Rebellious spirits are beloved in music. But Bad Bunny is learning that doesn’t quite work in sports. Since April, the “Baticano” rapper’s sports agency, Rimas Sports, has been engulfed in a heated legal battle with the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA).
According to Billboard, on June 5, things were dialed up a notch. In a new filing, the MLBPA outlined several alleged “egregious and systemic violations” to combat Rimas Sports’ discrimination and being targeted by a “pre-determined investigation” claim.
The motion stated that its decision to ban the agency was due to its supposed findings that Rimas gave out improper gifts to players such as VIP concert tickets, granted suite access to prospects at outside sporting events, and extended interest-free loan offers.
“The regulations strictly forbid such inducements,” wrote the union’s lawyers. “Player agents must compete for clients based on the quality of their representation, not the quality of their gifts.”
The representative went on to outline how if the agency’s alleged actions were left unpunished, it could cause damage across the league. “Immunizing Rimas from the consequences of its own bad conduct will harm players and other player agents by encouraging player-player agent relationships borne out of perquisites, not performance,” the rep wrote. “What Rimas seeks is a get out of jail free card for itself. The public has no interest in such an outcome. This kind of conduct became culture at Rimas.”
The agency has not yet responded to MLBPA’s latest motion. However, last month, attorneys for Rimas did issue a statement regarding the union’s initial ruling.
“The ‘good ole boy’ order of baseball sports agency … was being put at risk, as these Puerto Rican ‘outsiders’ were disrupting baseball sports agency order too much, too fast,” wrote Rimas attorneys. “This was something that the MLBPA and Rimas Sports’ competitors would not allow.”
Rimas’ went on to refer to the “extraordinary and unprecedented” measures from the MLBPA as a “death penalty” on its operations. Rimas claimed the ruling killed its deal with then prospect client Ronald Acuña Jr. Those actions being, as outlined by Billboard as, decertification of one of its agent, preventing co-owner and Bad Bunny’s longtime manage Noah Assad from applying for certification, and blocking already certified sports agents from coming aboard the team.
While the MLBPA appears to be stern in its decision, it doesn’t appear this legal fight is over.
There’s no such thing as stress-free living. Sure, we can mitigate it through various mindfulness practices and lifestyle choices—meditating, getting good sleep, not overdoing the caffeine, etc. But still, there will inevitably be moments throughout the day that cause some sort of anxiety. And more often than not, we won’t be able to say, “excuse me, I just need to pop out for 20 minutes to do some yoga. Brb.”
Luckily, even those moments can be manageable. All you gotta do is breathe. Yes, really.
Recently, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman made a guest appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” where he discussed a variety of topics frequently brought up on his popular podcast, including the benefits of being exposed to sunlight within the first hour of waking.
Huberman then guided Fallon and the audience through a simple breathing exercise that’s “the fastest and best way to de-stress” in real time.
First, everyone did a double inhale through their nose—a complete inhale that filled the lungs followed by one more inhale to “sneak in a bit more air.” Then they did a full exhale through their mouth, completely emptying out their lungs.
Watch:
As Huberman explained to Fallon, this type of breathing, called “physiological sighs,” was discovered by scientists in the 1930s. It’s something we do naturally throughout the day and during sleep, and it works by adjusting the levels of carbon dioxide to oxygen in our bloodstream, which affect the brain. Doing just 1, maybe 2, intentional physiological sighs “brings your level of stress down immediately.”
Huberman’s exercise (which he affirms is not a “hack”) was met by an exuberant applause from the audience, and lots of praise from online viewers.
Take a look at some of these comments:
“The silence of the audience’s focused attention is audible.”
“I love that he has no time for small talk and is determined to get across as much science as possible in the allotted time. Service to humanity.”
“Andrew Huberman is a national treasure! He teaches us so much about so many interesting topics and does it in a way that keeps us wanting more.”
“Huberman is the best thing that has happened on the internet in recent years.”
“I see Professor Huberman as the ultimate example. He does what he loves, tries to improve himself daily both as a professional and a person, shares his experience with people who have the same enthusiasm. More importantly, he shares this experience for FREE for the sake of sharing it.”
If we ever needed more proof that audiences are longing for more substance, this is it. If you’re not following Huberman but want more tips just like this, his Youtube channel is only a click away.
A paparazzo caught actor Jennifer Garner performing a touching act of kindness. Instead of being annoyed at having the moment filmed by the photographer, she asked him to help.
Garner was at the beach in Santa Monica, California, handing out bags of necessities to the homeless when she came across a man in a wheelchair who had no socks or shoes. Garner took the socks off her feet, gave them to the man and then attempted to hand over her shoes, but they were too small.
Garner then briskly walked over to the photographer filming her and asked him for assistance.
“What size feet do you have?” she asked the photographer repeatedly. “Can I buy your shoes for him? He needs a shoe.” When the random paparazzo asked what size feet the homeless man was, Garner replied, “10 and a half.”
Jennifer Gardner lead with kindness … takong the time to help out a homeless man in LA. Her shoes must not have fit because she rushed over to the photographer and offered to buy his shoes. #kindness #jg #jennifergarner #homelessman #spreadlove #alwayshelpothers #hockeyhelpsthehomeless #fyp #tmznews #trending #foryou
“Oh, I’m 11! Want me to give it to him? I can give it to him,” he responded, adding that Garner didn’t have to pay him for the shoes. The photographer had a blanket to give to the homeless man as well.
When Garner came across the man in the wheelchair, she was handing out plastic bags filled with necessities, similar to those Upworthy reported on in March of 2022. Garner created a viral video for Instagram that showed how the average person could make bags to give a “random act of kindness” to someone in need.
The underlying message of the post is that with a bit of forethought and preparedness, we all can help people experiencing homelessness.
“Gather these essentials in a quart-sized Ziploc bag and keep them in your car to give away when you see someone in need,” she wrote on the post before listing some items that can really help a homeless person get through the day. “A pair of thick socks. Kleenex. Hand wipes. Disposable toothbrushes. Chapstick. A couple of granola bars. I forgot this time, but like to add feminine hygiene products, too. Add $5, $10, $20 and a smile.”
Homelessness has steadily risen in the United States by about 6% yearly since 2017. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, roughly 421,000 people were homeless in 2022, and nearly 128,000 were chronically homeless, meaning they didn’t have a place to stay for a year or more.
The rise in people on the streets is distressing, and we all hope our leaders can get together to stop the steady increase. But until then, we are all called to do what we can to help alleviate the suffering we see on the streets.
Garner is a beautiful example of taking direct action to make the world a better place. Whether she calls a senator to help pass gun control legislation, buys boxes of books to help school teachers, or helps the homeless, her philosophy seems pretty simple. If you see something wrong, do something. It’s everyone’s responsibility to make the world a better place.
Lifestyle influencer Alexandra Lee, 29, was shocked to learn that she and her mother have opposite showering stances and it kicked off an important debate on the platform: what’s the correct way to stand in the shower?
It all started when Lee decided to renovate her bathroom and wasn’t sure where to put the bench in the shower, so she asked her mom for her advice. “When I shower, the shower head is behind me, so the water is like on my hair and down my back. Of course, I’ll turn around occasionally and move around,” Lee said in her video before noting that her mother stands in the opposite direction.
“But she showers primarily facing the shower head, so the water hits her in the face and down her body,” Lee continued. “She’s shocked that I do the opposite and I’m shocked that she does the opposite. I feel like the normal way to shower is with the shower right behind you and you’re facing that way.”
now I need to know, what is the normal way to shower?!? 🚿
now I need to know, what is the normal way to shower?!? 🚿
It may seem strange that Lee hadn’t considered that there’s more than one way to stand in the shower. However, it was a big revelation for many people because it sparked a pretty intense debate on Lee’s TikTok page and the video received over 5.8 million views.
“Is anyone else surprised by this?” Lee asked.
The comments suggest there is an equal number of nozzle-facers and nozzle face-away-ers. But the most passionate folks in the debate were those who shower with their backs to the nozzle. They can’t seem to understand why anyone would intentionally stand in front of the nozzle and have water continuously shot in their faces, especially when it feels so nice to have hot water sprayed on your back.
“Who the hell faces the water?”user2778056546386 wrote. “Facing the water is unhinged,” Not Jennifer Lawrence added. “If I face the water, I’m gonna drown,” Denise Pettersson commented. “Voluntarily getting waterboarded doesn’t sound fun at all,” Kristina Kubrick wrote.
“I face away! What the hell, people FACE THE WATER?!?” Erin Trent Hohman exclaimed.
There are also those with no preference and alternate throughout their shower session. “I rotate continuously like a kebab,” gentledreams wrote. “I constantly move around like a rotisserie chicken! Equal time on both sides,” Stormi Booke added.
It would seem that there is no wrong way to stand in the shower, but Dr. Cameron Rokshar, associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, says that one way better protects your skin.
“The real scientific answer behind it has to do with moisturizing your skin,” Dr. Rokshar told Today.com, noting that facing away from the nozzle has a distinct advantage. “The more exposure you get to water, and especially hot water, the drier your skin becomes. If you face the shower and have a whole bunch of water hit your face for 10 or 15 minutes, and you get and out and do nothing about it, that has a drying effect. Water, as it evaporates, takes more water with it.”
Most of us have a desire to improve our health, sleep more soundly, have more energy and just generally feel better in our daily lives. And yet those things feel elusive to many of us, so we’re always on the hunt for hacks that can help us—and if those hacks don’t require a huge change in lifestyle or herculean feats of willpower, all the better.
Thankfully, there’s one small change you can make to your morning routine that can make a big difference in how you feel, think and sleep, and it’s refreshingly simple.
In a nutshell: Go outside and face the sun. More specifically, go outside as soon as possible after waking, but definitely within the hour, and look toward the sun for 2 to 10 minutes if it’s a bright, sunny day and a little longer on a cloudy one.
Most of us know we get vitamin D from sun exposure on our skin, but that’s really not what getting morning sunlight is about. It’s about the sun’s light energy hitting our eyes.
As Dr. Andrew Huberman, Stanford University neuroscience professor and opthamologist, explains, “This is not some ‘woo’ biological thing. This is grounded in the core of our physiology. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of quality peer-reviewed papers showing that light viewing early in the day is the most powerful stimulus for wakefulness throughout the day and it has a powerful positive impact on your ability to fall and stay asleep at night.”
Huberman calls it a “power tool” for getting a great night’s sleep and lists it as one of the six pillars people should invest in every day—morning sunlight, daily movement, quality nutrition, stress control, healthy relationships and deep sleep.
— (@)
While the advice to look toward the sun flies in the face of all the times we’ve been warned not to look at the sun, in the early morning, the sun is less intense and you don’t need to look directly at it to get the benefits of its light rays. The photons still enter your eyes through indirect light, triggering the cortisol spike that sets your circadian rhythm in order.
“Getting sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning is absolutely vital to mental and physical health,” Huberman says. “It is perhaps the most important thing that any and all of us can and should do in order to promote metabolic well-being, promote the positive functioning of your hormone system, get your mental health steering in the right direction.”
He explains that artificial lights aren’t the same and won’t have the same impact. Conversely, artificial light can mess up your circadian rhythm if you look at them too late at night or when you should be sleeping.
“There’s this asymmetry in our retinal, in our eye biology and our brain’s biology, whereby early in the day, right around waking, you need a lot of light, a lot of photons, a lot of light energy,” he says on his podcast. “And artificial lights generally won’t accomplish what you need them to accomplish. But at night, even a little bit of artificial light can really mess up your so-called circadian, your 24-hour clocks, and all these mechanisms we’re talking about.”
The good news is that stepping out your front door and standing in the sun doesn’t require a whole lot of willpower—at least not like exercise or resisting screens in the evening does. Simply go outside and stand there (though walking is even better). Give it a try and see if it makes a difference for you.
And you can also see Dr. Huberman go a lot more in depth about the benefits of sunlight and light therapies of all kinds here.
For the past few generations, the standard wisdom was that if you wanted a career that paid well you should to go to college and get a degree. However, there are and have always been well-paying careers in non-academic fields, from the trades to starting a business to driving a delivery truck for UPS.
When a UPS driver shared his weekly paycheck on social media in 2023, people were surprised to learn how lucrative a gig it can be—$44/hour kind of lucrative, in his case. Drivers were already known for being paid well, but a union win in the summer of 2023 bumped up pay even more. Working 40 hours a week at $44/hr would earn you over $90K a year, and according to folks who work for the company, it’s not unusual for UPS drivers to top out in comfortable, six-figure salaries.
But even with that pay, is being a UPS driver worth it? Here’s what experienced drivers have to say.
A UPS employee who’d been working as a package handler for a couple of years was considering applying for a driver position and posted a list of questions for UPS drivers on Reddit. The following answers are pulled from that Reddit post and others:
How much can a UPS driver expect to make?
“Depends on where you are but generally $40 [per hour] after 4 years.” – Shasfowd
“We have a guy that never graduated high school. He made $120k last year.” – MrOddYazz
“Believe it, I took over thirty unpaid days off last year and still breezed past a 100.” – _aIIan_
“127k last year. On track for 130k this year. 👀” – chavo2021
What are UPS driver hours like?
“You’ll make a good amount of money, but you won’t have a ton of time to yourself and with your family.” – WassabiReindeer
“This job has one of the worst work/life balances and I worked In a hospital before this and have had many jobs. This one will have you making stacks of money with great benefits but who knows how far that goes. If I didn’t have a huge medical problem I would’ve left years ago but like many others I am trapped. If this was a regular 40 hr a week job I’d tell everyone I have one of the best jobs In the world. However, that is not the case.” – AnimatedAnixa
“Expect to work a butt load of overtime.” – Joe12van
“Between 50-60 hours a week. Basically for the first couple years, don’t make plans in the evening time.” – KCD_OG-78
How difficult is it to become a UPS driver?
“Pretty difficult. Classes will be around 10-20 drivers, and by the time training is finished there will be about 5 of you. By the time you’re done with probation there will be 3 of you and within a few years at most you’ll be the only person from your training.” – Shasfowd
“The first two years will be the toughest. I’d say if you can make it through that, it gets easier…..well mentally, not necessarily physically.” – KCD_OG-78
“Qualifying to be a driver is one of the most stressful things I have ever done based on my life at the time I went to qualify.” – Financial_Skirt4251
“It’s all by seniority, so you have to do your time loading trucks and wait. Loading isn’t easy and is only a part time job. Usually loading 3-4 trucks yourself on a morning shift or loading a whole tractor trailer front to back floor to ceiling by yourself at night. There are other part time shifts. You can wait years to get enough seniority to bid a chance at driving, but it depends on the location you work.
If you made it this far, you’ll get taken out on a road test by a supervisor. If you can drive ok, they’ll send you to get a D.O.T. health physical by one of their approved doctors.
After that, you get sent to ups boot camp and have to pass tests on all the basics and knowledge to drive. Don’t be late, have your uniform ironed and clean, and memorize the 5’s and 10’s.
Then the hard part begins. It’s a 30 working day torture test to see if you can hit the company’s extremely unreasonable production numbers while driving, learning a route, working safely, figuring out how to manage customer relations in a way where you can keep moving, all while under extreme time management.
If you make it, you’ll then be bounced around on dozens of routes covering them and learning all of these things over on each one until you have been a driver long enough to bid a permanent route assignment.
You better believe every driver you see out there has earned their place as a driver.” – Hitsthebrakesnows_
What else should people know about being a UPS driver?
“I worked as a computer programmer freelance 2 years before UPS. And I would pick UPS again and again. Even though we get treated like sh*t and most days are a nightmare. Trust me. Without the $100k+, and benefits. I would not be here.” – AdProfessional9809
“I like it, but it’s not for everyone. I know a lot of preloaders that have given it a shot only to decide they don’t like it.” – Shasfowd
“If you top out and kill the over time you can probably make 80-120k a year. But this is a hourly position and you work for your money. Whenever a driver brags to me how much they made last year. I cringe and sauté because I know how many hard hours they work. Not a easy job not a easy start. But once you get seniority and master the craft. Seems to be rewarding.” – sprucetre3
“Have an exit plan if you decide to become a driver. Being good at manual labor and driving a truck can only carry you so far. Especially because the company will demand most of your time.. your life around work can easily deteriorate. Be prepared to be tired a lot…if my son were 19 and he wanted to be a UPS driver..knowing what I know and having dealt with what I’ve dealt with I would try and steer him into a different career BUT to each their own.” – BEAR_STORM
” I wouldn’t recommend this as the first career choice for my child. I always said it’s a horrible plan A but great plan B.” – gunstarheroesblue
“Been driving for a year and a half now. Benefits are phenomenal. I’ve always done labor, decided it won’t be for me. I start college in January. Thinking of going part timer here and UPS helps to pay for college.” – DCostalot
The general consensus seems to be that the early years are tough but it gets better if you stick it out, the job is demanding with long hours and you will work long hours at Christmastime, but the pay and benefits are phenomenal. Some people love it, some don’t. Like all jobs, being a UPS driver has its positives and negatives, and whether it’s worth it is an individual judgment call.
The United States women’s basketball team will be playing for their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris later this summer, and as is always the case for Team USA, arguably the most competitive part of the Olympic process is making the roster.
The potential pool of players for USA Basketball to choose from is loaded, and this year presented an additional challenge as they had to decide if they would leave off a veteran for Caitlin Clark, as the Indiana Fever rookie sensation has become the talk of women’s basketball. Ultimately, Team USA chose to stick with its veterans and leave Clark at home for the 2024 Olympics, and it’s hard to fault them given the roster chosen, per reports from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Chantel Jennings, Joe Vardon, Mark Puleo, and Ben Pickman, and Christine Brennan of USA Today.
The reported roster is loaded with All-Stars, MVP candidates, and some longtime Team USA stalwarts.
A’ja Wilson
Breanna Stewart
Diana Taurasi
Brittney Griner
Alyssa Thomas
Napheesa Collier
Jewell Loyd
Kelsey Plum
Jackie Young
Sabrina Ionescu
Chelsea Gray
Kahleah Copper
As Brennan confirmed, that means Clark, who has drawn an incredible number of eyeballs to the sport, has been left off, but if there was any thought USA Basketball was being run by NBC, this would rule that out.
It is true: Caitlin Clark, the biggest name in women’s basketball who has electrified record crowds while being named WNBA rookie of the month, has been left off the 2024 US Olympic women’s basketball team roster, three sources have told me. This confirms my overnight reporting. https://t.co/UhBMLpA40t
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) June 8, 2024
The network would surely prefer Clark would be on the team given her ratings draw, but it’s also more than understandable why she wouldn’t make the roster off merit at the moment. You could certainly make a case for her, but leaving off any of those 12 veterans in favor of her would be a tough argument to make in basketball terms only.
Clark will surely be disappointed, and we’ll have to wait to see how USA Basketball handled this with her. They previously burned bridges with stars (namely Candace Parker) over their selection process and one would expect them to want Clark in the fold long-term. However, this also might be a welcome break for Clark, who will get a few weeks off for the first time in nearly a full calendar year. By the time the Olympics roll around, she would’ve been on her 10th straight month of playing high-level competitive basketball without any real break, as she went straight from the Final Four to the WNBA Draft and into training camp.
As for the rest of the roster, it’s a murderer’s row of the best of the best. Wilson, the reigning two-time MVP, is having the best season of her career. She’ll be joined by three of her Aces teammates, as Young continues to grow into being a star, Plum provides needed floor-spacing on a roster with so many star bigs, and Gray, who isn’t yet back from her foot injury suffered in the Finals, is expected to return to the floor at some point in the coming weeks. Stewart, Thomas, and Collier are putting up MVP caliber campaigns themselves in the frontcourt, while Copper and Ionescu are enjoying the most productive seasons of their careers so far. Griner and Taurasi provide some Olympic veteran leadership for this group, as longtime members of USA Basketball with multiple golds to their name.
About five years after the launch of Apple TV+, the tech giant is making a damn fine case for being a must-subscribe streaming service. Particularly in the realm of bingeworthy thriller shows — think Severance and Silo — this streaming service is approaching supremacy, and to that end, a new legal thriller starring Jake Gyllenhall will soon arrive.
Presumed Innocent does come with a built-in audience of devoted book readers, although there is no guarantee that the show will roll out exactly like the source material. Let’s discuss what viewers — whether they have read the book or not — can expect from this series.
Plot
The set up of this show from executive producers David E. Kelley and J.J. Abrams vaguely resembles another Apple TV+ series, Defending Jacob (2020). That show starred Chris Evans as a prosecutor whose son was accused of murder, and plenty of ethical fallout was involved as Evans’ character wrestled with whether his competing interests for the district attorney’s office and his family could be reconciled. In Presumed Innocent, Gyllenhaal portrays a prosecutor who is accused of murdering a colleague. Even messier?
Oh yes.
The eight-part series is based upon Scott Turow’s same-named book (previously adapted in an 1990 movie starring Harrison Ford), which paints an incredibly damning portrait of this prosecutor as a married man who was having an affair with that now-murdered colleague. (David E. Kelley loves doing these dirty-dog shows, doesn’t he?) We shall see whether Kelley and Co. adhere to the outcomes that Rusty must deal with following revelations of his affair in the book. The show’s trailer doesn’t shy away from dragging the dude, but Kelley is also a master at pulling off twists, and not everything in a trailer is necessarily as it seems.
Heck, even Gyllenhaal wasn’t sure whether his character was really guilty or innocent, as detailed in his recent Hollywood Reporter interview:
During the making of the eight-episode series, Gyllenhaal’s first TV show, the actor didn’t know, he says, whether Rusty was actually guilty. “You’re waiting to know which way to turn, playing the potential variations of what possibly could be,” he says.
Also, Gyllenhaal’s filming for Roadhouse overlapped with this Apple TV+ series, so he’s more fit than he should be for the role:
At points in the show, Rusty runs on a treadmill to deal with his stress. Because Gyllenhaal is an avid runner in his downtime, and was still in the midst of shooting Road House during the Presumed Innocent production, Rusty’s level of fitness does strain credulity a bit for a middle-aged lawyer with two kids. “They’re like ‘OK, we’re going to get you on a treadmill and we need you to be really out of breath and sweating,’” Gyllenhaal recalls of a particular scene. “We waited a long time for me to be out of breath. I was like, ‘I’m so sorry.’ They’re like, ‘Well, turn it up to a sprint.’”
So, there’s sprinting Gyllenhall to enjoy. From the show’s synopsis:
Starring Gyllenhaal in the lead role of chief deputy prosecutor Rusty Sabich, the series takes viewers on a gripping journey through a horrific murder that upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office when one of its own is suspected of the crime. The series explores obsession, sex, politics, and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.
Cast
Gyllenhaal will be accompanied by Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Elizabeth Marvel, Peter Sarsgaard, O-T Fagbenle, and Renate Reinsve.
Release Date
Presumed Innocent will debut with two episodes on June 12 with weekly followups until July 24.
Trailer
Gyllenhaal is working the guilty and innocent vibes equally well here.
(WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s Power Book II: Ghost episode will be found in the recap below.)
The premiere episode of Power Book II: Ghostseason four picks up right where the season three finale left off. A murder attempt on Monet Tejada that was supposed to be completed by Tariq with help from Dru and Diana Tejada, sparked an all out war that spills into this season. Tariq intended to abort the mission to kill Monet, but his mother Tasha to his surprise, swooped in to fire gunshots at Monet, leaving her in critical condition. Dru and Diana, who had a plan of their own, switched up on Tariq and rallied Cane and Noma, whom Monet was working for, against Tariq. Just like that, Noma, Cane, Dru, Diana, and even Effie, who pops in as another enemy of Tariq, surround him in an warehouse where Cane has a gun in hand point at Tariq ready to kill him for shooting his mother. It looked like the end for Tariq, but this is Power where the good die and the bad don’t die easy.
Brayden, thanks to a tip from Obi, arrives to save Tariq and ambush the warehouse with gunshots in Noma, Cane, Dru, Diana, and Effie’s direction before running out with Tariq and escaping in his car. In the aftermath of the shootout in the Ghost season four premiere episode titled “I Don’t Die Easy,” Noma, seething with anger, instructs Diana and Dru to find and exploit Tariq’s weak points, Cane to see a doctor for the gunshot wound to his shoulder, and Effie to use her former romance with Tariq to figure out where he’s hiding.
Meanwhile, Tariq and Brayden decide to continue with their plan to kidnap Noma’s daughter Anya (played by Sydney Winbush) as leverage against Noma. The two track Anya down to an airport hanger where she is waiting in an SUV surrounded by numerous guard with guns. Despite arriving with their own weapons, Brayden and Tariq realize that attacking the guards head on would be like walking into their own death. So, they send an unmanned SUV, thanks to a concrete block strapped down to the gas pedal, at the guards to distract them. It works, as it allows the duo to ambush the guards and kill most of them. Unfortunately, the remaining guards escaped with the Anya in the SUV.
STARZ
‘Power Book II: Ghost’ 401 w/ Gianni Paolo as Brayden and Michael Rainey Jr. as Tariq
The attack and new kidnapping of Anya has Noma absolutely fuming, leaving her to berate her guards with a “you had one job” rant. Obi sweetly offers to “handle” the Tariq situation for Noma, but she slaps him and instructs him to “think with the head that’s useful” and place a $100,000 bounty each on Tariq and Brayden. To add to her stress, Anya arrives to confront her mother about rushing her out of class at New York University. Noma tries to reason with Anya, but it’s also clear that she’s hiding her criminal life from Anya, making it hard for Noma to give her daughter an actual reason for rushing her around the city. Anya’s suspicions are clear and she delivers a tough comment to her mother, saying, “I hear what you’re saying, but I wonder what you’re not telling me.”
Brayden and Tariq are not the only ones on the offensive this episode. Dru and Diana, after instruction from Noma, kidnap Brayden’s younger sister Becca under the guise of Brayden being in trouble and needing her help. Becca willfully tags along with Dru and Diana, and as this goes down, Cane storms into the Weston residence to attack Brayden’s older brother Trace and point a gun at his father in hopes of getting information about Brayden’s whereabouts. Cane fails to get any information as Trace and his father truly have no idea where Brayden is. Effie arrives and begs Cane to leave Trace and Mr. Weston alone so they can escape before the police arrive. That leaves Becca who remains in the hands of Dru after he ditches Diana so she can go check on Monet in the hospital. It’s officially a hostage situation as Dru calls Brayden to tell him that he kidnapped Becca and to meet him at a pier if he wants to get her back.
STARZ
‘Power Book II: Ghost’ 401 w/ Caroline Chikezie as Noma & Kyle Vincent Terry as Obi
A frantic Brayden scrambles to make it to the pier to save his sister, despite Tariq’s pleas for him to take a moment to breathe and think of a plan with him to rescue her in the safest and quickest way. Luckily, Dru is one of the worst kidnappers we’ve seen as Becca eventually pepper-sprays him and escapes from his car long before Brayden arrives. She makes a run for it and eventually finds Brayden who just arrived in a SUV. Dru is not too far behind and arrives ready to fire shots in Brayden and Becca’s direction. However, before he can, Tariq comes barreling through in a truck and slams into Dru’s car, injuring him severely.
Dru limps out of the car, dodges bullets from Tariq, and watches as Tariq jumps in Brayden’s SUV and the three of them speed off into the distance. Brayden returns Becca to the Weston home where his father scolds him with racists comments about his drug dealing and criminal life beside Tariq following the assault of Trace and Becca’s kidnapping. He angrily disown Brayden, who is shocked at the news of someone coming to his family’s home. Brayden brushes off his father’s comments and walks away, but not before cursing them out saying, “F*ck this f*cking family.”
As if Brayden and Tariq didn’t think things are bad enough for them, the latter gets a call from Davis McClean who tells them to get out of New York as fast as possible as $100,000 bounties were placed on both Brayden and Tariq’s heads. It was moments before that Noma and Obi paid a visit to McClean’s apartment with a gun drawn in hopes of getting info on the duo’s whereabouts. Davis, with his own gun pointed at them, rejected the $200,000 offer give up information on Tariq and Brayden. However, others like Cane and Effie (whose romance oddly continues into this season) as well as Dru and other associates connected to Noma, happily accept it and set out to find Brayden and Tariq. In order to save themselves, Tariq and Brayden set out to the Stansfield campus to retrieve a hidden stash of money. Of course, they’re met with resistance as a simple in-and-out extraction would be too easy in the Power Universe.
STARZ
‘Power Book II: Ghost’ 401 w/ Method Man as Davis McClean
After retrieving the cash, Tariq is tipped off by Effie — who clearly and oddly still has feelings for Tariq despite her growing? romance with Cane — that she, Cane, Dru, and a group of Noma associates are on the campus to find Tariq. Brayden and Tariq then make a run for it, but are soon stopped by Angel Valdes aka Junior, FBI agent and nephew of Angela Valdes from original Power series, to question him about the green cards he gave Obi. Tariq denies and taunts Junior about his aunt’s connect to James “Ghost” St. Patrick when a flurry of bullets come their way. Tariq, Brayden, and Junior all take cover, and eventually, the shooter, one of Noma’s associates, is killed by Junior. Seconds later, Brayden knocks Junior to the floor by hitting with the butt of his gun. Tariq and Brayden step toward Junior with guns drawn and Tariq uses this moment to call Noma and offer a deal: We’ll kill Junior who is looking into your drug organization if you remove the bounties on our heads. Noma reluctantly accepts the deal with an added condition that Tariq and Brayden stop selling drugs of all kinds (“not as much as an aspirin”). Tariq obliges and kills Junior a short time later.
Noma sends a message to Effie, Cane, Dru, and her associates to abort the mission to find Tariq and Brayden. A frustrated Cane ignores the command and tracks Tariq down, chasing him through the Stansfield campus. Tariq, in full sprint, calls Dru and demands that he tell Cane to fall back or risk him telling Cane about their prior plan with Diana to kill Monet. Dru agrees, but before he can even tell Cane, he runs into him and Effie watching Tariq and Brayden from a distance as the two lie to cops about the events that sparked two murders, including that of FBI agent Junior Valdes. Dru then tells Cane to stand down and lets him know that Monet woke up from her coma. A suspicious Cane promises to get to the bottom of Noma’s sudden request to call of the bounties before following Dru to the hospital.
STARZ
‘Power Book II: Ghost’ 401 w/ LaToya Tonodeo as Diana, Lovell Adams-Grey as Dru, and Woody McClain and Cane,
This brings us to what is probably the most awkward part of this week’s episode. Throughout “I Don’t Die Easy,” we’re invited into the comatose mind of Monet where she is guilt-tripped by the slain men in her life: Mecca, Lorenzo, and Zeke. As doctors work on her actual physical body to save her life, Monet internally battles the guilt she has from Mecca, Lorenzo, and Zeke’s deaths. The three men are present to dramatize the moment and continue the guilt trip Monet, which is supposed to metaphorically represent the pushback in her fight through to break out of the comma.
It’s a bit awkward to watch as the drama and tears seem to be overdone, but nonetheless, Monet breaks out of the comma to see Diana standing by her side. Dru and Cane eventually join Diana in the hospital where Monet tells them she loves them and asks who is responsible for shooting her. Cane, with a very silent Dru and Diana beside him, says that they’re working on it to which Monet replies, “Find out.”
“I Don’t Die Easy” ends with Brayden and Tariq scrambling to figure out what their next move will be after Noma cut off their drug supply and ability to move weight in the street. In the next scene, we’re introduced to Detective Don Carter, a rising NYPD officer who was on track to become Police Commissioner until his wife was killed in a crossfire between rival drug gangs. Detective Carter is leaving church after a moment of prayer when he runs into Paz Valdes, Angela’s sister and Junior’s mother. Distraught and in tears, Paz tells Carter that her son was suspiciously killed after investigating Tariq St. Patrick. Though the FBI thinks Junior’s death is a random school shooting, Paz is sure there is something deeper at play. Carter seems to agree and promises to arrest whoever killed Junior.
New episodes in ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ season 4 are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12:00 am EST and on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm EST. Season 1-3 of ‘Ghost’ are now streaming on the STARZ app and website.
Earlier this year, Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna released her debut album Woltedo. The title translates to “I am born,” and signals a moment of rebirth for the young singer, something she full embraced in a conversation with Rolling Stone. “This album is my debut and it lives in its own world,” she told the publication. “Despite being my first, it is a rebirth of myself while serving as the unveiling of Elyanna. It’s something I’ve never heard before, yet it feels nostalgic.”
She went on to say that the album is a “journey through identity, love, rage, and feminism” and that couldn’t be more true. On Woltedo, she bares love, her culture, and her home on her sleeve with not an ounce of regret. Losing her culture and disconnecting from her roots was not an option for Elyanna on Woltedo. Instead, we as listeners are invited to experience her world and the indulge ourselves in its beauty. It’s a task that is equally intriguing and delightful thanks to the album’s elegant nine songs.
Weeks removed from the release of Woltedo, we caught up with Elyanna for our Uproxx Music 20 series to learn more about her and discover her influences, inspirations, and aspirations.
I would say that would be my grandpa. My grandpa used to be an amazing singer and I remember going to Palestinian weddings and he would be singing a Zajal, which a very poetic freestyle, I would say. My grandpa is the one that opened my eyes about how an artist is.
Who or what inspired you to take music seriously?
I was born and raised in Nazareth, Palestine and I always wanted to be a singer. It’s something that everybody knew around me — I wanted to be an artist. I was literally like, seven years old and I would tell everybody that that’s what I’m going to be. It’s crazy because in Nazareth that doesn’t happen, really, to anybody. We don’t have these kind of opportunities and I don’t know why. I always felt like that’s what I wanted to do and I was so serious about it, I’ve always been. I always wanted to make music, I always wanted to be an artist, and I can’t see myself doing anything else. I remember before we moved, my dad came and he asked me, “Are you sure? We’re going to take a big step of moving and being here [United States],” and I told them, yes, I want to be a singer. I feel like I let go of everything I know to make my dreams come true, even though it comes with a lot of hard consequences [and] different things that are definitely tough, but if you believe in something, you should always at least give it a try.
Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?
When I was younger, I remember trying to play the violin and I was really bad [laughs], so I just stuck to singing. I love piano, I think piano such a beautiful instrument and I am actually learning it right now. I feel like my songs are very piano- and keys-based. My brother played piano when we were younger and he’s also the one that discovered my talents, he has a lot of influence on me. He’s an amazing pianist and he’s releasing his own soundtracks. When we create music together, our base is always piano.
What was your first job?
I think just being a singer that was my first job ever. I started professionally doing it when I was 16 and I think it teaches you so much. It’s not only music, it’s really the business side of it, how to be political, how to communicate with people, and how to express yourself and your art, but be bold and still be polite, nice, and genuine.
What is your biggest fear?
There’s a lot of things that I fear and to be honest, this is very human, I would say, but the people around me that I love, I love so deeply and I always want to make sure they’re good, happy and safe, and that’s something that I always pray for. I’m really, really scared of the ocean and I’m terrified of airplanes.
You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!
Definitely something that has to do with performing. I think I would be having a big show and, I don’t know what the budgets are in that world, but I would love to have a crazy show where everything is so on point. I would love to be performing, perfecting, rehearsing, and creating. That excites me a lot and I will be eating burgers, that I would love to do.
What are your three most used emojis?
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What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?
I love M.I.A. and I love The Weeknd, they are artists I would love to collaborate with. I don’t have that thing where it’s like, “Oh, my favorite feature is…” or “This is what I can’t wait to do.” I love the blend of a good collaboration, two good sounds, and I don’t like when a collaboration is forced. You do what’s best for the song, not what’s best for your career.
If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?
Games Of Thrones because I love that time and even their clothes and what they wear. It’s is a very tough time, but it is very interesting and I feel like it matches my world with the aesthetic. So Game Of Thrones and Skins too
Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality and why?
The Weeknd. I know how much he cares and supports Palestine, he donated as well. He’s Ethiopian and he always stands for who he is and his culture and for other cultures, and I really love that. I appreciate a lot of other people that do that, like in our community we have Ramy, who’s a comedian and actor.
Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.
Nobody can change my mind about my roots, Palestine. Nobody can change my mind about being true to myself as an artist. I’m not afraid to say no to a lot of things. If they don’t make sense to me, my brand, and what I do, then I say no.
What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life and what do you love about it?
It’s like a piano piece made by my brother that I really love. It’s called “Delilah.” It’s a song that I actually sang on my album. I literally sang his melody from the piano and I put it in my album. It’s called “Kon Nafsak” on my album and I think that’s one of my favorites I’ve heard.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?
I loved, loved Toronto. There was a certain energy there that I just really, really loved from tour. Before, I wasn’t touring, but singing with an artist, I think one of my favorite cities was Tunisia. The people there, they’re so genuine and they’re so nice and amazing. A city or country I would love to perform would be Palestine. I want to sing in my hometown, I can’t wait for that moment where I am able to sing in my hometown, I think that’s going to be a very unique moment. I would love to perform in Chile too.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.
I’ve had this idea in mind and always thought about it. After doing the Wiltern, I had this thing in mind where hopefully we can keep doing that every year. Every April, I want to throw a show and do a whole festival thing. It’s a special month because it’s Arabic Heritage Month. A lot of Arab Americans or just people that are immigrants or their parents are immigrants, I feel they’re craving an artist that they can relate to, an artist that their parents could relate to. So I feel like we’re missing a voice here and I want to be the voice of these people.
I would love to have artists that present my culture and people that believe in my culture. This year Saint Levant, Issam Alnajjar, and Massari.These are people that always push for the culture and where we come from, and they’ve always been this way. Let’s see what happens next year.
What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?
I actually don’t know, but I know one thing: I’m such a nerd. I love to study and I love having notebooks and being a student. I’ll never know what I would’ve been, but I know that I’d be really committed to get what I want. I love studying, I know that sounds crazy, but I do love to study. I take notes, I’m that girl that has lists of everything and highlighters everywhere. I don’t know what it would be, but I’ll tell you that I’d be really good at it.
If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?
Definitely five years into the future. I don’t like to look at the past, I think the past is the past and it is what it is. I think that the only way for a person to move forward is to look at the future and take influences from the past and put them into your future. Take five years ago, take that as inspiration to push you to the future. I would go five years into the future.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
To just have a little bit more fun. I feel like at a certain point, I was just so obsessed over my career and where it’s gonna go and where it’s gonna be. I still am, but in a healthier way. I think that when you’re so deep in something, sometimes you can’t see things clearly. I’m just so grateful for the people around me like my sister, my brother, my family and my friends that got me out of that. Now I know how to have fun and have a good time, but be serious about my work and my job. I think it’s the balance between both, knowing how to live and enjoying your work and being able to blend both in a healthy way. So, I would tell myself to chill and have fun.
It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as a rebellious artist, and not in a bad way at all, I think as a positive rebellious artist. Anything I do right now, I think ahead. I think of 20 years from now or more. I think of how I want to be remembered and all the things that I want people that are after me and what I do to take in. I love to make things that are timeless and that’s why my projects take longer to create because I’m really selective and picky about the things that I do. I’m very selective about the people that I include in my world, in my zone, and in my circle. I feel like all that leads to something at the end of the day. I’m just 22, so yes, I don’t know much and I am really experiencing things and experimenting. I’m trying everything and seeing what works and what doesn’t, but it’s good to see that there were footsteps before you. I want to create that for you know the next generation to know that you can do it as well.
Woledto is out now via Salxco. Find out more information here.
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