Category: Worldwide

Los Angeles prosecutors have decided not to pursue criminal charges against controversial metal star Marilyn Manson, who was accused of sexual assault by multiple women, including actresses Evan Rachel Wood and Esmé Bianco. According to Rolling Stone, District Attorney Nathan Hochman determined that the abuse allegations fell outside the statute of limitations.

In a press statement, the District Attorney’s office wrote: “We recognize and applaud the courage and resilience of the women who came forward to make reports and share their experiences, and we thank them for their cooperation and patience with the investigation. While we are unable to bring charges in this matter, we recognize that the strong advocacy of the women involved has helped bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.”

Bianco said she was “deeply disappointed” by the decision in a statement, writing, “Within our toxic culture of victim blaming; a lack of understanding of coercive control, the complex nature of sexual assault within intimate partnerships, and statutes of limitations that do not support the realities of healing; prosecutions face an oftentimes insurmountable hurdle. Once again, our justice system has failed survivors. Not the individual prosecutors and detectives who worked for years on this case, but the system that made them do so with one hand tied behind their collective backs. Seven years ago when I was faced for the first time with that failure, it set me out on a journey of advocacy and activism, but with that came a very clear directive. My healing and peace could not be reliant upon the outcome of a desperately broken system.”

Manson dropped his defamation suit against Wood in November after a court ruled that his Wood was not responsible for the defamatory statements.

The Michael Jackson biopic has seemingly hit another snag in its release timeline. Exactly one year, the first images of Michael were shared. To the excitement of the late “Smooth Criminal” singer’s fans his nephew Jaafar Jackson landed the lead role. However, every update since has left supporters on edge about the film’s future.

According to Matt Belloni’s Puck newsletter, the Michael Jackson biopic is in jeopardy after a paperwork for a misconduct settlement resurfaced.

In the newsletter, Belloni claims “producers are scrambling” to make decision about the movie’s ending. Based on Belloni’s report, Michael’s final act rehashing the 1993 child sexual abuse scandal and lawsuit filed by Evan Chandler (on behalf of his then 13-year-old son Jordan).

However, due to the out-of-court settlement with the Chandlers, it can not be included in Michael. “Years before signing off on the Michael movie with the Chandlers featured in the script, Jackson’s team agreed they would never include the family in any such movie,” said a source.

Given the film’s supposed $150 million budget, the studio reportedly is not open to any rewrite or reshoot to have it removed. At this time, Jackson’s estate nor has anyone involved in the production has released a statement regarding the report.

Jordan Adetunji’s dizzying run of success is now guaranteed to continue into 2025 thanks to the release of his second project A Jaguar’s Dream. The 10-track grants a home to his breakout hit song “Kehlani” which arrived last summer and was elevated by a later remix with Kehlani herself. Adetunji’s life quickly turned into a dream-come-true as the Belfast-bred singer seemingly checked off achievements at a daily rate. He’d make is debut on the Billboard Hot 100 charts with “Kehlani,” a record that also gave him his first Grammy nomination for the upcoming award show next month. Adetunji also joined Kehlani on last summer’s Crash Tour where he performed in large venues like Brooklyn’s Barclays Center where I personally saw him perform live for the first time.

A Jaguar’s Dream is the recognition of one’s growing dominance and their ability to make their fantasies a reality. That’s what the past six months have been for Adetunji and it seems like he’s headed for higher grounds thanks to the project which boasts features from Lil Baby and Bryson Tiller in addition to Kehlani. “A Jaguar’s Dream is an entry into my love life and my world of thoughts through sound and emotion,” Adetunji says about the project. “A real manifestation of my dreams I wish to make reality.”

With the project’s release today, Uproxx caught with Adetunji to discuss A Jaguar’s Dream, how Bryson Tiller surprised him, the Grammys, TikTok, much more.

You described A Jaguar’s Dream as an entrance into your love life. What story do you hope listeners take away once they get through these songs?

[I hope] they take away reality as it is. With situations, love, [and] lust, I feel like you will take the raw feeling from it. I’m speaking very raw in every single song on there, raw thoughts and emotions, seeing someone or not seeing someone, or one [foot] in this, one in that. It’s like trying to find a solution, but I’m just expressing all my emotions there.

Your songs dive heavily into infatuation and lust. What makes these topics fun for you to write and sing about?

It’s fun because it’s something that every human being goes through at some point in their life — some people don’t, but I feel like a lot of people do. For me, it’s always important for me to express that and be that vibrant person about that. On the tape, I start to break it down about bitter moments, I have a song called “Bitter” on there where I’m talking about how it feels to be bitter that someone’s moved on. Then I’ve got songs about manifesting going somewhere, and experiencing things and experiencing different type of emotions that you feel when you’re going through the journey that I’m going on. It’s my dream world, that’s why I call it A Jaguar’s Dream.

You once told a story about an art piece you made when in school and how being labeled the “bad kid” affected the way your teachers graded it. As the genreless artist you are, do you feel like you’re that same sort of rebel in the music space? How or what helped you to embrace that role?

It’s the same thing, really. The thing with the art piece is I created a piece of art that had no face [or] no title to do with me. It was the raw art that captured people. People were so infatuated by the piece of art and that [also] shows with music. Most of the people first heard “Kehlani” without seeing me, they heard the sound and they drew to the sound. It’s art, it’s undeniable. If someone likes it, they like it, you know? That’s how I see the music and that’s how I express myself in the music, it’s free sound and frequency. If they’re on the same frequency, they’re gonna love it.

In an answer for our Uproxx Music 20 column we released last year, you said that The Weeknd’s Kiss Land pushed you to take music more seriously. Michael Jackson also had a big influence on you as well, so much so that you have a song called “Dirty Diana” on the project. The Weeknd has earned some MJ comparisons, so as a fan of both, what is the overlap in their work that draws you into them and how do you aim to emulate that in your music?

The rawness and the evolution of the sound, especially with The Weeknd. I feel like a lot of the stuff he dropped on Kiss Land is a very futuristic sound and it’s stuff that I took a lot of inspiration from. It’s one that I really delved into when I was in school, I always used to listen to it, and I felt like it inspired me a lot. Then Michael Jackson’s rawness, his style, his uniqueness, and his ability to never be pigeonholed — he was a superstar in terms of music, sound… everything around him. He constantly evolved and changed his looks, his image, and his sound. He never just stuck to one thing that people told him to, he was always evolving in his artistry and I thought that was amazing.

You’ve spoken about the great experiences you’ve had with artists, whether it be as collaborators with Lil Baby and Kehlani, or just as fans like you noted with Oli Sykes. As you’re moving up in the industry, did it surprise you to see how open and welcoming artists were to you as a previous outsider?

I feel like what they’ve heard was enough for them to reach out and show me love, and I think that’s so crazy. I think sometimes people on the outside perspective don’t know how much artists genuinely love art, they’re real human beings, they do reach out to people, and they can be fans of people. Not everything is some manufactured setup thing. Some things are legit just a DM and I think people distance themselves from that sometimes or don’t get it and that’s really what a lot of this stuff has been. It’s just people reaching out and just showing genuine love or really loving the music, it’s crazy. I’ve just embraced it, both as ways to evolve my music and [with] collaborating. This year, I’m big on collaborating and exploring that this year, 100%.

Where were you and what was your reaction when you found out that “Kehlani” got a Grammy nomination?

I was in the studio. I thought it was like a prediction list, and then the actual list came out. I was like, “Oh, that’s crazy.” I was excited, I was just jumping about.

Tell me about your Bryson Tiller collaboration “305.” How did that come about?

It’s so funny. I recorded most of the song, I sent it to him, and I was like, I don’t know if he’s gonna respond to getting on the song. I linked him in Miami, went to his place, we kicked it, we played video games, and I was like, “Oh, that this is amazing.” He’s working on a game at the moment as well, which is going to be amazing and yeah, he loved the music man, he loved that track. He was like, “Yeah, I’m gonna do something with it.” He recorded on it, but I already shot a video because I thought he wasn’t going to do anything, so I shot a video [and] everything on the single. Then, he came out with some fire. I was like, “Oh, my days. I’m gonna have to change my plans.” “Options” was actually supposed to be a double drop. I was supposed to drop “305” and “Options,” so a feature and then a solo song. But then, Bryson Tiller man, I had to change my plans.

It’s funny because when I saw that feature, I said I’m willing to bet that this has something to do with video games. Just off knowing that you both are gamers. On that note, how do you see or how would you like to push the connection between gaming and music in the future?

I’ve been trying to do it with visuals so far. So like making everything cohesive and everything part of a simulation type of thing, and lots of VFX, that’s kind of what I’m trying to showcase. I feel like with soundtracks to games, that’s the one thing I wanted to get more into because that’s how I discovered a lot of new music. That’s a big way to bring the two worlds together. While you’re playing a game, there’s always sound to it and music and theme songs that live with you. The FIFA soundtracks, we know them and that’s how a lot of people discover new music.

TikTok has played a big part in your career. You said you’ve used it as a testing ground for your songs. How do you think a possible ban might affect artists in terms of what they’re able to do and how they’re able to grow??

They’ll just change, everything’s an algorithm. People [will still] discover new music. I think it was only a beneficial tool. I think people that hate on TikTok are just mad that it hasn’t happened for them yet. Honestly, because I feel like people forget it’s an algorithm. There are real people that are picking the songs they like and pushing these songs, it’s people, real people that listen and use these sounds. These aren’t imaginary fairy people. People genuinely like these songs, you can’t blame people. It’s the same way people like something, they like it. It is what it is. I think TikTok and these platforms, you can make it how it is. The same way you post on YouTube, you post on TikTok, you just post the same content. It shouldn’t be a tool that affects people musically.

Fans who have followed your career for a while know that you can do many genres. From Rock N Rave to the sexy drill of A Jaguar’s Dream, where do you want to take things next in terms of your sound?

Definitely into a futuristic space, more futuristic R&B mixed with some elements of drill, like drum patterns or drum sounds. But yeah, definitely more of an R&B sound. I feel like that’s where it’s going right now.

We’ve just started the new year, so what are some big goals and resolutions that you have for yourself in 2025?

I’m going to the Grammys, so hopefully something with that, winning a Grammy? That would be sick, but definitely releasing more music and reaching the people that have inspired and been supporting the music, [and] performing more.

A Jaguar’s Dream is out now via 300 Entertainment/Indigo Kid Ltd. Find out more information here.

Keke Palmer and SZA‘s new critically-acclaimed comedy One Of Them Days takes place in Los Angeles, but a chemistry read for the stars was held in Atlanta, the home of Magic City. The pair originally planned on hitting up the famous strip club, until one of them (OK, it was Keke) got too sleepy.

“When we first did the chemistry read, I remember we were in Atlanta,” the actress said on a recent episode of SiriusXM’s Bevelations. “We were hanging out and afterwards, I said, ‘Hey, you wanna come back and chill at my house? I know you’re in town till tomorrow. We can kick it. We can go out.’ She comes to the house. Me and her is getting into it. The drinks are flying. She said, ‘Well, hey girl, let’s go to Magic City,’ so we go to Magic.”

However, once they arrived at the strip club, Palmer told SZA, “Girl, I done fell asleep. Girl, we had too many drinks at the house.” When host Bevy Smith called her “the grandma of the crew,” the Nope star replied, “I know. Man, I used to be the main one that’s like, ‘Hey,’ but when that baby came, now that I’m a mama… The pregame gonna be the event for me.”

You can watch a clip of Palmer on Bevelations here.

Here’s more on One Of Them Days:

Best friends and roommates Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) are about to have One of Them Days. When they discover Alyssa’s boyfriend has blown their rent money, the duo finds themselves going to extremes in a comical race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact.

One Of Them Days is out in theaters now.

Three NFL games remain during the 2024-25 season, which is a bit of a depressing thought for football diehards. After the beauty of the four-game Divisional Round weekend, the slate is trimmed to two games on Conference Championship Sunday. Still, both games are highly appealing and, in this space, we’ve actually found some positive traction in recent weeks.

Admittedly, it was an utterly disastrous regular season that was an outlier based on seven years of history, but we’re on a four-week winning streak overall and coming off a 4-1 performance a week ago. Before handing out a few picks for the penultimate slate, let’s take a look at the season-long progress.

• Divisional Round Weekend: 4-1
• 2025 Season: 43-55-2

Come get these winners.

Washington Commanders (+6) over Philadelphia Eagles — Widely Available

I’ll say this now. There isn’t anything this week that I would be itching to give out on a “normal” slate with 14 or 16 games on the schedule. The lines are smashed into place, and it is important to note that you simply don’t have to go crazy, even for these standalone games. With that said, I certainly lean to Washington at this price. The Commanders were good to us a week ago and, while this is an appropriate number, I am skeptical of Philadelphia’s offense with Jalen Hurts clearly not 100 percent from a health standpoint.

Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles UNDER 47.5 points — Widely Available

Same caveats apply here, especially after the line came down from 48.5 at some shops earlier this week. I do trust Philadelphia’s defense quite a bit and, while Jayden Daniels is scary with an under in play, this feels like kind of a slugfest to me.

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley UNDER 131.5 rushing yards — BetMGM

It’s our first player prop of the season. In trying to get to five plays, that was a necessity and, quite honestly, principles lead the way here. Barkley might make us look bad here. He soared over his already high total last week, and Saquon’s been unbelievable all season. At the same time, this is the highest rushing yardage total you will basically ever see in an NFL game, and it’s gotten out of control. Hold your nose.

Bills QB Josh Allen anytime touchdown — FanDuel (-110)

It’s the time of year when teams are much less afraid to run their quarterbacks, and that definitely applies in Buffalo. Allen has scored a rushing touchdown in four of his last five playoff games and, when things get tight in the red zone, Buffalo projects to give him chances to haul the rock into the end zone. This is also the rare touchdown prop that is exactly at -110 alongside our other picks. Synergy.

Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5) over Buffalo Bills — Caesars, Fanatics, FanDuel, DraftKings

Honestly, my favorite thing to play with the side in this game would be a Bills teaser leg, and you could get it to +8 pretty easily. However, there is nothing on the NFL slate for me to pair it with and, well, the Chiefs laying 1.5 points at home in a playoff game is at least a lean until it isn’t. I do think Buffalo can win. I think they would win this game a decent amount of the time, actually, but we’re picking five winners here and the Chiefs are one of them.

Country music bad boy Morgan Wallen has turned his recent run-in with the law into new material. Today (January 24), the “I Had Some Help” singer announced his forthcoming, I’m The Problem.

Although he didn’t reveal when the body of work is expected to drop, the title track will hit streaming soon. Also, Wallen did not waste anytime sharing his I’m The Problem Tour dates. “This tour is named after my new album that I am still working on – I’m The Problem,” he wrote on Instagram. “Excited to tell y’all more about it soon, but the title track will be out next Friday 1/31.”

Special guest set to join Wallen on the road include Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert, Corey Kent, Koe Wetzel, Ella Langley, and Gavin Adcock.

The pre-sale sign-up for Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem Tour will start on January 28, 10 am Central. The pre-sale will formally launch January 30, 10 am Central. Find more information here. Continue below to view the full tour schedule.

Morgan Wallen 2025 Tour Dates: I’m The Problem Tour

06/20 – Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium w/ Corey Kent and Koe Wetzel
06/21 – Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium w/ Corey Kent and Koe Wetzel
06/28 – Madison, WI @ Camp Randall Stadium w/ Ella Langley and Miranda Lambert
07/11 – Miami Gardens, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium w/ Gavin Adcock and Miranda Lambert
07/12 – Miami Gardens, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium w/ Gavin Adcock and Brooks & Dunn
07/18 – Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium w/ Ella Langley and Miranda Lambert
07/19 – Glendale, AZ@ State Farm Stadium w/ Ella Langley and Brooks & Dunn
07/25 – Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field w/ Anne Wilson and Miranda Lambert
07/26 – Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field w/ Anne Wilson and Brooks & Dunn
08/01 – Santa Clara, CA @ Levi’s Stadium w/ Anne Wilson and Miranda Lambert
08/02 – Santa Clara, CA @ Levi’s Stadium w/ Anne Wilson and Brooks & Dunn
08/15 – Cleveland, OH @ Huntington Bank Field w/ Ella Langley and Miranda Lambert
08/16 – Cleveland, OH @ Huntington Bank Field w/ Ella Langley and Thomas Rhett
08/22 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium w/ Corey Kent and Miranda Lambert
08/23 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium w/ Corey Kent and Miranda Lambert
09/04 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre w/ Gavin Adcock and Miranda Lambert
09/05 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre w/ Gavin Adcock and Brooks & Dunn
09/12 – Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium w/ Ella Langley and Miranda Lambert
09/13 – Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium w/ Ella Langley and Brooks & Dunn

Morgan Wallen I’m The Problem Tour poster

The Las Vegas Raiders have been a bit of a wild card in the NFL’s head coaching carousel. After making the decision to move on from Antonio Pierce — who went from the team’s interim coach, to the team’s full-time coach, to unemployed in the span of about 14 months — the Raiders cast a wide net, with names ranging from up-and-coming coaches like Ben Johnson, to more established names like Bill Belichick.

Ultimately, the team decided to go with a veteran coach. According to multiple reports, Las Vegas made the decision to hire longtime Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who stepped down in Seattle on the heels of the 2023 season. In all, Carroll spent 14 seasons in Seattle, won a Super Bowl, and accrued a 137-89-1 record.

Carroll, who turns 74 in September and is going to be the oldest coach in NFL history, will join the Raiders on a three-year deal with an option for a fourth year. He’ll take over a franchise that went 4-13 last year and is starved for success, as the Raiders have only made the playoffs twice since winning the Super Bowl in 2002. One of his first major decisions will be figuring out who will be his starting quarterback — the team has Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew on the roster, while they’re currently sitting with the sixth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the assumption is that both of the top QBs in this class (Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward) will be off the board by then.

Following the Raiders making their decision, the only teams that are still looking to make head coaching hires are the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints.

Next month will mark a year since Power Book III: Raising Kanan concluded its third season. If you’re like me, you’ve been itching for new episodes from the beloved Power Universe show, and at long last, we have good news for you. Today, STARZ announced that the fourth season of Raising Kanan will premiere on March 7 with episodes in the new season premiering every Friday on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms. In a press release, STARZ promised more of the “unpredictable, star-studded, and action-packed drama” that fans have come to love in the fourth season of Raising Kanan.

Along with the announcement, STARZ shared a synopsis of what viewers can expect in the new season.

In the riveting fourth season, slates have seemingly been wiped clean for Kanan, Raq, and the rest of the Thomas family in pursuit of a fresh start. However in the eye of the storm, one very dangerous obstacle looms large, Unique is alive. Unique makes a volatile and violent return, as he hunts to upend the lives of the Thomas family. Amidst the chaos, the Thomas family faces a truth that can no longer be denied: You are who you are. Although you may be capable of change, the fundamentals remain the same, and sooner or later, you will be forced to confront the inescapable reality of your inherent nature. In season four, whether the family chooses to reject or embrace the truth may be the difference between life and death.

Raising Kanan will bring back beloved cast members like Patina Miller (Raq), MeKai Curtis (Kanan), Joey Badass (Unique), Malcolm Mays (Lou), Hailey Kilgore as (Jukebox), and more while also introducing Pardison Fontaine (B-Rilla) and Chris Redd (Early Tyler) to the crew.

We’re just a few weeks away from the season four premiere of Raising Kanan, but until then, enjoy the first look images that STARZ released ahead of the new episodes.

‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ season 4 premires on 3/7. Seasons 1-3 are now streaming on STARZ.

Celebrity Net Worth (which is never wrong when it comes to the website’s objective) “reports” that Kanye West‘s net worth is $400 million. He claims it’s much higher.

Earlier today, the rapper took to Instagram to post a message from Eton Venture Services, which reads, “In 2025, Ye’s net worth stands at $2.77 billion USD as confirmed by Eton Venture Services. The valuation is based on his music portfolio and his sole ownership of the Yeezy mark.”

In the caption, Kanye added, “LAA LA LA LA.” It’s presumably a reference to the “haters” doubting his net worth — which not only includes Celebrity Net Worth, but Forbes, too, which also pegs his net worth at $400 million. The reported figure would be higher if the “Carnival” rapper hadn’t “lost his lucrative multi-year deal to design sneaker brand Yeezy for Adidas after making antisemitic comments… Forbes valued the Adidas deal at $1.5 billion.”

Last September, Kanye West announced his next album. “I got a new album coming out,” he said at a concert in Haikou, China. “The album’s called Bully, and this song is called ‘Beauty And The Beast.’” There haven’t been many updates since then, although Kanye is working on another album: his kid’s. “This little girl made me love music again,” he said on Instagram about 11-year-old daughter North West. “She asked me to make beats for her I got back on the ASR Chopped up beats for her album.”

Music and basketball are not only linked through years of joint development, they are pretty much impossible to separate. As the NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco approaches, the bond gets deeper, with the NBA and 2K Games teaming up with Empire to release a limited-edition vinyl box set of the “season 2” soundtrack from the latest game in the series, NBA 2K25. The collaboration highlights the cultural connection between the three industries, as both Empire and 2K Games are headquartered in San Francisco, and also marks the first time the NBA has licensed their intellectual property to a record label.

The NBA 2K25 Season 2 soundtrack was curated by Empire and features the distributor’s partners like Asake, BabyTron, Key Glock, Larry June, P-Lo, Sauce Walka, and more. The vinyl will feature 13 of those songs and will be available for purchase beginning on February 14 for $150. The box takes inspiration from the game itself, with a basketball-textured box inside a hardwood-patterned outer box, which is packaged with 2K25 x Empire Basketball Keychain, an Empire “Music to Ball To” championship banner, and a redemption code for 35,000 VC in NBA 2K25, so your created players can look as good as the music sounds.

In a statement, Empire founder/CEO Ghazi said, “Our partnership with 2K allows us to merge music, sports, and tech in an innovative way that feels authentic to the Bay Area. We’ve created an experience that shapes how we play, listen, and live.”

EMPIRE & NBA 2K Present: Music To Ball To Tracklist

Disc 1

01. Money Man & Key Glock — “Demons In The Dark”
02. Larry June — “Magnum P.I.”
03. Sauce Walka — “Rules” Feat. BossMan Dlow
04. Key Glock — “Let’s Go”
05. Lil Yee & Lil Pete — “Ballin”
06. BabyTron — “Grab Yo Skates”

Disc 2

01. Asake & Central Cee — “Wave”
02. Babyface Ray & Doughboy Clay — “Legacy”
03. LUCKI — “On Point”
04. Peezy — “2 Million Up”
05. Albee Al — “Triangle Offense” Feat. Dave East & Millyz
06. HAARPER — “Nothing is Forever”
07. P-Lo — “Player’s Holiday ’25” Feat. Larry June, Saweetie, G-Eazy, LaRussell, Thuy & YMTK (Bonus Track)

EMPIRE & NBA 2K Present: Music To Ball To is out 2/14 via EMPIRE. Find more information here.