The music world suffered an incalculable loss today with the report that Philadelphia rapper Malik B, a founding member of The Roots, had passed away at the age of 47. The news was initially confirmed on Twitter by both Malik’s cousin, former CBS News correspondent Don Champion, and fellow Philadelphian Reef The Lost Cauze, a close friend and collaborator of The Roots MC who was well-known in the 2000s as a member of underground rap supergroup Army Of The Pharaohs.
Mourning my beloved cousin today. He was so talented and had a huge heart. I still remember when he and The Roots were starting out. He’d give me and my dad their cassette tapes to listen to. I miss you already, Mailk. #RIPhttps://t.co/UMQeXJsWmf
Heartbroken to hear of the passing of Malik B, one of the greatest MC’s to ever come from this city. He had his troubles for sure, but dude inspired a whole generation of us to touch the mic. Myself included. May he rest peacefully.
Born Malik Abdul Basit in Philadelphia in 1972, Malik B was added to The Roots ahead of the release of their 1993 debut Organix and subsequently appeared on three of the band’s succeeding albums — Do You Want More?!!!??!, Illadelph Halflife, and Things Fall Apart. He left the group, along with several other longtime members, ahead of The Roots’ fifth album, Phrenology. Black Thought dedicated the Phrenology track “Water” to Malik B, detailing their meeting and his addition to The Roots.
Malik had guest verses on Game Theory and Rising Down, the band’s seventh and eighth studio albums, in 2006 and 2008, respectively. Twitter was quickly flooded with messages expressing condolences to the rapper’s family and fond remembrances of his contributions to hip-hop’s rich tapestry. Collaborators like Reef and Mr. Green and peers like J-Live shared videos and links to his standout performances while saying goodbye to the rap pioneer.
With recent slots supporting Kacey Musgraves and Ray LaMontagne, Liza Anne’s music occupies a space that exists between the boundaries of genre. Merging elements of new wave, art rock, and ’90s indie grunge-pop, Liza Anne’s new album Bad Vacation is one of those records that captivates and doesn’t let you go until it’s over.
To celebrate the new album, which is out now, Anne sat down to talk Hillary Duff, Paris, and Adam Sandler in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
My favorite emotional work.
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?
I would hope it’s attached to really good memories or memories where they felt themselves grow a lot or just windows of time where they really felt at home in their body. If my music could remind anybody of that feeling, that’s it – that is the point of it, always.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Either Brooklyn, Nashville, or London. Favorite city to be a person in though, that’s Paris every time.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
This is hard to answer as just “one person.” So many people. I guess so far as the longest spanning inspiration – my Aunt Liza. I’m named after her. Her dedication to her art and her personal growth has been very pivotal to sit close to for my whole life. She is incredible. (@lizasnyderart)
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
Les Fabricants in Paris. It’s this big bowl of salad and potatoes and cheese and ham and an egg. I love this place. I’m sober now but their Sangria is homemade and very special.
St. Vincent at the Ryman for her Masseduction tour. Also, Feist at Town Hall for her Pleasure tour ALSO every show I saw Kacey Musgraves play when we were on tour with her last year. She is unstoppable. I am so amazed by her.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
Whatever expands the music and whatever can be moved around – clothes are really important to me and have always been an external expression of an internal feeling – I use my clothes to sort of manifest a confidence and power that I don’t always feel. A really important thing though is that once I am on stage, I don’t want to think about my clothes. If I’m thinking about my outfit because it’s feeling weird or falling off my shoulder or the pants might rip, it’s distracting from the whole thing for me. I want colors, I want comfort, I want to feel like I could do anything.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
On Twitter, Bernie Sanders. On Instagram, Bernie Sanders.
What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?
I feel like I’ve given Broadcast’s “Come On Let’s Go” a proper run on tour. I think I’ve worn it out. But I also don’t think that’s possible.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
“Top of the World” chords and then before that pictures of a 1980s Volkswagen.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Oh no, we had the worst experience at this Airbnb about an hour outside of San Francisco. Thank God we were refunded. I thought we were going to get murdered. We arrived really late. Weird dirty dishes were all in the sink and everything smelled like cat poop. The owner got mad at me for asking for a refund – which I totally get but it was like $300 to stay in a fire hazard. Anyways, we have stayed in so many cool places. But the bad ones are comical to look back on.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
My first tattoo is three lines around my right arm. I used to draw that on my arm with a pen all through high school (so emo, so cute). It stands for notebook paper lines and it’s on my writing arm. Writing has always been a very easy way for me to find a home in my body
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
Harry Styles and Lizzo.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
My boyfriend, Josh, bought us a cat when my depression was getting really bad this year. Also, just most things Josh does are very nice. I have a big fat crush on him.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Leave the religion and be soft with yourself in the process and while you’re working through it: anger is just the first room in the healing, don’t stay there forever. Self-love isn’t something to be scared of, believing in yourself is a good thing. You don’t have to morph into what everybody needs at any given moment, just be present, be kind and be the same you in every room. She is really special, stop ghosting her.
What’s the last show you went to?
This is hard because quarantine. I think the last show before this all happened was seeing Shane T at The Basement East. I fucking love his music.
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
Anything with Adam Sandler. I have a very soft spot for Adam Sandler.
What would you cook if Kanye were coming to your house for dinner?
Man, I don’t really want Kanye coming to my house for dinner right now. He’s having a weird moment. But, if he’s coming for sure – I’d make some bomb ass coconut rice and sweet potatoes with some kind of fish. I would hope the dinner would end with him not running for President. He is an impressive artist and entrepreneur, sure – of course, but that does not make for a President.
Bad Vacation is out now on Arts & Crafts Records. Listen here.
Tegan And Sara had a new music video to premiere today, and the sisters went about it in an atypical way. Instead of just putting the video online, or even just taking advantage of YouTube’s video premiere functionality, they created an entire TV-length, 24-minute special to give their “I Know I’m Not The Only One” video its debut.
Highlights include footage of the duo as high schoolers and the announcement of the Hey, We’re Just Like You (The Remixes) EP, which is set for release on August 7. As for the video itself, which starts at 12:17 into the special, it is focused on the sisters re-creating a high school photo shoot.
Watch the “I Know I’m Not The Only One” special above, and find the remix EP’s tracklist below.
1. “I’ll Be Back Someday (Tracy Young Extended Remix)”
2. “Please Help Me (Matthew Dear Remix)”
3. “I Know I’m Not The Only One (Shura Remix)”
4. “I Don’t Owe You Anything (Tim Mislock Remix)”
5. “Hello, I’m Right Here (Mija Remix)”
6. “I’ll Be Back Someday (Tracy Young Remix)”
Hey, We’re Just Like You (The Remixes) EP is out 8/7 via Sire Records. Pre-order it here.
Tegan And Sara is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
There’s always another road to travel when it comes to bourbon, and whiskey in general. Not that long ago, mash bills (recipes) for bourbon were fairly static and barrel aging was focused on toasted new American Oak. Then the whiskey revolution happened and now anything is possible — as a new generation endlessly toys with mash bills and boldly loads their juice into barrels from every corner of the world.
Angel’s Envy has been at the forefront of unique aging techniques for a decade now, and they just took it one step further. The latest Angel’s Envy’s release is taking their tried-and-true method of finishing their bourbons and ryes in port, sherry, tawny port, and rum casks to new heights. They’ve added the proverbial holy grail of international casks to their line up — the iconic and very rare Mizunara oak cask from Japan.
Angel
To the uninitiated, that may not sound like a big deal. But the specialness of the Mizunara cask cannot be understated. The casks are made from trees that are at least 200 years old when they’re selectively harvested. Older wood is harder to work with. So, it’s difficult for coopers to create the staves and form the casks. That rigidity of the wood affects the juice’s ability to mingle with the oak’s sugars and, well, age.
Meaning the whiskey has to spend a lot longer in the barrels. This expression spent two years in the Japanese barrels, after their time in toasted new American oak. All of which adds up to a very unique aging experience.
Overall, this is an exciting time to be a whiskey drinker. Though we haven’t tested the Angel’s release, we were lucky enough to taste an American whiskey that was also aged in Mizunara casks recently and it was phenomenal. The expectations for Angel’s Envy’s riff on this elite aging process are through the roof with good reason.
“After the two year finishing window, I expected the whiskey to have smoky, floral and spicy notes,” Angel’s Envy Production Manager, Kyle Henderson told Forbes, “but was surprised by the unique notes of apple we ultimately ended up with.”
One of the most memorable moments from the second season of HBO’s Succession was undoubtedly when Kendall Roy (played by Jeremy Strong) honored his father with a cringe-worthy rap song titled “L To The OG.” But, thanks to Cousin Greg (played by Emmy-nominated actor Nicholas Bruan), “L To The OG” has a new competitor: Bruan just released a pandemic-themed anthem titled “Antibodies.”
Braun’s tongue-in-cheek single was created after he posted the idea to Instagram and implored fans to help with the instrumentals. After penning the lyrics, Bruan knew the song had to be of the pop-punk persuasion and drew inspiration from Blink-182 and Papa Roach. “Do you have the antibodies? / ‘Cause if you don’t / You better stay away,” Braun sings a the chorus.
Speaking to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in an interview about the track, Braun said it was originally born out of quarantine boredom. Braun was staying at a friend’s house in LA and planned on going on a date before his friends advised him not to: “So I was in this two-week quarantine away from even my friends in this house and I think my brain just started turning like, what would make this okay? Or what would allow me to go on a social distance walk with somebody? And maybe it’s the antibodies. And, obviously, just felt like a punk song because it’s the word antibodies … I knew it had to be in the Blink 182, Papa Roach, POD realm.”
While the single may be less than serious, the actor knows the pandemic is no laughing matter. Proceeds from the track will benefit two charities, Partners In Health And Cope. Partners In Health is a global organization that helps people in communities that don’t receive adequate healthcare and Cope is a non-profit assisting the Navajo nation in the midst of the pandemic.
Listen to Braun’s “Antibodies (Do You Have The)” above.
Nicholas Bruan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
You might be familiar with our Indie Mixtape newsletter. (If you’re not, go ahead and sign up for that right here or below.) But what if you could also listen to our newsletter in addition to reading it each week? Wouldn’t that be a dream? Well, we’ve got you covered.
Starting on Friday, July 31, Indie Mixtape is pleased to announce a new podcast called Indiecast, hosted by our very own Steven Hyden and long-time music critic Ian Cohen of Pitchfork and Stereogum fame. Each week, Ian and Steven will talk about all the latest news in indie music. They will review new albums, break down trends, expose exciting new artists, and give you all the necessary context to understand what’s happening in the indie world as well as moments that established the genre’s canon. Of course, they’ll also pointlessly rank things — whether it’s the best indie albums of the aughts, the greatest Phoebe Bridgers tracks, or their favorite chillwave songs. True to its name, Indiecast has you covered on everything indie.
The show debuts on July 31, and there will be new episodes every Friday. Listen to the trailer and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts here. Stay up to date and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand announced a pledge to donate $100 million over the course of 10 years to support the fight against systemic racism in America.
Now, Jordan Brand has put together its inaugural list of partners, in addition to a list of categories that each partner will fit into over the next decade of giving by the Nike subsidiary. The first group of donations includes $1 million to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; $1 million to the Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted People and Families Movement; and $500,000 to Black Voters Matter.
Jordan himself has also taken on a front-facing role in this program.
“I’m all in with Jordan Brand, the Jordan family and our partners, who share a commitment to address the historical inequality that continues to plague Black communities in the U.S.,” he said in a press release. “There is a long history of oppression against Black Americans that holds us back from full participation in American society. We understand that one of the main ways we can change systemic racism is at the polls. We know it will take time for us to create the change we want to see, but we are working quickly to take action for the Black community’s voice to be heard.”
With a name like Jordan’s and through Nike’s reach, this program is already showing the power it will have in the coming years.
After an absolutely horrid month it which it seemed a rift was opening between hip-hop and the Jewish community thanks to egregious comments made by certain elders of hip-hop, IDK and ASAP Ferg have arrived with seemingly the perfect remedy in the form of the video for their recent collaboration, “Mazel Tov.” The video sees IDK, Ferg and a few of their friends throwing a party in the hills, dancing the hora, and yes, lifting each other on chairs in celebration.
“Mazel Tov” was the first single from IDK’s latest project, the Basketball County soundtrackIDK & Friends 2. The album also featured a number of big-name collaborators for the DMV native as well as other PG County stars like Big Jam, Big Flock, Rico Nasty, Weensey of the Backyard Band, and Yung Manny. Among the bigger name stars, IDK invited friends like Denzel Curry, Maxo Kream, PNB Rock, and Wale, while he got a big co-sign from Memphis legend Juicy J.
IDK’s profile has risen considerably in the wake of IDK & Friends 2, culminating in his first late-night television appearance for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, where he bypassed the opportunity to promote his new singles in favor of a performance highlighting the social justice movement with his Is He Real? track “No Cable.”
Watch IDK and ASAP Ferg’s “Mazel Tov” video above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
August means a change in the craft beer world. The anticipation of summer is behind us and brewers are fully shifting into fall mode. Soon, you’re going to start seeing pumpkin ales and German lagers dominating the scene. Yes, it’s already pumpkin beer season. We’re going to wait another month before shouting any out, though — we’re not ready to let go of summer just yet.
We are ready for some crisp German lagers, however. There’s a fair amount of it coming out right now that’ll help us celebrate this year’s canceled Oktoberfest in our own backyards. Plus, a pale German lager makes for a great late summer sipper.
Hopefully, the eight beers we’re calling out this month will pique your interest and inspire you to explore exciting expressions made near you or sold at your closest bottle shop. The picks below are regional craft beer releases from breweries that we vouch for (we weren’t able to taste them all this month because of the continued pandemic, so we’re offering tasting notes from the brewers where necessary).
Style: Hazy Pale Ale ABV: 5.5% Brewery: Fremont Brewing, Seattle, WA
The Beer:
Okay, Sky Kraken isn’t a new release this month. It’s a year-round powerhouse beer from Seattle. But, since Seattle (finally) got it’s own NHL team named the Seattle Kraken, we figured it was time to give some love to Fremont Brewing and their delicious pale ale.
Tasting Notes:
This hazy pale is all about the counterpoints. The nose races between tropical fruits and dank earthiness with a cut of citrus. That citrus carries on over the palate as those tropical fruits are spiked with black pepper and a real sense of grassy undertones.
SOUTHWEST DROP: San Diego Brewers United Double IPA
Style: Double IPA ABV: 8.5% Brewery: Collab between Stone Brewing, AleSmith Brewing Co., Modern Times Beer, Mother Earth Brewing Co., Pizza Port Brewing Co., Port Brewing Co., and Thorn Brewing Co.
The Beer:
This beer is a huge collab between some of the biggest names in San Diego’s craft beer scene. The beer is double dry-hopped, allowing the drinker to get a clear idea of the power of a classic craft double IPA from the West Coast. Profits from the brew go towards the San Diego Brewers Guild, a nonprofit that supports over 120 breweries in San Diego county trying to stay afloat during the pandemic.
“It’s a West Coast IPA all the way, baby. It’s a super dank bevy with a bevy of bright tropical notes.”
ROCKY MOUNTAIN DROP: Uinta Fest
Style: German Lager ABV: 5.7% Brewery: Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City, UT
The Beer:
Fest is here to celebrate Oktoberfest and we’re here for it. The beer keeps the hops in check and maintains a very easy-drinkability that plainly suits late summer thirst-quenching.
Tasting Notes:
You get a real sense of dialed up lager on the nose with whiffs of crusty bread next to dry straw. The sip is super crisp as those bready malts carry on with a nice backend of hop bitterness that leans mildly floral.
SOUTHERN DROP: Family Business Beer Co. Golden Age
Style: German Pilsner ABV: 4.5% Brewery: Family Business Beer Co., Dripping Springs, TX
The Beer:
Golden Age is an award-winning beer made for hot summer days spent under the shade of a big ol’ tree. The beer is a classic pilsner with a clear “Noble” hop essence that’ll surely go down easy.
“Crisp and lively on the tongue, featuring a mild, earthy hop bouquet, and superbly clean finish.”
MIDWEST DROP: Lakefront Oktoberfest
Style: German Lager ABV: 6% Brewery: Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
The Beer:
Oktoberfest from Milwaukee’s Lakefront is an easy buy. The beer marries Two-Row Pale, Vienna, Munich, Melanoidin, and 30ºL Caramel Munich malts with Mt. Hood hops, which is an American variation of the Bavarian Hallertau Mittelfrüher hop variety.
Tasting Notes:
You’ll be greeted by all those malts with a lean into a caramel sweetness. The sip is refreshing as the hops make an appearance as a supporting character to the bready maltiness. There’s a hint of nuttiness on the back end that helps bolster the caramel and malt.
NORTHEAST DROP: Hill Farmstead Edward
Style: American Pale Ale ABV: 5.2% Brewery: Greensboro Bend, VT
The Beer:
Edward is officially back. The brew is made with well water from the farm, American malted barley, and a matrix of hops alongside Hill Farmstead’s proprietary ale yeast strain. All of that makes for one unique and well-crafted can of beer.
Tasting Notes:
The unfiltered aspect of the ale really allows the hops to shine with a clear piney dankness and earthy nature. There’s a subtle citrus counterpoint to the resin that works a nice balancing act. The finish is long, lush, and full of hop pale ale vibes straight from a dank pine forest.
WILD CARD DROP: Brooklyn Summer Ale
Style: Pale Ale ABV: 5% Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
The Beer:
Summer Ale is a necessary sixer right now if you want to hold onto summer. The beer is brewed to be light, quaffable, and tasty. There’s no challenging the palate, just good beer that goes down well when you have a hot dog in hand.
Tasting Notes:
This beer is light in all the right ways. There’s a clear citrus feel that leads towards a mild floral hop nature. That’s all underpinned by an easy maltiness with a slightly sweet caramel edge.
INT’L PICK OF THE MONTH: Oude Riesling Tilquin à L’Ancienne
Gueuzerie Tilquin’s Oude Riesling Tilquin is a f*cking masterpiece. The lambic is made by fermenting Riesling grapes in the brew. The beer is then left unfiltered and unpasteurized and is bottled and then ferments again while it rests in the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
The sip greets you with fresh lemons mingling with ripe grapes, sour berries, farmyard funk, bales of straw, and fruity vinegar. The palate ebbs and flows with those same touchstones as a certain minerality and a hint of pineapple arrives next to grapefruit pith. The end is dry and full of life as the sour, tart, funk, grape, and fruit explodes like fireworks on a late summer’s eve.
As Charania notes, this is now two straight stretches without a positive, which is even more noteworthy considering the concern at the outset of the bubble experiment that false positives could throw everyone into chaos. The NBA has avoided infection, but they’ve also gotten lucky that no tests have wrongly displayed a positive for a healthy player or staff member.
This is particularly good news considering what is happening with MLB, which is already experiencing its first team outbreak on the Miami Marlins. Even compared with MLS and the NWSL, pro basketball has done well. Both American soccer leagues saw teams drop out of the bubble environment before games even began due to infections on participating teams. In the case of MLS, two teams entered the bubble then left after outbreaks, while the NWSL side that dealt with the virus never entered its bubble.
The NBA is already beginning to discuss next season and how to safely play in 2021, so the league and its teams will be glad to see infection rates zeroed out to begin the Bubble games on Walt Disney World property.
The NBA restart tips off Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET when the Utah Jazz take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
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