Month: August 2023

As a wise woman once said, “August slipped away like a moment in time.” Thankfully, despite the summer going by in a blink, the songs from this week can stick with you forever. There’s a wide-spanning range of genre influences to choose from, including a pop-country crossover, K-Pop, the return of not one but two former Disney stars, and so much more.

Check out Uproxx’s Best New Pop roundup below.

Selena Gomez – “Single Soon”

Selena Gomez returned to the joy of fans with “Single Soon.” Perfect for ushering in your hot girl era, the video finds the pop star breaking up with someone via a post-it note, channeling the chaotic Sex And The City moment, but with a better spin on it.

Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves – “I Remember Everything”

Zach Bryan brought on Kacey Musgraves for his emotional “I Remember Everything,” a standout from his new self-titled album. The two musicians offer differing perspectives in each of the verses, with Bryan coping by drinking and Musgraves reminiscing as their relationship comes to an end.

Miley Cyrus – “Used To Be Young”

“Used To Be Young” is a powerful reflection from Miley Cyrus, who is looking back on her headline-making moments — especially with her 2013 album, Bangerz, turning ten this year. Next month, she’ll release an anniversary edition for it. But now, she is offering the fact that despite people thinking she used to be wild, she was just a young adult heading into life’s craziness.

Blackpink – “The Girls”

Blackpink is back in your area, as the popular band dropped “The Girls” for their first new song this year. “Live fast, we do it like that / And we don’t lie, we born to be mad / Better come right or never come back / Don’t mess with the girls,” they warn, showing both that they can be fun and tough.

Conan Gray – “Winner”

“I wrote this song at 2 a.m. — everything at the piano just spilled out all at once,” Conan Gray shared about the heartbreaking “Winner” in a statement. “It was a moment where I finally felt like, ‘Fine. Great job. You did it. You hurt me more than anybody ever could hurt me.’ And it oddly felt nice.”

Charlotte Cardin — “Someone I Could Love”

Charlotte Cardin’s new album, 99 Nights, arrived this week. “Someone I Could Love” finds her taking a romantic spin in a song about an unexpected relationship that returned to her at a better time.

Ashnikko, Ethel Cain — “Dying Star”

A highlight from Ashnikko’s new album, Weedkiller, is her collaboration with Ethel Cain titled “Dying Star.” The ballad closes out the record on a strong and hopeful note, as the two musicians both weave themes of the South and religion into their work — making it a fitting choice.

Omar Apollo – “Ice Slippin”

“’Ice Slippin’ is about reliving the thoughts I had passing through my mind the winter I came out to my family. Receiving cold judgment as opposed to the acceptance I felt I deserved,” Apollo said about his new release, where he struggled with a real-life situation. “This song is a reflection and reaction of all the emotions I had to face before and after I decided to leave the icy streets of Indiana.”

Corook — “Emergency Contact”

“The song itself plays like a conversation between me and my whimsical friends cheering me on to go for the girl of my dreams,” Corook pointed out about “Emergency Contact,” which provides a lighter, more “energetic” aspect from their forthcoming EP.

Gayle – “Leave Me For Dead”

Gayle is going through the emotional turmoil of someone whose “bad intentions” held her attention, as she details the chaotic ending to it all over a pop-rock instrumental.

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

Skip Bayless is one of sports media’s most opinionated anchors. While Undisputed viewers might not always argue with his hot takes, there’s one thing he got right: Lil Wayne had something special in store. After weeks of teasing fans of the show with updates regarding the show’s updated direction, the show made its official return to airwaves yesterday (August 28) with all new co-hosts and theme song.

Bayless claimed Wayne’s new track for the song would outdo his 2016 contribution “No Mercy,” and he didn’t exaggerate. The rapper’s new record, “Good Morning,” was the fresh musical update the show needed.

As clever as ever, in the song’s lyrics, Wayne works in his love for sports and undeniable pen, “Good Morning, it’s Weezy FS1 / Skip the BS and put everybody after VS / P.S. all I spit is F-A-C-T-S / The best, Skip Bayless, yeah, say less / Top of the top, apex, everyday flex / If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t poppin’, I ain’t tryin’ to hate / Let’s have a Jordan and LeBron debate, I got time of day / Drippin’ on the chain, my diamonds say what they gotta say / If you think it’s a game, I commentate, I ain’t got to play / On in the morning, I own my opponent / My competition is not an issue, just cotton tissue / Unconventional, controversial, convoluted / Unconditional, undeterred, and undisputed.”

In addition to the new song, the host revealed on The Skip Bayless Show that Wayne would also stop in weekly as a co-host.

“Wayne has agreed every Friday going forward to do a segment with me live. He might not always be in the studio, depending on his schedule. But he’s going to be joining me every Friday,” said Bayless. Based on Bayless’ statement, Wayne’s first appearance is slated for this Friday, September 1.

Listen to the show’s new theme song above.

Cornerback Sauce Gardner put together a sensational rookie season with the New York Jets, earning Rookie Defensive Player of the Year honors after posting a season with 75 tackles, two interceptions, and an incredible 20 passes defensed — with fellow Jets rookie Garrett Wilson winning the award on the offensive side. With those two young stars at premium positions, the Jets went out and traded for Aaron Rodgers to help expedite their leap into being a contender in the AFC.

Gardner quickly made friends with his new superstar quarterback, going to a Knicks game with Rodgers after the trade was finalized and making sure to try and soak in as much knowledge as he can from the four-time MVP for however long he’s in New York. That has already paid dividends for Gardner, who explained to us how Rodgers was able to let him know about a coverage tell he had that tipped whether the Jets were in zone or man. He also says Rodgers helped him embrace a more team-focused mindset in camp, looking at it less as a competition to win every time and more as a chance for he and Wilson to help each other refine their games.

Gardner will hope to put those new lessons on display against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, as the Jets get their opener on Monday Night Football in a game that figures to be a measuring stick for how close they are to the AFC East’s top team. On Monday, Gardner spoke with Uproxx Sports on behalf of Buffalo Wild Wings, where his Sauce Sauce (sweet, spicy BBQ) is back on the menu for football season, about camp, Rodgers’ early influence on his game, battles with Wilson, turning deflections into more interceptions, the motivation he gets from Darrelle Revis, and Sauce’s favorite sauces.

How has camp gone and how are you feeling as y’all get ready for Week 1 now that the preseason is out of the way?

Camp has been great. You know, the competition was there — offense, defense, special teams. Brotherhood, the team bonding has been great. The biggest thing is I’m just blessed to be healthy and just have a healthy camp. Just be able to just look forward to this upcoming season and the game versus the Bills on September 11.

You mentioned the competition in camp, which for you a lot of that is going up against Garrett Wilson. What are the ways you two are able to push each other and how does going up against a guy like that make you better when he’s in your own building?

I would probably say if I beat him, if he beat me, just being able to be more mature about it now. It’s Year 2, so now it’s more so, ‘Hey, what did you see here?’ Garrett asked me how did I know he’s running a certain route. I tell him basically it’s a stem, or it’s his pad level. And me asking him, ‘Hey, how did you know I was gonna do this? How you know I was gonna jump jam? How you know I was gonna do this?’ And me being able to give him some pointers. That’s one thing I learned from Aaron when Aaron first got here, he said like we need to just be able to help each other out. I never really thought about it like that. I always — I’m not gonna necessarily say I was selfish — but I just thought me winning is all that mattered, especially when you in camp. Just being able to take that professional approach to be able to help my teammates and them help me, you know, that’s been great.

Yeah, obviously we’ve been able to see that you and Aaron have been able to become pretty close. But what do you learn from him on the field about what elite quarterbacks are trying to do and what they’re seeing from you and how they can try to take advantage of when you tip things?

He done gave me some beats on myself as far as when he know I’m playing man versus when I’m playing zone. And you know, that’s one of those things that I cleaned up real fast. Basically he said my pad level was how he would know. If I’m looking at him or not looking at my man, so little stuff like that he helped me with. It might sound like somethin’ little but that’s huge because if quarterback gets a beat that’s all it takes for them know what defense we’re playin. And you know, it’s definitely embarrassing if to beat or the tell is on the corner.

What were your biggest lessons from your rookie year? You had a great year but what were the things you were on the pull watching your own film and take in the summer and say these are the points that I’m focusing on in building off of that?

The main thing I’ll say is takeaways. I just want to get the ball more, get more interceptions. Cause I had a lot of opportunities to get into interceptions but I ain’t make the most out of all of them. You know, a lot of em was pass breakups. And now it’s Year 2, it’s time to turn those into interceptions.

Definitely. You were there for Hall of Fame Game weekend and you got to see Darrelle Revis go in the Hall of Fame. Have you gotten a chance to talk with him and is there anything you’ve been able to pull from from him and a Jets legend like that?

Yeah I talked to Rev. First of all, it’s just motivation being able to play for a team with a cornerback who went into the Hall of Fame. That’s motivation because that’s something I want to do. And probably one of the biggest pointers he gave me is don’t make the moment too big. It’s just great, especially going into a game, 9/11, everybody watching but you know it’s one of those things don’t make the moment too big. You know, I play football. That’s all I’m basically doing it’s just on Monday night.

You’ve got this Buffalo Wild Wings partnership and you got to go undercover as a waiter this year. What was that like getting to have some fun with working with them for a second straight year?

Man, it was great. It was something I kind of envisioned myself doing at some point in my life, cause I seen other professional athletes do it. It was just great. That’s one thing that I like about being able to be with Buffalo Wild Wings, it’s just so fun and creative. The ideas that I could come up with, the ideas that they can come up with and us just being able to bounce ideas off of each other, it’s great. One of my biggest moments out of going undercover and being a waiter for B-Dubs, I’ll probably say that I dumped the whole bottle of my sauce on someone else’s wings. I think it was like lemon pepper, it was a different flavor that he had and I just took my sauce and just dumped it all over his plate. You know he didn’t really take it the wrong way. You know he had fun with it and I had fun as well. Not too many people caught on to who I was when I was undercover which is good thing but it wasn’t good enough because I was almost 100 percent sure that nobody was gonna know who I was, but I think like one or two families had a feeling of who I was — which is cool but all in all it was a great experience.

I know your Sauce Sauce is coming back but what are your top three wing sauces?

You talkin’ about besides Sauce Sauce?

Yeah, besides Sauce sauce, cause I’m sure that’s at the top.

I’ll probably say Hot BBQ, which is coming back as well. Lemon Pepper, and Sweet BBQ. In that order. Wait, no, Hot BBQ, Sweet BBQ, then Lemon Pepper.

Despite its massive runtime and incredibly stacked cast, Christopher Nolan shot Oppenheimer in just 60 days. However, that wasn’t his original plan for his epic tale about the father of the atomic bomb.

According to production designer Ruth De Jong, Nolan had prepped for an 85-day shoot. The director had planned to film all over the world, but he quickly pivoted when he realized the cost required to recreate Los Alamos, the New Mexico town where the Manhattan Project began its work on the devastating bombs that would be deployed in World War II.

De Jong told the Team Deakins podcast that Nolan instructed her to “forget the money” and start designing a model for Los Alamos. But when the first construction estimate came in at $20 million, Nolan told her to stop while he did his “homework.” De Jong was not prepared for what happened next.

Via Variety:

“The producers were asking what I could do on my end to shrink [the budget]. Tom then comes into my office and says, ‘Chris is going to shoot this in 55 days.’ That is a lot of money we get back! At that point you feel like I have to deliver above and beyond because he just went and gave up his days. He, more than anyone, knows what he wants to get in every single day and how he wants to get it and he goes from 85 to 55 days.”

De Jong called Nolan’s decision “the most incredible thing” because the director was clearly dedicated to the importance of set design. Thanks to the 30 day cut in filming, De Jong was able to build Los Alamos “from scratch” and the detail shows in the final product.

(Via Variety)

21 Savage‘s discography contains plenty of gun talk, but soon, fans will be able to put his gunplay wordplay to the test — virtually — when he joins Call Of Duty‘s growing list of “operators” inspired by real-life rap heroes. Last year, Snoop Dogg was the first to enter the game series, while earlier this year, Nicki Minaj joined in after featuring in a recent ad for the games (toting a pink assault rifle, no less — shout-out to the “Blick Blick” video).

The London/Atlanta rapper is slated to arrive in the next DLC bundle, Season 05 Reloaded, for Modern Warfare II and Warzone. The bundle is slated to drop on August 30 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET across all platforms. According to Call Of Duty‘s official blog, the drop includes a new Resurgence experience, a new Multiplayer map, additional DMZ missions, and other content that will carry forward to the next game in the series, Modern Warfare III.

21 Savage voices himself in the game, of course, and his abilities and Weapon Blueprints all take tongue-in-cheek inspiration from his lyrics. For example, his preferred Secondary Weapon is a knife — you know, like his tattoo or his “Knife Talk” single with Drake — while his Finishing Move is called “Stabbed . . . a Lot.” You can grab the bundle, which includes vehicle skins, stickers, and other odds and ends, with the rest of the DLC on 8/30.

This past spring, Chance The Rapper celebrated the tenth anniversary of his second mixtape Acid Rap. Released on April 23, 2013, the project not only catapulted Chance into the national spotlight but went on to be a crowned jewel of the blog and mixtape eras and a classic release overall from the 2010s hip-hop era. In a tweet six months after releasing the project, Chance wrote, “im not the guy to say acidrap was the best project of 2013. but i’ll say my project did more for me than anyone else’s did for them.” At that time, it remained to be seen exactly what Acid Rap would do for Chance, but over the last decade, we’ve seen that Chance’s statement was true. The success of Acid Rap can be attributed to putting Chance in position to later secure his first Grammy wins, gain meetings with the president at The White House, land gigs as a marquee festival headliner, and now, hold a packed-out night in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to celebrate the mixtape’s tenth anniversary.

Truthfully, it’s just as surprising as it isn’t that Chance packed out Barclays Center. On one hand, social media paints Chance as a has-been who fumbled his position at the top of rap with his underwhelming debut album The Big Day. On the other hand, most of us know that social media is often a poor representation of what is true in the real world. Furthermore, the tenth-anniversary show for Acid Rap allowed fans who were too young or too distanced to see performances from that era, or those who wanted to relive their experiences from the rapper’s glory days, to engage in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s the perfect recipe for a sold-out show, something that Chance needed for himself as he prepares to enter a new era.

The dominating element in the arena for the Acid Rap tenth-anniversary show was gratitude, most especially from Chance The Rapper to the audience. Beginning with a trio of records from his 2016 mixtape Coloring Book, a project that got a lot of airtime at the show, Chance stepped forth with a triumphant entrance to “No Problems.” Steering into renditions of “All Night” and “Blessings,” it was clear that he was extremely thankful for this moment. The gratitude from the Chicago rapper only amplified as he transitioned into Acid Rap tracks. After performances of “Good Ass Intro,” “Pusha Man,” and “Paranoia,” Chance championed the crowd and reminded them of the unique moment at hand. “There’s no fake fans in the building tonight,” he proclaimed. “I’ll probably never do a show like this again.”

Ten years removed from the firestarter release in his career, Chance is still just as grateful for the spotlight as he was when Acid Rap first came out. He later interrupts his performance of “Juice” to share an anecdote about meeting with labels in New York City, filming the music video for the song in the city, and how everything changed once he returned to Chicago. Moments like these are scattered throughout Chance’s career as contributors to his success, both before and after the release of Acid Rap. The same could be said about his longtime collaborators, some of whom were present at Barclays. Chance extended this same gratitude to them throughout the night, whether it be Saba during performances of “Everybody’s Something” and “Angels” or Joey Badass for “The Highs & The Lows.”

The sweetest moments came as he thanked members of his band one by one for years of collaboration and support in and outside of his music before bringing out Vic Mensa. Beside Acid Rap in 2013 came Vic Mensa’s Innanetape, and together, both projects highlighted the best of what was to come from Chicago’s rap scene at the time. Both Chance and Vic supplied verses to one another on their projects through “Cocoa Butter Kisses” and “Tweakin,’” and together the duo made it out and achieved undoubtable success. In past years, it seemed like there was a rift between the two rappers, but more recently, performances together and an uptick in collaborations confirmed that all is well between them. So as Chance and Vic shared words and embraced before performing “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” you could tell that the night was more than just about ten years of Acid Rap. It was about ten years (and then some) of doing it his way with his people to a level of success that he only dreamed of.

Sitting in Barclays Center, as Chance The Rapper concluded the night with performances of other Acid Rap standouts like “Favorite Song” and “Smoke Again,” you’re left to reconsider where the reality lies for Chance. It exists further from his social media perception and closer to the one that existed in the inescapable atmosphere of the arena. One where his fans from around the way and far away gathered to celebrate one of the most unique rappers in this modern era and his decade-old magnum opus. Whether it was Acid Rap classics or his most recent releases, Chance was met with the same excitement from the crowd. His run of shows for Acid Rap is a moment to celebrate his past, but it’s also one to remind us of his present status — the real one — in preparation for his future. Hate him or love him, Chance The Rapper seems ready to continue doing what he does best as he announced his second album Star Line Gallery would arrive in 2024. So as the night concluded, Chance left the crowd with one thing to remember:

“I am Chance The Rapper and I will always be Chance The Rapper.”

The second leg of SZA’s North American SOS Tour is slated to kick off soon. But before hitting the road, she decided to enjoy a quick vacation with friends. Joined by fellow singer Summer Walker, the pair cut loose by engaging in a mild-mannered twerk battle.

Yesterday (August 28), Walker took to her Instagram Story to upload clips of each of their turns. In the screen recordings reposted by 2Cool2Blog, both ladies dressed in their most comfortable nightwear subtly flexed what they were working with. Although it was just a mere fraction of what they displayed during their memorizing pole dance scene in the video for “No Love,” it might have just teased something else.

Rumors are growing more intense daily as SZA’s SOS deluxe album release date lingers. Fans are hoping that the singers’ trip together indicated that new music from the duo is on the way.

Thanks to Justin Bieber’s appearance in SZA’s newly shared “Snooze” video alongside Benny Blanco, Woody McClain, And Young Mazino, supporters also believe he will be another recording artist set to appear on the highly-anticipated project. For now, fans and users online are to just kick back and enjoy the collaboration they can appreciate: SZA and Summer Walker’s tag-team twerk-off.

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 The Killers, Soccer Mommy, Slow Pulp, Mitski, 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.

Mitski — “Star”

Mitski’s new album The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We is out next month and “Star” is a standout new single that reverberates with an ethereal aura, much like Weyes Blood. Her voice is wise amongst sparkling synthesizers: “That love is like a star / It’s gone, we just see it shining,” she sings.

The Killers — “Your Side Of Town”

“Your Side Of Town” is the first song by The Killers of 2023. With an ’80s influence, it’s adorned with glimmering synths and Brandon Flowers’ Auto-Tuned voice singing dramatic lines: “I’m hanging on your side of town / I notice when you’re not around / Can’t keep my cool, I’m burning inside / A broken heartbeat, barely alive.”

Soccer Mommy — “I’m Only Me When I’m With You” (Taylor Swift Cover)

Soccer Mommy is preparing to release a covers EP with songs by Sheryl Crow, Slowdive, R.E.M., and more. The newest taste is “I’m Only Me When I’m With You” by Taylor Swift, a deep-cut from her debut. Sophie Allison captures the youthful innocence and twangy sweetness of it.

Slow Pulp — “Broadview”

“Broadview” is a slow, intimate sliver of Slow Pulp’s forthcoming album Yard, whose singles have all been diverse and compelling thus far. Against an emotional, twangy sound, Emily Massey sings poignantly: “Am I wrong / Or is it okay to stay inside / And out of love / Tell me I’m wrong.”

Buck Meek — Haunted Mountain

The Big Thief guitarist has shared his new solo album Haunted Mountain, whose songs are soft, twinkly slices of indie folk. The revelatory lyrics serve as the centerpiece of each precious ballad: “I knew the moment that I saw you / That my life would never be the same,” he sings on “Didn’t Know You Then.” “You drew a flower on my face / My heart bruised as you flew away.”

Toro Y Moi — Sandhills

Toro Y Moi are back with a pleasant surprise for fans with Sandhills, a folk-pop project that comes with a short film. On their Bandcamp, they say it’s “both a tender love letter to Chaz Bear’s hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, and a poignant, bittersweet acceptance that one can never really go back home.” The sincerity is evident in the vibrant music.

Life In Vacuum — “Lately”

Life In Vacuum make raucous anthems that serve as cathartic encapsulations of frustration. “Lately” is one of these, and it’s undeniably great. Against an invigorating rhythm and sharp riffs build into a gigantic clamor as words are shouted about wanting to escape, but this is the perfect song to listen to if you’re looking for that as well.

Anjimile — “Animal”

“‘Animal’ is one of the first protest songs I ever made,” Anjimile wrote in an Instagram post about his new song. The lyrics are razor-sharp: “If you treat me like an animal / I’ll be an animal,” he says, his voice earnest amongst unsettling, vibrating instrumentation.

Worriers — “Cloudy And 55”

“This song is for your soundtrack to missing Autumn in New York, where every corner has a memory you can’t shake,” Lauren Denitzio of Worriers said in a statement. This is accurate, as they sing, “It’s walking with my hood up / And drinking sh*tty coffee / It’s familiar like the feeling / That you might be right behind me.”

Becca Mancari — Left Hand

Describing their new album Left Hand in four words, Becca Mancari said, “Truthful. Interesting. Seeking. Sonically Minded.” All of the songs drift with a bewitching air of introspection and thoughtfulness, sprawling with silky vocals and shimmering, unpredictable instrumentation.

To paraphrase Mr. Freeze, allow Martha Stewart to break the ice.

On Monday, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover model shared an Instagram post about her cruise from Iceland to Greenland. “End of the first zodiac cruise from @swanhelleniccruises into a very beautiful fjord on the east coast of Greenland. We actually captured a small iceberg for our cocktails tonight,” she wrote. Stewart also offered visual proof of the cocktail, including a photo of the iceberg chunk (Iceberg Chunk would be a good name for an NFL defensive lineman).

As soon as the post went live, however, Stewart was criticized for sipping on a drink chilled by an iceberg as the world burned.

“I generally love Martha and the excesses of her life because she’s about beautiful gardens, homes, and food, but wealthy white people drinking their iceberg cocktails while the planet is in flames is a bit tone deaf,” one user wrote, while another responded by cautioning her against using icebergs for such a frivolous purpose: “Martha the ice caps are melting don’t put them in your drink.”

There’s comment after comment along those lines. “Love you girl but idk if u heard yet there’s an iceberg shortage??” reads one, while another user wrote, “Global warming and melting ice caps but we need glacier ice for cocktails?! Talk about tone def [sic]. Been a fan for years but I’ve seen enough caviar lately as I struggle to buy groceries that I’m out.”

In Martha’s defense (which she, an extremely wealthy person, obviously needs), she was getting her revenge for what icebergs did to Jack Dawson.

(Via EW)

Beyoncé truly has done it all. She’s a record-breaking star. And now, she’s adding becoming the honorary mayor of Santa Clara, California to her list of achievements.

As she brings her massive Renaissance Tour to the city later this week, Santa Clara is welcoming her presence by letting her take over. Because of this, she will also receive a special key to the city.

“Well Amakai Japanese Cuisine was here last time Beyoncé was out, and she brought great crowds,” Cindy Shen, a local business owner, told Fox 2 KTVU. “[Also,] It’s not just Amakai Japanese Sushi. It’s for everybody in this plaza and everyone on the other side as well. Beyoncé will bring crowds from everywhere; from Sacramento, Southern California. You name it. They’re coming from everywhere.”

Additionally, public transportation service for the city will be increased by 30% to accommodate the influx of concertgoers that will be traveling both to and from the show. “We urge people to just have patience,” Santa Clara Valley’s transportation authority spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross also told the news outlet. “They’re going to be a lot more crowded than they normally are starting around 4:30 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon.”

Her show this week also marks a significant moment for the pop star to become the honorary mayor, as it will be her fifth time performing at Levi’s Stadium.