Month: July 2024

Basketball and hip-hop have been connected since the beginning. Rappers hoop. Hoopers rap. And the NBA, the first major business in basketball, uses its connections to hometown rappers to help promote both its brand and the sport.

However, a new interest has stepped in to stop the NBA from doing just that. According to Billboard, multiple NBA teams were recently sued by Kobalt and other music rights management companies over using songs from the likes of Cardi B, Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Migos, and more on social media to promote hometown teams like the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Atlanta Hawks on social media.

Multiple lawsuits were filed, but all contain language to the following effect: “Defendants are acutely aware of the protections that the copyright laws of the United States afford. [The team] utilizes the full extent of legal protections available for its own intellectual property while simultaneously knowingly and willfully infringing on the intellectual property rights of the plaintiffs.”

Publishing groups that also filed lawsuits include Artist Publishing Group, Notting Hill Music, and Prescription Songs, filing against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Sacramento Kings, and the San Antonio Spurs.

While social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer blanket licenses to use music (remember when Universal withdrew its entire catalog from TikTok?), those songs aren’t supposed to be used for commercial purposes by brands. Brands are supposed to purchase separate synch licenses, the same way they would for television ads (think of popular songs in movie trailers; a license must be purchased for that specific usage). This could see the end of teams using music from hometown rappers on social media in the future — or it could mean a new revenue stream for artists (or, at least, the companies that own their publishing rights).

Druski launched Coulda Been Records in 2019, described by Complex as “a satirical record label crafted for his IG Live talent-scouting show.” More recently, Druski aired his Coulda Been House reality show on YouTube, and now, the label’s viability is indisputable.

On Monday, July 22, Druski exclusively revealed to Billboard that he will stage his inaugural Coulda Fest at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on September 7. The comedy and music festival will feature Lil Baby, Kai Cenat, Soulja Boy, Waka Flocka Flame, Yung Joc, Young Dro, Roscoe Dash, Navv Greene, Travis Porter, DJ Unk, Baby Drill, Baby Kia, Shop Boyz, Yung LA, F.L.Y., Rich Kidz, and Ugliest Rapper Alive.

“Coulda Fest won’t be a traditional music and comedy festival,” Druski told Billboard. “It’s going to be a celebration of Atlanta’s culture and a night full of hilarious sketches that bring us back to the special times in our city’s music history. This concept has never been done before, so I’m looking forward to bringing this vision to life.”

The event will be co-hosted by DC Young Fly, known for starring on Wild ‘N Out.

According to Druski’s Instagram announcement, the artist pre-sale is slated for Wednesday, July 24, beginning at 10 a.m. ET. The code is “COULDA.” The general sale will take place on Friday, July 26. You can sign up for notifications here.

Chappell Roan is “your favorite artist’s favorite artist” (and one of the most exciting performers in years), but it was only a few short years ago that she was performing Christmas songs on the local news.

In 2018, the Missouri-based KOLR 10 & FOX 49 stations uploaded a clip of Roan singing “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” to YouTube. The clip (as spotted by Reddit user “OtherPassage”) has less 1,000 views, but it’s a fascinating time capsule of a pre-fame Roan, shortly after she moved from Willard, Missouri, where she grew up, to Los Angeles.

You can watch the lovely video above.

Roan released her first EP, School Nights, in 2017. It sounds nothing like the infectious pop joy of her debut album, 2023’s The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess. She had to head west before Kayleigh Rose Amstutz could truly become Chappell Roan. “It felt like I needed to get out of Missouri to finish the rest of the songs that needed to be written,” she told Vanity Fair. “I couldn’t write pop songs when I was depressed on a farm. I just needed to get out of there. I was working the drive-through and I would just think of little song melodies and write on my Notes app. And that’s kind of how I kept the flame going. It didn’t really explode until I moved back to L.A. and got a job.”

We all know that Keanu Reeves is unstoppable in many different ways, but he’s also humble and kind, which sets him apart from other people of his status. A lot of celebrities will “write” a “book,” AKA attach their name to an already-written novel and take credit for it, and we just sort of accept that. But Keanu Reeves isn’t like other celebrities. He’s Keanu Reeves.

Reeves has already churned out a popular comic series, BRZRKR, and his latest project is a novel based in the same universe, though he didn’t do it alone. Reeves told The Guardian, “They asked me what would be my dream for who to write the novel? And I was, like: China Miéville.” The two then began working together on The Book of Elsewhere, which hit bookshelves this week.

The book follows Unute, also known as B, an immortal warrior working on a special forces team. “The germ of the idea was just a character who could punch through chests and rip arms of.” Reeves explained. “I wanted to do a pulpy, hyper-violent action idea. I’ve played a bunch of different characters involved in action. Growing up I quite enjoyed those stories. I guess, from there, that kernel of an idea, it’s like, well, who could do that? Then it just started to bloom in my imagination into this character,” he added. Reeves has plenty of experience punching people.

But Reeves doesn’t want you to get the wrong idea! He didn’t write this novel, at least not in the way you might expect, and he wants to be honest about it.

The actor stressed that it was a collaborative effort between him and Mieville, who was the one that really put it all together. “I didn’t want to write the book. I wanted another creator to take that journey. So, ultimately, China has written the novel,” Reeves explained. “It’s not, like, we could look at page eight and say, ‘Oh, I wrote this section.’ I didn’t write any of the novel.” Even though he didn’t write it per se, he did a heck of a lot of world-building with the novelist.

As for Reeves’ inspiration, the man’s head is simply full of hobbits. “I mean, I’ve got some f-ckin’ hobbits in my past,” he says.“Yeah, I got some hobbits goin’ on there. I liked sci-fi. My early hormone years were kinda like: Frank Miller – Wolverine, Dark Knight. But then I also loved, like, Archies and so on. But when I first read Philip K Dick, or when I read William Gibson, or Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you know, those were all like … and Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World, Animal Farm. You know, those kinds of fantasy novel … I really liked that,” he added. You never know, Reeves might be the next creative to resurrect Riverdale!

(Via The Guardian)

The biggest change for EA Sports College Football 25 after 11 years away is that the actual players are in the game, which means player ratings are a bigger deal than ever. No longer are we approximating skills and living in gray areas with Texas having a “QB #10” who just happens to play kinda like Vince Young. With the players now on board and getting their slice of the pie to be in the game, we can get the EA Sports ratings folks’ honest opinions on who the best players are and what skillsets they possess.

We’ve already taken a look at the fastest players, the best tacklers, and the strongest arms in the game, highlighting the guys you might want to keep an eye out for in the transfer portal (or to help you pick your team) in Dynasty.

Here, we wanted to look at the top of the Heisman odds list and compare their odds (via BetMGM) to their overall rating in EA CFB 25. It is important to remember that, at this point, the Heisman Trophy has basically become a quarterback award, barring some kind of truly outrageous season from a wide receiver or running back. That bears out in the Heisman odds, where the top 22 names are all quarterbacks, so a lot of your star receivers and backs don’t make the list even if, in a vacuum, they’re better players at their position. It’s also crucial to remember that team success plays a big role in Heisman voting, even though it is an individual award, which is why a guy like Will Howard at Ohio State is higher up the list than, say, Noah Fifita from Arizona. With all that in mind, here are the top 24 on the Heisman board, alongside how the EA Sports team rates them.

Carson Beck, QB, Georgia: +750, 93 OVR
Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon: +750, 92 OVR
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas: +1000, 92 OVR
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama: +1000, 90 OVR
Will Howard, QB, Ohio State: +1300, 85 OVR
Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss: +1500, 90 OVR
Nico Iamaleava, QB, Tennessee: +1500, 86 OVR
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU: +1800, 85 OVR
Cam Ward, QB, Miami (FL): +2000, 89 OVR
Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame: +2000, 88 OVR
Avery Johnson, QB, Kansas State: +2500, 85 OVR
Conner Weigman, QB, Texas A&M: +2500, 88 OVR
Jackson Arnold, QB, Oklahoma: +3000, 85 OVR
Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado: +3000, 93 OVR
Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas: +3000, 90 OVR
Brady Cook, QB, Mizzou: +3500, 88 OVR
DJ Uiagalelei, QB, Florida State: +3500, 86 OVR
Drew Allar, QB, Penn State: +3500, 88 OVR
Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona: +4000, 89 OVR
Cam Rising, QB, Utah: +4000, 89 OVR
Miller Moss, QB, USC: +4000, 85 OVR
Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson: +5000, 87 OVR
Travis Hunter, WR/DB, Colorado: +5000, 95 OVR
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State: +5000, 95 OVR

Unsurprisingly, two of the best skill position players in the game round out the list in Hunter and Judkins, but it is interesting to see how the oddsmakers rank the QBs compared to the game. Again, some of that is based on the team around them, which is why an 85 like Howard or Nussmeier lands higher than someone perhaps more talented at the position on a lesser team. Still, you can learn a lot about how the books view the top teams and QBs from the Heisman odds sheet, and for the most part EA Sports agrees.

(WARNING: Spoilers for HotD will be found below.)

HBO’s House of the Dragon tossed out another jam-packed episode, and the final reveals outweighed the rest of this week’s developments. Of course, it’s not too surprising that a Mysaria/Rhaenyra liplock nabbed much attention, but god only knows how long that tryst will last. In contrast, a lifelong bond has been forged by the more enduring love story of this episode. That would be Seasmoke’s infatuation with Addam of Hull, who he claimed as rider.

Seasmoke really was lonely! He had long gone without a rider since the “death” of Laenor Velaryon, and Rhaenyra tried to fix this unclaimed beast up with a dragonseed, Ser Steffon Darklyn, which did not go over well:

In that crispy aftermath, Seasmoke apparently decided that only he would make the call of which human could be his best friend. He then flagged down a different dragonseed, Addam of Hull, who just so happens to be the bastard half-brother of Laenor. From the looks of HBO’s preview for the next episode, Rhaenyra is not yet aware of this connection, but she had better embrace it. Addam of Hull didn’t even have to bother with a “dohaeris” because Seasmoke made that call. And once Addam realized what was happening — and what a fantastic performance from Clinton Liberty — that realization led to the start of a beautiful relationship. Also, Seasmoke has “a type” for sure:

And if you noticed the resemblance between Seasmoke and Drogon (a future dragon-child of Daenerys on Game of Thrones), you are not alone:

House of the Dragon airs on Sunday nights.

Rap fans have waited for five years for a follow-up to Cardi B’s debut album, Invasion Of Privacy, but the going hasn’t been easy. We’ve seen a string of false launches, pump fakes, and outright flip-flopping from Cardi herself about the album’s status. It’s understandable; there’s a lot riding on this release, both for Cardi and the rap game at large. On the bright side, it certainly seems like the album is finally dropping after Cardi acknowledged, “Sometimes I get a little aggressive because y’all know I don’t like to be told what to do,” but promised “it’s coming THIS YEAR.”

Artists from every genre and generation have had to contend with the so-called “sophomore slump” — the perceived disappointment of an artist’s second album failing to live up to the commercial and critical heights of its predecessor. When an artist’s first album has been as successful as Cardi’s, the heights are dizzying, but the fall could potentially be fatal for that artist’s career. Invasion Of Privacy set about as a high a bar to clear as it gets, becoming the first album from a female rapper in 20 years to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spawning not just one, but two No. 1 singles: “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It.” It’s become one of the most commercially successful rap albums in the last five years.

It also wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Cardi B shifted the axis of the entirety of hip-hop when she dropped her debut in 2019. The album turned Cardi into the genre’s new center of gravity, and it upended the gender dynamic, inspiring a wave of young women to jump into the rap business as labels once again opened up their coffers to new rappers of all stripes, from glamorous to ghetto fabulous to tomboyish. Cardi proved that female rappers could actually make money — or rather, disproved the notion that they weren’t worth the investment. Prior to Invasion, you could count the number of charting female rappers for the past decade on one hand. Since, we’ve had Coi Leray, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Saweetie, and more.

So, to recap: In order for Cardi’s second album to be considered a “success,” it would not only have to pull down a truly ridiculous number of album-equivalent units — the kind of numbers that are practically impossible to achieve in today’s increasingly fractured social climate — but it would also have to justify a five-year wait. At the same time, critics like Joe Budden have not only been scrutinizing Cardi’s release process, but declaring doom for the entire “girl rap” movement — recent hits from the likes of Ice Spice, GloRilla, and Sexyy Red notwithstanding. Basically, Cardi’s next album “failing” could potentially bring down the entire industry’s confidence in the concept of a female rapper. Just look at superhero movies, where the failure of Halle Berry’s 2004 Catwoman effectively tanked the stocks of other superheroines until Wonder Woman came out 13 years later.

Cardi seems more than aware of this legacy. She’s dropped smash singles since — “WAP” was inescapable in 2020 and 2021, while her features on songs like “Tomorrow 2” and “Put It on da Floor Again” solidified breakouts for GloRilla and Latto, respectively — but songs like “Up,” “Bongos,” and “Enough (Miami)” never gained the traction to become the sort of culture-dominating juggernauts that lead to long-tail chart-toppers and Grammy Award shoo-ins. The pressure would be enough to get to anyone, especially someone like Cardi, who has shown exactly how sensitive she is over the years and frequently talks about how important it is for her to support her family with her success.

The thing about a sophomore slump, though, is that they aren’t always as dire as we make them out to be. Sure, it seems like a flop could be the end of Cardi’s career — but she’s already had a longer career than many supposed “one-hit wonders.” Her reticence to try and fail is understandable, though. She has a lot riding on this one; not only is her reputation precarious in a time when a near-constant flow of new music could wash her existing accomplishments away for fans with attention spans shortened by Spotify and other streaming options, but social media gives her biggest haters a direct line to tell her how much they think she sucks. As tough as she has proven to be, nobody really wants stans yelling at them all day about how much of a failure they are — which many of them already do.

But no matter what happens when she finally decides to drop, you just can’t count her all the way out. Even if she “falls off,” so to speak, she has the ultimate secret weapon — her household name. She’s reached the point where seemingly the whole world knows her name, and will always be intrigued to see what she’s going to do next. So, even if this second album misses the mark, her next “WAP” or “Tomorrow 2” could still be right around the corner.

While a huge part of the rap world has seemingly sided with Kendrick Lamar in his feud with Drake, there’s one cultural titan who isn’t letting their conflict get in the way of potentially collaborating with the Canadian hitmaker. 50, whose involvement in the vendetta has to date been limited to teasing his longtime rival Rick Ross for supposedly being attacked by Drake fans in Canada, shared a photo of himself hanging out with Drake at a club with a caption that suggested that they might be working together in the near future.

“Brain storming last night me and @champagnepapi gonna get the rolling,” he wrote. “Biggest ting on your TV.”

Of course, that prompted a bit of a backlash in 50’s comments section, with fans quoting lines from Kendrick’s infamous diss track “Not Like Us” and comparing the Toronto rapper to 50’s own onetime (possibly forever) enemy, Ja Rule. “Nah 50 he ain’t it,” wrote one fan. “That’s Kendrick’s Ja Rule.” Meanwhile, others cited 50’s connection to Dr. Dre, who co-signed Kendrick way back in the day and appeared at K. Dot’s Ken & Friend concerts to introduce “Not Like Us” — proving once again, that a lot of rap fans take this stuff WAY too seriously.

With 50 looking to expand his Power universe, perhaps the project they “brainstormed” on has something to do with Drake’s history as an actor and a producer — Top Boy crossover incoming? Now, that’s something worth getting excited about.

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Childish Gambino’s swan song and Cardi B coming through with a feature. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Childish Gambino — “In The Night” Feat. Jorja Smith and Amaarae

Well, this is the end: The Bando Stone And The New World soundtrack is out now, and Donald Glover has gone on record as saying it’s the final Childish Gambino album. It feels like more of an eventual name change that a musical retirement for Glover, but regardless, tunes like “In The Night” are a lovely marking of this era’s end.

Rob49 and Cardi B — “On Dat Money”

“I wanna let some of y’all also know that I cannot always do glittery, fun, female stuff all the time,” Cardi declared earlier this month. That was in reference to a then-upcoming collaboration with Rob49, and indeed, “On Dat Money” is an assertive number that’s less about glitter and more about getting down atop a pile of cash.

Spinall, Omah Lay, and Tyla — “One Call”

These three artists are some of African music’s biggest rising stars, and they’ve hitched to each other’s carts on the new collaboration “One Call.” The trio is a seamless combination on the laid-back Afrobeats tune.

Khalid — “Ground”

We’re now a couple weeks away from Sincere, Khalid’s upcoming album. He’s been one of R&B’s finest purveyors of dreamy tunes for years now and he has another one on his hands with “Ground.”

Big Sean — “Yes”

Big Sean’s new album Better Me Than You apparently leaked online a few days ago, but the rapper took it in stride. Shortly after that news broke, Sean came through with “Yes,” which also arrived alongside a trailer for the upcoming album.

Tinashe — “Nasty Girl Remix” Feat. Chlöe

“Nasty” is perhaps the song of the summer. Now, Tinashe is helping her campaign with a pair of new remixes, one with Chlöe and another with Tyga.

Lil Yachty — “Let’s Get On Dey Ass”

Lil Yachty has been doing a bit of everything lately, from making a psychedelic album to doing a full LP with James Blake to launching his Concrete Rekordz label. Last week, he linked up with his label’s Concrete Boys on “Let’s Get On Dey Ass,” which Uproxx’s Aaron Williams describes as “an electrifying track in the vein of fellow ATLien Playboi Carti’s amorphous, video gamey sound.”

JT — “90s Baby”

City Girls are no more, but JT is doing just fine on her own. She just dropped her solo album City Cinderella last week along with a video for “90s Baby,” a catchy tune that’s all confidence.

Rex Orange County — “Alexander”

After a tumultuous 2022, Rex Orange County is making his way back with a new album, The Alexander Technique, which he formally announced last week. He shared a pair of new songs, too: The plaintive “Alexander” and the jazzy “Guitar Song.”

Japandroids — “Chicago”

Last week was bittersweet for fans of 2010s indie favorites Japandroids: They finally have a new album, Fate & Alcohol, coming out, but it’s going to be their last one. The band’s Brian King said the duo was “aiming for a more cinematic take on our signature sound” with the new project, and that shines through on the single “Chicago.”

What We Do in the Shadows, one of the funniest shows on TV, is coming to an end. The FX on Hulu comedy about vampires, werewolves, djinns, hellhounds, trolls, and everyone’s good friend Sean is wrapping up after season six, which had its premiere date revealed on posters at San Diego Comic-Con.

What We Do in the Shadows season 6 premieres on FX and Hulu on October 21. Just in time for Halloween!

Harvey Guillén, who plays Guillermo, talked to The Playlist about the final season. “Where do we go? That’s kind of the question,” he said. “But sure enough, the writers have done an amazing job of putting us in a completely different environment and a different story and arc for the last season. So it’s hilarious. So I think the possibilities are endless.”

He added, “You should always be worried about the documentary crew because as you saw in different episodes in the past, sometimes there are casualties. It’s a dangerous job. Being in a documentary crew for a documentary about vampires is just, it comes with the job, but you should always be worried but also be surprised. Maybe in the future, different ideas and stories might come out of that so you don’t know what’s ahead.”

What should be ahead is a long-overdue Emmy win for Matt Berry.