Category: Trending

Flo, a rising girl group, enlisted none other than Missy Elliott for their latest single, “Fly Girl.” It also samples Elliott’s classic 2002 song, “Work It,” over a fun beat produced by MNEK.

“’Fly Girl’ is all about confidence, good vibes, and feeling your best. It’s a lively, feel-good song that still incorporates clever lyrics and fire vocals, if we do say so ourselves,” the band said, per NME.

They also expressed their gratitude for working with the superstar.

“It’s quite literally a perfect fusion of old school meets modern day R&B, with a nod to and feature from the original fly girl Missy Elliott herself. We love it and are so happy to be putting out a song that can hopefully make whoever plays it feel confident and most importantly, fly.”

“Working with FLO has been nothing less than amazing,” Elliott added. “I remember a few of their fans sent me clips of their performances, and I immediately felt the authentic ’90s vibe. I loved the fact they all sang lead so well – great vocal control – so when I was asked to be a part of the ‘Fly Girl’ record, it was a no-brainer. They used the inspiration from my song ‘Work It’, and I felt they did it justice. I enjoyed it and I believe they have a long, great career ahead of them.”

Listen to Flo’s “Fly Girl” collab with Missy Elliott above.

Missy Elliott is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Still riding the highs of his critically-acclaimed 2022 album, $oul $old $eperately, Freddie Gibbs has shared the newest music video from the record. His latest is the Kaytranada-produced Zipper Bags.

On “Zipper Bags,” Gibbs spits fiery bars ruminating on the hustle.

“All I know is go get the bag / …post on the block, we can split the bag / Out here servin’ the neighbors, they sniff a bag / All I know is yayo and them zipper bags,” raps Gibbs.

In the song’s accompanying visual, Gibbs is seen in a motel room, seemingly hiding out after receiving a threatening voicemail. At the end of the video, Gibbs hears a mysterious knock on the door.

While Gibbs had an exciting 2022, this next year will prove even more fruitful. In an interview with XXL this past January, Gibbs revealed his currently working on four different projects.

“I’ma hit y’all with some sh*t that y’all thought y’all was ready for, but you really ain’t ready for,” he said. “Alchemist and Madlib ain’t going nowhere, so keep that in mind. And me and Boi-1da in the studio now real, real, real heavy. I’m making the best music of my life, so it’s no reason to stop. And I’m the king of R&B, so I gotta do that album as well.”

In the meantime, you can see the video for “Zipper Bags” above.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

We are just weeks away from Beyoncé‘s upcoming Renaissance tour. And while the Beyhive is overjoyed that the Queen Bey will be making a much-anticipated return to the stage, many of us are worried, as she was recently rumored to be having problems with her knees and feet.

Fans began speculating this after her performance in Dubai this past January, after culture critic Gerrick Kennedy had shared that Bey was recovering from foot surgery.

“BEYLANTIS was quite the unexpected show,” he tweeted. “That voice is just getting better and better. Mama was doing her good singing. Mind-blowing to see her and Blue Ivy perform together. Even more in awe to hear she did this after foot surgery. It’s unclear what injury led Bey to the operating table, but it’s good to know she’s doing better.”

Neither Bey nor her team has commented publicly on the matter, however, fans believe a new Chris Martin interview featured the Coldplay lead vocalist also suggesting that she was recovering from a surgery or injury of some sort.

In an interview with Conan O’Brien on his Conan Needs A Friend podcast, Martin opened up about his friendship with Beyoncé.

“You know she’s my hero and sister and everything,” said Martin, “but it’s funny because I’m like, ‘I have a knee problem from the stage,’ and she’ll say, ‘Yeah me too.’”

As expected, this sent the Beyhive into a frenzy, with fans believing this was confirmation that Bey performed her Dubai show while recovering from surgery.

“GIRL CHECK THOSE KNEES BEFORE RWT LIKE OMG,” said one fan on Twitter.

Though, some believe Bey may have been referring to a normal pain, that comes with years of performing.

“everyone reporting on beyonce knee problem is killing me when chris literally mentioned it in passing so clearly it’s not a big deal,” said another fan.

While we’re not sure what to believe, we are certain Beyoncé will deliver in May, when the Renaissance tour kicks off.

Coldplay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Smile, a group led by Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, have officially announced that they’re in the process of recording a follow-up album to 2022’s debut, A Light For Attracting Attention.

The reveal was made at the end of a new email from the band. “More North American tour dates for when we are let out of the studio,” it read. “we’re deep in recording, week 7.”

They’ve also teased a handful of songs, including “Bodies Laughing,” “Friend Of A Friend,” and “Colors Fly,” while on tour in Europe, per NME. Additionally, The Smile is set to embark on a summer tour across North America. More information is available here.

Continue scrolling for a complete list of new dates.

06/21 — Mexico City @ Auditorio Nacional
06/22 — Mexico City @ Auditorio Nacional
06/25 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
06/26 — Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
06/29 — Miami, FL @ James L. Knight Center
06/30 — St Augustine, FL @ The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre
07/02 — North Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Performing Arts Center
07/03 — Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
07/05 — Richmond, VA @ The National
07/07 — Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium
07/08 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
07/10 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
07/11 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Ballroom
07/14 — Québec City @ Festival d’été de Québec, Parc de la Francophonie
07/15 — Laval, QC @ Place Bell
07/16 — Ottawa, Ontario @ RBC Bluesfest, LeBreton Flats
07/19 — Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
07/20 — Chesterfield, MO @ The Factory
07/21 — Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival, Union Park

You know what’s been fun? Every single Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves trailer. The last one before the movie’s release on March 31st is no exception, gleefully frolicking in devil-may-care banter and the kind of high adventure that brings you way too close to the face of an owlbear.

Look, by this point you either want to see it or you don’t, but a few more quips between Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez couldn’t hurt to seal the deal. The questing looks appropriately epic, and Hugh Grant appears to have teleported his Paddington Bear 2 character into a magical fantasy realm. Plus, the trailer wants you to know that people are having an absolute blast with this flick.

The only thing the trailer doesn’t have is a time machine to tell your middle school self that, one day, Dungeons and Dragons will be one of the coolest things on the planet. Maybe leave out all the other stuff going on in the future. No need to give yourself a panic attack before gym class.

The explosion of popularity for the RPG has been an astonishing transformation from the basements of the 1980s. Thankfully, absurdly great podcasts like Worlds Beyond Number and shows like The Legend of Vox Machina should tide you over before Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves critically rolls onto screens.

Italian writer/director Andrea Pallaoro clearly goes for quality over quantity. He’s made only three films in ten years, but all of them (Medeas, Hannah, and Monica) have been critical hits which feature the phrase “an intimate portrait” in their synopses. His latest was hailed out of Venice for exploring a trans woman‘s return to a complicated family situation, seeking some kind of connection from a mother who literally does not recognize her anymore.

Here’s the official synopsis:

“Monica is an intimate portrait of a woman who returns home after a long absence to confront the wounds of her past. Reconnecting with her mother (Patricia Clarkson) and the rest of her family for the first time since leaving as a teenager, Monica (Trace Lysette) embarks on a path of healing and acceptance. The film delves into Monica’s internal world and state of mind, her pain and fears, her needs and desires, to explore the universal themes of abandonment and forgiveness.”

Lysette looks dynamite here, and Clarkson looks like she’s doing the Clarkson thing of being awesome in every single thing she’s in.

Monica, which also stars Joshua Close, Adriana Barraza, and Emily Browning, is set for limited release from IFC Films on May 12th.

The Las Vegas Aces have had quite the past 12 months, as they won their first championship under first year head coach Becky Hammon, with A’ja Wilson collecting her second MVP award in the process.

This offseason, they added Candace Parker in what has become a two-team arms race with the New York Liberty, who added Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, and Courtney Vandersloot to create a clear top-two in the WNBA entering the 2023 season. On Thursday, the Aces made another big name addition, but this time to their ownership group, as Mark Davis and the team announced the recently retired Tom Brady has purchased an ownership stake in the team. Both Davis and Brady released statements on his acquisition of a stake in the team.

“Since I purchased the Aces, our goal has been to win on and off the court, explained Davis. “Tom Brady is a win not only for the Aces, and the WNBA, but for women’s professional sports as a whole.”

“I am very excited to be part of the Las Vegas Aces organization,” said Brady. “My lovefor women’s sports began at a young age when I would tag along to all my older sisters’ games – they were by far the best athletes in our house! We celebrated their accomplishments together as a family, and they remain a great inspiration to me.

“I have always been a huge fan of women’s sports, and I admire the work that the Aces’ players, staff, and the WNBA continue to do to grow the sport and empower future generations of athletes. To be able to contribute in any way to that mission as a member of the Aces organization is an incredible honor.”

Davis is among the “new-money” WNBA owners, in that he purchased the Aces fairly recently and, like Joe Tsai in New York, has a very different approach to spending than some of the long-time WNBA owners. Those factions have started butting heads over things like player travel, with Tsai and Davis pushing to change league rules that disallow teams from providing chartered flights to games. The addition of Brady figures to only add to what the Aces will be able to do financially, as well as giving them another big name to promote the team.

Given the recent growth of the WNBA, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more ownership moves in the near future as more people are starting to view the league as a unique investment opportunity in sports considering the opportunity for continued growth, where buying in now could pay considerable dividends in the future.

When he got the chance to conduct a dream interview with Joni Mitchell for Rolling Stone in 1979, Cameron Crowe led off by asking her if there were any myths about her she wanted to dispel. She answered that, “I do have this reputation for being a serious person. I’m a very analytical person, a somewhat introspective person; that’s the nature of the work I do. But this is only one side of the coin, you know. I love to dance. I’m a rowdy. I’m a goodtimer. Mind you, I haven’t seen too many good parties since I left my hometown. People go to parties here mostly to conduct business.”

Genius. Poet. Desperate for a good shindig.

Hopefully that personality shines through if Crowe and Mitchell get their biopic off the ground. According to Above the Line, the pair have been collaborating to bring her life story to the big screen. From the report, it sounds like that collaboration is akin to a ghost writer relationship with Mitchell advising and providing input while Crowe is the one putting pen to paper with plans to also producer and direct.

If they can get the project off the ground and into production, it would mark a return to feature filmmaking for Crowe, whose last film was 2015’s Aloha. Although his Roadies series at Showtime was cancelled after one season, acting as conduit for Joni Mitchell‘s autobiography sounds firmly in Crowe’s personal, creative sweet spot. With any luck, they’ll be able to announce that it’s all happening.

(via Above the Line)

In the more than half-century since “Rocket Man” first shot its way to the top of the charts, it would be safe to assume that Elton John has performed the song hundreds — if not thousands — of times. The tune has become so synonymous with the artist that it was used as the title of the 2019 John biopic. But it turns out that the singer-songwriter had no idea what he was warbling about.

As NME reports, John and his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin recently sat down to discuss their famous collaboration, including “Rocket Man.”

“‘Rocket Man’ was our first-ever Number One record I think,” John explained. “It was a pretty easy song to write a melody to because it’s a song about space so it’s quite a spacious song.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)

That’s when Taupin chimed in with a story that surprised even John:

“It was actually a song inspired by Ray Bradbury from his book of science-fiction short stories called The Illustrated Man. In that book, there was a story called The Rocket Man, which was about how astronauts in the future would become sort of an everyday job… so I kinda took that idea and ran with it.”

A surprised John admitted: “Do you know, I never knew that.”

Do “Tiny Dancer” next!

(Via NME)

Beyoncé and Adidas have mutually agreed to end their partnership, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Beyoncé will retain ownership of her Ivy Park brand.

It was first reported in February that the partnership was troubled; according to internal earnings documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the Ivy Park brand had underperformed under Adidas to the tune of a $200 million loss. When the partnership was first signed in 2019 after Ivy Park moved from TopShop, it was expected that Beyoncé’s name would bring in the sales — however, while Adidas expected $250 million in sales, it only brought in around $40 million.

The Journal‘s also reported creative differences between Adidas and Parkwood, the title under which Beyoncé operates her disparate business ventures, as fans expressed their disappointment in the Ivy Park offerings over the past year. According to THR, “Beyoncé is excitedly looking to reclaim her brand, chart her own path, and maintain creative freedom” of the brand going forward.

The end of the Ivy Park partnership is the latest in a string of rough patches for Adidas over the past year, as well. In October of 2022, Adidas also ended its partnership with Kanye West after the rapper made a series of antisemitic remarks in several interviews. The company’s CEO told the company early this year that Adidas is projected to lose nearly $1.3 billion in sales of Yeezy merchandise, although it also reached an agreement with him to sell remaining inventory without the Yeezy branding.