This week marks one of the biggest moment in Blxst’s career. The “Doin Yo Stuff” musician released his debut album, I’ll Always Come Find You. Sadly, in the midst of this celebratory time in his life, Blxst’s family has been faced with a frightening incident.
Yesterday (July 19), Blxst took to his official Instagram page to reveal that his home was burglarized with a spine-chilling video. Although he did not disclose the day of the crime, Blxst revealed that in the early hours of the morning his Los Angeles-area property was forcible entered by assailants. While Blxst wasn’t home, his sons and other family were present. It is unclear if anyone was injured during the matter, but despite his anger, Blxst shared a heartfelt message online.
Watch the full video and read Blxst’s statement below.
The level of strength it takes to not crash out right now, smh. Imagine being across the country away from my family during one of the heights of my career & waking up to my son face timing at 4 a.m. saying, ‘I think bad guys are in the house.’ Words can’t express the frustration & the emptiness in my heart and soul not being able to be there to protect my boys. God know my heart… why play with mine? I take pride in being humble and pure but to be honest I don’t know who to trust, I’m just glad my family good overall. Thank GOD, I’m in position to go to war and willing to die behind mine… PRAY FOR MY FAMILY.
I’ll Always Come Find You is out now via Red Bull Records / Evgle LLC. Find more information here.
Murder Inc founder and producer (for acts like Ashanti and Ja Rule), Irv Gotti is reportedly ready to battle it out in a court of law.
On July 11, Irv Gotti (real name Irving Domingo Lorenzo) was named in a sexual assault lawsuit. In the Miami court documents, an alleged former love interest (only referred to as Jane Doe) accused Lorenzo of forcing her to perform oral sex on him, among other things. Now, a representative for the mogul has come out to deny the allegations and suggest a countersuit could be on the way.
In a statement provided to TMZ, the spokesperson rejected Doe’s claims and alleged that Lorenzo was being extorted. Read the full statement below.
[The lawsuit] was filed after Mr. Gotti rejected the attempt by this individual to coerce a payment of money from him. The lawsuit contains a single page of ‘facts’ which are unsworn to, sparse by any measure, and which Mr. Gotti categorically denies.
The allegations represent an affront to women who have truly suffered abuse. Mr. Gotti has been surrounded by strong women the entirety of his life – his mother, five sisters, and daughter. The top employees at his company are women. Mr. Gotti’s relationships with women have been characterized by mutual respect, honesty, and empathy. Mr. Gotti’s reputation has been placed at issue.
The represent also hinted that Irv Gotti was considering taking legal actions of his own—by filing a countersuit for defamation.
Imagine retiring early and spending the rest of your life on a cruise ship visiting exotic locations, meeting interesting people and eating delectable food. It sounds fantastic, but surely it’s a billionaire’s fantasy, right?
Not according to Angelyn Burk, 53, and her husband Richard. They’re living their best life hopping from ship to ship for around $100 a night, depending on the cruise. “Cruise costs vary quite a bit, our goal is to average about $100 per night, for the couple, or less across and entire calendar year,” Richard told Upworthy.
The Burks have called cruise ships their home since May 2021 and have no plans to go back to their lives as landlubbers. Angelyn took her first cruise in 1992 and it changed her goals in life forever.
“Our original plan was to stay in different countries for a month at a time and eventually retire to cruise ships as we got older,” Angelyn told 7 News. But a few years back, Angelyn crunched the numbers and realized they could start much sooner than expected.
“We love to travel and we were searching for a way to continuously travel in our retirement that made financial sense,” she said. They looked into deals they could find through loyalty memberships and then factored in the potential sale price of their home and realized their dream was totally affordable.
The rough math makes sense. If the couple hits their goal of spending $100 per night to live on a cruise ship, that’s $36,500 a year. Currently, the average price of a home in Tukwila, Washington—where the couple has a house—is about $607,000. Let’s say you moved there today, put down 20% and financed the rest, the mortgage would cost you around $44,000 a year.
Plus, on a cruise ship, the couple doesn’t have to pay for groceries.
The Burks are able to live their dream because they’ve spent a lifetime being responsible. “We have been frugal all our lives to save and invest in order to achieve our goal,” she says. “We are not into materialistic things but experiences.”
Angelyn says that cruising takes the stress out of travel. “It is leisurely travel without the complications of booking hotels, restaurants, and transportation while staying within our budget,” she told 7 News. The couple travels lightly with just two suitcases between them and if they need anything, they just buy it on the ship or in the next port.
The one thing to consider before embarking on a never-ending cruise is COVID-19. The coronavirus is easily spread in close quarters and a cruise ship that recently docked in Seattle had 100 people on board who tested positive for the virus. The CDC recommends that people get vaccinated before going on a cruise and that immunocompromised people should consult with their physicians before traveling.
Richard told Upworthy that he believes COVID-19 safety is still very important and has had both his shots and a booster. “I would suggest wearing a mask at all times when out in public no matter whether on a ship, in a movie theater, at a restaurant or even meeting with friends inside or outside,” he said.
After leaving their jobs and the mainland behind, the Burks completed a 21-day cruise via the Panama canal. They look forward to a 50-day cruise around the Adriatic Sea, taking in the sights of Europe, as well as a 51-day cruise from Seattle to Sydney, Australia.
The Burks’ favorite destinations, no matter how they get there, are Italy, Canada, Iceland and the Bahamas, but their ultimate favorite is Singapore.
Looking to give it all up and go on a permanent vacation just like the Burks? Angelyn has some advice for those wanting to get started.
This article was updated on May 17, 2022, after a conversation with Richard Burk.
There was an emotional exchange on TikTok between two people who lost their fathers to cancer. One was actor Mandy Patinkin, the other was TikTok user Amanda Webb.
Patinkin currently stars on “The Good Fight” but one of his most famous roles is Inigo Montoya in the 1987 classic “The Princess Bride.” In the film, Montoya is a swordsman who is obsessed with confronting a six-fingered man who killed his father.
Webb recently lost her father Dan to mantle cell lymphoma. She had heard a rumor that Patinkin used his father’s death from cancer as motivation in a pivotal scene where he confronts the six-fingered Count Rugen (Christopher Guest) in a duel.
Rugen tells Montoya he will give him anything he wants after being bested by Montoya who passionately replies, “I want my father back, you son of a bitch.”
Webb’s father was a big fan of Montoya’s performance in the film so she reached out to TikTok to learn if the rumor was true.
“I saw on the internet the rumor that when Mandy Patinkin said that line, he was thinking of his own father who had passed away from cancer,” Webb said while crying. “And it was a very raw emotion. Ever since then, it’s kind of really stuck with me.”
“First of all, your dad is taking care of you,” he said. “Secondly, it is true, 100% true. I went outside in this castle and walked around and I kept talking to my dad.”
“The minute I read the script, I knew, I said to [his wife], I said, ‘I’m going to do this part because in my mind, if I get the six-fingered guy, that means I killed the cancer that killed my dad and I’ll get to visit my dad,” he said.
“That moment was coming, and I went and I played that scene with Chris [Guest], and then I went back out there and talked to my dad,” Patinkin said.
He then told Webb that she has the power to talk to her father, too.
“And so, you can talk to your dad anytime you want, anywhere you want,” he said. “If you could somehow let me know your dad’s name because I say prayers for anyone I’ve ever known. Now I feel like I know you, and therefore I know your dad, and I will list his name in my prayers every day, and they make me feel like they’re with me, wherever I go, and I’d like your dad to hang out with me.”
There’s no shortage of stories out there showing how emotionally distant or out of touch some baby boomers can be. Younger generations are so fed up with it that they have their own catchphrase of frustration, for crying out loud.
The disconnect becomes especially visible in parenting styles. Boomers, who grew up with starkly different views on empathy, trauma and seeking help, have a reputation for being less than ideal support systems for their children when it comes to emotional issues.
But even if they often have a different way of showing it, boomer parents do have love for their children, and many try their best to be a source of comfort in some way when their kid suffers.
Occupational therapist Jacqueline (@jac.rose8) recently shared a lovely example of this by posting a video of her boomer dad helping her through a divorce in the best way he knew how.
Turns out, it was the perfect thing.
“My husband just said he’s divorcing me and my dad came over and I was non-functional in bed,” Jacqueline wrote her video, adding that “…boomer dad didn’t know what to do, so he played his favorite song, the Dua Lipa ‘Rocket Man’ remix 😂”
In the clip, Jacqueline’s dad never really looks at her, but shifts the focus by describing what he imagines while listening to the song and performing the sweetest dad dance ever.
The heartwarming moment served as a great reminder that words aren’t always necessary.
‘“I am CRYING. This is so precious, he is trying his hardest to be there for you in any capacity. How pure ❤️,” one person wrote.
Another added, “This would instantly make me feel better.”
Even Jacqueline shared in the comments that her dad “didn’t know what to say but he was there and helped me in such a sweet way. He’s the best 🥰”
Proving that he has multiple love languages, Jacqueline later shared that her dad also went out to Home Depot to replace her lightbulbs. Not only that, but her mom also made Jacqueline’s favorite dinner. Maybe boomers are okay after all.
Really, it goes to show that great parents can be found in every generation. Part of what makes them great is knowing that they don’t need to be perfect in order to show up when things are hard. Being there and sharing their love is enough.
It feels safe to say that many, if not most people hail Drew Barrymore as the “Queen of Candid.” She can seemingly talk to absolutely anyone about anything in a way that’s consistently warm and authentic.
That even goes for when she experiences her first hot flash in front of a live television audience, apparently.
While speaking with guests Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler on her talk show, Barrymore abruptly appears flustered, fanning herself and removing her jacket.
Without missing a beat, she says, “I am so hot, I think I’m having my first perimenopause hot flashes.”
“Oh, I feel so honored!” Jennifer Aniston quips as she fixes Barrymore’s mic, which is a sweet moment in and of itself.
“I’m so sorry!” Barrymore continues, laughing through it all. “Do you feel this?!” she says, placing Aniston’s hand just below her neck. “Or maybe I’m just excited!”
Sandler, then reaching for Barrymore’s palm, assures her, “Yeah you got a hot hand.”
“Well, I’m so glad I have this moment documented!” Barrymore exclaims.
One viewer on TikTok gushed, “I don’t know that I have ever heard a celebrity talk about a hot flash in the moment. Thank you for being so real.”
Another echoed, “Drew, we have a whole generation (X) entering the change. Let’s normalize it. Just wait until you’re soaked with sweat, then cold lol.”
One person commented on the exchange between Aniston and Barrymore, noting how refreshing it was to see two “beautiful, authentic, powerful women my own age to look up to.”
Only a week prior, Barrymore had again been an unofficial spokeswoman for perimenopause when she sat down with Gayle King of “CBS Mornings” to share more of her personal experiences, including having a period “every two weeks.”
“One doctor also just told me this could last, in the worst-case scenario, 10 years. And I was like, ‘I will never make it 10 years like this!’” she told King.
Considering that every woman who lives past their 40s will probably go through at least some version of this—even earlier, for some—one would think that there should be more conversations about this pivotal life chapter. Maybe then it wouldn’t be so daunting.
Or at the very least, there might be less stigma around it. As Barrymore eloquently put it in her interview, “The way menopause has been branded is, ‘You’re old, you’re done.’ That’s not it.” Instead, she feels that in reality, “more women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are looking so attractive, feeling so vibrant, living their best lives.”
A forensics student named Alex recently shared vital information on TikTok that all women should know. She detailed the specific signs male predators are looking for when they choose a victim.
Her video is based on a 2013 study entitled “Psychopathy and Victim Selection: The Use of Gait as a Cue to Vulnerability.” For the study, researchers interviewed violent criminals in prison and asked them the type of women they’d be most likely to victimize.
The study found that the criminals all agreed that how the woman walked was a deciding factor.
“What the selected women all had in common was the way that they walked and how they generally held themselves in public,” Alex says in the video she later deleted but has been shared broadly across the platform.
How to walk for your safety! #women #safety #tips #walking #kidnapping #murder #attacks #fyp
“The selected women all had a similar ‘awkwardness’ to the way that they walked and carried themselves,” she continued. “The first part of the woman had a gait that was a little bit too small for their body, which resulted in smaller steps, slower speed and their arms more typically to their sides, or crossed, as well as their heads being down and not really taking in their general surroundings, which indicated three different things to these potential attackers.”
The woman’s body language signaled to attackers that she was fearful and anxious and because her head was down, she’d be easier to surprise. Alex then described the second type of woman the criminals said they’d target.
“On the other hand, the other part of the women that were selected had a gait that seemed a bit too big for their body and their arms tended to flail to the sides and seemed just overly awkward,” Alex continued.
The woman with the bigger gait signaled to potential attackers that she may be clumsy and won’t put up a good fight. “Because their arms were out and flailing to the side, it left the lower body open to, again, come around and grab them,” she said.
The video was helpful because Alex also discussed the types of women the attackers wouldn’t pursue. Alex says these women “walked with a gait that tended to be more natural to their body.” She adds they moved at the same pace as those in the immediate area, with their shoulders back and chins up and asserting a general sense of confidence.
“Essentially, the women that were not selected gave off an energy that said, ‘Don’t mess with me. I will put up a good fight.’ And that’s why they weren’t selected,” Alex said. “I know that it sounds silly, but something as simple as the way you walk or the way that you carry yourself in public could determine the likelihood that you become a target of a predator.”
Alex concluded her video by sharing an acronym that can help prevent women from being victimized while in public: STAAR.
S(tride) — Walk with a natural stride to your body and not too far apart or short.
T(all) — Stand tall. Keep your shoulders back and your chin up. Assert a natural confidence and dominance to those around you.
A(rms)—Swing your arms naturally by your sides, avoiding keeping them too close to your body or flailing out of your natural range of motion.
A(wareness) — Stay aware of your surroundings. Take notice if something feels or looks off.
R(elax): Stay cool, calm, and collected and don’t indicate to a potential attacker that you feel or see something is wrong.
Blk Odyssy’s third album 1-800-Fantasy is birth from his most exciting and liberating era to date. “Between exploring a new level of storytelling and also a new world of production and songwriting, this record has been a new chapter for me as an artist,” Odyssy said about the new album in a press release. The project bends genre, as Blk Odyssy has been known to do, through 13 songs and features from Wiz Khalifa, Jackie Giroux, Harry Edohoukwa, and Joey Badass to make for quiet the wonderous experience.
1-800-Fantasy presents Blk Odyssy as a teenage boy obsessed with an elusive woman. Supported by hotline exchanges and cinematic visuals, the album’s stories progresses to capture this teen’s yearning spiral into impatience as he reaches his breaking point in this failed foray into love. In the end, the young boy, though heartbroken, has an epiphany that leads to solitude and acceptance.
Together with the new album, we caught up with Blk Odyssy for this week’s Uproxx Music 20 column to learn more about his inspirations, influences, and aspirations.
What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?
Acting for sure.
If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?
I’d go 5 years into the past and make some changes and choices to further my career [laughs].
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Focus, take what you’re doing more seriously and study. It’s going to change your life.
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 want to be remembered as someone who pushed culture forward, someone who created open conversations and made art that provoked thought, and someone who inspired the next generation of artist to create against the grain and not do the norm.
1-800-Fantasy is out now via EARTHCHILD / EMPIRE. Find out more information here.
Two of the teams with aspirations of knocking off the United States and winning a gold medal in the men’s competition at the Paris Olympics are Canada and France. They’re both teams that are jam packed with NBA talent, and both have managed to knock off the Americans in a high-profile competition recently — Canada took them down in the third-place game at the World Cup last year, while France beat them in group play at the 2020 Olympics, although the U.S. got their revenge by winning the gold medal game.
The two teams squared off in France on Friday in an exhibition ahead of the Olympics, and at one point, Rudy Gobert wasn’t especially happy with Dwight Powell for some reason. So he did what anyone would do in this situation: He threw the basketball at Powell’s face.
It did not look like anything out of the ordinary happened here, just two guys bumping into one another and Gobert falling out of bounds. Perhaps Gobert is still upset about Powell and the Mavericks beating the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals this year or something. As for the result of the game, Canada was able to pick up an 85-73 win behind a 23-point performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
If last week’s Best New Hip-Hop brought a slew of throwback-leaning projects from the likes of Common, Eminem, and Fat Joe, this week sees more of our contemporary faves putting in appearances, including:
Rob49, who teamed up with Cardi B for the aggressively sexy “On Dat Money“:
Lil Yachty, who showed off of his rap skills again after a quick departure into alt-pop with James Blake with “Let’s Get On Dey Ass:”
And Big Sean, who shrugged off a possible album leak by sharing “Yes” and the trailer for his upcoming album, Better Me Than You:
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending July 19, 2024 (side note: Bando Stone And The New World is a lot of things, but I don’t feel like there’s enough rapping on there to justify sticking it in the hip-hop column. You may disagree… that’s fine. Write your own column.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
Blxst — I’ll Always Come Find You
Blxst
As remarkable as it is that I’ll Always Come Find You is Blxst’s debut album, it’s also a concept album, telling a story of legacy, family, honor, and self-definition. Blxst expands his G-funk-inflected neo-soul sound to encompass influences as diverse as Afrobeats, EDM, and more.
Curren$y & MonstaBeatz — Radioactive
Curren$y
Look. You know what you’re getting when you press “play” on a Curren$y album. You can take that as being monotonous, but I see it as consistent (a private joke among my friends is how hard we champion “Curren$y-core” artists like Le$ and Larry June in our everyday lives).
Denzel Curry — King Of the Mischievous South Vol. 2
Denzel Curry
While I was a huge fan of Denzel’s last album, Melt My Eyez, See Your Future, some of his longest-tenured fans were disappointed by its mellow posture, missing his more aggressive early sound. Consider this a full-circle moment for the Florida rapper, who not only returns to his Memphis trap inspirations but also sews up some Raider Klan loose ends by teaming up with ASAPs Rocky and Ferg.
Freeway & Jake One — Stimulus Package 2
Freeway
Jake One has the best chemistry with Freeway of any producer not named Just Blaze. The duo reunites for another collection of soulful, straightforward boom-bap featuring Philly compatriots Black Thought and Peedi Crakk, former competitor Jadakiss, and young buck rising stars Sauce Walka and Symba.
JT — City Cinderella
JT
It’s always bittersweet when groups like City Girls split up. On one hand, you certainly want to see what they come up with next, but on the other, you miss what was. Softening the blow here is the knowledge that it was always JT who wanted to be the rapper between the two and she brings that same hunger to her solo debut.
Singles/Videos
Earthgang & Snakehips — “Glimmer”
Earthgang and Snakehips’ new EP, SNAKEGANG Vol. 1, is out now and “Glimmer” appears to be the focus track — for good reason. If you’re any kind of regular reader, you know this track falls into a category best recognized as “extremely my sh*t,” pairing clever, intricate rhyme schemes with four-on-the-floor, old-school, organ-hits-and-vocal-flair house beats. It’s a good combination for a good vibration (you get it).
Flyana Boss — “Hot Butter Summertime”
Quiet as it’s kept, Flyana Boss has kept up the tradition of Missy Elliott’s groundbreaking experimentation, blending hip-hop with an exuberant jock jam here to craft one of the most energetic bops of the year. They may not be getting the same sort of saturation as when they were running through Disneyland these days… but they should be.
G Herbo — “Shoot” Feat. Skilla Baby
I’ve enjoyed watching Skilla Baby’s breakout, but something about Herbo brings the best out of him. Herbo and Skilla Baby are now three-for-three on assertive-but-catchy street singles, and to be honest, guys… what do we have to do to get a full 10-song project? Also, I hate to say it but I’m a sucker for Chopsquad DJ’s producer tag, which includes a sample of my first-ever childhood anime, Robotech.
Logic — “Mission Control”
Speaking of anime, did you catch my conversation with Logic about Cowboy Bebop? You should check it out here. Sampling Gucci Mane’s “Lemonade” and slowing it down, Logic employs a Golden Era flow to spit some of his most energized rhymes in a while. “I see it in your face like an esthetician” is the sort of simple but effective wordplay that made me a fan.
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