Month: September 2024

Kendrick Lamar isn’t the only current or former member of the Top Dawg Entertainment family with a movie coming out next year.

An R-rated buddy comedy starring SZA and Keke Palmer will release in theaters on January 24, 2025. There’s no official title or even plot details yet, but Variety reports that the cast also includes Lil Rel Howery, Janelle James, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Maude Apatow, Katt Williams, Joshua Neal, Aziza Scott, Patrick Cage, and Amin Joseph. Lawrence Lamont is attached as director, while Rap Sh!t showrunner Syreeta Singleton wrote the screenplay.

Palmer and SZA previously teamed up in 2022 when the Nope actress hosted SNL with the “Kill Bill” singer as her musical guest.

SZA is currently working on her third studio album, Lana, and first since 2022’s SOS broke records.

“You know, this round, I actually don’t want to say anything,” she told The Hollywood Reporter when asked about the album earlier this year. “Just because I feel like I do myself a disservice because you can shift the energy of the album. You got to let it form itself. Because I’m not really forming anything. I’m just kind of here while energy is forming and I’m just trying to allow it to do what it needs to do, and my voice just follows whatever the frequency is. So I feel like I want to allow it to finish shaping itself and form itself before I speak on it and possibly change the trajectory of what it could be. But I will say I’m in a beautiful space creatively and I feel just very new.”

Indigo De Souza is an indie fixture on the road. In fact, the “You Can Be Mean” singer just announced a fresh set of performance dates alongside Lil Peach. Despite her hectic touring schedule, Indigo De Souza has managed to squeak out a new project.

Today (September 20), De Souza dropped a surprise EP, Wholesome Evil Fantasy. The project follows her 2023 album, All Of This Will End. Although it isn’t a full-length release, it includes three fresh tracks — “Wholesome,” “Evil,” and “Fantasy” — for supporters. Each of the songs were revealed as one-off songs, but when paired together, they create a sonic story.

In a statement, De Souza discussed the significance of the EP. “These songs come from the spiciest, most goofy, glitter gloss place in my psyche,” she wrote. “I wasn’t really thinking very hard when I wrote them. My baseline existence can be pretty heavy and complicated, but these songs made me deeply joyous the whole time I was working on them.”

De Souza later shared a note about her past releases, writing, “Most of my songs have come from the deepest, darkest, most heartbroken place. It feels good to just make something fun for once.”

Continue below for more information about the project, including the album cover and tracklist.

Indigo De Souza’s Wholesome Evil Fantasy Album Cover Artwork

Indigo De Souza’s Wholesome Evil Fantasy Tracklist

1. “Wholesome”
2. “Evil”
3. “Fantasy”

Wholesome Evil Fantasy is out now via Loma Vista Recordings. Find more information here.

2024 has been terrific for Gunna fans. The rapper released his latest album, One Of Wun, in May. Around the same time, he launched his Bittersweet tour. The tour wasn’t that long, though, spanning the course of about a month and change. In case you missed him the first time around, there’s good news: Gunna just announced Wun Of Dem Nights, a new set of tour dates.

The run kicks off in late November and will feature stops in Washington DC, Brookly, Boston, Connecticut, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.

Tickets for these shows will be available beginning with an artist pre-sale on September 23 at 9 a.m. local time. The general on-sale starts September 24 at 9 a.m. local time, via Live Nation. There are also VIP packages that include premium tickets, early entry into the venue, exclusive merch item, and even a photo with Gunna. More information is available here.

Find the list of dates below.

Gunna’s 2024 Tour Dates: Wun Of Dem Nights

11/19 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
11/21 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
11/22 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
11/23 — Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
11/27 — Atlanta, GA @ ONE Music Fest
11/29 — Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
11/30 — Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
11/02 — Las Vegas, NV @ Drai’s Nightclub
11/04 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium

Well, this is embarrassing. For the first time in the history of this column dating back to 2017, we are 1-9 over a two-week span. It’s been disastrous in every way, rankings from picks I would make again (hello, Titans) to picks that never had a chance (hello, Panthers). Alas, we press on with an aim toward finding our sea legs. Hey, at least there is a long way to go in the 2024 season.

Before diving into the Week 3 slate that we can only hope will be more favorable, let’s establish the hideous baseline.

• Week 2: 0-5
• 2024 Season: 1-9

Come get these winners.

Indianapolis Colts (PK) over Chicago Bears — Caesars

The Colts are 0-2, and we’re buying low. Neither loss was particularly lopsided, even as Week 2 was somewhat alarming against Malik Willis and the Packers. Anthony Richardson should also be more comfortable at home, and here is a stat that will cover a few of ours picks today: In the last ten years, NFL teams with 0-2 records are 42-23-1 (65 percent) against the spread in Week 3 when facing an opponent that is not 0-2. This isn’t a huge “trends” column, but this one is up our alley. Buy low.

Tennessee Titans (-2.5) over Green Bay Packers — FanDuel

I can’t believe I’m doing this again, but we have principles. Will Levis might be a “no thanks” forever if this doesn’t get home, but the Titans fit the 0-2 stat cited above. Also, Tennessee has been the “right side” in both losses, and this is an instance in which we’re probably getting Malik Willis on the road on the other side. There is a small chance that Jordan Love plays and, if he does, I won’t love this. But we’re laying the small number.

Seattle Seahawks (-4.5) over Miami Dolphins — Widely Available

We’re laying more than a field goal? That’s right. We are. I’ve been higher than the market on Seattle every week this season, and this is also an explicit fade of the Tua-less Dolphins. Take us there, Geno.

TEASER: Philadelphia Eagles (+8.5) over New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5) over Washington Commanders — Widely Available

The Saints have been one of the more positive stories of the season, and they look amazing. I’m still a bit skeptical that they should be laying points against Philadelphia, and we love a good Wong teaser leg that sends a competent team from +2.5 to +8.5. On the other side, Cincinnati is 0-2, playing at home, and facing a team that is remarkably flawed in Washington. Let’s ride.

Jacksonville Jaguars (+5.5) over Buffalo Bills — BetMGM

One more time, we’ll ride with an 0-2 team in dire need of a bounce-back. Candidly, I am quite high on the Bills in the aggregate, but nabbing +5.5 is a good idea. Hopefully, Jacksonville will actually unearth Christian Kirk and maybe even let Trevor Lawrence use his legs a bit.

After the success of SZA’s SOS and Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal, it looks like Top Dawg Entertainment is going all-in on the girlies, and we’re here for it. The Los Angeles-based label has signed its third woman, Ethiopian alt-pop singer-songwriter Alemeda. You may remember her from her UPROXX Sessions performance of “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows” in 2022, and since then, not only have there been plenty of other singers adopting that cosmetic choice, but Alemeda herself has built a growing fanbase as her alt-pop style caught on through artists like PinkPantheress and FKA Twigs.

Today, Alemeda released FK IT, her debut EP for TDE, featuring three all-new songs, “Below The Belt,” “I Already Dug Your Grave,” and “Not Asking For Much,” in addition to prior releases like “I Hate Your Face,” “Guys Girl” and the aforementioned “Bleach.” The project picks up threads from SZA’s pop-punk experiments on SOS and similar songs from the likes of Fousheé’s new project Pointy Heights, like “Feels Like Home.” “Below The Belt” “I Already Dug Your Grave” are upbeat riffs on the Disney pop-punk Alemeda says she grew up on as a kid in Arizona, while “Not Asking For Much” slows things down for a bit more bite. It’s a bit of a departure from “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows,” which took more inspiration from UK garage and 2-step.

The versatile project is a worthy introduction to Alemeda for newcomers and an exciting look at the future of the formerly hip-hop-centric TDE. You can check out FK IT here.

Between members Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning, Uproxx cover stars aespa are a collaborative force on their own. Still, the K-pop leaders aren’t opposed to working with other recording artists. Today (September 20), the “Armageddon” musicians linked up with another imaginative entertainer.

For the official remix of their smash “Supernova,” aespa tapped Grimes for her magical touch. The first weekend of the artist’s Coachella 2024 set might have been a technical nightmare, but Grimes’ creative spin on aespa’s beloved single “Supernova” is a fantasy you’d be willing to dive headfirst into.

The track arrives by way of ScreaM Records’ new project, iScreaM. In a statement, a representative description the purpose of the body of work as “where global DJs and producers participate in releasing remix singles of SM artists’ music.”

However, in Grimes’ eyes the track served a much deeper purpose. On September 16, Grimes, in a series a post on X (formerly Twitter), she outlined about the collaboration came to be. “Honestly I prob wouldn’t have started producing music again except that my autistic hyper fixation got hijacked by k pop,” she wrote. “Friendship ended w Nietzsche, now Æspa is my friend.”

Grimes then went on to reveal that she has other records with aespa in the queue, writing: “I actually did remix ‘Armageddon’ too, idk if they want it, but I could ask. I also have a second ‘Supernova Remix’ that’s kinda good, but my baby destroyed the computer it was on so it’s unmixable. Oh to clarify what’s coming out is ‘Supernova.’ But Mebe they like them all I never submitted my ‘Armageddon Remix.’”

Listen to the “Supernova” remix above.

iScreaM Vol.33: Supernova / Armageddon Remixes is out now via SM. Find more information here.

Tino Schaedler has a vision for the future of concerts: It involves embracing the wonder, joy, and community at the heart of the live performance.

The German-born jack of all trades began his artistic career in architecture, before moving into film, brand design, and more. Now? He’s a go-to collaborator for many of the most inventive artists in music.

His work with acts like SAULT, André 3000, Travis Scott, and more earned him an honor at the 2024 UPROXX Sound + Vision Awards as the Vanguard Virtoso, which “highlights visionary collaborators who empower artists and help drive music culture forward.” It’s clear through his varied approaches to stagecraft that there’s no one-size-fits-all method to his creations.

“The music industry has changed a lot since the pandemic, and there’s interest in really trying to create new types of live experiences and new types of experiences in general that are beyond stadium and arena tours,” Schaedler explained to UPROXX.

As such, he, and the artists he works with, have put an emphasis on live and lived experiences. Schaedler says that these aren’t disposable concerts where the lights go down, the band comes on, they play some songs, and they leave. He wants to re-imagine the way concerts can be experienced.

“We’re all on our phones all the time,” Schaedler explains. “I want to make bodies our interface again, putting people into the moment and being present.”

Where does your initial passion for art — or more broadly, creativity — stem from?

My mom really laid the foundation from an early age. I would come home from school and there was always paper and pens on the floor. My whole childhood, I remember just drawing. That was all I was doing. I don’t think it was a conscious decision, but I think she also built a little bit of a reward system around it, because she always made me draw for everyone: grandparents, aunts and uncles, and everyone got a little drawing from me. There was always appreciation around it. It really built this image where I always felt like I was an artist. There was no other choice. It was so natural for me because it was my passion, and I think there was a persona that was created around that from that early age on.

Did you go to school for art? What was your focus?

I studied architecture. That was a little bit of a compromise in the beginning, and my dad really pushed me for it. He was a real estate developer and he was like, “Do you want to do art? At least have it be something that has a bit of an economy behind it.” Back then, I always thought of it as a compromise, but in hindsight, it wasn’t really, because studying architecture gives you such a broad scope of education, from understanding the technical side of architecture to the spatial understanding and spatial imagination to art history, architectural history, and all of that.

A lot of what I do is still fed from that time, and it really influenced the way that I think about things. I studied at Berlin and then did two years at UC Berkeley, and there I learned about this landscape architect named Lawrence Helpin. It was a long time ago and computers were a new thing. I think I got my first email while I was at Berkeley, and I learned about this landscape architect that did a lot of design on the campus there. He was designing using a storyboard. He used a storyboard to design landscape architecture. Architecture was never an abstract shape. It was always a combination or a relationship between a camera movement and perception. I always thought about architecture in a very cinematic way

And that’s a pretty good way to describe what you do now, right?

When I have meetings with new clients and I explain the way that I think about things, it’s relevant because I studied architecture and that’s all about space and the physical and psychological dimension of space. If you go to the Pantheon in Rome, there’s an emotion attached to that. Creating space has a kind of poetic potential to really evoke an emotion.

What did you do after graduating?

After graduating, I went into film and I worked on big movies: Harry Potter, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, V For Vendetta. I had this high school teacher who inspired me to get into film. In Germany, you have to write an essay to graduate high school, and I wrote mine on [Stanley] Kubrick and [Alfred] Hitchcock. It was always film, it was about thinking about architecture through the camera lens, then moving into film. It was a very natural progression.

I did most of those films in London, then moved to California and did more films while moving into music videos and commercials. I also became a partner in this experiential agency, which is all about consumer journey choreography and creating experiences. What I do now with SAULT is really about those three things. It’s space, it’s design, it’s storytelling. It combines movement and experience. The music industry has changed a lot since the pandemic, and there’s interest in really trying to create new types of live experiences and new types of experiences in general that are beyond stadium and arena tours.

I learned from some of the brand experiences that I did for Nike or for Apple or for Beats. There are some interesting ideas in there, especially when paired with the shift towards immersive experiences. The music industry is open and hungry for new ways of experiencing things. We’re all on our phones all the time. I want to make bodies our interface again, putting people into the moment and being present. There are things that I’ve been super interested in for the past 10 years.

What was that challenge for you in helping SAULT be the band that they wanted to be in a live setting?

It was a super interesting setup. I mean, I got the first call about a year ago in October. I got that call from Inflo, and there was an immediate connection of various interests about creating something very special, creating something that puts people into the moment. The whole mystique that they’ve built around the band was super interesting to me. I didn’t know him before. A mutual friend connected us, but from the first moment, there was this really deep connection with Flo. We were on the phone for the next two months.

I did a few trips to London and it was just a beautiful exchange. Everything was created in terms of the design, and the programming came through us talking and figuring out how we could do something that is different than your traditional show. Normally, you wait in the main space, suddenly the light goes off and the band performs, and then the light comes on again and everyone leaves. The idea was about creating a world that’s very cinematic. The idea of world building is inherent to movies, so when you’re working on Harry Potter, you design the whole world that fits these characters. World-building is an interesting aspect that I think is very relevant for music today.

A lot of musicians do it just by the persona that they create. Think about Daft Punk, Doja Cat, or Lady Gaga. We wanted to take that to the next level and not just have something on the stage that you look at. We wanted to create something that you walk through that you experience where you have a much stronger interaction with it. It wasn’t a traditional linear relationship of the audience looking at a stage, because we redefined it by putting the stage in the middle of the whole crowd. You’re walking through the stage, everything becomes one. The whole space is the stage, basically.

Do you have an overarching philosophy to the way you approach these projects? Or are you more chameleonic in the way that you work with the artist’s desires?

I think it’s a little bit of both. There are some artists where you just have to be what they need, and I can deliver that. I worked with Tyla recently and they just needed help with a few festival shows, and we just designed something that can live on the festival stage.

Then there are other artists like André 3000. I helped him with his last tour, and that one was super minimal. We decided on that because he just wants you to put your phone away and listen. We did that one with a laser that shoots through this glass of water, and it’s so iconic. André is always about, “Let’s strip away, let’s strip away.”

What do you think stage design can, or is meant to, achieve?

When I worked in commercials or music videos, there were always people asking me why I didn’t move more into directing music videos or commercials. There are so many young people, and I don’t think I have anything unique to offer. I can do a good job, but I don’t have anything that no one else has. Regarding music and what I bring to it, though, I think I have a unique thing to give. In an ideal scenario, we all want to align our life purpose. We all want to feel like what we do has an impact.

In an ideal scenario, you come to a point where your gift or your skill and your passion all align with some kind of ability to give back or to create something meaningful. I love creating these moments that people remember for a long time.

I was at Tate Modern a few weeks ago. I was invited by Little Simz, and during that panel afterwards, a lot of people came to me and spoke about my work. There are still a lot of people that hit me up about SAULT. That alone is proof that something really special was created. So, that is the sweet spot that I want to be in. Not every project offers that, but I think it’s getting to be the case more and more, because more artists are realizing that they can actually do something different. They can push it, and there’s almost a new typology of music experiences evolving.

Atlanta rap star Kaliii is expecting a bundle of joy soon, but she isn’t letting that stop her from putting in work and enjoying the fruits of the other kind of labor. In the video for her new single “Hot Girl Maybach,” Kaliii shows off both her baby bump and some expensive rides as she rocks a silver gown in the driveway of a mansion surrounded by the titular luxury autos.

The chrome-colored video follows the reveal of her pregnancy with the clip for “Big One” featuring Monaleo, which Kaliii released last month. That video arrived two months after “Gas You Up” featuring Hunxho, which followed the dismissive “Bozo” video from February. Between songs, Kaliii collaborated with G-Eazy on “Femme Fatale,” which also featured Coi Leray, YG on “Shake” with Stunna Girl, and Cash Cobain on “Problem,” which included a squadron of collaborators like 6lack, Big Sean, Flo Milli, and the burgeoning TikTok favorite Laila!, whose breakout hit “Not My Problem” formed the base sample.

The former Uproxx cover star is a little under a year removed from her last EP, Fck Girl SZN, and is still working on her debut album — which hopefully won’t be negatively impacted by the shakeups at Atlantic Records.

Watch Kaliii’s “Hot Girl Maybach” video above.

Future is currently the most hard-working artist in hip-hop. After releasing two albums produced by Metro Boomin this year, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You, he’s returning to the well one more time with Mixtape Pluto.

For some fans, it’s the best of the three, for the same reason that the paired projects marked a return to form for Future in the minds of many longtime fans. Mixtape Pluto calls back to one of the most productive and fan-revered eras of the veteran trap rapper’s career.

Of course, I am referring to the Future era in which he released no fewer than five standout projects from 2014 to 2016. Beginning with the DJ Esco-hosted mixtape Monster and including Beast Mode with Zaytoven, 56 Nights with DJ Esco, What A Time To Be Alive with Drake, and, of course, DS2, and ending arguably with 2016’s Purple Reign and Evol, Future’s 2015 run was rivaled only by a few in hip-hop, and all of them are titans of the culture.

During this time, he released 10 platinum-selling singles, including some of his most beloved festival hype DJ playlist favorites, like “March Madness” “Jumpman” with Drake, and “Low Life” with The Weeknd. These time may not have produced his highest-charting, but it began Future’s string of multi-platinum hits (beginning with “F*ck Up Some Commas” from DS2 at No. 55) and it contains the densest concentration thereof (peaking with “Low Life” with eight certifications).

Unlike prior albums Pluto and Honest, and latter albums like Hndrxx, High Off Life, or even his Metro Boomin collabs, this success was driven by Future’s gritty solo charisma, with much less of the focus on melodizing his heartbreak. Instead, he growled dismissive dispatches from the depths of his hedonistic excesses, going out of his way to shoot down any suggestion of soulful introspection or simping.

He also needed little in the way of featured artistry to fuel his ascent. While Future himself was a hotly demanded guest star on works from other artists, including DJ Khaled, Mike Will Made It, Travis Scott, Ty Dolla Sign, and 21 Savage, the only collaborations of his from 2015 to chart were those from What A Time, a collaborative album, while “Low Life” with The Weeknd was the biggest hit he had to feature another artist in 2016.

He was at the height of his powers — which you could argue he most strongly taps into on his other mixtapes. Mixtape Pluto might not only apply to 2015 and 2016; it might also refer to his street-bred beginnings with tapes like the original Dirty Sprite or collaborative efforts like Super Slimey with Young Thug or Beast Mode 2 with Zaytoven.

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.”

Which is why Mixtape Pluto is hitting all the right notes with those fans who’ve been following him all this time. Future — an artist with roots that reach back to Atlanta’s initial epoch in the rap mainstream with Outkast and Dungeon Family — has transformed dozens of times over the course of his career, but the form he always seems to return to is the one that has the most potential to go anywhere and everywhere else. Mixtape Future is the best Future, because like the future, the possibilities are endless.

Who needs an authenticator when Uproxx cover star Ava Max could quite easily offer her services? The “Ghost” singer is calling out any and all fraudsters on her latest record.

Yesterday (September 19), Ava Max released a follow-up to her single “My Oh My.” On her latest track, “Spot A Fake,” Ava Max continues her intoxicating run of dance floor friendly bops.

For “Spot A Fake,” Max turns her irresistible sonics against romantic lovers with ulterior motives, which, given her pop star status, is quite useful. “I could spot a fake from a mile away / Oh, I could spot the bad in the girl that you date / She’s playin’ with your, playin’ with your heart ’til it breaks / I got a sixth sense when it comes to a b*tch / She’s just a demon blowin’ a kiss / Oh, god / She’s like a white sheep, what could she ever do? / She’s just a bad wolf comin’ for you / Oh, god,” sings Ava.

Usually, calling someone out as phony would be considered rude. However, with the help of the track’s producer, Grant Boutin, “Spot A Fake” is more so viewed as a cocky warning instead. Given her viral smash “Sweet But Psycho,” Ava’s words of advice should be deeply considered for anyone in the dating market.

Listen to “Spot A Fake” above.