Month: August 2023

It has been 17 years since Diddy last released a solo album (2006’s Press Play), so it makes sense that he’d want his new album, The Love Album: Off The Grid, to be a blowout event.

To that end, he’s definitely pulled out all the stops — at least, with regard to the album’s length and guest list. The producer/rapper/mogul shared the official tracklist today, revealing that the album will have 20 tracks and a massive list of features, including what he calls the final guest appearance of The Weeknd (who’s planning on changing his name soon). Big names included on the album include 21 Savage, Busta Rhymes, The-Dream, HER, John Legend, Justin Bieber, Mary J Blige, and Ty Dolla Sign, among many, many others. There’s also a reunion with Dirty Money, the R&B group consisting of Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper with whom Diddy released his last musical project, Last Train To Paris.

The Love Album: Off The Grid is due 9/15 through Love Records and Motown. See the tracklist below.

01. “Brought My Love” Feat. The Dream and Herb Alpert
02. “What’s Love” Feat. Nova Wav
03. “Deliver Me” Feat. Dirty Money, Busta Rhymes, Dawn Richard, and Kalenna
04. “Stay A While” Feat. Nija
05. “Homecoming” Feat. Jozzy
06. “Pick Up” Feat. Fabolous
07. “Tough Love” Feat. Swae Lee
08. “Stay Long” Feat. Summer Walker
09. “Belongs to You” Feat. Jozzy
10. “Another One Of Me” Feat. The Weeknd, French Montana, 21 Savage
11. “INTERMISSION”
12. “Moments” Feat. Justin Bieber
13. “Need Somebody” Feat. Jazmine Sullivan
14. “Mind Ya Business” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign, Kehlani
15. “Nasty interlude” Feat. Jozzy
16. “Reachin” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign, Coco Jones
17. “Stay part 1” Feat. Kalan FrFr, K-Ci
18. “I Like” Feat. Mary J Blige
19. “Closer to God” Feat. Teyana Taylor
20. “BooHoo” Feat. Jeremih
21. “Interlude” (Burna Boy Interlude)
22. “Kim Porter” Feat. John Legend
23. “Space” Feat. HER

When you think of Nashville, flashing marquees featuring the greatest country stars of all time come to mind. Plus the good ole’ white cowboy boots lining Broadway. But with a name like Music City, it’s not a surprise that all genres are represented here. Even electronic music.

Enter Deep Tropics, Nashville’s premier electronic music festival. Similar to the surprise I felt at discovering Nebraska’s love for hardcore and punk music, Nashville showed the f*ck up to get down to two sweltering days of house, techno, and bass music.

PART I — The Festival Grounds

What’s a dazzling house music extravaganza without the shimmering city lights? Placed in Nashville’s Bicentennial Park, Deep Tropics turned the city’s capitol park into a tropical oasis adorned with sultry beats and radiating bass. I found myself with my full-on rage face overlooking the main stage – the Meru Amphitheater – with the lit-up State Capitol building in the background, imagining all the government officials overlooking the chaos below.

While some festivals have to spread out their stages to avoid overflow between sets and in turn make attendees walk great lengths, Deep Tropics perfectly made use of the space. The Meru Amphitheater and Lotus Stage were a quick two-minute walk away from one another, while the Lotus and Congo Soundsystem were a mere 30 seconds away. Each stage still had its own crowd and vibe to it, without infringing on other overlapping sets. Quite the feat for a three-stage music festival in a city park.

Outside of the stage areas, Deep Tropics fostered an immersive environment equipped with around-the-clock programming catered to wellness programs and educational workshops. The Deep Culture village welcomed Tropical Travelers into its speakeasy for yoga and breathwork sessions, impactful artist conversations, and connective dance gatherings, while the Healing Sanctuary offered tarot readings and massages and the T.R.I.B.E. Refuge cultivated communal conversations.

PART II — The Music

I’ve done my fair share of festival hopping and clubbing well into the early morning, and I’ve got to say: Nashville seriously can’t get enough of electronic music. The city goes crazy for it, and attendees raced from stage to stage to dance to house, techno, and bass (not a single electronic genre went untouched over the weekend).

On Friday, Khiva offered a body-rumbling, golden-hour bass set on the Lotus Stage. If you ask a resident bass lover about bass music, you’ll often find that what appeals to them is the feeling of the bass in their bodies. Khiva delivered quite the recipe of bass melodies during her set, relaying low-frequency soundscapes and charging beats that literally felt like it was shaking up the atoms in your body and healing you from the inside out.

Then it was time for the boots and cats. You can never have enough. LP Giobbi stole the show Friday night as she beautifully wove her infectious club-heavy beats with piano house melodies. The multi-instrumentalist took attendees on a musical journey through the intersection of electronic music and classic composition, reminding Music City of the universal connection of music.

Friday evening went out with an official bang thanks to English electronic music duo Gorgon City. Radiating their UK garage and multidimensional house, it was quite the scene as lasers overtook the Meru Amphitheater and everyone settled into the frenzied depths of bass house.

Saturday sparkled in Nashville’s end-of-summer heat and laid out to be a full day of sonic exploration. Bringing the West Coast to Music City, Smoakland fired out monstrous dubstep and head-shattering bass at the cusp of dusk on the Lotus Stage before Denver-based INZO took over and cooked up a concoction of luminescent synth lines and moving bass melodies.

Over on the Congo Soundsystem, Arvi Mala summoned a warm atmosphere of cheeky tropical house and sultry grooves, putting a pep in everyone’s step before the evening closed with overlapping sets by SG Lewis and Troyboi. With delicate planning, the best move here was to head to SG Lewis first on the Meru Amphitheater to catch his upbeat electro-pop and house melodies for a solid half-hour before making the easy two-minute walk over to catch the last 30 minutes of globally acclaimed trap and future bass producer Troyboi.

While the music ended at 11 p.m. each night, the Tropical Travelers had three options for late-night partying. Weirdly enough, two of the venues – Eastside Bowl and Brooklyn Bowl – also included bowling. It was quite the scene pulling up to Eastside Bowl Friday night and having a venue worker directly ask each group walking up if they were there to bowl or to “see the EDM.”

“I’m definitely here to see the EDM,” I replied. The late-night EDM was indeed better than the bowling option, as Redrum and What So Not broke out fast breakbeats and drum and bass until 3 a.m. Of course, my inner curiosity kicked in Saturday night so I had to check out Brooklyn Bowl (which has other branded locations in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas) to end the festival on a high note with Subrinse, Eli & Fur, and Sonny Federa.

PART III — Ultimate Sustainability

Still believe the outdated stereotype that electronic music fans and music festivals aren’t intentional or make any positive impact?

Aside from inviting fans from all corners of the globe to its immersive and interactive art and music experiences, it’s an incredible feat for a festival to deliver sustainability goals when promoting a large-scale event. Partnering with its non-profit organization, Deep Culture Inc., Deep Tropics successfully offset its carbon footprint and beat last year’s 93% waste diversion with a whopping 96% this year. This included 2,882 pounds of recyclable materials and 947 pounds of composted materials, equivalent to 12,702 pounds of CO2 gasses saved from entering the atmosphere or 100 saplings planted and grown for 10 years.

Additionally, Deep Tropics yet again flexed its role as a pioneer in this industry by being the first to use Sunbelt generators, which completely powered the Meru Amphitheater. Plus, all attendees were prompted to bring their own reusable cups or water bottles and were given drinks in reusable tin cups.

PART IV — Tropical Traveler Festival Fashion

Fashion and music festivals go hand-in-hand. Planning and preparing outfits can sometimes take up to weeks in advance, knowing that how you look is a form of creative expression all its own.

Deep Tropics truly set the bar high on this front, with its organized vintage market and fashion show. Partnering with Finders Thrifters, Melissa Lockwood’s IQTest-NYC label, BrownLee, Mamie Ruth, and more, attendees were educated about recycled fashion styles through upcycling workshops, witnessed a runaway show with free-spirit clothing designs, and were exposed to eco-conscious branded festival merchandise.

“It’s very exciting, there’s a lot going on here in Nashville,” Ashley East, owner of the Madnest, a Nashville art gallery and community space, said in an on-site interview. “There’s a lot of creatives and artists that are trying to just bridge the music, art, and style of Deep Tropics and with the city of Nashville as a whole. We’re super excited to be a part of it and see where it grows to over the years.”

Nashville is a beautiful city full of beautiful people, so I found myself adding a little more effort this time around. I packed a mix of thrifted and newly acquired garments that would fit into Deep Tropics’ sustainable yet fashionable nature. Friday’s “Festival Barbie” attire included a newly thrifted psychedelic top and bucket hat paired with a new white tennis skirt and mid-leg white boots. The boots lasted most of the day…until they didn’t. I broke out a brand new pair of white Astral sandals, which literally saved the evening. The sandal is made up of 100% post-consumer recycled materials and uses a balanced geometry design to allow a comfortable, natural position of your foot. Without even needing to break them in, they saved my feet Friday night and became the mainstay footwear for Saturday’s “Tropical Traveler” look, which included a thrifted skirt and white tank top.

I balanced both days out by visiting Glitter Bitch, which served as Deep Tropics’ sparkly makeup tent equipped with biodegradable glitter.

PART V — Where To Stay

Continuing its dedication to bridging the gap between music festivals and actual sustainability, Deep Tropics partnered with Virgin Hotel Nashville, which currently holds the top spot as the “greenest hotel in the city” as it actively measures the efficiency of the building while also reducing energy, water consumption, and its overall carbon footprint.

Located right on Music Square and a short 10-minute drive to the festival, Virgin Hotel Nashville proved to be the ultimate place to lay your head down at night. As soon I walked in, I was greeted with a strikingly beautiful overhead array of disassembled hanging musical instruments — quite the opener. To the right, a brightly lit, open-air atmosphere – The Commons Club and Shag Room – captivated the senses with a balance of Southern hospitality and modern furnishings.

I got lucky enough to secure a room on the 10th floor, which of course boasted picturesque views overlooking the Music City skyline. The two-chamber design feature of the room – equipped with a barn-style sliding door separating the sleep and relaxing dressing area – was obviously well thought-out, allowing optimal functionality in a hotel made for late-night partying.

I’m someone who never turns on the television when I’m at a hotel. There’s never a need for it. But when I discovered that I made the rookie mistake of somehow forgetting to pack my whole toiletry bag (we can blame the morning spliff), the television became my best friend. I was able to directly request my complimentary forgotten necessities with the click of a button. Because who really wants to call the front desk and tell them you need a toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant?

It was actually its hidden speakeasy – The Late Great – that sold me though. It was truly a speakeasy too — because I couldn’t figure out how to get there until an employee walked me through darkened hallways that opened up into the old-school lounge. Centered around the “anything goes” ethos of Nashville’s legendary B-Rooms, the intimate space offered high-end dark spirits and plush furnishings that literally oozed sexiness. It was the perfect setting for the official Tropical Traveler Welcome Party on Friday afternoon as I picked up my credentials as local producers showcased the city’s increasingly reputable electronic scene.

While I could’ve spent the better half of my time on the property, I opted to check out the rooftop pool on Saturday during the day. The 12th-floor Pool Club had an urban cool appeal to it and was completely packed when I arrived in the sweltering heat of midday. There’s always some music being played in the hotel, so I didn’t mind the chilled daytime beats as I overlooked the city of Nashville and lounged for a bit on a daybed.

To book a room at Virgin Hotel Nashville, click here. Deep Tropics has announced the dates for its 2024 gathering and will return August 16th and 17th. For more information, visit the festival’s website.

You can stop refreshing CNN: Joe Rogan has finally weighed in on Dwight from The Office‘s thoughts on “Rich Men North of Richmond.”

“If I were writing a song about ‘rich men north of richmond’ I wouldnt talk about obese people on welfare, I’d sing about CEOs who make 400 times their average workers salary (up from 50 times 30 years ago) & corps that pay zero taxes & offshore tax shelters for billionaires,” actor Rainn Wilson tweeted on August 20th. For whatever reason, 10 days later, Joe Rogan responded to the tweet on Wednesday’s episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.

“I mean, it’s a subject of discussion. So, like, everybody is getting involved and then somehow or another it became cultural,” Rogan said about the biggest song in the country, according to Mediaite. “And then there was Dwight from The Office. He chimed in that if he was going to write a cultural anthem, what did he say? Something like he wouldn’t write about overweight people on welfare. He would write about billionaires and their taxes.” He then challenged Wilson to visit West Virginia to see how the other half lives, as if he doesn’t own a a $14.4 million mansion in one of America’s biggest cities.

“There’s nothing funnier than millionaires talking shit about billionaires. There is nothing funnier about millionaires pretending these billionaires are out of touch. Take Dwight from The Office down to West Virginia. Take him through those coal mining countries. Take him to those places in Appalachia where people have extreme poverty and pills have ravished those areas. Take him to there.”

Boys, please stop fighting and enjoy this TikTok about another song that’s set in Virginia, NOT West Virginia.

(Via Mediaite)

The Boys puts the “gag” in gag reel.

Sony has released the bloopers for season three of the Amazon Prime Video superhero series, which you can watch above. In it, you’ll find Homelander pretending to, ahem, pleasure multiple men at once; Billy Butcher fake punching a guy; and Starlight gagging and spitting up a pineapple White Claw. Can you blame her? The mango White Claw is where it’s at. The gag reel also has swearing. Lots and lots of creative swearing.

Before the strike, The Boys star Jack Quaid discussed what to expect in season four with Esquire. “It’s my favorite season we’ve ever shot,” he said. “It’s a very intense season. You really get to mine the depth of every character — and it still has those ‘What just happened?!’ moments. Audiences are still going to be surprised and will be really into the direction that it takes. We take some chances that I think are really awesome. It’s our best one yet.”

The Boys season four doesn’t have a premiere date, but it will have what one of the show’s visual effects supervisors and producers called “the most disgusting thing I have seen working in this business thus far.”

“Legend” is a label that gets tossed around quite a bit in the world of sports, but USWNT soccer star Julie Ertz has more than earned it. And after more than a decade of playing professionally at the international level, Ertz announced her retirement from the sport, marking the end of an era for the national squad and women’s soccer in the U.S.

Ertz shared the announcement via Twitter, expressing her gratitude to the fans, her teammates, and the coaches who guided her to two World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. “I gave everything I had to the sport that I love,” Ertz wrote. “With that I can walk away with no regrets because while I gave soccer every ounce of myself, soccer gave me even more, and for that I’ll always be thankful.”

The midfielder served as the defensive spine of the USWNT. Her dogged determination to win every ball, her fearlessness in any tackle, and her steadiness — particularly in her role as a leader for the U.S. team in the 2023 World Cup this summer while playing out of position at center back — inspired confidence in fans and, likely, fear in the opposition. Just 241 days after giving birth to her son, Madden, Ertz returned to the international stage, intent on helping the USWNT earn another star Down Under and her command of the squad’s backline (along with her partnership with Naomi Girma) marked a bright spot in the team’s lackluster tournament run.

After the USWNT’s loss to Sweden in the Round of 16, Ertz hinted that the match might be the last time she wore the crest for the women’s team but her recent announcement confirms she’s also stepping down from her role at Angel City FC. Ertz expressed her desire to focus on her family as motivation for the move and, unlike her fellow USWNT teammate Megan Rapinoe, she doesn’t seem to have any plans to play in a final match with the squad on U.S. soil.

With the USWNT in transition, the loss of Ertz symbolizes a gigantic shift — not just in the team’s future lineup but in its style of play and mindset on the field. Few players were as competitive and relentless on the pitch and of those, none were as dependable and consistent in their play. Ertz’s legacy is one of inimitability, as no one will be able to emulate her presence on the pitch or match her influence off it.

Griff got off to a hot start with her debut mixtape, One Foot In Front Of The Other, which hit No. 4 on the UK charts in 2021. While fans wait for her next project, Griff is keeping them fed today (August 31) with a new single, “Vertigo.” The song is a pop slow-burner that tackles emotional turbulence head-on.

In a statement, Griff said of the song, “‘Vertigo’ refers to an emotional state — always feeling upside down. Experiencing love and growing up, it always feels like the world and my emotions are spinning faster than I can keep up with. ‘Vertigo’ is the beginning of a new creative chapter for me, and I’m excited for us all to go on this journey together.”

She also told Dork of the single, “There’s a darkness to ‘Vertigo’ that maybe I haven’t tapped into as much before. It’s still major, but there’s something quite dark and moody about it too. It’s the start of a new season for me, for sure. I’ve been writing a lot and trying to figure out what’s right for me. We’ll start with ‘Vertigo’ and see where we end up. We’re going to be walking through it together, bit by bit.”

In a social media post, Griff offered a peek behind the scenes, sharing some photos and writing, “This photo was taken a few hours before I wrote Vertigo in the English country side. Wish I could show myself in this photo the love and support you’ve already given the song. I can finally say … VERTIGO IS OUT NOW!!!”

Listen to “Vertigo” above and revisit Uproxx’s 2021 cover story with Griff here.

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

On a scale of one to five cowboy hats, how much Timothy Olyphant is too much? This is a trick question. There is never too much. In fact, we actually have too little of the man, which is why bringing back Justified for another round with Justified: City Primeval was the right move. That is until they bring back Santa Clarita Diet. It WILL happen!

While the season of the “limited series” just ended (with an incredible twist), it’s never too early to talk about a potential second season, though that would hinder the “limited” aspect of it, wouldn’t it? Who cares! We need more Timmy!

Showrunner and co-producer of the series Michael Dinner (not the inventor of dinner, I checked) recently told TVLine that the spinoff wasn’t just to add more content to the Justified universe, but it was also because they know how to work together to write some prestige TV. “We did this not to reboot Justified. We did it because we want to reboot the feeling that we had working with each other — whether it was me working with Tim, or [co-showrunner] David [Andron] and myself and the other writers, and what we felt in the writers room.”

So will there be another season? It’s tough to say, but Dinner says it’s not up to him. “It’s up to FX — what they want to do, if they want to tell another chapter [of the story],” Dinner added. “If they don’t, then, you know, it was good to do this, and we feel really good about where we ended.”

It should be noted that the season did end on a classic “one last job” situation, so it might be time for our pal Timmy O to dust off those cowboy boots.

(Via TVLine)

After shows like Atlanta and Dave pulled back the curtain on the music industry, it only makes sense that more shows would follow in their footsteps to depict the highs and lows of the pursuit of stardom from different angles. Issa Rae’s Rap Sh!t addresses the industry’s sexism and double standards through the lens of a rising Miami rap duo, while Netflix’s new show, Neon, returns to Miami to follow an aspiring reggaeton star and his friends as they try to work their way past industry gatekeepers with the help of an insider who isn’t what she seems.

Neon was created by Hip-Hop (And Other Things) author Shea Serrano, who teamed up with Dave writer Max Searle, who is the series’ showrunner. The show’s executive producers also include reggaeton star Daddy Yankee, while Tainy serves as executive music producer with One Six, which is comprised of Tainy, Ivan Rodriguez, Lex Borrero, and Neon16. Here’s a sample of the new music, “Exagero”:

In the trailer, aspiring reggaeton star Santi, portrayed by Tyler Dean Flores (Miguel Wants To Fight), moves to Miami with his best friends/managers Ness and Felix (Emma Ferreira and Jordan Mendoza, respectively) to seek his fortunes after racking up a viral hit. But while he’s earned the respect and appreciation of more established stars (Daddy Yankee among them, naturally), he’ll still need the help of Mia a wannabe A&R, to land a deal and prove he’s not just a one-hit wonder — or even just get a paying gig. Neon premiere on Netflix on October 19. Watch the trailer for Neon above.

If you’re a fan of STARZ’s TV shows, specifically the ones out of 50 Cent’s cinematic universe, then the past few weeks have been great for you. It all started with the announcement that Power Book IV: Force season two with Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora) and company would return on September 1. Then, STARZ announced that Power Book III: Raising Kanan season three would arrive on December 1. Now, STARZ extends its takeover with news about BMF and its official premiere date for season three.

The network announced that BMF would make its return on March 1, 2024, to begin season three. The new episodes will be available weekly on Fridays at midnight ET/PT on the STARZ app. They will also be available on the STARZ TV channel at 8 pm ET/PT in both the US and Canada. Here is a bit of a synopsis that explains what to expect for BMF season three.

Season three of BMF resumes the storyline inspired by brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory (Demetrius Flenory, Jr.) and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory(Da’Vinchi), who established one of the most infamous crime families in the country known as, Black Mafia Family. We kick off Season Three in the early ’90s when the Flenory Family has reinvented themselves. Meech has moved to Atlanta on a mission to build up the BMF empire in the south that he and Terry created in Detroit. The series continues to humanize the choices of the brothers’ business and their pursuits of the American Dream.

Along with news of the season three premiere date came an official teaser trailer that previews the upcoming seasons of Power Book IV: Force, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and BMF. You can watch that in the video above.

‘BMF’ season three debuts on STARZ on March 1, 2024. Seasons one and two are available now to stream on the STARZ app.

Sending kids off to college is a milestone filled with conflicting feelings, both for the kids and the parents. There’s excitement, pride and anticipation, plus nostalgia, loss and yearning all rolled into one pivotal life moment.

Perhaps one of the best tools to help cope with the heavier, more challenging emotions bound to arise is having a sense of humor. And some parents have it in spades.

Mom and content creator Jill Wagner had asked her son Hakin what he would like for his dorm room at Maryville University.

Hakin’s answer? Posters. Plain and simple. And it’s that lack of specificity that would land Hakin in a hilarious prank concocted by Mom and Dad.

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In a clip shared to Wagner’s TikTok, we see Hakin shaking his head with disbelief as he walks in to see a giant cardboard cutout of his mom.

“Honey, I know you’re gonna miss me so much; I got a life-size picture of me for your dorm. That way, if any girls try to come in your room, they can see me,” Wagner says through a giggle.

Hakin, also laughing, says the line every parent of a teen has heard, “That is so embarrassing!” before telling his father to put it where nobody can see it.

Instead of a cardboard cutout, dad decided to go a little more old school—a photo of himself pointing to a laundry hamper, made into a poster, stuck right above the laundry hamper in Hakin’s room. Meta.

In her caption, Wagner wrote, “Dad and I are always with you 😂”

Enjoy the wholesome hijinks below:

@jillwagner81 @Hakin Wagner Dad and i are always with you😂 #maryville #moveinday #college ♬ original sound – Jill

Close to 500,000 people have watched the clip, with several chiming in to share that they would be incorporating the idea for their own kids. More embarrassment to come, it seems!

The college transition is sure to be one of heightened emotions. You can follow all the recommended guidelines for make it a little smoother—plan the move-in day accordingly, jot down meaningful messages to leave behind, create memories with one last family vacation, look into new hobbies—but at the end of the day, parents are still going to be feeling all the feels.

And just like any beautiful chapter in life, we are meant to savor the sweet along with the bitter. While it’s probably best to try to hold in those tears during the actual move-in day (it is the kid’s day, after all) it’s completely natural to let it all out on the car ride home.

Wagner’s delightful prank might have gotten some viral laughs, but it also highlights a more lighthearted, optimistic way for parents to take on what’s sure to be a day full of big feelings.