Month: June 2023

Ted Cruz has never been known for his on-point pop-cultural references. There were the times when he entirely botched Watchmen and Fight Club. He also, as a proud The Princess Bride superfan, feuded with Cary Elwes, and Stephen King won’t even waste fancy words on Ted while responding to the Texas lawmaker’s swing against the horror legend.

Then there’s Ted pulling a Sarah Palin this week while addressing what he sees as the ultimate blind devotion of the Left for Joe Biden. He must have forgotten that Donald Trump once bragged that his voters wouldn’t abandon him even if “I shot somebody.” Still, Ted would like to reserve those kinds of claims for his political enemies, which apparently include Pat Benatar.

While speaking with syndicated conservative radio host Joe Pags, Cruz declared, “I don’t think Senate Democrats, if you had video of Joe Biden murdering children dressed as the devil under a full moon while singing Pat Benatar, they still wouldn’t vote to convict.”

Was this out of left field? Maybe or maybe not, but the 1980s fans out there began to rally around one of their own, especially because Benatar happened to kill a bunch of Nazis in a music video.

There’s also the possibility that Ted may not have been firing random shots but, instead, intended to slam Benatar while interpreting her “Hell Is For Children” song, which was part of her advocacy on behalf of abused children.

Whatever the case, it’s funny as hell, as one user pointed out, “that, in a spontaneous moment, the most sinister and satanic rock & roller Ted Cruz could think of was Pat Benatar.”

He didn’t even reach for a Black Metal band or two. C’mon, Ted.

The 2024 Grammy Awards will be a bit different than ceremonies from prior years. For instance, The Recording Academy revealed earlier this week that three new categories have been added: Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording. Now, the Academy has also addressed AI music and the eligibility of works created using artificial intelligence.

As Variety reports, there are new “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Protocols” that essentially say music made purely by AI cannot be nominated for a Grammy. However, human-created work made using AI technology is eligible, so long as there’s a significant human contribution.

Here’s what it says in full:

“The GRAMMY Award recognizes creative excellence. Only human creators are eligible to be submitted for consideration for, nominated for, or win a GRAMMY Award. A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any Categories. A work that features elements of A.I. material (i.e., material generated by the use of artificial intelligence technology) is eligible in applicable Categories; however: (1) the human authorship component of the work submitted must be meaningful and more than de minimis; (2) such human authorship component must be relevant to the Category in which such work is entered (e.g., if the work is submitted in a songwriting Category, there must be meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the music and/or lyrics; if the work is submitted in a performance Category, there must be meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the performance); and (3) the author(s) of any A.I. material incorporated into the work are not eligible to be nominees or GRAMMY recipients insofar as their contribution to the portion of the work that consists of such A.I material is concerned. De minimis is defined as lacking significance or importance; so minor as to merit disregard.”

So far, Grimes has been the most notable artist to dive headfirst into AI music: A song featuring “GrimesAI,” how tracks using an AI version of her voice are credited, was released last month.

The record for most triple stumpers (when all three contestants fail to guess) in an episode of Jeopardy! was set in 2005, during the Ultimate Tournament of Champions. A recent episode got close to breaking it, however. On June 6th, the three contestants combined for 23 stumpers, “something we never like to see,” producer Sarah Foss said on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast.

“Not good, you know it’s the last game before lunch, maybe everyone’s a little sleepy or something, a little hungry, but that’s a tough stat to carry with you,” former Jeopardy! champ Buzzy Cohen theorized. Viewers called the Mayim Bialik-hosted episode “horrible” and “one of the collectively worst showings on Jeopardy I’ve ever seen. Someone better pull this off.” (Suresh Krishnan pulled it off on his way to a six-game winning streak that recently ended.)

Hoping not to draw too much attention to the painful viewing fans saw the week prior, the producers brushed off the show as something minuscule before moving on. “Thankfully I’ve seen nothing go viral about it so it’s not gonna go viral, we’ve mentioned it briefly on the pod and we’ll forget it ever happened,” Foss concluded.

“A Jeopardy! producer’s comments about a particularly bad episode going unnoticed has summoned this internet phenomenon.”

“What is, the Streisand effect?”

If only every episode of Jeopardy! was that easy.

(Via the New York Post)

Over the past few weeks, there’s been a bit of beef brewing between Jack Harlow and Machine Gun Kelly. It started with the release of Harlow’s song “They Don’t Love It,” on which the rapper boasted, “The hardest white boy since the one who rapped about vomit and sweaters / And hold the comments ’cause I promise you I’m honestly better than whoever came to your head right then.”

Not long after that, MGK came through with “Renegade Freestyle,” on which he disses Harlow: “I’m a great white I can eat these barracuda / See who I am? You’re stupid, it’s nice to meet you / I just put this hole in the ground for you like a soccer cleat shoe / I see why they call you Jackman, you jacked man’s whole swag / Give Drake his flow back, man, I eat rappers like Pac-Man / Must I regurgitate and show you who’s in my stomach / From the Last Dance? I battle rapped, no Instagrams.”

The ball has been in Harlow’s court since, so he addressed the situation in a new interview.

On the Rap Radar Podcast, Harlow seemed relatively unbothered, saying (as HipHopDX notes), “How do you take it in? I guess you just f*cking take it. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, and I feel great about what I said, and I feel great about the reaction. It just is what it is. It was a stream-of-consciousness sort of verse. Not that I don’t stand on my statement. I’m an MC! I’m talking my sh*t. This is not a new concept to feel yourself. I feel no reservations about what was said at all.”

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

Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour is rolling through Europe at the moment and it’s doing pretty well over there, to the point that it maybe possibly contributed to inflation in Sweden. Yesterday (June 15), at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany, Beyoncé found herself both performing and revealing the sex of a fan’s baby.

Between songs, Beyoncé said (as ET reports), “I wanna do this right, because since the beginning of the show, I’ve seen this sign that says, ‘Do my gender reveal.’ I just want to do it right! Do I have to open the envelope?”

Beyoncé then got her hands on the envelope, opened it, and revealed it to the crowd. Smiling, she said, “Girls! Congratulations! Congratulations, beautiful!”

Over the past year, there have been a number of instances where concert attendees got their favorite artists to help celebrate major moments in their lives. Last October, some expecting parents got Post Malone to reveal the sex of their bundle of joy, too. Harry Styles concerts have also been big for moments like these: He helped a fan come out at Wembley Stadium last June, and a couple months later, he helped a fan pull off a proposal in Portugal, one of that of course got an enthusiastic “yes” from the bride-to-be.

Before getting to the serious business of handing out their mid-year Indiecasties awards for indie music semi-excellence, Steven and Ian try to make sense of the most nonsensical TikTok trend of 2023: The Pinegrove Shuffle. Apparently, there are young people doing this weird dance to a deep cut by the rootsy indie-Americana band. Why? Who knows? Listen to two guys in their 40s try to explain it.

In non-TikTok news, Steven is planning a trip to Dayton in September for two 40th anniversary Guided By Voices shows that also feature Dinosaur Jr., Built To Spill, Wednesday, and others. It’s the middle-aged indie fan Woodstock! The guys also briefly discuss new albums out today by Queens Of The Stone Age, Sigur Ros, and Killer Mike.

Finally, it’s time for the Indiecasties! All of your favorite categories are back: Most Valuable Album Cycle, Most Annoying Music Writer Twitter Story, Most Memory-Holed Album, and more. No spoilers, but expect lots of fireworks from the likes of Boygenius and Foo Fighters.

In Recommendation Corner, Ian recommends a new emo oral history from writer Chris Payne, Where Are Your Boys Tonight?, while Steven discusses the new 20th anniversary edition of the classic Drive-By Truckers album, The Dirty South.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 143 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

Victoria Monét continues to tease her upcoming album, Jaguar II. Tonight (June 16), she has shared a special confidence anthem for the ladies.

On her new single, “On My Mama,” Monét recites positive affirmations to herself over a smooth, jazzy beat, while encouraging her lady friends to do the same.

“I put that on my mama, on my hood, I look fly, I look good,” she songs on the song’s chorus, recalling a Texas hip-hop classic.

The chorus interpolates Chalie Boy’s “I Look Good,” then, shortly after, features a sample of the original song.

Over the course of the song, Monét encourages the listener to be their best selves — both inside and out.

“’On My Mama’ is the soundtrack to positive affirmations!” said Monét. “Singing the lyrics about yourself will change your frequency and elevate a positive mental state. The words speak not only to physical features but to a feeling too because I believe when you feel good, you look even better! Give yourself the words you need to hear because it’s true – you look good! There’s no one like you and that’s on ya mama. Enjoy being yourself witcha fine ass!”

You can listen to “On My Mama” above.

Just a week out from her sophomore album, Coi, Coi Leray is keeping the anticipation high. Tonight (June 16), she has shared “Run It Up,” a spicy new anthem from the album.

On “Run It Up,” Leray is in full control as she lays down the laws of the bedroom. She is making it known what she wants and setting her expectations high, challenging prospective men to run it up.

“Run it up, run it up, run it up, run it up, run it up, run it up, ooooh / I’m an angel in the day and a demon in the night / Don’t go thinkin’ about it ’cause you might lose your mind / Drop the top in the winter ’cause my heart cold like ice,” she rap-sings on the song’s chorus.

It’s been quite a breakout year for Leray, who’s had a big hit with her song “Players.” Back in April, she gave fans a taste of her upcoming album, with her singles “Bops” and “My Body.”

In a recent interview with People, she shared the desire to become a household name.

“I know that I have the ability to make amazing songs, be one of the biggest artists,” she said. “And on top of that, be one of the biggest influential artists — whether it’s in mental health, body positivity, fashion.”

Coi is out 6/23 via Republic. Find more information here.

After dropping his album F65 last month, IDK is already back with new music. Tonight (June 16), he has shared “Win” from the season 2 soundtrack to Apple TV+‘s Swagger.

On the song, IDK embraces the wins in his life, and maintains a positive outlook as he moves forward.

“Life looking right, everything to win / I splash with the ice, everything to win / Just hit number one, I guess I’m single then / Everything a win, everything a win / My life is a win, my life is a win,” he raps on the song’s chorus.

The instrumental track consists of a breezy, percussive, jazz-influenced beat, creating an element of happiness as IDK leaves behind negativity.

In recent months, IDK has been keeping busy. He recently collaborated with Nike, launching a limited-edition Nike Air Max Pro 97 “Free Coast” F&F sneaker. He has also been preparing for his upcoming 65 Tour, which is set to kick off in Paris this month.

In the fall, IDK will bring back No Label Academy, his tuition-free music business program at Harvard University designed to help BIPOC students jumpstart their careers within the music industry.

All of these things certainly sound like wins.

You can listen to “Win” above.

Season 2 of Swagger begins streaming 6/23 on Apple TV+

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

Saucy Santana and Flo Milli are out for blood on their new single. Tonight (June 16), the two have dropped “Whole Family,” a banging new collaboration that arrives out of the blue.

On “Whole Family,” the two rap superstars ride to the beat, which features a sample of “Apache” of The Sugarhill Gang. The two want all the smoke, as they start calling out their opps’ whole family.

“B*tch, you a ho / Yo’ mammy a ho / yo’ granny a ho / Yo’ whole family full of hoes / B*tch, you did yo’ toеs / Rockin’ them hand-me-down clothes,” the two rap on the chorus.

Santana’s verse is filled with scandalous double entendres, and he even makes a clever allusion to Will Smith, who famously danced to “Apache” on a famous episode of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.

“Hands on my hips like I’m Will Smith / And if that [man] got a big ol’ d*ck, jump on it,” he raps

Equally as explosive is Flo’s verse, on which, she keeps her haters on notice.

“I can throw shade, and I bet she gon’ catch it / watching my page, hope the b*tch get the message,” she says.

You can listen to “Whole Family” above.