Category: News

With Avery Bradley opting out of the NBA’s restart in Orlando, citing family health concerns, the Los Angeles Lakers needed to use the league’s week-long transaction window to find some more backcourt help.

Immediately, speculation began about J.R. Smith being the guy they’d turn to, given his connection to LeBron James and that he had worked out previously for the Lakers and impressed, even though L.A. chose to bring in Dion Waiters at that time instead. Smith has remained in L.A. to workout and stay in shape in hopes of finding a home for the restart and it now appears that home will be with the Lakers, as Marc Stein of the New York Times reports the two sides are expected to finalize a deal before Tuesday night’s deadline.

That report was confirmed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and it’s safe to assume we’ll get Smith and James reunited in July.

The question, of course, is how much the Lakers will use Smith — and Waiters — and the answer to both might simply be situational. Smith will be brought in to shoot three-pointers, and as long as he can be effective doing so he’ll likely find himself some minutes as the Lakers are a relatively pedestrian 17th in the NBA in three-point percentage at 35.5 percent. Bradley was their third-best three-point shooter among regular rotation players, and they’ll need Smith (and guys like Quinn Cook) to likely step in to fill that role some.

Austin, Texas indie-rockers Spoon have been at it for a while now. The veteran group launched their career in the ’90s with their debut album, 1996’s Telephono. They followed that album up the next year with a five-track EP, Soft Effects. Now, those two formative releases are getting the reissue treatment via Matador Records.

The album and EP will be re-released on vinyl and CD on July 24, which will be the first time these releases will be available individually on CD and vinyl since their original releases, over 20 years ago. As Spoon leader Britt Daniel notes, “Some of these albums haven’t been available on vinyl or CD in years, and in some places they never actually came out.” Additionally, a silkscreen cover version of Soft Effects will be available, albeit only in a limited run of 500 copies on red vinyl and a further 500 on blue vinyl.

These two rereleases kick off the Slay On Cue series of reissues. Other records set to be included will be A Series Of Sneaks (originally released in 1998), Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill The Moonlight (2002), and Transference (2010). Additionally, North American fans will be able to get a fan-curated compilation LP, All The Weird Kids Up Front (Mas Rolas Chidas), which is set for a Record Store Day release on August 29.

Today’s announcement also brought with it a video for the Kill The Moonlight track “Small Stakes,” which was developed from the original 88mm film. Daneil says of the clip, “It’s a little glimpse into life in the studio in 2002 during the recording of Kill The Moonlight, filmed by our friend Peter Simonite.”

The rereleases of Telephono and Soft Effects are out 7/24 via Matador Records. Pre-order them here.

The NBA and NBPA are still discussing various ways for players and the league to continue being active and vocal in advocating for social justice while in the Orlando bubble for the league’s in July.

Concerns over the NBA and WNBA’s restart distracting from player activism regarding the swelling Black Lives Matter movement that continues to see protests of police brutality, systemic racism, and inequality around the country have led to some players wondering if they should skip the restarted seasons in Florida. A number of WNBA players, including Chiney Ogwumike, Renee Montgomery, and Natasha Cloud, have already made their intentions to skip the 2020 season to continue fighting for social justice.

While that has yet to be the top, stated reason for any of the NBA players that have opted out of the restart, Avery Bradley and Garrett Temple have both been vocal about concerns of the restart distracting from the movement and have since opted out, both citing the health of their family as a priority.

For those that do plan on joining the bubble, there’s still work being done figuring out what players can do on the court to use the platform of playing games to keep the message at the forefront. One such idea gaining traction in the NBA and WNBA, which originated with a petition started by Angel McCoughtry of the Las Vegas Aces, is to allow players to put a message, phrase, or name of someone who has been a victim of police brutality on their jersey in place of their name. On Sunday, Ja Morant reposted a photoshop someone made of his jersey that says “F*ck 12,” referring to the police, which naturally caused a bit of a stir.

Morant would later post a statement with an apology later that night, noting it doesn’t “clearly and accurately convey what I wanted to share,” and that he wants to focus on the bad cops that murder unarmed Black men and women and harass protesters.

While posting the initial photoshop was always going to lead to backlash towards Morant from certain fans, it was good to see Morant clarify what he meant while making it clear that focus should remain on police brutality and the numerous, unnecessary lives lost to police violence. The apology didn’t fall into typical tropes of calling those that abuse their power “a few bad apples,” because if we’ve learned anything in recent weeks by how police departments have handled protests, that’s simply not the case. The issue is systemic and highlighting the good work done by some police is important, but it’s also important not to lose sight of the fact that the problems are ingrained in the system and run deep in many police departments, which must be addressed.

It’ll be interesting to see what messaging players choose to put on their jerseys, and maybe moreso, what the NBA allows on jerseys, should the league, union, and Nike come to an agreement on doing so.

On the latest episode of People’s Party With Talib Kweli, Method Man calls in via video chat to break down the origin of Wu-Tang Clan, his love for Marvel Comics, and more. When co-host Jasmin Leigh brings up a recent People’s Party episode guest-starring North Carolina rapper Rapsody and the recent controversy surrounding Chicago firecracker Noname, Meth also reveals his favorite female rapper.

When Jasmin points out Method Man’s propensity for rooting for new female rappers, Meth agrees that Rapsody is his favorite woman in hip-hop at the moment. “If you don’t know who Rap is…” he starts, leaving the implications unsaid. “Of course, everything she stand for. She remind me of myself. She don’t want you to focus on the fat ass or what she got on. She wants you to see her mind first.”

Of course, Rapsody herself may take some issue with that characterization, as she’s been staunch in praising her fellow female rappers no matter how they present themselves. In Rap’s eyes, there is room for every kind of feminine presentation in hip-hop; she’s praised Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B both in interviews and in rhymes, shouting out her counterparts in a freestyle at the 2019 BET Hip-Hop Awards. Meanwhile, Method Man recently put his heavyweight co-sign behind emerging West Coast duo Blimes and Gab, who dropped their debut album, Talk About It, just this past weekend.

Watch Method Man’s full interview with Talib Kweli above.

People’s Party is a weekly interview show hosted by Talib Kweli with big-name guests exploring hip-hop, culture, and politics. Subscribe via Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.

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

The goal was straightforward: Create a list of the best television shows from the first half of 2020. We rounded up our television writers and had all of them submit a top ten list. We assigned point values to each entry (10 points for number one, one point for number 10, etc.) to try to come up with a fair, math-based final list. It seemed so simple.

And then… chaos. It turns out there are so many shows — so many good shows, even — that you can have six lists with a very tiny amount of overlap. Shows that were number one on some lists were completely absent from others. Only one show appeared on more than half of the lists. There were ties galore. Just complete anarchy any way you slice it.

The truth is, though, that it’s kind of perfect that our list is a mess. The sheer number of shows available means that everyone can tailor their viewing to their individual interests. It means you can have a group top 10 list that has 12 total shows and honorable mentions and covers everything from horror to cool skate teens to bumbling vampires to felonious lawyers traipsing through a desert. That’s kind of nice, really. It’s a good thing.

God bless us when we make the year-end list, though.

HONORABLE MENTION

Joe Pera Talks With You (Adult Swim)

I don’t know if any other show does more with less than Joe Pera Talks With You. Less can be taken two ways, too: first, because the Adult Swim series runs mostly abbreviated episodes, usually in the 7-10 minute range; second, because very little happens in these episodes. That might sound like a complaint. It’s not. The show has such small stakes — Pera plays a Michigan choir teacher, which is a good tip-off that this isn’t, like, Westworld, plot-wise — that an entire episode can be devoted to going to the grocery store. The was a season-long arc about growing a bean arch that was honestly more satisfying and moving than most dramas I saw this year. The show is funny, strange, sweet, peaceful, soothing, and unlike anything else on television. You can watch the entire season in about an hour on the Adult Swim website. You should do that. — Brian Grubb

The Great (Hulu)

Last year, HBO gave us a very serious mini-series on Catherine the Great, Russia’s infamous empress. She was played by Dame Helen Mirren, and we spent a handful of episodes retracing the final years of her reign amidst wars and political squabbles and romantic entanglements with other very serious men. Hulu’s The Great is not that show. Hulu’s The Great wants to bring a bit of fun back into the oppressive, tyrannical regime of Peter III, Catherine’s husband who she spends most of this new series plotting to murder. Hulu’s The Great is filled with a young cast – think Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning – darkly comedic storytelling from The Favourite scribe Tony McNamara, outlandish wigs, campy court life moments, and Pomeranians getting tossed off balconies … for science. It’s an 18th-century punk Russian soap opera and it deserves all the Huzzahs. — Jessica Toomer

The Outsider (HBO)

Look, Stephen King adaptations are hit-and-miss, but this was a success with HBO’s audience, and Richard Price’s tweaks from the book made all the difference. Hell, Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, recognized how well it all worked when we interviewed him earlier this year. He freaking loved this take on Holly Gibney (portrayed by Cynthia Erivo) and described the show like this: “The man is the skeptic, and the woman is the believer! Not only that, but she’s a genius and a savant and has one foot in that voodoo shit, woohoo.” Yep, Erivo and Ben Mendelsohn pulled off the reverse Mulder-Scully thing well, and the show’s scratchy El Cuco unfurling made it meme-able, week after week.

While this show wasn’t perfect — I still don’t understand all the lamp stuff, and my god, some scenes felt like they were shot at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, they were so (literally) dark — this show gave us a ton of characters worth rooting for, even including the atomic-wedgie-brandishing villain, Jack. I also love that Price left Gibney’s fate wide open with a swell second-season set up. El Cuco must return for more. — Kimberly Ricci

10. (tie) Bojack Horseman (Netflix)

Remember Game of Thrones? The biggest show on TV, Emmy winner, a cat named Ser Pounce, etc. Ringing any bells (too soon)? Do you also remember how let down you were by the series finale? I’m not bringing up “The Iron Throne” to pick at wounds that probably still haven’t healed. I’m using it to prove how even the best shows can struggle with final seasons — and finales, in particular. They’re tough! But BoJack Horseman, which was somehow both the funniest and saddest show on television/Netflix/whatever, did not pull a Game of Thrones. The second half of the final season (the first six episodes aired in 2019) was as good as the show has ever been, and considering it’s my favorite show of the 2010s, that’s high praise. — Josh Kurp

10. (tie) Defending Jacob (Apple+)

Defending Jacob pulls the thread on a picture-perfect American family to see how they unravel while, at the same time, posing questions that pit love and family against morality. Questions that demand a beat and some nuance when assessing what we’d do in our own lives if presented with them. It’s the kind of package we’ve seen before, but delivered with an uncommon level of polish with a cast that stands out. And not just Chris Evans, flexing dramatic muscles that had been on the shelf for a time. Michelle Dockery also shines as an anguished mother, as does 17-year-old Jaeden Martell as the boy at the center of the storm. — Jason Tabrys

10. (tie) Mythic Quest (Apple+)

Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet — from Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Megan Ganz — is a great, hysterically funny and occasionally warm series that feels like It’s Always Sunny crossed with Community set in a workplace devoted to a video-game development. There’s a frenzied energy that makes it easy and exciting to follow its characters on their misadventures, questing for validation, vanity, and petty vengeance, as the series thematically confronts issues about creativity versus commerce. It’s sometimes absurd, and often satirical, and — from what I understand — a fairly good representation of what it looks like inside of a video-game development company. Nine of the first season’s ten episodes are terrific, but the fifth episode — a stand-alone ep written by Rob’s sister, Katie McElhenney — transcends the reset of the series, and joins the quarantine episode as two of the very best sitcom episodes of 2020. — Dustin Rowles

7. (tie) Ramy (Hulu)

There’s one scene from the excellent second season of Ramy that I keep thinking about, one that, I believe, sums up the show. It’s in episode six, “They,” the one where Ramy’s mother Maysa has her Lyft driver account suspended after receiving a negative review from a passenger. The suspension, which she fears could lead to criminal charges, couldn’t have come at a worse time, either, as she’s about to take her American citizenship test. After an awkward run-in at a bar with a trans customer (some might call it “stalking”), Maysa passes the test, and while being sworn in as a citizen, she looks at a picture of President Donald Trump and says, “I’m not like you, Trump. I will f*ck you. I will f*ck your pussy and grab it before you grab mine or Dena’s. I will vote you away you piece of f*cking f*ck-sh*t. I am here to stay, bitch.” That, in a nutshell, is Ramy. It tackles delicate issues – whether it’s racism, misogyny, misgendering, or having sexual feelings for your cousin — with bleak, character-based humor; and in season two, the show’s universe continued to expand, with the introduction of Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as a sheikh and an entire episode about Uncle Naseem’s eating-an-entire-cake-by-himself loneliness. (It’s the rare show that’s at its best when it’s not about the titular character.) Maysa isn’t like Trump, as she makes very clear, but more shows should be like Ramy. — Josh Kurp

7. (tie) Brockmire (IFC)

What started as a show about a drunk lecherous lout amidst the backdrop of minor league baseball in a pulseless American town somehow became a redemption song about a sober lecherous lout scraping his way back to the big leagues and some semblance of (literal and metaphorical) uprightness. And then, in its final season, said lout somehow became commissioner of baseball amidst the backdrop of a dystopia. It reads like a fever dream but plays like a consistently uproarious comedy and increasingly smart satire, anchored by Hank Azaria in what is probably his best role. Four seasons and 32 episodes hardly seems like enough but they got all of this one. — Jason Tabrys

7. (tie) Betty (HBO)

Well, I think this show is cool, and Brian Grubb thinks this show is cool, so what more enticement do you need to give the Skate Kitchen ladies a shot? Here’s a slice-of-life project, and an authentic one, where we can watch real-life skaters (who aren’t Actors with a capital “A,” in fictionalized roles) who simply want to skate. It’s beautifully shot by director Crystal Moselle, who found this group of skaters to be so cool that she wanted to give us a glimpse into their freewheeling world. The end result is that we, like Moselle, want to follow them and see what happens next, even if they’re only spending a day tracking down a backpack or getting high or hanging out with an albino rat named Perstefanie. — Kimberly Ricci

6. High Fidelity (Hulu)

Full disclosure up front: I did not expect to like High Fidelity, the TV show produced by Hulu. I rolled my eyes at it a little when I first heard about it. I filed it under another cheap play at reimagining existing intellectual property, in this case, both a book and John Cusack movie of the same name. But then I watched the first episode. And the second episode. And the third. And then I looked up and realized I had binged the whole season in about 48 hours. There are a few takeaways from this story: High Fidelity is a good show, and I am an idiot.

A lot of the credit here goes to Zoe Kravitz, who plays the gender-swapped lead in the series, the one who breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience about her breakups and dates and self-destructive behavior related to both. She’s super good and super charismatic, which is very important in a show where the audience has to care about a main character who is kind of a mess and kind of a jerk. The result is a warm, fun show about friends and life and figuring stuff out by pushing through it, even when it stinks. It’s another reminder that a show doesn’t need a huge concept — dragons, outer space, etc. — to be compelling and captivating. And a reminder, again, that I am an idiot. — Brian Grubb

5. Normal People (Hulu)

Hulu’s Normal People is about two flawed people, Marianne and Connell, who fall madly, madly in love in high school but who are kept apart through their time at university by their own mental and emotional issues. He’s poor but well-liked and suffers from depression. She’s from an abusive family. They both have major insecurities, which drive their inability to stay together, and it hurts because they are so obviously otherwise perfect for one another. To see these two characters played by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal circle around each other for years but never maintain their connection hurts in deeply psychic ways, which makes it a achy, soulful sexy, and impossible-to-stop-watching romantic series. — Dustin Rowles

3. (tie) What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

I refuse to feel shame that practically all of my picks for good shows in 2020 were comedies. We need a reason to laugh while the world burns. But I’m particularly proud of how bloody brilliant the second season of this FX mockumentary was. After carving out its own distinct space separate from its film predecessor with its first season, WWDITS was given the time and story development it needed to really fly in season two – as long as it yelled “Bat!” first. Vampire councils, semen-thieving witches, Haley Joel Osment as a zombie, and small-town American hero Jackie Daytona were just a few highlights of the show’s sophomore run and really, the only thing we’re looking forward to next year is seeing how they top it. — Jessica Toomer

3. (tie) Schitt’s Creek (POP)

Even if we weren’t faced with a global pandemic and cannibal rats, 2020 would still be trash because it marked the end of one of the best comedies to ever grace our TV screens. Schitt’s Creek started as a fairly straightforward human experiment – toss a family of out-of-touch one-percenters into the social cesspool of a small Canadian town and see how (or if) they survive. But thanks to a cast that included legends Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy, and some carefully crafted, slow-burn character development, what Schitt’s Creek ended it’s run as was a beautiful sum of all it’s eccentric, over-the-top, “Eww David” parts. Few shows would be bold enough to lower the curtain just as they were beginning to enjoy critical attention, and hardly any could pull off the final season that this series delivered – one filled with weddings and breakups and bedwetting and a crowpocalypse. We’ll miss you, Roses. — Jessica Toomer

2. I May Destroy You (HBO)

This show’s even better than the act of typing “I MAY DESTROY YOU” in all caps, which is a great stress reliever. Really, try it now. You’ll see. Seriously though, creator, writer, and star Michaela Coel is an audacious creative force, not to be ignored. She’s also a twisted firestarter (no spoilers on that note, go watch). What Coel’s accomplished here is something that I thought was impossible. While navigating the post-#MeToo era, she not only authentically portrays her character’s experience with sexual assault but also refuses to let her be singularly defined by it. Survivors are fully-dimensional humans, for real, and finally, we’ve got a show that’s not afraid to put that out there. Coel’s work is fearless, this show’s also got a mystery to solve, and yes, amid an expansive backdrop, some humor tiptoes into the space as well. — Kimberly Ricci

1. Better Call Saul (AMC)

Are we ready? Are we, as a society, really ready? Are we ready to have the hard conversation about whether Better Call Saul is better than Breaking Bad, the show it spun-off from a few years back, the one that went down as a top tier all-time television drama? I’m not sure. I think some of it depends on how this show brings it all home. But the fact that this is not a laughable proposition anymore, the fact that it’s defensible and worthy of a conversation… that already says a lot.

This most recent season might have been its best yet. Sweet rascal Jimmy McGill has full-on broken bad as Saul Goodman. Mike Ehrmantraut is grunting his way up Gus Fring’s criminal organization. These are the things viewers have been waiting to see ever since the prequel was announced. There’s a reasonable argument to be made they’re not even the best parts of the show anymore. This sucker is just loaded with quality universe-building. Rhea Seehorn has turned Kim Wexler — Jimmy’s partner in more ways than one — into the best character on the show, and the one whose future is most interesting. Michael Mando has taken Nacho from a mid-level drug dealer to a truly sympathetic sweetheart who just wants out. And then the show went and introduced Tony Dalton as Lalo Salamanca, a grinning, charming, shockingly athletic psychopath, and the best villain in this show or its predecessor. The embarrassment of riches on display is borderline gluttonous.

Things are about to get very sad on Better Call Saul. There’s no way around it, really. Watching it happen is going to suck, which also says a lot. We all care enough about the silly spin-off about the goofy lawyer from Breaking Bad that we’re going to let it break our hearts. Can’t do much better than that. — Brian Grubb

Everyone knows that trailers and teasers usually reveal too much. Heck, the Vivarium director even asked people not to watch the trailer to that movie, but when it comes to the Nia DaCosta-directed (and Jordan Peele-penned) Candyman reboot, the spoilers are not happening. That’s the case with the bone-chilling trailer and the animated teaser, so don’t be afraid to watch this teaser, either. Oh, and the end of this teaser features a voice — which ominously warns, “Tell everyone” — that’s obviously Candyman, but is it Tony Todd? Well, everyone *thinks* he will return in some form, although DaCosta is keeping that under wraps. And thank goodness for that approach because it’s a novelty to not see what feels like an entire movie before its release.

“What’s Candyman?” asks Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Anthony in this teaser. Well, Colman Domingo’s William has an answer for him: “Candyman ain’t a he. Candyman’s the whole damn hive. A story like that, pain like that, lasts forever,” he declares before animated footage shows a cop firing a gun: “Candyman is how we deal with the fact that these things happen. That they’re still happening.” There’s a strong dose of social commentary here, which is (sadly) always relevant but feels even more stark now, given the recent Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality.

The bee imagery is helping to set the mood, and on the Tony Todd front, he’s been tweeting like mad lately, including confirmation of the film’s release date (Sept. 25), which he suggests (with a “bamn”) will go down “by any means necessary.”

Todd apparently also retweeted someone’s question about whether this movie will take the VOD route, although no conclusions should be drawn there.

From the official film synopsis:

For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright, move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.

With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.

Candyman is still due to arrive in theaters on September 25.

Rina Sawayama shared her shimmering debut album, Sawayama, back in April. Throughout her record, Sawayama honed her bold electro-pop sound through opulent hits like “XS” and “Bad Friend.” Now, the singer has teamed up with Spotify to share a cover of a song of her choice for a Pride edition of their recurring Spotify Singles series.

Sawayama elected to pull from Lady Gaga’s back catalog for her cover. Though Lady Gaga also just released an album herself, Sawayama elected to revisit Gaga’s 2009 sophomore album The Fame Monster. Sawayama transformed Gaga’s overlooked track “Dance In The Dark” from a club-ready track to an electro-pop ballad. Using her emotive vocals to color the song, Sawayama crooned a rendition of “Dance In The Dark” over wailing guitars and metallic synths. “Some girls won’t dance to the beat of the track / She won’t walk away but she won’t look back / She looks good but her boyfriend says she’s a mess,” Sawayama sings.

Announcing the cover on Twitter, Sawayama said she recorded the cover in quarantine and the track is one of her favorite songs.

Listen to Sawayama’s “Dance In The Dark” cover below, and revisit our review of Sawayama here.

Sawayama is out now via Dirty Hit. Get it here.

On Saturday, Chase Rice, who has had No. 1 songs and albums on the US country charts in recent years, performed at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, a Petros, Tennessee event center that used to be a prison. That normally wouldn’t be big news, but of course, the show took place during the pandemic, without substantial social distancing measures being implemented.

Rice posted (and later deleted) a video of his audience, members of which were packed tightly together and not wearing face masks. Rice wrote in the post, “We back.” The venue told TMZ they took “numerous precautions” for the show, including reducing the allowed capacity from 10,000 people down to 4,000. They said fewer than 1,000 people were in attendance.

Regardless of the precautions taken, Rice’s peers in the community were not pleased with what happened in Tennessee over the weekend. Fellow country musician Kelsea Ballerini was upset, writing on Twitter, “Imagine being selfish enough to put thousands of people’s health at risk, not to mention the potential ripple effect, and play a NORMAL country concert right now. @ChaseRiceMusic, We all want (and need) to tour. We just care about our fans and their families enough to wait.”

Finneas also wrote of the news, “A year ago, imagine all these people being asked ‘are you willing to die to see Chase Rice.’”

Find some more reactions from others in the music world below.

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

In 2019, it appeared Quality Control Music rapper Lil Baby was poised to become a breakout star. This year, he fulfilled that promise by hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart the debut week of his sophomore album, My Turn. However, he’s gone further than almost anyone could have imagined, returning to the top of the chart just months later — and stayed there for the next three weeks, including this one. Billboard reports that on its chart date June 27, Lil Baby once again reigns for an impressive third week in a row — his fourth overall.

The success of My Turn was powered by a professional and long-lasting rollout that began last summer and included the singles “Out The Mud,” “Woah,” “Sum 2 Prove,” “Heatin’ Up,” “Forever,” “Grace,” and album standout “Emotionally Scarred.” Each received a video which helped propel streams on YouTube, while appearances from top rappers like Future, Lil Wayne, Moneybagg Yo, and Young Thug, as well as Baby’s fellow rising stars Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert, Rylo Rodriguez, and 42 Dugg helped expand the album’s reach.

Lil Baby’s accomplishment is made all the more impressive by some stiff competition in the top ten. No. 2 went to Bob Dylan and Rough and Rowdy Ways, while A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s Artist 2.0 locked in at the third spot. Blame It On Baby is No. 4, Hollywood’s Bleeding is No. 5, Chromatica is No. 6, Dark Lane Demo Tapes is No. 7, Teyana Taylor’s The Album is No. 8, Eternal Atake is No. 9, and Polo G’s The GOAT is No. 10.

Check out the full chart here.

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

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Megan Thee Stallion mark the start of this year’s hot girl summer and Doja Cat continuing to dominate. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

Megan Thee Stallion — “Girls In The Hood”

Megan Thee Stallion is coming off the most important moment of her young career so far, as “Savage” recently became her first No. 1 song. Now she has celebrated by giving her fans even more new material to love. This time, it’s “Girls In The Hood,” another bouncy and rhythmic banger that is among the best new music this week.

Jack Harlow — “What’s Poppin (Remix)” Feat. DaBaby, Lil Wayne, and Tory Lanez

Jack Harlow is a newcomer (in terms of mainstream relevance) who broke out this year with “What’s Poppin,” but based on the company he keeps, you’d think he’s a seasoned veteran. He just dropped a new remix of his hit single, and it features fresh contributions from DaBaby, Lil Wayne, and Tory Lanez.

Blackpink — “How You Like That”

Blackpink has been away for over a year, and their fans were beyond excited for “How You Like That,” their first single since last April. The numbers prove it: The song’s video broke a major YouTube record.

Haim — Women In Music Pt. III

In a world where albums can drop at a moment’s notice, Haim started rolling out their new record nearly a year ago, when they released “Summer Girl” last July. The wait was worth it, though, as the album has met universal acclaim.

6lack — 6pc Hot

Closer to the opposite end of the spectrum, 6lack revealed earlier this month he would celebrate his birthday with a new EP, and now it’s here. As if new music wasn’t enough, the release also comes with its own hot sauce.

Khruangbin — Mordechai

Khruangbin’s Laura Lee told Uproxx’s Steven Hyden about Houston’s impact on the new album, “We regularly talk about the international influence from Houston, which is a huge part of it. […] It was very common for anybody from Houston to have friends from Pakistan or from Russia or from wherever because their parents were doctors or oil and gas people. Therefore, you’re hanging out with them, hearing what their parents play when you’re at their homes.”

Doja Cat — “Unisex”

Doja Cat is one of the world’s hottest artists at the moment, but she’s not letting any sort of polished popstar-dom stop her from dropping a loosie on SoundCloud. Last week, she shared “Unisex,” on which she celebrates how anybody can have an interested in her, regardless of sex.

Guapdad 4000 — “Lil Scammer That Could” Feat. Denzel Curry

Guapdad 4000 and Denzel Curry have become friends in music, and they’ve linked up once again on “Lil Scammer That Could.” More so than any other video from last week, the surreal clip for the single has big Thomas The Tank Engine energy.

Blimes And Gab — Talk About It

“Shellys (It’s Chill)” is one of the most fun tracks of the year, and there’s plenty more where that game from on Blimes And Gab’s new album, Talk About It. The record is mostly the two showing off their seamless chemistry, although they also fold guests like Method Man, Iamsu!, Bahamadia, and Jay Park into the mix.

Gordi — Our Two Skins

Ahead of her 2021 tour with Bon Iver, Gordi has a new album out. The process of making the record serves as proof that inspiration can come from anywhere, whether it’s the shower or a strobe light-lit room at her parents’ house.

IDK — IDK & Friends 2

IDK once insisted he would not release another IDK & Friends installment, but thank goodness he was wrong and another one came out last week. IDK & Friends 2 features ASAP Ferg, Wale, Juicy J, Denzel Curry, Maxo Kream, PnB Rock, Xanman, Rico Nasty, Big Flock, Yung Manny, Big Jam, Weensey (BYB), Alex Vaughn, and Ronny J.

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