For Adidas, the brand found itself in an intense legal battle with shareholder HRSA-ILA Funds. But their class-action lawsuit has supposedly come to an end. According to AllHipHop, on August 16, a judge dismissed the suit, stating that Adidas could not be held responsible for Ye’s comments.
“Certainly, that Ye allegedly engaged in such behavior while working with adidas is troubling,” said Judge Karin J. Immergut. “This Court does not condone what Ye allegedly did. But the question before this Court is not whether to admonish Ye or hold Adidas morally accountable for Ye’s conduct.”
In court documents, the entity accused Adidas of misleading investors through its fiscal year 2018-2021 risk disclosure comments in its annual statements; its diversity, equity and inclusion statements; and in the European Union’s Non-Financial Reporting Directive and the independent Global Reporting Initiative’s sustainability framework.
But Immergut argued that opposite. “This Court is faced with a precise legal question: has [HRSA-ILA Funds] sufficiently pleaded facts showing that Adidas misled investors and thereby committed federal securities fraud,” she said. “On the current record before this Court, the answer is no.”
HRSA-ILA Funds also claimed Adidas “was aware of the volatile potential of its partnership with Kanye West.” But proceeded anyway without alerting investors of “Ye’s increasingly erratic behavior,” which supposedly led to “artificially inflated stock prices”.
Contrarily, the judge made reference to a 2020 Business Partner Risk disclosure shared with investors that acknowledged potential fallout from unethical behavior by business partners such as Ye. Within the document, measures to “manage such risks” by way of contract clauses (to suspend or terminate partnerships) were clearly outlined.
Although this is a major victory for the brand, reports of the revenue loss and heaps of unsold merchandisee will surely make it difficult for anyone to celebrate. On the other hand, Ye has seemed to reposition himself. At the 2024 Super Bowl, Ye secured a commercial slot to advertise the Yeezy brand on what appeared to be a website operated by his team.
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 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.
Since the last update of this weekly R&B column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists.
Usher announced rescheduled dates for his Past Present Future Tour after doctor’s orders sidelined him for a few days. Janet Jackson detailed list of her very talented family tree while Rihanna teased her new Savage X Fenty collection. Elsewhere, Ella Mai seemingly gave birth to her first child with Jayson Tatum, as an 2024 Olympics video revealed.
Here are the new releases you need to have your eye on this week:
Tinashe — Quantum Baby
Tianshe caps off one of the most successful eras in her career with the release of her seventh album Quantum Baby. The project is a short one, with just eight songs to its name — just like her 2023 album BB/Angel. Quantum Baby is highlighted by “Nasty” and “Getting No Sleep” as well as sweet album cuts like “No Broke Boys” and “Red Flags.”
Coco Jones — “Sweep It Up”
Coco Jones is on a roll right now. She’s shining in season three of Bel-Air and she just released her cover of Princess Tiana’s “Almost There.” With the momentum in her favor, Jones returns with “Sweep It Up,” a confident and bouncy single that’s reminiscent of the R&B bops from the 2000s. The track is a warning to those about the consequences of playing with someone else’s heart and how someone will take of a heart you damaged.
Mary J. Blige — “Breathing” Feat. Fabolous
After the success of 2022’s Good Morning Gorgeous, Mary J. Blige seems to be readying another album. The Power Book II: Ghost actress returns with “Breathing,” her second single since her Grammy nominated album. The track features Fabolous and is carried by a sample of Biggie’s “Kick In The Door” and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell On You” as she sings about being happiness and continuing to live in it.
Dylan Sinclair — “Forever”
Toronto singer Dylan Sinclair announced his debut album For The Boy In Me and its release date with the project’s third single “Forever.” The 2023 JUNO Award winner will release the album on September 27 with previous singles “Lemon Trees” and “I Love My Ex.” Of the new single, Sinclair said, “‘Forever’ is about defying all odds, standing strong together despite external pressures, and cherishing an unbreakable bond; a celebration of a love that is defiant, loyal, and everlasting.”
Jabari — “Weekend Drive”
With his debut EP on the way, singer and actor Jabari (best known for his role as Will Smith on Bel-Air) unveils the second single from the upcoming project. “Weekend Drive” is a laid-back and sultry record that captures the feeling of an intimate moment between two lovers. It’s a sweet balance between R&B and pop that emphasize the multi-talent that Jabari is.
RINI — “Your Ecstasy”
RINI’s third EP Lucky 7 is set to arrive on September 6, and with that announcement comes the singer’s latest single “Your Ecstasy.” The track is a breezy blend of R&B and psychedelic alt-rock that makes for the perfect late-night record. It’s a sultry tune that stands out as another highlight in his discography.
Kyle Dion — “Cum Again?”
Kyle Dion is not one to color in the lines and his latest single “Cum Again?” is a perfect example of that. The funky single puts Dion’s charm and confidence on full display in the most fearless and provocative ways. “This song embodies everything that I stand for – sex, love, fun,” Dion says about the singer. “It’s a meaningful record to me as it gives a more mature sound as compared to my previous records, while still embodying that playful and cheeky energy”
Juls — “Perspective” Feat. Masego
Slowly, yet surely, British-Ghanaian producer Juls has put out a collection of impressive collaborations in 2024 ahead of what we hope is a future project. “Perspective” with Masego is the latest in that collection as Juls and Uncle Sego bring their undeniable talents together for a joyous track that advocates for travel, exploration, and finding love in the midst of all of it.
Avenoir — “Favour”
Edmonton singer Avenoir finds his groove on his latest single “Favour.” With 2000s R&B serving as the inspiration for the song, Avenoir aims to prove why he would be an ideal partner for a woman he has his eye on.
Chase Shakur & Destin Laurel — “Passenger Seat Princess”
Atlanta singer Chase Shakur continues his hot streak by taking his talents up north for the Jersey bounce-inspired track “Passenger Seat Princess” with Destin Laurel. Shakur’s falsetto vocals steer the uptempo track as he admits to not wanting to let go of a new woman in his life.
Isaia Huron — I’ll Finish The Lyrics Later
South Carolina singer Isaia Huron’s latest project I’ll Finish The Lyrics Later is one that he didn’t plan to put out originally. “I originally created them in my father’s church, just putting them on SoundCloud without any real plans to share them further,” he said in a press release. “But as people started to connect with the music, I thought, why not?” He goes on to say that the project embraces “the unfinished and the evolving nature of creating music.” Despite this, the nine songs that make up I’ll Finish The Lyrics Later do a great job of showcasing Huron’s improving talents.
Jack Harlow has joined the wave of entertainers supporting women’s sports, joining the ownership group of his hometown’s NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) team, the Louisville Racing FC. Harlow was already a member of the Louisville City FC ownership group, so now he’s got a piece of both of his hometown soccer clubs. Racing Louisville FC was founded four years ago, in 2019, and played their first season in 2021, giving Harlow entry on the ground floor.
Louisville native Jack Harlow has officially joined the ownership for NWSL club Racing Louisville FC pic.twitter.com/qLmomFmZDY
Harlow’s investment could turn out to be a smart one. The NWSL’s viewership has been growing since its return in 2021, a number that is sure to grow thanks to the addition of its players to the FIFA video game series. With it, Harlow could end up being a fixture at future games, and an example for other entertainers looking to support women’s sports.
Asake’s North American takeover continues with his Lungu Boy World Tour. The Nigerian superstar is promoting his third album, also titled Lungu Boy which is out now via EMPIRE/YBNL Nation and features appearances from Central Cee, Ludmilla, Stormzy, Travis Scott, and Wizkid. You can see his full setlist below, courtesy of fans on TikTok who attended his Washington, DC show on August 16.
In addition to performing songs from his new album on the Lungu Boy tour, Asake also performs tracks from his 2022 studio debut, Mr. Money With The Vibe (“Terminator,” “Peace Be Unto You,” “Muse,” “Joha,” “Sungba”), and its 2023 follow-up Work Of Art (“Amapiano,” “Basquiat,” “Lonely At The Top,” “Remember” and “2:30”). Breakout features “Palazzo” (on which Asake featured alongside DJ Spinall) and “Bandana” (with Fireboy DML) also appear in the setlist, bridging the gaps from Asake’s earliest hits to his latest full-length release.
08/18 — Detroit, MI @ AfroNation^
08/21 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
08/24 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
08/27 — Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater
08/30 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/15 — Cologne, DE @ Palladium
09/24 — Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live
09/26 — Berlin, DE @ UberEats Music Hall
09/28 — Paris, FR @ Zenith
10/01 — Dublin, IE @ 3Arena
10/06 — Gold Coast, AU @ Promiseland*^
Both critics and audiences agree that Alien: Romulus adds to the overall lore to the right degree while also dealing out easter eggs for those who want callback thrills in addition to those elicited by Xenomorphs.
The Fede Álvarez-helmed sci-fi/horror flick thrilled theatergoers this past opening weekend to the tune of $108 million globally (and $41 million domestically), but if you aren’t necessarily holding out for that mother of a popcorn bucket, then you might want to know the details of how this interquel (occurring between between Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens) will arrive on streaming.
When (And Where) Will Alien: Romulus Come Out On Streaming?
Alien: Romulus has a pandemic-muddled history in that the movie was originally planned for a straight-to-Hulu release (as Álvarez put it to Variety, “That decision was not made at the point where theaters were healthy”) like Predator-offshoot Prey, which arrived in 2022. That movie, starring Amber Midthunder, actually broke a significant Hulu record, which was likely a reason why sibling-creature feature Alien: Romulus received even more theatrical consideration once theaters began bouncing back.
Álvarez further revealed that he made the change-of-plans announcement on set, “and there was a big cheer.” He added, “I was like, wow, even the gaffer cares that this goes into theaters!” And the rest is Xenomorphic history.
As for the when, don’t expect this to hit Hulu (which will be its initial streaming-platform home) until anywhere between 90-120 days after theatrical release. In all likelihood, the film will hit VOD slightly before the Hulu arrival happens, but until you can watch at home in your preferred way, you can always stream the other Alien movies again.
Maryland native Wale has long been one of hip-hop’s most well-known sneakerheads. His breakout 2007, “Nike Boots,” was an ode to one of his beloved DMV Area’s favorite footwear staples, he’s got one of the largest, most renowned sneaker collections of just about anyone in hip-hop, and he’s had a couple of high-profile collabs with athletic shoe brands like Asics and Saucony. But despite all this, somehow, he’s never actually gotten to do an official team-up with the biggest sneaker brand of all, Nike. Until now.
Wale and Nike just announced their first-ever collab, the Nike Air Foamposite One in a “DMV Cherry Blossom” colorway, with a poetic trailer narrated by Wale and showcasing some of the other hallmarks of Capital City culture such as mumbo sauce and streetball. The sneakers, which the DMV has wholeheartedly embraced since their debut in the late 1990s, will be available at select locations throughout the DC/Maryland/Virginia area beginning on August 23. They are the second pair of Foams to pay tribute to the region’s everlasting love of the silhouette popularized by Orlando Magic point guard Penny Hardaway.
Meanwhile, the former Uproxx cover star recently announced his next album, Every Blue Moon alongside, dates for its accompanying tour. See below for more info regarding the release of the DMV Cherry Blossom Nike Air Foamposite One.
Somewhere – Navy Yard
A Ma Maniere – H Street
Major – Georgetown
Ward 9 – Silver Spring
City Beats – MLK – SE DC
City Gear Florida Ave – NE DC
Social Status – Baltimore
DTLR – Rhode Island Place – N
DTLR Iverson – Maryland DLR Senator Square – NE
DTLR Mondawmin Baltimore
House of Hoops (hoh) – Fashion Centre Mall, Arlington, VA
Mall @ PG – Hyattsville, MD
The classic Blink-182 lineup (Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker) has been back together for a little while now, and the dropped their latest album, One More Time…, in 2023. The title could be interpreted as indicating the LP is a final farewell for the band. Well, we now know that this is not the case.
Back on July 22, Barker tweeted, “Who’s ready for One More Time part 2.” Then, yesterday (August 18), he wrote, “One More Time Part 2 turned in mixed and mastered for you guys [present emoji] @blink182.”
Then, the band made the official announcement today: One More Time… Part 2 is a deluxe edition that adds eight new songs to the original album, and it’s set for September 6. A new tune called “All In My Head” will be shared on Friday, August 23.
Last Thursday, August 15, Destroy Lonely posted what we now know to be album cover art alongside the caption, “LOVE LASTS FOREVER 8/30/2024 #blakamerika.” The official Love Lasts Forever album announcement came on Monday, August 19.
“Hope y’all love this as much as we do, took [about] a year to get right,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on August 15.
According to a press release, “Love Lasts Forever represents a pivotal moment in Lonely’s career, showcasing his growth as an artist and storyteller with its innovative and genre-defying sound.” Lil 88 executive produced the album. As of this writing, Destroy Lonely hasn’t shared the tracklist.
The Atlanta-bred artist continued hyping his sophomore LP on Monday, sharing on X that there are “two different versions of this project” and fans “will hear both.” He added in another post, “10 days, blakamerika top floor business. Its Lit. Im too excited.”
Destroy Lonely released If Looks Could Kill, his debut full-length album, on May 5, 2023. The album debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard albums chart.
Love Lasts Forever is out 8/30 via Opium/Interscope Records. Find more information here.
It’s a fun coincidence that two of the most exciting breakout stars of 2024 were born in the same part of Missouri within months of each other. Willard and Springfield — not New York or Los Angeles or Miami, but Willard and Springfield, Missouri, with a combined population of under 180,000 — are the birthplaces of Chappell Roan (Willard) and Cailee Spaeny (Springfield). One is the biggest non-Taylor Swift pop star of the moment, who is drawing record–breaking crowds, while the other is having a Glen Powell-like run of popular, critically-acclaimed movies but with only half the attention. It’s time to change that.
Born on July 24, 1998, Spaeny started in local theater before she made her on-screen debut in 2016’s short film Counting to 1000 (you can watch the crime-thriller on Vimeo). Two years later, she had a small role in Pacific Rim Uprising, but made enough of an impression to be one of the few good things about the otherwise-disappointing Pacific Rim sequel. With a knowing sense of humor, she explained what happened next to the New York Times: “This fresh-faced little girl comes to town. She’s from the Midwest, she’s got a bit of an accent, bright-eyed, bushy tailed. They jump on that opportunity.”
Suddenly, Spaeny was booking parts in quick succession — Dakota Johnson’s sister in Bad Times at the El Royale, a young Lynne Cheney in Best Picture nominee Vice, one of the teen witches in The Craft Legacy, as well as roles in FX’s Devs and HBO’s Mare of Easttown — but she was still a relative unknown.
Then came Priscilla, the exquisite and poignant biopic of Priscilla and Elvis Presley that earned Spaeny serious Oscar buzz (she was snubbed, but she did receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama). Director Sofia Coppolla was intimidated by the prospect of casting someone “that could believably pull off a journey from the age of 14 to 29,” as she told Deadline, but when she met Spaeney, “I found her to be thoughtful and sensitive.” An endorsement from Kirsten Dunst helped, too.
“Kirsten said how talented she was and how great she was to work with,” Coppola said. Spaeny and Dunst worked together on Alex Garland’s Civil War, which is quietly one of the major box office success stories of the year. A24’s mid-budget feature (which started filming before Priscilla but came out after) grossed over $120 million at the box office on a $50 million budget, but more importantly, like Glen Powell being attached to Tom Cruise’s hip while making Top Gun: Maverick, Spaeney found a movie star mentor in Dunst.
Unlike the dynamic between photojournalists Lee and Jessie in Civil War, Spaeney has learned the right lessons from Dunst. The Bring It On / The Virgin Suicides / Spider-Man / Melancholia / The Power of the Dog (the list could keep going) actress has stayed in the public eye for as long as she has with her ability to star in both emotionally complex indies and blockbusters appealing to the broadest audience possible, and now Spaeney can say the same thing.
There’s decades of expectations that come with playing the female lead in an Alien movie; Sigourney Weaver probably would have become a star no matter what, yet Ripley made her an icon. But Spaeney crushes it in Alien: Romulus. She commands the screen when she’s shooting a big gun at a bunch of wet aliens, and her scenes with David Jonsson’s robot brother Andy are genuinely touching. Plus, she looks cool as hell. The reception to Alien: Romulus has been divisive (I liked it, except for one thing I hated), but everyone agrees that Spaeney’s Rain does Ripley justice with her performance.
Science-fiction, action, drama, comedy, horror, mystery. There’s not one path Spaeney is drawn to. She wants to try it all. “Going from Civil War to Priscilla, and then Alien: Romulus,” she explained to Empire, “those are completely different films in every way. I’m trying to flip it on its head all the time to keep things interesting.” It’s a similar, refreshingly Marvel-free path as Powell, who bounced from crowd-pleasing sequel Top Gun Maverick to rom-com Anyone But You to the darkly funny Hit Man to disaster film Twisters in short order. It’s not time to make Cailee Spaeny happen. It’s already happening.
For her part, Spaeny is fine with keeping a low profile; she’s not even sure if Movie Star is in her future. “This could really easily be a chapter of my life and not my whole life,” she told the New York Times. “There’s only so many tricks an actor has up their sleeve.” And maybe that’s a part of what makes her such a special talent for this moment. We’re inundated by people who want to take over the world and drive the culture, but sometimes decisions made in pursuit of celebrity wind up making bad movies or forcing cringe moments. There’s such a thing as being too thirsty for fame. Maybe what we all need is someone who just wants to enjoy the ride and do cool sh*t.
Hopefully Spaeny will continue to do cool sh*t for as many summers as she wants.
Usually, a two-year gap between seasons is both customary (in the streaming age) and frustrating to viewers. Any resulting impatience would also ordinarily be the case for an FX series that has shades of both John Wick and Taken, two vengeance-focused action worlds that have viewers eagerly coming back for more, and sure, Jeff Bridges devotees are slightly impatient to see more of him in decades-spanning thriller-espionage series The Old Man. However, Bridges has had a hell of a time lately, which makes two years look like a fast turnaround. He recovered from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after shooting the first season with a sizable tumor inside his stomach.
The Dude cannot stay down for long. Bridges now returns for more gripping action (and realistic action, as we will soon discuss) as ex-CIA operative Dan Chase, and fortunately, Bridges insists that he’s “feeling great now.” He’s also now acting alongside John Lithgow as Harold Harper as the two characters unite for a mission, so let’s roll into what to expect from the second season.
Plot
FX
As The Old Man‘s new trailer reveals, this season will bring back a key attraction: realistic action for a 75-year-old former assassin, who has still got “it,” but he’s slower and cannot exactly bash together heads like an Arnold Schwarzenegger character would do. As Bridges and executive producer Warren Littlefield have further hinted, the series will head “deep into Afghanistan” (with or without dogs, but Rottweilers will be present), and as the trailer previews, Dan and Harold (who is surely feeling outside of his cushier element right now) will attempt to retrieve Emily Chase/Angela (Alia Shawkat) from the clutches of warlord Faraz Hamzad. However, that trailer also suggests that perhaps she might not be so willing to be rescued.
That apparent turn of events jibes with FX’s second-season synopsis, which operates under the clusterf*ck of “all three men” (Dan, Harold, and Faraz) “claiming her as their daughter.” Cue an identity crisis and more chaos:
As Chase and Harper fight their way to get to Emily, Hamzad is forced to make decisions that could endanger his family and the village he has led faithfully for a lifetime. Khadija, Hamzad’s sister and trusted advisor, is concerned about the path her brother has taken and what it will cost them. As the stakes get higher and more secrets are uncovered, Zoe McDonald makes surprising moves after having been drawn into a new world by Chase….
The series is, of course, is based upon Thomas Perry’s 2017 same-named book, which paints layers of Dan Chase’s history and parties whose motives are not as they appear to be. The trailer suggests that Dan’s own “painting” will bite him in the butt this season, although to be semi-fair, Dan would have preferred that he would have never come back from his off-the-grid lifestyle in the first place. The fallout from the resulting confrontations will surely lead back into the show’s lingering question of who the “old man” of the show’s title will actually turn out to be.
As the aforementioned trailer also reveals, Amy Brenneman’s Zoe seems to be enjoying her changed lifestyle more than expected. As Brenneman has elaborated, “She’s an outsider” to Dan’s world, but “[s]he’s an American woman living in the twenty-first century. Her life is just as complex. She has to shape-shift and dissemble just as much as any spy to get through her day.”
By the way, the show’s resemblance to John Wick is pure coincidence but a welcome development, considering that John Wick was written about a 75-year-old ex-assassin ahead of Keanu Reeves joining the project.
Cast
Alia Shawkat will return as Emily/Angela. Perhaps it’s her world, and Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, and Pej Vahdat/Navid Negahban (who both portray the Afghanistan warlord at different ages) are simply living in it. The second season’s cast also includes Jacqueline Antaramian, Amy Brenneman, and Gbenga Akinnagbe.
Release Date
September 12 is when dads (and those who love them and their TV choices) will want to hop in front of the TV. FX will debut two episodes with next-day drops on Hulu, and weekly releases will follow for a total of eight episodes.
Trailer
This trailer doubles down on Soundgarden while showing Emily’s new situation and Harold roughing it by literally getting into the saddle:
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