In June, ASAP Rocky teased the release date for his long-awaited fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb, during his Paris Fashion Week show for AWGE, ending a six-year gap between full-length projects from the Harlem native. Despite announcing the album’s title in December 2023, Rocky has been frustratingly cagey throughout the rollout; his most recent update on the album was simply that there wouldn’t be any previously leaked songs on it, which could mean that he’s planning to keep recording until the 11th hour, or that the retail version has been locked in a vault to ensure its security.
We’ll find out more about the album when it’s officially out in a week or so, but for now, here’s what we know about Don’t Be Dumb.
Release Date
Don’t Be Dumb is due on 8/30 via ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds, RCA. You can find more info here.
Tracklist
As of now, the tracklist has yet to be released. This post will be updated.
Features
Like the tracklist, the features have yet to be revealed. This post will be updated.
Singles
So far, several singles have been released, but it has yet to be revealed whether any of them will appear on the final tracklist. “Sh*ttin Me,” “Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n),” and “Highjack” featuring Jessica Pratt are the songs that have been released so far.
Artwork
ASAP Rocky hasn’t revealed the artwork for Don’t Be Dumb as yet. Stay tuned.
Tour
If there’s going to be a tour for Don’t Be Dumb, we can likely expect Rocky to announce the dates closer to the album’s release, judging fromm other releases this year.
Dripping in gold, encrusted diamonds and gemstone assortments, grillz isn’t a new trend to the culture. In 2024, Black women are taking the helm of its resurgence.
Intricately designed grillz were practically everywhere you looked during 2024 Paris Olympics recaps and post-performance photoshoots. Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles flashed her pearly whites while wearing a custom-designed gold and diamond piece from Jimmy Phan of Done Right & Co. New York Liberty forward Nyara Sabally wore unique Fine Ass Fronts-made 14k gold Olympic-inspired gemstones that glimmered across her megawatt smile. Whether being in the athletic space, like Chicago Sky powerhouse Angel Reese, or taking hip-hop by storm, think Atlanta’s own Latto, late millennial and Gen-Z femmes are unapologetically making themselves known in the dental jewelry space.
Each region has their own staple. The South might even come to mind; gold slugs and the ‘bling bling’ aesthetic are as true to New Orleans as delectable gumbo. Flashy platinum and diamond grillz swept the Houston scene from the 2000s forward. But the movement emerged from the East Coast when Famous Eddie’s Gold Teeth owner, Eddie Plein, took his knack for pull-out tooth caps and pioneered gold mouthfuls in 1980s-era New York City.
But roughly four decades later, Black women in the grillz industry are ensuring that dental accessories belong to all and are no longer synonymous with masculinity. NOLA native Erica Diggs, owner of Grillz by Diggs, grew up around the No Limit Records and Cash Money Records wave when locals went from slugs to grillz. For women, traditionally, it was virtually unknown for them to rock embellished dental jewelry.
“You would see women with maybe a couple of gold teeth here and there. But you would never see a woman with a full set, like, top and bottom, fully iced out or even fully slugged out grillz,” Diggs tells UPROXX.
After serving in the military, in 2012, Diggs pursued grill design, initially partnering with a wholesale manufacturer before going the independent route. A Mariah Carey devotee, Diggs calls diamond cut grillz her signature, and has mastered design software like Rhino and ZBrush – even booking an online tutor – to bring her innovative pieces to life. Altogether, it took two years for Diggz to be proficient at her skillset, but she continues to evolve by the piece.
“Once I mastered doing it by hand, I just wanted my work to be cleaner,” Diggs continues. “There’s a place for everybody with grillz; so you have your traditional vintage looking grillz that are not as clean and polished and perfect. But then with modern technologies and all these rappers with elaborate designs, you need 3D.”
True to the expertise she’s perfected, while Diggs practically can do it all, she might recommend another grillz designer if you aren’t talking ice.
“If you’re not here for diamonds, maybe I’ll send you the Helen [With the Gold Teeth],” says Diggs, referencing stylized grillz pioneer, Helen Harris. “She’s not into diamonds like I am. She’s more into the organic looking…with the gemstones and stuff like that. I just want [that] Lil Wayne [style]. I want Cash Money. “The Block Is Hot.” When the light hits the ice, it twinkle and glisten. That’s where I’m at right now.”
As for formal jewelry education and dental care, that’s where Christina ‘Chriss’ Rogers of Ease the Brand comes in. Originally from Houston, now residing in Los Angeles, Rogers noticed the grillz demand years before envisioning them with a safer design method. Through frequent wear, dental jewelry can cause gum irritation, plaque buildup, and tooth enamel decay, which Rogers wanted to prevent with her incisive concept.
Via The Artist
“It’s like everywhere I looked, people had grillz and they were a fashion statement,” Rogers says. “I have wanted one for a very long time, it’s just, I knew what they did to people’s teeth. So it was just all around me and I never had the opportunity to get one until I invented the protective mouth grill.”
She continues, “So to be in a position now where I see all these people wearing grillz and I’m like, ‘Oh, I have a better option for you. It’s so great. It feels like a full circle moment.’”
Rogers first went through a straightening process with clear aligners for her own teeth to make the patent-pending Protective Mouth Grill, used as an emollient safeguard against harsh metals. Now, along with being sold online, Rogers hosts in-person pop-up consultations and chats, appearing at LA-local events like Hotwater Cornbread, Black Market Flea, and Afrobeats Block Party Jollof Cook-Off. She also understands the perspective of those who aren’t familiar with the PMG but encourages them to keep their chompers stylish and secure.
“I imagine someone new coming in and kind of offering this product, that’s, number one, new to the market, like, you never heard of this before. But then it’s they’re coming to your space and they’re just creating or introducing a new way of doing things.”
While Rogers has her sights on the current titanium grill trend, famously worn by Kanye West and Rihanna, Ease continues to be in motion, aligning with consumers who plan to keep their teeth sturdy for years to come.
“I look back now and I’m like, ‘How in the world did I make it this far?’ And I realized, I really shut off what people thought about me. I really shut off naysayers or people trying to detour me and I just kept my goal at the forefront and now I’m here.”
Also in the LA grillz hustle is Drayco the Plug, who began as a designer who’d send molds to be made into grillz before learning the process herself. Now six years in, and working on her first 3D piece, Drayco’s known for her expressive and gem-centric ability.
“Right now, a super popular style that I’ve been doing is a little spiral that people seem to like a lot and gemstones,” says Drayco. “Opals are pretty cool because they come in a different variety of colors, shapes, etcetera. My least favorite is amethyst, it’s kind of hard to work with hard stones and cut [them], but I’ll do what people want me to do.”
Working in LA’s downtown jewelry district, Drayco regularly has women customers but notes that her grind is often judged by older male jewelry artisans.
“Being down here, a lot of people are working in fine jewelry,” she continues. “So when I’m coming to them and showing them what I do, which is a bit different, they kind of look at me a little sideways because [there are] a lot of older men down here. They’ve been in this game for 25 years, so it’s like, me, this Black girl coming in talking about tooth jewelry, they’re like, ‘Um.’”
However, there shouldn’t be rules (unless hygienic) or gatekeeping in dental jewelry when it comes to girls and their grillz. Let Diggs, Rogers, and Drayco be proof that all it takes is a little artistry and dedication to make teeth decoratively shine.
“Someone can only show you so much before you have to take the steps and learn things on your own,” Drayco says. “With everything I make I learn something new.”
It has been a very eventful summer for the stars of the Boston Celtics. After winning the franchise’s first championship in 16 years, Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday joined USA Basketball in Las Vegas as part of the Paris Olympics squad. After Kawhi Leonard got dropped from the roster, another Celtic got added, but rather than bringing on Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, USA Basketball opted for two-way guard Derrick White to join the team.
That had Brown feeling frustrated, as he made clear on social media, claiming Nike was behind his exclusion from the roster. Then, once in Paris, controversy continued as Jayson Tatum found himself on the fringe of the roster, getting a pair of DNPs and playing mostly off the bench in spot duty. With so much wing talent on Team USA, Steve Kerr leaned on his veterans and it’s hard to argue with the results as they won a gold medal. Still, there was clearly some frustration with Tatum’s role, with Celtics fans and even some in the organization taking offense at Tatum’s role on Team USA coming off a title.
This week, Jaylen Brown was in Oakland for the launch of a nonprofit effort called the XChange, as he joined Bay area native Jason Kidd with a program that looks to bridge the racial wealth gap. As such, Brown sat down for various interviews, and while talking with NBC Sports, he got asked about Tatum’s playing time in Paris and was clearly not enthused about the question (video here).
“I don’t have any comments right now…” Brown said. “I’m focused on the Oakland XChange, and I’m excited about that. Jayson will be fine. Jayson Tatum will be fine. We will be fine. Tonight is about the Oakland XChange and the Oakland community, so I want to keep highlighting that.”
It’s always a delicate balance when you get these interviews because it is a rare opportunity in the summer to talk to guys and there are questions fans want answered that you’re trying to get, while also allowing them to talk about whatever venture it is they’re part of. Beyond that tightrope you’re already walking, Brown clearly doesn’t have great feelings towards USA Basketball at the moment after being left off the roster. As a result, this question does not land particularly well and Brown very quickly looks to move on to another topic.
I’ve been trying to take it easy on Gen Z, I really have. You guys have had it hard. But you know what? Sometimes, you are your own worst enemies. Like today, when some of you accused Big Sean of biting Baby Keem‘s flow, despite the former having been around and using the same flow for over a decade and a half before you even learned the latter existed. All of recorded human knowledge in the palm of your hand, and you choose to be wrong AND loud about it. Not very demure, not very mindful.
It all started when fan account @rapalert6 shared a clip from Sean’s new video, “Yes,” on Twitter (which we all agree will never actually be called X, right?). Users began to respond with goofy statements like, “We really live in a world where baby keem has 40 year old sons,” and “Kendrick and Baby Keem bout to send Big Sean a cease and desist.”
Of course, there were plenty of other users who were quick to set the record straight. “Y’all showing your age thinking Big Sean stole that from baby Keem, Big Sean been doing that for 10+ years,” wrote one. Another noted, “17 year olds who never heard ‘Paradise’ are saying he biting Baby Keem when he’s actually the one these rappers copy.”
Y’all showing your age thinking Big Sean stole that from baby Keem, Big Sean been doing that for 10+ years https://t.co/D4pttQJnDG
Ever since the Love Island USAseason six finale last month, the top three couples have been parading their love around the country through various trips, podcasts, and ad campaigns sponsored by Cheez-Its. But the fourth runner-up couple, Kendall Washington and Nicole Jacky, had a very different experience when integrating back into the world.
Just hours before the finale, an alleged NSFW clip of Washington leaked on social media, which quickly went viral while the couple was still in the villa. Then the season ended, and the Islanders were given back their phones to learn just how popular the season had gotten. This is when Washington learned of the video and, according to what he said at the reunion.
Over the next few weeks, while the other couples were posting about their love stories on social, there was virtually no evidence that Kendall and Nicole were still together, that is, until the reunion. “I haven’t ended things; we’re still together,” Jacky said at the start of the show, before Washington added, “It’s been a bit tough coming on the outside. Just trying to communicate and work through things.” This is where things got messy. Jacky interrupted, “Communicate? You have not been communicating. You never have been.” Soon, the couple had to adress the elephant in the room: the leaked video.
Jacky then stated, “I just want to say something. Obviously, the video is not okay. Nobody deserves that. Everybody in this room can agree it’s f*cked up. However, I think if you say you love somebody in the moment, when you’re telling me about something, you need to be honest. Instead of saying it’s from years ago to someone you trusted — an ex-girlfriend — and then I find out two days later from JaNa that it was in the hotel room before you go on the show to someone on a dating app is crazy.”
It’s important to keep in mind that this moment happened minutes after the two of them had gotten their phones back for the first time in over a month, which is why Washington said he panicked. He responded, “I 100 percent should’ve been honest with Nicole in that moment, but I honestly wasn’t ready. My life was turned upside down and all I wanted to do was to have you there.” The couple then went back and forth about the situation, with many of the Islanders coming to defend Washington while also hearing out Jacky, though their status was left unresolved.
Then, early on Wednesday morning, both Islanders confirmed they had broken up, with Washington being the one to pull the plug. “I have decided to end things with Nicole,” Washington wrote in an Instagram story as detailed by Vulture. “It reached a point where it was not healthy for us to continue the relationship. I still love and care for Nicole. I’ve never developed such strong feelings for a woman in my life. I have no regrets for the connection I made with her in the villa and it was real. She does not deserve any hate. Please stop with the negative comments/DMs. We’re taking this time to focus on our mental health. Thank you guys.”
Jacky’s post featured more detail: “On August 18, Kendall and I agreed our relationship was worth working on, and we were making plans for me to visit him in Dallas soon. However, today, on August 20, he called and ended things. While I understand and respect his decision, it’s hard to process this one. I opened up to him in the villa, and still love and care for him now. I’m struggling mentally and all I ask for is privacy during this time,” she added.
It seems like the reunion was the final straw for the two of them. Apparently, some relationships can only exist inside of a vacuum, or at least a deserted island away from everyone else. Now, they two can move on in peace… until they secure some more brand deals.
It turns out you won’t have to head to South America to catch the performance: It was announced today (August 21) that the São Paulo performance will be livestreamed via YouTube. The broadcast is set to start on the 7th at 5 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT), via The Weeknd’s YouTube channel.
The Weeknd says of the news in a statement:
“I’m so excited to announce that we’ll be live streaming my show from São Paulo, Brazil, so everyone around the world can be a part of this special night. I wish I could come to every city and town on earth, but moments like this give us the chance to connect in real time at least and share that energy together, no matter where you are.”
A press release notes the “highly anticipated performance is expected to feature chart-topping hits and potentially offer a glimpse into what’s next for the artist.” So, it seems the big show might just shed some light on the more mysterious parts of The Weeknd’s recent activity.
The year 1999 is having a moment. First it was the trailer for A24’s technology uprising comedy Y2K; now it’s Foxing releasing the music video for “Hell 99.” The ferocious single from the band’s upcoming self-titled album begins with the memorable lyrics: “1999 / Stuck until the end / Suffer till the end / Masochistic trend / Carson MTV / Bizkit NYE / F*ck f*ck f*ck.”
“‘Hell 99’ is about burnout and fatigue,” guitarist Eric Hudson said. “It is meant to capture frustration and mania with repeating cultural trends, the way a cat video and a horrifying news story can be viewed in successive moments, and the mental fatigue and shame that you are left with in taking it all in.”
You can watch the music video above.
“Hell 99” is the second single (after “Greyhound”) from Foxing, which has been described as “an album that balances hopefulness and nihilism, the pastoral with the tumultuous. Whether oscillating between visceral noise rock and intimate bedroom cassette experiments on opener ‘Secret History’ or cruising at the edge of collapse on ‘Barking,’ the dramatic dynamics that have long permeated Foxing’s music have never felt so extreme.”
Foxing is out 9/13 via Grand Paradise. Find more information here.
“I can’t even imagine being at their level — it must suck.”
Post Malone said this a few days ago, about the astronomical fame levels Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have achieved. He added, “That’s so much pressure.”
To recap, he’s talking about two transcendent figures who are uncommonly famous and are at and approaching billionaire status, respectively. The pressures of fame aren’t just reserved for people on that echelon, though. There are just different tiers, but regardless of the level, it sounds like it’s often not a lot of fun.
That’s a well-worn thought, but it’s still one that can be hard to relate to: For those who haven’t experienced fame like this, the idea can feel abstract.
In 2019, Swift said, “Pop music can feel like it’s The Hunger Games, and like we’re gladiators. And you can really lose focus of the fact that that’s how it feels because that’s how a lot of stan Twitter and tabloids and blogs make it seem – the overanalyzing of everything makes it feel really intense.”
It can be tough to relate to Swift here. Not because what she’s saying is hard to understand or doesn’t have merit, but because she’s at such a different place than we are, and has been for decades. How similar is my life to Taylor Swift’s? We’re both 5’11” and have multiple cats we spend a lot of time thinking about. That’s about it. A lack of common ground makes it so it’s difficult to have empathy and truly consider what she’s saying about fame in relation to a life experience like mine. To most, Swift is a thing they see on social media and Spotify, a “figure,” not a person. Her existence is different and we could never understand.
What would help is something like the idea that half-jokingly gets thrown around in online conversations every four years: They should have an unexceptional no-name competing in the Olympics, to illustrate to us at home how tough the events really are, to add a relatable reference point. (Raygun doesn’t count.)
Just take a regular person, make them a massive pop star for a few months, and have them report back on the experience. Well, we have basically that now: Chappell Roan.
Roan had some success before “Good Luck, Babe!,” with her 2017 EP School Nights and 2023 album The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, but at the start of 2024, she was functionally an ordinary person, able to do drugs in public and have bar-stranger make-outs without anybody caring beyond the normal amount.
Massive fame coming on so rapidly has been a significant shock for Roan, but the surprising part is how open she has been about it all.
Somebody in her position, unexpectedly rocketing into the public consciousness, might hesitate to complain about the upward trajectory they’re on, in fear of rocking the boat and losing momentum. But, Roan doesn’t seem to care about that. Her candor has offered a rare window for us faceless randos — like Roan herself mostly was, relatively speaking, just months ago — to have relatable perspective on what the pressures of fame are actually like.
Roan has publicly discussed the topic a number of times (here, here, here), but it has so far culminated in a pair of TikTok videos shared on August 19. In one video, she lays out a scenario, taking place between two ordinary people:
“If you saw a random woman on the street, would you yell at her from the car window? Would you harass her in public? Would you go up to a random lady and say, ‘Can I get a photo with you?’ And she’s like, ‘No, what the f*ck?’ And then you get mad at this random lady? Would you be offended if she says no to your time because she has her own time? Would you stalk her family? Would you follow her around? Would you try to dissect her life and bully her online? This is a lady you don’t know. And she doesn’t know you at all. Would you assume that she’s a good person, assume she’s a bad person? Would you assume everything you read about her online is true? I’m a random b*tch. You’re a random b*tch. Just think about that for a second, OK?”
She added in a follow-up video, “I don’t care that this crazy type of behavior comes along with the job, the career field I’ve chosen. That does not make it OK. […] I don’t want whatever the f*ck you think you’re supposed to be entitled to whenever you see a celebrity. […] I’m allowed to say no to creepy behavior, OK?”
Roan has been star-level famous for less than half a year and she’s already sick of it. That should tell us something. She’s surely not the only one, either. Imagine what it’d be like to be stopped every time you go do groceries. Imagine what it’s like to step out as Taylor Swift every day. Post Malone put it best: “It must suck.”
It won’t happen on a large scale because stans are going to stan, but hopefully some people see what Roan, a “random b*tch” like them, is saying and reconsider how they approach their next celebrity sighting. They’re not just “figures”: they’re people.
The engines are revving for Mickey Heller and his Lincoln to return for Netflix‘s The Lincoln Lawyer. The third season will arrive long after the Matthew McConaughey movie of yesteryear, and the even better news is that everything is coming up Neve Campbell these days. Not only will she unexpectedly return for Scream 7, but she’s also making her way back to the Manuel Garcia-Rulfo-starring series on Netflix.
When Will The Lincoln Lawyer Return For Season 3?
The popular series will return on October 17 with a full season’s worth of episodes, which almost seems unusual in this era of split seasons on Netflix. Audiences will take that gesture whenever they can get it, and this season will continue adapting Michael Connelly’s bestselling novels while specifically zeroing in on the fifth book, The Gods of Guilt, which finds Mickey tied to a murder victim, an ex-sex worker and former law client who had descended back into some bad habits. According to executive producer Ross Fineman speaking to TV Insider, this might be “the toughest case he’s ever had.”
How will Neve Campbell fit into this season as Maggie? After moving to another city, Mickey’s ex will likely be present only in flashback form. According to a previous announcement about the series renewal, Netflix made the decision to have Maggie help flesh out Mickey’s various sides, including “the husband, the father, and the man that he would come to be.” This, in turn, could help explain Mickey’s decisions involving this season’s main dilemma surrounding his former client.
In June, Omar Apollo released his second album, God Said No, following the three singles, “Spite,” “Dispose Of Me,” and “Less Of You.”
This past Tuesday (August 20), he kicked off the God Said No Tour in Indianapolis, Indiana, and while the new album gets plenty of burn in the setlist — which you can see below, courtesy of setlist.fm — his debut album Ivory is actually the best represented song in the setlist, with eight songs to seven for God Said No. Check out the setlist below.
God Said No Tour Setlist
01. “Be Careful With Me”
02. “Useless”
03. “Spite Less Of You”
04. “Less Of You”
05. “Done With You”
06. “3 Boys”
07. “Petrified”
08. “While U Can”
09. “Drifting”
10. “How”
11. “Invincible”
12. “En el olvido”
13. “Dos uno nueve (219)”
14. “Endlessly”
15. “Killing Me”
16. “Want U Around”
17. “Empty”
18. “Kamikaze”
19. “Tamagotchi”
20. “Life’s Unfair”
21. “Against Me”
22. “Dispose Of Me”
23. “Evergreen”
24. “Glow”
25. “Go Away”
Omar Apollo God Said No Tour Dates
08/21 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
08/23 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
08/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Highmark Skyline Stage at The Mann
09/03 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
09/04 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
09/06 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
09/07 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium
09/10 – Cincinnati, OH @ The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park
09/11 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
09/13 – Charlotte, NC @ Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
09/14 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
09/16 – Miami, FL @ FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park
09/17 – Orlando, FL @ Orlando Amphitheater
09/19 – Houston, TX @ The Lawn at White Oak Music Hall
09/21 – Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park
09/22 – Irving (Dallas), TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
09/24 – Bentonville, AR @ The Momentary
09/26 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
09/29 – Vancouver, BC @ Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
10/01 – Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater
10/02 – Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield
10/04 – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre
10/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
10/08 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
10/10 – Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre
10/11 – San Diego, CA @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
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