On Sunday night, NFL fans around the country were riveted by the absolute bananas game between the Raiders and Chargers that saw L.A. erase a 15-point deficit late in regulation thanks to five fourth down conversions of more than six yards, including a TD on 4th and 21 to force overtime.
At that point, all of the jokes about a possible gentlemen’s agreement to tie the game and send both teams to the playoffs, courtesy of the Colts’ stunning loss to the Jaguars, felt very real. After the two teams kicked field goals on their opening possession, the “tie to win” outcome felt incredibly real, and pretty much everyone outside of Pittsburgh found themselves rooting for the improbable accidental tie after so many jokes about purposefully kneeling the game out.
Ultimately, Vegas won on a last-second field goal from Daniel Carlson, possibly aided by a Chargers timeout after the Raiders seemed fairly content running the ball and risking little in the closing seconds. The Raiders weren’t the only Vegas entity to win on that play, as sportsbook managers down the street and across the country were sweating out a 10-figure loss if the Raiders and Chargers had ended in a tie.
That is because a number of enterprising gamblers realized that you could do some wild same-game parlays and get +186223 odds ($100 to win $186,223) on the ultimate “chaos parlay” of Jaguars ML (+700), Chargers +0.5 alt spread, and Raiders +0.5 alt spread at places like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and others all around the country — simply parlaying Jaguars ML and Chargers/Raiders tie only got you to +12000, but people realized they could game the same game parlay odds to get more than 10x the payout.
@FanDuel please tell me how this bet could possibly win I get it , that if the game was a tie but don’t get how this wins please help me – . pic.twitter.com/KXYIGQXqqT
According to Blake Schuster of BetFTW, the combined liability for sportsbooks around the U.S. on the chaos parlay was north of $1 billion, which is a crazy amount on what would normally be a play that only a handful of degenerates would consider, but thanks to social media and the tie discussion going viral all week, there were an awful lot of people tailing the insane odds available and sportsbooks were deep in the sweats on Sunday night.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending January 7, 2022.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
Gunna — DS4EVER
Otherwise recognized as Drip Season 4, Gunna’s latest release comes a little under two years since his last, Wunna. Not only is his growth as a writer evident, he also expands his collaboration pool, tapping pop singer Chloe, moody trap&B upstart Yung Bleu, and South Florida troublemaker Kodak Black to ride along with Gunna’s usual array of Atlanta trap mainstays like 21 Savage, Future, Lil Baby, and Young Thug. Worth the wait.
When 2 Chainz raps, you listen, because he’s always giving out game.
Azizi Gibson — “Hate To See It” feat. Freddie Gibbs
Alt indie rapper Azizi Gibson teams up with one of his blog era forebears for a woozy meditation on the women who’ve held them down through the years.
Central Cee — “Retail Therapy”
A buzzing up-and-comer from West London, Central Cee advances the UK drill agenda with this standout from his upcoming mixtape, 23.
Cordae — “FABEV Freestyle”
Borrowing the beat from Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 “The Heart Part IV” freestyle, the Maryland native hypes his upcoming album, From A Bird’s Eye View.
Earl Sweatshirt — “Titanic”
All killer, no filler, Earl Sweatshirt returns with the first single from his own upcoming project, which he announced alongside its release.
Kota The Friend — “Dear Fear”
Kota The Friend is just days away from dropping his latest Lyrics To Go mixtape, and each single he’s released so far has lived up to its impressive reputation.
Young T & Bugsey — “Blessings”
The UK rap duo is likely feeling pretty blessed these days after their 2020 single “Don’t Rush” blew up on TikTok, setting the stage for the release of their new project Truth Be Told on a much higher plateau.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
If someone were to ask which member of the Beatles was first to chart a No. 1 hit on the charts after the band’s break-up, would you guess George Harrison? He was, with his song “My Sweet Lord” from his 1970 album “All Things Must Pass.” It would be his biggest hit as a solo artist.
The song is a pop hymn of sorts, with two mantras from different religious traditions—”Hallelujah” from Christianity and “Hare Krishna” from Hinduism—alternating throughout. According to songfacts.com, Harrison wanted to convey that the two phrases were essentially the same, both calling out to God.
As Harrison explained in the documentary “The Material World”: “First, it’s simple. The thing about a mantra, you see… mantras are, well, they call it a mystical sound vibration encased in a syllable. It has this power within it. It’s just hypnotic.”
The song is simple, sweet and spiritual, hitting on some of the most fundamental elements of being human, which may explain its popularity. And now, a star-studded music video for the song is prompting reflection about the song’s meaning.
Directed by Lance Bangs and executive produced by Dhani Harrison and David Zonshine, the video stars Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayer as agents who have been asked by their superior, played by Mark Hamill, to “search for that which can’t be seen.” Patton Oswalt, Taika Waititi, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Rosanna Arquette, Jon Hamm and others—including Ringo Starr—make cameo appearances in the video.
Harrison’s wife, Olivia, and son, Dhani, also appear in the video, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Watch:
People are loving the video, both for the reminder of what a good song it is and for the interpretation of how we can find what we’re seeking—God or truth or enlightenment—in the simple things that are right in front of us.
“The search never ends,” wrote one commenter. “Sometimes we look but we never see. Sometimes we see but we don’t understand. We hear, but do we listen? Life is up for grabs.”
“I think the spirit in which the video is made is George’s philosphy,” wrote another. “People with high tech looking for answers. But they’re constantly in the dark. The answer is not in a book. Turn on the light. Stop wandering around the world. The answers are in front of you but you’re not paying attention. You just need to tune in the message.”
“George has been gone 20 years, this song is 50 years old, and yet here we are watching a new music video for it featuring a ton of people famous actors and musicians,” wrote one person. “It just goes to show you the power of George’s music and the depth to which it is a part of us.”
Thousands of comments have poured in from people who are moved by “My Sweet Lord” and the message of the video five decades after the song was released, showing the true timelessness of Harrison’s mark on the world.
One of the most powerful commandments attributed to Jesus Christ is to “love thy neighbor as thy would thyself.” These words are a lot easier to say than put into action. But the pandemic provides a perfect opportunity for people to do so.
The best way someone can show their love for themselves and their neighbors during the current crisis is to get a coronavirus vaccination. A vaccination helps people protect themselves by making them less likely to get the virus and face hospitalization. It also makes it less likely for them to spread the virus to others.
It also helps reduce the stress on our strained healthcare system and frontline workers.
Pope Francis stressed this point on Monday in a speech his advisors accredited to the Holy See, an event that lays out the Vatican’s foreign policy goals for the year.
Previously, the pope had called getting vaccinated an “act of love” and that it was “suicidal” to refuse a vaccine. In Catholicism, suicide is one of the worst acts a person can commit.
On Monday, he further pushed his followers to get vaccinated by referencing Christ’s call to “love thy neighbor” by saying that getting vaccinated shows “respect for the health of those around us. Health care is a moral obligation,” he asserted.
The pope also took dead aim at the politicians and opportunists who’ve spread misinformation about vaccines. “Frequently people let themselves be influenced by the ideology of the moment, often bolstered by baseless information or poorly documented facts,” he said, adding that people need a dose of “reality therapy.”
He made clear that vaccines are the most effective tools we have to combat the deadly virus.
“Vaccines are not a magical means of healing, yet surely they represent, in addition to other treatments that need to be developed, the most reasonable solution for the prevention of the disease,” he added.
The pope holds incredible sway over the 1.3 billion Catholics living around the world so it’s wonderful that he uses his pulpit to combat misinformation and to encourage people to look out for themselves and one another by getting vaccinated. That could be why Catholics have some of the highest percentages of vaccine acceptance among religious people.
A recent PRRI-IFYC survey found that 80% of U.S. Catholics support vaccination, with only 7% as “vaccine refusers.”
That number runs counter to white evangelical Christians who are among the most vaccine-hesitant of all religious groups. Recent studies show that somewhere between 30 to 40% of them refuse to get vaccinated.
The discrepancy between two different groups of Christians shows the importance that religious leaders can have over their congregants. A study published by Deseret News found that “82% of religious attenders with pro-vaccine pastors are fully vaccinated, compared to 58% of religious attenders with faith leaders who are either anti-vax or avoid the topic of vaccines.”
Hollywood has long been in the habit of remaking movies from other countries, especially if they do something they tend to do only better. But somehow no studio ever got around to remaking The Raid, the bonkers 2011 action movie from Indonesia, which is essentially one mind-blowing shoot-‘em’-up or fight scene after another. (There was an aborted attempt in the mid-aughts.) That, finally, belatedly, is about to change.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, no less than Michael Bay is producing a Netflix redo of the movie, which concerns a rookie cop (Iko Uwais) literally fighting for his life in a tenement overrun by a ruthless mob and their neverending army of tireless killers. Bay himself won’t be directing. Instead, that job will go to Patrick Hughes, whose credits include both The Hitman’s Bodyguard and its recent sequel, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, plus the forthcoming The Man from Toronto, with Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson.
Hughes specializes in action comedies, but there’s not much humor in The Raid, nor in its equally gory sequel. Once our hero enters the tenement building, every other scene that follows is a sweaty, bloody fight to death between a revolving door cast of martial arts masters. America doesn’t have a ton of those, but this remake does have an ace up its sleeve: Bay and team are moving the action to Philadelphia, the suddenly and deservedly in-vogue metropolis, whose regional charms worked like gangbusters last year with Mare of Easttown. As long as the fighters get the accents right and occasionally grab some Wawa coffee, then this should probably work out gangbusters.
With their unique blend of jazz-inflected R&B, LA-based trio Moonchild have put out incredibly sensual music across their first four albums. The band have collaborated with both Robert Glasper and Rapsody in the past, and they’re channeling this spirit of collaboration across a good portion of their upcoming fifth album, Starfruit, due out on February 11th. The album sports tracks with Rapsody, Alex Isley, Tank & The Bangas, Ill Camille, and on the just-released album opening single, “Tell Him,” featuring Grammy-winning singer Lalah Hathaway.
Hathaway and Moonchild’s Amber Navran complement each other vocally incredibly well, while instrumentalists Andris Mattson and Max Bryk creating a sultry soundscape of bass, keys and a gentle swath of synths. The two vocalists splash in the stellar musical canvas, singing about an impasse in a relationship and trying to surpass a communication breakdown. It’s another fine production in Moonchild’s world of jazzy R&B that makes you want to come closer to the object of your affection.
Listen to “Tell Him” featuring Lalah Hathaway above. Check out the album artwork and tracklist for Starfruit below and peep Moonchild’s global tour dates here.
Moonchild
1. “Tell Him” featuring Lalah Hathaway
2. “Takes Two”
3. “Little Things”
4. “You Got One” featuring Alex Isley
5. “Too Good”
6. “Need That” featuring Ill Camille
7. “I’ll Be Here”
8. “Get By” featuring Tank & The Bangas
9. “What You Wanted”
10. “Love i Need” featuring Rapsody
11. “By Now”
12. “Don’t Hurry Home” featuring Mumu Fresh
13. “Last Time”
14. “The Long Way” featuring Chantae Cann and Josh Johnson
Starfruit is out on 02/11 via Tru Thoughts. Pre-order it here.
Everyone that’s played Pokémon Go has probably at some point in their life played it when they shouldn’t have. Maybe they pulled their phone out while at work and played a few rounds, or they might’ve even left work for a bit to go play but managed to sneak back in with nobody the wiser as to what they were doing. The thing is, most people who have done this before were probably not police officers, and when they chose to step out of work they likely were not ignoring calls of a robbery that was currently taking place.
If that example sounds very specific that’s because that’s exactly what two Los Angeles Police Department officers did. In recently released court documents, it was unveiled that two officers chose to ignore a robbery that was in progress so they could go chase a Snorlax. Then, after supposedly capturing the Snorlax, they doubled down and went after a Togetic. While many Pokémon Go players can probably relate to the desire to go catch a Snorlax and Togetic, doing so instead of responding to a robbery is probably not the wisest move.
The reason this information is available to us is because the two officers who were fired are currently appealing their termination of employment. Listed among the reasons why they’re appealing is because they weren’t actually playing the game, but were instead “relaying that information to groups” on their app. This rebuttal is, of course, ignoring that the likely reason they were terminated had to do less with what they were doing specifically while playing Pokémon Go and more that they were actively doing something involved with the game rather than doing their job in a critical moment.
For anyone that’s surprised to find out Pokémon Go is still being played all these years later, the game itself has managed to get even more addictive since it was first released back in 2016. Gyms were buffed up, there’s hundreds of new Pokemon to capture, and there are raids everywhere. It’s still a really fun game and in a large city like Los Angeles it can be a great way to get around town, maybe get in some exercise, and find tons of raid partners to capture Pokémon with. Just maybe don’t do that while on the clock, especially as a member of the LAPD.
But others aren’t so quick to forgive him. When Wallen made a surprise appearance on the Grand Ole Opry this weekend, when an artist he’s collaborated and written with, Ernest, was performing. Ernest is a co-writer on Wallen’s “More Than My Hometown” hit, and the pair recently released the collaboration “Flower Shops,” so naturally, Ernest invited Wallen to perform that tune with him on the Opry stage. While the Opry itself seemed to welcome the surprise, others artists criticized the institution for tacitly co-signing Wallen. Jason Isbell, in particular, has spoken out about the situation. Early on, Wallen covered Isbell’s incredible song, “Cover Me Up,” so naturally Jason feels the need to speak out, and he even donated all the proceeds from Wallen’s version to the NAACP.
“Last night @opry you had a choice- either upset one guy and his ‘team,’ or break the hearts of a legion of aspiring Black country artists,” Isbell wrote. “You chose wrong and I’m real sad for a lot of my friends today. Not surprised though. Just sad. The thing that really upsets me is bigger than one person’s words. It’s the idea of a young Black artist walking into that venue and wondering if ANYBODY is on their side. What a lot of us consider to be a grand ole honor can be terrifying for some. Doesn’t have to be that way.”
Last night @opry you had a choice- either upset one guy and his “team,” or break the hearts of a legion of aspiring Black country artists. You chose wrong and I’m real sad for a lot of my friends today. Not surprised though. Just sad.
The thing that really upsets me is bigger than one person’s words. It’s the idea of a young Black artist walking into that venue and wondering if ANYBODY is on their side. What a lot of us consider to be a grand ole honor can be terrifying for some. Doesn’t have to be that way. https://t.co/pxtSQjimoG
So grateful for you and your advocacy,Holly.I feel heartbroken. I was so proud to debut @opry last May & overjoyed that @amythystkiah & @TheValerieJune also debuted in 2021 — it felt like a long overdue shift toward greater inclusivity-beyond tokenism…this is such a backslide
the rot of bigotry permeating mainstream country is rough. But take as #bellhooks said “Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognize your power-not because they don’t see it, but because they see it & they don’t want it to exist.” #allamericana
A group called the Black Opry, founded by Holly G and described as “a home for Black artists and Black fans of country, blues, folk, and Americana music” also issued an open letter to the Opry about the incident. You can check that out in full below.
In the interest of transparency I would like you all to know that this letter was shared with the Opry this morning, via email. We may not get the answers we want, but we will be heard. https://t.co/nZY9lTYHtp
Brittany Bowe, 33, couldn’t bear to go to the Beijing Winter Olympics without her “skatesister” Erin Jackson, 29, so she did one of the most generous things an athlete could ever imagine. She gave up her spot in the Olympics and gave it to her.
Jackson had an unfortunate bumble in the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Trials in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Friday in the 500-meter race. The misstep caused her to drop to third place on Team USA behind Bowe and second-place finisher Kimi Goetz.
Before the slip, Jackson was the No. 1 ranked skater in the event.
Only two U.S. women are guaranteed Olympic berths. Although there is a small chance that a third spot could be reallocated from another nation.
Bowe, who already qualified for the Olympics in the 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter thought Jackson deserved the spot more than she, so she relinquished it to her teammate.
“I didn’t want to have this moment without Erin out there,” Bowe said according to HuffPost. “I called her late this morning and said that I wanted to officially give her her spot. In my heart, there was never a question.”
“It’s the right thing to do,” Bowe told NBC Sports. “There’s not a doubt in my mind that she wouldn’t do the same thing for me.”
“Erin has a shot to bring home a medal u2013 hopefully a gold medal u2013 and itu2019s my honor to give her that opportunity. Sheu2019s earned it and she deserves it.”nn@BrittanyBowe on her decision to give up her Olympic spot in the 500m to her friend @ErinJackson480. @USSpeedskating @OnHerTurfpic.twitter.com/JaT58YCQ3s
Jackson was moved by the selfless gesture. “I’m just incredibly grateful. Really humbled,” she said. Before she was given a spot on the team she was distraught over the misstep. “I couldn’t turn my brain off,” Jackson said. “It’s been really stressful, being in limbo for so long and just disappointed because I was really excited to show a good race.”
The Beijing Olympics will be the third for Bowe and second for Jackson, who became the first Black woman to make the U.S. Olympic long track speed skating team.
History in Milwaukee! Erin Jackson has become the first African-American female long track Olympic speedskater! #WinterOlympics #BestOfUSpic.twitter.com/ngt0aSes5l
The two skaters are both from Ocala, Florida, and have forged a close bond over the years. They both started inline skating alongside three-time Olympian Joey Mantia.
“We have a photo of Erin standing between myself and Joey,” Bowe said, “and she comes up to maybe our chest. We go back very far.”
Bowe believes that her display of generosity is what the games are all about. “This is bigger than just me. This is the Olympic Games and it’s about Team USA and giving everybody the opportunity to showcase what they got,” she said.
Ultimately, Jackson hopes that this saga will end with the two of them winning medals together.
“I was kind of given this gift from a very close friend of mine,” Jackson said according to USA Today. “And it would be awesome for both of us to be able to stand on the top of the podium in our races and just kind of share that moment.”
The 2022 Winter Olympics will take place from February 4 to 20 in Beijing and venues near Yanqing and Chongli in the People’s Republic of China.
Even though it’s one of (if not the) most popular craft beer styles in the US, there’s no more divisive beer than the IPA. It’s like the cilantro of beer. In fact, for a lot of beer drinkers, some overly hopped IPAs do indeed taste like dish soap (the problem that “supertasters” have with cilantro).
Even though there are different versions of the IPA (West Coast, New England, milkshake, etc.) with various levels of hop bitterness, there’s still a divide. And to be fair, there are a lot of misses out there that can turn even IPA lovers off. This is why your first IPA — or the IPA you try in an effort to finally convert — must be a complex, flavorful beer that’s still well-balanced.
To find these gems, we asked a handful of well-known brewers, beer professionals, and craft beer experts to tell us the best IPAs for absolute newcomers (and maybe those wishing to give the beer style another try). Let’s dive in!
Old Nation M-43
Old Nation
Erika Wojno, US director of marketing at BrewDog in Columbus, Ohio
I’m going to give some love to my home state and go with Old Nation’s M-43. It’s a New England-style IPA, so a more modern spin. But I quite enjoy the tropical fruits and light, balanced bitterness.
This year I’ll definitely be making it a point to find the seasonal strawberry version when it’s released.
Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion
Firestone Walker
John Montes De Oca, co-head brewer at Barebottle Brewery in San Francisco
Firestone Walker is a master of blending hops in a synergistic way, and they show that off in their rotating Luponic Distortion. Luponic Distortion is always fruit-forward with a restrained bitterness and an ABV that makes it the perfect IPA to drink multiples of. The best part is that they rotate which hops they use so you are always getting a new experience.
You’d swear they put fruit in it, making it the perfect gateway IPA.
Swami’s IPA from Pizza Port is a must-have for anyone getting into IPAs. First brewed in 1992, it has become a staple in the craft beer scene in Southern California. A West Coast IPA brewed with all the “C” hops (Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, Citra, CTZ) and Simcoe, it comes across with a catty, citrusy, piney aroma and flavor that defines the style.
Classics are classic. The history of the American IPA is wrapped up in this beauty of a beer that has pine and citrus with a malty backbone. Every American IPA brewed after this beer came out only stood a chance because of this beer.
This season it’s all about Sierra Nevada Celebration. Probably the most basic beer industry answer, but with good reason. It has a lovely bouquet of bright hop flavors of pine and citrus, anchored by the right dollop of malt balance.
Truth by Rhinegeist Brewery is a classic IPA that hits all the right notes for me. The hops offer a mix of old and new-school IPA flavors with orange, grapefruit, passionfruit, and guava. The bitterness is present without being aggressive and would be an excellent introduction to new and old IPA drinkers alike.
Green City by Other Half because they’re generally pretty low in bitterness. Hazy/New England-style IPAs are a great way to introduce the novice drinker to the letters “IPA.” Other Half owns this space.
Fruity, dank, and delicious, this beer is the entrance to the rabbit hole.
Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale
Bell
Connor Klopcic, director of brewing operations at Perrin Brewing in Comstock Park, Michigan
Two Hearted by Bell’s Brewery is a classic for a reason. It’s a great representation of an all-centennial IPA that drinks great and covers the high ABV well. A perfect beer for beginners that you’ll continue drinking for years to come.
This year-round offering from Springdale (the offshoot of Jack’s Abby) is a classic IPA in every facet without being overwhelming in any. It’s filled with bright citrus flavors, tropical fruits, and a slight bitterness that won’t scare away even IPA novices.
This seven percent ABV IPA is a great example of the New England style done right. Brewed with Citra, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops, it’s highlighted by flavors of dank pine needles, sweet wheat, mango, guava, and nice, slightly tart tangerine. The finish is a great combination of fruity sweetness and light hop bitterness.
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