Month: June 2023

Just days after releasing the Young Thug album Business Is Business, the project’s producer Metro Boomin shared a deluxe edition reissue, subtitled “Metro’s Version.” Here, the tracklist is rearranged and two new songs have been added — “Sake Of My Kids” and “Money” featuring Juice WRLD and Nicki Minaj. The latter track turns out to be especially poignant, as it reunites the incarcerated Thug with the late Juice WRLD, giving fans a glimpse of what that joint album they were supposedly working on in 2019 would have sounded like.

It also reconnects Nicki and Juice after he joined her European tour in 2018. Unfortunately, they were never able to collaborate with each other, but she paid tribute to him with her Billboard Women In Music Game Changer Award acceptance speech, calling him a “kindred spirit.” Of course, Nicki and Thug had previously teamed up on a remix of one of Thug’s early hits, “Danny Glover,” as well as on Elton John’s 2021 Lockdown Sessions cut, “Always Love You.”

Meanwhile, Metro Boomin has been on a stellar run himself, dropping the awesome Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse soundtrack just about six months after releasing the well-received Heroes & Villains.

You can listen to “Money” above and check out Metro’s Version of Business Is Business here.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Shakira has been through a lot in recent times. Specifically, she and Gerard Piqué had a bitter break-up after allegations that he was cheating on her. It turns out that moment hit extra hard for Shakira because her father, William Mebarak Chadid, was in the hospital at the time after a bad fall.

In a new interview with People en Español, Shakira said (as People translated from Spanish), “He went to Barcelona to console me after I was consumed with sadness because of my separation. While he was at Milan’s first communion, he was gravely injured in an accident. Everything happened at once. My home was falling apart. I was finding out through the press that I had been betrayed while my dad was in the ICU.”

She also said of her dad, “The man I have loved the most in my life, my father, was leaving me when I needed him the most. I couldn’t talk to him, or go to my best friend for the advice I needed so much. […] He has overcome COVID once, two accidents, one pneumonia and five surgeries — all of this at 91 years of age, in less than six months. My dad is the biggest example of resilience, and my mother has been by his side day and night. They have both been a reflection of that dream that didn’t come true for me. But I hope they are role models for my kids of love, of patience in relationships, of absolute devotion and zest for life.”

Read more from the interview here.

Drake raps about riding through the 6 (slang for Toronto, Canada) with his woes and attending Toronto Raptors games, but he has love for another North American city. The “Parade On Cleveland” rapper was just awarded the key to Memphis — more specifically, to the county in which the city falls into, Shelby County. However, fans immediately took issue with it as he’s not a native of the city.

As the clip of Chairman Mickell Lowry presenting Drake with the honor hit social media, users shared their confusion.

One user wrote, “A Canadian? *no offense *.”

Another hinted that this key should have gone to a host of other native rappers, posting a meme with the caption, “Every Memphis Rapper Right Now [crying emoji].”

While one person alleged that Drake doesn’t truly care for Memphis or the greater area after he pulled out of a prior commitment. “But rescheduled our concert in Memphis that was THIS Thursday ……oh okay,” penned the user.

On the other hand, some users didn’t care about the honor per se but rather that Drake didn’t bother to dress up for the occasion. “When you got the key to the city ceremony at 12 and pick up game at 12:30,” posted a user.

Although Drake isn’t a native of Memphis, his father, Dennis Graham, is. Drake has, as Chairman Lowry pointed out, shown Memphis a deal of respect in his solo music as well as in his collaborations with native Memphis acts. In 2013, he shot his video for the single “Worst Behavior” off the album Nothing Was The Same in the city. The visual, directed by Director X, featured appearances by hometown heroes Turk of the Hot Boys, Juicy J, Project Pat, and MJG from 8Ball & MJG.

Also, in his 2018 collaboration with native BlockBoy JB, “Look Alive,” Drake highlighted his family home in the city by rapping, “901 Shelby Drive / Look Alive / Look Alive.”

Elon Musk’s dad isn’t thrilled about the brewing cage fight between the Twitter CEO and Mark Zuckerberg. The whole thing started as a joke between the social media moguls, but it didn’t take long for UFC President Dana White to get involved and claim both men are now willing to get in the arena.

If the fight actually goes down, Errol Musk predicts it will go badly for his son. Via The Sun:

Speaking from his home in South Africa, retired electromechanical engineer Errol, 77, said: “The thing is if this crazy fight goes ahead, if Elon beats this guy, Elon will be called a bully, being so much heavier and taller, while if he loses the humiliation would be total.

“It’s a no-win situation for Elon.”

The elder Musk then chastised both billionaire CEOs for letting the situation get to this point. “I think Elon has got himself into a difficult situation as a result of high school behavior,” Errol said. “They both have.”

Of course, there’s a very good chance the cage fight could sizzle out before it even begins. Elon recently took part in a Twitter Space sessions where he admitted that nothing is set in stone, and if the fight does happen, he’ll have to start training. He also conceded that Zuckerberg has the upper hand because he’s been taking his jiu-jitsu career pretty seriously.

When a Bloomberg reporter said the fight “could go badly,” Musk admitted, “yeah, that’s possible.”

(Via The Sun)

Nearly 120 billion pounds of food go to waste in the U.S. each year. This waste not only contributes to food insecurity, which millions of Americans are impacted by, but also has a detrimental impact on our climate. In large part, this comes down to a misallocation of resources.

We need to bridge the gap between food waste, the planet, and those in need. By doing so, we can drive sustainable food systems and get food to those who need it most. In fact, Project Drawdown has found that reducing food waste is the number one most impactful solution to climate change.

The foundations of Spoiler Alert were laid during my time at MIT Sloan in 2013 when I met my soon-to-be co-founder Emily Malina. With my consulting experience with brands and retailers on carbon, water, energy and waste initiatives and Emily’s background in supply chain transformation and technology adoption, we knew there was a supply chain solution that could help businesses better manage their food waste. That’s when we started Spoiler Alert.

Ricky Ashenfelter & Emily Malina, Co-founders of Spoiler Alert

Spoiler Alert is a B2B waste prevention software that helps CPG brands better manage excess and short dated inventory. This inventory arises from various sources, whether that’s overproduction, unsuccessful innovations, seasonal items, or promotional packaging.

We’ve built a sales and supply chain platform that provides manufacturers with the workflows, pricing intelligence, and networking tools to effectively discount this excess inventory that they’re not able sell to their normal everyday customers and prevent unnecessary waste.

Years later, we’re proud to be working with some of the largest brands in the world like Campbell Soup Company, Danone North America, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, and Kraft Heinz, and to have a team that’s as mission-driven and excited about our work as we are. Spoiler Alert’s commitment to its mission goes beyond software solutions. We’re a remote-first company that cares deeply about DEI, impact, and giving back to our local communities. We hold quarterly volunteer days that connect back to our work on food waste, and we’re proud members of Pledge 1%.

In 2022 alone, our platform helped manufacturers sell 325 million pounds of food that would otherwise have gone unsold. That’s the equivalent impact of 270 million meals, or taking almost 13,000 cars off the road for a year.

Today, we’re focused on continuing to connect with new brands to help optimize their supply chains. But we’re also seeing how impactful these same process improvements can be for items outside of food, like health and beauty care, which still have expiration dates and are at risk of going to waste.

Along with our dedicated customers, we’re on a mission to make an impact on processes, people, and the planet.

During Boygenius‘ recent show in Nashville, Tennessee, the band pushed back against the state’s anti-drag show bill by coming out on stage in full drag outfits. Phoebe Bridgers’ name was Queef Urban (poking fun at the country star accidentally leaking her kissing Bo Burnham), Lucy Dacus went as Lucille Balls, and Julien Baker took Shenida Turns.

It was also important to protest Governor Bill Lee’s proposed legislation from March for Baker especially as it is her home state.

“Today I’m so grateful for my life, not because I get to stand onstage with my best friends… but because I’m content with the person that I am,” Baker said. “I have a lot of anger for the people that have made me feel small, and feel erased. And I’ve found it’s a really powerful and humiliating tool to make those people f*ck off. I would like you to scream so loud that Governor Lee can hear you.”

After her speech, the trio guided the crowd in a “F*ck Bill Lee” chant. Fans on social media appreciated Boygenius using the stage for that — especially as early photos of the concert and the members’ drag outfits started making the rounds. Baker had seemingly modeled herself after Elvis, Dacus brought some fun shades, and Bridgers rocked a “b*tch” choker.

Continue scrolling for some fan reactions.

Ted Cruz’s down-at-the-border adventures are not the stuff of legends. He might believe that he did something while lurking in the bushes at the border and filming himself in the dark. Yet he will always be the guy who foolishly decided to jet to sunny Cancun while his constituents literally froze during a deadly ice storm. Ted has since been the subject of endless Cancun jokes, and to his credit, he did endure them for a few years. However, he also tried to tell his own joke, which was not a great joke, and people let him know that those are not his jokes to tell.

Also, Ted now appears to have let the world know that the Cancun jokes are getting old, which is not the type of thing that you admit to the Internet.

To recap a bit more: Ted and Stephen King have a history of firing verbal shots at each other. Ted has tried to outwit one of the most prolific authors of our age, and in return, King has used the bluntest of instruments to take out his opponent. The latest installment, however, involves King goading Cruz over his assertions that Biden somehow created the mess at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“You’ve also spent a lot of time in Cancun,” King tweeted over the weekend. “That’s pretty south, right?”

Well, Ted was not amused. In response, he baselessly fired out an absurd accusation: “Multi-millionaire Leftist @StephenKing sits in his mansion in Maine and laughs at the kids being abused & the women being sexually assaulted on our Southern border.” Clearly, Ted was upset while continuing and concluded like so: “He doesn’t give a damn about their suffering–or about the 853 migrants who died last year or the 100k Americans who died of drug overdoses. Nope. What does he want to talk about? Cancun.”

King was ready for him, and yes, he tossed in another Cancun joke. “You’re worth three mil yourself, Teddy,” The Stand author answered. “Guess you can go to Cancun pretty much whenever you want. How are your constituents doing?”

Cruz really let the world know that these jokes get under his skin, didn’t he? People noticed, and it’s on.

Here’s a bonus: a parting joke that bypasses Cancun altogether.

Did you know about the rumor that Jennifer Lawrence had an affair with Liam “Not Chris” Hemsworth while he was with Miley Cyrus? I didn’t, and J-Law would like to keep it that way.

The No Hard Feelings star appeared on Monday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live, where she addressed the speculation about her Hunger Games co-star. “There was a lot of talk that the music video was referencing a secret fling that you had with Liam Hemsworth while he was with Miley Cyrus,” host Andy Cohen started to ask his guest, a reference to the “Flowers” music video where Cyrus dons a similar dress to one that Lawrence once wore. Before he could finish, however, she replied, “Not true… It’s not true. Total rumor.”

Lawrence said she “just assumed that was a coincidence” that Cyrus had worn a slinky gold vintage Saint Laurent dress that closely resembled the gown she had worn at the first Hunger Games film premiere in 2012, where she posed alongside Hemsworth and her other costar, Josh Hutcherson. After shutting down the speculation, Lawrence turned toward the audience and asked: “Are you satisfied?”

Lawrence didn’t have an affair with Hemsworth because she has taste (#TeamPeeta).

You can watch clips from Lawrence’s Watch What Happens Live appearance below. There’s a lot of “Scandoval” talk.

Pink has been performing live as a world-renowned pop star for over two decades now. In that time, she’s surely seen a lot of different things go down at her shows. Recently, though, something happened that she seemed completely blindsided by and unprepared for.

In a fan-shot video from Pink’s concert at BST Hyde Park in London over the weekend, she’s seen bending down and picking up a bag of ashes that had been thrown on stage. A seemingly stunned Pink, looking at the fan who brought the bag, asked, “Is this your mom?” After seemingly getting a confirmation, she said with a bit of a nervous laugh, “I don’t know how I feel about this.” She then awkwardly put the bag down by the edge of the stage and continued singing “Just Like A Pill.”

The show wasn’t all uncomfortable moments, though. One fan tweeted, “It was my son’s first concert this song [“Never Gonna Not Dance Again”] means a lot as he has Cerebral Palsy and has worked so hard with surgeries an physio that he was able to get up out of his wheelchair and have a dance with his sister who is his rock. We were told as a toddler he would never walk, he can now run dance and jump.” Pink shared the tweet and wrote, “I could not love this more. Thank you for sharing this with me.”

On Monday, CNN released audio of Donald Trump discussing holding onto “highly confidential” and “secret” documents after leaving the White House. “He said that I wanted to attack Iran. Isn’t that amazing? I have a big pile of papers, this thing just came up. Look. This was him,” the former-president said, referring to Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley. “They presented me this — this is off the record, but — they presented me this. This was him. This was the Defense Department and him. We looked at some — this was him. This wasn’t done by me, this was him. All sorts of stuff — pages long, look.”

He continued, “This totally wins my case, you know. Except it is like, highly confidential. Secret. This is secret information. Look, look at this. This was done by the military and given to me. As president I could have declassified, but now I can’t.”

Trump has responded to the audio in his usual way: with an early morning, all-caps rant on Truth Social about Jack Smith, the anonymously-named special counsel who indicted him, and misspelling Joe Biden’s name.

“COULD SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO THE DERANGED, TRUMP HATING JACK SMITH, HIS FAMILY, AND HIS FRIENDS, THAT AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, I COME UNDER THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT, AS AFFIRMED BY THE CLINTON SOCKS CASE, NOT BY THIS PSYCHOS’ FANTASY OF THE NEVER USED BEFORE ESPIONAGE ACT OF 1917. “SMITH” SHOULD BE LOOKING AT CROOKED JOE BIDDEN AND ALL OF THE CRIMES THAT HE HAS PERPETRATED ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, INCLUDING THE MILLIONS & MILLIONS OF DOLLARS HE EXTORTED FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES!”

The one thing he doesn’t deny: ordering a Coke in the audio. He’s a traitor to Diet Coke fans everywhere.

Here’s more:

(Via Mediaite)