Month: September 2024

Before photographer and Exquisite Eye Studios founder Breyona Holt captured the likes of music phenoms Coco Jones, Halle Bailey, Giveon and bLAck pARty, she got her drive from her hometown of Atlanta.

Currently based in Los Angeles, Holt credits the ATL scene for showing her the grind and hunger that she’d need as a burgeoning artist. It was in the mid-2010s that she kept SoundCloud selections on repeat, listening to acts Smino, Tommy Genesis, Raury, and Awful Records’ Alexandria. Even in her eight years spent on the West Coast, Holt’s mind hasn’t left her southern beginnings, which would come to shape the color theory and contrast in her commercial, editorial and cover artwork.

“We really grew up on dance cultures [in Atlanta], so the music really inspired a lot of the work that I was creating,” Holt tells Uproxx. “When I first started, my photography was very moody, and I think once I moved to LA, over time, I did see that my word got brighter, and I was kind of pulling away from what made me stand out as an artist. I had to take a step back like, ‘Okay, I don’t want to pull too far away like staying into the lines and following the trends and what LA has.’”

But while Holt would depend on her music playlists to soundtrack her mood while editing photos, she credits her father’s early film photography as an influence. Even as a singular visionary, Holt showcases that influence through grainy, analogue photography images of subjects like SZA and Normani.

“I [loved] when I was going to his archive and what that would make me feel,” Holt says of her father’s works. “So even though I was mainly shooting on digital cameras at that time, I was trying to mimic that feeling that film made me feel. So the colors that you get with film is just a very organic type of feeling. I would say my dad was really one of my biggest inspirations at that time.”

Through her lens, Holt keeps an eye on individuals across entertainment, but viewers find her photos of Black women to be the most definitive. There’s an artist-to-subject unison where Holt channels the strength of Black womanhood and represents it with dignity. Holt’s portfolio exhibits crisp colors against genuine facial expressions and poses. Most of all, the Black femme energy radiates.

“I believe that it’s very important for us to be seen in a beautiful light and I think that sometimes, when Black women or Black men are the subject, we get the short end of the stick,” Holt says. “Whether it’s how we’re being lit–it doesn’t always represent us in the most powerful or the most uplifting way. Who I am at the core, I love art so much, and I want to make sure that we’re being documented and being seen in the best light, because these things will matter today and to generations to come.”

Since taking the cover art photography for albums like Joyce Wrice’s Overgrown, Coco Jones’ What I Didn’t Tell You, and Amindi’s TWYN, more recently, Holt shot the cover image of Halle Bailey’s new single “Because I Love You.”

“Her voice — she’s literally a siren; her voice is very angelic,” Holt says of Bailey, a fellow Georgia native. “Even just the instruments that she chose to use throughout the record. It was just something so refreshing and something I haven’t really heard before. When you hear a record like that, that inspires the colors you use. Just working with her on that project–the sound and the song is really what inspired the approach of the cover art, and I think it reflects the music video, which was incredible.”

The commanding and vulnerable song would come to reflect Bailey’s confident stance on the artwork, which took on a life of its own. “Even down to the posing, all of those factors matter with the cover art. I’m so happy she chose that photo as the cover,” Holt continues. “I think it was empowering how you know her hands up, her chest out, the arms up–it’s just a very powerful image, and I’m just so happy to have this in my portfolio and to be a part of this.”

On capturing her muses, like the hair-blowing moment-in-time cover of Overgrown or 1970s funk ode on the cover of bLAck pARty’s Hummingbird, Holt likens the interaction to a “dance” between herself and the muse.

“These are real moments and actions for the most part. It’s not like ‘We’re going into these cover arts, and we want you to pose exactly like this,’ because I feel like it would come off a little forced and people would feel that,” she shares. “But these are real moments listening to the music on set, we’re in the vibe — this is a real emotion that they’re expressing through their body, through their face and the color is just there to amplify what’s happening.”

Except for the textured collage on the TWYN backdrop, Holt’s cover art is fairly minimal in practice, keeping the viewers’ gaze on her subjects, and the photography is a visual interpretation of their music.

“When I’m hearing the music, because I really enjoy color theory, it’s about ‘What is this making me feel?’” Holt says. “I think you can communicate a lot through color theory, you can evoke an emotion through the colors that you choose to use. I think using minimal backgrounds, for me, helps you focus on who the subject is. I love a moment where the environment is just an add-on, but like the eyes, the facial expression, the mood of the body language in the model, all of that really matters to me.”

Along with her photography, Holt calls it a “greater goal” to take her still images to the screen as a filmmaker, especially since she’s built her portfolio as a music video director and creative director.

“Although I started off, and I’m able to grasp people’s attention through my photography, I think people have taken a chance with me when it comes to these music videos,” Holt says of her budding path in filmmaking. “[I’ve] even shocked myself at what I’m able to create as a director, but as I continue to explore with music videos, I would love to grow in that field and do more short films and let that grow, as well, into longform video, movies and things like that.”

In continuing to document the culture, Holt also has her hands in tactile fashion projects under her Exquisite Eye banner, but presenting Blackness in an authentic lens remains integral to her purpose. Holt embraces her roots, and it shows in her life’s work.

“I just love my culture. I love being Black and I love how we always create such beautiful art no matter what,” she says. “To be in this day and age and be able to have the internet and be able to share my art and people gravitate to it, or they feel inspired by it, I’m just doing this for the bigger picture.”

The New York Knicks are expected to be one of the top challengers to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference this season, after taking a big swing to add Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster trade this summer.

New York’s guard and forward rotation is incredibly deep and talented, as Tom Thibodeau will have a ton of options for mixing and matching lineups. The one weak spot for the Knicks is at center, where they got thinner this summer when Isaiah Hartenstein left for Oklahoma City in free agency and they didn’t really find a replacement for him. They did keep Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims, but they figure to be very reliant on Mitchell Robinson being healthy to be at their very best.

The problem is, Robinson had foot surgery in May and word emerged on Monday from Yaron Weitzman and Tim Bontemps that he will not be back for the start of the season — and could be out until the calendar flips to 2025. Bontemps reports the expectation is Robinson misses “a couple of months” while Weitzman says the target for a return is December or January, but all of that is dependent on a smooth rehab process.

A year ago, when at their best, the Knicks were able to have 48 minutes of tremendous rim protection and rebounding from their center position with Robinson and Hartenstein. Now, they’ll start the season without either of them and be forced into a lot of small ball. They certainly have the personnel to manage small ball minutes, and Thibs was already talking about having Julius Randle play some minutes at the five this season. Achiuwa can also take some center minutes and OG Anunoby is even a viable option at the five, but the Knicks are going to have to make some serious adjustments to playing defense without a high-level rim protector, at least for the start of the season.

The optimist’s view of the situation is that getting a couple months without Robinson will give the Knicks more versatility come playoff time to go small depending on their matchup and have extended reps doing it in the regular season. That only really pans out if Robinson gets back to full strength and is healthy for the postseason, and they don’t wear down their forward rotation by having to deploy them at center more often.

This year alone, Margaret Qualley has played a free-spirit lesbian being chased by mobsters; identical twins who both meet violent ends; and the host of a fitness show who turns everyone she meets into the Tex Avery wolf before she, herself, turns into something unexpected. Those films — crime comedy Drive-Away Dolls, absurdist anthology Kinds Of Kindness, and body horror satire The Substance — share little in common, other than fearless performances from Qualley, Hollywood’s most adventurous young star.

When did you first became aware of Margaret Qualley? Was it on Netflix’s Maid, which earned her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations? Or was it earlier than that? Maybe in FX’s Fosse/Verdon as acclaimed dancer Ann Reinking, or missing Amelia (she of the striking yellow dress) in The Nice Guys, or Manson Family member “Pussycat” in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood?

For me, it was The Leftovers. Her character, disillusioned daughter Jill Garvey, had the most screen time in season 1, which is notoriously the show’s weakest season. Yet, even before The Leftovers made a miraculous turn into one of the great HBO dramas, Qualley made enough of an impression that if you could invest in the careers of young actors and actresses, I would have put all my money on her becoming a movie star.

That investment would have paid off: Qualley has quickly gone from standing out in ensembles to a top-of-the-call sheet lead (and the rare good nepo baby). She has an on-screen presence that’s entirely of the moment, but there’s also an old-school grace; as Qualley’s Huntington co-star Glen Powell gushed to The New York Times, “She reminds you of one of those actresses of the golden era of Hollywood. She’s able to crack herself open in a way that’s just magnetic.” Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness director Yorgos Lanthimos was equally effusive in his praise of Qualley. “She’s willing to try things without questioning anything,” he told Harper’s Bazaar, “and she loves to explore.”

Qualley’s up-for-anything approach is all over her filmography. She’s a dominatrix in Sanctuary; an ethically-murky journalist in Stars At Noon; a half-child, half-adult walking corpse in Poor Things; four distinct characters in Kinds Of Kindness; and in the upcoming Honey Don’t, a private investigator alongside Chris Evans and Aubrey Plaza. Her audaciousness extends to TV shows (The Leftovers, Fosse/Verdon, Maid), video games (Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding), music videos, and even choreographed commercials.

But The Substance is Qualley’s most brave — and arguably best — role to date. She plays Sue, the “younger, more beautiful” version of Demi Moore’s TV fitness host Elisabeth Sparkle. She’s born, so to speak, after Elisabeth injects herself with a mysterious drug known as “The Substance” after being fired from her job on her 50th birthday. The green goo is free, but there is one big side effect: Elisabeth and Sue have to switch bodies every seven days, or else. I’m leaving the “or else” vague because I don’t want to spoil the wild third act of director Coralie Fargeat’s body-horror masterpiece, but even if you leave The Substance disgusted by what you’ve just witnessed, it’s impossible to not be impressed by Qualley’s (and Moore’s) commitment to the bit.

In less than a decade, Qualley has worked with many of the best directors in the game, including Fargeat, Quentin Tarantino, Yorgos Lanthimos, Claire Denis, Shane Black, and soon, Richard Linklater. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship: the filmmaker gets an actress who is adept at goofball comedy, high-stakes drama, twisted sexuality, and anything else thrown at her; and Qualley feels comfortable working with someone who gives her the space to play “f*cking freaks.”

Margaret Qualley once described acting as “scary and fun,” and that’s why she “fell in love with it.” And we fell in love with her as an actress for taking scary and adventurous roles, and making it look so fun.

Billie Eilish just shared a video (above) that superfans are going to eat up: It’s a 16-minute video made in partnership with American Express, in which she and Finneas break down specifics of Hit Me Hard And Soft hit “Birds Of A Feather,” digging deep into songwriting, production, singing, lyrics, and more. Emerging from this is one particularly interesting piece of information that was news to even Eilish herself.

At about ten minutes into the video, Finneas laughingly brings up a production element that can only be heard when closely listening to the song’s second verse. He plays the heavily manipulated audio (a “vocal chop,” as Eilish calls is), and Eilish asks Finneas if he has the original sound from which that came. He did and he played it, and it was Eilish singing, “’cause the stranger.” Eilish was left mouth agape when she realized that sample came from their 2021 Happier Than Ever song “Getting Older.”

“I didn’t even know that,” she exclaimed through laughter.

This sort of thing isn’t foreign to Finneas’ production style. In a 2020 appearance on The Tonight Show, for instance, Finneas revealed he worked the sound of an Australian crosswalk light into “Bad Guy,” a fact that left Questlove in shock.

Check out the video above.

Following the success of Sparking Ice and Uproxx’s “SPARKLING SESSIONS” events in Palm Desert and Chicago over the spring and summer, the two brands are poised to launch the fall edition of their festival season collaboration. Austin’s Secret Garden at the Inn Cahoots will now play host to the party of the season with the SPARKLING SESSIONS Festival Kickoff on October 4th.

The evening will be soundtracked by electronic producer and curator Le Chev, feature soulful R&B duo THEBROSFRESH, and be headlined by country star Dasha. The event invites fans to enjoy the city’s singular music culture before it ushers in the next installment of Austin City Limits and gives attendees a chance to see Dasha in an intimate setting ahead of her headlining festival set that same weekend.

Attendees can enjoy Texas-style must-haves, including free Sparkling Ice cocktails, a barbeque, taco, and quesadilla station, flash tattoos, Texas-style lawn games, and more.

While the event is free and open to the public, an RSVP is required for entry. To attend, you must be approved on Partiful, after which entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis until the venue reaches capacity. RSVP for free here.

Move over, Reacher. Let me start over.

Reacher won’t return until 2025 for Alan Ritchson’s third season as a brick sh*thouse with magical deduction powers, but that’s alright. Another sleuth (and an actual professional detective) will be able to fill that void while also, as a Cross trailer claims, “living rent free” in suspects’ heads.

James Patterson’s legendary D.C.-based forensic psychologist is heading back to adaptation city again, and Aldis Hodge will duly take on the Alex Cross role for Prime Video/Amazon, which has already greenlit two streaming TV seasons that promise to bring a new (and old) hero to the Dad TV realm. However, Patterson has penned dozens of Alex Cross-focused books, and curiosity sparks the question of which book that Cross‘ first season will adapt.

As readers know, the Morgan Freeman-starring movies were based upon the first two Alex Cross books, Along Came A Spider and Kiss The Girls, and the Tyler Perry movie adapted Patterson’s 12th Alex Cross book, simply titled Cross. As Hodge recently told TV Insider, however, the first season of Cross will not strictly adhere to any specific Patterson novel. Rather, the show “is based on the foundation of Alex Cross” with creator Ben Watkins using “the bone structure of that world and fill[ing] it up with a beautiful story.” Hodge further believes that the show will become “something completely unique.”

Watkins seconded the sentiment while speaking with Entertainment Weekly:

“I said I was not going to do any of the seasons based on the books. I thought it was really important that we give fans a new offering, that we honor the characters and the world so that they would feel like they were getting what they signed up for, but also then give them a new story.”

The first season will pick up after the death of Cross’ wife, and his search for the killer will occupy plenty of his headspace. In the story, Cross had hoped to take a leave of absence from work, but, according to Hodge, “he gets pulled into a very serious and sinister case with a new serial killer moving narcotics and they need him to handle it.” From the show’s synopsis:

Cross is a crime thriller that follows the investigations of brilliant forensic psychologist and DC Metro Detective Alex Cross. Together with his best friend and partner Detective John Sampson, Cross delves into the psyches of America’s most insidious killers while fighting to protect his family from the dangers of the criminal world.

Cross‘ will co-star Isaiah Mustafa, Caleb Elijah, Melody Hurd, Eloise Mumford, Samantha Walkes, Jennifer Wigmore, Alona Tal, Ryan Eggold, Johnny Ray Gill, and Juanita Jennings. The series debuts on November 14.

Fontaines DC has a major fan in Elton John.

The “I’m Still Standing” singer invited singer Grian Chatten on his Elton John’s Rocket Hour show, and he had nothing but nice things to say about the Irish band. “Fontaines DC, for me — and I’ve watched you grow from album to album — have been the band that have progressed musically, lyrically, live, every single album, and they’ve changed their sound,” John raved, according to Brooklyn Vegan. “For me, you’re the best band out there at the moment, having watched you at Glastonbury, having heard the new album. You’ve just grown with every album, and you seem to have found your feet with this album in such a big way.”

John went on to say that Fontaines DC’s latest album, Romance (which came out last month), is the album that takes them to “a different level. I just think this is the album that breaks you through to the act that you always promised to be, from a popularity standpoint. And the music is just so great.”

Fontaines DC is currently on tour. You can see the dates here. As for John, he played his final show ever last year — unless Fontaines needs an opener. Then maybe he can be coaxed out of retirement.

Jay-Z seemingly never rests.

On Monday morning, September 23, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation announced plans for an “unprecedented grant program” tied to the profit of Caesars Palace Times Square, a casino in development from Jay-Z, Roc Nation, and SL Green and Caesars Entertainment.

Roc Nation posted the news on Instagram.

“As part of $250 million community benefits commitment, Caesars Palace Times Square guarantees $15 million in initial funding to support community investments,” it reads. “Ongoing support tied directly to financial performance comes in addition to the $250 million.”

The statement continues:

“Led and initiated by Roc Nation, the bid team behind the proposal for Caesars Palace Times Square has announced a first-of-its-kind financial commitment to the Hell’s Kitchen community, including Manhattan Plaza, the famed artists’ affordable housing development.

The community would receive an initial $15 million from Caesars Palace Times Square upon arrival of its bid, and regular grants funded based on .5$ of casino performance. The unprecedented plan is another significant pillar of the Caesars Palace Times Square team’s unwavering commitment to uplifting Manhattan’s West Side and investing in New York.”

Jay-Z said, in part, “Any proposal that wins a gaming license will undoubtedly profit. Our vision is to give back to New York and ensure that the Broadway community, Hell’s Kitchen, and the surrounding businesses and areas all benefit. And not just for a minute, but for the long-term.”

This latest addition to Roc Nation’s bid echoes the sentiment initially shared in Roc Nation’s May 2023 open letter laying out a proposal for Caesars Palace Times Square, which would become New York City’s first such casino.

As relayed by Billboard, “a finite amount of licenses [are] expected to be granted by New York State in 2025.”

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw the return of “mixtape Future” and GloRilla launch a new era. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Future — “Too Fast”

Uproxx’s Aaron Williams writes of Future’s new project, Mixtape Pluto, “The new tape indeed does find Future going solo for its 17 tracks. There’s a mixture of producers, but all of them provide vintage 808 and skittering snares — exactly the sort of backdrop over which the Atlanta native thrives. The hypnotic, chant-like choruses? They’re represented here on tracks like ‘Lil Demon’ and ‘Aye Say Gang.’ The rapping is as crisp as it’s ever been. And for those fans who love wounded Future, there are a few standouts like ‘Too Fast’ and ‘Lost My Dog.’”

Jamie xx — “Waited All Night” Feat. Romy and Oliver Sim

For years, fans of The xx have been waiting for a reunion. The band isn’t officially back together making new material yet, but they also sort of are: Jamie xx just dropped a new solo album, In Waves, and included is “Waited All Night,” a collaboration with The xx bandmates Romy and Oliver Sim.

Bon Iver — “SPEYSIDE”

While we haven’t had a new Bon Iver album since 2019’s i,i, Justin Vernon has kept busy, releasing a Big Red Machine album in 2021 and guesting on songs here and there. Now, the focus is back on Bon Iver with the announcement of a new EP, SABLE,. He also dropped the single “SPEYSIDE,” a return to his minimal folky roots.

Tommy Richman — “Whitney”

“Million Dollar Baby” only recently left the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, so Richman still has some momentum leading into the upcoming release of his debut album, Coyote. He kept the promo train rolling last week with “Whitney,” a catchy, synth-driven number.

GloRilla — “Hollon”

GloRilla already dropped her Ehhthang Ehhthang mixtape this year, but she’s not done yet: Last week, she announced a new album, Glorious. She also unveiled the single “Hollon,” an aggressive number that sees Glo on the offensive: “You must not know what you just started / Me and my b*tches go gnarly / Give a f*ck about this party / We gon’ step on sh*t regardless.”

Bad Bunny — “Una Velita”

Bad Bunny never hides his love for his home of Puerto Rico. It’s on full display on “Una Velita,” which sees him praying for the island and sees him not letting politicians off the hook.

Lil Tecca and Don Toliver — “I Can’t Let Go”

Lil Tecca has been going strong since his 2019 breakout single “Ransom.” He just dropped his fifth album, Plan A, and among the highlights is the hard Don Toliver collab “I Can’t Let Go.”

Ava Max — “Spot A Fake”

Uproxx cover star Ava Max is revving up her post-Diamonds & Dancefloors era with a new single, “Spot A Fake.” It shows Max continuing to demonstrate her knack for catchy hooks that are ready for the dance floor.

Greg Mendez — “First Time”

Mendez is the newest member of the Dead Oceans family, as he just announced his signing with the beloved record label. As expected, he has a new release — the First Time / Alone EP — on the way. He also shared the single “First Time,” which stemmed from a period when Mendez was temporarily unable to play guitar due to a wrist surgery.

Japandroids — “All Bets Are Off”

Japandroids are nearing the end. The beloved duo is preparing its final album (Fate & Alcohol), and they teased it last week with “All Bets Are Off,” the album’s closing track that sounds like a fitting farewell.

The trial for the three men accused of murdering Memphis rapper Young Dolph is set to begin after nearly two years. According to local news, the jury selection was completed, and the trial — which was initially set for June 3, but delayed after the defense counsel asked for more time for everyone’s experts to review information — begins today (September 23). The trial was also subject to a change of venue, bringing in a jury from outside Shelby County due to the heavy media coverage of the murder around Dolph’s hometown.

The three men are Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith Jr., who prosecutors say executed the hit on Dolph outside Makeda’s Cookies, as ordered by Hernandez Govan. Johnson and Smith were both arrested in January 2022, and each faces a charge of first-degree murder, as well as other associated felonies including theft of property between $10,000-$60,000, and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Govan was arrested in November 2022. All three men have pled not guilty to the charges against them.

A fourth man, Shundale Barnett, was also arrested in January 2022, but released on bail, and went missing shortly thereafter. Jemarcus Johnson, a fifth conspirator, pled guilty to three counts of accessory after-the-fact, and is expected to testify against the others in exchange for having his conspiracy to murder charge dropped.