Summer Walker hit a personal milestone at the beginning of this year. “I really reached my goal of hella kids before 30,” she wrote on her Instagram Story in January. “I’m so happy.” Walker welcomed twins, her second and third children after first welcoming a daughter, Bubbles, with her ex, London On Da Track, in 2021.
Now, it appears she’s ready to hit more professional milestones.
Walker announced her Clear 2: Soft Life EP will drop on May 19 while performing her set at Dreamville Festival on Sunday, April 2. (Her Clear EP arrived in January 2019.)
“Just wanted to let you guys know that I have an EP dropping May 19,” Walker told her audience. “Go to my website if you wanna pre-order it. It’s a lil somethin’, somethin’. Clear. Y’all ready for some new music?”
Walker finished her set by thanking J. Cole and Dreamville — “love all of you” for having her and performing “Insane” from her 2021 album, Still Over It.
Dreamville Festival was headlined by Usher on Saturday night, April 1, and co-headlined by Drake and J. Cole on Sunday. Away from the stage, Walker ruthlessly “ran it up at Dave & Buster’s, shocking Cole in the process:
With Shazam: Fury of the Gods in its rearview, the DC Universe is wasting no time in pumping up its next theatrical offering: Blue Beetle. On Monday, the studio dropped a surprisingly fun trailer for the superhero film starring Cobra Kai‘s Xolo Maridueña as the titular young hero.
Blue Beetle, which attracted Mariduena to the role thanks to its strong Latino representation, was originally set for HBO Max. However, unlike the shockingly cancelled Batgirl, the project went the opposite direction and was given room to expand for a theatrical release. Judging by the first trailer, Blue Beetle looks primed for the big screen. It has George Lopez flying a beetle-shaped spaceship and trash-talking Batman. What more do you need?
Here’s the official synopsis:
Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.
Rounding out the rest of the cast is Adriana Barraza, Damían Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, Belissa Escobedo, and Harvey Guillén.
Following the first year of his Ukraine war, Vladimir Putin became the subject of reports that he was hiding in a bunker out of fear for his life. The new habit grew so apparent that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for proof of life, after which Putin has made consistent public appearances. Odd how that works, and as well, reports indicted that Putin had laid out a secret path of train tunnels that were built just prior to his Ukraine invasion, so he set himself up to move quickly between palaces without detection.
However, a pro-Nalvany group (so named for Alexei Nalvany, the opposition leader seemingly jailed until death by Putin) has now revealed footage (on their YouTube channel) of a compound that they’re referring to as the Russian president’s “secret winter residence.” As noted by the Daily Beast, this massive Sochi-based compound includes “its own missile defense system” and a luxurious set of “VIP cabins.” As well, the main house contains not only a spa and sauna but “a pantry for pickles.” This is strange, of course, not only because Putin is apparently stockpiling pickles but because cucumbers are not the veggie that he’s reportedly been so worried about.
You can the video discussion of Putin’s reported compound here, and additionally, Newsweek has passed on (unrelated) word from ex-Russian commander Igor Girkin, who identifies as a Russian nationalist but sees the writing on the wall: “I am not afraid to say that we are moving toward military defeat.”
You can see Girkin making these comments in a Twitter video from Ukraine Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 2, 2023
Putin had better keep hoarding those pickles because, if Girkin’s words come true anytime soon, the Russian president might not be the president for much longer.
Smith & Cross/Foursquare/Santa Teresa/El Dorado/istock/Uproxx
If you’re a fan of spirits, you’re likely well aware that rum is made by fermenting and distilling sugarcane juice or sugarcane molasses. And, while you can bottle it right away and it makes for a flavorful mixer, we prefer it aged, preferably in charred oak barrels. This is when rum picks up more nuanced flavors like brown sugar, vanilla, oak, and caramel. And while there’s no doubt the appeal of dark spirits like bourbon, rye, single malt Scotch whisky, and even tequila is massive during the late winter and early spring months. We implore you to give dark rum a try as well.
“Most think of bourbon as a go-to early spring spirit, but rum is such an underrated choice,” says Erica Dimmig, lead mixologist at Pendry Hotel in Chicago.
There are myriad well-made, long-aged, memorable dark rums on the market just waiting to be sipped near or on the rocks or mixed into a dark ‘n’ stormy or one of the countless other delicious rum-based cocktails. To find these warming, complex dark rums, we went to the professionals who bide their time behind the bar for help. We asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the best, most crave-able dark rums to drink this spring. Keep scrolling to see all of their picks!
Dakabend Anejo Oaxacan Rum is an amazing pot still rum made in tiny batches and distilled in the Sierra Norte mountains of Mexico. This rum is funky and it will appeal to folks who love Smith & Cross and those sort of high fruit ester rums.
Tasting Notes:
Earthy with notes of dark brown sugar, campfire smoke, and overripe tropical fruit.
Bambú XO is a great Rum for wintertime, spicy and hot It will take you to the Caribbean on your first sip. Plus, it comes in a pretty cool bottle that you’ll want to hang on to after you’ve finished it.
Tasting Notes:
The baking spices, burnt sugar, sherry, and full body make Bambú XO a great sipper to keep you warm.
The dark rum that I have in my personal collection, and really enjoy sipping on, is Brugal Anejo. This product is not as known as the popular rum distilleries but competes at a high level.
Tasting Notes:
The nose test alone leaves you with strong notes of brown sugar and coffee bean. The flavor further accentuates the brown sugar but also includes buttery and warm spice notes. These flavors together create a very versatile dark rum that is delicious either by itself or as the base in some great cocktails.
Denizen Merchant’s Reserve 8 Year
Denizen
Hakon Bream, restaurant and bar manager for Hotel San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo, California
Denizen Merchant’s Reserve 8 Year. Denizen Merchant’s Reserve is a unique blend of aged pot still rums from Jamaica and Rhum Grand Arome from Martinique, creating a well-rounded rum perfect for cocktails or sipping.
Tasting Notes:
Big aromatics and funky undertones create a fun and playful rum with a long finish and big flavors.
Foursquare Shibboleth is a current favorite, and honestly, the best spirit you’ll ever sip neat. A fine Barbados single-blended rum, number 16 of the Exceptional Cask Series, aged 16 years in ex-bourbon casks, bottled at 112 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Full of harmonious complexities, it’s a fruit bomb, but with underlying notes of oak. The finish is long and pleasant, much spicier than the nose. Each sip reveals more layers and flavors, as you warm up to the high-proof of the rum. Since I’m a Miami native, I can only imagine that this is the drink to savor on a cold spring night by the fireplace.
Plantation Xaymaca is my go-to. This special dry rum is distilled in traditional pot stills before being aged in oak before being matured a second time in casks that formerly held cognac. The result is a highly flavorful, complex dark rum.
Tasting Notes:
It carries aromas of honey, cedar, mandarin orange, cooked pineapple, and brown sugar. The plush, slightly viscous palate echoes those flavors, layering on bright flickers of cedar and lemon peel, plus a hint of funk reminiscent of agricole rhum. It finishes with a warming clove tingle on the tip of the tongue.
I’ve always had my own special recipe for pina coladas, but unfortunately, they are more of a summer drink. However, if you’re a fan of pina coladas, I always found my homemade coquito to be the perfect early spring substitute. Aside from using Coco Lopez coconut cream, and some spices, my secret ingredient was always a little Ron Zacapa 23. It’s the best aged dark rum in my opinion.
Tasting Notes:
I love the nose of caramel, nuts, and butterscotch mixed with the flavors of dried fruit, oak, tobacco, coffee, vanilla, and a hint of cinnamon and ginger when you take a sip. Coquito is hands down the best cocktail to have at home for family gatherings during the early spring and oh my does it pack a punch.
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum is hands down of the most delicious rums out there with a beautiful harmony between sweet and dry.
Tasting Notes:
Savoring toasted coconut and vanilla with dark fruit and caramel. Goes well with tropical flavors and makes a mean early spring hot buttered rum cocktail.
Foursquare Rum by Richard Seales. This rum is aged in various wine, port, and whiskey barrels, and is smooth all by itself. It is very hard to find but worth the hunt. I recently enjoyed a 2008 that was aged in bourbon barrels. It was exquisite.
Tasting Notes:
As far as flavors, it has the best of whiskey, rum, and cognac all rolled into one great experience.
Ed Hamilton’s 151 is everything. Great on its own, or in a stirred or shaken rum drink. Surprisingly palatable for being 75.5% ABV.
Tasting Notes:
Cooked banana, demerara sugar, molasses, and brown butter on the palate. Holds up nicely in a hot buttered rum cocktail or any other cocktail as you head towards spring.
Smith & Cross
Smith & Cross
Erica Dimmig, lead mixologist at Pendry Hotel in Chicago
Smith & Cross is an ode to old-school rum and is expressive of its terroir with tropical and vegetal notes. It’s beautiful in a classic daiquiri or delicious paired with Fever Tree Distillers Cola.
Tasting Notes:
A palate of bananas, caramel, butterscotch, molasses, and light spices makes this a truly memorable rum you’ll want to have on hand all spring long.
Flor De Caña 7 Year slow aged. This sustainably-produced dark rum is sweet, mellow, and very complex. It’s a great rum because it’s just as good as a mixer as it is as a neat sipper.
Tasting Notes:
It is full-bodied with aromas of toasted coconuts, vanilla, and gigs, with a palate of honey, dark chocolate with a long smooth finish. It is gluten-free and kosher.
Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Rum
Chairman’s Reserve
Linda Garcia, bartender at Tiki Chick in New York City
Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Rum from St. Lucia is great because it invokes so many warm spring flavors. The Chairman’s Original is steeped with “Bois Bandé,” a local Caribbean bark culturally known for its aphrodisiac qualities.
Tasting Notes:
It has notes of cinnamon, orange, clove, and nutmeg that just puts you in the spring spirit. Chairman’s Spiced can be used in so many types of hot drinks like cider, hot toddy, or just sipped neat. It’s also great for an early spring daiquiri.
Santa Teresa 1796
Santa Teresa
Richard Beltzer, head bartender at Monteverde in Chicago
El Dorado, a bartender’s secret, is an excellent option for easy and affordable rums. Specifically, El Dorado 15 might be my all-time favorite, under the $50 price point. Guyanese rum is king for me, and this one has a smooth and silky mouthfeel that matches up with its lightly roasted flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
Touches of nuttiness, dry caramel, and dark chocolate play exceptionally well with the minerality of the limestone in the rivers they source their water from in Guyana. It’s my favorite sipper in front of the fireplace on a cold early spring night.
Getty Image/kjpargeter on Freepik/Derrick Rossignol
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 Chlöe come through with a confident debut album and Tyler The Creator clean out his creative closet. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
After much ado, In Pieces is here in full. It’s a strong first solo LP from Chlöe, on which she goes through a variety of moods and aesthetics. Heartbreak is at the core of the project, though, which is clear on the Future collaboration “Cheatback,” which sees the singer exacting revenge on a man who’s done her wrong.
Tyler The Creator — “Wharf Talk” Feat. ASAP Rocky
When it came to Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler had more to give. So, he did: Last week, he dropped Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale, which adds tracks that didn’t make it onto the original album for one reason or another. Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes of “Wharf Talk,” “On this one, Tyler’s in full loverboy mode, singing plaintively about how much he wants to spend time with this special lady over what sounds very much like some classic Neptunes production.”
Aespa — “Hold On Tight”
The new Tetris movie is quite an international ordeal: It’s a US and UK production about a Soviet game and K-pop favorites Aespa come through with a cut for the soundtrack. Their contribution is “Hold On Tight,” which interpolates the melody from the iconic Tetris theme to great effect on this electronic-pop bop.
Quavo — “Honey Bun”
Quavo has dropped a handful of solo tracks in 2023 and his latest is “Honey Bun,” which nods to one of 2021’s biggest songs, Drake and 21 Savage’s hit “Rich Flex,” by borrowing its melody. He nods to Takeoff’s death here, but he’s look looking for sympathy, saying, “I don’t wanna hear no sorry for my loss.”
Boygenius — “Cool About It”
If Boygenius had stopped at just their self-titled EP, fans would have been happy, since just the existence of that was neat. Instead, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus teamed up again, for a full album this time. That dropped last week and “Cool About It” is a lovely, mostly stripped-back number that includes a not-so-subtle nod to Simon & Garfunkel.
Charlie Puth — “That’s Not How This Works” Feat. Dan + Shay
Puth is fresh off linking up with country duo Dan + Shay on “That’s Not How This Works.” As Uproxx’s Lexi Lane notes, on the track, Puth “struggles to come to terms with the heartbreak and end of love.” There’s more where this came from, too, as a version with Sabrina Carpenter is on the way.
Ric Wilson, Chromeo, and A-Trak – “Everyone Moves To LA” Feat. Felicia Douglass
Ric Wilson recently told Uproxx of working with A-Trak on his new project Clusterfunk, “It was nice to have someone like A-Trak guiding me through a project. He was able to hear things and bring out certain things that I couldn’t even hear.”
Daniel Caesar — “Valentina”
At the end of this week, we’ll have Never Enough, a new Daniel Caesar album. He ramped up anticipation for the project last week with “Valentina,” on which he longs for an unavailable woman over a moody instrumental.
Khalid — “Softest Touch”
The disco revival has been out in full force over the past few years, and now Khalid is getting on board with “Softest Touch.” The ’70s-inspired track dropped last week and it’s a chilled-out number on which Khalid lets his romantic intentions be known.
Jisoo — “Flower”
Jisoo was the only remaining Blackpink member to not take a shot at dropping some solo material, but finally, the K-pop star got the first of it under her belt last week. She shared a quick two-song release that included “Flower,” driven by snapped percussion and a subtle groove that runs throughout.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Dreamville Festival 2023 is officially in the books and co-headliners Drake and J. Cole put on a show for the ages. While Drake’s half of the closing set brought in a slew of surprise guests, both rappers deployed sprawling set lists including both huge hits and deep cuts for the day-ones in the crowd.
During J. Cole’s half, the North Carolina rapper-turned-baller-turned-back-to-rapper went deep into his bag, pulling out many of his stellar guest verses from the past five years, from the Grammy-winning “A Lot” to last year’s Griselda collaboration “Johnny P’s Caddy.” The set also saw Cole revisit a pair of mixtape favorites for the first time in nearly a decade, opening with the 2010 single attempt “Who Dat,” and including Friday Night Lights fave “Villematic,” during which Cole asked Kanye West to clear the sample for DSPs.
After ceding the stage to Drake, Cole returned for one last song to close out the festival: “No Role Modelz,” which was accompanied by a fireworks display and one last roar from the crowd. You can check out the full setlist, courtesy of Setlist.fm, below.
(WARNING: Spoilers for Succession Season 4 Episode 2 “The Rehearsal” below.)
As Logan Roy‘s assistant, Kerry Castellabate (Zoë Winters) has significantly climbed the ranks on Succession to the point where she’s now dating the family patriarch/perpetual battle axe. In the latest episode, “The Rehearsal,” Kerry made her most ambitious move yet: Trying to land a spot as an ATN anchor.
Unfortunately for Kerry, she’s not very good. Her audition tape is an awkward and comical disaster, which results in some back door scheming by Logan and Tom (Matthew Macfayden), who inevitably sticks poor Greg (Nicholas Braun) with the task of telling Kerri she’s not ready for primetime. It does not go well for Cousin Greg as the extremely perceptive Kerry sniffs out what’s happening and threatens to pick him apart like “string cheese.”
In a new interview, Winters opened up about her research before shooting the botched audition tape, and it apparently involved watching a whole lot of Laura Ingraham and Tomi Lahren. She was particularly interested in Ingraham’s off-camera behavior and Lahren’s blatant attempts to turn on the “charm,” which is not Kerry’s strong suit.
“I watched a lot of Laura Ingraham when the camera cuts, mistreating people, getting different information in her ear than she is from the prompter,” Winters told Variety. “Tomi Lahren has this very loud, heightened, fast way of presenting. I just took little bits and pieces from conservative political commentators. I didn’t want her to be good. I wanted her to be trying.”
As for Greg’s note that a non-existent focus group didn’t like what she was doing with her arms, Winters credited the writers for hilariously reacting to her audition tape performance, but it also made her self-conscious for a bit.
“I knew it was just them being funny,” Winters said. “But I definitely thought for maybe a day and a half, ‘How do my arms hang? Are they seeing something here about the way my arms hang?’”
The final season of Succession airs Sunday on HBO.
“I’m such a fan, and I feel like I’m speaking for all of us when I say this, bro: We are f*cking wowed, amazed, blown away by your greatness, bro,” Cole said. “It gives a n**** chills to see you do this sh*t at the highest level, nonstop, and constantly serve us and bless us with the f*cking soundtrack to our lives, bro. I’m f*cking blown away by your greatness, bro.”
Drake and 21 Savage are preparing to head out on their It’s All A Blur Tourin June. Prepare yourself by checking out Drake’s Dreamville Fest 2023 setlist (as noted by setlist.fm) and footage from his performance below.
1. “Sicko Mode”
2. “Over”
3. “Headlines”
4. “HYFR (Hell Ya F*cking Right)”
5. “Started From The Bottom”
6. “Energy”
7. “Know Yourself”
8. “Nonstop”
9. “God’s Plan”
10. “FNF (Let’s Go)” with GloRilla
11. “XO Tour Llif3” with Lil Uzi Vert
12. “Just Wanna Rock” with Lil Uzi Vert
13. “Marvins Room”
14. “Wu-Tang Forever”
15. “Practice”
16. “The Motto” with Lil Wayne
17. “Uproar” with Lil Wayne
18. “A Milli” with Lil Wayne
19. “Knife Talk” with 21 Savage
20. “Rich Flex” with 21 Savage
21. “I Will Always Love You”
Cardi B is one of the most sex-positive entertainers out there; “WAP” is all about being biologically prepared for intercourse, after all. That said, Cardi believes that when it comes to frequency of the act, it reaches a point where it’s “not a flex” anymore.
In an Instagram Story video shared on March 31 (as HipHopDX notes), Cardi addressed women who say they’re having sex “three times a day.” Cardi clarified that surely doesn’t mean three times a day every day,
If your man wanna have sex with you four, five times a day […] and we do that every single day, it’s like, girl, your mans is on percs. Your mans is on percs or your man is trying to convince himself that he likes p*ssy.” She added, “That is not a flex. Go stitch your p*ssy up. Go stitch your p*ssy up. Your man is sick.”
Tyler The Creator‘s latest video from Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale is a laid-back, stripped-down affair. Much like its song, “Heaven To Me,” the video is a one-take shot that sees Tyler rapping the lyrics from the unreleased track in his home studio before taking a walk outside — while he keeps rapping — to enjoy the sunshine, one of the themes of the reflective lyrics.
The song finds Tyler rhyming over the Kanye West-produced beat from John Legend’s 2006 single “Heaven.” In the first verse, he takes stock of his current blessings, and although he certainly has a few luxury items to flex, he seems to be appreciating the simple things as well. “We nappin’ in parks, we in the sun gettin’ darked up,” he grins.
The second verse is a hopeful look at T’s future, with a wife and a son, a big backyard, a yacht on the dock, and a helicopter to fly his mom in. But still, his number-one hope is something more elusive: “That’s really heaven at forty,” he asserts. “N****, havin’ good health.” The third verse is a nostalgic rumination of the things that made Ty happy in the past, such as “Peglegs, Ice Cream shoes, the Mr. Krabs watch,” but when he stumbles over the flow, he just keeps it going, showing that the fun is as much in the process as the product.
“Heaven To Me” is Tyler’s fourth video from the deluxe version of his Grammy-winning 2021 album, following “Dogtooth,” “Sorry Not Sorry,” and “Wharf Talk.”
Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale is out now on Columbia Records. Get more info here.
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