Category: News

Blackstarkids may be fresh out of high school, but they’ve already made a name for themselves. Sharing a label with musicians like Beabadoobee and The 1975, the Kansas City trio released their eclectic debut album Whatever, Man back in October. Now, they’re returning to display the intoxicating effects of a budding relationship with their devoted “Tangerine Love” video.

To film the visual, Blackstarkids members The Babe Gabe, TyFaizon, and Deiondre tapped their circle of friends to participate. The vibrant video opens with Ty getting in his feels at a friend’s high school party. Deiondre then takes over, pulling out all of his best moves to serenade his crush from outside her window. The Babe Gabe also joins in, gathering her friends to discuss how the little things are what truly matter in a relationship.

Speaking to Uproxx shortly just ahead of their LP’s release, all three members cited Odd Future as one of their biggest musical inspirations. “Seeing Black kids make that kind of music, it was like, wow. You can really do whatever you want and create whatever sound you want,” The Babe Gabe said. Ty added, “I just liked the creativity and their expression. And of course, the aesthetic that they had and how much music they put out.”

Watch Blackstarkids’ “Tangerine Love” video above.

Whatever, Man is out now via Dirty Hit. Get it here.

Ellen DeGeneres announced on Thursday morning that she’s tested positive for COVID-19 in a Twitter message assuring fans that she’s feeling okay and following health protocols to prevent spreading the virus to others.

“Hi Everyone, I want to let you all know that I tested positive for Covid-19,” DeGerenes wrote in a Notes screencap. “Fortunately, I’m feeling fine right now. Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines. I’ll see you all again after the holidays. Please stay healthy and safe.”

You can see Ellen’s tweet below:

DeGeneres’ positive COVID test arrives at an especially sensitive time for the talk show host. The Ellen Show is still reeling from numerous accusations of DeGeneres allegedly allowing a “toxic workplace” to fester, if not directly causing it, that made headlines over the summer. While DeGeneres tackled the allegations head-on and issued an apology when she returned for the show’s 18th season, the damage is still being felt. According to a new report from BuzzFeed, the show is losing advertisers, and sources say it’s not only because of the pandemic. On top of that, The Ellen Show is struggling to book celebrities thanks to cautious publicists who want to keep their A-list stars away from the workplace scandal. What was once a go-to destination for Hollywood’s top talent is now desperate for guests.

“If you have an idea for a celeb, even if they’re not A-list or famous, we’ll take anyone who will bring us numbers and eyeballs,” an employee told BuzzFeed. “That’s when they started to be real with us and essentially said, ‘Give us anything because we need help.’ Our old strategy doesn’t work anymore.”

(Via Ellen Degeneres on Twitter, BuzzFeed)

Following her latest album, 2019’s Cheap Queen, there has been a recently flurry of activity from King Princess in recent months. October brought “Only Time Makes Us Human” and last month saw “Pain.” Now she has dropped a new video for the latter single, and it’s appropriately brutal. In the clip, she undergoes a bevy of big hurt experiences, which include but are not limited to having her head bashed against a floor, being shot by an arrow in her nipples, and getting a tattoo on her stomach.

She previously told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe of the track, “‘Pain’ is cool because… It’s probably my favorite song I’ve ever written. It makes me so happy when I listened to it. I haven’t gotten sick of it. I like when it’s on in the background or my girlfriend just did my new video, she was… I had to hear it a bajillion times through the editing process. I was just like, ‘This song makes me so happy.’ And I think what I love about it is it’s got that f*cking piano. It’s the ultimate George Michael meets Erotica-era Madonna meets an incredible remix if you’re in a gay club that makes you uncomfortable and horny.”

Watch the “Pain” video above.

Mobile, Alabama rapper Yung Bleu is on a roll in 2020, turning his groundswell of support into a Drake feature on his viral hit “You’re Mines Still.” Bleu dropped by the Uproxx studio to deliver a passionate rendition of the original version for UPROXX Sessions. He teased the performance on Instagram before Thanksgiving and fans have been clamoring for it ever since. So, without further ado, press play on the hotly anticipated live rendition of “You’re Mines Still” above.

“You’re Mines Still” is the breakout single from his EP Love Scars: The 5 Stages Of Emotions — Yung Bleu’s third project of 2020. In April, he helped chase the quarantine blues away with the Since We Inside EP, then followed up with the third installment of his Bleu Vandross mixtape series in August. Bleu Vandross 3 truly helped expose the burgeoning star to a wider audience, thanks to features from Boosie Badazz, K Camp, and Yo Gotti, as well as his fellow Mobilian rapper, Flo Milli, who is in the midst of a breakout year as well. Keep your eyes peeled; this kid is going places.

Watch Yung Bleu sing “You’re Mines Still” above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

When Nicki Minaj was young, she said she wanted to become a nurse when she grew up “so that I could help people less fortunate than I am.” While Nicki’s RN dreams didn’t pan out, the rapper is still able to achieve her goal of helping people. Back in 2017, Nicki offered to pay college tuition for a number of dedicated fans and her scholarship just resulted in someone earning their Bachelor’s degree.

It all started back in 2017 when one fan jokingly asked Nicki to pay their tuition. While the fan may not have been serious about the inquiry, Nicki was. She offered to help pay tuition for a select number of fans if they proved that they were good students. She ended up awarding 37 people with financial aid after creating the Student Of The Game scholarship.

One recipient of the scholarship just graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and thanked Nicki for her support. “This day is even more special because @NICKIMINAJ paid my tuition a few semesters ago, and today is her birthday,” he wrote. According to their Instagram profile, the fan is planning on attending medical school in the near future. This means Nicki’s childhood dreams of becoming a nurse instead resulted in her assisting a fan with achieving their goal of being a doctor.

Check out the fan’s celebratory post above.

Daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres announced she has contracted COVID-19 in a Thursday morning tweet. The announcement comes the day after America had its largest day of deaths caused by the virus.

Over 3,000 Americans succumbed to COIVD-19 on Wednesday. For some perspective, that’s more in a single day than were killed in the 9/11 attacks.

DeGeneres joins the 15.4 million Americans who’ve contracted the virus.

“Hi Everyone,” DeGeneres wrote. “I want to let you all know that I tested positive for Covid-19. Fortunately, I’m feeling fine right now. Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines. I’ll see you all again after the holidays. Please stay healthy and safe.”

Her announcement set a good example for the country because it showed she’s handling her illness responsibly by following CDC guidelines.

DeGeneres now has the opportunity to be a good role model by sharing the realities of the disease and how she’s keeping herself and those around her safe.

Celebrities like DeGeneres who are a daily part of so many people’s lives are in the unique position to affect how the public views the pandemic. The talk show host has an audience of millions and can be a valuable spokesperson to encourage people to wear masks and social distance.

When Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson caught the coronavirus back in March, it was eye-opening for many. Understanding their responsibility to the public, they didn’t shy away from sharing their experiences with the virus.

Hanks has since used his fame to remind people of the importance of mask-wearing.

Back in March, before the virus hit its first peak, DeGeneres taught her jam-packed studio audience how to wash their hands to avoid catching the virus.

“I like to keep you up to date on all the latest viral trends,” the host told her audience. “And there’s a big one sweeping the world right now — it’s not a good one — I’m talking about the coronavirus.”

“If you haven’t heard of it, raise your filthy hand,” she joked.

Ellen Wants to Help Protect You from Getting Coronavirus

www.youtube.com

In October, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” was one of the first television shows to return from COVID-induced hiatus with a live in-studio audience. The show allows around 40 people to sit in an audience with a capacity of 300.

The show also has occasional in-studio guests.

DeGeneres announcement comes as her show is experiencing a ratings free-fall after reports of a toxic work environment have plagued it for the past year. A recent report by Buzzfeed revealed that prominent stars have turned down appearances on the show due to its negative reputation and that advertisers are leery of being associated with DeGeneres’ tarnished brand.

A spokesperson from Telepictures says the show will stop taping new episodes until January and will air repeat episodes instead.

In a weird year (I’m using “weird” as shorthand for “miserable,” “maddening,” “depressing,” “occasionally decent,” and “McRib-filled”), Jimmy Kimmel thinks that he’s found the most 2020 sentence. It involves the Tiger King, naturally.

During Wednesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel discussed the letter that Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, sent to Kim Kardashian asking for help with getting a pardon from Donald Trump (my head hurts). “I know you have never met me and may never want to however I do believe that you hold the values of our justice system dear to your heart,” it reads. “Please help me by just taking 10 minutes out of your life and placing a call to President Trump to look at my 257 page pardon.”

After reading excerpts from the note, Kimmel joked, “If there’s a single sentence that sums up 2020 to me, it’s ‘Joe Exotic asks Kim Kardashian to help him get a pardon from Donald Trump.’” The only things missing are “pandemic” and “Sonic.” Exotic is serving 22 years in prison for a murder-for-hire plot and several wildlife violations. Maldonado-Passage reached out to Kardashian after she and her family (but not husband Kanye West) dressed up as Carole Baskin, Exotic, and a streak of tigers for Halloween.

You can watch the Jimmy Kimmel Live! clip above.

Nathan (made a show) for you.

Showtime announced on Thursday that it has ordered a half-hour comedy titled The Curse created by Nathan Fielder and Uncut Gems co-writer and -director Benny Safdie and starring Oscar winner Emma Stone. The other Safdie brother, Josh, is listed as an executive producer. There’s a lot to like in there. “The Curse is a genre-bending scripted comedy that explores how an alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show,” according to a press release. There’s a lot to like in there, too.

“The fierce intelligence and wit of the incomparable Emma Stone make her the perfect partner with the ingenious minds of the Safdie brothers and the subversive comedy of Nathan Fielder,” said Amy Israel, Executive Vice President, Scripted Programming, Showtime Networks Inc., in a statement. “Together, they promise to deliver a groundbreaking satire that is both unexpected and deeply human. Showtime continues to shine as a beacon for visionary filmmakers who are looking to create their ambitious, singular shows.” That sounds like industry jargon, because it is, but credit where credit’s due: Showtime gave us Twin Peaks: The Return, and now this.

The “holy sh*t, I’m gonna…” meme has never been more appropriate.

On May 7 this year, Kid Cudi tweeted this:

A couple months later, he and Eminem linked up on the single “The Adventures Of Moon Man And Slim Shady.” While it seemed obvious that initial tweet was a promotional ploy to drum up interest for the collaboration, it turns out that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, the tweet was pretty literal, as it was genuinely Cudi’s attempt at making first contact with Eminem.

Cudi spoke about it was Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in a new interview, revealed that he really wasn’t in touch with Eminem before that tweet. He said:

“That was me. Like, ‘Yo, I want to be respected as an emcee. Yo, who do I f*cking get? Who do I f*cking get to spar with? Who do I go bar for bar with? Eminem.’ Man, I tweeted at him. No, it wasn’t even in the DMs. Just my timeline. It was public. I was like, ‘Yo Rap God, help!’ And we’re really close with Paul Rosenberg and he was able to connect us and we were able to get it done. He was in Detroit, I was in LA. It’s a nail biter. Because I’m like waiting, I’m waiting. And I’m like, ‘Oh sh*t. They’re asking me questions. They don’t say he’s going to do it just yet. They’re just asking me questions. And I’m like, so this means he’s going to do it. Right? Because they’re asking me questions. And literally it was like every day I was like, ‘Is today going to be the day? Is today going to be the day?’ And like, I got it. And I was like, ‘Holy sh*t.’ I was like, it was something for me to get the validation from Eminem by doing that record. Him doing that record let me know, like he was telling me like, ‘Yo, I f*ck with you as an artist fully, even your bars are dope.’”

Cudi previously revealed that in addition to Rosenberg, Lil Wayne was apparently also part of how he got through to Em.

Check out Cudi’s full interview with Lowe above.

Austin five-piece Sun June released their debut album back in 2018, but they’re now gearing up for the next effort. After teasing a new era with a handful of singles, Sun June return with the delicate number “Bad Girl” alongside a peaceful video.

Directed by Sun June vocalist Laura Colwell, their “Bad Girl” video depicts dancer Sarah Annie Navarrete gracefully moving her way through the day. Speaking about the project in a statement, Colwell said:

“‘Bad Girl’ is about a deep manic drive to regress into the person I used to be – back when being bad was cool and being cool was everything. I was given a lot of freedom as a teenager and always took advantage of it. After I lost a good friend in high school, my fear of death was overwhelming. The song reflects on how that fear combined with my own thrill-seeking affected my decisions since. It cycles through self-destructive choices I’ve made in relationships to avoid responsibility, and how my fear of loss has lead me down some dumb paths. The tone is sad and resigned, but also self-righteous somehow.”

Further speaking about the visual’s concept, Colwell said they pulled inspiration from some cult-classic films. “There’s something pushing and pulling between the lyrics and the beat, so we thought a dance video might draw out some internal tension,” she said. “We filmed around Lockhart, TX, where we recorded the album, because there are so many farms and fields out there that are unchanged despite the area’s growth. We took some inspiration from films like Blood Simple and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, which were also shot in rural towns just outside of Austin. Basically, we tried to channel Frances McDormand, Willie Nelson, and Haim (if Haim were an only child).”

Watch the “Bad Girl” video above.

Somewhere is out 2/5/2021 via Run For Cover. Pre-order it here.