Category: News

Ladies and gentlemen, at long last, Kanye West’s Donda is here.

The album arrives with 26 songs and a slew of guest appearances, but a highlight from the new project comes on “Hurricane” with The Weeknd and Lil Baby. Six years ago, West and The Weeknd revealed their first collaborations with “Tell Your Friends,” from the singer’s second album Beauty Behind The Madness. The following year, they reconnected once again for “FML,” from the rapper’s 2016 album, The Life Of Pablo. While The Weeknd provided the hook for his and Kanye’s collaboration, the GOOD Music rapper was solely responsible for the production on “Tell Your Friends.” Both tracks were strong efforts from the respective albums, but since the 2016 track’s arrival, fans had yet to receive another collaboration between the acts. All of that changes today.

Kanye and The Weeknd reunited once again on “Hurricane” with Lil Baby from the rapper’s latest album, Donda. Just like “FML,” the song finds The Weeknd on the hook while Lil Baby and Kanye lay a verse each on the bass-heavy track. The new collaboration officially arrives nearly a month after The Weeknd expressed his desire to work with Kanye again during GQ profile that was released at the beginning of this month. “I’d love to work with Kanye [West] again,” the singer said, adding, “Especially on production.”

Soon enough, Kanye made a phone call to the singer, which he revealed through a now-deleted screenshot of his call log that he shared to Instagram. It was just a few days after this conversation that West premiered “Hurricane” during the second listening session for Donda in Atlanta.

The track appears on the long-awaited and long-overdue release of Donda. The rapper dropped his tenth album on Sunday morning, just three days after his third listening session for the project, and it comes attached with 26 songs and additional features from Jay-Z, Playboi Carti, Roddy Ricch, The LOX, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Durk, Fivio Foreign, Pop Smoke, Vory, Shenseea, and many more.

You can listen to “Hurricane” here.

Donda is out now via GOOD Music/Def Jam. Get it here.

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

The loss of any legendary musician always hits hard, but with the passing of Charlie Watts, the classic rock community has lost a real icon. Watts wasn’t the frontman of the band, or a famous solo artist on his own by any means, but it was his very consistent, quiet presence that kept The Rolling Stones on track, and his refusal to buy into the arrogant rockstar lifestyle that earned him such a level of respect among his peers. The band has been mourning his loss ever since his death at age 80 was reported on Tuesday, and yesterday they also posted a video that showcases his irreplaceable style.

In some ways, no one has encapsulated the feeling of loss better than Keith Richards, who shared his own tribute the day Charlie’s passing was announced. The two-minute clip spans Watts’ whole career, with footage from the studio, live shows onstage, and even interview sound bites. The whole thing is set to the Stones own tune, “If You Can’t Rock Me,” and is a fitting send off for one of their longest-running members. Check it out above. The band will still be heading out on their 2021 tour, Watts had previously announced he wouldn’t be joining them.

Daveed Diggs, known for his work in Hamilton andd Blindspotting as well as the LA noise-rap trio Clipping., is set to star as the ever-beloved Sebastian in Disney’s reimagining of The Little Mermaid. Diggs said wrapped his own role in the show a while ago, but as the rest of the set just finished up their last days of filming, he gave an interview about how excited he is for fans of the classic film to see their new take on the original. Talking with Sirius XM Stars about the fantastic music in the movie, and some of Sebastian’s best songs like “Kiss The Girl” and “Under The Sea,” Diggs also praised Halle Bailey, who has her breakout role as Ariel.

“I’m excited too, I haven’t seen anything,” Diggs said. “It’s not like Disney be giving me private screenings of nothing… Halle is a star. She’s really, really special.” He reassured his interviewers that all the canon songs from the original film are in the new version, and shared his own childhood memory of lining up to go see The Little Mermaid in theaters back when the first film was released. Check out his interview above and stay tuned for more teasers of Halle’s big moment.

If you’re anything like us, you’re constantly in search of new bourbons to add to your bar cart. With the weather growing cooler in the weeks to come, you’re sure to be hunting for even more warming drams to sip on. Sure, you can go the easy route and grab a bottle of one of the more well-known names — Beam, Turkey, Makers… classics, all — or you can take the road less traveled and grab a bottle (or three) of bourbon whiskey that deserves a little more attention than it gets.

To find these gems, we went to the pros who spend their days mixing and pouring drinks behind the bar. We asked a handful of our favorite bartenders to tell us their picks for the lesser-known bourbons that deserve more acclaim. These bottles might be on your radar but, for the most part, we encouraged them to call out newbies and classics have been forgotten.

As always, if any of these pique your interest, click on the prices to give them a shot.

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J. Henry & Sons 5 Year Small Batch Bourbon

Hayden Miller, head bartender of Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

J. Henry & Sons has a unique corn varietal as the mash and stands out on its own as a product of one house start to finish. The five-year-old bourbon is complex, rich, and well-suited for slow sipping. It’s a highly underrated whiskey.

Old Bardstown Estate Bottled 101

Robert Kidd, head bartender at Le Cavalier in Wilmington, Delaware

ABV: 50.5%

Average Price: $43

The Whiskey:

Old Bardstown Estate Bottled 101 is a pretty great bourbon from the Willett line. The bottle and label are a touch misleading as they don’t have that razzle-dazzle that some other bottles have, but what’s in the bottle is an amazing bourbon. It has a lovely, sweet herbal nose, and the finish on this bourbon just goes on and on — with notes of cinnamon and vanilla.

Woodinville Straight Bourbon

Federico Doldi, beverage director of Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York City

ABV: 45%

Average Price: $42

The Whiskey:

I really like Woodinville — specifically its flagship straight bourbon. They just won the 2020 best straight bourbon and double gold at San Francisco World Spirit Competition. So it’s worth a try for anyone who hasn’t tasted it yet, even though it’s still pretty hard to get outside of the Pacific Northwest.

Grand Teton Colter’s Run Bourbon

Noah Serna, bar manager at The Arid Club in Boise, Idaho

ABV: 44%

Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

Colter’s Run Bourbon Whiskey from Grand Teton Distillery certainly deserves a spotlight. Made in small batches, each bottle can be tracked with the barrel and bottle number. It’s oaky with some vanilla notes and the spice kicks in on the finish without the typical burn. It’s my number one choice for my signature “Meanhattan” cocktail. The taste and texture balance the sweetness and spice of the cocktail, making it an instant favorite.

It’s clear this is a craft product, and I hope more people give it a try.

Leopold Bros. Bottled In Bond Bourbon

Adam Fournier, bar director at Fellow in Los Angeles

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

Everything being produced by the Leopold Brothers out of Colorado deserves all of the love and attention you can give it. I’m particularly excited for their Three-Chamber Rye which comes out later this year. But, in the meantime, their 5-Year Old Bottled in Bond Bourbon is one of the best small-batch bourbons on the market. Filled with rich caramel and vanilla flavors, it’s highly sippable and deserves more praise.

Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Bourbon

Myles Holdsworth, director of food and beverage at The Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $110

The Whiskey:

Garrison Brothers out of Hye, Texas is really making some special whiskey. I know the bourbon elites will say you can’t make a great bourbon outside of Kentucky, but I would put them to a blind test with Garrison Brothers Single Barrel any day.

John J. Bowman Single Barrel Bourbon

Brian McDonough, food and beverage manager at The Tides Inn in Irvington, Virginia

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $39

The Whiskey:

One of the bourbons that I have been spoiled with, being in Virginia, is the John J. Bowman Single Barrel. While it is a regular shelf item here in Virginia, it is generally difficult to find outside of the state. I do not want to minimize the story of the Bowman distillery – which goes back to the Revolutionary War. But it is the bourbon itself that makes this so special.

Not only is Bowman owned by the same company that makes Eagle Rare, Pappy, Weller, etc., but urban legend also has it that the juice for the bourbon is Buffalo Trace mash #1 that is distilled twice at the distillery, then shipped to Virginia, where it is distilled once more in the Bowman’s copper still, before being aged in Virginia for between nine and ten years.

Noah’s Mill Bourbon

Ryan Pines, beverage director at Ukiah in Asheville, North Carolina

ABV: 57%

Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

There are so many bourbons that don’t get enough recognition. I could go on for days. One that I think needs a little more attention would be Willett’s Noah’s Mills. I got introduced to it probably around eight or nine years ago and it is one of the most delicious bourbons I’ve ever drunk.

Town Branch Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Rebecca Monday, bartender at Vaso at the AC Hotel in Columbus, Ohio

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $36

The Whiskey:

Town Branch is a bourbon that I believe deserves more attention when selecting a bourbon to prepare cocktails with. The flavors of caramel, oak, and vanilla become a companion with drinks like juleps, bourbon smashes, sours and classic stirred cocktails. The price of the bottle allows for the home bartender or an established bar to use it within beverage programs without breaking the bank.

Affordability and quality of approachability are something that I think Town Branch highlights and that I take into consideration when using a spirit.

Burnside Oregon Oaked Bourbon

Jeremy Williams, head mixologist at MDRD atop the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, Michigan

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $30

The Whiskey:

Eastside Distilling’s ‘Burnside’ Bourbon out of Portland, Oregon is phenomenal and in my opinion one of the best bourbons from outside Kentucky. The time this bourbon spends in Oregon oak sets it apart and is absolutely wonderful at 96 proof.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

While Facebook is very publicly struggling with its platform as a typhoon of coronavirus misinformation, other social media platforms like Twitter continue to ban people after sharing mask and vaccine misinformation. Naomi Wolf was perhaps the most notable example of this, if you don’t count former president Donald Trump in the category of coronavirus misinformation-mongers. But Saturday brought a new example to the growing list of factually inaccurate people to get the bird ban-hammer.

Alex Berenson, a former New York Times writer who veered hard into coronavirus pandemic skepticism, anti-mask and vaccine rhetoric over the last two years, was permanently banned from Twitter. The news sparked a celebration from those frustrated by his popularity among vaccine skeptics and the far right.

Called the “pandemic’s wrongest man” by The Atlantic in a thorough takedown earlier in the year, Berenson continued to run afoul of the platform’s guidelines and was officially banned on Saturday. NBC News’s Ben Collins shared a screenshot of Berenson’s account labeled “suspended” on Saturday, and shared a statement from Twitter that said the disgraced reporter had been permanently suspended from the platform after “repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation rules.”

The news garnered a lot of reaction from those left on Twitter, with many quote tweeting Collins with various reactions of relief.

Many remembered the time he got BOFA’d.

As some alleged, he may have been trying to get banned to help amplify his work in other places.

Either way, don’t expect to see Berenson on Twitter anytime soon.

Charli XCX is gearing up to enter an “ultra pop star” mode, but her jokester brain can never fully shut down. After she dropped a recent set of photos on Twitter promoting a one week countdown for hew single and music video “Good Ones,” which included a seated bikini shot where she has high white socks on, one fan was wondering why we haven’t seen the pop star barefoot. Here’s the photo set in question:

And Charli’s very funny, very chaotic response to the fan musing: “how come charli xcx is always wearing socks.” Her deadpan response? Quote tweeting the fan she wrote “I could get serious money for my feet… if you wanna see them, you gotta pay.”

Now what could send the foot fetish community into more chaos than that kind of acknowledgement? Between her new era giving fans the pop bangers they haven’t been receiving from the likes of Taylor, Billie and Lorde lately, and her new podcast Charli XCX’s Best Song Ever, where she interviews other famous musicians about their personal music taste, the Charli fans will definitely be happy this fall. Keep your ears out for her brand new single coming next week, and feet aficionados, keep close watch for your opportunity.

The death of Chadwick Boseman one year ago was a shock to fans who had no idea the star was suffering through a painful colon cancer diagnosis. Heartbreakingly, some of his closest castmates in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and beyond didn’t know Boseman was close to death when his passing at age 43 was made public in August of 2020.

On Saturday, the anniversary of Boseman’s passing was a moment for fans and colleagues to share fond memories and once again pay tribute to the life and legacy of the Black Panther star.

Michael B. Jordan, who played Boseman’s antagonist, Killmonger, in the Marvel smash hit, shared a message on Instagram on the anniversary of his death.

Fellow Black Panther star Lupita Nyongo shared a heartfelt message about Boseman with a behind the scenes photo of the two of them on Twitter.

Another MCU star, Mark Ruffalo, paid tribute to Boseman as well.

Josh Gad re-shared the last messages the two actors exchanged on Twitter with a note of reflection.

Viola Davis, who worked with Boseman on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, shared her condolences as well.

Many others in Hollywood shared memories or tributes to Boseman as well on an anniversary that for many will never get easier to commemorate.

There were many other moments shared from his career and life that got a lot of attention on social media as well.

It’s clear that, a year later, Boseman’s impact and loss still weighs heavy on Hollywood and movie fans.

Trying to survive these days is tough enough amidst a still-surging pandemic, which apparently is why TikTok has decided to deplatform one of its most dangerous viral stunts.

Friday brought word that the wildly popular social media platform was making it much harder to see one of its most popular trends in recent days: the “milk crate challenge.” The challenge, which became a phenomenon if you knew where to find 15 milk crates, became a viral hit as people tried to climb over crates stacked up on top of each other without falling. The result of this challenge was fine for some with excellent balance and a bit of patience. But often the most popular videos were of people falling off, sometimes to catastrophic effects.

Commenting on the challenge and its viral popularity became a meme in its own right on other platforms like Twitter, but as doctors and other medical officials started to condemn the craze the pressure was put on TikTok to actually ban the hashtag to limit its popularity online. And by Friday, the company had made the move to do exactly that.

As CNN notes, searching the platform for the challenge’s hashtag now comes up empty.

TikTok has deleted search results for the hashtag “milk crate challenge” and explained in a statement that the challenge was publicizing a dangerous activity.

“TikTok prohibits content that promotes or glorifies dangerous acts, and we remove videos and redirect searches to our Community Guidelines to discourage such content,” a spokesperson said. “We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behavior whether online or off.”

Some searches for “milk crate challenge” had “no results found” come up, with a note that indicated “this phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines.” Because, well, now it does.

You can find a bunch of these compilations on YouTube, if you’re still looking for some action. But maybe it’s best everyone stops trying something that could put you in the hospital, there aren’t nearly as many beds available nationwide as the popularity of a stunt like this may indicate.

Matthew Mindler, a child actor who appeared in several projects in the 2010s, died at 19 after a disappearance while at college. Variety reported on Saturday that Mindler, a child actor who most notably appeared alongside Paul Rudd in Our Idiot Brother, had died at 19.

Mindler had been reported missing at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, where he was in his first year as a student. The school had previously reported him missing earlier in the week, sparking a search by the school and local police.

By Saturday, though, Mindler was reported dead and Millersville had sent students an email with that announcement.

“It is with a grieving heart that I let you know of the death of 19-year-old Matthew Mindler from Hellertown, Pennsylvania, a first-year student at Millersville University. Our thoughts of comfort and peace are with his friends and family during this difficult time,” the email said.

According to the report, Mindler was reportedly found in nearby Manor Township. The death is currently under “further investigation” and a cause of death has not been disclosed. Mindler was best known for his role as River in 2011 movie Our Idiot Brother, but appeared most recently in a 2016 TV movie, Chad: An American Boy.

[via Variety]

Charli XCX has been on a rampage lately. As if last year’s fast-paced pandemic release how i’m feeling now wasn’t enough, she’s already back at work and about to release yet another new album. According to Charli, this one is an “ultra pop star” moment that’s decidedly “poptastic,” and she is going in the opposite direction of her last record. Even though how i’m feeling now was the perfect glitchy and chaotic accompaniment to quarantine life, this new era seems like an equally exciting one.

Since Charli already announced the first single for this massive new album, “Good Ones,” would be released on September 2, it’s not surprising that she’s begun teasing looks from the music video that will accompany it. “vid nxt week” she wrote on Twitter, while sharing several va-va-voom photos that confirm what we already knew — her new phase will be ultra glam on an aesthetic level, too.

According to more scans of her social media feed, the new song “Good Ones” has lyrics like “I always let the good ones go,” and she’s shared plenty more photos that seem tied to the new video, too. Check those out below and look for the new song and video coming next week.