Category: News

Last month, Troye Sivan shared his new song “Rush,” which was not without controversy. A debate was sparked online over the video’s lack of body diversity. Even Charli XCX weighed in.

There is now a remix of “Rush” featuring PinkPantheress and Stray Kids’ Hyunjin. The clubby song is even more fiery with these new voices; it can be added to the list of addictive PinkPantheress collaborations, like “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2” with Ice Spice, “Way Back” with Skrillex, or “Turn Your Phone Off” with Destroy Lonely.

“Rush” comes from Sivan’s highly anticipated forthcoming album Something To Give Each Other. About the song, he previously said, “‘Rush’ is the feeling of kissing a sweaty stranger on a dancefloor, a 2-hour date that turned into a weekend, a crush, a winter, a summer. Party after party after party after after party. All of my experiences from a chapter where I feel confident, free and liberated. Independent, yet somehow the most connected to the music and community around me.”

Listen to the “Rush” remix above.

Something To Give Each Other is out 10/13 via Capitol Records. Find more information here.

PinkPantheress is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Every month, Uproxx cultural critic Steven Hyden makes an unranked list of his favorite music-related items released during this period — songs, albums, books, films, you name it.

1. Zach Bryan, Zach Bryan

Zach Bryan opens his new album with a poem. “I’ve learned that every waking moment is enough,” he says, “and excess never leads to better things. It only piles and piles upon things that are already abundantly in front of you.” His delivery on the track, titled “Fear And Friday’s (Poem),” is down-home and conversational. As he strums his guitar, it sounds as though he is sitting in a bedroom somewhere and speaking into a tape recorder. It’s an arena-filling superstar caught in an intimate moment, only it’s presented via the least intimate vehicle — a probable smash hit LP — imaginable.

2. Buck Meek, Haunted Mansion

While I admired his two previous solo LPs, 2018’s Buck Meek and 2021’s Two Saviors, the latest record from Big Thief’s guitarist feels like a real breakthrough. A self-described collection of on-the-road love songs, Haunted Mountain adds layers of instrumental muscle to Big Thief’s lean and sparse folk-rock template, with Meek’s gnarled guitar supported by the supple, countrified warmth of his long-time backing band. The result is a record that rocks a bit harder than much of Big Thief’s output, while retaining the band’s hopeful, mystical spiritualism.

3. Florry, The Holey Bible

I had given up hope that an indie rock group in 2023 would take cues from early ’70s Rolling Stones records like Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main St. And then I heard this album, and my faith was restored. This Philadelphia band fronted by singer-songwriter Francie Medosch was previously a more conventional indie-sounding outfit before they zeroed in on the irreverent country-rock side of the Stones, and combined it with the deliberate, chemically addled sloppiness of “ditch” era Neil Young. What that means is an abundance of slide and lap steel guitar attached to songs that lumber amiably as if they have been consuming Jack Daniels and honey slides for the past 12 hours. The good shit, in other words.

4. Cory Hanson, Western Cum

Really good guitar jams, very unfortunate album title. Western Cum is the year’s best classic rock homage that I am also the most embarrassed about recommending. But whatever, right? We’re all adults here! We can take a reference to (lowers voice) semen if we’re also receiving a bounty of hooky songs with bitchin’ guitar solos! Hanson’s easygoing vocal style — he sounds like David Gates of Bread on quaaludes — contrasts with his invigorating instrumental attack, which evokes the Allman Brothers as produced by Boston’s Tom Scholz.

5. Greg Freeman, I Found Out

I’m late on this one — it’s my favorite album of 2022 that I discovered in 2023. (In my defense most critics have slept on this album. That will hopefully change soon.) A reader online recommended that I check it out due to my constant evangelizing for M.J. Lenderman, and that person was dead on. Like Lenderman, it’s obvious that Freeman has worshipped at the altar of the late, great Jason Molina, though he also brings his own influences (particularly ’90s indie rock in the form of Neutral Milk Hotel and Guided By Voices) to the table. What I’m saying is that this is yet another blown-out country-rock record that sometimes delves into pure noise. (I can’t get enough of this formula lately.)

6. Died Pretty, Free Dirt

Speaking of discovering albums late, I became semi-obsessed this month with this Australian indie band who started putting out music in the ’80s. I came to Died Pretty for the saddest possible reason — their lead singer Ron Peno died on Aug. 11, and after reading some online tributes I was moved to check out their 1986 debut album, Free Dirt. What I discovered was a band that capably draws on ’60s rock sounds — the Velvet Underground, The Doors, Bob Dylan — and filters it through an ’80s indie sensibility. The result is a great example of the “big sky” sound that so many fine Australian rock bands share. While Peno is no longer with us, he left behind a deep catalog I’m still working through. Better late than never!

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

As Afrobeats continues to rise in prominence both stateside and abroad, Burna Boy has been the Afrobeats artist at the forefront of the movement. Earlier this year, he became the first Nigerian artist to headline a US stadium after also headlining the NBA’s All-Star Game halftime show and J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival while demand for his guest verses skyrocketed among contemporaries like J Hus and Byron Messia.

His popularity is such that J. Cole even compared him to Tupac. Sitting with the Rap Radar Podcast, Burna recounted how he ended up in the studio with J. Cole and a group of “tall as hell” basketball players, where the North Carolina rapper said, “This n****’s Tupac reincarnated in Africa” after hearing Burna “going off” for a few minutes. The bashful Burna says he shrugged off the comparison, but it wouldn’t be totally unfounded.

Although Burna hasn’t talked about it much recently, he’s been a proponent of the “One Africa” movement and refused to perform in South Africa for political reasons in 2020. Meanwhile, like Tupac, he’s been outspoken about authoritarian abuses, best embodied in his video for “Monsters You Made.” The two artists’ shared Pan-Africanist views are likely what prompted Cole to make the comparison, although they also share similar cultural impact and popularity as well.

The results of Burna and Cole’s collaboration will can be found on Burna’s new album I Told Them…, out now via Spaceship Records and Atlantic Records.

Thanks to leading the charge in Donald Trump‘s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Rudy Giuliani has been mired in a non-stop morass of legal woes that only get worse with each day that passes.

On Wednesday, the disgraced attorney suffered a significant loss in the defamation suit filed against him by two Georgia election workers. The judge overseeing the case ripped Giuliani up and down for failing to provide discovery materials and put him on the hook for the election worker’s legal fees, which already totaled $90,000. The damages, that have yet to be decided by a jury, could be financially ruinous for Giuliani who’s not doing so hot, according to NBC News Ken Dilanian.

Via Raw Story:

“It’s a big blow to Mr. Giuliani. Of course, it’s one of a long line of things he’s facing, including criminal liability. You know, there are reports he’s got a debt of $3 million in legal fees.”

“His life essentially is falling apart,” Dilanian said. “He is losing his license to practice law. Just add this to the list of legal woes for Rudy Giuliani.”

Giuliani’s financial trouble has been reportedly exacerbated by Trump’s refusal to pay Rudy for the legal work he did in the aftermath of the 2020 election. However, in a recent and telling development, Trump has reportedly agreed to host a fundraiser for Giuliani’s mounting legal fees.

According to inside sources, Trump has become increasingly concerned that his codefendants in the Georgia indictment will flip on him. Three already have, and the last thing he needs is Giuliani turning state’s evidence. He presumably knows a lot about Trump’s election interference plot, provided Rudy wasn’t drunk the whole time, of course.

(Via Raw Story)

Ticketmaster may very well never live down the Taylor Swift The Eras Tour Pre-Sale Debacle Of November 2022 (working title), which led to a full-blown Senate Committee hearing and prompted Swift to go scorched-earth.

Though the company made adjustments for Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, it experienced a bit of déjà vu in July when tickets went on sale for Swift’s 2024 The Eras Tour stop in Paris, France.

AMC Theatres wants no part of it.

On Thursday morning, August 31, Swift announced (with help from Good Morning America) that her Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film will enjoy a full-fledged theatrical release beginning on October 13. Tickets are available here, and AMC is prepared for the Swiftian rush — or, so they said.

“In anticipation of this announcement, AMC has upgraded its website and ticketing engines to handle more than five times the largest influx of ticket-buying traffic the company has ever experienced before,” AMC said in a statement, per Variety. “But AMC is also aware that no ticketing system in history seems to have been able to accommodate the soaring demand from Taylor Swift fans when tickets are first placed on sale.”

It continues, “Guests wanting to be the first to buy their tickets online may experience delays, longer-than-usual ticket-purchase waiting-room times and possible outages. AMC is committed to ensuring any delays or outages are addressed as quickly as possible.”

Ticket prices begin at $19.89 for adults and $13.13 for children and seniors.

Watch the movie trailer above, and see the announcement below.

Last year, Madonna turned a lot of heads with her bizarre appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “This interview is going to be all about flirtation and seduction,” the “Like A Prayer” singer said before later sliding onto Fallon’s desk, pushing his mugs aside, and laying her body out while Fallon bashfully yelled at her to stop.

On Sirius XM’s podcast Let’s Talk Off Camera, Anderson Cooper discussed his own weird experience with Madonna in 2015. The pop star invited him onstage at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn and began spanking and humping him during “Unapologetic B*tch.”

“That [moment,] I choose to forget. I’m mortified,” he told Kelly Ripa. “I mean, I loved the whole idea, I love the experience of it. I don’t love the video that exists of it, the reality.”

“I didn’t know what the hell was going on,” he continued. “I was terrible. I danced terribly. It was mortifying.”

“We all watch people perform at these stages and they make it look like it’s all so natural and normal,” he said. “Even the way they’re like dancing, running, walking down the stage. I [was] like, ‘I don’t, do I skip?’”

Madonna is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Oprah Winfrey have joined forces to raise money for those affected by the devastating wildfires in Maui, Hawaii.

“We’re honored to announce the People’s Fund of Maui, a fund putting money directly in the pockets of those who were affected by the recent wildfires,” the Moana star tweeted. “As @Oprah and I have seen firsthand, the impacts of these wildfires have been devastating, and we’re here to ensure with 100% guarantee that your donations will go directly into the hands of Lahaina residents. Every adult resident who lives in the affected area and was displaced by the wildfires in Lahaina and Kula is eligible to receive $1200 per month to help them through this period of recovery.”

In a statement, Winfrey added, “I have been meeting with people throughout the community that were impacted by the fires over the last few weeks, asking what they most needed and how I could be of service. The main thing I’ve been hearing is their concern about how to move forward under the immense financial burden. The community has come together in so many wonderful ways, and my intention is to support those impacted as they determine what rebuilding looks like for them.”

The People’s Fund of Maui kicked off with a $10 million donation from The Rock and Winfrey. If you want to contribute, you can do so at PeoplesFundofMaui.org.

First, there was a trend of fans throwing things at performers at concerts. But now, it appears that we’ve got a brewing streak of artists returning the favor. A couple of months ago, Cardi B had a viral moment when she threw her mic at a fan after being doused with a drink. Now, 50 Cent has made it a pair, tossing his own mic in frustration during the Los Angeles stop of his The Final Lap Tour and hitting woman in the face.

According to TMZ — which also has the video — the Queens rapper was apparently handed several microphones that didn’t work, losing his cool and throwing the mic like a video game controller after a last-second loss to a final boss. Although he wasn’t aiming at the woman he wound up hitting, she wound up with a big cut on her forehead

While TMZ’s sources say she wasn’t supposed to be in the restricted area in the first place, the woman — Power 106 radio midday host Bryhana Monegain — wound up in an infirmary, per photos that surfaced on Instagram. TMZ has those as well.

While the Cardi B situation had a more or less happy ending, with the sound equipment’s owner selling the thrown mic for a hefty sum he said he donated to charity, things may not be so pleasant this time. Let’s hope this unofficial trend ends with 50; if fans can’t throw stuff onstage, then artists should definitely also keep their mics to themselves.

On August 26 at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, Ryan Christopher Palmeter, a young male in his 20s, shot and killed four people before turning the gun on himself. Sheriff T.K. Waters of Jacksonville noted, “This shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people.”

The Associated Press reported that Palmeter “texted his father [during the attack] and told him to break into his room and check his computer. There, the father found a suicide note, a will, and racist writings from his son.” Now it has been revealed that Palmeter wanted Eminem and Machine Gun Kelly to be killed.

In writings reviewed by Rolling Stone (presumably the ones from the AP report, but that’s not specified), Palmeter wrote, “Eminem (aka Marshall Mathers, aka Slim Shady aka Ken Keniff, aka the white guy from D12): Stared the abyss (being n*****dly) and the abyss stared back (becoming a n*****). Walks the edge of n***** lover and honorary n*****. Fell off not because his new stuff sucked but because the lyrics were gay annoying liberal sh*t. ROE for Total N***** Death is to include Eminem (aka Marshall Mathers, aka Slim Shady aka Ken Keniff, aka the white guy from D12) as a valid target and he is to be killed on sight.”

He also indicated he believed he nearly had an opportunity to shoot MGK, writing, “Colson Baker (aka Machine Gun Kelly): Honorable n*****. To be killed on sight like Eminem because I didn’t get a shot at him up in Ohio.”

Taylor Swift didn’t include “Mastermind” on Midnights for nothing. In fact, she’s adding more evidence every day. This morning, August 31, Swift revealed that she’s bringing her Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film to theaters on October 13.

And, as with everything Swiftian, the fun is in the details.

Tickets, which are available now here, begin at $19.89 for adults and $13.13 for children and seniors (pre-tax and for standard screen showings). Per Variety, “Up-charges will kick in, as always, for IMAX and Dolby Cinema showings.”

It’s on par with Swift purposefully choosing August 9 (8/9) as the date to to unveil 1989 (Taylor’s Version) as her next re-recorded album release due out on October 27.

Good Morning America had the exclusive announcement of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, and Swift also posted about the concert film across her socials.

“The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon,” Swift captioned her posts. “Starting Oct 13th you’ll be able to experience the concert film in theaters in North America! Tickets are on sale now. Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged. 1, 2, 3 LGB!!!! (iykyk).”

Variety relayed that AMC Theatres will screen Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour “at every one of its US locations at least four times a day on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through its initial engagement, with many of the chain’s IMAX and Dolby Cinema locations locked in to ensure the singer remains larger than life on its premium screens. The film will also play on Cinemark and Regal screens in the US, with other theaters and chains expected to be added.”

AMC also provided a statement to the publication, addressing the presumed rush on tickets, which reads:

“In anticipation of this announcement, AMC has upgraded its website and ticketing engines to handle more than five times the largest influx of ticket-buying traffic the company has ever experienced before. But AMC is also aware that no ticketing system in history seems to have been able to accommodate the soaring demand from Taylor Swift fans when tickets are first placed on sale. Guests wanting to be the first to buy their tickets online may experience delays, longer-than-usual ticket-purchase waiting-room times and possible outages. AMC is committed to ensuring any delays or outages are addressed as quickly as possible.”

The Eras Tour will resume in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 9, 10, and 11. Swift (and Sabrina Carpenter) will then visit Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (November 17, 18, and 19) and São Paulo, Brazil (November 24, 25, and 26) before resuming international dates in February 2024. On August 3, Swift confirmed a second US leg scheduled for October and November 2024.

Watch the movie’s trailer above.