Let’s say you wanted to visit Greg Abbott’s website to contact the Texas governor and tell him that his portrayal of transgender-specific health care as “child abuse” is “inhumane and downright dangerous.” The first URL you might type in is GovernorAbbott.com. If you were to do that — and you absolutely should do that, I’ll wait — you would see a photo of Abbott with black eyes and black goo leaking out of his mouth. “I’m Gorg Abbott, certified devil,” the largest text reads, followed by, “Do you like saying you’re for small government then building a hate based platform around exerting power over other people whose lives are none of your business? I do too!”
If you’re not frothing at the mouth with belligerent hatred and ignorant bigotry, then maybe supporting Gorg Abbott isn’t for you! If something seems off about this website, it’s possible you may actually be a decent human being! If you find yourself questioning the leadership of someone so committed to hatred, consider donating to these charities instead.
By the end of the day, Central Cee’s new video for “Straight Back To It” will already be touching a million views. That’s because the West London rapper is the next big thing in British rap and just dropped the wildly-anticipated mixtape 23 today.
The follow-up to last year’s breakthrough Wild West, a mixtape that saw Cench nominated for three BRIT Awards, 23 showcases a rapper firing on all cylinders. Singles like “Khabib” and “Cold Shoulder” have Cee leaving haters in the dust and rising in the ranks over sleek drill production. “Straight Back To It,” is no different. A track about fighting back when you get knocked down, it’s an apt display of the rapper’s commitment to the grind. “Done a graveyard shift last night, woke up today and got straight back to it / Took me an L, no problem / I got on my grind, got straight back to it,” he raps.
The track is produced by longtime collaborator Young Chencs and it’s another highlight from the immediately essential British hip-hop release.
Watch the video for “Straight Back To It” above and check out the 23 album artwork and tracklist below.
Central Cee
1. “Khabib”
2. “Straight Back To It”
3. “Ungrateful”
4. “Bunda”
5. “Retail Therapy”
6. “Eurovision” feat. Rondodasosa, Baby Gang, A2Anti, Morad, Benny Jr, ASHE
7. “Cold Shoulder”
8.” Mrs”
9.” Air BnB”
10. “No Pain”
11. “Terminal 5”
12. “Obsessed With You”
13. “8 Ball”
14. “Lil Bro”
15. “End of The Beginning”
23 is out now via self-release. Listen to it here.
Alec Benjamin taught himself how to play guitar, he explained to Uproxx for our How I Blew Up series, and then gained global recognition with “Let Me Down Slowly” and other Platinum hits. A few days ago, he announced his sophomore album (Un)Commentary out this spring. It’ll feature his previous singles “The Way You Felt” and “Older,” as well as today’s new one, “Shadow Of Mine.” It’s an intense, poignant piano ballad about wanting freedom from yourself.
“A lot of the time you think your problems are the product of your environment, when in reality they exist inside you,” he said about the track. Of the album, he added, “I think my generation has a lot of valid criticisms of everything that’s happening in our country and in the world right now. The question is: are we going to tear ourselves apart, or are we going to leave this place better than we found it?”
The album is produced by Sir Nolan, and features writing collaborations with Dan Wilson, Charlie Puth, Sam Romans, and Nolan Lambrosa.
Watch the video for “Shadow Of Mine” directed by Gus Black above. Below, find the album artwork for (Un)Commentary.
Alec Benjamin
(Un)Commentary is out 4/15 via Elektra Records. Pre-order it here.
Alec Benjamin is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
You can probably call Russ a lot of things — stubborn, outspoken, maybe even a little obnoxious — but you absolutely cannot call him wrong about most things, especially his philosophy about the benefits of remaining independent and retaining ownership. He once again touts both — and sends some jabs at his detractors — in his new video for “What Are Y’all,” which he boasted he shot the same day he finished the song in a marathon recording and editing session that he says proves his overall point.
“Made this song at 3 am Thursday,” he said in a note on the video. “Sent it off to Spotify and Apple at 4 pm. Shot the video at 9 pm and just finished editing it. Dreams only work if you do and freedom is priceless.”
Naturally, the video isn’t terribly complex, just featuring Russ posted up in his studio performing the song to the camera while the lyrics display at the bottom of the screen. But the impact is in the substance, not the style, as he challenges his critics using his own accomplishments. “It’s essential I shut up, it’s what ya’ll think right?” he quips. “But standing down never rеally sit right.”
The bad news: Euphoria’ssecond season is wrapping up with a finale that promises a character death (or two) and a ton of unanswered questions hanging in hiatus. The good news: The HBO drama has already been picked up for season three with the show’s main cast and some of its recent additions expected to return. But, considering how long fans had to wait between the show’s first and second outing, the question on everyone’s mind right now is this: “When will Sam Levinson’s teenage soap opera really be back?”
Let’s do some investigating to find out.
hbo
When Will Season 3 Of Euphoria Air?
Euphoria fans have learned to be patient after having to wait over two years for the current season to make it to air. The show delivered two specials — episodes that served as character studies for Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schafer) — meant to bridge the gap between season one and season two after COVID hit and restrictions on filming pushed back the series shooting schedule. It’s doubtful COVID will be as big of an issue going forward since Hollywood’s figured out how to safely bring people back to set but that doesn’t mean Euphoria’s going to be back this year.
Though HBO hasn’t given an official date for the show’s return, most fans expect to see season three land on their screens in early 2023. That could definitely still happen, but it’s going to be a question of scheduling that determines if audiences will have to wait longer to reunite with our favorite dysfunctional group of high schoolers. Zendaya is basically the biggest star on the planet right now, and her filming schedule for the rest of the year is booked. She’ll be shooting the second Dune film this summer, and she’s got another major movie, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers, coming after that. When the cast can get back to filming depends largely on when she’ll have time to do the show, so we might be waiting until 2024 for Euphoria’s next season.
HBO
What Will Euphoria Season 3 Be About?
Without spoiling any season two finale plotlines, expect the next season of Levinson’s drama to focus on Rue’s recovery. She made great strides towards her sobriety by the end of season two and that seems like a journey the series is eager to continue following. Unfortunately for Rue, she still owes drug dealer Laurie a ton of money and, since her mom flushed her suitcase filled with pills down the drain, she’s got no way of settling that debt. We can’t imagine her dealings with the former school teacher are done and that relationship will likely pose a threat to Rue’s sobriety in season three.
Meanwhile, it’s a good bet that the love triangle between Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Maddy (Alexa Demie), and Nate (Jacob Elordi) will continue in season three. Now that the truth is out about Cassie and Nate’s relationship, her friendship with Maddy will be tested and Nate will have to figure out what he really wants in a girlfriend. Fez (Angus Cloud) and Ashtray (Javon Walton) have Custer to deal with, and police scrutiny over Mouse’s murder so depending on what happens in the season two finale, one or both of them might be doing jail time. (Here’s hoping we get more Fexi content anyway.) And Dominic Fike who plays Elliot recently revealed his character will be back for season three so expect him to create more problems for Rue and Jules, whose relationship is most definitely going to be broken by the time the show returns.
HBO
Which Euphoria Cast Members Are Coming Back For Season 3?
Besides Fike and mainstays like Zendaya and Hunter Schafer, most of the main cast is expected back next season. Sweeney, Demie, and Elordi all likely have big roles to play as does Maude Apatow and Storm Reid. Hopefully, Colman Domingo will be back as Rue’s sobriety mentor, Ali, along with her mother played by Nika King. As for Cloud, Walton, and Eric Dane (who plays Nate’s father Cal), the verdict is still out. And with so much drama happening behind the scenes between Levinson and star Barbie Ferreira, we’re not sure whether Kat will have a big role when the series returns either.
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place in Turin, Italy in May, when musical representatives from many countries will take to the city to show off the best of what their nations have to offer. Given the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, many wondered if Russia would be allowed to participate in this year’s event. Initially, Eurovision organizers (the European Broadcast Union) told NPR yesterday, “The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political cultural event. The EBU is however concerned about current events in Ukraine and will continue to closely monitor the situation.”
The EBU has quickly changed its tune, though, as they’ve now gone ahead and banned Russia from the 2022 contest. In a new statement today, they said:
“No Russian act will participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The decision reflects the concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s contest would bring the competition into disrepute. The EBU is an apolitical member organization of broadcasters committed to upholding the values of public service. We remain dedicated to protecting the values of a cultural competition which proves international exchange and understanding, brings audiences together, celebrates diversity through music, and unites Europe on one stage.”
In recent years, Russia has been one of the strongest-performing countries in the contest: As BBC notes, they’ve had five top-five finishes over the past decade. They last won in 2008 and the next year, the contest was held in Moscow. Meanwhile, the Eurovision website notes of Ukraine, “Ukraine first entered the contest in 2003 and rapidly became one of the most successful countries in the competition. In 15 appearances at the Eurovision Song Contest, Ukraine has never missed a Grand Final. 9 of those 14 entries have finished in the top 10, 5 have finished in the top 3, and 2 have been winners.” Those wins came in 2004 and 2016.
Benedict Cumberbatch has not exactly been shy about the lengths he went for his method acting on the set of The Power of the Dog, which has since earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. But little did the actor know that his work in becoming a 1920s rancher would come in handy dealing with a real-life stampede. While sitting down for an upcoming episode of The Graham Norton Show, Cumberbatch revealed that his experience on the set of the Jane Campion Netflix film helped him save a family from a herd of cattle.
“I came back from shooting the film in August and we were off to the beach. To get there we had to cross a field and in the field was a petrified family who just couldn’t move, they were frozen because of a herd of cows with calves,” Cumberbatch said in a preview of the interview shared with Insider.
“I thought, ‘I can do this,’ and I just sort of parted the waves of cattle. The family was like, ‘That was incredible. Hey, aren’t you Sherlock?’ It was very un-Sherlock activity!”
Okay, first off, Sherlock is smart enough to herd cattle, or at the very least, hurl Watson at them. Second, that’s really all we had to say because this is actually a pretty great anecdote that’s fun to imagine happening. Just think what it must’ve been like to watch a renowned British thespian stroll up and part a herd of cows like he’s freaking Moses. You would love to see it. You would tell this story for the rest of your life. To everyone. In a way, it almost makes being killed by a herd of stampeding cattle worth it, really. Lots to consider here.
Bow Wow has been talking about releasing his final album for a long time now, but today, we at least found out part of his plans for its release. Now that Snoop Dogg has retained ownership of the legendary Death Row Records, Bow Wow, whose name was actually inspired by Snoop, his onetime mentor, wants to put out his swan song with the rapper who helped him start his rap career almost 30 years ago.
Bow Wow, who loves to participate in Twitter Q&A sessions (even though the app’s users haven’t always been so kind to him), revealed his plans when a fan asked him, “When you getting back in with uncle Snoop?” The younger rapper replied, “Spoke to snoop last week. Very soon. My plan is to put my final album on death row and close my music career out where it began.” He also compared himself to the recently retired future NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade. “Im tryna do the d wade and come home and close it out.” D Wade famously finished his illustrious NBA career in Miami, where he was drafted, after leaving to play for his hometown Chicago Bulls and reunite with LeBron James in Cleveland.
Spoke to snoop last week. Very soon. My plan is to put my final album on death row and close my music career out where it began. Im tryna do the d wade and come home and close it out. https://t.co/rzQATRFRMu
Over the years, Bow Wow has taken a lot of flak for some of his antics on social media, but he’s also recently begun to receive an increased acknowledgment from his peers and successors such as Drake, who said, “If it wasn’t for you, there wouldn’t be no me,” as well as Soulja Boy, who he joined for a raucous edition of the Verzuz battle series.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Twenty years ago, 16-year-old Avril Lavigne started working on songs for her first album, Let Go. With massive early hits like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi,” Avril quickly became a force to be reckoned with in mainstream pop, bringing a pop-punk sound and skater influences into the spotlight with her — and becoming one of the first women to have worldwide success in the very male-dominated space. To this day, Let Go remains one of the best-selling albums by a Canadian artist, and has been certified seven times platinum (!). Following up her debut with 2004’s Under My Skin and 2007’s The Best Damn Thing — which spawned her first No. 1 hit, “Girlfriend” — by 21, Lavigne was a household name.
Though the impact of rock diminished considerably in the 2010s, Avril continued to release albums with Goodbye Lullaby in 2011, her self-titled, Avril Lavigne, in 2013, and the more emotional Head Above Water in 2019, which addressed the singer’s battle with Lyme disease. But over the course of the last few years, the ennui of the pandemic and a de facto “pop-punk revival” set the stage for Avril to come back in a big way. Signing with Travis Barker’s DTA Records, Avril burst back onto the scene at the end of last year with the classic alternative anthem “Bite Me,” a song more reminiscent of her debut album than anything in recent memory. In the video introducing the song, Avril and Travis lead a pack of axe-wielding men in tutus to help her take revenge on an unsavory ex. Whether you’ve recently been dumped or are just full of pent-up aggression due to the impact of the pandemic, this song sounds like the kiss-off we all needed.
Announcing her seventh album, Love Sux, at the top of 2022, Avril shared another early single, the Blackbear collaboration “Love It When You Hate Me,” and a tracklist that included other collaborators like Machine Gun Kelly and Mark Hoppus, along with a couple appearances from Barker himself. Even though she’s been in the game for two decades, Avril is still pushing herself to try new things, and when it feels right, go back to the old ones. Love Sux feels apiece with her sound on Let Go, even though it’s more polished and perhaps a bit more brash. It’s quite possibly the best album Avril has ever made, and she feels it too, along with a gratitude that even twenty years in, this is still what she gets to call her job. We talked about all of this and more in a recent phone interview prior to her album release, check out a condensed, edited version of our conversation below.
This is your seventh album, but it feels like a shift back toward the beginning of your career. How does it stand apart from your more recent work?
You know, I wrote my first album when I was 16, and I’d just left high school. I was writing from my perspective as a teenager, and now, 20 years later, I’m writing songs with more experience. I’ve lived a little, and gone through a lot, so I have a different perspective. I would just say that this album does reflect where I’m at. Basically, the album’s called Love Sux, and I went into it feeling exhausted and kind of jaded about love. I was over it, and wanted a little bit of a break and to focus on myself. That was the headspace I was in when I was writing, and “Love Sux” was one of the first songs I wrote for it… but that didn’t last very long.
Making this record was so much fun, I’m in a really great place, I’m in a happy place in my life. The album, even though it’s called Love Sux is tapping into relationships, and how crazy they are, and the ups and downs of love — all of the wild emotions and roller coaster rides that love can put us through. It’s done in almost a humorous way, the songwriting has a sense of humor to it. It’s light and funny, and even though the songs are talking about heavy stuff it’s done in a lighthearted way. It’s like a tongue-in-cheek way of venting.
People are definitely relating to the tongue-in-cheek frustration! There’s also so much excitement around this record, and pop-punk in general. As an early pioneer in that space at its peak, how do you feel about the sudden resurgence of everyone being into it?
For me and my music, I’ve always had a connection to pop-rock, pop-punk, rock and roll, and emo music. I’ve always had that element in my albums, and it’s always been with me — at all of my shows, all of my concerts. Music is cyclical, things are trendy, or played on the radio and then not — like it’s so wild that rock and roll would not get played on the radio? — but when I saw pop-punk finally being accepted, and being more mainstream again, I was like ‘F*ck yes b*tches, let’s go.’ Like with the Machine Gun Kelly and Travis’ album that Kells (MGK) is putting out (their joint album, Mainstream Sellout, is coming out in March), and I’m so stoked to see my friends doing so well in music, and the new generation discovering rock music. If you look at the success of the When We Were Young festival, it shows the appetite for this type of music is the strongest it’s ever been. I love that people identify with my music, and I love that it’s come back around. This is the music that I grew up listening to, and that helped shape me as an artist, so I’m really stoked to be a part of it.
What surprised you most about working with Travis Barker?
It’s just been really great to see him evolve. He’s so much more than a drummer. He has a great sense of production. He knows a lot about songwriting. He’s a businessman. He’s a studio wizard. Like, there’s so much more to him than being a drummer. He spends every waking moment — like, he’s always working, he’s always in the studio. He loves music, he’s so passionate about it, and really shows. I’m really enjoying working with him, because he’s also an artist, so he understands. He’s been around for a long time and doing his thing for a long time, and so have I, and so we can really relate to each other.
How did you select some of the guests and collaborators for this album?
It was pretty organic. Travis and I started talking. I linked up with Mod Sun, Mod introduced me to John Feldmann. We wrote tons of songs, I wrote songs with Travis, and then Kells (MGK) hit up Mod and he came into the studio with us. And then Mark came in the studio and we hit up Blackbear. It’s kind of just like everybody knows everybody. And it was just like, the guys wanted to be a part of the album. What’s cool is these are people that I’m a really big fan of — it’s like as close as I can get to feeling like I’m in a band. I’m loving it. This album just happened, and I was like ‘let’s rock out b*tches, no holding back.’ I was like ‘I want to make a pop-punk record, let’s f*cking go.’ I didn’t have a label at the time, I didn’t have managers. I’m like twenty years into my career and it’s like, I’m just doing this sh*t for me now, and I want to make the music I want to make. This is where my heart is, and what I’m feeling. I think it’s like my favorite record.
I’ve listened to all your records and it’s my favorite one. Can you talk a little bit about the timeline for when you were making it?
Right when the pandemic happened Travis and I started chatting. I started working on the record like November 2020, so I was working on it basically all of last year. I’d actually done the record, and I was like ‘oh sh*t, now I’ve got to get everything together on the business end. In the studio, I wore a mask the whole time and was being very careful. I had a Zoom session with Mark, and then Bear recorded in his studio and sent over his parts. It was crazy, even though we worked on Zoom with Mark Hoppus, I was like ‘damn, this guy is so talented.’ He was like recording himself, engineering himself, and writing. He was so fast with lyrics and melodies. Obviously, I love their songs, and knew that he was a good songwriter and singer, but to get to see him work in real time, I was really blown away by his talent. I listened to their music when I was younger, so it’s kind of come full circle.
Can you talk about the impact of “Sk8er Boi” on your career? I know there’s a film in the works, and that song’s staying power is pretty incredible, like realizing it’s 20 years old and still has the impact it does.
I love how much people still really bring that song up. I love how warmly everybody still feels toward it. It’s a really special thing, and unique, to have a song that really stands out. I have a lot of big songs, but that one, everyone seems to resonate with. It’s taken on… it’s insane to see a whole new generation discovering music of mine twenty years later. It’s pretty unbelievable. But the song is going to take a new life of its own as I turn it into a film, I’m in the process of doing that now. I have a writer and a director at the moment, and I’m producing it and assembling a team right now.
Since Let Go came out in 2022, the album and “Sk8er Boi” are turning 20 this year. How are you feeling about that anniversary?
It feels crazy. 20 years! It does and it doesn’t feel like it… it kinda flew by, right? I’m really excited to be celebrating it this year. I’m getting a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame around the anniversary. I’m planning on doing some fun shows that are just songs from that album. There’s a re-release of the album happening with some demos on it. It’s so crazy that it’s been 20 years.
Going back to Love Sux, what’s your favorite deep cut from the album fans should look out for?
My favorite is “Love Sux!” Because it was the headspace I was in, and I think a lot of the songs are in that vein basically. It reminds me of “Girlfriend” a little bit, the songwriting style, and “Girlfriend” is one of my favorites. It’s very much a nursery rhyme chorus.
Anything else you want to add that I didn’t ask you about?
I’m just really grateful toward my fanbase. They’re just so loving and supportive and passionate, 20 years in. They’re so amazing, so present and there. I feel like owe it all to them, and I’m still here today because of them. I’m really grateful to be here, 20 years later, still making music. I’m really having so much fun. Something I’ve learned about myself is music is very natural for me. I started writing poems when I was little, and songs when I was like 13, 14, and I’ve been onstage since I was 5. And this far into my life, I’m here because I want to be here, and I’m having fun. And it’s nice to be at that point, too. I’m just really thankful and grateful to be here.
Avril Lavigne is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
When it comes to rum cocktails, there’s often a lot of sugar involved. That is in large part to tropical drink culture layering in the sugars and fruit juices. But, as with all cocktails, rum cocktails go far beyond just being tropical juice and sugar bombs.
Case in point, the El Presidente. This gem is the perfect, refined, and, dare we say, grown-up rum cocktail. Especially for a weekend that bridges winter and spring.
This drink goes back to Havana in the 1920s, a time and place where so many great cocktails were born. The drink has roots in the old colonial “presidents” of Cuba of the era but has a muddled history at best (no pun intended). Overall, the drink is built from white or light rum, bianco vermouth, orange liqueur, and a touch of grenadine.
This is an easy stirrer that you can master at home with a little practice. It’s also a deeply layered cocktail that feels like a level up on both your palate and cocktail mixing game. Let’s get into it!
Also Read: The Top Five Cocktail Recipes of the Last Six Months
Choose a good light/white rum for this cocktail. It’s the highlight of the drink and will shine through. I’m using Equiano Light Rum which has a nice balance of tropical fruit, sugar cane, and vanilla/wood notes.
Then there’s the vermouth. This drink calls for a bianco vermouth, not dry vermouth (they’re very different things). A bianco is the most refined white vermouth out there with a higher-quality wine at the base and more of a herbal/floral/vanilla vibe. Bianco vermouths also have a small dose of sugars added to make them a sort of bridge between dry vermouth and the darker sweet vermouth.
When it comes to the orange liqueur, I like to use Grand Marnier in this cocktail. It’s a cognac-based orange liqueur that has a deeper taste and color — which I think adds an extra little something to the overall drink. You can use triple sec if you have it on hand.
Zach Johnston
What You’ll Need:
Coupe or cocktail glass
Mixing jug
Cocktail strainer
Barspoon
Jigger
Pairing knife
Zach Johnston
Method:
Prechill the glass in the freezer.
Add the rum, vermouth, Grand Mariner, and grenadine to the mixing jug. Fill with ice about 1/2 and stir until the jug is ice-cold to touch (about 30 seconds).
Strain the cocktail into the prechilled glass.
Express the orange oils over the glass and rub the rim and stem of the glass with the peel. Trim the peel and make a twist for the rim of the glass. Serve.
Bottom Line:
Zach Johnston
There’s a lot going on with this cocktail but it all comes together so nicely. The nose draws you in with botanicals, florals, and that rush of vanilla. The taste has this slight rum vibe that’s just touched with berry sugars and orange. The whole thing feels elevated with real depth in every sip.
Overall, this feels like a drink you find at a serious cocktail party, and then you can’t stop making them for the next few months at home. It’s so diverse in its flavor profile from the barks to the florals to the rummy sugar cane that you’ll be hooked instantly.
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