Month: August 2024

Latto is depicted in Spotify’s new Gold Standard Exhibition honoring “the ladies setting the bar for hip-hop” and showcased in New York City’s The Hole Gallery. Sugar Honey Iced Tea, her upcoming album due out on August 9, should be Latto’s latest masterpiece.

On Wednesday, August 7, the Atlanta-bred rapper revealed the full Sugar Honey Iced Tea tracklist, and she is not playing around. The album features Coco Jones, Megan Thee Stallion, Ciara, Young Nudy, Hunxho, Mariah The Scientist, and Teezo Touchdown.

“When the album drop pls listen in order & don’t skip ‘Big Mama’ just cuz it’s already out I put a lot of effort into the sequence [smiley face emoji],” Latto captioned her Instagram post.

Latto released “Big Mama” in June. The song placed within the top 50 of several Billboard charts, including peaking at No. 29 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

See Latto’s full Sugar Honey Iced Tea tracklist below.

1. “Georgia Peach”
2. “Big Mama”
3. “Blick Sum”
4. “Settle Down”
5. “Shrimp & Grits” Feat. Young Nudy
6. “There She Go”
7. “Brokey”
8. “Mimi (Interlude)”
9. “H&M”
10. “Copper Cove” Feat. Hunxho
11. “Ear Candy” Feat. Coco Jones
12. “Liquor”
13. “Squeeze” Feat. Megan Thee Stallion
14. “Good 2 U” Feat. Ciara
15. “Look What You Did” Feat. Mariah The Scientist
16. “Prized Possession” Feat. Teezo Touchdown
17. “S/O To Me”

Bonus

18. “Put It On Da Floor”
19. “Put It On Da Floor Again” Feat. Cardi B
20. “Sunday Service”
21. “Sunday Service (Remix)” Feat. Megan Thee Stallion & Flo Milli

Sugar Honey Iced Tea is out 8/9 via RCA Records. Find more information here.

Update: On Wednesday night, August 7, Scott Rosenblum, Nelly’s attorney, spoke out in his defense. Rosenblum told TMZ that Nelly (real name Cornell Haynes Jr.) had been “targeted by an overzealous, out-of-line officer.”

He also issued a statement to Billboard in Nelly’s defense, as excerpted below.

“He was arrested for ‘No Proof of Insurance’ from 2018 on a warrant issued December 2023 that he received no notice. Mr. Haynes is was targeted by an overzealous, out of line officer. After winning several jackpots, at a venue where Mr. Haynes frequently visits and entertains at its amphitheater; instead of just supervising the transfer of Mr. Haynes’ winnings, this officer felt compelled to needlessly run a check for warrants. The officer informed Mr. Haynes a background check was mandated when a player won over a certain amount; Mr. Haynes knew this to be untrue as he had won several jackpots for similar or greater amounts including one just a week prior without incident or a background check. Once Mr. Haynes was informed of the warrant for a No Proof of lnsurance infraction, this officer felt compelled to handcuff Mr. Haynes behind his back and parade him through the casino in front of other patrons.”

Rosenblum claimed to Billboard and TMZ that the arresting officer searched Nelly “without probable cause” and allegedly discovered ecstasy. Rosenblum expressed utmost confidence that “this case will go nowhere, and we will be asking for an inquiry into this officer’s conduct.”

As per TMZ, Rosenblum clarified that Nelly had not been charged with drug possession.

Original Article: Nelly had been basking in good news over the past year-plus. The iconic St. Louis rapper reconciled with Ashanti, with whom he had a high-profile relationship in the early 2000s, and they may or may not be married. In April, Ashanti did publicly confirm that she and Nelly are expecting their first child together.

But it’s not all roses.

As first reported by KRCG, Nelly was arrested around 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning, August 7, in the St. Louis, Missouri area.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol later confirmed details to TMZ, as excerpted below:

“The agency has a gaming division, with troopers stationed at the Hollywood Casino in St. Charles. Nelly was asked to show his ID to police and his info was run for verification in accordance with Missouri Gaming Commission regulations.

Police found Nelly had an active warrant for no insurance from a previous traffic stop conducted by Maryland Heights Police. Nelly was arrested for the active warrant, and he was searched. That’s when four ecstasy pills were found on his person, according to the Highway Patrol.

Nelly was booked for felony drug possession and on a warrant for no vehicle insurance.”

TMZ additionally reported that Nelly was “booked at the Maryland Heights Police Department,” and he has been released. Nelly’s mugshot can be seen within TMZ’s report.

As of this writing, Nelly has not publicly commented on the matter.

Naming a baby isn’t the easiest thing that new parents will experience, and subjecting themselves to the well intentioned, but not so helpful input of others is one of the many aspects that makes the whole process really stressful.

That of course goes double for naming twins.

Everyone has an opinion on how matching, catchy or avant garde twin names should be, but outside opinions are rarely what parents need—especially when they didn’t ask for it. Imagine finally coming up with not one, but two perfect monikers meant to represent the two humans you’re bringing into the word ostensibly for their entire life, and someone completely raining on that parade. Doesn’t sound like new parent bliss.

And that’s why one couple decided to come up with a list of fake twin names to give to any inquiring minds.

Over in the r/namenerds subreddit, the couple shared that Tom and Jerry, Ben and Holly, Charlie and Lola and Ant and Dec had already been jotted down, and asked folks to share their own ideas.

The answers did not disappoint.

Of the celebrity name variety, Mary-Kate and Ashley was the top suggested, followed by Taylor and Travis, Lucy and Desi, Cheech and Chong, Penn and Teller.

Then there were music-inspired choices, like Tu and Pac, Wayne and Garth, Sonny and Cher, Ike and Tina and Pink and Floyd.

Plus a few names based on historical figures, like Antony and Cleopatra and Bonnie and Clyde.

Of the twin names inspired by children’s shows, we had Snoopy and Woodstock, Zack and Cody Phineas and Ferb, Anna and Elsa, He-man and She-Ra Bluey and Bingo Fred & Barney Burt & Ernie, Even a few video game references with Mario & Luigi and Link and Zelda. And of course, Ken and Barbie.

There were quite a few names based on literary icons. Be it authors, like Nora and Robert, Lewis and Carol, Agatha and Christie, Stephen and Kingsley, Jane and Austen, James & Joyce and William and Blake. Or characters like Hansel and Gretel, Jack and Jill, Cinderella and Prince (Charming) ,Thor and Loki, Nancy & Drew, and Romeo and Juliet . For the last one, it was suggested to “feign total ignorance that they’re not related” for added comedic effect.

Next category: Movies/TV shows inspired names, which included Wednesday and Pugsley, Ross and Monica, Bart and Lisa, Cersei and Jaime (yikes!) and Luke and Leia.

“I honestly don’t think anyone would be shocked if I suggested Luke and Leia 🤣 That’s definitely going at the top of the list,” the OP commented.

And from there, things descended into absurdity with suggestions like Easy-Peasy and Lemon-Squeezy, Copy and Paste, Dayquil and Nyquil, Gin & Tonic, Merlot & Chardonnay, Beavis and Butthead (especially if for twin girls).

One last honorable mention goes to the person who shared, “My partner and I always joke that we’d tell everyone they were Yanni & Laurel after that internet ‘they sound the same’ thing that went around in 2020.”

Ultimately, naming twins needs the same kind of considerations that all baby names do, which is to think about the real world implication their name might have beyond childhood. There’s just the added challenge of choosing between complete individuality or by acknowledging the unique sibling bond. No choice is necessarily better or worse than the other.

Regardless, this couple has plenty of hilarious fake names to add to their decoy list. Mission accomplished.

Watching the Olympics is always an inspiring reminder of the incredible human ability to push the boundaries of excellence and achievement in sports. It can also be a good reminder of the utter inability the vast majority of us have to even come close to the feats those athletes perform.

There’s a funny phenomenon with the Olympics where we all become overnight armchair experts in every sport, critiquing diving teams’ synchronicity and rock climbers’ foot placement and gymnasts’ landings as if we have any idea what we’re talking about. And there’s also the phenomenon where, somewhere in our bodies, we feel like we might actually be able to do backflips on a balance beam or butterfly stroke our way across a pool or run 100 meters in 10 seconds.

Of course, the truth is we can’t. It takes years and years of intense training to be able to do what Olympians do, and the rest of us aren’t even in the same universe of skill and physical ability as they are. That’s where the “didn’t quality for the 2024 Olympics” viral video trend comes in, offering a hilariously humbling reality check for us all.

When elite athletes make their sport look easy, it’s easy to forget how hard what they do actually is. Seeing people blunder their way through it, though, makes the difficulty painfully clear. So when people started sharing videos of sports fails on social media, tagging them with the captions along the lines of, “Unfortunately didn’t qualify for the 2024 Olympic team,” it became a hilarious viral celebration of human un-achievement.

For instance, this:

@sky.to.swaggy

surprised they didnt ask me to come out of retirement 🤷‍♀️ If @Simone Biles comments I’ll go back to gymnastics #olympics2024paris #gymnastics #simonebiles

And this:

@bellitabaute

Training for LA 2028!! #2024olympics

And this:

@sweetpotatoes2006

maybe next olympics😢

Sometimes you don’t make it because maybe you’re just a little too powerful.

@marshalls_life

i gave it my best shot tho! #paris2024 #olympics #fail #fyp

This girl is all of us after watching the diving events, mistakenly thinking we could do some of what they do.

@www.ihaveacrushonyou

maybe next year ! 😪#olympics #iwillbethenextsteelejohnson or #simonebiles

From high jump and pole vault fails to balls and bodies bouncing in ways they aren’t supposed to, this trend has people wincing but rolling at the examples of why Olympians are Olympians and the rest of us are the rest of us.

— (@)

Of course, even Olympic athletes have epic fails of their own sometimes, which only serves to prove how difficult it is to get to their level but and execute their skills perfectly each time. All the more reason to appreciate their talent and hard work and perhaps to be a bit humbler in our critiques from the couch.

Here’s to humans who do extraordinary things—and to humans who find humor in all the epic fails it takes to get there.

A video posted by a mechanic who goes by Tooey’s Garage on TikTok shows why it’s so important to listen to people who fear they are in danger. It’s also a great reminder that when you suspect something creepy is going on, tell someone about it.

It all started when a woman came to Tooey’s Garage because she thought her car had a tracker attached. “The customer stated that she suspected a tracker was in her vehicle and asked if we could take a look,” Tooey captioned the video.

Apple AirTags and Tiles allow people to attach a small tag to their important items (car keys, wallet, luggage, cars, etc.) to track them if they get lost. The tags report back to an app that allows you to find them on a map. If these items are stolen, the owners can make the tag chirp so the thieves know they’re being tracked.

However, people can use these tags for nefarious reasons, such as stalking people by placing them on their cars. This allows them to know wherever their victim may be whenever they leave the house.

Tile tracker devices.via Dennis Sylvester Hurd/Flickr

The woman who came to Tooey’s Garage said she got an alert on her phone that an “unidentifiable tile” was following her around. So Tooey searched the inside of her car for hours and found nothing. Then he put the car up on a rack and searched the underside, where he found a tracker wrapped in duct tape and attached to the vehicle in a magnetic hide-a-key box.

The woman told Tooey that the person she suspected was stalking her had put trackers on other people’s cars as well.

@tooeys.garage

Customer stated that she suspected a tracker was in her vehicle, and asked if we could take a look. We looked inside 1st then put it on a lift once one opened up. The tile tracker was attached under the car in a magnetic key box. #creepy #creeper #stalker #mechanicsoftiktok #mechanic #fypage #gethelp @Life360 @Tile #fixed #life360

“If you feel like someone might be creeping on you and stalking you, maybe see if your local shop can take a look. Hopefully, they won’t think you’re crazy, but it does actually happen,” Tooey said at the end of the video.

People in the video’s comments praised the mechanic for taking the woman’s concerns seriously and doing whatever he could to find the tracker. “Y’all are awesome for not only believing her but also helping her!” one commenter wrote. “Thank you for believing her AND being so thorough!” another added.

One commenter made a great point: trackers should be traceable back to the purchaser to prevent stalking. “The owner should be able to have that device tracked back to the purchaser and have them charged with stalking!” they wrote.

Tooey’s video has been seen over 3 million times, and it’s an important warning for people to get their cars looked at immediately if they have even the slightest suspicion that they’re being tracked. It’s also a great example for mechanics to take action if someone comes into their shop looking for a tracker because they could be in great danger.

Kudos to Tooey for going out of his way to help the woman by spending much of his workday trying to locate the tracker. Without his help, the situation could have turned tragic.

Earlier today, Lauryn Hill canceled the entire US leg of The Miseducation Anniversary Tour. After several hours of speculation, Hill offered an explanation by way of a statement on her Instagram. She explained that low ticket sales were to blame for the last-minute cancelation (the tour was set to begin this Friday, August 9), but blamed the low ticket sales on media coverage of the injury that forced her to postpone the tour late last year. Hill had announced the new dates, supported by her son YG Marley, in June, but perhaps the turnaround for those dates was just too quick. You can see the full statement below.

With difficulty, the decision was made to pull down our upcoming North American tour dates.

The shows in the UK and Europe ARE MOVING FORWARD as planned.

Last year, I faced an injury that necessitated the rescheduling of some of my shows. Regrettably, some media outlet’s penchant for sensationalism and clickbait headlines have seemingly created a narrative that has affected ticket sales for the North American portion of the tour. The trust and faith I have in my intentions and my commitment to my art seem to have been overshadowed by this unfortunate portrayal.

The audiences in the UK and Europe not only haven’t seen the Miseducation Anniversary performance yet, they also haven’t seen the Fugees perform together in over 25 years!

Performing for my fans, is a profound exchange of energy and emotion that excites me every time. Every show is a piece of my expression and testament to our connection and shared love for music. I can assure you that no one is more disappointed about not being able to perform than I am.

Know that I am not only grateful for those who appreciate and support my art, but that I FIGHT and push through all kinds of resistance to put together experiences that mean something for all of us. I love being able to bring these performances to you!

I appreciate your understanding. We’re looking forward to performing at the shows in the UK and Europe in October — and for our fans in North America, when these unforeseen circumstances are resolved, we’ll be back in full force…

With Love, Respect and Honesty,
MLH

Two men accused of shooting and killing Philadelphia rapper PnB Rock at a Roscoe’s Chicken And Waffles in September 2022 have been found guilty on all the charges against them, which included murder, robbery, and conspiracy to commit a felony. According to Rolling Stone, the jury deliberated for less than four hours before returning the guilty verdict; 42-year-old Freddie Trone was found guilty of murder, two counts of robbery, and one of conspiracy for masterminding the deadly shooting, arming his 17-year-old son and sending him into the restaurant to rob Rock, while Tremont Jones, 46, was found guilty of two counts of robbery, and one of conspiracy for tipping off Trone.

Earlier this summer, it was reported that the teen shooter was not competent to stand trial. He remains in detention on the recommendation of expert evaluators.

Rock’s mother, Deannea Allen, told Rolling Stone she was “elated” by the outome, saying, “I wanted to jump up and scream, ‘Hallelujah.’ I’m so happy it was quick. We got justice for Rakim. I feel better knowing they’ll be in jail for a long time.”

While Jones’ defense argued that he didn’t have anything to do with the robbery plot, and Trone’s argued that his son acted independently, stealing his car keys and going around to pick up a separate group of people to commit the robbery, the jury didn’t believe that the alibis provided by either held up.

Rebecca Ferguson stars in showrunner Graham Yost’s adaptation of Hugh Howey’s Silo books, and after only one season, the show landed on our list of best Apple TV+ shows ahead of renewal. The series’ vast accomplishments cannot be understated, either, because Howey’s Wool excelled at world building in a way that felt both palpable and impossible to execute onscreen/in real life. Yet Yost did the thing, and now, it’s time to turn to where the books arguably dove into much more of the “fiction” leg of science fiction, which makes the challenge even larger for the small screen.

With that said, the second season of Silo will head into territory explored in Howey’s Shift book, and this sleeper TV series heads from where the first season ended (on the surface with Juliette being exiled from her silo, only to walk over the hill and see more silos) back underground. Let’s get down to business on where this sci-fi thriller plans to take us next.

Plot

We won’t focus too much on the book-related events here other than to say that the Shift book is expansive with multiple timelines and many additional characters, and none of those characters have been mentioned by Yost or the cast other than a key addition: Solo.

The prospective casting of that character has been of great interest to fan forums, and dare we say that the perfect actor for this role joined the second-season cast? Steve Zahn (whose first season turn in The White Lotus helped make the franchise the ongoing sensation that it remains today) was cast as the neighboring-silo survivor who will form the basis of Juliette’s human interaction for the season. Solo has been alone for decades after a mysterious event left him fending for himself, and as Rebecca Ferguson recently (during San Diego Comic-Con) revealed to Variety, he is a “scary and weird” dude.

Solo probably isn’t exactly feeling like befriending Juliette, either, but sometimes, you just gotta roll with it, and both Zahn and Ferguson confirmed that process. And as Graham Yost further detailed, “There are two storylines in Season 2. One that follows Juliette and one that happens in her home Silo.” This checks out, but again, there’s another timeline in the book that might or might not make it into the second season. For simplicity’s sake, Yost could have decided to simply stick with the Solo/Juliette stuff in one silo while making visits to Juliette’s old stomping grounds.

As viewers will also remember, Juliette’s season-finale decision not to “clean” after being pushed out of her home threw her silo’s occupants into a tizzy. This could be tantamount to the start of war, as Apple TV+ teased with an ominous little clip containing the following message: “In the event of a failed cleaning, prepare for war.” — The Order

Bernard (Tim Robbins) and Sims (Common and his un-silo-like attire) will be left with a mess to deal with, but that’s what Juliette would probably want, so we’ll respect it. Meanwhile, Ferguson has detailed how she works to infuse Juliette with “this awkwardness. What happens to people with trauma who have blocked things within themselves, but are so good at fixing other things.” She also previously confirmed that Juliette will continue attempting to fix
things by teasing, “It gets incredibly intense… wet” in this second season.

Finally, would you care to see some BTS tattoo action? Sure, why not:

The weight of this second season was surely heavy to balance from a storytelling standpoint because “intense” doesn’t even begin to describe what Juliette will go through, but in Graham Yost, we trust.

Cast

Rebecca Ferguson returns as Juliette with Steve Zahn being her main scene partner as Solo. Common and his damn leather jacket will continue to embody Sims with Tim Robbins as Bernard. Harriet Walter will also return in Juliette’s home silo, and other confirmed second-season cast members include Alexandria Riley, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Clare Perkins, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, Billy Postlethwaite, Rick Gomez, and Caitlin Zoz.

It does not sound like the second season will touch on the other timeline of characters previously mentioned above, so perhaps those actors shall appear in the third season, or the show will eschew them altogether.

Release Date

The second season debuts on November 15.

Trailer

We should see a formal teaser trailer soonish, but for now, here’s the full Variety group discussion (with Graham Yost, Hugh Howey, Rebecca Ferguson, Common, and Steve Zahn) from SDCC:

The United States women’s basketball team is headed to the semifinals of the Paris Olympics. The Americans took on Nigeria on Wednesday in Paris, and thanks to a double-double from A’ja Wilson and some stifling defense, they were able to pick up an emphatic, 88-74 win to keep their hopes of winning an eighth consecutive gold medal alive.

Every American who took the floor on Wednesday scored at least once, with Wilson leading the way as she’s done for most of the tournament. Wilson, the Las Vegas Aces star, went for 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting and 10 rebounds, marking her third double-double in four Olympic games.

Three other American players reached double-figure scoring: Jackie Young (15 points), Breanna Stewart (13), and Brittney Griner (11). While the team turned the ball over 16 times, they had 31 assists on 34 turnovers and out-rebounded Nigeria, 43-28

While the United States took its collective foot off the gas in the fourth quarter, the team was able to open up a 30-point lead on Nigeria, which struggled to get much of anything going from the field — the team shot 28-for-68 (41.2 percent) and 6-for-25 (24 percent) from three with 14 turnovers. Promise Amukamara, an American-born guard who played collegiate ball at Arizona State and currently plays in France’s top league, led Nigeria with 19 points.

With the win, the United States set up a semifinal matchup with Australia, which lost to Nigeria in group play. The U.S. and the Aussies played one another in the first knockout game back in the 2020 Olympics, and the Americans came out on top, 79-55. This time around, they’ll take the floor on Friday with a spot in the Olympic final against either France or Belgium on the line.

Taylor Swift‘s The Eras Tour would have continued in Vienna, Austria this weekend with shows on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (August 8-10), but all three concerts have been canceled in the wake of a terrorist plot to attack “major events in Vienna” which was uncovered and foiled today, according to CNN.

Barracuda Music, the promoter for Swift’s concerts in Austria, posted confirmation of the cancelation on social media. “With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.”

At a press conference today, Vienna State Police announced they had arrested two men who had been “radicalized through the internet” over a detailed plot to attack the events — which are now confirmed to include Taylor Swift’s concerts. Authorities found chemicals when arresting the men that are being investigated to determine if they could be used to create explosives. While initially police reported no plans to cancel the concerts, as “the concrete danger has been minimized,” it looks like no one is willing to take chances, as there could be other plans in place.

Taylor’s Austrian fans will undoubtedly be disappointed, but Barracuda has a point: It’s far better to be safe than sorry. It looks like we really can’t be normal about Taylor Swift in 2024.