Danny Brown and Jpegmafia have worked together several times in the past few years, developing the sort of chemistry that brings out the best in both. Now, it looks like they’re going to extend that working chemistry, which they showed off as they premiered a new collaboration during Danny Brown’s set at this past weekend’s Smoker’s Club Fest in San Bernardino, California. The two underground rappers have been working on a joint album, which they also announced during the energetic set.
The newly minted dynamic duo first joined forces on Brown’s 2019 album Uknowhatimsayin on the track “Negro Spiritual.” Jpegmafia also produced the album’s single “3 Tearz” featuring Run The Jewelz. Then, Brown returned the favor, appearing in a hype video for Peggy’s 2020 EP, EP! (snicker), hanging out with him for an informal conversation at the end of the video “HTBAR 1.” They trade compliments after Jpeg declares “I’m not a big rapper,” taking turns telling each other, “No you’re a big rapper!”
Brown is currently working on the release of his sixth studio album, Quaranta, while Jpeg recently released his fourth album, LP!, which dropped in two different versions, online and retail, due to sample clearance issues. Stay tuned for more about their joint album.
The Arizona Cardinals spent this past weekend’s NFL Draft trying to bolster their roster to challenge the 49ers and defending champion Rams in the loaded NFC West.
The biggest move they made came during Thursday’s opening round, when they dealt the No. 23 pick to Baltimore for Hollywood Brown and the 100th overall selection, adding the speedy receiver to an already strong group. It was a major move that, in the moment, shifted focus to what Baltimore was doing with their receiver group, as they now have a number of quality tight ends but Rashod Bateman as the current top receiver around Lamar Jackson.
On the Cardinals side, the trade might not have simply been about adding another weapon, but also mitigating the absence of one, as word emerged from Adam Schefter on Monday afternoon that the team would open the season without De’Andre Hopkins for the first six games due to a PED suspension.
Cardinals’ Pro-Bowl WR DeAndre Hopkins is being suspended six games for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy, league sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/hNGNX4Aegx
That means the Cardinals will spend the first third of the season without Hopkins, which puts additional pressure on Brown, AJ Green, and others like Rondale Moore to fill that hole. The problem is, none of those players in their current form can replace what Hopkins does as a physical receiver who is dangerous in any situation, but particularly int he red zone. With Kyler Murray already expressing his frustrations with the Cardinals this offseason over a lack of a new deal, Arizona now will be without his top target as they try to smooth things over with the former No. 1 overall pick.
Jack Daniel’s has been going through a renaissance over the past couple of years. The brand is known — and, let’s face it, ridiculed — for having the best-selling American whiskey in the whole world in Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey. But to hate on Jack is to willfully ignore all the other expressions released under the brand’s umbrella from that cave-filled hollow in Tennessee. Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select is one of the better high-end bourbons on the market (that’s also actually widely available!); Jack 10-Year was the darling of last year’s best-of lists; and their Single Barrel program is not only dialed in, it’s accessible worldwide. Hell, even their standard Tennessee Rye rules for its price and availability.
Now, Jack is about to add two more unique expressions to their core lineup and I’m here to tell you what’s in the bottle. Starting May 3rd, 2022, you’ll be able to buy two new Jack Daniel’s riffs. One is a bottled-in-bond Tennessee whiskey, which is basically their Traveler’s Exclusive finally coming home to American shelves and reworked for American palates. The other bottle is a bit of an outlier, even for big bourbon. It’s a blended American whiskey, or Triple Mash, which might help upend the “American blended whiskey” world from the depths of plastic bottles of Seagrams 7 to something bigger and better. It’s kind of exciting.
Below, I’m breaking down what’s in each bottle and what you can expect if you pick one up. You should be able to find these pretty easily for a pretty good price if you’re quick. Let’s get into it.
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This whiskey is from Jack’s bonded warehouse. The mash of 80 percent corn, 12 percent barley, and eight percent rye is twice distilled before it’s run through Jack’s very long Lincoln County process of sugar maple charcoal filtration. The spirit then goes into the barrel for at least four years — per bonded law — before it’s batched, cut down with that Jack Daniel’s limestone cave water, and bottled as-is.
The Bottle:
Jack Daniel’s went old-school with these bottles. They’re a throwback to the 1895 bottles design, which predates the Bottled-in-Bond Act by two years. The label is fairly understated with the iconic black, white, and gold the brand is known for.
Tasting Notes:
Vanilla comes through with a bold sense of the oil and beans in the pod as cherry Jolly Ranchers, a light touch of sweet oak, a hint of fresh leather, and an echo of orange peels round out the nose. Going back in on the nose after a minute or two, a sense of potting soil and maybe the vitamin aisle at a health food store alongside more of that fresh leather leads to a little bit of sweetgrass, apple blossoms, and a vanilla cookie with a touch of oat in the mix.
The palate is immediately sweet with apple fritters and maple bars next to brown sugar and vanilla cream. The mid-palate adds in a little winter spice with a lean toward cinnamon and clove and a dusting of nutmeg. The finish arrives with brown sugar and butter mixed into Cream of Wheat as a minor note of wood and apple cider kicks in late and lingers the longest on the end. Waiting a minute and tasting again, the end has a small note of cherry pie with white frosting by way of soft oak staves.
Bottom Line:
This is a super soft and silky experience from top to bottom. There are $50, $60, and even $100 whiskeys that aren’t this smooth. It feels like a $50 whiskey more than a $30 one. Still, I feel like this is more of a mixing whiskey that also works as a sipper on the rocks in a pinch. I think for this, Jack has a deep bench of stellar sipping whiskey to choose from whereas this is something I’d buy to mix killer cocktails with.
Ranking:
90/100 — This definitely punches above its weight/price class, and that gives it a little higher grade in my book.
Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash Blended Straight Whiskey
This is where things get interesting. Evidently Master Distiller Chris Fletcher and Assitant Distiller Lexi Phillips have been laying down barrels of American single malt on the side and not telling a soul. This expression, a “triple mash,” is comprised of 60 percent Jack’s Tennessee Rye, 20 percent Jack’s Tennessee Whiskey, and 20 percent of their new American malt. Once those bonded whiskeys are blended, they’re proofed down with that iconic cave water and bottled as-is.
The Bottle:
This is also getting released in that throwback bottle. In this case, the label is a deep burgundy with white and gold lettering but still understated and succinct.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a hint of wet malts that leads into a big note of fresh honey with a hint of honeycomb. There’s a touch of vanilla on the nose alongside wet deck planks, a little bit of sweetgrass, a hint of potting soil, and big and plump dates with a very distant note of cream soda.
The palate is all about those wet malts with plenty of vanilla backbone — think full pods you pay $30 each for. The mid-palate is super soft with hints of nutmeg, buttery toffee covered in crushed almond, and that vitamin aisle again all leading to wet wicker, more of that vanilla, a whisper of applewood, and a super clear sense of rain-covered slate on the very backend.
Bottom Line:
This is really interesting and a bit of an outlier. There are hints that this is Tennessee whiskey but it’s so malty as well. It really feels like a whiskey that’s made for bourbon drinkers who aren’t quite sure about American single malt yet.
All of that said, this was pretty damn good for a $32 whiskey. Moreover, it’s really damn fine for an American blended whiskey. It’s complex and actually takes you on a journey. I wouldn’t just mix this with Coke. But I would put it in a cocktail before I sipped it over rocks.
Ranking:
88/100 — I think they’re onto something here. I’m curious to see how Fletcher and Phillips tinker with this as more barrels come of age. Will we see a Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt soon? Huge, if true. Overall, I’d pour and mix with the Bonded above before I’d reach for this again though.
Ten years ago was a great time for shoegaze, especially with the release of DIIV‘s stunning debut Oshin. The album received a slew of praise and still continues to influence reverb-loving bands today. To celebrate the anniversary, they’re unveiling a 10 year anniversary 2xLP expanded limited edition vinyl, as well as a box set collection of their inaugural three 7″s “Sometime,” “Human,” and “Geist,” which haven’t been repressed since the original release. This is all in addition to their already-announced show at the Brooklyn Steel on June 23 where they’ll be playing the album in full.
“Oshin is our first album,” the band said in a statement. “It came out ten years ago and because of that we have decided to put together a very nice and very intricate and thoughtful 10th anniversary edition of the album for you. We are packaging it alongside my homemade demo recordings and a few unreleased live recordings from one of our first shows. It has new art by our friend Parker Sprout and it has some writing from the members of the band, the writer of the original Oshin poem, and an expansive meditation on the history of the album from Shaad D’souza. We hope you enjoy it.”
The 2xLP will include demos, live cuts, an unreleased track, a booklet, and more. The digital release is June 24, while the physical is August 19. Find more information here.
After executive producing Kanye West’s latest, as-yet-mostly-unavailable-for-purchase-or-streaming album Donda 2, Future is riding high on the success of his own new album, I Never Liked You. Now, Kanye is returning the favor by co-designing a new line of merchandise inspired by Future’s album and its extremely laid-back cover art.
In addition to illustrated apparel bearing an image reminiscent of the hype single, “Worst Day,” the collection includes hoodies and hats emblazoned with the title and Future’s Freebandz logo, a face mask similar to the ones Kanye’s been sporting at his public appearances these days, and yes, a maroon silk sleep mask like the one Future wears on the cover of I Never Liked You. There’s also a sweatshirt with a screenshot from the video for Future and Kanye’s collab from the album, “Keep It Burnin.”
While he’s already riding high on the release and set to easily dethrone Pusha T from the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, Future also recently released a deluxe edition of the album featuring five new songs, including guest appearances from 42 Dugg, Babyface Ray, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, and Young Scooter. You can check out the album here and take a look at the new merch here.
Martha Stewart wasn’t ever able to host SNL (due to a legal hangup), but a woman can dream. Likewise, she’s very much enjoying playing with her Instagram followers when it comes to SNL star Pete Davidson. As everyone is well aware, he’s currently dating Kim Kardashian, who’s the latest in a line of beautiful ladies who’ve decided that he’s “hittable.” And now that Kim K. and Pete seem to have shed the Kanye, Martha’s out there being mildly (although not really) suggestive about Pete and having a ball with it.
The domestic goddess and Snoop Dog BFF attended the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, where Kim K. and Pete were also on hand to enjoy Trevor Noah’s barbs. Martha posted a few photos and wrote about a caption about the “young upstart” who’s now “squiring gorgeous women around and appearing everywhere.”
On Monday, Martha also popped onto TODAYto call Pete “an adorable guy,” even though she also called him “kind of homely” and “cuter when he had when he had longer curly hair.” Martha made sure to add, “Kim looks gorgeous, as usual. Very jealous of her, of course” while also declaring (of Pete) “You know, he’s a very different kettle of fish than Kanye, you know?” Yep, Martha’s always keeping it real on a number of levels. And yes, watch out, Kim K.!
The Weeknd has been riding a wave of momentum since the January release of Dawn FM, but took a moment this weekend to reach further back into his past and offer praise to longtime collaborator Ariana Grande. “I’ve seen Ariana work in real time. That woman is a BEAST on pro tools,” he tweeted, piggybacking on talented producer Kenny Beats’ call for more discussion of women producers just several hours prior.
Weeknd and Grande have previously joined forces on the “Save Your Tears” remix, “Off The Table,” and “Love Me Harder,” so his familiarity with her abilities should come as no shock. The Positions artist is often just acknowledged for her vocal talent and acting career, thus learning she knows her way around Pro Tools as well only adds to her repertoire.
i’ve seen Ariana work in real time. That woman is a BEAST on pro tools https://t.co/o8S6IUwaDI
Beats’ original tweet highlighted Grande’s knack at comping vocals with 100 stacks, Rosalía’s engineering, King Princess’ versatility with instruments, and Doja Cat’s production. King Princess expressed her appreciation for the recognition from someone of his stature, echoing the sentiment that women along with LGBTQ+ and POC artists are regularly overlooked when it comes to production.
love you @kennybeats and it’s rad to have people like you big upping people like us. It’s easy to forget that ARTISTS, and especially women, lgbtq+ and poc artists put work in at the studio and often get overlooked as producers.
The second annual Gayming Awards, where games across the entire industry were celebrated for their creativity and how they chose to represent the LGBTQ+ community, took place at the Troxy theater in London. In an industry like video games, where even the smallest steps of progress feel like a monumental achievement, an event like the Gayming Awards is a bright spot.
“We obviously don’t expect every games awards to be celebrating queer stuff up and down the categories,” Gayming Magazine founder Robin Gray told UPROXX. “There’s obviously more things out in the world, but that’s why the Gayming Awards exist, so the community can have that moment without necessarily expecting other people to do that for us.”
Gray launched Gayming Magazine in 2019 and later started the Gayming Awards with the goal of giving LGBTQ+ players and developers a positive spotlight. Historically, gaming has focused on appealing to a straight, white, male audiences that make up a large portion of players and people within the industry. As a result, members of the LGBTQ+ community are rarely in the spotlight, and the Gaymind Awards provides a place within the gaming industry for members of the LGBTQ+ community to have their accomplishments to be uplifted.
“It was a bit of a reaction to seeing other mainstream video game awards shows doing a bit of the work in celebrating diversity, but really you only ever see them cropping up as the special category, for lack of a better phrase,” Gray says. “I think for us, we really want to dig into that, because I think hanging a medal on one game, or one person, it’s obviously wonderful, but it kind of misses the nuance that we bring to it in terms of the best character, best game, best developer, or people who are doing stuff in the industry looking outwards. So for us, it gives the opportunity to really dig in and celebrate queer video game excellence, whether that’s in game, in the industry, or around the peripheries with streaming.”
Through two years, the Gayming Awards have already made strides across the games industry. EA served as the inaugural presenting sponsor, Twitch filled that role in 2022, and many of the categories were presented by major publishers like PlayStation and Xbox. Major studios and brands are showing they want to be part of what the Gayming Awards represent — Gray says he’s been “led to believe” that having Xbox and PlayStation on the same bill “is nearly unheard of.”
Considering the support and publicity that has come in such a short time, we can expect the Gayming Awards to continue to grow as the event reaches its third year. All of this, Gray hopes, will continue to push progress within gaming.
“The industry is going in a very positive direction,” he says. “I think the people at the top need to really start reaching down into their organizations, identifying these diverse people, and putting them on on leadership pathways. Ensure that they have the training and the support, they need to grow into the next generation of leaders.”
After Justin Lin stepped down as the director for the latest Fast And Furious installment, many were questioning why, with the most common theory being that actor Vin Diesel is being a bit of a diva, though nobody knows for sure. Well, it looks like they have quickly found a new director to step in, as producers were scrambling after shooting already began last week.
Loius Leterrier will step in for Lin, Variety reports. Leterrier is no stranger to action films: he directed The Incredible Hulk (the Edward Norton one), along with the first two Transporter films, and the classic action/magic thriller, Now You See Me.
Fast X began filming just last week, with Diesel and Charlize Theron beginning to shoot their scenes, and newcomer Jason Momoa prepping to appear as the villain (he’s very excited). Lin shockingly exited as director of the movie after some alleged “creative differences.” Lin has worked on five of the films in the franchise over the last decade. He will still act as a producer.
The Fast franchise has its fair share of behind-the-scenes drama, which is only natural when you get a ton of celebrities and million-dollar cars in one room. Recently, Diesel pleaded for The Rock to return to the franchise, to which he declined. Some people need to retire from the fast lane! Let the man live!
Nearly two weeks later, Donald Trump is still stomping mad over his interview with Piers Morgan, and the British TV host is absolutely loving it. Morgan stopped by Fox & Friends on Monday morning where he fielded questions from Steve Doocy and the gang about the former president’s ongoing tantrum.
In Trump’s latest statement, he wrote, “Ratings for the Piers Morgan interview with me were great! Unfortunately, after that interview, his show bombed completely because of the fake narrative he tried to portray.”
Morgan couldn’t help but laugh at the whole thing as Trump essentially tried to claim that the interview had both huge ratings yet also somehow bombed.
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) May 2, 2022
“I think you know you’ve got a great interview when a recently departed president of the United States issues not one, not two, but three statements so far about the interview. All of them with conflicting reports from his mind about how he thinks it went,” Morgan said.
After basking in getting under Trump’s skin, Morgan attempted to lower the temperature by addressing the former president who routinely watches Fox & Friends. As Morgan explains to Trump, the promo that he’s so mad about worked because people tuned in, and more importantly, they didn’t think Trump looked that bad.
“Everyone I know who watched it actually thought you came out of it really well,” Morgan said via Mediaite. “So why you are going completely crackers at a 30-second promo?… I simply used a promo to sell the interview to get people to watch. It worked! Everybody watched!”
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