Category: News

George R.R. Martin is getting a lot accomplished in prison.

The A Song of Ice and Fire author recently signed a five-year, eight-figure deal with HBO; he’s also executive producing the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon; (allegedly) writing the long-awaited The Winds of Winter; and according to the Hollywood Reporter, writing a play based on the book series.

A stage show set in the world of Game of Thrones is in the works, with Martin collaborating with award-winning playwright Duncan MacMillan (including the production of 1984 that made Jennifer Lawrence puke) and director Dominic Cooke. “The play will for the first time take audiences deeper behind the scenes of a landmark event that previously was shrouded in mystery,” the official description reads. “Featuring many of the most iconic and well-known characters from the series, the production will boast a story centered around love, vengeance, madness and the dangers of dealing in prophecy, in the process revealing secrets and lies that have only been hinted at until now.” A 2023 launch is the hope, with productions in New York, London, and Australia.

The still-untitled play will reportedly be set during the Tourney at Harrenhal, a lavish and thrilling tournament that took place roughly 16 years before the events of the HBO show, allowing familiar characters to return. Possibly including:

No characters have yet been officially confirmed for the play. But according to Martin’s previously published books, attendees of the event included a young, shy Ned Stark, his rebellious sister Lyanna, cocky teenage Jaime Lannister, powerful Lord Robert Baratheon, lovestruck Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, dashing Prince Oberyn Martell, and noble knight Ser Barristan Selmy, among many others (keep in mind, Martin’s Westeros timeline is different than the HBO series as the show had to age-up several characters in order to hire actors who could work with adult material).

If the Game of Thrones play is a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child-level hit, HBO should consider bringing more of its shows to the Great White Way. A “Tomlette and Greggs” song would bring the house down in Succession: The Musical.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

The Denver Nuggets overhauled their roster in advance of the 2021 trade deadline. The biggest investment was the package sent to the Orlando Magic to acquire Aaron Gordon, bolstering the team’s forward rotation, but Denver also added JaVale McGee and avoided real short-term pain in pushing some of their chips into the middle with the 2020-21 season in mind. Even before those moves, however, the Nuggets were showing signs of their 2019-20 form, and that could be scary for the rest of the Western Conference.

Denver is 11-3 in the last 14 games, jumping into a tie for the No. 5 spot in the West after a relatively slow start. Over that 14-game sample, the Nuggets lead the NBA in offensive rating, scoring 120.1 points per 100 possessions, and Denver boasts a +8.5 net rating since late February. Much of that can be traced to the continued absurdity that is Nikola Jokic’s 2020-21 performance.

For the season, Jokic is averaging 26.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game, earning legitimate MVP buzz and posting a 65 percent true shooting. He currently ranks in the top eight in scoring, rebounding, and assists and, while his efficiency is already stellar — Jokic is connecting on 59 percent of his shots and 45 percent of his threes in the last 14 games. Beyond his individual numbers, the Nuggets are 9.6 points per 100 possessions better when he plays (+7.9) than when he sits (-1.7), and the case for “most valuable” is pretty easy to make with the way Denver is playing.

Jokic does need more help beyond Jamal Murray, though, and that was signaled in full at the deadline. Gordon may not be a superstar in the way that his dunk contest pedigree may leave some to believe, but he is a good two-way forward who unlocks a great deal for Denver on paper. He is a potentially electric off-ball option on the offensive end and, with Jokic’s passing at the forefront, Gordon’s cutting should be quite useful. On the other end, he has the size and athleticism to defend the likes of LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard in playoff settings, and that is a hole the Nuggets needed to fill in the absence of Jerami Grant.

The fit between Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. may not be flawless on paper given that, in a vacuum, one could argue both are best-suited at the power forward spot. However, Gordon is more of a 4 on offense and a 3 on defense, while the opposite is true of Porter. From there, Porter’s shooting allows lineup flexibility and offense, and Gordon can take some of the defensive heat away from the budding standout in Porter. Gordon also takes some pressure off veterans like JaMychal Green and Paul Millsap, with McGee bringing a dynamic as a rim-runner on offensive and rim protector on defense that could be useful in certain matchups.

It is perhaps fair to wonder if the Nuggets are well-positioned to become Western Conference finalists for the third year in a row, especially in a world in which the Lakers are at full strength. After all, the Clippers look to be in fine shape despite last season’s loss to Denver, the Suns are playing at a very high level, and the Jazz are currently the best team in the NBA from a win-loss standpoint. Still, Mike Malone’s team looks much better on paper than it did just a few weeks ago, and that roster uptick is pretty appetizing when combined with the way the Nuggets are playing in March.

Where does Denver land in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let us find out.

1. Utah Jazz (35-11, Last week — 5th)

Following a bit of a dry spell, the Jazz have won six in a row, including a thorough annihilation of the Cavs on Monday. The schedule in that stretch was not at all difficult, but they are still the team with the best profile overall. Power rankings are often a “what have you done for me lately?” exercise, and Utah is back in the good graces after this run.

2. Brooklyn Nets (32-15, Last week — 1st)

This is a weird one. Yes, the Nets lost to the Jazz by 30 this week. That happened, and it is a datapoint that matters. Brooklyn also didn’t have a single member of its three-man core on the floor, so that game doesn’t mean much. Utah has the better resume overall, but the Nets are still 18-3 in the last 21 games.

3. L.A. Clippers (32-16, Last week — 6th)

L.A. is tied with Utah for the NBA’s longest winning streak (six) and they are scoring 1.26 points per possession during that run. The Clippers are also shooting an insane 41.9 percent from three for the season, and any concerns about a 5-8 stretch from mid-February to mid-March seem to be gone.

4. Philadelphia 76ers (32-14, Last week — 3rd)

For the season, Philadelphia is a respectable 8-7 without Joel Embiid. That is even better lately, though, with a 6-2 mark since Embiid went down. That probably isn’t sustainable, but it’s been impressive to see the 76ers bank wins.

5. Phoenix Suns (31-14, Last week — 4th)

Phoenix takes a small dip after a weird loss to Orlando this week, but they have been remarkably solid. They are a top-tier team on both ends with few weaknesses, and the Suns have an insane +16 net rating when Dario Saric (!?) plays this season. The schedule also opens up this week with three home games and a quick road trip to Houston.

6. Denver Nuggets (28-18, Last week — 8th)

Tuesday was supposed to be a Jokic vs. Embiid battle in Denver, but that will have to wait. The Nuggets do visit the Clippers in a nationally televised clash on Thursday, and that should be intriguing.

7. Milwaukee Bucks (29-17, Last week — 2nd)

No team has been streakier than the Bucks in recent weeks. Since the start of February, Milwaukee’s entire profile can be described by streaks in either direction. It began with five straight wins, then was followed by five straight losses. The Bucks then won 13 out of 14 games from late February to late March, only to lose the last three contests. We know the Bucks are good, but this is a little bit weird.

8. Los Angeles Lakers (30-17, Last week — 10th)

The Lakers shouldn’t really need to celebrate home wins over Cleveland and Orlando, but right now, they should. Los Angeles beating anyone without both LeBron and AD is noteworthy, and the victories still count in the standings.

9. Portland Trail Blazers (28-18, Last week — 11th)

Portland is a more than acceptable 7-4 since the All-Star break, but they are really testing the margins. On one hand, the Blazers are No. 2 in offense during that stretch, scoring more than 1.19 points per possession. On the other, Portland is the league’s worst defensive team by a wide margin in the last 11 games, giving up 120.6 points per 100 possessions. It’s really hard to keep winning more than you lose if you can’t get stops, but they’re doing it.

10. Dallas Mavericks (24-21, Last week — 7th)

The Mavericks lost two games this week, but Luka Doncic missed both with injury. Given how important he is to their overall approach, those contests are basically useless from an evaluation standpoint, and Doncic returned in a blowout win over OKC on Monday.

11. Sacramento Kings (22-25, Last week — 22nd)

With the entire middle of the league struggling right now, the Kings are rewarded with a huge jump. They have the third-longest active winning streak in the league at five in a row, and Sacramento is somehow only one game out of the play-in in the West. They still can’t get stops, but it hasn’t mattered much lately.

12. Atlanta Hawks (23-23, Last week — 9th)

After a season-shifting eight-game winning streak, the Hawks have lost three of four. That isn’t the end of the world on a West Coast road trip, though, and they are in a very solid position. Moreover, they are as healthy as they’ve been all season and the team’s remaining schedule is relatively soft.

13. Memphis Grizzlies (22-22, Last week — 13th)

Memphis is simply okay. Their .500 record tells that story, as does a +0.6 net rating that does place the Grizzlies at No. 12 in the league. One troubling trend is Ja Morant’s three-point shooting, though, with the budding star shooting just 23.4 percent from long distance this season.

14. New Orleans Pelicans (21-25, Last week — 18th)

The Pels are 4-1 in the last five games and Zion Williamson is a destroyer of worlds. New Orleans is still outside the playoff mix and, through that lens, it seems like Williamson isn’t getting quite enough attention for what he’s doing. Still, the Pelicans are out-scoring their opponents for the season with Zion on the floor, and he’s scored 20 points or more in 24 straight games. During that stretch, Williamson is shooting 64.9 percent from the field. He’s just impossible to defend.

15. Boston Celtics (23-24, Last week — 14th)

The Celtics are 11th in net rating, out-scoring their opponents for the season, but it hasn’t translated to win-loss results. The latest example was a home loss to New Orleans on Monday. Obviously, Evan Fournier isn’t going to miss every shot he takes in a Celtics uniform, but Boston just isn’t winning enough to make anyone happy.

16. Miami Heat (23-24, Last week — 17th)

Miami is intensely bizarre. They opened 11-17, then won 11 of 12 games. After that barrage, the Heat lost six in a row before winning at MSG on Monday. They did make some intriguing changes at the deadline to help their roster, but a team in “win now” mode with a 23-24 record and a negative point differential is also strange.

17. San Antonio Spurs (23-21, Last week — 12th)

San Antonio’s overall profile still looks just fine, but they’ve been shaky lately. The Spurs have lost five of six, including a pretty ugly performance in a 17-point home loss to Sacramento on Monday. Having a nine-game homestand is nice, but it’s better if you win more of those games than you lose.

18. Charlotte Hornets (23-22, Last week — 19th)

It is late March and Terry Rozier is still averaging 20.5 points per game and shooting 41.6 percent from three. With LaMelo Ball out of action, Rozier is even more important, and his renaissance has been key for the Hornets in rising to the level of a legitimate playoff-level team.

19. New York Knicks (24-23, Last week — 20th)

The Knicks put together a 3-1 week, and that is commendable. They also beat the Wizards twice and the Bucks reserves once, so it would be too aggressive to take much from it. If nothing else, New York is still hanging around, and that’s all they need to do.

20. Indiana Pacers (21-24, Last week — 16th)

It was a generally positive week for the Pacers with a 2-1 mark, but the wins also came against the Pistons and the Luka Doncic-less Mavericks. In zooming out, Indiana is 6-10 since mid-February and they are just 9th in the East standings. They should be fine through the lens of the play-in tournament, but that probably wasn’t the intended measuring stick for Indiana.

21. Chicago Bulls (19-26, Last week — 23rd)

We’re doing some creative accounting to have the Bulls here. They’d be lower simply on results. Chicago did add Nikola Vucevic to the fold at the deadline, though, and the 0-2 start with him in the lineup is probably more about the schedule, with road games in San Antonio and San Francisco. The Bulls should be a playoff-level team with their current roster.

22. Golden State Warriors (23-24, Last week — 15th)

The Warriors won on Monday, in large part because Steph Curry played basketball. Golden State is 2-6 without Curry this year but, more importantly, the Warriors have a -6.6 net rating when he’s off the floor. That comes along with a league-worst offense, and it is remarkable how ugly it is when Curry is absent.

23. Washington Wizards (17-28, Last week — 25th)

Washington isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire, but Russell Westbrook is doing stuff. He put together a triple-double in a win over Detroit on Saturday and followed it up with a 35-point, 21-assist, 14-rebound explosion in a win on Monday. It would be fair to question how good the Wizards are, but it’s a good sign that Russ is still capable of that kind of thing.

24. Oklahoma City Thunder (19-27, Last week — 21st)

It wasn’t exactly a secret that the Thunder were not trying desperately to win games but, in case there was any lingering doubt, they put Al Horford on ice this week. Granted, it makes total sense for Oklahoma City to play the kids and look to improve Draft positioning, but they are getting close to an admirable impression of The Process. In the last 15 days, the Thunder have two wins and they came against the Rockets and Wolves.

25. Detroit Pistons (13-33, Last week — 26th)

Detroit was able to beat the suddenly woeful Raptors on Monday, helping to boost their standing. One point of concern, though, is the downturn in efficiency of Jerami Grant. Both Grant and the Pistons were rightfully praised after his torrid start, but in the last 19 games, the veteran forward is shooting just 38.5 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from three-point range. It will be interesting to see where his true baseline lands in the prominent role he takes on with the Pistons.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves (11-36, Last week — 27th)

The Wolves are playing better on the whole, but they are really benefitting from the mishaps of other franchises when it comes to their ranking here. Minnesota still has the worst record in the league and they are 1-5 in the last six games. The only win came over Houston. At the very least, Karl-Anthony Towns seems to be unlocked under Chris Finch, averaging 29.6 points and 11 rebounds per game in the last seven while shooting better than 51 percent from three.

27. Cleveland Cavaliers (17-30, Last week — 24th)

When the Cavs lose, they often lose badly. A 39-point shellacking at the hands of the Jazz on Monday was the latest example, and that isn’t going to help Cleveland’s league-worst net rating (-8.2). They are six games better than the Wolves in the standings, but still have a worse point differential.

28. Orlando Magic (15-31, Last week — 28th)

Good on the Magic for blowing it up. It was time for Orlando to lean into the void, but it wasn’t a guarantee they would actually pull the trigger. It would be easy to argue about whether the Magic got enough in return for Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier, but they added to their future chest of assets and ensured a pick near the top of the first round in the process.

29. Houston Rockets (13-33, Last week — 29th)

If you want to be positive, you could say that Houston is a more respectable 2-3 in the last five games. If you want to be more skeptical, you could say that Houston is 2-23 in their last 25 games. A win over Toronto keeps them out of 30th, but that’s not saying much.

30. Toronto Raptors (18-29, Last week — 30th)

The Raptors did win a game this week, and it happened right before the trade deadline with a distinct feeling that Kyle Lowry would be on the move. Of course, that didn’t happen, but Toronto then lost three in a row, including a 14-point loss to the Pistons on Monday. The Raptors certainly aren’t the worst team in the league, but they are 1-12 in the last 13 games. It’s not great.

Omar Apollo gained a sizeable following after the release of his acclaimed debut album Apolonio last October. But now, the musician shares an entirely different project that he has been working hard on: hot sauce. Apollo unveiled Disha Hot on Tuesday, a small-batch hot sauce made with habanero, lime, ghost peppers, and “mucho amor.”

Announcing the hot sauce’s release, Apollo said the recipe has been in his family for years: “finally releasing a small batch of my hot sauce, Dishahot on Friday,” he wrote. “We’ve been working on this project since the beginning of quarantine, but this recipe has been in my family for a while.”

The back of the bottle details the sauce:

“Omar Apollo is a first-generation Mexican-American singer, songwriter, and producer from Northwest Indiana. Omar started releasing music in 2017 and has generated hundreds of millions of streams since then. Omar’s parents immigrated to the US from Guadalajara and started a Mexican restaurant called El Super Taco, but sadly they had to close it after Omar was born. The recipe for Disha Hot has been passed down for generations and Omar has always been Omar’s dream to share it with the world.”

Disha Hot hits selves 4/2. Buy it here.

Omar Apollo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

CJ isn’t about to let the momentum of his “Whoopty” success slip away. After dropping a pair of well-received remixes — the “Whoopty NYC Remix” featuring French Montana and Rowdy Rebel, and the “Whoopty Latin Mix” with Anuel AA and Ozuna — the Staten Island native is following up with a new video from his debut EP, Loyalty Over Royalty. In the “Real One” video, CJ performs solo in an empty warehouse with moody lighting, with sultry shots of models seducing the camera cut in.

Lyrically, CJ insists that a romantic interest “wanna f*ck with a real one,” rhyming in a singsong flow to boast about his sex appeal and newfound success. It’s a short but effective song that shows his versatility, slightly departing from the catchy vocal sample and spare rhythms of his drill hit, but not so much that it might alienate the fans of that song who helped drive it and its multiple remixes to over 250 million cumulative views on YouTube.

Meanwhile, with songs like “Bop” and “Politics” racking up some respectable streaming numbers of their own, it looks like CJ has the tools to dodge one-hit-wonder status — although he should probably look into switching up his video locations and concepts sometime soon.

Watch the “Real One” video above.

CJ is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

This week in the best new pop music saw some exciting releases from some big pop stars. Demi Lovato released her radically honest track “Dancing With The Devil,” Taylor Swift teamed up with country star Maren Morris, and Justin Bieber dropped a track with heavy-hitter DaBaby.

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

Demi Lovato — “Dancing With The Devil”

Demi Lovato has been through a lot through her career. She’s struggled with addiction and an eating disorder, among other things, and recently reveled that she suffered multiple strokes after overdosing in 2018. She details all these hardships and heartbreak in her anticipated track “Dancing With The Devil,” which features Lovato’s vulnerable lyrics over a jazzy beat.

Taylor Swift — “You All Over Me” Feat. Maren Morris

Taylor Swift is currently rerecording all of her music after a record label deal went awry. That means she’s also able to share some previously unheard tracks that she recorded during her past album cycles. This week, Swift teamed up with country star Maren Morris to share the gentle tune “You All Over Me,” which was originally recorded at the same time as her Fearless album.

Justin Bieber — “Know No Better” Feat. DaBaby

Justin Bieber may have released his swooning album Justice last week, but he didn’t stop there. The singer followed-up the release with a deluxe version of the album, which boasted six new star-studded tracks, including the snappy “Know No Better” with DaBaby.

Julia Michaels — “All Your Exes”

On the heels of her appearance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Julia Michaels served up the jealousy-busting anthem “All Your Exes,” where she sings of wishing to live in a world where her partner’s exes didn’t exist. “I hope that you love this song in all it’s satirical glory mixed in with a little truth,” she wrote alongside its release.

Studio Killers — “Jenny” Feat. Kim Petras

Virtual band Studio Killers recent saw an uptick in popularity thanks to TikTok. Breathing new life into their 2013 track “Jenny” this week, Studio Killers tapped pop singer Kim Petras to lend her bubbly vocals on an updated version of the single.

Alaina Castillo — “Indica”

Alaina Castillo is currently gearing up for her debut LP, and while she makes fans wait for more information about the full-length release, the singer shared her chilled-out track “Indica.” “’Indica’ is about escaping into an alternate reality,” Castillo said about the flowing single. “I want it to be a reset button that puts you in a different universe once you’ve listened to it.”

Karol G — “El Makinon” Feat. Mariah Angeliq

After serving up several hits last year, Karol G released her anticipated third studio album KG0516, featuring the rhythmic single “El Makinon.” About her LP, Karol G said: “I experimented a lot with different sounds, genres and unique vibes. It’s definitely something that hasn’t been heard before from me and the songs are all a representation of who I am today as a person and an artist.”

Benny Blanco — “Unlearn” Feat. Gracie Abrams

Following his work on Justin Bieber’s hit single “Lonely,” Benny Blanco returns to share Friends Keep Secrets 2, a star-studded album that features collaborators like Omar Apollo, Halsey, Ty Dolla Sign, and more. It also boasts his down tempo track “Unlearn,” which offers an open space for songwriter Gracie Abrams to debut her tender and moving vocals.

Ali Gatie — “Do You Believe” Feat. Marshmello

After making a name for himself with his debut 2019 project You, Ali Gatie has now shared his anticipated soulful EP The Idea Of Her. The 10-track effort includes several captivating tracks, including his Marshmello collaboration “Do You Believe,” which Gatie says is “about love as a whole—the type of love that takes a day to happen and the type of heartbreak that takes years to recover from.”

UMI — “Introspection Remiagined”

Fans fell in love with UMI’s melodic musings when she released her EP Introspection in 2020. But this week, she completely reworked each track to further lean into her R&B sensibilities. “I’m really letting myself sing for the first time,” she said about the reworked project.

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

It’s been just a few months since Jazmine Sullivan returned to release her critically acclaimed album Heaux Tales, which detailed all that the singer learned about herself in the six years since her last record. Continuing to share her new music, Sullivan brought her soulful track “Pick Up Your Feelings” to a captivating performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Joined by a full band, Sullivan belted out each lyric with candor while showcasing her powerful vocal range. Her performance follows a busy couple of months for the singer. Not only is she on the heels of her Heaux Tales release, but Sullivan was also invited to deliver the National Anthem at this year’s Super Bowl game.

Ahead of her late-night performance, Sullivan sat down with Uproxx for a conversation about all she learned while recording Heaux Tales. Sullivan said the process helped her understand that she doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders as a woman:

“Especially as a woman, because we feel like we have to do everything perfectly and just be perfect. We have the world on our shoulders normally anyway so we feel like we have to live up to a certain standard and, as a woman growing up, I always felt that way. This process and making the project helped me to do that by listening to the tales of other women, my girlfriends, and older women. And, just knowing that we’re human and we don’t have to be perfect and just allow ourselves to figure things out.”

Watch Sullivan perform “Pick Up Your Feelings” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! above.

Heaux Tales is out now via RCA. Get it here.

Angel Olsen originally envisioned her two most recent albums, 2019’s All Mirrors and 2020’s Whole New Mess, as one double album. That didn’t end up happening, but now the two projects will be brought together under one umbrella on a new box set, Song Of The Lark And Other Far Memories, which is set for release on May 7.

The set which also features a 40-page book and a collection of bonus tracks titled Far Memory. Among the bonus tracks are a cover of Roxy Music’s “More Than This,” a Mark Ronson remix of “New Love Cassette,” and a new song called “It’s Every Season (Whole New Mess),” an alternate version of “Whole New Mess” that was recorded during the All Mirrors sessions. Olsen shared the latter track today.

Listen to “It’s Every Season (Whole New Mess)” above and check out Song Of The Lark And Other Far Memories art and tracklist below.

All Mirrors
1. “Lark”
2. “All Mirrors”
3. “Too Easy”
4. “New Love Cassette”
5. “Spring”
6. “What It Is”
7. “Impasse”
8. “Tonight”
9. “Summer”
10. “Endgame”
11. “Chance”

Whole New Mess
1. “Whole New Mess”
2. “Too Easy (Bigger Than Us)”
3. “(New Love) Cassette”
4. “(We Are All Mirrors)”
5. “(Summer Song)”
6. “Waving, Smiling”
7. “Tonight (Without You)”
8. “Lark Song”
9. “Impasse (Workin’ For The Name)”
10. “Chance (Forever Love)”
11. “What It Is (What It Is)”

Far Memory
1. “All Mirrors (Johnny Jewel Remix)”
2. “New Love Cassette (Mark Ronson Remix)”
3. “More Than This”
4. “Smaller”
5. “It’s Every Season (Whole New Mess)”
6. “Alive and Dying (Waving, Smiling)”

Song Of The Lark And Other Far Memories is out 5/7 via Jagjaguwar. Pre-order it here.

QAnon-loving Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene recently attempted to distance herself from her most infamous conspiracy theories (like ridiculously claiming that Jewish space lasers causing wildfires), but not many people are buying it. She’s been banished from congressional committees, and CrossFit has tellingly denied any affiliation with her because, yeah, that’s totally self-explanatory. No one wants MTG to taint their brand with her rhetoric, yet she persists with even more bonkers theories each day, including what she’s ranting about in her crusade against vaccine passports.

Greene’s of the far-right opinion that vaccine passports shouldn’t exist for a few reasons. They’re steamed about certain states’ voter ID laws and are creating a false equivalency between those laws and a supposed double-standard with the mere idea of vaccine passports. Even more than that, Greene appears to be convinced that such a “passport” is actually “Biden’s Mark of the Beast.” As wacky as it sounds, Greene’s sticking with this argument. “They are actually talking about people’s ability to buy and sell linked to the vaccine passport,” she tweeted. “They might as well call it Biden’s Mark of the Beast.” She’s followed this up with several more tweets, including her insistence that “We WILL NOT COMPLY with Biden’s vaccine ‘passports’!”

The freshman congresswoman recorded a video (via RightWingWatch) to this effect and accused companies who require workers to be vaccinated of “corporate communism.”

Greene never seems to run out of energy. She’s been tweeting on the subject all day, and to paste them all here would be redundant, but here’s another silly leap in logic from her. She’s somehow trying to paint pro-choice Democrats as evil because they want to drop “my body my choice” while urging people to get vaccinated. This lady is the master of mixing-and-matching unrelated issues.

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

When asked about how he’s been handling the last year of pandemic, Sacramento rapper Caleborate paraphrases Bruce Lee: “What I’ve been doing to keep things all together is just being like water.” The quote, which implores the listener to be flexible, malleable, and to go with the flow, aptly describes Caleborate’s music style as well. Although his new album, Light Hit My Skin, is ostensibly a hip-hop album, it’s also a genre-fluid affair that allows Caleborate to transform according to his whims and needs of the lush production. And yet, while water can fill a container or run like a river, it remains water — that’s a lesson Caleborate puts into practice here, as well.

So, while he tackles straightforward, storytelling rap on “Contact” with fellow indie rap stalwart Kota The Friend, he also spends several of the interludes — titled “Light 001,” “Light 002,” and “Light 003” — vocalizing like a praise leader on Sunday morning. He calls these his favorite tracks on the album. He demonstrates his versatility throughout; there’s the house-inspired, synth-pop experiment “Homecoming” with Duckwrth, the soft-rock ballad “Untitled (Hit Record),” and the post-hyphy intro “Cliquot Shower.” Each emanates authenticity — there’s no major label-mandated push for algorithmic ambivalence. Instead, Caleborate is like the titular light on his skin — a full spectrum of wavelengths and colors — all of them are not always visible, but they are the same beam of light.

Over the phone with Uproxx, Caleborate reflects on his unique artistic philosophy, other lessons he’s learned over the past year, and questions why, with such a multifaceted array of lights to choose from, mainstream hip-hop continues to constrain itself to just a few shades of red.

What have you been doing over the last year of quarantine?

I’ve been doing some Caleb work, some Caleborate work, some Mr. Parker work, you know what I mean. All different facets of me. Some work as a brother, as a son, as a businessman.

I’ve had a lot of time to reconnect with my family because before COVID and everything popped off, I was really planning to move to LA. My manager and I were about to move in together, he had found an apartment. We literally had gone to go see it the day before I came back to live in the Bay with my mom.

COVID kicked off right in March, so I ended up staying in the Bay. My manager ended up staying where he was located out in Pennsylvania. My workflow changed drastically. My plans changed drastically. Performances: Gone. And certain things that I had going in process for the album shifted up. So, I just kind of had to adjust my workflow and sort of catch my rhythm in the water. I just had to catch my rhythm.

That’s really what we’re here for is for the album, which has a very interesting title, Light Hit My Skin. Obviously, there’s probably a lot of layers to that. Why don’t you kind of give me a little bit of an overview of what inspired this title and the concept of the album?

It’s so many different types of light. We were listening to “The Madness” and we just keyed in on that line. We’re driving in the car and everybody keyed in on that line. It’s so multi-layered, it has so many different meanings. And I have a lot of different versions of the light that hit my skin, whether it’s on stage or out in the street or whether it’s cop lights cascading over our car or it’s phone flashlights taking pictures with people.

Or even the light in me if you want to get metaphorical. The light that I can shine is who I am and enlightening people. All the different forms of that word really hit me at that moment and it’s something that I referenced a few times in the album. So to me, it’s just all the different situations in which light hits my skin. I’m about to go into the grocery store right now and lights are about to hit my skin, they got fluorescent light in there, and that’s a setting for a story, a moment of life.

I love that you can find so many different ways of looking at such a simple phrase, that really speaks to your gift as a writer, which is one of the things that drew me to you as an artist. Speaking of lines that jump out, one that hit me was about how you used to wear hoop shorts under your jeans on “We Make.” It just sent me right back to my own high school experience.

Oh man, bro, man, that was a thing that we did back in middle school and high school, we stopped sophomore year of high school because we got real lockers. We would hoop before school, you would literally come to school dripped out, shorts on underneath your jeans, come to school a little bit early, take your jeans off.

You might put hoop shoes in your backpack or over your shoulder, the next thing, you’re hooping. And then we hoop for 15 minutes, put your jeans on. We had to buy our jeans a couple of sizes higher. You have to buy thinner shorts.

Those moments help teach you a little bit about who people are. And when you have a confrontation on the court and disagreements or you’re picking teams or you have to take initiative or share with teammates. It was just kind of these young man moments that I had reminisced on that I sometimes see the matured version of them in our culture.

So as an independent artist, you have a lot more control over what you put out and how you put it out. But because it’s coming out of your pocket, you don’t have the budget of a bigger artist. How do you go about executing without really having the same resources as major label artists?

Well, for me, it’s relationships. Keeping those relationships is invaluable because we’re the artists and whether you’re signed to a label or not, real artists can see each other. And so I’m blessed. There are other people that I meet that are blessed to do it that way, musically, whether it’s production or writing or singing or whatever, for the sake of music, I’m keeping them relationships.

I have a very strong core of artists that I’ve been working with and people that support me. And it’s definitely all based on music. Money is secondary, but money has come because of that. As far as reaching out to newer artists like Deante Hitchcock or working with Cantrell or working with Tone Sinatra or working with Duckwrth… I make sure that they’re compensated and make sure that their time is valued.

But first comes first, do they like to record? Do they want to be in this thing? Are they down for the ride of this record? And everybody featured on the project, man, they’re real artists. And so it’s just an honor to work with other people like that.

How have you adapted to not having a tour life over the last year? What’s something that you miss about touring and what something you don’t miss about touring?

Man, touring is this very bittersweet thing, absolutely love and miss traveling in general. The number one aspect of touring is being out with friends — three, four like-minded individuals — experiencing life together at a new point in time. And then when you compound making money and having a reason to be here, it’s amazing.

Traveling is great, but it’s also not great, it’s tiring. Also, “traveling while Black” is a thing, just like “traveling while a woman” is a thing — especially international travel. People look at you, look at what you’re wearing… That could be kind of draining, so that part of travel I don’t miss.

God took it away from all of these artists, all of us for a reason. So we’ll never forget it. That’s how I feel. But, yeah, I miss that and what I’ve been doing to keep things all together is just being like water and learning more to be like water.

The change in sort of workflow for the whole world really has sort of allowed for, I think, me and people like me maybe to focus on what’s in the now. “What can I actually do? What do I need to do? What’s something I need to be doing, what stuff I want to be doing? And how can I get what I need to get done in spite of what’s going on in the world?” And I’ve been learning a lot of stuff through just approaching stuff with that mentality.

As we wrap things up, I always like to ask artists this question because you have to get asked the same questions over and over again. What’s something that you want to talk about that you wish somebody had asked you?

That’s a really good question. I almost want the right person to ask. I want somebody to ask me, or even once someone to have a real, everything-on-the-table conversation about the history of hip-hop and rap music and its impact on the Black community, as far as things that are promoted in the music and how they correlate to health, violence as promoted in the music and how it correlates to crime rates, and trends that occur in the music industry as far as artists who perpetuate certain themes in their music.

Because I believe over time, hip-hop has gotten bloodier and bloodier and there’s been more money put into bloodier and bloodier music. And I don’t have anything against bloody music. It’s not my preferred genre. It’s not my preferred experience. But when something has been systematically controlled by capitalistic entities like major corporations that do billions of dollars in revenue every year and can invest hundreds of millions or 20 to 50 million into the specific genre of music… Maybe you can have conversations. I would just be interested in having that conversation.

Light Hit My Skin is out now on TBKTR. Get it here.

Ariana Grande surprised her fans today with the announcement she would join the judges’ panel on The Voice, replacing Nick Jonas. The singer said she’s “beyond thrilled, honored, [and] excited” to join Blake Shelton, John Legend, and Kelly Clarkson on season 21. In joining the cast, she’ll be the second-youngest person to coach the show’s collection of aspiring pop stars after Kelsea Ballerini, who joined in the 15th season and is three months younger than Ariana.

Some might see the move as unusual for Ariana, who is perceived to have a younger fan base than most of the other hosts by far, but perhaps her inclusion will lend some “cool” points to the competition show, which has helped launch the careers of plenty of singers but has yet to generate a ubiquitous pop presence like Kelly Clarkson, whose career started on the first season of American Idol. With her legion of Arianators tuning in, any singer co-signed by Grande will certainly have a leg-up on securing a young, long-term fanbase after the show wraps.

Some fans also view the casting as a savvy move for Grande, who was unable to tour with her most recent album, Positions, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Working on the show could go a long way toward extending her career and expanding her fanbase since she’ll be centrally-located and able to work on music without worrying about performing, while still being visible to the show’s massive audience.

The Voice is currently in its 20th season. The air date for season 21 has yet to be announced.