Category: News

Just in case the densely-packed wordplay in Phife Dawg‘s posthumous “Nutshell Part 2” got away from you, the song now has an animated lyric video to help make it easier to follow Phife, Busta Rhymes, and Redman‘s elaborate rhyme schemes. The video, which you can watch above, is exclusively premiering here at Uproxx. Featuring illustrated versions of our rhyme heroes bursting forth from a literal nutshell and dynamic synchronized artwork, the Mike Gordon-created lyric video (with additional animation from Konee Rok) is the latest part of the rollout for Phife’s upcoming posthumous album Forever, which is due later this year on AWAL.

Forever will be Phife’s first solo album since 2000’s Ventilation: Da LP, and while there’s little information so far, “Nutshell Part 2” gives us enough to go on to assume that it’ll make good use of the Five Footer’s contact list. Word has it, there’s still plenty of posthumous J Dilla production work yet to be released, so it’s possible that more beats from the late, great Detroit legend will appear here, along with cameos from other Native Tongues affiliates showing their affection for the dearly departed Phife. A Tribe Called Quest initially announced the album in 2017 but given the extra time they spent on perfecting it in the years since, it’s sure to be a fitting tribute to Phife’s legacy.

Watch Phife’s animated “Nutshell Pt 2” lyric video above.

Director James Gunn was already a prolific social media user, and naturally, that only increased as the pandemic has trapped most of us at home for the better part of the year. So when Gunn sees demonstrably false rumors being reported about his work, he’s had even more time to quickly swat them down to the delight of his fans who enjoy that Gunn gives it to them straight.

This time around, Gunn spotted a report claiming that casting is underway for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 and that he’s looking for a “Zac Efron type” to play Adam Warlock, a classic Marvel character with ties to the Guardians in the comics. However, if anyone would know when casting has started on Guardians 3, it’s Gunn, and he quickly dismantled the online rumor that he’s currently looking for someone to play the golden, Space Jesus-like character, who he’s never confirmed is in the film.

“There is no casting underway for Vol. 3. And in what world would I only cast a ‘Caucasian’ if the character has gold skin?” Gunn tweeted. “And if I wanted a Zac Efron type wouldn’t I go to Zac Efron? Where do you get this nonsense?”

As is often the case, Gunn’s denial about the casting rumor went viral as “Adam Warlock” started trending on Twitter on Tuesday night, which caught the eye of Seth Rogen who threw his hat in the ring for the non-existent role.

Gunn let him down gently.

As expected, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s much-watched interview with Oprah Winfrey sent Piers Morgan into a tizzy.

“I don’t believe a word she says, Meghan Markle,” he said about the Duchess of Sussex (who he called the “Pinocchio Princess”) on Good Morning Britain. “I wouldn’t believe her if she read me a weather report.” Morgan no longer works for the morning show after he stormed off the set, but before his huffy exit, his remarks reportedly led to “more than 41,000 complaints” against regulator Ofcom, including one from Markle herself:

Both the Guardian and the Telegraph claim that a complaint was lodged on behalf of the royal after Monday’s Good Morning Britain, in which Morgan repeatedly lashed out at Prince Harry and Markle over their revelations in the explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. The growing furore over the former CNN host’s tirade would ultimately see him quit the show… Both ITV and Prince Harry and Markle’s Archewell foundation said they wouldn’t comment on the complaint, although neither denied that it was made.

Chris Ship, ITV’s royal correspondent, reported on the complaint on Twitter, writing, “So… the Duchess of Sussex formally filed a complaint to @ITV on Monday. It’s thought to have been sent to the broadcaster’s CEO. Meghan raised concerns about how @piersmorgan’s words affect the issue of mental health and what it might do to others contemplating suicide.”

Since his Good Morning British exit, Morgan has favorably compared himself to Winston Churchill and thanked his Twitter followers “for all the love, and hate.”

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

When the nomination and awards seasons roll around, the Grammy Awards and the Recording Academy tend to be the recipients of plenty of ire. That seems to have come to a head in 2020 and 2021, though, as for one reason or another, lots of people have taken issue with the ceremony. Zayn is one of the latest high-profile figures to take a shot at the Academy, and it was quite a shot that he took.

Yesterday, he tweeted, “F*ck the grammys and everyone associated. Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionary.” After letting that stew for a few hours and gain traction (as of this post, the tweet has nearly a quarter of a million likes), Zayn apparently felt the need to clarify, so he followed up, “My tweet was not personal or about eligibility but was about the need for inclusion and the lack of transparency of the nomination process and the space that creates and allows favoritism, racism, and [networking] politics to influence the voting process.”

Zayn’s latest album, Nobody Is Listening, was released on January 15, 2021, putting it outside of this year’s Grammys eligibility window, which is from September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020.

Piers Morgan is feeling unrepentant about Meghan Markle while greeting his first day as a free agent after leaving Good Morning Britain, mere hours following his on-air tantrum, in which he stormed off set after being called out by a co-host. What a sentence, right? We knew that drama would be coming after Meghan and Prince Harry’s Oprah Winfrey interview, but Piers decided to attack Meghan (who he briefly dated over five years ago, which suggests an extra-petty spin on his beef) in a manner that was particularly vicious. He dismissed what Meghan described as racially-charged remarks from unidentified members of the Royal Family, and he expressed disbelief over Meghan feeling suicidal during her time with the Royal Family — “I wouldn’t believe Meghan Markle if she gave me a weather report,” he tweeted after the Oprah interview — and he prompted over 41,000 complaints about on-air violations of “harm and offense” rules.

So, how is Piers feeling today… any regrets? Silly rabbit.

Piers is patting himself on the back because (partially due to his tantrum), “Good Morning Britain beat BBC Breakfast in the ratings yesterday for the first time.”

Piers also decided to slam Meghan again while he thanked his haters. “On Monday, I said I didn’t believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview,” he tweeted alongside a Winston Churchill quote meme. “I’ve had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don’t. If you did, OK. Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on. Thanks for all the love, and hate. I’m off to spend more time with my opinions.”

That sounds about right from the King of Contempt. Meanwhile, people are crediting Good Morning Britain co-host Alex Bereford with being “the real MVP” for calling out Piers (who clearly couldn’t handle it) in the first place and setting his huffy exit in motion.

Driving has become a major part of Olivia Rodrigo’s fledging legacy due to, of course, her song “Drivers License.” When it came to her getting her actual driver’s license, though, it turns out it took her a while to make it happen.

Speaking in a recent interview with PopCrush Nights hosts Kayla Thomas and Nicole Murray on 94.5 PST, Rodrigo was asked if she passed her driver’s test on her first try, to which she responded, “OK, so it’s sort of a long story: Technically not, but it wasn’t because of any of my errors… well, maybe.”

Rodrigo continued:

“Essentially, the time I got my driver’s license, it was my fourth try, which is really sad. So the first appointment I got, I had to cancel it because of COVID. The second appointment I got, I had to cancel it because of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which is this show that I’m on and I was filming and I couldn’t make it. The third one, I finally get there and I fly out from Utah to LA just to take the test because I had to take it in California. I’m sitting in the car and the guy comes by and he’s checking […] my lights and stuff like that, and he’s like, ‘OK, honk your horn now.’

I go to honk my horn and the horn doesn’t work on my mom’s car and she had no idea that the horn didn’t work on her car because she never uses her horn because she’s like the calmest person in the world. And so he was like, ‘Oh, your car is legally unsafe, I can’t take you out to take the test, go home.’ I didn’t even get to drive out of the DMV, I was so upset. I literally like cried in the DMV parking lot. But the fourth time I got it, I got my driver’s license.”

Check out the full interview here.

Nearly two years removed from his debut album, Dior Deposits, Guapdad 4000 is gearing up to release his upcoming effort, 1176 with Illmind. The Oakland rapper takes one step closer to the project’s release which his latest single, “She Wanna” featuring fellow Bay Area act, P-Lo. The track is a play off Ying Yang Twins’ “Wait (The Whisper Song)” and arrives with a wacky visual that falls in line with Guapdad’s unique personality.

After waking up next to a pair of women, the rapper quickly declares that he’s dealing with someone who wants to “f*ck all the time.” He proceeds to steal a few credit cards before getting ready for the day. For the rest of the video, we see him receive a fresh batch of cookies, caress the pregnant belly of the presumed mother of his child, show off some dance moves, and more. As for P-Lo, his appearances in the video are limited to his face camouflaged onto the different colored walls in the house the video was shot at.

“She Wanna” is the second single from the upcoming album following “How Many” which is produced by Illmind. Shortly before the song was released, the producer showed love to Guapdad in a warm post. “I’m so proud of Guapdad and I’m proud of myself because we challenged each other,” he said. “That pressure made some diamonds and we can’t wait to show this project to the world. This single is the beginning of what’s to come.” Guapdad also confirmed that the new album would arrive on March 19.

You can watch the video above.

1176 is out 03/19 via 88Rising/TWNSHP.

Guapdad 4000 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

One of the few ways Beyonce directly communicates with her fans is through her website, Beyonce.com, where the queen of pop frequently posts updates and messages of support to friends and fellow celebrities. Today, she used that space to stand in solidarity with Meghan Markle, the American actress of the show Suits, mother of Archie, wife of Harry Mountbatten-Windsor, and once known as the Duchess Of Sussex. Markle was the first person of color to marry into the British monarchy when she wed Prince Harry in 2018, and as an exclusive interview with Oprah revealed this past weekend, the prejudicial treatment she faced because of this was nearly unbearable.

Luckily, Meghan and Harry’s bond was strong enough that the pair decided to step back from their roles within the royal family, and come to live in America, instead. But as Markle shared in Sunday’s bombshell interview, the environment was so toxic before reaching this decision that she was driven to the point of suicidal ideation. Given all that context, it is probably quite a balm to have a legendary figure like Beyonce stand with her. “Thank you Meghan for your courage and leadership,” Beyonce wrote alongside a photo of herself and Meghan at The Lion King premiere. “We are all strengthened and inspired by you.”

As always, Beyonce says it best. Then again, John Oliver’s predictions weren’t too far off either.

Mumford And Sons’ banjo player Winston Marshall came under fire after he recently praised known right-wing agitator Andy Ngo in a social media post. Over the weekend, Marshall took to Twitter to share with his followers that he had recently completed Ngo’s book, titled Unmasked, which details antifa’s, as Ngo puts it, “radical plan to destroy democracy.” In the tweet, he said, “Finally had the time to read your important book” and called Ngo a “brave man.” Fans quickly condemned him for the post and Marshall deleted it a couple of days later, according to Consequence Of Sound. Now, he’s decided to take a leave of absence from the band.

Marshall made the announcement through a statement, which he shared on Twitter. “Over the past few days I have come to better understand the pain caused by the book I endorsed,” he wrote. “I have offended not only a lot of people I don’t know, but also those closest to me, including my bandmates and for the I am truly sorry. As a result of my actions I am taking time away from the band to examine my blindspots.” He added, “For now, please know that I realise how my endorsements have the potential to be viewed as approvals of hateful, divisive behaviour. I apologise, as this was not at all my intention.”

Here’s a case of two great things that should be great together: Annie Murphy, hot off her long-due Emmy for Schitt’s Creek, will be heading for another great show, which is to say Russian Doll. How powerful will the combined forces of time-stuck Natasha Lyonne and the one who made Alexis Rose a consistent treat over six seasons? You’ll have to wait and see.

It’s not clear how Murphy will fit into the show, much is it’s not clear how Lyonne will find a way to keep the show’s narrative going. Over its eight episodes, the first season of the Netflix show managed to find creative ways to keep its Groundhog Day-esque premise going. One of them, of course, was to simply let Lyonsne, its co-creator/co-director/co-writer/main star, go, giving her a welcome chance to take center stage after stealing so many movies and shows as a supporting player. (Heads-up, she can be seen playing classic actress Tallulah Bankhead in Tyler Perry’s The People vs. Billie Holiday.)

As for Murphy, you’ll be seeing her a lot sooner when her AMC show Kevin Can F*ck Himself, created by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack and centered around the life of a sitcom wife, debuts, likely this summer.

(Via Deadline)