In February, The Cut ran an eye-popping personal essay from one of its financial experts. Its title? The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger. What followed was a 5,000+ word odyssey of unbelievably baffling proportions, one that proved even the shrewdest, most financially literate among us could fall prey to an online scam.

That writer’s experience launched a fleet of think pieces, most wondering how a woman, whose entire career was based on doling out money advice to others, could’ve believed the FTC and CIA were working together to investigate a financial fraud case with her at its center. But, as wild as her story seemed, many financial experts warned it could happen to anyone.

Online scams once targeted the older crowd – Boomers and Gen X adults who wouldn’t necessarily be described as tech-savvy. They were the ones who would fall for phishing emails, click on suspicious links, and hand out their Social Security number over the phone to a customer service rep claiming to operate on their bank’s behalf. But now, with more sophisticated technology and dozens of new online avenues to reach their marks, scammers are coming for the Millennial and Gen Z crowds. A recent Deloitte survey found that Gen Z Americans were three times more likely to fall for a scam online than their grandparents. And, in 2023, the FTC reported that consumers lost over $10 billion to financial scammers.

Digital natives like to think they’re immune to online grifts but the reality is, scammers are finding more sinister ways of duping them – robbing them of their money and their sense of security online. But it doesn’t have to be that way. UPROXX chatted with Steve Grobman, the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for McAfee, a global security software company, to find out which scams Millennials and Gen Z are most likely to encounter online – and tips for how to avoid them.

Tip #1: Don’t Panic

One of the driving emotions that caused The Cut’s writer to act so irrationally was fear, something online scammers are surprisingly good at stoking in their marks. There’s a bit of psychological manipulation at play when it comes to scams that invoke authority or threaten our sense of privacy online. “A lot of these scams are engineered to create a sense of urgency to make the victim respond very quickly before they start asking questions,” Grobman explains. Two of the most common types of scams he sees targeting Gen Z and Millennial customers are sextortion scams and fake fraud investigations.

Sextortion scams work by convincing the victim that their private computer or cellphone has been hacked. The scammer is essentially holding their information hostage, threatening to release compromising photos, videos, webcam surveillance footage, or private browsing histories unless they pay up. “It is something that can become very personal and very scary,” Grobman says, but it’s also “a complete bluff.”

The same is true for calls and texts that claim to come from the IRS, ones that hope to convince victims that their bank account or Social Security info has been stolen or that they owe a ridiculous amount in unpaid taxes. The more elaborate schemes scare their targets by suggesting their identity has been used to commit criminal charges across state lines, or that they’ve racked up thousands in debt that could see them facing legal repercussions. Whatever the scenario, Grobman says to put the phone down and take a breath before responding.

“Just stop and think if this makes sense,” he advises. “If a firm calls and says, ‘You owe all of this money,’ well, how does this firm know anything about my taxes if they’re not the government? That’s private information.” Another helpful tip: The IRS normally contacts people via mail, not by calling or texting them directly.

Tip #2: Never Send Money To Someone You Don’t Know

If you’ve seen the Tindler Swindler, you know how dangerous the world of online dating can be, especially when it comes to financial scams. According to McAfee, 68% of 18 to 28-year-olds are using dating websites to meet people which makes apps like Tinder and Bumble the perfect hunting ground for con artists hoping to make a quick buck. The problem with dating sites, according to Grobman, is that users go in with the expectation of interacting with strangers which means their defenses are already lowered. “It’s one of these situations where you don’t know somebody in the physical world, but you can establish a deep emotional relationship with them in the digital world,” he says. “Then the way the cyber criminals convert that into money for them is some event happens, there’s a medical emergency, and they need money. More and more are trying to get their victims to invest in fake cryptocurrency investment scams.”

Whatever the ask, Grobman says the answer should be “no.” Never send money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in person, even if they send you money first.

Tip #3: Don’t Call Them Back

Most online scams that target Millennials and Gen Z depend on immediate action from their victims. That means they want you to provide information quickly over the phone, or respond directly to their texts and direct messages. Along with taking a beat to question their motives, Grobman recommends opening up your own line of communication — whether it’s with your bank, your credit card company, your Amazon Prime account, or the IRS.

“Don’t call back the number that was left,” he says. “Don’t reply to the email. You can call your credit card company, or you can call your bank. Sometimes millennials forget they can pick up the phone and actually reach out to one of these institutions with a credible number that they find on the official website and say, ‘Hey, I got this correspondence. I want to validate that it’s authentic.’”

Tip #4: Use Credit Cards Not Crypto

Crypto is the Wild West of the money world at the moment, taking its share of bad press, but a lot of people still want in. Grobman gets that, but all of the things that make cryptocurrency appealing to younger generations — fewer regulations, more freedom, and anonymity — are also what make it a buffet for scammers looking to hustle the unsuspecting. “There are a lot of safeguards that traditional financial institutions put in place that just don’t exist when you get into cryptocurrency,” Grobman explains. “You have to be really careful if you’re going to use this type of medium because if somebody steals your crypto, it’s gone and there’s really no way to get it back.”

The easiest rule to follow is to only trade in crypto with trusted sources — people you know, and organizations you trust. And really, that applies to every form of payment transfer. “Make sure you’re using a form of payment that is cancelable like a credit card,” Grobman says. “Do not use gift cards, do not wire money. Be extremely careful with things like Zelle or Venmo. Some of those are a lot more difficult to get back if there is fraud.”

Tip #5: Beware Of Deepfakes

A.I. might be the technological wave of the future but there are some drawbacks to that too, especially when it comes to how artificial intelligence is used in financial scams. With programs now able to mimic voices, generate text-to-speech commands, and create emails and texts that appear shockingly human, Grobman says deepfakes are going to be the most dangerous tool in a scammer’s arsenal in the coming years. “Just as legitimate businesses are using A.I. to get better levels of efficiency, we see cybercriminals leaning into using A.I. and technology as well,” he explains. “When they contact individuals, they can use things like clone voice technology or A.I. generated voice, which can be used in a few different ways. It can either sound like a loved one in a targeted attack. It can also be used more generally where it simply sounds like the culture of somebody you’d expect from a position of authority. So if they call and they say, ‘I’m from the IRS’ and they’ve got a Midwestern accent and you live in the Midwest, that’s not as much of a tip-off as if they sound like they’re from a foreign country where it might be more obvious that it’s a scam.”

Besides investing in security software trained to spot these deepfakes, Grobman hopes the younger gen will make it more difficult for scammers to wield A.I. by guarding their personal information online. “One of the advances that A.I. arms the cyber criminal with is, that it can create a custom scam against an individual that can be better tailored if there’s information about that person. So by being able to cite your school and all sorts of little tidbits of information that make it more credible, very often there’s more information to work within those younger generations that haven’t really thought, ‘Should I tell the entire world everything about me?”

The common thread in guarding against any of these types of online scams — whether it’s travel-related, romance-driven, or disguised as a job-hunting scheme — is to be alert, aware, and just a bit suspicious when it comes to your digital habits.

“Even though we live in the digital age that moves very fast, sometimes slowing it down a little bit to gain confidence that things are as they seem can help prevent a lot of problems,” Grobamn says. “It’ll help prevent the spread of disinformation. It’ll help prevent you from getting taken for a scam.”

“I use the term digital street smarts. When all of us operate in the physical world, if we’re in a shady neighborhood, we lock our car doors. We don’t have big wads of cash hanging out of our pockets. It doesn’t mean that we don’t do fun things to live our lives, but we take common sense precautions to protect ourselves in the physical world. We need to do that in the digital world too.”

Last month, a TikTok user made the absurd claim that Saturday Night Live has never hired a “hot woman.” In the video, which has over 5,000 I’m sure extremely normal comments, @Jahelis explained that she’s “not saying that every single woman on SNL is ugly, it’s just that none of them have ever been, like, hot. They all just kind of have looks that eventually grow on you.”

The TikTok caught the attention of the current SNL cast, including Sarah Sherman. “just found out i’m not hot. please give me and my family space to grieve privately and uglily at this time,” she wrote on X. The comedian now expresses regret over giving the video any attention.

“I shouldn’t have f*cking said f*cking anything because she said some sh*t for attention,” Sherman said on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Superfly podcast, according to The Daily Beast. “I was mad at myself for the tweet.”

“She brings up women who are like, literally drop dead baba gaga gorgeous,” Sherman said. The TikToker singled out cast member Heidi Gardner as an example of the lack of female hotness on the show, saying “No offense to her, but she’s not that pretty.” Later in the video, she presents a conjoined photo of Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey Aidy Bryant, and others, calling them all “pretty average looking women.”

“What is she smoking?” Sherman continued, calling the women referenced “some of the most beautiful.”

Sherman was on the subway when she sent the tweet, “I immediately regretted tweeting it,” she said. “That’s what people want. They just want attention for one second. I didn’t want it to come across as defensive. People thought like I was legitimately upset and I’m like, no, I woke up ready to say something hilarious about grieving — uglily. But ultimately I wish I didn’t say anything because then it just made it a bigger deal.”

You know what is a big deal: Pop Crave cropping Sherman out of photos.

You can listen to the podcast below.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Juvenile is a bonafide hip-hop legend. Through the timelessness of his classic records, he has helped to cement the legacy of New Orleans’ Cash Money era while enjoying a cross-generational appeal via the magic of social media. Juvenile stays ubiquitous – you cannot go to a major event, a club night or even listen to a new music release without hearing Juvie’s influence or actual music and lyrics.

On his 3rd or 4th wave now, Juvenile’s most recent reinvention outside music revolves around strategic hometown partnerships and products that result from his burgeoning passion for all things culinary, along with his innate entrepreneurial spirit. Current plans beyond his already popular Juvie Juice and savory Cheewee’s snacks include his own coffee, a line of sauces and more varieties of Juvie Juice.

We got the lowdown on everything Juvie has in the pipeline, along with his recommendations for New Orleans hot spots and local gems. Juvie has us covered when it comes to the top crawfish and gumbo in NOLA, what makes Ruth Chris’ in ‘Nawlins like no other, and his personal snack indulgence; pretzels and Snickers mixed.

Whether it’s getting healthy with Caesar Salads and Nature’s Own granola bars, hitting every Benihana possible, playing the “Juvie Card” to get some late-night eggs at Waffle House or polishing off that mini-bar Toblerone, Juvenile is a man who knows exactly what he likes and wants at any given time. And if Juvie tells you that you look like a Toblerone kind of guy, that just means he sees a little bit of himself in you – there may be no better compliment. Join us and get to know the legendary “Ha” emcee, unlike you’ve ever known him before.

Where are you today?

Oh, I’m at my little spot where I make my lamps and stuff in New Orleans.

When you’re on the road doing shows, what’s on your rider as far as food and drinks and snacks?

Most of the time it’s Popeyes Chicken, full service. I got to have the rice, the red beans. I want mild chicken. I’m going to always have my chips, of course, the 400 Degreez Snack Chips. My main thing would be the Popeyes. I got to have the Popeyes.

Is that like a bucket of dark, white, a little bit of everything?

I get mixed. I get it mixed, so it’s a little bit of everything.

When you’re in the studio creating, are there certain foods or snacks or drinks that you need to have in the studio to get in the right mind state?

In the studio, I got to have my D’Usse or some form of cognac. I got to have some cognac in there, and I definitely got to have my Juvie Juice ’cause I’m blending them. We make drinks, we make all kinds of drinks with the Juvie Juice.

What about from a food perspective? Are you ordering takeout?

Usually, when I’m at home, I want crawfish, man. I’m tweaking for some crawfish right now. Most of the time when I go to the studio out of town it would be some form of seafood. So it might be like a grilled fish or something like that, nothing heavy.

How do you like your crawfish prepared?

Oh, they got to come from Cajun’s on Claiborne, on North Claiborne, first of all, ’cause they got a few Cajuns in the city. I got one specifically that I go to, right? My crawfish, they come one way, they hot.

They hot, they real seasoned up. It’s everything. You know what I’m saying? You really got to have a liking for them because they real hot.

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So do you like your food spicy in general, or is it just the crawfish?

No, it’s just the crawfish. When we say spicy in New Orleans, we mean spicy, we don’t mean spicy by pepper spicy. We mean a lot of seasoning, like a lot of vegetables and a lot of onions and bell peppers and stuff like that.

It sounds like you have a lot of big meals, but are you much of a snacker? Do you eat chips and cookies and candy and stuff like that?

Yeah, not a lot. I used to. I used to be a Snickers man but now I’m getting up in age, man, I don’t do too much junk (food), like I used to. But if I was to dive into some snacks, I like ice cream sandwiches.

What’s your go-to ice cream sandwich?

Strawberry Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich from, what’s the name of the ice cream place? I can’t think of the name right off the top of my head. I just walk in a damn store every other day and buy something. Why I can’t think of it? I got a big dude in here (who) can’t think of an ice cream place. Baskin? That’s it, Baskin-Robbins. Yeah, Baskin-Robbins.

Do you prefer sweets to chips and savory snacks?

I’m really a potato chip guy. I’ll be eating them Kettle Chips. I get the Kettle Chips from Whole Foods. I like Lay’s Kettle Chips. My brand, I’m a Kettle Chip head, and I’ll try some shit too when it’s Kettle Chips, honestly. I like the crunch.

They got the Zapp’s down in New Orleans.

Yeah. That’s the main reason I like Kettle Chips. I like all the Zapp’s, even though some of them are horrible, but I still eat them.

What’s the worst flavor of Zapp’s?

Probably the crawfish flavor, but I still eat them. If you give me a bag, I’m still going to eat them.

You’re a crawfish guy, how come you don’t like the crawfish chips?

It ain’t the consistency I’m looking for, but I ain’t trying to hear it on Zapp’s either because they got some good chips.

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When you’re on the road and you’re touring, what’s something that you like to have in your room or if there’s something in the mini bar?

I get into the mini bar, I do. You know those Nature’s Own snacks in the green pack? I like those, bro. I ain’t going to lie to you. I like those. I’m hooked on those. If they got those in the hotel room anywhere, usually I’ll eat them. I used to be a Toblerone man. I’m telling you, man, I used to have it bad with that. I had to leave that alone.

A lot of people have that problem.

You look like a Toblerone guy too! Especially in the hotel rooms ’cause they usually always have them in the minibars and stuff. That’s a fact. So after you’re done a show, I know- also, Famous Amos Cookies. I knew I was forgetting something. Famous Amos Cookies, I love those.

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So after you have a show, I know it’s usually probably pretty late at night once you’re done. Do you usually go out to eat afterwards? Are you getting room service?

If I eat it’s going to be Waffle House, probably some eggs, grilled chicken. Whatever’s open 24 hours, usually late, I want eggs. I want some eggs and grilled chicken most of the time.

So you’re not doing room service?

If it’s open, and I can convince them to make what I want. I’m real talkative when I want some food, and I want something, I be, “Hey, this Juvie.” That’s when I start throwing the Juvie card around. “That’s Juvie, y’all. You know this Juvie, right?” “I’m going to tip you real good. Hey, could you get the chef to make me some eggs? You know what I’m saying? Some turkey sausage or something like that, man, just hook me up something special,” ’cause usually, they have pork on the menu for breakfast.

I’m not a pork eater, so I always have to ask these extra questions.

So it sounds like as you’re getting older, you’ve gotten a little bit healthier in your eating habits. You said you go to Whole Foods, you’re eating turkey sausage and it sounds like you might-

Nah, nah, I got to learn how, I’m trying. I’m trying, ’cause look, I got a stomach, bro. I’m trying to learn how.

Besides the granola bars, what’s some other healthy snacks that you like that maybe other people should know about that are trying to get healthier too?

Well, I’m a salad head. But as far as snack wise, healthy snacks, fruits, that’s probably it. I eat a lot of fruits too.

Do you have a favorite fruit? Favorite salad?

My favorite fruit is orange. I love oranges, mandarins or anything like that.

What’s your go-to salad when you’re eating salads or eating healthy?

I’m a Caesar head. I like Caesar. I like Caesar. I can eat it with chicken without chicken, just the Caesar.

So something that’s interesting that’s come up to us is that lot of times nowadays people are trying out new snacks and putting different snacks together. We had somebody that likes to eat Oreos and Doritos together. We had somebody that likes to eat Kool-Aid flavored pickles. I’m curious if there’s anything that you like that other people might think is weird or gross.

Yeah, pretzels and Snickers. I like pretzels with Snickers together. You know, the little Snickers? The little Snickers in the little pack… and pretzels. Try that.

That sounds good, actually.

Try that. Try that, brother.

Then on the flip side, is there anything that you see other people out there eating that you’re like, “That’s nasty?” Or, “Why would you eat that together?”

It’s been some weird stuff, man. I done seen people put peppermints in hot pickles, take a peppermint and stuff it into hot pickles.

I’ve never seen that.

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Yeah, man, like, what’s the purpose? Your breath, it’s not going to help. I don’t know, but people have some weird fetish. The weirdest stuff I done seen probably came from pregnant women. I think that was my aunt or somebody was eating pig lips. What they eat it with? Pig lips and potato chips, pig feets and potato chips. You ever had that?

No.

Down here they have pickled pig lips. Pickled pig lips and potato chips.

That sounds like a band name or something. That’s interesting.

Pickled pig lips and potato chips, that’s big down here.

I’ll take your word for it. I might have to try that on my next trip.

So that brings me to New Orleans. You come from somewhere that has a very rich food history, a very rich culinary background. What are some of your favorite restaurants or places that the tourists don’t get to that they should be checking out?

Well, Neyow’s would be one of them, a local spot that a lot of people do come through that know about it, but a lot of the tourists miss it. It’s a spot I eat at on a regular. We got a lot of trucks down here that’s real good.

What are you eating at Neyow’s that’s really good?

I like the gumbo and the fried chicken, but I’ve had the fish, I’ve had the salmon. They got different stuff on their menu, man. They got a big menu. It’s always packed in there, but I don’t know if there’s people from out of town. I think it’s locals.

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What’s another local spot that everybody should check out that maybe they don’t know about?

Definitely my guy, Skip, got Chicken & Watermelon. Everybody from out of town comes there. It is right there on Claiborne Street.

So would you say that Neyow’s is the best place to get gumbo or where’s your gumbo spot?

No, I think it’s called Orleans Cafe is another spot that’s in the New Orleans East that all they sell is gumbo, and they sell it by the gallons.

Oh, wow.

People say they have the best gumbo. I’ve had it one time, but I got to have it a couple of times. My taste buds don’t work like that. I got to have it a couple times to say if it’s the best or just have both of them together and compare them. But nah, Neyow’s have some good gumbo.

Then I know you said crawfish is your favorite local dish.

Nah, that’s number one, but we got Ruth’s Chris. Ruth’s Chris is from here. I always tell people from out of town like Ruth’s Chris is different in New Orleans. It’s not like the Ruth’s Chris you go to on the road or something like that.

So what makes it different in New Orleans, if you could explain?

I guess that base of the way they cook the steaks and cook the food and the know-how, you know what I’m saying? New Orleans is the cooking capital, so people in New Orleans tend to do things different, the chefs and all. So the cooks that they have that’s in the Ruth’s Chris down here will be totally different from the ones out of town. Even though they’re cooking the same thing.

When you’ve been on the road touring, are there any cities that you really look forward to ’cause of the food there or restaurants that you like to go to?

I’m big on going to spots that we don’t have here in New Orleans, but most of the time, it’s national spots. We don’t have a Benihana here, and I love Benihana. Every time I go to Dallas or I go to Atlanta or to New York, those are the spots that I look for. But New Orleans people, we so locked in on our food, when we go to another city, we like the people to tell us what’s the best spot and go there. I’ve been to a lot of spots, it’s just hard for me to just pull one out of my hat.

What do you like to order at Benihana, though?

Man, I be ordering damn near everything on the menu. We just order. I go for it. I go for it, man. I like the pageantry and everything, but usually I get the triple, the one with the chicken, the steak and the shrimp. Forgot what they call it. I don’t eat it all, but I just order it like that.

I want to get more into your snacks and products. So I heard that Juvie Juice was inspired by your love for Arnold Palmer. When did you get into the Arnold Palmers, and where did that come from?

I’ve been drinking that since a kid. We always took lemonade and mixed it with tea, and I never knew the name was Arnold Palmer until I got older. So when they started saying Arnold Palmer, especially when you’re going to bars or restaurants and you’re trying to make that order, it’s just easier to say that ’cause they know everybody knows what that is. But yeah, I just love the taste. Seltzer was something that I wasn’t a fan of. I’m not really a big beer drinker either.

So it was something that I had to be convinced to like. So my guy Travis took me over to Urban South and we had a taste test, me, him and my wife.

We went through all these different flavors and stuff like that. I kept telling him, “Ah, this ain’t it. This ain’t it. This don’t taste like Arnold Palmer, I don’t like it.” Eventually, we got to the flavor. We got to the consistency that I like, and shit, right now, it’s doing good. I think a lot of people feel the same way I feel about seltzers. A lot of them are just dry and horrible.

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So how does that feel for you to have something that you loved as a kid and now you have your own version on the market? You’ve been in the hip-hop game, you probably have had every honor and achievement in music, but having that outside of music, how does that feel?

Oh, it’s a good feeling, man. Tomorrow I’m doing a big in-store with Total Wine, Costco’s and Rouses, which is a local grocery store food chain down here, so I’m gradually growing a brand. To see a brand grow from one state to another state — right now, we’re in eight states — and do well and see the fans reaction when they drink it is great. Mmost of the people that come, they really haven’t drank the seltzer a day in their life. They’re getting introduced to something new and they really like it. For me, it’s a new world.

Then can you explain also how the CheeWees partnership came about?

Well, CheeWees is something that I’ve been eating since I was a kid down here. It’s a local company that’s been making these CheeWees before Cheetos. Actually, they sold the machine to Frito-Lay to make the Cheetos brand, so this brand’s been going… Down here, when you say Cheetos, we don’t say it, we say CheeWees. I call Cheetos CheeWees also, so it’s something that stuck with me and I saw an opportunity to have a partnership with somebody local and make a chip of my own, something that I really like, something that I enjoy with my face and my brand on it. I think it’s doing real good, man. The people down here, they love it.

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So I have to ask you, what’s next? Because it seems like this food and culinary world is something you’re really embracing.

We got the hot sauce we working on right now. Matter of fact, I’ll show you. I already got some bottled up, but I don’t have the pictures. We working on the artwork right now,

I’ll have to ask them to maybe send me some info on it, and maybe you could send me a bottle when it’s ready. I would love to try it.

Yeah, I can. I got a trunk full of it right now. I got A-1, when I say A-1, I got steak sauce I’m working on. Well, we’ve already finished with the steak sauce, and we’ve already finished with marinades, so I got a list of marinades. I got two more flavors of the Juvie Juice coming out. One is strawberry lemonade, the other one is mango. I’m working on a coffee, which is called The Great Company with my wife.

Oh, man, you got an empire that’s coming.

Yeah, I’m working, bro. I’m working.

One last question. I know you got your own stuff and your own brands going, but if you could own or operate a franchise that exists already, like a restaurant or something like that is already out there, would it be Popeyes or would it be something else?

Man, you hit it on the nose, bro. It would be Popeyes or Chick-fil-A. I love Chick-fil-A. I wish they would open on Sundays, but I understand ’cause from a Chick-fil-A person that loves Chick-fil-A, it hurts me when they close on Sunday ’cause I love my grilled nuggets.

Grilled nuggets is your go-to at Chick-fil-A?

Grilled nuggets, and then we never talked about that yet, I’m a Chick-fil-a man. I got to have my Texas Pete Hot Sauce with my grilled nuggets, my 12 count.

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Bilal Rehman didn’t plan to be an interior design mogul, at least not initially. At just 24, the Houston-based studio owner has become the face of a younger, more approachable, and imaginative interior design industry, but a few years ago his career ambitions included titles like “doctor, engineer, and lawyer” he tells UPROXX.

“I ended up choosing computer engineering as my major,” he says. “I started doing that and was like ‘Oh, this is not what I want to do with my life!’” He switched his major to business and when it came time to choose an internship he focused on a field that had always held his fascination. “I got an [interior design] internship and loved every second of it and climbed my way up to senior level designer until I decided to leave just over a year ago and launch my own studio.”

That leap to running his own studio was a success, with Rehman celebrating a multi-million-dollar first year. Next on his list, now that he’s transformed his gallery to include items you can purchase for your home, is releasing the multiple product lines he’s been working on and moving forward with his dream of publishing a book. But the most compelling part of Rehman’s story? Not that he found success in a field known for its inaccessible luxury, but that he used social media to grow his business and spread his design know-how, making his advice available to anyone.

Rehman’s witty TikTok videos (like the aptly titled “Three Things That Are Making Your House Look Cheap As F*ck”) hilariously offer attainable design advice that anyone can incorporate into their home regardless of the state of their bank account. Those videos have amassed millions of views (and counting) and now, Rehman is using his sharp sense of humor and innate knack for aesthetics to transform what he calls a “​​very snobby industry.”

Below, Rehman talks to UPROXX about why his social media approach differs from other designers, why you should “run your dream” like a business, and the inspirational impact his gallery and studio have had so far.

What was the moment you decided to start your own gallery and studio? What inspired that decision?

I’m in Houston and we’re in the middle. So we don’t have that cool LA and we don’t have the sophisticated New York. Everything is huge here because the houses have 22-foot ceilings and they all look the same. The style here is very one-track-minded. I found myself, um, butting heads a lot with my previous studio because everybody there was designing one way and I was designing in a completely different way. A lot of times they would shoot down my ideas or my designs would never come to fruition because the creative director there would end up changing it all to look like a Pottery Barn catalog. So I was like, ‘You know what? Fuck this. I’m gonna go ahead and start my own studio and bring a new flavor of design to Houston. Why not?’ And so I did it and it’s proven to be successful. People here are now really loving it. I see more and more people changing their styles and more and more people adopting black into their interiors, which I’m loving.

Enough cream everybody!

Yes. No more cream, no more sea foam blue! That ship has sailed. So now people are getting more adventurous with their styles and ideas.

Let’s talk about leveraging social media to create an audience. There’s so much information out there about how you can reach an audience and what you should do. How did you grow and reach an audience successfully?

The big thing I realized was that I’m young. I have this tool in my toolbox for understanding the next generation. I understand what people my age and a little younger than me want. For the most part, it’s a very snobby industry. It’s full of people who think that they’re better than you. It’s full of people who want to be this big household name and think that their designs are the best in the world. A lot of times when they’re trying to market themselves or when they’re trying to do social media, they put on that show, they put on the snob show. They put on the ‘I’m ultra-wealthy and I have expensive taste and expensive clients.’

It doesn’t resonate with our generation. Our generation doesn’t give a shit about that. We don’t care that you have a Black American Express card and that you’re doing a house that’s $5 million. That to us is not impressive. With my social media, I made it less about the snob factor and more about how can you bring a luxurious flavor and a luxurious spin to your interior no matter your budget, whether you’re shopping at IKEA or you’re shopping at an ultra-expensive store. Like, ‘Here is your recipe on how to fix your space and get rid of all the ugly that you’ve done and replace it with the good stuff.’ I think what really stuck with the audience is that I wasn’t trying to be inauthentic, I wasn’t trying to put on a show. I was really just telling you from an actual interior designer, here are the tips and tricks of the industry that nobody else is gonna tell you unless you pay them a hundred thousand dollars.

Have you spoken to any followers that have taken your advice and what are some of the reactions and successes they’ve shared?

There was a kid here in Houston who came to the gallery and I happened to be here and he totally fangirled when he saw me and was freaking out and wanted to take a picture. He told me that I had inspired him to look into the world of interior design and now he wants to be an interior designer when he grows up. That was huge, inspiring other people to be creative and I love it. The other one was really wild… there was this wife and husband who had just bought this house and I guess they had been butting heads on the entire process. Going through the renovation had put a wedge in their relationship, and they were on different [ends of the] spectrum, and money was involved. They ended up getting a divorce. She messaged me and was like ‘Because of your tips and tricks I finally found the strength to tell my husband to fuck off’ [laughs] and I was like ‘Oh my God.’

So, she has the house she wants now.

Literally. The other one was a doctor. I think she was in Atlanta and she had been a doctor for maybe 14 or 15 years. She had always wanted to do something creative, but she never got the push. She came across my page and saw my videos and then she ended up closing her practice and starting an interior design practice. She’s been incredibly successful. She says she would never turn back and go back into the medical profession. So you know, it’s really heartwarming to see how something I didn’t think was going to have such a strong impact on people has really changed their lives, whether it’s from a divorce or changing your career.

I also want to talk about finances, specifically around how you said you were going to choose careers you assumed would be lucrative but ended up going the creative route and still being successful. I’m curious, what advice would you offer to people when it comes to managing their finances with their dreams?

I think the biggest mistake most people make when they’re trying to pursue a dream is that they don’t look at their dream as a business. They look at it as this amazing, magical thing, which it is to some extent, but at the end of the day, we all have to make money. They start treating it like, ‘Oh, it’s okay if I spend this much, or it’s okay if I don’t spend here, or I don’t need to promote here, or I don’t need to spend in marketing, or I don’t need to hire because I can do everything myself.’ Those ideas set people up for failure and that’s why most people are not successful when they’re starting their dreams. For me, being a 24-year-old, not having a design degree, but having the experience, I came into this knowing I had a very clear vision of what I wanted and I self-funded my company just with my savings.

I didn’t take out a loan or anything to start my company. So I was very, very tight on money when I first started. I think I started the company with $30,000 and that was it, the money I had saved over the past eight years of working. I was extremely tight with my budget and it’s so funny because I’m now sitting in my conference room, which just got completed last week, but uh, prior to this I had curtains up creating a division for a conference room. Going into the business world, you have to be very strategic in how you’re spending the money. Up until this point, I’ve been really tight. I’ve been watching every dollar, I’ve been doing a lot of research using social media because it’s essentially free. I think starting a new business and going after your dream, if you are not somebody who just has millions of dollars in the bank you [still] have to be very mindful of not looking at it just as a dream, but also looking at it from a business standpoint of ‘If I spend this money, what is my return going to be on this? Is it worth me doing right now? Or should I hold off for six months until I have more money in the bank and then I can do it and be more comfortable?’ Those decisions are things that a lot of people tend to skip when starting a dream.

After much teasing, Billie Eilish’s next album is finally starting to feel more real: A few days ago, she revealed that it’s called Hit Me Hard And Soft. Furthermore, the release date is super soon, as it’s set to drop on May 17. There’s only about a month to wait now, but Eilish couldn’t help but share a snippet of an unreleased song.

She did so during a recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, who was excited by how “dangerous” is felt to be playing some unreleased music. Still, he pressed on and played about 15 seconds of a new song, clearly excited about the groovy tune the whole time.

As for when the world will get to hear the whole song, it looks like that’ll have to wait until the album’s release day: When announcing the project, Eilish said she doesn’t plan on sharing any singles ahead of the album, so fans could hear the whole project at once. She also noted, “finneas and i truly could not be more proud of this album and we absolutely can’t wait for you to hear it. love you love you love you.”

Hit Me Hard And Soft is out 5/17 via Darkroom/Interscope Records. Find more information here.

When Cody Rhodes finished his story at WrestleMania 40, emotions spilled out across the set. There was Samantha Irvin’s beautifully tearful announcement as Rhodes embraced his mother, his wife, and eventually was lifted onto the shoulders of his fellow professional wrestlers.

Tears appeared to flood Seth Rollins’ eyes, John Cena shared a moment with Rhodes, and CM Punk made his way into the ring to celebrate the new face of WWE. Roman Reigns was even captured hugging his Wiseman, Paul Heyman, at the top of the entrance ramp as he passed the torch to Rhodes.

This all happened after a chaotic end to the WrestleMania main event that lived up to the expectations of many that we’d see an Avengers-style end to this chapter in the Bloodline story. Jey Uso showed up, only for Jimmy Uso to come out and spear him off the ramp and through a table. Solo Sikoa took out Rhodes before Cena made his valiant return. Then, we got The Rock walking down the ramp like Thanos, Mama Rhodes belt en tow and all, to give us his latest WrestleMania moment with Cena. There was even a Seth Rollins appearance in Shield gear that got quickly shut down by Reigns.

When it came time to take things home, fans were caught off guard when The Undertaker’s bell rang out, the lights went out, and he chokeslammed Rock. That’s because over the last month, subtle hints gave WWE fans hope that Stone Cold Steve Austin’s glass would break, he’d hit the ring, and land a stunner on Rock to usher in the Cody era. Instead, WWE reportedly had to pivot from Austin to Undertaker, and all were likely better served for it.

Undertaker’s unique return solved what very well could have been a moment that overshadowed Rhodes’ moment. There’s no question that WWE’s intention was to provide the spotlight to Rhodes, even if Austin had made his return. But the way in which ‘Taker’s appearance played out — the lights go out, he hits a chokeslam, the lights go out again, and he’s nowhere to be seen all in the span of a minute — made it much easier for the spotlight to temporarily be on all the wrestlers who made cameos before returning to (and staying on) Rhodes.

It’s easy to theorize what the ending of WrestleMania 40 may have looked like if Austin had made his return. Maybe we get a beer shower, with Austin sharing brews with guys like Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, Cena, Rollins, and eventually toasting Rhodes. Maybe he just hops onto an ATV and rides back up the entrance ramp after hitting The Rock with a stunner that gets oversold like old times, which frees up Rhodes to finish the match with a trio of Cross Rhodes. Even if he’s meant to take a backseat, Austin’s sheer star power — and the general excitement that can quite literally only come when Rock and Austin are in the ring together — could very well have overwhelmed a moment that was about someone else.

Despite some understandable disappointment at not getting a callback to the Austin-Rock rivalry, the moment worked out perfectly. It’s all because of Undertaker’s brief appearance, which was never supposed to actually be about the person who made it. Instead, it gave way to the deserved spotlight for Rhodes to bask in the glory of winning for the first time in the main event of WrestleMania, and most importantly, winning the championship his late father never claimed.

As the news hit that The Golden Bachelor couple Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist are already filing for divorce after just three months of marriage, Ana Navarro could not wait to dunk on her The View co-hosts for making her talk about the reality show. The hilariously blunt co-host started firing right out of the gate, and unlike Whoopi Goldberg, Navarro had absolutely no qualms about saying “I told you so” — several times.

“For like, six months, you tortured me every Friday and made me talk about this topic, which I can’t stand because I think it’s manufactured and a complete crock,” Navarro said. “So, today, I get to say, I told you so, I told you so, I told you so!”

Navarro had previously blasted The Golden Bachelor back in October after the table got caught up about Turner crying during one of the episodes.

“Can I tell you something? I’m gonna be the one crying if we keep talking about The Bachelor,” Navarro said via Decider. “[The View producer] Brian Teta is gonna torture me about this every week. He said it’s the No. 1 show on Hulu. I want to be thrown on the other side of the [border] wall.”

With Navarro now right in her assessment that The Golden Bachelor was a “crock,” Sunny Hostin regretted getting caught up in the show while Alyssa Farah Griffith still held strong in her love for the reality series.

Via Entertainment Weekly:

“I’m upset because I thought since they were older they knew better and they could find love, and they didn’t,” [Hostin] said.

“You don’t watch it to watch people find lasting love, you do to see how the social experiment works. It’s filmed over six weeks, they’re dating other people. If you make it to the Honeymoon Suites, he’s probably slept with another person, or she, right before proposing to you,” Alyssa Farah Griffin added.

Relishing her victory, Navarro was given the opportunity to end the segment with a final jab at The Golden Bachelor.

“The mistake was going on national TV to try to feign a relationship and love,” Navarro said. “I’ve had pimples that last longer than this marriage!”

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Future, Metro Boomin, Larry June, and more.

After setting the rap world on fire with their first collaborative album, We Don’t Trust You, Future and Metro doubled down with its fittingly titled sequel We Still Don’t Trust You, inviting a second set of artists on to cook Drake. Whatever Aubrey did to upset the duo, he may want to consider apologizing like J. Cole (who also appears on the album in a verse undoubtedly recorded months before of this went down), because that Rolodex (do they still make those?) is loooong.

Perhaps because of all the ongoing chaos, it’s kind of a light week for new releases. (It’s also Coachella weekend one, which might have something to do with it.) So, we’ll just jump straight in this time.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending TK, 2024.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Future & Metro Boomin — We Still Don’t Trust You

The big release of the week also feels like its only one. Perhaps after Kendrick Lamar detonated a landmine the last time Future and Metro dropped an album, everyone wisely leaned off the day so they wouldn’t be overshadowed (sorry, Big Sean). Even though this album is a bit more vibey in comparison, it was a good idea; the new album also features plenty of Drake shots and is sparking just as much discussion. While I wrote that Future and Metro deserved better than letting beef overshadow their collaboration, it seems like they’re sticking to the strategy and hoping that fans will check out the rest when the beef buzz dies down.

Singles/Videos

Dreezy — “B*tch Duh (Remix)” Feat. BIA, KenTheMan & Lakeyah

Longtime followers are probably aware that for this writer, Dreezy is pound-for-pound the best female rapper of the past decade. Teaming up with a bunch of other rappers I respect and just going for broke is a great way to help me evangelize this particular point.

Ken Carson — “Overseas”

Even with all the expected mayhem, it looks like some artists were still willing to put themselves on the line. The Opium affiliate fits the bill, probably in part at least because the overlap between fans who really care about rap beef and those who live the Vamp life is very small.

Kwazii — “Leaving”

Brampton rapper Kwazii actually dropped this last week but we’re circling back around to highlight this single from his upcoming mixtape I Was Perfect To Someone. His style falls somewhere along the spectrum of melodic “pain” rappers like Fredo Bang, Rod Wave, and Morray, but with that unique, Canadian bent on the production (y’know, airy beats, filtered echoes, and a hint of that brisk Northern breeze).

Larry June — “Imported Couches”

The Bay native has no time for beef — he’s too busy getting money. Personally, I prefer chiller hip-hop like this so I’m glad he was undaunted by the fierce competitive energy pervading the business these days.

Your Old Droog — “DBZ” Feat. Method Man & Denzel Curry

I’m not gonna lie. This cover artwork confues me SO MUCH. The song’s named after Dragon Ball Z (giving me a fantastic excuse to link to my post about the “most hip-hop anime” of all time) but the cover suggests Street Fighter? Presumably, Denzel — a huge fan of both, who I desparately wish I’d had the chance to talk to for my Toriyama feature — didn’t get final say. Fortunately, the song itself kicks as much ass as the characters from either franchise.

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

Sometimes, something so simple can be so effective. What’s the scariest thing you can think of in the year 2024? Somebody you don’t know smiling at you. Because when a stranger starts smiling at you, it means that they want to 1) sell you something, 2) date you or 3) get you to join their cult, so it’s already a little offputting. Smile brought this fear to the next level by making smiling not only creepy but also deadly. And now those crazy smilers are at it again!

Smile follows a therapist named Rose who sees a disturbed patient who claims to be terrorized by a supernatural force that causes aggressive smiling (it’s scarier than it seems!) before brutally attacking. After the unexpected success of Smile’s test screenings, the film was released in theaters in 2022 and it grossed over $217 million worldwide. Naturally, Paramount was quick to order a sequel, which is due out later this year.

Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming sequel, which is currently untitled, so it could still be called Smil3.

Plot

According to footage reportedly shown at CinemaCon, the sequel will follow Naomi Scott as a pop star who begins to see some of her fans smiling a little too much. Very topical!

Even before the second movie was ordered, Director Parker Finn wanted to craft a story that would be significantly different than the first. “There is still a lot of interesting stuff to explore in the world of Smile,” Finn told The Hollywood Reporter in 2022. “There certainly are stones that I left unturned by design. And then there are other things that I, at one point or another, wanted to put in the movie, but they didn’t end up in the movie for whatever reason. So those things are still exciting to me, but if there’s more to be done with Smile, I would never want to just repeat myself or retread the same ground. I’d want to make sure that there’s a new, exciting, fresh way into it that the audience isn’t anticipating. I also want to find some new ways to scare them and unnerve them.”

Cast

Kyle Gallner will reprise his role from the first Smile flick, and no spoilers, but there was a bit of a cliffhanger that will likely be explored with his character. Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, and Dylan Gelula will also star in the horror film.

Release Date

The Smile sequel is expected to hit theaters on October 18th, 2024, just in time for the MLB playoffs. This is important, because it means that we could be seeing the Smilers in real life again.

Trailer

The trailer has not yet been released online, but hopefully, we will get a teaser soon. Until then, you can stream Smile on Paramount+, Amazon Prime, or by looking in the mirror and smiling so hard you begin to lose your grasp on reality. Have fun!

In an era where a Hollywood executives have been known to (anonymously) bemoan the loss of “the movie star,” Zendaya sure seems to be carrying that torch and running with it, all the way off the tennis court and into more salacious situations. She is, of course, accompanied in that torch-carrying status by a few of her Dune: Part Two co-stars, including Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh, but neither of them star in what will easily be the most salacious tennis movie to ever hit theaters.

You have surely heard about Challengers, the movie in which Zendaya, as a young tennis star, enjoys a threesome with two dudes from the same sport. That might not have been the best idea for the trio in the long-term, but they sure did have fun in the moment. Let’s recap what details have surfaced so far.

Plot

Challengers is directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name), who delights in pairing painfully human, sometimes awkward vibes with steamy moments — that poor peach — and also yes, this project is the “Zendaya does a threesome” film. She portrays a decorated tennis dynamite, Tashi, who retires from competition following a debilitating injury. She stays in the business while coaching Art (Mike Faist), who happens to be her husband. He also happens to be part of that threesome that Tashi had years ago, but that’s in the past.

Or so they think.

Early reviews of this movie are not only celebrating Zendaya’s presence as a femme fatale but also drawing attention to Guadagnino’s take on rivalry and the ping-ponging dynamic of the central trio. Years after Tashi and Art have gotten married, their personal and professional lives are shaken up when Patrick (Josh O’Connor) resurfaces as a rival to Art. Will that be regarding only tennis, this time? We shall see. The film is scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, so you are in for a treat on the musical side of the project, too.

While speaking with Elle, Zendaya addressed the more grown-up feel of this film versus her previous projects:

“I felt like it was a good step into a more, I guess you could say, ‘grown-up’ role and into that next phase … It was a little bit scary to take on, which I think is a good feeling. To be like, ‘Ooh, can I do this?’ You could run from that feeling and stay safe and comfortable, or you can go, ‘You know what, f*ck it.’”

As for the “intense” sex scenes, Zendaya offered her insight there, too. “It’s what Luca does so well. It’s the things that aren’t. It’s the moments between the moments. Like, chemistry. The things that you can’t always say, but you feel,” the Euphoria star described. “That is Luca’s specialty when it comes to filmmaking. All the things that aren’t on the page that only someone who’s got the camera can really find.”

From the synopsis:

Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event — close to the lowest level of tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.

Cast

Leading lady Zendaya is accompanied by Mike Faist (The Bikeriders, West Side Story). Their little domestic world is shaken up by the return of Josh O’Connor (The Crown, Only You) on the scene.

Release Date

Challengers serves in theaters on April 26.

Trailer

The trailer promises not only steam but plenty of salacious sass.