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All The Best New R&B From This Week That You Need To Hear

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the hottest R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak gifts us with their first offering from their forthcoming collaborative album as Silk Sonic. Also, Jhene Aiko shares her “Lead The Way” off Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon and Joyce Wrice connects with Freddie Gibbs for “On One.”

Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak — “Leave The Door Open”

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have united to create the ultimate super R&B duo Silk Sonic and their first release is titled “Leave The Door Open.” The song is filled with all the funk and rhythm that you’d expect.

Jhene Aiko — “Lead The Way”

Off the soundtrack to Raya And The Last Dragon, Jhene shares the music video for the song “Lead The Way.” Directed by Carlos López Estrada, Jhene journeys through a magical kingdom. The song was a dream come true for the R&B singer. “I’ve always had this little fantasy of being a Disney princess, voicing one, or like being the character,” she said in an Apple Music interview. “And so this was the closest that I’ve gotten, so I was pretty excited.”

Joyce Wrice — “On One” Feat. Freddie Gibbs

Joyce Wrice’s debut album is set to drop March 19 and ahead of its release, she shares with fans the music video for “On One” featuring Freddie Gibbs.

E Bleu — “3AM”

As rising Houston artist E Bleu preps for the release of his upcoming project, he arrives with his new single “3AM,” signaling his return. The ethereal cut is dreamy and definitely sets a chill, late-night summer vibe. “I’ve always been a night owl. The energy at night is just different to me,” he said in a statement. “I remember being in an Uber on the way home just mentally recapping the night and feeling like it’s somehow a pattern I fall into every night. I got home and recorded it in like 15 min on my kitchen counter at 3 AM.”

Xian Bell — “Sex Pistol”

As Xian Bell readies for his upcoming album, the Los Angeles native delivers his first release of the year, “Sex Pistol.” Accompanying the new release is its Starks, Cristian Navarro, and Clyde Goins-directed music video, featuring some sensual gunplay to go along with the singer’s clever wordplay.

Feather — “Juke”

Tank‘s artist Feather is repping for her hometown of Chicago on her new single “Juke.” “’Juke is a part of the culture in Chicago that I grew up on and I’m so excited to be a part of spreading that culture to the world,” she said in a statement. The music video for this bop is coming soon.

Laura Mvula — “Safe Passage”

Laura Mvula takes R&B artistry to another level with her new track “Safe Passage.” “‘Safe Passage’ is a poem about the vehicle that takes us all from the space where we feel like we’re drowning, and we’re trapped to the promised land, which actually exists,” she says of the song in a statement. “It’s not a dream, it’s not a fictional place.”

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

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The Best New Hip-Hop This Week

This week in hip-hop features the return of some of the biggest-name favorites in the game after long breaks between albums. Chance The Rapper released his first new single since his debut album The Big Day in the form of “The Heart & The Tongue,” while Drake rebooted his Certified Lover Boy rollout with the Scary Hours 2 maxi single, which included “What’s Next.”

Meanwhile, among this week’s bunch of new releases, emerging superstar Baby Keem put out “No Sense,” Rexx Life Raj shared “Built For Everything,” and Tyler The Creator’s Coca-Cola ad song “Tell Me How” got an official release. And, of course, there are way more than we can include in one monthly column, but these are the highlights we think are worth checking out.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending March 5, 2021.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

4hunnid Records — Gang Affiliated [EP]

4Hunnid Records

YG’s showcases the talent signed to his burgeoning label — Watts rapper D3 and Compton rapper Day Sulan — with this diverse, wide-ranging EP compilation.

Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats — Unlocked 1.5

Denzel Curry

After being pushed back a week, Denzel Curry and production partner Kenny Beats share the updated version of their collaboration from 2020.

Drake — Scary Hours 2 [EP]

Drake

I don’t know if a three-song maxi-single can be called an “album,” but it’s Drake so the normal rules almost never apply.

Jahmed — Armani[EP]

Jahmed

Dropping his second EP in the middle of the week, Inland Empire rapper Jahmed is set to establish himself as an artist you should watch.

Molly Brazy — Pink Molly [EP]

Molly Brazy

Detroit rapper Molly Brazy follows up her 2019 mixtape Built To Last with a polished effort.

Various Artists — Coming 2 America Soundtrack

Def Jam

While not a typical “hip-hop” album, the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy’s long-awaited sequel features plenty of appearances from rap mainstays like Big Sean, Megan Thee Stallion, and Public Enemy.

YBN Almighty Jay — Battling My Spirit

YBN Almighty Jay

The YBN crew may be effectively defunct, but that hasn’t stopped each of its members from carrying on its legacy in their own unique ways.

Singles/Videos

AG CLUB — “Truth”

The Bay Area collective drops a truly evil-sounding new track that elevates the buzz for a full project to a deafening roar.

Angelo Mota — “90210”

Hailing from New Jersey, Angelo Mota looks to take a step forward with this melodic, slow-building reflection on the fleeting nature of fame.

BlueBucksClan — ”Last Minute” feat. Lil Yachty

The West Coast duo links up with the resurgent Atlanta rapper for an upbeat, stripped-down party anthem.

FCG Heem — “More Pain” feat. Toosii

Pained crooning and traumatic memories mark this surprisingly uplifting meditation on the grind.

G Herbo — “Break Yoself”

Herbo gets back to his drill roots on this one, a dark banger with menacing lyrics.

LBS Kee’vin — “Soul Burden” feat. Fredo Bang

The Pensacola, Florida rapper details a stress-filled life spent at the bottom of America’s social food chain.

Mega Ran — “Revolution”

The “nerdcore” rapper’s love for wrestling pays off, as AEW taps him for this new theme song.

Patrick Paige II — “Whisper” feat. Steve Lacy, Allen Love, and Durand Bernarr

Although The Internet member is prepping the release of his solo record, his bandmates are never far behind.

Taleban Dooda — “Trappin’ Ain’t Dead” feat. 42 Dugg

Another Florida rapper reaches beyond the panhandle for an assist from Detroit’s burgeoning gutter rap star.

Tokyo Jetz — “S.O.D.D.” feat. Tokyo Vanity

Tapping into her home state’s booty bass tradition, Tokyo delivers a fun, twerk anthem with a lighthearted video.

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

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Weekend Preview: Eddie Murphy, Frank Grillo, And SpongeBob SquarePants Are Your Leading Men On Streaming

Coming 2 America (Amazon Prime film) — The much-anticipated sequel is (according to our own Vince Mancini) a rare example of a comedy that lives up to the original with a bang-up job in the costume department to boot. The followup also, naturally, celebrates the much-heralded return of Eddie Murphy as King Akeem, who’s definitely got Arsenio Hall around as confidante while they travel from Zaumda to Queens, New York, to take things back to basics. More good news: James Earl Jones is back, and the film co-stars Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Louis Anderson, Jermaine Fowler, Bella Murphy, Rotimi, KiKi Layne, Nomzamo Mbatha, and Teyana Taylor.

Boss Level (FX film) — Underappreciated action hero Frank Grillo stars as a former special forces agent who’s trapped in a not-so-wacky version of a Groundhog Day-esque time loop and forced to continuously relive his own murder. Sounds like a good time! Mel Gibson plays the government agent that Grillo’s hunting down in a race against the time loop, and the film also co-stars Naomi Watts, Ken Jeong, and Annabelle Wallis. The film’s one of many upcoming projects from Grillo and director Joe Carnahan’s War Party production company.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (Paramount+ movie) — Look for Keanu Reeves’ cameo in this irreverent animated adventure, which follows SpongeBob and Patrick, his starfish pal, looking to vindicate Mr. Krabs after he’s been framed for heisting King Neptune’s crown. In doing so, they must leave their Bikini Bottom refuge and make their way to Shell City in a journey that illuminates the power of friendship. In addition to the actual movie goodness, check out our “Rapid Fire” video with rapper 2KBaby as he looks to beat the buzzer in a quiz.

Wandavision: Episode 7 (Disney+ series) — This week’s series finale resists pulling a “Luke Skywalker” moment, which works out best for all parties, other than Pietro, and thank goodness this show didn’t become a cameo-fest. Only two more weeks, and it’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier time.

Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special (Sunday, CBS 8:00 p.m.) — This two-hour landmark interview with the British-royal-and-press embattled Meghan Markle and Prince Harry promises to be an event. The pair will open up about their hopes and dreams of the future, along with talking about their move stateside.

Supermarket Sweep (Sunday, ABC 8:00 p.m.) — Leslie Jones and every bit of her enthusiasm will host contestants in this revival of the grocery-shopping game show.

The Walking Dead (Sunday, AMC 9:00 p.m.) — The bonus episodes of Season 10 continue with Daryl and Carol stumbling upon an old cabin that takes Daryl back in time. Memories abound as past traumas rise to the forefront again, and yes, Daryl is thinking about Dog this week.

Allen V. Farrow (Sunday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — This four part documentary series continues this weekend to dig into a notorious and still-raging scandal of what, exactly, happened with Woody Allen and his family. This week, Mia Farrow attempts to shield Dylan from being repeatedly questioned while Woody’s legal and PR teams go into overdrive.

Shameless (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — The Gallagher family home might be going up for sale, for real, while Frank attempts to give input, but no one should listen to him.

Last Week Tonight: Season 8 Premiere (Sunday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — Everyone’s favorite sarcastic and satiric late-night host returned a few weeks ago, and not a moment too soon. Can’t wait to see who he skewers this week.

Here are a few more recent streaming picks:

Raya and the Last Dragon (Disney+ film) — Kelly Marie Tran stars in this ambitious fantasy film with striking visuals about Kumandra, yet another world where humans and dragons coexisted together until the dragons sacrificed themselves to save the humans. Oh, this one’s gonna be a tear-jerker but sounds like it’s entirely worth it, especially after reemerging monsters inspire a warrior to find the last living dragon and repeat the path to victory. The film integrates mythologies from many Southeast Asian cultures and promises to be a soaring ride for all ages.

Mr. Mercedes: Season 3 (Peacock series) — The crime-thriller series that’s based upon Stephen King’s best-selling Bill Hodges Trilogy continues from executive producer David E. Kelley and director Jack Bender. Viewers know that this series brings us a very different Holly Gibney (as portrayed by Justine Lupe) than the one we witnessed on HBO’s The Outsider (as played by Cynthia Erivo), and this season was co-written by Kelley and King. Settle in as the murder of a beloved local author (and American icon) becomes the focus of Hodges, Holly, and Jerome, who find that this case is much more complex than mere cold-blooded killing.

Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years: Season 1 (Paramount+ series) — This accompanying prequel series (which landed on the Paramount+ launch day) follows 10-year-old Spongebob at his summer Kamp Koral, which really shakes up the kelp forest as underwater campfires are all the rage near Lake Yuckymuck.

Pacific Rim: The Black (Netflix series): This animated series is as bonkers as the live action-ish films. There’s massive robots and Kaiju overrunning Australia, which renders the whole continent inhabitable. Amid the mayhem, two siblings search for their missing parents and basically embark upon their search by piloting a Jaeger, which is their only shot at survival. The only thing that’s missing here is an obvious ingredient: Charlie Hunnam.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu Original film) — Directed by Lee Daniels and starring Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Andra Day, this film follows the legendary jazz musician who was targeted in the 1940s by the federal government. This was all part of an effort to radicalize the war on drugs, which led to the feds attempting to stop Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” ballad from happening. It’s an at-times heart-wrenching portrait of a powerful civil rights activist and musical icon whose work still resonates, 80 years later and beyond.

Tom And Jerry (Warner Bros. film) — This live-action/CGI-animation hybrid follows the continuing legendary rivalry between the title cat and mouse. They’re taking a New York City hotel by storm and launching mayhem-filled adventures as a massive, high-profile wedding looms. Chloe Grace Moretz stars as a wedding planner who’s there to wrangle them, and I believe we can all guess how well that goes. Godspeed.

Punky Brewster: Season 1 (Peacock reboot series) — Hear me out here on this one. Reboot madness won’t stop (no matter what we do), and after NBCU’s streaming service did the Saved By The Bell thing (which is already renewed for a second season), the progression toward Punky Power shouldn’t be too surprising. In this series, Punky’s a single mom who finds herself inspired by meeting a young orphan who possesses of all her old spunk. Both Soleil Moon Frye and Cherie Johnson reprise their roles, and Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Punky’s ex-husband. Did she go by “Punky” or “Penelope” while taking wedding vows? I kind-of need to know.

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In a beautiful act of defiance, BYU’s LGBT students lit up ‘Y Mountain’ in rainbow colors

The dark mountains that overlook Provo, Utah were illuminated by a beautiful rainbow-colored “Y” on Thursday night just before 8 pm. The 380-foot-tall “Y” overlooks the campus of Brigham Young University, a private college owned by the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), commonly known as Mormons.

The display was planned by a group of around 40 LGBT students to mark the one-year anniversary of the university sending out a letter clarifying its stance on homosexual behavior.

“One change to the Honor Code language that has raised questions was the removal of a section on ‘Homosexual Behavior.’ The moral standards of the Church did not change with the recent release of the General Handbook or the updated Honor Code, ” the school’s statement read.


“Same-sex romantic behavior cannot lead to eternal marriage and is therefore not compatible with the principles included in the Honor Code,” it continued.

The clarification to the Honor Code came after a section banning “all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings” was removed. LGBT students saw it as a signal that the university was softening its strict anti-LGBT policies. The removal inspired many to take photos of same-sex kisses in front of university landmarks and others to come out of the closet because they believed they were safe.

“That day felt like a betrayal for a lot of LGBTQ students,” Bradley Talbot, a gay student who organized the event, said according to the Salt Lake City Tribune. “It was traumatic. So this was a day for us to reclaim that and try to turn it into something positive.”

“If BYU won’t show their love to us, we’re going to make sure our love is visible to them,” Danny Niemann, a senior and gay student at the school, said before climbing the hill to light up the “Y.”

After the group of LGBT students turned off the lights and headed back down the mountain, they were met by police cars from the university, but no arrests were made. On the trailhead they were greeted by supporters who blasted “Born This Way” and “I Kissed a Girl” from their car speakers.

The university wasn’t impressed by the display.

The LDS Church has a long history of being anti-LGBT. All homosexual or same-sex sexual activity is forbidden by The Church and it believes that god doesn’t approve of same-sex marriage.

Therefore, all homosexual members are presented with three unhealthy lifestyle options. They can either attempt to change their sexual orientation, marry someone of the opposite sexual orientation or live a celibate lifestyle.

The lighting of the “Y” was applauded by Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, a former BYU student and member of the LDS Church. Reynolds has a long history of supporting pro-LGBT causes.

The church has softened some of its anti-LGBT positions over the last few years. In 2019, it reversed a 2015 decision that classified people in same-sex marriages as “apostates.” It also allowed children from LGBT marriages to be baptized.

The LDS Church has a long history of bigotry, but LGBT members should find some solace that it has changed with the times, albeit decades too late. From the mid-1800s until 1978 it prevented most Black men from being ordained to the church’s lay priesthood, barred Black men and women from participating in the ordinances of its temples, and opposed interracial marriage.

The priesthood is bestowed upon “worthy” males and allows them to perform the work of god.

In 1978, President Spencer W. Kimball, received a “revelation” that allowed Black men to be part of the priesthood.

In 2013, the Church admitted its stances were motivated by bigotry.

Maybe the church can have a similar revelation that mirrors the times and will allow LGBT people the same rights as straight Mormons.

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Kevin Smith Shared A Sobbing Selfie Of His ‘Soft Boy’ Reaction To The ‘WandaVision’ Finale

Noted nerd aficionado Kevin Smith stayed up late to catch the WandaVision finale, and the emotional ending clearly left him a sobbing mess. While tweeting at the crack of dawn, Smith shared a photo of his teary face after re-watching the series finale several times because he loved it that much. Unlike some people who posted more negative reactions on social media, Smith was pleased with how WandaVision wrapped up its story, and he wants the world to know that the ending hit him right in the feels. He also made it a point to shoot down attempts to bring up his stoner life as the reason for his emotional response. Via Twitter:

Watched it 3 times. Loved it ALL. Show was everything I wanted it to be. For the folks who say I cry over movies/TV because I’m too stoned? I haven’t smoked weed in a week. Stop blaming the herb. I’m just a soft boy. Anyway… Goodbye, @wandavision. We’ll say hello again.

You can see Smith’s tweet and his teary eyes below:

Like most WandaVision fans, Smith has been knee-deep in the various theories that the show kicked up from week to week. He was especially big on the possible Fantastic Four connections, and he even floated his own idea on how Episode 4’s introduction to SWORD opened the door for the superhero family to join the MCU.

“Five years ago [Monica] was used to going to space, apparently, and now five years, like after the Blip, they’re not letting people go,” Smith said on his Fatman Beyond podcast. “Now, when he said ‘we’re concentrating now on the quantum and blah blah blah unmanned missions’, that smells like Fantastic Four, doesn’t it? It smells like they had shut down like manned missions and now they’re out of it, feels like somewhere in there like the Fantastic Four lies.”

Here’s the thing about Smith’s theory, though: It still has a chance of happening. Sure, that won’t bring WandaVision back, but it might take some of the sting out.

(Via Kevin Smith on Twitter)

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John Stamos Shared A Cute Throwback Photo With Elizabeth Olsen From His ‘Full House’ Days

WandaVision never had an all-out Full House homage, the way it did with The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Munsters (“It was Grandpa Munster all along”), and Malcolm in the Middle, but maybe that’s for the best. Full House was Mary-Kate and Ashley’s domain. Elizabeth Olsen is doing her own thing (and it should lead to an Emmy nomination).

But ahead of the cameo-free WandaVision finale, John Stamos shared a cute behind-the-scenes photo with “Lizzie” Olsen from the Full House days.

“One day she’s a little girl wandering the set, and next thing you know, she’s taking over a whole town, mindcontrolling the citizens to play out her favorite TV Sitcoms! They grow up so fast,” he wrote on Instagram before getting in a plug. “Wanda had a vision we’d both be on @disneyplus. Check out #BigShot coming in April and @wandavision [now]!” Big Shot follows a college basketball coach, played by Stamos, “who gets fired from his job and must take a teaching and coaching job at an elite all-girls private high school.”

If Billy Joel doesn’t do the theme song, I will be very disappointed.

Olsen, who appeared in one episode of the endearingly corny ABC series, would visit her famous sisters at work when she was a kid. To film in front of a live studio audience as an adult, which she did for WandaVision, was “insanity” and “very meta.”

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Olivia Wilde, Reese Witherspoon And The Women In Hollywood Finally Telling Their Own Stories

There’s a proverb passed down through generations, one that’s inspired entrepreneurs and authors, artists and CEOs: “If you want something done, do it yourself.”

I think of that phrase when I look at the careers of women in Hollywood — icons and upstarts finding new ways to shape untold narratives and bury stifling stereotypes. When you mold your mouth around that idiom, words like “ambition,” “determination” and “drive” trigger in your mind. It’s the slogan of the “go-getter,” the “work-horse,” the over-achiever ready to wrangle life’s proverbial balls in search of that elusive notion of success.

But when you examine the careers shared by Hollywood’s of-the-moment actresses through the prism of that maxim, the word that materializes isn’t “power,” it’s “versatility.” Because that ability to adapt, to adjust, to not only switch up your perspective but also, your expected trajectory, is something the women running the business of film and TV right now have in common.

It’s certainly a defining character trait of Olivia Wilde.

Like any attractive, promising actress hoping to rise through the early aughts ranks of Young Hollywood, Wilde was limited by roles that did nothing to serve her talent. She played a bisexual lynchpin in the fated romance of the sun-soaked teen soap, The O.C., and one half of a modern-day Romeo & Juliet pairing in another Fox series that imagined Verona as a more soul-sucking version of L.A. and the feuding families led by porn magnates and self-righteous lawmen. When her “big breaks” did come — a revised take on a video game franchise with Tron: Legacy and the comic-book-inspired sci-fi mashup Cowboys & Aliens — they flopped too quickly for Wilde to trade on the currency of their pre-release buzz.

So instead of mourning an early career that might have included more franchise options and action behemoths, Wilde pivoted, indulging her interest in the art of filmmaking by learning from some of the industry’s biggest auteurs. She shaped opportunity from small parts and indie projects, taking on-set lessons with Spike Jonze and Reed Morano. She steered music videos for bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. She found interesting projects that taught her the value of creative control and began to re-direct her course.

“I remember being on the set of Tron, at age 25, and really wanting to do more to control the storyline of my character, wanting to have a bigger voice in the creative direction,” she told Vanity Fair. “To their credit, the producers and director on that film were remarkably receptive to that. It was an awakening of sorts because while they were being very generous and allowing me to speak up, that wasn’t happening on other sets, and I just felt like I needed more actual control.”

But plenty of actors desire a voice, a method to channel their creative impulses. To make the jump from on-screen to behind the camera, Wilde had to start taking risks, leveraging her name and the relationships she had forged with other women in the industry to tell the stories that mattered to her.

She also had to figure out exactly what kind of stories those were.

“‘You love movies — you should be a movie star,’” Wilde said in a Variety interview last year. “No one tells a little girl, ‘Why don’t you become a director?’ It’s just not a part of the conversation. But if a little boy says he loves movies, it’s like, ‘Maybe one day you’ll direct. Maybe you’ll be the next Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese.’”

Friendships with insiders like producer Jessica Elbaum helped her find the script for Booksmart, the Gen Z coming-of-age comedy that would serve as her directorial debut. Revolving around a pair of studious best friends who embark on a wild journey the night before their graduation, the film looked very different before Wilde came aboard. She didn’t just want to adapt a story that had already been written in a way that had been done so many times before. She wanted to tailor it for a new generation and film it through the lens of a decidedly female gaze. And she was given the space to do it, following Morano’s advice to “pitch exactly the movie” she wanted to make without making compromises or filtering her vision to please executives in the room.

And it worked, in part because Wilde chose a project she connected with that also found an audience of teenagers looking for their own voice on-screen, and in part, because other women in positions of power — people like Annapurna Pictures’ Megan Ellison took a chance on Wilde’s passion project.

And while the budding director helms the singular stories that interest her — she just wrapped filming the thriller Don’t Worry Darling this year — her peers, women like Reese Witherspoon, are carving out a larger space for the kind of diverse storytelling that’s only possible when someone who’s survived the relentless grind of the movie-making business for decades decides to use their amassed fame and name recognition as a hammer to smash ceilings for others.

Witherspoon, like Wilde, knew early in her career that she wanted a say in the kind of women she played on-screen, but that idea of creative autonomy didn’t fully realize until she gained the wisdom that comes with more years spent playing by industry rules.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” Witherspoon told Fast Company of starting her first production company at age 25. “In four years I produced one film. It was beautiful, and I loved it, but it was clear to me that I wasn’t ready to tell stories—because I didn’t know what stories I wanted to tell.”

That company would go on to champion one of her most iconic roles in the film, Legally Blonde before she launched another outfit, Pacific Standard. That production house found more success, as an older Witherspoon felt drawn to films like Gone Girl, Wild, and Big Little Lies. But the actress would pivot once again, with the help of social media this time, to bring her current company, Hello Sunshine to life.

She had been the aging actress looking for meatier roles since her mid-30s — Hollywood’s immaterial expiration date when it comes to its female members continues to boggle our minds — but it wasn’t until her husband, a talent scout, suggested she start taking the reigns, not just in funding the stories she found interesting, but in finding them as well, that something clicked.

“I talked to my husband around that time when the movies weren’t working for me,” she said. “And he said, ‘Are these movies you want to be making?’ And I said, ‘No, I’m waiting for the scripts to come in.’ And he said: ‘You don’t seem like the kind of person who sits around and waits for the phone to ring. You read more books than anybody I know, so why don’t you start making them into your own material?’”

That’s how Reese’s Book Club was born, a digital gathering of book nerds on Instagram that would end up snowballing into a media company that now has shows in development at almost all of the major streaming companies, its own women-focused cable channel — think the Oprah Winfrey Network but with Witherspoon’s bubbly, Southern flair — multiple podcasts, digital programming on Facebook Watch and IGTV, a talk show, and more.

And whether it’s curious-minded talent getting behind the camera for the first time, or beloved actresses weaponizing their clout to create media empires that serve women, the trend of female ownership continues to bulldoze through the studios and networks that have stood as gatekeepers for far too long.

Award-winning actresses like Regina King are bringing social-justice dramas to Academy Awards voters and demanding they listen to the sound of their own history. Multi-hyphenates like Issa Rae and Mindy Kaling are trading in web series for author bios, building season-long comedies on streamers, and financing sitcoms that give us a tongue-in-cheek picture of the new American dream. Prodigies like Margot Robbie and Zendaya are shuffling off the archaic Hollywood typecasts of “movie star” and “ingenue” in favor of crafting roles and backing films that not only interest them but also serve as a mirror for the audiences they want to reach — women, of different creeds and colors, with disparate backgrounds and unique life experiences who’ve been shortchanged by the industry for too long.

In a post #MeToo and #TimesUp era, these women are rediscovering their agency and unapologetically pursuing their interests — on-screen and off. And the movie-making business is a hell of a lot better off for it.

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Big Sean Shows Major Love To Nipsey Hussle In Their Motivational ‘Deep Reverence’ Video

Nearly eight months after initially releasing his posthumous Nipsey Hussle collaboration “Deep Reverence,” Big Sean hits the West Side with Hit-Boy to honor the late Los Angeles great in the official music video. The video sets a gorgeous acrylic paint portrait of Nipsey against a series of sunny LA backdrops throughout the neighborhoods that served as Nip’s stomping grounds. Sean himself performs his verses on the basketball court at Crete Academy in Hyde Park, which was created by the Venice Basketball League‘s Project Backboard, and rides around in a blue lowrider with West Coast legend Snoop Dogg.

Sean recounted the difficulty he had in releasing “Deep Reverence” as a single to his 2020 album Detroit 2, describing some initial skepticism from his label about putting the track out ahead of the album’s release. “My label (a few people there, not the whole label) thought it wasn’t smart to put this song out ahead of my album, they told my team I should hold on to it,” he tweeted shortly after the song dropped. “My heart and my gut was saying not only do people deserve that song right now, I felt like hearing nips voice, but his presence and the energy of the song itself was also needed and deserved its own moment! All the love n support y’all showing gave me confirmation once again to always follow my heart n gut and not listen to anyone more than myself. No such thing as losing when you do that! Hope y’all can do the same always.”

Meanwhile, Nipsey’s incredible impact was highlighted by Daniel Kaluuya’s recent Golden Globe acceptance speech, in which he drew attention to Nip’s philosophy of giving your all to your craft.

Watch the “Deep Reverence” video above.

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

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SZA Praised Doja Cat Saying Her Music ‘Touched My Inner Mind And Spirit’

Doja Cat was the subject of a new cover story by V Magazine today, and as Complex points out, she had a pretty amazing conversation with SZA, who interviewed her for the piece. You should really read the whole thing, but my favorite part is in a question that leads into whether or not Doja finds herself in the hip-hop conversation, SZA reveals that Doja actually inspired her and made Solana feel more comfortable with herself.

I really feel like I relate the most to you because between the pre-TDE sh*t and crossing that path, I always felt like I couldn’t fit into anything. That my music isn’t “Black enough” with “Drew Barrymore.” Or I’m doing sh*t that’s strange. I never felt that as a Black girl, I could make music and be in these realms. You make music in all these other realms and make it sound like it touched my inner mind and spirit. It’s like, you’re exactly who I needed when I was in high school [and] college. I just wanted to feel like it’s ok to be an individual that isn’t really planted but is highly mutable and superfluid. Working with you was literally my dream.

SZA also shares their collaboration is reportedly called “Kiss Me More.” And the interview ends with SZA comparing Doja to Britney Spears, which doesn’t seem that far off anymore. Look for Doja’s new album Planet Her dropping sometime later this year.

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Eddie Huang’s Debut Film ‘Boogie’ Highlights Pop Smoke’s Acting Potential

When Eddie Huang’s directorial debut, Boogie, was announced, much attention was given to the presence of one of its stars: the late Brooklyn drill rapper Pop Smoke, in his own posthumous acting debut. While it was at one point considered unusual for rappers to jump into acting — especially before they ever had an album to their name — in recent years, it’s become much more common for a new and rising star to already have their hands in many different arts to ensure that at least one of them pays off. From Vince Staples in Dope to Cardi B in Fast 9 to Quavo in Wash Me In The River, more actors than ever are pursuing side careers in film.

The question on everyone’s minds, then, was whether or not Pop Smoke’s acting chops lived up to the billing. In the film, he portrays the title character’s rival hooper, as Boogie (Taylor Takahashi, also in his debut), a first-generation Chinese-American basketball player, transfers to a new school in the hopes of drumming up interest from a college program that can get him closer to the NBA. Of course, Boogie’s life is complicated; his estranged parents battle each other over his path to pro hoops and he becomes interested in a girl at his new school, all while butting heads with his coach over his role on the team.

From a pure “movie” standpoint, Boogie shows all the hallmarks of a debut directorial effort from Huang. While the foundation of the story is solid and the performances are for the most part superb, there are probably a few too many plot threads that need tying off by the film’s conclusion, many of which are pretty cliched. The dialogue suffers from “trying to be hip,” and it’s also unintentionally funny, possibly at times that aren’t meant to be — but that’s also probably a result of its New York shooting locations. There’s one moment in which a bystander can be heard reacting to Boogie’s dialogue with his love interest as he tries to explain the friction of balancing 5,000 years of cultural history with second-class citizen status.

Also — and this part just might be due to my proximity to the game — but I found myself a little bit frustrated with the basketball culture as presented. What little gameplay is seen is serviceable at best (with odd dialogue that doesn’t seem to suit the action on-screen), but while the behind-the-scenes workings of recruiting, scholarships, and overseas offers read true-to-life, there is astonishingly little context presented for any of it. If someone were completely unversed in how this stuff works, they’d be confused — even worse, for someone who is well-versed, it’s even more confusing.

When the choice is posed between skipping one year of NCAA eligibility to play for the Shanghai Sharks or walking on at Georgetown in the hopes of securing an NBA berth, I found myself flabbergasted that the former route seemed to preclude the latter outcome when several players have already been successful at it (more so than the traditional route of playing for a few years at a ranked school). It feels almost like advocating for the exploitative practices of the NCAA, while simultaneously dumping on non-US leagues — where US-born players often thrive and Jeremy Lin, who the film name-checks early on, went in the process of mounting his NBA comeback.

But Pop Smoke’s character appears relatively early and looms over the proceedings, giving the Brooklyn rapper plenty of opportunities to shine. He makes the most of them, stealing nearly every scene he’s in and giving off a magnetic aura that pulls the viewer in. He snarls on the court and smirks in the protagonist’s face, his husky growl dousing every line in sizzling New York authenticity. His performance made me wish that the love story had been cut in the interest of cultivating the two players’ rivalry — for the most part, we mostly hear about how Monk being the best player in the city, and rarely do the two actually share the screen in the first two-thirds of the runtime.

When they do, however, the screen lights up and the electricity is palpable. I found myself doing that two-panel meme of the guy playing the video game all laid-back until the score gets close. I scooted forward on my couch, leaning in to soak in the aura of tension. Much of this aura is given off by Takahashi, but the majority of it is Pop Smoke, who practically vibrates off the screen. It’s probably presumptuous to make a comparison to Tupac in Above The Rim… but that’s exactly what I’m going to do because even if the comparison isn’t apples to apples, the clementine that is Pop Smoke sure looks like a Tupac orange that just hasn’t grown up yet.

While the film makes little effort to flesh out the character — outside of repeated mentions of how badly Boogie needs to beat Monk — Pop Smoke does plenty of that work himself. He gives Monk a cocky, borderline brutish demeanor, but he holds back from pure thuggery. Monk is a New York classic, a trash talker who does whatever it takes to get into his opponent’s head and throw them off their game. And as infuriating as that can be — both on the court and in real life — Pop is a charismatic enough personality to not only pull it off but also to make viewers like his character almost as much as Boogie.

The one real drawback is that Pop’s performance is dragged down the same way the movie is; through unsure editing and amateurish writing. Not to speak ill of the dead, but the quick cuts during Pop’s on-court play make it clear he had way more talent on the mic than with a ball. Also, he’s alternatively listed on Google as either 5’5″ or 5’11”, which means those dunks are either being performed by a body double or on an eight-foot rim. He may have had plenty of potential as a future actor but a J. Cole-esque hoop dream pursuit was definitely out of the question.

Ultimately, Pop Smoke shining in his debut role the world winds up mostly highlighting — once again — how truly tragic his untimely demise remains. It seems certain now that he would have continued to grow in stature — his posthumous debut album, Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon was one of 2020’s most-streamed projects and demonstrated how truly versatile he could be — and collect further roles as charismatic villains and possibly even roguish heroes. Even in the limited screentime that the movie allows, he becomes the center of every scene he’s in — that is the very definition of star power. Unfortunately, the world will instead continue to miss out on the growth and charm of Pop Smoke, who by every indication here, had all the making of a bonafide movie star.