Month: December 2023

For a city that doesn’t even crack the top 50 biggest in America, Cleveland, Ohio has had an outsized impact on pop culture. But two of its most successful natives appear to have a disagreement on just how much one of them is beloved in the city itself.

After fellow Cleveland natives Rich Paul and Jake Paul (… no relation, oddly enough) noted that the city doesn’t really “embrace” him the way it should, Kid Cudi posted a long response to them on Twitter, arguing that he makes “most people in that city and the state of Ohio proud.”

During his appearance on Jake’s podcast BS w/ Jake Paul, Rich noted, “You can’t expect somebody to treat a situation any differently than how they were treated.” While Jake claimed that Cudi “acts like he’s not from there,” noting that the natives have major pride for it.

However, he said, Cudi charged him an “astronomical fee” to perform at one of Jake’s recent boxing matches. Rich defended him, saying he couldn’t blame Cudi for pursuing his business.

However, Cudi seemed to take these statements personally, offering the below commentary before deleting his post altogether:

Ok so I just saw this and heres my thoughts:
Rich Paul doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know my life. My mom lives in Cleveland and lye been goin there on holiciays and summer breaks for years. Mostly when im in Cleveland, its family time. Im not throwin events in the city cuz its already too hot for me in the city. When im there I like the chill. It hangin at Cleveland clubs or in the streets or whatever the fuck else u expect me to do. Oh I get it, was I suppose to catch a couple Browns or Cays games? Im the most lowkey guy around. You aint suppose to see me brother. Thats number 1. Number 2: I will say the city of Cleveland has embraced me over the years. So I disagree. Radio in Cleveland might not play my shit, but I had 20k people at Moon MaAs Landing in Cleveland last year. A success. And were cloin it again too. Not only does the city embrace me, I make most people in that city and the state of Ohio proud. Everytime I record a record I mention the city. Thats all day. Everybody that listens to my music knows Im proud of where im from. And 3rd, as far as Jake Paul, listen chief, Im an artist. Areal one. I make art for a living. Im not some guy that comes out to perform at boxing matches. I entertained it tho cuz it was u, anci tho it went against what I stand for I submitted a fee. My fee is my fee. Especially for some shit thats not my style. If im gonna do it its gonna be worth it for my pockets and time. This is business baby. Im not these other rappin ass niggas that will show up for a lil check. U came to me u shoulda knew what time it was young man. U dont know me either to say im anything broski. So theres that. Ok, these are toy thoughts.

Cudi’s well within his rights to respond (although it looks like he’s mistaken Jake’s comments for Rich’s — which doesn’t seem surprising given Cudi isn’t really a sports guy), but the length and otne of his response is giving “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” energy. Perhaps he got some more context and that’s why he deleted the post; the internet has a way of removing context and generating friction where there shouldn’t be any.

Taylor Swift’s interview for her new honor as Time Magazine‘s 2023 Person Of The Year touched on the impact that friendship bracelets have had this year. For those who don’t know, Swift used the lyric “So, make the friendship bracelets” in her 2022 Midnights song, “You’re On Your Own, Kid.”

Swifties took that as inspo and ran with it, making their own friendship bracelets as a staple for The Eras Tour this year. As noted in the article, they were also themed to various Swift songs or references, as fans swapped with each other before the show.

For those who have an upcoming Eras Tour concert, here’s what to know about getting the bracelets.

Where To Buy Taylor Swift Friendship Bracelets

Fans who are looking to make their own bracelets can buy items through Amazon, including string and beads — both colorful and lettered ones. Depending on what you’re looking for, there are a lot of options to get creative with the personalization. This is probably the quickest option, but craft stores like Michaels always carry the same products, too.

If others are looking to go the route of having someone make them for them instead, Etsy has a lot of sellers that offer packages of Swift-themed friendship bracelets.

If you thought that the Kevin Costner Yellowstone drama — and his suggestion that he’d sue producers — might make the final episodes uncomfortable to shoot, oh boy. Ditto for the awkwardness of the production disappointing Paleyfest attendees possibly being eclipsed by a new development involving the cowboy soap opera.

One of Mr. Taylor Sheridan’s ranches (not the Four Sixes) has filed a lawsuit against Cole Hauser, who portrays Rip Wheeler on the Paramount Network juggernaut series. The New York Post relays how Bosque Ranch has alleged damages for trademark infringement (and false advertising) against Hauser’s Free Rein Coffee Company brand. Here’s the lowdown:

The suit claimed that Free Rein uses “a brand mark strikingly similar to Bosque Ranch’s registered trademark, potentially misleading consumers,” according to San Angelo Live.

Both the caffeine company and the ranch use a similar logo, with the letters B and R intertwining … The brand embodies “the spirit of the West … the dreamer’s mindset and callused hands of those cowboys [Hauser] admired,” according to Free Rein’s website.

You can see the Free Rein logo here. It must be noted that there’s actually an F and R in the logo, but there does appear to be a resemblance to the Bosque Ranch logo. And since Yellowstone largely films at Bosque Ranch, again, this could make the final round of Yellowstone filming (which begins in Fall 2024) very unpleasant, no matter how the lawsuit turns out.

(Via NY Post)

Poor Things, the fantastical new film from The Favourite and Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos, stars Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, who is brought back to life after killing herself by a mad scientist played by Willem Dafoe. Movie of the year incoming. Bella is an adult but possesses the mind of child, so all her experiences are new again — including having sex. “Why do people not just do this all the time?” she asks Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) in the trailer.

Stone was praised for her fearlessness when it came to doing her own sex scenes by Lanthimos.

“It’s weird, isn’t it? Why is there no sex in movies?” he asked during a press conference at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year. “It’s a shame that Emma cannot be here with us to speak more about it because it’s weird that it would be coming all from me. First of all, it was an intrinsic part of the novel itself — her freedom about everything, including sexuality. And secondly, it was very important for me to not make a film which was going to be prude because that would be completely betraying the main character.”

Lanthimos gave Stone credit for having “no shame about her body, nudity, engaging in those scenes. And she understood that right away. The great thing about myself and Emma is that now we’ve completed four films together, so there’s a shorthand. We can communicate without having to explain everything or talk too much about things.”

Here’s more on Poor Things:

From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

Poor Things opens on December 8th.

(Via Rolling Stone)

Since its worldwide launch in 2018, TikTok has served as a primary vessel for music. It’s where musicians go to get discovered; It’s where older favorites go to receive new lives. It plays a major role in the way we consume music.

This year, many songs went viral, but only a select few came out on top, both domestically and internationally.

What were the best TikTok songs of 2023?

In the U.S., PinkPantheress and Ice Spice made major waves with their collaboration “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2.” The latter also became a favorite of North West and Kim Kardashian with her hit single, “In Ha Mood.” Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” proved to be so popular that she released the song as an official single four years after its original release.

Internationally, K-Pop group FIFTY FIFTY had a breakthrough with their hit, “Cupid.” Karol G and Shakira also embodied pure femininity with “TQG.”

You can see the list of national and international hits below.

United States

1. “Collide (More Sped Up)” by Justine Skye
2. “Cupid – Twin Ver – Sped Up Version” by FIFTY FIFTY
3. “Her Way (Sped Up)” by PARTYNEXTDOOR
4. “Favorite Song (Sped Up)” by Toosii
5. “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” by PinkPanthress & Ice Spice
6. “Bounce When She Walk” by Ohboyprince
7. “Peaches & Eggplants” by Young Nudy & 21 Savage
8. “In Ha Mood” by Ice Spice
9. “Makeba” by Jain
10. “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift

World

1. “Cupid – Twin Ver – Sped Up Version” by FIFTY FIFTY
2. “If We Ever Broke Up” by Mae Stephens
3. “Collide (More Sped Up)” by Justine Skye
4. “What It Is (Solo Version)” by Doechii
5. “มองนานๆ” by FLI:P
6. “La Bebe (Remix)” by Yng Lvcas & Peso Pluma
7. “LALA” by Myke Towers
8. “Girls Like Me Don’t Cry (Sped Up)” by Thuy
9. “TQG” by Karol G & Shakira
10. “Makeba” by Jain

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

Just a few months after Blur returned with a new album, The Ballad Of Darren, awakening from an eight-year hiatus, it seems they might be going back into hibernation mode. Lead singer Damon Albarn did a recent interview with the French publication Les Inrockuptibles (via Far Out Magazine), where he seemed to be confirming that it was time to close the chapter on the band again.

“It is time to wrap up this campaign,” he said. “It’s too much for me. It was the right thing to do and an immense honour to play these songs again, spend time with these guys, make an album, blah-blah-blah.”

“I’m not saying I won’t do it again, it was a beautiful success, but I’m not dwelling on the past,” Albarn added.

Blur had previously been touring the record, finishing their scheduled shows in South America. However, it seems that Albarn didn’t quite love the album either, pointing out that, “I haven’t listened to it again.”

As for what’s next, Albarn is working on an “opera which will be presented in Paris next year,” and connecting with Jamie Hewlett to “start working on a new Gorillaz album” in India.

“Once you’ve tackled an opera, everything else seems easier,” he added.

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

The NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament saw the quarterfinals conclude on Tuesday night with the Bucks thrashing the Knicks and the Lakers beating the Suns in a thriller. The game in L.A. ended with some controversy over a timeout that was granted to the Lakers when the Suns had seemingly forced a turnover in a two-point game, but prior to that it had been another classic duel between LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Both future Hall of Famers topped 30 points on the evening in signature form, with LeBron relentlessly attacking downhill and Durant putting on a shotmaking display from the midrange and perimeter. After many questioned how much players would care about a new tournament with a $500,000 prize, the IST has delivered some truly spectacular games in November and December, with the intensity from both players and fans clearly ratcheted up a notch or two from the typical regular season game.

That has been fantastic to see and it has turned many of the tournament’s skeptics into believers, including some prominent players. After Tuesday night’s loss, Kevin Durant spoke glowingly about the IST, noting that he “wasn’t a fan” of the idea when it was introduced but is now a “huge fan” after seeing the intensity of the games and the atmosphere it’s produced — noting the buildup to Tuesday in L.A. “felt like a playoff game.”

While the In-Season Tournament hasn’t eliminated blowouts, it has brought some added juice to those games that do end up being close, and it’s been clear that there’s a different energy and effort level from players in those games. A game like last night was particularly important, because we’ve seen how it’s given a purpose to up-and-coming teams like the Pacers, Kings, and Pelicans, seeing a pair of title contenders with legends like LeBron and KD finding that same spark had to be particularly exciting for the league.

After finally being expelled from Congress following damaging reports that alleged he defrauded at least one member of his own party as well as countless campaign contributors (and spent campaign cash on OnlyFans), George Santos has quickly pivoted to a new career: Making Cameo videos.

The opportunity to pay Santos to say anything to anyone in a video message has been too hilarious to ignore. Democratic Senator John Fetterman has already used Santos to troll embattled colleague Bob Menendez, and it’s probably a good thing Fetterman acted fast because the demand for Santos is through the roof.

According to Semafor, Santos is already making more than his $174,000 Congressional salary from the platform:

In fact, Santos said — and screenshots and the CEO of Cameo confirmed — that he has lined up more than that sum in his first 48 hours on the platform. People pay between $200 and $300 to Santos for various flavors of communication. The videos can take less than a minute to film, and the platform has brought millions of dollars to the occasional campy, game, minor celebrity like the late comedian Gilbert Gottfried.

Santos “is going to be an absolute whale,” Cameo’s founder and CEO, Steven Galanis, told Semafor. His launch, Galanis said, is among the platform’s best ever: “Sarah Jessica Parker, Bon Jovi — he’s putting numbers up like that,” he said.

Has this new source of viral fame and fortune gone to Santos’ head? You bet. The disgraced former congressman is already making declarations of immortality while vowing to crush his enemies.

“Obviously there’s a monetary benefit — I’m not here doing it for charity,” Santos told Semafor. “But the other aspect is to remind these assholes who think they’re holier-than-thou that they will be forgotten in history and I will live forever, period.”

(Via Semafor)

Tyler The Creator has been busy in 2023, even without a new album out. In addition to organizing the return of his beloved festival, Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, he rolled out the deluxe edition of his critically-acclaimed album, Call Me If You Get Lost, with new videos for “Dogtooth,” “Sorry Not Sorry,” “Wharf Talk,” “Legendary,” and “Heaven To Me.”

Outside of music, Tyler put plenty of attention into his fashion lines, Golf Wang and Golf Le Fleur. With Golf launching pop-up shops around the world for the holidays, The Creator has also announced the impending launch of Gof Le Fleur Season 2. Sharing a short film showcasing the new collection, Tyler once again displayed his talent as a director and a designer, highlighting the details of the new line with some help from friends like Lil Yachty and a rare Brazilian record from 1975.

You can get ahold of your favorite pieces begining on December 9 if you live in one of the cities that already has a Golf store. If not, the collection goes live online on December 13. There’s no word yet on if pieces will make their way to the holiday shops, but you have to imagine there’s no way Tyler leaves out loyal fans who are undoubtedly already lining up looking to throw down some cash on Golf Essentials.

Just a few days after Spotify announced their year-end lists as part of their Wrapped feature, it seems TikTok is revealing theirs as well. The app revealed today who the most popular musicians were on the platform in 2023, and the answers might surprise you.

Here’s what to know.

Who Were The Most Popular Musicians On TikTok In 2023?

In the United States, Selena Gomez was the most popular musician on TikTok this year. She was followed by Natalie Jane, Ice Spice, Meghan Trainor, and Ariana Grande to round out the top five.

As for worldwide, Gomez came in second place on TikTok’s list. The most popular artist around the globe was actually Kim Loaiza, a Mexican musician who is the seventh-most followed person on the app. The rest of the global popular musicians included several major K-pop groups, including BTS, BLACKPINK, and many more.

Continue scrolling to view who was in the top ten for TikTok’s Most Popular Musicians in 2023, both in the United States and worldwide.

Top TikTok Artists Of 2023 In The United States

1. Selena Gomez
2. Natalie Jane
3. Ice Spice
4. Meghan Trainor
5. Ariana Grande
6. Miley Cyrus
7. Cardi B
8. NLE Choppa
9. Lil Mabu
10. Lizzo

Top TikTok Artists Of 2023 Worldwide

1. Kim Loaiza
2. Selena Gomez
3. BLACKPINK
4. BTS
5. Feid
6. ENHYPEN
7. Karol G
8. LE SSERAFIM
9. NewJeans
10. Shakira

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