Month: June 2023

If anyone has need of some positive affirmations, it’s Gunna. The YSL rapper was locked up with his labelmates and accused of being in a gang, and after being denied bail three times over the course of six months, he finally accepted a plea deal that got him out, only to be branded a snitch by the hip-hop community at large. Since it doesn’t seem like those words of comfort are coming from anyone else anytime soon, he gives them to himself in “Alright” from his new album A Gift And A Curse.

In the video, Gunna isolates himself in what looks like the bottom of an air shaft (this set has made appearances in plenty of videos before), where he ponders his current situation and looks for the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Whether the warm reception of his new album will help reverse the course of his recent run of misfortunes remains to be seen, but as he tells himself, it’s gonna be alright.

Watch Gunna’s “Alright” video above.

A Gift And A Curse is out now via Young Stoner Life Records / 300 Entertainment. Get it here.

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

HBO’s new original series The Idol has proven to be one of the most polarizing shows of the year. The series, created by Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson, Reza Fahim, and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, tells the story of a young pop star named Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) who falls in love with a cult-leader named Tedros (The Weeknd).

Many fans have panned the series, likening the show’s graphic sex scenes and gratuitous nudity to those of “softcore porn.”

Last week, it was reported that the series had been canceled after only two episodes had aired, however, HBO released a statement noting that a decision hasn’t been made yet. Still, a certain cookie brand was more than happy to celebrate early.

After PopCrave tweeted “#TheIdol will reportedly not return for a second season,” Oreo responded from their official account, saying, “finally some good news.”

Though the interaction took place nearly a week ago, The Weeknd only caught wind of it this morning (June 21).

“Oh f*ck they been talkin sh*t,” said The Weeknd.

Despite Oreo’s evident disdain for The Idol, The Weeknd insists it’s all love between the two of them.

“naw I can’t beef with you @Oreo too many beautiful memories…,” he said. “I’m dunking you in some champagne tonight.”

New episodes of The Idol air Sunday nights at 9 p.m. EST on HBO. You can also stream the episodes on Max (if you must).

Just days after Bebe Rexha suffered an injury after having a phone thrown at her from the crowd of her NYC show, another pop star has reportedly been injured by a “fan.” In a new video from Ava Max‘s concert in Los Angeles, she was slapped by an audience member on the stage.

“He slapped me so hard that he scratched the inside of my eye,” Max shared on Twitter, complete with a few angry emojis. “He’s never coming to a show again… thank you to the fans for being spectacular tonight in LA though!!”

In the video, the man can be spotted clearly extending his hand and hitting Max. She then puts her hand over her eye and walks offstage.

“I don’t know what exactly happened but first Bebe Rexha now you? Why is violence starting to increase at concerts people are paying to be at? Hope you’re good,” one user wrote.

“I’m so sorry that happened queen glad you’re okay,” another added.

According to one Ava Max update account, he also hadn’t been invited but had jumped up onto the stage during the final song. In the video, you can also see a security guard trying to move the man away from Max as her backup dancers continued in behind her. However, he still got close enough.

Continue scrolling for some additional fan reactions.

Ava Max is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

San Antonio Spurs games during NBA Summer League this year are going to be must-watch events … well, at least for the first game or two. That’s because Victor Wembanyama, who is going to go No. 1 overall to the Spurs in the NBA Draft on Thursday, announced during his pre-Draft press availability that he plans to participate in Summer League.

It’s worth mentioning that the Spurs will participate in both the California Classic, which takes place in Sacramento on July 3-5, and the Las Vegas Summer League, which runs from July 7-17. As such, it’s not clear when Wembanyama would play, although it is probably safe to assume that he’d suit up in Vegas and go up against the rest of his Draft class, along with the second and third-year players who are participating.

Of course, the decision will be made with the Spurs front office after he’s formally on the team, and it’s worth mentioning that Wembanyama is coming off of a long season in France where he led his team, Metropolitans 92, to the LNB Championship Game, which took place last Thursday. There’s also no guarantee that he’s going to play in every game, as there have been plenty of high-profile draftees who have only suited up once or twice in Las Vegas before getting shut down altogether.

Before Yellowstone became the crown jewel of the Paramount Network and turned creator Taylor Sheridan into the architect of a massive TV empire, the western series was knocking around HBO.

However, short-sighted execs at the premium channel weren’t entirely sold on the sprawling cowboy drama and voiced concerns that it felt “too Middle America.” Determined to make the series work, Sheridan continued to jump through hoops and even went so far as locking down a major actor to play Yellowstone patriarch John Dutton. It was quite the casting coup, so the prolific writer was not exactly thrilled to learn that HBO didn’t expect him to take their instructions literally.

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“They said, ‘We want Robert Redford,’ ” Sheridan recalls. “They said, ‘If you can get us Robert Redford, we’ll greenlight the pilot.’ “

Being a can-do type of guy, Sheridan went to visit Robert Redford.

“I drive to Sundance and spend the day with him and he agrees to play John Dutton,” Sheridan says. “I call the senior vice president in charge of production and say, ‘I got him!’ ‘You got who?’ ‘Robert Redford.’ ‘What?!‘ ‘You said if I got Robert Redford, you’d greenlight the show.’ “

“And he says — and you can’t make this shit up — ‘We meant a Robert Redford type.’ ”

The Robert Redford incident was the beginning of the end of Sheridan trying to make Yellowstone work at HBO. (He’d later hang up on execs during a notes call.) Normally, that would’ve been the end of line for the show, but to Sheridan’s credit, he had impressed then-programming president Michael Lombardo, who was always supportive of the show. Just before Lombardo fired during a regime change, he managed to return the rights to Yellowstone to Sheridan, and the rest is TV history.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Samuel L. Jackson discussed not only his new Marvel show that begins streaming today (it’s called Secret Invasion and it’s on Disney Plus) but also, fittingly enough for the publication, his taste in music. And while some of his responses are no surprise, others are, and some are just downright illuminating.

In addition to admitting that he likes the music of the late Juice WRLD, he also draws an interesting parallel between Stevie Wonder, Usher, and Beyoncé. Check out his full response below:

There’s some music of my youth that I still listen to. I like rock music — I was sort of a hippie during the Sixties — and in the Seventies, when I was in Atlanta, there was this Black rock band called Mother’s Finest. They played at Alex Cooley’s Electric Ballroom. I listen to a lot of modern hip-hop also. Sometimes I’ll turn on some spatial DJ on Apple Music to hear whatever’s out there now. I’m pretty open to everything except country. [Laughs] The personal hip-hop music is very interesting to me. Back when Juice WRLD was alive, I listened to that. The kid was having some issues, but the music was still good. I remember asking my daughter and her friends who their Stevie Wonder was, and they said, “Usher.” They didn’t say Beyoncé. They said, Usher.

Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye is still reacting to people’s reactions about his show with Sam Levinson, HBO’s The Idol. While the series is only three episodes in, it has become quite a hot topic online, particularly over whether it’s actually good.

Earlier this morning, The Weeknd put out a meme of sorts, which featured a photo of his Idol character and the caption, “Tedros Nation Rise.” Obviously, users had a lot of thoughts about this post.

“Trying the meme the show to be good now YIKES,” one person quoted.

The Weeknd wound up replying right back. “Nope people who hate it decided a long time ago… it’s fine. If you hate it don’t watch it. And let the fans enjoy… simple,” he told the person.

Over the past few days, the musician has been trying to change people’s minds about the show, and not just stan Twitter. The Weeknd found today that even Oreo’s Twitter account was piling onto the Idol hate. “Oh f*ck they been talkin sh*t,” he reacted.

“Naw I can’t beef with you @Oreo too many beautiful memories… I’m dunking you in some champagne tonight,” The Weeknd added in a separate tweet.

He’s even started retweeting an “Out Of Context The Idol” account and searching keywords for what others are saying about the show — praising the positive and discouraging the negative.

In an unprecedented move, HBO is looking to license some of its original series to Netflix. That is, corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to make a deal happen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two streaming rivals are in talks to an undisclosed list of HBO originals to make their way to Netflix. Such is the new environment under CEO David Zaslav. It’s one more (potential) shift in the branding and vibe of HBO, whose streaming service has been turned from HBO Max into Max, and has been known for decades as much for its astonishing series as for its exclusivity. The point of HBO shows is that you had to pay for HBO to get them.

The article also claims that HBO execs fought against such a deal, but Warner Bros. Discovery execs have won out in pushing the deal forward.

Ostensibly, the key to a deal that wouldn’t totally screw over Max is to limit the amount of shows being licensed. Otherwise Max would become redundant except for its HGTV fare and revert back into whatever Discovery’s streaming service was called.

On the other hand, it might be great to have legacy HBO originals on Netflix. It’s not like anyone is subscribing to HBO because they’ve just gotta finally watch The Sopranos, but you can imagine a whole new generation of people falling in love with the original Golden Era staples if they could click their way to them.

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

The 2023 NBA Draft arrives on Thursday, June 22, with plenty of intrigue. Before the draft even arrived, the Phoenix Suns acquired Bradley Beal in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Wizards, and it is more than possible that other big names could move either before or during the draft. From there, the excitement of draft night can also stand on its own, with top-tier prospects finding new homes and a bunch of situations in which organizations are weighing the present against the future.

At the top, Victor Wembanyama seems to be a lock to head to San Antonio, which means the draft really begins at No. 2 with the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte could be weighing trade offers and, after the Hornets make their choice, the Blazers (No. 3) and Rockets (No. 4) are widely expected to consider options that don’t lead to making picks in their current slots. If nothing else, things will be very, very interesting for all parties, and the entire board can shift based on what happens at No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4, no matter which teams are making those choices.

1. San Antonio Spurs – Victor Wembanyama (C/F, Metropolitans 92)

When taking a step back, it is wild to consider how little discussion this pick has received in the last few weeks. Granted, there was an explosion of content around the lottery since, well, everyone knew who the No. 1 pick would be. But it’s a testament to Wembanyama that no one has even tried to make the case for anyone else.

2. Charlotte Hornets – Scoot Henderson (G, G League Ignite)

The consensus with Charlotte right now is that there is no consensus. There is an ownership change. There are mixed signals from the front office. It’s all weird. As such, I’m defaulting to the No. 2 player on my board in Scoot Henderson, and contrary to public belief, Henderson and LaMelo Ball actually fit together fairly well in my view.

3. Portland Trail Blazers – Brandon Miller (F, Alabama)

One of the under-discussed scenarios is actually what would happen if a) Henderson went No. 2, and b) Portland actually made the pick. That leaves overall uncertainty but because we are not projecting trades, Miller is the guy at this spot. He brings intriguing safety with size and shooting, with the added bonus of a skill-set that fits nicely in Portland.

4. Houston Rockets – Cam Whitmore (F, Villanova)

There has been some buzz about Whitmore landing here, even as Amen Thompson is the betting favorite for Houston. The buzz is very positive on Whitmore from some teams and, if the Rockets get back into the James Harden business alongside Jalen Green, Whitmore is perhaps a cleaner fit than Thompson.

5. Detroit Pistons – Amen Thompson (G, Overtime Elite)

This will be a test to see if anyone actually reads the write-ups between picks. With Thompson still on the board, I’m projecting him here while fully acknowledging it would be pretty tough for Detroit to actually pick him alongside Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. There could be a trade, either here or above, or the Pistons might just take Thompson because he checks every box we know Troy Weaver enjoys.

6. Orlando Magic – Ausar Thompson (G/F, Overtime Elite)

It wasn’t on purpose, but the Thompson twins going back-to-back would be fun. At any rate, Orlando loves athleticism and Ausar definitely brings it, even at a very slightly lower level than his brother. I buy the defense and passing, even if the potential lack of shooting could be kind of a clumsy fit in Orlando.

7. Indiana Pacers – Taylor Hendricks (F, UCF)

Hendricks’ upside is in the eye of the beholder, but his traits as a high-end role player are tremendous. His defensive package is highly intriguing, Hendricks can already space the floor, and he brings versatility on both ends. He would be a really solid compliment to Tyrese Haliburton and fits into the Pacers’ overall roster construction.

8. Washington Wizards – Anthony Black (G, Arkansas)

There is quite a bit of buzz around Black to Washington, which leads to this placement. Black is an intriguing prospect independent of the connection, especially when accounting for his two-way potential. He has great size in the backcourt, fantastic feel for the game, and the big question is his shooting, but if the Wizards spend some time building after the Bradley Beal trade, they can grant him time to develop that.

9. Utah Jazz – Jarace Walker (F, Houston)

This feels like it could be Walker’s reasonable floor. His offensive upside is perhaps more limited than some, but Walker’s passing is tremendous and he is already a very strong defender. Utah has three picks and can go basically anywhere with this choice, and Walker would certainly give them some bite on the defensive end of the floor.

10. Dallas Mavericks – Bilal Coulibaly (G/F, Metropolitans 92)

Add me to the long list of people who have to note Dallas is a prime trade candidate here. If they stay put and don’t acquire an entrenched center around the draft, Coulibaly is a fast-rising player. He has “wow” tools and, even in a small offensive role with Metropolitans 92, the flashes tell an encouraging story.

11. Orlando Magic (via Chicago) – Gradey Dick (G/F, Kansas)

It doesn’t have to be Gradey Dick, but the Magic need shooting and everyone knows it. Dick is a lottery-level talent with better defensive bonafides than you might think. He’s also, perhaps most importantly for this spot, a tremendous shooter.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder – Kobe Bufkin (G, Michigan)

Intel points to Bufkin landing somewhere in the lottery, and his skill set actually makes it somewhat difficult to figure out where, which isn’t a bad thing. Bufkin can basically fit anywhere as a versatile guard with on-ball and off-ball appeal on offense and enough size, athleticism, and competitiveness to hold up on defense.

13. Toronto Raptors – Jalen Hood-Schifino (G, Indiana)

Much like Bufkin, Hood-Schifino seems to be pegged for a late lottery or mid-first round landing spot. He was highly inefficient at Indiana, but a closer look can explain that with an outdated offense and the general Big Ten landscape. He’s a big, physical guard with appealing versatility if things break right, all of which screams “guy who goes to Toronto.”

14. New Orleans Pelicans – Dereck Lively (C, Duke)

The Pelicans are a wild card, especially with the rumblings that New Orleans is very, very interested in Scoot Henderson. If they stay put, Lively should be in play for New Orleans given the team’s lack of a long-term answer at center. His defense down the stretch at Duke was devastating and reports indicate he could develop a useful jumper to provide potential floor spacing.

15. Atlanta Hawks – Cason Wallace (G, Kentucky)

It seems as if Wallace is getting pushed down a bit as the process goes along, and the Hawks benefit here. Admittedly, he’s probably not ready to contribute at a super high level offensively right now, but Wallace is one of the best perimeter defenders in the class. Atlanta is always going to need point-of-attack resistance with the way its roster is constructed.

16. Utah Jazz (via Minnesota) – Keyonte George (G, Baylor)

George is polarizing after an up-and-down freshman season at Baylor, but the talent is clearly there. He has polish on offense, the ability to potentially act as a pull-up shooter, and solid enough size to translate on defense by the time he matures. Utah’s flexibility allows the Jazz to take more swings, and George qualifies.

17. Los Angeles Lakers – Nick Smith Jr. (G, Arkansas)

The major appeal of Smith is his craft and scoring ability from the backcourt. It was kind of a lost season at Arkansas with very little shooting around him and myriad injury concerns. But Smith appears to be healthy now and the Lakers might want to take an upside swing on a player with top-five high school pedigree.

18. Miami Heat – Leonard Miller (F, G League Ignite)

Miller is hard to place because the opinions on him are very wide-ranging. Some view him as a top-10 talent. Others don’t see it at all. It may be selfish, but I’d like to see what Miami’s developmental culture could unlock with him.

19. Golden State Warriors – Jordan Hawkins (G, UConn)

It’s not as if the Warriors would purposely identify another slight backcourt player who can really shoot, but Hawkins does fit in Golden State in a lot of ways. He can play off the ball. His floor-spacing is undeniably impressive. This is also a strong value and, most importantly for anyone the Warriors pick, he can probably contribute quickly in a way that others in this range might struggle to replicate.

20. Houston Rockets (via LA Clippers) – Jett Howard (G/F, Michigan)

Houston was dead last in three-point shooting this season. Howard can’t solve that by himself, but he’s a 6’8 shooter with pedigree and a little bit of on-ball appeal. Defense is the reason he could fall to this point, but it’s a good buy-low chance for the Rockets.

21. Brooklyn Nets (via Phoenix) – Dariq Whitehead (G/F, Duke)

Speaking of buy-low candidates, Whitehead was seen by some as perhaps the No. 1 player in his high school class before arriving at Duke. Injuries really slowed him in Durham and he had another surgery when the season ended. His medical is a giant question but, if healthy, Whitehead has lottery appeal and Brooklyn is in a spot to make a gigantic upside play.

22. Brooklyn Nets – Noah Clowney (F/C, Alabama)

Clowney probably doesn’t work perfectly in Brooklyn and alongside Nic Claxton unless he continues to develop as a shooter. With that said, some believe he will, and Clowney’s defensive appeal is pretty apparent with his athleticism and length.

23. Portland Trail Blazers (via New York) – Rayan Rupert (G/F, New Zealand Breakers)

Portland’s current regime isn’t afraid to take some swings. Rupert’s offensive package is a big question mark right now, but he has a confirmed 7’2 wingspan and could be a defensive terror. No matter what happens with Lillard, the Blazers need some heft on that end of the floor.

24. Sacramento Kings – Olivier-Maxence Prosper (F, Marquette)

Prosper’s current calling card is on defense, where the Kings need a lot of help. It is almost too obvious to mock Kris Murray to join his brother — he would, indeed, make sense here — so we’ll roll with O-Max instead. At the moment, Sacramento has real uncertainty at forward other than Keegan Murray.

25. Memphis Grizzlies – Kris Murray (F, Iowa)

This is an A++ value for Kris Murray. He’s not sexy at all, but he is ready to contribute sooner rather than later without many traits to nitpick. Memphis has been going for a lot of potential two-way wings and forwards lately. He fits the bill.

26. Indiana Pacers (via Cleveland) – Brice Sensabaugh (F, Ohio State)

Sensabaugh had a knee issue that cost him a bunch of the pre-draft process, and Ohio State didn’t live up to expectations this week. He was probably miscast as the No. 1 guy there, but Sensabaugh is a real bucket-getter and I buy the shooting, even if he has a long way to go defensively.

27. Charlotte Hornets (via Denver) – Maxwell Lewis (F/G, Pepperdine)

This pick makes a lot more sense with Scoot Henderson at No. 2 than it would with Brandon Miller at No. 2, and I’ll grant that. Lewis is a project-type wing but the tools are tremendous and he can already shoot. A negative assist-to-turnover ratio in the WCC and some defensive concerns force a slip to here.

28. Utah Jazz (via Philadelphia) – Ben Sheppard (G/F, Belmont)

The rise of Ben Sheppard has been a sight to see. At the end of the college season, he was largely seen as a draftable piece, but with almost no buzz as even a top-40 guy. Then, the combine happened. Now, he’s seen as a virtual lock to go in the top-40 with helium beyond that. Utah has a bevy of picks and could move around, but Sheppard is a clean fit most places with his feel and shooting.

29. Indiana Pacers (via Boston) – Colby Jones (G/F, Xavier)

Indiana probably won’t make all three of these picks and, by the way, the Pacers also hold the No. 32 pick for good measure. Jones isn’t terribly sexy, but he projects as a solid supporting wing who doesn’t take much off the table. He’d fit anywhere.

30. LA Clippers (via Milwaukee) – Jaime Jaquez (G/F, UCLA)

Jaquez might actually go earlier than this given how positive the pre-draft process has been from an intel standpoint. He’s also a better fit on a team trying to win now (Clippers) than some of the rebuilding teams (Jazz, Pacers, Hornets) picking just before this. In the NBA, Jaquez will play on the ball less, but he’s a rugged defender, a willing ball-mover, and a highly versatile piece.

The missing Titanic tourist submersible has everyone talking. While there’s still no telling where the five missing passengers, who took an undersea voyage in the submarine to see the remnants of the Titanic, may be, several people have taken to social media to express concern.

Last night (June 21), Nicki Minaj took to her Amp radio show Queen Radio to express concern and dismay over the idea of taking a submarine to see the remains of the sunken ship.

“No one should be hopping they ass on a submarine talking ’bout they going down to the Titanic,” she said.

But despite her disapproval of the activity, Minaj sent well wishes to the missing passengers and offered prayers for their safe return.

“I’m keeping all five passengers in my prayers and wishing all the best to search and rescue teams,” she said. “I just hope everyone stays safe.”

Earlier, in a since-deleted tweet, Minaj expressed shock that such a tourist activity was even open for people to participate in.

“Praying they make it back to their families,” she said. “This is so scary and should not be allowed. Like wtf? I just assumed they were marine biologists…finding out this was a ‘tourist’ ‘Titanic’ thing??????”

You can listen to the full episode of Queen Radio here.