Month: March 2025

Days ago Uproxx cover star Russ received the ultimate online compliment. The “Break!” musician was added to the shortlist of public figures whose look “stun” (as crowned by Pop Crave). But his physical attributes aren’t the only thing that leaves a lasting impact on users online–so does his way of thinking.

Today (March 18) on Russ let his followers across X (formerly Twitter) into the creative vision behind Wild. The trailer for Wild, Russ’ upcoming studio album, was just a piece of what he’s cooking up.

In a lengthy post (viewable here), Russ outlined the profound meaning behind the forthcoming body of work’s title and artwork (crafted by James Coffman). “The title ‘W!ld’ represents my evolved perspective on life’s inherent unpredictability and the transitional phase between resisting life’s challenges and embracing them,” he wrote.

As for the artwork, the blue creature featured in the center of the canvas drew humorous comparisons to the supermarket chain Food Lion’s logo by some fans. But for Russ, it continues the lyrics themes of the project.

“The artwork is an ambiguous (unknown) animal out in the open looking backwards,” wrote. “Maybe it’s a wolf. Maybe it’s a horse. Maybe we don’t know what it is.”

He continued: “That element really spoke to me because maybe I don’t know what the evolved version of me looks like and that’s ok. Not knowing what the unknown holds was what kept me from venturing out into it.”

Read Russ’ full breakdown below.

The title ‘W!ld’ represents my evolved perspective on life’s inherent unpredictability and the transitional phase between resisting life’s challenges and embracing them. It just as easily could’ve been called ‘The Unknown.’ After I got external success, my focus naturally shifted inward, realizing that there was a whole world I hadn’t explored yet. My internal one. At this point of my journey I’m really interested in navigating the ‘wild’ of my internal landscape so that I can engage with my external experiences with a renewed healthier and more grounded mindset. This album isn’t about me naively or arrogantly entering the unknown, but confidently proceeding, newly armed with the understanding that both joy and hardship are integral to the journey. I used to think that once you achieve external success, there would be no more problems. Smooth sailing from here on out LOL. But holding grief in one hand and gratitude in the other simultaneously is just how this sh*t (life) goes. I previously struggled with resisting that thought and kind of had a ‘fetal position’ mentality, but now I excitedly (hence the exclamation point) embrace the ‘wild’ adventure into the unknown, knowing that growth and self-discovery await, and that I’ll be okay regardless of the ups and downs.

The artwork is an ambiguous (unknown) animal out in the open looking backwards. Maybe it’s a wolf. Maybe it’s a horse. Maybe we don’t know what it is. That element really spoke to me because maybe I don’t know what the evolved version of me looks like and that’s ok. Not knowing what the unknown holds was what kept me from venturing out into it. God forbid I get pleasantly surprised LOL I really love how the animal is looking backwards too. It’s honest because to me that presents me looking back at my comfort zone while being out in the wild. It’s like ‘Fine, I’ll leave but lemme look back one more time before I do cuz man this is scary.’ T’all ever seen ‘The Croods?’ Anyway, yea the stance of the animal symbolizes my journey of leaving familiarity and ‘safety’ behind to explore uncharted (therefore scary) territories. I also feel like the ‘blank canvas’ vibes of the white background represents the freedom I seek and the vast unknown I am attempting to embrace. The absence of clutter or distractions emphasizes my pursuit of clarity and liberation, both internally and externally. There’s a rawness and loneliness about this art too which mirrors my own internal landscape as I go into a new phase of my life.

Russ has not confirmed Wild’s official release date. But fans should expect to hear it some time this spring or summer.

Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album is titled, Short ‘N Sweet–but the lyrics are the complete opposite. In fact, the “Please Please Please” singer’s lyrics has earned her “the horniest pop star” nickname by fans. Carpenter has even reportedly been asked to clean them up during a televised performance or two.

Now, thanks to her spike in popularity, parents have been tasked with making the sexually suggestive lines kid-friendly. Dax Shepard learned this the hard way. Yesterday (March 17), during the latest episode of his Armchair Expert podcast, Shepard explained the “tough conversation” he had to have with his 10-year-old daughter Delta (whom he shares with wife and fellow actor Kristen Bell) about Sabrina Carpenter’s flirty stanzas.

“It started with ‘Bed Chem,’” he said “I was driving with Delta to school today, and we listen to it every morning […] If a song, it hits, you can’t resist dancing with your shoulders. We were really getting our shoulders active this morning, it was a blast.”

He continued: “It’s really fun now that I love her favorite artist. It’s fun for her. ‘Cause now I’m on the Sabrina train.”

But he confessed Carpenter’s NSFW lyrics led him and Delta down a difficult daddy-daughter chat surrounding “Juno.”

Given that the track is a reference to the 2007 film all about teenage pregnancy, Shepard isn’t a fan. “I don’t wanna tell [Delta] it wasn’t my favorite, ’cause it’s her favorite — but I’m not gonna lie to her,” he said. “She goes, ‘But do you know what Juno is?’ and I go, ‘No…,’” Shepard recalled. “And she’s like, ‘Well, it’s a movie,’ and I go, ‘The movie ‘Juno?’ Yes, I know.’ She goes, ‘Yeah […] It’s a story about a girl who gets pregnant.’”

He continued: “I go, ‘That’s a little nasty.’ And she goes, ‘What’s nasty about wanting to have a baby with somebody?’ I go, ‘Well, it’s a teenager. She’s in high school.’”

After taking a moment to reflect on what his daughter said, Shepard arrived at a crossroad. “The way she phrased it was like, ‘Wait, what’s nasty about wanting to have a baby with someone you love,’” he said. “And I was like, ‘Oh no, there’s nothing nasty about that, I’m just saying, ‘I wanna get pregnant in high school’ is kind of a nasty, fun lyric. It’s a positive ‘nasty,’ I’m saying.”

Sabrina Carpenter’s lyrics are not only catchy, but apparently they are the perfect segue into a birds and bees chat.

Watch the full episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard above.

After swift detainment in September 2024, Diddy (real name Sean Combs) was formally charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Since then the disgraced mogul has been hit with a multitude of civil lawsuits while fighting to be released on house arrest (without success). Now, Diddy’s day in court has officially arrived. While Diddy has already appeared in front of a judge related to his ongoing case, a trial date had not yet been confirmed–until now. According to AllHipHop, the presiding judge in Diddy’s racketeering and sex trafficking trial has put all related dates onto the South District Of New York’s legal calendar.

Today (March 18), U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian updated the once tentative dates with the now confirmed schedule.

Based on the court paperwork, a pretrial conference has been set for April 25. Then jury selection in Diddy’s racketeering and sex trafficking trial will begin on April 28. Attorneys on both sides will question the sequestered jury members on May 5. Days later on May 9, should jurors been deemed unfit to serve, peremptory strikes will be held at that time.

On May 12, opening statements from both the prosecutor and Diddy’s defense team should be heard kicking off the trial proceedings.

Diddy has denied any wrongdoing and allegation made against him.

Netflix recently (and of course unintentionally) “answered” the question of whether there will be a spy-crossover between The Night Agent and The Recruit by [clears throat] cancelling The Recruit about a month after the second season dropped. However, The Night Agent appears to be in no danger with the show currently filming a third season and showrunner Shawn Ryan recently signing an overall deal with Netflix. And I’m mainly mentioning these two shows as a comparison to what is happening elsewhere with Netflix announcements.

In contrast to that quick decision about The Recruit, another Netflix series, Heartstopper, has remained in limbo since its own third season dropped last fall. That show saw a simultaneous two-season renewal a few years ago, but the lack of news on whether a fourth season will materialize has felt curious.

Has Heartstopper Been Renewed For Season 4?

Officially, Netflix has neither renewed nor cancelled this romantic series, and Deadline recently took note of how Heartstopper‘s most recent streaming numbers were “not great but also not too terrible.” So why the silence?

Well, some chatter has surfaced courtesy of Alice Oseman, the author of the romance comic that the series is based upon. Oseman also happens to be the creator and writer of Netflix’s Heartstopper, and last October, Oseman revealed via Tudum a preference for “the final installment to come to the screen as soon as possible,” but “there’s nothing that I can really share yet… of course, I will share anything when I’m able to – but that’s all there is at the moment.”

More recently, Oseman appeared for a “Celebrating 10 Years Of Nick And Charlie” event and in the process disclosed, “[I]’m working very hard behind the scenes to get us a renewal for heartstopper, it’s still ongoing we don’t have a final answer yet.” Oseman added that those involved are “feeling optimistic,” but no official call has been made yet.

After the surprise success of Gelo’s debut single “Tweaker” led to the former basketball star landing gigs performing at NBA All-Star Weekend and Rolling Loud California, it looks like the sky is the limit for the most overlooked of the Ball brothers.

He definitely looks to capitalize on his potential with his follow-up single, “Can You Please?” featuring GloRilla. The song picks up where “Tweaker” left off, incorporating turn-of-the-millennium Southern rap aesthetics with a real ear for catchy hooks. This time around, he’s imploring a dancer to “shake that ass for me,” which, in turn, lends itself well to the theme of the new video for the song released today via Def Jam.

The video opens with Gelo pulling up outside a strip club at night in a Lamborghini, blasting his signature hit, and ends with him getting back in the car sometime well after dawn. In the middle… well, it feels like you should know what to expect already. G-strings, pasties, and a whole lot of twerking; the video checks all the boxes. Glo jokes “I ain’t stop showin’ my ass since a bitch got thick,” but rocks a tasteful pinstripe suit, letting the dancers have the spotlight this time around.

Watch Gelo’s “Can You Please” video featuring GloRilla above.

Fresh off his debut performance at Rolling Loud California this past weekend, 18-year-old rapper (as of today!) celebrates his birthday with the release of a new single, “Impact,” featuring fellow rising star Xaviersobased, who also performed at Rolling Loud and is opening on Nettspend’s ongoing tour.

Built on a loopy, synthy beat of the kind The Kids are very into these days (raised by video games, of course all their music sounds like 16-bit grunge), “Impact” finds Nettspend describing the hustle — and its payoff — in evocative terms: “Fake it till you make it, Hollywood feelin’ / Built it from the floor, I took off the whole ceiling.”

In addition to taking the stage at hip-hop’s current longest-running festival, Nettspend also recently walked in Miu Miu’s show for Paris Fashion Week. The teen breakout has been building his buzz since the release of his debut mixtape, Bad Ass F*cking Kid, which included the single “Tommy.” Nettspend released the video for “Tommy” at the end of February, so following up with “Impact” so quickly could mean he’s got more to share.

You can catch Nettspend on his Invert Tour, the dates for which you can find here.

Listen to Nettspend’s “Impact” featuring Xaviersobased above.

As The Smile continue to be about as productive as possible, there’s continued chatter/speculation/hope about a potential Radiohead reunion (mostly hope). Now, though, there’s a breadcrumb suggesting a Radiohead tour could be on the horizon.

As Resident Advisor notes, an item in a recent Los Angeles wildfire relief auction run by Palisades High School featured an item titled “4 Exclusive Radiohead Concert Tickets.” Here’s what the listing says in part:

“Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to attend one Radiohead concert of your choice!

These tickets are being donated directly from the band manager and include four tickets only to a Radiohead concert where they will be performing. You will be in direct contact with the manager for ticket arrangements.

Package Highlights:

• 4 premium tickets to one Radiohead concert of your choice
• Flexibility to select your preferred city and date based on the band’s tour schedule
• Unforgettable live experience from one of the most influential bands of all time

Perfect for music lovers and an amazing gift for any Radiohead fan.”

This could mean that the band has a tour in the works. Of course, it could also mean that the manager intends to make good on the listing whenever the band ends up announcing a tour, and that one is not currently planned.

Worth noting, though, is that Resident Advisor reports that per “a source close to the group,” “Radiohead have placed holds in select European cities for a run of residency gigs this autumn.” So, we’ll see.

South African duo Major League DJz have shared a new song with help from Grammy-nominated R&B star Jorja Smith.

“Come With Me” is described as identical twin brothers Bandile and Banele Mbere’s “first official foray into electronic music,” and what a debut it is: it sounds like jumping into the ocean at sunset, as depicted in the artwork.

Major League DJz started working on “Come With Me” four years ago. “We knew we wanted to step into the electronic space in a way that still felt authentic to who we are, and this track was the perfect balance,” they said in a statement. “We’ve also been wanting to work with Jorja on an original track for a while and now the timing feels perfect.”

Per a press release: “As global ambassadors of Amapiano, Major League DJz have long been at the forefront of shaping and expanding the genre. However, in their home country, Amapiano has always existed alongside house and electronic dance music. Their latest single ‘Come With Me’ is a natural progression — blending their signature log drum rhythms with the pulse of house and Afro-electronic sounds.”

You can listen to “Come With Me” by Major League DJz featuring Jorja Smith above.

The members of Boygenius — Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker — are pretty close, but two of them are especially so: A new New Yorker interview with Dacus confirms she and Baker are in a “committed relationship.”

Presumably, Bridgers already knew this before it went public. But, once the world learned, she had the perfect reaction to the news.

Pop Crave shared the news on X (formerly Twitter) alongside a Boygenius band photo that blurred the image except for a cut-out of a heart, which comedically left Bridgers in the out-of-focus area. Bridgers apparently got a kick out of that, as she shared the image on her Instagram Story.

The New Yorker piece describes Dacus’ upcoming album Forever Is A Feeling as being “about falling in love” and “how the tumult of that experience has forced her to reckon with the unknown.” Dacus herself said the project is partially about “coming to terms with change — of knowing that things aren’t forever.”

She also discussed the balance between wanting to keep her romantic life private and wanting to be vulnerable in her music, saying, “It’s been interesting, because I want to protect what is precious in my life, but also to be honest, and make art that’s true. I think maybe a part of it is just trusting that it’s not at risk.”

2025 certainly seems to be the year of “highly anticipated but oft-delayed albums finally getting release dates.” Saba and No ID finally released their joint album today after teasing it for almost two years, Lil Durk shared the release date for Deep Thoughts today amid his ongoing legal battles, and even Key Glock shared the release date for Glockaveli last week.

The latest rapper to join the fun is Toronto rapper-producer Nav, who announced the release date for his new album On My Way 2 Rexdale, nearly a year since he first announced it. It’s due for release on March 28th, nearly three years after the release of his last full-length, Demons Protected By Angels, which dropped in September 2022. He dropped a single back then, too; “6AM Thoughts” featured the breakout stars Cash Cobain and Bay Swag, and gave the project a boost, but clearly, it took a while to get his ducks in a row. Nav shared a cinematic, dream-like trailer for the album, in which he wakes up in a flooded bedroom and finds himself falling into an abyss, a la the Sunken Place from Get Out (everyone really likes that imagery, apparently).

You can watch the trailer for On My Way 2 Rexdale above. The album is due on 3/28 via XO and Republic. You can find more info here.