For the past few generations, the standard wisdom was that if you wanted a career that paid well you should to go to college and get a degree. However, there are and have always been well-paying careers in non-academic fields, from the trades to starting a business to driving a delivery truck for UPS.

When a UPS driver shared his weekly paycheck on social media in 2023, people were surprised to learn how lucrative a gig it can be—$44/hour kind of lucrative, in his case. Drivers were already known for being paid well, but a union win in the summer of 2023 bumped up pay even more. Working 40 hours a week at $44/hr would earn you over $90K a year, and according to folks who work for the company, it’s not unusual for UPS drivers to top out in comfortable, six-figure salaries.

But even with that pay, is being a UPS driver worth it? Here’s what experienced drivers have to say.

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A UPS employee who’d been working as a package handler for a couple of years was considering applying for a driver position and posted a list of questions for UPS drivers on Reddit. The following answers are pulled from that Reddit post and others:

How much can a UPS driver expect to make?

“Depends on where you are but generally $40 [per hour] after 4 years.” – Shasfowd

“We have a guy that never graduated high school. He made $120k last year.” – MrOddYazz

“Believe it, I took over thirty unpaid days off last year and still breezed past a 100.” – _aIIan_

“127k last year. On track for 130k this year. 👀” – chavo2021

What are UPS driver hours like?

“You’ll make a good amount of money, but you won’t have a ton of time to yourself and with your family.” – WassabiReindeer

“About 50-60 hours a week.” – Shasfowd

“This job has one of the worst work/life balances and I worked In a hospital before this and have had many jobs. This one will have you making stacks of money with great benefits but who knows how far that goes. If I didn’t have a huge medical problem I would’ve left years ago but like many others I am trapped. If this was a regular 40 hr a week job I’d tell everyone I have one of the best jobs In the world. However, that is not the case.” – AnimatedAnixa

“Expect to work a butt load of overtime.” – Joe12van

“Between 50-60 hours a week. Basically for the first couple years, don’t make plans in the evening time.” – KCD_OG-78

How difficult is it to become a UPS driver?

“Pretty difficult. Classes will be around 10-20 drivers, and by the time training is finished there will be about 5 of you. By the time you’re done with probation there will be 3 of you and within a few years at most you’ll be the only person from your training.” – Shasfowd

“The first two years will be the toughest. I’d say if you can make it through that, it gets easier…..well mentally, not necessarily physically.” – KCD_OG-78

“Qualifying to be a driver is one of the most stressful things I have ever done based on my life at the time I went to qualify.” – Financial_Skirt4251

“It’s all by seniority, so you have to do your time loading trucks and wait. Loading isn’t easy and is only a part time job. Usually loading 3-4 trucks yourself on a morning shift or loading a whole tractor trailer front to back floor to ceiling by yourself at night. There are other part time shifts. You can wait years to get enough seniority to bid a chance at driving, but it depends on the location you work.

If you made it this far, you’ll get taken out on a road test by a supervisor. If you can drive ok, they’ll send you to get a D.O.T. health physical by one of their approved doctors.

After that, you get sent to ups boot camp and have to pass tests on all the basics and knowledge to drive. Don’t be late, have your uniform ironed and clean, and memorize the 5’s and 10’s.

Then the hard part begins. It’s a 30 working day torture test to see if you can hit the company’s extremely unreasonable production numbers while driving, learning a route, working safely, figuring out how to manage customer relations in a way where you can keep moving, all while under extreme time management.

If you make it, you’ll then be bounced around on dozens of routes covering them and learning all of these things over on each one until you have been a driver long enough to bid a permanent route assignment.

You better believe every driver you see out there has earned their place as a driver.” – Hitsthebrakesnows_

What else should people know about being a UPS driver?

“I worked as a computer programmer freelance 2 years before UPS. And I would pick UPS again and again. Even though we get treated like sh*t and most days are a nightmare. Trust me. Without the $100k+, and benefits. I would not be here.” – AdProfessional9809

“I like it, but it’s not for everyone. I know a lot of preloaders that have given it a shot only to decide they don’t like it.” – Shasfowd

“If you top out and kill the over time you can probably make 80-120k a year. But this is a hourly position and you work for your money. Whenever a driver brags to me how much they made last year. I cringe and sauté because I know how many hard hours they work. Not a easy job not a easy start. But once you get seniority and master the craft. Seems to be rewarding.” – sprucetre3

“Have an exit plan if you decide to become a driver. Being good at manual labor and driving a truck can only carry you so far. Especially because the company will demand most of your time.. your life around work can easily deteriorate. Be prepared to be tired a lot…if my son were 19 and he wanted to be a UPS driver..knowing what I know and having dealt with what I’ve dealt with I would try and steer him into a different career BUT to each their own.” – BEAR_STORM

” I wouldn’t recommend this as the first career choice for my child. I always said it’s a horrible plan A but great plan B.” – gunstarheroesblue

“Been driving for a year and a half now. Benefits are phenomenal. I’ve always done labor, decided it won’t be for me. I start college in January. Thinking of going part timer here and UPS helps to pay for college.” – DCostalot

The general consensus seems to be that the early years are tough but it gets better if you stick it out, the job is demanding with long hours and you will work long hours at Christmastime, but the pay and benefits are phenomenal. Some people love it, some don’t. Like all jobs, being a UPS driver has its positives and negatives, and whether it’s worth it is an individual judgment call.

The United States women’s basketball team will be playing for their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris later this summer, and as is always the case for Team USA, arguably the most competitive part of the Olympic process is making the roster.

The potential pool of players for USA Basketball to choose from is loaded, and this year presented an additional challenge as they had to decide if they would leave off a veteran for Caitlin Clark, as the Indiana Fever rookie sensation has become the talk of women’s basketball. Ultimately, Team USA chose to stick with its veterans and leave Clark at home for the 2024 Olympics, and it’s hard to fault them given the roster chosen, per reports from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Chantel Jennings, Joe Vardon, Mark Puleo, and Ben Pickman, and Christine Brennan of USA Today.

The reported roster is loaded with All-Stars, MVP candidates, and some longtime Team USA stalwarts.

A’ja Wilson
Breanna Stewart
Diana Taurasi
Brittney Griner
Alyssa Thomas
Napheesa Collier
Jewell Loyd
Kelsey Plum
Jackie Young
Sabrina Ionescu
Chelsea Gray
Kahleah Copper

As Brennan confirmed, that means Clark, who has drawn an incredible number of eyeballs to the sport, has been left off, but if there was any thought USA Basketball was being run by NBC, this would rule that out.

The network would surely prefer Clark would be on the team given her ratings draw, but it’s also more than understandable why she wouldn’t make the roster off merit at the moment. You could certainly make a case for her, but leaving off any of those 12 veterans in favor of her would be a tough argument to make in basketball terms only.

Clark will surely be disappointed, and we’ll have to wait to see how USA Basketball handled this with her. They previously burned bridges with stars (namely Candace Parker) over their selection process and one would expect them to want Clark in the fold long-term. However, this also might be a welcome break for Clark, who will get a few weeks off for the first time in nearly a full calendar year. By the time the Olympics roll around, she would’ve been on her 10th straight month of playing high-level competitive basketball without any real break, as she went straight from the Final Four to the WNBA Draft and into training camp.

As for the rest of the roster, it’s a murderer’s row of the best of the best. Wilson, the reigning two-time MVP, is having the best season of her career. She’ll be joined by three of her Aces teammates, as Young continues to grow into being a star, Plum provides needed floor-spacing on a roster with so many star bigs, and Gray, who isn’t yet back from her foot injury suffered in the Finals, is expected to return to the floor at some point in the coming weeks. Stewart, Thomas, and Collier are putting up MVP caliber campaigns themselves in the frontcourt, while Copper and Ionescu are enjoying the most productive seasons of their careers so far. Griner and Taurasi provide some Olympic veteran leadership for this group, as longtime members of USA Basketball with multiple golds to their name.

About five years after the launch of Apple TV+, the tech giant is making a damn fine case for being a must-subscribe streaming service. Particularly in the realm of bingeworthy thriller shows — think Severance and Silo — this streaming service is approaching supremacy, and to that end, a new legal thriller starring Jake Gyllenhall will soon arrive.

Presumed Innocent does come with a built-in audience of devoted book readers, although there is no guarantee that the show will roll out exactly like the source material. Let’s discuss what viewers — whether they have read the book or not — can expect from this series.

Plot

The set up of this show from executive producers David E. Kelley and J.J. Abrams vaguely resembles another Apple TV+ series, Defending Jacob (2020). That show starred Chris Evans as a prosecutor whose son was accused of murder, and plenty of ethical fallout was involved as Evans’ character wrestled with whether his competing interests for the district attorney’s office and his family could be reconciled. In Presumed Innocent, Gyllenhaal portrays a prosecutor who is accused of murdering a colleague. Even messier?

Oh yes.

The eight-part series is based upon Scott Turow’s same-named book (previously adapted in an 1990 movie starring Harrison Ford), which paints an incredibly damning portrait of this prosecutor as a married man who was having an affair with that now-murdered colleague. (David E. Kelley loves doing these dirty-dog shows, doesn’t he?) We shall see whether Kelley and Co. adhere to the outcomes that Rusty must deal with following revelations of his affair in the book. The show’s trailer doesn’t shy away from dragging the dude, but Kelley is also a master at pulling off twists, and not everything in a trailer is necessarily as it seems.

Heck, even Gyllenhaal wasn’t sure whether his character was really guilty or innocent, as detailed in his recent Hollywood Reporter interview:

During the making of the eight-episode series, Gyllenhaal’s first TV show, the actor didn’t know, he says, whether Rusty was actually guilty. “You’re waiting to know which way to turn, playing the potential variations of what possibly could be,” he says.

Also, Gyllenhaal’s filming for Roadhouse overlapped with this Apple TV+ series, so he’s more fit than he should be for the role:

At points in the show, Rusty runs on a treadmill to deal with his stress. Because Gyllenhaal is an avid runner in his downtime, and was still in the midst of shooting Road House during the Presumed Innocent production, Rusty’s level of fitness does strain credulity a bit for a middle-aged lawyer with two kids. “They’re like ‘OK, we’re going to get you on a treadmill and we need you to be really out of breath and sweating,’” Gyllenhaal recalls of a particular scene. “We waited a long time for me to be out of breath. I was like, ‘I’m so sorry.’ They’re like, ‘Well, turn it up to a sprint.’”

So, there’s sprinting Gyllenhall to enjoy. From the show’s synopsis:

Starring Gyllenhaal in the lead role of chief deputy prosecutor Rusty Sabich, the series takes viewers on a gripping journey through a horrific murder that upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office when one of its own is suspected of the crime. The series explores obsession, sex, politics, and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.

Cast

Gyllenhaal will be accompanied by Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Elizabeth Marvel, Peter Sarsgaard, O-T Fagbenle, and Renate Reinsve.

Release Date

Presumed Innocent will debut with two episodes on June 12 with weekly followups until July 24.

Trailer

Gyllenhaal is working the guilty and innocent vibes equally well here.

(WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s Power Book II: Ghost episode will be found in the recap below.)

The premiere episode of Power Book II: Ghost season four picks up right where the season three finale left off. A murder attempt on Monet Tejada that was supposed to be completed by Tariq with help from Dru and Diana Tejada, sparked an all out war that spills into this season. Tariq intended to abort the mission to kill Monet, but his mother Tasha to his surprise, swooped in to fire gunshots at Monet, leaving her in critical condition. Dru and Diana, who had a plan of their own, switched up on Tariq and rallied Cane and Noma, whom Monet was working for, against Tariq. Just like that, Noma, Cane, Dru, Diana, and even Effie, who pops in as another enemy of Tariq, surround him in an warehouse where Cane has a gun in hand point at Tariq ready to kill him for shooting his mother. It looked like the end for Tariq, but this is Power where the good die and the bad don’t die easy.

Brayden, thanks to a tip from Obi, arrives to save Tariq and ambush the warehouse with gunshots in Noma, Cane, Dru, Diana, and Effie’s direction before running out with Tariq and escaping in his car. In the aftermath of the shootout in the Ghost season four premiere episode titled “I Don’t Die Easy,” Noma, seething with anger, instructs Diana and Dru to find and exploit Tariq’s weak points, Cane to see a doctor for the gunshot wound to his shoulder, and Effie to use her former romance with Tariq to figure out where he’s hiding.

Meanwhile, Tariq and Brayden decide to continue with their plan to kidnap Noma’s daughter Anya (played by Sydney Winbush) as leverage against Noma. The two track Anya down to an airport hanger where she is waiting in an SUV surrounded by numerous guard with guns. Despite arriving with their own weapons, Brayden and Tariq realize that attacking the guards head on would be like walking into their own death. So, they send an unmanned SUV, thanks to a concrete block strapped down to the gas pedal, at the guards to distract them. It works, as it allows the duo to ambush the guards and kill most of them. Unfortunately, the remaining guards escaped with the Anya in the SUV.

The attack and new kidnapping of Anya has Noma absolutely fuming, leaving her to berate her guards with a “you had one job” rant. Obi sweetly offers to “handle” the Tariq situation for Noma, but she slaps him and instructs him to “think with the head that’s useful” and place a $100,000 bounty each on Tariq and Brayden. To add to her stress, Anya arrives to confront her mother about rushing her out of class at New York University. Noma tries to reason with Anya, but it’s also clear that she’s hiding her criminal life from Anya, making it hard for Noma to give her daughter an actual reason for rushing her around the city. Anya’s suspicions are clear and she delivers a tough comment to her mother, saying, “I hear what you’re saying, but I wonder what you’re not telling me.”

Brayden and Tariq are not the only ones on the offensive this episode. Dru and Diana, after instruction from Noma, kidnap Brayden’s younger sister Becca under the guise of Brayden being in trouble and needing her help. Becca willfully tags along with Dru and Diana, and as this goes down, Cane storms into the Weston residence to attack Brayden’s older brother Trace and point a gun at his father in hopes of getting information about Brayden’s whereabouts. Cane fails to get any information as Trace and his father truly have no idea where Brayden is. Effie arrives and begs Cane to leave Trace and Mr. Weston alone so they can escape before the police arrive. That leaves Becca who remains in the hands of Dru after he ditches Diana so she can go check on Monet in the hospital. It’s officially a hostage situation as Dru calls Brayden to tell him that he kidnapped Becca and to meet him at a pier if he wants to get her back.

A frantic Brayden scrambles to make it to the pier to save his sister, despite Tariq’s pleas for him to take a moment to breathe and think of a plan with him to rescue her in the safest and quickest way. Luckily, Dru is one of the worst kidnappers we’ve seen as Becca eventually pepper-sprays him and escapes from his car long before Brayden arrives. She makes a run for it and eventually finds Brayden who just arrived in a SUV. Dru is not too far behind and arrives ready to fire shots in Brayden and Becca’s direction. However, before he can, Tariq comes barreling through in a truck and slams into Dru’s car, injuring him severely.

Dru limps out of the car, dodges bullets from Tariq, and watches as Tariq jumps in Brayden’s SUV and the three of them speed off into the distance. Brayden returns Becca to the Weston home where his father scolds him with racists comments about his drug dealing and criminal life beside Tariq following the assault of Trace and Becca’s kidnapping. He angrily disown Brayden, who is shocked at the news of someone coming to his family’s home. Brayden brushes off his father’s comments and walks away, but not before cursing them out saying, “F*ck this f*cking family.”

As if Brayden and Tariq didn’t think things are bad enough for them, the latter gets a call from Davis McClean who tells them to get out of New York as fast as possible as $100,000 bounties were placed on both Brayden and Tariq’s heads. It was moments before that Noma and Obi paid a visit to McClean’s apartment with a gun drawn in hopes of getting info on the duo’s whereabouts. Davis, with his own gun pointed at them, rejected the $200,000 offer give up information on Tariq and Brayden. However, others like Cane and Effie (whose romance oddly continues into this season) as well as Dru and other associates connected to Noma, happily accept it and set out to find Brayden and Tariq. In order to save themselves, Tariq and Brayden set out to the Stansfield campus to retrieve a hidden stash of money. Of course, they’re met with resistance as a simple in-and-out extraction would be too easy in the Power Universe.

After retrieving the cash, Tariq is tipped off by Effie — who clearly and oddly still has feelings for Tariq despite her growing? romance with Cane — that she, Cane, Dru, and a group of Noma associates are on the campus to find Tariq. Brayden and Tariq then make a run for it, but are soon stopped by Angel Valdes aka Junior, FBI agent and nephew of Angela Valdes from original Power series, to question him about the green cards he gave Obi. Tariq denies and taunts Junior about his aunt’s connect to James “Ghost” St. Patrick when a flurry of bullets come their way. Tariq, Brayden, and Junior all take cover, and eventually, the shooter, one of Noma’s associates, is killed by Junior. Seconds later, Brayden knocks Junior to the floor by hitting with the butt of his gun. Tariq and Brayden step toward Junior with guns drawn and Tariq uses this moment to call Noma and offer a deal: We’ll kill Junior who is looking into your drug organization if you remove the bounties on our heads. Noma reluctantly accepts the deal with an added condition that Tariq and Brayden stop selling drugs of all kinds (“not as much as an aspirin”). Tariq obliges and kills Junior a short time later.

Noma sends a message to Effie, Cane, Dru, and her associates to abort the mission to find Tariq and Brayden. A frustrated Cane ignores the command and tracks Tariq down, chasing him through the Stansfield campus. Tariq, in full sprint, calls Dru and demands that he tell Cane to fall back or risk him telling Cane about their prior plan with Diana to kill Monet. Dru agrees, but before he can even tell Cane, he runs into him and Effie watching Tariq and Brayden from a distance as the two lie to cops about the events that sparked two murders, including that of FBI agent Junior Valdes. Dru then tells Cane to stand down and lets him know that Monet woke up from her coma. A suspicious Cane promises to get to the bottom of Noma’s sudden request to call of the bounties before following Dru to the hospital.

This brings us to what is probably the most awkward part of this week’s episode. Throughout “I Don’t Die Easy,” we’re invited into the comatose mind of Monet where she is guilt-tripped by the slain men in her life: Mecca, Lorenzo, and Zeke. As doctors work on her actual physical body to save her life, Monet internally battles the guilt she has from Mecca, Lorenzo, and Zeke’s deaths. The three men are present to dramatize the moment and continue the guilt trip Monet, which is supposed to metaphorically represent the pushback in her fight through to break out of the comma.

It’s a bit awkward to watch as the drama and tears seem to be overdone, but nonetheless, Monet breaks out of the comma to see Diana standing by her side. Dru and Cane eventually join Diana in the hospital where Monet tells them she loves them and asks who is responsible for shooting her. Cane, with a very silent Dru and Diana beside him, says that they’re working on it to which Monet replies, “Find out.”

“I Don’t Die Easy” ends with Brayden and Tariq scrambling to figure out what their next move will be after Noma cut off their drug supply and ability to move weight in the street. In the next scene, we’re introduced to Detective Don Carter, a rising NYPD officer who was on track to become Police Commissioner until his wife was killed in a crossfire between rival drug gangs. Detective Carter is leaving church after a moment of prayer when he runs into Paz Valdes, Angela’s sister and Junior’s mother. Distraught and in tears, Paz tells Carter that her son was suspiciously killed after investigating Tariq St. Patrick. Though the FBI thinks Junior’s death is a random school shooting, Paz is sure there is something deeper at play. Carter seems to agree and promises to arrest whoever killed Junior.

New episodes in ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ season 4 are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12:00 am EST and on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm EST. Season 1-3 of ‘Ghost’ are now streaming on the STARZ app and website.

Earlier this year, Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna released her debut album Woltedo. The title translates to “I am born,” and signals a moment of rebirth for the young singer, something she full embraced in a conversation with Rolling Stone. “This album is my debut and it lives in its own world,” she told the publication. “Despite being my first, it is a rebirth of myself while serving as the unveiling of Elyanna. It’s something I’ve never heard before, yet it feels nostalgic.”

She went on to say that the album is a “journey through identity, love, rage, and feminism” and that couldn’t be more true. On Woltedo, she bares love, her culture, and her home on her sleeve with not an ounce of regret. Losing her culture and disconnecting from her roots was not an option for Elyanna on Woltedo. Instead, we as listeners are invited to experience her world and the indulge ourselves in its beauty. It’s a task that is equally intriguing and delightful thanks to the album’s elegant nine songs.

Weeks removed from the release of Woltedo, we caught up with Elyanna for our Uproxx Music 20 series to learn more about her and discover her influences, inspirations, and aspirations.

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What is your earliest memory of music?

I would say that would be my grandpa. My grandpa used to be an amazing singer and I remember going to Palestinian weddings and he would be singing a Zajal, which a very poetic freestyle, I would say. My grandpa is the one that opened my eyes about how an artist is.

Who or what inspired you to take music seriously?

I was born and raised in Nazareth, Palestine and I always wanted to be a singer. It’s something that everybody knew around me — I wanted to be an artist. I was literally like, seven years old and I would tell everybody that that’s what I’m going to be. It’s crazy because in Nazareth that doesn’t happen, really, to anybody. We don’t have these kind of opportunities and I don’t know why. I always felt like that’s what I wanted to do and I was so serious about it, I’ve always been. I always wanted to make music, I always wanted to be an artist, and I can’t see myself doing anything else. I remember before we moved, my dad came and he asked me, “Are you sure? We’re going to take a big step of moving and being here [United States],” and I told them, yes, I want to be a singer. I feel like I let go of everything I know to make my dreams come true, even though it comes with a lot of hard consequences [and] different things that are definitely tough, but if you believe in something, you should always at least give it a try.

Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?

When I was younger, I remember trying to play the violin and I was really bad [laughs], so I just stuck to singing. I love piano, I think piano such a beautiful instrument and I am actually learning it right now. I feel like my songs are very piano- and keys-based. My brother played piano when we were younger and he’s also the one that discovered my talents, he has a lot of influence on me. He’s an amazing pianist and he’s releasing his own soundtracks. When we create music together, our base is always piano.

What was your first job?

I think just being a singer that was my first job ever. I started professionally doing it when I was 16 and I think it teaches you so much. It’s not only music, it’s really the business side of it, how to be political, how to communicate with people, and how to express yourself and your art, but be bold and still be polite, nice, and genuine.

What is your biggest fear?

There’s a lot of things that I fear and to be honest, this is very human, I would say, but the people around me that I love, I love so deeply and I always want to make sure they’re good, happy and safe, and that’s something that I always pray for. I’m really, really scared of the ocean and I’m terrified of airplanes.

Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of singers?

Etta James, Fairuz, Lana Del Rey, and Freddie Mercury.

You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!

Definitely something that has to do with performing. I think I would be having a big show and, I don’t know what the budgets are in that world, but I would love to have a crazy show where everything is so on point. I would love to be performing, perfecting, rehearsing, and creating. That excites me a lot and I will be eating burgers, that I would love to do.

What are your three most used emojis?

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What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?

I love M.I.A. and I love The Weeknd, they are artists I would love to collaborate with. I don’t have that thing where it’s like, “Oh, my favorite feature is…” or “This is what I can’t wait to do.” I love the blend of a good collaboration, two good sounds, and I don’t like when a collaboration is forced. You do what’s best for the song, not what’s best for your career.

If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?

Games Of Thrones because I love that time and even their clothes and what they wear. It’s is a very tough time, but it is very interesting and I feel like it matches my world with the aesthetic. So Game Of Thrones and Skins too

Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality and why?

The Weeknd. I know how much he cares and supports Palestine, he donated as well. He’s Ethiopian and he always stands for who he is and his culture and for other cultures, and I really love that. I appreciate a lot of other people that do that, like in our community we have Ramy, who’s a comedian and actor.

Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.

Nobody can change my mind about my roots, Palestine. Nobody can change my mind about being true to myself as an artist. I’m not afraid to say no to a lot of things. If they don’t make sense to me, my brand, and what I do, then I say no.

What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life and what do you love about it?

It’s like a piano piece made by my brother that I really love. It’s called “Delilah.” It’s a song that I actually sang on my album. I literally sang his melody from the piano and I put it in my album. It’s called “Kon Nafsak” on my album and I think that’s one of my favorites I’ve heard.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?

I loved, loved Toronto. There was a certain energy there that I just really, really loved from tour. Before, I wasn’t touring, but singing with an artist, I think one of my favorite cities was Tunisia. The people there, they’re so genuine and they’re so nice and amazing. A city or country I would love to perform would be Palestine. I want to sing in my hometown, I can’t wait for that moment where I am able to sing in my hometown, I think that’s going to be a very unique moment. I would love to perform in Chile too.

You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.

I’ve had this idea in mind and always thought about it. After doing the Wiltern, I had this thing in mind where hopefully we can keep doing that every year. Every April, I want to throw a show and do a whole festival thing. It’s a special month because it’s Arabic Heritage Month. A lot of Arab Americans or just people that are immigrants or their parents are immigrants, I feel they’re craving an artist that they can relate to, an artist that their parents could relate to. So I feel like we’re missing a voice here and I want to be the voice of these people.

I would love to have artists that present my culture and people that believe in my culture. This year Saint Levant, Issam Alnajjar, and Massari.These are people that always push for the culture and where we come from, and they’ve always been this way. Let’s see what happens next year.

What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?

I actually don’t know, but I know one thing: I’m such a nerd. I love to study and I love having notebooks and being a student. I’ll never know what I would’ve been, but I know that I’d be really committed to get what I want. I love studying, I know that sounds crazy, but I do love to study. I take notes, I’m that girl that has lists of everything and highlighters everywhere. I don’t know what it would be, but I’ll tell you that I’d be really good at it.

If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?

Definitely five years into the future. I don’t like to look at the past, I think the past is the past and it is what it is. I think that the only way for a person to move forward is to look at the future and take influences from the past and put them into your future. Take five years ago, take that as inspiration to push you to the future. I would go five years into the future.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

To just have a little bit more fun. I feel like at a certain point, I was just so obsessed over my career and where it’s gonna go and where it’s gonna be. I still am, but in a healthier way. I think that when you’re so deep in something, sometimes you can’t see things clearly. I’m just so grateful for the people around me like my sister, my brother, my family and my friends that got me out of that. Now I know how to have fun and have a good time, but be serious about my work and my job. I think it’s the balance between both, knowing how to live and enjoying your work and being able to blend both in a healthy way. So, I would tell myself to chill and have fun.

It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

I would like to be remembered as a rebellious artist, and not in a bad way at all, I think as a positive rebellious artist. Anything I do right now, I think ahead. I think of 20 years from now or more. I think of how I want to be remembered and all the things that I want people that are after me and what I do to take in. I love to make things that are timeless and that’s why my projects take longer to create because I’m really selective and picky about the things that I do. I’m very selective about the people that I include in my world, in my zone, and in my circle. I feel like all that leads to something at the end of the day. I’m just 22, so yes, I don’t know much and I am really experiencing things and experimenting. I’m trying everything and seeing what works and what doesn’t, but it’s good to see that there were footsteps before you. I want to create that for you know the next generation to know that you can do it as well.

Woledto is out now via Salxco. Find out more information here.

Tickets for Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth The Pop Out – Ken & Friends concert in LA sold out almost as quickly as they went on sale, leaving literally hundreds of thousands of local fans disappointed — to say nothing of those who don’t even live in LA. The last part is tragic enough — but stay away, please, we’re definitely full — but to also miss out on even the opportunity to attend the city’s hottest ticket on June 19? Yikes.

However, there’s good news for all you out-of-towners (and locals who got boxed way the hell out of the paint): The show will be livestreamed via the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and Amazon Prime Video, so you can still enjoy it from the comfort of your own home without all the hassle of finding parking at the Forum.

The show will mark Kendrick’s return to the Forum, where he last performed in September 2022 on his Big Steppers Tour. Since then, he’s been a busy guy, even without having any new music to promote. He won a Grammy for his 2022 album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, then teamed up with his cousin Baby Keem to take the world by storm with the mega-hyped single, “The Hillbillies,” before performing at Tyler The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival.

But this year, all hell broke loose when Kendrick threw down the gauntlet on Metro Boomin’s new album with Future, We Don’t Like You. On the track “Like That,” Kendrick called out Drake and J. Cole for including him in their “Big 3” while subtly deriding him as beneath them, prompting a tumultuous back and forth with Drake after Cole bowed out early. The contempt with which K Dot has regarded Drake for the past few years resulted in two No. 1 singles for the Compton native, and Drake seemingly waving the flag. Throwing a hometown concert that half the city tried to get into seems like the best victory lap imaginable. Nip would be proud.

The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from GloRilla, Flo Milli, and Megan Thee Stallion.

The above-mentioned trio linked up to show solidarity with sisterhood of rhyme on the remix of “Wanna Be.”

Denzel Curry, TiaCorine, and ASAP Ferg teamed up to drop the throwback Memphis trap track “Hot One.”

And BIA took a break from her beef with Cardi B to drop off the uplifting Bad Boys soundtrack cut “Lights Out” with JID.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending June 7, 2024.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

The Game — Time

Say what you want about the Compton stalwart, he’s been as productive as ever, even after multiple retirements. Here, he teams up with a nascent street label, Secure The Bag Entertainment, to lend his still somewhat-weighty co-sign to its signees C Stunna, CHLLER, and Woodboy Gee. The last one is the star here, and I could see him picking up steam sometime in the near future.

Saint Levant — Deira

Following Belly’s 96 Miles From Bethlehem last week (on which he had a guest verse), Palestinian rapper Saint Levant takes his own swing at dropping a project dedicated to bringing awareness to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as well as empathy for embattled Palestinian civilians who have borne the brunt of Israel’s attacks on “terrorists.” Levant impressed at Coachella earlier this year; he continues to do so here.

Ski Mask The Slump God — 11th Dimension

Ski Mask fans have waited three years for a new full-length release from the Florida native, who delivers 21 new tracks of his signature machine-gun thrash rap alongside features like ATL Jacob, Future, and Skillibeng. But a pair of appearances from some of Slump’s closest friends from the SoundCloud rap explosion, Juice WRLD and XXXTentacion, turn out to be the most poignant parts of the album, for obvious reasons.

Yelawolf — War Story

You know who is an absolutely underrated pioneer? Yelawolf. The Tennessee rapper was one of the first of his class to make the change over to country and took a bit of a walloping over it, but now, it’s fairly commonplace. In fact, his fellow Antioch native Jelly Roll — who makes an appearance here — has blown as a result of his own country crossover. That being said, on this double album (25 tracks in all), Yela mostly maintains the same tightly wound rap attack we’ve known him for, with a few gritty pop plays sprinkled in.

Singles/Videos

Cash Cobain — “Rump Punch”

With a title that looks like a typo (but isn’t), and a lyric video made up of female fans’ lip sync posts, Cash Cobain’s latest bid to push his “slizzy” agenda is a mellow, hypnotic take on his “sexy drill” concept. It’s also a proof of concept that shows just how appealing the idea of drill music geared toward making love instead of war really is.

JasonMartin & DJ Quik — “Since I Was Lil” Feat. Curren$y, Bun B & Jay Worthy

Put the seat all the way back for Problem and Quik’s latest Chupacabra single, which wisely makes use of some of the most laid-back rappers in the business over its slinky bassline.

Larry June — “Dreams”

Larry June and a synthy, ’80s Quiet Storm-inspired beat go together like 100-spoke rims and whitewall tires. Good Job Larry continues his run of slick singles, which started about a month ago with “Imported Couches” and continued with “Meet Me In Napa.” It certainly looks like he’s building up to a summertime release — the perfect window to maximize his groovy sound.

Lupe Fiasco — “Cake”/h2>

Lupe’s second single from the upcoming Samurai is yet another display of lyrical gymnastics, in which he boasts, “This chemistry can it be, they Googling endlessly / Even computers losing memory, bending mentally / When they interface with the lyrical ability.” Rap nerds, rejoice.

MGK — “BMXXXing”

With so many of his fellow white rappers making bids for country radio approval, Colson swerves extremely hard right, right back into the boom-bap, mixtape-ready aesthetics that first put him on. His latest channels the “kick back” mentality of blog era faves like Mac Miller’s “Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza.” Even the topic — which might be a little early for the 20-year nostalgia swing — does the job of reminding rap fans why MGK earned his spot, even if his antics overshadowed his talent at times.

Smino — “Polynesian”

Blessings on blessings on blessings. The St. Louis slick talker returns with a fittingly soulful new single, his first in six months. Whether this means a new album is on the way remains to be seen, but if it does, said compilation of new tunes can’t come soon enough.

Wynne — “Rug Burn”

The Portland native is back with another self-released single, an empowerment anthem in the vein of her latest handful of relationship-minded releases. Warning her girls to stay away from bugaboos and scrubs, Wynne admonishes them, “We’re not crying anymore / Girl, get up.”

Last month, Netflix attempted a new formula where the streamer premiered a new episode of John Mulaney’s Everybody’s In L.A. for five nights, breaking free of its “drop them all at once” or “drop them in two batches” model that’s been popular over the years.

Not only that, but the show was live, which is another relatively new thing for Netflix. Live TV can be somewhat of a gamble.

But the show was met with praise and features a slew of fun guest stars, it would be silly for them to not do another round next year, but Mulaney doesn’t seem too sold on the idea.

He said (via Deadline) that the show was originally going to be a lot different. “I wanted everyone to go make what they wanted and I will put it on. We can’t get renewed. We should actually be a variety show,” he said.

Mulaney then compared the gig to a summer job because it was straightforward and had a specific end date. “I liked that it was an assignment and that it had a start date and an end date like a summer job. I really liked the idea of that you can make it whatever you want,” he explained. If he really wants a summer job, surely he can become a lifeguard or something.

The comedian also revealed that he wanted some movie legends to appear in the special, but they turned him down. “David Lynch passed. He said ‘I don’t understand what this is. I’m working on new art and I have to keep my eye on the donut’, which was the best pass. Everyone did pass in a nice way. Werner Herzog passed. He said, ‘I have to keep away from the comedians’,” he said. Just another reason for Mulaney to renew his lifeguard certification and find a different summer job.

(Via Deadline)

Although Miley Cyrus isn’t talking to her father Billy Ray Cyrus, that didn’t stop him from sharing a reflective post recounting one of his “best memories” on Instagram. Perhaps he was feeling nostalgic with Father’s Day right around the corner (it’s on June 16, by the way), or maybe he’s just trying to make amends with his kids, but Billy Ray posted a picture of himself and Miley along with a poem he wrote alongside a heartfelt caption praising his eldest daughter as a “survivor and a true artist.”

“One of my best memories ever,” he wrote. “That’s @mileycyrus and me, surrounded by thousands of incredible fans at the fairgrounds. The next day, someone handed me this picture, and I wrote that poem right then on the bus. I’m incredibly proud of her. She’s a survivor and a true artist. She learned early on to love and appreciate the fans who make everything possible. We both cherish the connection we have with our fans and are grateful for every single one of you! Hope you all have a great Friday! Now rock the country!!!”

Billy Ray and Miley’s relationship has been described as “strained” ever since his divorce from Miley’s mother Tish. Meanwhile, the divorce has apparently also put a strain between Miley and younger sister Noah, as Tish recently remarried Noah’s old boyfriend, and Miley purportedly knew about them dating all along. Miley denied knowing, but as the various Cyruses took sides in the split (with Miley’s siblings Brandi and Trace seemingly siding with their mom, and Noah and Braison defending Billy Ray), the lines of communication appear to have frayed. According to Cosmopolitan, Miley apparently purposely snubbed her dad during her Grammy acceptance speech, and after discussing the differences between the sisters on Joe Rogan’s podcast (ugh), Noah called Miley out for the perceived “disrespect.”

In light of all this, some Miley fans think Billy Ray’s post is more of a pointed reminder to Miley that he is at least partly responsible for starting her career. They’re definitely not happy about it, posting impassioned rebukes of the country star on X.com (RIP, Twitter.com).

The Alan Ritchson you know and love (you know, that one) isn’t the man you think he is. On Reacher, he’s a jacked up man with bare arms. In real life, he looks roughly the same, but has a ton of tattoos. It really changes things.

In order to conceal his ink, Ritchson has a talented makeup artist cover them up, and he must spend a lot of time with her, considering the amount of tattoos he has. The actor took to Instagram to introduce the world to the miracle-working Kat Crisp, a.k.a. his makeup artist, who “makes all those big scary tattoos go bye bye when I have to film.”

He added:

This is us yesterday after she dipped me in a vat of acid to burn them off. I always say it hurts so bad, but she says it’s the only way. She travels with me to each project so she can keep zapping that evil ink away. It’s her favorite thing to do in life, so she tells me! I know she loves her job because she smiles a lot when I tell her I’m getting another. She also likes corners. She tells me she curls up and rocks herself in them all the time as soon as I leave. Especially right after I tell her I’m getting a new tattoo which is weird.

As if that wasn’t enough to put her through, Ritchson then admitted he would be getting another tatt this weekend. “Oh and guess what!? I’m getting another tattoo this weekend! A big one! When do you think we should tell @katvonpire ??” At this point, she probably already knows.

What do you think Ritchson will get for his next tattoo? If it’s anything like his others, he might need a new tube of concealer.

You can catch Ritchson without his tattoos on Reacher, which streams on Amazon Prime.