Category: Viral

As most of us are now fully aware, the upcoming election — which we’ll remind you is just six (!!!) weeks away — is enormously important to the future of our nation. It’s starting to feel like we’re voting for our very lives. As such, people are rallying together to encourage voting and electoral engagement. That push includes a currently trending ad campaign out of Atlanta, Georgia called #GetYourBootyToThePolls.

What makes #GetYourBootyToThePolls so damn effective is not just the gyrating strippers with “Vote” written on their butts. It’s the truth bombs and snippets of crucial knowledge that the performers collectively deliver throughout the ad.

“Do you know who elects the DA? We do — but you don’t want to vote. Can’t make it rain if you locked up on some bullshit,” begins the video before diving into some of the meaningful change that can be brought about by participating in politics on the local level:

Want trades and coding taught in our schools? Then vote for the school boards that will prepare us for the job market. Want to end cash bail? Well then vote for the sheriffs and county officials that feel the same way you do. But you talkin’ about ‘awww, they gonna pick who they pick shawty.’ Ferguson just elected their first black mayor, do you know how that happened? It’s clear Black Lives don’t matter to some of our current elected officials, if they matter to you then don’t let other people decide who is gonna run your community. Get your booty to the polls!

At the Get Your Booty To The Polls website, would-be voters can find resources on how to register to vote and where to vote in this upcoming election, as well as resources on how to find information about the people running and ballot measures on the local level. The campaign is already beginning to spread on Twitter where it’s being celebrated for its pro-sex-worker and pro-down-ballot-election messaging.

With voter registration dates looming, what are you waiting for? Get registered today.

The National leader Matt Berninger has offered another video ahead of his debut solo album, for the single “One More Second.” The video’s premiere arrives as part of Berninger’s “Cocktail Seconds With Matt Berninger” livestream, featuring special guests Chris Sgroi and brother Tom Berninger, who discuss the making of the video.

Berninger previously said of the track, “I wrote ‘One More Second’ with Matt Sheehy with the intention for it to be a kind of answer to Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You,’ or sort of the other side of that conversation. I just wanted to write one of those classic, simple, desperate love songs that sound great in your car.”

He previously explained how Serpentine Prison came to be, saying of the recording process, “I sent [friend and collaborator Booker T. Jones] a few rough demos of originals that I had started working on with some old friends, including the songs ‘Serpentine Prison’ and ‘Distant Axis.’ Booker responded to those demos right away and encouraged me to keep writing and digging deeper into that stuff. Six months later we had twelve originals and seven covers. Everyone I had been working with on these songs came to Venice, CA, and we recorded it all in 14 days.”

Watch the “One More Second” video above.

Serpentine Prison is out 10/16 via Book’s/Concord Records. Pre-order it here.

Tee Grizzley dropped his new mixtape The Smartest back in June, and he only put a handful of guests on the project. The ones who did make the tracklist, though, were major, one of those being Big Sean. He joined Grizzley on “Trenches,” and now the two have partnered again to drop a visual for the track. In the video, the pair enjoy a day at home. Sean starts his day with a bowl of cereal and a dog walk, while Grizzley loafs around in a cash-covered bed.

This is the second meet-up between Grizzley and Sean this month. Towards the start of September, Sean recruited Eminem to lead a flock of Detroit rappers on “Friday Night Cypher.” Also featuring on the track were Grizzley, Royce Da 5’9″, Kash Doll, Boldy James, Sada Baby, Cash Kidd, Payroll, 42 Dugg, and Drego.

Meanwhile, Sean is one of a number of artists who appear to be getting more ownership of their master recordings. Today, Kanye West, who has been vocal about issues surrounding music contracts and masters ownership lately, said he was giving his GOOD Music artists back his 50-percent share ownership of their masters. Sean offered a grateful response, tweeting, “Thank you!!! This would help so much.”

Watch the “Trenches” video above.

Hot on the heels of her recently-released record Alicia, Alicia Keys shares another powerful video accompanying one of her tracks. Following her “So Done” video with Khalid and her captivating Colors Show performance, Keys releases a visual for her soaring track “Love Looks Better.”

The visual opens with Keys being whisked away to a fancy event by her team. Just as the singer is stuffing her tulle skirt into the car, Alicia locks eyes with a young girl raising her first in the air in protest of racial injustice. Keys then stops traffic, dramatically throws off her skirt, hops into a pair of Timberland boots, and performs a concert to several NYC onlookers.

Ahead of releasing her soulful record, Keys just announced she’s partnering with the NFL for a massive donation. Earlier this month, Keys announced she was establishing a $1 billion endowment to Black-owned businesses to fight racial injustice in light of the NFL’s problematic approach to the Black Lives Matter movement. Speaking to Billboard about the endowment, Keys said:

“We are already seeing the blatant injustices that are going on around us. As an artist, I’m always thinking about how can I use my platform to further racial equity. This fund is one of the answers and our goal is to empower Black America through investing in Black businesses, Black investors, institutions, entrepreneurs, schools and banks in a way to create sustainable solutions. […] The initial goal of $1 billion is to ensure a substantial commitment. Even with that, it does not come close to closing the economic gap. The next steps are to reach out to different industries to invite them to invest in racial justice and create a multi-billion dollar endowment across business sectors.”

Watch the “Love Looks Better” video above.

Alicia is out now via RCA. Get it here.

Celebrities and politicians are voicing strong reactions on Wednesday following the grand jury decision that brought no charges against the Louisville police officers who killed Breonna Taylor in March. The case rose to national prominence during the Black Lives Matter protests that quickly spread across the nation after police killed George Floyd in Minnesota in May. However, it took months of mounting public pressure to get an investigation into Taylor’s death, which was the result of police serving a no-knock warrant to the wrong address. Taylor was shot in her sleep when police fired at her boyfriend, who had no connection to the warrant because, again, officers arrived at the wrong address.

But while no-knock warrants have since been banned in Louisville, and Taylor’s family received a $12 million settlement from the city, the grand jury decision to not hold any of the officers responsible for her death has already ignited strong rebukes on social media from celebrities and politicians. Viola Davis bluntly described the decision as “bullsh*t” as others noted the systemic racism that led to the police escaping charges.

Stars like Kerry Washington also used the controversial decision to spur political action from actively voting in all elections to marching in the streets.

Comedian DL Hughley got biblical in his condemnation of Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

Others offered their prayers and messages of support to Breonna Taylor’s family. Surprisingly, that list included Meghan McCain who has been a vocal critic of the Black Lives Matter protests.

Just last year, Megan Thee Stallion graced the cover of XXL‘s 2019 Freshman Class as a rising rapper. Fast forward a year and she is prominently displayed on the cover of Time‘s “The 100 Most Influential People” issue. While the rapper has had a number of successful singles over the course of the past year, none were as discussed as her NSFW song “WAP” with Cardi B. Nearly everyone had an opinion about the track, from conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson to Tiger King star Carole Baskin. The track even riled up a few right-wing politicians, but Megan was not expecting the single to receive the amount of controversy it did.

According to Billboard, Megan addressed the song’s backlash in her conversation with Time. The rapper was especially dumbfounded when politicians began offering their opinions about the track. “When I saw all of the politicians in an uproar about mine and Cardi’s ‘WAP,’ I was just really taken aback,” she said. “Like, why is this your focus right now? If you have an issue with what I’m saying, don’t listen to it.”

Elsewhere in the cover story, actor Taraji P. Henson praised Megan for her tenacity as a musician: “Once you discover her, you become a fan. I don’t like to put the stigma of the word strong on Black women because I think it dehumanizes us, but she has strength — strength through vulnerability. She’s lost much of her family — her mother, her father, her grandmother — yet she is the epitome of tenacity, of pulling herself up by her bootstraps. She was shot this summer, and still people tried to tear her down. But she’s out here still loving and being sweet.”

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

Something that doesn’t happen very often in video games is a late surge in popularity. It’s not that it never happens, but typically you can tell how popular a game will be based on its initial sale numbers. Every once in a while, an initial disappoint gains second life thanks to major patch updates, but even those major updates often see titles reach nowhere near the popularity that hype built up.

This is why the meteoric rise in popularity that Among Us has seen in recent weeks is truly impressive. The indie party murder mystery game first released all the way back in 2018 remained in relative obscurity until its explosion into current game of the moment status. The title does have some elements of the traditional path of patch updates to improve an underperforming debut — for example it took two months to make online multiplayer a thing — but even then, it was hardly a game that everyone knew about when it was first released. So what has made Among Us the sensation it currently is today?

It all starts with the pandemic. As many in the United States and the rest of the world continue to abide by social distancing rules, it has created a major need for video games to act as a social device. Games that actively encourage friends to virtually get together, play a game, and are able to do so online are perfect in the current world climate. And Among Us is exactly that, which is a big reason it’s become so popular so fast.

Among Us is a simple but endlessly addicting title, which is what all great party games should be. Up to 10 players gather on a space ship together and are tasked with completing objectives around the ship. These tasks can include re-fueling the engines, fixing the electrical wires, clearing the oxygen vents, and shooting asteroids. Each task is a small mini game that you must complete to do the task. None of them are particularly hard, but some take longer than others. Among these 10 people, though, there are two imposters. It’s the job of the imposters to kill at least six of the eight non-imposters. If they do, they win. If the crew members finish all their tasks, or expose the imposters, then the crew wins.

The way the crew can expose imposters is by proving that they have killed other crew members. As you go around completing tasks, you may discover the dead body of a crew member. You can then report that dead body and call everyone to a meeting where everyone has a chance to discuss who they may believe the killer to be. If you saw one of your friends hanging out with one of your other friends in the Admin room, only for one of them to turn up dead later, you can make a case for them to be an imposter. If everyone agrees with you, then that person is then voted off. If you’re wrong, though, then you have lessened your numbers and improved the imposters chances at winning.

It’s a game concept that isn’t exactly new, but Among Us offers some really fun strategy and works seamlessly online. It’s also a very satisfying watch on Twitch, which is another factor that’s fueled its rise in popularity in a huge way. Watching imposters call in sabotages that, if not completed in time, lead to an automatic loss for the crew makes for a surprisingly drama-filled experience. You can use these sabotages as an opportunity to kill crew members, or to fake your innocence and assist them in fixing the sabotage only to stab them in the back later. There is strategy in all of this. There are also vents that only the imposters can hide in that they can use as quick getaways, but don’t spend too long in there or everyone will wonder where you have been.

What’s truly great about this game is that it gives friends the perfect party game to play online over Discord chatting with one another. You may have played a board game similar to this — Donner Dinner Party or The Resistance or Werewolf — during game nights that might not be safe to have in person these days. Among Us encourages conversations, stories, and is at its best when you have a really great group of people to play with. In many ways it’s the perfect party game for 2020. Not bad for a game that came out in 2018.

If nothing below suits your sensibilities, check out our guide to What You Should Watch On Streaming Right Now.

Enola Holmes (Netflix film) — Netflix loves Stranger Things‘ Millie Bobby Brown, who’s now making her turn as Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister Enola Holmes. As a bonus, The Witcher‘s Henry Cavill is onboard to play Sherlock with Sam Claflin stepping in as Mycroft Holmes, and between the two of them, they have the fancy hair and twirling-of-mustaches quotient covered. Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer should make this an even more interesting affair, especially given the story: after Enola’s mother (Helena Bonham Carter) disappears without a trace on her daughter’s sixteenth birthday. Sherlock and Mycroft determine to ship the teen off to finishing school, where she’d become a “proper” lady. She’s not having it and strikes out on her own find her mother.

The 100 (CW, 8:00pm EST) — The Disciples are closing in on their target while a desperate rescue mission is in the works from Clarke and Octavia.

Coroner (CW, 9:00pm EST) — Jenny and McAvoy are digging up clues to capture a serial killer after a coworker dies.

Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Jeff Daniels

Jimmy Kimmel Live — Riz Ahmed, Tim McGraw

The Late Late Show With James Corden — Sharon Stone, Alicia Keys

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Sarah Paulson, H. Jon Benjamin

It’s a sad day in the wrestling world, as news broke this morning that Road Warrior Animal has died. Animal, whose real name was Joseph Laurinaitis, was half of one of the most legendary tag teams of all time, alongside Road Warrior Hawk, who died in 2003. The pair were known primarily as the Road Warriors in NWA/WCW, and as the Legion of Doom in WWE, but they used both names throughout their career.

Animal actually debuted on his own as the Road Warrior in 1982, but it was only when manager Paul Ellering paired him with Animal’s old friend and training partner Hawk for a run in Georgia Championship Wrestling that they became stars. What started as a biker gimmick took on apocalyptic overtones borrowed from The Road Warrior, the 1981 Mel Gibson film (originally titled Mad Max 2 in Australia). That’s when Hawk and Animal started painting their faces and coming out to the ring in spiked shoulder pads. At Hawk’s suggestion, they also shaved their hair into interlocking patterns—a mohawk for Animal and a double mohawk for Hawk.

The two of them revolutionized tag team wrestling in the 1980s, with a hard-hitting smashmouth style that favored power moves and aggressive brawling over technical wrestling. As enthusiastic power-lifters, Animal and Hawk didn’t just have bodies that looked impressive (although that was certainly a factor in their success as well), they had the brute strength to throw their opponents around the ring with so little apparent effort that they looked like superheroes… or monsters. Whichever they were, fans fell in love and refused to boo them even when they were presented as bad guys.

They were so popular during their time with the NWA and WCW that they spawned many imitators, most notable WWF’s Demolition, who the Legion of Doom feuded with upon their arrival in that company in 1990. They worked in several companies throughout the ’90s, but returned to WWF just in time for the attitude era, at which point they were placed in a questionable storyline about Hawk’s real-life substance abuse problems. Both that storyline and the real problems it was based on led to their departure in 1999.

After Hawk died of a heart attack in 2003, Animal soldiered on, even returning to WWE in 2005 for a run that he dedicated to Hawk’s memory. In 2011, the Road Warriors and their manager Paul Ellering were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and Animal was there to accept the honor along with Ellering.

Although he had his last WWE match in 2006, Animal has been a fixture in the wrestling world in the years since, appearing at many conventions and events. He even showed up at 2018’s All In, the independent PPV that led to the creation of All Elite Wrestling.

Road Warrior Animal died yesterday, reportedly of natural causes. He was 60 years old. Few other details have been released at this time, although WWE has released a statement acknowledging his death. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Over the past week or so, Kanye West has been on a crusade to re-write the rules of the music industry, with the goal of creating a world where musicians have more ownership over their creative works. He believes that artists should own their master recordings, and now, as the founder of his GOOD Music label, he’s doing everything in his power to make that happen.

The label apparently owns a 50-percent share of its artists masters, but now Kanye says he’s giving those shares back to his artists: He tweeted today, “I’m giving all Good music artist back the 50% share I have of their masters.”

Artists currently signed to GOOD Music include Big Sean, Teyana Taylor, Pusha T, and Q-Tip. It’s not clear if this give-back applies to former GOOD Music artists as well. If it does, receiving ownership of their royalties are Kid Cudi, Common, John Legend, Desiigner, Mos Def, and others.

Sean offered a response to the news, tweeting, “Thank you!!! This would help so much.”

Earlier this month, Kanye went on a Twitter rant on the topic of masters ownership, writing, “In the streaming world master ownership is everything… that is the bulk of the income … in COVID artist need our masters … it’s more important than ever before. […] When you sign a music deal you sign away your rights. Without the masters you can’t do anything with your own music. Someone else controls where it’s played and when it’s played. Artists have nothing accept the fame, touring and merch.”