It’s no secret that the Recording Academy has faced a diversity problem for many years. This time around, they’ve made some intentional inclusive strides. This year, they invited about “2,000 diverse music creators and professionals” into the voting process — according to CEO Harvey Mason Jr. — nearly half of whom are under the age of 40. Another key change the Recording Academy has made to the Grammys is expanding their major categories to include ten nominees. That’s double the number of nominees they had four years ago, allowing musicians of many different genres to earn much-deserved recognition.

That means there are ten artists up for the coveted Best New Artist trophy in 2023, and Spotify’s Best New Artist showcase placed the category’s diversity on full display. The event brought all ten artists to the stage — Anitta, Omar Apollo, Domi & JD Beck, Muni Long, Samara Joy, Latto, Måneskin, Tobe Nwigwe, Molly Tuttle, and Wet Leg — at Los Angeles’ Pacific Design Center on Thursday, February 2nd. Each musician was able to give the audience a taste of their talent, and each performance was wildly different from the last.

The night kicked off with an intimate set from Domi & DJ Beck. The young duo, who are 22 and 19 respectively, juxtaposed their smooth, jazz-leaning sound with their brightly colored personal style. Samara Joy kept the loungey jazz going by showing off her entrancing vocals and putting her own unique spin on a cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Americana folk rocker Molly Tuttle wow’d with her hit track “Crooked Trees,” joined by an adept banjo player and an upright bass guitarist. Tobe Nwigwe and his entourage made clever use of the stage by dressing in matching mint green outfits and enticing the crowd to harmonize before Omar Apollo similarly led a tender sing-along to his soulful number “Evergreen.”

When it came time for overseas rock, Måneskin and indie rock favorites Wet Leg did not disappoint. Italian Eurovision Song Contest winners Måneskin exuded the cool factor, making the audience forget they were in a small venue and not witnessing a stadium tour. Wet Leg closed out the night in a similar fashion, hyping up the crowd with a rendition of “Chaise Longe” that inspired a small-but-mighty mosh pit.

Spotify’s event also allowed attendees to see how a handful of the Best New Artist nominees aren’t just musicians, they’re seasoned performers. Anitta, Muni Long, and Latto made use of the entire stage with a crew of talented backup dancers. Long, a Def Jam signee whose track “Hrs & Hrs” had viral stint on TikTok, brought four male dancers to the stage to deliver moves reminiscent of the ’90s boyband era. Anitta also brought the energy. Though the Brazilian pop star is used to gracing massive festival stages across the world, she still managed to deliver a show-stopping performance to the (relatively) small crowd with tracks like “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Envolver.”

From rap and Latin pop to bluegrass, jazz, and stadium rock, the 2023 Best New Artist category is nothing if not varied in sound. And no matter who ends up taking home the category’s trophy on Sunday, Spotify’s Best New Artist party made one thing clear: The Recording Academy is making an effort celebrate music from all genres equally.

See the full list of 2023 Grammy nominees here.

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

We are just weeks away from the return of Outer Banks season three, but the surprises don’t stop at hotly-anticipated new episodes. Ahead of the show’s season 3 premiere, Netflix has announced a special music festival called Poguelandia: An Outer Banks Experience.

Poguelandia will take place at Huntington Beach in California on Saturday, February 18, just days before the season 3 premiere of Outer Banks. Set to perform are Khalid, Lil Baby, Elley Duhé, Alt-J, Surf Mesa, and The Nude Party.

In addition to these musicians, the cast of Outer Banks will also be in attendance. According to the festival’s poster, attendees will also be able to “vibe out by the twinkie,” “drink up at the boneyard,” and “chow down at the wreck,” and most importantly, “make some memories worth their weight in gold.”

Clothing brand American Eagle will also be present at the event, offering live custom printing of exclusive Outer Banks designs, and selling items from their exclusive Outer Banks capsule collection.

Tickets for the festival are set to go live tomorrow (February 4). Fans will be able to register for free tickets here. You can check out the festival lineup below.

All episodes of Outer Banks‘ third season will premiere on Netflix on Thursday, February 23

The NBA has handed out punishments for Thursday night’s fracas between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers. While no one beyond the two players who were at the center of things were reprimanded by the league, Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks received a one-game suspension, while Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell received a fine of $20,000.

The two got into it during the third quarter of the game. Brooks fell to the ground after an attempt at the rim was contested by Evan Mobley, while Mitchell corralled the ball. Brooks then rolled over and hit Mitchell’s nuts, which led to the Cavs guard throwing a ball at him and confronting Brooks after he got up. The pair were eventually separated by teammates, coaches, and the officials.

Both players were eventually ejected, and Cleveland would go on to win, 128-113. After the game, Mitchell spoke with the media and wasn’t exactly flattering of Brooks.

“This has been brewing for years, with me, with other guys in the league,” Mitchell said. “You all see it. This isn’t new. Tonight was just the end of it. It’s tough when you can’t guard somebody and can’t do something with somebody, you gotta resort to that and that’s what he’s done to a lot of players… I’m glad my guys held it down tonight and had my back throughout the whole thing.”

Brooks will miss Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors as a result of the suspension.

K-Pop powerhouse girl group, Twice, is officially gearing up for a brand new EP. They announced that Ready To Be will be dropping next month, in March, as their twelfth mini album.

Twice’s recent single, “Moonlight Sunrise,” has continued to make some serious waves — and will be included on the EP. The band’s second English single “expresses the feelings and excitement you feel when you love someone using analogies of the bright moonlight and the rising sun,” according to a now-removed post from YTN News.

They will also be honored with the Breakthrough Award at the 2023 Billboard Women In Music Awards on March 1 as the first K-Pop group to receive an accolade.

“ONCE,” Twice tweeted with a star-eye emoji. “We are honored to attend @billboard’s #BBWomenInMusic to receive Breakthrough Award. We can’t wait to see you there!”

“We’re thrilled to recognize these groundbreaking artists across genres and generations who are defining today’s sound – and paving the way for tomorrow’s women in music,” Billboard‘s Editorial Director, Hannah Karp, shared on their site. “With the inspiring Quinta Brunson as our host, this year’s Billboard Women in Music Awards is going to be an incredible night.”

More details about Twice’s Ready To Be will be announced in the future.

Ready To Be is out 3/10 via JYP/Republic. Pre-order it here.

The Black Music Collective officially kicked off Grammy weekend last night with its annual Global Impact Award gala, an event that saw prominent Black creators and professionals from the music industry gather for a celebration of music and representation. This year’s event, which was held at the Hollywood Palladium, was particularly special as it marked the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. As such, the gala honored some of the biggest icons of the genre including Missy Elliot, Dr. Dre, Lil Wayne, and music industry executive Sylvia Rhone.

To celebrate the mission of the BMC, which seeks to highlight the inclusion, recognition, and advancement of Black music and its creators and professionals in the industry, Uproxx linked up with two of LA’s buzziest streetwear designers, Corey Populus of Circulate and Kacey Lynch of Bricks & Wood for a special t-shirt capsule collection that highlighted hip-hop’s 50th as well as this year’s Grammy theme, ‘Love Music.’

“The main inspiration behind this collaboration was definitely music,” says Populus, “Design and music to me go hand and hand… One of my favorite designers, Reid Miles, gained a lot of notoriety for creating the blueprint for how jazz records looked having done all of the Blue Note Records covers.”

The five t-shirt collection consisted of graphic designs that played off of the Grammy’s annual theme, made reference to the BMC gala, and recalled the iconic jazz album covers of the past filtered through a contemporary lens. One of the highlights of the collection also makes reference to a now-famous photo of Tyler the Creator receiving his first Grammy for Best Rap Album, which he took in home in 2019 for IGOR.

“I thought it would be cool to create this fake Jazz band called the Circulate Trio and pretty much this was a jazz love record by the Circulations, which was then presented by Uproxx and Circulate Records. I also chose purple/gold to represent LA,” says Populus, showing the deep attention to detail and affection for storytelling through visual design that makes Circulate such a vital brand in our contemporary streetwear scene.

The shirts were gifted at the gala to VIP attendees, making them officially some of the rarest designs to ever come out of Circulate and Bricks & Wood. Consider each of these shirts a grail!

The 65th Grammy Awards show will air live this Sunday, February 5th. Take a look at each design as well as highlights from last night’s BMC event below.

Dr. Dre, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliot, and record executive Sylvia Rhone each took home the BMC’s Global Impact Award last night while attendees were treated to performances from frequent collaborators and friends associated with the honorees including Ciara, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, 2 Chains, Chlöe Bailey, Tweet, Tyga, Ty Dolla $ign and Korupt.

It’s hard to imagine growing up in America without Tater Tots. They are one of the most popular kiddie foods, right up there with chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. The funny thing is the only reason Tater Tots exist is that their creators needed something to do with leftover food waste.

The Tater Tot is the brainchild of two Mormon brothers, F. Nephi and Golden Grigg, who started a factory on the Oregon-Idaho border that they appropriately named Ore-Ida. The brothers started the factory in 1951 after being convinced that frozen foods were the next big thing.

According to Eater, between 1945 and 1946, Americans bought 800 million pounds of frozen food.

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The brothers soon became the country’s top producers of frozen corn, but their cash cow was frozen french fries. The problem with french fries was that separating the part of the potato used for the fry from the rest of the scraps took a lot of work. But that was fixed after a door-to-door salesman sold them on using a prune sorter.

Not wanting to waste all the leftover potatoes, the brothers fed the scraps to their cattle but had to stop when all the starch made the livestock too big. The brothers decided they could try to sell the potato scraps by pressing them into a new shape.

To make their new culinary creation, they chopped the potatoes into bits, extruded them into logs, blanched them and coated them in oil so they wouldn’t stick in the bag. The brothers held a contest among their employees and friends to create a name. The winning name, Tater Tots, was the idea of Clora Lay Orton, who took the slang name for potatoes and added an alliterative term referring to their size, and a staple of the American diet was born.

Tater Tots arrived in supermarkets in 1956, but they weren’t very popular initially because customers assumed they were worthless because of the low price. After Ore-Ida raised the price, the perceived value of the Tot rose and they were a hit. Initially, the brothers thought that people would fry Tater Tots in oil, but soon learned that they tasted just as good coming out of the oven.

Ore-Ida trademarked the name Tater Tots, so other companies sell them under another name, such as Tater Treats and Tater Puffs.

By 1964, Ore-Ida was making $31 million annually, but after complaints of nepotism within the company, the Grigg brothers sold it to Heinz for $30 million the following year.

These days, Tater Tots aren’t just for kids. They’ve become a popular dish in upscale restaurants, whether fancied up as Duck Poutine Tots at Sandpiper at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, Tuna & Tots at Cabra in Los Angeles, or as Kaluga Caviar and Tots at Ernest in San Francisco.

The Tater Tot was once an afterthought but has grown to be a food staple in the U.S. If there’s a lesson in the story, it goes to show that what some people may see as meaningless waste, others may see as an opportunity.

For every grain of sand on all the world’s beaches, for every star in the known universe…there is a piece well intentioned, but possibly stress-inducing parenting advice.

Whether it’s the astounding amount of hidden dangers that parents might be unwittingly exposing their child to, or the myriad ways they might be missing on maximizing every moment of interaction, the internet is teeming with so much information that it can be impossible for parents to feel like they’re doing enough to protect and nurture their kids.

However, developmental scientist and mom Dorsa Amir has a bit of “anti-parenting advice” that help parents worry a little less about how they’re measuring up.

First and foremost—not everything has to be a learning opportunity. Honestly, this wisdom also applies to adults who feel the need to be consistently productive…raises hand while doing taxes and listening to a podcast on personal development…

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“Not everything has to be ‘educational.’” wrote Amir. “It’s truly completely okay (& indeed, good) for kids to play for the sake of play. They don’t have to be learning the alphabet or animal noises. They can just do whatever silly thing they want to do. They are ALWAYS learning!.”

Amir also encouraged parents to remove the pressure to be constant teachers, offering the reminder that “direct instruction” is actually quite rare, and that kids are “extremely good” at learning through observation.

First: not everything has to be “educational”. It’s truly completely okay (& indeed, good) for kids to play for the sake of play. They don’t have to be learning the alphabet or animal noises. They can just do whatever silly thing they want to do. They are ALWAYS learning! 2/

— Dorsa Amir (@DorsaAmir) January 16, 2023

This hands-off approach can be good for parents who also might feel they should provide neverending entertainment. According to Amir, “kids should be allowed to experience boredom.”

“It’s part of the human experience & it’s okay if they’re bored. You do not have to feel obligated to constantly entertain them or provide new activities for them. They should be allowed to generate their own activities & ideas,” she wrote.

Similarly, Amir stated that kids should experience arguments, disagreements, negative emotions and general conflict. Instead of “getting involved” to prevent these uncomfortable situations from happening, she suggests letting kids practice resolving and processing on their own.

More generally, negative emotions are not bad & it’s good for kids to experience what they feel like & learn how to process them. A childhood that’s entirely carefree & completely devoid of emotional challenges is NOT the goal. It’s good to experience all of life’s nuances. 7/

— Dorsa Amir (@DorsaAmir) January 16, 2023

Amir then gave full on permission to simply be the “boring” parent. Not the “zany cartoonish friend.” Not the supplier of “600 toys.” Not someone whose schedule “revolves 100% around your child’s preferences.” In fact, she noted that kids actually enjoy “mimicking” adults, so it’s completely okay to have them do household chores, play with “adult-utilized” objects instead of dolls or action figures and do “adult-centered” activities like grocery shopping.

Ultimately, Amir’s goal was not to bash any particular way of parenting, but rather to encourage parents—especially confused first time parents—to give themselves a break. “There are a million different ways to be human and they’re all valid,” she wrote.

Please give yourself some patience & grace, especially if you’re a first-time parent. Even with a literal PhD & over a decade of research experience on these topics, I still struggle to not let the pressure get to me. It’s a LOT. So, I hope this has helped, just a tiny bit. 15/15

— Dorsa Amir (@DorsaAmir) January 16, 2023

This anti-advice clearly struck a chord with parents who have indeed felt pressure.

“Loved this thread, thank you. I spend a lot of time worrying I’m a bad parent – are my kids spoilt? Are they sad? Am I overprotective? Is letting them walk alone to school dangerous? Have they eaten enough? Have they eaten too much Etc etc..,” wrote one person.

Another added: “Thanks for this!! The pressure in the US to be my toddler’s entertainment 24/7 and to buy the best organic and educational everything marketed by influencers is absolutely bonkers.”

“Incredible thread. Those of us on the fence on becoming parents get overwhelmed with the frankly absurd expectations that modern parenting appears to require.…a post like this gives me hope!” commented one person, noting how intimidating these societal expectations could be for those who are still figuring out whether or not they want to start a family.

As Amir said—at the end of the day, we’re all human. Part of being human means making mistakes and allowing for imperfection. That goes for parents too.

You can check out the full thread here.

A psychologist who’s an expert in narcissism has released a telling video that reveals one of the red flags of the disorder, being an erratic driver.

“Most people, when they tell the story backwards of a narcissistic relationship, are able to see the red flags very clearly,” Dr. Ramani said in her video. “However, seeing them forwards isn’t hard. But if you see them too late, it means you’ve already been through the narcissistic relationship, you’re devastated and have likely wasted a lot of time.”

Dr. Ramani Durvasula is a licensed clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, Professor Emerita of Psychology at California State University and author of several books, including “Should I Stay or Should I Go: Surviving A Relationship with a Narcissist.”

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Dr. Ramani is exposing these red flags because narcissists are challenging romantic partners, coworkers and friends because they have difficulty empathizing with other people’s feelings.

She describes dangerous drivers as those who weave through traffic, cut people off and aggressively flash their lights and honk their horns. They are “road-ragers” with “short fuses” who try to drive people off the road.

In the video, the psychologist explains that dangerous driving “encompasses everything that is narcissism.” Dangerous drivers lack empathy for other people’s safety and are entitled, arrogant, impatient and validation-seeking.

“One word of advice: Do not ever engage with these drivers,” she said. “When dysregulated, it’s a very dangerous personality style.”

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for clinical care.

Kyrie Irving reportedly requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, just six days before the 2023 NBA trade deadline. Multiple reports indicate that talks on a contract extension between the Nets and Irving did not go the way the All-Star guard wanted, and as a result, he told the team he’d like to go elsewhere.

This raises the question: Which teams are interested in making a run at Irving? According to a number of reports, the Los Angeles Lakers want to renew their pursuit of the mercurial guard from over the summer, while the Dallas Mavericks view him as a backcourt partner for Luka Doncic and the Phoenix Suns believe he would be a good addition to their roster.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN confirmed that the Lakers are expected to chase Irving, and added that he has remained interested in joining forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Back in the summer, the Lakers were a popular potential landing spot for Irving when it appeared that the Nets were going to blow things up in the aftermath of Kevin Durant’s trade request. While Durant eventually withdrew his trade request, it appears Los Angeles has stayed ready in the event the possibility of acquiring Irving popped up, even if they will have some competition for his services.

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from GloRilla, JID, NLE Choppa, and more.

It’s pretty thin on the ground this week with regard to new releases. Maybe everyone’s still sleeping off the holidays, or maybe all the ruckus with Ticketmaster, the Super Bowl, and the Grammys all being crammed into the first two weeks of this month have made artists wary of being lost in the noise.

That said, there were a few artists willing to take the risk to drop some singles — and it might well pay off, considering the lack of competition for attention.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending February 3, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

2KBaby — Scared 2 Love

The Louisville rapper, who first made his mark with tracks like “Zack & Cody” and “Don’t Love Me Now,” gets an early start on his Valentine’s Day festivities. Scared 2 Love maintains his melodic trap groove with 12 tracks focusing mainly on the whirlwind emotions of young romance.

JayDaYoungan — Forever 23 2x

The Louisiana rapper may not have been a household name at the time of his tragic death last year, but he was well on his way. A handful of fan-favorite SoundCloud singles were the stepping stones to his debut commercial mixtape Misunderstood making it onto the Billboard 200, and his debut album Baby23 landed at No. 46 on the chart in 2020. And while his rise was disrupted by legal troubles, it’s a shame nonetheless that his life was violently ended before he got the chance to turn it around. Forever 23 2x is a testament to the resonant urgency of his meager catalog.

Singles/Videos

Armani Caesar — “Survival Of The Littest”

Griselda’s first lady has been building her buzz, most recently releasing her second album, The Liz 2, late last year. This week, she shared the latest video from the project; backed by a keening whistle and those signature Griselda horror flick synths, the Buffalo native swaggers her way through rags-to-riches boasts, bolstered by one-of-a-kind punchlines worthy of her crewmates.

NLE Choppa — “Champions”

The Memphis kid has been producing fairly consistently since his breakout with “Shotta Flow,” even if he hasn’t quite reached those heights since. “Champions” is a suitably triumphant-sounding meditation on his success so far, and everything he’s willing to do to keep it going.

Rob Markman — “4 Cornered Room”

A great big shout-out goes to my esteemed peer Rob Markman, who conducts an emotional seance, ridding himself of some heavy thoughts on a pulsating instrumental produced by DviousMindz. It’s a poignant and relatable rumination on depression and anxiety that ends up being more motivational than anything.

Russ — “Can’t Get This Right”

Russ does what he does best on his latest loose release, spitting deceptively complex emo bars over a woozy, self-produced beat about a complicated romantic situation.

Symba — “Never Change” Featuring Roddy Ricch

The Bay Area bar juggler drops a video for a standout from his DJ Drama-produced tape Results Take Time. The two rappers spit nostalgic lyrics reflecting on their respective rises to prominence and the changes that have been effected in their lives since rap.

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