Month: February 2024

Happy “What Would You Do If You Were Stuck In One Place And Every Day Was Exactly The Same, And Nothing That You Did Mattered” Day to those who celebrate.

Today is February 2nd, a.k.a. Groundhog Day (also Shakira and Paul Mescal’s birthdays). Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow this morning in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, which means an early spring is on the way. To be fair, “Phil has only been accurate about 40 percent of the time over the past 100 years,” according to the New York Post, but you’ll enjoy watching Groundhog Day, the movie, one hundred percent of the time.

The Harold Ramis-directed 1993 comedy, about a man (Bill Murray) who is stuck in a time loop that forces him to relive February 2nd over and over again, is available to stream on AMC’s website with a cable log-in or AMC+ with a subscription. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay for it on Amazon, Vudu, or Apple TV+ (or watch the Groundhog Day-inspired Russian Doll on Netflix).

AMC is also airing the movie multiple times today, beginning at 11 a.m. EST.

Groundhog Day also stars Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, and in a tiny role, Michael Shannon. He’s so happy to be going to WrestleMania!

Dua Lipa is just getting started with her acting career. So far, though, she has two movies under her belt and they’re both big ones: Barbie and Argylle. One thing Lipa’s performances in those films have in common is that she appears alongside John Cena. People have noticed this, and on Cena’s end, he’d be happy to continue sharing the screen with Lipa.

Cena was a guest on The Late Show yesterday (February 1), and towards the end of the chat, Stephen Colbert mentioned Lipa and asked if she and Cena had become friends. “I would like to think yes” was his response.

He went on to note that Argylle was filmed before Barbie, and on the Argylle set, Lipa told him that she was nervous, all while Cena, seated among Lipa and Henry Cavill, was feeling some nerves himself.

Colbert asked when the next Lipa/Cena collab is happening and Cena said he’s love to do a buddy cop movie with her. Colbert and his staff, ever prepared, had a fictional movie poster ready. The film was called Beautee & The Braun, with the tagline, “You’ve Cena them together in Dua other movies.” An amused Cena responded, “Well, I’ll be back to promote that project, sir.”

Check out the interview clip above.

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

In Los Angeles last night (February 1), Boygenius played a pair of “secret” acoustic concerts at The Smell. Those two shows were apparently the band’s final ones for at least some time.

Is Boygenius Breaking Up?

Lucy Dacus reportedly said on stage at the second show, “This is our last show, and we’re feeling it.” One of the band members also reportedly said, “We’re going away for the foreseeable future.” This is according to X (formerly Twitter) account Boygenius Source, which Rolling Stone UK called a “reputable fan account.”

Boygenius Source also notes that after the surprise concerts were announced, tickets sold out “in under 30 seconds.” They also shared a full video of the second show on Instagram, so check that out below.

So, is the band breaking up? It sounds like more of a hiatus, based on the phrasing “for the foreseeable future,” which seems to leave the door open for a reunion down the road.

It could be the case that Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker would like to shift their focuses back to their solo careers at least for a bit. It has been a little while since the group members have put out albums of their own: Bridgers’ most recent solo album, Punisher, was released in 2020, while Dacus and Baker last dropped solo projects in 2021 (Home Video and Little Oblivions, respectively).

Also worth noting is that in a December 2023 interview, Baker said the band’s future was uncertain, saying, “I like it being a surprise. I like having this band be something that, because it’s more ephemeral or whatever, it’s not concretely tied to one of us or a person we have to live in every day. It’s something we can revisit when we feel motivated to, or it’s a place we can retreat to. I like saving it as something sacred instead of feeling like I have to constantly grind on it.”

We are just a month out from Tyla‘s self-titled debut album. Over the past few months, the Afrofusion superstar has gone viral with her globally-inspired songs, and her incredible choreography. One of her newest singles, “Truth Or Dare,” has become an instant fan favorite. Tonight (February 2), Tyla has finally shared the much-anticipated “Truth Or Dare” video.

In the “Truth Or Dare” video, Tyla meets up with a troublesome ex, with whom, she embarks on a disastrous car trip. Unbothered, Tyla can be seen riding with her hair flowing free out of the window. But by the end of the video — and without spoiling it — we see Tyla gets her revenge.

As Tyla’s debut album is near, she is gearing up for a world takeover. In an interview with Complex, Tyla expressed her dreams to become a household name within music.

“I come from a very small place, a little city in South Africa all the way at the bottom of Africa, the tip,” she said. “And literally, I was just a girl with a dream, a girl that didn’t really have much examples… like this wasn’t really possible at that age when I was coming up as an artist, it wasn’t something that was realistic and I made it a reality. We need an African pop star, and hopefully I’m that one.”

You can see the video for “Truth Or Dare” above.

Tyla is out 3/1 via Epic. FInd more information here.

Lil Yachty continues to push the envelope with his sounds. Tonight (February 2), the multifaceted musician has shared “A Cold Sunday,” his trippy, psychedelic new single, continuing the sounds he created with his last album, Let’s Start Here.

Over groovy guitars, Yachty reminds of his rap chops, reiterating how much he’s evolved as an artist.

“It’s a cold Sunday to complain / I hold it in until it rain / I fought demons after fame / I spent millions on terrain,” he raps on the song’s chorus.

In the song’s accompanying video, Yachty is seen through some kaleidoscopic images, as he raps along to what’s sure to be his next viral hit.

Yachty’s last album, Let’s Start Here, was one of the most acclaimed of 2023. And it looks fans won’t have to wait too much longer for new music. In an interview with Complex, Yachty shared that he has lots of new music underway for the near future.

“Making Let’s Start Here took time,” Yachty said. “Every day. But I think about it every day and I’m so excited to start the next album. But I’m just having fun making raps though, and tons of shit that I’m into putting out. I’m so excited as to what I have next and I got some things, I got some things in the pipeline, and it’s coming real soon.”

You can watch the video for “A Cold Sunday” above.

We are just over a week out from Usher‘s sure-to-be iconic Super Bowl performance. On the same day, the illustrious singer will drop his new album, Coming Home. Ahead of the album, Usher has shared a new single, “Ruin.”

The Afrofusion-influenced song features Usher smitten over a special woman. So much so, he can’t imagine the idea of answering the phone to someone else, or giving any of his time to another.

“Wake up in the mornin’ / A different girl be on my line / Constantly be callin’ every day, I still decline / See? This exactly what you did / You ruined me for everybody / You ruined me for everybody,” sings Usher on the song’s chorus.

Nigerian singer Pheelz gives the song a bit of international flair with a verse of his own, wondering how he became taken over by love.

“I be learnin’ tricks where you put the money / ‘Cause back then I was very lonely / I still am, I’m just tryna find peace every day / My heart is on holiday,” sings Pheelz on his verse.

You can listen to “Ruin” above.

Coming Home is out 2/9 via mega/gamma. Find more information here.

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

JT of City Girls is continuing a run of solo bangers. Tonight (February 2), she shared her new single, “Sideways.”

The track features JT establishing herself as a solo act, while still repping the Miami rap duo. Like on her previously released track, “No Bars,” JT maintains her energy, while riding the beat with energy.

“B*tch, I ain’t friendly, I don’t f*ck with y’all b*tches / Tryna take who? It ain’t enough of y’all b*tches / Hoes so phony got me lookin’ at ’em sideways / It’ll never be the same, motherf*cker, old days,” she raps on the song’s chorus.

Over the years, JT has been known to add a punch to City Girls tracks. Her chemistry with her bandmate Caresha “Yung Miami” Brownlee is undeniable. But with “Sideways,” as well as upcoming solo songs, JT aims to make herself a rapper of her own accord. Perhaps a solo album or mixtape may soon be on the way, as she lays the groundwork for longevity.

“‘Sideways’ is a song not a verse,” said JT in a statement, “and in 2024 I want to go from ‘JT has good verses!’ to ‘JT make good songs!’”

You can see the video for “Sideways” above.

Feb. 1 was a good day for Jalen Brunson. Though it was anything but a surprise given his performance this season, the New York Knicks guard was officially named as an Eastern Conference All-Star and, just moments later, Brunson took the court for the shorthanded Knicks against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. New York trailed by as many as 15 points, including a double-digit deficit in the second half, but the Knicks overcame the absences of Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Quentin Grimes in what became a 109-105 victory.

The Knicks have played as well as any team in the league in recent days but, after the game was over, Brunson was emotional in a way that is not typical following a mid-season victory.

For one thing, Brunson’s day was pretty fantastic, and that extended to the court. He led the way for the Knicks, finishing with a game-high 40 points on 15-of-30 shooting. That included 11 points in the fourth quarter and 19 points after halftime, pushing his team to another impressive win.

The MSG crowd was also bonkers, and the “M-V-P” chants Brunson received during the postgame interview certainly didn’t hurt the scene. New York is now 18-5 at home this season and, beyond that, the Knicks are 15-2 since the calendar flipped to 2024. In the end, though, Brunson’s emotional reaction was a reminder of the power that sports can have, with a city backing a player, the player giving it all he has, and a wildly impressive run culminating in one incredibly fun moment.

Sol Blume 2024 is returning to Discovery Park in Sacramento this spring — and this is the biggest iteration of the festival yet. Taking place over the course of three days (May 3-5), fans can look forward to performances by some of the biggest names in R&B and hip-hop.

Taking the stage on Friday are Jojo, PinkPantheress, Omar Apollo, and Snoh Aalegra, the latter of which will serve as that day’s headliner.

Saturday’s headliner will be supergroup Kaytraminé — which is comprised of producer Kaytranada and Aminé. Also on the bill are Masego, SiR, Kelela, Wale, and Jordan Ward.

On the final day of the festival, Leon Thomas, Chxrry22, Doechii, Ari Lennox, Partynextdoor are set to perform, with SZA as the headliner.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of Sol Blume, and the first three-day iteration of the festival. As many of the headliners haven’t put out new projects in awhile, fans are excited at the prospect of potentially getting new music from Omar Apollo, Partynextdoor, and Snoh Aalegra.

Tickets for Sol Blume 2024 go on sale Monday, February 5 at 10 a.m. PT. Fans can pre-register here beginning now.

You can see the full Sol Blume 2024 line-up below.

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

On Wednesday, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports authored a piece about NBA journeyman Tony Snell’s efforts to sign a contract with a team before Friday. You probably saw it making its way around the internet, but the long and the short of it is that Snell has two sons — Karter, who is 3, and Kenzo, who is 2. Both were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and in order for Snell to become eligible for the National Basketball Players Association’s premium medical plan that would give them health benefits, he needs to end up on a roster for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, and Friday is the deadline for that to happen.

It’s a pretty incredible story (Jake, if you’re reading this, great job, my guy), one that resonated with a whole lot of people. One of them was Charles Barkley, who took some time after the TNT NBA crew announced the 2024 All-Star reserves to call on a team to give Snell a roster spot.

“The NBA’s been great to all of us sitting up here,” Barkley said. “And you guys are gonna be playing basketball forever making a gazillion dollars. I hope one of you guys signs Tony so his two autistic kids can get great medical care … I hope a team signs him for the rest of the season, because I don’t know a lot about autism, I ain’t gonna say that. But man, I know it’s gotta be expensive to have two young kids with that situation. I’m hoping the NBA, we always talk about what a family we are, let’s sign that kid for the rest of the season.”

Kenny Smith called on Adam Silver to step in and make some sort of exception for Snell, who is currently with the Maine Celtics of the G League. No matter how it happens, here’s hoping Snell is able to get a 10th year of service as soon as possible.