As Los Angeles’ wildfires continue to burn — and firefighters bring them under control — the city’s music community has begun to count up the heavy toll. In addition to the studios where some of music’s biggest albums were recorded, many stars’ homes were also lost to the fires, including singer Jhené Aiko and producer Madlib.
The producer, who has worked with such names as Freddie Gibbs, Mac Miller, MF DOOM, and more, announced the loss in a crowdfunding campaign post, revealing that Madlib’s family has lost “their home, decades of music, and equipment in the devastating LA fires.”
The past several years have revealed that, contrary to popular belief, most musicians and other entertainers don’t necessarily live the lives of comfortable luxury that their fans often assume they do. The fires that have destroyed so much over the past week highlighted how such losses can create setbacks for artists who rely on continual output to support themselves and their families — as well as the workers in the entertainment industry whose livelihoods depend on performing the basic administration and logistics of getting that work in front of the public. That the damage has come so soon after the equally destructive pandemic shutdowns only exacerbates the harm these disasters have caused.
Here’s everything we know about the Thailand-set season of the anthology series, including plot details, the cast, and a premiere date.
Plot
Let’s begin with the official logline for The White Lotus season 3, courtesy of HBO: “The social satire is set at an exclusive Thai resort and follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week.”
So true. If there’s one thing The White Lotus loves, it’s exploits, whether it’s scary teens or ginormous dongs or “these gays, they’re trying to murder me.” Beyond that, however, the new season will be “a satirical and funny look at death and eastern religion and spirituality,” according to creator Mike White. He also toldEntertainment Weekly that “it’s going to be a supersized White Lotus. It’s going to be longer, bigger, crazier. I don’t know what people will think, but I am super excited, so at least for my own barometer, that’s a good thing… I’m super excited about the content of the season.”
Jennifer Coolidge isn’t expected to return following the events of season 2 finale, but Natasha Rothwell is reprising her role as spa manager Belinda from season 1. “I gasped out loud a minimum of five times, and this was just me reading them,” she told Vanity Fair about reading the scripts. “The scripts are a testament to Mike’s skill and ability to tell the most smart and entertaining stories. I mean, everything that he does is like a lesson to me as an actor and a performer. And as a writer myself, he takes folks on a journey. Everyone needs to buckle up, because it’s going to get real!”
The cast hasn’t given many specifics about season 3, other than it’s “extraordinary,”“really special,” and, according to Carrie Coon, “very, very challenging.” She continued, pointing towards :a lot of obstacles because we had to keep moving around every time there was bad weather. I think we moved around nine times, so the logistics were tough because who wants to see rainy, cold Thailand?” But hey, at least she got to hang out with Lisa!
-Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, and Michelle Monaghan as Kate, Laurie, and Jaclyn, three long-time friends who reunite on a girls’ trip
-Walton Goggins as Rick, “a rugged man with a chip on his shoulder,” and Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea, his much younger girlfriend
-Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey as rich couple Timothy and Victoria Ratliff, and Sarah Catherine Hook, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Sam Nivola as their kids, religion studies major Piper, nepo son Saxon, and high school senior Lochlan
-Lalisa Manobal (a.k.a. Blackpink’s Lisa) as health mentor Mook
-Lek Patravadi as Sritala, “one of the owners of The White Lotus and the visionary behind its wellness program”
-Tayme Thapthimthong as security officer Gaitok
-Natasha Rothwell as Belinda, returning from season 1.
Release Date
The White Lotus season 3 premieres on HBO and Max on February 16. Happy belated Valentine’s Day!
Trailer
Check out The White Lotus season 3 teaser trailer below.
Julien Baker and Torres are up to something, although at this point, it’s not entirely clear what. They’ve performed live together (including on The Tonight Show) and released the song “Sugar In The Tank,” but a joint album hasn’t been announced yet.
Given all their goings-on, though, it would seem one is on the way. Well, that confirmation isn’t here yet, but today (January 13), the pair shared a video for “Sugar In The Tank.” The fun visual sees the pair performing for a group of line dancers, and the clip was made in partnership with queer country dance party Stud Country.
In a statement, Baker and Torres said of the video, “We were really honored that the Stud Country folks were willing to have fun with us and prepare this line dance for the song! Everyone involved is so talented and they were patient and sweet with us while we learned the moves. For us it’s particularly special to find someplace and some people to do cowboy sh*t with here in NYC.”
Stud Country co-founder Sean Monaghan also said, “We were so excited to cast people from our community including Geo [Jedlicka] who has been dancing in NYC for three decades. Having established artists like Julien and Torres, who’ve actually been to our events, collaborate with us during this country revival is incredible.”
While Lonzo Ball returned to the Chicago Bulls this year after missing two full seasons due to injury and LaMelo Ball is one of the top vote getters among Eastern Conference All-Stars, the Ball brother who has gotten headline after headline over the last month is the one who is not currently in the NBA. LiAngelo Ball has blown up in recent weeks due to his song “Tweakers,” with the track going from something you heard on TikTok to a fixture in locker rooms across the world of sports.
This has led to Ball, who performs under the name Gelo, getting some pretty remarkable opportunities, like a spot on the lineup for Rolling Loud California this March. And now, one of the biggest labels in music wants to get in on the fun, as it was reported on The Breakfast Club that Ball got signed to an $8 million deal by Def Jam. Not long after, Shams Charania of ESPN confirmed the report, and added some context to what Ball is getting from the label.
“LiAngelo Ball has signed a deal with Def Jam and Universal Music Group, a representative from his label Born2Ball Music Group says,” Charania wrote on Twitter. “Sources said the deal is worth as much as $13 million, with $8 million guaranteed, and gives Ball full ownership of music and his own record label.”
Ball recently received praise from the man widely regarded as the best rapper in the NBA, Damian Lillard, who praised “Tweakers” during a postgame interview.
Psych-rock trio Khruangbin saw their most successful year yet in 2024, releasing their fourth studio album, A LA SALA, and playing to the biggest crowds of their career on the accompanying tour. They look to carry that success into 2025 with a global extension of the A LA SALA tour, the dates of which they announced today alongside a video for the single, “Pon Pon.”
Tickets for the 2025 dates go on sale Friday, January 17 at 10 AM local time, while Khru Club presales begin on Tues, January 14. You can purchase tickets and find more information here. You can watch the video for “Pon Pon” above and see the tour dates below.
Khruangbin 2025 A LA SALA Tour Dates
02/20 – Christchurch, NZ @ Christchurch Town Hall^
02/22 – Christchurch, NZ @ Electric Avenue Music Festival
02/25 – Melbourne, VIC @ MCA%
02/26 – Melbourne, VIC @ MCA%
03/2 – Brisbane, QLD @ Riverstage%
03/5 – Sydney, NSW @ Hordern Pavilion%
03/6 – Sydney, NSW @ Hordern Pavilion%
03/7 – Sydney, NSW @ Hordern Pavilion%
03/10 — Adelaide, SA @ WOMADelaide
04/9 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie *
04/12 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion *
04/15 – Charleston, SC @ Firefly Distillery *
04/16 – St. Augustine, FL @ The St. Augustine Amphitheatre *
04/18 – Clearwater, FL @ The BayCare Sound *
04/19 – Miami, FL @ FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park *
04/22 — Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater *
04/23 – Austin, TX @ Moody Amphitheater *
05/18 – San Diego, CA @ Wonderfront Festival
05/21 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl #
05/22 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl #
05/23-25 – Napa Valley, CA @ Bottlerock Festival
05/24 — Buena Vista Lake, CA @ Lightning in a Bottle Festival
05/27 – Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater #
05/28 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Holmes Amphitheater #
05/29 – Boise, ID @ Outlaw Field at Idaho Botanical Garden #
05/31 – Denver, CO @ The Outside Festival
06/20 – Highmount, NY @ Mountain Jam Festival
06/21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE Outdoors #
06/22 – Rothbury, MI @ Electric Forest Festival
06/24 – Shelburne, VT @ Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green #
06/27 – Boston, MA @ The Stage at Suffolk Downs #
06/28 – Hartford, CT @ The Capitol Groove Festival
06/29 – Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point #
08/6 – Oslo, Norway @ Oya Festival
08/7 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Syd for Solen
08/8 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ Way Out West Festival
08/10 — Helsinki, Finland @ Flow Festival
08/15 – London, United Kingdom @ Gunnersbury Park^^
08/19 – Cologne, Germany @ Tanzbrunnen
08/24 – Halifax, United Kingdom @ The Piece Hall
08/26 – Istanbul, Turkey @ Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre
08/27 – Istanbul, Turkey @ Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre
09/12-14 — Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond Festival
^ With Troy Kingi & The Galactic Chiropractors
% With Hermanos Gutiérrez
* With Helado Negro
^^ With TV On The Radio
# With John Carroll Kirby
Mike McCarthy’s tenure as Dallas Cowboys head coach has come to an end after five seasons and a 49-35 record, as NFL media’s Tom Pelissero reported on Monday that the two sides could not agree to terms on a new contract and McCarthy will look elsewhere for a new coaching job.
McCarthy took the Cowboys to the playoffs three times in his five seasons at the helm, but went 1-3 in the postseason and never got past the Divisional round. Still, there was clearly some interest from Dallas in retaining McCarthy, but they apparently weren’t willing to give him the long-term commitment he was seeking and so he will look for a new opportunity in coaching free agency. That feels like the right thing for both parties, as the Cowboys and McCarthy seemed stuck in a rut of sorts — his five years in Dallas felt more like a decade.
The Cowboys blocked McCarthy from interviewing with the Chicago Bears last week, so one would assume he will now speak with the Bears about their opening, while the Jets, Saints, Jaguars, and Raiders are all also looking for a new head coach. As for the Cowboys, one would assume they will get in the mix for any of the top current assistants but also, knowing Jerry Jones, explore options for an established head coach with a big name at either the pro or college level. At minimum, we will get one more round of Deion Sanders to the NFL rumors.
Robbie Williams‘ off-the-wall biopicBetter Man might not be doing especially well stateside — a symptom of Williams’ relative anonymity in the US — but a pair of those few fans he has in America got a real treat at a recent screening of the unusual film in New York City. During a Q&A event, a fan asked Williams to officiate his wedding and the leopard-print coat clad, Slurpee-slurping star said “yes.”
Tweets from the event (as collected by Stereogum) provided photos and video of the surprise ceremony, noting that Williams is actually an ordained minister, so if the paperwork is in order, that marriage is likely to be more solid than some others come the next session of the Supreme Court (sorry to remind you that we live in a dumpster fire of a country that hates anyone who isn’t white, straight, or a dude).
Meanwhile, Williams continues to tread a rough road otherwise in this fair confederation of squabbling governments. The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences removed Williams’ song “Forbidden Road” from the shortlist for the Academy Awards this year, where it would have been nominated for Best Original Song. The reasoning? It “incorporates material from an existing song that was not written,” making it technically ineligible for the award, despite other shows like the Golden Globes allowing it. Poor Robbie; I guess he’ll have to console himself with the mountains of money he’s made from his otherwise ludicrously successful music career, what with the world not revolving around us Yanks. Congrats to the happy couple.
Now that we are into 2025, we are just months away from the start of a new era of NBA television, as NBC and Amazon get set to join ESPN as the league’s national TV partners starting with the 2025-26 season. NBC has already begun running promos for their return to the NBA space, running a new ad spot with Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Victor Wembanyama during their NFL Playoff games, while Amazon has announced the first three hires for their new studio show.
Taylor Rooks will host the show with Dirk Nowitzki and Blake Griffin joining as analysts, as Amazon seems to be taking a similar approach to how they built their NFL studio show, leaning on recently retired players rather than longtime media veterans. Griffin recently joined Carmelo Anthony on his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast and explained why he is excited about the job and how he hopes to be more pro-player than other shows and “bridge the gap” between players and fans. He brought up, specifically, how he expects their show to differ from Inside the NBA (starting at the 10:30 mark of the video).
“Well first of all, I think the TNT show with Shaq, Chuck and those guys, it’s probably one of the best sports shows of all-time. To me, they’re just talkin sh*t. There’s not a lot of analysis,” Griffin said. “I mean that — it’s a great show, I’m not talkin’ sh*t. [They proceed to poke fun at Shaq and Chuck]… But what I’m excited to do is, I’m pretty fresh out. You know, the game changes, there’s always a new wrinkle that comes into the game every single year. Like, you come back and the coaches are like, we’re not doubling from the wing anymore, we’re doubling across. There’s always a new wrinkle. So for me, bringing analysis that’s current is a thing that I’m excited about. And also, like, being pro-player. Like you know how hard it is to go out every single night. You have off days you have off games, so to be able to bridge the gap between NBA fans and players and say, listen, did he have a bad game, yeah, he’ll be the first one to tell you he had a bad game. And to not do this thing where, oh he was doggin it tonight, but to explain like what’s going on. They played 4 in 5. That’s not easy, you know, they’re tired.”
He then got pressed by Monica McNutt about critiquing players and teams being part of the job, and explained how he will approach that but wants to do so in a more nuanced way.
“I think there’s a way to do it, though,” Griffin said. “Like, people sh*t on Rudy Gobert. … So here’s my take on this, Steph Curry, one of the best players of all-time, the thing that made Golden State so good is their defense was elite. You know what they did better than anyone else? Is they figured out a way to hide him, whenever people tried to pick on him, nope, somebody’s stepping up, somebody’s rotating, they’re shrinking the floor, they’re making calculated decisions on how to maximize him defensively. To me, the same thing should happen with Rudy Gobert. Don’t put him on an island with Luka. Figure out a scheme. As a coach, that’s all you do. Figure out a scheme. So maximize your defensive player and make him look good. So I’m not a guy who’s like, Rudy Gobert, he can’t do this. No, you figure out how to maximize his strengths and to downplay his weaknesses, cause we all have them. That’s how you talk about sports, and yes I can critique him and say like — by the way, no one can guard Luka. Why are you leaving him on an island? You’re gonna switch 1 through 5 at the end of the game?
I think this is certainly how Griffin and the Amazon show should be trying to approach things. I think part of the problem with other NBA shows in the past is they’ve tried to replicate the magic of Inside the NBA by taking the wrong lessons away from its success. It works because all of the jokes and critiques and everything else are naturally how those guys are, and if your takeaway is “this is how we should talk about the game” you end up with forced bits and people without the gravitas of Hall of Famers like Shaq and Chuck burying guys. That doesn’t work, and there’s really only room for one Inside the NBA.
As such, it’s great to hear that Griffin wants to provide fans with something very different. That’s the type of thing that would make for a much healthier ecosystem of NBA television shows. They should lean on their proximity to the game and the fact that they’re closer to their playing days and take advantage of what that means in terms of how they analyze things and their relationships with players, coaches, and teams. We’ll see exactly how that plays out once they get on air this fall, but if they embrace their own personalities and try to make the best version of a show that lets them be comfortable and talk about the game as they would off camera, then it figures to be a pretty good show.
Following the release of his new album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Bad Bunny has announced a residency in his native Puerto Rico. No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí (which translates to “I Don’t Want to Leave Here”) will take place over the course of 21 shows at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico between July 11 and August 24. The first nine, from July 11 to July 27, will be for local residents only.
Tickets for the “residents only” shows go on sale starting on January 15 at 9 a.m. ET (in person in Puerto Rico only). Registration for rest of the shows are open now and close on January 14 at 10:59 p.m. ET. The pre-sale begins on January 17 at 9 a.m. ET. You can find more information here.
When Bad Bunny was asked by The New York Times what he was trying to achieve with Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which he’s called his “most Puerto Rican album,” he replied, “The title of the album means ‘I Should Have Taken More Photos.’ I remember back in time photos used to be something very special. Today you can take a picture of everything. Maybe sometimes I don’t want a picture with someone for many reasons: Maybe I’m not in my best mood. Sometimes I feel that maybe this person is not a real fan. And also because maybe I got used to it and it’s not a special moment for me.”
He continued, “But for them, maybe it is and the person wants to save that moment. So that’s the meaning of the title — you should appreciate more the moments and the people. It’s not an apology, it’s more a reminder to myself.”
Below, you can find the dates for Bad Bunny’s residency.
Bad Bunny’s No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí Puerto Rico Residency
07/11 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico*
07/12 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico*
07/13 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico*
07/18 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico*
07/19 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico*
07/20 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico*
07/25 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico*
07/26 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico*
07/27 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico*
08/01 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/02 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/03 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/08 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/09 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/10 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/15 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/16 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/17 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/22 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/23 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
08/24 — San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Coliseo de Puerto Rico
* = Puerto Rico residents only
Debí Tirar Más Fotos is out now via Rimas. You can listen to it here.
Lil Baby’s third album WHAM is a return to the mindset he knows the best. His mantra of being “the hardest out” is just as much of a message to himself as it is to the rest of the world. WHAM – an acronym for Who Hard As Me – continues his run of “hard” projects that dates back to his 2017 mixtape Harder Than Hard.
There, Baby debuted his breakout hit “My Dawg,” which took him from an upstart Atlanta rapper to one of hip-hop’s promising artists of the future. By the end of the following year, Baby extended the “hard” project series with Too Hard, home to his crown jewel record “Freestyle,” 2 The Hard Way with Marlo, his debut album Harder Than Ever which featured assists from Drake, Gunna, Young Thug, and Lil Uzi Vert, and the collaborative Drip Harder mixtape with Gunna.
At the turn of the decade, Baby departed from the “hard” series to deliver what would be the highest and lowest moments of his career. My Turn shot Baby into rap’s highest level in 2020, becoming the best-selling album of that year while logging five weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart. Records like “We Paid,” “Heating Up,” “Live Off My Closet,” and “Low Down” convinced fans that Baby deserved to be on a pedestal above most rappers.
As the saying goes, though, “what goes up must come down,” and Baby suffered a tumble from the mountaintop after the release of his third album It’s Only Me in 2022. Although the album was commercially successful, it didn’t resonate as much with Baby’s fans, sparking speculation of a possible fall-off. With It’s Only Me failing to match the big-league performance of My Turn, Baby’s back was pushed against the wall. Desperate times call for desperate measures – or familiar and reliable ones, at least — which brings us to WHAM.
WHAM is steered by an artist with a point to prove and the self-awareness to know that he needs him to step his game up. Baby acknowledges this on the album’s closer “Streets Colder,” rapping “Had to get outside my comfort zone, I’m on it, now I’m focused / I was startin’ to feel stagnant, I had to switch the motion.” WHAM isn’t a new level for Baby, but it is the result of finding your balance just enough to put you in a position to elevate following a misstep.
Baby’s choice of topics are mostly the same — money, women, lavish luxuries, defeating the competition, instilling fear in enemies, etc. — but the determination to convince us his words are true is elevated. “Due 4A Win” is by far the most locked-in version of Baby we hear on the album. Stuttering hi-hats keep you on your toes, while a thunderous bass foreshadows what’s to come if Baby’s warnings and threats are not obliged.
“From the streets and them n****s been rappin’ on beats they whole life, don’t compare me to those n****s,” he quips on the song’s chorus. That line is the ethos of WHAM and one that follows the question entwined into the album title. “Listen Up” carries the same ideologies as waning synths and sweet violin strums as Baby takes the floor and demands the attention of those before him for a hustler’s PSA. “This time, I’ma show ’em, get in a whole different bag,” he preaches. “Everybody can talk it, but they ain’t standin’ how I stand up.”
The big moments on WHAM speak to Baby’s claim of being “the hardest out.” His alleged prowess as the street’s ideal hustler made him the ideal platform for Young Thug to deliver his first guest verse since his release from prison. “Dum, Dumb, And Dumber” is just one rapper short from being a thrilling posse cut, but Baby, Thug, and Future each offer good swings at the hook-less track, with Thug’s show-stealing verse serving as a reminder of what was missing in hip-hop over the last two years and change.
“Free Promo” is a charged-up and grand display of bravado that Baby uses to showcase the benefits of simply being seen next to him. “Drugs Talkin” emulates a similar energy as Baby documents intoxicating feelings of love amplified by the consumption of liquor and drugs. Being the hardest out is more than being a great rapper to Baby, it’s also about building, flaunting, and maintaining the lifestyle that comes with it. You’ve got to look the part, too.
Still, there are moments on WHAM that Baby makes it harder for himself to fully emerge out of the ditch he fell into with It’s Only Me. “Redbone”, his collaboration with GloRilla, hip-hop’s hottest rapper in 2024, fails to be as magical as advertised. Both artists have co-starred on better collaborations, making this one a stale entry on the album and their discography as a whole. “Stuff” with Travis Scott works fine enough on WHAM, but feels better suited on a Travis Scott album than one of Baby’s. “Outfit” should be more memorable, but Baby and 21 Savage’s second-ever collaboration (shocking right?) fails to move the needle much.
In the end, Lil Baby gets back on track with WHAM. As fun as it may be to joke about his downfall and inability to return to My Turn heights, WHAM is an early sign that a turnaround may be in order. The fun and more relaxed “Catch The Sun”-esque moments on WHAM – “I Promise,” “So Sorry,” and “My Shawty” – and the determined rap flows of “By Myself,” “99,” “Say Twin,” and “F U 2x” prove that counting Baby out isn’t in our best interest. WHAM gets back to the basics in a way that’s satisfying and entertaining — and most importantly, as hard as we’ve come to expect.
WHAM is out now via Quality Control Music/Motown Records. Find out more information here.
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