Category: News

Despite being persona non grata in the music industry for the past six months or so, Travis Scott remains as popular as ever among sneakerheads. Today, his latest collaboration with Nike dropped — and unfortunately for his fans, the shoes proved as scarce as a recent Travis headlining performance.

The culprit in this not-so-mysterious case of the missing shoes — as it so often is — was SNKRS, Nike’s app for bidding on the most coveted (or “hyped”) releases from its stocks. Whereas you’d go on the plain old Nike app for a pair of new LeBrons or general release Air Max, SNKRS is where you need to be for the latest Jordan retro or high-profile limited-edition release with artists like Travis or Billie Eilish.

However, ever since its release, it has been as much a source of frustration for fans as it has a resource — in fact, many times, it is more so. Nearly every new release day brings with it a slew of fans posting their “Ls” on social media, as the drawing system condemns many fans to the dicey proposition of the resale market, where they can get their latest grails, but only at a 200% markup (sometimes more). Today was no different, as the hotly-demanded Travis Scott Cact.us collection, consisting of a reconstructed Air Max 1 and Air Trainer 1, disappeared faster than you could say, “It’s lit!” Those who did hit today met an immediate wave of hate from their peers.

There is some good news on the horizon for Travis fans, though. He makes his return to the festival scene at Primavera Sound in Brazil this summer, while his album Utopia is still waiting in the wings. Check out fans’ SNKRS laments above.

WARNING: Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi below.

Flea is of course best known for his work with Red Hot Chili Peppers, but all the while, he’s been active as an actor, too. In fact, he’s had roles in some legendary movies, including The Big Lebowski, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, and Back To The Future Part II (and Part III). He may have also helped define your childhood by voicing Donnie in The Wild Thornberrys.

Now, the bassist and thespian has found his way into another iconic franchise: Star Wars, thanks to his role in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Flea’s latest role comes after rumors about it started circulating a few weeks ago. (Worth noting is that Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow also directed RHCP’s recent “Black Summer” video, a connection that surely helped fuel those rumors.)

Consequence notes Flea plays a bounty hunter named Vect Nakrui and describes his role, “In order to bring Kenobi out of hiding, Third Sister Reva (Moses Ingram) hires a bounty hunter to kidnap Leia Organa. That criminal is Vect Nakru, played by Flea himself. The idea is that since Kenobi served Bail Organa during the Clone Wars, the Alderaan Senator would once again call upon the Jedi to help find his daughter. Indeed, Kenobi digs up his old lightsaber and heads to Daiyu to rescue the girl — and face Vect.”

Flea isn’t the first musician to carve out a role in the world of Star Wars: Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) played Lando Calrissian in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. Lin-Manuel Miranda and legendary Star Wars score composer John Williams also had cameos in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker.

Drama seems to always follow the Migos, but rumors have been swirling about internal tension between the trio ever since fans realized Offset and Cardi B unfollowed Quavo and Takeoff on Instagram. The concerns grew even further as the unfollowing aligned with Qua and Take promoting their new single “Hotel Lobby,” which was released last Friday (May 20) under the name Unc and Phew. Now, Offset is evidently here with some new music of his own, providing a small snippet on his Instagram story this week.

The three members of Migos are no strangers to doing things on their own, regularly appearing on other artists’ music by themselves and even dropping three solo albums from each member within six months of one another in 2018-2019 before taking a long break. The added layer of the social media aspect makes this a cause for concern, but none of the members have officially addressed the supposed tension. It’s known what they can do together, with multiple No. 1’s and Grammy nominations under their belt and DJ Akademiks spoke in a TMZ interview about how he believes fans should not be worried.

“They might be going through a small disagreement or whatever,” the media personality says. “I think that they’re angling it because, you know, Takeoff and Quavo just put out a song, so they’re kind of letting it lie, letting the questions linger or something like that.” In this “everything is a rollout” climate of today’s music, it’s fair to question everything. The actual blood ties between the three make this an even more intriguing situation.

Check out the snippet of Offset’s new music above.

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

Once upon a time, the phrase “Compton rapper” evoked a very different image than the one it might conjure today. Before the very concept of a denizen of the Hub City was revamped to include examples of Black excellence and crunchy granola woke rap, the above-mentioned term suggested an air of menace, as well as urgency. After all, “Straight Outta Compton” wasn’t just a declaration of hometown pride, it was a call to action.

Now that the city has spawned such eclectic artistic standouts as Kendrick Lamar, Buddy, and Westside Boogie, one might think that Compton is no longer producing acts in the vein of NWA, MC Eiht, or more recently, YG. However, there’s a burgeoning underground in the city, producing rappers who are far less mainstream-friendly, but every bit as vital as their gangbanging predecessors. The one you need to know is Compton Av.

Named for the street he grew up on, Av quietly but assuredly built a decade-long career on independent releases such as Thugged Out, Tru 2 The Streets, and All In, becoming something of a local celebrity and a fixture of Compton’s indie rap scene. But with his latest release, the 10-track Net 30, he stakes a claim on the wider world of hip-hop, proving that despite his veteran status, he’s just getting started.

From its opening track, Compton Av lets listeners know what kind of time he’s on. Yes, he’s gangsta as hell, but he’s a businessman, as well, here to teach the finer points of making the transition from the streets to the boardroom. There’s a knowing wit to his rhymes, which find him smirking his way through casually delivered daggers and the sort of raunchy comedy of peers like 1TakeJay and AzChike, but he also drops the occasional gem like a thunderbolt from Zeus himself.

“I done seen record deals and said I wouldn’t take it / And took care of hoe n****s who said I wouldn’t make it,” he says in the self-titled intro. Later, in the interlude “Fucc The Opps,” Av sums up the mindset that drives the reckless lifestyle he touts: “N****s give they life to the set until they lose it / Had a chance to go to the league, the n**** blew it… How you supposed to feel when you grew up in the slums / When they asking ‘where you from,’ you better get yourself a gun.”

While much of the album is given over to turn-up anthems like “Secret,” “Tear It Up,” and “Jumpin,” he also offers upliftment on “I Did It (Winnin),” which calls to mind Jay Rock’s 2018 hit “Win.” “We made it from nothin’, look at God,” he boasts over a triumphant horn loop. And on “Slid’N” featuring West Coast rap godfather Snoop Dogg, he gets off some sinister one-liners, demonstrating both his gangsta bonafides and an unexpectedly creative way with words.

This isn’t game-changing stuff, but it is perhaps more representative of where the average Compton citizen is at than the brainy, jazz-infused raps from some of Av’s more celebrated compatriots. As important as it is to magnify the “high art,” it’s equally necessary to highlight the stuff that will soundtrack the late-night house parties, summertime cookouts, and midnight gang slides that are also a part of the city’s vibrant, rich history. Black folks shouldn’t always have to be excellent to be considered worthwhile and some stories are best told in the blunt language of the culture that created them.

Net 30 is out now via Cook Gods/Rich Off Rap/Empire. Get it here.

’80s star Bruce Hornsby has proved himself as an avid participant in the current indie-rock scene. In 2019, he gathered Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, guitarist Blake Mills, British folk trio The Staves, and musician-producer Brad Cook for his album Absolute Zero.

Today, Hornsby furthers his indie-rock involvement with the release of his new album ‘Flicted, which includes a feature from Danielle Haim on the swift song “Days Ahead.” The track moves forward with optimism as they take turns singing, “There will be days ahead / I’m pretty sure / Brightening lighter rays / In this world.” The sound is vibrant and airy, and their vocals are ethereal, especially when coming together to create a harmony.

The group Haim released one of the most beloved albums of 2020 with Women In Music Pt. III. It watched them find power in their vulnerability, which they were open about on Twitter: “For my sisters and I, there have been times in our lives where we have felt like we are stuck in a dark hole,” Danielle wrote on Twitter. “Every time I’ve been depressed — it takes me accepting that I need help to start to get out of it.”

Listen to Hornsby’s new collaboration with Danielle on “Days Ahead” above.

For the past two weeks, Kellyanne Conway has been aggressively promoting her new book, Here’s the Deal, which reflects back on her time working for both Donald Trump‘s campaign and his administration during his one term as president. While Conway still remains a steadfast supporter for Trump, she has been vocal that he lost the 2020 election and claims she told him as much. So it really didn’t come as a surprise when the former president took to Truth Social on Thursday and blasted his former adviser. Pushing back on the Big Lie is a huge no-no.

“Kellyanne Conway never told me that she thought we lost the election,” Trump wrote. “If she had I wouldn’t have dealt with her any longer – she would have been wrong – could go back to her crazy husband.”

Again, not a surprising reaction from Trump who has always been notoriously thin-skinned. However, according to Conway, his reaction did catch her off-guard because she had recently been shown a glowing statement about her book that he was going to release until something changed.

“I was given a statement last night that he was going to put out — a beautiful statement about the book and our relationship and how hard we had worked together,” Conway told Mediaite’s The Interview podcast shortly after Trump’s remarks. “So somebody worked overtime between last evening and this morning to have him put that statement out.”

Conway then proceeded to call out Trump’s inner-circle who “have their own interests at hand” even though she knows they “privately” say Trump lost. But despite her belief that Trump has been poisoned by sycophants (Mark Meadows is a name that comes up often), Conway says she’d gladly work on Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign “if he would have me.”

(Via Mediaite)

For millions of people, the idea of being in agreement with Tucker Carlson on anything is as laughable as it is terrifying. But on Thursday night, in a rare moment of empathy, the Fox News host seemed genuinely appalled to learn that police in Uvalde, Texas waited approximately one hour before entering Robb Elementary School, while a teen shot and killed 21 people, including 19 schoolchildren.

As Mediaite reports, Carlson—who, earlier this week, was blaming the shooting on COVID lockdowns—played a clip of Texas governor Greg Abbott praising the “amazing courage” of the police officers who risked their own lives by “running toward gunfire for the singular purpose of trying to save lives.” Yet based on new interviews and information, Carlson questioned the veracity of Abbott’s statement. While the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that police officers were on the scene at the time of the gunman’s arrival, and engaged with him immediately, Carlson was more interested in what an eyewitness to the events saw.

Juan Carranza, who lives next to the school, told the Associated Press that he saw the gunman crash his truck outside of the school, pull out a rifle, and begin shooting at a pair of people outside a nearby funeral home. He then began shooting at the school before running inside. According to Carlson, Carranza stated that there were no officers at the school to engage him, and that when law enforcement did arrive “they didn’t do anything at all for about an hour. In fact, parents had to beg the police to save their children.” Which… is quite a different tale.

Shockingly, Carlson has seen the videos that have emerged in the wake of the shooting and agreed that they corroborate what Carranza said happened. In the meantime, rumors are swirling that some officers did enter the school sooner—but only to remove their own children, which Carlson described as “a moral crime at the very least.”

Carlson also played clips from a Thursday press conference in which police officials were basically able to confirm very few details—except the fact that their initial statement that the gunman had been immediately engaged was, in fact, untrue.

“So the point is not to point fingers or blame people,” Carlson said. “Nobody wants a school shooting. Everyone’s heart is broken by it, but the authorities are not allowed to lie to us in the aftermath of an event like this.”

Carlson then took his anger even further when he concluded: “No matter how pro-law enforcement you are—and we are—there’s only so much B.S. you can take in the face of a tragedy like this.”

You can watch the full video at Mediate here.

(Via Mediaite)

The Dallas Mavericks’ season came to an end on Thursday evening in San Francisco. The team took on the Golden State Warriors in their second win-or-go-home game of the Western Conference Finals, but unlike their win in Game 4, the Mavericks came up a bit short. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Warriors picked up a 120-110 win to punch their ticket to their first NBA Finals since 2019.

Luka Doncic put up his usual big numbers in Game 5, going for 28 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and a steal in 40 minutes of work. Despite that, he had a poor shooting night — 10-for-28 from the field, 3-for-13 from three — and saw his team get outscored by 12 points when he was on the floor. After the game, Doncic did not mince his words when asked about his performance.

“I don’t like losing, especially like this,” Doncic said, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I played terrible.”

Doncic was also critical of his defense, saying that while he is proud of the “huge step” he took forward on that end of the floor, “there’s so much room for improvement. I’ve got to be way better there. I think that’s one spot that can take us to the next level.” But despite this, he made it a point to praise Dallas for going as far as they did this year.

“If we talk about our season, I’m really proud of this team — everybody, every player, every staff member,” Doncic said. “Nobody had us here. But I promise we fought until the end. Congratulations to Warriors. They were obviously the better team. But I’m really proud of this team.”

It’s pretty rare for a festival lineup to genuinely have something for everyone. You’ll have your hot pop headliners, your buzzy R&B/hip-hop/dance acts a few lines below, a few indie acts in the undercard, maybe a smattering of punk and metal, and probably a couple of big rock legacy names. But for those who want to dig deep into any facet of the music world at a major festival, it’s pretty lean out there.

This is where the Barcelona institution Primavera Sound comes in. When they say they have something for everyone, they really mean it. The first thing that’ll strike you about its lineup is how much of it there is — there are two stacked weekends at the actual festival ground, Parc del Fòrum, plus the full week in between featuring venue shows around the city. And from the big fonts to the small, you can find both the most relevant current artists and some genuinely legendary legacy acts from all over the spectrum: pop, indie, hip-hop, dance, R&B, punk.

Headliners for 2022 range from The Strokes, Pavement and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, to Megan Thee Stallion, Tyler, The Creator, and Dua Lipa. Elsewhere, you can find Bikini Kill, 100 Gecs, Kacey Musgraves, Charli XCX, Big Thief, Run The Jewels, Sky Ferreira, Little Simz, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and still more exciting names than could comfortably fit in a list. It’s the kind of festival lineup that makes your jaw drop.

This year the festival celebrates its 20th edition, which was of course supposed to be in 2020. (And while this feature focuses on the Barcelona iteration, there are also set to be spin-offs this year in Porto, LA, Santiago, Buenos Aires and São Paulo.) For a long time it was a purely indie and alt festival, but beginning with a 2014 headline set from Kendrick Lamar, its genre net has widened considerably.

“Some of the people who started back on the first edition are still working here. But our booking department has grown a lot, and [now] it includes younger people, and way, way more female bookers,” says Head of International Press Marta Pallarès. “So we keep some of the roots and the origins of those lineups, but with our tastes evolving and new people coming to the festival, the lineups became more diverse. [But] the festival grew with a very clear philosophy about what is Primavera and what isn’t. We start thinking as a whole, and at some point we say yes, of course Megan Thee Stallion makes sense with Phoenix, or Jorja Smith with Interpol.”

“The way we decide is — do we really like this artist, would we go to see this artist if we were part of the audience? It’s sort of a commitment never to do a festival that we don’t believe in,” adds Comms Director Joan Pons. “And all the people that have spent all of their lives listening to music such as me or Marta, our criteria change. It’s like okay, maybe twelve years ago, Lorde was a pop artist that doesn’t belong to Primavera. But now it makes sense for her to be in our festival, because it makes sense for the playlist that someone in our audience is listening to every day to also have a Lorde song.”

He adds, “We remember one day [during the 2017 festival], Justin Vernon from Bon Iver looked at the running order of the stage that he played, and on the main stage it was Solange, Bon Iver, Slayer, and Aphex Twin. And he goes, ‘Wow, who’s the genius that made this running order?’ Because they’re such different artists, but it makes a lot of sense to have them all in the same day, because they are leading their genres to new expressions of music.”

It’s a true music lovers’ festival, and as such when its organizers talk about the Primavera experience, music is at the forefront. (That said, Barcelona in June at the oceanside Parc del Fòrum should be pretty spectacular in itself.) The ideal festival experience, explain Pallarès and Pons, would tick four boxes. The first, catching an artist you’ve always wanted to see but never gotten to; this year, that might be Pavement, Bikini Kill, or M.I.A., for example. The second, finding an artist you haven’t heard yet who becomes your new favorite; maybe that could be the fun-loving indie-poppers Beach Bunny, the pop-punk newcomers Meet Me @ The Altar, or the poet-slash-soul innovator Jamila Woods. The third, watching a set that’s a lot of fun; you could pick out eccentric hardcore crew The Armed, the intense hyperpop duo 100 Gecs, or the maverick rap of Tyler The Creator. And finally, checking out something that will challenge you; maybe that could be the extreme sounds of Lingua Ignota or Napalm Death, or else diving into any of the genres on display that aren’t usually your speed. And then, of course, there’s the climactic headliner Megan Thee Stallion, who could embody any one of those four categories, and is sure to be a highlight of the sprawling twelve days.

The platform of the festival comes with its responsibilities. Pallarès explains, “We always say that the festival has four big pillars. One of them being commitment to music. One being sustainability. The third one is everything related to social responsibility, with gender equality being the biggest one. And the fourth one is the commitment to the city.” Illustrating the third point, in 2019 Primavera became the first major festival to honor a 50/50 split of male and female artists. And to speak to the fourth, the Primavera a la Ciutat section of the festival — in between the two weekends — is aimed at supporting city venues that have suffered over the pandemic.

If this all sounds like a music fan’s dream, you wouldn’t be the first to say so. As Pallarès recalls: “The singer of Deerhunter said that he doesn’t know what heaven looks like, but he thinks that maybe St Peter is someone like the guy who every year delivers the keys to his room here. It is really, really nice to see that this could be a little paradise, at least for three or in this case twelve days — for artists, for audience, and also for the people who work here.”

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

Last year, Seth MacFarlane signed a $200 million overall deal with NBCUniversal, ending his long relationship with 20th Century Fox Television. The Family Guy creator is no fan of Fox or, specifically, Fox News. “Tucker Carlson’s latest opinion piece once again makes me wish Family Guy was on any other network. Look, Fox, we both know this marriage isn’t working anymore. The sex is only once a year, I don’t get along with your mother, and well… I’ve been having an affair with NBC,” he tweeted.

Unfortunately for MacFarlane (although fortunately for his bank account), Family Guy isn’t going anywhere, but his sci-fi series The Orville has moved from Fox to Hulu, which he called an “absolute thrill” at the season three premiere this week.

“I want to say, it is an absolute thrill to not be on the Fox network. We never really belonged there. And they’ve curated a specific brand now. Between Beat Shazam, Name That Tune, and Don’t Forget the Lyrics!, Fox has really captured the demo of people who have no idea what song they’re listening to,” he joked. Macfarlane added that when he looks at Fox’s ratings, “I gotta hand it to them: It takes a special talent to pander to the lowest common denominator without actually getting them as an audience. That takes talent! But hey, we’re here on Hulu, thank God.”

Like someone who puts butter on a Pop Tart, Macfarlane feels so frickin’ good.

The Orville: New Horizons premieres on Hulu on June 2.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)