Melania Trump has rarely been seen on the campaign trail with her husband Donald as he runs (or at least lumbers) for president again in 2024. It’s a surprise she wants to be spotted with him ever again after he reportedly asked her to parade around Mar-a-Lago in a bikini.

In leaked audio recordings obtained by 60 Minutes Australia and the New York Times, billionaire donor Anthony Pratt (Trump’s ghoulish doppelgänger from down under who may have been on the receiving end of top-secret details about U.S. nuclear submarines) can be heard describing a dinner party he attended at the conservative safe space in Palm Beach, Florida. According to Pratt, Trump boasted, “I asked Melania to walk around the pool in a bikini so all the other guys could get a look at what they were missing.”

The Huffington Post has more:

In the recordings, Pratt said the Slovenian model bit back by telling her husband, “I’ll do that when you walk around with me in your bikini.” This comes after a similarly sleazy Trump story that emerged in excerpts of Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) forthcoming biography by journalist McKay Coppins. In the book, Coppins says Romney remembered the politician making a crude comment about his wife to his son, Josh Romney, telling him, “When I drop her, the phone is gonna ring off the hook. Every guy in New York wants to go out with her.”

Trump responded to the report on Truth Social by calling it (you guessed it) “Fake News.” He also dubbed Pratt “a red-haired weirdo from Australia,” adding, “I never spoke to him about Submarines.”

It’s the oldest excuse in the book.

(Via 60 Minutes Australia, the New York Times, and the Huffington Post)

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from City Girls, Gucci Mane, Rexx Life Raj, and more.

A busy, buzzy week in hip-hop kicked off with Mr. October’s Very Own himself, Drake, sharing the spotlight with his six-year-old son Adonis, who shows some proclivity for the family business in his own “My Man” freestyle:

Danny Brown announced the impending release of his album Quaranta with the tongue-in-cheek video for “Tantor”:

Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz finally dropped the first video from their long-awaited second collaborative album, Welcome 2 Collegrove, officially kicking off its rollout with “Presha“:

And Nicki Minaj made sure her name would always be associated with Drake’s new album after being left off For All The Dogs with “For All The Barbz“:

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending October 20, 2023.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

City Girls — RAW

One of the most anticipated releases of the week arrived with less fanfare than you’d have thought for a group whose last album dropped three years ago. City Girls fans have been clamoring for a reunion ever since, and though it’s still early days, from a cursory spin of Real Ass Whores (their words, not mine!), they still got it. A lot’s changed in the world since City On Lock, but you can never have too many bad bitch anthems.

G Perico — LA Summers 3

G Perico is on one. He’s been recording and releasing new music at a breakneck pace, with LA Summers constituting his third full-length mixtape/album of the year. You’d think a guy would hit cruise control at some point, but he still sounds like every boastful bar matters more than the one before it.

Gucci Mane — Breath Of Fresh Air

Until recently, Gucci Mane never really took a break from dropping new albums, oftentimes releasing up to three new projects in a single calendar year. And while his 2022 was far from idle, producing three 1017 compilations, his artists did most of the heavy lifting on those, allowing him to return after almost two years refreshed and ready. Guwop takes a couple of steps outside his comfort zone on the double release and while not all of it works, “There I Go” with J. Cole genuinely shines.

Meechy Darko — Doses

I’ll admit it; this one came out of nowhere for me. It was hardly on my radar at all, but I will always gratefully accept more eerie, psychedelics-laced solo material from the gravel-voiced Flatbush Zombie. The content is very much in the same druggy vein as much of the group’s output, but this time, the beats are moodier, murkier, and more muted, allowing Meechy’s midnight musings to take center stage. I’m pretty sure there’s an Alice Deejay sample in there somewhere but it’s almost unrecognizable through a layer of distortion that turns into something half maudlin, half spine-tingling.

Rexx Life Raj — California Poppy 3

The Bay Area proselytizer returns with more low-key motivational vibes after spending much of his last album mourning his mom. Raj sounds happier, the production is more upbeat, but the messaging remains as positive and inspirational as ever. Here, he recruits rising stars LaRussell and Thuy on two of the more emotionally resonant tracks, while teaming up with the recently traded Dame D.O.L.L.A. for some NorCal chest beating.

Singles/Videos

Jay Rock — “Blowfly” Feat. Ab-Soul

My favorite member of Black Hippy continues the rollout of his first album since 2018’s Redemption with “Blowfly,” an aggressively nostalgic single that sees Rock recounting his experiences on the rough streets of Watts, from wars with enemies to peaceful times with paramours.

Lady London — “Do Something” Feat. Jeremih

You know, it’s nice that Hitmaka went ahead and found himself a lyrical queen to work with after his poorly worded entreaty last year. Lady London certainly gets an upbeat radio bid out of it, which can only help the rollout for her recently announced debut album, Signs Of Universal Love.

Nemzzz — “Money And Vibes”

A rising rapper from Gorton, Manchester, I fully expect Nemzzz to be one of those names we hear as soon as the subject of UK rap is brought up, in the same vein as Dave, J Hus, or Stormzy. His versatile style runs the gamut from grime to afrobeats; “Money And Vibes” finds a smooth middle ground, and wouldn’t have been out of place on any of Drake’s last few albums. Don’t be surprised if the 17-year-old Briton gets that co-sign soon, as well.

Rick Ross & Meek Mill — “Lyrical Eazy”

After locking in a release date on their upcoming joint album Too Good To Be True, the MMG stalwarts shared their latest video promoting the project. “Lyrical Eazy” samples Stanley Clarke’s “Got To Find My Own Place” — the same song sampled by Jay-Z for “Lyrical Exercise,” hence the title.

Wale — “Max Julien”

Interestingly, Wale, who also ran with Ross and Meek for some time but appears to have distanced himself from them in the years since, times the release of his own return with theirs — albeit on a new label, Def Jam. “Max Julien” is named after the actor best known for portraying Goldie in the Blaxploitation classic The Mack, and Wale certainly seems to be feeling like a mack over the mellow, soulful track, referencing some of Goldie’s most iconic lines in the process. Stick yourself.

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

Paddington is a very good movie. Paddington 2 is better than Citizen Kane. How good will Paddington 3 be? We’ll found out in just over a year. “How many days are there until November 8th 2024? I’m already looking forward to watching our latest adventures on the big screen,” the official Paddington account on X delightfully revealed, along with the actual title of the movie, Paddington in Peru. Paddington 3 works just fine, too. Paddington won’t mind.

November 2024 is the U.K. release date. The U.S. has to wait until January 17, 2025.

Normally I would be upset that we have to wait an extra two months to see more Paddington adventures but November 8th is three days after Election Day in America, when everything will be very normal and chill. So… yeah. Good call.

Paddington in Peru stars Ben Whishaw as the voice of my friend Paddington, as well as Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer (replacing Sally Hawkins), Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas and Rachel Zegler. It’s directed by Dougal Wilson, who took over after Paddington and Paddington 2 filmmaker Paul King got the Wonka gig. The script is from Mark Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamont, with a story-by credit for Burton, King, and Simon Farnaby. Prepare to be delighted.

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw a week defined by high-profile collaborations, from Charli XCX and Sam Smith to The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Charli XCX and Sam Smith — “In The City”

Charli and Smith are two of the most exciting artists in pop music right now, so of course the pair’s new collaboration, “In The City,” is worth checking out. It’s a radio- and club-ready anthem that’s all about partying on a fun night out, and both Charli and Smith sound fantastic on the lively tune.

The Kid Laroi, Jung Kook, and Central Cee — “Too Much”

“Too Much” is a real international affair: Australian pop-rap favorite The Kid Laroi, BTS star Jung Kook, and British rapper Central Cee come together on the new single, which avoids becoming a too-many-cooks-ism with all three slotting nicely into the smooth and punchy pop number.

Sampha — “Dancing Circles”

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Sampha: His debut album, Process, was released back in 2017. Now, though, he’s finally come through with a sophomore LP, Lahai. It’s gorgeous, too, with songs like “Dancing Circles” that highlight his idiosyncratic voice and engaging songwriting.

2 Chainz and Lil Wayne — “Presha”

Wayne and Chainz had a hit on their hands in 2016 with ColleGrove, so now they’re returning later this year with another team-up album, Welcome 2 ColleGrove. They unveiled “Presha” last week, which features the two rappers doing their thing over a beat that features a satisfying contrast between deep bass and high-pitch whistling.

City Girls — “Flashy” Feat. Kim Petras

It’s too bad summer has come and gone, because “Flashy” would have been perfect for warm weather. The City Girls and Kim Petras collab is more than welcome here in fall, though, and it sees the pop star and hip-hop duo do some deserved flexing.

Caroline Polachek — “Dang”

Polachek came through with the acclaimed Desire, I Want To Turn Into You earlier this year, but she’s not letting that be the end of her 2023. She released “Dang” last week, which she had the pleasure of premiering live on The Late Show with a fun TED Talk-themed performance.

The Rolling Stones — “Bite My Head Off” Feat. Paul McCartney

Uproxx’s Steven Hyden wrote of Hackney Diamonds, the new Rolling Stones album, “They sound muscular but not lumbering, catchy but not overly pandering to contemporary trends, and (most importantly) ‘admirably dignified’ without appearing ‘terrifyingly old.’ They don’t approach their ’60s and ’70s prime, but by now only committed haters and delusional sycophants would hold Hackney Diamonds to that standard.”

Griff — “Into The Walls”

Griff unveiled Vert1go Vol. 1 last week, an EP that marks her first release since her acclaimed 2021 debut album One Foot In Front Of The Other. Among the highlights is “Into The Walls,” which starts off sounding like an emotional piano ballad before the percussion comes in and kicks the track into a different, upbeat gear.

Dove Cameron — “Lethal Woman”

Cameron’s only 27, but she’s been in the spotlight for about a decade now, whether that’s been via acting or music. On the latter front, she finally has a debut album (Alchemical: Vol. 1) on the way, and she teased it last week with the bold and aggressive “Lethal Woman.”

Lola Brooke — “Pit Stop” Feat. French Montana

Uproxx’s Aaron Williams writes of Brooke and Montana’s new collaboration, “The track finds Lola Brooke goading a male addressee to spend big money at the strip club to prove he’s got it. Meanwhile, French’s verse contains the memorable missive, “Feelin’ like Jerry Jones, man, I hate you n****s.” Topical!”

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

Jim Jordan‘s attempt to be the next Speaker of the House became an embarrassing debacle last week as the Ohio Republican failed three times to lock down the vote. To add insult to injury, Jordan somehow managed to lose support with each round of voting before being thrown off the ballot by his own party during a secret ballot. John Oliver loved every minute of it.

Heading into his first round of voting, Jordan lost after 20 Republican congressman voted against him. That number increased to 23 for the second round of voting. After briefly looking like he might take the hint and throw in the towel, Jordan went back for a third round of voting where the number of entrenched Republicans increased to 25. Realizing this could go on forever, the GOP held a closed door meeting where they held a secret ballot to pull Jordan’s nomination. He lost as 112 members voted to move on, while only 86 reps continued to back him.

Jordan’s exit from that meeting absolutely tickled the Last Week Tonight host.

“Jim Jordan went through three votes, enjoyably losing slightly more each time,” Oliver said via Raw Story. “And at one point was photographed coming out of a closed-door meeting with a hand-written note reading: ‘What is the real reason?’ Which looks less like a bid to be Speaker and more like an early draft of a suicide note.”

The late night host also tore into Texas Rep. Chip Roy, who attempted to spin the Jordan disaster as beneficial to the American public because they get to see the “sausage getting made.”

“Do not play that you’re laying this mess out in public to be transparent about how the sausage is made,” Oliver said. “It’s getting laid out because you’re incapable of making a sausage at all. When people go to the grocery store, they expect Oscar Meyer wieners, not Oscar Meyer’s a pig’s anus and other assorted animal parts.”

(Via Raw Story)

Lil Uzi Vert delivered what “the rap game needs,” as Uproxx’s Aaron Williams put it in his review of Pink Tape, Uzi’s third studio album that became the year’s first rap album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in July. Now, Uzi is hand-delivering Pink Tape with a North American headlining tour of the same name.

The Pink Tape Tour began on Saturday (October 21) in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will continue tonight (October 23) at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois. Opening night revealed, among many things, the Pink Tape Tour merch options.

According to a Lil Uzi Vert fan update account on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Reddit thread, the color scheme is predominantly true to the album’s cover: black, pink, and white. Pins are available for $10, with pink or black bandannas going for $20, vinyls of Pink Tape and Luv Is Rage 2 can be had for $30, and black or silver hats are listed at $35.

Short-sleeved graphic tees cost $45, long-sleeved graphic tees are $60, and a black Pink Tape hoodie is the highest-priced item at $100.

See all remaining Pink Tour dates here, and check out the photos of the merch table below.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

‘Tis the season for celebrity memoirs, and that means that oversharing is in high gear from entertainers. That includes John Stamos, who’s If You Would Have Told Me: A Memoir arrives in bookstores on October 24. He’s already dropped several tidbits, including how he caught his girlfriend in bed with Tony Danza and was ridiculously jealous of Jodie Sweetin getting more laughs than him from the Full House live audience.

Of course, Stamos also famously got the Olsen Twins fired as babies, so let’s just say that he had a bit of an envy issue on Full House, and as it turns out, he was not only envious of the kids but also had an issue with the late Bob Saget. Yes, that would be Stamos’ good friend Bob Saget, but Stamos claims that they were anything but friends at first. Stamos felt like Saget committed “sabotage” in order to be funnier for the audience. Via The Daily Beast:

Stamos and Saget did not initially get along when they started on Full House; Stamos’ actorly instincts apparently clashed with Saget’s “comedy Tourette’s.” While Stamos would obsess over small details in the script, he recalls, Saget would sabotage his efforts with jokes. Whenever the time came for another promotional photo, the two would jockey over who got to hold Michelle.

Yep, Bob and John both got jealous about who got to hold an Olsen Twin for promotional purposes, all after Stamos had inwardly grumbled, “I don’t wanna play second fiddle to some rugrats.” It was to the point of him begging, “Get me the f*ck off this show,” but hey, it’s a good thing that Stamos didn’t (or couldn’t) leave. If that had happened, he may have never gone onto other roles like the captivating Dr. Nicky on You. Also, we would have missed out on all that “Kokomo.”

(Via The Daily Beast)

It sure looks like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are dating, especially after the two both made surprise appearances on Saturday Night Live and followed that up with an NYC date night earlier this month. Still, neither of them have actually publicly, flat-out said they’re in a relationship. Kelce’s recent response to a fan might be telling, though.

In a video taken at Arrowhead Stadium, where Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs play their home games, this weekend, the NFL star was just standing around, waiting for an elevator as fans surrounded the area. One onlooker shouted, “Let’s go, Taylor’s boyfriend!” Kelce certainly didn’t appear to be bothered by being called Swift’s beau, as he responded by giving a small fist pump in the air and boarding the elevator immediately after.

That fan isn’t the first person to call Kelce the B-word (or rather, imply it): While calling a Chiefs game earlier this month, broadcasting legend and vegetable hater Al Michaels wasn’t quite sure what to call Swift, so he said, “And of course, looking on, is… his… well, at the moment… his good buddy and girlfriend… Taylor Swift.”

Meanwhile, Kelce recently admitted he thinks the NFL might need to chill out a bit about him and Swift, saying, “I think it’s fun when they show who all is at the game. I think it brings a little bit more to the atmosphere, brings a little more to what you’re watching. But at the same time, I think they’re overdoing it a little bit for sure, especially my situation. I think they’re just trying to have fun with it.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson resembles a chiseled statue. But apparently turning him into an actual statue is harder than it looks.

The Musée Grévin in Paris, France, debuted a wax statue of The Rock last week, and it was immediately roasted by people wondering why the Moana star has the same skin color as sick ET. “That’s not The Rock that’s The Pebble,” one person wrote on Instagram, while another joked, “This is some BS… That’s a whole white man.” Even The Rock himself has weighed in.

“I knew my boy @jamesjeffersonj had this Rock wax statue in his roasting crosshairs. ‘is this how y’all felt when you lost the Little Mermaid?’ legit belly laughed at this,” he wrote on Instagram in reference to a video from comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr. roasting the waxwork. The Rock continued:

For the record, I’m going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum, in Paris France so we can work at “updating” my wax figure here with some important details and improvements- starting with my skin color… And next time I’m in Paris, I’ll stop in and have a drink with myself.

Maybe this was a ploy by Musée Grévin to get The Rock to stop by with a crate of Teremana Tequila. If so, it worked.

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have starred in some iconic movies together: Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers, and most recently, Holmes & Watson. Step Brothers in particular was a pop culture phenomenon, and one of the film’s most memorable moments remains the song “Boats ‘N Hoes.” All these years later, Ferrell and Reilly haven’t forgotten about the tune: This past weekend, the pair reunited to perform the song with Snoop Dogg.

This went down at the Best Night of Your Life 2 benefit show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The trio performed a verse of the song before transitioning into Snoop’s “Gin And Juice.” Ferrell and Reilly then surprised Snoop, whose 52nd birthday was on October 20, with a cake and a singing of “Happy Birthday.”

Snoop, meanwhile, recently spoke about how the last thing he wants to be is the smartest person on his team, saying, “What do I always say, y’all? I want to be the dumbest one on my team. I’ve always said that, I just said that the other night. Because if I’m the dumbest one on the team, I got some bad muthaf*ckas around me!”

Check out Ferrell, Reilly, and Snoop’s performance above.