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

One of the more baffling criticisms thrown at HBO’s Watchmen (our third favorite series of 2019) was that it was pro-cop. That’s like watching The Wolf of Wall Street and thinking, “I want to grow up and be like Jordan Belfort,” or believing Rorschach is actually the hero in the Watchmen movie. You’re missing the point.

In an interview with Rolling Stone‘s Alan Sepinwall, Watchmen writer Cord Jefferson answered whether it surprises him that people still the show as being “copaganda.” “It does. I think if you only watched the pilot, you might. But I don’t think there’s any way you watch episode six [“This Extraordinary Being”] and go, ‘That show is pro-cop,’” Jefferson said. He was also asked about how other TV shows portray police officers.

“I don’t think shows like Law & Order and Brooklyn Nine-Nine need to go away, but I think that what we need is more shows like The Wire. More shows that offer a more nuanced perspective of policing,” Jefferson, who’s also worked on Succession, The Good Place, and Master of None (pretty good!), responded. “If more shows like The Wire existed, then it wouldn’t seem like Hollywood was so in the pocket of policing in the way that a lot of people are saying that it is.” Also, no more cop musicals.

We tried that, and it failed. Never again.

(Via Rolling Stone)

As Juneteenth draws nearer, many are calling for the day to be recognized as a national holiday. Pharrell is at the forefront of the movement and was able to use his platform to speak with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and successfully push him to introduce legislation that would commemorate the day as a statewide holiday. In a briefing Tuesday, Pharrell joined Northam to give an inspiring speech about the importance of recognizing the day as a paid holiday.

Pharrell took the podium after Northam proposed a bill that would cement Juneteenth as an observed holiday in Virginia. The singer said the movement marked great progress, but there’s still much work to be done:

“This is a big display of progress, and I’m grateful for Virginia, and us leading today. From this moment on and you look at the vastness of the night sky, and you see those stars moving up there. Know that those stars are African ancestors dancing. They’re dancing because their lives are finally being acknowledged. And I can’t say it enough up here today. A paid holiday is not the end of it, it’s merely just the beginning. Their lives matter, their descendants’ lives matter, Black lives matter in the eyes of the commonwealth. I can’t say that it always has, but finally, we recognize that Black lives absolutely matter. And that’s not political. They’re lives, they’re human beings.”

Pharrell continued to speak directly to the citizens of Virginia and called upon them to join the Black community in celebrating Juneteenth:

“This is what listening looks like. It makes sense that Virginia officially recognizes this holiday in this powerful way. And that’s because it’s been overlooked for so long. This is our chance in Virginia to lead by example. This is our chance to lead, to truly embrace the importance of Juneteenth and treat it as a celebration of freedom that Black people deserve, and African diaspora deserve–worldwide by the way. This is about proper recognition, it’s about observation, and it’s about celebration. This is a chance for our government, our cooperations, and our citizens to all stand in solidarity with our African American brothers and sisters. This year, Juneteenth will look like no other Juneteenth before it.”

The musician also pointed out the importance of Juneteenth over our currently-recognized Independence Day. “July 4th, 1776, not everybody was free and celebrating their independence day,” Pharrell said. “So here’s our day. And if you love us, it will be your day too.”

Watch Pharrell’s empowering speech above.

In April of 2017, the musician who had then-previously been known as Alex G (a shortening of his legal name, Alex Giannascoli) announced that he would be changing his stage name to (Sandy) Alex G, an alteration that was perhaps related to another artist who was also known as Alex G. Now we have a sort of Michael Scott snip-snap-snip-snap situation on our hands, because Giannascoli is once again going by just Alex G.

Riot Fest announced its 2021 lineup yesterday, and Alex G was on the poster, referred to without the “(Sandy).” Following this, Stereogum got confirmation from Alex G’s management that this wasn’t a mistake, and that the musician is indeed going by just Alex G again. The publication also notes that “(Sandy)” was dropped from Alex G’s name on streaming services last week. Indeed, all of his releases on Spotify are credited to Alex G, although Apple Music has yet to update his name. Alex G has also changed his name on Twitter and Instagram, although his handle remains @sandyalexg on both platforms.

So, all in all, Alex G only released two albums as (Sandy) Alex G before reverting back to his previous name: 2017’s Rocket and last year’s House Of Sugar.

A Netflix TV series called Warrior Nun? It sounds pretty grindhouse-y, but this story has comic book roots, first and foremost, along with any other influences one might infer. The show’s inspired by the manga novels of the same name and follows a 19-year-old woman, Ava, who dies and comes back to life in a morgue. It’s not an ideal circumstance, and she doesn’t seem thrilled about waking up in this trailer, but nonetheless, she’s apparently bestowed with a purpose, given that there’s a divine artifact embedded within her back. Ava might not be living her best life, but she’s going to get the action-packed job done, no matter how grueling the obstacles, including demonic ones.

In other words, we’ve got a different breed of reluctant superhero on TV this summer. Ava will find herself pursued by powerful forces sourcing from both Heaven and Hell, but she’s also now part of a divine order, and that glowing artifact gives her powers. And there are demons afoot on Earth, who must be stopped, so she hooks up with a group of butt-kicking nuns (with glorious names like Shotgun Mary and Lilith). Showrunner Simon Barry (Continuum, Ghost Wars, Bad Blood) is onboard, so expect this show to be heavy on atmosphere in addition to action.

Warrior Nun streams on July 2.

Nicki Minaj has responded to Lil Nas X’s earlier admission that he denied his Barb status for fear of being outed as gay. In a moment of vulnerability, the “Trollz” rapper admitted that Nas’ denial hurt but also expressed empathy for his situation and gratitude for his honesty.

“It was a bit of a sting when you denied being a Barb, but I understand,” she wrote. “Congratulations on building up your confidence to speak your truth.”

Nicki’s response came after Lil Nas’ reply to an earlier tweet of hers requesting a feature turned into a mini-therapy session between himself and a fan. When questioned why he always hid or denied running the @NasMaraj fan account, Nas said, “I didn’t want people to know I was gay,” then elaborated that because of stereotypes about Nicki Minaj fans and the hostile climate toward gay men in hip-hop, he felt uncomfortable with acknowledging the account. “People will assume if you had an entire fan page dedicated to Nicki you are gay,” he said. “And the rap/music industry ain’t exactly built or accepting of gay men yet.”

Fortunately for Nas, his massive success with “Old Town Road” and the 7 EP gave him the space and the standing to reveal that part of himself. He’s also now one of Nicki’s peers and not just a fan, so maybe he’ll get that feature after all.

Check out Nicki’s supportive response to Lil Nas X above.

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Last night, J. Cole released “Snow On The Bluff,” an of-the-times confessional on which the North Carolina MC let the world know what’s on his heart. Unfortunately, many listeners wish he hadn’t. He used a sparse beat to offer his thoughts on the difficulties of learning about systemic oppression, and admit that he’s unsure if he’s using his platform correctly.

His indecision is understandable, but what’s unacceptable is that he spent most of the track criticizing an anonymous person who sounds an awful lot like Noname, an artist who’s been inspiringly decisive about her desire for revolution. The 28-year-old has started a book club highlighting seminal radical texts and exposes the interwoven dynamics of systemic oppression every day on her Twitter account.

Earlier this week, she was verbally undercut and gaslit by Boots Riley during a Haymarket Books-sponsored This Is An Uprising conversation. Now, Cole is accusing her of “conveying she’s holier” than thou, questioning the tone of her rhetoric. Cole’s idol Tupac once started a 1993 speech by noting that he was asked not to curse, then saying “f*ck that” because “it’s bad out there, it ain’t pretty…so let’s be real.” The crowd applauded him. But when a Black woman culls that same 400-years-simmering flame, she’s chastised.

The flagrant misogyny of “Snow On The Bluff” undercut whatever conversation Cole was trying to start within the Black community. The tone-deaf track showed Cole’s novice understanding of radical politics when he could have been uplifting Black women. Noname replied to the record by tweeting “Queen Tone” last night, seemingly joking Cole’s criticisms off. But it wouldn’t be surprising if the sentiment hurt her during a week that’s already been tough for Black women.

Earlier this week, Oluwatoyin Salau, a 19-year-old activist from Florida, was found dead days after publicly tweeting that she was sexually assaulted. So many Black women on Twitter grieved her loss and lamented that they felt in danger from both the state and Black men like Aaron Glee, who has been arrested for the crime. Salau was fighting for the liberation of people who didn’t have the courage to fight for her. But instead of releasing a song highlighting the tragedy of her loss, or affirming the people demonstrating for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade, Cole channeled his inner Fox News anchor and policed a messenger instead of promoting their message.

Cole has a penchant for penning explicative, observational verses about artists like Kanye West, his friend Wale, and the entire community of young “SoundCloud rappers” that, perhaps because of his earnest public persona, aren’t framed by fans as malevolent disses as much as tough love. It’s an ambiguous niche that he’s cultivated throughout the years, and it seems like Noname was the latest person in his crosshairs. Though Cole didn’t mention her (perhaps as a play on “Noname”), he rhymed about “a young lady out there, she way smarter than me / I scrolled through her timeline in these wild times, and I started to read,” leading many people to speculate that he was talking about Noname. He also said the following:

“She strike me as somebody blessed enough to grow up in conscious environment
With parents that know ’bout the struggle for liberation and in turn they provide her with
A perspective and awareness of the system and unfairness that afflicts ’em
And the clearest understandin’ of what we gotta do to get free”

With those bars, Cole committed one of the deadliest sins of being loud: being wrong. Noname has been open about not coming into the rap game with a radical praxis. Her original name was Noname Gypsy, and when people informed her that gypsy was a racial slur against Romanian people, she dropped the term from her name. He noted that his mindset was, “f*ck a retweet,” but Noname credits Twitter with opening her eyes. In June 2019, she tweeted that “capitalism isn’t evil,” and got “dragged” by Twitter users who informed her that a system predicated on a necessity for poor people was indeed wicked. The reaction to her tweet sparked her to start reading radical texts. A month later she started a book club, and she’s since become one of the most ardent abolitionist voices on Twitter.

When she was called out for her errant capitalism comment, she didn’t complain, she didn’t lash out or ask “how you gon’ lead, when you attackin’ the very same n****s that really do need the sh*t that you sayin’?” like Cole did. She absorbed the criticism and took it upon herself to create an avenue for others to grow along with her. It’s disappointing to see Cole use his “average” IQ as a reason that he can’t be similarly stirred by firm critique. There’s a legitimate criticism that some scholarly text is hard to decipher (Noname recently expressed it herself), but asking to be taught by activists and scholars “like children” at 35 exemplifies some men’s everlasting need to be coddled, even in a life or death plight.

Cole also rhymed that “lowkey I be thinkin’ she talkin’ ’bout me” when Noname tweets about the need for abolition. As a rich entertainer who’s a key cog of the consumerism that sustains capitalism, she definitely is. But it should also be noted that the term could just as easily apply to rappers like Gunna, Lil Baby, or Roddy Ricch, who have all been “top-selling rappers” this year. Like some of his peers (Lil Baby, YG) Cole could’ve offset his fixture in the establishment by releasing a record that galvanized people and affirmed Black women instead of stifled them. His devout defenders are arguing that he was aiming to start a conversation, and he has. But unfortunately, the topic is when are Black men going to let Black women be?

J. Cole is acting as a mouthpiece for men that reductively lament when sexually-liberated artists like Megan Thee Stallion or Cardi B don’t present themselves as “conscious” in their music. But when they are progressive and outspoken like Noname, they apparently have to tone down the revolutionary fervor to an acceptable level. These men try to apply patriarchal standards to women vying to uproot patriarchy. And instead of using his influence over Black men to quell the divide, Cole deepened it.

Misogyny is real, and the intersection of Blackness and womanhood means that whether we want to accept it or not, Black men are very much a part of Black women’s oppression on a daily basis. They shouldn’t be expected to lead with love when they feel so little love reciprocated. Cole, who has defended the abusive XXXTentacion, 6ix9ine, and Kodak Black, and made the respectability politic-filled song “No Role Modelz,” may never understand that. And he doesn’t have to. As renowned activist Angela Davis recently explained, there’s no need to clamor for universal solidarity amongst Black people. Noname’s aim is radical solidarity, and a seat isn’t automatic at that table.

Cole has fashioned himself a leader of his generation, with songs like “Be Free” in the wake of the 2014 Ferguson uprising. Like Kendrick Lamar, who has been curiously quiet during this time, Cole has said that Tupac is one of his favorite rappers. This perilous moment is his time to similarly rouse the Black people who support him, but he managed to drop the ball on Pac’s birthday with “Snow On The Bluff.” Who knows what place a 49-year-old Tupac would take in the modern movement, but there’s one thing we can be sure he’d be doing: uplifting Black women instead of regulating them.

Currently, The Killers’ upcoming album, Imploding The Mirage, has been delayed to a currently unannounced date. Still, the promotional cycle presses on, and they’ve continued it today with a new single, “My Own Soul’s Warning.”

The U2-style anthem is the kind of song that would be a perfect show-opening track for when The Killers are eventually able to tour again, with its intimate start that blooms into a driving force. Brandon Flowers opens the track, “I tried going against my own soul’s warning / But in the end, something just didn’t feel right / Oh, I tried diving even though the sky was storming / I just wanted to get back to where you are.”

The single art was painted by artist Thomas Blackshear, who says, “Artists living across the world inspired by our people and way of life, is a total honor and true testament of the knowledge our people share. During this unprecedented time due to the COVID-19 Pandemic as well as the injustice of police brutality protests around the world. Our people recognize the need to also help keep our spirits positive.”

While Imploding The Mirage is delayed, The Killers have been busy lately. Most recently, they performed “Caution” on Ellen.

Listen to “My Own Soul’s Warning” above.