Although state governments are starting to inch toward the possibility of relaxing some restrictions related to the current situation, large-scale gatherings have been deemed to be unfeasible over the coming months. San Diego Comic-Con organizers have now decided, for the first time, to cancel the summer’s annual gathering of cosplayers in the interest of flattening the curve. This development follows a recent declaration by California Governor Gavin Newsom that the continuation of “large-scale events that bring in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strangers” should “not be in the cards” for awhile.

This effectively puts summer events within the state on hold, including SDCC, which was scheduled for July 23-26. Variety reports that, in 2021, the event will take place from July 22-25, but you can put away the Stormtrooper costume for now. Given that the event attracts over 130,000 attendees annually, the Comic-Con International organizers cited Newsom’s recent comments:

“Recognizing that countless attendees save and plan for its conventions each year, and how many exhibitors and stakeholders rely upon its events for a major portion of their livelihood, [organizers] had hoped to delay this decision in anticipation that COVID-19 concerns might lessen by summer. Continuous monitoring of health advisories and recent statements by the Governor of California have made it clear that it would not be safe to move forward with plans for this year.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has likewise declared that concerts and major sporting events aren’t likely to occur until 2021. He and Newsom have been joined in their sentiments by NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio, who went ahead and cancelled all summer gatherings in the Big Apple as well. In doing so, De Blasio stressed that he wants to get people back to jobs and children into schools again, but gathering tens of thousands of people together for events is “like the exact opposite of social distancing.”

(Via Variety)

This week, Drake’s “Toosie Slide” debuted at number one on Billboard Hot 100, marking his third appearance on the summit of pop music. The moody single is notable not just because it’s a dance track unabashedly aiming for TikTok supremacy, but because grandmothers and kids are dancing to a track with lyrics like, “two hundred shooters on my brother’s block” and “Nike crossbody, got a piece in it.”

In 2020, hearing Drake drop gun references like he’s 50 Cent no longer moves the needle. America is so violent that his tough talk doesn’t register as abnormal. Our President has set the precedent that anyone can say anything they want nowadays. But it wasn’t always like this with Drake. He wasn’t always so unabashedly menacing in his music.

When he debuted in the mid-’00s as the rapper-singer from Degrassi, taking pictures in front of autumn leaves like he was Jon B, few could foresee a day where he was channeling his inner Vito Corleone on every other record, rapping about “Louie bags for body bags” and how he’ll “call up GiGi, do him up neatly.” Drake has many modes and characters he channels on the mic. Where did “Mob boss Drake” come from? Maybe we can thank Rick Ross and Common.

Eight years ago, the video for Rick Ross’ “Stay Schemin” debuted. The stellar Rich Forever single is revered for an aggrieved verse from Drake aimed at Common, who he had been beefing with over their shared attraction to Serena Williams. Common took a thinly veiled shot at him on “Sweet,” rhyming, “singing all around me man, la la la / You ain’t muthaf*cking Frank Sinatra.” He later confirmed to Sway In The Morning that the line was about Drake, noting, “he opened his mouth and said some things, so if that’s what he want — all that subliminal [talk]…you could do that too, but say it now.”

Drake said it and then some on “Stay Schemin.” Though he didn’t mention Common’s name on the Beat Bully-produced track, it was clear who he was talking to with biting lines like, “back when if a n**** reached it was for the weapon / nowadays n****s reach just to sell their record” and “you and p*ssy identical / you like the f*ckin’ finish line; we can’t wait to run into you.” The verse was widely regarded as one of the best of 2012, if not the best 16 of Drake’s career. For all of Drake’s introspection, his most memorable verse may be a diss record.

The irony of Common being the foil for Drake’s moment of truth can’t be lost on anyone with an understanding of hip-hop history. Before Drake, Common had occupied a place as an amiable, left-of-center alternative to gangsta rap who made thoughtful, introspective music. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t hold his own against the competition. On 1994’s “Used To Love H.E.R.,” where Common metaphorically framed hip-hop as a woman, he rapped “I wasn’t salty she was with the boys in the hood.” Boyz N The Hood star Ice Cube and his Westside Connection crew took offense to the line and fired back on “Westside Slaughterhouse,” which beget Common’s “B*tch In Yoo,” a scathing diss where he certified himself as an MC that’s not to be f*cked with. No one dissed him from that point on — until Drake.

And while Common had his one schoolyard dustup and went back to being a nice guy, Drake’s “Stay Schemin” takedown turned him into a bully. He wasn’t Degrassi’s Wheelchair Jimmy anymore. For a former child actor who blogger/producer Big Ghost Ltd. wrote was responsible “the most b*tchmade songs known to man,” the feeling of drawing figurative blood in a rap beef was a rush. And he wasn’t couching his superiority in just being a better rapper; he ideated himself a tough guy. Consider the following 4 bars from “Stay Schemin:”

“Spaghetti bolognese in the Polo Lounge
Me and my G from D.C., that’s how I roll around
Might look light, but we heavy though
You think Drake will pull some shit like that? You never know”

The greatest artists know that when it comes to artistic license and hip-hop’s over the top braggadocio, it’s not about what you can prove, but what you can sell. It’s fitting that “Stay Schemin” was a Rick Ross record, because Ross was then in the midst of punching through damaging allegations of being a corrections officer (a literal antithesis to his drug kingpin image) with great music that doubled down on the crime rhyme narratives.

Like Ross, Drake was grappling with identity issues that sabotaged his place in barbershop discussions — and hence his bid to join the rap pantheon. But they were devout enough students of the game to realize that all they had to do was write their way out of the criticisms. Common’s diss was timely justification for Drake to tap into his purple devil emoji energy, as were Meek Mill’s ghostwriting allegations, the late XXXTentacion saying his mother “could get it,” and Kanye West letting Pusha T’s “The Story of Adidon” get released. Who knows how “diss me and you’ll never hear a reply for it”-era Drake would have handled any of those conflicts, but mid-2010s Drake had leaned all the way into his mafioso persona to air his gripes with the rap game and assert his authority over it. “Stay Schemin” was the start of that cycle.

That’s not to say that suspending disbelief of his steely on-mic character isn’t hard when you consider that he’s the same man who got discombobulated when a woman flashed him at a show. But those who bemoan that he hasn’t yet gotten back into acting haven’t been paying attention. Today, aesthetics are everything, in any industry. One must merely look the part to dupe someone into buying into it. Drake is a multi-talented shape-shifter, capable of portraying a yearning lover or an all-powerful syndicate head, depending on what cohort he wants to indulge. Mainstream rap success is dependent on what you can sell, and he’s a master pitchman. It’s fitting that he first tapped into those skills on a track called “Stay Schemin.”

Performance Center coach Kendo Kashin was one of many WWE workers who lost their jobs this week, and he opened up about the experience to Tokyo Sports.

Kashin, whose wrestling accomplishments include work for New Japan and All Japan Pro Wrestling, started working at the PC in August 2019. Now he says he “can’t go back to Japan” after losing his job, probably because of the impact on his work visa. He told Tokyo Sports that he thinks the conditions that caused the staff cuts will affect WWE’s business ventures in Japan, which included plans to launch a third NXT brand there in 2020.

Kashin also said that he thinks he lost his job because of a previous interview he did with Tokyo Sports that ran the week before the layoffs in which he shared how Orlando was dealing with COVID-19. In the piece, he mentioned how getting coronavirus would impact him financially because he does not have health insurance, and stated that he thought a culture of wearing masks when sick and hand-washing would have decreased the spread of the virus.

Kashin also observed to Tokyo Sports that the stressful environment was causing some social issues in Orlando, mentioning that he was seeing more car crashes and that he witnessed a man being falsely arrested for breaking a window and treated roughly by the police. But he added, mentioning the “Florida man” phenomenon, that there was always a lot of weird behavior in the area, including people not using their turn signals.

The masked wrestler also shared what working life was like for Performance Center staff at the time, saying he was basically on vacation seven days a week except for one video call, which he missed.

DaBaby‘s third full-length project Blame It On Baby has arrived, but it looks like fatigue for his product has set in among fans on social media, despite the changes he’s made in response to their customer complaints. Although fans begged the Charlotte rapper to switch up his flow for a whole year, their reception to his new approach has been… let’s just say “mixed.”

While some fans are taking issue with specific bars from the song, others seem to just dislike Blame It On Baby in its entirety. However, there seems to be discrepancy in exactly why fans are trashing the album. While some have expressed disappointment with DaBaby’s new tendency to croon on more tracks than he did on his first two albums, Baby On Baby and Kirk, others have criticize his lack of growth between projects, accusing him of using the same flow.

However, some fans are defending the album, praising DaBaby for picking different-sounding beats and adding melodies to his arsenal of cadences, while acknowledging that their peers’ fickle complaints may very well have led to the problems they now have.

For what it’s worth, there seems to be a kernel of truth in each scenario. While DaBaby does add singing to many of his tracks, he also relies heavily on his usual AK-47 delivery when he isn’t crooning and while his producers employ plenty of interesting sounds and even beat switches, they stick closely to their signature collection of 808 drum kits and snare rolls that, while nearly omnipresent in pretty much all of hip-hop today, may not showcase as much variety for a rapper who’s releasing projects at a six-month clip. One thing is for sure, though: You can’t please everybody, even when you given them exactly what they think they want.

Blame It On Baby is out now on Interscope Records. Get it here.

Social distancing guidelines have been put in place by the CDC in order to discourage the congregation of large groups of people and curb the spread of the coronavirus. Because of the guidelines, nearly every summer festival and concert tour has been either postponed or canceled entirely. Taylor Swift is now the latest musician to delay her tour: Her Lover dates worldwide have been delayed.

Swift took to social media to make the announcement, writing that postponing the tour is the right decision: “I’m so sad I won’t be able to see you guys in concert this year, but I know this is the right decision. Please, please stay healthy and safe. I’ll see you on stage as soon as I can but right now what’s important is committing to this quarantine, for the sake of all of us.”

In her full statement, Swift explains she is canceling all her live appearances and rescheduling her tour:

“Fighting COVID-19 is an unprecedented challenge for our global community and the safety and wellbeing of fans should always be the top priority. Health Organizations and governments around the world have strongly discouraged large public gatherings for an undetermined period of time. With many events throughout the world already cancelled, and upon direction from health officials in an effort to keep fans safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19, sadly the decision has been made to cancel all Taylor Swift live appearances and performances this year.”

While the new tour dates have yet to be confirmed, Swift wrote that they will be announced later this year. All purchased tickets to her 2020 shows will be automatically transferred to the next date.

Read Swift’s full statement above.

The coronavirus may have canceled every single one of our favorite festivals this year, but it’s not going to come between stoners and their ability to observe 4/20. Instead, we’re all gearing up for what is bound to be one of the strangest 4/20s ever — probably the first and last time you ever light up and get high with your friends over Zoom. With the nation in disarray and folks feeling isolated and lonely, it’s going to be a memorable celebration, for better or worse. That’s really saying something for a social holiday centered around a substance that tends to make people forget.

To help you mitigate the fact that you can’t hang with your friends on the holiest of high holidays, we’re offering a special 4/20 list of our favorite THC-centric strains. Whether you dig on Indicas, Hybrids, or Sativas, there is something here for everyone who wants to de-stress and get as high as they possibly can this 4/20. Next year, with any luck, we’ll light up outside, see our friends in person, and become one with nature or whatever. This year — we’re going to get hella high, not wear pants, eat all the snacks, and watch Tiger King again.

Here are all the strongest cannabis strains for an absolutely lit 4/20.

Caviar Gold Snoogans

THC: 40.2%
CBD: 5.2%
Strain: Indica

We’re kicking things off with a bang with Caviar Gold and Kevin Smith’s Snoogans strain. Packing a whopping 40.2 percent THC, this jar of top-shelf flower dipped in a THC distillate and dusted with kief is likely one of the strongest strains you’ll ever smoke. Snoogans is definitely not for novice smokers or those prone to paranoia — it’s not a good time if you fall into those categories, but if you’re able to handle your weed you’ll appreciate the ride.

With a smooth and pleasing blackberry scent, Snoogans has a sweet taste to match which will tempt you to take in drag after drag. Be warned, when the high hits, it’ll hit hard and fast. Expect closed eye visuals and a total loss of time, even if your tolerance is high.

Check Caviar Gold’s site or Weedmaps to find a dispensary holding Snoogans near you.

Alien OG

THC: 33.6%
Strain: Indica

Though not quite as strong a high as Snoogans, Alien OG will still leave you significantly lifted with its 33.6 percent THC content. Alien OG — a crossbreed between Las Vegas Purple Kush and Alien Dawg — is leagues stronger than your average top-shelf strain. It provides a powerful body buzz that’ll leave you mostly immobile as you sink deep into your couch.

An absolute motivation killer, Alien OG has a tendency to keep me lost in my thoughts as I rode out the powerful body high, making this a great strain for those who are looking for an inward journey. Flavor-wise the strain has a distinct pepper bite.

Check Weedmaps to find Alien OG at a dispensary near you, or pick up the strain through Caliva if you’re in California.

Blue Dream

THC: 22.7%
CBD: 2%
Strain: Sativa

Blue Dream is to the 2010s what Purple Haze was to the late 60s. Sure, it can feel played out and predictable, but the strain is a classic for a reason. Fruity and fragrant, Blue Dream’s high will keep you active and full of ideas. Will they be good ideas? It doesn’t matter, you’ll think they’re good ideas in the moment. A great wake and bake strain, Blue Dream’s high is euphoric and uplifting. So it’s probably not a good idea to grab an eighth if you’re looking for a strain to help put you to bed.

Make sure you prepare some snacks beforehand because once you start to come down from the giggly high, you’ll be hit with a powerful case of the munchies. And considering Blue Dream’s tendency to indulge your weirdest ideas, if you don’t already have something on hand, you just might end up in the kitchen for hours trying to make something from scratch.

Check Weedmaps to find Blue Dream at a dispensary near you, or pick it at Med Men.

Durban Poison

THC: 24.5%
CBD: 0.1%
Strain: Sativa

Opening up a jar of fresh Durban Poison will instantly stink up your room with its pungent and earthy scent. The buds of this Sativa strain are surprisingly dense and caked with shimmering trichomes that’ll leave your fingers sticky as you break the bugs up. The dense and rich smoke this strain produces greets the palate with a wave of sweetness that gives way to a spicy after taste that’ll linger on your tastebuds long after your session is over.

The high provided me with pronounced body tingles and made me zero in on tactile sensations, making this an ideal strain for enhancing physical activities or make the most menial of tasks seem exciting.

Check Weedmaps to find Durban Poison at a dispensary near you, or pick up the strain at Med Men.

Dosilato

THC:27.2%
CBD: 1%
Strain: Hybrid

Beautiful to look at, Dosilato has rich forest green leaves flecked with brilliant orange hairs and deep purple streaks with a soothing fruity flavor that cools the throat. Dosilato is an Indica-dominant strain that produces some moderate sedation and melts stress away without leaving you feeling heavy and demotivated. After the initial peak, the high stays cerebral, giving you a clear-headed come down that won’t drag on your day.

Utilize this strain at midday or night. Dosilato feels tailored for chilling out. It doesn’t have the energizing kick of a strain like Durban Poison or Blue Dream, but its relaxing Indica attributes are ideal if your day leading up to your session was particularly stressful. 4/20 is on a Monday after all!

Check Weedmaps to find Dosilato at a dispensary near you, or pick up the strain from Kushagram.

Pie Face OG

THC: 21.1%
Strain: Hybrid

Pie Face OG is an Indica-dominant Hybrid strain that’ll have you feeling giddy and euphoric like some kind of stoner stereotype. It’s the type of strain people like Jeff Spicoli would smoke — you know, if they had super-powerful medical-grade weed in the early 80s.

A good social strain, Pie Face might be better smoked with the people in your household rather than over Zoom with your separately quarantined friends. It’ll have you on the kind of wavelength that is better shared. So even if you’re currently feuding with the people you share walls with, Pie Face will have you feeling good, chatty, and ready to laugh at the dumbest stuff together.

Check Weedmaps to find Pie Face OG at a dispensary near you or pick up the strain from Caliva, Ashe, or King’s Crew.

Fire OG

THC: 21.34%
Strain: Hybrid

Fire OG has a name that sounds like it was made up on the spot and with little to no thought. But coupled with the strains earthy brownish-green appearance weaved together with stringy red hairs and its bitter earthy burn, Fire OG’s name is more than appropriate. Although a Hybrid strain, Fire OG leans heavier on its Indica attributes resulting in a powerful body high that’ll leave you sufficiently sedated. But if you ride that out, you’ll find the comedown feels significantly easier than your typical straight Indica.

Fire OG isn’t nearly as pretty to look at as the other strains on this list. It will supply you with a powerful high that won’t take over your day like the stronger Indicas on this list.

Check Weedmaps to find Fire OG at a dispensary near you.

Riff OG

THC: 26.87%
Strain: Indica

Crafted by Ember Valley, Riff OG is a powerful top-shelf indica strain that produces a long-lasting high that’s perfect for those looking to stretch out their supply while still being able to get sufficiently out of their heads. Riff has a pleasing aroma of deep pine with crisp citrus notes that cut through and produce a smooth smoke that’s easy on the throat and won’t leave you with the desperate need for a glass of water.

Riff is heavy with kief with a few orange hairs sprouting out from emerald green buds. It’s surprisingly easy to break up with just your fingers. I’d recommend skipping the grinder on this one, even if you’re planning on rolling this up. Though the hand-cut will work better for something like a blunt rather than a joint.

Check Weedmaps to find Riff OG at a dispensary near you, or pick up the strain from Caliva.

During the pandemic, Charli XCX has decided to make the most of her self-isolation by getting more social than ever. In recent weeks, she has been collaborating with her fans over social media on a new album, How I’m Feeling Now. The first fruit of that joint effort, “Forever,” was recently released. Not long after the song came out, Charli yet again sought her fans’ help, as she asked them to submit clips for possible inclusion in a video for the song. Now, about a week later, Charli has shared the “Forever” video.

As expected, the video compiles fan-submitted clips, and this method of making the video works to great effect here. The clip serves as a sort of time capsule of this self-isolation era, as it shows people across the world living their lives at home, appreciating time spent with those they care about, and even getting out of the house sometimes. The sorts of clips Charli asked for during the initial “casting call” seemed like a random mix, but with faced-paced and clever editing, the video is ultimately more than the mere novelty stunt something like this had the potential to be.

Watch the “Forever” video above.

How I’m Feeling Now is out 5/15.

Charli XCX is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

People who rescue animals from unsafe or abusive situations are a special breed of human. Animals that are mistreated may react violently out fear or self-defense, which can be frightening at best and dangerous at worst.

When dogs specifically have been subjected to abuse, they may growl at, bark at, and bite anyone who approaches them. And who can blame them? If the humans they have known have only caused them pain, it’s natural to react in an aggressive way.

But some people have the knowledge and skills in animal behavior to recognize what a dog needs in order to be able to trust people. Theoklitos Proestakis, who runs Takis Shelter on the island of Crete, is one of those people with a special knack for bringing aggressive dogs around to a place of healthy trust and calm.

---

“The people, they think I’m crazy,” Proestakis says on the shelter’s website. “But for me, when I see these dogs suffer from pain, they have a soul…so I want to help them. It makes me feel so good.”

It’s easy to see Proestakis’ sincerity when you see him in action. Check out this video of Proestakis soothing a frightened, aggressive dog named Phoenix. When Phoenix finally stops trying to bit his hand and leans in for snuggles, you can see the dog’s entire demeanor change. (Tissue warning, folks. No joke.)

Aggressive dog gives in to hugs for first time after rescue from his aggressive owner -Takis shelter

www.youtube.com

Proestakis hadn’t originally intended to start an animal shelter. He just happened to come upon a stray, injured dog at his local garbage dump one day. Feeling a responsibility for helping the animal, he took it to the vet. He didn’t have room for a dog at his home, so he took it back to the dump but kept going back to visit it. Soon another dog, and then another and another, showed up, and soon Proestakis found himself caring for 70 dogs.

Eventually, he purchased land near the dump, and now, six years later, he cares for 342 dogs as well as goats and cats he has rescued. He names every dog, and they are allowed to roam freely around the 33,000 square meter property, but running the shelter single-handedly is a lot of work.

“There is not any time for myself,” Proestakis told CBS News last year. “I am working 20 hours per day. I try to sleep two to three hours per day.” He lives on the property in a small container house, and keeps the most sensitive dogs in the house with him. “I have about 11 to 12 dogs in the bed,” he said.

He’s not complaining, though. “I think I was born for this,” he said. “I love it so much.”

If you want to see more of Takis Shelter and the man behind it, Viktor Larkhill’s animal rescue YouTube channel paid the shelter a visit to see if Takis really was what it claims to be. (Spolier alert: It is.)

The Truth about Takis Shelter

www.youtube.com

There’s your boost in faith in humanity for the day.

Okay. Gonna go cry now.

It all sounds a little shady.

---

View Entire Post ›

Just a bunch of products that are really, really good at what they do. 💪🏽

---

View Entire Post ›