Love stories are always good for the soul, and former president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn still give us all the feels. The Carters celebrated 76 years of marriage on July 7. That’s right, 76 whole years of matrimony, which is longer than some of our parents have even been alive.

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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter met in Georgia when the former president was on leave from the U.S. Naval Academy after his younger sister set them up on a date. The two married a year later in 1946 in Plains, Georgia. In 1953, Carter left the military after his father died.

Funnily enough, Rosalynn never thought she’d get married. During their 75th anniversary celebration she explained how she used to tell her mother to tell the boys who called that she wasn’t home in an effort to avoid going out with them. She recalled, “I didn’t know how to talk to them, I didn’t want to go out with them.” Thankfully something changed when it came to her now husband of 76 years. The pair are the longest married couple of all former and current presidents.

The couple, now both in their 90s, became involved in politics when Jimmy won a seat for the Georgia Senate in 1962, which eventually led him to being the peach state’s governor before heading to the White House in 1976. While her husband sat in the Oval Office, Rosalynn became an outspoken advocate for mental health. She helped the passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 while serving as honorary chair in the President’s Commission on Mental Health. The law helped focus on the mental health of minority populations and rights for mental health patients.

After Carter lost his re-election to Ronald Reagan in 1980, the couple continued their humanitarian efforts outside of the White House. They continue to work with Habitat for Humanity building houses in underserved communities, something they help with even to this day. In 1982, they started The Carter Center, which educates the public and furthers human rights initiatives.

Seeing the pair remain so active, especially watching them help build houses into their 90s, is always inspiring. Unfortunately, the pandemic sidelined some of their efforts, but the Carters were some of the first people to roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated against COVID-19 so as to get back to doing some of the things they love, one of which is being active in their local church.

During an interview with the AP in 2021, the former president said, “My biggest secret is to marry the right person if you want to have a long-lasting marriage.” In the same interview, Rosalynn commented, “Jimmy and I are always looking for things to do together,” then emphasized, “each should have some space. That’s really important.”

At this point, we can collectively agree that the Carters are an American treasure. Their long history in advocacy and humanitarian efforts are more than noteworthy. Here’s wishing them another fulfilling year of health, marriage and life.

Parenting isn’t easy. In fact, it’s really freaking hard. Raising humans through the various stages of development, navigating their unique needs and personalities, helping them develop the tools and skills and qualities they will need to be contributing members of society, all while feeding, clothing, housing and making sure they’re getting an education? It’s a lot.

And unfortunately, many people weren’t raised with good parenting examples to learn from. Abuse and neglect of varying degrees are incredibly common, so a lot of people find themselves floundering when it comes time to raise their own kids. So often, people want to do things differently than their parents did but don’t know what to do instead.

Positive discipline has been around a long time, but many people don’t really understand how it works. Some may see it described as “gentle parenting” or “soft parenting” and assume it’s lackadaisical in some way. Some may think of it as weak or ineffectual. Really, nothing could be farther from the truth.

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A mom on TikTok known as LauraLove has gained millions of followers sharing her positive parenting adventures with her two young sons, Jonah and Carter. It’s not all sunshine and roses—she’s clear about how much work and repetition gentle parenting takes, and she’s honest about when she herself slips into reactive habits. A recent viral video shows some of the results of this parenting approach.

In the video, LauraLove shares how she responds to several different parenting scenarios, then shows how her kids handle them weeks or months later. As she states, gentle parenting doesn’t always yield immediate results (because it’s not based on fear) but being consistent and patient pays off over time.

Check it out:

@lauralove5514

Gentle parenting doesnt always yeild immediate reaulya because it is nog fear based BUT if you are consistent, you WILL see them actively use what they learn ♥️ Be patient! #fyp #foryou #toddlermom #parenting #gentleparenting #breakingthecycle #positivediscipline #respectfulparenting #viral

Of course, that compilation doesn’t show the whole story. She also shared a video that went into more detail on the spilled coffee scenario. She was initially upset so she modeled staying quiet until she had calmed herself, which also helped her son understand that the spill was a problem without shaming him. The natural consequence was that he had to clean up the mess, but he also got to learn about why it wasn’t a good idea to slide it and how it impacted the person who was drinking it.

@lauralove5514

Reply to @mairenicadhla As requested, here is the whole video & how I responded 😳🤣 #gentleparenting #foryou #fyp #PassTheBIC #viral #toddlermom #momlife #parenting #positivediscipline

And yes, she did say “that really yummy coffee that you made for me.” Her kids make food all the time, as is pretty normal for young kids being raised in a Montessori educational model.

@lauralove5514

Okay but how sweet is this?!? 🥺😭 #UnsealTheMeal #fyp #foryou #montessori #gentleparenting #viral

(Don’t worry, that knife is a toddler chopper, which cuts through fruits and vegetables but not through skin.)

Some of her most popular videos are when she gives her older son something from the fridge and sees what he does with it. His cooking skills are impressive. Just watch:

@lauralove5514

SO many request for another one of these! Luckily Carter told me in the morning he felt like cooking today so I surprised him after nap time with some onions 🤣🥰 #takeaNAIRbreak #foryou #viral #fyp #viral #montessori #cooking #recipe #toddlermom

(“Where’s my seasoninoningoning?” shall be my main kitchen mantra from here on out.)

Parenting is a long game, and positive discipline takes full advantage of that fact. Rather than seeing undesirable behavior as a character flaw to be squashed, gentle parenting looks for the underlying needs not being met, feelings not being expressed, or lessons not being understood and addresses those things. Positive parenting recognizes that children are simply learning and that harsh punishments will often lead to worse outcomes later on, even if they stop a behavior in the short term.

Thanks to LauraLove for showing what respectful parenting can look like and how effective it really can be.

(Spoilers from The Boys season finale will be found below.)

The Boys finale bid a proper farewell to Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott), who can now happily head into civilian life. Then there’s the not-so-proper ending for Black Noir, who was mercilessly killed by Homelander for the fatal error of deciding not to tell him that Soldier Boy’s his (bio) dad. Homelander did receive some comeuppance from Maeve, but that feeling didn’t last long for him. Because Butcher made the mistake of protecting Ryan, and now, Ryan is on Homelander’s side because, well, Homelander wants someone to love him.

After the whole tower confrontation, Homelander took Ryan out for a public introduction, and things went violently, of course. Some MAGA-esque follower chucked a can in Ryan’s direction, and Homelander exploded, lasering the hell out of a civilian. This, of course, caused a few initial moments of shock before a follower (Todd, who happens to be dating Mother’s Milk’s ex-wife) began cheering, which prompted the entire crowd to cheer for Homelander after he committed homicide in broad daylight. It’s no wonder that the show used him to send a satiric Fourth of July message. And as Antony Starr’s second-season finale warned us, he can jerk off all over everyone while declaring, “I can do whatever I want,” and it’ll come true.

Showrunner Eric Kripke confirms (to Vulture) that this was a Trump-esque moment, and Homelander’s late-breaking actions were inspired by January 6:

“Look, I fully admit to it being a little less elegant and more urgent than what we’ve done in the past. But I would argue that society is a little less elegant and more urgent. January 6 was happening while we were writing the season. We’re a product of the time when we write it. And January 6 scared the sh*t out of me. It scared the sh*t out of everyone but scared the sh*t out of me in ways that few things during the Trump Administration did. To have the scariest part be after he lost his election scared the sh*t out of me.

I read an interesting thing once, which is that people don’t love Trump in spite of his horrific behavior; they love him because of it. He’s an anti-hero. The wilder he acts, the more he bullies people around him, the more they love him. It’s the reason people love everyone from fucking Jesse James to Andrew Dice Clay. You love someone who’s a huge a**hole because they smash society for you. So we discussed that psychology where the worse he acts, the more fans he’s going to get. Just look at what Lauren Boebert is saying daily.

For that reason, social media notes the very Trump-like sentiment, given that the former U.S. president notoriously bragged that he could shoot anyone and get away with it. Yep, Homelander can truly do whatever he wants:

The Boys are anti-capitalist kings and queens, working day and night to destabilize the corrupt corporation Vaught and its supe team The Seven, all from a stuffy, large loft in the Flatiron building that the CIA pays way, way too much money for.

The titular Boys from Amazon Prime’s The Boys never would have found each other as friends. In fact, most of these characters kind of hate each other and just put up with it because they’re all they’ve got. In honor of the season three finale out this week, here are all of the members of The Boys (and two of the women who are integral to their misfit operation), ranked from best to most best because none of them are the worst.

Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid)

Sorry to this man. Hughie’s placement at the bottom of the ranking does not mean I hate Hughie or that Hughie is bad: it’s just an indication of how beautiful all of these boys are. Hughie is tall and has an impressive, unending collection of band tees. Hughie is the normie of the crew, and his humanity is a necessary quality that grounds The Boys.

Starlight (Erin Moriarty)

Starlight’s entire narrative arc is the embodiment of “never meet your heroes.” ”The optimistic and passionate Midwesterner has changed the most throughout the course of three seasons, but her objective remains the same. At the beginning of the series, she’s a supe who achieves her dream of being in The Seven. Her optimism quickly turns to cynicism when she’s immediately exposed to the true, horrific nature of the corporate-run team. But despite learning everything she thought she knew is a lie, Starlight still fights for good, which is why she risks her life every day as a mole within Vought, feeding information to The Boys. Frankly, it’s very rude that she isn’t an official Boy yet because being Homelander’s co-worker is the bravest thing anyone on this show is doing.

Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara)

Kimiko is not a boy, either, but she is the most important member, and she can, respectfully, snap my neck at any time (but only if she wants to do it). When we were first introduced to Kimiko, she had a barrier around herself and now she smiles and daydreams musical numbers inspired by Old Hollywood films. Butcher uses Kimiko as a weapon due to her abilities, but the more she’s used as a weapon for missions, the more she resents her abilities and the more she hopes for a normal life free of violence and supes. Kimiko also deserves credit for softening up Frenchie throughout their romantic relationship.

Billy Butcher (Karl Urban)

Billy Butcher is the ultimate “but I can fix him” boy of The Boys. Vengeance is his oxygen. Killing Homelander is the reason he gets up in the morning. Crumbling the capitalist superhero empire Vought drives him. Against fall foliage in his oversized coat and combat boots, Billy Butcher is the most attractive character in television history. Unfortunately, Butcher’s cynicism makes him cruel, selfish, rude and extremely violent, with little to no empathy. Underneath it all, he has a teeny bit of warmth deep inside his cold, black heart that activates at opportune moments: Butcher will always, in the end, save Hughie for example, and he will almost always do it while wearing an iconic printed shirt. If Butcher were a little nicer to his friends and allies, he’d be the number one boy.

Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso)

If Butcher is chaotic evil, Mother’s Milk is chaotic good. Both Boys are driven by their hatred for Supes, but Mother’s Milk actually (mostly) prioritizes family and loved ones, and thinks before he acts violently. In doing so, M.M. is the most grounded Boy, and holds the group together even though Butcher loves to think he’s the leader. M.M. also has a T-shirt collection that rivals Hughie’s, and he styles it even better with a gold chain and his leather jacket, which I would like to make into a blanket. Hughie is trying to be as cool as M.M., but that’s impossible.

Frenchie (Tomper Capon)

Frenchie is the Kendall Roy of the boys in that he is the number one boy. But unlike Kendall Roy, sweet little Frenchie has skills including making supe killing weapons and making pastries. The former hitman who feels very bad about it might be extremely impulsive, but that’s only because he is a deeply empathetic person who reacts with feeling rather than knowledge. When Frenchie is sad, I am sad. When Frenchie is happy, I am happy. When Frencie is in a predicament, I am freaking out.

After the news of James Caan’s death on Thursday, I, maybe like you, read the outpouring of love for his iconic roles. Obviously there’s The Godfather. And then, of course, Misery. Then there are the slightly deeper cuts not everyone has seen that are amazing, like Thief and The Gambler. (If you haven’t seen either of these movies, you should. Like today.) And then he introduced himself to a whole new generation in Elf.

A quick aside about this. A few months ago I’m with a friend at a bar and we are discussing the main movie I’m going to discuss ahead, Kiss Me Goodbye. My friend is expecting two of his friends to join us. Mid conversation about Kiss Me Goodbye they show up and say, “Hey, we consider ourselves movie buffs, what’s this movie you two are talking about. So we tell them the cast and we are greeted with a look of puzzlement. “Hm, James Caan, remind me how I know him?” My friend says, “Well obviously The Godfather.” And that was met with, “Hm, I haven’t seen that one yet.” (At this point I’m starting to doubt the whole “movie buff” deceleration.) After a couple more examples of movies James Caan is in that they don’t know, I finally interrupted, “You know him from Elf. He’s the dad in Elf.” I was correct. They knew him from Elf.

Anyway … my first introduction to James Caan was by the way of a comedy and I’ve always, strangely, kind of always thought of him that way. (When Francis Ford Coppola reacted to the news of Caan’s passing, one of the things he said was, “one of the funniest people I’ve ever known.”) This movie is the aforementioned Kiss Me Goodbye that you should really try to see. (I had to resort to buying the DVD off eBay, but I’m also told it’s streaming on Starz right now.) After I heard the news of Caan’s death, I tweeted about Kiss Me Goodbye and I was kind of shocked at how many people remember the movie and also love it. (Caan was … not a fan of this movie. But Caan had a lot of, let’s say, interesting opinions about his past work.)

Directed by Robert Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird) the plot is … kind of insane. (And my parents thought this would be a good movie for an eight-year-old child.) Caan plays Jolly, who is basically Bob Fosse, who is the toast of Broadway and seems to know everyone and everyone knows Jolly. While hosting a party at his Manhattan townhouse, Jolly trips and falls down the stairs and dies. Eventually his widow, Kay (Sally Field), starts dating again, and starts seeing a nice, but kind of dull, man named Rupert (Jeff Bridges). Eventually, the ghost of Jolly shows up to both (a) do some tap dancing and (b) ask about this drip Rupert who keeps coming to the house. What makes it interesting is Kay then tells Rupert about Jolly’s ghost. Rupert, of course, does not believe Kay. So the whole movie is basically Jolly roasting Rupert to his face and Rupert has no idea this is happening. (Also, good work by Bridges here being able to successfully ignore James Caan.) Anyway, I love this movie and I bet if it were easily streaming somewhere it would be one of those, “what on Earth is this?” movies. And even though Caan wasn’t a fan of this one, his comedic chops are undeniable.

He’d use those to great effect in both Honeymoon in Vegas and Mickey Blue Eyes. (Mickey Blue Eyes gets a bad rap, but it’s a pretty good movie!) Though it’s interesting in all three of these comedic performances, Caan is playing a larger-than-life character (a Broadway directer, a professional gambler who may have connections to the mob, a mob boss) against a handsome leading man (Jeff Bridges, Nicolas Cage, Hugh Grant) vying for the heart of a woman (Sally Field; Sarah Jessica Parker; Jeanne Tripplehorn, in this case being his daughter). It’s like he knew his formula for comedic success and, when it came around, he took it.

I interviewed Caan once, 12 years ago, for a website that no longer exists. But I have the transcripts and I asked him about doing comedies. Before we get to that, I have to reprint this part. First, 12 years ago I hadn’t been doing this job very long and then I’m basically thrown into a cage with James Caan, who eats people like me for breakfast. (I have a theory my editor at the time just didn’t want to do it for that very reason so passed it on to me.) In other words, I was very nervous. Here’s how the interview starts:

How are you doing, sir?

Sir? That’s right! Do I owe you money? James is not good, either, because I always feel like I’m getting in someone’s car when they say James. So, Jimmy would be great. Or, “Your Holiness,” one of the two.

Anyway, I eventually ask him what’s more difficult, playing Sonny Corleone or playing Frank Vitale. (For those who don’t know Mickey Blue Eyes by heart, Frank Vitale is James Caan’s character in Mickey Blue Eyes.) So we will leave you with this. (Also, you will be shocked to learn Caan didn’t love his experience on Mickey Blue Eyes.)

It all depends. Listen, I had a great director in Francis. Not such a great director in Mickey Blue Eyes. I love comedy, personally. I love to do comedy because, most people, if there aren’t 12 people dead by page nine, they don’t send the script to me. There’s always, “Well, Jimmy, I didn’t know you could sing and dance.” Shit, no one ever asked me! But, you know, “good” is the answer. For me, Sonny was one of the most fun, vibrant characters. I had so much fun because I just busted everybody’s chops from morning until night. It didn’t matter who it was.

One night I was stuck, this is a true story, we did this first scene in the Genco Olive Oil company, the very first scene, and I interrupt and Brando says to never talk about the family business in front of anybody. I was so lost that day, I was just fumbling. I was kind of friendly with Don Rickles. I used to follow him around, he used to make me laugh. You know, I was the young kid around Don Adams. And one night I was shaving and, I swear to you, it was like a lightning bolt: Don Rickles came into my head, I don’t know why. I came in the next morning, and for whatever reason, I walked in and start busting everyone’s balls. “Francis, why don’t you change the goddamned suit? What? You want money for a cleaner? You’re wearing that same goddamned corduroy suit.” And it just gave me a whole essence and I was basically Don Rickles. And I could have done Hamlet like Sonny. After awhile, he let me improvise and jump around there’s so much stuff that just came out of that.

The truth is, I swear to you, I can tell, and I’m sure you can tell, subconsciously, if the people that are working on a movie are enjoying it or they’re enjoying each other. I think that comes off the screen. So on The Godfather, we all liked each other and had respect for each other. It was fun. The pictures where I have the best time doing them are the best pictures I make. It’s the same thing with great actors. I’ve found in my life that the best actors are the easiest ones to get along with. It’s all those assholes, all about themselves and their make-up and their bullshit. The trailers, this and that. That’s all diversionary tactics. The reason they do that is because they really have nothing to offer and they don’t want people to see they have nothing to offer, so it’s a diversionary tactic. “Lets talk about my hair today.” And it’s true: The most talented people are the nicest.

So, yes … no one will ever say James Caan had “nothing to offer.”

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

The UK has a leadership problem. Fortunately, the UK also has Jonathan Pie—a (fictional) political commentator who is happy to say the quiet part out loud. On Thursday, Pie (the creation of actor/comedian ​Tom Walker) had some pretty blunt final words for outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson—the majority of them not suitable for most ears.

For those confused about exactly what happened in the lead-up to Johnson’s decision to give up the ship, Pie made sure to clarify:

The Prime Minister forgot that his Whip was a sexual predator? No answer to that one. No answer, no humility, no meaningful apology. For days, just more Dickensian twaddle and a little reshuffle. Not so much reshuffling deck chairs on the Titanic, more reshuffling cat shit on a litter tray. And the manner of his departure should tell you everything you need to know: no dignity, just desperation and delusion and a despotic disposal to cling to power—no matter the harm to our country.

The “predator” in question is Chris Pincher, a longtime MP who Johnson originally appointed as Minister of State for Europe and the Americas in 2019, despite a fairly long record of sexual misconduct complaints. While Johnson attempted a couple of reshuffles, one in 2020 and another in February of this year, Pincher’s lascivious nature eventually caught up with him (again) when he was accused of drunkenly groping two men while at the Carlton Club, a private members’ club that was the original home of the Conservative Party back in the mid-1800s. Pincher resigned the next day.

Pie also took a minute to direct his ire straight at the Conservative Party as a whole for pretending to be surprised that Johnson, who is a notable liar, well, lied. Hmmmm… between that and the garage sale doll hairdo, this all sounds weirdly familiar:

His CV reads like a demon’s resume. These noble Cabinet ministers all falling on their swords. These are the f**kers that enabled Boris to be there in the first place. And just look at what he’s achieved: Trust in politics at a lower ebb than that time President Trump told Americans to drink bleach.

While Pie may be a fictional character, his political takes are right on the money—as evidenced by the fact that his video blew up on Reddit, with few people realizing it wasn’t a real broadcast.

Fox News could take a hint from Jonathan Pie.

Just to show how massive of a pop culture hit Stranger Things 4 has become, even the subtitles have an entire genre of memes dedicated just to them. On top of smashing streaming records, the supernatural series has shone a light on the typically thankless job of nailing just the right audio descriptors. Thanks to the inclusion of Vecna, who brought the show back to its ’80s roots by going with a fully practical creature instead of CGI, the subtitle team had to bring their A-game when it came to describing his horror movie movements.

In a fascinating new interview, subtitle author Jeff T. and his QA editor Karli Witkowska walked through the process of picking just the right words for the sprawling fourth season. While Jeff admits that some of the choices were a little bit of “trolling,” like the subtitle “[tentacles undulating moistly]” and the heavy use of “squelching,” the two worked closely to find the right descriptors. They had to capture the Dungeons & Dragons/horror elements of the series, but also make them accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing community. For example, the team came up with “[unearthly susurration]” for when Vecna created the Mind Flayer. That’s some damn fine wordsmith-ing.

Via Vulture:

Jeff: I try to stick to genre-appropriate language as well. People brought up the squelching, but that palpable pressing sound is meant to evoke disgust and horror. If I was doing a Regency-era picture or a stoner comedy, I’d change my language and shift accordingly, but I tried to be respectful of the genre [in Stranger Things season four].

Karli: Working with Jeff on this, I had to think about whether every sound and every descriptor provides the necessary required emotions or feelings that the deaf community would require. In this case, I could rely on Jeff that the language would be there. There will be descriptors in there that I think would be perfect for the hearing audience but not as great for the deaf community; as long as it’s portraying the correct sound, I think we’re doing our best to create something for everyone.

And if you think we’re joking about “squelching,” just check out the screenshots below. Stranger Things loves it some squelch.

Stranger Things 4 Volume 1 and 2 are squelchi-… er, streaming on Netflix.

(Via Vulture)

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Fivio Foreign, Kid Cudi, and K Camp.

It is the second week of July and the second week in a row that The Game was supposed to release Drillmatic – Mind Vs. Heart but didn’t. Despite the pump fake, music lovers got the chance to revel in nostalgia as Kid Cudi released a compilation of many of his seminal records. Plus, per usual, the gems that you might have missed this week.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending July 8, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Kid Cudi — The Boy Who Flew To The Moon Vol. 1

Kid Cudi captures various eras of his career in The Boy who Flew To The Moon Vol. 1. It is a solid reminder of all he’s given us for longtime fans, or a nice sampler of his extensive discography for newcomers. Either way, everybody wins.

Westside Gunn — Peace “Fly” God

Westside Gunn has a knack for beat selection and curation and furthers that truth on Peace “Fly” God. The Griselda founder opts to have no features this go around, but of course, he can’t avoid the wrestling references with tracks like “Bobby Rhude” and “Danhausen.”

Ken Carson — X

Ken Carson is here with 20 new records on X. Destroy Lonely gets verses off on two separate songs, “MDMA” and “Murda Musik,” plus Homixide Gang joins Carson on “Delinquent.”

Kota The Friend — Memo

Kota The Friend is back with a Memo in the form of his latest album. Samuellimata joins him on the title track, as well as Brianna Castro on “Empty Cup” and Hello O’shay on “Soho House.”

D Double E — Bluku Bluku EP 2

D Double E is here with a 7-track EP loaded with good raps. He enlists the help of Novelist and Chip on the tracks “Pace” and “G’s Only” respectively. It’s a fun listen.

Badda TD & DJ Drama — The World Is Yours: Gangsta Grillz

If DJ Drama’s name is on it, you know you should be expecting heat. Badda TD drops off his seven-song collaborative EP with the Hip-Hop legend, enlisting the help of Ron Suno on “Moonwalking” and Dusty Locane for “Put In Work.”

Singles/Videos

K Camp — “Holy Spirit”

This record may not be aligned with the trapsoul that Bryson Tiller popularized in 2015, but K Camp’s “Holy Spirit” blends a thumping drum pattern and vocal soul sample in his own beautiful way. “Last hoe I chased was the last hoe I chased,” he affirms as he reflects on how good life is and his gratefulness for it. K Camp is one of the most consistent artists of the last near-decade despite not getting the mainstream attention he deserves, and this is just another addition to that reality.

Joey Badass — “Survivors Guilt”

While the upcoming Joey Badass album has eluded us due to sample clearances, his vulnerability hasn’t. “Survivors Guilt” is an organ-laced, bar-laden confessional. The NY rapper tackles mental health, the darkness consuming his mind, the experiences of his friends, and even tension he has had with them. He feels at fault for their downfalls, calling it his internal war.

Yo Gotti ft. Moneybagg Yo, 42 Dugg, EST Gee, Mozzy & Blac Youngsta — “Steppas”

CMG the army, better yet the navy? Whichever they prefer, they fully leaned into the military themes on “Steppas.” They sport camouflage as they inhabit a military base, ride around in jeeps, and drink liquor amongst their comrades. Visuals aside, the raps are fun, as expected with a roster like this.

Melii — “Mala”

Melii is a fun hybrid artist, blending bars with melodies and switching between English and Spanish seamlessly. “Mala” follows suit, addressing how men want a bad girl and she is just that. “You gon’ see the reason why they say them hips don’t lie,” Melii says emphatically. I could see a fun video coming out of this song.

JID — “29 Freestyle”

JID taps into his inner outdoorsman in the “29 Freestyle” video, rapping as he trudges through water and stands amongst the weeds. He even pulls out a fishing rod and catches a small fish, only to later drop it. Thankfully, he doesn’t drop the ball when it comes to his bars. One question though: where is the album we’ve been waiting on for years at this point?

Shordie Shordie — “Body Language”

Shordie Shordie lays it all out on “Body Language.” Though the title conveys a non-verbal form of communication, Shordie is quite transparent over this mid-tempo bop. In summary, it’s all about the “sloppy toppy.”

Russ — “Paddington Freestyle”

Russ has no shortage of confidence in the “Paddington Freestyle,” opening the record stating he feels like he is outrapping everyone as he drives. He later says he feels like he doesn’t flex enough, which is definitely up for debate but it sounds good over the soul sample and drums. I’m just glad he doesn’t spend too much time looking into the camera and focuses on the road.

Dom Kennedy ft. Kalan.Frfr — “Say Lady”

It’s not the column without a welcome West Coast bop! This week, Dom Kennedy taps Kalan.Frfr for “Say Lady,” detailing a woman getting nasty in a bathroom and how she needs their loving. Dom urges the woman to not be shy as they should get to know each other, especially with her tight dress and glowing skin.

Chinese Kitty — “Attitude”

There is a lot going on in Chinese Kitty’s “Attitude” video but I am not complaining. Flanked by beautiful women, she walks through a junkyard which later reveals a wrestling ring where men fight shirtless. While they tangle it up, the video flashes to scenes of her rapping in a photo studio and exclaiming how she can’t carry all of the junk in her trunk because her attitude is so hefty. It doesn’t seem like she’s struggling much carrying either, but who am I to debate how she feels?

Loyle Carner — “Hate”

Driving while rapping seems to be a theme of the day, as Loyle Carner delivers the “Hate” video trading off scenes of him looking stoic and others of him yelling. While it is unclear whether he is yelling at a passenger or simply into the void, the rapper had a lot to get off his chest. “Let me tell you what I hate / Everything I ain’t.” Don’t worry, he also takes time to tell us what he loves. Balance.

Self Jupiter ft. D-Styles — “It’s All About The Temple…Tempo!”

Closing off this week is a heavy instrumental track “It’s All About The Temple…Tempo.” Self Jupiter and D-Styles switch their flows effortlessly as the drums and cymbals crescendo. They definitely did not lie in the song title, and the aggressive tempo may just cause some pain to the temples. All in the name of loving rap though!

Metro Marrs ft. Duke Deuce — “Violence”

“Violence” sounds like the theme music that would play as you take on the final boss in a video game, but Metro Marrs instead finds himself crooning in a bathroom. Perhaps he just had a bout with White Castle, a final boss in its own right, and often doing some violent things to one’s stomach. Duke Deuce joins the fray, dancing and rapping all while holding an AR. Though he’s usually clowning around and showing off his dance moves on social media, he fits “Violence” seamlessly.

AAP Deno ft. B-Lovee — “Wishin”

Who doesn’t love a good 2000s sample? AAP Deno provides his own take on Ray J’s “One Wish,” trading the singing in the rain for crooning while throwing ones in the club. B-Lovee’s hostile flow pushes the record even further from its original iteration, but it works. We don’t all wish the same way.

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

Saweetie is a woman of many talents. The Grammy-nominated artist has delivered several fun songs over the years, played piano, shown off her unique cooking skills, started a non-profit and now has branched out into land of strikeouts and homeruns. The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated Filipino Heritage Night in last evening’s (July 7) home game and called on the “Icy Grl” artist to throw the ceremonial first pitch before they took on the Chicago Cubs. The 29-year-old lived up to her breakout hit, sporting diamond-studded four-inch nails, blindingly silver Louboutin heels, and jewelry around her wrists.

Despite not being dressed for the occasion, the Santa Clara rapper fared much better than one-off pitchers in the past like 50 Cent as she actually got the ball over the plate, taking just one hop before being caught by Dodgers star Mookie Betts. That may be due to the fact she practiced in her living room prior to doing the real thing at Dodger Stadium, the “Best Friend” rapper admitted. Saweetie clearly brought good energy as extensive as her smile as the Dodgers ended up defeating the Cubs 5-3. She shared her enthusiasm for the moment in a tweet today (July 8).

Though we may not see Saweetie on the mound again any time soon, she does hold the Filipino community near and dear, vowing to continue the work she is doing with her non-profit Icy Baby foundation.

Watch Saweetie’s first pitch above.

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

Jenna Ellis — the discredited MAGA lawyer who continues to push false claims about the 2020 presidential election and, more notoriously, was sitting next to Rudy Giuliani when he ripped ass at a voter fraud hearing — is in no position to call anyone a loser. But especially Olympic medal winners Simone Biles and Megan Rapinoe, who were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Joe Biden on Thursday. And yet!

“Fittingly, Biden awarded his presidential medals to fellow losers, Biles and Rapinoe,” Ellis tweeted. She later added, “Because Biles is a selfish quitter and Rapinoe is a boorish unAmerican bully. They’re losers, not role models. Biden is making a mockery of everything solemn, like the presidential medal of freedom.”

During his four years in the White House, Ellis’ beloved Donald Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Antonin Scalia, of “retire bitch” fame; Devin Nunes, who recently begged Elon Musk to sign up for not-Twitter; and notorious ding-dong Jim Jordan, who has been accused of covering up a sex abuse scandal.

Biles could have pointed all that out. Instead, she with a more effective approach.

Biles gets a gold medal for Twitter shade. Meanwhile, Ellis replied to her tweet with a Johnny Depp GIF, because of course she did.