Category: News

Jack Harlow is having a big year after the release of his album Come Home The Kids Miss You. He’ll only be getting higher from here, especially since it was recently announced that the “First Class” rapper will be pulling double duty on SNL by both hosting the show and performing as a guest on Oct. 29.

This is not Harlow’s first collision with the SNL universe. He was the musical guest on March 27 of this year. He performed a medley of “Tyler Herro” and “What’s Poppin” as well as “Same Guy” with Adam Levine. He has never hosted it before, though.

We already received the promo for his forthcoming SNL episode. In it, the cast members try and fail to guess his “Halloween costume,” to his disappointment. The guesses include “a box of Kleenex,” “a cotton ball,” “the whole White Lotus,” “a pimp on a cruise ship,” “a sexy Yeti,” “Fluff Daddy,” “almost historically-accurate Jesus,” and Macklemore, none of which are remotely close to his actual inspiration. Finally, he tells them, “this is just my outfit,” but once he gets a moment alone, he reveals that it is really is a costume — a really funny one, at that.

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

This week on Fresh Pair, El-P stopped by Uproxx Studios in Los Angeles to talk shop with Just Blaze and Katty Customs, breaking down the influence ’90s rap duo EPMD had on his own production style, getting deep on sneaker culture in his beloved NYC, and his days on the city’s underground scene.

That makes this week’s list especially daunting. How do you break down a 25-year career into just a handful of tracks and then call those tracks “the best?” As Jaime and Just point out in this episode, calling something the “best” is sort of a futile gesture, because everyone has their own standards and no one will ever agree. With that said, I still had to impose some rules on myself just to keep myself from going crazy.

Since a lot of El-P’s most iconic work comes from group projects alongisde Company Flow and Run The Jewels, we’ll limit ourselves to one song from each group to keep this thing from spiraling out of control and maintain the focus on El-P himself. So, most of this list will be from his three solo albums, with two absolute standouts from his group efforts. Now, without further ado, El-P’s best songs, ranked.

10. “Deep Space 9mm”

The lead single from El-P’s 2002 solo debut is highly emblematic of his style as a whole at the time (and since). The beat’s busy as all hell, with DJ scratches, sci-fi buzzers, and crashing percussion, while his rhymes match, full of metaphorical, dense, abstract wordplay. Maybe a little too abstract and dense; the clutter can sometimes get distracting, which was another hallmark of El-P’s earlier output.

9. “Stepfather Factory”

So, like a lot of El-P’s solo output, the rhyme schemes are all over the place in this diatribe against the dissolution of the family unit, but the industrial-sounding, haunting instrumental and devastating storytelling are no less effective for it. He’s at his relatable best when he peels back the curtain on those angsty motivations.

8. “EMG”

Appearing on 2007’s I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, “EMG” is probably the closest El-P ever got to sounding like his influences in that decade, opting for a stripped-down approach to the beat (more cowbell!), and a more straightforward rap delivery that wouldn’t be out of place at your local hip-hop shop’s Friday night open mic cipher. It’s also a breath of fresh air in a suffocatingly paranoid and anxious album.

7. “Population Control” with Company Flow

The absolute epitome of late-’90s, mean-mugging, backpack rap. With an eerie beat straight from the Black Lagoon — the Creature is right behind you, by the way — and aggressive, anti-everything lyrics, this track from Co Flow’s 1997 debut Funcrusher Plus is likely indirectly responsible for a lot of rap fans’ contemporary faves even being a thing. No Co Flow, no Rawkus; no Rawkus, no Black Star; no Black Star… who knows where J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, or dozens of other names in rap would be?

6. “Oh Hail No” Feat. Mr. Motherf*cking Exquire & Danny Brown

By the 2010s, El-P had nailed down a more palatable sound that still reflected his particular rebellious outlook and left-field aesthetics. On 2012’s Cancer 4 Cure, he expanded the scope of output, and a new crop of MCs — ones likely at least a little bit influenced by him in the first place — began to rub off on him lyrically, sharpening his pen skills. “Oh Hail No” is a perfect example.

5. “Flyentology” Feat. Trent Reznor

Only El-P could sound so hard wrestling with religion. The conclusion is ambiguous; after all, while there may be no atheists in foxholes, all the prayers in the world don’t stop planes from crashing. If nothing else, this I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead standout gives an insightful peek into El-P’s anxious worldview, which explains a lot of his music.

4. “Delorean” Feat. Feat. Aesop Rock & Ill Bill

Look, man. At the end of the day, the essence of the backpack era was getting together and talking sh*t — the sort that you just couldn’t hear on the radio. This Fantastic Damage posse cut is very much the distillation of that philosophy.

3. “Tougher Colder Killer” Feat. Killer Mike & Despot

See above, but like 5,000 years in the future. On a spaceship flying through a Warhammer-esque imperialistic war over galactic territory. Killer Mike takes it here. Cancer 4 Cure is kind of underrated.

2. “The Full Retard”

El-P’s most successful solo track to date, the unfortunately named “The Full Retard” is when he perfected his whole schtick. His flow is perfect, the beat is boisterous and bold without being obnoxious, and the hook (such as it is) acknowledges the futuristic outlook of El-P’s music explicitly for the first time in his then 15-year career.

1. “Legend Has It” with Run The Jewels

While the production on RTJ4 is likely El-P’s best, there isn’t a song in the group’s catalog with the impact of this RTJ3 gem. A lot of that is probably the effect of the song appearing in the Black Panther trailer in 2018, but on the other hand, it’s also very much the moment when Run The Jewels went from internet favorite to mainstream hitmakers.

When reviewing Rina Sawayama’s second studio album Hold The Girl last month, Uproxx described the track “Frankenstein” as “unhinged melodrama.” The video, out today (October 27), delivers deliciously in that vein.

The Jak Payne-directed video begins with an R-rating as a “dirty hit” with a disclaimer from Sawayama, “I don’t wanna be a monster.” We’re plopped in the middle of a raging house party. Sawayama wanders around seemingly undetected and feeling out of place. She makes her way to an upstairs bathroom, where she looks in the mirror and sees a boss version of herself. “You’re the one / That can save me from myself,” she sings to her reflection — her Frankenstein? — as it crawls out from the mirror. “Destruction triple 9, I need your help / All I want is / To feel beautiful.”

The confident version of Sawayama storms back downstairs and owns the room, dancing unapologetically while the original Sawayama is left locked in the bathroom. The performance (by both Rina Sawayamas) is dizzying — and maybe explains how she landed her debut film-acting role in John Wick: Chapter 4.

Sawayama explained the meaning of “Frankenstein” in a statement. “I wanted to write about how I’ve relied on my partner to help put me back together, but I realized it’s no one’s job but mine,” she said.

The British-Japanese pop star is bringing her Hold The Girl Tour to the US, beginning at the Avant Gardner’s Great Hall in Brooklyn, New York, next Tuesday (November 1). See all 13 dates here.

Watch the “Frankenstein” video above.

From a slew of canceled shows to losing his BoohooMan brand deal, DaBaby‘s now infamous Rolling Loud performance cost him quite a bit, he revealed in a recent interview.

DaBaby stopped by Hot97’s Ebro In The Morning show to chat about the controversial performance, revealing that he has allegedly lost $100 million because of his homophobic remarks.

“I ain’t into all of the conspiracy theories, this and that,” he said. “Until you see it really cost a n****s a $100 million within a year’s span.”

Not too long ago, the Charlotte rapper claimed that he had been “blackballed” after his latest album, Baby On Baby 2, under-performed on the charts.

During the broadcast, the rapper also spoke about the increasing tension between him and Megan Thee Stallion after having Tory Lanez — who has been in an ongoing legal battle with Megan after allegedly shooting her in the foot in 2020 — join him on stage during his performance.

When asked why he thought it would be a good idea to bring Lanez on stage, the “Bop” rapper told Darden despite popular belief, he had no malicious intent.

“I don’t look at it like good or bad. I ain’t that invested into the business,” he said. “I got a song with him that’s doing good.”

The rapper went even further, doubling down on his assertion that he slept with Megan Thee Stallion in his song “Boogeyman” and admits he has no ill feelings about the lyric.

“It’s a song that’s out right now – n****s can take it how they wanna take it. I ain’t tripping, it’s a song that’s out. You wish I’d have left it off? Ain’t nothing to feel weird about. It ain’t happen to you,” he said.

You can check out the rest of the interview above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Killer Mike is getting back on his solo grind lately after producing music almost primarily alongside Run The Jewels partner-in-rhyme El-P for the past ten years. Earlier this year, he returned with the fiery single “Run,” which recruited both Young Thug and Dave Chappelle, and today, he follows up with ‘Talk’n That Sh!t,” a combative and blustery track that sees him comparing himself to Pimp C, waving off presidential elections “if the president ain’t for me,” and otherwise detailing his anti-establishment philosophy.

In a statement about the song, he said, “The song is self-explanatory. With the video, I wanted to show the freedom and beauty in being able to turn up in spite of all the f*ck-sh*t. That upsets the bourgeoisie even more — in spite of all your criticisms, we’re gonna live free and stay lit.” The video also higlights such organizations as the Bass Reeves Gun Club Next Level Boys Academy, and New Georgia Project.

Mike’s recent run of solo tracks also marks the first time since 2012 he’s worked with producers outside of El-P. On “Run,” he linked up with veteran beatmaker No ID, while on “Talk’n,” he taps DJ Paul and TWhy Xclusive.

Watch the music video for Killer Mike’s “Talk’n That Sh!t” above.

Halloween is, I imagine, an important holiday for Aubrey Plaza. It’s when April Ludgate, her character on Parks and Recreation, gives birth to her son while covered in October 31-appropriate makeup and listening to “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett on her “birth mix.” Halloween also inspired the actress to dress up like a witch — that’s also a vampire? — while making the promotional rounds for season two of HBO’s The White Lotus, which she stars in. Or maybe she dresses like that all year. Neither would surprise me.

Plaza is unrecognizable in the photos below, but somehow, it couldn’t be anyone but her.

Here’s a more “traditional” witch.

Pop Sugar claims that Plaza was “on her way to the set of The View,” but I can’t find evidence that she was on The View this week (SPOOKY). She did, however, drop by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, where she spilled the tea on her co-stars, including Jennifer Coolidge, Jersey Mike’s fanatic Danny DeVito, and Elisabeth Olsen, who “has hands instead of feet, and feet instead of hands,” according to Plaza. “Any time she meets someone she kicks them in the face. With her-feet hands.”

Wow, no wonder Wanda was so angry in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

You can watch the Colbert clips below.

Earlier this week, all eyes were on Pennsylvania as senatorial candidates John Fetterman and Dr. Mehmet Oz finally faced off in their first — and what will be their only — debate. For many watchers, the main attraction was to see how Fetterman, who is recovering from a May stroke, would handle being put on the spot and in the spotlight. For others, it was a chance to see Dr. Oz turn the most innocuous comment into something totally creepy-sounding. But on Wednesday night, Trevor Noah admitted that he feels bad for Fetterman, “because he had a stroke. And on top of that, after the debate, Dr. Oz tried to sell him a supplement that would cure him for $59.99.”

Still, the portion of the debate that was of most interest to Noah was when it came to the abortion conversation, and watching Dr. Oz attempt to wriggle his way out of having to come up with any sort of definitive position. As Noah explained:

After securing the Republican nomination, Dr. Oz has been trying to distance himself from the MAGA side of the force, and reposition himself as a bipartisan voice of reason. He’s trying to scoop up all the centrist voters on Election Day. He’s basically doing that TikTok thing where you flip your hair down, and when you come up you act like you suddenly didn’t want to hang Mike Pence. But here’s the thing: Being pro-Trump and pro-reasonable is a lot harder than people think. Which was apparent when Dr. Oz had to explain his position on abortion.

The question posed to Oz was simple: “Should abortion be banned in America?”

Doc Oz’s response was not as simple: “There should not be involvement from the federal government in how states decide their abortion decisions. As a physician, I’ve been in the room when there are some difficult conversations happening. I don’t want the federal government involved with that at all. I want women, doctors, [and] local political leaders letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves.”

Noah was amused by how Dr. Oz just threw “local political leaders” into the decision-making process at the very end, “like a teenager buying condoms at a gas station.” The way Noah sees it:

If you’re pro-choice, what Dr. Oz is saying is bullshit. I think we can all agree, there is only one politician who should have a say in your abortion, and that’s Herschel Walker — ’cause it’s his. It’s his! It’s probably his! Ladies, check: They’re all his.

You can watch the full clip above, beginning at the 2:30 mark.

We, as a society, are all enjoying the Jennifer Coolidge renaissance that goes hand-in-hand with one of the best shows on television: The White Lotus. Of course, Coolidge has always been cool (it’s in her name), but her Emmy-worthy performances as of late are what really sets her apart from all of the others. Not only that, but everything Coolidge says sounds like it could be the plot of a mildly-infuriating Blumhouse horror movie. It’s annoying for her, but entertaining for the fans!

The latest Coolidge anecdote features everyone’s favorite place to be: customs at an international airport! Entertainment Weekly asked the cast of The White Lotus for their vacation horror stories, much like the vacation in the first season. The actress told the story of a time when she was traveling for work in London when she was held by security: “For some reason, it wouldn’t scan right, and next thing you know customs is calling me over,” Coolidge told EW. “Next thing you know, they’ve locked me up for nine hours in this little room.”

You’d think nine hours would be enough to break somebody’s spirit, but Coolidge kept it cool (obviously). She even remained calm when they came in after hour seven to ask if she wanted a snack. “Hour seven, they came in and said, ‘Would you like noodles or chips?’ I did opt for the potato chips over the noodles. It didn’t go well after that.”

She didn’t explain how it could have possibly gotten worse than that, but at least she didn’t have to scatter her mother’s ashes out at sea. Sometimes that’s all you need for a good vacation.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Brockhampton has been teasing their final album for some time, and now, they’ve announced its title and release date. It’ll be called The Family, and it’s due on November 17 via Question Everything and RCA Records. In addition to being available on streaming, the album will also be available as a box set with a CD and one of three T-shirts.

Kevin Abstract previously trolled fans with a fake album cover and title earlier this month, joking that it would be called No Cap and the cover would feature a bald cap-sporting Kevin himself. However, it turns out he wasn’t cracking wise about the album being out before the end of the year.

While working on the album, the group delivered a a quirky cover of funk classic “Hollywood Swinging” for the Minions: The Rise Of Gru soundtrack this summer after performing their final Coachella as a group.

They first announced their split in spring of 2021, when Kevin Abstract said that the group would release two more albums before going on an “indefinite hiatus.” He later explained that while “we all love each other,” the group has “got a lot to say outside of group projects.” Both projects were delayed due to sample clearance issues, with Roadrunner, their penultimate project, arriving in April 2021 to show off their growth and begin the process of saying goodbye.

The Family will apparently complete that process on 11/17. You can pre-order it here.

Kanye West is a desperate man — and for good reason. The once-exalted rapper has spent the last several weeks spewing all sorts of deplorable bits of antisemitism to anyone who will allow it (we’re looking at you, Tucker Carlson). As a result, he has been dumped by everyone from his agents at CAA to the various fashion brands he has collaborated with, including Balenciaga and the Gap. Jeen-Yuhs, a completed documentary about Ye’s life, has been shelved by its producers, and Vogue gatekeeper Anna Wintour has reportedly severed all ties with the rapper. The biggest hit, however, came from Adidas, who dropped Ye like a bad habit — all of which has seen West’s net worth drop significantly, and push him out of the Three Comma Club.

While West is being boycotted by just about everyone, Jimmy Kimmel thinks there’s one more industry that should cancel the artist: Big Bagel. On Wednesday night, Kimmel shared that, after losing his $1.5 billion deal with Adidas, Ye was on the lookout for a replacement partner to carry on his Yeezy shoe brand. As Kimmel explained:

Today, he showed up — unannounced and uninvited — at the corporate headquarters for Skechers in Manhattan Beach. Skechers, which his ex-wife Kim [Kardashian] did commercials for, is owned by the Greenberg family, so they threw him right out and put out a statement denouncing him. Ironically — this is not a joke — before he barged into Skechers, he stopped at the bagel shop next door. He shouldn’t be allowed to eat bagels anymore, right? I mean, at the very least. Lox him up!

You can watch the full segment above, beginning around the :55 mark.