Category: News

Gaming and hip-hop have always been next door neighbors and are quickly becoming best friends. The two elements go together like milk and cookies, so it was a no-brainer for multi-platinum recording artist Swae Lee to join esports organization XSET where their aim is to bring diversity to competitive gaming.

Founded by former FaZe Clan President Greg Selkoe along with the assistance of Grammy Award-winning producer Clinton Sparks as co-owner, XSET is pushing the culture forward by fusing the music and gaming industry. Truthfully, it’s been long overdue. In a socially-distanced celebration from the vibey Hollywood Hills Triller House, Swae exclusively shared with Uproxx why it made sense for him to be part of the movement.

“To me, it’s just another way to just have fun with the kids and bring two worlds together,” Swae told Uproxx. “Keep people informed of what’s going on and what I got going on with the music. I can even reach them in different ways that I wouldn’t be able to reach just doing music. Like we can sit down and play some games. They might win a sweepstakes with XSET where they fly out to LA and we just play Grand Theft Auto all day, and just do whatever.”

For Swae, he prefers getting busy on the PlayStation because it’s “just more ergonomic for the boy.” The melodic rap star is looking forward to the release of the PS5, though like most of us, missed the pre-orders.

“I bring my whole portable PlayStation set on tour,” he said. “It’s like a laptop, and it’s a suitcase. I can play it anywhere on tour. Anywhere in the world. It’s portable. I can play it in the airport and everything.”

There’s also plans on releasing new music, which has been teased recently by Swae and Slim Jxmmi. While Swae continues to hop on features including Trey Songz’ Back Home track “Rain,” which he says was made one summer in Vegas, fans are going to have to wait for any full-length projects like the highly-anticipated Sremm Life 4.

“I don’t even like this year,” he said. “I might wait ‘till 2021 to even drop the project, but I’ve just been giving them singles and features. We definitely just keeping the music in the atmosphere. I’m coming to drop my official. And Jxmmi’s dropping his. We’re both dropping Rae Sremmurd, of course.”

Don’t expect a Migos and Rae Sremmurd Verzuz anytime soon, either. Though, Swae admits, “It would be turnt as a motherfucker.”

“If they approach us with a bag, but I don’t even want to put that out there,” he said. “That’d be lit. That was just like some fun stuff that we could do.”

Think about the best week of your life. You got the job you wanted, and you ate a good sandwich. You had your first child, and your favorite team won The Big Game. You beat the video game you’ve been playing for months, and you won $5 from a lottery ticket (this is my best week). All good weeks, but not as good as the week James Gunn had when he agreed to direct The Suicide Squad for DC, and heard from Marvel the next day about returning for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 after being fired months earlier.

“It was a happy ending, but it was also scary, because I actually got the call from [Walt Disney Studios chairman] Alan Horn long before it was announced: it happened literally the day after I agreed to do The Suicide Squad,” Gunn told Empire about coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The filmmaker then had to make an uncomfortable call: telling Marvel Studios honcho Kevin Feige about directing The Suicide Squad for rival DC:

Gunn knew he had to update MCU head honcho Kevin Feige on his next project – who, when told it was a DC movie, asked: “Is it Superman?” Gunn stated that it wasn’t Superman (“That was a possibility,” he tells Empire) and explained that he had chosen The Suicide Squad. Feige’s reaction? “Please, please make a good movie. Just… make a great movie.”

It’s interesting that Gunn making a Superman movie was a “possibility” (with or without Henry Cavill?), but The Suicide Squad is a better fit for his Troma background-sensibilities. Maybe if the Man of Steel gets a talking shark sidekick, he’ll be interested.

(Via Empire)

DaBaby has always been known as a raucous performer but a new report suggests he might be bringing all that energy home with him — and his neighbors are not having it. The Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter recently published a report that DaBaby’s address has been the subject of no less than 31 calls for service at Iredell County’s emergency communications office since he moved there in December 2019.

Among the complaints listed at DaBaby’s $2.3 million Troutman, North Carolina estate are burglar alarms going off, noise complaints, and construction including guard towers, a high concrete wall, and what neighbors describe as “stadium lighting.” While the neighborhood is described in the report as “a quiet, two-lane street dotted with Trump yard signs,” neighbors say they’ve been annoyed by “100 cars a day” driving through to take pictures of DaBaby’s house, as well as his frequently armed guards hanging around not talking to anyone.

Meanwhile, police have been called to the house on two separate occasions for domestic arguments between DaBaby and his child’s mother, who he said destroyed nearly $15,000 worth of designer clothing with bleach and who kicked his bedroom door off its hinges. The most recent complaints about the house were filed a week before the report was posted, citing the “stadium lights” he installed. Some of the neighbors interviewed speculated that DaBaby was building a football field.

You can read the full report here.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) caused quite a stir this week with her Vanity Fair cover shoot and interview, mostly for her no-nonsense way of reacting to Trump paying barely any taxes for years. “These are the same people saying that we can’t have tuition-free public colleges because there’s no money,” AOC declared. “When these motherf*ckers are only paying $750 a year in taxes.”

AOC held firm to her choice of words on Twitter: “I try not to curse in public, but…”

A day later, and the right-wing has finally stopped clutching whatever it is they’re clutching over the profanity factor, and they’re zeroing in on the designer outfit that the 31-year-old congresswoman wore on the cover.

There’s a whole lot of significance to AOC wearing white (it’s been used to draw attention resistance movements and symbolizes hope) for this high-profile moment. Clearly, AOC did not purchase the outfit on her congressional salary. That’s not even how magazine shoots work — publications and designers work together to supply the outfits that they wish to showcase.

Nonetheless, the New York Post chose to tally up the various outfits worn during the shoot (including Aliette, Carolina Herrera, and Christopher John Rogers suits, along with Christian Louboutin shoes and Bvlgari jewelry) and concluded that AOC wore a wardrobe that would cost over $14,000. Fox News drew further attention by calling out AOC for wearing fancy clothes while she called out Trump’s non-tax payments.

Then Fox News host Laura Ingraham tweeted her cable news outlet’s story with the following caption: “AOC appears in Vanity Fair in outfits worth $14,000 to curse out Trump.”

AOC supporters were quick to point out reality: the clothes were supplied for the purpose of the shoot, and the Trump family certainly wears their share of expensive duds, and it’s never been an issue.

In the Vanity Fair piece, AOC does speak to the difficulty of dressing for Capitol Hill on her budget while living in an extremely expensive city. Previously, she responded to the New York Post about another outfit-critical piece while explaining, “Yep! I rent, borrow, and thrift my clothes. (It’s also environmentally sustainable!)”

It would be easy to write off Nothing, Nowhere as just another rap-rock artist. But on his new song “Blood,” it’s clear that there’s a lot more going into Joe Mulherin’s production style. The track is built with hip-hop beats and a driving distorted bass line, which gives the production more of a pop-punk feel. While the verses are primarily rapped, Mulherin’s vocals take on a more melodic turn during the chorus, while taking a page out of Linkin Park’s book and incorporating a second layered screaming vocal.

To celebrate “Blood,” which features KennyHoopla and Judge, Mulherin sat down to talk Billy Madison, Prince, and log cabins in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Authentic, real, raw, honest.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Just that it was versatile and hopefully that it helped other artists to step outside their own boundaries.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Moscow. The energy was insane there.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

My family. They made me who I am and encouraged me to keep going when I wanted to quit.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

I remember me and one of my best friends Jay Vee made vegan chicken and waffles from scratch. Waffle maker, seitan, the whole thing. We topped it off with maple syrup that I tapped from my yard.

What album do you know every word to?

Honestly don’t think I could know every word to any album. I’m terrible with remembering lyrics – I can’t even remember my own. The music and overall feeling speaks to me mostly.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

One of the first ones I ever went to was Boys Night Out in Boston. It was so cool being a kid and experiencing live music for the first time in a small club.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

Whatever is clean honestly, I try not to overthink it.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

@dril on twitter. Thank me later.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

Last tour it was “Hard Way” by Baby Jayy. The bus was going off to that one.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

“Wendys vegan nuggets” and “Snowblower.”

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Prince’s Purple Rain.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

I slept in someone’s RV on their farm one time with some cats. We also crashed at an older couples second house without them even being there. We later found out that it was a gathering house for ‘adult activities’ I’ll say.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

I have a log cabin on my arm. I love it because it looks so cozy.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

I don’t usually listen to the radio, but whenever I hear Vertical Horizon I’m all in.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Been there for me when I needed help or was struggling mentally.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Just keep skating, keep making music, and remember to breathe.

What’s the last show you went to?

Probably watching bands when I played Reading and Leeds / Rock am Ring last year. Underoath mainly.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Tommy Boy, Sleepy Hollow, Billy Madison, Django Unchained.

What would you cook if Kanye were coming to your house for dinner?

Something from the garden, something fresh like I would for any guest.

“Blood” is out now. Listen here.

Cultural knowledge is a big part of the Jeopardy! game, so popular musicians get nods on the show from time to time. Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” was mentioned recently, for example. On yesterday’s episode, the show decided to bring up the long-lasting feud between The Black Keys and The White Stripes.

The category was “Bands Of The 21st Century,” and the answer (a Daily Double) was, “Jack White has had some conflict with Dan Auerbach of this band whose name oddly mirrors the White Stripes’.” The contestant, who wagered $5,000 on the question, correctly replied with, “Who are The Black Keys?”

That feud, by the way, was seemingly squashed last year when White’s Third Man Records showed support for Auerbach and Patrick Carney’s new Black Keys song “Lo/Hi.”

This isn’t White’s first time on Jeopardy!: He was part of an infamous moment in 2018 when a player saw his photo and somehow mistook him for Eminem. This also isn’t White’s first time on TV, whether via mention or an actual appearance, over the past few weeks, as he was a last-minute replacement as musical guest on Saturday Night Live after Morgan Wallen was booted from the show.

Watch the Jeopardy! clip above.

The Batman trailer looks like a My Chemical Romance music video, but it was actually set to a song from another iconic rock band. “Something in the Way” by Nirvana, from 1991’s Nevermind, plays over footage of Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne / Batman moping around Gotham, which is something I wish existed when I was an angsty 12 years old. Batman AND Nirvana? Yes, please. But why “Something in the Way,” of all songs? It’s an odd-if-welcome choice for a superhero movie. The Batman composer Michael Giacchino was recently asked that very question on the ReelBlend podcast.

“I think we just got lucky when it came around time to do the trailer. We got really lucky that [my main theme] just, it lied in perfectly against that song, you know?” he said. “That was one of those things where they sent it to me, and they were like, ‘Should we fill it in more?’ And I’m just like, ‘I don’t know. It sounds pretty great the way it is and the way that it’s just sort of layered in.’ And we gave them a few things to add into it, but not much at all. I feel like they did a really good job with that trailer.” Giacchino, who won an Oscar for his score to Pixar’s Up, called it the perfect introduction to “your next Batman.”

It’s a good thing he didn’t say “the best Batman.” You don’t want to upset Michael Keaton.

(Via CinemaBlend)

50 Cent recently suggested he would be voting for Donald Trump over Joe Biden (and even leave the country if Biden takes over the White House). Naturally, that was not well-received. Chelsea Handler, who used to date 50, called the rapper out over it, even offering to pay his taxes (and therefore alleviate his issue with Biden’s platform) to get him to change his vote. Since then, Handler spoke about the 50 situation on The Tonight Show, which prompted him to make his stance clear: “F*ck Donald Trump, I never liked him.”

Handler made another TV appearance yesterday, this time on The View. There, she confirmed that 50 is in fact a Joe Biden supporter.

Discussing the situation, Handler said, “So he called me and he wasn’t serious, he was just screwing around on his Twitter. He is supporting Joe Biden. He made that very clear to me, and he said that I was able to tell you girls and tell any other press I did that he is supporting Joe Biden.”

She continued, “I did promise to pay his taxes, and then I found out it’s illegal to pay somebody to vote for your candidate. So I offered him another form of payment and we’ll see if he takes me up on it, but I don’t have to pay him, he’s already a Biden supporter.”

Watch the full interview above.

Much to the disappointment of fans, 2020 has not yet yielded new music from Kendrick Lamar. A follow-up to 2017’s Damn has been heavily discussed, but it has yet to arrive. In the meantime, though, fans finally have at least a new Lamar verse to enjoy, as he just popped up on a new Busta Rhymes song, “Look Over Your Shoulder,” which is built on a sample of the Jackson 5 classic “I’ll Be There.”

Lamar takes ownership of the song’s opening verse and begins, “I wrote my first bars in the car with Stacy / How bizarre, my battle scars at large would lace me / Big marbles, n**** / I lead this new generation, boy / Don’t argue with us.” The track comes from Rhymes’ upcoming new album Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath Of God, which comes out on Friday and also features Mariah Carey, Anderson .Paak, Q-Tip, Rick Ross, Chris Rock, Rakim, Bell Biv Devoe, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Rapsody, Mary J. Blige, and others.

Lamar recently spoke about the reasoning behind his gaps between albums, saying, “I spend the whole year just thinking about how I’m gonna execute a new sound, I can’t do the same thing over and over. I need something to get me excited. I see you get frustrated sometimes because you want some new sh*t.”

Listen to “Look Over Your Shoulder” above.

For the first time in a while, Drake stayed away from making any sports predictions this championship season which helped lay the Drake Curse theories to rest for at least the next year. However, Nick Jonas from The Jonas Brother unearthed the curse after hopping on Twitter to propose a new conspiracy theory while throwing a bit of shade at Drake, and based on the evidence he provided for his theory, this writer believes you all should at least listen to what Nick has to say.

In his video, Nick stated that despite the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series win on Tuesday night, people failed to mention the “very very obvious theme here.” The theme he goes on to mention the recent success athletes have when they attend a Jonas Brothers concert. He pointed to a September 2019 Kansas City show that Kansas City Cheifs quarterback Patrick Mahomes attended, a December 2019 Arizona show that Los Angeles Dodgers first basemen Cody Bellinger went to, and a February 2020 Paris show that Formula One race car driver Lewis Hamilton attended. Months after their respective shows, Mahomes went on to win the Super Bowl, Bellinger won the World Series with the Dodgers, and Hamilton landed his 92nd Formula One win, the most in Formula One history.

At this point, the evidence speaks for itself and Nick is aware of this as he labeled the conspiracy theory as a “Jonas Blessing.” “Listen up,” Nick said as he concluded the video. “The key to success is to come to a Jonas Brothers show. It’s basically the reverse of a Drake curse, let’s call it the Jonas Blessing.” He also added that the key to success resides in some of the bands’ classic records. “Just remember, it’s not about how hard you practice [or] how naturally gifted you are. It’s about ‘Year 3000,’ ‘When You Look Me In The Eyes,’ ‘SOS,’ of course ‘Sucker.’”

You can come up with your own conclusion to the Jonas Blessing by watching the video above.