On the heels of that reporting a week ago, word broke on Thursday from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Nike founder Phil Knight and Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky have put in a written offer to purchase the team for a price of over $2 billion.
Nike founder Phil Knight and Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky have made a $2 billion-plus written offer to purchase the Portland Trail Blazers, sources tell ESPN. Discussions are ongoing with the Paul Allen trust that’s overseeing ownership of team. Story soon.
That is about the going rate for an NBA franchise these days, as the Timberwolves sale to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez’s group went for $1.5 billion. Most importantly to Blazers fans is that Knight’s presence in this particular prospective ownership group is that his deep Portland ties would indicate he would keep the team in Portland, while there were rumblings (as is the case any time a team in a smaller market is up for sale) that new ownership could explore relocating the franchise.
It would seem that won’t be the case should the Knight-Smolinisky group’s bid be chosen, as Nike’s headquarters are in Beaverton, Oregon and Knight is the most famous University of Oregon graduate there is. New ownership could breathe new life into the organization that is currently trying to rebuild itself on the fly, with a lot of new players and a new GM, but the expectation that they’ll be looking to be playoff bound again next year with Damian Lillard returning from injury.
So far, a lot of skin has been involved when it comes to Megan Thee Stallion’s single “Plan B.” First, she announced the tune by posing naked in a bathtub. Then, promo images shared in the lead-up to the video’s premiere saw Meg wearing more clothes this time, but not a lot more. Now, the “Plan B” video has arrived and it stays on theme.
The clip is aesthetically uncomplicated, as it’s mostly Meg in a dark room, showing off her physical assets in lingerie and sometimes less. It’s striking, though, and she also makes use of water and more for some intriguing visual moments.
Lyrically, the tune sees Meg opting to not be tied down to a man, as the first verse begins, “Dear f*ck n****, still can’t believe I used to f*ck with ya / Poppin’ Plan B’s ’cause I ain’t plan to be stuck with ya.” The song’s release came after Meg debuted it live at Coachella, which she teased by saying, “I got this song that I recorded and every time I play it for a woman they start jumping and clapping. I think I wanna perform it at Coachella for the first time before I actually drop it.”
Watch the “Plan B” video above.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Rap fans of a certain age will certainly appreciate this week’s UPROXX Sessions guest. Back during the blog rap era, when XXL was just kicking off its tradition of finding an annual class of freshman rappers to promote as the future of hip-hop, The Cool Kids, (Chuck Inglish and Sir Michael Rocks) were considered among the exemplars of this group of future-minded, nostalgia-influenced, internet-raised trailblazers. Since then, we’ve seen both members take on solo projects, expand their sounds, reunite, and experience a resurgence of sorts, but they never truly went away and they remain near and dear to our hearts.
Chuck Inglish dropped by Uproxx Studios to remind us of that fact with a coolly confident performance of “Driver” from the duo’s March album, Baby Oil Staircase/Chillout. Initially released in 2020 featuring Ye Ali, the single was repurposed for the group’s triple-disc comeback album, which consisted of Before Shit Got Weird and Baby Oil Staircase/Chillout. Before Shit Got Weird featured both performing as a group for the first time since 2017, while the latter split release consisted of two solo projects from Chuck and Mike, a la Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2003.
Watch Chuck Inglish’s performance of “Driver” 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.
After bringing Three Thousand Years of Longing to Cannes, director George Miller‘s next project will be the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel, Furiosa, starring Anya Taylor-Joy. Miller had the whole thing planned out until filming Three Thousand Years led to a problem: He loved working with Tilda Swinton.
With his appreciation for the actor at an all-time high, Miller tried to find a way to get Swinton into Furiosa, but he couldn’t bring himself to shoe-in a character just for her. He’s seen how that story ends too many times. Via The Hollywood Reporter:
“In Suspiria, she played three roles, one of which is an old man, so I thought, well, she could play one of the men [in Furiosa]. But unfortunately, there was no role that she would fit. If you force a character into a film, it’s usually the first one to end up on the cutting room floor,” said Miller of Swinton, whom he met five years ago during Cannes. “I would never do that to her, but I definitely wanted to make it happen.”
When we say Miller is jumping straight to Furiosa, we weren’t kidding around. The Mad Max prequel started filming on Wednesday, less than two weeks after Miller stopped by Cannes to premiere Three Thousand Years and gush about Swinton. While that means Furiosa will be arriving sooner rather than later, Miller will no doubt take his time in an effort to match the technical wizardry of Fury Road, which is regarded as one of the best action films ever made.
One of the NFL’s most well-traveled quarterbacks is calling it a career. A report by ESPN indicated that Ryan Fitzpatrick, who spent 17 seasons in the league as a member of nine different franchises, decided it was time to retire. Fitzpatrick found a unique way to announce his retirement, as he apparently texted his former teammates a list of the names alongside whom he played, and one of them — former Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson — posted it to Twitter.
Fitzpatrick, especially in his later years in the league, was known for being one of the NFL’s more unique and entertaining personalities, which might explain his apparent next step. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Fitzpatrick is in talks with Amazon to join their team ahead of the network becoming the home of Thursday Night Football next season.
As long-time QB Ryan Fitzpatrick calls it quits, sources say he’s in talks with Amazon for a key role this season. So we’ll be seeing plenty of Fitz going forward.
While it is unclear what Fitzpatrick’s role would be, the network’s top broadcast duo for games will be Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit.
Fitzpatrick retires with 34,990 career passing yards and 223 career passing touchdowns. During his career, Fitzpatrick suited up for the St. Louis Rams, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, and Washington Football Team. He was limited to one game in what ended up being his final year in the league due to a hip injury he suffered in the season opener.
Tim Heidecker is the Tim & Eric guy, yeah, but he’s also been establishing himself in the non-comedic music world with a series of well-received albums in recent years. Up next is High School, which is set for release later this month. Before the LP drops, Heidecker shared “Sirens Of Titan,” a spacey new collaboration with Kurt Vile.
The tune actually sounds quite a bit like a Vile song and that was intentional, or at least acknowledged by Heidecker; He says of the song’s video and of the track itself:
“I’m so happy to have Ben Levin’s incredible talents here to put a visual spin on this song, a song which catches me in a reflective mode, thinking about some of those awkward days in my high school days, feeling weird and learning about all the cool sh*t. I wrote it thinking about how Kurt Vile writes songs and I was embarrassed to send it to him, but did anyway and he liked it enough to come over and sing and play on it!”
Vile is the latest in a long list of indie collaborators with whom Heidecker has worked in recent years. Heidecker co-produced his new album with Mac DeMarco and Eric D. Johnson (best-known for being a member of Fruit Bats, The Shins, and Bonny Light Horseman), while 2020’s Fear Of Death featured contributions from Weyes Blood, Stella Mozgawa 0f Warpaint, Brian and Michael D’Addario of The Lemon Twigs, and Jonathan Rado of Foxygen, as well as audio engineering from Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties.
Watch the “Sirens Of Titan” video above.
High School is out 6/24 via Spacebomb. Pre-order it here.
Who’s that, you ask? McEnany is the former White House Press Secretary to Donald Trump. She’s borrowed the same playbook as other former Trump cheerleaders who helped facilitate his attempt to overthrow the results of the 2020 Presidential Election, writing a tell-all before nabbing a hosting gig over on Fox News. During an episode of a show called Outnumbered that airs on the right-wing network, McEnany weighed in with her two cents about Depp’s recent victory in court.
“These are two people that were in a toxic relationship and are both very flawed. They both have problems, that was evident in both of their testimony. But let’s be clear. There are no winners here. Not a single person in this case is a winner. We heard about their personal life, intimate details. And I think that those who are celebrating Johnny Depp are a bit misguided, in my view. ” McEnany began. Not a bad start, all things considered. But then McEnany opened her mouth again.
“I remember Johnny Depp as being the actor who said, and I’ll read it directly, ‘When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?’ that’s when President [Donald] Trump was president. I see some Republicans celebrating him, I don’t think that this is your guy,” she continued.
So, to sum things up, McEnany doesn’t have a problem with people supporting a man who was found guilty of being a “wife-beater” by the UK court system, but she does take issue with people supporting a guy who made jokes about a president who tried to overthrow American democracy? Got it.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering who McEnany thinks does deserve public support, here’s her suggestion: Brett Kavanaugh. No, really.
“If you’re looking for someone and I totally absolutely believe in due process and people should be heard, look at Brett Kavanaugh, not Johnny Depp,” she said, referencing the sexual misconduct accusations against the now-Supreme Court Justice that failed to hurt his career or reputation in any meaningful way. “That’s just my view, but the jury has decided and we respect the opinion of the jury.”
The inaugural multi-genre Sacred Rose music festival will bring a promising line-up to Chicago this August. Headlining the festival are Khruangbin, The War On Drugs, Black Pumas, Animal Collective, Margo Price, and more. In addition to these exciting performers, Phil Lesh And Friends will perform with Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline of Wilco.
Their collaborative performance at Sacred Rose will mark their first-ever performance under the name “Philco.”
“Nels and I are honored to be asked to join Phil and Friends for Sacred Rose,” said Tweedy in a statement. “There has been so much about Phil and the Dead to be inspired by over the years, from their longtime musical brotherhood to their wonderful and incomparable music, to their relentless touring and longevity. But perhaps the biggest inspiration is their dedication to the community that has grown up around them. This is a trait that we in Wilco deeply appreciate and have aimed to emulate over the years. There’s nothing better than playing music with your friends, for your friends.”
Also joining Philco during their performance are Jeff Chimenti of Wolfpack, Karl Denson of Rolling Stones and The Greyboy Allstars, John Molo of Phil Lesh And Friends, Stu Allen of Phil Lesh And Friends and Dark Star Orchestra, Grahame Lesh of Phil Lesh And Friends and Midnight North, and Elliott Peck of Midnight North.
Check out the full Sacred Rose lineup below.
Courtesy of Sacred Rose
Tickets for Sacred Rose are available for purchase here.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
[This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi]
There’s a 10-year gap between the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, and all that time, Obi-Wan thought Anakin Skywalker was dead. He left his charred corpse on the fiery banks of Mustafar, after all, but little did he know: THE DEAD SPEAK. They also fight, as Obi-Wan learned in episode three of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which was co-written by Joby Harold.
In an interview with The Wrap, Harold explained how Obi-Wan went so long without learning of Anakin’s fate, let alone that his former apprentice is now a Sith Lord. “That was something I discovered along the way,” he said, “and sort of had to confirm with [Star Wars expert Pablo Hidalgo] and think, ‘Hold on a second, what does he actually know? Does he know the moniker Vader? What would that mean? Can he associate the two? What was he cognizant of? How isolated is he? Where’s Vader at that time? Where’s his reputation and how well known is he?’ and all those pieces of the puzzle.”
Ewan McGregor being a — hot take alert — very good actor allowed Harold to write Obi-Wan’s painful realization into the script. “The the great piece of storytelling you can use is getting to Ewan play the moment of realization that that which haunts him is still alive,” he said. “And what does that mean for him?” It probably means his poor emotional support eopie is out there in the Tatooine desert, all alone. The eopie is the real victim.
The next episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney+ on June 8.
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.
This past week was filled with some strong R&B and afrobeat releases. They include Kaash Paige’s “24 Hrs” with Lil Tjay, Chloe’s addicting cover of Kanye West’s “24,” and a beautiful video for Kehlani’s “Melt.” Here are some more releases you should check out:
Umi — Forest In The City
Almost two years ago, Seattle singer Umi took a big step in her career with the release of her impressive EP Introspection. Her progression continues with the arrival of her debut album Forest In The City. The project presents 15 songs with no guest features for a body of work that she hoped would “be a sonic oasis.”
Blk Odyssy & Baby Rose — “Complex Of Killing A Man”
In a few weeks, Blk Odyssy — the project of New Jersey artist Juwan Elcock — will release its upcoming Blk Vintage Reprise album. It’s an extended edition of the 2021 project. In preparation for the project, Blk Odyssy connected with Fayetteville singer Baby Rose for their new song “Complex Of Killing A Man.” The record details the story of a tragic murder from end to beginning.
Nonso Amadi & Majid Jordan — “Different”
Canada-based Nigerian singer Nonso Amadi looks to continue his grand return in 2022 with the release of “Different” with Majid Jordan. He described the record as “the feeling you get when you meet a girl you like in a room filled with other beautiful women – and how she stands out from the rest and makes you want to chase after her.” The lavish record does a great job of capturing this feeling.
Thuy — I Hope You See This (Deluxe)
Vietnamese singer Thuy (pronounced twee) concluded her 2021 year with the release of her I Hope U See This project. It delivered nine songs with help from DCMBR and John Concepcion. Some months later, she returns with a deluxe reissue of the project complete with five new songs and additional appearances from DCMBR, P-Lo, Christian Kuria, and Destiny Rogers.
IV Jay — “Good Karma”
IV Jay is starting her 2022 campaign on a high note thanks to “Good Karma.” The record first gained traction on SoundCloud and TikTok thanks to a snippet of it that she shared. The track is the latest example of songs that supports same-sex relationships and it stands the first record from IV Jay that sees her speak “openly speak on loving a woman,” as she says in a press release. She adds, “It’s amazing to create something so special and inclusive for the LGBTQ community.”
Jex Nwalor — “Come Back”
At just 19 years old, Canadian singer Jex Nwalor is already making a name for himself. It began with the release of “Times Goes ‘Bye’” and “Don’t Say,” which attained almost 10 million streams on Spotify. Now he returns with “Come Back,” a track he uses to look back on past relationships and how grown since their conclusions.
Debbie — “All Night Long”
Another young singer to keep an eye on is 22-year-old British native Debbie. She first made an impression on the world with “Stay” earlier this year, and now she’s back with the stunning “All Night Long.” Her roaring vocals are front and center on the new song, one that strikes as an honest and heartfelt offering, reflecting on the lows of a romantic relationship.
Terrence Leon — “More”
Austin singer Terrence Leon continues his active year with his new single, “More.” It stands as his fifth record in as many months, and on it, Terrence requests to receive a little more from his significant other in hopes of feeling more fulfilled in their growing relationship.
Tonio Hall — “OMW”
After releasing his project Over My Feelings last year, Dallas native Tonio Hall is back with his sultry release “OMW.” On it, Hall is filled with passion on the slow-burning effort as he documents his return to his faithful lover for a night filled with steaming intimacy
Jay Isaiah — “Garden”
Continuing a year that’s already seen “Happy Heartbreak,” “Highway,” and “Over U,” Toronto singer Jay Isaiah keeps his momentum alive with “Garden.” The soulful R&B record also flaunts elements of funk as Isaiah goes to great lengths to openly express his love for his partner.
Asha Maclean — “I Don’t Wanna”
Following two singles in 2021 — “Serial Fboy” and “Rain” — 17-year-old singer Asha Maclean is back with a new take on Aaliyah’s classic track “I Don’t Wanna.” Maclean’s soothing vocals fit perfectly for her take of the classic song which is much more bass-heavy than the original. Her cover is just the start of more to come from her this year.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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