Aside from being teammates for the United States Women’s National Team, Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg and Christen Press are also the founders of re—inc, a purpose-driven lifestyle and streetwear brand. With a mission of redefining the status quo, the co-founders sought to design a clothing line that is gender neutral and allows for individual expression.

Following the success of the company’s first clothing collection in November, the second release, a black and white ensemble, dropped on Friday. The BW Capsule features clean and smartly designed t-shirts, hoodies and sweatpants as well as dad hats, beanies, socks and more. According to the re-inc website, five percent of capsule sales through April 22 will go to #GetUsPPE, a national organization that works to get personal protective equipment to healthcare providers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We spoke with Rapinoe, Heath, and Press about the capsule, what it’s like to work with your teammates, and how re-inc balances its role as a high-end streetwear brand that is made for everyone.

Why did you choose black and white for your next clothing collection?

Tobin Heath: Well, black and white is obviously super wearable, but the story was also about how our company, re, was founded through this tension that exists when you’re trying to reimagine the status quo. Out of this idea of fighting against something and we wanted to change that narrative — to fight for something. So we knew we wanted to drop the black and white capsule as a nod to that. Our black and white capsule is our story of how our company was born and the story that we continue to tell ourselves in everything that we do — no matter how hard the imagination process is, that it’s worth it and that together, we can be even stronger.

Your first capsule, RWB, was popular and many of the items quickly sold out. What does your success mean to you and what have you learned from the first release?

Christen Press: I think the whole process of starting something has been really humbling and we’ve all been venturing into unknown territories, which is fun. I think it was beautiful that we were able to co-opt the clothing line that was rooted in something other than commercialism. It was about re-imagining patriotism and especially during the course of the year when we were representing our country at the World Cup. And one of the biggest things we learned was how important that was for our community, to be buying in to re-inc. It wasn’t just about product — it was about product that was a symbol of the change, and that’s something we want to bring to every capsule and every product that we do.

We’re so intentional and we’re so careful because this isn’t [merchandise] for us. This is handcrafted goods and clothing and creative pieces that we’ve designed ourselves, with our own hands, and we’ve been there for every step during the process. So it’s really personal.

What does it mean to be able to have your own company, create your own products and build out your own vision?

Rapinoe: Seeing it come to life is obviously so rewarding. We knew that this could be successful, so it’s kind of like, yeah, we knew this was going to happen. But it’s also like we’re putting something out there, this idea of something better and re-imagining the status quo, and so being successful means that other people are feeling that as well. So I feel like we’re giving a voice and tapping into something that hasn’t really been tapped into in the way that we’re doing it.

I think streetwear, as a whole, often has to find the balance between being available to a wide range of consumers while also remaining somewhat exclusive. On the other hand, the communities that re-inc seems to be targeting with its clothing, like the LGBTQ+ and minority communities, are also the ones who are more likely to struggle financially and might be unable to purchase a lot of your clothes. How do you reconcile those two elements with your company?

Press: I think that what we have decided to do is to strike a bit of a balance. We welcome all members of our community to participate by offering them space to share their thoughts, to learn, to grow, and we’ll hopefully continue to do that as we grow. And then we’re also hoping to provide products at a range of price points, so if someone isn’t able to afford the full suit, perhaps they can buy in with a pair of socks or a hat. So, we’ve actually expanded our range of products to be more inclusive.

At the same time, when you’re building products of super high quality that are sustainable and doing really limited drops in order to reduce the production, it does come at a certain price point. So that’s where we’ve struck the balance, we’ve actually come in at kind of a lower end of a luxury brand. The prices are significantly lower than the ones of a high luxury brand and that’s because we want it to be accessible to a lot more people. But at the same time, I think it’s a fair price for the value of all that we put into this, from the designs to the quality of production, and to hopefully the overall experience that a customer will have when they shop our line.

What has it been like to work with your teammates and friends who you’ve known for so many years?

Megan Rapinoe: It’s actually been really so amazing. One of the things that our company was born out of was all of us feeling a little boxed in. Obviously, we’ve been athletes our entire lives and it’s always, “Oh, you’re the creative athlete or the athlete that likes fashion or the athlete that does this,” so that was a big genesis for us when we first started this. Then, to be in the company, we’ve all given each other space to be something completely outside of what we normally know each other, and that’s the really beautiful part of all of this. When we step off the field, I’m not thinking of Tobin as a really creative athlete. I’m like, this is our lead designer, she’s our artist and she’s coming up with all of these crazy ideas that we’re sort of charged with bringing to life. And Christen’s running the company — I don’t see her as my teammate, I see her as the CEO of the company.

Projecting out running backs in the NFL Draft is difficult, if only because so much goes into evaluating that position in 2020. How much emphasis should teams place on the amount of touches a player has had — can you make any sort of definitive conclusions off of a light workload, or should you be more scared if a guy has taken a beating over the course of his career? Should pass-catching be critical, or merely a tool in the toolbox? Are subpar numbers the result of bad offensive line play, a weak passing game that let foes zero in on the running back, or a guy just not being that good?

While we are not paid by NFL teams to figure out that formula, it doesn’t take much to figure out which members of this draft class have what it take to become really solid contributors at the next level. There’s talent in this class from top-to-bottom, even if there are some question marks. There’s a chance we don’t hear any names read on Day 1 of the draft, but don’t be surprised if a number of these guys stick around and end up being really valuable backs for a long, long time.

Previous 2020 NFL Draft Big Boards:

• Quarterbacks

Tier 1

DeAndre Swift: This year’s running back class is extremely solid, even if there’s not a top-10 caliber guy and all three in this top tier have reason to think they’re the best back in the class. Swift can do it all, as he’s comfortable running between the tackles, has breakaway speed, and is capable as a receiver out of the backfield. He has the pedigree of coming through the Georgia pipeline that just pumps out productive running backs and he figures to be the latest immediate impact player at the next level as a three-down back. What might help Swift the most is he’s proven, but has less tread on his tires compared to the two Big Ten backs in this tier.

J.K. Dobbins: Like Swift, Dobbins projects as an immediate starter in the NFL and is capable as a receiver. He rushed for 2,000 yards last year and really there aren’t any questions his tape can’t answer for a team. He, like Swift, has a great combination of power, speed, and agility. The biggest hurdle facing this year’s crop of backs isn’t talent, but how many teams have more pressing needs to address in the draft at positions other than running back. All three in this first tier are first round talents, but it’s possible that only one ends up a first round pick.

Jonathan Taylor: Taylor has the main issue that we’ve come to expect out of Wisconsin running backs: At a time where NFL teams look for running backs who have not taken a beating during their collegiate career, Taylor has ran the ball 926 times. It’s an obvious question mark, but the good news is he has shown a whole lot in those 926 carries, from speed, to power, to decisiveness. Taylor has 4.39 speed in a 5’11, 220 pound frame, and even though this isn’t the main part of his game, he has enough shake to make defenders miss. Still, as a back who can run by or through a defender, Taylor is a beast. We’ll see if his pass catching — not exactly a hallmark of his game — comes along, and how much more mileage he can put on his tires.

Tier 2

Clyde Edwards-Helaire: The former LSU standout can flat-out play, as he showed during the 2019 campaign, his first (and only) one in a featured role. He’s a bit undersized (5’8, 209) and doesn’t really have speed that pops (4.6-second 40), but he is a bowling ball who is not afraid to take a hit, in part because he is quite good at staying upright — his feet are quick and his spin move is nasty. He’s a smart back who can catch the ball and will help whatever team he is on. That may never be as a clear-cut RB1, but the stuff he does well and the lack of hits he has taken in his career means a team on Day 2 could — and should — take him. His tape against Alabama, where he just would not stop attacking the vaunted Tide defense, is some of the most fun you will have today.

Tier 3

Cam Akers: Akers is an interesting case study. He has gobs of talent, showed the ability to take over games, and can make an impact as a runner or as a pass catcher (although that second thing could use a little work). He also struggled to consistently produce, but the question teams will need to answer is whether that was because of himself or because he played on a Florida State team that has completely fallen off over the last few years. The good news for Akers is he’s able to blend speed and power well, running a 4.47 in a 5’10, 217 pound frame, and can be quite the violent runner. If he shores up some questions regarding ball security, some team is going to fall in love.

Zack Moss: It is time to appreciate another Utah player. Moss isn’t the fastest guy, but has solid functional speed in pads. He’s a powerful runner at 5’10, 220 pounds, and has plenty of shake in the hole to make defenders miss. His tape against Cal last year is some of his best against a good defense and he has years of production that could make him a mid-round steal in terms of value.

Eno Benjamin: The classic guy who isn’t outstanding at anything but does everything well, Benjamin is a floor raiser, the kind of player who will slide right into a backfield and make it better even if he might not have a path to being an All-Pro. He ran a 4.57 at 5’9 and 207 pounds, and while he’s not the biggest, fastest, strongest, or quickest dude in this draft, he can run, he fights for every yard, and he knows how to make opposing players miss. A tough and productive back out of Arizona State, Benjamin had four straight games of 149+ yards in 2018, and even if he’s merely a one-cut runner in the league, he’ll end up being a good one, especially for a Day 3 pick.

Anthony McFarland: Our thinking on McFarland goes like this: NFL teams are constantly on the lookout for guys who have not been asked to do a ton, but have shown that they’re capable of impacting games. McFarland, with 245 career carries and 24 career receptions, is one such dude. A former blue-chip recruit, McFarland had his ups and downs at Maryland. His downs weren’t great — the Terps were decidedly not good the last few years, something that makes being a running back particularly difficult — but when he was cooking, he was able to do things like hang 298 yards on 21 carries against Ohio State in 2018. His speed (4.44 40) and explosiveness are quite impressive, and while his size (5’8, 208) and lack of physicality are concerns, he has a place in the modern NFL due to the fact that it looks like he got shot out of a cannon when he gets a chance to turn on the jets.

A.J. Dillon: Would you like a 6’0, 247 pound running back that can run a 4.53 in the 40? Of course you would. Dillon was a workhorse and lead Dude at Boston College, rushing for over 4,000 yards in three seasons. He’s a physically imposing runner, but once he hits the open field, he will run away from you. He’s not Derrick Henry, but given his size, he’ll elicit some similar reactions from people the first time they see him break a tackle at the line and then start running away from DBs. The reason he’s further down in this tier is the lack of productivity as a pass catcher, but he can pass protect and absolutely tote the rock.

Tier 4

Darrynton Evans: Teams might pass on Evans if they’re looking for someone who will win battles between the tackles when they need to lower their pads and run through a linebacker. He’ll try, that’s just not his game. What he does do very, very well, though, is hit home runs — the former Appalachian State standout has game-changing speed (his 4.41 40 was the second-best time among backs at the combine) and is good at making dudes miss in the open field. As a change-of-pace back, there are few better in this draft than Evans, who put up some impressive numbers as a senior: 255 carries, 1,480 yards, and 18 touchdowns on the ground with 21 receptions for 198 yards and five scores through the air. A potential return man, Evans also returned three kickoffs for scores, one in each of his three collegiate seasons.

LaMichal Perine: There are two things Perine has going for him when put up against other back in this range. First is his productivity as a receiver, as the sure-handed Gator caught 40 balls out of the backfield last season, meaning he could come in and immediately help out as a third-down back. The other is that he’s got relatively low tread on his tires given that he’s gotten steady playing time for all four years of college. He’s had right around 130 carries the last three years after 90 as a freshman, which means despite four years of experience, he has carried the load of a two year back in a run-heavy offense. He’s productive (5.12 YPC) but not overused, and while not the speediest (4.62 in the 40), he’s a powerful runner and, as mentioned, great catching the ball out of the backfield.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn: Vanderbilt was terrible last year and, in particular, they were abysmal in the passing game. This meant Vaughn regularly faced stacked boxes and he still averaged over five yards per carry, a year after he averaged 7.92 yards per carry as a junior on 157 carries. A fun fact about last year’s Vandy offense: Vaughn’s 5.2 yards per carry only narrowly trailed the ‘Dores 5.4 yards per passing attempt this past season. He was also Vandy’s third leading receiver on the season and is a well-rounded back that put forth a solid combine performance (4.51 in the 40). He’s likely a Day 3 selection, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he can be a helpful addition to a running back room immediately.

Wild Cards

Antonio Gibson: I want to be clear on one thing, Gibson isn’t behind Tier 4, he just exists on his own plane of existence here as a RB/WR/KR hybrid. If this were recruiting, he’d just have that ATH designation, but we included him with RBs because the WR class is deep, as you’ll see in our next installment. He did a little bit of everything at Memphis, catching 38 passes (with nearly 20 yards per catch) and rushing the ball 33 times (at over 11 yards per rush). He is a dynamic playmaker (4.39 in the 40) that could hear his name called on Day 2 as offenses around the league look for versatile players that can work out of the backfield or in the slot. He’s also a terrific kick returner and can immediately bring value on special teams. Hopefully he goes somewhere with a creative OC, because he can be moved all over the field and the number one rule is just find ways to get him the ball in space cause he is electric, as evidenced by his SMU tape.

Joshua Kelley: Time to play everyone’s favorite game: Is A Running Back Good Or Did He Just Play For Chip Kelly? Kelley is a big (5’11, 212 pounds) back with good numbers at the combine, namely a 4.49 40 and a 4.28 shuttle. He was productive, too, running for 5.1 YPC over two seasons in Westwood with 12 scores each season (especially notable given UCLA’s issues in the passing game). Our guess is he’s a high floor, low ceiling guy, someone who can reliably tote the rock but will never be a game-changing back. That is perfectly fine, and for a team that wants a dude who will put on his hardhat and go to work, he’s a dream.

If you’ve spent any time on social media during the past three weeks (which, obviously), you’ve probably noticed that people are really horny right now. Like, really really horny. Even the people who are quarantined with a sexual partner are dealing with boredom so strong that it’s is like its own goddamn aphrodisiac. Many of us who are taking social distancing seriously — and you should absolutely be taking it seriously — aren’t getting any right now. Even people who have partners or super dope friends (whatever you want to call them) could easily have ended up in a situation that has kept them apart for weeks and will continue to keep them apart for the foreseeable future.

Regardless, some states like Oregon and New York have seen fit to offer guidelines for those of us who are wondering, “Can I still eat ass during the coronavirus?”

The answer isn’t a simple “yes” or “no.” According to the New York City Health Department, yes, you can totally still hook up. In fact, if you’ve been quarantined with a sexual partner this whole time and you haven’t been having sex… what have you been doing? No seriously, what have you been doing? We can all use new binging suggestions.

Here’s the rub (horny pun intended): according to these guidelines casual Tinder and Grindr hookups are probably a thing of the past for right now, you’re not going to meet anyone on Hinge, and the chance of a serendipitous run-in at the grocery store where you both reach for the same carton of oat milk sounds way more like a nightmare scenario than a meet-cute at the moment. But sexual contact with a partner you’re quarantined with — go at it.

If your partner is out of the house, working as a high-risk essential worker, it’s not a bad idea to take a look at the health guidelines issued by New York and Oregon. They’ll keep you safer — as weird as it sounds for adults to be told how to have sex by a government authority. (This is America damn it, we’re supposed to find out everything about sexual health from our P.E. teachers during a single week of high school!)

Let’s dive into the most useful information about how to safely have sex in the time of COVID-19, according to the New York City Health Department and the Oregon Health Authority.

Sex yourself

That’s right — the state of Oregon reminds us that during COVID-19, we are our own safest sex partner. “Masturbate, use toys. Take this time to find out what makes you feel good,” says Oregon, with a graphic that includes a Hitachi magic wand, a fleshlight, a pair of fingers, some lotion, and an iPhone, which is just *chef’s kiss* perfect.

The state of New York recommends, as a precautionary measure, to wash your hands and any sex toys with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after sex. Yes sir, Governor Cuomo! You read that right by the way, they call it “sex.” Masturbation is sex now.

Oregon’s graphic also suggests you can always “get off” while maintaining social distancing by sexting or using web chat platforms.

Or sex the people you’re quarantined with

“The next safest partner is someone you live with,” says the great state of New York. “Having close contact — including sex — with only a small circle of people helps prevent spreading COVID-19. Have sex only with consenting partners,” and suggests those who “meet your sex partners online or make a living by having sex” should “consider taking a break from in-person dates.”

Again, there is always FaceTime sex, OnlyFans, and good old sexting! Cybersex — A/S/L?

Use condoms!

We should all know to use condoms by now, but here is a weird fact about COVID-19: the virus has not been shown to spread through semen or vaginal fluid, but it has been found in the feces of people who are infected with the virus. Condoms will help reduce your contact with feces during anal sex and saliva during oral sex. Which will keep you safer.

Still, if you’re having sex with someone who has the coronavirus… you’re probably going to need to seriously self-isolate regardless.

The Death Of Rimming

Oregon’s graphic uses the modern universal symbol for the human butt, a peach, adds a pause button and says, “Press pause. Rimming (mouth on anus) might spread COVID-19. Virus in feces may enter your mouth.”

Sorry Young Thug, eating that booty like groceries isn’t a go right now.

Practice Selective Kissing

How do you make the idea of kissing not sexy? By telling us to practice “selective kissing.” “Kissing can easily pass COVID-19. Avoid kissing anyone who is not part of your small circle of close contacts.”

It should go without saying that one of the easiest ways to spread this virus is through kissing, so be careful with who you kiss.

Don’t have sex if you aren’t feeling well

If you have COVID-19 like symptoms you should absolutely refrain from having sex. But for now, it’s probably a good idea to act with caution even if you come down with something that isn’t the coronavirus. While the most common symptoms are sore throat, high fever, and difficulty breathing, there are numerous stories of other weird symptoms that mimic other illnesses, so skip sex if you or your partner are feeling under the weather.

Social Distancing is still important!

Don’t forget about the crucial companion track to “Let’s get it on.”

When I first heard that Indonesian rapper Rich Brian had released a video freestyling over the beat from Teriyaki Boyz’s theme song for for The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift, my mind was blown. For one thing, it was such an surprising choice for a beat to freestyle over. For another thing, I didn’t think anyone else even remembered that movie now that the franchise has nuclear subs and parachuting personal tanks.

But that’s Rich Brian: Always doing the unexpected. He surprised American audiences as a foreign-born rapper who learned English watching American TV, debuting with the viral single “Dat $tick.” When his former rap name caused controversy, he pivoted, becoming Rich Brian and releasing The Sailor last year. It was another unexpected move; he proved that he could really rap and that he didn’t need a gimmick to capture our attention.

Just a week ago, he released the “Tokyo Drift” freestyle, complete with a homemade music video making light of coronavirus social distancing protocols, turning his boredom into content — much-needed content that not only helped others stave off their own boredom, but showed his talent for crafting self-produced potential hits. Not only did it display his artistic growth, but it also brought him back to his SoundCloud guerrilla releases, showing he has the edge to compete in this new, Wild West world.

In a new interview by phone, Brian talks about his “Tokyo Drift” video, his appearance on Guapdad 4000’s Falcon Fridays release “Bali,” and how coronavirus-sparked xenophobia against Asian people has affected him.

All right. First of all, your “Tokyo Drift” video is incredible. What were you doing when you got the inspiration for it?

I was in just like my little studio set up and then I was just one night, I was just thinking the “Tokyo Drift” beat is so f*cking hard, and I feel like if I tried writing to it would be tight, so I did. This was kind of before the lockdown things started to get crazy.

So I recorded it with my friend Vic, it was a really rough recording, we didn’t have that much time to mix it, I showed it to my manager, and he was like, ‘Yo, this is tight, we should put this out.’ At first, we were going to try to do some sort of video, but then I was like, ‘I don’t really want to get out the house, though, right now it’s kind of scary.’ So, I decided to just make a little phone thing in my living room and then just edit it on [Adobe] After Effects for like two, three days, and then just put it out. It definitely felt like the old times and just kind of like being able to hit ‘upload’ on SoundCloud again.

It’s funny because I didn’t think that people really remembered that song or that soundtrack or that particular entry in the Fast And The Furious movies. Why do you think it was that Tokyo Drift was considered the redhead step-child of the Fast And The Furious franchise?

I heard that song for the first time when I was really young, when I was probably like five or six. And I remember just loving it and just because I was a kid, that melody with that hook just stuck with me. It was just like this is the hardest thing ever. I think that was just a really legendary song.

It’s kind of a legendary movie. It’s kind of known as being the worst one, but some people say it’s the best, some people like it more. And some people think it’s the worst one.

I actually don’t even remember.

Okay. How’s this? Which one’s your favorite?

To be completely honest with you, I don’t remember watching Tokyo Drift. I don’t remember like how it went, but my favorite Fast And The Furious probably would be — and this is for me just you know, like hell, I don’t think that I’ve watched all of them to be honest with you. But I watched like a good, like three or four of them and I think my favorite is the first one with Paul Walker and Tyrese.

Which is 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Do people like that one?

Some people did, some people didn’t. I liked it and I think it’s aged probably better than any of the other really old ones. So, we’ve been stuck in the house for a little while. What kind of music have you been working on since you were stuck in the house?

I’ve been getting back to producing more because before this, I’ve always produced and I started learning how to produce when I was like 16, 17. So, that’s always been a nice little skill to have just because it makes it easier for me to make songs and I don’t have to talk to people about what I want all the time. It just makes songwriting a lot better, and being able to learn arrangements and what these little languages are.

And it’s been a lot of different kinds of music — a lot of hip-hop stuff, then a lot of really melodic stuff, and that’s what comes out when I produce. I can’t really just do one thing because it gets really boring for me. So I try to switch it up.

That’s fire. Challenging yourself is a really great way to get better at any skill or even just get better at like you said, writing things down or finding ways to solve problems. There’s actually a challenge that I heard that goes with the video that has prompted prominent Asian rappers to also jump on the beat for “Tokyo Drift.”

I guess it’s been a challenge that kind of started naturally, people wanting to get on the beat. I think it’s cool to see people doing that without even me just trying to start anything. It’s really interesting to see. I’ve seen some really good ones and right now, I’m currently trying to get my other rapper friends on it, but we’ll see.

Absolutely. So, I know you’ve probably seen how in the news that there’s been a rise in anti-Asian sentiment and xenophobia lately because of the coronavirus. What would you say to someone who believes or repeats some of those anti-Asian sentiments?

This virus is not an excuse to just be racist to random Asian people. And what’s been happening is not cool. And I’ve seen a lot of the news and even my friends have gotten into their share of weird encounters and altercations relating to this whole pandemic situation. It’s really fucked up. It’s a weird situation to be in and I just hope that more people realize that it’s not cool.

And as an Asian person myself, I don’t feel safe walking outside just by myself. And I never thought I would feel that, like in a million years.

You’re now seen as sort of a role model for a community of people that don’t necessarily get a lot of representation in hip-hop. Can you just talk about what does that position mean to you?

That position is so big to me and most of the time I don’t really get pressure from it. Most of the time it’s motivation. But there are times where I’m really, really thinking about it and I’m like, ‘Whoa, this could be a lot of pressure sometimes.’ But a lot of times, it’s what keeps me going. It’s great that I’m able to make money off of something that I enjoy doing, but at the same time, outside of all that, I like being able to do it and inspire a lot of other people in the process and be that role model that I didn’t really have that much of when I was a kid.

I also hear you’re working with another rapper from the Asian-American community: Guapdad 4000, who’s part Filipino.

Yeah, the new single’s called “Bali” and it’s featuring Guapdad 4000 and it’s coming out today. It’s just a really fun song, it’s really melodic and catchy. At the same time, there’s also rapping in it that’s kind of like that rap-melodic stuff that people do sometimes and I haven’t done too much of it because it’s kind of a new territory for me. It has kind of like a reggae vibe on the beat.

I worked on it with Bekon and the Donuts. We produced it together and Guapdad 4000 was amazing to work with. We never met before, but we were just like texting about it. He was really cool because he did his verse and then he sent it to me. Usually, when I collab with people, they send me their verse, whatever, and they’re just like, ‘Alright, I did my verse, this is what you get.’ But he was actually asking me what do I think about it and he was down to take notes and stuff like that.

So it was a great collaboration and I can’t wait for it to come out because it’s definitely, again, a weird time to be in right now. I’ve never seen anybody just like globally staying home. I don’t think this ever happened before in this world. And the thing that I feel like keeps a lot of people sane right now is music.

Rihanna is jumping on the livestreaming wave to celebrate the release of her new Fenty clothing line with the Fenty Social Club. The party celebrates the launch of the Fenty brand’s faux leather capsule. Launching later today (April 10) at 3pm PST, 6pm EST, and 11pm BST, the party will feature DJ sets from DJ Pedro, Kitty Ca$h, and Stretch Armstrong, with a performance from grime star Octavian. See below for the flyers.

Rihanna also donated quite a lot of money to coronavirus relief on top of providing entertainment, donating $5 million via her Clara Lionel Foundation to organizations all over the US and overseas, which helped food banks serving at-risk populations, provided medical equipment to hospitals, and helped speed up distribution of testing kits in Haiti and Malawi. Her home country, Barbados, received $1.4 million for ventilators.

She also teamed up with Jay-Z to distribute $2 million collectively to organizations in New York and Los Angeles to help vulnerable populations such as children of frontline healthcare workers, the elderly, the homeless, the incarcerated, and undocumented workers.

But of course, with so many fans — including Drake — clamoring for new music from the Bajan star, she’s also been hard at work on just that during quarantine. Hopefully, she’ have something new to play for fans who tune into Fenty Social Club this afternoon.

Check out the announcement for Fenty Social Club above, along with a preview of what to expect.

Hip-hop is moving as fast as ever. Luckily we’re doing the work to put the best music in one place for you. This week, there were videos from Rico Nasty, Lil Tjay, Trippie Redd and Young Thug, and Smino. Here’s the best of the rest:

Tory Lanez — New Toronto 3

Tory Lanez’ week didn’t start off the best, but all’s well that ends well. After a brief stop to his Quarantine Radio sessions, the Toronto artist got his in-demand live streams back online yesterday. And he also released his latest mixtape, the 16-track New Toronto 3. The track shows off the Toronto artist’s polarizing versatility. He goes in on most tracks alone aside from features with Mansa and LilTjay.

Kevin Gates — “Wetty” Freestyle

A week after Fivio Foreign dropped the video for his “Wetty” single, the beat is already inspiring freestyles. Kevin Gates jumped on the beat earlier this week to lend the track a Southern-fried influence, proclaiming, “my heart goes out to Young Chop and the industry, they gon’ blackball him” after weeks of puzzling online antics.

Love Mansuy — “Count On You” Remix Feat. Lil Wayne

This week, Montreal singer Love Mansuy became a part of a pretty select group: upcoming artists that Lil Wayne actually knows of. The famously oblivious Weezy lended a verse to a remix of “Count On You,” telling his boo that, “even with these bloodshot eyes, I can still see the upside.”

Mozzy — “Pricetag” Feat. Polo G & Lil Poppa

Kindred artists Polo G and Mozzy connected for “Pricetag,” a single from Mozzy’s upcoming Beyond Bulletproof where they take turns talking gruff along with Lil Poppa. The video features a cartel theme, which fits the Latin vibe of the India Got Them Beats and Steph Got The Waves production.

Machine Gun Kelly — “What’s Poppin”

We’re sure you’ve heard this before: Keeping relationships is important in the music industry. It can be the difference between freestyling over one of the hottest of the moment and a 75-cent-on-the-dollar YouTube remake. Machine Gun Kelly hit up Jack Harlow for the beat to his buzzing “What’s Poppin” single, then dropped bars like on a two-minute freestyle.

BlocBoy JB — “Out West” Freestyle

Blocboy JB dropped some bars over Young Thug and Travis Scott’s “Out West,” riding the hypnotic production and letting us know, “I ain’t with the wrestlin’ my name ain’t Umaga.”

Azealia Banks — “Mamma Mia”

Azealia Banks jumped on the drill wave with her one-of-a-kind mic presence on “Mamma Mia,” eschewing the subgenre’s popular bouncy cadence for a slurry delivery packing bars like, “I seen them checks coming in that tarot deck b*tches.”

Problem — “Don’t Be Mad At Me”

LA rapper Problem provided the anthem for many a quarantine couple with “Don’t Be Made At Me,” a slick plea for forgiveness over a trademark West Coast slapper. He released the track along with his Compton Story film, which is exclusively streaming on Tidal.

Skyzoo & Dumbo Station — “Good Enough Reasons”

Skyzoo is preparing to release his The Bluest Note album, an ode to his love for jazz and its influence on his craft. He gave fans a taste of what to expect on “Good Enough Reasons,” a lyrically dense track where he implores the listener to “ante up for whatever you believe in.”

Aesop Rock — Freedom Finger (Music From The Game)

Aestop Rock released Freedom Finger (Music From The Game) EP, a collection of songs and beats on the soundtrack to the Freedom Finger videogame. The project features three lyrical exercises, as well as the instrumentals to those tracks and four extra beats. He also dropped a video for “Drums On The Wheel.”

Lady Leshurr — “Quarantine Speech“

The UK’s Lady Leshurr offered up one of the catchiest coronavirus PSAs yet on “Quarantine Speech,” where she offers future generations a time capsule of today’s madness and demands, “please don’t cough around me, keep your salivas.”

Renni Rucci — “Solid B*tch”

Renni Rucci put her foot down on “Solid B*tch,” a track where she lets her man know he messed up by not staying solid and loyal to her.

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

RMR made a splash online earlier this year with his video for “Rascal.” The song is a tender country ballad, but that wouldn’t come across at all if the video was on mute, as the clip featured the rapper surrounded by gun-toting associates in the hip-hop-styled visual. He said at the time that he “grew up on country and rap music,” and his latest song, “Dealer,” is more indebted to the latter style.

Wearing his signature face mask, RMR raps on the beach and rides around in the back of a car. The track has the rapper going back and forth between rapping and singing, and his lyrics address the trappings of the hip-hop lifestyle, like drugs, wealth, and women: “Go ‘head, sip it, bet I’ll keep on sippin’ / Drinkin’ bottles after bottles, feelin’ all exquisite / F*ckin’ models after models, all these hoes junkies / Can’t see me, tinted inside my Bentley.” The song’s title stems from a line in the second verse: “I’m a dealer, not the addict, n****, I’m a boss.’

RMR previously indicated that he was set to drop a Matchbox Twenty-inspired single, but “Dealer” is his first new song since “Rascal,” so it’s not clear if this is the song in question. Regardless, he plans on releasing an EP titled Drug Dealing Is A Lost Art at some point this spring.

Watch the “Dealer” video above.

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

Fame has a way of amplifying who a person is deep inside. Someone who is good-hearted can do amazing things with the power and money that comes with being a celebrity.

However, someone who’s rotten to the core will use fame to subjugate others and behave in a petty fashion.

So it’s ways interesting to learn whether the celebrities we see on the big screen or on stage are nice people or tyrants. Reddit user willis1988, asked the online forum, “What celebrities have you encountered that were either really nice or really horrible?” and the stories were overwhelmingly positive.

So we decided to focus on the positive stories about celebrities who haven’t let fame completely decimate their souls.

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Dave Chappelle is Cool

Met Dave Chappelle a few years back. Long story short, a friend of a friend got me and two friends into an after party. We were sitting at the bar when his manager offered us some shots. We talked with his manager for a while. Then Dave sat down near us. Dave was kind of sitting by himself and he looks over at us and goes “What’s going on fellas?” And we talk to him for about an hour. We thanked him for coming to our town, talked about music, sports, all kinds of stuff. Super cool dude. One of my favorite memories. — nstb21

Right after the opening act he came out and immediately noticed us and asked if we were all Filipinos. Well, he definitely guessed right! He started talking about how we are his family and went right into the details about his family. the food, culture and his own family. Like having a humorous conversation during his set. Pretty surreal.

Anyways after a killer show, everyone was filtering out when one of the producers stopped us and asked if we can be in some of the B roll footage along with Katt Williams since he was also there checking out the show. Of course, we agreed and sat next to him.

As soon as it was over, Dave was on stage smoking a joint and I told him it was my birthday that night. He asked what my name is, I said, amour-y-moi! He then grabbed the microphone and with everyone else still around he said, “Today’s Amour-y-moi’s birthday and I’m buying shots for everyone!!”. Got to do a shot with him. One of the best random birthday moments ever! — amour-y-moi

Dolly Parton is Radiant

I met miss Dolly Parton when I was just a wee kid in Illinois. I’ve described it as being like meeting the sun. She was just so happy and warm and wonderful, and she was the first person I’d met in real life with a southern accent. — tweak0

Years ago working hotel security in Edmonton I was escorting Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers at 0400 in the elevator down from their rooms to the lobby to get in their Airport Limo. I am 6’5″, and so I towered over her. Dolly looked me up and down and said in her cute southern drawl “they sure grow ’em big up here in Canada!” She was just as sweet as you could imagine.

Kenny, on the other hand, and I feel bad for saying this, due to his recent passing, treated me like the help (which I of course was) and even made a huffy impatient noise when, slightly flustered by Dolly’s remark, I struggled to find the key to put the elevator into independent service. Dolly touched my arm, looked me in the eye, and said “Darlin’, don’t you pay him any attention, we appreciate y’all!” — LOUDCO-HD

I guess I got the good and the bad in one shot. — LOUDCO-HD

Ice-T Has Manners, Good Taste in Music

Went with my parents to a function for some charity group and we shared a table with Ice-T. Super nice guy, down to earth and not high on himself. He has a mouth on him but when he found out my Dad is a retired preacher never heard a bad word again the rest of the night. I ended up talking music and how he goes from Rap to Metal. Man is cool and knows his sh*t about the metal and Punk scene. — Gundamsafety

John Candy Was a Sweetheart

I met John Candy on a plane when I was a little kid while traveling with my family. He was a big man. He had the whole row to himself in front of us with the armrest up between seats so he could be more comfortable. The stewardesses were blocking anyone from coming up and bothering him, even though they themselves were not exactly leaving him alone what with talking to him constantly and laughing at his enjoyable banter the whole trip.

At some point he got up to go to the bathroom. When he came back he looked at me, pretended to do a double-take like he was surprised and said , “hey, you’re the quietest kid ever, don’t you talk?” The way he said it was so friendly that I just smiled and giggled. Then he had a pleasant conversation with my parents, who had been DYING to talk to him the entire flight, but were too polite to bother him.

Not even 2 weeks later we heard he had passed. — starstarstar42

The ‘Quiet Beatle’ Likes Kids

When my dad was about 9 (1964ish) he was on a plane from LA to Heathrow in coach with his mom. The stewardess came back and excitedly asked him if he wanted to ‘meet a Beatle??’

My dad said sure but didn’t really know the Beatles at that age, and only said yes because that’s kinda what you do at that age. He sat on the couch next to George (different time, airlines treated you like people), George folds up his newspaper and says, “soo, do ya like my music?”

My dad says (like a confused 10 year old) “um, no”. Apparently George smiled and went back to reading his newspaper. My dad sat there like a doofus for like 5-10 minutes until the stewardess came and got him.

So George Harrison was cool to children, and my dad’s the most Stone cold 10 year old ever — Beej1030

Everyone Loves Adam Sandler

I ran into Adam Sandler outside of a Planet Fitness in Brooklyn in early 2016.

As I was leaving the Planet Fitness, it looked like he was walking in. We made eye contact, so I stopped and held the door for him. He got to the door and stopped right before he walked through, in one of those fake poses that little kids make when you tell them to freeze. I stood there holding the door, plenty confused. For about five seconds, we just stood there- him, motionless and I, standing there holding the door. Finally, he turned his head and said in the stereotypical Adam Sandler voice, “Ahhh, who we kidding? I’m not going in there!” Giant grin on his face. We both laughed and then he continued down the street. — WatchTheBoom

He was in my town in NY shooting something for Netflix a few years ago. When he was done for the day he went down to the local park and started playing pickup games of basketball with people. — norcaln8

I met him down in Nantucket one summer a few years ago. I had no money and so he bought me and my friends a pizza and shared it with us. Probably the greatest moment of my life. — Pacadoo

He shook my hand before I went to pee. Then when I reentered the comedy club he asked me how it went.

It was glorious.— SufferingWithYou2

Robin Williams Was a Pure Soul

I was working in a little boutique store in Seattle with my girlfriend and it was a particularly slow day when all of a sudden Robin Williams walks through the door. He was the only one in the store and my girlfriend didn’t know who he was. We left him alone and when he came up to purchase his things he started barking at my Boston terrier in a cute way. It scared the crap out of my Boston terrier and he started barking back at Robin. He was so genuine and nice and I really do remember how hairy his arms were. For some reason that really stuck out. He walked out the door and instantly was surrounded by a bunch of tourists trying to take pictures of him. He put his bags in the back of his mini Cooper and drove off. He bought a little piece of artwork and three Goorin Bros hats. — noradam22

Paul Rudd May Be the Coolest Celebrity

I met Paul Rudd on a flight from NY, sat next too him on the plane. My buddy leaned over and told me that he wanted to compliment him on this band shirt he wore when making Clueless, but he “didn’t want it to be weird”. So his solution was to write him a note and slip it to him, lol. So he does this, and Paul just gets this nervous look on his face, opens the note and reads it. Starts cracking up laughing, leaned over to us and said “best note ever”. He then told us the whole story of the shirt, how he fought with the costume dept about it because it was the shirt he wore to set that day. We talked the whole flight, dude was super cool. — _Glibnik_

So I have a fun Paul Rudd story.

I worked at CVS at the time, and my manager had just eliminated smoke breaks- so I’m on edge and going nuts. Paul Rudd walks in, and sees me. For reference- I am generally disheveled in appearance. I had a wizard beard braided down almost to my nuts, and I had worked overnight unloading the truck before popping on register.

He looks at me and just goes- “rough night?” I laughed, nodded. I slurped at my coffee, which was more or less empty at this point. My boss comes out of the office to yell at me about something, and Paul drops what he’s doing, runs to my counter, and rings the little bell to interrupt the boss. I run over and he has a single butterfinger on the counter.

I ring him out, and he laughs. He says- “how long you been here?” Truthfully, I told him- 10 hours. I sputter something about loving him in “Fundamentals of Caring.” He looks at my boss and says the best thing ever.

“I need [my name] to help me to my car with my purchase. My back hurts. Mind taking over for him?”

So i go outside, he bums a cigarette off me, and bought me coffee- then wouldn’t let me inside until i finished a whole cigarette and half my coffee. Boss came out to bitch, he laughs and says “I still need his help loading my car.” Honestly, its actually probably the single best customer-moment I’ve ever had in my time in retail.

Dude’s goddamn awesome. — Malakoji

Word to Your Grandmother

My Grandma sat next to Rob Van Winkle (Vanilla Ice) on a plane before he was famous for ice ice baby. She knew who he was but didnt want him to know. They had a lovely 4 hour conversation and she said he was really intelligent and nice. — Cnutty_04

Vin Likes to Fish

I met Vin Diesel at a truck stop diner when I was a kid.

It was like 4 in the morning and me, my grandpa and vin and his friend were the only ones in the diner, and we ended up getting sat at the table next to them.

Vin and a friend were getting ready to go on some fishing trip which was made obvious by the clothes they were wearing. My grandpa struck up a conversation about fishing with him, completely oblivious to who he was. He was a really nice guy and apparently knew a great deal about fishing techniques.

I was a bit geeked out and didn’t say much or contribute to the conversation but I spent the next hour of our road trip explaining to my grandpa who vin diesel was and why it was a huge deal we just met him. — weekendbrainsurgeon

John C. Reilly is John C. Reilly

I was working on a set once where John C. Reilly acted as one of the main characters. It was a pretty small set and low budget (not even sure if the show ever aired) so we all found ourselves working closely together for the most part.

I sat across from him during lunch one day and we chatted for a bit about random stuff. The guy talks the same way he acts, which is why I think he plays such a great character in any comedy because he quite literally plays his own attitude in many roles.. at least it seems.

But anyway he was a very nice and down to earth guy, I found it hard not to giggle every time he spoke because I just couldn’t shake the image in my head of all the roles he’s played. — tommyboy6733

The Rock is the People’s Champion

My mom and sister met the Rock when he was still a wrestler. They had a couple car seats and tons of bags having a hell of a time getting off the plane and people were waiting and then this massive guy offered to carry some things for them and they happily took the help, he grabbed some bags and held the baby carrier with my niece in it and helped them off the plane and left. After people kept going up to them asking how they knew the rock and they were very confused until someone explained who he was. — sendgoodmemes

Daniel Radcliffe is very … British

I served Daniel Radcliffe his dessert at an event, and tripped and spilled some of it on him, probably due to seeing that I was serving Daniel Radcliffe, and he stood up and started apologising profusely to ME. Was very sweet and asking if I was ok. — eggsmashumactually

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Let’s step back for a moment and take stock of our situation, shall we?

We are currently living through a global pandemic which, up until a month ago, was a theoretical disaster we’d only ever seen in movies and history books. We now tap into the news each day and watch the numbers of confirmed cases and deaths rising. A growing number of us have family, friends, or acquaintances who have fallen ill or died. Even if we don’t, we may have loved ones who are elderly or immunocompromised or we may fall into that category ourselves, so we fear what exposure to this virus might bring.

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At the same time, we are stuck in our homes without our normal social outlets. Some of us are alone and lonely. Some of us are trapped in homes that are not healthy or safe. Even those of us who appreciate having some extra family time might be feeling the strain of constant togetherness. People are stressed over trying to work and educate kids and try to provide structure and security in the midst of chaos.

Some of us are forced to go to work in essential jobs that put our lives at risk. Some of us are newly and unexpectedly unemployed, while others are watching businesses they’ve built crumble before their eyes. Some of use are wondering how we’re going to put food on the table. Many of us have watched future plans and goals and dreams being swept away, just like that. We know that the economic fallout of this will be huge, but we don’t know how huge or what that will mean for us individually or collectively.

Our lives have been upended, quickly and with very little warning. We’re surviving, most of us, but that doesn’t change the fact that life as we know it has been dramatically altered. And we don’t know when or how or if things will return to “normal.”

Then there’s the human toll of the virus itself. We bear witness to heartbreaking stories from medical workers on the front line. Medical workers who don’t have enough supplies and are having to pile bodies into refrigerator trucks. Bodies of patients who died without loved ones by their side. Patients whose belongings are piling up in hospital storage rooms, waiting for the day when family members can come retrieve them. Family members who can’t even gather together for funerals to comfort one another as humans do.

And that’s just an overview. And it’s only been a month. And we’re not yet at the peak. And we’re being told there may be resurgences in coming months, meaning we don’t know what the next year holds.

This is no small thing, friends.

Trauma is defined as the emotional response to a terrible event. And it’s totally understandable that a global pandemic and sudden, widespread economic hardship would evoke a strong emotional response in most of us. And yet, many of us likely haven’t thought about this experience as “trauma” because it hasn’t been one single event. It’s a slow emergency of sorts, one we had to prepare for before we saw it for ourselves. And now we’re living in a weird state of limbo where nothing feels normal, widespread worry and uncertainty surround us, and yet it’s all covered in a thin veneer of calm.

That veneer is deceptive. On the surface, we’re just being asked to sit at home and watch TV—what’s so traumatic about that? But simplifying it in such a way denies the entire reason we’re doing it—to prevent mass death and suffering as much as possible. That’s a heavy reality. We’ve had to upend life as we know it in order to preserve lives in general.

And yet even with our seemingly extreme efforts, we’re still watching the numbers climb and seeing the terrible stories. Even if we aren’t directly impacted, we’re still immersed in it and experiencing trauma vicariously. If we have any sense of empathy, we will have an emotional response—one that we might not recognize, since this is like nothing we’ve experienced before.

Licensed professional counselor Jennifer Yaeger shared some words of wisdom about our current circumstances and the importance of acknowledging the emotional and psychological toll of it all on Facebook. She wrote:

“I want to acknowledge that living through this pandemic is a trauma.

As a trauma specialist, I think there are a few things that are helpful to know:

– Parts of our brain have shut down in order for us to survive

– As a result, we are not able to fully process a lot of what is going on around us

– Feeling somewhat numb and out of touch with our emotions is normal, especially if you have lived through trauma before

– Some people are also more apt to feel hypervigilant or anxious, while others become hypoactive or depressed. Neither means anything other than indicating your predisposition to dealing with extreme stress

– In-depth processing of trauma happens years later, when we feel emotionally safe to deal with it

– When in the midst of trauma, just getting by emotionally and functionally is okay. Lowering expectations and being kind to yourself and others is vital.”

So don’t judge whatever you’re feeling—or what anyone else is feeling—through all of this. When you feel overwhelmed or stuck or numb—or even guilty for not feeling any of these things when you’re in a state of joy or gratitude—just let it be. Most of us are experiencing a dozen different feelings every hour, so do what you need to do to care for mental and emotional health.

Be gentle and patient with yourself, and do the same with others. This is hard, but we’ll get through it. Our emotions are one thing that unite us as human beings, so if nothing else, we can at least take comfort in the fact that none of us is alone in what we’re feeling.