Category: Worldwide

Album anniversary celebrations are by no stretch a new music trend. However, for the 30th Anniversary Edition of Weezer’s Blue Album, the band is digging deep into the archives: Today (October 25), Weezer shared “Superman,” which was long believed to be lost.

Although it is only the “garage practice” version, you can hear the greatness that could have been with proper mixing and mastering. In the linear notes of the upcoming anniversary release, Karl Koch expanded on the significance of its inclusion on the project, writing, “With these garage rehearsals, we have a totally unique and fleeting glimpse into the earliest dynamics of Weezer. The decision to roll tape ‘live’ in the garage seems to have been random, and it only happened twice. The very existence of these recordings depended on pure luck, as the tapes were apparently lost not long after I duped them back then.”

This marks yet another archival goodie shared by Weezer. Last month, Weezer released an early version of “Undone – The Sweater Song” while announcing Blue Album (30th Anniversary Edition). Over the past several weeks, fans have gotten to experience the revered album live as part of their Voyage To The Blue Planet Tour. So, the forthcoming vinyl drop is a chance to savor that experience forever.

Listen to “Superman” above.

Blue Album (30th Anniversary Edition) is out 11/1 via Geffen/UMe. Find more information here.

Netflix’s The Diplomat will return for a second season in less than a week. Not only that, but a third season renewal has already been announced, and if you are a fan of Keri Russell’s Kate Wyler deciding to only wear colors that easily disguise spills and stains, do not fear. The upcoming episodes double down on that hilarity, which is gratifying to witness in our overly Instagram-filtered world. There could, however, be some unexpected news if you wanted to see as much of The Diplomat as the show offered in the first season.

How Many Episodes Are In The Diplomat Season 2?

Six. That’s two fewer episodes than the first season, but no worries. Seriously.

This show might be taking a cue from Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, which is also favoring six-episode seasons and an annual release schedule. And man, this approach lands much better than waiting three years for 8-10 episode seasons, especially in this age when those interminable waits (there and here) are a source of ongoing audience frustration.

So there you have it. No wasted moments take place in The Diplomat‘s second season, and let’s just say that the season’s closing moments are almost as brave as allowing the Felicity star to portray a character who doesn’t brush her hair every five minutes. We’ll talk this out later. Can’t wait.

The Diplomat‘s second tour comes to Netflix on October 31.

Burger King has a new purple whopper! Released to coincide with the latest animated adaptation of The Addams Family (and to no doubt leech on the massive success of Netflix’s Wednesday), Burger King is dropping an entire Addams Family-themed menu. The menu consists of re-packaged BK oddities like the Churro Fries and Onion Rings, as well as two brand-new additions, including Morticia’s Kooky Chocolate Shake and Wednesday’s Whopper. Since it’s fall, we’re going to go ahead and skip the milkshake, but this Whopper intrigues us.

For the last couple of years, it has become an annual tradition for Burger King to bring out its orange-bunned Ghost Pepper Whopper for the spooky season. This year, they’ve replaced it with Wednesday’s Whopper, and we have to say, we’re torn.

We love the Ghost Pepper Whopper, it takes the classic Whopper Build and remixes it, offering a spicy take on the brand’s flagship burger. Having said that, we also love all new recipes. But if Wednesday’s Whopper doesn’t give us a meaningful remix of the Whopper, we’re going to be pretty damn disappointed that the Ghost Pepper Whopper had to die for it.

So we ordered Wednesday’s Whopper to see whether it’s worth a trip to Burger King this week. Here are our thoughts.

Wednesday’s Whopper

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

It pains us to inform you that Wednesday’s Whopper is no Ghost Pepper Whopper! This thing is entirely redundant and doesn’t over anything new aside from a purple bun with black sesame seeds and a slice of Swiss cheese. Everything else about the burger: the ketchup and mayo combo, the incredibly pungent raw onions, the pickles and tomato — are all stock ingredients in the regular Whopper build. It has that same dry, overcharred Whopper flavor. In other words, this is a typical mid-tier cheeseburger.

The bun doesn’t taste different from a typical burger bun, though its purple color is derived from purple potatoes, and the inclusion of Swiss isn’t enough to change the general Whopper experience. Sure, it has a creamy, nutty top note that is lacking from the OG, but I don’t think that I even prefer that over the saltiness of American Cheese.

This is an incredibly lazy cash grab and a real missed opportunity. Just imagine what we could’ve had — this thing could’ve had jalapeños on it, maybe some fried onions, Mozzarella sticks, or some kind of spin on black licorice or squid ink, since those are canonically Wednesday’s favorite foods. Instead, we got a burger that looks straight out of Hot Topic. It’s like they didn’t even try to come up with anything interesting here.

The saddest part is a good burger had to die to replace this one. After the very good Fiery Chicken Nuggets and Fiery Chicken Sandwich, we had high hopes that this year might go down as a Burger King Renaissance. After Wednesday’s Whopper, we’re not so sure.

The Bottom Line:

The Wednesday Whopper feels incredibly lazy. If you already love the Whopper, go ahead and give this one a try so you can experience the burger with Swiss cheese instead of American. But if you’re not a Whopper fan, skip this, it’s not a reason to go to Burger King.

The term “dad rap” has been thrown around a bit too much for my taste when you consider how many rappers are actually dads. Yet, they still aren’t actually rapping about the actual day-to-day trials of fatherhood, such as ballet practice or field trip duty. But Jadakiss, who is best known for cutthroat anthems like “Time’s Up” and “We Gonna Make It,” could probably write a decent EP about the latter after joining his kids’ class trip and posting about it on social media.

‘Kiss posted a video of himself on the school bus looking wearily resigned as dozens of enthusiastic tweens sang the lyrics to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins, and after seeing his expression, fans couldn’t help but make the video go viral as they related. Lots of rap fans who grew up on The LOX are now parents themselves, and it’s not hard to feel for him after so many of us have shared in the same experience.

Jadakiss takes on chaperone duties for a field trip 😭 pic.twitter.com/7MLCsrDQSk

— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) October 24, 2024

“Why is Jadakiss as dad as it gets?” one fan wrote on Twitter, borrowing the cadence from one of the rapper’s 2000s hits, “Why?” “Why is the bus ride designed to keep the parents upset?” “Dad chaperone Jadakiss might be the dopest Kiss,” wrote another fan. Still, some came to the rap vet’s defense, noting, “People talking about Jadakiss like he’s a retired old man. He’s an active father on a field trip with his kids. You know, being an available & active parent. Not some old rapper doing side quest.”

While Jada was out chaperoning his twin 10-year-olds, though, his eldest son Jae’Won is carving out his own rap legacy with some help from his pops. So, yeah, let’s hear some actual dad raps — raps about being a dad — and doing a darn good job — on Jada’s next LP.

Will.i.am has done a little bit of everything at this point in his life. He’s achieved global music stardom as a member of the Black Eyed Peas, and more recently, he launched Will.i.am Presents The FYI Show, a SiriusXM show co-hosted by AI. Now, he has another achievement to add to the resume: After going back and forth to Cambridge, Massachusetts for the past three years, Will.i.am has completed Harvard Business Schools’ OPM Executive Education Program (with “OPM” standing for “Owner/President Management”).

Harvard Business School explains of the program, “Building, leading, and growing a successful business can be an all-consuming challenge that leaves leaders little time for personal and professional growth. As your business expands, so will its challenges. Your strategic vision and go-to-market options should expand, too. Owner/President Management is a transformational program for pushing yourself towards operational excellence and advancing your company’s agenda. Expand your mindset as a leader. Leave inspired to drive growth, innovate through disruption, cultivate an agile culture, and sustain enterprise success.”

Will.i.am said in a statement of his time at Harvard:

“It’s an emotional journey for me, something that I could never have imagined growing up in Estrada Courts, the projects of East Los Angeles/Boyle Heights neighborhood. My cohort of classmates are extraordinary and every one of them run massive companies and organizations around the world. There are so many amazing collaborations ahead!”

He also noted, “Lifelong learning is a must, especially in the Age of AI where it is crucial to keep educating humans so they will be able to drive the machines.” Furthermore, he added that he gave custom hoodies to his classmates as a parting gift, and he also did a Q&A for the Harvard Business School student body, on his career in music and new focus on technology.

As for what’s next on Will.i.am’s agenda: Black Eyed peas are performing at SoFi Stadium today (October 25) for the halftime show of the 89th East LA Classic, a storied Los Angeles high school rivalry football game. Beyond that, the band is also preparing for Black Eyed Peas: 3008 The Las Vegas Residency, which kicks off in February 2025 at The Planet Hollywood Resort And Casino Theater.

Will.i.am is a partner and investor in Uproxx Studios.

It has been four long years since Dua Lipa first appeared on NPR Music’s beloved Tiny Desk Concert series. Back then, the “Maria” singer was all about disco. Today (October 25), Lipa returned for her first in-person set, proving that you can take the girl out of boogie music, but you can’t take the boogie out of the girl.

With her Radical Optimism Tour set for 2025, Lipa gave the studio audience and viewers watching a taste of what’s to come. Although Lipa stuck to tunes from her latest album, Radical Optimism, she infused her beloved pop-dance sound into the performance.

Opening with “Training Season,” Lipa wasted no time getting the show started with the album’s standouts. She followed with “These Walls” and “Happy For You,” a show of sonic range on the album. But the big finale belonged to, of course, “Houdini,” which the crowd ate up.

The platform confirmed Lipa’s at-home mix of Future Nostalgia bops still holds the record for the most-viewed Tiny Desk concert in history. Dua Lipa was sure to acknowledge that point, saying, “Wow, thank you so much. Thank you for having us down here today. I’ve always wanted to come down and be by the desk. We did an at home Tiny Desk in 2020. So, this feel really special. We have a lot to live up to so hopefully we can top that one up.”

Lipa’s groove was powered by her all-star band, consisting of bassist Matthew Carroll, drummer Adam “Smiley” Wade, guitarist Alex Lanyon, keyboardist Georgie Ward, glockenspiel player Sophie Galpin, and background vocalists Ciara O’Connor and Naomi Scarlett.

Watch the full performance above.

Finding the right home for you and the one you love is the ultimate dream. The icing on the cake is when T-Pain shows up to soundtrack your housewarming party, dropping an intimate performance in your own backyard with lyrics that feel perfect for the moment you’re sharing with your closest friends.

By now, you know UPROXX and Zillow hosted an out-of-this-world housewarming party for first-time homebuyers Lex and Hannah with R&B legend T-Pain stopping by to headline the night.

In our second episode, we shared footage of T-Pain electrifying the crowd with his hit song, “Bartender.” In the above video, we’re slowing things down with an inspiring performance of one of his newer tracks, “Dreaming” — a deeply touching anthem that taps into the meaning of family, purpose, and doing things that move your soul. The song showcases T-Pain’s powerful vocals and tells a story that reflects on the singer’s life and career, his chart-topping rise, and the personal hurdles he’s overcome to find peace and a new appreciation for his music. And the lyrics of this song ring true for Lex and Hannah as well, as they celebrate the culmination of a home-buying journey alongside their closest friends thanks to a dreamier process made possible by Zillow.

For years, Leikeli47 has hidden her face behind an array of colorful, self-made masks, saying that she wanted to keep the focus on her music. It’s been a solid strategy to date, because the music has been stellar, with albums like Wash & Set and Shape Up giving Leikeli an ironclad reputation as one of the most creative and skilled rappers in the business today.

But with her new album, Lei Keli Ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only, coming out soon, she’s taking a different tack, revealing her face for the first time in the video for “450.” While the black-and-white video opens up with the rapper still rocking her signature disguise, she unmasks after the first verse of the high-energy track, spending the rest of the video alternating between her trademark look and her new, bare-faced look.

Lei Keli Ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only is the Virginia rapper’s first new full-length release since 2022’s Shape Up, and her first since leaving RCA Records. She’s popping out to promote the new album in Los Angeles at a special listening event tonight, which you can find RSVP info for here.

Check out the video for “450” above and see below for the album tracklist.

01. “Passenger 47”
02. “450”
03. “Famous”
04. “Queen”
05. “Problems”
06. “Starlight”
07. “Soft Serve”
08. “Sandhills”
09. “Lei Keli” Feat. 47 / Different Person
10. “Stella’s Groove”
11. “HNIC”

It has been a while since we received an update on Saba’s collaborative album with No ID, but today, the two Windy City natives shared the latest single off From The Private Collection Of Saba & No ID. “How To Impress God” is the cheekily titled new single, which, as its title implies, finds a sardonic Saba pointing out the futility in such an endeavor. The single’s accompanied by a simple, straightforward lyric video that has Saba performing on one side of a split screen and the lyrics flashing by on the other. You can watch it above.

Saba and No ID first announced From The Private Collection in the spring of 2023 with “Back In Office,” then followed up in June with “Hue_Man Nature.” While those two tracks were more than enough to drive excitement for the project, they pushed it back, going radio silent until this past April, when they returned with “Head.Rap.” “How To Impress God” is the first single since then.

As an independent artist, it’s no surprise that Saba hasn’t had the smoothest rollout. After all, self-financing and managing the logistics of an album release without corporate budgets and teams means doing all that with just a few people instead — all while living life. Fortunately, Saba and No ID have delivered quality with each new update, and the time spent will almost certainly be worth it when they do release From The Private Collection.

You can watch the “How To Impress God” video above.

GloRilla’s womb has been a topic of conversation since the release of her debut album, Glorious. On the project, the “Whatchu Kno About Me” rapper sparked chatter about motherhood.

Yesterday (October 24), GloRilla added fuel to the fire by posting a series of photos (viewable here) with BMF actor Da’Vinchi and a pronounced baby bump. “[I] was so sick of hiding & sucking my stomach in lol,” read the caption (which has since been updated).

Fans immediately accused the images of being fakes. Now, GloRilla has clapped back on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Why would I be wearing a Halloween outfit dis early? Be fr.”

However, GloRilla laughing off supporters shock wasn’t exactly the flat-out denial they were looking for. The other probable answer to explain away this baby bump is GloRilla could be set to make a guest appearance in the show as Da’Vinchi’s love interest.

Another indication of that GloRilla is not actually carrying a child is a statement she made on Out Of Context hosted by Charlamagne Tha God. Earlier this month, GloRilla confessed that although she wanted to be mom, she would choose surrogacy as her path when the time came.

“I do want to have kids, but not my own kids,” she said. “I want to do a surrogate. I want somebody else to have my baby. To have my DNA, but I don’t want to have it.”

She then detailed what went into her decision, saying: “I just don’t want to actually have a baby… All my friends have kids, and they’re restricted a lot when they’re pregnant. I’m like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to go through that.”