Category: News

Patrick Beverley’s hectic week continues. Days after the Los Angeles Clippers flipped the veteran guard to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a package that led to a reunion with Eric Bledsoe in Tinseltown, the Grizzlies have decided to take Beverley and send him to Minnesota in a deal with the Timberwolves.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Beverley will become teammates with Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, and co., while the Grizzlies will take a flier on former Lottery pick Jarrett Culver and 25-year-old big man Juancho Hernangomez.

Minnesota seems poised to push for a playoff berth for the first time since 2017-18, and while it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to get there, Beverley gives them a steady hand in the backcourt and some defensive bite on the perimeter that they did lack. As for the Timberwolves, they managed to acquire a pair of younger players — Hernangomez has been a productive big man off the bench during his career, while Culver appears to be a pure bet on the talent that made him the No. 6 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft despite the struggles that he’s had with the Timberwolves through his first two seasons in the league.

An amped-up Don Jr. can’t stop furiously tweeting, even after receiving comeuppance after gloating about the Fall of Kabul on Biden’s watch. Granted, yes, the situation in Afghanistan is a disaster. Biden’s speech didn’t help in a lot of people’s eyes, and the withdrawal’s execution (following the swift Fall of Kabul) has put forth a look that’s, well, not good. Footage of Afghan citizens clinging to a U.S. military plane has been (and will endlessly be) compared to the Fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. Yes, the war has been ongoing for two full decades, starting on George W. Bush’s watch in the wake of 9/11 and through the Trump Administration, which did the dealmaking for “peace” that ultimately wasn’t honored.

In other words, the withdrawal date was set before Biden came to town, but his efforts to point fingers won’t go well no matter what. And Don Jr. is having an absolute ball with the fallout. After he ranted about Biden being at Camp David, and Hunter Biden, and “white rage”-focused Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and even a Pride Flag outside the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Don Jr. kept on going. In his latest frenzied round of social media posts, he’s taking more shots at Biden, including complaints that he dared to attempt a vacation (after his dad spent several COVID weekends on the golf course), including as the following tweet.

Over on Instagram, Jr. served up a real doozy: his dad’s silhouette in a Bat Signal. The message here, although erroneous, is that Don Jr. believes that his dad would save the Afghan people if he was still in office. “Just think Biden has another 3.5 years to go. What could go wrong?” Kimberly Guilfoyle’s boyfriend wrote.

Even discounting politics, it’s hard to imagine how any Trump wouldn’t automatically be the worst Batman ever. That means instant elevation for the Batfleck and George Clooney’s Bat Nips, but still, let’s not go there. It’s all so absurd that it’s not even worth discussing on a nerd level, but more to the point of Don Jr.’s frenzy, he is off the hook. Here he is tweeting out a video and claiming that it’s from present-day Afghanistan, although it’s really from Iraq in 2007. He’s attempting to make the point that “we’ve been lied to by a lot of people in government” while spreading a lie.

As Vox’s Aaron Rupar points out, Jr. also kept repeating himself while talking about how much he misses his dad.

The tirade only continued on Twitter from there while firing shots at Biden for various reasons, including possibly needing to rest for a few moments every now and then.

Whew, Don Jr. is exhausting! He needs a nap, too.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

Wizkid and Tems’ remix of “Essence” with Justin Bieber leads this past week’s highlights. The pop star received a warm welcome by Wizkid to try his hand at the Made In Lagos highlight. Elsewhere, VanJess arrives with Lucky Daye by their sides for a remix of their own through an updated take of “Slow Down,” a fan-favorite from their 2021 EP Homegrown. Lastly, Nao continues to impress listeners ahead of her upcoming third album with her latest single, “Wait.”

Wizkid — “Essence (Remix)” Feat. Justin Bieber & Tems

Wizkid and Tems’ “Essence” is without a doubt an eligible contender for song of the summer in 2021. Since the release of Wizkid’s fourth album, Made In Lagos last fall, the song has naturally grown in appeal and in popularity as its entry into the Billboard Hot 100 serves as proof of it. Now, it gets a commercial boost thanks to a remix with Bieber that will also appear on the deluxe version of Made In Lagos out August 27.

VanJess — “Slow Down (Remix)” Feat. Lucky Daye

Nearly three years after gracing the world with their debut album, Silk Canvas, VanJess made their long-awaited return at the beginning of the year with the release of their Homegrown EP. The project delivered a number of collaborations with the likes of Garren, Kaytranada, Devin Morrison, and more, but the highlight from it was the duo’s solo effort, “Slow Down.” Months after the EP’s arrival, the track gets a warm upgrade with help from Lucky Daye, who shares the same label as VanJess and undoubtedly comes through on the remix.

Nao — “Wait”

The R&B world is a little over a month away from being blessed as British singer Nao is preparing the release of her third album, And Then Life Was Beautiful. The 13-track project is lining up to be a strong follow-up to her 2018 release, Saturn. Laying off what amounts to her fifth single from the upcoming album, Nao steps forth with “Wait.” The tender single tackles a low within a relationship as the singer begs her partner to work with her through their problems rather than running away from them.

Che Ecru — “Do What You Gotta Do”

Last year, Boston native Che Ecru absolutely unloaded on the music side of things by releasing not one, not two, but three projects: Still Single, Projection, and Til Death. After stepping out with a single earlier this year, Ecru is back with more thanks to his “Do What You Gotta Do” track. His latest is a dancehall-inspired single that places the ball in the court of a seemingly indecisive lover. The singer appears to be nonchalant to his flip-flopping companion as he insists that their decision, no matter what it is, will be understood in the end.

Salaam Remi — “All I Need Is You” Feat. Claudette Ortiz

After concluding 2020 with his Black On Purpose project, Salaam Remi is back in action with former City High member Claudette Ortiz for their new single, “All I Need Is You.” The climactic track finds the singer confessing that she’s found all she needs and more in a new lover. “I have many songs I love in my vaults and Claudette Ortiz has always been one of my favorite people,” Remi said about the track. “This song still feels as great as when we recorded it many years ago. So happy to be sharing it.“ The single will also appear on Remi’s upcoming project.

Jawan — “Cause & Effect”

Back in 2019, Atlanta’s own Jawan shared his debut project Broken. The independently-released project delivered ten songs that found the singer best introducing himself to the world, and two years later, Jawan looks like he’s almost ready to give the world his next body of work. His latest single, “Cause & Effect,” examines his current relationship as he watches it unravel while criticizing his partner for their actions. In his eyes, their wrongs have come right back to bite them where it hurts the most.

Goodboy Noah & Brasstracks — “Backseat”

With his debut EP, Nice, which he released in May, now in his rear-view mirror, Goodboy Noah is already treating the world to more new music. The Los Angeles singer’s latest release pairs him with NY-based producer duo Brasstracks for an infectious new song titled, “Backseat.” Noah described the track as “the start of a new sound for me,” adding, “I tried to make it timeless and classic, while remaining true to myself, sonically and lyrically. And Brasstracks ran it into the end zone with an insane brass section.”

Lonr. — “Read My Mind” Feat. Yung Bleu

At the very minimum, love requires us to give our all, but even then, success within it is not guaranteed. That’s something Grammy-winning singer Lonr. tackles on “Read My Mind” with Yung Bleu. “This is a song about relationships that we want to happen or work out, but might not have a chance,” he says. “Whether it’s being afraid of commitment or the wrong place at the wrong time, these are thoughts we have about someone we can love.” The new single is set to appear on Lonr.’s upcoming EP, Land of Nothing Real 2, which arrives later this fall.

Pip Millett — Motion Sick

At just 23 years old, Pip Millett has found her own voice in UK’s music scene, and her latest project, Motion Sick, is evidence of the singer’s talents. The five-track effort delivers contributions from Ghetts and Gaidaa while addressing the times she “felt lost when things around me have started to change,” as she states in a press release for the project. “My core self is still there but without change there cannot be any growth,” she adds. “Motion Sick is about the various changes in my life. With this change I have tried to find comfort in the simple things.”

Kirby — “Break Her Heart For Me”

Ariana Grande once asked her love interest to “break up with your girlfriend” because “I’m bored,” and on Kirby’s new song, she plays the role of the girlfriend who hopes to make her partner hers and hers only again. The Mississippi singer, who is the main woman in this growing love triangle, notices that her lover’s eyes have gravitated towards another woman. As a result, she requests that they break their mistress’ heart and send them away in order for her and her man to fix their relationship and grow in the right direction.

Hunnah — “Appreciate”

The Ethiopian-Canadian singer arrives with an absolutely ear-pleasing single with “Appreciate.” The lush singer grapples with the struggles of being Black in the world while elevating the beauty within and behind one’s skin. “This song came from conversations with friends about feeling unappreciated and unseen as black women moving through the world and specifically in the realm of dating,” she said about the track. The song is set to appear on her upcoming EP, Unloved, which arrives this fall.

Rashida Briana — “Baby You”

Chicago’s own Rashida Briana is here to make an impression and her debut single, “Baby You,” is certainly a strong enough release to do just that. The track is filled with love that the singer-songwriter has to offer to a special individual in her life and her impressive vocals deliver a message and performance that’s hard to ignore. At 25 years young, Briana is worth the listen and anticipation for more.

One upon a time, CDs overtook vinyl records as the circular physical music format of choice, but in recent years, vinyl has made a comeback. Now, it’s common to see today’s biggest albums get vinyl releases, and that includes Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour. The album was released digitally and in other formats in May, but the vinyl edition is set to arrive this week, on August 20. Ahead of that, Rodrigo has shared a video of herself excitedly getting her hands on a Sour vinyl for the first time.

In the brief clip posted on social media, Rodrigo sits on a bedroom floor with a stack of Sour vinyl. Declaring she’s “so stoked” as she cracks the factory seal on one of them, she lets out an amazed gasp as she opens the case and sees the inside art, which features a collage of images, doodles, and handwritten notes.

She wrote alongside the video, “SOUR vinyl comes out this Friday and I couldn’t be more excited if I tried!!!!!! u can preorder them now on oliviarodrigo.com if ya like! I’ve discovered so many of my favorite albums through vinyl records and it’s the coolest thing in the world to get to hold one with songs I wrote.”

Revisit our review of Sour here.

This week in pop music saw some euphoric releases. Lizzo and Cardi B teamed up to shut down “Rumors,” Charli XCX and Saweetie linked with two DJs for a pumped-up tune, and Elton John and Dua Lipa shared a thumping remix to their joint track.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop releases. Listen up.

Lizzo, Cardi B — “Rumors”

This week, Lizzo returned with the highly-anticipated track “Rumors,” her first new track in nearly two years. The song is a playful kiss-off to haters on the internet, with Lizzo dispelling negative comments about her body and personal relationships over a triumphant chorus.

Elton John, Dua Lipa — “Cold Heart” (Pnau Remix)

Elton John is known to keep a eye out for the next generation of talented songwriters, which is why he enlisted Dua Lipa for the endearing collaboration “Cold Heart.” This week, Australian trio Pnau took on a remix of the song, inflicting it with a disco-twinged beat while incorporating parts of John’s most recognizable tracks.

Joel Corry x Jax Jones — “Out Out” Feat. Charli XCX, Saweetie

Now that clubs are reopen, Charli XCX is here to serve up a hit that’s perfect for dancefloors everywhere. The pop singer teamed up with Saweetie and UK DJs Joel Corry and Jax Jones for the carefree tune “Out Out.” A pounding bass lends a backbone to the song, while Saweetie and Charli XCX deliver insouciant lyrics about the perfect night out.

Sub Urban, Bella Poarch — “Inferno”

TikTok star Bella Poarch recently pivoted towards a music career with her debut single “Build A B*tch,” and she’s now back for more. Collaborating with rising alt-pop musician Sub Urban, the two beckon listeners into their fiery world with the striking new tune “Inferno.” The jaunty track shows off Poarch’s stunning vocals over a sizzling beat as she sings boastful verses about turning up the heat.

Magdalena Bay — “Secrets (Your Fire)”

LA-based electro indie-pop duo Magdalena Bay are gearing up for the release of their debut album Mercurial World with a handful of synth-heavy singles. “Secrets (Your Fire)” is their latest, displaying the group’s knack for penning cerebral pop hits. About the song, Magdalena Bay said: “’Secrets’ is about interconnectivity, privacy, and digital anxiety. It’s also about a need to keep sharing, to keep giving up more and more of yourself to faceless strangers in the hopes of making friends or fans.”

Still Woozy — “These Days”

Portland-based producer Still Woozy released his debut LP If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is after sharing a slew of addictive singles. His tender ballad “These Days,” arrived on the album as a shuffling and reflective tune about not giving up. About the project as a whole, Still Woozy said: “Each song is expressing a different part of my palette, something I couldn’t do if I was just putting out single after single. It gave me the freedom and confidence to explore more than I ever have.”

Jungle — “All Of The Time”

Acclaimed electronic duo Jungle dropped their LP Loving In Stereo this week, including the outrageously blissful track “All Of The Time.” The song offers a snapshot of the dance-ready album as a whole, combining languid vocals with an addictive beat to craft an on-repeat, freeing tune.

Blackbear — “Alone In A Room Full Of People”

Prolific songwriter Blackbear dropped his anticipated six-track EP Misery Lake this week, showcasing his honest-yet-edgy sound. The EP delivered the new song “Alone In A Room Full Of People,” a vulnerable tune about the painful process of getting over an ex.

Chelsea Cutler — “You Can Have It”

Platinum-certified songwriter Chelsea Cutler returned this week with the sun-soaked track “You Can Have It.” Armed with an acoustic guitar, Cutler leans on a rhythmic lyrical delivery to detail a week of endless fun. Speaking about her inspiration on the track, Cutler said: “It’s about embracing your confidence in a relationship as a woman. There aren’t a lot of songs from a female perspective that come from a place of dominance. I don’t have a lot of lighthearted music either, but it was important for me to do something super beachy and fun.”

Mia Rodriguez — “Billion Dollar B*tch” Feat. Yung Baby Tate

Australian pop sensation Mia Rodriguez knows her worth with her latest single “Billion Dollar B*tch.” With a deliciously-heavy bassline, Rodriguez and rapper Yung Baby Tate fire off swaggering lyrics about building their own hype. “Billion Dollar B*tch is about being self-confident and knowing your worth, but at the same time, being a bit self-indulgent and giving into bad habits,” Rodriguez said about the song.

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

Chicago indie rap crew Pivot Gang mourns the loss of their producer and friend Squeak, who has died of as-yet-unknown causes at 26, as confirmed by Pitchfork through the group’s representative. Squeak was one of the group’s three producers along with Daedae and Daoud, crafting beats for the group’s first group album You Can’t Sit With Us in 2019, as well as for its individual members Frsh Waters, Joseph Chilliams, MFnMelo, and Saba. Most recently, he and MFnMelo released En Route, an eight-song EP featuring Rexx Life Raj, in June.

Squeak also doubled as DJ for the group’s live shows, including their 2019 John Walt Day concert in Chicago in honor of another of the group’s fallen members who was killed in February of 2017. Squeak also engineered for the group, recording the offerings that allowed them to go from an upstart crew of rap freshmen at the tail end of the blog era to a fixture of Chicago’s flourishing rap scene.

Squeak’s passing drew a wave of appreciative and sorrowful tweets from that scene, as well as many from outside it, as friends, fans, and peers mourned his loss. Among the well-wishers was Chance The Rapper, who came up alongside Pivot member Saba in a student creative group in high school and recorded with him on his 2016 mixtape Coloring Book. Rest in peace, Squeak. You’ll be missed.

After one preseason game in which he looked like a 34-year-old ex-quarterback who never played tight end before and hasn’t been in the NFL in six years, the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to release Tim Tebow. The former Heisman Trophy winner and member of the New York Mets organization announced the news on his Twitter account.

In addition to Tebow, Jacksonville announced four other players were waived in an attempt to reduce its roster size.

The Jaguars, who are coached by Tebow’s former Florida coach Urban Meyer, decided to bring him in at a new position earlier this year and gave him a look at tight end. While we don’t know how things went during practices and workouts and those sorts of things, we did see Tebow during the team’s first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns in which he was targeted once and whiffed on a pair of blocks that brought him a ton of attention on Twitter.

In response, a number of football fans took to Twitter and got jokes off about this experiment going awry.

As for why this entire experiment happened, and why a number of folks were on board with giving someone who has never played tight end and was last a professional football player during the Obama administration a chance, here’s a tweet.

The Jaguars will next take the field for a preseason game on Monday against the New Orleans Saints.

George Lucas was heavily inspired by Japanese culture when creating Star Wars. A New Hope, for instance, is heavily inspired by (ripped off?) director Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress, where “the story was told from the [perspective of] the two lowest characters,” Lucas once said. “I decided that would be a nice way to tell the Star Wars story, which was to take the two lowest characters, as Kurosawa did, and tell the story from their point of view, which in the Star Wars case is the two droids.”

Lucas and Disney haven’t seen eye to eye on everything since he sold the rights to Lucasfilm in 2012, but even he must be intrigued by Star Wars: Visions. The series tells Star Wars stories through Japanese anime — and it looks cool as hell (cool as chaos?).

Here’s the English dub voice cast:

The Duel: Brian Tee (Ronin), Lucy Liu (Bandit Leader), Jaden Waldman (Village Chief)

Tatooine Rhapsody: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jay), Bobby Moynihan (Geezer), Temuera Morrison (BobaFett), Shelby Young (K-344), Marc Thompson (Lan)

The Twins: Neil Patrick Harris (Karre), Alison Brie (Am), Jonathan Lipow (B-20N)

The Village Bride: Karen Fukuhara (F), Nichole Sakura (Haru), Christopher Sean (Asu), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Valco), Andrew Kishino (Izuma), Stephanie Sheh (Saku)

The Ninth Jedi: Kimiko Glenn (Kara), Andrew Kishino (Juro), Simu Liu (Zhima), Masi Oka (Ethan), Greg Chun (Roden), Neil Kaplan (Narrator), Michael Sinterniklaas (Hen Jin),

T0-B1: Jaden Waldman (T0-B1), Kyle Chandler (Mitaka)

The Elder: David Harbour (Tajin), Jordan Fisher (Dan), James Hong (The Elder)

Lop & Ocho: Anna Cathcart (Lop), Hiromi Dames (Ocho), Paul Nakauchi (Yasaburo), Kyle McCarley (Imperial Officer)

Akakiri: Henry Golding (Tsubaki), Jamie Chung (Misa), George Takei (Senshuu), Keone Young (Kamahachi), Lorraine Toussaint (Masago)

And in Japanese:

The Duel: Masaki Terasoma (Ronin), Akeno Watanabe (Bandit Leader), Yūko Sanpei (VillageChief)

Tatooine Rhapsody: Hiroyuki Yoshino (Jay), Kōusuke Gotō (Geezer), Akio Kaneda (Boba Fett), MasayoFujita (K-344), Anri Katsu (Lan)

The Twins: Junya Enoki (Karre), Ryoko Shiraishi (Am), Tokuyoshi Kawashima (B-20N)

The Village Bride: Asami Seto (F), Megumi Han (Haru), Yūma Uchida (Asu), Takaya Kamikawa(Vaan), Yoshimitsu Shimoyama (Izuma), Mariya Ise (Saku)

The Ninth Jedi: Chinatsu Akasaki(Kara), Tetsuo Kanao (Juro), Shin-ichiro Miki (Zhima), Hiromu Mineta (Ethan), Kazuya Nakai (Roden), Akio Ōtsuka, (Narrator), Daisuke Hirakawa (Hen Jin)

T0-B1: Masako Nozawa (T0-B1), Tsutomu Isobe (Mitaka)

The Elder: Takaya Hashi (Tajin), Kenichi Ogata (The Elder), Yuichi Nakamura (Dan)

Lop & Ocho: Seiran Kobayashi (Lop), Risa Shimizu (Ocho), Tadahisa Fujimura (Yasaburo),Taisuke Nakano (Imperial Officer)

Akakiri: Yū Miyazaki (Tsubaki), Lynn (Misa), Chō (Senshuu), Wataru Takagi (Kamahachi),Yukari Nozawa (Masago)

The nine shorts were created by seven anime studios: Kamikaze Douga, Geno Studio (Twin Engine), Studio Colorido (Twin Engine), Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Science Saru, and Production I.G. Star Wars: Visions premieres on September 22.

Following Monday night’s all-out red carpet premiere, the first reactions to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings are flying in. The overwhelming consensus is that the film truly delivers in the action department, but it also surprises in delivering a family drama that gets surprisingly dark for a Marvel movie. Simu Liu also gets some nice shout-outs as a new Avengers team begins to come together for Phase 4 of the MCU.

“Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is PHENOMENAL,” Wendy Lee Szany of the Hollywoods Critic Association writes. “Get hyped. Even fight scene/action sequence is better than the last. @SimuLiu fully embraces the marvel superhero role. Amazing imagery. Killer soundtrack. You’ll want to see this on the big screen.”

#ShangChi is an absolute triumph, unexpectedly spiritual and emotionally complex, with some of the very best action in the MCU,” Drew Taylor writes. “@SimuLiu is your new favorite Avenger and the movie’s myriad influences (everything from Jackie Chan to Hayao Miyazaki) pay off big time). Astounding.”

Here are some more reactions to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens in theaters on September 3.

Joel Embiid will stay with the franchise that drafted him for the foreseeable future. According to reports by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN and Shams Charania of ESPN, the 2021-20 NBA MVP runner-up and the Philadelphia 76ers came to terms on a supermax contract extension, one that will pay Embiid $196 million for the next four years.

Bobby Marks of ESPN broke down the financials behind the deal, which is projected to pay Embiid more than $50 million over each of its final two years.

Because Embiid has two years remaining on his current contract, he’s not eligible to hit free agency again until the 2027 offseason, when he will be 33 years old. One former teammate took to Twitter upon hearing the news to celebrate Embiid’s big payday.

The face of The Process had his best season as a professional last year, earning second-team All-NBA and All-Defense nods while finishing second to Nikola Jokic in MVP voting. Arguably the most impactful center in the league due to his ability to help the Sixers win games on both ends of the floor, Embiid averaged a career-high 28.5 points with 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks, and one steal in 31.1 minutes per game. Despite the individual success and the team racing out to the best record in the Eastern Conference last year, it did end abruptly, as Philadelphia lost to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the conference semifinals.