Month: August 2023

The likelihood of Donald Trump showing up to the first GOP debate was already slim to begin with. The former president has been at odds with Fox News and there’s been a growing consensus that he’s afraid of getting on the stage with Chris Christie. Trump’s closest challenger, Ron DeSantis, will also be there, but the Florida governor has continued to fall behind in the polls thanks to his flailing campaign, so his presence isn’t really an issue.

However, Trump has reportedly put a nail in the coffin for showing up to the debate. According to The New York Times, Trump will sit down for an interview with Tucker Carlson on the same night as the debate. The move is being called a “major affront both to the Republican National Committee and to Fox News” after each entity attempted to sweet talk Trump into attending the debate.

Via The New York Times:

The timing of the interview with Mr. Carlson remains unclear, but if it goes ahead as currently planned, the debate-night counterprogramming would serve as an act of open hostility.

The chairwoman of the R.N.C., Ronna McDaniel, has privately urged Mr. Trump to attend the debate, even traveling to his private club in Bedminster, N.J., last month to make her pitch in person.

Over on social media, Trump is getting absolutely roasted for the cowardly decision. The former president dominated the 2016 debates, and some users are suggesting that Trump now lacks the “confidence” to repeat that performance. There was also repeated use of the word “chickensh*t.”

You can see some of the reactions below:

(Via The New York Times)

Last year, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari celebrated their wedding. As far as spending the rest of their lives together, that isn’t going to work out as hoped: Asghari confirmed yesterday (August 17) that he and Spears are getting divorced.

While the marriage lasted 14 months, their relationship goes back farther than that. So, let’s take a look at how it came to be and what happened along the way.

October 2016

The two first met while making Spears’ video for “Slumber Party,” which was filmed at a Beverly Hills mansion (per US Weekly). Asghari later told Men’s Health that he and Spears exchanged numbers on set. He said of meeting her, “I was excited that I get to meet one of the biggest artists of all time. I had butterflies.”

2017

The two appeared to hit it off after meeting on the “Slumber Party” set. On New Year’s Day 2017, Spears shared a photo of herself and Asghari enjoying a nice dinner. They were spotted together multiple times throughout that year, including at Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy gala in February, at Michael Costello’s Art Hearts show during Los Angeles Fashion Week in March, in Japan in June, at Disneyland in September, and courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game in November.

February 2021

The two remained an item for the next few years, and in 2021, at the height of the #FreeBritney movement, Asghari spoke out against Spears’ father, Jamie Spears. He wrote in a social media post, “Now it’s important for people to understand that I have zero respect for someone trying to control our relationship and constantly throwing obstacles our way,” he wrote. “In my opinion Jamie is a total dick. I won’t be going into details because I’ve always respected our privacy but at the same time I didn’t come to this country to not be able to express my opinion and freedom.”

September 2021

Months later, the two announced that they were engaged. Asghari’s manager said at the time, “The couple made their long-standing relationship official today and are deeply touched by the support, dedication and love expressed to them.”

April 2022

The pair planned to grow their family in 2022 when Spears announced she was pregnant with her and Asghari’s baby. About a month later, though, she revealed she had a miscarriage, writing on Instagram, “It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that we lost our miracle baby early in the pregnancy. This is a devastating time for any parent. Perhaps we should have waited to announce until we were further along. However we were overly excited to share the good news. Our love for each other is our strength. We will continue trying to expand our beautiful family. We are grateful for all of your support. We kindly asked for privacy during this difficult moment.”

June 2022

The couple’s engagement reached its natural conclusion when they got married in an intimate wedding ceremony. It was a star-studded event, as icons like Madonna, Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Paris Hilton, and Donatella Versace were in attendance.

Spears later wrote of the big day, “Wow !!! Holy holy crap !!! WE DID IT !!! WE GOT MARRIED !!! Gggggeeeeezzzzz !!! It was the most spectacular day !!! I was so nervous all morning but then at 2:00 pm it really hit me … WE’RE GETTING MARRIED !!! I had a panic attack and then got it together … the crew who created our home into literally a dream castle were fantastic !!! The ceremony was a dream and the party was even better !!! So many incredible people came to our wedding and I’m still in shock !!! [Drew Barrymore] my girl crush and [Selena Gomez] who btw is way prettier in person if that’s possible both came !!! I was speechless … I kissed [Madonna] again [winking emojis] and we danced into the night with [Paris Hilton] … Thank you [Donatella Versace] for designing my dress … I felt so beautiful … Thank you also to [Stephanie Gottlieb] [Charlotte Tilbury] and [Sofia Tilbury] for my jewelry and makeup !!! I think we all fell on the dance floor at least 2 times !!! I mean come on … we were all VOGUING !!! [Asghari] I LOVE YOU !!!”

August 2023

Things apparently soured from there, which brings us to present day: Reports that the two were getting divorced after 14 months of marriage surfaced a couple days ago, then Asghari confirmed them yesterday (August 17), writing, “After 6 years of love and commitment to each other, my wife and I have decided to end our journey together. We will hold onto the love and respect we have for each other and I wish her the best always. Sh*t happens. Asking for privacy seems rediculous [sic], so I will just ask for everyone, including media, to be kind and thoughtful.”

A neo-Nazi defender f*cked around and found out — by getting f*cked up.

Natan Levy, a “UFC fighter from Israel” (as his Twitter bio reads), posted a video this week recapping a fight between him and a far-right Twitter troll. The beef started earlier this month, when Levy tweeted that white nationalist Nick Fuentes was “built like a chopstick.” One of Fuentes’ followers, some schmuck named Ben, quote-tweeted back at Levy, “I’ll drive to Vegas any day of the week to spar you on behalf of Nicholas J. Fuentes and America First. With no formal MMA training should be easy right?” Challenge accepted.

Just two days later, Ben arrived at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas and signed waivers to make it official. “I saw one on his posts come across Twitter,” Ben said in the video. “It was critical of somebody who associates himself with America First and the political values that I value. As a defender of that and a former martial arts-experienced, trained person myself, I thought it’d be fun to come spar.”

Less fun: getting his ass whooped by Levy. “Why were you talking shit about Jews on Twitter? Why were you defending Nicholas Fuentes?” Levy asked Ben before the fight. He replied, “I think because of what he says is right. You can layer that behind a mask.” Levy interrupted, “He denies the Holocaust.” Ben believes Fuentes is more of a “revisionist,” whatever that means.

Before they stepped into the ring, Ben was feeling cocky. He boasted that he’s practiced a mix of karate and taekwondo for eight years, and although he’s never done a five-minute round before, “I play UFC 4 a lot.” Levy promised to not “hurt him too bad,” but “a lesson needs to be taught here about trolling.”

Let’s see how it went!

You can watch the full video above.

(Via Mediaite)

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

“Escapism is better livin’ than this,” Noname chants on the second song from her new album, Sundial, adding, “Better be honest, baby / We better when we admit.” This juxtaposition is the crux of Noname’s political beliefs, for better or worse. Sure, it exemplifies the beating heart at the center of Sundial‘s intricate web of incisive social commentary and cutting self-recrimination, but it also captures who Noname is as an artist, and ultimately as a human being.

This is the Chicago rapper who first rose to prominence on a wave of support from fellow Chicago rising stars like Chance The Rapper and Saba, only to threaten multiple times to leave the music industry behind entirely. She changed her original name from Noname Gypsy upon learning one of the more negative interpretations of the second half of her nome de guerre. But she wasn’t above sparring with North Carolina fan favorite J. Cole when he seemingly called out her prickly online demeanor in his 2021 throwaway “Snow On Tha Bluff.”

She’s quick to call out Black celebrities like Jay-Z and Beyoncé for embracing the master’s tools in the pursuit of dismantling the master’s house — even here, where she critiques them in the song “Namesake” — but just as swift to refuse to apologize for including a potentially offensive guest MC in Jay Electronica on “Balloons.” She, like many, is a living contradiction, a person whose impulses clash with her beliefs, who falls short of her own standards, but pursues progress over perfection as often as she can.

Throughout Sundial‘s 11 tracks, she excavates and explicates this idea in ways that often seem just as paradoxical as her personality. The production, provided by a list of longtime collaborators and jazz revivalist like Daoud, Slimwav, and Yussef Dayes, offers lullaby-like coos and chords, with soothing strains more suggestive of a cozy night in with a mug of hot chocolate and romance fantasy than fiery anti-capitalist diatribes. Likewise, Noname’s singsong delivery and poetic pen maneuvers hide the points and edges of the acid-dipped darts and daggers deliberately placed across these delicate soundscapes like intellectual booby traps.

The softness of the sounds lulls listeners into sedate comfort before pricking and prodding them to wakefulness like the pea did to the princess. So, when Noname snips, “You could squabble in the comments, bitch, you are a comet,” on “Afro Futurism,” the dualism couldn’t be clearer. She has to jolt her listeners every so often so they might consider the words rather than let them wash over them. A quote that springs to mind comes from an equally enigmatic and controversial woman in rap, Lauryn Hill, via her verse from The Fugees’ “Zealots”: “And even after all my logic and my theory, I add a ‘motherfucker’ so you ignorant niggas hear me.”

That’s why it’s certainly worth considering that Jay Electronica is far from the first or worst rapper to embrace the teachings of the Nation of Islam or the Five-Percent Nation in his rhymes — or why Noname should receive a far greater backlash than any number of others who’ve featured such subject matter throughout rap’s 50 years of existence. Or that Noname, despite embodying so many of the attributes “real hip-hop heads” claim they prefer in women rappers over the more aggressively sexualized postures of MCs like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, that she receives no more support from those hip-hop heads than the women they pit her against.

Noname considers it not just her job but her duty to point out these discrepancies — even when it makes her the villain in her own story. She’s quick to accept that label herself here from the outset; on album opener “Black Mirror,” she calls herself a contrarian. She’s an avowed socialist/anarchist who must embrace some of the principles of a capitalist system to survive as an artist and continue her liberation efforts such as Noname’s Book Club, which sends such texts to inmates (which they are often barred from receiving).

And while many of her choices can be off-putting, such as including the aforementioned Jay Elec or jotting off cynical-seeming dismissals of perhaps sincere inquiries on Twitter, or rhyming in that off-kilter spoken-word flow which isn’t likely to resonate with the folks who need to hear her message most, it’s all honest. Noname herself has already told us; more than anything else, it’s better to be true than to be loved. Ironically, that’s why she’s so beloved in the first place.

Sundial is out now via Noname, Inc. / AWAL Recordings. You can get it here.

Jon Batiste‘s new album World Music Radio is out now. The highly anticipated record has tons of features, such as “Be Who You Are” with JID, NewJeans, and Camilo, as well as the closing track “Life Lesson” with Lana Del Rey, who unveiled her new album Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd earlier this year.

The piano-driven ballad finds the singers trading off verses. Lana sings of a relationship complicated by a power imbalance and subsequent resentment: “I read an article about a star who said that standing / In the shadow of her husband felt so dark / Reminded me of you and I because / That’s very much the way our story was.”

The two collaborated earlier this year for “Candy Necklace.”

Batiste also recently covered Taylor Swift’s “Sweet Nothing.” “I just went to the Taylor Swift concert and it would be fun to do something with Taylor,” he said. “She was nice enough to invite us and give us tickets to one of her MetLife Stadium shows over Memorial Day weekend, and I’d love to work with any of the living legends, you know, any folks that I can learn something from — even if we don’t put it out.”

Listen to “Life Lesson” above.

World Music Radio is out now via Verve/Interscope. Find more information here.

(WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s The Chi episode will be found below.)

This week on The Chi, it’s time to party! Emmett and Keisha went through with the purchase of their new home, and to celebrate, they threw a house party and invited friends, both new and old, to come by. There’s a lot of dancing and good food, but also plenty of tense moments as well in this episode. Bakari and Lynae get into an argument about the former’s work with Douda, Nina is frustrated with her kids’ current relationship with her, Victor and Douda still don’t see eye to eye, Tiffany gets into an argument with Emmett and Keisha after EJ uses a cuss word, and a gift from Douda to Emmett leads to a tense moment between Douda and Darnell. Despite this all, there are plenty of good moments as well. Victor and Fatima take a big step forward in their relationship and Papa’s patience with Kenya seems to be paying off.

The aforementioned events in the third episode of Showtime’s The Chi season six, titled “House Party,” are soundtracked by songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene. You can find a list of them below as well as details about the scenes that the records played behind.

Modre — “Better Man” Feat. Freewill

We hear this record around the 5:20 mark as a frustrated customer yells at Kenya for his order not being ready at his designated pick-up time. Papa hears the upset customer and steps in to handle things. He addresses the customer’s frustrations and also makes them apologize to Kenya for yelling at her, something that impresses her.

Brian McKnight Jr. — “Mi No Neo”

Around the 8:15 mark, this record plays as Keisha and Malaysia meet for the first time in the former’s new house. The two have an awkward conversation about money, rent, and Emmett’s loyalty.

Gavin Turek — “The Distance”

Gavin Turek’s “The Distance” plays around the 14:15 mark as Keisha’s mom Nina and stepmom Dre give her an air fryer as a gift for her new house with Emmett. This then turns into a conversation where Nina expresses concerns about Keisha’s decision to get a house with Emmett, despite them not being married yet. Nina also expresses her frustration over her current relationship with her kids as both Keisha and Kevin seem a bit distant from her.

Ossaiofficial — “Tik Tok”

This song plays around the 21:13 mark when Rob and Nuk are outside smoking and talking. Rob offers Nuk some of his new weed, and Nuk approves of it and even inquires about where he got it from. Rob keeps the info close to himself as he assumes that Nuk is hiding information about Q’s death.

Jai’Len Josey — “Take Me Higher”

We hear this record around the 23:09 mark as the party begins at Emmett and Keisha’s house. People are enjoying food and talking to each other and more folks come in like Victor and his girlfriend Fatima. Emmett and Keisha also hear EJ say “b*tch” and Keisha instructs Emmett to talk to Tiffany about the words their son hears and which ones to and not to use.

V.I.C. — “Wobble”

Around the 25:36 mark, the party continues as everyone in attendance gets up and gets loose to do the Wobble dance. Shaad also arrives and quickly gets situated to join the fun.

Beau Blaise, Elizabeth Caseley, Alex Nova — “Got Me Creepin’”

The song plays around the 30:19 mark as Fatima and Keisha admire a piece of art that Emmett bought for Keisha and their new home. Through their conversation, Fatima and Keisha learn that they are both fans of home decor and go on to schedule a day that they can look at new art pieces for each others’ homes

Frank Famous — “Round Me”

Frank Famous’ “Round Me” plays around the 39:35 mark after a tense conversation between Douda and Darnell. Douda gifted Emmett a gun for his new home and though Emmett opened the gift in private, Darnell knew something was up with the gift. Darnell ends up taking the gun from Emmett’s room and warns Douda that he will kill him if anything happens to Emmett or his family.

Brian McKnight Jr. — “Should’ve Gotten To Know Me”

We hear this song around the 46:25 mark as Rob and Tiffany are driving home with EJ in the backseat after an argument with Keisha and Emmett. The couple originally plays a rap song during their ride, but when Tiffany sees EJ bobbing his head to it, she changes it to this Brian McKnight Jr. record. Though Tiffany told Keisha not to comment on how she raises EJ, it seems like at this moment, Tiffany acknowledges that Keisha was right.

New episodes of ‘The Chi’ are available through the Paramount Plus With Showtime plan on Fridays at 3am EST/ 12 pm PST. Weekly episodes also air Sundays on Showtime at 9pm EST/PST.

Stephen A. Smith uses First Take as a platform to argue with people about sports. But there’s much more to Smith that that, and usually, he explores topics that interest him outside of the world of sports on his podcast, “The Stephen A. Smith Show.”

Here’s an example: Smith apparently ran into a problem recently, as his two daughters promised their friends that he would buy all of them tickets to see Taylor Swift‘s currently tour, The Eras Tour. Now, as someone who went to this and can confirm that tickets to this thing cost an arm and a leg, I empathize with Smith, even though he makes a lot more money than I do. Smith had to buy 10 tickets, which came out to $20,000, but as an added bonus, he was able to get his hands on a pair of free tickets, which gave him the chance to attend. And as he explained, he was a fan.

“That’s the best concert I’ve ever been to in my life,” Smith said. “Excuse my language, but that sh*t was off the chain. Taylor Swift brought the damn house down. I was jamming to Taylor Swift. She was sensational. I’d pay to see her again. Seriously, I’m not joking. She was a superstar that night. That girl is special.”

Stephen A. Smith, if you would ever like to discuss The Eras Tour in depth, please reach out to us and we’ll happily talk about it with you.

Those darn Zoomers love hijacking millennial hits. The latest to give the prior generation’s musical faves a spin is Flo Milli, who samples Kelis’ 2003 hit “Milkshake” in her boastful, flirty new single, “Hot Box.” Going a step further, she also pays homage to the early-aughts classic with the accompanying music video, which sees Flo Milli as the driver/proprietor of an ice cream truck selling — what else? — delicious milkshakes with the help of a pair of seductive servers. Flo herself jumps out to show off her ‘fit, a super-short jean skirt and ultra low-cut camisole top, looking like she stepped out of a time machine from the 2000s.

“Milkshake” isn’t the only past hit she’s remixed lately. In July, she dropped a “FloMix” of Lil Wayne’s “A Milli,” joining a long list of rappers who’ve contributed their own vocal takes to Wayne’s smash. Earlier that month, she tackled Bay Area legend Too Short’s “Blow The Whistle.” (Incidentally, she’s the second artist to sample “Milkshake” in as many years — hopefully, Kelis won’t be as upset with her as she was with Beyoncé.)

More recently, she dropped a new single, “Fruit Loop,” ahead of announcing her third studio album, Fine Ho, Stay, which will presumably complete the trilogy of Ho, Why Is You Here? and You Still Here, Ho? Give that lady points for consistency. While “Hot Box” might not appear on Fine Ho, Stay, it’ll certainly help keep her on rap fans’ radars as she rolls out the completion of the hat trick.

Watch Flo Milli’s “Hot Box” video above.

Summer Walker and hundreds of social media users asked for a love prayer as intense as Ciara’s. All in the hopes of finding a healing love after heartbreak. But, as the singer points out in her new single, “Forever” with Lil Baby, prayer is just one of the many steps.

The track — co-produced by Jaydot, Precision Productions, and Theron Thomas — is a glimpse into the musician’s nearly decade-long marriage to NFL quarterback Russell Wilson. No matter how hard her famous ex’s fan base trolls their union, they somehow rise above it all while expanding their family (the pair or now on their third child together).

That perseverance is seemingly the inspiration behind the song’s opening verse, as Ciara sings, “Everyone’s hatin’, goin’ half on a baby / They think that I’m crazy / ‘Cause one night only can be enough / Some say I’m hatin’ because I be sayin’, ‘Love is amazin’/ I know I’m not the only one / Hold on, I want a real world together / If I’m trippin’, let me know / One plus another is better, babe / You spendin’ all your time alone.”

Lil Baby’s romantic history has been rocky, but that didn’t stop him from leaning into the record’s theme, rapping, “You ain’t gotta rush, it’s fine, baby / I’m the one you take your time with / Keep it for me, you gotta try sh*t / Made a bond, we gotta die with it / Head first, I done dived in / You the one, well, really you a ten / I know my mind like here she go again / We ain’t gotta standout, we could blend in / And I’ll make sure to give you my attention.”

Directors Taj and Dre expand upon the idea of happily ever after as the musician attend a glamorous wedding where they encourage their friends to leap into love.

Watch the video for “Forever” above.

CiCi is out now via Beauty Marked Entertainer, Inc. Find more information here.

Ahsoka has a lot riding on its shoulders. The latest Star Wars series arrives on the heels of The Mandalorian Season 3, which received a lackluster reception from fans. Factor in the tepid response to Secret Invasion, and it’s been a rough couple of months for Disney+. Ahsoka might just be the antidote.

Starring Rosario Dawson as the title character, the series focuses on Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice as she navigates the Star Wars universe following the collapse of the Empire and the death of her former master in Return of the Jedi. Ahsoka has already made cameo appearances in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, but this time around, she’s on her own adventure that is getting a warm reception on social media.

Even better, Disney+ has bumped up the Ahsoka release date. The series will now premiere its first two episodes on Tuesday August 23 at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST giving Star Wars fans a neat little treat for the evening.

Here’s what the critics are saying:

“Saw the first two episodes of #Ahsoka and I just sent to day I ****ing love you Dave Filoni,” Mark Pacis tweeted. “He created another series that is an eclectic mix of the best storytelling and character aspects of the Lucas era Star Wars and the visceral style of modern day Star Wars.”

“#Ahsoka is solid,” Darren Mooney wrote. “It’s refreshingly well-made, particularly following a run of Disney-brand streaming shows including ‘Secret Invasion’ and the third season of ‘The Mandalorian.’ It’s less interested in being great television than ‘Andor’, but content to be good ‘Star Wars.’”

“Somehow, #Ahsoka’s first two episodes effortlessly translate Dave Filoni’s animated continuity into live-action and then some,” Ben Wasserman tweeted. “@rosariodawson is killing it once again as Ahsoka and live-action Sabine/Hera retain all of their best Rebels traits.”

“Weirdly refreshing to be back to a Jedi story that doesn’t involve a Skywalker,” Matt Rorabeck wrote. “Feloni clearly gets *it*. Has that classic STAR WARS feel. Should be a thrill for both REBELS fans and those who have never watched. Lightsabers are cool.”

You can see more Ahsoka reactions below:

Ahsoka makes it two-episode premiere on August 22 at 9 ET/6 PT on Disney+.