As we begin season 3 of Mythic Quest(with the first two episodes now live on Apple TV+ followed by a weekly rollout), the show’s writers and actress Jessie Ennis have created quite the challenge for themselves. Ennis’ character, Jo, is quite possibly the person most impacted by the events at the end of last season that saw Ian (Rob McElhenney) and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) leave MQ to start a new company and Brad (Danny Pudi) wind up in prison. Now, with only David as a wobbly pillar of power in the office, Jo feels the need to be, gasp, dutiful. Something that is clearly destroying her as she waits to unleash chaos.
“(She) only has so much restraint,” Ennis told us when we spoke recently.
Still, the actress loves playing the twin extremes of Jo, the waiting game for Jo to unleash chaos, the confidence that playing the character has unlocked in her, and she seems excited about fans getting the chance to see her interact more with scene mates that she hasn’t had the chance to work with as much previously. Before we get to all that and Ennis’ VR experiences, however, we start with the tough questions.
How are you doing? Can you tell that this is a dragon on a mountain? I was doodling.
Ennis: Lift it up a little. (Ennis considers the work of art before her on the Zoom call.) Dragon would not be my first choice.
Tabrys
My wife said the same thing. I think you’re both wrong. But I sent it out on Twitter. Let’s see what they say.
I appreciate your confidence.
Art is… it’s all very…
Subjective.
Exactly. So, Jo is going through an interesting phase in her life right now. There’s a different kind of energy this season. She’s trying to change and there’s a lot of restraint. What sparks that and how that is to play?
We really established in season 1 that Jo has this terminal drive toward power. She’s ruthless. And then in season 2, we watch where that leads her, which is this obsession that eventually leads her to crash and burn. So season 3 we pick up where she’s trying to be reformed. She’s a bit more invested in the menial tasks that David needs her to complete. So she puts as much intensity into making a cup of tea that she once put into bullying a 14-year-old online. She is told to track down a rodent and she tracks it down like it’s a criminal. There’s a lot to play with Jo. Because we’ve established so much that it’s easy to just go wild with the whole thing.
She wants to break free though, obviously. I mean it’s almost like she’s waiting to be activated so she can get back to classic Jo mode and be really evil and a little scary.
Yeah. I think something I revel in about Jo is that there are two really strong modes. There’s like the sweet school girl who still hasn’t really grown into her adulthood. And then there’s a full-blown raging psychopath. And if I can eliminate as much of the middle ground as possible, I feel like it’s funnier. So this season we really, really see her lean on the like, “I’m just sweet.” And so, when the rage shows up, it’s like we almost miss it. And we’re so thrilled to finally see her cut loose again.
What’s more fun to play for you?
The rage. I love the rage. It’s great. I mean, it’s not something I’ve ever had to do before on camera. And not something I knew I could do until we started shooting the first season. I love it. And it’s not that common that you see a cute girl who gets to scream horrible insults at people on TV. So the fact that I get paid to do it is a plus.
Do you see a lot of other roles coming now that are in that mode that are trying to typecast you a little?
Yes, definitely. And I try to be kind of selective. Ideally, I’ll get to play a bunch of different characters and you’ll be like, “that’s the same person playing those two characters?” So I’ve been turning down some stuff that feels a little bit too reminiscent of Jo. But she’s also just clued me into a confidence in my own ability as an actor and my range. So getting to play on this show the way that I have has just kind of opened up a billion opportunities for me, internally and externally.
How has it been this season with everybody kind of scattered at the start of the season and not necessarily having the same people to play with as scene partners?
It did feel like we’ve really shaken up the dynamics. I don’t think I have many scenes with Rob. I have a couple of scenes with him this season, which were always fun. I remember at one point I was like, “Oh, your facial hair is different.” He was like, “It’s been different for three months. What’s wrong with you?” I was like, “Oh, I guess you’re usually wearing a mask is also part of it.” But yeah. I mean I have a lot of fun stuff with Rachel and with Poppy this season, which was fun and new. And I remember last year people kept saying, if you could pair up with anybody, who would it be? And I was like, “I’d love to see the women of this cast come together.”
So we have a couple of episodes where we explore what it would be like for those three to bond, which is deeply unnatural if it’s something they figure out how to do together. The girls take Jo out to brunch, which is really not an environment in which she thrives. And so she decides to bring them to where she feels most comfortable, which is a demolition yard where they crush cars.
Apple TV+
That’s awesome. I imagine that was a lot of fun to film.
It certainly was. Also very dirty and very dusty and incredible. I mean I can’t imagine being more different than Jo. The things that thrill Jo are so far from the things that I’m interested in. But that’s part of why it’s so fun.
The VR rig.
Yeah. That treadmill thing.
Do you get a chance to play around with that at all this season?
No. We weren’t even allowed to touch it. It was a look. There was tape around it all the time saying, “this is too expensive for us, don’t touch it.” It reminded me a lot of my childhood. No, I never stepped on it. I never even touched it. I just looked at it. But it looks pretty fun and when I saw it on the show I was like, “man, if I was rich I still probably wouldn’t buy that.” But I could consider it.
Are you into VR? Have you played around with an Oculus?
Yes. The thing I like the most is watching YouTube on an Oculus. I’m like, I am at this Kacey Musgraves concert! It’s pretty intense. Also Beat Saber. I’m a big fan.
Do you have people in your life who have been fair to you when you’re on the Oculus? People who aren’t taking videos of you with the headset on (and mocking you)? Because I have people in my life who have done that. It’s very harming.
I haven’t had that. But I was at a friend’s house and they had a guest over who was on the Oculus and he broke a lot of stuff in that room. And I have a video of that. He broke the light fixture. He broke something that was on a bookshelf. And he didn’t realize. I think because the sound was so loud, he just was breaking stuff and turning around and breaking more stuff. It was a scene out of a really, really broad silly comedy. And he just had no clue. So I have a video of that. Oh, you know what? He’s famous. It was Nick Viall from The Bachelor. He broke so much stuff playing with an Oculus once and I was there for it.
I will say capturing video of somebody breaking stuff on an Oculus perhaps without them knowing, that’s kind of a Jo thing to do, no?
Sure. This was long before I was playing Jo. She definitely always has her phone like an inch away, ready to document someone’s most embarrassing moment.
The first 2 episodes of ‘Mythic Quest’ season 3 are now on Apple TV+
The Grammy Awards are the biggest night of the year in the music industry and the 2023 Grammys are right around the corner. This year’s yearly awards show is officially referred to as the 65th Grammy Awards and the nominations are set to be announced on November 15 by stars like John Legend, Olivia Rodrigo, Ledisi, and more. The awards will be taking place on Tuesday, February 5, 2023 and while the 2022 Grammy Awards were held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the 2023 Grammys will be returning to a familiar place.
Where Are The 2023 Grammys?
On February 5th, 2023, the 65th Grammy Awards ceremony will be taking place in Los Angeles, CA. The venue for this year’s awards show is the Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center. This is the same venue where the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Sparks, and Los Angeles Kings play their home games. But it’s also a state-of-the-art concert venue, hosting shows from big-name artists like Post Malone, Roger Waters, and Taylor Swift. Swift actually owns the Crytpo.com Arena record for the most sold-out performances and a banner hangs up in the rafters to mark the feat, along with banners for each of the Lakers’ 17 NBA championships.
The 65th Grammy Awards ceremony will be broadcast on CBS networks on Tuesday, 02/05/2023 at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET and streaming and on-demand via Paramount+.
Some heroes wear capes. Others just have a decent Wi-Fi connection and $8 to spend to make their least favorite politicians and celebrities look all a fool. And there’s definitely been a lot of that happening on Twitter lately.
Case in point: the online hooligan (at least we presume) who brilliantly decided to set up a fake verified Twitter account for Rudy Giuliani, then tweet out all sorts of embarrassing things, Here’s just a taste of them:
While “I’d like to announce I shidded” was admittedly a good start, and “Helen Keller is a dusty fraudulent bitch pushed on us by globalist media” made us think, just for a second, that maybe it was the former New York City behind the Twitter wheel on these messages, the one post that had everyone talking was when “Rudy” addressed the elephant (smell) in the room, and broached the topic of a certain orange-hued president, Air Force One, and what might have been a bathroom in need of serious ventilation:
“I will neither confirm nor deny the reports I made a big stinky doo doo on Air Force One. All I know is after Roger Stone used a bathroom it would smell brazy in there.”
As Snopes reports, ever since Elon Musk begrudgingly purchased Twitter for a criminally overinflated $44 billion, the Tesla billionaire has attempted to quickly make his mark on the social media site — largely by trying to get people to pay for services that have always been free. This blatant attempt to nickel-and-dime the millions of Twitter users who have long relied on the platform as their primary (and primarily free) source of social media interaction has caused many to flee… and given others some pretty genius ideas of how to exploit the new rules.
Even though Netflix is trying oh-so-hard to convince viewers that maybe their portrayal of the Royal family isn’t completely accurate, they still like to throw in fun bits every once in a while. The world was shocked by those first images of Diana’s “revenge dress” and just how much Elizabeth Debick resembles the iconic princess. The attention to detail is pretty thorough for a show that must be taken with quite a hefty tablespoon of salt.
It seems like Dominic West, who portrays Prince Charles in season five, wanted his own moment to shine, so, of course, they choose something that Prince Charles is so well-known for: breakdancing.
Wait, you didn’t know that Prince Charles, who is now a King, by the way, likes to dance in his spare time when he’s not being pelted with raw eggs? You’re not alone. But… the cast of The Crown found a video of him dancing at a club in 1985 and decided they simply MUST be historically accurate about that specific moment in time.
West explained how it all went down in a new interview: “Peter [Morgan] hadn’t written [the scene] initially and we alerted Peter to it—just, ‘You’ve gotta see this amazing video footage of Charles break-dancing,’” the actor told Vanity Fair. “So he put [the scene] over the credits and I’m really glad, because it actually says so much about him. He really has a go. He knows he’s going to look ridiculous, but you could see there’s a certain—especially when he was younger—a certain competitive streak in Charles, particularly when it came to sports.” Maybe you wouldn’t know from looking at him or hearing him speak or do anything really, but King Charles is an avid skier and horse rider (you can’t forget that the is Royalty, after all) so the moves just came naturally to him!
West explained, “He’s physically very courageous and you could see that coming out in the excruciating moment when he is in a club and he’s asked to dance with these brilliant dancers. So I love that moment. I thought it was very telling about him.” Courageous is definitely one way to describe Prince Charles’s dancing, but West really did his homework in order to learn the moves. “We did spend quite a bit of time with Polly learning the dance he does on YouTube, which is extraordinary,” West said, despite the fact that most of the dance didn’t make it to the screen. “I learned the whole thing but it doesn’t make the cut. Anyway, it was fun…. He has extraordinary moves. It’s fabulous actually.” To be fair, break-dancing was a lot more common in the ’80s before the internet made you realize how silly it looked.
Before you ask– Yes! There is a video, though it should come with some sort of content warning like “Caution: This video features a very rich guy dancing in a way that will make you want to look away but you need to watch it so you can blog about it” or something along those lines. But you can watch it here!
We did not have the lead singer of The Strokes going postal on the CEO of Twitter on our 2022 bingo card, but does anything surprise anyone anymore these days? Julian Casablancas went fairly unhinged on Elon Musk, calling the tech magnate, “a typical ceo *sshole bottom-line hungry super-villain,” a “great symbol for 2020s pieces of sh*t,” and “elon tw*t,” in a series of since-deleted Instagram posts that seemed to be in response to Musk’s new blue checkmark verification policies.
The oft-erratic Casablancas took to his @minorbutmajor Instagram account and made two posts directed at Musk and an impersonator. The first of the two deleted posts featured an image of Saved By The Bell90’s crush Kelly Kapowski (played by Tiffani Amber Thiessen) and it read:
“dear fake ‘verified’ twitter (thanks elon tw*at) acct person pretending to be me… hope ur good at hidingg, cuz imma cut your ugly ass throat when i find you. and i will. — Ana De Armas.
No idea why Casablancas attributed his words to Ana De Armas, but his second post was attributed to Ryan Gosling (again, no idea why) and it featured a photo of Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry. In the caption, Casablancas wrote:
“PS dear Rober Baron asshole who makes butt ugly ass cars and thinks billionaires show pay no taxes… (elon musk) maybe twitter could deal if you didn’t (like a typical ceo asshole bottom-line hungry super-villain) fire half your staff. what a great symbol for 2020s pieces of shit -Ryan Gosling”
It seems as though someone might’ve been impersonating Casablancas on Twitter and Musk’s new lax verification policies might’ve made it seem like it was the real singer. Anyways, just another day in the year of our lord 2022. And as we stated before, the posts were deleted, but the internet keeps receipts:
The SB Dunk may just be one of Nike’s most important sneaker silhouettes. With a few tweaks to the tongue, insole, outsole, and laces, Nike’s SB sub-brand turned the legendary Dunk — designed by the father of the Jordan I & Jordan II, Peter Moore — from a vintage basketball mainstay to a modern skatewear icon. It’s hard to imagine, but twenty years ago Nike wasn’t quite the billion-dollar company it is today and hardcore street skaters paid little mind to the brand, despite it being one of the most recognizable sportswear entities on the scene.
But with the SB Dunk, Nike was able to solidify itself as hands-down the coolest brand in streetwear. And pretty amazingly quickly.
With brands like Vans, Converse, Osiris, and D3 taking up all the oxygen from skaters looking for functional and stylish footwear, Nike was able to grab everyone’s attention by linking up with the right people and brands. First up was Supreme, who Nike teamed up with at the height of the brand’s popularity to release some of the SB Dunk’s greatest colorways of all time. From there, Nike rolled out custom colorways for respected skaters like Richard Mulder, Danny Supa, and Reese Forbes, the graffiti artist Futura, and streetwear icon Jeff Staple. They even teamed up with Diamond Supply Company.
Since the SB sub-brands launch in 2002, the sneaker continues to iterate upon itself to meet the shifting needs of skaters. Now, 20 years later, it has solidified itself as the ultimate skate shoe and one of the best silhouettes for collaborations. In celebration of the sneaker that helped put Nike on top, we’re shouting out the 30 best colorways in the label’s history. And if you want to see some plum-colored dunks made just for the legendary Styles P, check out his episode of Fresh Pair with Just Blaze and Katty Customs, below.
Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Cement, 2002
Nike
What a way to kick off the list. The Supreme Nike SB Dunk Low is still one of the greatest pairs of the sneaker’s eighteen-year history. This particular iteration is notable for its use of the textured “elephant skin” nubuck leather first introduced on the Jordan 3 back in 1988. When this sneaker dropped in 2002, it was the first time the “cement” colorway was used on another sneaker and Nike couldn’t have chosen a better streetwear label to break it out for.
Supreme Nike SB Dunk Low dropped in both a black and cement colorway with a crimson collar or the much brighter white and cement colorway, with the true blue collar. We lean more towards the black, but both pairs are wildly popular — selling for close to $10,000 on aftermarket sites.
The debut sneaker in Nike’s “Color’s By” series — a collection of Nike SB Dunks released in colorways hand-selected by Nike’s roster of team riders — the “Mulder” was selected by pro skater Richard Mulder who tried to recreate the colorway of his first pair of Nikes. The Mulder is one of the sneaker’s best colorways, thanks to its crisp leather upper with a simple bright blue swoosh. It’s minimalist, sure, but white leather sneakers have never looked this good.
Another great colorway from the SB Dunk’s debut year, pro skater Danny Supasirirat’s New York Knicks referencing take on the SB Dunk was also part of Nike’s “Colors By” series, consisting of colorways hand-selected by Nike’s sponsored team riders. When Supa’s take dropped in 2002 it was a quick favorite amongst sneakerheads and holds up to this day as one of the silhouette’s best presentations.
Say what you will about this pair of Nike SB Dunks, but credit where credit is due. When Nike decided to take inspiration from a pair of signature jeans that pro skater Reese Forbes had just dropped, art director Natas Kaupas struck on something that spoke to a lot of streetwear tastemakers.
The upper consists of midnight blue distressed denim with bright red accents. Despite the fact that you could make a strong argument for these being ugly, they fetch prices well above $5,000 in the aftermarket.
The Nike SB “Buck” colorway came straight from the mind of Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who stayed repping Oregon hard with this design that borrows the colors of the University of Oregon. Other highlights from the design include “PK” branding on the heel and suede paneling over the leather upper.
New York graffiti artist Futura has designed so many SB Dunks that we could probably do a pretty dope ranking of just his designs. The SB Dunk ‘Futura’ was a skate-shop exclusive release that dropped in 2003 and saw the sneaker outfitted with a tumbled leather upper in a steely Nightshade colorway with grey suede mudguards, and black mesh panels.
For a sneaker that celebrates a graffiti legend, it’s a shockingly understated design. That’s not a bad thing, it may just be the best SB Dunk to be associated with Futura.
We don’t blame Supreme for doing a complete 180 with their follow-up to the Cement SB Dunk — that’s a hard sneaker to follow. But the 2003 high-top SB Dunk isn’t without its charms. Featuring a varsity red and white colorway with a distinct star-patterned graphic beneath the swoosh, this design feels like a dope victory lap to kick off the second year of Nike SB Dunks.
Part of Nike’s City Series, the Tokyo SB Dunks swap out the leather upper for a canvas/muslin blend that gives the sneaker a sort of down-to-earth workwear vibe. The Tokyo was absent of branding on the heel and tongue, making this a favorite amongst DIY sneaker painters who treated the pair as a blank canvas.
Unofficially dubbed the “Jedi,” this SB Dunk is rumored to be inspired by Yoda, inarguably the ultimate Jedi master. The sneaker features a worn brown leather upper, inspired by Yoda’s fit, with green paneling paying tribute to the master himself with bright green stitching, heel tabs, and laces, a reference to Yoda’s lightsaber color.
Adidas seems to have the Star Wars brand on lock, so Nike would never actually call this sneaker the “Jedi,” but it does give a glimpse into a world where Nike teamed up with Star Wars instead of Adidas.
Another low-key subdued design out of Nike’s City Series, the London’s also played with the base upper of the SB Dunk, trading the leather for a full-suede makeup. The tonal panels of grey captured the foggy vibe of the city, and to round out the design an embroidered outline of the River Thames in midnight blue adorns the side heel panel.
Known simply as the “UNKLE,” this SB Dunk was a cross-collaboration between New York City icon Futura and the British trip-hop producer Unkle and sees the high-top SB Dunk covered in graphics that recall UNKLE’s album Reign done in the style of Futura’s graffiti work.
The sneaker features a mix of black and white leather with pink overlays and a chalky white swoosh.
The best colorway out of Nike’s City Series, the Paris Dunk is just a beautiful pair of kicks. Made in collaboration with French painter Bernard Buffet, each pair of the Paris featured a totally unique upper, making the production run of just 200 pairs feel all the rarer.
Dropping in a red mahogany, bonsai, and cascade blue iteration the Hemp Pack featured uppers composed entirely of hemp. Not only do they still look dope 16 years later but it’s also proof that Nike is perfectly capable of making sustainable shoes.
Made in collaboration with graffiti artist Futura, the FLOMs, or “For Love Or Money” Dunks featured a tile-based upper composed of different denominations of currency. In a strange way, they feel like a precursor to Travis Scott’s take on the silhouette from this year, providing that Futura has always been ahead of the game no matter what field he decides to dip his toes into.
Sandy Bodecker was to the Nike SB what Tinker Hatfield is to the Air Jordan and one of his best iterations ever came about when Bodecker stumbled upon a color in Nike’s seasonal color palette selections in 2004 that reminded him of the washed-out sea glass that he once collected as a kid on the beaches of Connecticut.
Other notable variations to the SB design on this iteration include the use of Pig Suede which helped to bring out the sneaker’s unique colors.
Probably the most legendary sneaker on this list, the Pigeons came about at a time when sneaker culture was entering a new golden age. Made in collaboration with Jeff Staple, the Pigeon’s release was so hyped that a riot broke out over the sneakers in New York City, the city the sneakers were repping with their embroidered pigeon on the heel.
How do you make one of Nike’s coolest streetwear silhouettes even fresher? By paying tribute to one of New York’s greatest hip-hop groups. If you’re a hardcore De La fan, you will instantly recognize this color scheme which takes inspiration from the group’s legendary debut, 3 Feet High and Rising complete with hand-drawn daisy graphics and a high-top cut.
The upper is composed of brown suede and is covered in contrasting accents of green and orange with an elephant print at the toe wrap. The sneaker was re-released in the low-top form in 2015, that release is dope as well but we’ve got to give props to the OG.
A fan favorite to be sure, this collaboration with Stüssy sports a colorway of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla inspired by Neapolitan Ice Cream. Why Nike felt the need to add a cherry to the tongue (and name) when Neapolitan Ice cream doesn’t have cherry is a mystery we don’t care to solve because — inaccurate name or not — this pair is just too fresh.
The Rayguns hold the distinction of being one of the first of the Dunks to feature the SB logo on the tongue. This mismatched colorway was inspired by a fictional ABA team called the Roswell Rayguns and features an alien — which would naturally be that team’s mascot — embroidered on the heel. It’s a silly concept, sure, but the colorway of orange flash, deep black, and bright white is one of the Dunk’s best.
The Diamond Dunks look like they would be better utilized in a display case in a sneaker museum than getting beat up on a skater’s feet. Would that stop us from wearing a pair if we owned one of our own? Nah. Featuring crocodile-embossed leather, a shimmering chrome swoosh, and Tiffany Blue leather detailing, this collaborative kick designed by Diamond Supply Co. founder Nick Tershay is an undeniable entry on this list.
Designed by famed Singapore-based artist Mark “Sabotage” Ong, the Dunk SBTG featured hand-painted graphics and patterns by ONG and a screened lace flap. The lace flap hasn’t been seen on a notable pair of SBs since, making the SBTGs instantly recognizable amongst seasoned sneakerheads and SB Stans.
Ironically, when Nike decided to design a Dunk cobbled together from 31 of the best SB Dunk colorways, the stated goal was to create a “Dunk to end all dunks,” and you’ll notice a huge gap between the years 2007 and 2019. Don’t get us wrong, Nike didn’t stop making Dunks in the intervening years, the designs just fell off pretty hard and the SB Dunk wouldn’t start to get its groove back until around 2017.
You’ll quickly notice how the upper of the What The Dunk takes on a sort of Greatest Hits quality. Unfortunately, the design turns into a mess. Still, it signifies the end of an era for the SB Dunk. Oh yeah, and owning a pair means you hold a small fortune — these are pricey on the aftermarket sites.
The Freddy Krueger is probably the rarest SB Dunk ever, it’s so rare that it was never actually released. The sneaker was inspired by and paid tribute to horror icon Freddy Krueger, of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, and features blood splatters over the leather mudguard, a metallic silver swoosh meant to reference Krueger’s deadly gloves, and an upper that recalls his iconic sweater.
The sneaker was barred for legal purposes before it was released to the public and only exists in sample form. Still, somewhere there is a vault full of Krueger’s that’ll never be worn or see the light of day. That’s truly sad.
Comme des Garçons x Nike SB Dunk Hi, 2017
GOAT
Released during New York Fashion Week in February 2017, this PVC upper high-top Dunk was made in collaboration between Nike and Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons. The sneaker sports a mixed upper of PVC and leather with dual branding and a breathable insole, because as cool as being able to see how fire your sock game is through your sneakers, nothing ruins a PVC upper like some sweaty toes.
Though not as cool as the Parra Nike Blazer that the dutch artist of the same name produced for Nike in 2019, the Parra Dunk was everywhere at last summer’s ComplexCon. Featuring a distinct soft chenille swoosh over whiter leather with red, pink, and blue accents, the Parra Dunk oozes serious 80s vibes, offering a different take on the SB Dunk and reinvigorating the brand.
Nike dropped this collaboration with StrangeLove skateboards just in time for Valentine’s Day in a special pink box with a heart-shaped window, a coveted gift amongst skater couples. Featuring an upper of red, pink, and white velvet, atop a clear pink outsole, the StrangeLoves are not just one of the best Nike SB Dunks of all time, they’re one of the best drops of this year.
Before the SB Dunks got the “SB” in their name, they were just a simple 80s basketball silhouette intended for the court. Then they became the premier skate shoe for about 20 years in the new millennium, and now maybe they’ll enjoy a third life as a boxing shoe. Paul Rodriguez, aka P-Rod, designed this Mexican-flag-inspired leather take on the high-top for his signature SB Dunk, and it was a great way to start the year in which the SB Dunk became cool again.
Probably the most hyped SB Dunk since the original Supreme Cement, Travis Scott’s earthy take on Dunk perfectly reflects the rappers’ aesthetic. Featuring rope-style laces, a woodsy camo pattern, and Cactus Jack branding, Travis Scott’s iteration on the Dunk swaps out the tongue for an extra thick version and adds some paisley bandana patterning on canvas overlays.
When this shoe dropped in February, so many sneakerheads flooded the Nike site that it had to temporarily shut down.
The Chunky Dunky was the sneaker that proved that even a pandemic and an economy barreling toward depression wasn’t enough to stop sneakerheads from absolutely losing their mind over a pair of shoes.
What’s cool about the Chunky Dunky are all the small details — the cow print leather overlays, how the upper utilizes the Ben & Jerry’s logo, the psychedelic tie-dye collar that pays homage to Ben & Jerry’s crunchy hippie roots… It’s a sneaker for sneakerheads and a great reminder that the best sneaker designs come from a place of humor and fun.
Okay, it’s not technically an SB Dunk, but who cares, this is hands-down the dopest Dunk of the year and we had to include at least one gem from 2022. Made in collaboration with LA retailer UNION, the Argon was part of Union’s ‘Passport Pack,’ which paid homage to hard-to-find colorways of the early ‘00s.
The design featured a tearaway ripstop upper with sloppy orange stitching that reveals a blue leather underlay with dual Nike and UNION branding over a translucent rubber outsole. The whole sneaker has this beautiful glow about it thanks to a mix of hyper royal, white and psychic blue.
FX’s Atlanta, one of the best TV shows to premiere in the 2010s, came to an end last night. It’s hard to pick the single episode that best represents Donald Glover’s surrealist comedy, but it might be the one where Darius meets a bleached-skin, Michael Jackson-like weirdo while trying to pick up a free piano. It’s #1 on IMDb, at least.
Following the series finale, Rolling Stone published a series retrospective with Hiro Murai, who directed “Teddy Perkins” and many of the best episodes of Atlanta. He discussed the genesis of the Teddy Perkins episode.
“[Glover and composer Ludwig Göransson] were talking about either Michael Jackson or one of the musicians who’s had skin bleaching or other work done. And Ludwig just said something like, ‘Imagine how terrifying this would be if you turned around in a dark alley and he was just standing there.’ So it started from this one-off aside, and we took that and blew it out into this horror movie/existential character study on what it is to be in popular music as a Black man.”
Teddy Perkins was played by Glover, who stayed in character the whole time. “We referred to him as ‘Teddy’ the whole shoot,” Murai said. “[Lakeith Stanfield] didn’t know who Teddy was for the first three days of shooting, and nobody would tell him. He was so uneasy! He basically interrogated every crew member to figure out who he was. And every time he asked me, ‘Who is this dude?’ I go, ‘It’s Teddy. We got the real guy.’”
Now that Marvel’s highly-anticipated Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever sequel is out, the super-hyped companion soundtrack is also available. It features songs from Rihanna, Tems, E-40, Burna Boy, Stormzy, and more. Of course, all of the buzz has been about Rihanna’s two tracks, “Lift Me Up,” and “Born “Again,” which serve as the Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever Soundtrack’s opening and closing tracks, respectively.
For Rihanna to be making new solo music for the first time since Anti dropped in 2016 is notable in and of itself. But the fact that her first new songs were part of the Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever Soundtrack raised questions as to why and how she came to be on the project to begin with.
Why Did Rihanna Make Music For ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?’
Director Ryan Coogler was asked point blank about Rihanna’s involvement in the soundtrack during a press conference for the film. He said that he couldn’t take “sole credit” for getting Rihanna involved in the project, citing both composer Ludwig Göransson’s reputation, as well as Roc Nation’s Jay Brown and Jay-Z for helping to make the connection to Rihanna. Before revealing what Rihanna saw in the project, he first spoke about why she was such a great fit:
“But the truth is, we were looking for a great artist who could tell the story of the film, and embrace the themes of the film, and present them to the audience in a different packaging. You know, that’s what Kendrick did for us so beautifully with the first film. And this film is different. You know, it made sense that it would be a woman, it made sense that it could be someone who could speak to, not necessarily the words, but the feeling of motherhood, because that’s a major theme in this film.”
Then, he explained that how the trailer was the driving force for piquing her interest:
“And I think it timed up, that she was in that kinda space in her life. And she was open and it was really the trailer I think that, when she saw the performances that everybody was putting down in the trailer, that was what kinda put her over the edge and she said, ‘Hey, I wanna see this film, I wanna see if I can figure this out.’ We collaborated with this incredible singer Tems. And she and I wrote the words, Ludwig made the music. The music was recorded on, like, three continents.”
No easy task, but the songs are beautiful. “Lift Me Up” serves as an homage to the legacy of actor Chadwick Boseman and the rest in now film, music, and Rihanna history.
Nas and Hit-Boy’s King’s Disease trilogy of collaborative albums is finally complete, and to celebrate, they’re bringing all three albums to a special, one-night-only show in New York next year. Naturally, the only venue big or historical enough for such an occasion is the legendary Madison Square Garden, where iconic hip-hop events like The Greatest Rap Show Ever, Jay-Z’s first “farewell” show, and the Watch The Throne Tour took place. The duo announced the show on social media, sharing only the venue and date: February 24, 2023.
King’s Disease III, which dropped today via Mass Appeal, caps an impressive run of four albums in just three years for the new dynamic duo. The series helped Nas, who called Hit-Boy his Quincy Jones (tacitly comparing himself to Michael Jackson, one of the greatest performers of all time), win his first-ever Grammy Award after being shut out at the show for decades and revitalized his perception among hip-hop fans disappointed by his last album, 2018’s Nasir, which was produced by a clearly distracted Kanye West and 2019’s Lost Tapes 2.
In addition to finally finding the perfect production lane for Nas — modern-sounding beats that found a middle ground with the gritty boom-bap of his youth — the three King’s Disease albums and Magic also modernized his collaboration pool, bringing in younger artists like A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, ASAPs Ferg and Rocky, Big Sean, Don Toliver, Lil Durk, and YG. However, Nas goes completely solo on the latest edition, which you can listen to here.
In case you blinked, we’re already three weeks into the NBA season. Every team has played double-digit games. Christmas decorations are out in droves. The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers currently maintain the first and second seeds, respectively, in the West, and it doesn’t feel fluky. The college season is in full swing. Everything in basketball that could be happening is happening, and it’s a whirlwind. A vortex of unexpected play, promising growth, and continual advancement of the game as it ebbs and flows into what the 2022-23 season holds in store for us.
Basketball, it’s pretty special.
Without further adieu, we dive back into the Most Intriguing Players in the league this week (you can read last week’s drop here). A reminder, most intriguing does not mean the best. This is a reflection of players who have caught my eye for one reason or another. If I wasn’t reigned into a concise three player breakdown, I would be rattling off 36 percent of the league in one column, so major shout out to my editor. (Ed. note: No problem, Mark.)
Josh Green
The Dallas Mavericks are in an odd place as they start the season. Luka Doncic is off to, undeniably, one of the greatest offensive stretches we’ve seen to start a season.
But, he’s slowed down after a torrid first nine games, which is extremely understandable given his monster 39.6 percent usage rate during that span. The offense has felt kind of my turn, your turn between Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie, and to be fair, it’s worked well. With Christian Wood out the past two games, the bench offense has struggled mightily, but the defense has remained sturdy. This is a good basketball team, although at times, it is lacking in pop and dynamism outside Doncic.
One potential solution to this: Third year wing Josh Green, who is putting together more and more consistent glimmers of oomph that are enticing.
He still doesn’t shoot a lot, but he’s shooting more, and with absurd efficacy to start the season. He’s going to be left open as he continues to cement his status as a shooter, but the signs are encouraging, even if subliminal.
Green has a fantastic feel for the game as a cutter and secondary playmaker, using his athletic gravity to make things happen in the open floor. Alongside Doncic, arguably the largest gravity swell in the league, Green can exploit pockets that wouldn’t be nearly as malleable or open playing with a less magnetic star ball-handler.
He’s capable of attacking space off the bounce, driving to continue scrambling defenses, and throwing some fantastic connective dimes to keep plays moving.
He brings a little chaos and randomness on either end, and the Mavs need more of that to keep climbing in the West. Green’s continued growth in the season is worth tracking.
Kelly Olynyk
As mentioned at the top, the Utah Jazz are 10-3, the only 10-win team in the West and the first team in the league to reach 10 wins. Lauri Markkanen looks like an All-Star and player the Jazz should prioritize in their rebuild. Jordan Clarkson is playing the best basketball of his career. The team is cohesive. It’s deep. There’s shooting and ball-handling across the board. This isn’t the best team in the West in a playoff series, but they’re putting together replicable, consistent, good play. It’s awesome.
Kelly Olynyk has been central to their success, even if he’s not the first player you’d shout out in the aggregate.
Much of Utah’s offense flows from the elbows and the perimeter, utilizing the shooting gravity of their bigs and quality decision-making they possess as DHO threats. Olynyk stirs the offense and influences it without routinely being the one finishing plays.
He toes the lines of legality as a screener, always moving juuuust subtly enough. He’s evasive in how he screens, sometimes opting to outright bulldoze, or at times dancing like a ballerina, flipping multiple times to pester a defender into inopportune lanes. Olynyk is top-notch at opening up shooters. In turn, he can dive off DHO keepers. He can playmake and score from the post. He can even run inverted pick and rolls well due to his handle and touch.
He is the turnkey that unlocks the upper percentile this offense has hit.
Part of me never wants to see this Jazz team disassembled, and the other part of me thinks about the multitude of contending teams that would benefit from his services. A reunion in Miami makes so much sense for either side. I can envision few players who fit what Golden State needs while also making them better like he could. For now, there’s no place he makes more sense in than the best team in the West.
Jerami Grant
There have been few, if any, teams more enjoyable to watch in the early season than the Portland Trail Blazers. As my colleague Jackson Frank has astutely noted, a team that was starved for wings in the past few seasons is now teeming with wings and versatile forwards throughout the roster.
Chauncey Billups’ defensive schemes make more sense with this season’s talent, running zone frequently, pressing early to slow opposition, and playing extremely connected on that end. Damian Lillard is calling out coverages and competing. Portland will close games and employ frequent lineups without a true center on the court. Their defensive activity is infectious, and their status as the fifth-best defense in the league feels sustainable.
They’re still finding their offensive form, but make no mistake, this Portland team is good. Lillard looks unhampered and back to his superstar ways. Let’s highlight someone else: Jerami Grant has been electric, and an inarguably perfect fit for this team, their playstyle, and what they needed.
While I doubt the 44 percent from deep holds, the process of Grant’s scoring and overall flow within the offense has been stellar and not something I foresaw. Most of his offense is coming off of his catch-and-drive game, something drastically improved during his time with the Pistons.
We still see some ball stopping, but the blend of isolations and face-up scoring has been a necessary addition to this team, as his ability to get to the line has been crucial to the team drawing free throws at the fourth-highest clip in the NBA.
He’s been dynamic as a rover for the defense, helping backline and at the rim. He’s been incredibly active in one of the better zone defenses I’ve seen employed in recent memory.
Grant has never really been a “go get that guy and stop him” type of defender. He’s more of a player who can guard a variety of archetypes adequately and add more value through his off-ball ranginess. Portland has put him perfectly in their defense as a multifaceted events creator. Would he make my All-Defense team at the moment? Probably not, but that I’d have to consider it is a testament to how stellar he’s been in his role.
This is the best version of Jerami Grant we’ve seen in the NBA. He knows what he needs to do in a defined role, but also has room for the creativity and on-ball chops he’s toyed with the past few seasons. Any doubts you had about what Grant could contribute in a winning role as an impactful player should be reconsidered.
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