Category: Viral

Rap fans logging into Twitter this week have been confronted with trending topics including Cardi B and Akbar V and might be confused to learn that the two rappers have been beefing for the past 24 hours. For one thing, who is Akbar V? Why does she have a problem with Cardi B? And what does Nicki Minaj have to do with all this? Here’s a quick primer to help you get up-to-date.

Who Is Akbar V?

For the uninitiated, Akbar V is, like Cardi B, a rapper with an origin rooted in the Love & Hip-Hop universe. Hailing from Atlanta, this 33-year-old rapper has had a rough childhood but has been using the exposure from the show to slowly build an audience for her music to turn her life around. She currently has a little under 18,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and a little over 50,000 subscribers on YouTube. While none of her songs has yet broken the million-streams mark on any platform, she recently received a big look when Nicki Minaj tapped her to appear on the “Super Freaky Girl” “Queen Mix” alongside JT of City Girls, BIA, Katie Got Bandz, and Maliibu Miitch.

Why Is Akbar V Beefing With Cardi B?

Over the weekend, Cardi received a ton of attention for featuring on buzzing Memphis rapper GloRilla’s new song “Tomorrow 2.” While the song had plenty of fans, it’s also found its detractors — one of whom is Akbar V. The Atlanta rapper tweeted, “If @chartdata ain’t say it we ain’t believing the CAP,” referring to the song’s hype and the popular account that aggregates album song performance listings from DSPs and Billboard‘s charts. It seemed to some — including Cardi — that the tweet was meant to shade the supposed success of “Tomorrow 2,” since the track had been released in close proximity to “Super Freaky Girl.”

After catching wind of the tweet, Cardi made a few comments of her own. “Count all the times chart data posted u,” she wrote. “I don’t really like the internet games… My dms is open and also the streets!” Cardi apparently reached out to Akbar privately to inquire about the tweet, but Akbar clearly didn’t feel like settling the matter behind the scenes. In a string of tweets of her own, she complained that someone “gave this ho Cardi B my number” and shared a screenshot of their text exchange, accusing Cardi of threatening her.

Akbar then went on a long tirade, proclaiming her fealty to Nicki Minaj — with whom Cardi has had a long history of friction — denouncing Cardi’s success. “@NICKIMINAJ is the #QueenOfRap and @iamcardib u are the peasant ho ..” she wrote. When Cardi made a pointed comment about taking care of her kids — a shot at Akbar, who has five children of her own — things escalated into full-blown conflict. When Akbar replied, “U was in the strip clubs i was in the streets ..how is it any difference… you still talking but bringing my kids into it,” Cardi let her have it, contrasting their situations. “I won’t put my kids in the same hoods I was I raised in let alone ABANDONED THEM ..u had that choice to make as well not once but FIVE TIMES,” she wrote.

The back-and-forth continued with a slew of responses from Akbar, to which Cardi replied by sharing a video from Akbar’s leaked sex tape. “Now my kids got to watch this again @iamcardib u dead wrong for uploading that porn stuff about me again u scoop so low but kool,” the Atlanta rapper replied. “U just threw me back into anxiety.” Cardi deleted the tweet, but later retweeted a notice from a fan that Akbar had used a screenshot from the video as a single cover on DSPs. “WAIT A DAMN MINUTE…she lied to me?” Cardi wondered.

The two rappers continued to trade insults into the evening, with Akbar accusing Cardi of having her husband Offset call her to and daring Cardi to take it to the street. Cardi exasperatedly predicted the next steps: “Let’s guess the next step …a diss track that’s going to be mass bought on iTunes and going to chart on twitter… I should of never argue with this deadbeat , I should of just left it at this.”

They might still be going, but at some point, Akbar’s Twitter account was suspended for unknown reasons. Incidentally, it’s not the first time her account was suspended. Meanwhile, Cardi B has gone back to promoting “Tomorrow 2,” while Nicki Minaj, the apparent motivation behind the whole Twitter spat, went back to promoting her own new video for “Likkle Miss (Remix)” featuring Skeng after going off on YouTube for age-restricting it.

Kanye West has finally taken a break from his daily social media antics, from asking us all to band together to fight the Adidas and Gap machines to sharing the intimate details of his messy divorce with Kim Kardashian, to share a snippet of new music.

The last we heard from Ye was an underwhelming feature verse on Cardi B’s “Hot Sh*t” and a better ‘feature of the year’ contribution on “City Of Gods” with Fivio Foreign and Alicia Keys. But we have yet to hear any new music from Mr. West himself since Donda 2 was released back in February.

During his appearance in the UK for London Fashion Week, at what looks like an intimate event, Kanye leaves fans in a frenzy begging for him to play more of a head-bopper featuring London native James Blake.

Blake took to Twitter to address speculation that the song is not an “Always” sample but rather an entirely new track. In another tweet, Blake reveals that he also produced the song and received the best birthday gift ever. “It’s my birthday and kanye west is playing tracks we made I’m good for presents thanks,” he said, followed by a series of heart-faced emojis.

Hopefully, Ye will reveal more new music in the weeks to come instead of another black screen referencing losing his queen like London did Queen Elizabeth II.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Donald Trump has a bizarre way of doing, well, just about everything — from closing an umbrella to disposing of classified documents. He also, as Seth Meyers pointed out, has a very strange way of discussing nuclear weapons.

During Monday night’s “A Closer Look,” Meyers discussed Vladimir Putin’s ongoing threats to unleash Russia’s alleged arsenal of nuclear weapons, and noted how different the responses to these unhinged warnings have been from Joe Biden and his presidential predecessor. Whereas Biden’s only word for Putin was a gravelly, John Wayne-ish “Don’t!,” Trump went an entirely different — and wholly confusing — way with the nuke talk. As Meyers explained:

Biden has been stern but quiet about how the U.S. would respond. Trump, meanwhile, has been speculating wildly at rallies and other events about insane ideas, like bombing Russia but blaming it on China by putting Chinese flags on our U.S. fighter jets. That’s a real thing he actually said; it’s one step removed from Bugs Bunny dressing up as a lady to trick Elmer Fudd… And then this weekend, at a rally in North Carolina, he brought up the topic of nuclear weapons in the weirdest and most uncomfortable way possible.

Trump’s exact quote was as follows: “Now Putin mentioned the N word. You know what the N word is?”

Meyers admitted that he had to imagine “there was some percentage of that crowd, no matter how large or small, that heard that sentence and thought to themselves, ‘Oh my god! It’s finally happening!’”

“To be fair,” Meyers added, “it seems like Trump sensed what his crowd was thinking, too. Because he quickly had to clarify himself.”

Trump did indeed explain that the word he meant was “nuclear,” a word the former president said is “not supposed to be mentioned” because “You could end up in World War III, and this will be a war like we’ve never had before. It won’t even be close, because we’re being run by stupid people.”

Meyers, for once, had to agree with Trump and admit that the U.S. is being run by a lot of “stupid people — like the kinds of people that refer to the word ‘nuclear’ as ‘The N Word.’”

You can watch the full clip above, beginning around the 3:20 mark. And in case you’re wondering, Trump is still trying to make this a thing, for some ungodly reason. Happy Tuesday!

Former Fox News anchor Eric Bolling is firing shots at his old network, specifically at Tucker Carlson for his continued defense of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. During Monday night’s episode of Bolling’s Newsmax show, the anchor covered reports that clips from Carlson’s shows are being used in Russian propaganda to drum up support for the failing invasion. Bolling blasted Carlson as an “alleged American” before calling out the Fox News host for airing claims that Putin would cause the “total destruction” of the Western world.

Via Newsweek:

“I am very worried about a world war, a nuclear World War III where nobody wins,” Bolling said on his show. “So when I see a fellow conservative making statement that could incite a world war, a nuclear war, I have to call him out.”

“When I see our arch enemy Russia and the sociopath Putin using that same conservative for Propaganda,” said Bolling, “you should know about it and maybe get to him and tell him to stand down.”

As Bolling continued to call out Carlson, he pushed back on any narrative that attempts to paint Russia as the victim and Ukraine as the aggressor. A tactic that Carlson has repeatedly used, as recently as last week. Bolling also criticized Carlson for attacking America’s efforts to help Ukraine end the invasion.

“Last Thursday, Tucker Carlson again blamed Ukraine for starting the war,” Bolling said. “And he continues to claim America should cut off all funds and military support to Ukraine.”

(Via Newsweek)

We’re nearing the end of BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge Month, and Rina Sawayama is making sure it goes out with a bang. The British-Japanese singer-songwriter belted out a transfixing rendition of Billie Eilish’s ubiquitous single “Happier Than Ever,” the title track of her sophomore album and namesake of her nearly wrapped world tour.

“covered one of my favey songs ever Happier Than Ever by @billieeilish on @bbcradio1 Live Lounge !!!!!!!” Sawayama captioned a clip on Instagram posted Tuesday (September 27). “aaaaaaa a dream to do live lounge.”

The 32-year-old also performed “Hold The Girl,” the title track of her sophomore LP that dropped via Dirty Hit earlier this month and boasts singles “This Hell,” “Hurricanes,” and “Phantom.” Sawayama will launch her headlining Hold The Girl US tour in Brooklyn on November 1, and she will perform three dates in Japan at the top of 2023. While with BBC Radio 1, Sawayama dished on making her film-acting debut in the forthcoming John Wick: Chapter 4.

As for other notable covers performed on Live Lounge this month, Lewis Capaldi took a crack at Britney Spears’ “Everytime,” and Sam Smith delivered their version of Sam Fender’s “Seventeen Going Under.” And back in May, the indomitable Harry Styles gave us a “Wet Dream” cover.

Watch Sawayama sing “Happier Than Ever” above.

(Warning: Spoilers for House Of The Dragon below)

Every once in a while, writers for a big hit show love to throw in some little tidbits here and there to make the dialogue more interesting. Let’s be honest, sometimes they need some filler words for their allotted 60 minutes of screen time, and they might need to get creative!

In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, you might have noticed a peculiar name. Okay, yes, they all have non-conventional names, but Daemon and Corlys are pretty standard for the George R. R. Martin lore. While at the council meeting, Queen Alicent, now portrayed by Olivia Cooke, asked about Lord Grover Tully, whose family is ruling the Riverlands. The brief name drop was nothing major…unless you are familiar with the Muppets/GOT crossover that takes place in the book series.

In Fire & Blood, Martin’s Targaryen-focused installment in the series, he introduces various family members with…familiar names, via Polygon:

Then as now, the riverlords were a fractious, quarrelsome lot. Kermit Tully, Lord of Riverrun, was their liege lord, and nominally commander of their host…but it must be remembered that his lordship was but nineteen years of age, and ‘green as summer grass,’ as the northmen might say. His brother Oscar, who had slain three men during the Muddy Mess and been knighted on the battlefield afterward, was still greener, and cursed with the sort of prickly pride so common in second sons

There is Kermit, the “green” Lord, and Oscar, the “prickly” brother. Their father’s name? Elmo! See, even Martin can have a sense of humor in between slaughtering fan-favorite characters.

There are Muppet references sprinkled throughout the novel, so there might be some more references to come throughout the series. Maybe Rocco will make his debut?

(Via Polygon)

Remember when DaBaby was an exciting new artist that you just wanted to root for? Not only are those days long gone, but it also doesn’t look like they’re coming back. The North Carolina rapper seems determined to burn through whatever slivers of goodwill he has left with his new album Baby On Baby 2, starting with lead single “Boogeyman.” DaBaby already caught hell on Twitter for lyrics that reference having sex with Megan Thee Stallion and her alleged shooting by Tory Lanez, but he’s doubling down in the Nightmare On Elm Street-themed music video, which features an MTS lookalike reacting to the line.

Give him credit; the video has the same level of planning and budget he’s always put into his visuals. It has a horror movie/Scooby-Doo-inspired intro sequence in which a group of intrepid teens ventures into a creepy basement. DaBaby himself pops out as a Freddy Kruger-esque gremlin and chases the kids into the haunted house above.

But let’s be honest; it’s pretty bad form to mock someone you once counted a friend and collaborator after she was (allegedly) shot by another rapper. We already know he doesn’t think much of those allegations, but maybe it’s time for DaBaby to grow up.

Watch DaBaby’s “Boogeyman” video above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Over 40 years after Halloween made John Carpenter the “horror master,” Laurie Strode vs. Michael Myers is coming to an end.

No, really this time, it’s right there in the title: Halloween Ends.

The third film in the recent Halloween trilogy (and the 13th installment in the franchise, but only the fourth that’s considered canon — the real horror is making sense of the timeline) has Jamie Lee Curtis returning for one. last. job. That job is putting an end to Michael Myers’ reign of terror, which, with all due respect, she’s not very good at it. It should not take four decades to kill a dude in a William Shatner mask. Maybe this time.

You can watch the Halloween Ends final trailer above. Here’s the plot synopsis:

Four years after the events of last year’s Halloween Kills, Laurie is living with her granddaughter Allyson and is finishing writing her memoir. Michael Myers hasn’t been seen since. Laurie, after allowing the specter of Michael to determine and drive her reality for decades, has decided to liberate herself from fear and rage and embrace life. But when a young man, Corey Cunningham, is accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that will force Laurie to finally confront the evil she can’t control, once and for all.

Halloween Ends comes to theaters and Peacock on October 14.

Michael Irvin is, typically, a staple of First Take‘s Monday morning lineup of guests opposite Stephen A. Smith, but with the Cowboys playing on Monday Night Football this week, the Playmaker moved his appearance to Tuesday morning in order to sing the praises of the Cowboys to Stephen A. after they improved to 2-1 with a win over the Giants.

Irvin, who remembered his glasses for First Take, worked himself into a full-on sermon while talking about the Cowboys defensive line, which he described multiple times as “finger licking good,” and CeeDee Lamb, who he got biblical with about redemption and valor.

It was terrific television and even noted Cowboys hater Stephen A. could only chuckle at the Playmaker’s antics — as did Keyshawn Johnson who seemed to be trying to figure out why he was even there, but was enjoying the show. After delivering his sermon, Irvin was in a full lather and needed half a roll of paper towels and an actual towel to pat himself down with because he’d worked up a sweat.

The best part of this is it comes after a game few would’ve called particularly good or exciting (aside from a touch of late drama when the Giants got the ball back down a touchdown, only for Daniel Jones to throw an interception that was hard not to see coming). Still, a win is a win and the defense does look good (not sure if it’s “finger-licking” or not), so we’ll let Irvin enjoy the moment and maybe he should start the show with the sweat rag nearby next time.

With the death of Queen Elizabeth II putting the Royal Family in the spotlight as it handles King Charles III‘s ascension (and the continued drama between his estranged son and daughter in law, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle), Buckingham Palace is reportedly freaking out about the upcoming season of The Crown. According to sources, Charles’ rise to the throne has not been smooth thanks to his frequent frustration with writing utensils, and the last thing the new king needs is a Netflix series dredging up his tabloid divorce from Princess Diana, and her subsequent death, of course.

The Crown Season 5 will reportedly focus on the ’90s and star Dominic West as Charles as he continues his mistreatment of Diana, who will be played by Elizabeth Debicki, who is an absolute dead ringer for the late Princess of Wales. Again, the timing is not great for the Royal Family following the Queen’s death, but the cat’s been out of the bag on this one for a long time now. Via The Cut:

Considering Charles’s affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles and Diana’s torturous time in the palace has been well documented, they’re about three decades too late, but sure. One source apparently stressed that the show is “a drama, not a documentary,” and another insider accused Netflix of having “no qualms about mangling people’s reputations.” Apparently, “the timing could not be worse,” considering England seems to have actually warmed to the king since he stepped into his role.

The fifth season of The Crown will also feature Imelda Stanton as Queen Elizabeth II, which has caused the Royal Family to demand yet another content warning for the Netflix series. This time, on the grounds that it’s “exploitative” following her majesty’s death.

(Via The Cut)