For almost two months now, the ongoing health crisis has exacted a devastating toll on the hospitality business, forcing even the Mayor of Flavortown himself, Guy Fieri, to close down his restaurants. But instead of just sitting there and hoping for things to turn around, Fieri sprung into action to make sure the most vulnerable food workers are taken care of during these unprecedented times.
While dialing into TMZ Live on Thursday, Fieri revealed how he was able to raise over $20 million by reaching out to CEOs from companies like Pepsi, Coke, Uber Eats, and others and encouraging them to partner up with the National Restaurant Association to get grants out to struggling workers. Over the past two months, Fieri has sent out over 40,000 grants, and he’s not looking to stop anytime soon.
As for the future of the restaurant industry, Fieri has some interesting thoughts on which kinds of restaurants can adapt to the “new normal” once they’re able to open up albeit under stricter guidelines. He also has some bad news for which kind of restaurants aren’t going to survive this storm.
You can watch Fieri’s interview below:
Of course, this kind of generosity is just par for the course for Fieri. While the flamboyant chef has been the butt of jokes for his Smash Mouth-esque appearance and inventing Donkey Sauce, beneath all of that, Fieri is a caring soul who’s out here doing things like quietly officiating same-sex marriages to honor his late sister Morgan. Because if there’s one thing Fieri firmly believes in it’s being yourself and never forgetting where you came from. In this case, the Diners, Drive-In, and Dives host knows exactly what it’s like to struggle to make a living in the restaurant business, so it only makes sense that Fieri would step up for workers who just had their lives turned upside down.
Last week on Lil Wayne’s Young Money Radio, the star-studded show featured an interview with Drake discussing his album, fatherhood, and more, as well as the announcement of the deluxe edition of Wayne’s Funeral album that released earlier this year. After setting his bar so high from the jump, Wayne could have seen a big fall-off in his second week, but naturally, the long-established, well-connected veteran has reached into his bag of tricks to elevate his game once again.
This week’s big name guest is none other than Eminem, the usually reclusive “rap god.” Em recently became much more active in granting interviews, curating a run of conversations with a number of outlets that found him sharing time with Sway on Shade45, Mike Tyson on his podcast, and Kxng Crooked on Crook’s Corner to talk about his new album, Music To Be Murdered By. With Em and Wayne collaborating frequently in the past, it only makes sense that Em would see another opportunity to open up to a friendly source.
Fans can likely expect more insights into the craft of rapping, more stories from the two veteran rappers’ combined four decades in the music business, and a few more tidbits about the creation of both artists’ long, super-lyrical full-length projects that released earlier this year.
Listen to Young Money Radio today at 4pm PT / 7pm ET here.
The biggest, most tiring hill Michael Jordan had to climb early in his career was defeating Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and the Bad Boy Pistons. In the latest episode of The Right Time podcast with Bomani Jones, Dumars explained his side of the memories of those famous Bulls-Pistons clashes, and when he knew Chicago finally had the upper hand.
“When we got to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1990, we won, but we knew they were coming back. We knew they’d be back the next year,” Dumars said. “By the time 1991 came around, most guys had grown up and (the Bulls) had gotten stronger and tougher and mentally, they didn’t fold when things didn’t go their way. You’re looking at it and going, ‘They’re growing up. These aren’t kids anymore.’”
Jordan and the Bulls took on Dumars and the Pistons in 1989, 1990 and 1991, ultimately coming through in that final season en route to the first of three straight championships. In The Last Dance, we see how the Pistons’ physical defense and cohesiveness was too much for the Bulls to overcome.
Dumars said his relative success against Jordan was nothing special. The Pistons guard knew he was at a size and athleticism disadvantage, so he used physicality and momentum to limit Jordan’s effectiveness.
“(The way) I always looked at it with him is that it didn’t matter if you were 6’6 or 6’3, when he elevates, there’s no one else that’s going to elevate with him, so I tried to do all of my work early on the floor before he elevated,” Dumars said.
From a team perspective, Dumars doesn’t think he fit with the “Bad Boys” moniker, or that the team necessarily deserved the reputation.
“I never thought that the ‘Bad Boy’ part or the extracurriculars, for me it was kind of funny, I would look at guys get into it,” Dumars said. “(But) what I thought we really brought was toughness.”
Over time, the Detroit players understood it was the Bulls’ turn. Dumars knew the feeling because he’d been on the other side of it before, in the mid-1980s when the Pistons were on the come-up.
“We saw a lot of ourselves in (Chicago) during that time,” Dumars said. “We had gone through that transition with the Celtics and we had to grow up and get tougher. Not only physically, but mentally tougher to withstand (going) into the (Boston) Garden and they go on a 12-0 run, you can’t fold tent and that’s game. You have to learn how to call timeout, gather yourself, come back, and punch back.”
When the teams’ third battle took place in 1991, it was time for Chicago to step up. As we saw in the fifth episode of The Last Dance, the Bulls easily took down the Pistons in five games and vanquished their worst enemy.
What changed? To Dumars, it was the connection of the Bulls as a full team, as well as secondary players like Scottie Pippen improving.
“When you’re that team that the other one is trying to knock off, you notice everything about them,” Dumars said. “You notice when you can put them away. You notice that we’re physically tougher, we’re mentally tougher, and when it starts turning, you see that too.”
Matching up with Jordan in each series, Dumars never doubted that Jordan was up to the task. It was about all the pieces fitting together and the other guys stepping up.
“Michael’s competing at a crazy level all those years,” Dumars said. “It wasn’t like he all of a sudden got better. He was doing his thing no matter what. It’s the other guys that really grew into their roles and got much, much tougher mentally and physically.”
Not many guys can say they bested Jordan at any point in his career, but Dumars is one of the proud few. Throughout The Last Dance and in real-life interviews, Jordan has complimented Dumars as a worthy rival. But when the Pistons’ time was up, Jordan and the Bulls stomped them out.
The COVID-19 crisis may have curtailed concerts, festivals, and other live performances, but there’s one area that the cautionary quarantine hasn’t been able to stop. Artists have increased their creativity and reduced their budgets on music videos, shooting and editing them on home hardware to show off how they’ve been holding up while self-isolating. The latest artists to contribute to this new trend are Leon Bridges and John Mayer, who put together a cozy video for their aptly-titled collaboration, “Inside Friend.”
The video, shot on iPhones, follows the pair as they lounge around their respective homes in their comfy clothes, playing with dogs, grilling in the yard, or cooking cups of noodles. The song itself isn’t connected to a project from either artist, instead growing out of a joke between the two homebodies that turned out to be remarkably appropriate for current events.
“The concept for ‘Inside Friend’ came about from Mayer and I joking around in the studio about what an ideal date for an introvert or homebody like myself would be,” Bridges explained in a press release. “I tour most of the year, so I’d rather invite a gal over to lounge comfortably in the crib as opposed to go out somewhere crowded. ‘Inside Friend’ stayed on the back burner for a while because it didn’t fit within the context of my third project, but the current state we’re in globally compelled us to dig this back up and finish it. I hope people find it soothing and uplifting while we hole up indoors and get through this.”
Watch Leon Bridges’ “Inside Friend” video with John Mayer above.
The Undertaker has long been one of the most protected characters in pro wrestling history, not just from a booking standpoint but from a kayfabe standpoint. For years, Mark Calaway has avoided doing interviews either in or out of character, though in recent years, he has allowed more cracks in the Undertaker’s facade to develop.
In preparation for the Undertaker: The Last Ride, a five-episode WWE Network docuseries, the first episode of which premieres this Sunday after Money In The Bank, Calaway spoke candidly with ESPN about a variety of topics, most notably being his extreme disappointment toward his WrestleMania 33 main event with Roman Reigns — a match he not only lost, but after which he also signaled his retirement (a decision he later walked back). Calaway watched the match back for the first time during the filming of The Last Ride, an experience he did not enjoy:
“That was one of those times it was tough having the cameras there. That was the first time that I watched that match back. I was so disgusted with it that I didn’t want to watch it back.”
Calaway goes onto admit the match was a disappointment and that he let down Reigns:
“[Watching that match], I’m battling with it. I was so disappointed for Roman. Even after Brock Lesnar beat the streak, for guys coming up to have a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania — especially where Roman was at — it was important for his career. Especially because he was going over. For me, in that role, I wanted to do the very best that I could do for Roman. I think the world of him. You want to be able to do the best you can for him, and you know you have no business being in the ring.
“Yes, I could have mailed it in. Protected myself. Only done a couple of things that I knew that I could do. But that’s just not the way I work. And it wouldn’t have been fair to him. So I just tried to do the best I could. The harder I tried, the more I did — at least in my perception — it was not a good night. It was really disappointing. Watching it back finally, and watching it back in front of a film crew, it was like … I didn’t have to say much. You could just tell from the expression on my face that I wasn’t really pleased with it.”
We haven’t seen the Undertaker on WWE programming since his Boneyard Match with AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36, largely praised by wrestling fans and journalists all over the world. Will we see him at WrestleMania 37? Only one man knows the answer, and we’ll find out when he wants to tell us.
After a controversial week of beef with A Boogie and High Bridge The Label, Lil Tjay took to social media to say he wanted his news cycle to be just about the music from now on. Today he might get his wish after releasing his State Of Emergency EP, one of the best new rap music collections of the week. The seven-track project showcases Tjay tapping into melodic genre-bending and Brooklyn drill, even collaborating with the late Pop Smoke and Fivio Foreign on the moody “Zoo York.”
Real Recognized Rio — “Pressure” Feat. 21 Savage
Real Recognized Rio is an artist on 21 Savage’s Slaughter Gang crew. This week he linked up with the boss on “Pressure,” a melodic ode to the grind, where 21 wonders, “How you let your problems build up, turn around and call on me? / Taking advantage cause I’m goodhearted and you can call on me?”
A.CHAL — “Hollywood Love” Feat. Gunna
A.CHAL and Gunna get seductive on “Hollywood Love,” taking turns harmonizing over murky, melancholy guitar play.
Onefour — “Say It Again” Feat. ASAP Ferg
Drill music is worldwide at this point, with seemingly every country exploring their rendition of the in-demand subgenre. Leave it up to the ever-ambitious ASAP Ferg to bridge the gap between the Big Apple and the land down under on “Say It Again,” a moody collaboration with Australian artist Onefour.
Chief Keef — “2nd Day Out”
In 2014, Chief Keef released his version of “First Day Out,” a slurry tracing of Gucci Mane’s iconic chronicle of his post-jail itinerary. Chief Keef went back to the winning well on “2nd Day Out,” which was produced by frequent Guwop-collaborator Zaytoven.
Nav — Good Intentions
Toronto genre-bender Nav is back with his latest offering, the 18-track Good Intentions. He stays true to his artistic ethos on his third studio album, delving into sing-songy melodies over 808-driven production alongside artists like Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, and the late Pop Smoke.
Lil Durk — Just Cause Y’all Waited 2
Lil Durk paid homage to his fans with the title of his latest album. The long-awaited project features Durk delivering his leading rendition of trap blues and autotuned crooning alongside LIl Baby and Polo G, G-Herbo, and Gunna.
Moneybagg Yo — “Spin On Em” Feat. Fredo Bang
Moneybagg Yo and Fredo Bang abide by the cold, unforgiving street law on “Spin On Em,“ rhyming ”‘Cause f*ck me, then it’s f*ck you — you know it’s up” on the menacing track. Moneybagg’s Time Services Deluxe will be out next Friday.
Lil Gotit — “Drip Day N Night” Feat. Gunna & Lil Keed
Lil Gotit released a trippy visual companion to his “Drip Day N Night” single with Gunna and Lil Keed. On the single from Gotit’s Hood Baby 2 track, he trades crooning verses with fellow Atliens Gunna and Lil Keed.
Styles P — “Mind Power”
Styles P captures a glimpse of our perilous time on “Mind Power,” the first single from his upcoming Ghost Your Enthusiasm track. He dishes his controversial takes on coronavirus and impending vaccinations while rhyming “I don’t give a f*ck about the CDC / Taking black seed oil playing BDP” on the golden-era channeling track.
Lloyd Banks — “Cold Summer” (Freestyle)
The same week his onetime G-Unit boss 50 Cent’s latest book criticized his work ethic, Banks decided to air his own grievances on a confessional “Cold Summer” freestyle. He addresses the armchair analyses of his career and utters nearly every artist’s existential quandary: “Wonder when this sh*t really over, will I be celebrated?” and laments, “Just when it couldn’t get worst rest in peace, Fred The Godson / life is hard son.”
Tsu Surf — “5’7”
Newark, New Jersey’s Tsu Surf may be known by many as one of the URL battle rap league’s brightest stars, but he’s a talented recording artist as well. He showed off his considerable storytelling ability on the affirming “5’7,” where he weaves various tales of feminine resilience during a video celebrating women of all shapes, sizes, and journeys.
One half of Slaughterhouse, Joell Ortiz and Kxng Crooked, are reuniting for an EP entitled H.A.R.D., no doubt a statement on the type of rhymes they’ll be delivering on the project. They offered a taste of what to expect on the title track, which was crafted by a dream team of production: illMind, Erick Sermon, Apollo Brown, Heatmakerz, and J.U.S.T.I.C.E League.
Scienze — “125th.”
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: music marks time. Brooklyn rhymer Scienze paid homage to an unforgettable period of his life through the lens of a classic record on “125th.” He reminisces “stylin’ on the street, freestyling droppin’ gold” on Harlem’s 125th street while intermittently reciting elements of Harlem MC Black Rob’s “Whoa” classic.
Berwyn — “Glory”
London-based MC Berwyn started his musical journey when, two weeks before he was set to return to his native Trinidad, the then-experiencing-homelessness artist got a computer. That path paved the way for “Glory,” the reflective debut single from his upcoming, yet-to-be-named first project.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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