Month: August 2024

Big Sean’s new album, Better Me Than You, is coming soon, and he keeps the rollout rolling with a video for his new single, “On Up.” The video is shot from the perspective of Sean and Jhené Aiko’s son as Sean reflects on — revels in, really — fatherhood.

Sean began the rollout for the new album back in March with the release of the “Clarity” freestyle, then quickly followed up with his single, “Precision.” Unfortunately for him, the buzz for the new project was overshadowed and derailed by the battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

After lying low for a bit, Sean rebooted the hype machine with an eyebrow-raising freestyle for On The Radar Radio. While some fans misinterpreted the freestyle as a shot at Kendrick Lamar, the supporters of the verse’s true target, Kanye West, allegedly retaliated by leaking the album early. Sean shot down the theory that Kanye did it himself, and with a new management team in place, seems confident that the album will return him to fans’ good graces and earn him the attention he deserves.

You can watch the video for “On Up” above.

Better Me Than You is out 8/9 via FF to Def Entertainment. You can find more information here.

We all know that humans need water to survive, but how much just plain water do we actually need to consume each day to be healthy?

If your instinct is to say 6 to 8 glasses of water a day, you’re not alone. For many of us, that figure has been ingrained into us since we were kids by health class teachers, family doctors and concerned caregivers alike.

However, needing 8 glasses a day of water is a total and complete myth.

Despite being deeply embedded in our collective conscience, there’s little to no scientific evidence to back up the idea that drinking 8 glasses—or any specific number of ounces—of water per day is ideal. This fact might take a minute to digest, since these days so many of us carry water bottles measured in specific ounces to help us stay hydrated and may even track our water consumption with an app or daily planner.

Knowing how many ounces of water we should drink and tracking how much we do drink may give us a satisfying sense of control, but it’s largely meaningless. According to the Mayo Clinic, staying hydrated isn’t so much about how much water you drink but about how much fluid you consume overall, including from foods and beverages besides water. And that amount is different for every person because every person’s body is different.

Additionally, our circumstances are different each day. If you’re exercising or sweating from the heat, your body’s hydration needs change. If you’re sick, pregnant or breastfeeding, your hydration needs change. Certain medications can alter how much fluid your body needs, as can a high-salt diet.

But there must be some kind of guideline, right? We can’t just be willy nilly drinking water whenever we feel like it in the age of step counts and sleep tracking apps, can we?

Feeling thirsty?Photo by Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

Inadequate hydration is linked to early aging and chronic disease, among other things, so it’s important to get enough fluids. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine lists adequate daily fluid intake as:

– About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men

– About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women

Some doctors point out that we have a natural mechanism to tell us when we aren’t well-hydrated—thirst. “Drink when you’re thirsty” may sound like basic advice, but it’s what many physicians recommend. However, thirst is a sign that your body is already mildly dehydrated, so some recommend drinking before you get thirsty as well.

Just don’t go too far that way, either. Another common myth is that you can’t drink too much water, but that’s not true. A tragedy in 2023 in which a healthy mother of two drank four bottles of water in about 20 minutes and died of water intoxication highlighted the importance of not drinking too much water too fast. And drinking an excess of water overall, though rarely a problem for well-nourished adults, can make it hard for your kidneys to process properly.

One way to gauge your hydration level besides monitoring thirst is to check your pee. While it doesn’t need to be clear(contrary to popular belief) it shouldn’t be dark. According to Healthline‘s handy hydration chart, “lemonade” is about the shade you’re looking for. Too clear means you’re probably overhydrating. Darker than a light beer and it’s time to up your liquid intake a bit.

Water is good. Hydration is important. Pay attention to thirst. Shoot for lemonade-shade pee. That ought to keep you on the right track for getting enough liquid without having to keep track of how many glasses or ounces of water you drink each day.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has had a fascinating career arc. The playwright shot to stardom behind the runaway success of his historical hip-hop musical Hamilton, but then, fans quickly felt that the market was oversaturated after the cast was booked to perform on seemingly every late-night show and award show for a solid year (certain optics didn’t help either). Miranda moved onto other projects, but the more he did, it seemed, the more fans wished he’d do less.

That was the general sentiment on social media when Manuel announced his next project: a concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film, The Warriors. I must admit, I’ve been softer on Miranda than most — Hamilton is good, Miranda’s a decent technical rapper with legit hip-hop chops, and the Moana and Encanto soundtracks are leagues better than either Frozen — and I declared no longer than a week ago that the “Rap Concept Album Is Back,” and even I’m a little skeptical, albeit cautiously so.

If there’s anyone I’d trust to be able to pull it off, it would be Miranda. The album will feature a full cast, recounting the plot of the film, which follows a small band of New York City gangbangers as they fight their way back to their Coney Island stomping grounds from a meetup gone wrong in the Bronx. At the very least, it’s closer in historical context to the rise of rap music than the retelling of nation’s founding, as The Warriors and “Rapper’s Delight” were released within six months of each other (the former on February 9, 1979, the latter on August 2).

The album’s got some legit hip-hop bonafides behind it, too; it’s executive-produced by none other than Nas. Also, let’s be real; remake-mania has already come for The Warriors, which a lot of you only know because Rockstar made a video game about it, so not too much on my man Lin, alright?

In the video for the title track from Gunna‘s new album, One Of Wun, the Atlanta rapper takes on dual roles, playing both coaches in a high-stakes basketball game between two teams at the Overtime Elite youth basketball league arena. Each version of Gunna is a different coaching stereotype; one is cool, calm, and calculating, while the other is bombastic and demonstrative on the sideline.

Rather than playing out with one team losing and one winning, however, the split-screen video (directed by Spike Jordan) ends with both outcomes, playing on the chorus lyric, “Think all about how they want me to lose, but I’m W, due for a win.” In the end, Gunna gets to have his cake and eat it too, winning no matter what.

A whole slew of real-life rising star high schoolers appears in the video as themselves, including the #1 and #2 ranked players in the country, Tyran Stokes of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA and Brandon McCoy Jr. of St. John Bosco in Bellflower, CA (respectively), and OTE players Parker Robinson, Jayden Wilkins, and Romelo Hill.

You can watch the video for Gunna’s “One Of Wun” above.

One Of Wun is out now via YSL/300 Entertainment. You can find more info here.

PinkPantheress was flying high at the start of 2024. She teased new music, completed her Capable Of Love tour, and was booked as the opening artist on Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts tour in addition to a slew of festival bookings including Jack Harlow’s Gazebo Festival, FORM Festival, III Points, and more.

However, it seemed after all this, she’s hit a wall, and pushing through it has proved more difficult than expected. Today, she announced she’s canceling all future performances for 2024, including her tour and all those festival sets she had planned.

“it is with the heaviest heart that i sadly have to announce that i will not be able to continue with the rest of my live shows this year in order to focus on my physical health and overall wellbeing,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “it appears i have reached a wall which i am struggling to penetrate through. this will include my GUTS tour, Field Day, Summer Sonic, FORM, Ill Points, and Australia/NZ appearances.”

“i would like to thank all of you, as well as my touring team and Olivia for giving me the platform to perform some super fun shows,” she continued. “I’m sad to disappoint anyone and can only hope we will be in each other’s company once i return to health.”

You can see a screenshot of her announcement below.

After news broke of Cardi B’s impending divorce from Offset, fans can’t help but wonder if he’s the reason for Cardi’s recently revealed third pregnancy.

According to Page Six, which broke the news of the divorce, the couple has “grown apart,” per one source, which added, “They both have been trying to figure out what their future looks like for a while now. It’s not something that happened overnight… They’ve both been on the same page… They’ve grown apart, and that feeling has gotten stronger overtime. It’s become unavoidable.”

However, today, rather than addressing that news, Cardi posted a baby bump photo on Instagram. In the caption, she wrote, “With every ending comes a new beginning! I am so grateful to have shared this season with you, you have brought me more love, more life and most of all renewed my power! Reminded me that I can have it all! You’ve reminded me that I never have to choose between life, love, and my passion! I love you so much and can not wait for you to witness what you helped me accomplish, what you pushed me to do! It’s so much easier taking life’s twists, turns and test laying down, but you, your brother and your sister have shown me why it’s worth it to push through!”

But that doesn’t give any information about whether Offset is the third child’s father, or whether Cardi found a new beau in the time since announcing that she has “been single for a while now.” She did admit that the two did sleep together since then, so it’s entirely possible that Offset is the father, and that they have agreed to co-parent while remaining split up.

Since actors Vanessa Kirby and Pedro Pascal began promoting Marvel’s new “Fantastic Four” reboot (playing Sue Storm and Reed Richards, respectively), fans have speculated over their offscreen chemistry.

Countless clips of their red carpet interviews have circulated social media, with comments noting how they “couldn’t stop staring at each other” following, suggesting romance was in the air. Most of the theories fell pretty heavily on Kirby’s side, with people joking about her “flirting” with Pascal, even being full blown “in love” with him.

So when the duo were seen holding hands while on stage for a Comic Con panel, you can bet more rumors spread. But the truth behind that hand hold is actually much more heartwarming.

Pascal has frequently been open about his struggles with anxiety, especially in high profile situations. In an interview with The Guardian (according to Wio News) he shared that it “is something that I’ve lived with since I was a child, so it’s a part of my chemistry. I don’t know what kind of person I’d be without it. It’s something that I manage, but it’s also part of what makes me, me.”

You can see Pascal “managing” this stress in real time in a video posted to Instagram about a year ago, when he performed his new signature red carpet pose of placing his hand on his upper abdomen, and telling his “Last of Us” costar Bella Ramsey that “my anxiety is right there.”

We see a bit more of that in the now-viral clip of Pascal and Kirby. Starting to get overwhelmed, Pascal reaches out for her, and after he briefly touches her upper arm, Kirby gracefully reaches behind to grab his hand, and holds it for the remainder of the interview, never missing a beat.

See on Instagram

It’s such a simple gesture, but having someone hold your hand really does work wonders for regulating those overwhelming emotions and grounding us into the present moment. And people applauded Kirby for “understanding the assignment.”

“You can tell he needed support and she was there to help him,” one viewer wrote.

Others commended Pascal for dropping the masculine bravado and just being vulnerable.

As one person put it, “I think he’s doing something wonderful for men everywhere by not masking and letting people see his anxiety. We should normalize giving comfort and support, especially in public places. She’s fantastic for so freely offering that lil bit of support too.”

Another said “To all the young bucks in need of male role models… look at Pedro instead of the Andrew Tates of the world. It takes a lot of vulnerability to speak about dealing with anxiety let alone show it in such a public venue. Pedro is the epitome of what masculinity should be. Be strong, but gentle.”

So did we get a sneak peek into showmance? Who knows, and frankly…who cares? What we definitely saw was a tender moment of compassion between two humans, and a brilliant example of the importance of support and companionship for those managing anxiety or other mental health challenges. That’s the real thing worth talking about.

A common belief in American culture is that people who wake up early have all the advantages. As the sayings go, “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,” and “Early bird catches the worm.”

It makes sense. Early risers are seen as better disciplined and their schedules are more aligned with modern-day work culture.

However, a new study by researchers at Imperial College London has found the opposite: Night owls do better on cognitive tests that measure their brain function than those who get up at the crack of dawn. The researchers embarked on the study to help people suffering from age-related cognitive decline.

“Our interest in this topic stemmed from a broader curiosity about how lifestyle factors, particularly sleep, influence brain health. Given the aging population and the rising prevalence of cognitive decline, understanding the relationship between sleep patterns and cognitive function could help develop better interventions and health guidelines to maintain cognitive health in older adults,” study authors Raha West and Daqquing Ma said, according to Psypost.

To determine whether early risers’ or night owls’ brains work best, the researchers asked just under 27,000 participants the number of hours they sleep at night and what time they go to bed. They also tested them on reasoning, memory, verbal and mathematical intelligence, reaction time and prospective memory.

After crunching the numbers, they found that night owls did much better on the cognitive tests than those who got up early. “Our study found that adults who are naturally more active in the evening (what we called ‘eveningness’) tended to perform better on cognitive tests than those who are ‘morning people,'” West said, according to New Atlas.

The researchers studied 2 different groups of people. The night owls in Group 1 scored 13.5% better on their brain function tests than early risers, and the night owls in Group 2 did 6.5% better.

Further, the folks in the middle (neither night owls nor early risers) performed better than the early risers (10.6% and 6.3%).

“In my expert opinion, the main takeaway should be that the cultural belief that early risers are more productive than ‘night owls’ does not hold up to scientific scrutiny,” Dr. Jessica Chelekis, Senior Lecturer in Sustainability Global Value Chains and a sleep expert from Brunel University London, told Science Media Centre. “While everyone should aim to get good-quality sleep each night, we should also try to be aware of what time of day we are at our (cognitive) best and work in ways that suit us. Night owls, in particular, should not be shamed into fitting a stereotype that favors an ‘early to bed, early to rise’ practice.”

The study provides good ammunition for night owls, often stereotyped as lazy party animals, to push back against those who like to get up when the rooster crows. The question remains: Why do early risers have so much brain fog? A night owl may presume they are still sleepy from waking up so early.

West says that the study shouldn’t be used to judge early risers and that those who’d like to change their sleep habits should do so.

“It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean all morning people have worse cognitive performance,” West said. “The findings reflect an overall trend where the majority might lean towards better cognition in the evening types. While it’s possible to shift your natural sleep habits by gradually adjusting your bedtime, increasing evening light exposure, and keeping a consistent sleep schedule, completely changing from a morning to an evening person is complex.”

While we tend to split humans into two distinct groups, extroverts and introverts, the reality is a bit more complex. While some people find socializing 100% energizing and others find it 100% draining, most of us exist somewhere on the spectrum in between.

For people who do identify as introverts, however, a certain amount of social masking feels necessary to maintain social expectations and common courtesy. If someone invites you to a big party, you act excited about the invitation despite having zero desire to go. And if you do go to that big party, you stand near the wall and bob your head to the music, while secretly calculating the minutes until you can leave without appearing rude.

It’s not that you don’t like people. You probably have close friends and loved ones and enjoy hanging out with in small numbers. But invites from people you’re only semi-friends with or to gatherings that involve lots of people? That’s when the mask goes on.

Creator Brok Bresser demonstrated how introverts would respond if they didn’t wear that mask and it’s hilariously accurate. His “pov: if introverts were honest” video has 1.2 million likes on Instagram, with hordes of introverts feeling seen in the comments.

Watch:

See on Instagram

That simple “I don’t want to” in response to “Why?” was felt in every true introvert’s heart.

“‘I don’t want to’ is REAL 😭😭”

“Sorry I couldn’t answer your call. I didn’t want to.😭”

“‘I wasn’t looking forward to it’ too real💀”

“What do you mean ‘HANG OUT LATER’? I’m using all my energy to be around you right now 🫠”

“Canceled plans are the best plans 🤷”

But some also pointed out a rather ironic truth:

“Buuuuttttt hear me out… we STILL WANT TO BE INVITED. 😭😭😭”

“🤣🤣🤣 I want to be invited, but I don’t want to go…🤣🤣🤣”

“😂😂😂😂😂 We just want to be invited and that’s it!”

There was even some unexpected support from an extrovert in the comments, who encouraged introverts to be honest when they don’t have the battery life to socialize.

“As a hardcore extrovert I LOVE my introvert folks and love when they tell the truth. Makes the time we DO hang so much better. Tell me ‘no’ 17 times but when that one yes hits and we hang for 36 minutes before your social battery depletes, I get to truly enjoy you. 🥰”

Hear that, introverts? It’s okay to say no. (Probably don’t have to add the “wasn’t looking forward to it” part, though. A little masking isn’t a bad thing and nobody wants to be on the receiving end of that “oop.”)

The Hinterland Music Festival is billed to run from August 2 – August 4 in St. Charles, Iowa, with headliners Hozier, Vampire Weekend, and Noah Kahan. You can check out the set times below.

The festival was first held in 2015, and was originally intended to take place in Downtown Des Moines until the venue was changed due to flooding concerns. It’s been held in St. Charles ever since. It expanded to three days in 2019, and was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. When it returned in 2022, it was expanded to four days, but in 2023, it was contracted to three again. Previous headliners have included Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Tyler Childers, Leon Bridges, Glass Animals, Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver, Zach Bryan, and Maggie Rogers, among others.

This year’s lineup includes Orville Peck, Blondshell, Charley Crockett, Lizzy McAlpine, Palehound, Chappell Roan, Ethel Cain, Mt. Joy, and more. See below for the full set times.

Friday, August 2

(1:15pm) Valencia Grace, (2:15) Debbii Dawson, (3:15) Josiah and the Bonnevilles, (4:15) The Last Dinner Party, (5:30) Sam Barber, (6:45) Hippo Campus, (8:00) Orville Peck, (9:30) Hozier

Saturday, August 3

(12:45pm) Hans Williams, (1:45) Blondshell, (2:45) Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners, (3:45) Madison Cunningham, (5:00) The Red Clay Strays, (6:30) Charley Crockett, (8:00) Lizzy McAlpine, (9:30) Vampire Weekend

Sunday, August 4

(11:45 am) Palehound, (12:45 pm) Odie Leigh, (1:45) Kate Kirby, (2:45) Flipturn, (3:00) Koo Koo, (4:00) The Japanese House, (5:15) Chappell Roan, (6:30) Ethel Cain, (8:00) Mt. Joy, (9:30) Noah Kahan