It’s Wednesday — a little late for the weekly Crumbl Cookie report. But seriously, Crumbl cookie on Thanksgiving week, are people insane? Well, it looks like Crumbl has anticipated how strange it is to try and sell us expensive cookies so close to a holiday that is all about eating, one that also has its much beloved traditional desserts. How do you make a cookie compete with a pumpkin or pecan pie? The answer is, apparently, you don’t. In a radical change, Crumbl is ditching cookies this week and focusing almost entirely on small pies.
We’re not sure if we should be excited about that. We have some deep thoughts and feelings on where you can buy the best pies for the holiday, so it’ll be interesting to see how Crumbl’s stack up. So we scooped up all six pies (and the one cookie) dropping at Crumbl this week and ranked them from least to most essential.
Do any of these belong as a part of your Thanksgiving dinner spread? We’re here to find out.
7. French Silk Pie
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
I desperately wanted to like this pie because, well, it’s name and the visual are so damn appetizing that it feels crazy to rank this one last. But, it is what it is. This pie just isn’t great.
The big issue here is at least 60% of the pie is just chocolate mousse. On a small bed of cookies and cream crust sits a thick layer of super sweet milk chocolate mousse, a few dollops of whipped cream, and shaved chocolate pieces. The mousse is airy and sweet, and tastes great, but there isn’t enough texture in this dessert to be enjoyable, unless your idea of enjoyment is eating straight mousse.
It’s not that this pie is bad per se, I just had higher hopes.
The Bottom Line:
The pie is mostly pure mousse. It lacks a textural element and comes across as way too airy and one-note.
6. Apple Pie
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Here is the thing with Crumbl’s Apple Pie — the flavor is great, but the form factor makes the dessert suffer. A good apple pie needs a delicate balance between filling, topping, and crust, and because this is essentially a mini 4-6 inch pie, you’re getting too much crust, and not enough filling here, which makes it come across as unbalanced.
Which is a shame because the filling is great. It’s crispy and tangy with a heavy dose of cinnamon spice over a buttery soft crust, with cinnamon streusel on top, which emphasizes the cinnamon spice filling and provides a nice crunch to the pie.
If this was a full-size pie, I could see it ranking much higher, but as it is, it just makes me want an actual apple pie.
The Bottom Line:
The mini size throws off the ratio for a proper apple pie.
5. Pumpkin Pie
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
Unlike the apple pie, a pumpkin pie doesn’t require that delicate crust, filling, and topping ratio, making it an ideal choice for the mini form factor. So why is this pie sitting in the middle of this list rather than near the top? Because I’m not totally sold on Crumbl’s pumpkin filling.
The spice mix here leans a bit too heavily on sugar and ginger, I’m not tasting nearly enough clove, cinnamon, or allspice. Personally, I prefer pumpkin pies that lean more on the dark and spicy side. This pie just comes across as a bit too bright and sweet.
The Bottom Line:
Sugar and ginger forward, but not nearly spicy enough.
4. Double Chocolate Chip
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The only actual cookie on the menu this week, the Double Chocolate Chip is a real gem. If you’re a big Crumbl fan (and if you’re reading this, we assume you are) then you know that every week Crumbl alternates between the Milk Chocolate and Semi-Sweet Chocolate cookies, and while we prefer the latter, both are two of the best chocolate chip cookies you’ll ever have. The Double Chocolate represents the best of both worlds, a perfect marriage between Crumbl’s Milk Chocolate and Semi-Sweet cookie.
This cookie features a brown sugar and butter cookie base loaded up with milk chocolate pieces and topped with semi-sweet chocolate chunks and a sprinkle of sea salt. It’s sweet, chocolaty, and rich, with just a touch of bitter and salty sensations. Why the hell isn’t Crumbl dropping this cookie every other week?
The Bottom Line:
Quite possibly Crumbl’s very best chocolate chip cookie, we wish this one was available on a bi-weekly basis like the Milk Chocolate and Semi-Sweet.
3. Key Lime Pie
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
What I love about Crumbl’s Key Lime Pie is that I feel that particular pie flavor can be a bit overwhelming. I can only really handle two or three forkfuls before I have to tap out, making a whole slice feel like a bit of a waste. Crumbl solves that by offering a tiny form factor.
This pie features a zesty, tangy, and tart lime base over a crumbly and sweet graham cracker base, topped with whipped cream and graham cracker dust. It’s tart, incredibly sweet, refreshing, and silky smooth. The pie is supposed to come with a decorative lime wedge, mine didn’t, but I won’t hold that against the pie as a whole.
The Bottom Line:
A delicious, tart, and refreshing key lime pie with a buttery graham cracker crust.
2. Cookies & Cream Pie
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
I didn’t expect this one to rank so highly because I think Crumbl leans on cookies and cream recipes way too much, but I couldn’t pull myself away from this pie. It features a dark semi-sweet cocoa base with a sweet cookies and cream filling, whipped cream, and a whole lot of chalky, crunchy crumbs.
This pie is a real showcase for the power of texture in desserts — it’s crunchy and crumbly, yet melts in your mouth into this wonderful expression of rich coca flavors.
The Bottom Line:
1. Pecan Pie
Dane Rivera
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The way the buttery crust, brown sugar glaze, and roasted pecan filling come together in Crumbl’s Pecan Pie comes across kind of like a thick, super textured cookie. Rather than using a fork like I used for the five other pies, I just picked this one up out of the box and bit into it, and we suggest you do the same.
The way this pie is able to marry the concept of Thanksgiving pies to Crumbl’s main dessert offering — the cookie — is reason enough for us to give it the top spot, but in addition to a strong concept, the thing just tastes f*cking incredibly. It’s earthy, nutty, toasted, roasted, sweet, and buttery — I think I prefer it to a real slice of Pecan Pie, and few if any of the pies at Crumbl this week rival the real thing.
Don’t skip on this one. It’s not big enough to share at your family’s Thanksgiving dinner, but it’ll make the perfect snack to go with your Thanksgiving left overs Friday morning.
The Bottom Line:
Crumbl’s best pie. So good we hope it has a life outside of this Thanksgiving-themed menu. Bring this baby back in December Crumbl and we’ll forgive you for bumping up the weekly drop number from six to eight!
Kendrick Lamar just released a triumphant new music video for the second song on his brand new album GNX, “Squabble Up.”
The trunk-rattling single is drenched in the lexicon of the left coast, and the song’s music video follows in those footsteps by featuring a plethora of Easter eggs near and dear to the heart of California natives. From subtler nods like the seemingly ubiquitous black panther statue to more overt homages like including the 105 freeway exit sign, a particular sect of California culture is the real star of Lamar’s latest visual.
In honor of that, we wanted to extend the Cali love a bit further by introducing you to the California brands that are taking a page out of Dot’s book (How To Be More Like Kendrick for Dummies) and putting West Coast whiskey on the map. Each of these brands is produced right in California, and they run the gamut from American Single Malt to rye whiskey and barrel-proof bourbon. Their one unifying factor is that they’re all representing the Golden State in a major way — and if we say so ourselves, they all taste way better than a 40-ounce of Olde English.
It’s time to rep the set and reveal our list of the best California whiskeys to sip in honor of Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up” music video!
For their flagship bourbon expression, Sonoma Distilling Co. uses an atypical four-grain mash bill to create a unique set of flavors that truly represents the innovative spirit of Sonoma County. The recipe includes corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley grains in undisclosed amounts, and the resultant whiskey is aged for a minimum of three years before bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The initial nosing notes on this bourbon open with some butterscotch and the earthiness of hazelnut spread and clove before those core aromas dissipate and lose their shape with repeat nosings.
Palate: Vanilla extract and toasted almonds are the key flavors that hit the palate at first, with a touch of dilute caramel and the faint note of coffee beans lingering on the periphery of the tongue. The texture of this whiskey is generally lean, making it an ideal easy-sipping experience for newcomers.
Finish: The finish is relatively brief, with the flavors leaving your palate fairly quickly after the first sip, which is another aspect that makes it an appealing choice for whiskey novices.
Bottom Line:
This bourbon doesn’t undergo very much aging, resulting in a light and approachable flavor profile that is admittedly light on the flavor but delivers a profile that will be much more enjoyable for those who typically avoid the bold notes typically found in bourbon. To put it in Kendrick Lamar terms, this whiskey is much more akin to “Luther” than “Wacced Out Murals,” resulting in a smooth ride from start to finish.
Charbay’s innovative R5 Whiskey is distilled from bottle-ready beer. If you’re still getting familiar with it, the beginning stages of whiskey production follow the same path as beer production, making the feat possible. For this release, Charbay took some of Bear Republic Brewery’s Racer 5 IPA in 2017 and distilled it before aging it for six-and-a-half years in French oak barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: With shaved coconut, malted barley, and blueberry parfait leading the way on the fruit-forward nosing notes of Charbay’s R5 Whiskey, this is a bottle that is immediately appealing for its light medley of scents, which whets your palate for the first sip.
Palate: The initial sip of R5 whiskey introduces Tahitian vanilla, which is likely a credit to the French oak barrels used to age it, a robust malted barley presence, which is slightly grassy with some honey sweetness, and it’s all undergirded by the hoppiness to be expected with IPA beers.
Finish: The finish is surprisingly lengthy, making this whiskey a pleasure to sip as the flavors unfurl long after your first sip. A fresh infusion of shaved nutmeg and allspice adds a greater depth of nuance to the entire affair before it slowly fades from your taste buds’ detection.
Bottom Line:
This inventive whiskey is a departure from what most folks are used to, much like Kendrick’s latest album, and it’s produced similarly dazzling results. Whether you’re a newcomer to the world of whiskey or a grizzled veteran, this expression will challenge you to expand your taste and appreciate the moment. Yet another thing it has in common with GNX.
Forty-Nine Mile’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey is an expression to take seriously, featuring a four-barrel blend of bourbon that was aged for at least seven years on the Mendocino coast. The 90-proof bourbon is made with a grain recipe that includes 70% Corn, 24% Rye, and 6% Malted Barley.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh vanilla pods and sweet oak tones are the first notes that come wafting out of the glass once you pour this San Francisco bourbon, and the aroma of orange rind, peanut shells, and tobacco leaf follows those.
Palate: Once you have a chance to taste this well-aged bourbon, the palate is greeted with the rich flavor of chocolate-dipped orange wedges, nougat, and faint caramel. The texture is surprisingly thin for such a well-aged bourbon, but with such distinct flavors, it’s a flaw that can be quickly forgiven.
Finish: This whiskey’s finish follows the austere mouthfeel’s lead, generally leaving the palate as quickly as it arrived.
Bottom Line:
In the American whiskey world, 90-proof is on the light side (80-proof or 40% ABV is the legal minimum), but despite that modest proof point, Forty Nine Mile’s Bourbon packs a ton of flavor. Credit it to the extensive time it spends aging in the Mendocino coast’s microclimate, but for a delicious sipping whiskey, this is a bottle you should run, not walk, to add to your collection.
If The Burning Chair Bourbon’s packaging strikes you as familiar, it should because it comes from the same man who brought you The Prisoner wine brand, Dave Phinney. Dave has since moved on from Prisoner wine, producing the critically acclaimed Orin Swift line of wines along with this well-regarded whiskey brand: The Burning Chair from the Savage & Cooke Distillery. Remaining faithful to Dave’s roots, this bourbon is aged four years and finished in Napa Valley red wine barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: With one whiff, Burning Chair Bourbon’s Napa Valley backbone comes to the fore as cooked cranberries and raspberry jam notes fill the air with fruit-forward sweetness as prototypical bourbon notes of toffee, oak, and black pepper spice are relegated to the background.
Palate: On the initial sip of Burning Chair Bourbon, the restrained texture pushes the wine-forward notes to the top of your tongue with vanilla extract, red berries, slightly astringent oak, and a flourish of black pepper.
Finish: The finish is fairly succinct, but as the vanilla extract morphs into gooey caramel and the black pepper spice evolves into semi-bitter dark chocolate, you’ll savor that brief space between your first sip and the flavor’s last gasp.
Bottom Line:
Produced at the Savage & Cooke Distillery on Mare Island in Vallejo, California, this bourbon marries Napa Valley with America’s Native Spirit for a combination that blends the best of both worlds. Rather than competing, the flavors of red wine and modestly-aged American whiskey actually create something more significant than its parts. Are we crazy, or does that sort of unity remind anyone else of Kendrick’s “Pop Out” concert?
Wolves Whiskey has been producing some stellar and incredibly unique premium blends over the past few years, but this expression is the brand’s very first crack at creating an evergreen product. Aged for five years in California wine barrels before being finished in Cognac casks, this brand-new American Single Malt debuted in September this year.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with mocha, deep honey tones, and roasted Brazil nuts. After a few waves of the hand, cinnamon and doughy notes emerge from the glass, along with dried strawberries.
Palate: This whiskey is immediately supple and expansive on the palate, defying its modest proof to flood your tastebuds with the flavor of Manuka honey, crème brulée, clove, and fresh figs. There are additional layers of nutmeg, cinnamon, and half-baked pastries, complete with a slight doughiness and well-developed sweetness.
Finish: The finish is medium-length and just as silky as the liquid itself, causing it to gently recede, leaving a touch of black pepper and clove with cinnamon bark at the end.
Bottom Line:
Wolves Whiskey’s brand-new American Single Malt is definitely off to an auspicious start, launching just a few months ago, but already turning heads as the brand’s very first evergreen product. This whiskey showcases an impressive blend of finishing casks for a smooth, easy-sipping end result. While the Wolves brand has a ton of intriguing higher-end offerings, this entry-level whiskey is poised to capture a new audience thanks to its more affordable price point and approachable flavor profile.
Redwood Empire out of Graton, California, has been quietly producing some phenomenal whiskeys that the rest of the country has been all too slow to pick up on. Here at UPROXX, we’re happy to sound the alarm because Batch 001 of this fantastic rye, made from a mash bill of 67% rye, 31% malted barley, and 2% wheat, is sure to convert some new fans for the brand. This small lot expression is blended from 45 barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pine, Manuka honey, and mint tea form a delicious trifecta on the nose, which then leads the way to cedar, tobacco leaf, and black pepper aromas.
Palate: Honey and black pepper hit the palate at first, with the cedar and faint mint following closely behind as black tea curtails the sweetness at mid-palate. The texture is impressive and allows a second wave of sweetness in the form of confectioner’s sugar to kick in before the ample finish.
Finish: The finish is medium length, with honeysuckle and nougat taking shape, along with a little bit of orange blossom and oak.
Bottom Line:
Redwood Empire Van Duzen Rye has a funny name, but its instantly familiar medley of well-developed flavors is indicative of the fact that the folks behind this brand are dead serious about crafting high-quality whiskey. That small percentage of wheat in its mash bill likely contributes to its creamy mouthfeel, while that atypical but entirely welcome high-barley content keeps things interesting.
Old Potrero’s 6-Year Rye Whiskey, made with 100% malted rye sourced across the United States, has been distilling its own whiskey since 1994 (one year before 2Pac’s game-changing Me Against The World album), that makes them one of the OG’s in the California whiskey distilling scene. A quick note: Old Potrero recommends enjoying this well-aged rye whiskey either neat (by itself), on the rocks, or in a Black Manhattan cocktail…Tupac Shakur’s birthplace.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Allspice and cinnamon lead the baking cabinet notes on this whiskey, with some black pepper accenting the back end and jammy stone fruits over toasted bread making up the body of the bouquet.
Palate: With one sip, the black pepper and toasted bread notes take over your palate, but those are quickly followed by sweet accents of brown sugar and maple candy for a balanced flavor profile that will leave you exploring each end of the spectrum to see how deep the rabbit hole goes. The texture is just dense enough to contain all those flavors.
Finish: The finish is unremarkable, but with all the fireworks of the whiskey on the tip of your tongue, it’s no significant loss. This one has plenty of flavor on the front end to entertain you.
Bottom Line:
Old Potrero’s 6-Year Rye Whiskey is a unique, flavorful take on the category that does as good a job of establishing a ‘California-style’ as it does in laying the foundation for what to expect from their portfolio overall. This pioneering pot-distilled whiskey brand deserves to be near the top of the list when considering a California-based whiskey brand to sip alongside Kendrick’s rabble-rousing “Squabble Up” visuals.
“American made. Japanese (whiskey) inspired. Wholly original.” So goes the tagline for St. George’s Baller expression, though it could almost double as a description for Lamar’s Kung Fu Kenny alter ego, which borrows Chinese themes vis-a-vis Blaxploitation era adaptions reminiscent of The Last Dragon’s Sho’nuff. The whiskey itself is produced from 100% American barley, aged for at least three years in used bourbon and French oak wine casks then filtered through maple charcoal. Finally, the whiskey is finished in house-made umeshu casks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma of apricots, figs, and candied lemon peels comes wafting out of the glass with St. George’s Baller whiskey poured. There’s a slight salinity and green notes reminiscent of cucumbers, with roasted malt gently washing it all away and resetting your senses before the first sip.
Palate: On the palate, the melange of flavors on the nose increases twofold, with honeydew, fried pickles, and honeysuckle joining the already loaded bunch. Despite the range of layers in this whiskey, it somehow all comes together and keeps you guessing as you suck your teeth and anticipate what the slot machine of flavors will kick out next.
Finish: The finish lingers with medium length and narrows the assortment of flavors down to fried pickles, dried apricots, seaweed, and white sugar before it slowly dissipates.
Bottom Line:
For what is, perhaps, the most unique whiskey on this entire list, St. George delivers a bevy of bold flavors that pair perfectly with the headstrong lead single from Compton’s crown holder. As smooth as “Dodger Blue” yet as representative of its region as the title track, “GNX,” this surprisingly delicious whiskey needs to be experienced to be thoroughly enjoyed.
Since its founding in 2014, Redwood Empire has gradually established itself as one of the premier bourbon and rye whiskey brands out of California. Redwood Empire blends whiskey sourced from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, aged between four and 12 years, for the cask-strength version of their flagship Pipe Dream Bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Aromas like toffee, barrel char, and the leather from a baseball glove are immediately evident on the nose. There’s a touch of smokiness hiding in the background as well as some caramel that emerges after a few swirls in the glass.
Palate: On the palate, there’s a lovely green apple note that slowly diffuses over the length of the tongue and joins the flavor of honeyed pecans, aged oak, and nutmeg accents at the midpalate. The texture is full and robust here, and once you become acclimated to the heat, this bourbon is a treat to roll over your tongue and mine for flavor.
Finish: The finish on this whiskey doubles down with more baking spice and oak before relenting as some of the toffee from the nose and a sweet, albeit slightly tart, green apple note closes things out.
Bottom Line:
Redwood Empire’s Pipe Dream Bourbon at full cask strength is as unabashedly bold as “Squabble Up,” and it showcases the brand’s self-assured blending team at its best. With barrel-proof bourbon, you can’t hide any flaws in the base liquid, making blending it a precarious act that requires as much confidence as prowess. Rest assured, the results here are a total success.
Mirroring GNX’s tracklist, Lot 2 of Wolves’ Malted Barley Series is their second American Single Malt Whiskey release, but it’s also easily their best. For this release, the brand took 10 barrels of whiskey distilled in 2012 and bottled them in 2023 at 11 years old. The batch of barrels in this blend includes whiskey that was distilled in a copper alembic pot still, aged in new American oak with a range of toast levels (from light toasting to char 3 barrels). Finally, each bottle was hand-wrapped in black, UV-printed sheepskin right in Los Angeles.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: In a stunning development, the nose on Wolves’ Malted Barley Series Lot 2 opens with the aroma of lush tiramisu drizzled in caramel, malted barley, toasted coconut flakes, and fresh raspberries. After a few waves of the hand, the liquid dances in the glass, revealing further notes of mocha, bay leaves, and dried tobacco.
Palate: Allspice and tobacco leaf notes open the floodgates for the flavor of malted chocolate and ripe raspberries. This whiskey has a heavy mouthfeel and carries notes of vanilla buttercream, nutmeg, and black pepper through to the middle of the palate. Finally, dense oak tones creep in as it transitions to the finish.
Finish: Crème brûlée and tobacco leaf notes fuse with the flavor of malted barley on the lingering full-bodied finish.
Bottom Line:
The City of Angels is known for producing some of the most high-end premium products in America, and with Lot 2 of its Malted Barley Series, Wolves Whiskey is continuing that tradition. Of all the whiskeys on this list, this is the one most likely to make you “double back like a deluxe” as you appreciate the dense layers of flavor in every sip. In time, people will decide whether or not GNX is the bestCalifornia rapalbum of the year, but let the record reflect that Wolves Malted Barley Series Lot 2 is hands down the best California whiskey.
Barry Keoghan’s star launched into the stratosphere with Saltburn like a flood of bathwater. From Masters Of The Air to the Peaky Blinders movie, he has continued plucking up prestige roles everywhere, and Sabrina Carpenter’s boyfriend isn’t done yet. Keoghan has been rumored to portray one of the Fab Four in Sam Mendes’ quartet of The Beatles biopics, each devoted to Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison.
Although casting picks haven’t been confirmed by Sony, Entertainment Tonight caught up with Starr, and the outlet quoted his reaction to the Keoghan chatter: “I think it’s great,” he declared before adding, “I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons, and I hope not too many.”
Deadline further notes that other actors who are “circling” roles include Harris Dickinson (soon to be seen in A24’s Babygirl with Nicole Kidman) as John Lennon as well as Paul Mescal and Joseph Quinn (both currently starring in Gladiator 2) for Paul McCartney and George Harrison, respectively. Still, none of these names are set in stone until Sony says otherwise, but Ringo is more than suggesting that he’s got the inside dish, at least for his own likeness.
As for Ringo’s hopes that Keoghan isn’t practicing too hard on those drumming skills, this is surely a joke intended for those who are critical of Ringo’s own contributions to The Beatles. During a resurfacing of that discussion in 2017, The Guardian pointed towards the words of Dave Grohl (he remains so hardcore about drumming that he treats the guitar as a kit), who threw his weight behind Starr during his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame presentation: “Define ‘best drummer in the world. Is it someone that’s technically proficient? Or is it someone that sits in the song with their own feel? Ringo was the king of feel.”
According to a Sony Pictures Entertainment press release, Mendes’ four movies “will intersect to tell the astonishing story of the greatest band in history.” The project is tentatively scheduled for a 2027 theatrical rollout.
You’d be mistaken if you thought Man/Woman/Chainsaw have been a band longer than they actually have, but you wouldn’t necessarily be at fault.
They’ve recently released their debut EP, Eazy Peazy, a five-track collection of wiry post-punk tunes as elastic as Mrs. Incredible. The London-based quintet — composed of Lola Cherry, Billy Ward, Clio Harwood, Vera Leppänen, and Emmie-Mae Avery — sounds completely at ease, owning their muscular songs with panache, like they’ve already got their core sound distilled to its most essential components. Let’s hope a full-length album comes soon.
Following the EP’s release earlier this month, Ward (and Cherry, for one question) sat down with Uproxx to talk about AI cat videos, stick-and-poke tattoos, eating bananas before performing, and more in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Shark/Diamond/Sword/Tigress
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
We’d like the EP to be remembered as a workout playlist for the ages!
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Each other! We find inspiration in each other’s different styles of playing.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
We had really good ramen in Rotterdam when we played Left Of The Dial! It was yum.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
Cherry: Amyl And The Sniffers last week was up there! They’re amazing!
What song never fails to make you emotional?
“Whole Of The Moon” by The Waterboys.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
We had a pretty strange night in a big old building above a nightclub in Halifax recently — lots of floors/tents and student accommodations!
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?
We love Glasgow! Looking forward to our headline at King Tut’s next year! We really want to play in Helsinki and New York.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
That was like last year for us. Not a ton has changed.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
Lola is an excellent beatboxer!
If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support and why?
We’d put money towards support and medical aid for the conflict in Palestine.
What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?
They make great videos of cats doing stuff online, but no AI can shred bass like Vera, so for now, we’re fine!
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.
Linkin Park c. 2001, The Stones in ’73, Beastie Boys, Chappell Roan, and evil Man/Woman/Chainsaw (a parallel universe evil twin version of ourselves). The venue would be under the sea.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?
AI cats and the guy who talks about the etymology of things.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
Clio has a stick and poke which is our only tattoo between us. It’s a snake!
What is your pre-show ritual?
Three beers no dinner! Hair gel and I eat bananas before we play.
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Clio was in love with George Harrison when she was age 3.
You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?
We’d be the first band in space!
What is your biggest fear?
Space!
Eazy Peazy is out now via Fat Possum Records. Find more information here.
Los Angeles has a lot to celebrate. First, the Dodgers won the World Series. Then, Kendrick Lamar released a surprise new album, GNX, featuring many of the city’s rising underground rappers, including Dody 6, Wallie The Sensei, and Lefty Gunplay. The latter was a guest on a recent episode of The Bootleg Kev Podcast, where he discussed working with Kendrick on “TV Off.” He also teased a deluxe version of GNX.
When asked by host Bootleg Kev if there was more stuff he cut to the “TV Off” beat, Lefty replied, “Yeah, I rapped on that beat. Got some stuff… I know he’s got a deluxe version coming out.”
A few months before GNX came out, Lamar spoke with SZA for Harper’s Bazaar. When he was asked about crying in public, Lamar replied, “The first time I allowed it to happen is documented, actually, onstage [in 2011] when Dre and Snoop and the whole West Coast was out, and they was like, ‘This is the torch that we were handing off.’ Dre passed me the torch, and a burst of energy just came out and I had to let it flow,” he said. “My tears is all on the internet. And now I look back and I love that moment. I love that that happened. Because it showed me in real time expressing myself and seeing all the work that I put forth actually come to life in that moment.”
Thanksgiving is a strange holiday. Problematic roots aside, it’s all about getting together with every member of your family, including the ones you specifically make an effort to never see, to eat lukewarm food together way too early (Thanksgiving dinner at 4 pm? Get the f*ck out of here). By the end of the night, half of the family is going to get locked into weird political conversations — especially this year — while the other half is going to leave to go on a suspiciously long walk and come back with bloodshot eyes and an insatiable craving for seconds.
All of that is weird enough, but politics and lukewarm food aside, the weirdest part of Thanksgiving is just how awful the combination of foods can be if you play it wrong. Sure, some families are blessed with multiple members who have real skills in the kitchen, making Thanksgiving dinner a legit spread of delicious flavors, but that’s not everyone’s family. And for every universally delicious dish like mashed potatoes, warm gravy, gooey macaroni and cheese, and decadent pumpkin pie, there are at least two Thanksgiving staples that in any other year, you’d never eat.
Candied yams, canned cranberry sauce, the abomination that is Ambrosia — why the hell are we forcing ourselves to like these dishes? Who decided to make these the staple dishes of this Holiday, and have they ever been invited to another Thanksgiving Dinner since? We think not. So, to mark the holiday, we’re here to rank the very worst Thanksgiving sides, from mildly offensive to so bad you’re probably going to get kicked out of the family if you bring them.
Let’s eat! Or, you know… not.
9. Turkey
Shutterstock
Why We Hate This Dish:
Is it weird to put turkey on a list of the worst Thanksgiving foods considering it’s the centerpiece dish of the whole holiday? Only in optics! Look, I don’t have anything against turkey itself, but during Thanksgiving, the person who cooks the turkey is usually the person who has always cooked the turkey. What I mean by that is that the person responsible for this dish is given that responsibility because of tradition, not because they’re skilled in the kitchen. And there are a lot of ways to f*ck up a turkey!
Thanksgiving is a holiday that centers around food that is usually cooked elsewhere and then re-heated hours, maybe even days, later. This causes dishes like turkey, to dry out. A lot of people also don’t bother to brine or even dry-brine their bird, which, again, adds to the dryness. I’m not saying it’s impossible for turkey to be good at Thanksgiving, I’m just saying it’s unlikely.
The Bottom Line:
Yes, it’s the centerpiece of the holiday, but it doesn’t have to be.
8. Apple Pie
Pexels
Why We Hate This Dish:
I don’t hate apple pie, I just think of the famous Thanksgiving pies, apple is always a letdown. To quote Prince, “dig if you will the picture:” you just finished dinner and now you’re looking for a dessert. “We have pie!” says your cousin’s wife. You eagerly walk to the kitchen, plate in hand, and find not a pumpkin or pecan pie, but a f*cking apple pie.
Is it even worth it to get a slice? We don’t think so. You know who ends up with an apple pie on Thanksgiving? The person who hit the market too late.
The Bottom Line:
The only Thanksgiving pie that inspires disappointment.
7. Glazed Carrots
Shutterstock
Why We Hate This Dish:
I think we can all agree that Thanksgiving doesn’t have enough vegetable sides, but what makes me frustrated is that the vegetable sides that are staples are sh*t like glazed carrots and creamed spinach. Glazed carrots are the laziest dish a person could make, all that you need to do is toss them in brown sugar and butter, throw them in the oven, set it, and forget it.
No, literally, please forget them, nobody likes it when you show up to the table with these things, it just telegraphs to the world that you couldn’t be bothered enough to care to make an actual dish. There is a reason there is always an abundance of glazed carrots by the end of the night — people only eat them because they feel they need to make up for all the mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and stuffing they’ve already loaded up their plate with.
The Bottom Line:
A low-effort dish that people only eat because they feel like they have to.
6. Creamed Spinach
Shutterstock
Why We Hate This Dish:
I mentioned this dish in passing during the last entry so you had to see it coming! I need to know, who likes creamed spinach? Which one of you is into this dish that tastes like dirt and has the consistency and texture of a swamp puddle?
To be fair to my editor who likes creamed spinach, there is a time and place for this dish, the time and place just isn’t Thanksgiving dinner. Pair this side dish with a bloody, savory steak, not a dry as f*ck turkey and some sweet ham, and it starts to make sense. But as a Thanksgiving side, it’s one of the worst.
The Bottom Line:
Good, if you like eating dirt.
5. Candied Yams
Shutterstock
Why We Hate This Dish:
I’ve never seen a more beautiful dish visually that tastes like absolute garbage. Candied yams are just way too damn sweet! Yams are already pretty sweet on their own, but once you add brown sugar, vanilla extract, or any other sweet dessert ingredients to the dish, it makes them taste like, well, as the name would suggest — candy.
And what do you pair with this sugar bomb? Baked ham is already sweet, and roast beef pairs better with mashed potatoes and gravy, so that leaves, what, turkey? You know how we feel about that bird!
The Bottom Line:
A sweet potato casserole is always the better choice.
4. Jello Salad
Shutterstock
Why We Hate This Dish:
Oh f*ck right off.
The Bottom Line:
Enough said.
3. A Corn Dish That Isn’t Cornbread
Shutterstock
Why We Hate This Dish:
If you rolled up to Thanksgiving dinner with a bowl of corn you opened from a can and boiled, then know, everyone hates you. Boiled corn is not a dish! We’ve said it before but Thanksgiving doesn’t have enough vegetable dishes, and that’s because people keep doing the bare minimum, turning Thanksgiving into the worst potluck of all time.
The only corn-related dish that belongs on the table is cornbread. And look, you don’t have to make it from scratch either. Buy a box of Jiffy, dice up a jalapeño, mix in some Greek yogurt for added moistness, and voila! You’ve got spicy jalapeño cornbread. Tell us that doesn’t sound delicious.
The Bottom Line:
If you bring corn to the table, you’re not even trying.
2. Canned Cranberry Sauce
Shutterstock
Why We Hate This Dish:
You can make the case that when done right, like say using Uproxx’s former drinks writer Zach Johnston’s homemade bourbon-cranberry sauce recipe, this dish can pop off. A good homemade cranberry sauce can add tart and sweet dimension and complexity to various Thanksgiving staples. But most of the time, it comes from a can, and it’s awful.
The canned stuff usually has extra sugar and preservatives that not only diminish the wonderful health benefits of cranberries, but makes the stuff have a weird chemical or perfumed aftertaste that overwhelms rather than elevates.
The Bottom Line:
Great if you can make it from scratch, but most of the time its only on the table because of tradition.
1. Ambrosia
Shutterstock
Why We Hate This Dish:
Straight up, this dish is garbage. It looks like what I imagine clown throw-up looks like. Ambrosia comes from Greek mythology, and it’s supposed to be the food of the gods, who invented this dish, Hermes? Get it? Because Hermes is famous for being a prankster… too nerdy? Okay, I apologize fully for that joke, but I still stand by calling this the absolute worst Thanksgiving dinner dish ever.
This fruit salad features pineapple, mandarin oranges (both usually from a can), rainbow marshmallows, coconut, and whipped cream. Just typing that out makes my stomach turn. The result is a mix of artificial sweetness with a strange tropical undertone that doesn’t complement the herbaceous fall flavors of Thanksgiving dinner. To make this dish even worse, it’s often left out on the table instead of refrigerated, which results in the whipped cream melting and creating a disgusting puddle of swampy sweetness.
The Weeknd fans are eating today, November 27: The Weeknd just announced the release date of Hurry Up Tomorrow, which is set for January 24, 2025. Shortly after, The Weeknd shared some more news: He announced a one-night-only concert at Pasadena, California’s Rose Bowl Stadium set for the day after the album drops, on January 25, 2025.
The show is set to feature “never-before-seen production” that includes a stage that “will take over the entire floor of the stadium, for a must-see in-the-round experience,” per a press release.
Tickets will be available starting December 2 at 10 a.m. PT via The Weeknd’s website. There are no currently announced presales, but Cash App Visa Card holders will have access to “a select number” of “premium tickets,” which will also grant access to “a 20% instant discount on all official merch purchased on-site with Cash App Visa Card at the One-Night-Only In-The-Round Rose Bowl show.”
Meanwhile, The Weeknd recently released a new song called “Open Hearts,” exclusively Apple Immersive Video available on Apple Vision Pro, which was described as “a remarkable storytelling format that leverages 3D video recorded in 8K with a 180-degree field of view and Spatial Audio to transport viewers to the center of the action.”
College campuses are often celebrated for crafting some of the brightest minds of the future. But that’s not restricted to purely academic pursuits. Many of today’s most notable entertainers paid their dues by finding and honing their voices at the local college level.
When it comes to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the bonds of community can keep alumni connected to their alma maters deep into their successful careers. Comedians like Roy Wood Jr.,Brandi Denise, and Melanie Mitchell, for example, are known to represent and give back to the community whenever possible. And the community greatly appreciates their efforts.
“The HBCU community offers support. They want you to win and want you in spaces where they can help you win,” said Jasmin Leigh, a fellow FAMU alumna and comedian. “HBCU culture, specifically FAMU, my HBCU, wants you to succeed, and it brings them joy to be the one to help you.”
Performing at HBCUs also allows comedians to gain valuable experience with the intersection of Black audiences and younger audiences, who are often directly responsible for determining whether or not someone has staying power in music, comedy, fashion, and other areas. Leigh even argues that a college-educated Black audience is “the hardest to get to laugh; low-hanging fruit does not work, so you have to make sure your jokes mean something.”
In other words, if you can make it in a room of HBCU students, you can make it anywhere. This is why it’s critically important to create and maintain spaces where comedians, both established and those just starting, can experience that intersection for themselves. Thankfully, events like the Howard Homecoming Comedy Jam, which occurred for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic this past October, offer these opportunities.
Del Sterling, a Howard University alumnus himself, played a significant role in bringing the show back to his alma mater to kick off the school’s centennial homecoming celebration.
“The experience of going to a comedy show live” was Sterling’s first thought when asked about the benefits of bringing the show back to campus. “A number of students said that they have never been to a comedy show.”
This is different than Sterling’s time at Howard, affectionately called “The Mecca” by alumni, who remembers watching Katt Williams’ breakout The Pimp Chronicles Part 1 premiering on campus and witnessing a young Anthony Anderson take his own comedy seriously before the world even knew who he was.
This year’s event was slightly different than usual, though, with a game show format featuring only performers with an HBCU affiliation. Sterling plans on bringing a similar show back to Howard for Spring Fest 2025 and again for next year’s Homecoming with hopes of touring to different HBCU campuses in the future.
Staying connected to their HBCU roots can also help comedians recharge their creative batteries if they’re ever in a rut or need some added inspiration.
“Recently, I went to homecoming, and after being in a creative funk for almost a year, I felt refreshed strutting through FAMU’s campus,” Leigh said. “Seeing my FAMUly, being encouraged and celebrated by the things I have already accomplished, I just don’t hear the same experiences from friends who went to PWIs.”
For the uninitiated, PWI is a term that stands for “predominantly white institutions,” which is mainly used when they’re juxtaposed against HBCUs. To be fair, performers from a wide variety of backgrounds find their footing at PWIs, but HBCU alumni generally wear their alma mater as a badge of honor and carry it in all that they do.
“Although I love my school, I have to say that when I converse with others who went to an HBCU, they have a similar (never the same) experience,” said Leigh. “Being in a place where you can be yourself does something different for your self-esteem. Being celebrated in Black spaces is top tier; nothing compares.”
The fall school season is already in full swing, which means if you haven’t done a wardrobe refresh, you’re late bud. A new semester is always a great excuse to rock something fresh, and if you’re a freshman who is just starting your college career, now is a great time to rep your school colors (the same applies to seniors and graduate students, and anyone aspiring to attend, get in the spirit!).
This advice hits especially if you’re attending an HBCU because collegiate fashion has always been a thing, but nobody does fashion quite like an HBCU campus.
We’re not sure there is a bigger concentration of dope fits on the planet than an HBCU campus, and we’re not the only people who have noticed this, the big brands know it too, which is why all the best streetwear brands unveil dope HBCU-themed drops around this time of year every year. To help put the best of the best on your radar, we’re shouting out the dopest HBCU drops right now that’ll elevate your wardrobe and have you looking your best come 2025.
Let’s dive in.
Air Jordan 1 Howard
Nike
Why We Love It:
You can always count on Jordan to deliver the goods with an HBCU collab. The brand just knows how to handle college colors, and last month’s Jordan 1 Howard proves it. Donning the crimson, blue, and grey school colors of the famed Howard University, the AJ-1 Howard sports a premium full-grain leather upper and that iconic low-top Jordan 1 silhouette.
You don’t even have to be in college to rep this sneaker, totally divorced from its school ties, this is just a beautiful design. An all-time great Jordan 1 colorway.
LegacyHistoryPride is all about celebrating HBCU’s by offering tailor-made apparel that reflects the various HBCUs. If you attend an HBCU and want to rep your school while giving back (a portion of proceeds for every sale goes back to the college or university, as well as to the development of scholarship opportunities), then LegacyHistoryPride is your one-stop shop.
In addition to the brand’s various collections, it also partners with some pretty big entities, this year LHP is teaming up with NASCAR to highlight the ties between motorsports and HBCUs.
The collection is meant to highlight the impact of NASCAR’s commitment to HBCU’s (like Howard U’s NASCAR Campus Lab Program) and celebrate HBCU alumni in NASCAR like Rajah Caruth, John Cohen, and Brehanna Daniels. The collection features moto-inspired designs and jerseys emblazoned in HBCU colors and iconography.
The moto-aesthetic is really popping off in streetwear right now, so this collaboration is coming at an ideal time.
Shop the LegacyHistoryPride x NASCAR collection here.
Wales Bonner
Wales Bonner
Why We Love It:
One of the most exciting designers in modern streetwear is Grace Wales Bonner, the main force behind her eponymous London-based fashion label, Wales Bonner. A frequent collaborator of Howard University, this year Wales Bonner linked up with Howard once again for a new autumn and winter collection inspired by the Howard U collegiate experience, dubbed, Dream Study.
The Dream Study collection features a mix of high-end pieces and streetwear staples, including hoodies, knit vests, t-shirts, tank tops, hats, and jumpers. The standout from the collection is the Crew Jumper which was inspired by the school’s 1960’s rowing crew and features an classic ‘60s era silhouette with a contrasting polo collar, ribbed details, and two-tone Howard branding at the chest done in the school’s iconic colors.
Shop The Wales Bonner Dream Study collection here.
Dex Robinson x Nike Air Force 1
@DexRob
Why We Love It:
Remember when we said you can always count on Jordan to deliver dope HBCU collabs? Well, Nike as a whole is so committed that it has its a special annnual campaign, the Yardrunners, that has the sole task of highlighting HBCU students and alumni by partnering with HBCU trailblazers. The Nike Yardrunners label was started in 2020 and created by HBCU alumni working at Nike, so it’s a real passion project.
That’s reflected in its thoughtful collabs, like this year’s collaboration with Diallo co-founder and stylist Dex Robinson, who has designed a special Nike Air Force 1 that pays homage to his alma matters, Virginia Union University. The sneaker is inspired by the mighty Panther, VUU’s mascot, and features a shimmering pony hair upper with VUU emblems at the laces, and a stealthy all-black colorway with speckled red and black laces.
It just might be one of the greatest AF-1 colorways to drop all year!
A release date for the Dex Robinson AF-1 hasn’t been announced yet, but Robinson has confirmed on his Instagram that the shoe will be dropping around the holiday season of this year.
Megan Thee Stallion is about a month removed from the release of Megan: Act II, a reissue of June’s Megan that adds new tracks. Among them is the Flo Milli-featuring “Roc Steady,” for which Meg just unveiled a new video today (November 27).
Ahead of the video came a teaser that packed a lot of exposition into ten seconds. It started with newspaper headlines reading “Murders At RSH School,” “3 Students Found Dead,” “Mysterious Bite Marks,” and “No Suspects Found.” We then get some shorts of a “Hottie Homecoming” event in a school gymnasium, including some of Meg as a cheerleader. Indeed, that’s generally what’s going on in the full video.
Meg previously explained on X (formerly Twitter) of the song’s creation, “I called Flo milli to thee studio and she kicked me and the engineer out the room for like 45 min [laughing emoji] and when I came back in I was shooookkkk.” Flo responded, “lmaooo chill i was shy [laughing emojis] can’t let nobody see my crazy side [crying emoji] we got the job done tho.”
“Roc Steady” arrived after Meg and Flo worked together on a remix of Latto’s “Sunday Service.” Meanwhile, the new video isn’t Flo’s biggest reveal of the past few days, as she just announced she’s pregnant.
Watch the “Roc Steady” video above.
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