, is due next week. Ahead of its release, the Atlanta artist, actor, and activist is the latest cover star for Spin. The accompanying story by Khari Nixon revealed what it cost for Killer Mike to actualize Michael:

“It wasn’t before long that [Cuz] Lightyear had an official job title on the project: A&R. With that job came a salary. Killer Mike paid it out of pocket. By the time they’d brought the project to No ID to transform it from mixtape to album, Mike was over a quarter-million dollars in the hole. As things developed, that number ballooned to over a half-million. This type of bill would normally place an artist in hot water with their label. At the time, Killer Mike was a free agent. He would eventually strike a deal with Loma Vista Records, which has distributed records by Denzel Curry and Action Bronson, to distribute Michael upon release. The advance from that deal would reimburse Mike for the money he’d invested into making the album.”

Killer Mike also recalled that his wife, Shana Render, wasn’t pleased with his financial decisions. “She’s like, ‘Well n****, I’m glad you being reimbursed ’cause I got some issues that you spending half-a-million f*cking dollars on a dream project,” he said.

Killer Mike recently released “Don’t Let The Devil” featuring El-P and “Motherless” featuring Eryn Allen Kane. At last weekend’s 4th Annual Black Music Moguls Brunch in Atlanta, he explained that “Scientists & Engineers” featuring André 3000, Kane, and Future nearly didn’t make the tracklist.

“[André 3000] called, and he was like, ‘Kill, I don’t know about the song, man. We just got a good rap record, man,’” Mike told the crowd. “And then, Cuz is like, ‘You sent ’em the final record?’ I was like, ‘Nah.’ I sent it over with Eryn’s hook and stuff. He hit back with, ‘Yeah, yeah, you got the record. Who is that?!’ So, thank you, Eryn. I really appreciate you for that.”

Beginning in July, Killer Mike will embark on his supporting solo headlining The High & Holy Tour. See all of his upcoming dates here.

Michael is out 6/16 via Loma Vista Recordings. Find more information here.

Latto recently released “Put It On Da Floor Again” featuring Cardi B. She kept with the titular theme and laid it all on the line with her sister, Brooklyn Nikole, for Cut‘s “Truth Or Drink.”

The nearly nine-minute YouTube video that dropped on Sunday, June 4 covers a lot of ground. Latto confirmed that she’s “in a relationship” without naming her boyfriend, but when asked if she’s had “a same-sex sexual encounter” in the past, she admitted she’s kissed a girl before singing, appropriately, Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl.”

“I was single when I did that, bae,” Latto clarified, addressing her unnamed boyfriend. “He don’t like that. He think even girl on girl is cheating.”

When asked whether she’s “hooked up with a famous person,”Latto opted to take a drink rather than answer. But at the 3:52-mark, she had no problem sharing when she’s felt most nervous to perform.

“Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Clive Davis,” she said, referring to Davis’ famed Pre-Grammy Gala. Brooklyn interrupted, “I was finna say that!”

“You my twin, for real,” Latto said, then continued describing the performance. “Clive Davis, the Grammy party. You know what? It was too many famous people in there. I had just seen Cardi B. It was legends. And I had a wardrobe malfunction,” she said. “My whole crotch ripped open. Here I am bending over, like, ‘Ay, ay,’ and I’m like — yeah, that wasn’t good.”

Before the 2023 Grammys in February, Variety captured a part of Latto’s “Big Energy” performance at Davis’ gala that showed Joni Mitchell dancing along.

Elsewhere on “Truth Or Drink,” Latto read some of her most recent DMs, and Brooklyn revealed that her least favorite Latto song is “Pull Up” featuring 21 Savage.

Watch the full “Truth Or Drink” video above.

The Barbie soundtrack roster looks like a festival lineup. Dua Lipa got the (very pink) party started with “Dance The Night” at the end of May. Around the same time, the movie’s main trailer arrived, and it included a snippet of Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Barbie Girl” remake. Karol G and Aldo Ranks dropped “Watati” last week.

Next up: PinkPantheress.

“The Barbie movie comes out sooo soon!” PinkPantheress wrote in a TikTok caption. “The song sounds like gospel music sorry. rly excited for u to hear it. i recently got into a car accident that’s neither here nor there tho [red heart emoji] #bloodpop #countbaldor”

The 23-second TikTok is soundtracked by “Angel,” PinkPantheress’ Barbie soundtrack contribution. She wrote overtop the video, “my American dream came true!… my song for the Barbie movie fits so well.”

PinkPantheress previously confirmed that “Angel” will arrive this Friday, June 9.

Executive produced by Mark Ronson, the Barbie soundtrack boasts Ava Max, Charli XCX, Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, Fifty Fifty, Gayle, Haim, Ice Spice, Kali, Karol G, Khalid, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, PinkPantheress, Ryan Gosling, Tame Impala, and The Kid Laroi.

Watch the Barbie trailer above.

Barbie The Album is out 7/21, coinciding with the movie’s theatrical release.

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