Category: News

Coi Leray attempted to be the voice of reason this week in the midst of her father Benzino’s longstanding beef with Eminem. In a series of tweets, after Slim Shady was announced as an inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, the former co-owner of The Source questioned the decision and presented several names of Black artists he felt deserved to be admitted first. Benzino mentioned the likes of Nas, Eric B, Rakim, Kool Moe D, EPMD, Fearless Four, Fat Boyz, Lauren Hill, Lil Kim, and Outkast.

Leray took the high road, encouraging peace and moving on the situation through the quote, “Let’s build bridges and get over them before you burn the bridge and burn with it.” She also praised Eminem for his acting and rapping abilities, specifically his work in 8 Mile.

This isn’t the first time the Hackensack, New Jersey artist has publicly stood in opposition to her father, and in a follow-up to her original tweet, Coi said he needs to heal and let the past go. It has been a 19-year beef between Benzino and Eminem, starting with The Source‘s review of The Eminem Show and later becoming a full-on back and forth with diss tracks.

With Darth Vader set to return in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+, an old interview with James Earl Jones has resurfaced where the actor opened up about his experience becoming the iconic voice of Dark Lord of the Sith. According to Jones, he was only paid $7,000 to voice Vader in the very first Star Wars movie, A New Hope. While that doesn’t sound like much today, it was nothing to sneeze at in the mid-1970s, and Jones was thrilled to make so much money for just doing voice work. (English actor and bodybuilder David Prowse was the man in the suit for the original trilogy.)

Via IndieWire:

“George wanted, pardon the expression, a dark voice,” Jones told AFI. “So he hires a guy born in Mississippi, raised in Michigan, who stutters. And that’s the voice. That’s me.”

As for the paycheck, Jones was all for his salary: “I lucked out, from all these so-called handicaps, for a job that paid $7,000! I thought that was good money. And I got to be a voice on a movie!”

Interestingly, Jones also revealed that he butted heads with George Lucas over Vader’s depiction in The Empire Strikes Back, which is often cited as the best Star Wars movie in the series. The actor wanted Vader to sound “more subtle” and “psychologically oriented,” but Lucas had a specific plan.

“He said, ‘We don’t know what we did right, so let’s just try what we did… What we’re finding out is you need to keep his voice on a very narrow band of inflection because he ain’t human, really,’” Jones said.

(Via IndieWire)

Surprise, surprise. Cobra Kai is switching up its usual release pattern of going with New Year’s weekend to drop new batches of badassery. Instead, Netflix is taking advantage of the super speed at which the show (as Hawk actor Jacob Bertrand informed us) shot and wrapped Season 5. And as revealed at a Thursday night edition of the Netflix Is A Joke festival, the warring dojos will return sooner than expected: September 9.

The Karate Kid reboot series also unveiled a teaser trailer, in which we see the aftermath of the franchise’s most dastardly villain, Terry Silver, as he makes good on his threat to open up a zillion Cobra Kai schools after the rather shocking results of the All Valley Tournament. It sure looks like Tory will have to reckon with the unintended results of Silver paying off a judge to make a biased call, and everyone is wondering where the hell Miguel went while it ain’t good for Kreese. In the meantime, Daniel and Johnny have shuttered their own dojos, but you know that won’t last for long because Chozen is on the scene, and as he tells Silver here, he is the “gasoline” to the villain’s “fire.”

Cobra Kai knows how to stoke that fire. Hell, this almost makes up for Netflix cancelling Santa Clarita Diet at a pivotal point for Timothy Olyphant’s character (never mind, I’m still salty about that). From the mini-synopsis:

Following the shocking results of the All Valley Tournament, Terry Silver is expanding the Cobra Kai empire and trying to make his “No Mercy” style of karate the only game in town. With Kreese behind bars and Johnny Lawrence setting karate aside to focus on repairing the damage he’s caused, Daniel LaRusso must call on an old friend for help.

Netflix’s Cobra Kai is currently streaming the first four seasons on Netflix.

Throughout their nearly two-decades-long career, Arcade Fire have put out a number of revered albums. But they’ve also shared a few lukewarm releases. In this week’s Indiecast, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen reflect on the band’s discography and decide whether or not Arcade Fire’s comeback album We hits the mark.

Along with reviewing Arcade Fire, Steven and Ian go over other big new in indie music this week. They discuss the relevancy of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, whose official inductees were announced this week including Dolly Parton and Judas Priest. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs also teased their return, prompting Indiecast to recall the band’s impactful career and their very terrible 2013 Mosquito album cover.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about Hatchie’s album Stop Giving The World Away, which sounds like a crossover of Olivia Rodrigo and Turnover. Steven gives a shout-out to Sharon Van Etten’s great new album, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 87 on Spotify below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

There’s perhaps no popular musician today whose age is focused on more than Adele. That was her choice, though, as she has named all four of her albums so far (19, 21, 25, and 30) after how old she was when she made them. So, yesterday (May 5) was a big day for Adele, as she turned 34 years old and took time to reflect.

In an Instagram post, Adele shared a couple photos of herself and wrote about how good life is right now, saying, “What a difference a year makes! If time keeps healing and smoothing out all the creases in my life like it does as the years fly by, then I can’t wait to be 60! I’ve never been happier! So many lessons, so many blessings to be grateful for. This is 34, and I love it here! Thank you for the birthday love as always x.”

Adele certainly has a lot to be happy about. 2021’s 30 joined the rest of her albums in topping the charts in multiple countries around the world. It also yielded a chart-topping single with “Easy On Me.” On top of that, she’s in a relationship with Rich Paul and is planning on having a baby next year. So, all in all, it seems like a good time to be Adele.

(WARNING: Major spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to follow.)

If you’re reading this, you saw Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on opening night (or are among the $27.2 million’s worth of people who saw it internationally). Or maybe you haven’t seen Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and never will, but you want to know who was in the movie to keep up with pop culture discourse. I know you’re reading this, Marty. Either way, welcome. In this post, I have ranked the major cameos in the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not including — one last spoiler alert — Billy and Tommy from WandaVision, Thanos’ corpse, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo, Michael Stuhlbarg as Nicodemus West (I’m happy he got paid, though), and Tom Cruise, who, as expected, was nowhere to be seen. As for everyone else, read on…

7. Anson Mount as Blackagar Boltagon (Black Bolt)

There was a tweet going around earlier this week about all the Marvel movies and shows you needed (“needed”) to see before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came out. It read, ​​”Not gonna spoil anything, but make sure you watch the seventh episode of the season 6 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, the first episode of What If…?, the whole Loki series, Deadpool 2, the entire final season of X-Men: The Animated Series, and unbelievably Inhumans.” I, like everyone else, made fun of it — movies should not require homework. But in a way, the tweet proved to be at least partially correct: if you didn’t watch Inhumans, you might have no idea who Black Bolt is. To be fair, he died 10 minutes after being introduced, so it didn’t really matter, and no one should be forced to watch Inhumans. But justice for that guy’s tweet, I guess.

6. Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau (Captain Marvel)

Poor Maria Rambeau. On WandaVision, we learn that she died of cancer during the period of time between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, she (as Captain Marvel on Earth-838) again dies after getting crushed by a statue. Maria needs her own show or movie or podcast or whatever where she gets to kick ass and, most importantly, not die.

5. Charlize Theron as Clea

I’ll admit that I am unfamiliar with Clea, who Polygon helpfully explains is “Stephen Strange’s on-again-off-again wife and fellow adventurer — the closest thing he has to a regular love interest. Hailing from another dimension entirely, she’s also a sorcerer of great renown, and following Stephen’s recent death in the comics, she’s currently the Sorcerer Supreme.” But hey, Charlize Theron is in the MCU! That’s fun. Don’t hold your breath for a Clea / Venom scene, though.

4. John Krasinski as Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic)

Third time’s a charm. In 2005’s pre-MCU Fantastic Four, Reed Richards was played by Ioan Gruffudd, but after the dreadful sequel, 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, made less money than the original (among other reasons), a planned third film was scrapped. In 2015, Fox tried again with 2015’s Fantastic Four, or FANT4STIC, but it was a colossal failure, and a miscast Miles Teller was one-and-done as Mister Fantastic. For years, there have been rumors that The Office star John Krasinski would be the next founding member of the Fantastic Four — and what do you know? All those mock-ups proved prophetic. It’s an inauspicious introduction for Krasinski, considering he gets annihilated and humiliated by Wanda, but it would be a major flex for Marvel Studios overlord Kevin Feige if he finally solves the Fantastic Four problem.

3. Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier (Professor X)

Remember when Patrick Stewart cannily responded to rumors that he was in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness by saying, “You know, people have been imitating my voice ever since I came on the stage 60 years ago. So, I can’t be held responsible for that.” It was a perfect response, because he wasn’t denying that he would reprise his role as the X-Men leader, but he wasn’t confirming it, either. Well, it turns out he is in the movie, but it’s a different Professor X than the one who last appeared in Logan. This Professor X is the Professor X from the much-beloved X-Men animated series, which ran from 1992 through 1997. That explains the sting from the show’s theme song that we hear when he appears on-screen, and why his hoverchair looks different than in previous movies. You’ll get your day in the sun eventually, Gambit, I swear.

2. Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter (Captain Carter)

It’s always fun to see Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, who got one of the biggest pops from the audience at the theater I saw the movie in. In the Doctor Strange sequel, she appears in her What If…? form as Captain Carter, essentially the British version of Captain America. In this reality, she, not scrawny Steve Rogers, was the First Avenger, but not the first member of the Illuminati to die — she made it pretty far before Scarlet Witch sliced her in half using her Union Jack-emblazoned shield. God save the Captain.

1. Bruce Campbell as Pizza Poppa

Sam Raimi delights in making Bruce Campbell suffer. It’s pretty much the entire reason that the Evil Dead trilogy (including Evil Dead II, one of the greatest horror movies of all-time) exists. “I don’t know what’s entertaining about it, but it gives me a great deal of pleasure,” the Spider-Man director once explained about torturing his long-time buddy. “In this life, we’re supposed to respond to those things that give us bliss, and for me, this is that thing. So I find it to be a very healthy, productive, one-with-the universe-type thing to torment Bruce. And people love to watch his tormentation.” We sure do.

Raimi’s latest victim: Pizza Poppa. After America takes one of his pizza balls thinking they’re free, Doctor Strange casts a spell on the poor street vendor, who will spend the next three weeks continuously punching himself. It’s like a mystical version of “stop hitting yourself.” In the post-credits scene, the spell is broken, a relieved Pizza Poppa looks into the camera, and says, “It’s over!” It’s maybe the best scene in the movie.

Between dispatches about her family and other goings-on, Britney Spears will sometimes use her Instagram to share some spicy photos. Well, she did more of that yesterday, bringing her dog Sawyer in on the fun by posing with him.

In the pictures, Spears, posing sideways for the camera, holds the dog to cover the front of her body while a diamond emoji is tasked with obscuring some of her butt. She capped off the gallery with a stock image of a dog, captioned, “If you love someone, set them free. If you hate someone, set them free. Basically set everyone free and get a dog. People are stupid.”

Spears first posted about Sawyer in February, introducing him by writing, “Geez …. can you have two loves of your lives because he comes in second !!!! I’m introducing the new edition to my family … his name is Sawyer and he’s a white Australian shepherd with blue eyes !!!!! I found him in Maui like a dream and took him home with me immediately. It’s funny … he doesn’t talk back but it’s like he understands what I’m saying !!!! I can talk to him for 30 min about potty training and rewarding him when he goes potty on the pad !!!! I think he understands me especially with those eyes … he makes my heart melt … he needs me and I like that !!!!!”

This comes a few weeks after Spears’ major announcement that her fur-baby will in a few months be joined by an actual human baby because she’s pregnant.

Toosii has a knack for raw and honest ballads that pertain to love. Many of these records focus on his relationship with his longtime girlfriend Samaria Davis, whom he recently announced is pregnant with their first child. You can look to records like “What I’m On” and “Head Over Hills” to show how Toosii views at love and showcases it. After staying low on the music end for some time, Toosii returns with a new track and it sees him back in the pocket that he’s been so comfortable in.

“Keeper” stands as a tender release that Toosii uses to celebrate and praise a woman he plans on spending a lifetime with. The track arrives with a heartfelt visual that captures Toosii writing his thoughts down as the clips of various happy couples appear on the screen. Toosii and Samaria are rightfully amongst the various couples that appear in the video as the latter joins the rapper to show off her baby bump. At the end of the video, Toosii takes a moment to share why he views Samaria as a keeper and his answer goes back to their earlier days as a couple.

The track arrives after Toosii dropped his fifth project Thank You For Believing and its deluxe reissue last year.

You can watch the video for “Keeper” above.

It looks like 2022 will finally be the year that Westside Boogie delivers a new album to the world. The last time he dropped a full-length project, which was 2019’s Everythings For Sale, the Compton rapper went simply by Boogie. Since then, he’s undergone a name change, freestyles over a number of rap’s most popular recent beats, and laid off a few guest verses. In addition to that, Boogie dropped his first official single, “Outside” with Joey Badass, towards the end of 2020 which signified the start of a new chapter in his career. That continues Boogie’s latest release.

Westside Boogie returns with “Stuck” and it’s an honest effort that sees him admit to being confined to his roots. While fame and success might cause some to run away from the responsibilities and dangers of home, Boogie says he’s yet to fully detach himself from his home. “It’s somethin’ ’bout the hood, I love it, I ain’t goin’, no, I’m stuck,” he raps on the song’s chorus.

The new track arrives after Boogie confirmed that his sophomore album will be titled More Black Superheroes. The news was shared through posts from Boogie and his label Shady Records. A release date for the project has yet to be revealed, but “Stuck” and news about More Black Superheroes both arrive after Boogie connected with Shelley fka DRAM for their recent collaboration, “Aight.”

You can check out the video for “Stuck” above.

North Carolina rapper Morray has a lot to be thankful for nowadays. His career took an upward turn at the end of 2020 with the release of his breakout single “Quicksand.” The record gave him the launching pad to deliver a full-length project to the world, something he did in the spring of 2021 with Street Sermons. He later earned a spot on the 2021 XXL Freshman Class which came after he began touring with J. Cole and 21 Savage for the former’s The Off Season tour. With all that’s happened to him, Morray is taking a moment to thank one of his biggest supporters with a new song.

Morray returns with his latest release, “Momma’s Love,” and as you can tell from the song’s title, it’s a record dedicated to his mother. It’s a well-timed release as the song arrives just two days before Mother’s Day, and on it, Morray showers his mother with praise while thanking her for all that she did for him. “My pop wasn’t ’round, my momma gave me examples,” he sings on the new track. “Never had a man to show me things, she gave me some samples.”

The new track arrives after Morray treated his fans with a collection of collaborations. First, he teamed up with Tyla Yaweh for “Hands Up,” then came “Never Fail” with Benny The Butcher, and most recently was “Still Rise” with Cordae.

You can listen to “Momma’s Love” in the video above.

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