Saquon Barkley‘s first game after moving from one NFC East team to another could not have gone much better. Barkley, the former standout running back for the New York Giants, joined the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency this offseason and impressed during his first game with his new team, going for 132 total yards and three total touchdowns in a 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.
From the moment it was announced that Barkley would join the Eagles, it seemed inevitable that he’d put up numbers and make the Giants look bad for letting him go to a divisional rival. But even then, his debut with the team couldn’t have gone much better, and unsurprisingly, it caught the eye of another NFC East standout, Micah Parsons. You will be shocked to learn that Parsons — who, we presume, was happy to see his fellow Nittany Lion end up in a good spot back when this happened — had some choice words on Twitter for the Giants.
“The Giants should be under investigation!” Parsons tweeted during the game.
Fortunately for Parsons, he’ll be able to express his discontent to the Giants brass in a few weeks, as the Cowboys head to the Meadowlands to take on New York in Week 4.
Ever since Jalen Hurts took over as the quarterback in Philadelphia, they have been the NFL’s most dominant short yardage team. That is thanks to the power of their QB sneak, in which they have Hurts — who has hit a 600 pound squat — drive forward with running backs and receivers pushing him from behind.
The play has been dubbed the “Tush Push”, and while it’s not exactly universally beloved — some have called it dangerous — it’s extremely effective when Philadelphia runs it. On Friday night, the Eagles kicked off their season in Sao Paolo, Brazil as part of the NFL’s first ever game in South America, facing the Packers in a battle of two strong NFC contenders. In the second quarter, the Eagles faced a 3rd and 1 in the red zone and naturally broke out the sneak, but had a fitting rebrand on the name given the location of the game, dubbing it the “Brazilian Butt Lift”.
It’s very clever work by the Eagles social team (even if others also came up with that name on Twitter), and honestly I think it’s an even better name for the play than Tush Push. Philly found themselves in a tight, high-scoring game at the half and it’s very possible this game features a high-leverage moment where they have to break out the BBL again.
24-year-old rising rapper Kei had no plans of taking music seriously when she dove into it back in 2021. However, three years later along with awards for Best New Artist and Song Of The Year at the Boston Music Awards in 2022 and 2023, respectively, Kei has fully embraced a career as a music artist. It’s great that Kei came around to it as the young rapper has all the tools to be the next star that emerges onto the nationwide rap scene. I got to see it first during her recent performance at Boston’s No Hype Fest which featured additional performances from Seddy Hendrinx, Flee, Tyler Loyal, TeaMarr, Hennessy, and more.
While some artists embrace the spotlight, Kei attacks it and aims to somehow outshine the light that falls on her. Her brief was propelled by her infectious energy that demanded the attention of the crowd before her. It was impossible to turn away. Kei’s set earned a strong applause from the crowd and was definitely one of, if not the most memorable performance from the night. It’s all the result of hard work, dedication, and still having fun — a recipe that Kei tries her best to keep in her music.
Nearly two years removed from her last project Child’s Play. The Boston native is hard at work on her debut album, one she says is “reminiscent of my first project Baby Steps, but a lot more introspective, very personal, and telling the story of who I am and how I got here.” The journey towards that project continues with her upcoming single “Double Jimmeis,” a title that derived from her love of sprikles on ice cream, a sentiment shared with the song’s producer, fellow Boston native Rilla Force. The track’s playful and bass-knocking beat was saved under the title of “double jimmeis” by Force and Kei felt it was perfect to stick with once the song was complete.
“It’s just a very fun record,” Kei says about the song which she made during a four-week artist incubator called Outloud created by Boston artist Oompa. “It’s a very pure record. It was didn’t take a lot of thought. It was really cool.”
With “Double Jimmeis” just hours away from coming out, we caught up with Kei to spotlight her as this week’s Uproxx Music 20 artist. Scroll down to her music and learn more about her inspirations, influences, and aspirations.
I definitely would say it was with my dad in his bedroom where he had his studio equipment. You could definitely see that in my first project, Baby Steps like the cover art is literally me in his studio. Just him, producing, making music with his friends, and always being surrounded by sounds and music. A lot of my influences in music come from him. I even recorded earlier songs with him in his studio as we move from home to home. Always just having the studio set up and experimenting with making songs and recording with him, my dad definitely is my earliest memory of music.
Who or what inspired you to take music seriously?
I guess the defining moment for me, or who it was, was myself because I started doing music seriously in 2021, just diving back into the passion of writing and expressing my feelings. Everybody was going through such a pivotal time, there were so many changes going on. I just remember freestyling, smoking, and just every day, going at it, and having that feeling of, “Yo, this sounds good and I am tired of hearing it like all my voice memos or I have to spit it every time.” So I’m the one who took myself to the studio or connected myself with friends that connected me to a recording studio and I put myself in there, I paid for my sessions, and I put two of my records out on SoundCloud, and then I was like, Yo, I want this to, like be a thing. I learned how to develop it into like a project, and I got my DistroKid, and I put it out on platforms. I did that myself.
Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?
Okay, so technically, I don’t know how to play an instrument, but but when I was in third grade at my elementary school, we had a music class and I learned how to play the recorder. I’m not sure if I would be lit at it now, but I would love to learn how to play instruments. I really am passionate about learning the drums, keys, and guitar. I remember as a kid getting a little cheap one [guitar] at Walmart and just having it. My dad knows how to play the guitar, but he never taught me. I kind of know how to fiddle with it now and fiddle with keys, but definitely drums, keys and guitar.
What was your first job?
My first official job was working at Burger King. I remember working at Burger King, and I was so excited. I remember my first day, my family came in and, was taking pictures of me at the register and I had a little jingle like, “Hi, my name is Kei and I work at BK. You already know you can have it your way.” Technically it was Burger King, but my first job has always been like youth center jobs and working at community centers with kids, but my first real job was Burger King.
What is your most prized possession?
My most prized possession, I would say my character and my personality. Who I am is the most precious thing to me. Being in a world filled with oversaturated personalities, not even just in music, [but] on social media and in real life [with] people creating these images or personas of themselves, I can stay that to this day I’m still my inner kid. I’m still who I was five years ago, more mature, more experienced, and just growing over time. So definitely, my character — who I am and what I stand for — is my most prized possession.
What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is stagnation, not rising to my potential, and being in the same circumstances that I was raised in. To end up living the same lives that I’ve watched my parents go through, and not reach their dreams and the things that they wanted in life. That’s my biggest fear… outside of heights. I don’t f*ck with heights.
You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!
Okay, the first thing that I’m doing is investing in properties for myself. I’ve always wanted a home to have something to myself and make sure that everybody in my immediate family is straight. I’m putting my siblings, nieces, and nephews in a trust fund or some type of financial thing for them to for them to be straight. After that, I’m hopping on a fight to somewhere in the world. I don’t even have a passport yet, but I want to travel the world. I would love to go to the place where my father and his family is from. My dad was born in England, but his family is from an island called Montserrat and I would love to go there. I would just travel the world, try all the different types of foods that I’ve never gotten to try, make sure that I’m set, and that my family is set.
What are your three most used emojis?
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What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?
If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?
If we’re talking about acting in a present-day TV show, I’d say it has to be like Master Chef or any of Gordon Ramsay’s reality TV shows because I love to cook and I would love to see how I deal with him under super pressure. Hopefully I won’t fold, but I would love to be in one of those. If it’s voice acting, because I’d love to do voice acting, I would say SpongeBob SquarePants or Powerpuff Girls.
Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality and why?
I would definitely say Doja Cat. She’s someone that I’ve become more fond of quite recently. Because of my presence on stage, people that I’ve worked with have compared me to her, and I wasn’t really familiar with her work, but listening to it, and then going back in her discography and watching her evolution over time. Her staying true [to herself], not being steered in a different direction based off of how people perceive her, and her just living in her truest, raw, authentic self till this day is something that is extremely admiral to me, because the things that I used to get made front of or tore down for in the past are the same things people are praising me for now. Her quirkiness, her charisma, and her personality are really, really admirable to me.
Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.
Once you hit 20 or 21, you should be able to hold yourself accountable. Like once you hit a certain age, you should walk through the world with some type of awareness, there’s no room for “I don’t know” or excuses. I understand giving grace, I understand learning curves, learning processes, and things like that, but you should always learn to have some type of awareness and accountability. Besides that, the best ice cream toppings are rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream.
What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life and what do you love about it?
I’d definitely would say “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” by Michael Jackson. The production on that is insane. The layered instruments and how he arranged it is so methodical, that’s one of the best songs. That will automatically get you moving and that’s what I want to emulate in my music. I don’t have a particular sound or genre, but the running theme with my music is, I want it to be able to move people, whether that’s physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. I want you to feel something and everything about that song embodies that.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?
Boston, hands down, just because of how much unconditional love and support I have for my community just them consistently supporting me overtime, and how I’ve watched their appreciation for me grow within the past three years. I don’t think there will be any other feeling I get from another city like I get from Boston. A place that I’m excited to perform that I haven’t performed in is definitely Miami. I haven’t got a chance to experience the music community out there. Some of my favorite rappers, like XXXTentacion, came out of Florida. I have a friend of mine, her name is Scotty, she comes out of Florida, but the way that they describe that scene is lit. I would love to know what it’s like to perform out there for like Rolling Loud. That would be crazy.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.
If they’re established artists? Rico Nasty, Bktherula, Chief Keef, Doja Cat, & Lil Uzi Vert. Up-and-coming artists from my city? Clark D, Neemz, Jo Saza, Sanyé, and Nay Speaks. I would have it in Boston & turn Fenway Park into a concert venue!
What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?
I honestly don’t know. Before music, I was extremely lost. I was working a minimum wage job, not making enough like really walking through life aimlessly. When I had my brief time in college, I really wanted to do a double major in adolescent psychology or sociology or something cosmetics or be a esthetician or get into hair and makeup, just cosmetology in general. If I went down the school path, I’d probably start my own nonprofit or business working with kids and trying to provide resources to them creatively, financially, and emotionally — whatever support they needed to pursue their dreams. That or I’d be doing hair, makeup, nails, [and] all the good stuff that I enjoy outside of my music that elevate my branding and my style.
If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?
I’d go five years into the future, I wouldn’t go into the past because I wouldn’t want to change anything that’s happened thus far. I feel like the past five years for me have been extremely pivotal to my development and [put me] through the biggest changes. I wouldn’t ask for it any other way. I would love to see, based off of my decisions that I’ve done this thus far, where that lands me in five years and what I’m doing. That way, if I’m not doing something that I’m happy with, I’d try to do some reflecting now on what really means something to me and how that can steer my path in the future.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
I’d say, don’t fret on what you feel like you need to do, continue to do what you want to do. Understand that everything that you want is already yours, you just have to put the work and effort to do it. I could avoid a lot of unnecessary like stress trying to live up to what society set out for us to achieve and me not feeling like I’m worth enough because I’m not doing those things. Don’t stress on what you feel like you think you should be doing, just do what you feel like you should be doing. That’s what I would tell myself.
It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
At that time, I’d be a 50-year-old motherf*cker [laughs]. I would want to reach a point where my music and I left a legacy — Kei is iconic. Kei was the first of many. I would want to inspire so many people, and hopefully my art and my expression by 2050 has cultivated a plethora of so many other young, upcoming leaders and legends. I would want to be legendary, I’d want to be iconic, I’d want to be impactful, and I want to be prevelant. I want that to be know, like when you think of Kei, it’s Kei. Just like it’s MJ.
Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. This week is an exciting one for those with nostalgic tastes. We’re being treated to lots of updates of old silhouettes and designs, whether we’re talking about the discontinued Nike LD-1000 (first released in the late ‘70s, and hidden away in the vaults since then), the return of the Silver Surfer Dunk, a new colorway for Tinker Hatfield’s forgotten Air 180, the return of a classic Kobe Protro 8 colorway, or Brain Dead’s new take on one of Adidas oldest silhouettes.
Unfortunately, if your tastes lean more toward the futuristic, this week is going to leave a lot to be desired. But the month is just getting started and according to the various release calendars of our favorite brands, this month is bringing an avalanche of must-cop sneaker drops. For now, let’s dive into this week’s finest.
A blast from the past, the LD-1000 was first introduced in the late ‘70s and then almost immediately recalled because its flared heel clashed with the needs of runners. Despite the recall and the lack of functionality, the LD-1000 still looks pretty dope so we’re glad Nike has reached into the vaults and brought the silhouette back.
The sneaker features a mixed real and synthetic leather upper with textile accents and a thick tread waffle sole, and a colorway that combines royal blue, bright yellow, white, and black. It’s a dope sneaker, just don’t run in it!
The Nike LD-1000 Game Royal and Opti Yellow is out now for a retail price of $100. Pick up a pair at Nike or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
A classic Dunk colorway returns for a 20th anniversary! If you’re a hardcore Dunk fan you know this legendary colorway as the “Silver Surfer,” but since that shares a name with a superhero, Nike can’t officially call it that. That won’t stop us from calling it by its rightful name though!
The sneaker features a leather upper with textile accents and a mix of Flat Silver, Neutral Grey, Aegean Storm, and Gym Red colors. It’s like a greatest hits collection of some of Nike’s best color tones. This sneaker is a must-pick-up for Dunk fans so expect a challenge when it comes to copping this pair.
The Nike Dunk Low Silver Blue is out now for a retail price of $135. Pick up a pair at Nike.
Nike sure is feeling nostalgic this week. Along with the return of the LD-1000 and Silver Surfer Dunk, the brand is also bringing back one of Tinker Hatfield’s most underappreciated silhouettes — the Air 180. First released in 1991, this running sneaker was revolutionary at the time thanks to its 180-degree Nike Air-equipped heel, which provided runners with more support, bounce, and energy return as they hit the pavement.
But above all else, it just looked f*cking cool, and now the sneaker looks better than ever with this Black and Dusty Cactus colorway. It might not have the legendary status of some of Hatfield’s more well-known designs, but maybe it should!
The Nike Air 180 Black and Dusty Cactus is out now for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.
Donovan Mitchell’s signature Adidas sneaker is getting a new colorway this week — a spacey Aurora Black with Solar Red and Lucid Blue accents. The sneaker features a lightweight textile upper with a mesh insert, internal bootie construction, and Adidas’ patent Lightstrike cushioning. Rounding out the design are reflective details throughout the upper.
The sneaker, with its lightweight construction, was designed for high-speed court play, so if you’re looking for a new performance-focused basketball shoe, look no further! You’ll just have to decide if you’re a big enough Spida fan to rock ‘em.
The Adidas D.O.N. Issue # 6 Spida is out now for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair at Adidas or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
Nike and Supreme are linking up this week for a new Clogposite and we’re more excited than we ever thought we’d be about these two brands dropping a clog. The Clogposite features a mixed rubber, neoprene, and mesh upper with Supreme branding at the heel, and drops in three sporty colorways.
There is something about this design that resembles a racecar to me, and that’s something that I don’t think you can say about any other clog out there on the market. Somehow Supreme and Nike were able to team up to produce something I’d describe as “sleek.” Your move Crocs!
The Supreme x Nike Clogposite is out now for a retail price of $138. Pick up a pair at the Supreme webstore.
The Samba is having a moment right now which means Adidas is always finding new ways to highlight this sneaker. This week they are giving the classic design a tweed makeover, giving the sneaker a sort of college-professor vibe.
This Samba features a Harris tweed upper accented with nubuck and leather overlays, with a leather lining, and a classic gum sole. The colorway is dressed in shades of brown with a cream-colored heel tab and three stripes adding a nice bit of contrast. Despite its stuffy professor vibes, this sneaker looks pretty dope.
The Samba OG Dark Brown/ Cream White/ Gum is out now for a retail price of $150. Pick up a pair at Adidas.
AdidasAdidas
Nike Kobe 8 Protro Lakers Away
GOAT
Price: $190
A classic Kobe colorway returns! Kobe fans have been spoiled with new Protro colorways this year, but those who love the classics will be happy to know that Nike is finally re-releasing some of the most coveted colorways. Our favorite this week is the Kobe 8 Protro Black and Court Purple aka the “Lakers Away.”
The sneaker features a black mesh upper with an embroidered golden swoosh, and purple heel details riding over a React foam midsole. That midsole is a swap of the original, which featured the older Lunarlon foam. That’s a noticeable improvement in terms of comfort, bounce and energy return so we won’t be too hard on Nike for making some changes to the OG.
The Nike Kobe 8 Protro Lakers Away is out now for a retail price of $190. Pick up a pair at Nike or aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.
Adidas and one of our favorite Los Angeles-based streetwear brands, Braid Dead, have teamed up for a revamp of the Stan Smith. The sneaker sports the classic leather upper and liner with a few Brain Dead alterations, like exposed stitching, frayed laces, and the Brain Dead logo punch holes in place of the three stripes.
The sneaker drops in three bold colorways including Shadow Green, Bliss, and Vapour Pink. Our pick for the best colorway from the lineup is undoubtedly the Vapour Pink but you’d be lucky to cop any one of these.
The Brain Dead x Adidas Stan Smith is set to drop on September 7th at 7:00 AM PDT. Pick up a pair at Adidas.
AdidasAdidas
Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.
In the bourbon world, few phrases whet an enthusiast’s appetite and get their juices flowing, like the term “barrel proof.” Whether a brand terms it “cask strength” or labels it “uncut,” what we all know “barrel proof” to mean is a spirit in its purest form. Undiluted and undisturbed by the addition of water, barrel-proof bourbon, in particular, holds a special place among aficionados who embrace the category’s appeal as a 100% additive-free spirit.
As many distillers like to say, the only two things you can add to bourbon are water and more bourbon.
That’s exactly why barrel-proof bourbon is appealing, as it skips the water altogether and offers only more whiskey. While “barrel proof” is not a legally defined term, virtually every distillery worth its salt has an offering that satisfies the hunger for full-strength bourbon. Because of that, there can be a lot of choices to weed through if you’re looking for the absolute best of the best.
That’s why we’re here! We tasted then power ranked the ten best barrel-proof bourbons of 2024 for you.
10. Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon
Old Forester’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon offers the famous distillery’s bourbon as unmodified as possible. While Old Forester’s Whiskey Row Series is always a popular choice for enthusiasts, this single-barrel version is the most sought-after bourbon expression in their regular lineup.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose immediately comes off hot, with an alcohol punch that initially makes it difficult to get at the underlying aromas. Once acclimated to the alcohol burn, a strong banana flambé note fuses with pralines, rich oak, and burnt pie crust. Those fiery notes prepare the palate for a dense, darkly sweet experience in the mouth.
Palate: The intense note of banana flambé finds its way to the palate, and it’s bolstered by dense oak, dark chocolate, and some faint mesquite notes reminiscent of vinegar-based barbecue sauce. The overall flavor profile is brooding, and those flavors are encased in a force field of high-alcohol burn, which admittedly prevents those well-developed layers of flavor from being readily accessible. The mouthfeel is heavy and punctuated by the prickliness of the alcohol burn.
Finish: The finish actually sees some of those flavors escaping their alcohol-heavy enclosure as a bit of dark cherry and juicy orange notes pair up with leather and freshly cracked black pepper throughout the lengthy finish.
Bottom Line:
When Old Forester’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon first hit the market, it was a bit polarizing as the highly anticipated expression dazzled fans of the distillery but came off a bit hot to those unaccustomed to its particular brand of bold flavors. In the intervening years, Old Forester has continued dialing in the flavor profile, establishing this bottle as a robust barrel-proof option to separate itself from its tamer offerings. The hair on your chest will hate to see this one coming, but your palate will welcome it heartily.
9. Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels
Angel’s Envy Cask Strenght Bourbon, now in its 11th iteration, takes some of the most distinctive barrels in the brand’s portfolio and sees them finished in barrels that previously held port wine for up to 14 months. At full cask-strength, this release and the brand’s cask-strength rye are typically the highest-proofed expressions you can expect from Angel’s Envy each year.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Nutty port tones create the aroma of umami, chilled black cherries, and freshly polished leather on the nose. It immediately comes across as rich and displays a depth of flavor that draws you into the glass, beckoning an initial sip.
Palate: The whiskey is at first demure, and it lures you into exploring further until it bursts unexpectedly at midpalate with rich cherry notes, leather, peanut shell, and chewy ginger cookies. The mouthfeel is dense, allowing all of that flavor to fully blossom on a bed of mature oak, cooked apples, vanilla, and black pepper spice.
Finish: The finish is impressively lengthy, showcasing more of a cherry undertone with dense oak, milk chocolate chips, and clove rising in prominence until it’s all gone.
Bottom Line:
Angel’s Envy Cask Strength is a pricy expression that proves its mettle by plumbing a depth of flavor far beyond the reach of most other bourbons on the market today. By serenading you with a muted siren’s song up front, this whiskey crashes against your palate with syrupy red berries and all of the hallmarks of mature oak, which will leave you floating on waves of lip-smacking flavor.
Stagg, formerly known as Stagg Jr., is the younger, more commonly found member of the George T. Stagg lineup. Named after the founder of the George T. Stagg Distillery, which is what Buffalo Trace was called before their 1999 rebranding, this bourbon is released in semi-regular batches at full cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on Stagg is brash with vinegar-based barbeque sauce, brown sugar, and oak, making the initial impression. There are also aroma notes of caramel, bruised peaches, and palo alto emanating from the glass, with a faint grape note, leather, and cocoa bringing up the rear.
Palate: Stagg always comes across as bold immediately on the palate, and this batch is no exception, with its high ABV streaking down the center of the tongue before the flavors diffuse over the palate. Among those flavors, you’ll count black cherry, allspice, caramel, vanilla, tamarind, and tobacco leaf as chief among them, though a substantive oak backing isn’t lagging far behind. Overall, it isn’t overly hot, thanks partly to its viscous texture, which seems to curb some of the ethanol’s bite, allowing the flavors to develop more fully.
Finish: On the finish, there is some freshly cracked pepper, black tea, and milk chocolate, though the oak is the most prevalent note to be found. The finish is medium-to-long and trails off slowly but satisfyingly with a kick of charred red pepper.
Bottom Line:
We can debate whether or not contemporary bourbon drinkers are waning in their thirst for full-throated, proofy pours, but what isn’t up for debate is whether or not Stagg fits the bill for such a consumer. This incredibly bold bourbon goes beyond the flash and provides substantive flavor and a surprisingly buttery mouthfeel almost every time. This 24A batch offers slight variations on the theme, but overall, it sticks to the classic framework that makes each batch of Stagg Bourbon so beloved.
Barrell Bourbon has been hitting home runs with its barrel-proof bourbon series, and with this fresh label redesign gracing its latest release, it’s looking to use that fresh look to usher in an even more impressive new chapter. This cask-strength blend of straight bourbon whiskey features 9-year bourbon from Kentucky, 7.5, 8, and 10-year bourbon from Indiana, plus some 8 and 15-year bourbon from Tennessee.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Red apples, salted caramel, and an intriguing radicchio note come through on the nose. Given some time to rest, this bourbon also develops some juicy plum with a touch of leather and clove. This is remarkably well-balanced, and the aroma of orange rind comes through as well.
Palate: The juicy orange flavor comes through on the palate along with some chocolate truffle dust and a steely midpalate, reminiscent of touching your tongue on silver glassware. A bit of bright cherry also bursts at midpalate with some sweet doughiness similar to the sweet gooeyness of a kouign-amann pastry.
Finish: The finish is flush with orange citrus notes that come across as sweet without the slight tartness that can, at times, be off-putting. Throughout the lengthy send-off, there’s plenty of caramel with a touch of thyme, and it all comes across as rather defined, rewarding, extended savoring.
Bottom Line:
A few months back, Barrell’s Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 36 placed in the top three of our “best new bourbons to buy this summer” list, and after facing off against some of these other heavy hitters, it’s easy to see why. This is one of the best batches of barrel-proof bourbon that the brand has ever released. Take advantage of the fact that it’s sitting on shelves at a reasonable price right now.
6. Nashville Barrel Company 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon “Nashville Nights”
Nashville Barrel Company has established itself as one of the boldest, most badass NDP brands on the market, and they have their superlative whiskey to thank. NBC is short on marketing gimmicks but long on robust, flavorful single-barrel offerings.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This bourbon from Nashville Barrel Company leads with an intense nose of raspberries, allspice, and Mexican hot chocolate. The cinnamon and chocolate notes fuse well with the mature oak aromas this one gives off, making it an intoxicating pour to explore on the nose.
Palate: The robust flavor of raspberries and honey pops with freshly cracked black pepper and a touch of butterscotch and clove. Wow, this is a pour that genuinely has some zip. Each sip burrows that bounty of flavors deeper into your palate as its deft combination of well-integrated proof and slick viscousness work to showcase just how high each note can soar.
Finish: The finish on this Nashville Nights single barrel is lengthy and delicious. It’s both a display of decadent sweetness and restrained baking spice that makes it a marvel.
Bottom Line:
Nashville Barrel Company is housing some truly remarkable liquid in the Volunteer State. If they can continue to release single-barrels that reach the heights of this superlative one-off, I’d like to volunteer to taste several more of them personally. This is a brand you should have firmly planted on your radar.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is often heralded as the single best value in all of bourbon. Why? Because it’s a consistent product, released three times a year, that clocks in at full barrel strength and aged for at least 11 years. This year’s “B” Batch, B524, was aged for 11 years and two months.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: My initial nosing notes say, “This is just dope.” I hope that begins to explain what’s going on here. The aroma of buttery croissants and cinnamon reaches the nose, along with some hazelnut spread, sticky toffee, and honey brioche buns.
Palate: The palate finds earthy toasted almond notes coming together with decadent dark chocolate and more buttery, flaky, croissant flavors. Excuse my French, but pain au chocolat ain’t got shit on this. The texture is well-fused and oily, which causes it to stick to your teeth despite the high-octane proof point, which makes this one dangerous pour.
Finish: The finish is pretty lengthy and introduces a bit of walnut meat, hazelnut, and a few shakes of clove and nutmeg to the palate. All in all, it’s a really satisfying send-off.
Bottom Line:
Even when it isn’t at its best, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is one of the best bourbons on the market. Rest assured, after a polarizing “A” batch earlier this year, Elijah Craig is back on its “A” game for 2024’s second release, making it one of the premier barrel-proof bourbons to hunt down right now.
4. Colonel E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 12
E.H. Taylor Jr. Barrel Proof Bourbon is the pinnacle of the E.H. Taylor range, bottled at cask strength and released in annual batches. Batch 13 of E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof Bourbon is expected later this year, but this is fall 2023’s batch 12.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the nose, there’s a distinct vinegar-based barbeque note that comes through, along with cornbread, cinnamon, and cocktail cherries. It’s a complex assortment of aromas that begin a bit muddled, but because they bleed together, it makes it more intriguing to tease them out.
Palate: The palate very much holds true to the nose’s indications that this would be a densely packed pour with secrets to uncover. In the mouth, the flavors of Manuka honey and cocktail cherries become evident but elusive, weaving in and out of perception behind layers of mature oak, vanilla cone, allspice, and tobacco leaf.
Finish: The finish is long and heavily dominated by baking spices like allspice and cinnamon, while the sweet cocktail cherry flavors from earlier in the sip power through to the end, offering balance.
Bottom Line:
E.H. Taylor Jr. Barrel Proof Bourbon is one of the most underrated whiskeys in Buffalo Trace’s entire portfolio. While, yes, like most of their range of products, this bourbon is highly sought-after and only infrequently available, it truly deserves a wider reputation for delivering a flavor experience that is on par with the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
Kings County is New York City’s oldest distillery, and its experience is fully reflected in its Barrel-Strength Bourbon. For its premier undiluted offering, the brand uses some of its oldest barrels, which are aged between 4 and 7 years.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Green grape skin and brown sugar are striking at first, but wait…there’s more. Enter the custard with lemon zest, black pepper, nutmeg, Brazil nuts, and honey to add to the depth.
Palate: The flavor of corn pudding, honey, and golden raisins splash across the palate, adding surprising levity to the dense and dark liquid in the glass. It coats your palate at once and beckons the back of your tastebuds to explore more as each sip slowly dissipates.
Finish: The finish is incredibly long-lasting, and it’s there that you’ll find more baking spices and barrel char to corral those sweeter top notes.
Bottom Line:
It’s well-known by now that Kings County produces bourbon that can punch above its weight on the national scene. If more people were to try the best of their bourbon — and these barrel-strength releases are definitely among the best of their bourbon — next to some of Kentucky’s heavyweights, I have no doubt that Kings County would hold its own.
Fortuna Barrel Proof Bourbon is the pinnacle of the revived Fortuna brand from Rare Character. Always aged for at least seven years, the bourbon is sourced from an undisclosed distillery in Kentucky and blended in three-to-five barrel lots.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with boozy cocktail cherries, cinnamon bark, rich oak tones, and even a hint of mocha. After a wave of the hand, as the liquid tumbles around your glass, aerating it will reveal further aromas of butterscotch, black pepper, cacao nibs, and strawberry jam.
Palate: The nosing notes offer a solid roadmap for what follows on the palate as blackberry jam replaces the strawberries found on the nose while cinnamon, almond extract, dense oak, and sticky toffee run rampant on the tongue. The texture is robust and offers a fullness that allows each flavor to present itself distinctly, revealing its impressive richness.
Finish: The finish is long-lasting and introduces clove, freshly grated ginger, and black pepper for one final baking spice sizzle before the syrupy black cherry notes leave a sweet final impression.
Bottom Line:
Fortuna Barrel Proof entered the market with a splash, immediately challenging the supremacy of several cask-strength stalwarts on this list. Now, nearly a year after its introduction to the market, it’s become clear that it isn’t just beginner’s luck that warrants its place in the conversation. Fortuna Barrel Proof Bourbon is quickly becoming an implacable answer to the question of the best barrel-proof bourbon on the market.
Booker’s The Reserves is a new, annual limited-release series from Jim Beam by Freddie Noe to commemorate his grandfather and Beam’s 6th Generation Master Distiller, Booker Noe. This elevated take on classic Booker’s bourbon features a more limited blend of 8 to 14-year-old barrels drawn from the same center cut of the warehouse that Booker himself always favored.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this whiskey really socks it to you at first with a surprising initial richness. It leaps out of the glass with enchanting floral notes, French vanilla, stewed plums, and ripe grapes. After a few waves of the hand, it turns a tad more savory with clove and dates.
Palate: Dense oak tones crash against the sumptuous flavors of dark chocolate, French vanilla, and dates when you first sip this bourbon. Some black cherries appear at midpalate, along with polished leather and a slightly dusty quality that adds depth. As for the mouthfeel, it’s full-bodied and anxiously coats your palate for the duration of each sip, remaining slow to recede through the finish.
Finish: The finish on this bourbon is medium to long, and that affords it plenty of runway space to allow the French vanilla and date flavors to stick around while a slight uptick in black pepper can be found before it fully dissipates.
Bottom Line:
Booker’s The Reserves is just one of a plethora of new releases from Jim Beam this year, and I’m confident that it is the best of the bunch. With plenty of heat to please the proof hounds and a full-bodied mouthfeel to satiate those looking for the incredible depth of flavor cask strength bourbon is known for, this release checks all the boxes and succeeds in elevating standard Booker’s while remaining true to its creator’s vision.
It’s difficult to consider Netflix’s The Sandman without also acknowledging the saga’s long path to being a Netflix series. For 30 years, the comic book series has had both a profound and a highly individualized effect upon millions of readers who watched a stream of other Neil Gaiman adaptations come and go. The author has also been forthright about fending off many attempts to bring his most enduring creation to life off the page. Then the pandemic hit, and an Audible version carved out a window to complete the saga’s graphic novel volumes, and in 2022, a long-gestating Netflix series was so well-received that a bonus episode (which might hit differently now) was offered after the fact.
That renewal likely almost didn’t happen, since the show is so expensive to make with endless (as opposed to The Endless siblings) post-production phases. Yet positive news did arrive, and the wait began for filming completion amid strike-related interruptions, followed by ongoing VFX phases.
Fast forward to now, and Netflix has suggested that more news about The Sandman will come during this month’s Geeked Week, but there are complicating factors at work. Last week, the Dead Boy Detectivesspin off was cancelled after that show’s rabid audience apparently wasn’t large enough to sustain more. So, The Sandman characters who did crossover cameos will now make their sole home on the flagship series for however long it lasts.
Is there more trouble on the horizon, though? Variety recently reported that “Disney is hitting pause” on a planned Graveyard book movie from director Marc Forster. While reporting this development, the trade news publication referred to sexual assault allegations (against Gaiman), reported by Tortoise Media, that are the subject of an ongoing investigation in New Zealand. Variety also specifies that Graveyard Book‘s movie has not been cancelled entirely, but Disney declined to comment on the subject when contacted.
For that and other wide-ranging reasons, those who watched Netflix’s The Sandman await updates, so let’s talk about what we know.
Cast
A crop of new Endless siblings will join the second season. They include Delirium (Esmé Creed-Miles of Prime Video/Amazon’s Hanna), Destiny (Adrian Lester of BBC One’s Hustle), and the estranged “The Prodigal”/Destruction (Barry Sloane of Longmire).
They join returning siblings Dream/Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), and Desire (Mason Alexander Park).
The series also stars Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer and Patton Oswalt as Matthew the Raven. There’s no word on whether the TV show will bump up The Corinthian’s return plan vs. the graphic novels, so that we can see Boyd Holbrook again. Never say never in a realm of non-linear storytelling.
Plot
Various hints indicted that The Sandman‘s second season would largely adapt the fourth graphic novel, Season of Mists, while introducing a revolving door of characters. Additionally, Redanian Intelligence reported episode titles that promised more of Gwendoline Christie’s Lucifer, hopefully to get more face-time against Tom Sturridge’s Dream/Morpheus:
– “The Song of Orpheus”
– “More Devils Than Vast Hell Can Hold”
– “Brief Lives”
– “Family Blood”
– “The Ruler of Hell”
– “Season of Mists”
Gaiman previously confirmed that Lucifer’s revenge would be a major component to the season, and “we’re going to be having the rematch and Morpheus is going to be going back to hell.” We should also expect to see plenty of Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s Death, especially after the warm fan reception to her also-warm version of the character.
In light of the cancellation of Dead Boy Detectives, we should not expect the hypothesized spin off with Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman) to happen. A spin off for the terminally popular Death might not be entirely off the table if the second series receives as much viewership as the debut, but we simply do not know the outcome of other involved factors, or what will figure into Netflix’s thought process on whether a third season will happen.
Release Date
No precise release date has been articulated yet, but Netflix previewed a Geeked Week trailer that suggests we will be hearing more between Sept. 16-19.
Trailer
Ditto the above date range on possible footage and/or a teaser.
Since we don’t have a trailer yet, let’s look back at Dream’s enduring friendship with Hob, which really should have been discussed more when The Sandman first debuted on Netflix.
For a bonus, here is Dream being cute (don’t tell anybody — he has an a-hole reputation to uphold) with Dream.
“Moi,” Central Cee’s ode to the tough times, and celebration of overcoming them.
Flo Milli’s “Wet Dreams,” which arrived with a suitably NSFW video.
And Megan The Stallion’s latest international team-up, “Neva Play,” which pairs her with Korean pop sensation RM.
Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending Friday, September 6, 2024.
Albums/EPs/Mixtapes
Chow Lee — Sex Drive
Chow Lee
Delayed for a few weeks, Chow Lee’s new album arrives to continue the summer of sexy drill kicked off by his partner-in-rhyme, Cash Cobain. Operating in the same sophomorically horny mode, Chow offers 19 tracks, with guest spots from Cash, Bay Swag, Anycia, and Flo Milli.
G Herbo — Big Swerv
G Herbo
After avoiding jail time in his fraud case, the Windy City veteran aims to bounce back with a new set of 14 tracks, bringing along a list of friends including 21 Savage, BabyDrill, Chief Keef, Rob49, Sexyy Red, and Skilla Baby for the ride.
LL Cool J — The FORCE
LL Cool J
At 56 years old and 14 albums deep, LL Cool J’s legacy is cemented — which means that now, he’s just playing for the love of the game. That’s a good thing for hip-hop fans, because it means LL is reaching deep into his bag, sharpening his skills, employing fellow Queens native Q-Tip for production, and tapping guests ranging from peers like Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Nas, and Snoop Dogg to contemporary hitmakers Eminem, Rick Ross, and Saweetie.
Singles/Videos
Boldy James — “Super Mario”
This might be the most Detroit I’ve heard Boldy sound in months. Chalk that up to Antt Beatz’s production, which pairs precisely with James’ laconic flow.
Connie Diiamond — “Let Me See Something” Feat. Dusty Locane
Earlier this week, I wrote about how women in rap have BEEN spitting, but how fans have downplayed their contributions. Exhibit A: Connie Diiamond, who offers exactly the lyrically-focused, hard-edged street rap certain heads say they want, but somehow conveniently manage to overlook or forget about when it comes time to support women in rap. It’s almost like it’s really just about putting women down in general.
Lola Brooke — “No One Else” Feat. Jeremih
Exhibit B, and you can’t even lie and say this one’s too new for you to have heard of. Lola Brooke had a solid viral run with “Don’t Play With It,” but has since seen her popularity wane — which doesn’t make any sense, because the quality of her raps and her beat selections have remained consistent. “No One Else” nods to hip-hop’s Golden Era while remaining very modern sounding, anchored by a smooth flow and velvet vocals from Jeremih.
Powers Pleasant — “Shmoke” Feat. Ferg & Armani Caesar
The former Beast Coast producer tries his hand at the Jersey club style that’s been dominating the airwaves, combining it with good ol’ NY club horns and aggressive performances from Harlemite Ferg and Griselda first lady Armani Caesar, who has proven to be versatile as hell.
Quavo — “If I Fall” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign
You know, I wouldn’t have pegged Quavo for a guy to appear on the Transformers soundtrack, but if this is the beginning of a hard nerd turn for the Atlanta hitmaker, I’d be down! Have him show up at WWE events and comic conventions, start streaming video games on Twitch, and showing off his vinyl figure collection — heck, it worked for T-Pain.
Rome Streetz — “Starbvxkz” Feat. Daringer
You know what you’re getting when it comes to Griselda affiliates: Gritty, double entendre-riddled street raps over some of the grimiest production you’re likely to hear in modern hip-hop. This single comes from Rome and Daringer’s joint project, Hatton Garden Holdup, due for release on October 4.
Samara Cyn — “Chrome”
Exhibit C! Look, man, my point is, there’s plenty of different approaches to rap, and women are handling all of them well. If you can’t find any to like, consider that maybe you’re just a misogynist — then go to therapy and work on that, because that’s not cool. Samara Cyn continues to edge her way into my continued affection, meanwhile, building on the goodwill she built up with the soulful “Moving Day” and “Katana.”
Wale — “Ghetto Speak”
Our boy from the DMV is back with two new singles this week, putting out a video for the bluesy “Ghetto Speak.” With all the focus on bars being back this year, it’s only right that Wale should be rolling out another project to remind those who only know him for “Diced Pineapples” that he was easily in the running alongside peers like Drake, Kendrick, Cole, Sean, and KRIT, and shouldn’t be left out of any conversation involving wordplay experts to this day.
The first song on Gap Year, viral star Laila!‘s first-ever full-length release, is the appropriately themed “Talent Show.” Framed as — and perhaps even recorded during — a talent show performance, the song opens with Laila! introducing herself to a chattering audience before captivating them with her quiet, crisp vocals and precocious poise.
That’s a fitting way to introduce both the song — and Laila! herself — to an audience intrigued by the 18-year-old’s breakout… and her biography. Born Laila Smith in Brooklyn, New York, she had a massive legacy in the world of hip-hop, even before her song “Not My Problem” took over TikTok algorithms earlier this year. As fans clamored to learn more about her origins, they discovered the most surprising provenance for her prodigious talent: her dad, Yasiin Bey, also known as Mos Def.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Laila! herself downplayed the familial connection prior to her come-up; although we’re technically about three generations deep into hip-hop’s 50-year history and therefore awash in second-generation rap success stories — think Jaden Smith, Destroy Lonely, Domani Harris, and Coi Leray — it’s still considered something of a drawback to have a well-known artist parent in pursuit of music stardom.
On Gap Year, Laila! firmly establishes that she never needed a leg up in the first place — “Not My Problem” and its predecessor, “Like That!” were viral faves even before anyone knew her pops made “Ms. Fat Booty” — displaying a strong artistic identity of her own. If there was any established star that she could be said to draw from stylistically, a solid argument could be made that she’s been inspired more by Solange Knowles.
The melodies and self-produced instrumentals of tracks like “R U Down?” and “Could Be” bear similar stylistic hallmarks to tracks from Knowles’ 2016 project A Seat at the Table and its 2019 follow-up When I Get Home. Stripped-down production, stacked, stock synths, and vocal melodies halfway between hums and hymns define Laila!’s approach; when she does rap, it’s in more contemporary styles than her father’s “fluid even in staccato” flow.
Of course, the elder Smith’s extensive experiences with the business of rap could lend themselves to accelerating Laila!’s success — or at least, keeping her away from the pitfalls that often delay, derail, or outright destroy peers’ musical aspirations. From all appearances, Laila!’s pursuing her career as an independent artist — for now — so any advice or protection is even more invaluable as she navigates the music business.
But “Not My Problem,” as far as anyone can tell, was a hit because listeners loved it — as evidenced by Cash Cobain sampling it on his own megamix, “Problem.” Likewise, while some curiosity about Laila!’s connections may have helped fuel the anticipation and enthusiasm for her debut, the most important connections for her now will be the ones with her fans. Gap Year will go a long way toward forging those bonds, and proves she’s got the talent to stand on her own, well outside her legendary dad’s shadow.
Nostalgia sequels are great when you are a longtime fan of a movie, but if you’ve never seen Beetlejuice, all of this Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hype surely means nothing to you. So if you’re trying to keep up with all the demure trends, you might as well watch the first and see what all the fuss is about.
The original move hit theaters in 1988 and helped launch Winona Ryder into superstardom and bring the goth girls front and center. Ryder stars as Lydia, a stubborn teen who moves into a haunted home with her family. Eventually, Beetlejuice, played by Michael Keaton, is summoned and all hell literally breaks loose. Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, and Catherine O’Hara also star.
You can stream Beetlejuice, directed by Tim Burton, on Max and Hulu.
Burton said he returned to the Beetlejuice universe after 36 years because he needed that time to figure out what exactly Lydia would be up to. “It’s been asked from the very beginning, but nothing clicked. Truly, it couldn’t have happened until now,” he told Collider, explaining that he wanted to revisit Lydia all these years later and didn’t want to rush it. “It’s not something I could have done back then; it’s only something you could do once you experience those things yourself.”
There’s a Taylor Swift lyric for every occasion. Feeling down after a long day at work? “Shake it off.” Breaking up with an ex-, this time for good? “We are never, ever, ever getting back together.” Suddenly realize 10 minutes into what you thought was your first viewing of Alien Resurrection that you already watched the movie when it first came out but it was so boring that you forgot everything about the plot? “I think I’ve seen this film before.”
If you’re Jacob Elordi (and lucky you if you are), there’s even a Taylor Swift lyric to describe the plot of your new movie.
On Swift Horses — not to be confused with Swift’s “White Horse” — stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Will Poulter as Muriel and Lee, a newlywed couple in the 1950s whose life of domestic bliss is interrupted by Lee’s Vietnam War veteran brother, Julius (Elordi). According to Deadline, “A dangerous love triangle is quickly formed,” but before anything can happen, Julius moves to Las Vegas and begins a romantic relationship with a male co-worker, Henry (Diego Luna).
Still, what about that spark between him and Muriel?
“The first scenes that we filmed were the scenes we had together, so we got all of that done with — when we were apart, we had put the groundwork in,” Edgar-Jones told Vanity Fair about the character dynamics in the film, to which Elordi added, “I believe Taylor Swift calls it an invisible string.”
Deep down, I always knew Jacob Elordi was a folklore fan. Good luck finding a cardigan that will fit him, though.
On Swift Horses premieres at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7.
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