Category: News

Drake is used to attending big-time games and rocking the jersey du jour, but this weekend’s vaunted El Clásico clash between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid will feature Drake’s OVO owl on Barça’s kit.

“To celebrate being the first artist with 50 billion streams on @Spotify @FCBarcelona will wear the OVO owl at El Clasico on Sunday,” Drake captioned an Instagram photo of himself holding up the FCB jersey. “This doesn’t feel real but it is.”

The LaLiga giants debuted the jersey to a remix of Drake’s 2016 No. 1 hit “One Dance.”

Drake surpassed 50 billion cumulative Spotify streams in January 2021, with Variety noting that the Toronto icon had been named the most-streamed Spotify artist of the 2010s. “One Dance” and Drake’s 2018 No. 1 single “God’s Plan” have each racked up over 2 billion streams alone.

Spotify became the official kit sponsor of Barça in July as part of an overarching long-term partnership that included the rebranding of the club’s home from Camp Nou to Spotify Camp Nou. It’s especially fitting that Barcelona is honoring a first for Drake because this year’s El Clásico will give the winner sole possession of first place early in this LaLiga season.

The match will kick off at 10:15 a.m. EST on Sunday (October 16) from Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain.

To paraphrase Tyrion Lannister, it’s not easy watching Game of Thrones all the time, but Ben Schwartz found a way. Testing positive for COVID helped, but the Parks and Recreation and The Afterparty star is “getting better, testing negative, & shaking off symptoms,” he tweeted this week, which is obviously good news. The bad news: “I cant watch 8 hours of Game of Thrones a day anymore BUT I will finish this show, just slower,” he wrote, adding, “THE GOT THREAD WILL CONTINUE! FOR THE WATCH!”

Schwartz is a man of his word. He’s up to season six, having recently watched the episode where Missandei tells the worst joke that Grey Worm has ever heard and Arya kills the Waif (who Schwartz dubbed “The Terminator”). “No One” is a triumphant episode of Game of Thrones — like an episode earlier in the season, “The Door,” which is triumphantly devastating. If you don’t remember what happens in it based on the title alone, maybe Schwartz’s live-tweets will refresh your memory.

“People had to be floored when Hodor died, right?” Schwartz wondered (they were). “Had to be a fan favorite character. He was great. I will miss you, [Wylis]. You died doing what you said you were gonna do for a bunch of seasons.” Amen.

The thread is worth monitoring as Schwartz inches ever closer to the final season. Maybe it’s better in 2022 than it was in 2019, without the pressure? (Unlikely, but at least there’s House of the Dragon to look forward to.)

The Watcher miniseries has arrived on Netflix as another Ryan Murphy production. Granted, there are a lot of these Murphy projects, and some stand out much more than the rest. Dahmer may have stood out for some wrong reasons, but it’s still the streamer’s second most-watched series already, so Murphy knows a thing or two about making compelling shows out of horrific situations. And The Watcher does dramatize a truly upsetting real-life situation for one family who bought (what they believed was) their dream home, only for the situation to quickly devolve into a mystery person stalking the home (and the Broaddus family).

The situation later turned into a real-estate nightmare. Derek and Maria Broaddus are portrayed by Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts in this show, and they initially purchased their cursed home from a real estate agent portrayed by Jennifer Coolidge, but that’s not the real estate who’s talking about the house these days. Rather, that would be David Barbosa, who came to the gig after a 2018 article by The Cut, which detailed how a mystery party fired off a series of disturbingly threatening letters to the Broaddus family. This person claimed to have been tasked with watching over the house for decades, and he knew far too much about the parents and their children while referring to them as “young blood.”

That was only the beginning of the letters, and the article sent the house into viral infamy with people flocking to take photos and generally gawk. Entertainment Weekly spoke with Barbosa about how his clients took a big loss on the $1.4 million house (listed for $999,000 and selling for $40,000 less), but someone eventually did buy it after a deluge of prospective buyers nope-d out:

“The deal was that, if you were going to put an offer in on the house, you had to go down to the attorney’s office and look at [all of the evidence], so you knew what really happened before we went into a hard contract,” he explains. One man, whom Barbosa remembers confidently told him that he didn’t “give a s—” about the hostile letters the Broadduses received, backed out after delving deeper into the case.

“He went down to the attorney’s office and called me and said, ‘Yeah, I’m out.’ He just said, ‘Listen, after reading everything, there’s no way I’m going in that house,’” Barbosa says with a laugh.

From there, no one knows what happened with The Watcher because the new owner didn’t experience the same harassment. Did he suddenly pass away, and no one knew it? The abuse doesn’t appear to be targeted against the Broaddus family since a former owner received a disturbing letter, too. Well, Netflix viewers are now left to evaluate the situation, and that’s precisely what they’ll do while binging.

The Watcher is streaming on Netflix.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

The controversial racketeering case against Gunna, Young Thug, and their label, YSL, has received national attention and criticism for its use of lyrics as evidence for months, and now, an unexpected new voice has entered the discussion. Kim Kardashian, who has become more involved in the fight for prison reform as she has pursued a law degree, issued a statement in support of Gunna on her social media. In it, she decries his treatment by authorities and a judge’s recent refusal to grant him bond — the third such request that has been denied. His trial is set for January.

“Imagine sitting in a jail cell for 155 days with no bond when the only evidence against you is a ticket for an unrelated window tint and someone saying you were in a gang,” she wrote. “That’s where my friend Sergio finds himself today after having his bond denied for the third time despite there being zero evidence that he committed a crime.”

Gunna’s bond request has been denied three times because prosecutors feel that he might intimidate or tamper with witnesses. However, Gunna’s legal team argues that there’s no evidence to support this fear. Meanwhile, the main evidence against him according to the original indictment is his own music; while Gunna shouts out YSL, prosecutors maintain this means “Young Slime Life,” a gang, not “Young Stoner Life,” Gunna’s label.

Kardashian’s statement refutes this, declaring, “Sergio [Kitchens, Gunna’s real name] deserves better and we all should demand better.” You can read the full statement below.

Imagine sitting in a jail cell for 155 days with no bond when the only evidence against you is a ticket for an unrelated window tint and someone saying you weren’t in a gang. That’s where my friend Sergio finds himself today after having his bond denied for the third time despite there being zero evidence that he committed a crime.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of meeting Sergio aka Gunna. He appreciated my interest in criminal justice reform and asked me to take a look at his cousin’s case. Since his incarceration, I have worked with his legal team and the facts of his case are yet another example of why the “justice system” is anything but just.

Some of these facts include:
*prosecutors alleged witness intimidation yet not a single person has said he threatened them or had anyone else threaten them.
*prosecutors alleged he’d had a nurse sneak him drugs yet the nurse says this is untrue and there is zero evidence it happened
*prosecutors alleged he was in a gang based on a witnesses testimony but when you read that testimony it says specifically that he is not in a gang and the witness doesn’t really know him and the interview is 3 years old.

Even though there is no evidence tying him to a single crime, or showing that he is a risk to the community Sergio had his bond denied once again today.

His trial is set for January but will likely be continued meaning he will sit in jail even longer.
Sergio deserves better and we all should demand better. #FreeGunna

If you’ve ever secretly imagined that, behind closed doors, Nancy Pelosi swears like a truck driver, we’ve got some disappointing news. On Thursday, the January 6th Committee held its latest public hearing, in which they showed some truly remarkable and never-before-seen footage of what top Democratic leaders like Pelosi were doing while insurrectionists ravaged the Capitol. As Trevor Noah pointed out, they were talking an awful lot about fecal matter.

Noah was pretty impressed with how “while Trump’s mob was outside asking to have an intimate conversation with Mike Pence’s neck,” Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “were keeping their cool and trying to get stuff done.” The new footage shows the two of them hitting their phones in an attempt to get more help and enlist the National Guard. “But one of the craziest moments,” according to the outgoing host of The Daily Show, “was when Nancy Pelosi pointed out one really smelly reason the lawmakers might not be able to stay in the Capitol.”

In the footage, Pelosi is seen on the phone with Pence, whom she tells that they’ve “gotten a really bad report about the condition of the House floor. There’s defecation and all that kind of thing as well.”

Pelosi took a more casual approach when relaying this story to her colleagues, noting that “it could take time to clean up all the poo-poo that they’re making, literally and figuratively, in the Capitol.” Noah’s reaction to this clip was one of equal parts amusement and annoyance.

Yep, you heard that right. It turns out right wing Jamiroquai [Jacob Chansley] was sh*tting — or, as Nancy Pelosi put it, ‘poo-pooing’ — all over the Capitol. And you know, when I was watching this happen, I thought to myself: It’s so interesting how people like Tucker Carlson were calling Black people ‘animals’ when the George Floyd protests were happening. But when these people were literally sh*tting in the Capitol, Fox was like, ‘These brave patriots are just expressing their frustration and standing up for American democracy.’

You can watch the full clip above, beginning at the 8:35 mark.

“Lunatic Country Music Person” Maren Morris is fully embracing her affinity for pickleball. The Grammy winner visited Jimmy Kimmel Live this week, the first time she’d been on the show since guest hosting it, and was introduced as the latest cover star of Pickleball Magazine.

“Vogue, eat your heart out,” Morris joked. “Pickleball is life.”

The country-pop hitmaker explained that she and her husband, Ryan Hurd, got into pickleball during her current North American headlining tour in support of Humble Quest, her third studio album from March.

“We would just set up courts outside the tour bus and play each other,” Morris told Kimmel. “It was kind of like a team-bonding thing, and then everyone got into it. And now, apparently, there’s a Pickleball Magazine. They’re all gonna be freaking out that we’re mentioning this on the show tonight. But yeah, I’m the cover girl.”

“We play doubles. We have scorecards,” she continued. “There’s a lot of trash-talking. We just do it before soundcheck and before shows. It was kind of a good way — we hadn’t toured in so many years, so there were a few new faces in the crew, and I felt like that first night we played after the show in the parking lot.”

“They say there’s no better way to get to know somebody than to play pickleball with them,” Kimmel interjected.

“That’s, I think, the Pickleball Magazine motto,” Morris quipped, noting that she would play pickleball before her Hollywood Bowl show in Los Angeles on Thursday night (October 13).

Morris didn’t leave Kimmel without performing a swoon-worthy rendition of “Good Friends” so check that out below.

While reminiscing about his lengthy comedy career stretching all the way back to the early days of Saturday Night Live, Chevy Chase opened up to Bill Maher about the stupidest thing he’s ever said in a long line of misguided wisecracks. Chase made the confession on the latest episode of Maher’s Club Random podcast where he also shared an anecdote about John Belushi stealing his cocaine.

According to Chase, the biggest blunder of his career was during a 1980 interview with NBC’s Tom Snyder when Chase categorized legendary screen actor Cary Grant as a “homo.” Chase, who has a reputation for having a caustic personality, was surprisingly repentant about the whole thing. It was an unusual confession for a guy who still doesn’t care that he was a pain in the butt on Community for making off-color jokes. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“[Tom] said, ‘People say you’re going to be the next Cary Grant,’ and I said, ‘That’s crazy, there’s nobody like Cary Grant and there will never be another Cary Grant and I understand he was a homo,’” Chase tells Maher of the appearance, during which he also said “what a gal” about Grant. “It was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever said.”

Of course, there’s another dimension that explains Chase’s self-reflection. Grant sued the National Lampoon actor for defamation to the tune of $10 million, and Chase reportedly settled for $1 million.

However, he didn’t entirely learn his lesson. While making it a point to say that he doesn’t think Grant was gay, Chase asked Maher for his opinion on Grant’s sexuality, and it went downhill real quick.

“Cary Grant, I think was half of…. I’m going to say this, I think at one time in his life had a d*** in his a**,” Maher said. “That’s conjecture, but he’s just too good looking not to, that’s my theory.”

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

Since the last update of this weekly R&B and afrobeats column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists. Jazmine Sullivan returns with “Stand Up,” a new track from the upcoming movie Till and Jamila Woods shared her first solo single since 2020 with “Boundaries.” Ari Lennox unveiled a video for her Age/Sex/Location highlight, “POF” and SZA returned with updates about her long-awaited sophomore album.

Here are some more releases on the new music front that you should check out:

Joyce Wrice — Motive

On her new EP Motive, Joyce Wrice shows that she can do it all. The West Coast singer teamed up with Kaytranada who supplied production for the project’s six songs. Led by “Iced Tea,” Wrice dances and glides over groovy and funky production for a brief body of work that gives listeners another reason to love the rising singer.

Rory, Pink Sweats & Sinhead Harnett — “Don’t Go”

Rory Farrell, from the Rory & Mal Podcast, takes another step towards his upcoming project with his latest single, “Don’t Go.” After sharing songs with Alex Isley, Shelley, Raahiim, and Shantal May, Rory calls on singers Pink Sweats and Sinead Harnett for a record that captures a plea from two lovers who want each other to continue their relationship despite their frustrations.

Elaine — “Fading Away”

Prior to the end of last month, it’d been a while since Elaine delivered music to her growing fan base. After the success of her 2020 EP Elements, Elaine went back to work and we’re now seeing what she crafted during that period. After last month’s “Deja Vu,” she’s back with “Fading Away,” a passionate record that discusses her pain from love and her decision to walk away from it.

Alex Vaughn — The Hurtbook

At the beginning of this year, Alex Vaughn was introduced as the latest signee to the talented LVRN roster. In the year’s final months, she returns with her major-label debut project The Hurtbook. True to its name, Vaughn delivers eight songs that display the hurt, tears, and frustrating moments in romance, all of which are supported by her elegant voice and sharp writing.

Phabo — “Scorpio Moon (A Colors Show)”

A little under than three months after sharing his Before I Let Her Go EP, Phabo set out on a North American tour but it hasn’t stopped him from sharing new music. During a recent appearance on A Colors Show, Phabo debuted his newest single “Scorpio Moon” which reflects on a past relationship while showcasing one’s hope for their love to be re-established.

RINI — “Selfish” Feat. BEAM

It took a little over a year, but RINI is back with new music. He returns with “Selfish,” a thumping record that accounts for being romantically involved with someone who doesn’t care too much about their partner and their feelings. The new single also comes after he released his debut album Constellations arrived last fall.

Black Sherif — The Villain I Never Was

Over the course of the last year, Ghanaian afrobeats singer Black Sherif gained increased traction for himself through records like “Kwaku The Traveller” and “Second Sermon” which was remixed by Burna Boy. At long last, he delivers his debut album The Villain I Never Was which presents the trials and tribulations he experienced in life. “It took me everything to give life to this body,” Sherif said about the project.“The one thing in my life that I gave everything up for.”

Amaria BB — “Live Some Life” Feat. Ding Dong

Jamaican-English singer Amaria BB kicked off her 2022 year with her What’s Done In The Dark EP, an effort highlighted by “Cheaters” and “Secrets.” It remains to be seen how she’ll end the year, but she prepares to close 2022 with her latest single “Live Some Life” alongside rapper Ding Dong.

Maya B — “Bad” Feat. Omeretta The Great

After dropping B[1] in the spring of 2021, Maya B is back in action with her unapologetic and femme new single, “Bad,” and she brings rising Atlanta rapper Omeretta The Great along for the ride. “There’s nothing that I love more than seeing girls win and seeing them stand in their power,” Maya B says about the new song. “‘BAD’ is that sentiment exactly with a hint of dark sexy fun. I’ve made so much mute moody music in the past but I feel like all that’s left for me now is to just have fun.

Samaria — Didn’t Start With You

Fresh out of the Bay Area, singer Samaria delivers Didn’t Start With You, her first project since 2019. It bears six songs and a feature from Tone Stith to its name for an EP that showcases the multifaceted range of a strong woman’s emotions. In the words of Samaria, Didn’t Start With You is a product of “overthinking, Casamigos, and Fireball” for a project that painfully bids goodbye to a past love.

Thuy — Girls Like Me Don’t Cry

You got to know Thuy (pronounced “twee”) last year with her I Hope U See This project. That journey continues with her latest release, Girls Like Me Don’t Cry. Through seven songs Thuy delivers an ode to love of all sorts whether it be self-love or relationships and her experiences with attempting to have success in both.

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

Ed Sheeran has been making the news lately. Not for his songs, but instead for some… wild gifts he gives out to fellow celebrities. Specifically, during a recent appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Sheeran explained why exactly he felt inclined to buy Elton John a giant marble statue of a penis. In a wild twist, it actually started with a gift that a famous rapper bought for Elton John years ago, before Sheeran turned it into an X-rated gifting competition.

“He is very proud of the fact that Eminem bought him and his husband, David, diamond-encrusted c*ck rings for their wedding,” Sheeran said. “Whenever I’m around there, they’re like, ‘Check it out. Aren’t these cool?’ I’m like, ‘I need to one-up this. I need to get Elton a present that’s gonna make him go [gasp].”

For John’s birthday, Sheeran bought him a “floppy, droopy thing” — which he picked after… apparently deciding between several different statue versions. John loved the gift. However, after the news of Sheeran’s gift was put out into the world, other people started wanting similar presents.

Musician Sam Smith was the second person to receive one of Sheeran’s dick statue presents. “It’s actually wild – I thought it was a joke, but it’s a six-foot-two marble penis,” Smith said on The Kelly Clarkson Show earlier this week. “It’s two tons, and I’m going to have to get it craned into my house.”

After Smith revealed his story, Clarkson was intrigued and mentioned wanting one of her own. So, a potential third statue from Sheeran might be starting a tradition for his favorite fellow musicians getting in on the action.

Later in the interview, Sheeran also gives fans some extra details about his upcoming Mathematics tour.

Watch the full video of Sheeran’s appearance on The Late Show above.

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

Indiecast may have ceaseless banter about The 1975 and band leader Matty Healy’s antics — Steven and Ian even dedicated an entire episode to it — but now that the band has released their latest album Being Funny In A Foreign Language, have they finally written an album that lives up to the hype? On this week’s episode, Steven and Ian share their thoughts on The 1975’s return and the new, ultra-vulnerable album ILYSM by Wild Pink.

If you’re an indie fan who happened to be online at all this week, you’ll know that the biggest indie news story came from Blink-182. Original member and alien enthusiast Tom DeLonge announced he’s officially rejoining the band and that they’re embarking on a massive (and quite expensive) tour. Plus, Steven and Ian discuss why so many bands seem to be canceling their tours lately.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian mentions Gris Klein’s album Birds In Row, the post-hardcore band’s third album in 10 years. Meanwhile, Steven shouts out Brian Eno and Bill Callahan and tells listeners to check out Wisconsin band Disq’s new album Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 110 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

Blink-182 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.