Back in January, Under Armour had Joel Embiid come down to Baltimore to announce his upcoming signature sneaker, unveiling it to a select group of media with no photos or videos allowed to come out. Embiid, understandably, was excited for his first signature shoe, and harped on his desire to create a shoe that wasn’t just for big men but was something that could be worn by anyone.
The result is the UA Embiid 1, a midtop sneaker with a lightweight mesh upper and a combination of Under Armour’s two most advanced cushioning elements — HOVR in the heel and MicroG in the forefoot — to offer a balance of comfort and reactive performance. On Friday, Embiid debuted the sneaker officially in the NBA bubble, posting the first official images of it to his Twitter account.
— Joel “Do a 180” Embiid??? (@JoelEmbiid) August 7, 2020
The first colorway will be this black, gray, and fiery red/orange/yellow look, which will release on Sept. 18. As Embiid noted back in January, his goal was to create a shoe as versatile as he was, with stability for a 7-footer, but light enough and mobile enough to be worn by perimeter players too.
Under Armour
There are also details in the story-telling, with a cutout of the African continent on the heel of the outsole, with the red, yellow, and green (only visible in bits on the bottom of the shoe) representing his Cameroonian heritage. More colorways are set to come, and knowing Embiid some will surely be quite colorful, and those will be announced in coming weeks.
Jamie Foxx’s long-in-the-works Mike Tyson biopic is finally happening, and the Oscar winner has the ripped physique to prove it. Getting in shape to portray the legendary boxer isn’t the thing he’s most dedicated in getting right, however. When asked about his preparation to play Tyson, Foxx told CinemaBlend, “Obviously, the training is different. We’re doing weighted pull ups to sort of make the back look the right way, and make the arm look a certain way. But it is, to me, I guarantee you, it’s the most dedicated I’ve been to making sure that this story gets told, and gets told in the right way.”
Foxx wants to be so believable, in fact, that he hopes to fool Tyson’s own kids:
“And I joke with Mike. I said, ‘When I get dressed up as you, I’m going to walk into your house, and your kids are going to say daddy’s home.’”
Maybe they mean they want to watch Daddy’s Home on DVD?
Either way, the biopic will show the “different lives” of the iconic boxer (Tyson was convicted of rape in 1992 and served three years in prison), according to Foxx. “We want to show everybody evolves. I think when we lay the layer of Mike Tyson in this story, I think everybody from young and old will be able to understand this man’s journey.”
Selena Gomez established herself as a public figure of note with her starring role in the Disney Channel series Wizards Of Waverly Place, and the show was the last time Gomez had a regular acting role on TV. The program ended in 2012, and now, almost a decade later, Gomez is returning to television. It was announced today that she is starring alongside comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short in Only Murders In The Building, a new comedy series from Hulu.
Deadline notes the show was co-created and written by Martin and John Hoffman based on an idea from Martin, and that the show “follows three strangers (Martin, Short, and Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one.”
Craig Erwich, Hulu’s head of originals, is enthusiastic about the show, as he told Deadline, “I heard the pitch on Wednesday, and it was the best hour I had all week. It’s really special, surprisingly emotional. It’s really modern and self-referential about podcasts and murders, it’s got some great surprises. When they pull this off, it’s going to be really special.”
Although this is Gomez’s first TV gig in a while, she hasn’t shied away from acting completely. She has a voice role in the Hotel Transylvania franchise, and she has starred in films like Spring Breakers and 2019’s A Rainy Day In New York. She also has a cooking show on the way, Selena + Chef.
When DC FanDome dropped its massive list of stars that will be attending the virtual event at the end of August, you’d think it’d be hard to pick just one name that stood out above the rest. But apparently DC Comics fans are flocking to social media to go absolutely wild about one name and one name only: Val Kilmer.
Kilmer’s presence at the fan event is surprising for a variety of reasons. The actor has never spoken fondly of his time making Batman Forever, which saw him play the Caped Crusader just once before being replaced by George Clooney. There’s also the small issue of director Joel Schumacher repeatedly referring to Kilmer as “psychotic” and vowing never to work with the actor again.
However, Kilmer recently waxed philosophical about his short time as Batman during a recent interview with The New York Times. While recounting a set visit from Warren Buffet and his grandchildren, the actor noticed that the kids didn’t care about meeting Batman, they wanted to try on the Batsuit and sit in the Batmobile. The revelation caused Kilmer to realize that Batman is meant to be “so anonymous” that anyone can see themselves as the hero. “That’s why it’s so easy to have five or six Batmans,” Kilmer told the Times. “It’s not about Batman. There is no Batman.”
There’s also the matter of Schumacher’s death. The director passed away in early June, not long after Kilmer’s interview with the Times, and with his death came rumors of a “Schumacher Cut” of Batman Forever that Warner Bros. might be sitting on. With Kilmer now added to the DC FanDome roster, it didn’t take long for fans to start raising their eyebrows.
Whatever Kilmer’s reason for attending DC FanDome might be, if this anecdote is anything go by, it should be an interesting experience:
I saw Val Kilmer at SDCC in 2011. It was really funny because he didn’t give a shit about promoting this X-Men game he provided a voice for. During the Q&A someone asked him what mutant power he’d want and he just said, “All of them.” It was a legendary encounter. pic.twitter.com/d8vzlfD8ou
One word you hear a whole lot whenever anyone from adidas discusses their products: fast. Everything that the company tries is done with speed in mind, something that is understandable as the world’s best athletes are getting bigger, stronger, and faster with each passing year. This sentiment applies to innovation, too: have the speed to keep up or blow past the competition or watch yourself get left behind.
That was a focal point during the development of adidas’ latest soccer cleat, the all new X Ghosted. They were designed with speed in mind, in more ways than one.
“The product needs to look fast, feel fast, consumers are actually asking for some sort of element of innovation that helps them in their goal to become the fastest version of themselves,” senior product manager Philipp Hagel said during the unveiling of the new boots.
The result is the lightest laceless boot that adidas has ever released, coming in at 189 grams. For Daniel James, a Manchester United winger and one of the fastest athletes on the adidas’ roster of athletes across all sports, the feeling of almost being barefoot is something that he wants when he takes the pitch. As he told Uproxx Sports, the X Ghosted manages to achieve this.
adidas
“As time’s kinda gone on, the boots have gotten lighter and lighter,” James said. “They’re thinking of new things all the time with the next boots, and these ones are obviously a lot different. As I said, they look light on your feet, you don’t feel like you’ve got anything on ’em. It’s so important to be that, but as I said, it’s gotta be comfy as well, it’s not just about speed, it’s about being able to stop and go off the turn, but they’ve got all those aspects of it as well.”
James — who joined United last summer from Swansea City and signed with adidas, the brand whose boots he wore as a youngster, “maybe a month later” — is the exact kind of player who needs a boot that lets you start, stop, and take off in the blink of an eye. A pacy, hard-working winger who is among the fastest players in all of England, James thinks that the boot feels like it could have been more applicable in another sport.
“You can feel it, it’s kind of a sprinter’s boot made for football, really,” James said. “I think when you make them, you can maybe go overboard with how light you want to be, and then not be comfy, and then not be able to move around in them. But both aspects of them are so well put together that they’re perfect for a player like me.”
It’s very, very hard to make a player like James feel any faster than he already is, but he believes that wearing the new X Ghosteds help him achieve that. He’s an especially big fan of the carbon fiber plate, which adidas calls the “CARBITEX SPEEDFRAME,” and how it supports his feet as he plants his foot and goes — while the cleats need to be light, they of course need to provide the stability that makes it so elite athletes can push off and not worry about any sort of pain or injury.
adidas
And of course, there’s the matter of how they look. “Look fast” is hard to define and varies from person-to-person, but adidas banked on a sleek, white color and a nearly see-through outer skin called “TRANSLUCENT MIRAGESKIN.” As someone who tends to like white boots — he believes they make him look faster — James is a fan of the X Ghosted’s appearance.
“I think just the style, they’re actually a tiny bit see through as well,” James said. I think if you see them on your feet, you can actually see your feet inside. I think they’re a bit, not thinner, but for them to be comfy as well, I think the top bit’s a tiny bit lower, and they just fit on really easy.”
The new X Ghosted boots are available starting on Sept. 1 at €280. But for football fans who are interested in checking them out prior to the day they hit shelves, adidas athletes will have them on their feet during Champions League and Europa League matches that will occur in the coming weeks. James started and rocked them during Manchester United’s 2-1 Europa League win over LASK on Wednesday — United went through, 7-1, on aggregate to earn a spot in the quarterfinals against Sevilla.
Following a handful of recent EPs, up-and-comer Omar Apollo is gearing up for his debut album. Following his first single of 2020, “Imagine U,” Apollo returns for the lush number “Stayback.”
The video accompanying “Stayback” pays homage to those carefree summer nights driving around with friends. Omar and his crew arrive at a pool party and things go off without a hitch until the singer notices his crush has found another lover.
The song itself features a wonky bass and layered production over lyrics that detail the aftermath of unrequited love. “You know I been feeling you since way back / But I couldn’t even make the words to say that, say that / If I could switch bodies you know I’d change that, change that / But you could never love me so stay back, stay back,” Apollo sings.
In a statement about the single, Apollo says he penned the song as a reflection on healing after a particularly painful breakup: “Stayback is a song about being in love for a long period of time. After years of being hurt emotionally, I moved on and decided to treat the relationship as a memory instead of fantasizing it and trying to make it work. When I finished the production, I realized this was the song that I’ve been wanting to make my entire career. My guitar player Oscar killed the solo on it and really brought the whole thing together.”
Listen to “Stayback” above.
Omar Apollo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Finneas dropped his Blood Harmony EP back in October, and now he has refreshed the release with a new deluxe edition. This version of the albums adds a pair of new tracks, “Break My Heart Again” and “Let’s Fall In Love For The Night (1964)”
The new version of “Let’s Fall In Love For The Night” is clearly and directly inspired by Frank Sinatra and similar vocal jazz of the era. Finneas says of the track:
“When I was originally producing this song, It took me down two different directions. One inspired by the rhythms I loved in outkast and gorillaz songs which became the original production and the other, which became this. A production inspired by the vinyl I loved and listened to throughout my childhood. I wanted to make a lullaby version and give it to the people.”
He also said of the EP overall, “I would love for this title to remain ambiguous to listeners and for everyone to be able to imbue it with their own meaning and justification. The most common use of the term blood harmony is an English expression for what it sounds like when siblings sing together, that biologic chemistry — I think that speaks for itself.”
Listen to “Let’s Fall In Love For The Night (1964)” and check out the Blood Harmony deluxe art and tracklist below.
OYOY
1. “I Lost A Friend”
2. “Shelter”
3. “Lost My Mind”
4. “I Don’t Miss You At All”
5. “Partners In Crime”
6. “Let’s Fall In Love For The Night”
7. “Die Alone”
8. “Break My Heart Again”
9. “Let’s Fall In Love For The Night (1964)”
Blood Harmony (Deluxe) is out now via OWOW. Get it here.
Things haven’t gone exactly as planned for Zion Williamson or the Pelicans so far in the bubble. Going into the restart in Orlando, New Orleans was afforded just as good an opportunity as any to make the postseason, with a favorable format that would allow them to make up some ground and potentially land in a play-in game for the last remaining playoff spot in the West.
Instead, the Pelicans have stumbled, and Zion has found his playing time limited, a development he hasn’t exactly been thrilled about so far. He was reportedly “pissed” last week after logging just 15 minutes in a loss to the Jazz, during which he had a solid 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
Now, it appears Zion will be subject to even more rest, as he is slated to sit out New Orleans’ Friday night game against the Washington Wizards, which is the second night of a back-to-back, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Pelicans’ Zion Williamson will sit out tonight against Washington to rest on second half of back-to-back, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA@Stadium.
Zion initially was forced to leave the bubble to attend to a family emergency, but eventually returned for his team’s opener. The Pelicans have not fared well so far in their quest to secure the final playoff spot, losing three out of their first four games in Orlando. Still, they remain just 2.5 games out of the eighth spot with four contests remaining, and should they get past the Wizards — which they should be able to do without Williamson — things shape up nicely for them to make a run at the 8-seed.
Freddie Gibbs’ pyrex parables are multi-purpose: they will fit on any kind of beat. His recent collaboration with Machinedrum demonstrates his versatility, as he rhymes over a soundscape of triumphant horns and urgent keys. The track is an early dose of Machinedrum’s A View Of U, which is coming in October.
King Von — “All These N****s“ Feat. Lil Durk
On “All These N****s,” Chicago’s King Von takes over a menacing beat and asserts his authority, letting the law know, “I spent a lot on bonds, once I beat my case I’ll get it back.”
J.I the Prince of N.Y — “Painless 2” Feat. Nav & Lil Durk
J.I the Prince of N.Y is one of the game’s bright lights. The genre-bending rapper recently released his To G. Starr Vol. 1 project, which included standout track “Painless.” He offered up the “Painless 2” remix this week, getting Nav to add his slinky vocals to the melodic track,
Lil Keed — “She Know” Feat. Lil Baby
Lil Keed and LIl Baby collaborated on the sultry “She Know,” where they take turns crooning and painting a picture of ride or die love over 808-based production. The single is a standout from Keed’s Trapped On Cleveland 3 project which dropped today.
Don Q — “Legends” Feat. Benny The Butcher
Don Q has teased his collaboration with Benny The Butcher for a couple months, and it finally dropped this week. The track is everything one could expect from a pairing of two of the street’s most talented lyricists, as they take turns affirming their greatness and Don asks, “Where was you? ‘Cause it was only a few I can name, before the fame that really seen the vision.”
Sada Baby Songs
Detroit’s Sada Baby had a busy week. First, he jumped on Dizzy’s “F*ck It Up” with Houston’s Sauce Walka. He also dropped the energetic “Weezo,” where he lets us know he’ll “still rock a plain white tee — now it’s diamonds on it.”
Dave East — ”So Confusing”
Dave East’s Karma 3 is coming on August 13th. He dropped another track from the project this week with “So Confusing,” an accurately-titled reflection on life with bars like, “You never know how life gon’ hit you, until you live it.”
This week, fans got another preview of 03 Greedo and Ron-RonTheProducer’s Load It Up Vol. 1. project. “Baccstage” is Greedo’s tale about a woman who asked him for a backstage pass to a show — and what they did once she got there. The track also features Shordie Shordie and Wallie The Sensei, who keep the theme going.
Asian Doll — “Dead Man Freestyle”
Asian Doll is locked in on “Dead Man Freestyle,” the latest release from the prolific Texas rhymer. She sounds invigorated over the RicoRunDat production, as she sets her terms for romance by rhyming “we just want the money / tryna love me? N**** sit down.”
Quando Rondo — “My Life Story”
Quando Rondo is geared up to release Diary Of A Lost Child project, and offered up what has to be a strong representation of what to expect with “My Life Story,” where he delves into a tale of “jumping off the porch” and entering the treacherous streets.
Murs & Slug — “Name In Ya Mouth”
Murs and Slug are teasing a Felt collaboration project with “Name In Ya Mouth,” a back and forth lyrical exhibition where Murs contends he’s “Hella hungry like the days I had no fans.”
Lil Mosey — “Top Gone” Feat. Lunay
Lil Mosey is seeking to affirm the title of his 2019 Certified Hitmaker album. His latest effort, “Top Gone,” is a breezy ode to cruising with the wind in your hair. The track features a Spanish-speaking verse from Puerto Rican singer Lunay which will surely expand the track’s visibility.
Blacc Zacc— “803 Legend”
Blacc Zacc is touting himself as an “803 Legend” on his latest single, where he reflects on the good and bad of his journey and surmises, “If Karma gon’ kill me I guess I’m Karma-kaze.”
Capolow — “Down”
It’s “finna go down” on Oakland rapper Capolow’s latest single “Down,” where he lets the object of his desire know she’s on his mind, and asks her “come my way, let a n**** ice you out” over a sultry OG Drum Major production.
Chino Cappin — “Loading”
The beast of social media affects us all in different ways. For Georgia artist Chino Cappin, his melodic, reflective “Loading” track came about “as I was scrolling through my timeline and thinking of a way to vent,” as he recalls. He explores his relationships with his loved ones on the deeply personal track, including how he “keep my daughter on my mind / cause she the reason that I grind.”
OMB Bloodbath — “Bolt”
Houston rapper OMB Bloodbath dropped her latest single today, the braggadocious “Bolt,” where she shows off her effortless swagger and lets us know she’s pushing a Bently “Mulsanne, different colors like a mood ring.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Jimmy Fallon had a fitting response to news of the NRA staring down the barrel of extinction.
On Thursday, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a lawsuit that could completely dissolve the NRA after accusing the gun organization of losing millions of dollars in member donations in a series of questionable transactions that benefitted senior leadership. Via CNN:
James, a Democrat, alleged that current and former NRA leadership “instituted a culture of self-dealing mismanagement” benefiting themselves, family, friends and favored vendors, leading the organization to lose more than $63 million in three years.
“The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” James said, adding that her office would be forwarding the complaint to the IRS.
While reacting to the reports of the NRA’s predicament on The Tonight Show, Fallon offered a searing reaction with an all-too-tragic meaning behind it.
“Wow, the NRA as we know it could be gone. Aw, thoughts and prayers,” Fallon joked. As for why the quip was such a scorching take, “thoughts and prayers” has become the customary, yet hollow, response to gun violence from both the NRA and political leaders who continue to support the organization even in the face of mass shootings at schools and places of worship. Two such politicians include Mitch McConnell and President Donald Trump, and Fallon took aim at them.
“One of the biggest politicians who received donations from the NRA is Senator Mitch McConnell,” Fallon said during his monologue. “That probably explains why, today, he was seen breathing into his neck like it was a paper bag.”
Fallon then turned his attention to the president, but also found room to take a jab at the NBA’s attempt to quarantine its players in hopes of still having a season. “Trump was like, ‘We have to protect the NRA I want them to go down to Disney World and set up an N.R.A. bubble.’”
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