Kevin Gates‘ new album Khaza is out now on Atlantic Records, and to celebrate, he stopped by Uproxx Studios in LA to drop off a passionate performance of his song “Hard To Sleep” for UPROXX Sessions. Perhaps he enjoyed the California weather because he left his shirt off camera, but he definitely enjoyed performing the new song because he kept it going until the camera faded to black.
In the lead-up to releasing Khaza — which is named after his youngest son, Khaza Kamil Gates — he released a handful of singles including “Super General” and “Intro,” and announced his Big Lyfe Tour, which kicks off next month in Dallas and runs through October, where it’ll conclude in Pensacola, Florida.
Watch Kevin Gates perform “Hard To Sleep” for UPROXX Sessions above.
UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.
Kevin Gates is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
I should’ve known that something was in the air when the first songs I heard at the biggest jazz music festival in the world were by Outkast, Arrested Development, Common, and A Tribe Called Quest. As a warm-up to Robert Glasper’s Montreal Jazz Festival set at the grandiose Theatre Maisonneuve, his DJ Jahi Sundance coursed through those ’90s hip-hop classics, along with ubiquitous soul music cuts from Marvin Gaye, Minnie Ripperton, and even some Lenny Kravitz joints. These are by all means standards within Black music and hip-hop culture, but very much in contrast to the traditional sense of jazz standards.
Considering Glasper’s latest album, Black Radio III, came out earlier this year and was prominently featured during his set, Glasper used the evening to make a statement on the evolution of Black music. What was forged in jazz and then soul and R&B, now finds its heartbeat in hip-hop. And everything is connected.
Glasper’s performance came after Montreal Jazz Festival’s director of booking, Maurin Auxéméry, presented the pianist with the festival’s Miles Davis Award on stage. It’s an award that recognizes an artist for, “…their influence in regenerating the jazz idiom.” And while people like Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Sonny Rollins had won it in the past, Glasper — who beyond his solo work has worked prominently with Kendrick Lamar, Yasiin Bey, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill — was the first recipient whose career was inextricably tied to hip-hop as much as jazz.
Victor Diaz Lamich/Montreal Jazz Fest
This notion of hip-hop’s essential role in shaping the future of jazz music was ever-present throughout my four days in Montreal. Within the 350 concerts (mostly free) across ten days spread out throughout Downtown’s Place des Festivals, hip-hop’s very fabric was around every corner. And I was privy to hip-hop’s stewards of jazz music everywhere, all the way down to a full circle moment in an unforgettable grand finale.
On my first night, I saw emerging jazz-hop duo Domi & JD Beck totally dominate their set at Club Soda. The pair are the first act signed to Anderson .Paak’s Apeshit Records label and Paak has taken them under his wing as he helps push forward one of the most exciting new acts of the year. Domi Louna’s dizzying dance from keys to MIDI bass and JD Beck’s unfathomable work on his snare and kick drum are a sight to behold. They played tunes from their upcoming album, Not Tight, but also wowed with a Madvillain medley that made them go viral on YouTube. With Domi & JD Beck, jazz is hip-hop and hip-hop is jazz; the line is blurred in incredible and fascinating ways. And as jazz takes on a new face as it embarks into the future, no Gen Zers embody it better than these two, who are already masters at their craft.
Frédérique Ménard-Aubin/Montreal Jazz Festival
Outside of the club, even the street musician who played saxophone on the corner has expanded his act. He’s still blowing into his sax, but now he’s doing it over Brooklyn drill beats and rapping in between breaths. The next day, a beat-boxer joined him to warm up the passersby to what lay past the festival partitions.
With an unprecedented two-thirds of the programming at this year’s Montreal Jazz Festival being free, new stage environments were set up that made for the fest’s biggest Downtown footprint ever. The Pub La Traversée Molson Export hosted chilled-out jazz acts like Japanese trumpet player Takuya Kuroda. Kuroda rose to prominence with his collaborations alongside jazz and hip-hop vocalist Jose James, including one of the greatest renditions of Roy Ayers’ classic “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” you’ll ever hear. His set proved a relaxed gathering place for a twenty-something son and his parents, older folks perched above on a cafe terrace, and a Bohemian young couple with a stroller drinking beer while dancing with their baby, as their friends smoked a joint next to them.
The makeup of the crowd at Montreal Jazz Festival is a constant reminder of how well-funded arts programming (with support from the Canadian Government through the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions initiatives) directly increases access to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. This much was evidenced everywhere I turned as attendees were exposed to a range of artists, sometimes not knowing what they were in for.
The best stage banter and one of the most refreshing performances I heard all week had to be from Edmonton rapper Rollie Pemberton, better known by his stage name, Cadence Weapon. “This song is from my album, Parallel Worlds, which won the Polaris Music prize last year. And that, my friends, is how I ended up here on the Montreal Jazz stage,” he said with a chuckle, introducing “Play No Games.” And then before they realized what hit them, three generations of a family in front of me were hearing Pemberton spitting lyrics like, “My Prime Minister wears Black face, but no he don’t really wanna face no Blacks.”
Marie Emmanuelle Laurin/Montreal Jazz festival
Cadence Weapon performed on the Rio Tinto Stage — the festival’s 2nd largest outdoor area — and people were covering every inch of the tiered seating plaza. He made sure to shout “F*ck Rogers!” as the largely Canadian crowd found solidarity in the communications company’s widely-publicized weekend-long outage — which coincidentally forced The Weeknd to cancel his hometown performance in Toronto that same day. But it was how the Cadence Weapon set morphed from Pemberton — in a slick Toronto Raptors Charles Oakley kit — in front of a laptop solo to begin the set, to then being backed by a full band, even including a cellist and a sax player, that kept him connected to the stratified crowd. This was raw, pull-no-punches hip-hop that took on more expansive life with the jazz band behind him. It showed a polymorphous rapper offering a different dimension to how he’s presented, without changing a thing about how he delivers his pointed messages.
And as the festival started coming to a close, nobody showed the power of hip-hop as an elevator of jazz music forms quite like The Roots. The world’s most well-known instrumental hip-hop band changed the face of the genre forever — and even brought it to your network TV lineup on The Tonight Show.
Hip-hop has been among the most progressive art forms of the last three decades-plus and The Roots are a perfect reflection of that. Their closing set on the festival’s Main TD Stage in the heart of the Place Des Festivals was glorious. They’re the group who can find common ground with the masses by playing pop culture staples from Kool & The Gang and 2Pac to Manu Dibango and Erykah Badu, in a cascading arrangement led by Questlove’s incredible breaks. But then, create life-affirming moments with modern-day hip-hop standards like “Proceed,” “The Next Movement,” and the uncanny melody of “Act Too (The Love Of My Life)” reverberating through the crowd that went on as far as the eyes could see.
Victor Diaz Lamich/Montreal Jazz Fest
Black Thought was divine. No MC can lead an explosive band of jazz musicians into one of the greatest live hip-hop acts on the planet like this. We should all know this much to be true by now. Later in the night, Questlove would play an unannounced DJ set at the intimate Club Rio Tinto venue a stone’s throw away from where the band was closing their set with “The Seed 2.0” into a rendition of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up.” And I couldn’t escape what The Roots have come to represent in this new millennium.
Here was a group that I saw live for the first time on stage at a rave in Los Angeles in 2000, closing out the largest jazz music festival in the world in 2022. They did it all with hip-hop as the touchstone for all of the music and art that they create. And this year at Montreal Jazz Festival, they embodied the inescapable force that hip-hop wields in culture, in jazz, in humanity, and throughout the world.
Uproxx was hosted for this event by Montreal Jazz Festival. However, they did not review or approve this story. You can learn more about the Uproxx Press Trip policy here.
Jordan Peele is no stranger to making historical pieces of art. In 2019: Us shattered previous horror movie box office records, and now Peele is becoming the first Black director to have their own attraction at a major theme park.
Ahead of Nope’s Friday release, a pivotal set piece known as Jupiter’s Claim Amusement Park has made its way to Universal Studios Hollywood, where it will now live permanently alongside various iconic sets like the Norman Bates house from Psycho and the Back to the Future town square.
The set was taken right from the movie and meticulously put back together on the backlot, which now features merchandise and various photo ops. While the plot details are still slim, it’s clear from the trailers that there is some sketchy stuff happening at this so-called amusement park.
Visiting Jupiter’s Claim set from @nopemovie. Simply amazing, @JordanPeele. I have no idea what I’m looking at beyond the obvious, but there’s so many deeper meanings I can’t wait to find out about. pic.twitter.com/6Jl691gb5D
Jon Corfino, vice president of Universal Creative, told The Hollywood Reporter the importance of the mysterious set. “There’s really two essential locations [in Nope], and this is a big one. It all kind of starts here and ends here, so people are going to want to come back after they’ve seen the film.”
Earlier this month, Peele confirmed the move, citing his childhood trips to Universal as a driving force behind his cinematic endeavors. “I remember visiting Universal Studios when I was 12 years old and being mesmerized. That experience reinforced my passion and drive to someday join in on the meta-magic of ‘backlot life.’ Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to direct three movies for Universal. It is a privilege to honor these collaborations with my studio partners, crew members and cast, and to be able to share Jupiter’s Claim with fans.”
Hopefully aliens are not included in future studio tours!
Later this year, Pat Benatar is set to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. At the moment, though, she’s leaving behind one of the songs that helped her get there: In a new interview, she explained she’s not currently performing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” due to recent mass shootings.
“We’re not doing ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ and fans are having a heart attack and I’m like, ‘I’m sorry, in deference to the victims of the families of these mass shootings, I’m not singing it.’ I tell them, ‘If you want to hear the song, go home and listen to it.’ [The title] is tongue in cheek, but you have to draw the line. I can’t say those words out loud with a smile on my face, I just can’t. I’m not going to go on stage and soap box — I go to my legislators — but that’s my small contribution to protesting. I’m not going to sing it. Tough.”
Indeed, per Setlist.fm data, Benatar has only played the song twice in 2022.
When asked how things like Roe v. Wade being overturned recontextualize her old material, Benatar said, “Well, ‘Invincible’ is really important. I’m worried, like all of us, about fundamental autonomy rights. This is a slippery slope. It’s about not abortion for me. I’m concerned that people are not paying attention to what this actually means.”
“I thought about it for a very long time, and it was very, very hard,” she told hosts Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa during Thursday’s episode. “All I ever wanted to do in my whole life was be on Saturday Night Live. So, I did, I loved it, I had the best decade, and then I was just like, my body was tired, and I felt like it was time.” When asked if she’ll continue to watch the show, McKinnon replied, “I don’t know what I will do. I don’t know that I can watch the show yet because it’s too emo because I miss everyone so much. It’s my family. It’s too emo. So, I think I’m just going to tape The Bachelorette and watch it.”
That’s good advice. The world would be a much better place if everyone took a chill pill and watched The Bachelorette.
Aesthetically, Channel Tres has carved out a distinct sound for himself that he dubs “Compton House.” Beyond the moniker though, when you hear a Channel Tres track, it’s uncanny. His drums hit with a particular rhythm that’s immediately recognizable as one of his creations, with each subsequent production leveling up the previous work.
Now he has announced his debut album, Real Cultural Sh*t, due out this fall on Godmode. After a flow of stealthy EPs over the last handful of year, including this past March’s fully-instrumental Refresh, this is an anticipated drop for Channel Tres to say the least. Along with the announcement, comes the single “Just Can’t Get Enough” which is absolute flames. Soaked with ’70s disco soul vibe, this is a song of the summer candidate no doubt.
“Some people say this ain’t black music,” Channel Tres says in a statement. “Well it ain’t. It’s black precision. And I’m as precise as they can be.”
Channel Tres has also announced his first headlining tour of North America. You can check out all of those dates below, along with his existing festival plays and support slots for Flume.
Listen to “Just Can’t Get Enough” above and check out the Real Cultural Sh*t album artwork below.
Channel Tres
07/24 — Salmo, BC @ Shambhala Festival
08/05 — Denver, CO @ Vortex Festival
08/10 — Budapest, Hungary @ Sziget Festival
08/12 — Buftea, Romania @ Summer Well
08/13 — Copenhagen, Denmark @ Three Days of O
08/14 — Marseille, France @ Baou
08/18 — St. Pölten, Austria @ Frequency Festival
08/19 — Hasselt, Belgium @ Pukkelpop Festival
08/20 — Biddinghuizen, Netherlands @ Lowlands
08/27 — London, UK @ All Points East
08/28 — Saint Cloud, France @ Rock en Seine
09/04 — Chicago, IL @ North Coast Music Festival
09/25 — San Francisco, CA @ Portola Festival
09/27 — Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
09/28 — Albuquerque, NM @ Electric Playhouse
09/30 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s
10/01 — Dallas, TX The @ Echo
10/02 — Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
10/04 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
10/06 — Detroit, MI @ Leland City Club
10/07 — Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
10/08 — Montreal, QC @ S.A.T.
10/11 — Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
10/13 — Washington D.C. @ Ai
10/14 — New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
11/11 — Perth, Australia @ Red Hill Auditorium (with Flume)
11/16 — Brisbane, Australia @ Riverstage (with Flume)
11/18 — Sydney, Australia @ The Dome at Sydney Showground (with Flume)
11/24 — Melbourne, Australia @ John Cain Arena (with Flume)
12/06 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda
12/07 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda
12/10 — San Luis Obispo, CA @ The Fremont Theater
12/14 — Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
12/15 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
12/16 — Vancouver, BC @ Celebrities Nightclub
The past several years have been painful for many reasons I don’t have to list here. For a select few, Gwyneth Paltrow’s departure from acting is one of the many reasons (I don’t know any of these people but I’m sure they’re out there). Unfortunately, fans of the Goop founder who was not aware that she appeared in a Spider-Man film will not be seeing the Oscar-winning actor on a screen big or small anytime soon.
In a clip from an interview with Sunday Today with Willie Geist shared with People, Paltrow said that she does not miss the entertainment business.
“I really don’t miss it at all,” Paltrow said of her acting career. “I think I’m so lucky that I got to do it, and I’m sure I still will at some point. The team is always trying to get me to do a movie, but I really love what I do and I love how immediate it is and how … we’re able to create product out of thin air that we believe in so much.”
Of course, Paltrow, a CEO at heart, found a way to integrate her business, which has sold products ranging from a vagina-scented candle to vampire repellent spray, into her answer.
But Paltrow is by no means done with acting for good, because of a promise she made to her mother, actor Blythe Danner. “I did promise my mother at some point before I die, I told her I would go and do a play so I’m gonna deliver on that promise at some point,” she said.
Paltrow’s last acting role was on the Ryan Murphy Netflix series The Politician in 2020, and her last feature film was 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Welp, that didn’t take long. Within hours of the White House disclosing that President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID and is experiencing mild symptoms, Fox News host Joey Jones suggested that it was an act of “karma” after Biden made a gaffe about having cancer. Earlier in the week, Biden misspoke and made it sound like he currently has cancer, prompting the White House to quickly clarify that he was referring to his bout with non-melanoma skin cancer from before he took office. Jones decided to connect the moment with Biden’s COVID diagnosis, but even the Fox News host realized mid-rant that his karma theory might not be the best thing to say right now.
“You don’t want to fool with that. You don’t want to put into the universe something like that,” Jones said about Biden’s cancer gaffe before attempting to soften his remarks. Via The Daily Beast:
“I think life comes at you fast! I think when you’re pretending you had cancer one day and you’ve got COVID the next, you might want to recalibrate how you treat things and how you talk,” Jones declared before backpedaling a bit: “But, you know, I don’t wish bad luck on him and I’m not going to say that’s the reason why, just that maybe it’s a good opportunity for him to have a reality check.”
While Jones went off on this particular tangent, the rest of the network surprisingly handled Biden’s COVID diagnosis with tact. During American Newsroom, Fox News anchor Bret Baier and others repeatedly emphasized the importance of the COVID vaccine and touted their role in keeping Biden out of the hospital, unlike Donald Trump’s pre-election bout with COVID that saw him airlifted from the White House over concerns for his oxygen levels.
According to Mediaite, Baier also brought on two medical experts who continued to hammer home the benefits of Biden being vaccinated and double boosted. Clearly, a better approach than the whole karma thing.
You might be picturing watermelon as the topping in this unique dish—much like its fruity predecessor, the pineapple. But no. As the creator of watermelon pizza, Oliver Paterson, reveals in his now viral TikTok, the juicy fruit actually serves as the crust.
There are a few key details that make this recipe work, as Paterson, known on TikTok as @elburritomonster, explained to Fox News.
First, the watermelon has to be grilled on both sides for five minutes prior to toppings, to “remove as much moisture as possible to avoid a soggy mess,” according to Paterson.
It’s also “vital” to substitute the standard tomato-based sauce with barbecue sauce, as “BBQ is already a tried and tested flavor combination with watermelon.” (I for one did not know this to be true, but sweet and tangy is a pretty unbeatable combo.)
Lastly, Paterson swaps out chorizo for the usual pepperoni. Then, voila. You have a dish that “tastes sweet and smoky, with fatty salty richness,” he told Fox News.
However, get just one of these three things wrong, and the results are less than fruitful. This was the case for Domino’s Pizza in Australia when it tried and hilariously failed to recreate Paterson’s recipe in their own TikTok video.
Unsurprisingly, watermelon pizza has sparked a heated culinary debate online. Comments were across the board on this one, ranging between “I’m calling 911” to “I mean… add melted cheese to anything and it would be delicious.”
No one seems to agree on the legitimacy of this new flavor combination. Still, watermelon has undoubtedly done the impossible—using it for pizza has put an end to the war on pineapple.
“Suddenly pineapple on pizza isn’t so bad,” one person admitted in the comments.
Another conceded, “Pineapple on pizza is normal compared to this.”
There you have it, folks. Watermelon isn’t just for outdoor picnics and a Harry Styles song. Not anymore.
Paterson seems to know a thing or two about creating quirky snack options. His TikTok is an online buffet of unique food creations—in particular, epic burritos.
You name it, and the guy has somehow turned it into a burrito. I’m not kidding.
The cooking instructions are sung to Billie Eilish, no less.
As for his watermelon pizza, it might become a passing internet trend, as so many things on TikTok do. Or, it might surpass the Hawaiian, who knows? The only thing to know for sure is that life is about all kinds of experimentation.
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