Month: August 2024

Uproxx cover star Chlöe wants her music to step for itself. Today (August 5), the “Have Mercy” singer announced her sophomore album’s official title and release date.

Over on her official X (formerly Twitter) profile, Chlöe shared the news with her followers by way of a steamy vacation photo. She seemingly confirmed that the enticing neon visual was the forthcoming project’s official cover art, as she wrote: “A storm is coming. Trouble In Paradise, 8/9 .”

While most supporters were excitement for the reveal, others shared their concerns over Chlöe’s decision to forgo a traditional rollout.

But in the singer’s eyes, this isn’t a worry she shares with her Clovers (super fans). Although the tracklist hasn’t been revealed, over on the upcoming album’s pre-save webpage the music video for her past song “Boy Bye” is prominently embedded, a record Chlöe has spoken at length about.

Also, the songwriter’s Instagram feed served as a hint as to her creative direction this go around. While her risqué vacation flicks received all the attention, clips of her hard at work let the public into her next musical era beyond her solo debut, In Pieces.

Trouble In Paradise is out 8/9 via Parkwood/Columbia. Find more information here.

Listen, we are all aware that social media is but a carefully curated highlight reel of everyone’s best angles and biggest wins. But even knowing this, it can be almost impossible not to compare ourselves to what we see day in, day out on Instagram.

Of course, many folks actively try to combat this societal norm by sharing their less-than-perfect selves. And honestly, they’re often a breath of fresh air.

Recently, mom and wellness coach Ashley LeMieux decided to post her own version of this. For each totally Insta-worthy photo she took while on vacation, she also posted the “unedited, zero filtered, real life moments” that happened seconds later.

Alongside images of a flattering bikini pose, a sweet daddy-daughter interaction, and a glamorous beachside date night were also images showing a little cellulite, a toddler meltdown, and the “unseen anxiety” felt during that date.

In her caption, LeMieux wrote:

“Just a small reminder that it’s impossible to see it all on social media. We get glimpses into other people’s stories, not the entirety…It’s easy to compare our whole life to small parts of someone else’s, and think that we must have something wrong with us. Comparison impacts our mental health so deeply, and it’s unfair to ourselves, and to each other, to think that everyone else has what we wish we had for ourselves.”

See on Instagram

In an interview with Good Morning America, LeMieux shared that part of her inspiration behind the post came from the women she works with everyday that “don’t feel good enough,” thank in part to comparing themselves to what’s seen on social media.

“I think that when we can see other people having this real life that is similar to ours, we’re like, ‘OK, maybe there’s not something wrong with me, or maybe it’s not that my life is so different from theirs,'” she said. “We can never fully see the bigger picture, which is why I think that conversations like this are so meaningful and important, so that we can have this quick reminder of, we’re all human, we all have our stuff, we just don’t see the entirety of it happening all the time.”

So, so, so many people commented to say how much they really needed to hear and see this. One person even admitted that “sometimes I don’t post because I feel like a fraud because my life isn’t as perfect as I would post.”

Others shared their own love for the unfiltered side of social media.

“I so appreciate this!! I love the unfiltered side, and am always excited to see the nitty gritty you post!! Real life is beautiful, as are you mama ❤️,” one person wrote.

Another added, “The content everyone on Instagram (especially teenagers) need to see and absorb. 👏”

We might know that no one’s life is truly perfect, but clearly a little reminder every now and then can work wonders. Don’t let the false narrative of social media rob you of real joy.

Lil Yachty, getting a rise out of older New Yorker men: a tradition that is widely discussed, and by now, moderately pretentious. First, there was the uproar over him not knowing any of The Notorious B.I.G. or 2Pac’s music, something that he admitted to when he first emerged a little more than ten years ago. It was in that era where he would begin to say that he did not classify himself as a rapper; it was in that era when “Minnesota,” one of his first sugary hooks, came to be an example of exuberant youthfulness.

It would be a recurring theme: Yachty saying something that got old school New Yorkers shaking their heads in frothing anger; Yachty making music that was immensely catchy, allowing his words to die on the vine as opposed to ringing in an old man’s ears. Here he was, a Miley Cyrus in rap -— as The Ringer’s Justin Charity likes to say —- spewing a type of carefree mystique that flew from his pink braids all the way to the ears of the grown and grumpy.

Yachty, now 27, is no longer a member of the youth. In hip-hop years, he is now in what should be the prime of his career. He’s made some noise in the 2020s so far, jumping on different scenes and becoming adventurous in them, while maintaining the overwhelming positivity that he has as an artist. Michigan Boat Boy helped legitimatize the Detroit sound to the masses, although Yachty’s lyricism pales in comparison to the hot steel of the Detroit rappers he rhymed with.

Then, came the snippet-as-song, “Poland”, perhaps the finest moment of his career so far. Anyone who thought Yachty was an alien sent by a corny executive who wanted to commercialize the game had to eat crow when “Poland” came out; the song was, and remains, a sincere disruption, weirder than any of the Super Mario maximalism he made when he first came on the scene.

Sometimes, Yachty’s minor successes will lead to excitement, as if he is turning the corner and becoming the acclaimed star that he always had the potential to be. But, whenever he decides that people are zigging to his tune, he zags, only to make people more frustrated. Let’s Start Here was, in the eyes of many hip-hop fans, a misstep in the form of a zag, the kind of record that doesn’t have lasting power and only exists to make white people think you are well-rounded.

Why is Yachty never comfortable in one mode? Why does he always seem to be leaving traditional hip-hop, as opposed to making the world of hip-hop deeper and bigger? Maybe it is because he still harbors feelings of annoyance at the old men who once questioned his masculinity and rap skills. Despite being a decade old, those uncomfortable conversations might still be on Yachty’s mind. Many contemporary rappers are addicted to being considered “artists” and not rappers because they think it sounds more chic; more artistic. Calling yourself an artist that is above hip-hop is a baptism of sorts, for the fashion runways and the creative control that rappers from a post-Kanye West world tend to crave.

It confuses me on why that phrase is a thing. Hip-hop is fashion. So, when rappers say they are artists and not just rappers, all it seems like is they’re craving a certain white freedom, as opposed to giving hip-hop — the Blackest innovation of the past fifty years of American life — its credit for being fashion’s greatest collaborator. But, when Yachty collaborates with North Carolina rapper J. Cole, it feels more openly honest than when he does an album with James Blake. (He also has a collaboration with the white rapper sensation Ian, and Ian washes him, as sad as it is to admit).

Yachty’s career can’t always be pinned down by critics and fans. He’s not the subversive auteur or daring vocalist that Playboi Carti is; he’s not the hook machine that Gunna is; he’s not the rapper that Young Thug or even Kodak Black is. His biggest skill is being the adventurer-in-chief, the inspiration to do more. In a piece, I once said “he was free from class-consciousness; he’s a pink-braided wonder.” The PR battles he won came from his vibes, his vitality got people out of their comfort zones. He wants to be all things for everyone. Maybe that prevents his music from being as focused as you’d like it to be. Sometimes, his life seems delightful: he is often out in public in the downtown scene, enjoying life as if he was a regular person, not someone who would star in Nautica commercials. But that downplays how famous he is.

Before, Yachty was winning all of the public relations battles, now he’s seemingly in the news much more than he needs to be. Comments from his podcast A Safe Place went viral last week, as Yachty mentioned that he thought that New York was behind in fashion, and that The Bronx and Queens are behind Manhattan; a straight up lie, in relation to the Bronx and Manhattan. “I don’t think there’s sh*t goin’ on when it comes to New York fashion,” is what he said in full. (Twitter people noted that this is odd, because Yachty sometimes dresses like a New Yorker).

The podcast made me wonder about Yachty’s complicated relationship with New York. There’s been foul play on both sides, but last week was Yachty escalating for fun, not any reason other than wanting to stir an imaginary pot. Then, he mentioned that Drake was not affected by the Kendrick Lamar beef. It’s nice that Drake has someone in the industry that did not join Kendrick’s team of disgruntled co-workers, but it’s not in Yachty’s interest to deliver Drake’s messages for him. There’s also been trouble brewing within his own collective: while confirming, or announcing, that Karrahboo was leaving Concrete Boys on Instagram Live, he looked insincere, looking elsewhere while speaking. Who knows why she left? Industry politics are often messy, but it reflected oddly on Yachty.

To see Yachty is to see someone who will never conform to the expectations of Black culture, or even white people. One can consider him a reactive artist, someone who will change his tune immediately after playing something that the audience stood up and clapped for. With his tour coming up in September, it begs to wonder what his follow-up to Bad Cameo will be. This could be a legacy-defining time for Yachty, as he is now coming up on ten years in the rap game. It’s rare that a career lasts that long to begin with, a testament to Yachty’s resourcefulness. But, he’s getting older: people want more from him. He’s no longer just the kid arguing with Ebro.

It’s pretty common to hear a story about a man whose life is turned upside down after a DNA test proves that he’s not the father of a child he thought was his. However, hearing a mother dealing with the same scenario is rare. That’s why a recent post on Reddit has so many people talking.

A user named ThrowRA-3xbetrayal claims that a DNA test shows her husband is the father of the 2-year-old boy they’ve raised but she isn’t the biological mother.

The story began 6 years ago when the couple tried to conceive but had no luck. The woman then discovered she had a “medical condition” that meant she couldn’t bring a baby to term, which resulted in a partial hysterectomy. The woman, who refers to herself as the family’s “breadwinner” took on multiple jobs to pay a surrogate to have their child.

“I still had my ovaries so we started looking into cost of a surrogate. It is really expensive! My close friend since college who’d already had 2 kids of her own, offered to serve as the surrogate for us to cut down on costs. After two disappointing IVF sessions that did not result in pregnancy, she became pregnant on the 3rd try and carried a boy to term for us,” ThrowRA-3xbetrayal wrote.

The couple was over the moon after the birth of the boy and the surrogate became a bigger part of their lives.

A woman in distress being comforted.via Liza Summer

“My friend and my husband started talking more and I would sometimes come home from my weekend job to find her already hanging out at our house when my husband was there,” ThrowRA-3xbetrayal wrote. “I chalked it up as innocuous and it’s good for her to know my husband better since she was in the process of hopefully carrying our child for us. I was grateful to have someone helping us have a child.”

But the mother became suspicious because the baby’s eyes were brown when she and her husband’s were blue.

The mother took the child to a doctor’s appointment and she received some devastating news. She discovered that her son’s blood type is B+ while his father’s is O+ and She is A+. The doctor said it was “biologically impossible” for her son to have that blood type given his parents’.

ThrowRA-3xbetrayal thought the fertility clinic made a horrible mistake. She took a DNA test and found that her husband was the boy’s father, but she was not the mother. “Then my husband confessed that he’d slept with my friend (our surrogate) on a few different occasions during our struggle to have her get pregnant with our embryos,” ThrowRA-3xbetrayal wrote. “This means what I thought was our son conceived by IVF and carried with a surrogate isn’t my son at all and was, in fact, conceived the old-fashioned way, which I can’t ever do.”

The woman says that the terrible news felt like a triple betrayal. The woman has decided to divorce her husband and wants to give up any parental rights to the child. Her husband, the surrogate and her family all believe that she’s wrong to give up rights to the child that she’s raised for 2 years.

She asked Reddit’s AITA forum to tell her if she was in the wrong and the community responded with overwhelmingly positive support, affirming her tough decision.

A happy toddler playing on the beach. via Taryn Elliott/Pexels

The most popular commenter said that she should sue the surrogate for taking her money without having her baby. “One of the things that gets me is that you were working extra jobs to pay for the surrogacy which I am assuming included her medical bills and financially supporting her. I would speak to a solicitor about suing her for your money back. She knew that if she was having sex then there was always a chance that the child was biologically hers,” they wrote.

Another affirmed the wife’s decision to leave her husband and to surrender any parental rights. “He cheated… it’s not yours. I will absolutely tell you what I tell men posting this. It would be wonderful if you love the kid enough to stay, but if you’re in shock and damaged too much to do so, you aren’t the A**le for walking away,” they wrote.

Another pointed out that if a man were in this position, no one would judge him for giving up his parental rights. “If these roles were reversed and you were a man saying that his wife had cheated and had another man’s baby, people would have no problem telling him that he’s within his rights to leave and have nothing to do with the child if he doesn’t want to,” the commenter wrote.

If the story that ThrowRA-3xbetrayal wrote tells is true, it’s an incredible tragedy. She fought so hard to have a child only to realize she was living a lie two years later. So, let’s hope she found some solace in the hundreds of people who supported her decision to move on with her life while also sharing some great advice on going forward.

The first John Wick movie hit theaters a decade ago, and all of the gratuitous violence definitely could have been avoided if those guys didn’t kill that dog, but we’re in too deep now. The movie led to three sequels: John Wick Chapter Two in 2017, John Wick: Chapter John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum in 2019, and John Wick Chapter 4 in 2023. We thought that would be the last of it, but now a follow-up series is in the works, picking up where Chapter 4 left off. It looks like we’ve all quietly yet collectively decided not to talk about… that other show.

Deadline reports that a new series titled John Wick: Under The High Table is currently in the works from writer Robert Levine and Chad Stahelski, who is set to direct the pilot episode. While Reeves won’t be starring in the sequel series, he will be involved, to some extent.

Reeves is on board to executive produce the series, and Deadline reports that he is “very hands-on with the project.” It would be better if he were fists-on, but we can’t have everything. The series, which does not have a streamer or network atatched yet, aims to “combine new and old and thrust the Wick universe into a new age,” as the assassins deal with the aftermath of John Wick abandoning his assassin ways… again. Though it did seem pretty permanent this time.

This new project is separate from the upcoming prequel movie, Ballerina, and the previously announced John Wick 5, which is currently being developed by Stahelski. Maybe Reeves will pop back in for that one because he loves a reunion!

(Via Deadline)

Field events at the Olympics typically do not get a chance to take center stage, as the track events tend to hog the spotlight, but on Monday night the pole vault competition was the headliner at Stade de France in Paris. That’s not because there was any drama about who would win the gold, as Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis (who is from Louisiana, but represents his mother’s homeland of Sweden) was the biggest favorite of any event at the Games.

Instead, everyone was waiting to see if Duplantis, who held nine of the top 10 jumps in history, would break his own world record of 6.24 meters. Duplantis won gold over American Sam Kendricks when he jumped 6.00 meters — Kendricks went 5.95 meters — but his competition was just beginning, because his battle isn’t with the rest of the field but with himself and history.

He started by taking down the Olympic record with a jump of 6.10 meters, clearing it easily, and setting the stage for a world record attempt.

In front of a frenzied crowd, Duplantis clipped the bar on his way down on his first two attempts, needing more speed to get deeper over the bar — he had the hip height — to complete the jump. On his third and final attempt, he did just that, and the stadium went absolutely nuts.

It’s insanely cool to be so good at your sport that the main attraction is not whether you’ll win, but whether you will set a new world record — which you’ve owned for two years. Duplantis keeps upping that bar, one centimeter at a time, and made some Olympic history with the stage all to himself.

Even Olympic-level athletes can’t resist a trip to Disneyland.

Southern Methodist University swimmer and Team Paraguay representative Luana Alonso, who competed in the 2020 Olympics and was in Paris for the 2024 Olympics, is in trouble after reportedly making an unapproved visit to Disneyland Paris instead of spending time with her fellow athletes. Hopefully she at least got to ride Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril!

The 20-year-old and budding social media star has also been banished from Olympic Village after “creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay,” Paraguayan Olympic chief Larissa Schaerer wrote in a statement. The vague wording is intentional, but according to The Daily Mail, Alonso “had been seen walking round in her own choice of outfits rather than the official kit provided by Paraguayan team chiefs,” including “skimpy clothing.”

She has been spotted socializing with other athletes and was said to be distracting her teammates still competing. Alonso checked into a hotel in the French capital and visited high end boutiques and restaurants – and posted photos to her 500,000 followers on social media.

In announcing her retirement on Instagram, Alonso wrote, “It’s official! I’m retiring from swimming, thank you all so much for your support! Sorry Paraguay. I just have to say thank you!” It appears she’s back in the United States, where she can visit Disney World without causing an international incident.

(Via The Daily Mail)

The Walking Dead universe remains undead, but nowhere is that world as alive as within Norman Reedus’ character. The Daryl Dixon spinoff was such an AMC crowd pleaser that a second season with ride-and-die Carol was swiftly greenlit, and Reedus was previously so enthused while raving about what comes next that he also revealed a third season (set in Spain) to be in the works. However, there’s a practical consideration that comes to mind:

How Many Episodes Will The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 Be?

Series creator David Zabel recently spoke with Collider at San Diego Comic-Con alongside Reedus and Melissa McBride, and the good news is that the series has been mapped out so well that he could already reveal how many episodes come in the next few seasons. To questions about both the second and third seasons, Zabel revealed that both will be the same duration as the first outing: six episodes.

That means this series plans to stick with the plan of lean, mean, and focused seasons, which stands in sharp contrast to the series proper. As fans already know, The Walking Dead could have arguably ended a few seasons before it did and with much fewer episodes, but at least the show kept serving up Daryl. And who knows, perhaps Daryl will still have time to take another bath at some point within the next six episodes.

A bath per season! Make it a goal.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon returns on September 29.

(Via Collider)

Every Olympics has moments captured on camera that go down in history. The photo finishes. The inspiring displays of sportsmanship. The records being broken and humans doing things no human has done before.

Simone Biles has had her fair share—or more—of iconic Olympic moments. And she just added another one to her list with the help of her friend and Team USA teammate, Jordan Chiles.

Unsurprisingly, Biles was favored to win gold in the floor exercise final for women’s gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The floor is one of her strongest events, and the high degree of difficulty in her routine offered some wiggle room for small errors.

Biles on the floor is like Jordan on the court at his peak—literally gravity-defying and simply mesmerizing to watch. But Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade has been giving Biles a serious run for her money. In any other era, she’d have a pocket full of gold medals, but she’s had the fortune-yet-misfortune of competing against the greatest gymnast of all time. However, she finally managed to eek out a win over the GOAT in the floor exercise final in Paris. Andrade took the gold, leaving Biles with the silver and Chiles the bronze.

If besting Simone Biles on the floor wasn’t enough, Andrade got another boost as she approached the podium to receive her gold medal. In a synchronized gesture, giving props where it was due, Biles and Chiles knelt and bowed down before Andrade, creating one of those Olympic snapshots the world will never forget.

— (@)

What was especially great about this moment wasn’t just the genuine respect Biles and Chiles showed Andrade. It’s the sheer joy with which they did it. Biles being so dominant in her sport could easily lead to pride and arrogance, which doesn’t seem to have happened, and losing a gold she was expected to win could easily crush her spirit, but that also doesn’t seem to have happened. The GOAT recognizes, acknowledges and honors greatness when she sees it, and Andrade clearly brought her A game.

Here we can see Chiles and Biles plotting to give Andrade the “We’re not worthy” bow in real time:

— (@)

Biles and Andrade have both talked about how they’ve pushed one another to be better, which is exactly what competition is about. And celebrating excellence wherever it comes from is exactly what the Olympic games are all about. Biles and Chiles embodied that Olympic spirit in the floor final and medal ceremony, doing what they came to Paris to do, making it to the medal podium and then lifting up the gymnast who outperformed them both.

Biles and Chiles spoke with reporters about what prompted them to do the bow and how much they admire “the queen” Andrade.

— (@)

What a beautiful testament to good sportsmanship and joyful camaraderie between competitors, and what a wonderful example for us all.

Here’s what people are saying about the moment:

“This is the best part of everything Just class and sportsmanship Soooo wholesome.”

“This must be real meaning of the Olympics. How beautiful is that they congratulate and respect each other.”

“This is exactly what it’s all about! Celebrating the human spirit and perseverance. I love their story. Their competitiveness pushes each other to be their greatest selves.”

“The nicest podium of all times. Fantastic women.”

“The world’s best – inside and out. What an amazing accomplishment.”

Imgur user “mollywho” felt her life was falling apart. Not only was she battling clinical depression, but she had her hands full.

“I’ve been juggling a LOT lately,” she wrote on Imgur. “Trying to do well at work. Just got married. Couldn’t afford a wedding. Family is sparse. Falling out with friends, yaddadyadda.”

She was also upset about how she treated her new husband.

“I’ve not been the easiest person to deal with. In fact, sometimes I’ve lost all hope and even taken my anger out on my husband.”

When she returned home from a business trip in San Francisco, mentally exhausted, she collapsed on her bed and cried. Then she noticed some writing on the bedroom mirror. It was a list that read:

Reasons I love my wife

1. She is my best friend
2. She never quits on herself or me
3. She gives me time to work on my crazy projects
4. She makes me laugh, every day
5. She is gorgeous
6. She accepts the crazy person i am
7. She’s the kindest person i know
8. She’s got a beautiful singing voice

9. She’s gone to a strip club with me
10. She has experienced severe tragedy yet is the most optimistic person about humanity i know
11. She has been fully supportive about my career choices and followed me each time
12. Without realizing it, she makes me want to do more for her than i have ever wanted to do for anyone
13. She’s done an amazing job at advancing her career path
14. Small animals make her cry
15. She snorts when she laughs

This amazing show of support from her husband was exactly what she needed. “I think he wanted me to remember how much he loves me,” she wrote. “Because he knows how quickly I forget. He knows I struggle to see good in the world, and especially the good in myself. But here it is. A testament and gesture of his love. Damn, I needed it today…”

She ended her post with some powerful words about mental illness.

“I’m not saying mental illness is cured by nice words on a mirror. In fact, it takes professional care, love, empathy, sometimes even medication just to cope. Many people struggle with it mental illness – more than we probably even realize. And instead of showing them hate or anger when they act out. Show them kindness and remind them things can and WILL get better. Everyone needs a little help sometimes. If that person can’t be you – see if you have any resources for therapy.”

This article originally appeared on 12.10.15