Month: August 2023

Rap has lost one of its last true originals in Melvin “Magoo” Barcliff, who died earlier this week at the age of 50. Best known as the rhyme partner of superproducer Timbaland, Magoo occupied a unique position in the spectrum of the genre. He was much more than a sidekick, as he shared co-billing with his do-it-all bandmate, but never actually a solo artist. He was something like a combination of A Tribe Called Quest’s Phife Dawg and Outkast’s André 3000 – but at the same time, nothing like them (or anyone else, really) at all.

I was, like most rap fans in the late 1990s, introduced to Magoo through his contributions to Timbaland & Magoo’s 1997 debut album, Welcome to Our World – especially its groundbreaking singles, “Up Jumps da Boogie” and “Luv 2 Luv U” and their eye-popping music videos. Those videos dominated the music video countdown shows in a lot of ways – while they certainly usually landed high on those lists, they also stood out because there was nothing else like them.

This was the heyday of Blackground Entertainment, as it was called then under its distribution deal with Atlantic. This was when positive word-of-mouth from Aaliyah’s 1996 sophomore album One in a Million was enough to generate buzz for practically anything Timbaland touched as a producer. Ginuwine’s Ginuwine…the Bachelor and Missy Elliott’s Supa Dupa Fly were megahits of hip-hop and R&B, and then, before going solo himself, Timbaland made sure to put on his oldest friend, Magoo, who he’d met in high school along with fellow future Virginia Beach superstar Pharrell Williams.

Back then, Tim, Magoo, and Pharrell had formed A Tribe Called Quest-esque trio called Surrounded By Idiots and recorded a demo that somehow survives on YouTube to this day. Listening to it, you can hear the formation of the lyrical chemistry between Timbaland and Magoo, the off-kilter sense of humor that could disarm and charm even the most skeptical listener. What younger readers have to understand about Magoo’s style is how unique it was at the time, and how impressive it was that he and Tim decided to do their own thing on that debut.

The year before had seen the releases of something like a dozen of hip-hop’s most pivotal albums, including but not limited to Nas’ It Was Written, Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt, The Fugees’ The Score, Lil Kim’s Hardcore, De La Soul’s Stakes Is High, and Redman’s Muddy Waters. Hip-hop was grimy. It was soaked in funk and soul, in gritty gangster tales and dizzying displays of internal rhyme and witty wordplay. If, in the early ‘90s, it had been a goofy teen, all bright colors and bouncy dances and The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, by the late ‘90s, it was more of a pretentious art school student, hanging up a Boondocks Saints poster in its dorm room in an effort to be taken seriously.

And into that climate came Magoo, all nasal pitch and unadorned penmanship, whose most famed lyrical quote to this day is still a hilarious flip of The Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird.” Yes, Tim’s soundscapes set the projects he produced apart from what the rest of the world was doing in a huge way. But his futuristic funk was anchored by the old-school leanings of his rhyme partners, Magoo and Missy Elliott, who stripped down the hyper-verbal wording of their contemporaries and just… well, rhymed.

Magoo could catch you off guard with unexpected references, and skewed boasts like, “Offbeat and on beat, old school like Beat Street / I stink like Pop’s feet, make sweat with no heat.” His verses were always worth a listen because you never knew what he was going to say next. Over the course of their partnership, Tim and Magoo released three albums, never quite reaching the heights of their first after hip-hop finally started to catch up with them. But for a time, Magoo was one of rap’s most innovative and unique voices, paired with one of its most forward-looking producers. Magoo is an indelible part of hip-hop history, a one-of-one.

On the same day that Georgia indicted Donald Trump and 18 other conspirators on RICO charges for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Mike Lindell landed in Missouri to kick off his latest summit centered on, you guessed it, securing election results.

In a new video posted to his Twitter account, the MyPillow CEO, who’s dropped millions on failed attempts to prove the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, urged his followers to “spread the word” about his “Election Summit” that will run from Wednesday to Thursday. Lindell has touted the event as a foolproof, bi-partisan plan to secure future elections that “has never been done before.”

“I don’t care if you’re a Democrat, Republican, or who you are, you’re gonna have so much hope,” Lindell told Steve Bannon back in June.

You can see Lindell’s arrival video below:

Of course, the timing of the “Election Summit” couldn’t be worse. Not only does it arrive directly on the heels of the Georgia indictment, but one of the alleged and charged co-conspirators, Rudy Giuliani, is listed as a speaker. While Lindell has attempted to paint the event as focusing on future elections as opposed to re-litigating the 2020 election, the guest list is a who’s who of loyal MAGA acolytes like Steve Bannon, Mike Flynn, and Laura Loomer.

Also, Lindell is openly promoting the event as an answer from God after praying over the lack of “consequences” for the 2020 election, so maybe don’t hold your breath on this being a bi-partisan love fest.

“During that prayer, God gave me a plan. It is brilliant and divinely inspired, and will immediately secure our election platforms,” Lindell wrote on the official Election Summit event page. “This plan is unique, has never been done before in world history, and has not even previously been talked about by anyone. It does not rely on legislation, judges, or legal actions, etc. This is such a perfect plan, the only way it fails is if we do not get the word out to the entire country, and why I am spreading the word across our nation. It is critical you get this information.”

(Via Mike Lindell on Twitter, LindellEvent.com)

Nearly three years have passed since Steve Doocy first went rogue over Trump on Fox And Friends and sent die-hard MAGA Brian Kilmeade into an aghast tailspin. Since then, they’ve been mostly divided on the subject of 44, and as Trump’s indictments have piled up, there’s been quite a contrast to watch between the two co-hosts while Ainsley Earhardt essentially stays out of it.

The last time we checked in on this dynamic, Trump had been indicted a second time, and Kilmeade’s spirit visibly deflated while Doocy schooled his co-hosts. Well, the Fox And Frenemies gang is back for more, and after the fourth indictment (involving RICO charges out the tookus), Kilmeade is not feeling great about his hero’s fate. He seriously looked like someone swiped his goldfish bowl and gave it a swirlie this morning.

This clip begins with Doocy quoting former U.S. Attorney and Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy, who declared, “The Georgia indictment is the most perilous threat to former President Trump.” New Trump attorney Alina Habba disagreed and claimed to have “inside information.” Doocy challenged her to produce at least something, to which she declined while (apparently unironically) citing “ethics.” And Kilmeade was having a moment:

His goldfish or his puppy? Maybe both.

He’s moving towards the end of the denial phase, yes? Or perhaps he has fast-forwarded into grief. The charges on this indictment are so severe that they could actually put Trump in jail for the rest of his life independent of the other indictments, so Kilmeade must be having a lot of feelings here. He’s still kicking a bit, though, while discussing (below) how Trump will need to surrender in Georgia by August 25 and pose for a mugshot.

That mugshot could end up framed in Hillary’s house for Christmas.

Trolls work hard to shut down stars online, but Keke Palmer works even harder to keep her peace of mind. On July 4, Palmer’s estranged boyfriend, Darius Jackson, fueled haters online when he blasted her for her clothing choice while attending Usher’s Las Vegas residency.

Quickly after, the multi-hyphenate entertainer declared she was “Stevie [Wonder] to the bullsh*t,” backlash she received from her wardrobe and her harmless dance with Usher onstage. Now, she is taking it up a notch. Palmer took to social media to reveal that she will be in Usher’s official video for his single “Boyfriend.”

In the record’s trailer, Palmer and Usher seemingly recreated their pre-stage moments as the pair dressed in the flyest pieces heading out for an epic evening. The track is sure to be a masterful clap-back not only to Jackson, with whom she shares a child.

Following weeks of online chatter, Usher finally addressed the moment with People on August 4. “I think everybody’s vision or a version of what they felt happened there just leads you back to just really having a good time in Las Vegas. And that’s what I hope came out of it. Rather, it was a conversation of what was going on with us having fun in front of the audience or a conversation about that song,” said Usher.

In the three weeks since the release of his fifth studio album, Austin, Post Malone has had some pretty memorable moments, including buying a one-of-one Magic: The Gathering card for a reported $2 million, giving a fan in Tampa his shirt, socks, and a guitar, and meeting Allen Iverson in real life after starting his career with the viral hit “White Iverson.” His latest memory-making moment, though, might be the one that impresses fans the most: He stopped by NPR world headquarters in Washington, DC for a Tiny Desk Concert, making him one of the biggest stars to perform one yet.

Opening up with an acoustic version of “Sunflower” with Americana flourishes, Post strummed his guitar alongside a grand piano a string quartet and a blended bunch of backup singers who really complemented the stripped-down versions of Post’s hits. He followed up his intro with a stirring rendition of “I Fall Apart” and a “go Cowboys,” which he joked might have been out of place in Commanders territory. Then, it was time for “Circles,” his 2019 megahit, again with the assistance of strings. Finally, after joking around about getting lost on the chords of that song, he played “Enough Is Enough” from the new album (“or attempt to,” as he put it). The concert is a perfect display of all the elements that make Post Malone such a star, including his humble charm and willingness to poke fun at himself.

Watch Post Malone’s NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert above.

Joint practices are a great opportunity for NFL teams to get some practice reps at something much closer to game speed, which is why teams do them. They are also a great opportunity for players to get into fights, as the juices get flowing in the hot summer sun and chippiness is almost a guarantee when two teams face each other over and over on the practice field.

On Tuesday, the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders met for joint practice and it didn’t take long for some frustrations to boil over, with the unsurprising combatants being on the outside between receivers and defensive backs, where trash talk is most prevalent. The first dustup of the day saw Commanders DB Emmanuel Forbes and Ravens WR Tylan Wallace exchange punches after a completion on the outside to Wallace, with Forbes wrapping up and trying to strip the ball. From there, the two threw multiple punches at each other — which is always funny when guys are wearing helmets.

NBC4 Sports captured a different angle of that skirmish that saw the two teams come together after the punches were thrown, as well as one happening on another field between the Ravens defense and the Commanders offense, as Washington’s top receiver Terry McLaurin took umbrage to some shoving that was happening.

Later, Ravens star tight end Mark Andrews sparked another kerfuffle when he slammed Washington DB Danny Johnson to the ground after a fumble (and after the whistle).

Coaches love joint practices because it’s the closest thing you can get to game reps, because you aren’t going up against a teammate who you might more naturally pedal off against. However, because you don’t pedal off against another team, you end up with lots more dustups and sometimes full on fights, and occasionally practices have to end early because of it.

Sometimes a person opens their mouth to sing and their voice blows you away, partly because it sounds nothing like you’d expect and partly because it’s just that amazing.

Cue the vocal stylings of Lacey Schaffer-Thomas, a special ed paraprofessional in Fort Smith, Arkansas, whose back-to-school convocation performance with her fellow educators has gone viral.

In a Facebook and Instagram reel shared by motivational speaker Jon Gordon, we see a stage set up on a school gym floor with a group of teachers performing together as a band.

“So this happened before I spoke!” he wrote. “It was the coolest convocation I’ve ever seen.”

A rock band made of teachers is interesting enough, but when the band plays Stevie Wonder‘s hit “Superstition” and the lead vocalist sound like Janis Joplin reincarnated—”like a legend,” as Gordon wrote—you have an incredibly impressive combo.

Check out how the students were welcomed back:

See on Instagram

People have been blown away by this woman’s voice, as evidenced by the comments on Facebook:

“I wasn’t expecting that voice to come out of that tiny, beautiful lady!” wrote one commenter. “Loved every minute of this! Ah-mazing, powerful performance! Why is this woman not a well-known, famous name by now?”

“She’s not singing, She’s SANG’IN! My Lord Ms. Thomas! You were feeling it and you made us feel it too!” shared another.

“She betta SANG!!!!!! I love this idea!!! The kids get to see talent and feel welcomed,” wrote another.

“Wow! That poor guy trying to sing with her,” sympathized one commenter. “There’s no place in there for ya bud! She can handle that on her own! All these little jewels around the world that nobody knows about until somebody puts em on social media.”

Schaffer-Thomas’ family and friends showed up in the comments, too, with understandable pride:

“My beautiful talented Wife. Lacey is a paraprofessional working with special needs kids. She sings to her students every day and is the most amazing, positive human I know. I am so blessed,” wrote her husband.

“That’s my momma Lacey Schaffer-Thomas ,” wrote her daughter. “She’s actually a paraprofessional for an elementary special education class. She’s incredible and I’m so proud of her! She’s been singing her whole life! The entire band did a phenomenal job!!! “

The singer herself even chimed in when Gordon asked if he could tag her in the video. “Yes please! I don’t know if my heart can take it though. ,” she responded. “I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude at all the kind responses this has generated. Thank you so much.”

The praise is well-earned, ma’am. Keep on wowing everyone with that gorgeous, edgy voice.

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new music from Slowdive, Ian Sweet, Sufjan Stevens, Turnstile, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Fiddlehead — “Fifteen To Infinity”

Death Is Nothing To Us, the third studio album by Fiddlehead, is only days away. Singles “Sullenboy” and “Sleepyhead” have teased an explosive, mosh-ready record, but this new track “Fifteen To Infinity” is more downtrodden and dynamic. With noisy guitars and a catchy melody, the song is Smiths-like in its fatalistic proclamation of love: “Well if I’m gonna die then I wanna die / With you right by my side,” Patrick Flynn sings.

Blonde Redhead — “Before”

Blonde Redhead is sharing their new album Sit Down for Dinner next month, and “Before” encapsulates their mesmeric brand of dream pop. Warm instrumentals create a sense of comfort that blend well with the lyrics laden with déjà vu: “Were you here before / I can say I have / Will I take someone like you?”

Petey — “Did I Mention I’m Sorry”

“Did I Mention I’m Sorry” by Petey is a volcanic explosion of indie rock that unexpectedly goes from lo-fi to anthemic while a stream-of-consciousness is expressed in earnest: “I missed your party must have / Forgot to tell you I was / Looking for parking I’ve been / All In my head about it,” he sings.

Turnstile — New Heart Designs

One cannot overstate the impact on Turnstile’s 2021 masterwork Glow On, a hardcore album with collaboration from Blood Orange and three Grammy nominations. New Heart Designs takes their experimentation to the next level by reimagining three tracks from that record — “Mystery,” “Underwater Boi,” and “Alien Love Call” — with Mall Grab.

Ian Sweet — “Your Spit”

The stakes are high as soon as Ian Sweet’s new song “Your Spit” kicks off: a car is hitting 105 mph and there’s a confession of love. “I know I stop mid-sentence / And pretend I forget / What I’m gonna say / It’s ’cause I’m afraid,” Jilian Medford admits in a vulnerable drawl. In typical Ian Sweet fashion, the track is a danceable and playful dose of indie rock, taken from her just-announced album Sucker arriving in November.

Slowdive — “The Slab”

Everything Is Alive, Slowdive’s first album since their 2017 self-titled classic, is out next month, and the singles have been transcendent. The newest, “The Slab,” is no exception, reverberating with vibrating synthesizers that build a soaring, hypnotic wall of sound. The vocals blend into the floating atmosphere and it makes for a sprawling shoegaze experience.

Sufjan Stevens — “So You Are Tired”

No big deal: Indie rock royalty Sufjan Stevens is back with the announcement of a new album called Javelin out in October. The lead single “So You Are Tired” captures the endearing nature of his beloved album Carrie & Lowell, twinkling as he lulls heart-wrenching lines: “So you are breathing disaster / I did what I was told / But I was a man born invisible.”

Land Of Talk — “Your Beautiful Self”

“It’s the weirdest, mightiest little record I’ve made since I used to write music on my four-track when I was 14,” Lizzie Powell said about Performances, the new Land Of Talk album arriving in October. “Your Beautiful Self” showcases the idiosyncrasy that they leaned into, the ballad unpredictable and haunting, previewing a bewitching sound.

Ratboys — “Morning Zoo”

Every single for The Window, the new album by Ratboys, has been unforgettably evocative. The latest single “Morning Zoo” exhibits their subtle intensity; “I look myself in the eye / I wake up every morning / I kill my thoughts with a knife / Then blow a kiss to the silence,” Julia Steiner sings against cosmic instrumentals.

Thanks For Coming — “Loop”

Thanks For Coming make casually agonizing songs, which can be predicted by the title of their forthcoming album: What is My Capacity to Love? “Loop” captures the dizzying whirlwind of romance and intimacy, building into a visceral nursery rhyme: “Stuck in a loop with you / It’s all I want to do / I’m stuck on you like glue.”

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

Adele has had a lot of memorable times during her Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, from joking around with a t-shirt cannon to working through a lyric mishap. The latest moment happened during one of her recent concerts, after a couple, Chris Dare and Shantelle Lord, asked the pop star to help them with a special occasion.

They brought a sign that read, “Adele, will you do our gender reveal?” — which surprised Adele as she spotted it.

“No one’s really allowed signs in here. I’m just obsessed that you got one in,” she responded to them in the crowd. Lord had been saving the baby’s sex reveal in an envelope for weeks and got it to Adele.

“Shantelle and Chris are having a baby… boy!” she surprised to the couple and the rest of the audience. The moment moved Adele so much that she started crying and hugged the two fans.

“That was amazing,” she said. “I’m so happy for you! I’m so happy for you! That’s so emotional, oh my God.”

“If and when I get pregnant will you do my gender reveal?” Adele also asked Lord.

Dare has since posted a video of the moment to his Instagram. “@adele you are amazing and we will remember this night for the rest of our lives!” he captioned, complete with some heart emojis.

Check out Adele hosting a gender reveal for the couple above.

Technology is crazy. Not only does social media allow us to connect to folks we never would have had access to before, but now we also have simple AI to automate tasks that we never even thought we’d need help with. Both of these situations came together recently when a fan slid into Coi Leray’s Instagram DMs to ask for a date. However, when she actually responded, he used ChatGPT to try to construct the rest of the conversation — and it didn’t go too well after that.

After delivering a decent enough opener (“Give me one date and it will be the best night you’ve ever had”), Coi’s response (“what’s the date?”), the hopeful fan asked ChatGPT for some options, choosing “taking a boat ride and watching a sunset.” Unfortunately for him, Coi was unimpressed, inviting him to “take a boat ride out of my DMs.” Ouch. The user caught all of this on his screen record and shared it on TikTok. It seems that this is his whole bit there, so he probably didn’t take it too hard, but still.

Coi is fresh off the release of her self-titled second album, which features the singles “Bops” and “Get Loud.” Meanwhile, she’s not the only one cooking bold fans who slide in her DMs; Ice Spice utterly roasted a student who got at her with a weak “Hey mamas” earlier this year.