Category: News

The throwback sounds of Drugdealer and Weyes Blood are a perfect match, so understandably, they have a few collaborations under their belt. The middle section of their Venn diagram got a little bigger today (May 28) with the release of another joint effort, “Real Thing.”

In a statement, Drugdealer said of Weyes Blood:

“Immediately I realized that it was the perfect thing to show Nat, who I had been wanting to collaborate with again for years. After that, we started working on it via multiple trips back and forth across the US, and it just became one of my favorite things we’ve ever done. […] Natalie took the wheel and really wrote such amazing lyrics and harmonies as usual.”

He added, “I’ve felt like she’s my musical family. I can’t really ask for more in terms of someone who inspired me to even get to this place in my songwriting.”

Meanwhile, in case you missed it, Drugdealer made his debut on The Tonight Show a couple weeks ago, but probably not how he imagined. During a Tonight Show Look-Alikes segment, a viewer submitted a photo of Drugdealer, and the resemblance between him and Fallon got a big reaction from The Roots and the studio audience. The studio audience voted on which of the segment’s four presented look-alikes was most accurate and Drugdealer won handily, after which Fallon re-created the look. Much fun was had.

Watch the “Real Thing” video above.

Jamie xx’s 2015 solo album In Colour is a highlight from his discography away from The xx, as his two most-streamed songs on Spotify hail from the project: “Loud Places” (featuring The xx bandmate Romy) and “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” (featuring Young Thug and Popcaan).

Well, this year marks the project’s 10th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, Jamie is dropping a new vinyl pressing, specifically a lovely limited-edition picture disc. That’ll relelase on November 14, but pre-orders are available now, here.

As for The xx, there was a bit of a reunion last year when Jamie dropped a solo track, “Waited All Night,” which featured both Romy and Oliver Sim. A couple months ago, the trio was also in the studio together.

Check out a photo of the In Colour picture disc below, as well as the tracklist.

Jamie xx’s In Colour Vinyl

Jamie xx’s In Colour Tracklist

1. “Gosh” Feat. MC Moose
2. “Sleep Sound”
3. “SeeSaw” Feat. Romy
4. “Obvs”
5. “Just Saying”
6. “Stranger In A Room” Feat. Oliver Sim
7. “Hold Tight”
8. “Loud Places” Feat. Romy
9. “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” Feat. Young Thug and Popcaan
10. “The Rest Is Noise”
11. “Girl”

In Colour 10 Year Anniversary is out 11/14 via Young. Find more information here.

I’ve lost my best friend. Twice. This time for good. Sacha Jenkins is gone. He tragically passed away on the morning of May 23, 2025, after a private battle with atrophy. I had previously heard through some mutual associates that there was some sort of health issue Sacha was struggling with, and I wish I would have had the courage to call him. I should’ve reached out to his wife, Raquel, and checked in to see if it was cool for me to fly back to New York to sit and talk with him at least one more time. Our personal history got complicated and complex, but I never lost my love and appreciation for Sacha and all that he’d done to help me become the journalist and man I am today.

Sacha Jenkins was my best friend from 1992-2008. In the late ’80s, we had both gone to the same high school, William Cullen Bryant, but we didn’t meet until ’92 at a KRS-One show in Manhattan. I attended the show by myself. That night, I met Sacha and his business partner, Haji Akihbade. They had just published hip-hop’s first newspaper, Beat Down, and they were distributing their debut issue with Cypress Hill on the cover at the venue. I was intrigued. My dream job was to work for The Source magazine, but I had no clue that you could create your own publication. Independence. Entrepreneurship. They gave me a business card with a P.O. Box as the address and a phone number to leave a voicemail on. I quickly did. They called me back the next day and asked me some light, silly questions about hip-hop history. I passed the quiz and they put me down.

I initially viewed Haji as the business guy and Sacha as the creative force. Sacha had what the kids today call “aura.” He was a gentle giant who would wear denim overalls and rock a braided rat tail. Everything about him felt unique. He never tried to fit in, yet he always stood out. He viewed himself as anti-social, but everyone wanted to socialize with him. His personal network was extensive. We’d sip 40 ozs of malt liquor and walk through the streets of New York together, and it felt like he knew everyone who was cool and in the scene. Sacha was the best talker and the best listener, and I just wanted to soak up all the game and knowledge he had.

With the encouragement of each other, we both became college dropouts (Sacha left Brooklyn College, I left Queens College) and we would meet pretty much every afternoon at his mom’s crib in Astoria. That was our university. We scoped out ideas for Beat Down. Via Sacha’s 5-disc CD changer, we listened to rap albums all day long: Main Source’s Breaking Atoms, Gang Starr’s Step In The Arena and Daily Operation, Showbiz and AG’s self-titled EP and Runaway Slave, Fat Joe’s Represent, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, etc.

Sacha was a charismatic creative and a dynamic personality. Even before Beat Down, Sach had started his own graffiti magazine, Graphic Scenes X-Plicit Language. Sacha’s DNA was DIY, and he was about his business. I was super stoked when Sacha invited me to help distribute the free Beat Downs throughout New York City. We left copies at various subway stations, West Fourth Street Courts, Tower Records, and the vintage clothing spot, Patricia Fields. We left our product at any cool spot in the East Village, West Village, and SoHo. Sometimes we’d leave a stack, and then stalk the scene, waiting to witness someone pick up and thumb through the issue. But to see someone literally fold Beat Down in half and tuck in their back pocket? That was the win! It was an addictive feeling. There are few things more humbling than seeing something you slaved on discarded and tossed on the street. We weren’t even charging yet. It’s FREE. How could you?

By 1994, hip-hop had a lot of independent magazines, coast to coast. There was Seattle’s The Flavor. The Bay Area had 4080 and The Bomb. Los Angeles had Urb, and Straight From The Lip. Straight outta Connecticut was One Nut Network. Chicago had Caught In The Middle and Flypaper. Philly had On The Go.

But I knew with Sacha as our visionary, our leader, our North Star, ego trip would be different and we would prevail. Our business strategy reflected Sacha’s actual lifestyle. We covered hip-hop music and beyond. Sacha was a graffiti scholar who loved rock, and was influenced by Bad Brains as much as Mobb Deep. We both recognized in the early ’90s that hip-hop was coming up from the underground. Kids of all races that were kicking it were listening to Green Day as well as Dr. Dre. Hip-hop was destined to define pop culture. The coolest rock scenes respected hip-hop. And no one was weaving that all together.

Our caveat was humor. Sacha and I were funny, knowledgeable smart-ass dudes and so was our growing crew. Jeff “Chairman” Mao was our Iron Man. An outstanding writer with a passion for DJing, Mao had an amazing vinyl collection. Jeff’s critical analysis set the bar for what we wanted ego trip to be.

We launched our ‘zine in the summer of 1994, and we put the hottest MC in rap on the cover: our Queens brethren, Nas. The cover image was an outtake from Danny Clinch’s shoot for Nas’ classic debut, Illmatic. We had more ill images inside.

People loved it. And acclaim gave us a taste for more. We soon recruited former Rap Pages-experienced, Los Angeles-based masterminds, Gabriel Alvarez and Brent Rollins to form the ultimate starting five. The baddest band in the media landscape. Although we only produced 13 issues, each one felt like a collector’s item that helped shake up and shift culture. We simply changed the face, tone and voice of hip-hop journalism.

Then Sacha met a woman named Dana Albarella, and thanks to her, we became authors and created two critically-acclaimed books. 1999’s ego trip’s Book of Rap Lists, which is the true hip-hop bible, and 2002’s ego trip’s Big Book of Racism! which led to us diving head first into the early days of reality television with VH1.

2007’s ego trip’s The (White) Rapper Show was Sacha’s idea. It was controversial. It was captivating. It was a hit. Our follow-up, 2008’s ego trip’s Miss Rap Supreme, not so much. During the finale taping in Los Angeles, I abruptly left the shoot and flew back to New York. I felt crippled by my creative differences with the group, underappreciated, and I only expressed my hurt feelings to Sacha. As our leader, I demanded Sacha single-handedly make things right but looking back, that was an unfair ask. Building ego trip together was a helluva achievement, but I believe Sacha and I always knew it wouldn’t be the end-all be-all of our careers.

Sacha, I marveled as you transitioned to dynamic documentarian and formidable filmmaker. Word to your father Horace, you carried on tradition. Your work with Wu-Tang on 2019’s Of Mics and Men was masterful. I just rewatched it yesterday. And your extensive interview with our proud protégé, Noah Callahan-Bever for his Blueprint series. Yeah, in between crying my eyes out, I’m on a YouTube rabbit hole seeking all things Sacha Jenkins related. I still wanna learn. I think I just wanna hear your voice again. I love you, SHR. Thank you for everything, brother.

After 2022’s Baby, We’re Ascending, HAAi is ready to expand her discography: Today (May 28), she announced a new album, Humanise. The project is set for October 10, but the single “Satellite” is out now. It features Jon Hopkins (with whom she previously worked on the excellent Baby, We’re Ascending title track“), Obi Franky, ILĀ, and the Trans Voices.

HAAi explained how the song is a good representation of the album as a whole, saying:

“‘Satellite’ encapsulates everything Humanise stands for: the importance of your people and the unique humaneness we offer one another in a rapidly changing world. I feel so lucky to have shared this track with Jon and Obi, ILĀ and the Trans Voices choir. This album is for my trans and queer family and our allies, to say thank you for lighting up every space you’re in. I will always be in your army.”

Obi Franky adds, “Inspired by my father’s passing, I decided to write a message that I believe we share for each other. And this can apply to various situations for so many people including those that live far away from each other. Sometimes being reminded someone’s energy is there is enough to keep you going. We are all satellites and have the power to create a sense of unity, the power to receive and give what ultimately a human wants — love.”

Watch the “Satellite” video above and find the Humanise cover art and tracklist below.

HAAi’s Humanise Album Cover Artwork

HAAi’s Humanise Tracklist

1. “Satellite” Feat. Jon Hopkins, Obi Franky, ILĀ, and Trans Voices
2. “All That Falls Apart / Comes Together” Feat. James Massiah
3. “Stitches”
4. “Can’t Stand To Lose”
5. “Shapeshift” Feat. KAM-BU
6. “Voices”
7. “Go” Feat. Kaiden Ford
8. “HUMANiSE”
9. “Hey!”
10. “Rushing” Feat. ILĀ and Trans Voices
11. “New Euphoria” Feat. Alexis Taylor, ILĀ, and Trans Voices
12. “HQ” Feat. Kaiden Ford

Humanise is out 10/10 via Mute. Find more information here.

Officially, Sirens is a “limited series” on Netflix, meaning that this was intended as a one-and-done type of show. Also officially, Sirens is a hit with the dark comedy series racking up 16.7 million views and 79.2 hours streamed within the first week of release. And we know what frequently happens to wildly successful limited series (see Netflix’s The Four Seasons along with Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers and HBO’s The White Lotus and Big Little Lies) on streaming and cable. That label frequently falls by the wayside, so it’s no wonder that people are asking whether that might happen here, too.

Sirens was bound for success while targeting the same audience as the above-mentioned shows while exploring class and power (with a Greek mythological twist) at a lavish estate. The bang-up cast includes Julianne Moore (whose filmography is still kicking), Kevin Bacon (whose The Bondsman is awaiting renewal), Meghann Fahy (who was the The White Lotus second-season breakout), and Milly Alcock (who has gone from dragons to James Gunn’s DCU), so of course the series ascended the charts.

And not everybody in this series was left standing where they first appeared. The most pivotal twist resulted in Alcock’s Simone replacing Moore’s Kiki as partner of Bacon’s Peter Kell, and there’s certainly room to follow up on that story (or anthologized stories of different characters), if Netflix so chooses.

Will There Be A Sirens Season 2 On Netflix?

Don’t hold your breath. Netflix is hanging onto the “limited series” labelling for now, although if the streaming numbers stay strong, you can bet that discussions will take place, as is currently the case for Netflix’s Adolescence.

On the subject of one ambiguous closing thread, showrunner Molly Smith Metzler spoke with Netflix and addressed the “recasting” of Mrs. Kell in the story what Simone’s true feelings might be:

“There’s this sense of, ‘There’s just a new Mrs. Kell now?’” she says. “She’s been recast, and it’s sort of like [on TV], when we just pretend the actor isn’t different. There’s ferocity to that world and the way people come and go.”

So is Simone happy in that final shot, looking out at the water? “Well, it’s funny because I’ve seen all the different tapes and the one we used, we all described as the Mona Lisa smile because in that famous painting, you don’t really know exactly what she’s thinking,” says Smith Metzler. “And so the fun is that it’s up to you in the audience to decide how she feels about it and how you feel about it. I have my answer, but I don’t know that it’s the answer.”

Good luck in holding onto that role, Simone? The five-episode season of Sirens is currently streaming on Netflix.

This week’s episode of Sound Check with Jeremy Hecht stars experimental Vancouver singer-songwriter-rapper Ekkstacy. Jeremy puts his fellow Canadian through some tough choices this time around, pairing thrash-rap faves and alt-rock classics. Fresh off the release of his new album, Forever, the genre-bending artist stopped by Uproxx Studios ahead of his Forever Tour to take on the Sound Check challenge.

Here’s how it works: Jeremy plays two songs for the guest artist, who has to choose one and explain their choice, giving Jeremy a chance to learn their musical taste. Jeremy then has to guess the artist’s life anthem, the song they’d take to a desert island, which the guest wrote down earlier on a piece of paper. Our production team has also given him a decoy song, and Jeremy has to guess which is correct based on what he’s learned in the previous rounds.

Ekkstacy has to pick between The Cure and The Smiths, Lil Peep and XXXTentacion, The Misfits and Nirvana, and his collaborators The Kid Laroi (“Alright“) and Trippie Redd (“Problems“), leaving Jeremy to choose between songs from Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Can our host restart his hot streak?

Watch Ekkstacy take on the Sound Check challenge above.

The 2025 BET Awards are swiftly approaching, and after announcements of nominees, performers, and some of the BET Experience activities the weekend prior to the show, the network has now announced the recipients of the Ultimate Icon Award. “Celebrating their decades of groundbreaking contributions to music, entertainment, advocacy, and community impact,” the award will be given to Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Kirk Franklin and Snoop Dogg, all of whom are also billed to perform. The 2025 BET Awards air live on Monday, June 9, at 8 PM ET.

Kevin Hart was announced as the host a few weeks before the show, and Kendrick Lamar is the most-nominated artist with 10 nominations, including Album Of The Year, Viewer’s Choice, and Video Of The Year. Doechii, Drake, Future, and GloRilla are all tied with six nominations each. This year’s performers will include GloRilla, Lil Wayne, Leon Thomas, Playboi Carti, and Teyana Taylor, with more performers to be announced.

In the days leading up to the show, Los Angeles will once play host to the BET Experience festival, with activations and concerts beginning Thursday, June 5, and running through the weekend. In addition to the 25th anniversary of 106 & Park, this year’s BETX will also feature the return of the BETX celebrity basketball game, featuring BossMan Dlow, Cordae, G-Herbo, Hunxho, Kalan.FrFr, Pardison Fontaine, Rapsody, Rob49, and more.

Shaboozey turned heads, including his own, at the 2025 American Music Awards this past weekend. While presenting an award alongside fellow country singer Megan Moroney, Shaboozey had a visible side-eyed reaction when Moroney made a comment about how the Carter family “basically invented country music.”

Later, he took to X to explain, “When you uncover the true history of country music, you find a story so powerful that it cannot be erased…,” and, “The real history of country music is about people coming together despite their differences, and embracing and celebrating the things that make us alike.”

Just because he didn’t agree with what Moroney said, though, doesn’t mean he had any ill will against her.

In the comments of one of her recent Instagram posts (as Deadline notes), Shaboozey wrote:

“Just want to clear something up: my reaction at the AMAs had nothing to do with Megan Moroney! She’s an incredibly talented, hardworking artist who’s doing amazing things for country music and I’ve got nothing but respect for her.

I’ve seen some hateful comments directed at her today, and that’s not what this moment was about. Let’s not twist the message – she is amazing and someone who represents the country community in the highest light!”

So, if you’re picking on Moroney to defend Shaboozey’s honor, leave her alone.

Over the course of his decade-long career, Bryson Tiller has become one of R&B’s most elusive figures. He’ll often disappear for years at a time after a new release; four years passed between his two most recent projects, 2020’s Anniversary and 2024’s Bryson Tiller. But it looks like that pattern may soon be changing, as he’s just announced a follow-up to the latter in the form of a double album. Solace & The Vices is “coming soon,” according to the Louisville native’s Instagram post, and as it’s “inspired by fall,” perhaps that’s when fans can expect a release.

“S O L A C E • somber, vulnerable, my own personal therapy session,” he wrote in the caption. “Saying things I wouldn’t normally say out loud. Inspired by the season my life changed 4ever, FALL.THE VICES • Fun, Energetic, Bars on Bars, Summer Vibes, leaning into my ‘other’ side. COMING SOON! Thank you to all the fans who never left my side.”

From that description, it does appear that the album will be fairly evenly split between the moody R&B that characterized some of Tiller’s fan favorites and the energized rap for which he gave himself the cheeky nickname “Pen Griffey Jr.” Stay tuned.

Selena Gomez appears to be a pretty big basketball fan: Here she is at an NBA game in 2024 and more recently, here she is at a Boston Celtics/New York Knicks playoff game. Even while at a Beyoncé concert this past weekend, she made sure to keep tabs on the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Finals series against the Indiana Pacers.

While at the show, Gomez took to her Instagram Story to share a POV photo from her vantage point inside a private suite, with the concert happening in front of her while watching a Knicks/Pacers game on her phone. She captioned the post, “Still got my eye on the game.”

As BuzzFeed notes, reactions online were mixed. One X user wrote, “all i’m gonna say is a true musician wouldn’t treat a beyoncé concert as background noise,” while another said, “she must be her own biggest enemy because imagine going to a beyonce concert sitting your ass way back there and watching baseball on your shitty phone AND being PROUD ENOUGH TO POST THAT.” Meanwhile, on Reddit, somebody noted, “I live in NYC and plenty of my friends who went to the Cowboy Carter show last night also had the game on their phones… I’m not a basketball fan but apparently it’s been a big deal.”