Category: News

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame already posted their nominees for this year, and the list is chock full of legendary artists. But what’s great about this year’s offering is that it is full of diverse musicians who might fall into any genre, including rap and R&B, and by proxy is expanding the definition of who qualifies for the honor. This year Jay-Z will be entering into its ranks, along with fellow rap icon LL Cool J, and the inimitable Tina Turner.

Other, more traditionally “rock” acts like Foo Fighters will also be inducted, along with The Go-Go’s, singer and legendary songwriter Carole King, Todd Rundgren, Clarence Avant, Billy Preston, Randy Rhodes, Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron, and Charley Patton. Check out the official category designations for the artists below, and make sure to congratulate Jay-Z on his rock and roll credentials if you see him.

Performer Category:
Foo Fighters
The Go-Go’s
JAY-Z
Carole King
Todd Rundgren
Tina Turner

Ahmet Ertegun Award:
Clarence Avant

Musical Excellence Award:
LL Cool J
Billy Preston
Randy Rhodes

Early Influence Award:
Kraftwerk
Gil Scott Heron
Charley Patton

The induction ceremony for this year will take place on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at 8 PM EST at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. This year marks the 36th annual induction ceremony. It will broadcast on HBO and stream on HBO Max later on.

The Midnight Miracle — a new podcast from Dave Chappelle, Yasiin Bey, and Talib Kweli [who also hosts a show on Uproxx] — dropped its first two episodes last night, one on YouTube and the other on the podcast subscription service Luminary. And right out the gate, it’s already proving to be one of the most unique aural experiences we’ve ever had with the medium. Each episode begins with a heavy vibe, set up using music, audio clips, and the voices of our three hosts. Functioning like cold opens, these soundscapes propel us straight into a conversation before we can even begin to make sense of what’s happening.

It’s jarring. But it’s also great fun to be along for the ride.

If you hoped that this podcast was going to offer a glimpse into “Chappelle’s Summer Camp” with some light conversation between famous friends, well… it’s not quite that. At least not so far. The two episodes uploaded follow the same format, feature a similar roster of guests, and both clock in at around 25 minutes long, but they couldn’t be more different. And neither is strictly in the “just some pals bulshitting” genre of podcasting.

The Midnight Miracle’s first episode “How to Inspire (Side A)” keeps things a bit more subdued, beginning with a question posed by Chappelle, “How do you keep a despondent person alive?” Leading to a conversation about Amy Winehouse, Robin Williams, and Roots founding member Malik B. The conversation is equal parts somber, contemplative, inspiring, and personal — with interjections of humor not just from Chappelle, but Yasiin Bey, Kweli, Chris Rock, Questlove, and comedian Donnell Rawlings.

It’s heavy and hilarious, just like the best Chappelle stage bits. And just like the comic’s recent specials, things take an interesting turn right as the audience gets comfortable.

The second episode, “Gladiator Circus World (Side B),” begins with Yasiin Bey screaming “It’s a gladiator Fucking Circus!” The intro is set to militaristic music and voice-over clips from the news, Donald Trump, and Alex Jones, and ominous discordant piano stabs, vibrating synths, and tribal drums, leading into a conversation about social media, the pandemic, and skits about Rush Limbaugh receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

It’s heavy. Like so heavy we’re going to say don’t listen to episode two before you go to bed. But do definitely listen to episode two, because the whole thing culminates in the premiere of the new Black Star single “Automatic.”

“Automatic” was produced by the legendary Madlib, who stopped by Uproxx’s People’s Party this week to talk about his history producing for Kweli and Yasiin Bey, his career, and his favorite producers. In the episode, Kweli shared that, just like the seed for the Midnight Miracle came from Yasiin Bey, so too did the Madlib x Black Star link up.

“We’ve had several false starts with the Black Star album but one thing that’s been consistent for like 10, 15 years, since we dropped the album, Yasiin has for a long time been like, ‘The next Black Star album has to be over Madlib beats!’”

The first result of that collaboration, “Automatic,” brings the same intensity and production style as “Gladiator Circus World (Side B).” And that’s definitely saying something. We’re excited to see what the next entries of both the podcast and the long-mythologized and much anticipated Black Star II album bring.

Check out the first episode of The Midnight Miracle for free below, and hit Luminary to catch episode two and all future episodes. Also, be sure to check out Madlib talking Black Star and much more on this week’s People’s Party.

The Brooklyn Nets maintain the NBA’s best offense, scoring more than 1.17 points per possession, which isn’t a surprise given the team’s top-end talent. However, the Nets have deployed their top three players for only seven games during the 2020-21 season, and Brooklyn could be adding to that total in the near future. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews report that James Harden “is expected to be a game-time decision” for Brooklyn’s game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

Harden last took the court in a game setting on Apr. 5 against the New York Knicks, though he appeared for only four minutes before exiting with a hamstring ailment. While he was seemingly ramping up in mid-to-late April, word eventually broke on Apr. 20 that Harden endured something of a setback and, with only a few games remaining in the regular season, Harden has expressed the desire to get some reps before the bright lights of the postseason arrive.

As usual, Harden has been electric when on the court this season, averaging 25.2 points, 10.9 assists, and eight rebounds per game with a 61 percent true shooting mark since joining the Nets. Harden’s on-court fit has been seamless in his new home, particularly given his willingness to act more as a facilitator than during his time in Houston. That adjustment allows Brooklyn to deploy a truly terrifying offense at full strength, and many believe the Nets are the favorites in the Eastern Conference as a result.

The Nets are at home for the remainder of the regular season, which could make things a bit easier for Harden to ease into his return. There is still a chance Harden does not return against San Antonio, but Brooklyn has two days off following the Spurs game before hosting the Chicago Bulls on Saturday and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the regular season finale on Sunday. It is a small window, but Brooklyn may be able to see a brief glimpse of their full team unit, which might be extremely valuable before almost a full week off between the end of the regular season and Game 1 of the opening round.

In Bam Adebayo’s opinion, there’s one choice for Defensive Player of the Year: himself.

After the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, Adebayo did a quick TV interview on TNT where he staked his claim to the award.

When TNT analyst Dwyane Wade teased Adebayo for haircut, Adebayo quipped back “Hey man, it’s getting me Defensive Player of Year. Let’s talk about that.”

“I do everything on defense,” he went on to say. “And I’m going to walk out on that one.”

Adebayo is 100 percent right that he does everything on defense. He lead the team in blocks, is third in steals, and can handle basically assignment on the floor. In terms of being a modern defensive anchor, it’s hard to get better than Adebayo. He can play drop coverage, he can switch, and play any other scheme the Heat need. There are very few bigs, if any, who can switch onto smaller, quicker guards and be totally up to the task. He should be a lock for first-team All-Defense at the very least.

But this doesn’t feel like the year he’ll get Defensive Player of the Year. Right now, it seems like a two-man race for the award between Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons. Per Cleaning The Glass, the Jazz are first in defense and the 76ers are second; the Heat are eighth. The Jazz also have the league’s best record, while the 76ers are first in the Eastern Conference. The Heat, meanwhile, are sixth in the East and not considered among the elite teams in the league right now. In splitting hairs for Defensive Player of the Year, that matters.

Still, Adebayo should be staking his claim for win right now. He, along with Jimmy Butler, did a lot to keep Miami functioning after their run to the Finals in the Bubble. This awards come down to nitpicking and Adebayo has just a few more flaws in his resume for this season. This also probably not the last time Adebayo will make his case as the league’s best defender.

People continue to wonder whether Tucker Carlson’s secretly been vaccinated while he makes baseless, fearmongering claims about COVID vaccines and urges his viewers to harass people who take whatever COVID precautions make them feel comfortable. Meanwhile, several of his Fox News colleagues have taken a different on-air perspective. The entire Fox & Friends trio — Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade — all made it known that they were vaccinated and relieved about it with Doocy adding that those who choose not to get the shot are “in peril.”

And guess who else? Sean Hannity is climbing aboard the pro-COVID vaccine train as well, and he did so during a moment where Stephen Miller ghoulishly could not stop grinning. “I don’t think Dr. Steve Miller or Dr. Sean Hannity have a right to tell people what to do, now,” declared Hannity. “I do believe in science, and I believe in vaccinations… my favorite after I’ve studied everything: I leaned on the J&J shot. My own personal, after reading everything, for a variety of reasons.”

Whoa, right? Dude even chose a “favorite” out of the big three (including Moderna and Pfizer) available in the United States. (Your move, Tucker!) Also, a certain contingent of Fox News audience members might be very confused right about now…

Lest one think that Hannity had an entirely calm evening, though, he also zeroed in on what he’s calling “Biden’s Gas Crisis.” Somehow, Hannity’s attempting to blame Biden for the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline, and this caption led to a choice “bean burritos” joke from Vox’s Aaron Rupar.

Kanye West’s contribution at DMX’s memorial service last month came as a surprise to many. Despite some slight speculation towards his appearance, he wasn’t confirmed as an official guest for the event, and even at that, it wasn’t expected that he and the Sunday Service Choir would provide music for it. However, that’s exactly what happened, and it turned out to be a great way to honor DMX as West, and the choir performed songs like “Ultralight Beam” and Soul II Soul’s “Keep On Movin.’” During a recent interview with Hot 97, Swizz Beatz spoke about West’s involvement in the service.

“It was a very genuine act of love and support from Ye,” Swizz said. “You know, it wasn’t too much talking, it wasn’t no negotiating. X showed up to his Sunday Service and was a big fan of it so I knew that this was something X would want to do, and Kanye was more than happy to facilitate his expertise and his choir. Shout out to the entire Sunday Service.” He added, “It was last minute… people didn’t know what we were dealing with behind the scenes.”

The Sunday Service appearance that Swizz mentioned dates back to May 17, 2019, when DMX appeared at the West-led event less than two months after he was released from prison.

You can watch the full Hot 97 interview above.

21 Savage went nearly two years without a project when he released Savage Mode II, his joint album with Metro Boomin that arrived last October. The effort was met with widespread acclaim from both fans and critics, as did his previous album, 2019’s I Am > I Was. This time around, fans of 21 Savage won’t have to wait as long for a new body of work from the Atlanta rapper as he just announced his next project, Sprial: From The Book Of Saw, is set to arrive later this week on May 14. He shared the news in a spooky 30-second clip that previewed a track that would presumably appear on it.

Sprial: From The Book Of Saw doubles as the soundtrack to the upcoming film, of the same title, which also premieres on May 14. At the end of March, it was revealed by Variety that 21 Savage signed on to executive produce the soundtrack for the movie. A month later, the rapper shared, “Spiral,” the title track and first single from the upcoming soundtrack. It’s also confirmed that the project will include features from Gunna, Young Thug, and Young Nudy.

The Spiral: From The Book Of Saw film is a spinoff of the original Sawmovie and is produced by and stars Chris Rock who appears beside Samuel L. Jackson as a father-son duo who must face a Jigsaw copycat killer.

You can watch the trailer for the Sprial: From The Book Of Saw soundtrack in the post above.

21 Savage went nearly two years without a project when he released Savage Mode II, his joint album with Metro Boomin that arrived last October. The effort was met with widespread acclaim from both fans and critics, as did his previous album, 2019’s I Am > I Was. This time around, fans of 21 Savage won’t have to wait as long for a new body of work from the Atlanta rapper as he just announced his new EP, Spiral, is set to arrive later this week on May 14. He shared the news in a spooky 30-second clip that previewed a track that would presumably appear on the EP.

The Spiral EP is most likely attached to an upcoming film, Spiral: From The Book Of Saw, which also premieres on May 14. At the end of March, it was revealed by Variety that 21 Savage signed on to executive produce the soundtrack for the movie, so it’s likely that the upcoming EP is music for the new film. A month later, the rapper shared, “Spiral,” the title track and first single from the upcoming soundtrack.

Spiral: From The Book Of Saw is a spinoff of the original Saw film and is produced by and stars Chris Rock who appears beside Samuel L. Jackson as a father-son duo who must face a Jigsaw copycat killer.

You can watch the trailer for Spiral in the post above.

Way back on January 6 (the day of the failed MAGA coup on the U.S. Capitol), people watching congressional proceedings noticed that Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) appeared to be aiming a death stare at Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). A few months later, and it sure feels like a confirmation of Romney’s vibe to behold a new Washington Post profile of Hawley, which dives into his dubious rise to an insurrection cheerleader, who lifted a fist in a Hitler-esque salute during the deadly Washington, D.C. chaos.

According to WaPo, Romney knew exactly who to blame while lawmakers were evacuated from the chamber during the Senate’s vote to certify election results. He even reportedly shouted, “You have caused this!” while making no secret of his fury’s target: Hawley. Also in the profile, Hawley is revealed to have been behaving in a “combative” manner during the day’s congressional proceedings, and Hawley’s former Stanford undergrad advisor is quoted as feeling “disturbed” by Hawley’s transformation. Further, former Sen. John Danforth (R-MO) expressed renewed disappointment after the Kansas City Star quoted him as saying his support of Hawley “was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life.” At the time, Danforth reflected, “I don’t know if he was always like this and good at covering it up or if it happened. I just don’t know.”

On January 6, Romney tweeted a condemnation of what had transpired. He added, “Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy.”

(Via Washington Post & Kansas City Star)

Moneybagg Yo is still celebrating the success of his latest album, A Gangsta’s Pain, and today, it comes with a brand new video for “Free Promo.” On the track, Moneybagg is accompanied by Chicago rappers Polo G and Lil Durk as they express their ability to stand on their own and support themselves without promotion from others. However, in the song’s newly-released video, Moneybagg is forced to take down a deceitful partner in the tension-heavy visual. From accusations of being a snitch intentionally killing a member of his team, the double-crossing individual is up to no good for the video’s duration, but his bad ways eventually catch up to him.

The new visual arrives after Moneybagg Yo earned the first No. 1 album of his career with A Gangsta’s Pain. The project debuted with a total of 110,000 album units sold, and the following week, it checked in at No. 2 with 70,000 album units. After learning that his new album topped the charts, Moneybagg celebrated the news on social media. “Mannnnee Dis Sh*t Feel Crazy,” he wrote under an Instagram post. “I’m Forever Grateful Tho! Without My Fans and My Team I Wouldn’t Be Sh*t ! God Working Thank Y’all I Promise To Neva Let Up !!”

Revisit our review of A Gangsta’s Pain here.

You can press play on the visual above.

A Gangsta’s Pain is out now via N-Less/CMG/Interscope. Get it here.