In case you’ve missed it, Lil Baby has been busy lately. Every week for the past few, Baby has dropped a new song in a series dubbed “WHAM Wednesdays.” So far, we’ve heard “All On Me” featuring G Herbo, “Real Sh*t,” “Otha Boy,” and “Try To Love.” This all comes after Baby released WHAM, which Uproxx’s Elliott Wilson named one of 2025’s best albums at the mid-way point, at the top of the year.
So, it would be understandable for fans to be skeptical that this flurry of singles meant a new project was on the way. But, one indeed is: Today (November 26), Baby announced The Leaks, a new project set to arrive on his 31st birthday, December 3. Arriving alongside the news is another fresh single, “Middle Of The Summer,” which sees Baby reflecting on his challenging journey to success.
Per a press release, The Leaks “compiles full versions of previously teased snippets and leaked songs that have circulated online over the years,” spanning much of his career, from his early days to his current era.
Elsewhere this year, Baby embarked on the North American WHAM World Tour with special guest BigXthaPlug.
Sabrina Carpenter kicked off her Short N’ Sweet tour back in September 2024. Now, over a year later, it’s finally over, as she wrapped up with six shows at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles last week. Now that the tour is finished, Carpenter finds herself in her feelings about the closing of this chapter.
Sharing photos from the final two concerts on Instagram yesterday (November 25), Carpenter wrote:
“Shows 5 and 6! just the greatest way to give this tour the goodbye she deserves [lips emoji] more short n’ sweet tour thoughts and pictures coming soon… (I’ve gone through 6 boxes of Kleenex)
But for now i have to thank [Maya Rudolph] and @realmisspiggy for being the most breathtaking Juno girls
and i have to thank you LA for giving us everything you’ve got and then some :’) i love you!”
In an Instagram Story, she also wrote, “sorry for crying during espresso.” Indeed, she did get emotional during the song: Fan-shoot footage (like this) shows a teary-eyed Carpenter telling the crowd, “I thought it would be fun if I cry while I sing ‘Espresso.’”
Meanwhile, Carpenter has some major Grammy nominations to look forward to next year, as she’s up for Record, Song (both for “Manchild”, and Album Of The Year (Short N’ Sweet).
The Oasis reunion tour is over (at least for now). This has some people feeling reflective, including some of the tour staff, one of whom just revealed that the tour’s pre-production period lasted 14 months.
Jon Shrimpton, the tour’s live video director and designer, shared a post that features some neat behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the tour. The caption reads in part:
“And there it was…. gone!…. after 14 months of pre-production, lots of well kept secrets, and 5 months of some of the most incredible sights and sounds I’ve ever seen at a stadium show, here we are. The last night of the … it would be fair to say; culturally and financially successful Oasis Live ’25 world tour, tonight, in São Paulo.
A genuine career high point here, being the video director on this momentous event. Travelling around the world, in the eye of the storm. I’ve been genuinely honoured to work with the most incredible, talented, ego-free, happy crew that has ever been assembled, and there’s been nothing but love from everything I’ve seen written about the show…. even in the British press.”
Meanwhile, don’t expect a new Oasis album, as Liam Gallagher wrote recently, “I honestly do t see the point it won’t be as good as the old stuff im quite happy singing the old stuff I’m not 1 of those WANKERS that need to keep pushing it forward or sideways or backwards in some cases NOSTALGIA forever.”
There always seems to be a debate about whether it’s best to shower in the morning or at night. Often, it comes down to a personal preference based on your schedule, lifestyle, and overall health.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of each so that you can decide what works best for you.
Morning Showers
Pros:
Helps you wake up faster by increasing circulation and reducing grogginess.
It can stimulate creative thinking because the quiet, solitary environment encourages mental clarity and idea‑generation.
Creates a sense of starting fresh, which can improve motivation and help you mentally separate sleep from daytime responsibilities.
Cons:
It can feel overwhelming if you struggle with early‑day routines or need more time to feel fully awake.
Hot showers in the morning may strip natural oils from your skin, potentially causing dryness or irritation throughout the day.
Adds extra time pressure in the morning, which may increase stress if you’re on a tight schedule.
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-shower-head-switched-on-161502/
Nighttime Showers
Pros:
You improve sleep quality because a warm evening shower relaxes muscles and helps your body shift into a sleep‑ready state.
You wash away allergens, sweat, and pollutants collected during the day, which can reduce skin irritation and help keep bedding cleaner.
It can be more leisurely since you’re not racing against a morning schedule, allowing time for longer showers or wind‑down routines.
Cons:
Your hair may require extra styling in the morning because sleeping on freshly washed hair can cause flattening, frizz, or awkward bends.
You miss out on the energizing, circulation‑boosting effect of a morning shower, which may leave you feeling less refreshed at the start of your day.
Ultimately, there are benefits and drawbacks to both. If you are generally a morning person, a morning shower might be best. However, if you’re a night owl or get really dirty throughout the day, you might find that nighttime showers are going to work best.
Many people benefit from choosing based on lifestyle: morning showers for energy and productivity, evening showers for relaxation and recovery. Some people even split routines—quick rinse in the morning, a full shower at night—for the best of both worlds. Check out both routines to see which one fits best with your schedule.
Earlier this week, Lil Uzi Vert made a triumphant comeback after a year spent out of the spotlight with a new single, “Chanel Boy.” But Lil Uzi Vert has never done anything halfway. Just hours later, they’ve already released another new single, “Relevant.”
In an abstract video, Uzi debuts a new hairdo, shows off a slick, high-fashion wardrobe, and blasts listeners with the rapid-fire flow that first earned them their rap name. “Relevant” does exactly what it sets out to do: remind listeners why they’re so invested in the Philadelphia rapper in the first place — and keep them that way.
The deluge of new music serves multiple purposes. For one, it counteracts the flood of leaks that have plagued Uzi for the past decade; now that Uzi is an independent artist, they can release music as they make it, rather than worrying about leakers putting it out before Uzi’s ready to do so.
It also sounds like Uzi’s just happy to be out of their deal with Atlantic and free to create on their own terms. After Eternal Atake 2 was received lukewarmly by fans last year, Uzi confirmed that the album was a throwaway meant to satisfy their contractual obligations. Now, with Roc Nation distribution, Uzi can truly do things their own way.
You can watch Lil Uzi Vert’s new video “Relevant” above.
This one has been brewing for a while. It appeared on the Blacklist in 2014 as Rothchild, then was later renamed to Huntington. A few days ago, the film again got a new title, as it’s now called How To Make A Killing.
There have been major casting changes, too. Shia LaBeouf and Mel Gibson were initially tapped to star long ago, but now it’s led by Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley. As for the plot, eager viewers can get hints from the 1949 movie Kind Hearts And Coronets, on which the new film is based.
Ahead of the movie’s release, keep reading for everything you need to know before it hits theaters.
Plot
An official logline reads, “Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.”
StudioCanal, one of the production companies involved, previously described it as “a raucously entertaining revenge thriller about Becket Redfellow, the heir to a multi-billion-dollar fortune who will stop at nothing to get what he deserves… Or what he thinks he deserves.”
Cast
The movie stars Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, Raff Law, and Ed Harris.
“It being an A24 project, and having such a brilliant ensemble cast with some really highly experienced actors and a fantastic director John Patton Ford, who I’ve a been a fan of, and loved his film Emily The Criminal, it was just something I knew I wanted to be a part of. I love working with new people and being part of a team where you can pick up things off of other people, and that was something that made it a no-brainer in a sense. It was a character I hadn’t really played yet and I’m someone that wants to be able to show versatility in my work, so with Huntington, as soon as I got the audition and spoke with my team, it was something that I really wanted to push for.”
He added, “I’d say that this was an opportunity for me to show a slightly different performance. In Huntington, I’d like to say that it’s a pretty mental character and I had a lot of fun doing it. It’s kind of just like an explosion of craziness. It was a lot of fun, and I do a bit of singing as well.”
Release Date
The film is set to hit theaters on February 20, 2026.
Last year, State Farm and UPROXX teamed to bring you an exclusive look at Howard University’s 100th anniversary homecoming halftime show. Now, with the bar raised even higher for 101, we’re going back to campus to showcase the whole homecoming experience and catch up with Howard’s Director of Bands, Chancellor Mills, as he preps the “Showtime” marching band for this year’s show.
Hosted by Fly Guy DC, the above video provides a behind-the-scenes look at a process that starts long before football season kicks off. As Mills puts it, “Showtime is not just a marching band — what you see out on the football field — but it’s years and years of people putting in their blood, sweat, and tears, from the ’70s to where we are now.”
Rehearsals begin in earnest three weeks before the event, starting with learning the music, then adding what Mills calls “the marching fundamentals.” Once that’s all nailed down, they take the field to ensure not a step is out of place; as drum major Ian Claville puts it, “It means never being satisfied, always wanting to go higher.”
Fly Guy DC also hit Yard Fest this year to interact with students experiencing their first-ever homecoming and alums returning to catch up with old friends. Attendees were treated to a live performance from French Montana, while alumss like Anthony Anderson and AJ Calloway expressed their excitement to continue a legacy stretching back over 100 years. And then, it was “SHOWTIME!” as the band took the field to demonstrate why Howard University’s marching band is one of the best — and why there’s no experience like the HBCU experience.
On December 12, Nas and DJ Premier will finally release their long-awaited joint album after decades of speculation under the auspices of Mass Appeal Records’ Legend Has It… banner. Today, they revealed the title and album cover, as well as confirming the release date, which DJ Premier teased during a recent show.
The album will be called Light-Years, and it’ll be the final album of the Legend Has It… initiative, which has also presented new albums from Slick Rick, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, Big L, and De La Soul in 2025, as well as a Marvel Comics book. Light-Years is said to contain recordings spanning from the album’s initial announcement way back in 2006, all the way up to more recent recordings, when they began working on the project in earnest.
The cover, which they shared on social media, is a slick photo of the producer and rapper wearing all black, with lens flares and motion blurs being produced by their jewelry — old school rope chains and Rolex watches.
In a Rolling Stone interview about Light-Years and Legend Has It, Nas told Uproxx alum Andre Gee, “This series is to encourage [and] inspire hip hop and remind us all [of] the pureness of hip hop. I hope that we all can do this together.” Of the project itself, he said of the older material appearing on the album, “I’m going to say at least two of those ideas happened on this album. We didn’t get a chance to do ’em when we were talking about ’em, but we finally got a chance to put those recordings together this year. I can’t wait for people to finally hear it. I don’t know about anybody else, but for me and him, it was personally a long time coming for us to do it.”
Light-Years is out 12/12 via Mass Appeal Records. You can find more info here.
All hail, hip-hop’s underground king! Ransom doesn’t just make music—he studies the world around him, challenges comfort, and turns philosophy into bars. In 2025 alone, he’s dropped three distinct projects — The Final Call with Dave East, The Reinvention with DJ Premier, and, his most recent release, The Uncomfortable Truth with producer Conductor Williams — each a bold exploration of life, growth, and perspective.
In this exclusive conversation, Ran breaks down his creative process, the hyper-observant lens shaping his music, and the mindset that helps him navigate recognition, criticism, and personal evolution. It’s a rare glimpse into the mind of an artist determined to be recognized as one of rap’s greatest voices.
Ran, you hinted during our Rap Radar conversation with DJ Premier that this Conductor project was up next. Why release it now?
Most people would sit on something like The Reinvention and bask in the moment. That’s not me. I’m always moving. The material’s been done, and I’m already two, three steps ahead with new projects.
2025 has been prolific — The Final Call, The Reinvention, and now, The Uncomfortable Truth. How do these three projects compliment each other ?
Each one has its own world. The Final Call was reflective and intellectual — life, religion, culture. The Reinvention explored personal struggles, fatherhood, and growth. The Uncomfortable Truth confronts society’s tendency to avoid discomfort. If you want to succeed, you must be comfortable being uncomfortable.
A lot of this record feels like you’re holding people accountable.
Absolutely. People get too sensitive about trivial things. Someone not liking you doesn’t affect your career or your kids — unless you let it. I welcome discourse, even disagreement. I’m not looking for universal agreement.
So if someone is offended, that’s fine?
Fine. But it should spark conversation. Disagreeing is different from reacting emotionally. Understanding is more important than pleasing everyone.
You close the album with “Trigger Or Trigga,” a provocative record — and clearly on purpose.
It’s a punch in the face, yes. Everything I do is intentional. Words can trigger, but actions matter more. People survive life-threatening events but get caught up over words—that’s the irony.
Like someone saying they’d take a bullet for their kids but won’t put down a cheeseburger. Prioritize your health. Too many people lose perspective.
How has your perspective on words and conflict evolved?
When you’re young, you’ll die over insults. As you age, you’ve got things to protect, and you ask: “Is it worth it?” Words shouldn’t dictate actions. Too many people die or go to prison over them.
The album’s second half turns darker. What inspired “Flowers & Tombstones”?
Observation. People posting from funerals or sharing things that should be private — it’s disrespectful. Some moments are sacred. Grieve, honor, reflect, then share.
Your album sequencing always feels deliberate.
Like a movie. You gotta grab attention in five seconds, then guide the listener emotionally. Highs, lows, reflection, full circle. No padding. My favorite albums — Illmatic, Thriller, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx —are concise and intentional.
Let’s talk about the powerful intro, “Clairvoyance.”
It’s about seeing clearly, reading the room. I observe labels, fans, discourse. It’s vision, not emotion.
You slip in a slick Post Malone bar. What’s your approach to that level of wordplay?
Context. Everyone missed it. I visualize how legends would act and craft my words around that. Cleverness without context is meaningless.
Rap is a gladiator sport. People on the couch criticizing aren’t in the arena. There are doers and observers no in-between.
Social media has made people hypersensitive.
Everyone wants agreement, but life isn’t about universal approval. Stand by your work. Some will love it, some will hate it—that’s normal.
Working with the Conductor on “Bomaye,” what’s your process?
Visualization. I picture myself in a narrative — Ali in Zaire. Replace Ali with me. It’s not modest, and it’s not supposed to be. It’s about claiming greatness confidently.
“Late Replies,” I hear, is your favorite. It feels personal.
It’s the last joint I recorded, so it feels fresh. It’s about real situations, male friendships, and knowing when to disengage without losing myself.
You’ve mentioned being selective in group chats.
Yes. I avoid meaningless chatter. Family, business, strategy—that’s my circle. Accessibility affects respect.
“Human Animal” draws from the book of the same name. Why the warrior mindset?
Ancient philosophy, Stoicism, Oedipus. I love it. Learning from history, applying lessons, tempering your actions, reading people. Stoicism transformed my life.
How does that shape your artistry?
Everything is strategic — the writing, recording, sequencing. Reading the room, anticipating reactions. Stoicism guides all of it.
What’s next for 2026?
Me and Boldy James in February. Another Premier project. And my solo album — that’s the one. All concise, intentional, 10–12 songs each.
Before we go, I definitely wanna acknowledge Art From Noah, The Uncomfortable Truth album cover is so dope.
We’re sticking to real art — paintings from scratch. AI is changing the landscape, but independence and understanding cycles keep you ahead.
Not only have 2025 blockbusters found significant success at the box office, but they also garnered acknowledgement at the upcoming 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
With nominations announced earlier this month, repeat titles in popular and soundtrack categories were also among some of the most notable movies this year. Making its way into Song of the Year, a category known as part of the ‘Big Four,’ Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters was nominated for its motivational electropop anthem “Golden.” The song, sung by fictional animated group Huntr/x (or Korean artists Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami), will be up against mainstream powerhouses, live–acts like Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Doechii, Lady Gaga, Rosé featuring Bruno Mars, and Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA. A majority of these nominees have multiple golden gramophones in their possession, making the category one to beat for the KPop sensation.
And Demon Hunters returns as a nominee for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media, where it will face off against Sinners, F1 the Album, A Complete Unknown, and Wicked. Arguably the statement song from the latter film, power ballad “Defying Gravity,” competes against “Golden” for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. While F1 songs like Tate McRae’s “Just Keep Watching” and Chris Stapleton’s “Bad As I Used To Be” land as nominees for Best Dance Pop Recording and Best Country Solo Performance, respectively, it’s music from Sinners that takes the lead across three categories and five nominations overall.
What does this achievement mean for the reemergence of movie musicals, or flicks that otherwise have a heavy soundtrack presence? Cinephiles have shown a collective push towards embracing long form videos as having musical merit, since acclaimed visual albums by Beyoncé (Homecoming, Black Is King), Janelle Monáe (Dirty Computer), Prince (Purple Rain) Michael Jackson (Moonwalker) have earned either Grammy wins or nominations in the past. With the exclusion of Wicked, most of this year’s nominations arise from original films that have created fandoms and legacies that fans have built community through, and the Recording Academy is finally taking notice.
Recognizing period horror drama Sinners was a must for the Recording Academy, not just for its soundtrack, which masterfully blended oldies, blues, and folk with contemporary R&B, but because director Ryan Coogler and his longtime composer, Ludwig Göransson, dared to elevate the theatrical paradigm. The movie, which has become a cultural phenomenon since its April release, centers on a pair of gangster-slash-entrepreneurial twins, the determined Smoke and hellion Stack, who return from Chicago to the Mississippi Delta to open a juke joint. A bloodthirsty Irish vampire, Remmick, aims to sink his teeth into the venue and possess the euphonious talent of the twins’ cousin, Sammie (or “Preacherboy”), turning the juke joint into a battle between humans and the living dead. Göransson’s haunting and soulful score adds texture to the film, even further brought to life on the OTS, where renditions are sung by movie characters and known artists. Statement track “I Lied to You,” performed by Sinners star Miles Caton, is up for Best Song Written for Visual Media, as is Brittany Howard’s rendition of “Pale Pale Moon,” originally sung by actress Jayme Lawson. The film also nabbed rapper-singer Rod Wave his first-ever Grammy nomination in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category.
As the horror epic continues its awards season campaign headed into the Oscars, it helps that Coogler landed a historic deal to receive full ownership of Sinners in the next 25 years. This means we probably haven’t heard the last of the movie; it can become a franchise or Broadway musical and expand the Sinners sound.
Commercial juggernauts among children and mostly female audiences, both Demon Hunters and Wicked are similar in their candied and ambitious musical approach. The first theatrical installment of Wicked, released last November after spending over twenty years as a Broadway classic, brought together powerhouse vocalists Cynthia Erivo as the misunderstood Elphaba and Ariana Grande as her pompous but well-meaning university roommate Galinda (and later, Glinda). Along with soundtrack, score, and instrumental score Grammy categories, Erivo and Grande’s harmonious “Defying Gravity” is nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance against “Golden” from Demon Hunters. If either song wins in the category, it’ll be the first movie composition to take home the award since the Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper duet “Shallow” from A Star Is Born in 2021.
Both Wicked and Demon Hunters have a magical composition bravura, but their respective statement songs, the aforementioned “Defying Gravity” and “Golden,” balance vulnerability and strength, meeting the criteria for the category. On its own, “Golden” was a moon shot, and young Americans are gradually showing more interest in international pop genres than those stateside.
Merging U.S. and global acts is F1 The Album, the companion soundtrack to the Brad Pitt-led sports drama F1. Fitting the movie’s exhilarating synopsis, the OTS is replete with songs that combine high energy and swagger, which its Grammy nominations reflect. With F1 in the visual media soundtrack category with Demon Hunters, Sinners, and Wicked, the Chris Stapleton-performed “Bad” could earn the country star his twelfth Grammy, but Tate McRae has gotten her first career nomination for “Just Keep Watching.” In the running for Best Dance Pop Recording, the song has a heart-pounding ambience and unforgettable hook that could take on fellow nominees like PinkPantheress (“Illegal”) and Zara Larsson (“Midnight Sun”).
If Demon Hunters, F1, Sinners, and Wicked are any proof, it’s that music-oriented films moved the needle across genres. Even movies that were snubbed, like Netflix documentary Songs from the Hole and concert flick Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour, were some of the most progressive watches over the last year. More than just being placed in soundtrack fields at the 2026 Grammys, films will be contenders against today’s biggest artists, showing that music has staying power in theaters and on airwaves.
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