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Justin Timberlake Boldly Apologized ‘To Absolutely F*cking Nobody,’ And Everyone Thinks It Was Directed At Britney Spears

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Justin Timberlake had been relatively dormant for the past five-ish years, and while his Everything I Thought It Was album cycle has only just begun, he’s suddenly everywhere again. Last week, Timberlake appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he confirmed his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour. Last Saturday, January 27, he performed “Selfish” and “Sanctified” as the SNL musical guest. Timberlake even used his solo album promotional cycle to tease potential new NSYNC music on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Most recently, on Wednesday night, January 31, which was his 43rd birthday, Timberlake performed a one-night-only concert at New York City’s Irving Plaza. A fan named Gilberto Hora was in attendance and did an excellent job of chronicling the show on Instagram Stories. One video in particular has gone viral, as it shows Timberlake saying, “I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely f*cking nobody” before launching into Jay-Z’s “Holy Grail,” on which he’s the featured artist.

Timberlake did not say Britney Spears’ name, but did he really need to? Many people are assuming that this was shade thrown Spears’ direction due to Spears alleging hers and Timberlake’s early-2000s relationship involved being pregnant with his child before an abortion and infidelity on Timberlake’s part in her October memoir, The Woman In Me.

In December, Timberlake said “no disrespect” before performing “Cry Me A River” in Las Vegas — another perceived indirect acknowledgement of Spears. After Timberlake dropped “Selfish” last week, Spears’ fans showed their, um, distaste for Timberlake by sending Spears’ 2011 song, also called “Selfish,” to No. 1 on iTunes. More importantly, though, Spears posted a message to Timberlake on her now-private Instagram.

“I wanna apologize for some of the things I wrote about in my book,” Spears captioned a snippet from Timberlake’s appearance with Fallon. “If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about I am deeply sorry. I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song ‘Selfish.’ It is soo good and how come every time I see Justin and Jimmy together I laugh so hard ??? Ps ‘Sanctified’ is wow too.”

See some of the reactions to Timberlake’s latest comments below.

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Will Don Toliver’s New Album Come Out In 2024?

It looks like Don Toliver is already working on a follow-up to his 2023 album Love Sick. 2024 figures to be a big year for the Houston rapper; last month, girlfriend Kali Uchis revealed she’s pregnant with couple’s first child, and today, Toliver dropped the video for his new single, “Bandit.” In the rock-inspired clip, Toliver plays the role of a biker in a gang called “Hardstone MC,” riding his chopper through the desert and throwing a grungy house party with a bevy of leather-clad revelers.

The single looks like the prelude to a full album, also possibly titled Hardstone. Shortly after releasing the video, Toliver updated his profile pic on Twitter to the Hardstone MC logo, then posted the single cover with the message “Album Soon.”

While “soon” is a pretty vague descriptor, it does seem to suggest that the album will be out sometime this year, just one year after the release of Love Sick and possibly before or after becoming a father. Of course, the fact that he is about have daddy duties may complicate his projected release schedule, but in all likelihood, he’s already factored those responsibilites into his plan. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.

You can watch the “Bandit” video above.

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

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‘Jeopardy!’ Fans On Social Media Are Sharing The Most Iconic Moments From The Long-Running Quiz Show

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Jeopardy! on YouTube

It’s rare when the internet can come together and agree on something. It happens every once in a while, like with Barbienheimer or Baby Yoda or when it’s time to bully a puppet. But most of the time, people are fighting on the internet. It’s just the way the world works now, and we have to live with it. At least we can all agree that whatever is happening with Madame Web is very confusing to watch.

But there is one little show that seemingly unites everyone and their grandmothers (because it’s been on for so long) and that’s Jeopardy! After being on for forty years, there is no shortage of embarrassing, heartwarming, and straight-up ridiculous moments from the beloved game show. And luckily, everyone has their favorite clips on deck, so when we need a quick morale boost on the internet, there is always a little joke for everyone. For instance, remember when Ken Jenning called Alex Trebek a hoe?

Yeah! There’s a lot more where that came from. Sometimes, the contestants were the ones who were acting out of pocket:

But a lot of the time, Trebek was just dunking on his contestants for being nerds.

Or when they were doing the opposite of winning:

There will never be another one like Trebec, though. Sorry, Ken.

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How To Buy Tickets For Mad Cool Fest 2024

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Spain’s popular Mad Cool Festival recently announced their 2024 lineup in full, with Dua Lipa, The Killers, and Måneskin set to headline this year. The fest will be held in Madrid from July 10 to July 13.

Other key acts on the bill include Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jessie Ware, Tyla, Sexyy Red, Janelle Monáe, Bring Me The Horizon, Avril Lavigne, Uproxx cover star Ashnikko, and many more who were announced with the first wave reveal in December.

Here’s what to know for those hoping to catch their favorite performers in Madrid this summer.

How To Buy Tickets For Mad Cool Fest 2024

Tickets for Mad Cool Fest 2024 are currently on sale through their website. For those looking for a 4-day General Admission pass this year, prices start at 210€ (around $227), and single-day tickets run for 89€ (~$96).

They are also offering options for VIP passes, which include special views from an exclusive VIP area, a bar and catering service, and more exclusive perks. A 4-day VIP ticket starts at 482€ (approx. $522), and single-day options start at 187€ (approx. $202).

More information about Madrid’s Mad Cool Fest can be found on their website.

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

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How To Buy Tickets For Mad Cool Fest 2024

dua lipa
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Spain’s popular Mad Cool Festival recently announced their 2024 lineup in full, with Dua Lipa, The Killers, and Måneskin set to headline this year. The fest will be held in Madrid from July 10 to July 13.

Other key acts on the bill include Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jessie Ware, Tyla, Sexyy Red, Janelle Monáe, Bring Me The Horizon, Avril Lavigne, Uproxx cover star Ashnikko, and many more who were announced with the first wave reveal in December.

Here’s what to know for those hoping to catch their favorite performers in Madrid this summer.

How To Buy Tickets For Mad Cool Fest 2024

Tickets for Mad Cool Fest 2024 are currently on sale through their website. For those looking for a 4-day General Admission pass this year, prices start at 210€ (around $227), and single-day tickets run for 89€ (~$96).

They are also offering options for VIP passes, which include special views from an exclusive VIP area, a bar and catering service, and more exclusive perks. A 4-day VIP ticket starts at 482€ (approx. $522), and single-day options start at 187€ (approx. $202).

More information about Madrid’s Mad Cool Fest can be found on their website.

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

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Usher Cleared Up A Rumor That He Was Once Beyoncé’s Nanny: ‘I Looked Over Them’

In a new interview, Usher cleared up a longstanding rumor that he was once Beyoncé’s nanny. Appearing on Shannon Sharpe’s YouTube show Club Shay Shay ahead of his upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, Usher downplayed the caregiving role he played for his fellow pop-R&B star.

Torward the end of the interview (about 53:00 above), Sharpe asks directly, “I read that you were Beyoncé’s nanny. Is that true? Were you Beyoncé’s nanny?”

“First of all, I’d be a ‘manny,’” Usher jokes (look, he grew up in a different era). “Nah, I wasn’t Beyoncé’s nanny. Daryl Simmons had a group by the name of The Dolls, and they came to Atlanta for the first time. This is before Destiny’s Child became Destiny’s Child. I think I looked over them while they was doing something in the house; I had to watch over them ’cause I was like the, you know, the authority — ’cause I guess I was the teenager at the time.”

Sharpe then wonders if Usher could foresee Beyoncé’s future success, using his discovery of Justin Bieber as evidence of his eye for talent. Usher plays it humbly, pointing out that Destiny’s Child, as a group, is still successful collectively. But he does note that even those around him would say they could see that Beyoncé was special.

There’s a lot of insight in the interview, from Usher detailing the preparation it takes to remain at the top of his game for so long to revealing tidbits about alternative timelines within the music industry where he and Jay-Z were in a supergroup. Check out the full interview up top.

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Larry David Was Forced To Apologize After Beating The Crap Out Of Elmo On Live TV

Elmo has been having quite the week. The Sesame Street favorite went viral after posting a seemingly innocuous tweet where he was just “checking in” on how everyone is doing. However, the little monster ended up inundated with a flood of replies that showed that people are not doing so hot.

Because Elmo is a beloved character on a children’s program, his viral moment was spun into a teachable lesson in checking on your friends. It was a kind, wholesome message that Elmo shared with Thursday morning’s episode of TODAY until Larry David had other plans. Namely, beating the crap out of America’s most adorable puppet.

In a bizarre and hilariously random moment, the Curb Your Enthusiasm star flew onto the set and started pounding on Elmo as the TODAY hosts couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Al Roker was visibly stunned. If David thought this would be an off-camera moment that no one would see, he was sorely mistaken.

After joking that “someone had to do it,” the curmudgeonly comedian was forced to apologize to Elmo live on the air. Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager sat David down and asked if there’s anything he wants to say to Elmo.

“And from your heart,” Bush Hager said, prompting David to quip, “From where? What organ are you talking about?”

However, David relented and apologized. Although, Elmo’s voice chirping in almost send him back over the edge. Naturally, this made Elmo go viral again as people reacted to Larry David assaulting the number one children’s TV character of all time.

You can see some of the reactions below:

(Via TODAY on YouTube)

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Report: The Rockets Are Trying To Trade For A Star, Had Offer For Mikal Bridges Rejected

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The Houston Rockets have had a solid season thus far, going 22-25 which has them a half-game behind the Utah Jazz for the 10-seed in the Play-In out West. Considering the Rockets won 22 games all of last year, that is a pretty strong turnaround for this Houston club, but they apparently are not satisfied with sizable improvement if it doesn’t yield a playoff berth.

According to Kelly Iko, Sam Amick, and Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Rockets are star-hunting ahead of the trade deadline, looking beyond the names we know are on the market — Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine, etc. — and trying to use their bevy of future first round picks and young talent to acquire an All-Star caliber player. Houston apparently attempted to deal some of Brooklyn’s own picks from the James Harden deal back to them to land Mikal Bridges, but Brooklyn reportedly turned them down.

Houston has been pursuing upgrades to the roster, searching for another All-Star-caliber type who fits the two-way mold Udoka is looking for, and the organization has the available resources to do so. The Rockets have four first-round picks eligible to be traded — two via Brooklyn in 2024 and 2026 and their own in 2028 and 2030.

Names that have been linked with them as the trade market has developed — Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray and Chicago’s Zach Lavine — don’t appear to be enticing to the Rockets. The Rockets have joined the long line of teams showing extremely high interest in Nets forward Mikal Bridges, league sources say. Houston made an offer including multiple first-round draft picks for Bridges in recent weeks, but the Nets have zero interest in any deal involving Bridges, who is part of Brooklyn’s core moving forward.

It will be interesting to see who else they pursue, as one would expect they are looking for someone on the younger end of the star spectrum considering their overall roster age. The report also indicates the Rockets are willing to part with some of their young core as part of a deal, with Jalen Green no longer considered untouchable — with Alperen Sengun closer to that designation now amid a breakout season.

As of right now, there aren’t any players known to be available in that vein, but Houston is one of the few teams in the league that can look to pry a player that’s not necessarily on the trade block away from a team with their stash of very valuable future firsts and young players. If there is a team that is even considering shifting gears into a rebuild or just restarting the clock with young talent, Houston is ready to pounce and has the asset ammo to make an offer a team simply can’t refuse.

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The Singers On ‘We Are The World,’ Ranked

We Are The World
Netflix

A bold claim is made in the title of Bao Nguyen’s The Greatest Night In Pop, a new documentary that premiered on Netflix this week. Nguyen’s film depicts the conception, execution, and aftermath of “We Are The World,” the massive-selling charity single released in 1985 to raise money and awareness for the battle against African famine. The song was written by two of the era’s biggest artists, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and involved a galaxy of stars from a variety of genres — including Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Cyndi Lauper, and a couple dozen more — singing in the now-familiar “celebrity choir” format that “We Are The World” helped to codify for future celebrity do-gooder anthems.

“We Are The World” did do a lot of good in its time, raising around $60 million and paving the way for the Live Aid concerts in Philadelphia and London later that year that brought in millions more dollars to fight hunger. But the song has also been associated with the excesses of celebrity self-regard and hubris. Do you remember that embarrassing viral video from the pandemic era of various famous people singing “Imagine”? That’s the long tail of “We Are The World” right there. Also: It’s a pretty corny song! Part call-to-action and part guilt trip, “We Are The World” probably could not exist in these more politically divided, cynical, and mediated times. The level of naive earnestness on display grounds the song in a very different era. (Turns out that just you and me did not make a better day, after all.)

Nevertheless, The Greatest Night In Pop is a very fun documentary that got me thinking about an inescapable song from my grade school years. The movie makes a convincing case that even if you think “We Are The World” is mawkish and overblown, it was kind of a miracle that it all came together. The talents that were assembled for the recording session truly make for a fascinating mix of geniuses and one-hit wonders.

So, who did the best job on “We Are The World”? Let’s figure it out. Two things to note before we get started.

1. I am focusing primarily on the solo singers. The ones only in the choir will not be ranked, as their individual performances are difficult to assess.

2. This is not about the overall careers or singing abilities of these singers. I only care about what they do on “We Are The World.” In other words: Huey Lewis will get his flowers!

Pre-List Entertainment: The Top 5 “Wrongly Relegated To The Choir” Singers On “We Are The World”

Harry Belefonte
The Greatest Night In Pop

5. Waylon Jennings

Here’s something I learned from the movie: Waylon actually didn’t stick around for the choir. He walked out of the studio when Stevie Wonder suggested singing some of the lyrics in Swahili. Imagine Waylon Jennings singing “We Are The World” in Swahili! The mind reels in amazement at this scenario. But he shouldn’t have been “choir-only” to begin with. Because Willie Nelson was also in the studio, and Waylon and Willie should have been paired at some point. For all of his genius, the song’s producer Quincy Jones apparently was unfamiliar with the greatness of “I Can Get Off On You.”

4. Lindsey Buckingham

This was Lindsey in his post-Go Insane/pre-Tango In The Night era, when he had the Eraserhead hairdo and oozed smoldering cocaine mania. His energy was all wrong for a charity single, no doubt, but that’s precisely why I wish he was more in the mix.

3. Smokey Robinson

He sang “The Tracks Of My Tears.” You don’t put the guy who sang “The Tracks Of My Tears” in the choir, even if it’s 1985 and that guy now has a deeply unappealing mustache.

2. Better Midler

Three years later she earned the title of Queen Of The Schmaltzy ’80s Pop Ballad with “Wind Beneath My Wings.” But she needed to be in the starting lineup for the decade’s ultimate schmaltzy pop ballad in 1985, not put on the sidelines.

1. Harry Belafonte

The documentary makes it clear that the singer/actor/activist was one of the most respected people in the room. He’s the one who picked up the phone and talked Lionel Richie into doing “We Are The World” in the first place. And how do they repay him? By sticking him next to Dan Aykroyd on the top riser! The indignity!

Now let’s get to the proper list.

The 21 Soloists On “We Are The World,” Ranked

We Are The World
The Greatest Night In Pop

21. Paul Simon

Take a look at that photo above. The bad vibes emanating from Simon are palpable. Based on the video evidence, he was the worst hang in the room. In the documentary, Kenny Loggins quotes Simon making the following joke: “If a bomb falls on this place John Denver’s back on top.” Keep in mind that Simon was still one year away from putting out Graceland, and his career wasn’t in much better shape than Denver’s. In that context, the John Denver crack just seems mean-spirited. Later, we see Paul getting pissy with Kenny Rogers when Kenny can’t nail a high note. Or maybe he’s just annoyed to be stuck with The Gambler and not an A-lister like Stevie or Bruce. Either way, he’s a buzzkill.

20. Kim Carnes

The singer who in retrospect seems the most super-glued to the 1980s. I’m old enough to remember hearing “Bette Davis Eyes” on the radio when I was (very) young, but the average person in 2024 won’t recognize Kim Carnes (or Bette Davis). It doesn’t help that she has very little to do. She sings literally two words: “when we.” And then she’s overshadowed by Huey Lewis and Cyndi Lauper. (More on them later.)

We Are The World
The Greatest Night In Pop

19. Billy Joel

He’s only ranked this low because he’s under-utilized. His beard, however, is excellent.

18. Tina Turner

The most egregiously under-utilized singer in the entire “We Are The World” arsenal. Vocal arranger Tom Bähler explains in the doc how he carefully placed the singers where he did in the song and the studio, to maximize their musical and visual power. His reasoning with Tina is that he liked the warmth of her voice in the lower register. And he’s right — she sounds great. But what about the part at the end of the song, when several of the male singers get the chance to kick some ass, gospel-style? Tina should have had a spot in that section, screaming her head off like it’s “Better Be Good To Me.”

17. James Ingram

You know who Tina could have replaced in the “kick some ass” part of the song? No offense but it has to be James Ingram, a fine singer who doesn’t have the gravitas of the other legends who bring “We Are The World” home.

16. Kenny Rogers

He hit that high note with Paul Simon shooting lasers into his skull. Many would have folded under the pressure, but Kenny knew when to hold ’em.

15. Kenny Loggins

This is prime soundtrack era Loggins — it’s one year after Footloose and one year before Top Gun. A journeyman folk-rocker turned yacht rocker turned ’80s movie tunesmith, Kenny was finally a big deal, kind of. 1985 is possibly the one year in his life when he would have been considered famous enough to deserve being in that room. And he does his blue-eyed soul thing beautifully. My one unanswered question: Was Kenny’s frequent collaborator Michael McDonald considered for “We Are The World”? Can you imagine the backing vocals Mike could have laid down? It would have definitely taken the song to another level. World hunger would probably be cured by now.

14. Diana Ross

The anti-Paul Simon. According to the doc, her vibes were off the charts. At one point, she walks up to Daryl Hall, says “I’m your biggest fan,” and asks for his autograph. This is Diana Ross! Of The Supremes! And about 200 hit songs! After that, everyone was asking for everyone else’s autograph. Diana set the tone for the minimized egotism and communal affection that made the recording of “We Are The World” possible.

We Are The World
The Greatest Night In Pop

13. Willie Nelson

We didn’t get to hear him with Waylon, which is a crime, but I actually love his pairing with Dionne Warwick. They sound really good together! They should have made an album of duets. (They still could!)

12. Dionne Warwick

All of the singers I’ve mentioned so far weren’t given a lot to do, which hurt their ranking. But Dionne found a way to make a meal out of the small morsel she was given, hitting the “Welllll!” on the entry with beautiful sophistication. (She is also, naturally, a very good interview subject in The Greatest Night In Pop.)

11. Bob Dylan

1985 might very well be the worst year of Bob Dylan’s professional life. Many believed that he was a has-been, including Dylan himself. And “We Are The World” was his nadir. The behind-the-scenes footage of Bob struggling with his part — and Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones coaching him on how to sing like Bob Dylan — already existed on YouTube before the documentary. But the movie offers more background that makes the sequence even more painful to watch. It’s not that he sounds bad. He can’t even get the words out. His voice shrinks under the pressure. The panic in his eyes is unnerving. It’s the most vulnerable this famously impenetrable man has ever looked on camera. When Bob finally manages to get through his vocal, there’s an affecting moment when Dylan says to Quincy, “That wasn’t any good,” and Quincy embraces Bob and tenderly assures him that the take was perfect. And Bob does, in fact, sound reliably Dylanesque on the track.

10. Al Jarreau

This classy R&B/jazz legend gets bonus points for sounding as good as he does given that he was apparently wasted on wine and barely able to get through his one line. One observer in the doc says that Al was “a little over the top in the alcohol section,” which has to be the least efficient way to say “drunk” possible. Though I refuse to believe that Al was the only intoxicated person in that room. This was L.A. in 1985! And it was the night of the American Music Awards! Intoxication was in the air!

9. Daryl Hall

This had to be one of the best days of Daryl’s life. He nailed his vocal, his hair was perched at maximum “lion’s mane” majesty, Diana Ross asked for his autograph, and — best of all — his long-time musical partner and sworn life-long enemy John Oates got stuck in the choir.

8. Steve Perry

Pure, uncut arena-rock gold. For about three seconds, Steve Perry turns “We Are The World” into a power ballad about how the road ain’t no place to start a family as long you don’t stop believin’ with open arms. His voice is male romantic longing in its most intensely melodramatic audio form. When he sings “We Are The World,” it sounds like a song that a mulleted man would put on while making love to his lady on a waterbed covered with tiger-print sheets.

We Are The World
The Greatest Night In Pop

7. Huey Lewis

Here’s another thing I did not know before I watched The Greatest Night In Pop: The part that was reserved for Prince on the off-chance he decided to show up (he didn’t) was eventually given to the least Prince-like person in the room, Huey Lewis. (Sheila E. meanwhile snuck out of the session once she realized that her main purpose for being there was luring Prince away from the Mexican restaurant he was hiding out at that night.) But once he was put on the field, Huey proved that he belonged. His greatest feat — aside from affecting some truly fantastic “soulful white guy” faces — was devising an extemporaneous three-part harmony part for himself, Cyndi Lauper, and Kim Carnes that kicks the song up a notch.

6. Cyndi Lauper

The best entry of anyone in the song: “Well well WELL WELLLLLLL!!!!” Real “Kool Aid Man bursting through the door”-level stuff. Then she miraculously turns “change” into a three-syllable word. As if my respect for this performance could be any greater, the doc reveals that Cyndi had to remove about 87 different bracelets and earrings because they were making too much noise during her vocal. Just incredible work all around.

5. Lionel Richie

I had to at least put him in the top five, given that he was the quarterback of the team. Though Lionel doesn’t do much singing on “We Are The World,” he was in “Patrick Mahomes in the second half of the 2024 AFC Championship Game” mode. A game manager who kept the operation on track and pointed toward glory.

4. Michael Jackson

The most spine-tingling moment in The Greatest Night In Pop is when MJ is alone in the studio, singing his part, and you are reminded that in spite of everything else about MJ he has one of the most extraordinary voices in the history of humankind. After that scene, I automatically put him at No. 1 on this list. But when you listen to the actual song, you realize he’s in there less than you remember. While Richie was wise to go into game manager mode, I feel like MJ was held back more than he should have been. He could have dominated “We Are The World.”

3. Ray Charles

The top three singers are ones who kick the most ass at the end of “We Are The World.” The ones who testify while the choir sings the chorus over and over for several minutes. The first of this trio is the man most responsible for bringing gospel dynamics to the secular musical world. When you hear Ray Charles, it’s like the voice of God commanding the audience to empty their wallets for a worthy cause.

A Quick Scenario Before The Top Two: What Does A “Modern” Version Of “We Are The World” Sound Like?

Jack Antonoff is the Quincy Jones. Phoebe Bridgers is the Lionel Richie. She co-writes the song with Taylor Swift, the contemporary analogue to Michael Jackson. Paul McCartney plays the “elder statesman” Ray Charles role. Bob Dylan plays the “music’s social conscience” Bob Dylan role and remains extremely awkward. Frank Ocean, like Prince, is invited but doesn’t show up. John Mayer is the “40-something-year-old soft-rock star between career peaks” Paul Simon-style buzzkill. Rihanna is the Diana Ross-esque iconic diva with the best vibes. The most surprisingly good pairing is Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars. The least effective pairing is Lorde and Dave Grohl. The song is streamed one billion times on the first day of release and never again afterward.

We Are The World
The Greatest Night In Pop

2. Bruce Springsteen

His voice is ravaged from the Born In The U.S.A. tour. It looks like he hasn’t showered since flying out of Buffalo. His jaw is the size of Alaska. If this isn’t the single coolest Bruce incarnation of all time, it’s in the running. In the doc, Bruce comes this close to calling “We Are The World” a bad song, settling instead on deeming it “broad.” But he sings it like he’s doing “Badlands” at the Meadowlands. The conviction is unreal. The raspiness is captivating. The Bossness is undeniable.

1. Stevie Wonder

The unquestioned peak of “We Are The World” is when Bruce and Stevie are belting their hearts out into each others’ faces on the split screen. Every time I see that I think, Just make the whole song this! This is so sick! I ultimately give Stevie the slight edge over Bruce because of his MVP performance behind the scenes as well. Not only did he coach up Bob Dylan on how to affect a Dylanesque vocal delivery, he also at one point walked Ray Charles to the bathroom. (A person in the doc inevitably calls it a “blind leading the blind” moment.) Yes, he also inadvertently chased off Waylon Jennings. But Stevie Wonder won “We Are The World” like it was an Album Of The Year Grammy in the 1970s.

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

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Why Aren’t Drake’s Songs On TikTok?

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Millions of people have developed the subconscious habit to open TikTok first thing in the morning, and if that’s you, you might notice that TikTok sounds different today, February 1: Drake is among many artists whose catalogs are no longer available under the “Sounds” tab to soundtrack a TikTok.

Here’s why.

Why Aren’t Drake’s Songs On TikTok?

In short, Universal Music Group (UMG) wasn’t bluffing. On Tuesday, January 30, UMG posted an open letter to address its expiring contract with TikTok.

“In our contract renewal discussions, we have been pressing them on three critical issues — appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users,” it reads, in part. UMG additionally relayed that “TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal” during negotiations, leading to UMG no longer licensing UMG artists’ catalogs to TikTok.

UMG is one of the most vast label umbrellas in music. So, while Drake is signed to Republic Records, Republic falls under the UMG umbrella. Therefore, Drake’s music was stripped from TikTok.

TikTok released its own (much shorter) statement on Tuesday, as seen below:

“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.

Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.

TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”