Brooklyn native Joey Badass has been quiet on the music tip for a minute, but that hasn’t stopped him from showing up where it matters most. Complex reports that Joey made a sizable donation to COVID-19 relief for New York City’s students, pairing with Fund For Public Schools to contribute $25,000 toward the city’s students — specifically, its homeless ones.
According to the report, there are more than 100,000 homeless students every year, with around 15,000 students living in shelters on any given night. This vulnerable population faces extra risk during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which also affects their learning and ability to complete courses. To that end, Joey’s donation will help with basic needs so students can focus on schoolwork, which will help prepare them for life after the coronavirus crisis has cleared.
In a statement, Joey said, “Now this COVID-19 crisis has been tough on a lot of us, but I can only imagine how hard it is on the homeless students. In the New York City public school system, there are about 1.1 million students currently enrolled. Over 100,000 of them are actually homeless. Now that’s about 1 in 10, and 85 percent of those kids are Hispanic or black. And that’s why I’m partnering up The Fund for Schools and the Department of Education to help them stay on track. Please join me in our efforts to support our most vulnerable students.”
You can watch Joey’s announcement video above and donate to the Fund For Public Schools here.
NPR’s staple live music segment Tiny Desk has found a way to cope with the pandemic. Rather than inviting musicians to their Washington, DC office to perform short sets amid crowded bookshelves and colorful trinkets, they are instead imploring artists to record sets from home. Comprised of working couple Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, Sylvan Esso showcased their shimmering tones in a Tiny Desk performance from their living room in Durham, North Carolina.
The couple’s chemistry is immediately apparent, often exchanging knowing glances which end in a giggle. And their artistry relies on a similar connection. Sanborn offers much of their instrumentals, producing each track on a synth in real-time while Meath delivers her soaring verses. For their abbreviated set, the duo pulls from their 2017 record What Now to perform “Die Young,” “Rewind,” and “Radio.”
The performance arrives just after Sylvan Esso’s collaboration with Local Natives. Just ahead of the lockdown in March, Sylvan Esso linked up with Local Natives on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to rework their 2016 Sunlit Youth track “Dark Days.” Now, the two have released the version as a single. In a statement alongside the remixed track, Local Natives said praised Meath for her musicianship:
“We last played it live on Kimmel a little over 2 months ago, which now feels like a distant memory from a bizarre alternate reality. Despite the looming anxiety of those final pre-quarantine days, that performance felt especially cathartic for us and was made all the more poignant by having Amelia on stage with us. She not only lent us her incredible voice but she wrote a beautiful new verse that taps into the nostalgia and the longing we all feel for a different time.”
Watch Sylvan Esso’s Tiny Desk performance and listen to their Local Natives collaboration above.
Defining someone as a “beer influencer” is a strange task. The word “influencer” alone is a freaking landmine. While virtually everyone in the content creation world longs to be influential, people still bristle at anyone marketing themselves as such. We’re using it here as a funky umbrella term that includes beer writers, brewers, beer sommeliers, beer-tenders, beer models, beer podcasters, beer advocates, and just plain old, well-respected beer lovers. In short, people we deem influential in this world.
That said, this list has caused controversy before. Last year’s launch kicked off a firestorm that led to a fair bit of industry drama and, in the end, some positive, progressive conversations about the challenges women in beer face. Those problems haven’t gone away. Meanwhile, the pandemic has added a whole new set of complications for the industry. It’s a trying time for small-time operators across the board right now. All the more reason to follow people who live, breathe, and drink in the craft beer ecosystem. People who are deeply invested in the state of their industry and keen to share it with the rest of us.
So here you go: 20 “beer influencers” we love in 2020. A chance to learn about beer from the people who make it and champion it. A chance to discover new pints, bottles, and growlers from beer podcasters, writers, and advocates. But first-and-foremost, a chance to have fun with endless combinations of grain, hops, yeast, and water.
Natalya Watson (beerwithnat) is a great entry point for any beer-curious tippler. Watson has a deeply enjoyable beer podcast that’s supported her Instagram feed. Watson is also a certified Advanced Cicerone, YouTuber, and author of Beer: Taste the Evolution in 50 Styles.
Watson’s Instagram feed is all about beer education alongside useful beer reviews, making it an excellent repository for extending your beer knowledge.
Mark Dredge is a beer, food, and travel writer with a killer beer-themed Instagram feed. Dredge has also authored six books about beer and the most recent — A Brief History of Lager — is yet another must-have for all beer lovers.
Following Dredge on Instagram is a no-brainer for any level of beer enthusiast. If you crave knowledge, this man has it.
Aristotle Green’s feed offers a glimpse into a beer hypeman’s life on the frontlines and behind the scenes. The Queens-based “Curator of VIBES” for his local brewery takes you into beer fests and the New York City beer scene. Granted, the feed does tend to focus on Green’s home brewery Finback (which you should also follow), but that doesn’t take away from the feed being a fun look at beer-making, drinking, and hyping.
New York-based Alison Grasso works as an audio and visual editor by day and champions craft beer by night (and weekends!). Grasso has a masterful beer-forward YouTube channel and created the #WomeninCraft video series.
Grasso’s feed is a great way to learn about new beers, beer bars, and the female brewers who are helping define the industry.
Charlotte Fisher’s feed, Hops and Charlie, falls squarely into the beer model category with a Florida focus. The feed is an easy follow overall, with great beer call-outs from craft breweries all over the U.S., sunny Florida backdrops, and a chill mood.
Cory Smith, who primarily writes for Good Beer Hunting, is the person to follow if you want to up your beer knowledge dramatically. Smith is an ambassador for the intersection of beer, travel, and food around the world (with a focus on his current home of Copenhagen). His Instagram is an easy follow for anyone looking for great shots of beer, beautifully plated food, and insight into the brewers and chefs who make all that magic happen.
Mike Potter wants to upend the “white dude with a beard” stereotype that has gripped American craft beer for the better part of three decades. Potter founded Black Beer Culture out of his Pittsburgh digs. The movement and its corresponding Instagram account have been instrumental in bringing a wider awareness to Black American brewers and beer lovers while also serving as a spot for all novices to learn about the wonderful nuances that make a great beer.
Bella, the force behind One Hoppy Lady, is a Certified Cicerone Beer Server and a professional photographer. That gives her a deep knowledge of beer to pair with her acumen behind the camera. Both add up to a fantastic beer feed on Instagram. Bella’s tastes tend to be impeccable and the beers she highlights in her feed are definitely worth hunting down (no matter how much effort that takes).
Artist, photographer, and beer-lover Tara Eckes calls out a lot of great beer. Eckes feed is also a great spot to find shout outs to great stops for road trips in America’s vast Southwest. Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico’s scenic byways, breweries, diners, beer bars, and breath-taking nature are as much a highlight as the actual beers Tara recommends.
Lindsay Hayes is on the frontline of beer drinking. Hayes was working as a beer-tender in Nashville at Southern Grist Brewing before moving to Divine Barrel Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina. That means Hayes knows how to select an awesome beer for you to drink and maybe fall in love with. This makes Hayes’ feed an informative follow for anyone looking for something new to drink.
Caitlin Johnson, the Austin-based beer and travel blogger behind Big World Small Girl, brings life and color to her Instagram as she travels, eats, and drinks her way around the world (obviously that will be more localized in the months to come). Her feed touches on poolside cocktails and spirits brands alongside more classic travel wish fulfillment, but it’s really the beer that’s the main event.
While Johnson posts beer from all over, her feed is a must for anyone visiting Austin who wants to drink (and eat) the best of the best.
Miguel Rivas’ Instagram feed opens with “Every beer has a story. Every story has a beer.” We’re already all-in on The Beer Trekker from that phrase alone. Rivas hosts Instagram live streams with some of the biggest and most important names in brewing from around the world. This makes Rivas’ feed one of the best repositories of brewer resources on the internet which, in turn, makes it a highly trustable place to find equally great beer.
Peter David’s Worst Beer Blog is, by far, one of the funniest follows on Instagram. The brewery fail clips alone — full of exploding tanks and scurrying brewers — are enough reason to follow. David’s feed is also a great place to get the most forehead-slapping beer news on the internet these days, with his deep commenter base bringing more entertainment value to every single post.
If you’re not on Instagram, Worst Beer Blog is on Twitter and just as great a follow there.
This is the perfect account if you’re looking for straight-up beer recommendations. San Diego’s Craftbeeray is all about giving you those beer tips with a laser focus on the pints themselves. Ray’s posts are concise moments he experiences in the beer world with even more concise descriptions of what he’s drinking.
Émilie Leclerc blends a vintage aesthetic, travel, food, and beer into her feed on Instagram. The actress-model-journalist has a great love for beer, especially the beer from her home, Quebec. Leclerc travels the world drinking some of the best beer being brewed out there, making her feed a great place to find out what’s going on in the scene up in Canada but also further afield.
Megan Stone is a brewer with cred from both Mikkeller San Diego and Modern Times Beer who advocates for women and LBGTQI folks in the beer industry. Her Instagram handle, Is Beer A Carb, finds the rainbow-haired tattoo model traveling, drinking, and advocating for beer and the people making it.
Alyssa Thorpe is the head brewer at Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery out in Denver, Colorado. She’s a master brewer with a great eye for great beer around the country. Thorpe’s Instagram feed is a great way to find out what this expert in the field drinks and finds herself inspired by — all so that you can drink it too.
If we were ranking the photography aesthetics in play with these influencers (we’re not), Julie Roesser’s Craft Beer Deer might be at the top. Roesser is a professional photographer who also adores all things beer. That combination makes her Instagram feed one of the most beautiful beer feeds to be found on Instagram, full stop. The crystal clear vision, seen through a photographer’s eye, leaves the beer looking gorgeous in every photo.
Mikealaa Crist is a big advocate for the California Coast beer scene and knows all the spots to hit in that region. Crist is also a former assistant brewer and has been working in the brewery scene (in sales and marketing) for years now. Following along Crist’s feed is an easy one. You’ll get beautiful California nature with killer beer recommendations from an industry stalwart.
Melis is the mind behind the travel and beer feed, The Girl With Beer. Her feed combines quality beer recommendations with full-on #FOMO travel experiences around the world while also advocating for women in the industry. The Girl With Beer is the best of both worlds of travel and the brewing industry with a real sense of accessibility and, of course, lots of awesome pints along the way.
The best new hip-hop albums coming out this week include albums from Bino Rideaux, Gunna, Key Glock, Kota The Friend, Skooly, Wurld, and Yoshi2k. It’s a packed week, with some of hip-hop’s hottest rising stars contributing to the canon, reflecting rap’s increasing diversity and talent.
An LA-based rapper who was closely affiliated with Nipsey Hussle, Bino’s been around for a while, but has received more and more attention since paying homage to his late friend with “Pride 2 The Side” earlier this year. His latest mixtape will give him a chance to come into his own, with only two features — Fredo Band and Mozzy — while his single “BET” is making its rounds, showing off his penchant for singsong rhymes and upbeat, relatable lyrics.
Gunna — Wunna
Gunna is one of rap’s burgeoning A-listers, with only a hit album separating him from that upper echelon. His new album may be his best chance to break through, thanks to singles like “Skybox” and an impressive list of features that still leaves him plenty of room to stand on his own after spending so much of his careers shining on features and alongside his Drip Harder partner-in-rhyme Lil Baby.
Key Glock — Son Of A Gun
Memphis rapper Key Glock may have stepped up huge on his Yellow Tape earlier this year, but it looks like he wants to double down on the goodwill that project generated by striking while the iron is glowing hot. It’s not only impressive for him to follow up so quickly, but with Son Of A Gun foregoing features, he’ll have an opportunity to demonstrate just how much dimension he’s got to go with his work ethic.
Kota The Friend — Everything
Brooklyn’s Kota The Friend called his upcoming album “more positive” than his previous full-length, Foto, emphasizing the upbeat, feel-good nature and the links between himself and his genre-spanning collaborators, Bas, Joey Badass, Kyle, and Tobi Lou, among others. One thing that can be counted on is his sharp insight and crystal clear self-image.
Skooly — Nobody Likes Me
One of the first products of 2 Chainz’s joint venture with Atlantic Records, Atlanta rapper Skooly is ready to make his full-fledged debut with Nobody Likes Me. After distinguishing himself on the T.R.U. tape, No Face No Case, earlier this year, Skooly is bound to show more facets of his style on his new project, roping in some of his city’s top stars for his big introduction.
Wurld — Afrosoul
Nigerian Singer/songwriter Wurld fuses soul and African pop on his new EP, with an aim toward proving his versatility and star power.
Yoshi24k — Alien
Hailing from New York, Yoshi24k may appeal to fans of SoundCloud stars like Smokepurpp, Yoshi is a departure from some of the major stars from his city. Rather than leaning into the drill sound or traditional boom-bap, he carves his own path with atmospheric production and melody work, showing up as his own self-possessed artist.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
While The Last Dance reached its conclusion on Sunday evening, there has been plenty of fallout in recent days in the form of folks expressing discontent over the project. Former Chicago Bulls teammate Horace Grant was vocally upset with a number of aspects of ESPN’s 10-part docuseries on Michael Jordan and his final year in the Windy City, while a report indicates that Scottie Pippen wasn’t particularly happy with how he was portrayed, a sentiment shared by a few former teammates. Even Jerry Reinsdorf objected to something Jordan said in the series finale.
One person who popped up in the doc and offered up a bit of a critique is Gary Payton, the former Seattle SuperSonics guard who squared off against Jordan in the 1996 NBA Finals. Payton, perhaps the most tenacious defensive guard of all time, did not check Jordan for the first three games, which saw Seattle go down 3-0. Upon moving over, he appeared to give Jordan a hard time and helped the Sonics pick up a few wins, but when he explained his plan for guarding MJ, this happened:
“The Glove? I had no problem with the Glove. I had no problem with Gary Payton.”
It is insightful analysis by Payton, and Jordan’s reaction is perhaps the funniest moment of the documentary, even if the numbers indicate that his play fell off once Payton checked him. However, Payton was not particularly happy with Jordan’s reaction, something he articulated during a cameo on the first episode of the Opinionated 7-Footers podcast with Brendan Haywood and Ryan Hollins.
Payton did make it a point to say that while he got riled up, he understood why this was Jordan’s approach. Via For the Win:
“Oh you know I was hot. I was thinking about calling him at the time. … But you know what, that’s what I expect out of Mike because I would’ve said the same thing. I would’ve said the same thing. You know me, B. I’m not gonna admit to nothing, man. I’m not gonna admit to somebody that D’d me up or did nothing.
I’ll always tell you that any time in my career, nobody gave me problems but one person, and that’s John Stockton to me. That is just the way the game goes. I’m not mad at Mike because Mike didn’t have too many games that nobody D’d him up.”
Payton gripe doesn’t seem to come from the same place as the rest of the critiques the doc has gotten from former players, even if he wasn’t a fan of the way Jordan viewed their Finals battle. Still, he gets why and even relates to Jordan’s comments, and managed to get a bit of a dig in on the Hall of Fame guard by bringing up his battles with Stockton.
HBO Max arrives on May 27 with a vast library and loads of original content that will arrive in waves. It’s becoming clearer that lots of current subscribers will get rolled into HBO Max at no additional cost (check here to see if you’re one of the lucky ones), but what, exactly, are people looking forward to most from the newest streaming service? A few months ago, it looked like the complete Friends library would be the most prominent library attraction, but that may not be the case. And after yesterday’s response to HBO Max confirming that it would #ReleaseTheSnyderCut of Justice League, one could gather that comic book fans are also pumped for the launch.
That assumption would be correct, and according to a new poll from the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros.’ full DCEU library (all the comic-book-nerd stuff, even including non-DCEU entry Joker) is actually a bigger draw than Friends. Also higher on the list than Joey Tribbiani refusing to share food? HBO’s epic George R.R. Martin series, despite the divisive eighth season. Here are the numbers:
The Warner Bros. TV and movie library — which encompasses all 10 seasons of Friends — is also a lure, with 32 percent of respondents saying that they’re more likely to subscribe to HBO Max because of that programming. But among specific IP, the DC Extended Universe (26 percent) and Game of Thrones (23 percent) had more pull than Friends (21 percent).
Yep, it sure seems like a sound investment for HBO Max to have agreed to release Zack Snyder’s still-in-process cut of the 2017 film ultimately helmed by Joss Whedon. Even though the Snyder Cut won’t arrive until 2021, the service is sending a very clear message that the comic book audience is an important one, and subscribers could respond in kind. Between HBO Max (which I suspect will eventually absorb the TV shows currently streaming on DC Universe, and Doom Patrol is already on the way) and Disney+ (with all the MCU movies and TV shows), the future of streaming will be quite nerd-oriented, even if we don’t know when upcoming adventures will land in theaters.
Earlier this year, Disclosure mimicked their Caracal album promotion and ushered in a new era of music by releasing a single each day for five days in a row. While the UK duo shared many dance-ready tunes, it turns out that none of the previously-released singles will actually appear on an album. Instead, the duo’s record will see an array of big-name features. On Thursday, Disclosure unveiled the release date for their upcoming album Energy and shared the eponymous lead single.
Disclosure’s “Energy” boasts motivational clichés over a steady, clanking beat. The vocal samples belong to Eric Thomas, a hip-hop preacher who recites inspiring prose: “Look! Where your focus goes, your energy flows. Are you hearing me?”
In a statement, Disclosure explains they were inspired by Thomas’ encouraging candor: “When we found Eric many years ago, he was like a goldmine of inspirational quotes and motivational speeches. Even if he was speaking to a room of five, it was like he was addressing a stadium. He has an immense presence and energy about him that translates so well into music – especially house music. This time, we cut up various speeches to make something that makes sense. What he says is basically the whole concept for the record, that’s why it became the title track.”
In addition to Thomas, each track on Disclosure’s Energy record features guest vocals over their revved-up beats. Musicians like Kehlani, Common, Slowthai, and Mick Jenkins lend a verse on the upcoming record, which sees an August release. Speaking about their influence on the project, Disclosure said they pulled the title from how quickly they were working on music: “The thing that decided which songs made it and which songs didn’t was that one word: energy,” they said in a statement. “Every track was written really quickly. That’s why we had to write so many songs because those ones don’t come up every day. Or every week. Or every month.”
Watch Disclosure’s “Energy” video above and find their Energy cover art and tracklist below.
Capitol Records
1. “Watch Your Step” Feat. Kelis
2. “Lavender” Feat. Channel Tres
3. “My High” Feat. Aminé and Slowthai
4. “Who Knew?” Feat. Mick Jenkins
5. “Douha” Feat. Mali Mali and Fatoumata Diawara
6. “Fractal”
7. “Ce N’est Pas” Feat. Blik Bassy
8. “Energy”
9. “Thinking ‘Bout You”
10. “Birthday” Feat. Kehlani and Syd
11. “Reverie” Feat. Common
Energy is out 9/28 via Capitol Records. Pre-order it here.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Today is the 40th anniversary of my favorite movie of all time, The Empire Strikes Back. Funny thing, I’ve written about this movie so much since its 30th anniversary, I honestly don’t have a whole lot to add today. Even back on May 4th, I wrote a whole thing about the magical book Once Upon a Galaxy, which is a day by day diary about the making of The Empire Strikes Back that is (a) long out of print and (b) I can’t believe it exists.
(Though, if I had to recommend something else from the past, for The Empire Strikes Back 30th anniversary I interviewed the film’s director, Irvin Kershner. This wound up being his last interview before he passed away later that year. He made my favorite movie and to this day I can’t believe I got to do this.)
So, for the 40th anniversary, let’s keep it simple. One of my favorite tidbits about The Empire Strikes Back that not a lot people seem to realize is that in one of the film’s original main trailers, that was released in the fall of 1979, the upbeat, peppy, over-the-top voiceover is done by … Harrison Ford. Yes, I’m being serious.
What I love about this voiceover is that Ford is really going for it. Keep in mind, Ford is not really known for his wide-ranging animated vocal talents. His voiceover in Blade Runner is known for being one of the worst voiceovers in film history – though, that’s not entirely on Ford as he was pretty much tanking it on purpose in an attempt to sabotage the voiceover altogether since he and director Ridley Scott were forced to do it by the studio. It’s not a surprise the Blade Runner voiceover is pretty much lost to history today as it doesn’t appear on most home releases.
And proof of that is in this trailer for The Empire Strikes Back, because I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ford so … jubilant. He sounds like a really excited person who has no idea what the movie is about, even though he played a main character. And the way it ends, where his voice all of a sudden gets really deep as he says the title of the movie is just … great. Followed by, “Coming to your galaxy next summer.”
(Over the years I’ve probably watched this trailer for The Empire Strikes back at least 100 times and it never gets old.)
Drake just dropped a batch of fresh music with Dark Lane Demo Tapes, but he still has material on the way. He previously revealed his plans to drop an album this summer, and in recent days, he has taken to Instagram Live to preview new music. In one preview, he shared a song on which he sings in French for the first time. His latest offering, though, is far more controversial: On a preview of a new track, he refers to Kylie Jenner as a “side piece,” as TMZ notes.
Appearing yet again on OVO Mark’s livestream, the two played some new music. Drake rapped on the song in question, “Yeah, I’m a hater to society / Real sh*t, Kylie Jenner: that’s a side piece / I got twenty motherf*ckin’ Kylies.” He also said, “Yeah, I got twenty damn Kendalls / Young slim baddies and they en vogue / Yeah, I got twenty f*ckin’ Gigis.”
This of course follows rumors that Drake and Jenner were romantically involved. After Jenner’s falling out with Travis Scott last year, she and Drake were seen out together on multiple occasions in 2019 and earlier this year. Neither of them have confirmed whether or not the two have a relationship, but Drake certainly addresses it here.
Listen to the song snippets above.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
