Back in May 2023, Ed Sheeran vowed to be “done” with music if he were found guilty in his Marvin Gaye estate plagiarism lawsuit.

Well, exactly a year later, fans of the “Plastic Bag” singer were relived when he was found not liable in the matter. But the intellectual property battle between Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and Ed’s “Thinking Out Loud” wasn’t over yet.

However, according to Billboard, Ed can but it all behind him now. The outlet claims that a panel also ruled in Ed Sheeran’s favor in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Yesterday (November 1), the appeals court supposedly rejected Structured Asset Sales, a minority stake owner of Gaye’s song, infringement lawsuit against Ed. In the decision written by the judges panel, they wrote: “The four-chord progression at issue—ubiquitous in pop music—even coupled with a syncopated harmonic rhythm, is too well-explored to meet the originality threshold that copyright law demands. Overprotecting such basic elements would threaten to stifle creativity and undermine the purpose of copyright law.”

The court’s decision allegedly also called out the lack of similarities in other areas, writing: “Neither the melody nor the lyrics of ‘Thinking Out’ Loud bears any resemblance to those in ‘Let’s Get It On.’ Undeniable and obvious differences exist between them.”

Cardi B has had a change of heart. After vowing to never publicly support a politician, yesterday (November 1) the “Enough (Miami)” rapper delivered an endorsement speech at Vice President Kamala Harris‘ rally in West Allis, Wisconsin.

In front of the packed Wisconsin State Fair Park Exposition Center crowd, Cardi B detailed why she decided to endorse Harris (viewable here). This show of support came as a surprise after the Grammy Award winner announced that she would not vote in the 2024 presidential election. The reasons for Cardi B’s support of Harris is women’s rights, the economy, healthcare and his distrust of former president Donald Trump.

“[Harris] changed my mind completely,” she said. “I did not have faith for any candidate until she joined the race and said the things that I wanted to hear — things I want to see next in this country. I believe in every word that comes out of her mouth; she’s passionate, she’s compassionate, she shows empathy, and most of all, she is not delusional.”

Back in 2020, Cardi endorsed President Joe Biden. However, in recent years, she’s been vocal about her disappointment in him. When Biden elected to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, Cardi B reminded her supporters of her stance.

Cardi B used a part of speech to slam Trump, saying: “Donny Dump, if your definition of protection is making sure our daughters have fewer rights than their mothers, then I don’t want it.”

Pixar has made some of the greatest animated films of all-time, including Toy Story… and Toy Story 2… and Toy Story 3… and Toy Story 4. WALL-E, Finding Nemo, and Monsters Inc. aren’t too shabby, either. But now the animation studio is turning the Luxo Jr-like spotlight towards television.

Win or Lose is Pixar’s first long-form original series (I’m guessing the pre-Disney acquisition Buzz Lightyear of Star Command doesn’t count because it was episodic?), and it’s coming to Disney Plus very soon. But how soon?

Here’s everything you need to know about Win or Lose, including plot details, the voice cast, and the release date.

Plot

Win or Lose follows a co-ed middle school softball team, the Pickles, in the week leading up to their championship game. Every episode is told from a different perspective. The players, their parents, and the umpires all get center stage, revealing “their funny, emotional, and always relatable point of view in a unique visual style,” according to the official logline.

The series is created, written, and directed by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, who both worked on Toy Story 4. That’s where the idea of Win or Lose was formed. “Me and Carrie were officemates on Toy Story 4 and a lot of times we would come out of a meeting with different impressions of how that meeting went,” Yates told Cartoon Brew. “That was something that really fascinated us. It’s interesting that you can both be in the same room and experience something completely different.” Hobson added, “[We] wanted to explore the idea that everyone has a different perspective in life, so what if you could walk in someone else’s shoes?”

Hobson also talked about their love of animation as a medium.

“We just love working with our animators, because it’s about the performance, the feeling that you relate to them. We wanted to make sure that we had characters that could be expressive and that our animators could have fun with, and you feel like it’s a caricatured sincerity. So, it’s not just cartoony. It’s cartoony with intention.”

Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter called Win or Lose “a major, first-of-its-kind tentpole series, one that really showcases what I think makes our studio great: bold, imaginative storytelling; laugh-out-loud humor; and characters that we can all relate to.” I was in the building when Win or Lose debuted at D23 in 2022, and I was impressed by the footage I saw. It was funny and charming, which is what you want from a Pixar production. Well, that, and a scene that will make you uncontrollably weep.

Cast

The voice cast of Win or Lose is led by the always funny Will Forte as Coach Dan. There’s also Ian Chen (Fresh Off the Boat), Izaac Wang (Good Boys and Raya and the Last Dragon), Jo Firestone (Joe Pera Talks with You), Milan Ray (The Wonder Years), Josh Thomson (the Australian version of The Office), Erin Keif (Hello from the Magic Tavern), and Rosie Foss.

Release Date

Win or Lose comes to Disney+ on February 19, 2025. It’s unclear whether every episode will be released at once or spread out over the course of eight weeks.

Trailer

Check out the trailer for Win or Lose below.

Christian Braun is maybe the most interesting player on the Denver Nuggets not named Nikola Jokic. Braun, the third-year wing out of Kansas, has been a nice player up to this point in his NBA career, but has to step into a much bigger role after the team decided to not bring back Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency.

While he’s still young and a work in progress, the flashes Braun has shown have been awfully fun. Our latest glimpse of that came on Friday night in the Western Conference Semifinals rematch between Denver and the Minnesota Timberwolves, as Braun got met at the rim by Rudy Gobert and just did not care, as he went over and through the linchpin of the Timberwolves defense for a ridiculous dunk.

As you can see in the full clip that the NBA unsurprisingly did not want to put on its social media channels, Gobert was not exactly a fan of how Braun celebrated — it did not look like he was trying to scream in Gobert’s face, more that he was fired up in the exact wrong spot. It led to some pretty aggressive pushing and shoving, but ultimately, Braun and Gobert were the only players to receive any sort of reprimand from the referees, as they were each hit with technical fouls.

Unfortunately for Braun and the Nuggets, Gobert and co. would get the last laugh, as Minnesota picked up a 119-116 win.

Grant Williams spent the first four years of his NBA career as teammates with Jayson Tatum on the Boston Celtics. He’s moved around a few times since he left the team, and on Friday night, Williams and the Charlotte Hornets played host to his old squad. He did not, however, see the end of the game, as Williams was ejected after committing a Flagrant 2 foul on Tatum.

Late in the fourth quarter with the Celtics up, 114-105, Tatum reeled in a rebound and took off down the floor. While that happened, Williams came in and gave him a hip check near mid-court, which sent both of them to the ground.

Tatum got right up and walked away from it, but another one of Williams’ former teammates in Boston, Jaylen Brown, made it a point to get in his face and say something while he was being helped up. After it was reviewed, the officials determined that Williams “accelerates, makes significant impact to the dribbler — a non-basketball play, potential for injury,” and as a result, the foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 2.

It’s hard to tell exactly why Williams did this, but our hunch is after the game, he’s going to say it had something to do with the rebound Tatum grabbed right before this. You can see it at the very start of the above video, but presumably, he thought Tatum extended his arm and had LaMelo Ball hit the deck. Either that, or he just really wanted to hip check his old teammate.

The Celtics went on to win, 124-109.

November is coming in with a bang. It’s the best month of the college football season because of its unparalleled ability to separate the wheat from the chaff in the sport, to determine which teams are real contenders to compete for conference and national titles, and which ones are unable to turn up when the pressure becomes a little more real.

Week 10 doesn’t exactly give us a jam-packed slate of games, but think of it like a really fun UFC fight nit. There is a ton on the undercard — a bunch of games that should be close and will keep you flipping back and forth. There’s the co-main event that should be really good, a matchup between a pair of fun ranked team. But everything this week is going to revolve the heavyweight fight at the top of the card, which you can read about right, well, right now.

The Game Of The Year (Of The Week): No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Penn State (12:00 p.m. ET, Fox)

The Nittany Lion fan who co-writes this every week is, in the immortal words of that kid in Christmas Vacation, sh*tting bricks. Penn State hasn’t beaten Ohio State since that famous 2016 game where they won on a blocked field goal return for a touchdown, and since then, you can make the argument that no team (outside of Michigan the last few years) has played the Buckeyes as consistently well as James Franklin’s team. But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and Ohio State is on a 7-game winning streak over their Big Ten foes.

Both teams have elite defenses — by SP+, the Buckeyes are No. 1 and the Nittany Lions are No. 3 in the country on that side of the football. They’re both rock solid and don’t really have a fatal flaw, although Penn State really does need to start turning its high pressure rate into sacks at some point. What this game is going to come down to, in all likelihood, is how each team overcomes potentially gigantic injuries to key parts of their offenses. For the Buckeyes, this involves their offensive line, as standout left tackle Josh Simmons is out for the year and his replacement, Zen Michalski, struggled against Nebraska before leaving with an injury that Ryan Day thinks will keep him out on Saturday. The reshuffling up front is going to be a major challenge, particularly against standout edge rusher Abdul Carter.

But Penn State might have a bigger issue on its hands with an injury to starting QB Drew Allar, an Ohio native who was a disaster in Columbus last year and looked like he was primed for a monster game against his childhood team this season. Allar appeared to hurt his knee against Wisconsin last week, and while he’s a game-time decision who reports indicate will play, his backup, Beau Pribula, was able to lead a comeback in Camp Randall while he was out. Pribula is a totally different QB — Allar is a pure pocket passer, Pribula is a dual-threat — and when he was in, the Nittany Lion rushing attack took off against the Badgers. He’s not on Allar’s level as a passer, though, and to beat the Buckeyes, you have to be able to throw the ball down the field.

The margins have been awfully tight in this game over the years, and there’s no reason to think that won’t be the case again this time around. Will Day be able to get the sort of win over a top-5 team his critics think he can’t, or will Franklin be able to finally slay one of the Big Ten’s giants as he tries to secure the Nittany Lions’ spot as one of the nation’s elite?

Lock Into This One: No. 18 Pitt vs. No. 20 SMU (8:00 p.m. ET, ACC Network)

Big week for things in Pennsylvania, eh? Pitt is coming off of maybe the weirdest win of all time, a 41-13 drubbing of Syracuse where they were outgained, 327-217, but forced five interceptions and turned three of them into pick sixes. They keep finding ways to win, whether it’s behind talented young QB Eli Holstein, a physical running game led by Desmond Reid, a defense that is very good at generating havoc plays, or the top special teams unit in the country based on SP+.

SMU, however, will be their toughest test by some margin, especially because dynamic signal caller Kevin Jennings was cleared to play despite an injury. When he is in, the Mustangs love to put the ball in the air and generate big plays, and how they manage to do that against a talented and opportunistic Panther secondary might end up deciding a game that has serious aspirations at the top of the ACC, which I did not expect to say about the game between Pitt and SMU at the start of the year.

Under-The-Radar Banger: TCU vs. Baylor (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Is this game going to be good? Probably not. Does it have the potential to be a completely insane matchup of two teams smashed in the middle of the Big 12 that could really use a win? Absolutely. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover is capable of absolutely lighting teams up. Baylor is capable of running all over you with one of their five dudes who have at least 100 rushing yards this year. The Horned Frogs aren’t great at stopping the run, the Bears could be better at stopping teams from passing. If you like points, watch this one.

Message Board Meltdown Game Of The Week: Duke vs. No. 5 Miami (12:00 p.m. ET, ABC)

Listen, Miami is going to win in all likelihood — they’re just way more talented than Duke, which has done an admirable job gutting out wins this year, in fairness. However, if Miami’s ACC title hopes take a big hit because they lose to Manny Diaz, we are going to see a gigantic meltdown out of Canes fans.

Who Won The Heisman Last Week?: Jarquez Hunter, RB, Auburn

Auburn beat Kentucky last week, 24-10. The Wildcats had 224 yards of total offense. Hunter, on his own, ran for 278 yards. It’s really hard to carry the ball 23 times and average 12.1 yards per carry, but Hunter did just that — plus he found the end zone twice, which is again more than Kentucky did.

Best Bet (5-4): Minnesota vs. Illinois (+3) (12:00 p.m. ET, FS1)

This line feels like an overreaction to Illinois getting outclassed by the best of the Big Ten while Minnesota has been beating a few mediocre Big Ten teams. The Illini getting points at home against a team that is a much more comfortable caliber of opponent should bring their offense back to life a bit, and I think their defense will look much faster and better against this Minnesota offense compared to Oregon. I like Illinois to win this on the field, but will also happily take three points.

Sydney Sweeney’s career is booked out into oblivion. She’s currently ripped while portraying the “female Rocky,” Christy Martin, in a biopic. She will have Euphoria‘s third season shooting next year, and Sweeney believes that Barbarella will be filming at some point. TMZ recently revealed that she’s become one of the biggest earners of her generation in Hollywood with reportedly a $7.5 million salary to come on Lionsgate’s The Housemaid.

This psychological thriller movie could possibly turn into a franchise, too, since the literary source material arrives with two ready-made sequels, so let’s do the thing on what to expect:

Plot

The Housemaid will be based upon Rebecca Sonnenshine’s script that adapts the 3.5+ million-copies-sold novel from Freida McFadden. The author, who began writing thriller novels as a physician-by-day, followed up with two sequels, The Housemaid’s Secret and The Housemaid Is Watching. Presumably, the script covers only the first book with room for more, and director Paul Feig will move into this project following his helming of A Simple Favor 2, which will star Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick.

These are early days with most involved parties still working through other projects, and of course, spoilers are out there from those who have read the books, so be careful there. For now, it’s enough to mention that Sweeney will portray a housemaid who receives more than she bargained for when coming to live with a couple, and perhaps vice versa. Lionsgate has issued a brief synopsis via Deadline:

In the film, Sweeney will play Millie, a struggling woman who is relieved to get a fresh start as a housemaid to Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew, an upscale, wealthy couple. She soon learns that the family’s secrets are far more dangerous than her own.

Cast

Sweeney and Seyfried are anchoring the cast, and Andrew will be portrayed by Brandon Sklenar, who recently starred in It Ends With Us (alongside Blake Lively) and embodies Spencer Dutton on Taylor Sheridan’s 1923.

Release Date

Lionsgate hasn’t publicized an official release date yet, and with Sweeney’s enormously busy shooting schedule, 2026 looks likely.

Trailer

Neither Sweeney nor Seyfried is a stranger to psychological thrillers, as these yesteryear trailers show (in lieu of The Housemaid footage).

Prior to rocketing to fame, Sweeney starred as a jealous twin sister in Blumhouse’s Nocturne Prime Video/Amazon film, Nocturne:

And over a decade ago, Seyfried followed up Mean Girls with several chilling films, including the obsession-fueled Chloe.

Here at Uproxx, we believe collaborations are the spice of life — fashion collabs, artist collabs, and everything in between, if two or more entities that we’re already fans of come together to produce something greater than the sum of their parts, we’re hyped about it.

This is why every Friday, we’re going to be running down the best collabs of the week. There are no hard and fast rules here, if it’s a collaboration that has us excited for any reason, it’s fair game. So, we’ll be wading through the muck to find the collaborations you need to care about on a weekly basis.

This week we’ve got link-ups between Rick Owens and Moncler, Supreme and Jane’s Addiction, SKIMS, Tate McCrae, and Harmony Korine, and we’re closing with Central Cee’s COLORS performance. Let’s dive in.

Rick Owens x Moncler FW24

Every Gen-Z dude’s favorite brand, Rick Owens, is linking up with the Italian fashion house Moncler once again for a fall/winter 2024 outwear collection. The collection straddles the line between luxury runway fashion and winter-focused basics. Expect lots of parkas, bomber jackets, and jumpsuits in a mix of cashmere and quilt dressed up in a minimalist yet slightly edgy (or at the very least unconventional) aesthetic.

Sure, some of the pieces are comfortably conventional, but for every slightly elevated down jacket or puffer vest, you’ve got a piece that’ll make you look like a glammed-up high-fashion sith lord. But that’s what makes Rick Owens so damn fun.

The Rick Owens x Moncler FW2024 collection is available now. Shop the collection at Rick Owens or Moncler.

Supreme x Jane’s Addiction Fall 2024 Collection

Beloved ‘90s weirdos Jane’s Addiction are back — or at least they were back. The band embarked on a tour this year but on-stage fighting led them to abruptly cancel, which is a shame for Jane’s Addiction fans, but hey, at least we’re getting a Supreme collaboration out of it!

The collection is conceptually pretty simple, it takes classic Supreme staples like Mechanics Jackets, cardigans, and hoodies, marked with graphic prints of Jane’s Addiction album and poster iconography and lyrics. The collection was supposed to serve as a victory lap for the band, but now it is a small consolation for the letdown fans. If only you could trade in those tickets for pieces from the collection!

The Supreme x Jane’s Addiction Fall 2024 collection is available now at Supreme.

Tate McCrae Stars In SKIMS Holiday Shop

SKIMS is always linking up with the most cutting-edge main pop girlies, from Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, to Rosalia, and now the brand has tapped Tate McCrae to star in its Holiday Shop collection.

The Holiday Shop Collection features loungey staples and lingerie in SKIMS minimalist aesthetic, though if you love patterns there are plenty of snow-flake, leopard print, and mistletoe-adorned pieces that reflect the cozy season.

But we’re not here to talk about the clothes, we’re here for the collaboration, and this is a great one! The ad campaign was shot by Harmony Korine of Spring Breakers and Kids fame, and has a sheen to it that echoes the bright and loud photography of early 00s-era David LaChappelle.

Tate McRae looks great and exudes confidence. We’re fully expecting 2025 to be McRae’s year.

Shop the SKIMS Holiday collection here.

Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance SONNY Basketball Capsule

Aimé Leon Dore’s SONNY Youth Club is an NYC-based program that provides mentorship and a place to play for young athletes in the city, and recently, the Baseketball Club took their talents to an international tournament in Paris and to mark the event, ALD teamed up with New Balance for a new collection of footwear and apparel.

We love the retro vibes of this collection, which includes hoodies, jackets, tank tops, footwear and other off and on-court staples that feature SONNY branding done in a throwback ‘70s and early ‘80s aesthetic.

The Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance SONNY Basketball Capsule is set to drop on November 1st at 7:00 AM ET. Shop the collection at ALD.

100 Thieves x Adidas Drop 002

The LA-based lifestyle and e-sports brand 100 Thieves is teaming up with Adidas Originals for the duo’s second drop of the year. The two brands joined forces earlier this year, but that collection played things relatively safe. We’re glad to see 100 Thieves get a bit more comfortable this time around by infusing more of its aesthetic personality into the collaboration.

The collection features everything from apparel to footwear, and accessories with a sporty-meets-utilitarian aesthetic. Considering the first drop was a success, and this one is looking even better, it’s safe to say Adidas is throwing itself into the e-sports ring (battlefield?) with full force.

The 100 Thieves x Adidas Drop 002 is set to hit the 100 Thieves website on November 2nd at 10 AM PST. Check out the full collection here.

Amaria has been working towards this moment for the last four and a half years. The Tampa native launched her music career at the beginning of 2020, and since then the young singer’s tender and velvet have graced ears far and wide, whether it be releases like her debut single “Morning” or her first two projects. Bittersweet and All For You. Other examples lay with collaborations alongside Mac Ayres, UMI, and Destin Conrad as proof of Amaria’s neo-soul excellence inspired the likes of Sadé and Erykah Badu.

This continues with her debut album Free Fallin’ which arrives with an added dose of maturity and youthful wisdom that arrives thanks to experience in the music world. “The main theme of the album, represented by the name, is the idea of going through different life experiences with no safety net,” Amaria said about the album in a press release. “Letting life take you whichever way it wants — essentially ‘free falling.’” Amaria achieves this while using different feelings, styles, attitudes, and auras from various R&B eras in a combination that feels truly authentic to the young and talented singer.

With Free Fallin’ out now and in rotation, we spotlight Amaria for this week’s Uproxx Music 20 column in an interview that dives into her inspirations, aspirations, and influences.

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• Jaz Karis’ ‘Safe Flight’ Is A Soaring Debut And A Tasteful Melting Pot Of R&B Flavors
• >Kei’s ‘Double Jimmeis’ Proves She Has A Story To Tell And A Whole Lot Of Fun To Have

What is your earliest memory of music?

Me jamming on the toy piano my parents got me at 3.

Who or what inspired you to take music seriously?

I was surrounded by several artist friends in Tampa who encouraged me to take the musical leap!

Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?

I can play most instruments enough to produce a song but I would love to be able to shred bass.

What was your first job?

I did multimedia and content creation for my college’s alumni association. It was pretty fun.

What is your most prized possession?

My 15-year-old iMac that I learned all my favorite things on.

What is your biggest fear?

Gas hitting $10 in LA.

Who is on your R&B Mt. Rushmore?

Kem, Sade, Jill Scott, and Michael Jackson.

You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!

Laying poolside in the south of France with a glass of prosecco.

What are your three most used emojis?

I genuinely only use the emoji of the guy saluting ().

What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?

Tame Impala!

If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?

I desperately need a guest role on Grey’s Anatomy. Just to fulfill my childhood dreams.

Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality and why?

I think Chappell Roan is breaking barriers with her unapologetic attitude towards inexcusable behaviors. I love it.

Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.

That hot chocolate can never be made with water. Only milk. Always.

What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life and what do you love about it?

“New Person, Same Old Mistakes” by Tame Impala opened me to a world of music I’d never explored!

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?

I loved the energy at my shows in Texas and I’m very excited to perform in Paris!

You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.

I’d have to have Erykah Badu, Tame Impala, Yussef Dayes, Clairo, and Solange on my bill. I would host it in Nice, France.

What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?

I’d definitely be diving into the world of directing, acting, or filmmaking!

If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?

Definitely five years into the future so I could either relax or be super prepared.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Don’t pick the 8 AM classes you thought you could handle. Sleep! 11 am classes only!

It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

I’d want it to be a go-to for people that want to relax and unwind. To be an escape for anyone who needs it.

Free Fallin’ is out now via Amaria/Fashionably Early Records LLC. Find out more information here.

The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from Tyler The Creator, Lil Uzi Vert, and IDK.

Okay, now I am mad at all the rappers. It’s not that there hasn’t been a slew of worthy contributions to the canon over the past 10 months; it’s that so many of them waited until November to release absolute bangers that will have to be mainlined instead of savored ahead of the inevitable year-end lists. There were so many dead weekends over the past couple of months; did Tyler The Creator, Earthgang, Lil Uzi Vert, IDK, and Freddie Gibbs all have to wait ’til this week to drop? On the bright side, though, there’s a decent chance that Tyler’s new album manages to bring back New Music Tuesday, which can only benefit artists, fans, and labels — if only the latter have the brains and balls to follow through. More notable releases this week:

Drake’s “No Face” video. No comments, the man’s been through enough this year.

Central Cee’s “One By One” performance on COLORS announcing his upcoming debut, Can’t Rush Greatness.

Future and Travis Scott’s long-awaited remix for “South Of France.”

Snoop Dogg’s first Missionary single, “Gorgeous.”

And a timely remake of Kurtis Blow’s ’80s classic “Basketball” featuring Lola Brooke and finally acknowledging the ascendance of women’s hoops. I don’t care if it is technically a commercial for DoorDash; it’s a long overdue investment into women’s sports.

Also: Saweetie kicks us off on Christmas, relegating Thanksgiving to the also-ran status it deserves.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending November 1, 2024.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Bishop Nehru — Nehruvia: Solace In Shadows

In the years since the East New York native’s teenaged debut over a decade ago, he’s kept up a truly stunning level of output, especially since going independent after parting ways with Mass Appeal. You might not have noticed; he moves with the sort of murky mystery as former mentor MF DOOM, but let his latest project (and second of 2024) serve as a reminder of his deft pen and commitment to cerebral lyricism matching that of other notable underground names like Earl Sweatshirt and Ka.

EarthGang — Perfect Fantasy

Like Tyler The Creator, EarthGang dodged the Friday deluge with a Tuesday release for their new album, which is a truly unexpected mashup of alt-indie sounds, funkwave dance floor fillers, and African diaspora riddims that explores all the ways in which human ingenuity trumps algorithmic precision. No AI would ever think to combine the sounds and ideas presented here, which is the point of EarthGang’s whole ongoing “Versus The Algorithm” project. Sometimes, it’s the things that don’t “make sense” that work the best. Surrender to humanity of Pefect Fantasy; resistance is futile.

Freddie Gibbs — You Only Die 1nce

Gibbs’ first full-length since 2022’s Soul Sold Separately, You Only Die arrives with little fanfare or advance warning, yet all the skillful wordplay and emotive storytelling rap fans have come to expect from the Indiana product. The soulful production includes notable samples like the Tony Toni Toné interpolation on “It’s Your Anniversary,” which offers a form-fitting backdrop for Gibb’s heart-yanking raps.

IDK — Bravado + Intimo

As quiet as it’s kept (at least, among some of you so-called “rap fans”), IDK has become one of the most compelling and consistent voices in hip-hop today — even if that voice pretty closely resembles one of our recent excommunicates (I joked on Twitter that it’s silly to look forward to any Kanye project as long as IDK is releasing new music). The Maryland rapper’s latest distills the best of prior projects like Simple and F65 into a compact compilation of songs that show the most critical sides of rap: the chest-beating and the soul-baring.

Lil Uzi Vert — Eternal Atake 2

Another “surprise release,” the sequel to 2020’s Eternal Atake wisely foregoes a long windup in favor of a shortened runway that allows Uzi to dodge the buildup of expectations that can crowd out artistic ambitions. By taking the pressure off, the Philadelphian genre bender gets to focus on showing off the rapid fire bars that gave them their rap name over a collection of beats that should appease anyone who was disappointed by all the rock and rolling on Pink Tape.

Tyler The Creator — Chromakopia

After taking a few detours into R&B and mixtape rap territory, Tyler gets back to his most familiar lane, crafting a slick successor to 2017’s Flower Boy. However, in the years since, he’s grown as both a composer and a person — growth that lays the groundwork for one of his most polished and mature releases to date. While Tyler’s early work spoke to the rebels and rapscallions of the world doing their best to make it through their rocky teens, his latest speaks to adults they’ve become while still honoring those youthful ideals.

Westside Gunn & DJ Drama — Still Praying

Gunn — bar none, the most productive person working in rap music today — actually has two projects out today: The five-track 11 and the Gangsta Grillz entry Still Praying. We’re giving the spot to the more polished product, which resides comfortably in the now familiar zone that has defined his output to date. Enough drugs to fuel the New York State economy get sold, enough verbal bullets to take over a third-world nation get thrown, and those ad-libs everybody loves remain intact.

Singles/Videos

Gang Starr — “Finishem”

I’ll be honest: I did not think I would ever hear a whole new Gang Starr song in 2024. Surely, every last viable Guru verse has been used, every session between Guru and DJ Premier has been plumbed. And yet, here we are, miraculously hearing the Beantown representative over his Houston brother’s production in honor of the five-year anniversary of One Of The Best Yet, their last album together and first since 2003’s The Ownerz.

Flau’Jae — “Big Bag”

LSU’s women’s basketball season tips off in just a few days, and junior guard Flau’Jae Johnson gets herself hype with a boastful new release tapping into every rapper-hooper’s favorite subject — that bag. While we’ll see how her off season bag work pays off on court in a few days, we’ve already seen how her off season rap moves contributed to a “big bag” of opportunities, making her one of the first college athletes to be afforded such gains from extracurriculars during her student-athlete years.

Kal Banx — “Sunstory” Feat. Isaiah Rashad

The TDE producer continues the rollout to his debut project, following “Hop Out Cho Feelings” with “Sunstory” a jazzy mood poem featuring labelmate Isaiah Rashad. Featuring a looser structure than the traditional “verse-hook-verse-hook” model, “Sunstory” sees Rashad contemplating his conditions. A pretty string section closes things out, showing off Banx’s production prowess and leaving appetites whet for his eventual release announcement.

Luh Tyler — “Money Virus”

Tyler loves rapping; it’s been evident since his breakout “Law & Order.” But it’s rare to see someone who blew up so young so committed to improving after all the success. At first blush, “Money Virus” might seem just another example of the teen rapper piling double entendres on top of each other, but he’s gotten more precise with his delivery and creative with his hook work, demonstrating his dedication to actually improving rather than coasting on past wins. If only they could all be like Tyler.

Maxo Kream — “Big Hoe Me”

The Houston big stepper swaggers all over a rumbling but surprisingly pretty beat to highlight the thin line between mentorship and bad advice, detailing the ways in which his “big homie” low-key ruined his life. After all, someone really looking out for him would keep him away from the street life, not hand him a gun and send him out to hit the opps. In that way, “big homie” is more like a “big hoe,” hence the title.