Month: June 2023

With a name like Dirtybutt, you might expect today’s UPROXX Sessions performance to run more comedic than militant. But when he starts performing his defiant song “March,” it’s clear that the Charlotte native has some serious concerns on his mind. Borrowing the “I Don’t Know, But I’ve Been Told” military drill, he addresses police violence and government overreaches over a buzzing, churning beat that underlines Dirtybutt’s thrash-rap roots.

The punk-rap artist should be familiar to fans of past UPROXX Sessions performer Nascar Aloe, with whom he’s been touring all this month. His influences, which extend to similar genre mashers like Trippie Redd, XXXTentacion, and ZillaKami, are pretty clear; while it may seem that provocation is his primary goal, his underlying motivations suggest that there’s more to this artist than his off-putting stage name.

Watch Dirtybutt perform “March” above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

A Florida woman has pleaded guilty to taking part in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building. Corrine Montoni copped to a felony charge of civil disorder, which reportedly wasn’t hard to prove thanks to Montoni boasting about her participation on social media.

In one post shared to Parler, where Montoni frequently supported Donald Trump‘s election fraud claims, she wrote, “WE BREACHED THE CAPITOL OMG” while inside the building. According to The Daily Beast, Montoni fired off several incriminating missives like, “Insurrection is coming. Hold the line. Stay vigilant,” and “Storming the Capitol to take back our country from traitors! This is OUR HOUSEEEE!”

But, wait, there’s more. Montoni also posted pictures and video from inside the Capitol. Via Lakeland Ledger:

The affidavit said that Montoni shared a video showing her inside the Capitol during the riot. She said, “We’re in the Capitol ‘cause this is our house. We paid for this, and they’re trying to steal it from us. Let’s go!”

In another photo from inside the building, Montoni described the police present that day as “traitors.” In a private Facebook chat on Jan. 7, Montoni wrote she had intended to abduct or arrest members of Congress or Pence. She described her participation in the riot as “awesome” and “intense.”

And in case it wasn’t clear that we’re dealing with a criminal mastermind, prosecutors also found messages where Montoni made sure everyone know that the attack was entirely the work of MAGA. Don’t you dare say it was someone else.

“I was there,” Montoni wrote in a Facebook message. “We were 99% MAGA. I didn’t see one ANTIFA. And I was inside the Capitol.”

Montoni now faces up to five years in prison.

(Via The Daily Beast, Lakeland Ledger)

This past weekend, Lana Del Rey performed at the Glastonbury festival, delivering what Muse’s Matt Bellamy called the “best Glasto performance I’ve seen for years.” The headline of that story, though, was that Del Rey was late to the stage, which resulted in her set getting cut short. She explained to the audience, “I was so f*cking late that I’m about to rush this set today. If they cut power, I’m super f*cking sorry. My hair takes so long to do. I love you to death. Let’s keep on running the set as it’s supposed to go.”

This tale made its way to The View yesterday, where the hosts weren’t too pleased about Del Rey’s excuse.

After showing a clip from Del Rey’s Glastonbury (or “the Glandsbury festival,” as Whoopi Goldberg called it) explanation, Ana Navarro said, “Listen: If you know your hair takes a long time, and you know your hair takes a long time, you show up on time.”

Sara Haines also chimed in, “It doesn’t matter who it is, even if people would wait for them. I think it is such a disrespect of people’s time. We all know people who are late all the time, it’s so selfish. […] People that have concerts, people that are stars, just because you’re that way does not make your time more valuable than the people that are waiting for you.”

Watch the clip above.

Want to watch the most 2007-ass music video ever? Check out “Online” by Brad Paisley. A pizza delivery driver, played by Jason Alexander, watches webcam footage of a Paisley concert on his blue iBook; he later makes a fake MySpace profile and there’s Matrix-style digital rain falling behind the country star. But the most 2007 thing of all is one of Paisley’s backup singers and dancers is none other than Taylor Alison Swift.

Alexander explained how the cameo together during an interview on Tuesday’s episode of The View. “I became friendly with Brad Paisley and he asked me to direct and be in a video of his called ‘Online.’ We had to shoot concert footage of him doing that song and me doing that song,” he explained. “His band was all guys and I said, ‘You have no women here.’ And he said, ‘Well, we have these two girls. Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler are my opening acts.’ I went, ‘Well, if they’re happy, get them, let them be on it.’”

Taylor Swift wasn’t TAYLOR SWIFT when she was in the “Online” video. She had released her self-titled debut (don’t sleep on “I’m Only Me When I’m with You”), but her breakthrough album, Fearless, wouldn’t come out until 2009. But Alexander knew she was already a rock star. “I had seen her act. [She and Pickler] came out and so I put her in, I think, her first video.” (Almost, but not quite). The Seinfeld star joked, “And her success is all me.”

Take five minutes and 51 seconds and transport back to 2007.

(Via Decider)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off of a promising season that ended earlier than expected. After getting the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference in the first year of the Donovan Mitchell era, Cleveland lost in five games to the New York Knicks in the first round of the postseason, with starting center Jarrett Allen infamously saying “even for me, the lights were brighter than expected.”

The Cavs now have to figure out how they want to build out their roster this offseason, something that is especially tricky due to the sheer amount of stuff they sent to Utah in the trade that landed them Mitchell. Apparently, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst has been hearing some rumblings, but Windhorst is pretty famous for not giving away too terribly much until he has stuff on lock or leaving a potential trail of breadcrumbs for folks to follow. As such, during a cameo on ESPN Cleveland, we got this:

“I don’t have a terrific feel for what the Cavs are doing,” Windhorst said. “They’ve kept their information pretty tight. I have some speculation, there’s a couple of … outlandish stuff that I’m not gonna say right now, cause I’d get in trouble. I wish I could tell you more, and I know I shouldn’t tease you. But there’s one thing out there that I heard that, well, just look on social media in this last week and see what you see, and start going from there.”

It stands to reason that this is not an indication that the Cavs are not going to do the Allen, Evan Mobley, and a pick for Tobias Harris swap that made its way onto socials this past week. Having said that, no one else in the NBA reporting game is as good as Windhorst at making clear that something is going on without giving away exactly what it is, so consider us excited to see whatever Cleveland is cooking up right now.

HER‘s Lights On Festival, which she launched in her native Bay Area in 2021 with co-headliner Erykah Badu before expanding to Brooklyn with Maxwell, is coming back for another round of soulful performances this September in Mountain View, California. This time, she’ll be accompanied as co-headliner by Jazmine Sullivan, with support from PartyNextDoor, Don Toliver, Alina Baraz, Toosii, Smino, and Syd, in addition to many more breakout artists in hip-hop and R&B.

The Lights On Fest is billed for the weekend of September 16-17 at Shoreline Festival Grounds in Mountain View. The presale for tickets begins this Thursday, June 28, at 12 pm, while the general sale begins on Friday at 12. You can get more information at LightsOnFest.com.

While some fans thought HER was in danger of becoming oversaturated, what with her numerous Grammys, Oscars, and Emmys — she’s only a Tony Award away from an EGOT — she has kept a low profile early this year after declaring that she wanted “people to get to know the person behind [the HER persona]” — a process that drew plenty of positive attention. Making a comeback with her well-received festival will help with that, as will her upcoming role in the musical remake of The Color Purple dropping later this year.

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

This year’s class of NBA free agents features some big names. A few days out from the start of free agency, however, we have some sense of where a number of the best players on the market are going to go.

Rumors indicate that the widespread expectation is for the likes of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Jerami Grant, and Nikola Vucevic to all re-sign with their current teams, with most of those deals likely getting announced within the first few hours of free agency opening. With those names not really in contention for most of the league, and only a handful of teams holding considerable cap space, this year’s free agency features more discussion about possible trades shifting the league’s balance of power (see: Lillard, Damian) than it does a major free agent move swinging things.

That said, there are still a number of free agents that figure to have a number of potential suitors and will be intriguing to keep an eye on as the offseason begins in earnest. Here, we’ll highlight 10 that stand out as players that could see bidding wars, find their way to new teams, and even shift some team’s championship hopes for better or worse.

Fred VanVleet (UFA)

With Harden expected to return to Philly by all accounts, VanVleet is now the point guard Houston is setting its sights on to try and throw a gigantic deal at to pry away from Toronto. A report from Jake Fischer on Tuesday indicated a 2-year, $80 million offer could be on the table for VanVleet from Houston, as max money even for a shorter term could entice VanVleet to leave Toronto. What makes that scenario so interesting isn’t just what it means for Houston’s cap space and who else they could pursue, but whether losing VanVleet would force the Raptors to reassess their plans. While it seems right now that Plan A in Toronto is to run it back, hoping for things to finally click with their group, losing VanVleet would throw a significant wrench in that plan, because they wouldn’t really have much recourse to replace him. Perhaps that leads to Toronto re-engaging in trade talks, even if on just one of their other stars, to try and create some better roster balance, which the rest of the league will certainly have significant interest in.

Bruce Brown (UFA)

Brown’s season in Denver represents the new gold standard of value signings, as he came in on a 2-year, $13 million deal and bolstered what became a championship roster for the Nuggets. While a very drunk Michael Malone insisted “Brucey B ain’t going anywhere,” Denver very well could run into the problem of not being able to pay him enough. Brown has now put his unique skillset on display in two places, Brooklyn and Denver, and is the kind of player every team will think they can use. That makes for a fascinating free agency and also makes Brown one of the rare non-stars who figures to have the luxury of choice this summer. He won’t be picking between just a few teams, as anyone with a mid-level will make an overture and he can try and find the happy medium between money and situation.

Dillon Brooks (UFA)

Brooks is one of the most talked about players in the NBA, for better or (often) worse, and with Memphis having officially moved on from Brooks by upgrading to Marcus Smart, he is in need of a new team. In news that shouldn’t surprise anyone, Brooks is seeking out a big contract (bigger than the mid-level, per Marc Stein), but given his baggage and lack of offensive juice, it’s going to be interesting to see what kind of market takes shape for him. He is a very good wing defender and there are plenty of teams that need exactly that, but finding the balance between what Dillon Brooks believes his value is and what the rest of the league does could take a little time.

Brook Lopez (UFA)

The Bucks will want to bring back Brook Lopez, as he’s been their defensive anchor and plays a considerable role in making them a perennial contender. That said, Lopez is one of very few high-level centers hitting the market this summer (particularly after Naz Reid signed an extension in Minnesota) and Milwaukee will have competition to bring him back. Houston’s interest in Lopez has been noted by many, and if they strike out on Harden and VanVleet, they might have gobs of money to throw at Lopez to pair him with a point guard on a tier below the superstars. With tax apron considerations in Milwaukee, Houston could out-bid the Bucks and, if he wants to cash in for likely the last time in his career, it’d be hard to begrudge Lopez for taking the best deal he can get. If he were to leave, it’d be very hard for Milwaukee to replace him and that could shift their priorities this summer.

Gabe Vincent (UFA)

Vincent made himself some money with his play this postseason, and with so much buzz about Miami targeting Lillard, he very well might be in a new uniform next season. He’s going to be waiting to see what happens with that star level group, as he’ll either be a potential replacement should one shockingly leave or he could be a consolation prize for a team that misses out and is still looking to bolster their point guard rotation. He also could stay with Miami, but how they’re allocating money will likely depend on what happens with Lillard.

Max Strus (UFA)

Speaking of Heat free agents, Strus is another of Miami’s scouting and player development wins that could cash in on his success with the Heat somewhere else. The Heat will certainly want him back, but with a cluttered cap sheet, we’ll have to see how much they’d be willing to pay compared to others. He figures to be in play for teams looking to add shooting with some of their mid-level money, and given his skillset, Strus could have a fairly long list of suitors.

D’Angelo Russell (UFA)

I have no idea what the market will be for Russell. He showed his value in the second half of the season in L.A., where his scoring abilities gave a boost to a Lakers team in desperate need of some more offensive juice. He also showed in the postseason that it’s hard to have him on the floor when his shot isn’t falling in what was almost the exact same sized sample as his post-deadline stint in the regular season. He, like Vincent, probably has to wait out the star level guys to see where the money is and if any of the teams with space miss out on their top targets on the point guard market. If not, a return to the Lakers isn’t completely out of the question, but there will also be sign-and-trade rumblings around Russell as well.

Harrison Barnes (UFA)

With the Kings clearing cap room to have a chance to make a run at a bigger name on the wing between De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Barnes figures to be very gettable in free agency. He had a terrific regular season, starting all 82 games for the 3-seed Kings, but he (like most of the Kings role players) had a dreadful shooting series against the Warriors. Still, there should be plenty of teams needing a player with Barnes’ skillset and he’s shown his value in Sacramento as a steady handed veteran alongside a young, up-and-coming roster. Given most of the teams with cap space are hoping to be a team on the rise next year, it shouldn’t be hard for him to sell them on using some of their space to bring him in. The alternative is Barnes wanting to stay with a contender and not go through the ups and downs of a rebuild again, which might lower his annual salary but could find the right situation via a sign-and-trade.

Cam Johnson (RFA)

By all accounts, Cam Johnson is the restricted free agent that will be the most in demand and is the most likely to see a team put forth a monsterous offer sheet to try and make the Brooklyn Nets blink. While Brooklyn is reportedly planning on matching anything up to the 4-year, $100 million mark, the Detroit Pistons are the team most consider a threat for the sharpshooter and are mulling an offer above that $100 million threshold. Monty Williams coached Johnson in Phoenix, the Pistons have lots of money to spend, and Detroit could use a young upgrade on the wing. They aren’t the only possible suitor — Sacramento has been clearing space and Indiana likewise has room and could use him — but the Pistons seem like the most likely to be willing to put up a big number. It’s been a few years since we had a legit big RFA offer early in free agency, but Detroit has plenty of room to make a run at Johnson and see if Brooklyn will blink.

Grant Williams (RFA)

The most gettable RFA on the market, at least in terms of guys who have proven to be solid rotation players on a contender, figures to be Grant Williams. After Boston traded for Kristaps Porzingis, Williams is expendable in Boston and the Celtics will be open to sign-and-trade conversations about the power forward. Williams has become a reliable 3-and-D power forward, but the big question is what he wants most out of free agency. If he’s content to continue playing that role on a contender, there will probably be some sign-and-trade options available. However, if he wants to try and prove himself in a larger role, it’s not immediately clear what teams are willing to give him that opportunity and the payday that comes with it.

Nicki Minaj fully embraces her curvy figure throughout her music with witty bars. In her 2014 song “Only” off her The Pinkprint album, for example, she rapped, “Hut-hut one, hut-hut two / Big titties, big butt, too.” But recently, the musician decided to undergo breast reduction surgery to alleviate the strain on her small frame.

During an Instagram Live stream with JT of City Girls, the entertainer had a girl chat with her “Super Freaky Girl (Queen Mix)” collaborator. One of the topics discussed but the broadcast was Minaj’s decision to go down a few cup sizes.

“It’s no way your boobs right now are still able to look like that and be all sexy and cute and stuff like that in your dresses,” Minaj said. “Trust me. You did not have the size that I had.”

The rapper continued, “If tell you the size… Do you wanna hear the size that they were? Oh, triple E. So, trust me, boo boo. You didn’t have the kind I had because you would have been doing the same thing I did.”

Back on June 13, Minaj shared with fans that her breasts ballooned beyond what she expected after her pregnancy. “If their purpose were to feed the baby. Now the baby is fed,” she said.” Now technically, in the eyes of god, in the eyes of man. I can do whatever I want with my titties.”

Vampire Weekend recently kicked off their live album vinyl series with Frog On The Bass Drum Vol. 01 Live In Indianapolis earlier this month — which is a recording from their 2019 performance, according to Stereogum.

It also came with a newsletter that fans are now sharing, as it contains some hints at their next album being on the horizon. (The band’s last drop was 2019’s Father Of The Bride.)

“Ezra [Koenig] took a raga singing lesson with Terry Riley in rural Japan and wrote what he considers to be 7 of his all-time top 10 best songs.” the band’s drummer, Chris Tomson, shared. “I personally found an immense peace and pleasure from creating with the guys like we had in the Ruggles days… The vibe was strong.”

“I feel like it just might be our best yet,” he added. “10 songs, no skips.” For comparison, FOTB had eighteen songs with three more on the deluxe version.

Tomson also made it a point that there will definitely be more information on Vampire Weekend’s next album by the end of 2023. Although, it’s still unclear if they’ll release the full thing by then or just announce it. Here’s hoping fans find out more soon, as they drop more records in the series.

For now, check out the Vampire Weekend newsletter hint for album five below.

Jennifer Lawrence suffers for her art. Or at least for her interviews.

The No Hard Feelings actress appeared on Hot Ones, and she did not have a great time. “Oh my god, I’m panicking,” she says after taking a bite of a chicken wing slathered in Da Bomb Beyond Insanity hot sauce. “I feel like I’m gonna die!” (Barbie finally got an answer to her question.) Lawrence’s pain wasn’t a bit: she got “violently” ill after shooting the episode.

“I passionately threw up after. Violently,” she told host Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. “I made it upstairs to my suite. My holding suite.” Lawrence’s Hot Ones was shot at the Four Seasons, where the No Hard Feelings press junket was held, and “my stomach gave me, like, eight minutes to get upstairs and then she…” You’re welcome to fill in that blank yourself.

Lawrence started out her Hot Ones interview cool, calm, and collected, but began to struggle when things kicked up a notch after the seventh wing. “At the beginning, I was like, ‘Is this show real?’” she said. ‘And I don’t think that anymore.”

If a used Four Seasons toilet ends up on Craigslist, you’ll know where it came from. You can relive Lawrence’s hot sauce trauma below.

(Via EW)