Category: News

In December, Fat Joe said his unreleased collaboration with Jay-Z would never see the light because of the NFL. “He had just signed that big deal with that NFL, so he wanted to let it go,” he said. “He gave it to me… But I guess his people were like, ‘Yo bro, you just did a deal with them. How are you going to go in like that?’” It was a big loss for Fat Joe, who often sings Jay-Z’s praises.

He’s hyping Jay-Z up again after the “Empire State Of Mind” rapper topped Billboard and Vibe‘s much-discussed recent list of the greatest rappers.

“The one I agree with — and this is not being political — is they put Jay-Z first. Now why do I say Jay-Z first and I agree?” He began in a video. He explains that there are “certain rappers” who “have flows like nobody else.” “But when they got older in age […] it don’t sound current with 2023,” he said. He went on to say that Jay-Z remains relevant in the times.

Last year, Fat Joe also flattered Jay-Z by saying he had the “hardest lyric in hip-hop” with this line from ‘Feelin’ It”: “If every n**** in your clique is rich, then your clique is rugged / Nobody will fall ’cause everyone will be each other’s crutches.” “Everybody wanna be the man,” Fate Joe said. “Everybody wanna be the guy everybody looks up to. There’s no real strength in that. The strength is in everybody eating — so that if one of us falls, we can lift him up. You have to understand that mentality.”

Making good on director Chad Stahelski‘s promise that John Wick: Chapter 4 will be the longest installment yet, Collider has confirmed that the highly anticipated Keanu Reeves film clocks in at a whopping 2 hours and 49 minutes. Is John Wick fighting Thanos in this thing? (No, seriously, we’re asking and will not mind if the answer is yes.)

Via Collider:

As revealed last summer, John Wick: Chapter 4 will see the titular John Wick take on his most lethal adversaries yet. With the price on his head ever-increasing, Wick takes his fight against the High Table global as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris to Osaka to Berlin. The last handful of images from the film have certainly leaned into the globe-trotting nature of the fourth film, with Wick fighting in frosty locations and at iconic Parisian sites.

On top of being the longest John Wick movie to date, Keanu Reeves recently revealed that the film was the most physically demanding shoot of his entire career. That’s a pretty high bar to clear considering Reeves spent years filming the original Matrix trilogy, which required intense amounts of wire stunts and gravity-defying fight scenes.

“John Wick: Chapter 4 has the most action of any of the [John Wick] films, which is saying a lot,” Reeves told Total Film. “And it’s more by a good margin. It’s a big show… John Wick: Chapter 4 was the hardest physical role I’ve ever had in my career so far. They really trained me up to be able to have what we call the toolbox.”

John Wick: Chapter 4 hits theaters on March 24, 2023.

(Via Collider)

Making good on director Chad Stahelski‘s promise that John Wick: Chapter 4 will be the longest installment yet, Collider has confirmed that the highly anticipated Keanu Reeves film clocks in at a whopping 2 hours and 49 minutes. Is John Wick fighting Thanos in this thing? (No, seriously, we’re asking and will not mind if the answer is yes.)

Via Collider:

As revealed last summer, John Wick: Chapter 4 will see the titular John Wick take on his most lethal adversaries yet. With the price on his head ever-increasing, Wick takes his fight against the High Table global as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris to Osaka to Berlin. The last handful of images from the film have certainly leaned into the globe-trotting nature of the fourth film, with Wick fighting in frosty locations and at iconic Parisian sites.

On top of being the longest John Wick movie to date, Keanu Reeves recently revealed that the film was the most physically demanding shoot of his entire career. That’s a pretty high bar to clear considering Reeves spent years filming the original Matrix trilogy, which required intense amounts of wire stunts and gravity-defying fight scenes.

“John Wick: Chapter 4 has the most action of any of the [John Wick] films, which is saying a lot,” Reeves told Total Film. “And it’s more by a good margin. It’s a big show… John Wick: Chapter 4 was the hardest physical role I’ve ever had in my career so far. They really trained me up to be able to have what we call the toolbox.”

John Wick: Chapter 4 hits theaters on March 24, 2023.

(Via Collider)

Days after Drake was subpoenaed by a Florida judge in XXXTentacion’s murder trial to sit for a deposition or appear in court if he does not comply, the Canadian rapper’s legal team is firing back at the thought process.

“It is both unreasonable and oppressive to subpoena an out-of-state party who has not been mentioned in any reports, any investigation, or referenced to have any involvement in this matter,” Drake’s attorney Bradford M. Cohen wrote in response, according to Billboard. “To mandate that he appear for deposition for something that he very clearly has no relevant knowledge of is unreasonable.”

Four men — Dedrick Williams, Trayvon Newsome, Michael Boatwright, and Robert Allen — are currently charged with the murder. However, Williams’ lawyer, Mauricio Padilla, included Drake on his witness list back in December. Prior to XXXTentacion’s death, he had also posted on Instagram in 2018, “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi,” tagging Drake directly before eventually deleting the Story.

Drake was originally scheduled to sit for a deposition back in January, but didn’t show up. Because of this, he’s since been required to appear by February 24 or will be held in “contempt of court,” according to the publication.

His team has since claimed that Drake was not only improperly subpoenaed, but that the legal move also seems like an attention-grab.

“It would appear, based on the names mentioned on the witness list filed by defendant’s counsel, that the intent to subpoena [Drake] is less for the purpose of discovering relevant evidence and testimony, but instead add more layers of celebrity and notoriety to a tragic and unfortunate event,” his lawyers added.

Padilla did not respond to Billboard‘s request for comment about Drake’s response to his deposition filing.

If Donald Trump had his way, the Super Bowl halftime show would Kid Rock covering “Y.M.C.A.” every year. Unfortunately for him, the NFL went in a different direction on Sunday with Rihanna, who performed an aerial set of her biggest hits (while pregnant!), which, naturally, Trump called “the single worst Halftime Show in Super Bowl history.” The ex-president then attacked Rihanna for supposedly “insulting far more than half of our Nation, which is already in serious DECLINE, with her foul and insulting language.”

In the post, Trump accused the singer of using “foul and insulting” language, possibly in reference to the 2020 incident in which Rihanna was seen posing in front of a spray-painted art installation. The centerpiece of the installation was a car that had the words “Fuck Trump” painted on it.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! host Jimmy Kimmel couldn’t help but point out Trump’s hypocrisy during his monologue on Monday. “That’s right, Captain Pussy Grabber was offended by the language,” he said. “Is it possible that Trump is the bitch that owes her that money?” Kimmel joked that the only part of Rihanna’s halftime show — which was watched by over 118 million viewers — that Trump liked was “all the dancers wearing white hoods.”

You can watch the Jimmy Kimmel Live monologue above.

Ted Lasso heard all about the backlash upon backlash to Season 2, and the show, including the kind-of real-life Ted Lasso, Jason Sudeikis, is here with a message: “I still believe.” Not only that, but the eternally positive AFC Richmond coach may have heard that several of your favorite TV shows and movies (including Yellowjackets, Succession, and the John Wick franchise) are coming back on the same weekend in March. So, he’s coming back earlier than those other guys (and ladies) will do.

With all of that said, the somewhat dark (for this show) Season 2 finale saw Nate going the way of the Joker (as our own Brian Grubb pointed out). The depths of his betrayal might leave him beyond redemption. We’ll find out eventually if that’s the case, but obviously, the artsing-and-craftsing of these believers are going down without mention of him in this teaser. Season 3 will contain a dozen episodes (the show’s moving to Wednesday releases, still weekly). From the synopsis:

[T]he newly-promoted AFC Richmond faces ridicule as media predictions widely peg them as last in the Premier League and Nate, now hailed as the “wonder kid,” has gone to work for Rupert (Anthony Head) at West Ham United. In the wake of Nate’s contentious departure from Richmond, Roy Kent steps up as assistant coach, alongside Beard. Meanwhile, while Ted deals with pressures at work, he continues to wrestle with his own personal issues back home, Rebecca is focused on defeating Rupert and Keeley navigates being the boss of her own PR agency. Things seem to be falling apart both on and off the pitch, but Team Lasso is set to give it their best shot anyway.

Naturally, one can expect to see Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Anthony Head, Juno Temple, Hanna Waddingham, Nick Mohammed, and more in lockstep with Jason Sudeikis. Ted Lasso will return on March 15.

North West has two talented parents: Kanye West, despite his recent controversies, is a highly esteemed rapper and producer, while Kim Kardashian has shown herself to be excellent at building her brand and business empire. North is proving to be a high achiever as well, as the nine-year-old is already a skilled artist.

In a video shared on North and Kardashian’s shared TikTok account yesterday (February 13), North showed that she’s an admirer of hip-hop up-and-comer Ice Spice by drawing a portrait of her, in a video scored by PinkPantheress and Ice’s “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2.” The pencil drawing, modeled off a photo of Ice, came out looking pretty great, especially considering the age of the artist.

After the video made the rounds, a TMZ cameraperson asked Ice if she had seen the clip and she responded, “I did, it was so cute. Thank you, North!” She added, “She’s so talented.”

Meanwhile, things continue to look great for Ice. A couple weeks ago, she landed her first song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when her and Lil Tjay’s “Gangsta Boo” debuted at No. 82. Then, just yesterday, “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2” debuted at No. 14 on the Hot 100, making the track PinkPantheress’s first charting song.

Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy team up for You People, but in a scene that didn’t make the film’s final cut, more legends find their way into the movie. Specifically, a number of hip-hop icons, when Hill’s character makes his pick for the top five rappers ever and gets roasted for including Eminem.

In the clip, Ezra (Hill’s character) and Mo (played by Sam Jay) are hosting an episode of their The Mo & E-Z Show podcast when the topic of their top five rappers comes up. Ezra makes his picks: “1. Jay-Z, 2. Biggie, 3. 2Pac, 4. Nas, and 5. Eminem.”

Mo responds, “That’s in order? — Eminem though?” Ezra replies, “Why do I have to keep defending Shady? I mean, his sole purpose is to be on other people’s tracks and murder them. I mean, ‘Renegade?’ ‘Dead Wrong,’” he says in reference to tracks by Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G.

Mo then says, “Dog, he’s like, I don’t know the Larry Bird of rap, you know what I mean? He’s not great: He’s just great because he’s a white man in a Black man’s game.” Ezra retorts, “That is so stupid. That might be the dumbest sh*t you’ve ever said to me.”

Check out the clip above.

Most of the time, when people tout the positive environmental impact of electric vehicles, they talk about how EVs are an excellent way for people to reduce their carbon footprints. Electric cars are responsible for less greenhouse gas production than traditional combustion engines.

But a new study from the University of Southern California has found that EVs are also great for creating healthier communities in California. A team of researchers from the university recently released a report that found EVs reduce air pollution and asthma-related emergency room visits.

Currently, nearly 2.9 million adults in California suffer from asthma.

“When we think about the actions related to climate change, often it’s on a global level,” lead author Erika Garcia, Ph.D., MPH, said in a statement. “But the idea that changes being made at the local level can improve the health of your own community could be a powerful message to the public and to policy makers.”

To see if EV adoption lowered air pollution, they compared the number of vehicles registered in California zip codes between 2013 and 2019 with the frequency of asthma-related emergency room visits. Over this period, the number of EVs in the state increased from 1.4 to a still-modest 14.7 cars per 1,000. California was the perfect place to track pollution improvements related to EV purchases because studies show that the state is about five years ahead of the rest of the country regarding EV adoption.

In 2022, EVs were nearly 16% of new light-duty vehicles sold in California.

u201cAdoption of electric vehicles has real world health benefits.nnu201cfor every additional 20 EVs per 1,000 people, there was a 3.2% drop in the rate of #asthma related emergency visitsu201dnnhttps://t.co/ycKBLUxeSvu201d

— Roger McMorrow ud83cuddfaud83cudde6ud83cuddeeud83cuddea (@Roger McMorrow ud83cuddfaud83cudde6ud83cuddeeud83cuddea)
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The study found that for every 20 cars per 1,000 residents in a given zip code, the number of asthma-related ER visits decreased by 3.2%. Therefore, by increasing the number of people who drive EVs, we can lower the number who suffer from asthma.

The study also makes the case that more EV vehicles are needed in low-income neighborhoods to improve public health. EVs are more prevalent in affluent areas, which already have lower rates of air pollution than in low-income areas. However, California is already working to reduce this gap by providing low- to moderate-income Californians rebates for purchasing electric vehicles.

Starting on March 1, people with low-to-moderate incomes are eligible for rebates of $7,000 for a fuel-cell electric vehicle, $4,500 for a battery electric vehicle and $3,500 for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

The good news from the study gives people another compelling reason to switch to EVs. They’re great for the planet and good for public health, too. Further, EVs are a win for the health system because fewer visits to the ER lowers health costs for everyone.

“The impacts of climate change on health can be challenging to talk about because they can feel very scary,” Sandrah Eckel, Ph.D., an associate professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine, and the study’s lead author said in a statement. “We’re excited about shifting the conversation towards climate change mitigation and adaptation, and these results suggest that transitioning to [EVs] is a key piece of that.”

Skrillex is already having a big 2023 so far after announcing his first album in nine years, Quest For Fire. Last month, the famous DJ dropped “Way Back” featuring PinkPantheress and Trippie Redd, as well as “Real Spring” with Bladee, “Xena” with Nai Barghouti, and “Leave Me Like This.”

He’s back with even more material. Today, he unleashed “Don’t Get Too Close” featuring Bibi Bourelly. The song is meditative, moving at a slow pace while still reverberating with a trippy sound. The track grapples with feeling like an outsider: “Don’t get too close / Nobody knows me.”

Recently, Skrillex opened up about why he’s been off the map. “People ask why ‘I’ve been gone’ or ‘fell off,’ rightfully so,” he wrote on Twitter. “Like I said, 22 was sort of my tipping point, I had to put everything on ice, especially my projects/career.”

He added: “The truth is I didn’t cancel sunset and movement festival because of my albums. It we because I was working on myself. For the first time in 4-5 years, I’ve found a new sense of peace. It took so much work and sacrifice to get here.”

Listen to “Don’t Get Too Close” above.

Quest For Fire is out 2/17 via OWSLA/Atlantic Records. To pre-order, click here.

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