Category: News

Kurt Vile has released music on a handful of labels over the years, but his best-known work has come with Matador Records. His 2009 album Childish Prodigy was the first and his most recent was 2018’s Bottle It In. His next record will be released elsewhere, though, as Vile revealed today that he has signed with Verve Records.

Vile shared a statement about the signing, in which he notes he has long admired the label. He also says that he has “hundreds of songs and ideas” in various states of completion. He wrote:

“I’ve admired the @ververecords logo on the back (and front!) of many -a- velvet underground album since my teens. in particular the logo on the back of the vinyl boxset of the quine tapes has been haunting me for the last several years now… for whatever reason i often find myself staring into it (true story!). so when i was approached by the label to be signed i was surprised and honored to be sure… but i had already felt that subliminal enchantment and i knew it was a, well… sign! i think my previous album ‘bottle it in’ is my deepest record and i’m still really proud of it. i’m excited to release its follow-up on @ververecords. it’s been a crazy f*ckin year and i’ve got hundreds of songs and ideas in the can, on paper, and in tape recorders all strewn about the ‘kv zone’… nuggets recorded before-and-after pandemic times… in studios and from home… music past, present and, yup, we’re still rolling. it’s gonna be heavy, it’s gonna be beautiful… and it’s gonna be out there.”

The label also shared the news and noted that Vile’s next album is set for release in the summer of 2022.

Check out the posts from Vile and Verve below.

Fans have been waiting to her details about a new project from Jorja Smith ever since the UK singer captivated audiences with soothing vocals on her 2018 debut album Lost & Found. With the release of her recent single “Addicted,” it seemed as though Smith was gearing up for something exciting and on Monday, the singer officially returned with a big announcement.

Smith shared the snappy single “Gone” on Monday, which arrived alongside the announcement of her forthcoming eight-track project Be Right Back. About the song “Gone,” Smith says she hopes her listeners can derive their own meaning from her lyrics, adding that she wrote the track about tragedy:

“There’s something about being able to write about one thing and for it to mean so many different things to others. I love that this song, well any of my songs really, will be interpreted in different ways, depending on the experiences of the people listening. This one is just me asking why people have to be taken from us.”

About the album as a whole, Smith says, “It’s called Be Right Back because it’s just something I want my fans to have right now, this isn’t an album and these songs wouldn’t have made it. If I needed to make these songs, then someone needs to hear them too.”

Listen to Smith’s “Gone” above and see the Be Right Back album cover art and tracklist below.

1. “Addicted”
2. “Gone”
3. “Bussdown” Feat. Shaybo
4. “Time”
5. “Home”
6. “Burn”
7. “Digging”
8. “Weekend”

Be Right Back is out 5/14 via FAMM. Pre-order it here.

The Mother of Dragons might be making the jump to Marvel. Emilia Clarke is reportedly in talks to join Marvel’s Secret Invasion, one of its recently announced series headed to Disney+. Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn are confirmed to reprise their roles (Nick Fury and his Skrull ally Talos), and Kingsley Ben-Adir and Olivia Colman are also reportedly in talks for the series along with the Game of Thrones star. Naturally, most of these casting details have not been confirmed and are being kept under wraps, as Marvel does. Via Variety:

The series is said to follow a group of shape-shifting aliens who have been infiltrating Earth for years. Ben-Adir has been set as the a main villain. Kyle Bradstreet is attached to write and executive produce. Kevin Feige’s unit is producing the series for the streamer, as it does all other MCU titles, including the hits “WandaVision” and “Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”

Clarke joining Secret Invasion would seemingly put a nail in the coffin of persistent, and more importantly, false online rumors that the actress is replacing Amber Heard as Mera in Aquaman 2. Heard has repeatedly stated that she’s not being replaced and that the rumors are just that: rumors.

As for the latest Marvel series to join its growing stable, not much is known outside of the general plot. However, fans were given a small teaser during the end credit scenes for WandaVision. After stopping the events of Westview, Teyonnah Paris’ Monica Rambeau was met by a Skrull disguised as a SWORD agent who informed Monica that “he wants to see you,” while pointing up to the sky. More than likely the Skrull was referring to Jackson’s Nick Fury who was last seen in a space station in Earth’s orbit following the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Parris’ involvment in Secret Invasion has not been reported, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see her pop up in the alien series.

(Via Variety)

Jeff Rosenstock surprise-released his album No Dream last year, and it ended up being one of 2020’s better rock projects. Now, he’s gone ahead and taken the album to a different level by releasing Ska Dream, which is, as the title not-so-subtly indicates, a ska version of the album.

Aside from shifting the arrangements, Rosenstock also reworked some of the song titles; “No Time” becomes “No Time To Skank,” “…BNB” becomes “…SKA,” and so on. Rosenstock says of the album:

“The very good idea to make this record came together when, like many other bands throughout this pandemic that refused to participate in super spreading events, we were trying to find a fun way to make some music together to share with people. Otherwise we were just spending our evenings texting the group chat in dread about the collapsing world around us. Not the most fun band activity.

As with most things ska in my life, what started out as a fun goof with friends eventually morphed into ‘Hey, what if we tried to make it good though?’ All of us have a pretty deep history playing and touring the country in punk/ska bands. We all understand the stigma that comes along with ska, we’ve all dealt with the pitfalls of it, and we’ve all kept on truckin’ regardless. If you are one of those people who loves music as long as it isn’t ska, that’s cool, we see you. This record isn’t for you and you don’t have to listen to it. Byeeee.

Okay, everyone else, we see you too, we love you and check it out, SKA DREAM is real.”

Rosenstock also compared the process of making the album to how The Postal Service made Give Up, writing, “We live in different cities and don’t see each other a lot. This record was arranged through file-sharing, as Ska Dream is the obvious 2021 analogue to The Postal Service’s Give Up.”

Stream Ska Dream below.

After Almighty Suspect, Blac Chyna, and Guapdad 4000 gave their impressions of Canadian dancehall star Snow’s “Informer” video in the last episode of React Like You Know, this week’s episode sticks to the dancehall lane with Jamaican icon of the genre, Sean Paul, and his 2003 video for “Like Glue.” Released as the third single to Sean Paul’s second album Dutty Rock which dropped just a year earlier, the single peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, was successful worldwide, and was a fixture of music video countdown shows’ daily rotation for a good, long while.

Of course, for our panel of fresh-faced, up-and-coming artists, that may as well have been 100 years ago — NLE Choppa was only eight months old when the single was released, and most of the others wouldn’t have been in the target demo for shows like TRL and 106 & Park just yet, either. Most only remember the song from family get-togethers, although Shootergang Kony fondly remembers Sean Paul from the EA rapper wrestling game, Def Jam: Fight For NY (a true classic that deserves an HD remake and/or sequel — someone please get on that immediately, thanks).

Watch the latest episode React Like You Know above.

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

Kacey Musgraves‘ 2018 album Golden Hour catapulted the singer into the limelight. Since then, she’s released a live Christmas album and a handful of standalone singles and collaborative tracks. But the singer is now inching closer to releasing her next studio album, which is slated to see a unique label partnership.

Musgraves released Golden Hour via Universal Music Group (UMG) Nashville. But with her upcoming LP, which is set to debut later in 2021, UMG Nashville is partnering with another major label, Interscope Records, to share marketing, radio promotion and international marketing on the project.

UMG Nashville CEO and Chairman Mike Dungan expressed his excitement about partnering with Interscope for the project: “I have never worked with anyone whose cultural reach is so vast. This artist and her music have thrived in so many diverse environments. Kacey, the music, and the career deserve the broadest base of experience and expertise. We have discussed some type of cross label partnership for her music for a couple of years now and this is the perfect fit. We’re excited to partner with our friends at Interscope on the next chapter of Kacey Musgraves.”

Cindy Mabe, UMG Nashville President, echoed Dugan’s eagerness, saying, “Kacey’s music has never had boundaries. Her clever songwriting, adept storytelling, vulnerable and real emotional delivery, and her overall ‘take me or leave me’ spirit have translated through genre, time, space and culture. She simply connects. As we begin to set up her new music, it made sense to once again push the boundaries to reach more fans around the world as we continue to serve the fans who have been here from the beginning.”

It turns out hastily put together ideas that no one likes aren’t particularly sustainable. According to multiple reports out of Europe, the Super League — a gigantic project put together by top football clubs in England, Italy, and Spain that has come under boatloads of scrutiny in recent days — is on the verge of falling apart, as four clubs have pulled out and the rest find themselves hanging on by a string.

In a series of rapid-fire occurrences on Tuesday, word came out of England that Chelsea had been putting together paperwork to leave the project altogether. This came on the heels of supporters blocking the team bus from entering its facility ahead of the day’s game against Brighton, with club legend Petr Cech being asked to resolve the situation. (He did not.)

Shortly after, the first official domino appeared to fall. Manchester City, whose manager, Pep Guardiola, excoriated the project earlier in the day during his press appearance ahead of Wednesday’s match against Aston Villa, officially left the Super League altogether.

One of the Spanish sides, Atletico Madrid, pulled out, and then, the biggest turn yet occurred. Manchester United, viewed as one of the architects of the project due to (among other things) an American ownership group that wanted to make the sport more profitable, withdrew.

Further reporting has indicated that there will be a call sometime tonight among the clubs in the Super League to discuss a path forward. As a supporter of one of the clubs involved in this (that is among those that have already left the project), I hope they are all as embarrassed as they deserve to be, particularly the carpetbaggers who came into communities where clubs have become institutions for being by and for the people, about a blatant money grab that put their bottom lines above the will of those who made the sport great.

The Los Angeles Clippers are, unquestionably, a contender for the 2021 NBA title, just as they were in 2020. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the same side, there is a certain baseline for success and, in the recent past, the Clippers have risen to the top of the heap. It wasn’t always smooth sailing this season, though, as the Clippers opened the 2020-21 campaign with a relatively modest 26-16 record. That placed them just a half-game ahead of the No. 6 seed in the West and, when compared to preseason expectations, it was reasonable to argue they were falling at least nominally short of their projected baseline.

Since then, however, the Clippers have been the best team in the NBA. Dating back to March 20, they are 14-3 in their last 17 games, and Los Angeles had their top two players (Leonard and George) available in only one of those losses. The 14-3 mark is the best in the league, and the Clippers boast a +12.0 net rating, dominating the competition with an unquestionably elite offense and a top-five defense during that sample.

The Clippers still aren’t quite at full strength with both Serge Ibaka and Patrick Beverley missing extended time but, simply put, Los Angeles is elite when even one of their best players is on the hardwood. Tyronn Lue’s team has a +11.8 net rating with Leonard on the court and a +12.2 net rating with George on the court, regardless of any other context. When they play together (as they will a great deal in the postseason), the Clippers are outscoring opponents by a blistering 16.9 points per 100 possessions, with an elite offensive mark (123.4) and a wildly impressive defensive mark (106.5) to boot.

It could be said that the Clippers are due for some level of shooting regression. For example, they are blowing the rest of the league in three-point shooting, making 42.1 percent of their attempts. From there, Los Angeles is currently posting the best offensive rating (117.4) in the history of the league and, even when accounting for an environment friendly to scoring, that is an eye-popping figure. Some of their recent success can even be tied to Marcus Morris, who is averaging 16.5 points per game and shooting 57.5 percent from three-point range since this 17-game explosion began.

Still, the Clippers have a relatively favorable remaining schedule and a real chance to crack the top two in the West. Perhaps more importantly, they are in a strong position to avoid a first-round tilt against the Lakers by staying in the top three. The Clippers probably have to unseat the reigning champions at some point to reach their goals, but it is more attainable without that first-round barrier.

By virtue of what transpired in the 2020 playoffs, nothing “matters” for the Clippers until the lights are brighter in the postseason and, honestly, everyone acknowledges that. In fact, there is some trepidation with the way they’ve performed in the clutch (at least as defined by NBA.com) this season, scoring only 1.07 points per possession in the last five minutes of tight games. Overall, though, the Clippers have done what they could plausibly do to dispel any concerns and, at the moment, they are firing on all cylinders, even as two key pieces are sidelined.

Where do the Clippers stack up in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s break it down.

1. L.A. Clippers (40-19, Last week — 1st)

Yes, the Clippers lost the Sixers this week. It was also a two-point game in Philadelphia, and Kawhi Leonard didn’t play, so I’ll gloss over that as a central data point. L.A. was in the top spot last week and, as noted above, they’ve basically been the league’s best team for a month. They’re staying put (for now).

2. Phoenix Suns (41-16, Last week — 2nd)

Phoenix had a wholly bizarre home loss to the Spurs this week, and that threatened to drop them in the pecking order. Then, the Suns went into Milwaukee and beat the Bucks on Monday in an OT thriller, overriding the mid-week hiccup. Phoenix’s only other loss in the last 14 games came on the road against the Clippers. That’ll work.

3. Utah Jazz (43-15, Last week — 3rd)

The Jazz haven’t been quite as superhuman lately, posting just a 5-4 record in the last nine games. That coincides with some of their first injury trouble of the season, as Utah essentially punted a game in Los Angeles after Donovan Mitchell suffered an ankle injury. Quin Snyder’s team did come back and beat the shorthanded Lakers on Monday, though, and that keeps them here.

4. Philadelphia 76ers (39-18, Last week — 4th)

Philly would’ve been higher than this if they held serve against Golden State on Monday. Then, Steph Curry happened, so the 76ers stay put. They are still the class of the East right now, so things could be worse.

5. Denver Nuggets (37-20, Last week — 7th)

I was all set to sink the Nuggets, but they just turned in a 3-0 week and did it without Jamal Murray. Obviously, the Murray injury craters their ceiling, but Nikola Jokic is just ridiculous, as evidenced by his 47-point, 15-rebound, 8-assist bonanza on Monday. Don’t overlook them too much.

6. Brooklyn Nets (38-19, Last week — 5th)

Kevin Durant played only four minutes in a close loss on Sunday, and he’s already been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against New Orleans. In the grand scheme, everything is fine for Brooklyn if they are healthy, but they need to have their pieces on the floor to take some comfort in what the Nets will be when the bright lights come on.

7. Milwaukee Bucks (35-22, Last week — 6th)

Milwaukee drops a spot this week, but not because of a 1-point loss to the Suns in overtime on Monday. The damage, such as it is, comes as a result of a home loss to Memphis earlier in the week. Still, the Bucks are plugging along, and we’ll glean a lot from a two-game set against the 76ers this week.

8. Atlanta Hawks (31-26, Last week — 8th)

The Hawks are beating the teams they are supposed to beat. There isn’t too much glamour in that, but it matters a great deal. Atlanta is 17-6 in the last 23 games, and they are slowly getting guys back on the floor after facing a jam-packed injury report for weeks. Nate McMillan’s bunch is currently in sole possession of the No. 4 spot in the East, and they’ve earned it. Individually, Trae Young and Clint Capela have been great, but Bogdan Bogdanovic is a player to circle, especially as he is shooting 51.7 percent from three-point range in April.

9. New York Knicks (31-27, Last week — 15th)

The NBA’s longest active winning streak belongs to the Knicks. New York has won six in a row, and Julius Randle just reeled off four straight 30-point games to help make that happen. They also have the next five games at home, so it has to be said that the Knicks have a real chance to secure homecourt in the first round. What a story that would be.

10. Boston Celtics (31-27, Last week — 9th)

Boston was perhaps due for a stinker, and it came on Monday. The Celtics won eight of the previous nine games, including six in a row, before a home loss to Chicago, and that was the difference between being a few spots higher this week. They are tied with New York and just a half-game behind Atlanta, so everything is fine, but the next two games (against Phoenix and Brooklyn) could be revelatory.

11. Los Angeles Lakers (35-23, Last week — 11th)

The Lakers have alternated wins and losses in 12 consecutive games. Obviously, that isn’t worthy of a party, but when a team is playing without two of the best players in the world, 6-6 will work just fine.

12. Miami Heat (30-28, Last week — 10th)

It’s been a truly vexing season for the Heat. They have been outscored for the season, ranking 20th in net rating (-1.1), but are back above .500 after two straight wins. At some point, there is some alarm for a team that has the 24th-ranked offense in the NBA, but they keep doing just enough to avoid full-on panic.

13. Golden State Warriors (29-29, Last week — 19th)

Stephen Curry is completely out of his mind. The Warriors are 6-2 in the last eight games to reach the .500 mark and, with all due respect to his supporting cast, Curry is the reason. He exploded (again) on Monday night, and Curry is averaging 40.0 points per game in the last 11 contests. He’s made at least 10 threes in four of the past five games, which is basically incalculable. I mean, come on.

14. Dallas Mavericks (30-26, Last week — 13th)

Danger zone for the Mavs? They’ve lost four of the past five, punctuated by a dreadful, 14-point home loss to the Kings on Sunday. For whatever reason, Dallas hasn’t been able to beat bad teams consistently this season, and it’s killing them in the standings.

15. Portland Trail Blazers (32-24, Last week — 12th)

The Blazers have dropped five of the last seven in their own right and, like Miami above, Portland has been outscored for the season. Credit to Damian Lillard and company for resilience, but it’s unclear just how good they actually are on the margins.

16. Memphis Grizzlies (29-27, Last week — 15th)

The Grizzlies are on a brutal seven-game road trip right now, but they’ve played solidly. They won the first two games away from home before losing a nail-biter to Denver last night, but the next four (Clippers, Blazers 2x, Nuggets) could be treacherous. If they can survive that run and still be in the No. 8 spot out West, it will be impressive.

17. Washington Wizards (24-33, Last week — 23rd)

New York has the longest winning streak in the NBA, but Washington is second on that list. The Wizards are on a five-game run, and they’ve won seven of the last eight tilts overall. Once left for dead, the Wizards are now tied for the No. 10 spot in the East. What a world.

18. San Antonio Spurs (28-28, Last week — 20th)

The Spurs are just 6-12 in the last month, and that isn’t what the doctor ordered when pursuing a playoff berth in the West. They are 4-2 in the last six, though, and all four victories came on the road. They seem to be awakening.

19. Charlotte Hornets (28-28, Last week — 17th)

Charlotte halted a four-game losing streak on Sunday with a good win over the Blazers. Terry Rozier was great in that game, going for 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and he’s been tasked with quite a bit lately. Fortunately, it seems as if LaMelo Ball could be nearing his return, and the Hornets need the help as the East race continues.

20. Toronto Raptors (24-34, Last week — 21st)

Just a few days ago, it felt for all the world as if the Raptors were ejecting from the season. On cue, they won three straight games. That little bit of life brings Toronto back in the thick of the playoff chase, just a half-game out of the play-in with more than enough time left in the campaign. Honestly, who knows?

21. Chicago Bulls (24-33, Last week — 22nd)

After a truly dismal 3-11 stretch, the Bulls just picked up two wins to end the week. That was huge for their play-in chances, and they were able to win a couple of tilts without Zach LaVine. They’re going to need him back ASAP, but Chicago is in a spot where they are pretty desperate to make playoff noise and they are back in position to do it.

22. Indiana Pacers (26-31, Last week — 14th)

Things are spiraling for the Pacers. They are on a three-game losing streak and, on Monday, word broke that Myles Turner is out indefinitely. With T.J. Warren already sidelined, Indiana was operating without a key piece, but this might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. They are still in the No. 9 spot in the East, with a two-game cushion over No. 10, but this is not what anyone envisioned for Indiana this season.

23. New Orleans Pelicans (25-32, Last week — 18th)

It’s really hard to win with the 27th-ranked defense in the NBA, and the Pelicans are finding that out. They’ll miss Kevin Durant on Tuesday in a nationally televised tilt, but New Orleans has to catch fire soon to make up the 3.5-game gap between themselves and the No. 10 spot out West.

24. Detroit Pistons (18-40, Last week — 25th)

Detroit isn’t good, but they are competitive. They are 6-7 in the last 13 games, and the Pistons beat the Thunder and Cavs this week. Let’s just agree they are better than the 18-40 record and keep it moving.

25. Minnesota Timberwolves (15-43, Last week — 24th)

Minnesota is 8-14 since the All-Star break, and their net rating (-6.0) is bad, but not disastrous. That also includes missed time for key pieces like Karl-Anthony Towns and, if you squint, there are signs of progress under Chris Finch. They also have a road set against the Kings this week. Speaking of…

26. Sacramento Kings (23-34, Last week — 27th)

The Kings are either red-hot or ice-cold with nothing in between. That was again on display with nine straight losses in the recent past, but they did ping back to a wild road win in Dallas. Maybe that will start a new streak, but the nine-game skid ended any real chance at the play-in.

27. Cleveland Cavaliers (20-37, Last week — 26th)

Cleveland is just 3-10 in the last 13 games, and they lost a head-to-head to Detroit on Monday. On the bright side, rookie lottery pick Isaac Okoro is coming on in April, averaging 11.0 points per game with high-end defensive flashes and improved efficiency.

28. Houston Rockets (15-43, Last week — 30th)

Given that Houston is 4-33 in the last 37 games, it is kind of awe-inspiring they aren’t lower than this. The Rockets did win on the road in Orlando this week, though, and that head-to-head win moves them up a touch this week.

29. Orlando Magic (18-39, Last week — 29th)

The Magic are 5-21 in the last 26 and, while Houston has an uglier mark over a longer period, the Rockets got the last laugh this week. Orlando has also lost eight of the last nine games, and they are deploying some pretty unseemly rosters right now between the rebuilding effort and ongoing injury concerns.

30. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-38, Last week — 28th)

Oklahoma City doesn’t have the worst record in the NBA, but they do have two claims to the basement. One is the NBA’s worst net rating (-9.0) for the season, and they are fortunate to have 20 wins. The other factor in play is that the Thunder have the league’s longest active losing streak, dropping the last 11 games. The rebuilding effort is ongoing and at least Poku is fun.

When comedian Ron Funches tweeted that Outkast is better than The Beatles, he likely knew his opinion would be controversial and generate plenty of discussion as a result. But he probably wasn’t expecting Andre 3000 to reach out to him and offer to send him a gift for, as he puts it, “telling the truth.” Funches explained the reasoning behind his viral tweet, analyzed the reaction to it, and revealed his correspondence with the Outkast member during last night’s episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden.

“What prompted me to write it was just my love of OutKast,” he recalled. “It’s not hatred to the Beatles — I think the Beatles are amazing.” However, he said, “Some of the things that I grew up with and that I value aren’t necessarily given the same amount of worth… They moved the entire rap industry to Atlanta, how they changed it from rapping about drugs to rapping about art, rapping about life. Erykah Badu over Yoko Ono, all day!”

Funches also said that Andre did reach out, joking that the always unconventional rapper sent him an owl — as in Harry Potter — letting him know the gift was on the way. “I hope it’s a handmade flute doesn’t work,” he giggled.

You can watch Ron’s interview with James Corden above.

As the nation braces itself for the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, President Biden has embraced the family of George Floyd at what has to be an incredibly stressful time.

Following closing arguments in the Chauvin trial on Monday, Judge Peter Cahill has sent jurors to deliberate. The verdict is expected to come in the next few days.

“He was just calling,” George’s brother, Philonise Floyd, said about the president. “He knows how it is to lose a family member, and he knows the process of what we’re going through. So he was just letting us know that he was praying for us, hoping that everything will come out to be OK.”

Biden lost his wife and one-year-old daughter in a tragic car accident in 1972 and his son Beau to cancer in 2015.

The president’s kind-hearted actions seem like an extension of the Healer-in-Chief role he’s created for himself since taking office in January.

The nation has been in mourning after the devastation caused by COVID-19, the murder of George Floyd, and a contentious election.

On Tuesday, Biden shared his thoughts on the trial because they won’t interfere with the deliberations of the sequestered jury. Ahead of a meeting with lawmakers in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Biden said he is “praying the verdict is the right verdict” that he believes the evidence to be “overwhelming.”

The president has previously denounced Floyd’s death but hasn’t shared his opinion on the trial.

The upcoming verdict has the nation on edge. Regardless of the outcome, people are going to take to the streets. Many fear that if Chauvin gets off, there will be widespread civil unrest. However, Philonise Floyd says that his family is cautiously “optimistic.”

“Me and my family, we pray about it every day,” Floyd said. But he feels that the decision will be a reckoning on the current state of justice in America.

“I just feel that in America, if a Black man can’t get justice for this, what can a Black man get justice for?” he asked.

The family hopes that if people take to the streets, regardless of the verdict, they will be “peaceful.” But Philonise understands the grief that many are feeling across the nation. This feeling was recently exacerbated after Duante Wright was killed by a police officer a few miles from where Floyd died.

“But at the same time, I can’t stop people from doing the things that they’re doing because people are in pain,” Floyd said. “They’re hurt.”

The 12 jurors in the trial have three counts to consider as they come to a verdict. Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He could be found guilty of all the charges, some or none.

If Chauvin is convicted of the most serious charge, he faces 12.5 years or 15 months in prison under sentencing guidelines for a first-time offender. However, the prosecution claims there are aggravating factors that could result in a longer sentence.