Metro Boomin’s highly anticipated album Heroes & Villains is finally out today after being delayed a month. With features from John Legend, Future, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Young Thug, The Weeknd, even the late Takeoff, and more, it’s a major release. Luckily, he delivered, and fans are endlessly praising it on social media.
Fans are pointing out that even though everyone has already been debating what album was the best of the year, Heroes & Villains better be included in the conversation.
*everyone debating which artist had album of the year*
Listeners seem to love the entirety of Heroes & Villains, but they especially flipped out over the sample of The Boys‘ Homelander in the John Legend-featured intro, which gives an immediate layer of current-day politics and corruption to a complex album that later explores those themes. “Metro Boomin putting a Homelander clip on the intro to Hero’s and Villians then transitioning it to Future is the hardest thing I’ve heard in the last 3 years,” one user wrote on Twitter. It was certainly a successfully attention-grabbing kick-off to an engrossing LP.
Metro Boomin putting a Homelander clip on the intro to Hero’s and Villians then transitioning it to Future is the hardest thing I’ve heard in the last 3 years
With midterms over and Trump eying up a presidential run in 2024, though, there isn’t much for an unemployed Cawthorn to do beyond dabble in some bland culture war nonsense. But fear not, because the now-former representative says he’s going to run for… something again soon enough. In an interview on Tomi Lahren’s show, Cawthorn reminded everyone that he’s not going anywhere, no matter how much Kevin McCarthy hates him.
Madison Cawthorn says he will be back: “Right now, I want to start a family. But I love my country too much to just hang my hat up. I have so much support around the country. I’m definitely not going to sit this out. I have plans to return back to office.” pic.twitter.com/1GLB8x3nzY
“Right now, I want to start a family. I enjoy doing business and stuff outside of the public sector,” Cawthorn said. “But I love my country too much to just hang my hat up.”
Cawthorn pointed to all the people who like him around the country, many of whom apparently do not reside in the 11th District of North Carolina.
“I have so much support around the country. I have great patriots that supported me even in my defeat,” he said. “I’m definitely not going to sit this out. I have plans to return back to office.”
Cawthorn said he wasn’t sure if it would be a return attempt at a congressional seat or something else, but it’s certainly an interesting declaration coming off a very humbling loss. And it speaks to the disconnect many of the more MAGA-y Republicans have found in more recent election cycles. While attaching yourself to Trump gets you attention from “around the country,” as Cawthorn noted, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have it in the places you actually should have it to get votes.
Garnering that national support doesn’t mean you’re actually addressing the concerns of people voting for you, which means much tighter races than anticipated. So really all it means right now is that we’ll keep hearing from Cawthorn about a lot of different, probably very pointless, things in an effort to stay in the national eye so he can eventually lose another local race. Fun!
As The Wrap reports, Brown appeared as a guest on the latest edition of the British talk show The Big Narstie Show, where co-host Mo Gilligan asked her to publicly out the “biggest dickhead she’d ever met.” Brown didn’t hesitate in her answer—and she didn’t choose just one person: “So, there’s a few,” she said. “James Corden, Geri Halliwell, Jessie J, and me.”
While throwing herself into the mix was sort of a surprise, as was naming fellow Spice Girl Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell (with whom Brown had a one-night stand), Corden’s inclusion wasn’t raising any eyebrows.
“I think you always have to be nice to the people that you work with, whether it be production, camera guys, sound, lighting,” Brown explained of her disdain for the Cats star. “We all work for the same thing, so you should always be nice and he hasn’t been very nice.”
OK, so it’s not the juiciest answer. But given Keith McNally’s recent decision to ban Corden from perennial New York City brunch hotspot Balthazar for being what the famed restaurateur described as an “abusive… tiny cretin of a man,” is anyone really surprised?
It also explains why, when the U.S. and England recently met up at The World Cup, Corden became the unwitting booby prize.
Babyface Ray has been rising in popularity and critical esteem over the past year and last night, he reached another career benchmark, making his live TV debut on The Tonight Show with a mellow performance of “Masterpiece” from his newly released album Mob. Starting his performance on a park bench (a favorite place of his to do this, apparently), Ray delivers the gritty new song in front of a reproduction of Detroit’s skyline as seen from across the river.
Mob, which features appearances from Lil Durk, Blxst, Doe Boy, King Hendricks, Samuel Shabazz, and GMO Stax, dropped today via Ray’s Wavy Gang imprint and EMPIRE. Previously, he released “Spend It” featuring Blxst and Nija before teasing the album’s release with a funny trailer to close out November. Mob is Ray’s second album of the year after he released Face in January, with a deluxe reissue in May. (It’s probably no accident that both projects together form the name Face Mob, which was another nickname for retired Houston rap legend Scarface.)
In addition to his own albums, Babyface Ray made a few high-profile performances on projects from Future, Maxo Kream, and Nav in addition to his selection to the XXL Freshman Class.
Watch Babyface Ray play “Masterpiece” on The Tonight Show above.
Piers Morgan once thanked his haters, but he’s also something of a hater. Yet he’s a lover, too. When he admires someone and/or wants to interview him, his Twitter profile lights up with gushing and butt kissing and open requests for interviews. In late November, Piers set his sights on scoring another Kanye West interview despite, you know, all of those anti-Semitic remarks causing Kanye’s sticker price to plummet. Here’s Piers trying to ka-ching on the controversy:
Fast forward to this week, and even Alex Jones appeared to want to sink into the floor (so he disguised himself as a lizard or something) when Kanye went off the rails while arguing that Hitler had some really positive points, so chill out, man. Not great!
As a result, not even Elon Musk will put up with what Ye is selling. The House GOP likewise deleted it’s infamous supportive tweet, “Kanye. Elon. Trump.” What next? Oh, Piers is (maybe) done with Kanye too and attempting to take the high road.
“I had a lengthy text exchange with Kanye ‘Ye’ West the other day which indicated he’s now revelling in causing maximum offence,” Piers tweeted after the pro-Hitler rant heard ’round the world. “He wasn’t just racist, and anti-Semitic, but horribly homophobic too – and his latest pro-Hitler rant is sadly more evidence he’s lost the plot.”
Very quickly, a Twitter user responded, “Interesting how Piers was begging Kanye for an interview just last week and now he’s suddenly trying to throw him under the bus…” And the vibe continued:
Interesting how Piers was begging Kanye for an interview just last week and now he’s suddenly trying to throw him under the bus… pic.twitter.com/Hhu781yGXS
Hey, at least Piers got to interview Cristiano Ronaldo (one of his heroes), but it *is* awfully odd that everyone is apparently texting Piers Morgan these days. Well, other than Meghan Markle:
With Portugal already through to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup, the remaining three teams in Group H went into Friday’s games jostling for second place. By the time the dust settled, a South Korea stoppage time goal over the Portuguese meant that they were moving on, while both sides in the Ghana-Uruguay game saw their World Cup campaigns come to an end.
A pair of first half goals by Uruguay’s Giorgian de Arrascaeta were crucial in their effort to eliminate Ghana and put themselves in as good of a position as possible. La Celeste needed a win to guarantee that the Black Stars would not have a shot of advancing, and between a saved penalty and goals in the 26th and 32nd minute, Ghana’s chances of moving on — which were dependent on at least a draw and a loss for Korea — took a major hit.
Portugal, meanwhile, put up an early hurdle to Korea’s quest to move on. Korea needed a win to ensure they would make the knockouts, but five minutes into their game against the European giants, Ricardo Horta scored to put them behind the 8-ball.
Korea got one back in the 27th minute on this effort by Kim Young-gwon, but as things stood going into the half, Uruguay was slated to secure second place. Only one thing could change that: Korea getting another goal, which would propel them into second place on goal differential as things stood.
And to add to the drama, early on in the second half, Uruguay looked like it was going to get a chance to pad its goal differential — thereby making it so Korea needed to beat Portugal by two. Darwin Núñez got into the box and was taken down. A penalty was given, but VAR intervened to wipe it off of the board.
No penalty for this vs the penalty given for Argentina a few days ago. VAR is just baffling sometimes. pic.twitter.com/JfuSTHcv5K
If this World Cup has made one thing clear, it’s that the football gods are a cruel, cruel bunch. And in stoppage time, South Korea took advantage of VAR intervening in the other game, as a perfectly-executed counterattack ended with Hwang Hee-chan putting the ball in the back of the net.
Word of the goal traveled quickly to the stadium where Uruguay played, and the side’s legendary striker, Luis Suárez, was moved to tears as he learned the news.
But a third goal did not come. Ghana, which has quite the history with Uruguay (and particularly Suárez) at the World Cup, was resilient, and as the seconds ticked away, the sense of desperation and, eventually, devastation could be felt from thousands of miles away. All Uruguay’s players could do was try to confront the officials as they tried to make their way into the tunnel after the game.
Uruguay players follow the game officials into the tunnel after the final whistle pic.twitter.com/bVCIXKM2RW
Portugal and South Korea will learn who they will end up playing in the knockout stage soon, when Group G becomes the final group to play its third game a little later today.
For many people, the 2022 midterms were a potent reminder of just how much they miss having Barack Obama minding the shop. The super-cool former president has been stumping for Democrats across the country in that uniquely Obama way.
On Thursday, Barack was in Georgia — the state where the 2022 midterms never seem to end — to encourage voters to throw their support Raphael Warnock’s way and remind the world that he’s a master of mockery and acerbic jibes. His target: Wannabe senator, possible Texas resident, and confirmed dog owner Herschel Walker.
Before playing a portion of Obama’s epic takedown on Thursday night’s broadcast, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes warned viewers that “Man, it was NOT pretty for Herschel Walker.” He wasn’t kidding.
As you can see for yourself in the video above, it was only through bouts of understandable laughter that Obama could even share his thoughts on Walker’s recent “debate” about whether it’s better to be a vampire or a werewolf — which is an issue that, according to Obama, really is “of great importance to the people of Georgia.”
As the former POTUS explained: “This is a debate that I must confess I once had myself. When I was 7. Then I grew up!”
For those who were curious about where Walker eventually landed in this critical decision, it was on Team Werewolf. “Which is great,” Obama said. “As far as I’m concerned, he can be anything he wants to be — except for a United States senator!”
Dave Steele was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in 2014 and told that he would slowly lose his vision until he was completely blind. Imagine the pain and stress of knowing that every day your sense of sight will slowly diminish until you fall into complete darkness.
Steele was not only losing his sight, but after his diagnosis, he felt he lost his purpose.
The diagnosis came with an added gut punch: Each of his four children also has a 50% chance of having RP. Steele lost his job, his family couldn’t afford the rent on their home and the waiting list for government benefits was nine months. “I was feeling more guilty about the pressure I was putting on my family and that, in turn, was affecting my vision loss as well and I became more anxious and more isolated because of it,” he told Henshaws InSights.
As his troubles mounted, Steele found solace in talking to others coping with sight loss through Facebook community groups. “That was a real massive, massive help to me,” he told Henshaws InSights.
Steele told his new friends in the RP community that he had worked as a singer, and they invited him to perform at a support group meeting. The night before his performance, he had a moment of pure inspiration. He decided to change the lyrics to Ben E. King’s hit, “Stand By Me” to reflect what life was like living with RP.
This opened the door for his sense of purpose in life to return. “People were coming up to me saying that the words I had written were able to describe how they had always thought about their journey with sight loss when they were unable to find the words themselves,” he said.
In coping with his disability, Steele discovered a talent he never knew he had.
“I never considered myself a poet before I started to lose my sight. I worked as a singer since the age of 18 and had written a couple of poems and songs about things like previous girlfriends. But it wasn’t until I started going blind that I found the ability to write these words that have helped so many people,” he told Upworthy.
This realization led him to create a community for people dealing with RP. Every day he wrote about everything he was going through in poetry and posted them on Facebook RP groups. The experience was cathartic for Steele and his followers.
His poetry gave people words to describe their journey they wouldn’t have had otherwise, and helped countless people feel they weren’t alone. That’s when Dave Steele truly became The Blind Poet. Steele has created a community on Facebook where thousands come to read his poems, share their stories, connect and support one another. He has written more than 1800 poems, published four books of poetry and written a book for children with low vision, “Austin’s Adventures.”
In 2019, Steele, who lives in Manchester, England, was able to do his first speaking tour of the U.S.
Steele uses his persona as The Blind Poet to clear up misconceptions about people with low vision.
“Being blind doesn’t mean that we can’t see anything. Ninety-three percent of people affected by vision loss have some kind of remaining vision. This misconception isn’t anybody’s fault but the lack of education surrounding blindness can cause people like me to become isolated,” he told Upworthy.
Steele believes this misconception makes visually impaired people less likely to use their mobility aids such as a seeing-eye dog or cane in public.
“I’ve been accused of faking my blindness many times by strangers when I’m out and most people living with vision loss have been told ‘you don’t look blind,’ but what does blindness look like?” he added.
Steele wants people to know that “blindness is a spectrum, that there are many different shades and ways to lose sight.”
The Blind Poet’s writing has a big effect on people regardless of their ability to see. “Those affected relate to the words I write and those who aren’t, close their eyes and put themselves in our shoes,” he told Upworthy. “I talk about themes that everyone can relate to whether living with a disability or not.”
The poem that’s had the biggest reaction is “The Secret,” dedicated to Steele’s daughter who lives in Scotland. “It’s about the internal struggle with when is the right time to tell your child that they have a one in two chance of going blind when they’re older due to the condition I have,” he said.
“The Secret” By Dave “The Blind Poet” Steele
It took me years to come to terms with how my eyes declined
Through stages of acceptance of slowly going blind
But nothing I could ever do would allow me to prepare
To tell my little girl the thing I still don’t want to share
It’s tortured me through sleepless nights consumed my mind with guilt
This secret I have kept from her could break the trust I’ve built
I pray that she will understand the things I tried to do and why I never told her that she could be 1 in 2
For she is still a child and far too young to burden with
a fate that I might pass to her for now’s her time to live
But soon will come a moment when I know she must be told
When all the battles I have won I’ll pass for her to hold
But for every unheard question there’s an answer I’ve prepared
They’re written in each line each verse each poem that I’ve shared
For every page I’ve filled I’ve emptied out my heart and soul
So one day she would know the way
That’s always been my goal
So Ellie I hope years from now you’ll be there reading this
Know you can do amazing things whether RP hit or miss
My inheritance to you won’t be a passed down faulty gene
But knowing all life’s beauty that this VIP has seen
Dave Steele
His words also helped a 7-year-old girl named Jackie stand up to bullies in Amarillo, Texas. Her mother taught her one of Steele’s poems and she recited it to speak up for herself. The Blind Poet met the family at an event where he spoke and wrote a poem for her. Here’s an excerpt:
I may be only 7 but it’s getting hard to see
They notice first the cane I hold but “Hi I’m still Jackie”
For I am just a little girl who loves to swim and dance
Will do it every single day if my eyes give me the chance
The classroom lights can sting my eyes
Some days I just black out
I try to do the best I can
Despite the ones who doubt
Don’t treat me like a baby
I am small but I am strong
No matter how my vision fades
It’s my world and I belong
Steele hopes that everyone who is struggling with RP can find community like he has. “Losing sight can feel very isolating and often it’s easy to feel like we are the only ones going through it,” he told Upworthy. “But through the words in my poetry and the many amazing support groups on social media, realizing we aren’t alone can be the first step in acceptance and taking our lives back.”
Facebook has been a life-changing tool for bringing visually impaired people together. “There are so many incredible support groups and pages that are created by people who are going through the same things,” he told Upworthy. “Just being able to connect with someone like that is so important and it’s been integral to my story.”
Facebook has also given him a voice.
“Without Meta/Facebook I wouldn’t be where I am today or known as The Blind Poet,” he said. “To be able to write a piece of poetry and upload it by clicking a button and sending it around the world and to someone who needs to hear its message is truly an incredible thing.”
Steele finds that Facebook’s accessibility features have improved over the years and helped the visually impaired get the most out of the platform.
“Things like dark mode, allowing users to invert the colors on the display to reduce glare on the eyes,” he said. “Also larger text options and, of course, VoiceOver make sure that we can connect with people just the same as anyone else.”
After facing adversity, Steele has turned it into an opportunity to uplift countless people who are facing a devastating diagnosis. Even though his sight may be fading, his dedication to helping others is only growing stronger.
“Being known around the world as The Blind Poet is something I never take for granted,” he told Upworthy. “Every day, I try to reach more people and replicate the impact my poetry has already had with others. I want the opportunity to speak at more events around the world and ultimately to continue to be a voice for those who are comforted by my words.”
It’s officially December—can you believe it? That means 2022 is almost a wrap, which is wild. I mean, wasn’t it just 2020?!?
For many people, December is the season of joy and giving and holiday gatherings, but it can also be a lonely or stressful time for some of our fellow humans. Family isn’t a source of comfort for everyone, unfortunately, and challenges with relationships or finances can make for a difficult December. As we reflect on the past year and prepare for the new one, let’s all commit to treating one another with an extra dose of kindness.
Let’s also remember to celebrate small joys as the days get colder and shorter, like the coziness of a cup of hot cocoa, the sweetness of a child’s laughter or the companionship of our furry friends. It’s often a large collection of little things that add up to a good life, and thankfully, small joys are cheap and plentiful.
This week’s list of things that made us smile is full of joys large and small, starting with some adorable animals and ending with some happy, helpful humans. We hope it brings a smile (or 10) to your face as you head through the weekend.
1. Human teaches doggo to rebound the basketball and doggo is pretty much a pro.
u201cThis dog learned how to rebound the ball when his owner is playing basketball u2764ufe0f ud83cudfc0u201d
“We can’t change the past and some of the dumb stuff we may have done, but every once in a while we can add a little redeeming grace note to that situation — and maybe put a big smile on some strangers’ faces.” Love it. Read the full story here.
7. Billie Jean remix + awesome choreography to go with it = delightful.
So good. A shorter version of this video from Isaiah Shinn went viral on Instagram this summer, but this extended version is even better.
8. Elderly couple gets married in the mayonnaise aisle, right where they first met last year.
Arizona couple gets married at grocery store where they first met
There was a lot of political stuff that went along with this match, but sports are supposed to bring people together. This moment when Antonee Robinson hugged Iranian opponent Ramin Rezaeian at the end of the game says it all. (And in fact, there were several similar moments of human-to-human connection and comfort between the opposing teams after the game.) So beautiful.
Hope that brought some joy to your heart! Come back next week for another roundup of smileworthy finds and if you’d like to have them delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest.
The holiday season is all about the spirit of giving. So Upworthy is embracing it by sharing gift ideas that won’t just bring joy to those who receive them, but also work to make the world a better place. ‘Joy-Worthy’ gifts support important causes, promote education and help share positivity through love. We’re sure your loved ones will enjoy these gifts and their positive impact on the world as much as you enjoy giving them.
To make things even merrier, 10% of all sales made through this gift guide will go to Guiding Eyes for the Blind (or in the case of our first partner SeaVees, every pair sold will lead to one foot of coastal kelp forest being regenerated through a partnership with SeaTrees).
Nothing says “happy holidays” quite like incredibly cozy slippers. Whether you’re curled up next to the fire or stuck outside collecting the firewood, these slippers made with supersoft fleece will leave your feet feeling as toasty as the marshmallows on your roasting sticks. The slippers are vegan, with the fleece fully made from PET recycled plastic—so Rudolph and his eight reindeer coworkers would approve. Plus, you’ll be supporting a company that loves spreading holiday cheer. Last Giving Tuesday, SeaVees donated thousands of new shoes to families in underserved communities through their partnership with The Conscious Alliance.
For the child who spends the holidays pondering how Santa’s sleigh actually functions, this box set of fun, educational projects that teach engineering and mechanics is a perfect gift. After building a spinning Christmas Candle Carousel, a hand-cranked automaton of Santa’s sleigh, and a light-up Santa’s Workshop, the lucky kid in your family will be ready for any engineering challenge that comes their way.
Some people like to play with their new toys on Christmas morning, while others are just fine relaxing and watching the festivities. Help them sit back in style with a pair of Warby Parker Janelle sunglasses that have oversized lenses big enough to block all the morning sunshine reflecting off the snow. Plus, for every pair purchased, Warby Parker donates a pair of glasses to someone in need, helping people around the world see how beautiful the holidays can really be.
Getting curled up in blankets and having a favorite book read to you is a wonderful holiday tradition, and now that favorite book can be your own personal story. LoveBook lets you create a completely unique and custom book that tells whatever tale you’d like, with fun LoveMoji characters designed to look like you and your loved ones. Now all your greatest holiday stories, from your mom cooking the perfect holiday meal to your dad cursing for six hours while putting together your new bicycle, can be immortalized and shared with those you love forever.
Santa’s reindeer do quite a lot of work on Christmas, so why not give a gift that helps preserve where they call home? This three-pack of super comfortable socks featuring polar bears, narwhals and reindeer will keep your toes warm all winter, and a portion of all sales help Conservation International protect wildlife and their Arctic habitats. They also come in both small and medium sizes, to fit both the elves and the Santas in your life.
Upworthy has earned revenue through a partnership and/or may earn a portion of sales revenue from purchases made through links on our site.
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(@darwinsburner) December 2, 2022
#HeroesandVillains pic.twitter.com/M00SROO4e6
pic.twitter.com/mRlHLvyDfs
(@theregoleban) December 2, 2022
(@RonFilipkowski) 
(@RicciPirlo2nd) 
