Massachusetts rapper Joyner Lucas finally “met” his idol Will Smith when the two rappers linked up via Zoom to watch Joyner’s video for “Will” from his new album, ADHD. In the video, Joyner reproduces iconic looks from across the actor’s extensive blockbuster career. When the real Will Smith saw it, he loved it and sent Joyner an Instagram message expressing his approval.

Now, for the latest episode of Will’s Snapchat show Will From Home, Smith reached out to give Joyner the opportunity to hang out, even if current social distancing protocols mean their meetup was virtual-only for the time being. Will’s son Jaden, an accomplished entertainer in his own right, also joined them for some fun side commentary as they watched Joyner’s creative new video.

“For me, I feel like you’ve done everything the right way and I really look up to that,” Joyner tells Will in the clip. Jaden also notes that Will went “from first making music in Philly, winning the first-ever rap Grammy, and then making that transition from mainly music into film,” prompting Will to launch into one of his most dad-like dad jokes ever. “Then, Jaden, after all of that, I made you!” he clowns.

The full episode can be found on Snapchat, but Joyner did helpfully post a clip to his own Instagram, which you can watch above.

Joyner’s album, ADHD, is out now via Twenty Nine Music Group. Get it here.

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Wow, how did my to-do list all get checked off at once?

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For your quarantine viewing pleasure.

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“What people have always done. Leave the porch light on. They come back.”

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The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

In 2017, a video from the Korean-American producer Yaeji started circulating on the internet, racking up views by the thousands — and not just because it was released via the YouTube channel for 88rising, a massive collective for Asian-American and Asian artists. In the clip, the then-23-year-old producer and singer rides her bike through empty streets, deadpan rapping in Korean over slippery house beats, flexing with the air of an iced-out rapper all while wearing horn-rimmed glasses and an oversized blazer on her petite frame. The effect was incredible, and mesmerizing, and 8 million views later, Yaeji was well on her way to mainstream fame in America.

“Drink I’m Sippin’ On” wasn’t quite her first single, but it helped put Kathy Yaeji Lee — aka Yaeji — and her subsequent, short release, EP2, on the map in a way that her initial self-titled EP Yaeji didn’t. Or maybe the momentum was building either way, as the releases came in quick succession in March and November of 2017, both released via Talya Elitzer and Nick Sylvester’s New York-based label and management company, Godmode. But then, a full-length never materialized, and outside of the 2018 one-off, appropriately titled “One More,” pretty much the only thing coming out of the Yaeji camp was remixes.

Not that successfully remixing pop auteurs like Robyn (“Beach 2K20”) and Charli XCX (“Focus”) is a small feat, or that her well-received rework of Drake’s “Passionfruit” on EP2 wasn’t arguably better than the original, simply that fans were fascinated with the original material they’d already heard, and eager to see what Lee would do next. Finally, in March of this year, right before the world went on pause due to the spread of COVID-19, word came down: a new, 12-track mixtape was coming, this time released by the esteemed British indie, XL Recordings.

Released last Friday, that mixtape, titled What We Drew in English, showcases exactly what Yaeji has been doing for the last two and a half years — fixating on a sound that will likely become the blueprint for emerging producers in the next decade. An easy peer of Grimes — and both of them influenced by Janet Jackson — Yaeji’s self-produced, softly-murmured offerings push her to the edge of experimental pop and the DIY electronic production that exploded in the age of personal computers and digital audio workstation software, but the pulsing undercurrent of house music and inklings of hip-hop elevate her work into a category all its own. Mixing that with ASMR-styled lyrics, often submerged well below the surface of her productions, and surprising ear for hooky, unshakeable riffs, Yaeji’s latest is an enormous step forward.

On What We Drew, Yaeji speaks to a world in lockdown, debuting the EP with a livestream of herself drawing and doodling, while the songs played idly in the background. There’s enough muted cohesion here to make the tape suitable for playing as a backdrop, but all the intricacies that unfold when listening with careful attention makes the latter approach the better one. And, for those locked inside, this release offers layers and layers of sound to unpack and something new to discover on every listen. It’s a record full of songs that hum with gloomy optimism, weighty verses trade off with flickering, falsetto choruses, and vice versa.

Born in Queens, raised in South Korea, and currently based in Brooklyn, Yaeji is often described as a “NYC-via-Seoul” producer, and the formatting of her new EP echoes that distinction. Every song is written in English and Korean, including the album title, and she moves between the two languages without distinguishing between them, as most people who have two or more languages in their head instinctually do. On the mixtape’s introductory single, “Waking Up Down,” she rattles off the everyday tasks she can accomplish in English, before swapping to Korean for the chorus. Hearing her celebrate muddling through the mundane daily tasks is oddly prescient while stuck inside during a pandemic, where even the simplest chores seem particularly challenging in the face of global crisis.

Like any great producer, Yaeji also shines when it comes to selecting and orienting guest stars, as Lil Fayo, Trenchcoat, and Sweet Pea fill standout track “Free Interlude” with the kind of orchestrated chaotic energy that made early Odd Future compilations so fun to listen to. On her own for “In The Mirror,” which sounds like an inverted song off Charli XCX’s last album, Lee builds ominous drums to create tension for a long two-minute intro before exploding into an earworm Autotuned chorus that’s over too soon, mimicking the serotonin release of an EDM drop when it hits. And while a handful of people listening to Yaeji in 2020 might have extensive knowledge of house vocalists, it’s more likely that she’s one of their first entry points into the storied and often overlooked corner of the music world; but like most great vocalists in the genre, her ability to use lyrics and vocals as just another abstract part of the song, and not the tonal focus of the track, is yet another underrated skill.

It’s exactly her intuitive ability to move between languages, and genres — house, hip-hop, pop — that makes When We Drew feel like the next logical step for pop’s best and most interesting impulses. These are pop songs deconstructed to work as landscapes, not portraits, never paint-by-numbers melodies, always textured beyond a traditional hook-focused structure, but with earworm appeal built into each track’s foundations. This also makes it hard to pick a favorite song on the tape, because it feels like they’re always morphing. With weeks of lockdown potentially ahead of us, it will be interesting to notice how the impact of What We Drew changes over time, it strikes me as the kind of album that could help define how this period sounded and felt. One thing is certain, there are few better albums to be locked indoors with. It isn’t a cheerful record, but there’s strange and welcome joy in these deconstructed dancefloor jams.

What We Drew is out now via XL Recordings. Get it here.

The NBA’s upcoming attempt at giving basketball fans some sort of live event is set in stone. Reports from earlier in the week indicated that the league would partner up with ESPN to put on a live HORSE tournament of some sort, and on Wednesday, some of the preliminary names of competitors became public.

Now, not only do we know that the event is on, we know what the field will look like and when the competition will occur. It was announced on Thursday morning that we’ll see the following four matchups, which include current and former NBA and WNBA players:

Trae Young vs. Chauncey Billups
Tamika Catchings vs. Mike Conley
Zach LaVine vs. Paul Pierce
Chris Paul vs. Allie Quigley

The games will occur remotely, with players getting shots up at their homes. The first round of matchups will play out on April 12 from 7-9 p.m. EST, with the semifinals and finals occurring on April 16 from 9-11 p.m. EST. Here are the rules for this competition, via the NBA:

A coin toss at the start of each game will determine who shoots first, with the more senior player calling heads or tails. Players must describe each shot attempt, specifying the type of score they intend to make before taking a shot, such as a bank shot or swish. Dunking is prohibited. The first player in each game to accumulate the letters “H-O-R-S-E” after failing to match five shots is eliminated.

All of this is pretty standard, namely the “you have to call a bank or a swish” one, but we would have liked to see Pierce have to figure out a response to LaVine throwing down some gravity-defying dunks. Then again, this did sort itself out on Twitter in a conversation between Young and LaVine, so it’s not a huge surprise this rule got implemented:

At the very least, just getting some kind of live basketball is going to be a joy. Our early guess is to go with Young because of his ability to hit shots from his neighbors’ driveway, but this field is loaded, and any of the eight have a shot at winning the whole thing.

Since the release of her 2018 debut Flow State, Tash Sultana has spent her time touring and working on new material. Now, the Melbourne instrumentalist is ready for a new era. With “Pretty Lady,” Sultana furthers her impressive catalog as a one-woman sensation.

For the accompanying video, Sultana called upon friends, family, and fans to lend a hand. “So what do you do when you’re releasing a new song, you gotta make a music video, and you can’t leave the house due a global pandemic!?” Sultana wrote. “Well I gave some family, friends, and fans all around the world a little preview of the song and asked them to have a little fun and video themselves dancing along.”

In a statement, Sultana described her songwriting process: “I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this song for like six years. I used to loop it and just free style to it when I was busking years ago, but I always got stuck on the same parts. I put the song in a box at the back of my mind and revisited it in November 2019. I had Dann (Hume) and Matt (Corby) spend some time in my studio and that’s when I decided to show them this song. It’s my first song I’ve collaborated with other players on.”

Watch Sultana’s “Pretty Lady” video above.

The latest challenge to land on social media has one of the more peculiar origins: The Weeknd’s Variety interview promoting his new album, After Hours. Amid charming anecdotes about hanging out with Jim Carrey on his 30th birthday, The Weeknd also remarked on the impact his singular musical style had on R&B, using the example of Usher’s “Climax.” Calling “Climax” a “Weeknd song,” the Canadian singer said that he was flattered but insulted that Usher would borrow “his” style.

Now Usher has responded to the comments, but rather than doing so directly, he instead issued the #ClimaxChallenge, singing an excerpt from the song’s chorus on his Instagram Story. He notably did not mention The Weeknd, but the implication was clear: “You wish you could sing a song like ‘Climax.’” It wasn’t long before other R&B singers — both certified ones like Eric Bellinger and aspiring ones — were giving it a go and hashtagging their own renditions of the #ClimaxChallenge. While Usher didn’t say that it was in response to The Weeknd’s comment, others were more than happy to speak up on his behalf. In the caption of his own video (which featured a collection of other entries), Bellinger tagged The Weeknd, writing, “Now all we waitin for is you.”

We’ll see if The Weeknd responds, but until then, check out some of the entries to the challenge in the videos above.

As it becomes more and more likely that you’re running low on mixers, we’ve spent the week calling out gins and a variety of whiskeys to drink straight. Today it’s rum’s turn. We’re not talking about the harsh, high proof, mouth-drying rum that you mixed high-octane punches with in college. We’re talking about aged, nuanced, high-quality rums — sure to please even whiskey purists.

Jake Larowe, bar manager at Birds and Bees in Los Angeles, prefers well-aged rums to whiskey for slow sipping.

“I love clean, 12-year barrel-aged rums,” he says. “Something that doesn’t get too heavy from a long stay in wood but still has enough time to sit and mellow.”

To help us drill down to specific bottles, we enlisted the help of some of our favorite bartenders. Here are their picks for the best rums for drinking neat.

Clairin Vaval Haitian Rhum Agricole

Valentino Longo, bartender at Le Sirenuse in Miami

I love rhum agricole to drink neat during the day, like Clairin. And for after dinner with a nice cigar, a Venezuelan rum, like Diplomatico.

El Dorado 12 Year

Courtney Everett, bartender O-Ku Sushi in Atlanta

If I’m going to drink a rum neat, it better be smooth. That’s why I like El Dorado 12-year. It is rich and complex, and kind of funky. Plus it’s at a good price point for aged rum.

Ron Zacapa 23 Year

Kevin Moran, general manager at Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood in South Walton, Florida

My choice of rum is the Ron Zacapa 23-year barrel-aged. Many of our other labels of rum are designed to enjoy in a hand-crafted cocktail while Ron Zacapa is designed to be enjoyed as you would a Cognac or a fine whiskey. Its time in barrel has given it a rounder mouthfeel and more depth of flavor, best enjoyed neat.

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

Josh Saphier, bartender at Eighteen36 in Houston

My go-to rum is Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva. The origin is Venezuela. It’s utterly smooth at room temp. On the nose, I get honey or tawny port, you can smell a little bit of raisin. Fruity up front, I get banana and cantaloupe. The finish is a little funkier though it dissipates quickly.

Dos Maderas 5 + 5

Josh Streetman, bartender at Motor Supply Co. in Columbia, South Carolina

Rum styles range across the board, with production methods being widely diverse and mostly unregulated. I like Dos Maderas 5 + 5. It’s Spanish and finished in oak and used port barrels. I also have an affection for agricole for a funky, lighter, vegetal flavor. Duquesne from Martinique is my pick.

Ron Zacapa XO

Natalie Migliarini, the mixologist behind Beautiful Booze on Instagram

Ron Zacapa XO Rum. I love the sweet, spicy, and rich flavors — including dark chocolate, brown sugar, and toffee. I also love Zacapa’s Master Blender, Lorena Vásquez, whom I’ve met on several occasions. Her personality and energy really make this brand stand out.

Black Coral Spiced Rum

Bryan Long, assistant director of Food & at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Palm Beach, Florida

The best rum for me is Black Coral Rum’s Spiced Rum. It is distilled using ingredients sourced in Palm Beach’s backyard and is incredibly flavorful. The flavors of toasted cacao nibs, clove, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon make it a great sipper. It also makes great old fashioneds and Manhattans.

Foursquare Cask Series

Nate Simmons, bartender at Garden & Grain in Pensacola, Florida

Foursquare Cask Series Rum from Barbados. This line of artisan rums is pot stilled and aged in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-Madeira and/or ex-sherry barrels. Incredible flavor and complexity.

Papa’s Pilar Dark Rum

Mazzarie Parker, bar manager of Maypop Restaurant in New Orleans

Papa’s Pilar Dark Rum from Hemingway Rum Co. is my absolute favorite rum. It has notes of warm spices, caramel, vanilla, coffee, and port that make for a sweeter rum. The aroma alone makes me crave dessert. Although I do like to use this rum in cocktails, it is delicious enough to stand alone as an after-dinner spirit.

Bacardi Limitada

Zsolt Ducsai, food and beverage director at Serafina Beach Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Bacardi Limitada. This rum pairs well with a nice cigar. It’s rich in flavors (dry vanilla) and complex, with dark fruits and smooth notes.

Mount Gay XO Reserve Cask

Piero Procida, bartender at The London West Hollywood in Los Angeles

I’m going to go with Mount Gay XO Reserve Cask. If you are going to drink something straight, there has to be some sophistication and barrel aging to tone down the alcohol. It also provides a variety of flavors in a more “natural way” than having to mix it in drinks with a plethora of the ghastly synthetic ingredients that rum so often finds itself in.

This Barbados Rum has been aged for eight years and is incredibly smooth. Immediately off the bat, you’ll taste honey, banana and toffee apple with hints of spicy oak, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. A truly terrific rum that I think deserves a lot more credit. Easy to drink by itself, nothing added.

Paranubes

Alan Walter, spirit handler at Loa Bar in New Orleans

When it comes to sipping neat, you can’t go wrong with Paranubes. This Oaxacan spirit is between cachaça and agricole. It’s a truly unique, vegetal, and sweet flavor.