Month: June 2024

XXL announced its 2024 Freshman class today including standouts like Hunxho, Lay Bankz, Maiya The Don, That Mexican OT, and more. They’re all future stars in the making, but here are 10 more rappers who shouldn’t be overlooked.

310Babii

The Southern California rapper’s breakout single “Soak City” continues to gain momentum, but besides that, he just received the biggest co-sign someone from his city can get: Performing at Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth Pop Out concert as a special guest of Mustard.

Anycia

Thanks to Latto teaming up with her on “Back Outside” and the release of her mixtape Princess Pop That, Anycia’s star is on the rise. We’ve also got a collab with JID to look forward to.

Connie Diiamond

While the Bronx native is far from a “Freshman” in the sense of “just starting out” as she kicked off her career at just 14 years old, she’s started to gain more traction in recent years, particularly with her song “Ghetto & Ratchet.”

Flyana Boss

You either love them or hate them (and if it’s the latter, keep it to yourself, please, for your own good), but you know them and you’ve definitely seen them sprinting through just about every notable building in LA. 2023 was a standout year for the Dallas/Detroit duo, and with their debut album still in the works, they certainly have another one coming down the pike.

Gloss Up

Her buddy GloRilla was already featured in the coveted roundup, so why not join her and collaborator Sexyy Red in glowing up via the XXL Freshman list? With underground hits like “Come Here” and “Ride Home” she’s more than qualified.

Karrahbooo

Another Atlanta standout with a big-name co-sign, Karrahbooo is the clear star of Lil Yachty’s Concrete Boys clique, but was already building a steady buzz even before she was officially signed to his label.

Kenny Mason

Kenny got plenty of attention in 2022 when he and J. Cole teamed up on Dreamville‘s compilation cut “Stick” and JID’s “Dance Now,” and since then, his string of solid EPs, 3, 6, and Highway 9 have firmly established him as a talent to watch.

Ray Vaughn

The future of Top Dawg Entertainment might have seemed precarious with the departure of Kendrick Lamar and Reason, but Long Beach native Ray Vaughn’s nonstop stream of hard-hitting singles have shown he’s got the talent and the motivation to put the West Coast label on his back.

Remble

If it seems like there might be a bit of a Los Angeles bias here… Duh. You think a Compton native wouldn’t try to counterbalance the Northeast bias exhibited by the music journalism business for the past six decades? Anyway, Remble has the most unique and charismatic flow to crop up in years, he’s had the big-name co-signs to boost his momentum, and he was also featured in Kendrick’s Ken & Friends show, exposing him to a national audience.

Teezo Touchdown

Yes, he’s a little beyond the strictest definition of a “Freshman,” but that’s never stopped XXL from including an artist on their storied annual feature, so hey, I’m putting him in mine. If he’s not still in the “making” phase of stardom, there’s still plenty of room between him and his ceiling.

Newly minted Hot 100 chart-topper Sabrina Carpenter will embark on The Short N’ Sweet Tour later this year. Tickets are starting to go on sale now, though, so here’s what to know about how much they’ll cost you.

How Much Are Tickets For Sabrina Carpenter’s The Short N’ Sweet Tour?

The first pre-sale for the tour, the Cash App pre-sale, was today, June 24. (That’ll be followed by the Team Sabrina Pre-sale on June 25 at 10 a.m. local time and the general on-sale on June 28 at 10 a.m. local time. Find more ticket information here.) Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate getting tickets, and reactions to prices were mixed.

One fan shared a screenshot indicating ticket prices ranged from $30 to $150 and wrote, “SABRINA CARPENTER TICKET PRICES FOR ST LOUISSS. SO HAPPY THEYRE ACTUALLY AFFORDABLE.” Another fan indicated they were able to get a pair of tickets for $103 total. A different fan got two tickets for a total of $302. Another fan, though, spent over $850 on two tickets.

So, it appears prices vary depending on the seats and ticket options.

Check out the list of tour dates below.

Sabrina Carpenter’s 2024 Tour Dates: The Short N’ Sweet Tour

08/10 — San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival
09/23 — Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
09/25 — Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank Arena
09/26 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
09/29 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
10/02 — Hartford, CT @ XL Center
10/03 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
10/05 — Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
10/08 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
10/11 — Montreal, QC @ Centre Ball
10/13 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/14 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
10/16 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
10/17 — Saint Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena
10/19 — Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
10/20 — Charlottesville, VA @ John Paul Jones Arena
10/22 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
10/24 — Orlando, FL @ Kia Center
10/25 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
10/28 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
10/30 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
11/01 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
11/02 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center
11/04 — Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum
11/06 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
11/07 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
11/09 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
11/10 — San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena
11/13 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
11/15 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

Bridgerton really outdid itself with the show’s longest and hottest sex scene to date. In season 3, episode 5, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) get it on for nearly six minutes. But was there more naughtiness left on the cutting room floor? (Or whatever the digital equivalent of the “cutting room floor” is. A Google Drive file labeled “stuff”?)

In response to rumors that Penelope and Colin had more sex scenes that weren’t featured in season 3, Coughlan replied on Instagram, “Aaah this is just a rumor! I think you got all the Polin we had but there’s lots of BTS still to share.” According to US Magazine, Bridgerton producer Tom Verica also shut down the sex scenes rumors. “Not sure where this all came from but these claims are false,” he wrote on Instagram. “The supposed scenes… don’t exist.”

Since season 3 wrapped up on June 13, fans have claimed there were more scenes between Colin (Newton) and Penelope (Coughlan) that didn’t see the light of day. The couple was the focus of the third season, but some viewers felt they were sidelined in the second half. As a result, social media users spread rumors about sex scenes they thought were scrapped at the last second from the show.

Bridgerton‘s furniture budget would have been much higher if the bonus sex scene(s) did exist.

Bridgerton season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.

(Via US Magazine)

Big Thief leader Adrianne Lenker is in the midst of a run of solo tour dates, in support of her latest album, March’s Bright Future. If you’re heading out to a show soon or just want to see what’s been going on, here’s what to know about the setlist.

Looking at the June 22 show at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre as a recent example, Lenker was pretty evenly split with playing Big Thief songs and her own solo material: Nine songs from her band and ten of her own (via setlist.fm).

For about half the 19-song set, Lenker was joined by Nick Hakim and Josefin Runsteen. The first half of the performance was mainly Big Thief tracks with a few solo tunes sprinkled in, while the second half was the inverse.

Check out the setlist below.

Adrianne Lenker’s 2024 US Tour Setlist

1. “Simulation Swarm” (Big Thief song)
2. “The Only Place” (Big Thief song)
3. “My Angel”
4. “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You” (Big Thief song)
5. “Little Things” (Big Thief song)
6. “Pretty Things” (Big Thief song)
7. “Happiness” (Big Thief song)
8. “Time Escaping” (Big Thief song)
9. “Symbol”
10. “Promise Is A Pendulum” (Big Thief song)
11. “Bright Future”
12. “Heavy Focus”
13. “No Machine”
14. “Ingydar”
15. “Sadness As A Gift”
16. “Orange” (Big Thief song)
17. “Fool”
18. “Not A Lot, Just Forever”
19. “Anything” (encore)

The debate as to whether or not parents should supply classroom supplies is not new. But as prices continue to rise, parents are growing more baffled as to how they can be expected by teachers to provide all the various glue sticks, colored pencils, rulers and other various items the incoming students might need.

What’s even more perplexing, however, is penalizing the children of parents who won’t (or can’t) provide them.

This was the case for Shanitta Nicole, who discovered her son received a zero grade in his new school for not bringing school supplies for the entire classroom.

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Nicole was especially surprised by this reaction since she had already gone through the effort of making sure her son had every supply he needed from the school’s list, which was slightly different than the one they previously had.

And yet, the 7th grade teacher informed her son that he was still expected to provide for the classroom, not just himself. And, thus, a zero grade, for failing the assignment, so to speak.

Even though Nicole thought the rule was “weird,” she went out and bought the bulk items, which included tissues, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, pencils, Expo markers, and red pens.

And yet, the next week—her son still has a zero. Concerned, Nicole emailed her son’s teacher.

“I’m like, ‘hey…my student has a 83 in the class and everything else in the class is 100s and 98s and he still has a zero for something called ‘classroom supplies.’” she said in a video.

“‘We bought the supplies anyways, but I don’t feel like it’s the parents’ responsibility to supply your classroom. And I definitely don’t think it’s appropriate to assign a grade to students based off of whether or not they’ve supplied your class with supplies. That doesn’t make any sense.’”

@shanittanicole Am I doing too much? #fyp #school ♬ original sound – Shanitta Nicolee 💖

And while Nicole’s email did get the teacher to reconcile the grade, there was no mention to her other concern regarding the responsibility for parents to provide the entire class with supplies.

“So, I emailed the principal because I just, I might be extra, but I just want to see what’s going on. Why do I have to buy supplies for the classroom?” the frustrated mom concluded.

Nicole’s video quickly went viral on TikTok, and several weighed in to agree that the teacher’s actions were misguided.

“That is so unfair!! Especially for the kids whose parents CANT afford groceries let alone classroom supplies,” one user wrote.

Another added, “You are not wrong. It is 100% ok for [the teacher] to ask for supplies, but mandate it for a grade? Absolutely not.”

And this point is truly what Nicole took umbrage with, as she noted several times in the comments. It has less to do with being asked to help and more to do with her son’s grade depending on it.

In a follow-up video, Nicole shared that the school principal did end up reaching out, notifying her that while, yes, teachers are allowed to ask for donations, it should never be mandated.

@shanittanicole Replying to @yafavv._.dancer😍😘💞😍😍💞 Graded Supplies Update #fyp #school ♬ original sound – Shanitta Nicolee 💖

“What the teacher was trying to accomplish, but it definitely wasn’t appropriate,” the principal told Nicole.

While the teacher might have not handled this situation in the best way, it goes without saying that this is a larger systemic issue—one that isn’t exactly fair to parents, teachers and students alike.

Most public school teachers spend a significant amount of their own money on classroom supplies, to an average of $673 per year, according to a recent survey of more than 1,100 educators by the Association of American Educators (AAE). That number only goes up for teachers in high poverty schools.

At the same time, according to a 2022 survey with Savings.com, the typical parent also spends nearly $600 on school supplies. Plus things like clothes, backpacks, haircuts etc.

In the grand scheme of things, there’s no use placing full responsibility or blame onto teachers or parents. Because either way, students get caught in the crossfire. This is clearly a universal burden that needs attention.

This article originally appeared on 10.5.23

If you’re a parent you’re likely in one of two categories: parents who have never heard of pinworms or parents who shuttered at the headline. Parents are not really given any sort of warning for all of the eyebrow raising situations that occur in childhood and one dad has found out that there was a lot left out of that non-existent parenting handbook.

Justin, a dad that runs the TikTok page drumbeatlane took to social media to tell the world of the current nightmare fuel parenting situation he was experiencing. He’s also doing parents on social media a solid by giving them a heads up on the disturbing secret plaguing the parenting world–pinworms.

The viral video starts out with no trigger warning before he says though clenched teeth, “my son has worms in his anus.” Yeah, you read that right. It’s a thing. A slightly terrifying but totally normal thing.

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“No one tells you about this stuff when you’re thinking about being a parent but apparently it’s like super normal for a child to just have worms in his booty hole,” Justin says.

Dr. Cerissa Key, a pediatrician, chimed in on Justin’s disturbing revelation and assured him and every parent watching that pinworms are a common thing that happens in young children. But she also dropped some info that other’s including Justin may not have been ready to hear.

“Justin, sir. I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But if your son has worms in his booty hole, sir, politely and respectfully, you also have worms in your booty hole,” Key reveals.

Key goes on to explain that kids are “disgusting” and don’t wash their hands well so pinworms spread easily if a child at school or daycare has them. She advises that parents stock up on the chalky banana flavored medication that clears them up and to wash everything on hot while being sure to vacuum your floors well.

@drumbeatlane

Parenting truly is just one surprise after another. But the biggest surprise to me every time something crazy happens is that it is usually super common, just no one talks about it. So I’m warning you. Your child might get worms in their anus. #justinkellough #dadsoftiktok #parentsoftiktok #momsoftiktok #parentingadvice #parenting @Justin

People in the comment section of both videos were horrified that this was an actual thing while others commiserated with the stressed dad.

“I have no kids and now I’m paranoid I have pinworms with no symptoms,” one person writes.

“I’ve raised 4 kids and never had this happen. Tomorrow this will be my entry on my gratitude journal,” a mom confesses.

“Do I have kids? No…Do I even work around kids? Also no…do I still have the urge to take this medicine just in case anyways? 100000%,” someone says.

@therealdrkey

#stitch with @Justin Allllll about pinworms! It your kid has them, YOU have them. 😩 #pinworms #pinworm #pediatrician #momlife #itchybottom #itchyvulva #pinwormssuck #parenting

Not everyone was stressed, some were thankful for the information. “Thank you! We haven’t experienced pinworms yet, but super informative and helps to make parenting normalized,” another commenter writes.

Key suggests that if your child has pinworms that the entire family should take a dose of the medication two weeks apart to make sure any left over newly hatched eggs are also killed. While you may not have been warned about pinworms, no one ever said parenting would be glamorous. It just seems people weren’t prepared for how unglamorous it could get.

This article originally appeared on 12.23.23

For going on ten years, Tyler The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival has been the premiere festival in Los Angeles — if not the entire United States. And this year, Tyler plans on making his festival the biggest and best one yet to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Kicking off in September 2012, the festival had to be postponed in 2020 and 2021, but returned in 2023, with Tyler remarking during his headlining set how proud he was that he was able to reboot the festival in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic (and calling out fans for booing Drake at the last one, something they could probably get away with at this point).

Camp Flog Gnaw returns on November 16th & 17th, once again at Dodger Stadium in Los Angles; tickets go on sale beginning Friday, June 28th, with advance ticket sales beginning Thursday, June 27th.

General admission to both Saturday and Sunday will be $345 + fees, while VIP passes will be $625 + fees. Super VIP passes are $1,695 + fees. You can register for passes and find more info at CampFlogGnaw.com. The lineup will be announced at a later date, but could include anything from hip-hop to K-pop based on prior year’s rosters. Last year, the festival was headlined by SZA and Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem as The Hillbillies, with performances from Kali Uchis, Fuerza Regida, Willow, Ice Spice, Teezo Touchdown, and more.

We’ve all seen people posting videos of them dancing in a very public place, in the middle of a busy sidewalk or train station. Usually people watch the free show and go on about their day but one dancer got a surprise when he set his camera up in a subway station–a bystander jumped in.

J. Dash uploaded a video on Instagram of him dancing to “Wop,” a popular song that has fairly specific choreography, though Dash was adding his own spin. When the stranger jumped into the video it was so seamless that people in the comments are arguing over if it was staged or not. People are asking how the stranger knew the dance moves and the answer is pretty simple, TikTok.

“Wop” made its rounds as a viral TikTok sound that came with the choreography that was seemingly on an endless loop with every swipe. So it’s quite likely someone out in the wild also knows the dance.

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“Yeah right, and he knew exactly the choreography and where to stand to be seen on the background,” one person disputes.

“Honestly this is dope. I believed it for a second! And their acting/performance skills are on point. Can’t knock them for that! Let people have some joy,” another person says seemingly questioning if it was planned but enjoying it nonetheless.

The video, whether it’s staged or not is still one that will put a smile on your face and of course not everyone thought the smooth choreography was a set up.

One person says, “Random dude timed in perfectly…even missed the train.”

“Freaking love this. Ultimate connection through music and dance – there’s nothing like it a shared musical experience is everything,” another gushes.

You can watch the surprise dance duo below:

See on Instagram

This article originally appeared on 1.23.24

A Helpful Chart to Explain the Difference Between Support and ‘Toxic Positivity” was originally published on The Mighty.

There’s no denying that positivity can be powerful. I know when I’m struggling with anxiety and negative thoughts, if I can hold onto an ounce of hope — that I’ll make it through, that I’m not defined by my thoughts, that I’m not as bad as my brain is making me out to be — I can cope a little better.

The positivity we hold within ourselves, when we can manage it, makes it a little easier to get by.

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That being said, perhaps counterintuitively, positivity isn’t always the best way to help others. You can’t make someone be positive. You can’t sprinkle positivity dust on them and make their problems go away. And honestly, when people are seeking help and support, they’re usually not looking for straight-up, inspirational poster positivity. More often, they’re looking for validation that their negative feelings are OK.

I’ve always kind of known this but didn’t think about it in a tangible way until I saw a graphic made by Whitney Hawkins Goodman, LMFT, owner of The Collaborative Counseling Center. She runs the Instagram account @sitwithwhit, and after she posted an image explaining “Toxic Positivity,” I started seeing it all over social media.

The graphic shows the difference between supporting someone with validation and hope, and trying to support them with “toxic positivity.” According to Whitney, it’s the difference between, “This is hard… I believe in you,” and, “Just be happy!” If you could never pinpoint why simple “inspiring” quotes didn’t sit well with you, this could be the explanation.

It reminds me of a popular animated video about empathy, which uses the words of Brené Brown. If sympathy is shouting down at someone while they’re stuck in a hole, empathy is getting into the hole with them. If “toxic positivity” is telling someone to just “look at the bright side,” support is putting yourself in someone’s shoes, and accepting their feelings for what they are.

Of course, when we throw around phrases like, “Think positive,” or, “Stop being so negative,” we’re probably coming from a good place. You’re spreading these messages because you want people to be happier, damn it! So what’s wrong with reminding people to be positive?

The hard-to-face truth is, supporting people isn’t about being “positive.” In fact, when you force positivity down someone’s throat, it can actually have the opposite effect. “Toxic positivity” can make people feel unsafe expressing their negativity, and negativity thrives in isolation. It can make people think there’s something wrong with them for not simply “choosing” happiness, and shame is negativity’s enabling best friend.

When we’re supporting someone who’s hurting, we need to leave room for positivity to grow. And you don’t yell at a flower to “just” grow — you water it. In this case, you water it with listening, with validation, and with unconditional support. It’s OK to experience negative emotions, and with support, we can help people who are stuck in negativity find their own way out. Simply telling them to “be positive” doesn’t cut it.

Thanks to Whitney for making this informative graphic! You can follow her on Instagram here.

This article originally appeared on 2.12.19

Patrick Stewart often talks about his childhood and the torment his father put him and his mother through. However, how he answered this vulnerable and brave fan’s question is one of the most eloquent, passionate responses about domestic violence I’ve ever seen.

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WARNING: At 2:40, he’s going to break your heart a little.

You can read more about Heather Skye’s hug with Captain Picard at her blog.

This article originally appeared on 06.26.13.