Category: Worldwide

Freddie Gibbs has built a reputation as one of the funniest rappers on Twitter and today, he brought that off-color sense of humor to the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. In the four-hour conversation, Gibbs, Rogan, and comedian Brian Moss talked boxing, Freddie Gibbs’ wild, secret Instagram profile, and more. You can check it out at the link below.

Meanwhile, Gibbs has been promoting his upcoming major-label debut album, dropping the animated video for his first single “Gang Signs” earlier this month. The video transforms Gibbs into a hedonistic white rabbit (a euphemism for his favorite subjects) as he goes about the same activities he generally likes to rap about, mining the juxtaposition for some head-scratching, borderline inappropriate comedy.

In addition to “Gang Signs,” Gibbs recently collaborated with Big Sean and Hit-Boy on “4 Thangs” celebrating LeBron James. Meanwhile, he’s kept fans entertained with his social media antics, which have included freestyling over his Piñata partner Madlib’s new instrumental album Sound Ancestors in an Uber. The one thing fans won’t be able to expect from him is a Verzuz appearance; aside from disapproving of Jeezy’s recent match with Gucci Mane, Gibbs shot down speculation over a potential battle between himself and hip-hop’s other resident coke rap connoisseur, Pusha T.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

For years, people have criticized the Grammys for historically recognizing white artists over talented Black and brown musicians, and this year the Recording Academy received similar backlash. Three musicians nominated for Best Children’s Album even asked for their nominations to be removed this year in protest of the all-white category. But the Recording Academy is trying to appease their critics by breaking ground on the first-ever Black Music Collective pre-Grammy event, which will highlight iconic Black musicians making waves in the industry today.

The event will feature performances by Grammy-winning artists HER, PJ Morton, and Yolanda Adams. Freddie Gibbs, who is now a first-time Grammy nominee, is also set to perform with The Alchemist. Along with live music, honorary chairs John Legend, Janelle Monáe, Issa Rae, Jimmy Jam, Quincy Jones, and activist Tamika Mallory will join in for fireside chats about racial justice and the Black experience.

In a statement about the inaugural event, chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr. said they intend to “amplify Black voices” with the event:

“As the first of its kind, we created this event with every intention to amplify Black voices and each of our experiences within the industry. The BMC will continue to foster a space for members and industry professionals to educate and elevate Black creators during Grammy Week and beyond.”

Echoing Mason Jr.’s statement, BMC chair and Atlantic Records executive Riggs Morales expressed his excitement about the event: “We are thrilled to announce this virtual program as the BMC continues to celebrate Black music and those who share our mission to foster and accelerate Black representation, equity and inclusion throughout the music industry. The Black Music Collective will continue to tailor events for Black creators to feel uplifted and supported and we are excited for this Grammy Week kickoff.”

The Black Music Collective pre-Grammy event kicks off 3/10 at 5 p.m. PST. Watch it here.

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

The following is a preview of “Home Sweet Home,” season 10, episode 17 of The Walking Dead, which has already aired on AMC+ and will air on AMC this Sunday, February 28th. Details about the story — AND MINOR SPOILERS — will be revealed, so if you want to go in fresh, please skip this post.

There has only been one episode of The Walking Dead over the last 325 days, which was the original Season 10 finale that saw the defeat of Beta, but The Walking Dead universe itself has been mostly centered on the first half of Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 and the first season of The World Beyond. The latter seemed to find its legs near the end of its first season, while Fear featured its best season at least since the front half of Season 4.

With that said, there’s always something very comforting and satisfying about watching episodes of the parent series, and seeing these characters we’ve been with for the last decade feels, fittingly, like returning home (the title of the first episode back is “Home Sweet Home”). That is doubly so this time around, because not only will these six bonus episodes be the first string of episodes we’ve seen in nearly a year, the opening episode also spends an extensive amount of time with Maggie for the first time since Episode 5 of Season 9, about two and a half years ago.

For Maggie, it’s actually been much longer than that, because of the time jump after Rick was abducted by the Civil Republic Military (i.e., the villains in The World Beyond). It’s been about seven or eight years for Maggie. It’s also been that long since she’s seen Negan, the guy who killed her husband. Their first confrontation is awkward and tense, to say the least. It’s doubly weird because while Negan made considerable strides with Daryl, Carol, and the others (especially Judith) after he killed Alpha, Maggie has no such history with Negan. It’s also Maggie’s rightful home, and her return immediately leaves Negan as the odd man out, which is both understandable and somewhat disappointing given his redemption arc. It feels like Negan will have to re-earn all this goodwill back with Maggie, although it is unclear whether the two will ever be able to co-exist.

In the episode, however, Maggie doesn’t really have time to deal with her concerns with Negan, because she has other pressing matters. There’s possibly another group of big bads called The Reapers, who may or may not have followed Maggie from her previous camp. We don’t see where Maggie’s been in flashbacks, but she does reveal her whereabouts over the last several years to Daryl in a heart-to-heart the two have. It’s not a particularly compelling backstory — at least not yet.

In fact, most of the pressing concerns with Negan and with rebuilding what the Whisperers destroyed (Alexandria and The Hilltop) are likewise put on the back burner, as the episode instead has something of a story that I sense will exist as a part of a stand-alone arc limited to the next six episodes. In fact, these six episodes will probably do more to catch us up with moments we missed offscreen (like Negan’s origin story, or Daryls’ whereabouts during his lengthy absence after Rick’s abduction) than they will in advancing the story. That’s not to say that the story will not be advanced at all in the next six episodes. It’s more that this arc will serve as a bridge between the tenth season and the final season. Hopefully, that will also include some sort of resolution to Maggie and Negan’s relationship, one way or another. This new outside group of villains, The Reapers, may in fact provide Negan with an opportunity to earn Maggie’s trust.

Otherwise, the first episode back introduces us to two new characters who came with Maggie, Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari), the masked ninja who is not quite who he seems, and Cole (James Devoti), who actually seems to serve a function similar to the one that Dante served in the comics. He’s a sort of right-hand man and potential (but not likely) love interest to Maggie.

Without giving anything away, however, I will note that the biggest moment in the episode involves the introduction of Glenn and Maggie’s son, who it is clear shares a lot in common with both his mom and dad. His introduction to the series makes the first episode back worth watching alone, and I’m very excited to see little Hershel eventually meet Judith Grimes. I suspect they will become fast friends.

Will the bonus episodes be necessary viewing? Perhaps not. They’re likely to be smaller in scale and tell more intimate stories given the COVID-19 protocols in place. Without a doubt, however, it feels good to spend some time with these characters again, and while the other The Walking Dead universe series (and the Rick Grimes movie) will serve as able replacements in the years to come, this serves as the beginning of the end for The Walking Dead. We all need to prepare ourselves for a future in which most of these characters, who have been in our lives so long, will no longer be around.

AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ officially returns on Sunday, February 28.

In a lengthy feature profiling her colorful and fascinating career that saw her pivot from a fashion model to America’s number one home-maker, Martha Stewart has revealed one of her biggest regrets in life besides (obviously) going to jail. Although, this regret is related because, after serving her five-month sentence in federal prison after being convicted of obstructing justice and giving false statements during the investigation into her alleged insider trading, the already steel-willed Stewart came out a “stronger” person. But despite immediately starting a fashion trend by wearing a scarf knitted by a fellow inmate on the day of her release, Stewart’s career bumped into a significant problem: her probation officer who shot down a gig that Stewart would’ve loved to add to her long list of accomplishments. Via Harper’s Bazaar:

Nevertheless, there’s one thing Stewart wishes she could do over. “My only big regret that I can talk about is that Saturday Night Live asked me to host. My probation officer wouldn’t give me the time,” she says. “That really pissed me off, because I would have loved to have hosted Saturday Night Live I’d like that on my résumé.”

While Stewart missed out on hosting SNL because of her jail stint, she did earn the respect of Snoop Dogg as the two became close friends and frequent collaborators. In fact, when rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine recently cooperated with federal prosecutors while facing racketeering charges, Snoop called him out by noting that Tekashi should’ve been more like Stewart. “As we watch Tekashi 69 (or whatever his name is) snitch on EVERYBODY, I invite you all to remember Martha Stewart snitched on NOT ONE soul during her trial,” Snoop wrote on Instagram. “Baby girl kept it 10 toes down and ate that prison sentence by herself, like the true baddie she is.”

(Via Harper’s Bazaar)

These days, we find ourselves passing fewer and fewer joints between friends and spending more time smoking solo, or via Zoom (which is actually waaaaay more fun than it sounds). Smoking solo isn’t so bad, but let’s face it, cannabis is best enjoyed with friends who you can laugh with or learn from. So until the pandemic is completely over and we’re able to hang out in large friend groups and do the gross weird stuff we used to do — like pass joints between complete strangers or share bongs and vapes at a party — we suggest replacing your stoner friends with some stoner pods.

Podcasts about weed generally include hosts and guests who are lighting up mid-conversation, so if you grab your favorite herb and your device of choice and smoke along while you listen, it’s kind of like smoking with a group of funny or really interesting semi-strangers you can’t actually see or interface with. That sentence will read really sad once this pandemic is over, but right now even that level of connection is incredibly appealing.

The following picks offer a mix of comedy and education/science-focused podcasts, so whether you’re looking to laugh or looking to learn, we’ve got you covered!

The Adam Dunn Show

Now 6 years deep, the Adam Dunn Show provides an astounding three-hours of content per week without fail, airing live from Denver, Colorado every Friday at 4:20 MST. It’s pretty much the Joe Rogan Experience of weed podcasts — without all the conspiracy peddlers — offering long-form and informative discussions with guests including cannabis business leaders, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals working in the cannabis industry.

It’s more on the informative side than it is humorous, but each episode will leave you with a wealth of knowledge.

Brave New Weed

The Brave New Weed Podcast bills itself as “high-minded conversations for the post-prohibition era” and they definitely deliver on that promise. Whether we’re learning about the ins and outs of weed legalization with big names in the weed space from politicians, to authors, to scientists and advocates to having deep and thoughtful conversations about the legalization of all drugs and the enlightening powers of magic mushrooms and the psychedelic renaissance, Brave New Weed provides just over an hour per episode of deep discussion on serious topics.

Your typical stoner hang-out session this Brave New Weed is not, but if you want to explore the pulse of the most exciting things happening in the psychoactive space, this pod is will have all of that and more.

Cannabis Cultivation and Science Podcast

The bookishly titled Cannabis Cultivation and Science Podcast is a great resource if you’re mostly interested in the science behind growing cannabis, offering the latest information and discussions surrounding the art of organic growing from experts in the industry. Whether you’re looking into the latest tech, like formulated soils and grow lights, or looking for tips on how to increase your yields or how to set up your indoor or outdoor operation, the Cannabis Cultivation and Science Podcast has more than enough useful information to get you started on your journey.

Cannainsider

If you’re looking for a pod about weed stocks, the latest industry trends, federal legalization, and the expanding employment opportunities in the hemp, cannabis and CBD industry, Cannainsider is for you. Airing every week and hosted by Matthew Kind from Colorado, Cannainsider currently offers over 300 episodes featuring interviews with the biggest names in the cannabis industry.

With Cannainsider, you’ll hear from manufacturers, growers, seed companies, investment gurus, dispensary owners, and cannabis chemists, all lending their expertise to a long-form discussion about the business of weed. It can be a bit dry, but if you’re looking for pure information, it’s a great resource.

Dude Grows Show

Dude Grows Show is a podcast for people looking for the latest in cannabis news and culture, and some deep knowledge and know-how on the grow scene with expertise provided by the show’s super chill hosts The Dude, Scotty Real, and Guru. With over 1162 episodes, there is more than enough content here to keep you supplied to your heart’s content, so feel free to browse through episodes and zero in on topics you’re really passionate about, rather than following along chronologically.

While Dude Grows Show is very news-heavy, it’s informative without being boring, thanks in large part to the sense of humor of the pod’s good-natured hosts.

Getting Doug with High

Getting Doug with High hasn’t had a new episode since before the pandemic, but its collection of over 250 banked episodes means there is more than enough content to keep you occupied. Hosted by eternally high comedian Doug Benson, each episode of this pod features Benson joined live by fellow comedians as they get high, play trivia games, swap stories, and deep dive on all things weed.

Our favorite segment of the show is easily High History, where a guest shares stories about the first time they got high, with some of our favorite guests including Sarah Silverman, Reggie Watts, Tommy Chong, David Cross, and Tiffany Haddish.

Kevin Smith makes an appearance too. After all, this is a podcast about smoking weed and if there are two things Smith loves, it’s getting high, and talking.

Great Moments In Weed History with Abdullah and Bean

Although Great Moments in Weed History with Abdullah and Bean hasn’t had a new episode since late last year, the official GMIWH Twitter and Instagram are still active with hints of a brand new episode set to drop any day now. We can’t wait. We love this pod for the way that it combines history and weed in a variety of interesting ways on a per-episode basis while staying hilarious and never getting boring.

Hosted by How to Smoke Pot (Properly): A Highbrow Guide to Getting High author David Bienenstock and Abdullah Saeed of Bong Appétit and High Maintenance fame, each episode of GMIWH features a deep dive into a different historical aspect of our favorite plant, from an exploration of Willie Nelson’s relationship to herb to serious (and humorous) discussions about weed and Jesus, the history of Amsterdam as a haven for weed, and Maya Angelou getting stoned.

It’s well researched, thoughtful, and a blast to listen to. The perfect stoner podcast to listen to at the start of a session. Be careful though, you might find yourself packing multiple bowls before the episode’s end.

Let’s Be Blunt with Montel

When we set out to make this list, we never imagined we’d be including a weed show hosted by Montel Jordan. We didn’t even know Montel had a weed podcast nor that it would be, ridiculously on the nose name aside, such a great listen. Let’s be Blunt sets out to explore where cannabis, activism, and health intersect, offering serious discussions that never dips into the more immature antics of some of the other pods on this list.

New episodes air every Thursday and feature Montel joined by a varied roster of interesting guests, from doctors to cannabis researchers, actors, editors, and professional fighters. Be sure to check out the episode on MMA and Cannabis with Jake Shields. It’s short, but a fascinating listen.

Sufficiently Chai

Hosted by Lindsey and Rachel, who describe themselves as “two Jewish blondes… professional weed smokers and very amateur Torah scholars,” Sufficiently Chai is a podcast about… well, it’s about two Jewish blondes who like to get high and talk about the Torah. It’s an admirable attempt to reframe religion — specifically Judaism — as interesting, modern, and most importantly, relatable to a young audience.

The show is hilarious and inviting enough that it makes a fun and addicting listen, even if you’re not Jewish. The pandemic seems to have put a strain on the pod, as it’s not updated quite as regularly as it once was, but the girls still make an effort to get together and put together nearly hour-long episodes every other month or so.

The Wine & Weed Podcast

The Wine and Weed Podcast is only about a year old now but it’s quickly building up an audience thanks to the remarkably chill vibe of the show’s host Steelo Brim and Chris Reinacher. What’s great about Wine & Weed is that it isn’t exactly a podcast about weed, but rather it’s an exploration of what’s currently bouncing around today’s cultural zeitgeist, all while Brim and Reinacher chop it up over a fresh joint and a glass of wine.

It’s a fun cross-faded hang, and it never gets too deep or pretentious about the weed or the wine, instead, Brim and Reinacher take a casual connoisseurs approach, and the vibe is all the better for it. It’s not the ideal podcast if you’re looking for content about weed but it makes the case why a casual glass and smoke of the good stuff is the perfect accompaniment to any podcast.

We strongly suggest going with the YouTube video version of the pod for this one.

Weed + Grub

Easily one of our favorite weed podcasts of all time, Weed + Grub consists of co-hosts Mike Glazer and Mary Jane Gibson chopping it up over the latest in pop culture, sex, food, and of course, cannabis. Both host’s expertise is well established, Glazer was a cook for Gordon Ramsey’s The F Word and is an Emmy-nominated comedian and Gibson is the culture editor over at High Times, but it’s the chemistry between the two that proves itself to be the pod’s most infectious feature.

Weed + Grub consistently pulls some of the most interesting weed-smoking guests, from Jim Belushi to Ron Funches, Buck Angel, and the always cranky David Crosby.

Back in August, FKA Twigs dropped a video for “Sad Day,” and it was a gorgeous, cinematic clip featuring an epic, mystical sword fight. There’s apparently more of that story to be told, because Twigs has expanded the clip into a full-blown TV show for FX.

Twigs made that reveal in an an interview with The Face, saying:

“But [I’ve done] a couple of fun things over lockdown, because I’ve had a lot of time with not traveling or touring. I’ve been able to get a couple of ideas down for TV series and films. There’s one that’s had the IP bought by FX, which is […] off the back of ‘Sad Day,’ a music video that I did for one of my songs off Magdalene. I’ve developed it into a TV series and they’ve picked it up. So I’m currently making my first TV series. […] It’s like a martial arts TV series which is very much centered around outsiders and the idea of wanting to fit in but not being able to. I’ve been putting a lot of research into the way that the Black community and the Chinese martial arts community have a really deep connection. It goes into music: the Wu-Tang Clan came together almost through martial arts. […] So we’ll see. I’ve been working on that and just allowing myself to try new things and not be restricted.”

For a taste of what Twigs’ upcoming show might be like, check out the “Sad Day” video below.

Donald Trump Jr. is angry. That’s an understatement, of course, but he’s obviously very booty-hurt over his dad being booted out of the White House. So, he’s diverting a lot by ranting about seemingly random subjects like The Muppets and teacher’s unions while appearing in front of a wall of guns. It is strange! Of course, we expect strangeness from Don Jr, he of the slurry Motel 6 video, and this morning, Don Jr. is the subject of reports that really don’t look so great for Don Jr

In short, Donald Trump’s business empire is under scrutiny in a criminal probe by the Manhattan DA, and according to the Daily Beast, Don Jr. very much being investigated as part of this probe. So how is Don Jr. handling this scrutiny? By filming more amped-up rants. He recently filmed a vlog about how he’s sick of Mitt Romney (who he also recently called a “pussy”). And then he dropped his latest wild-dyed Don Jr. special, in which he’s accusing Biden of keeping “kids in cages” at the border.

Ted Cruz is also pulling the same routine also by retweeting a Babylon Bee (parody) article to this effect. The conspiracy-theory crowd is catching on and attempting to say that it’s really Biden, not Trump, whose administration is keeping kids in cages, so the Washington Post and other outlets are debunking the rumors in an effort to halt the lies. That hasn’t stopped Don Jr. in the above video, but people are not fooled. They know that Don Jr. is simply diverting, diverting, diverting.

Here’s a good way to put it: “Good morning to everyone who isn’t being investigated by the Manhattan DA’s office only.”

Tomi Lahren took a break from tweeting about the Muppets getting canceled, or whatever, to do what she does best: try (and fail) to own the libs.

“These Libs so outraged over what happened on Jan 6th, wait till they hear what and who is coming across our border and the sanctuary cities that protect them,” she wrote on Tuesday, referring to the day a MAGA mob stormed the Capitol building in a violent coup attempt, leaving five people dead. I’m not sure how the Democrats will ever recover from that burn.

Anyway, the tweet caught the attention of former-MSNBC commenter (and BoJack Horseman guest voice all-star) Keith Olbermann, who wrote back, “Oooh! Miss Toni! Oooh! I know, Miss Timmy! Call on me @tomolahren! It’s TED CRUZ, right?”

Despite the misspelled handle, Tomo, I mean, Tomi Lahren was made aware of Olbermann’s response. “Keith, you drunk?” she asked. The Fox Nation host ignored Olbermann bringing up Cruz, who fled Texas for sunny Cancun during a historically miserable winter storm, but she came to the senator’s defense on her Fox Nation show.

“The Left and the Leftist media are more concerned and fixated on a Texas senator taking a vacation than they are with a New York governor killing elderly people. Sounds about right,” she said, adding, “Heck, there was even an SNL skit dedicated to it … and perhaps I could even laugh along with you at Ted Cruz’s expense. Maybe, perhaps, if you cared to call out the several Democrats who have done similar, if not worse, if not deadly things.” How long before Lahren and Cruz appear on the same podcast? Tomorrow?

Julien Baker has so far showcased a more expansive sound that fans might be used to with the pre-album singles leading up to Little Oblivions. The latest of them is “Heatwave,” which doesn’t lean into post-rock territory like some of her other new songs have, but does confront a personal revelation.

Baker says the song was written about a burning car and what it taught her:

“Maybe it’s a trite or well-trod topic, but ‘Heatwave’ is really just about being confronted with how much time I spend worrying about things that are trivial. I was stuck in traffic because a car had randomly combusted, and it made me feel so stupid for being concerned with the things I had been anxious about earlier that day. It was just such a poignant thing, an event that communicated a lot of complex things in a single image. So I wrote a song about it. I know I’m not the first person to witness an atrocity and consider my own mortality or life’s fragility because of it, but that truly was my experience. Theoretically the lesson or symbolism to be interpreted there is that life is precious and it’s not worth it to give your time and energy to negative thoughts, but jesus, how could you be a person alive on earth right now and not have negative thoughts? It’s certainly less romantic to say that the consideration of life’s fragility made me feel relieved at my own inconsequence, but it’s true; it is comforting to think of the minuscule role everyone plays in the human drama, to realize we have more choice about what we give power over us than we maybe thought.”

Listen to “Heatwave” above.

Little Oblivions is out 2/26 via Matador Records. Pre-order it here.

Two months after being sued by his former manager, Chance The Rapper has filed his own countersuit for $3 million, according to The Chicago Tribune. Chance filed the lawsuit in Cook County court, accusing Pat Corcoran of incurring millions of dollars in unreimbursed expenses while promoting Chance’s third mixtape Coloring Book.

Chance’s suit also seeks the dismissal of Corcoran’s complaint about breaching their contract, requesting $3 million in damages for breach of fiduciary duty; interference that led to the loss of business opportunities and profit; and breach of contract — $1 million for each charge.

In a statement, Chance’s rappers told the Tribune, ““Mr. Corcoran has been paid in full under his management services contract with Mr. Bennett. Yet he chose to file a groundless and insulting lawsuit that ignores his own improper self-dealing and incompetence. Mr. Bennett has moved to dismiss the majority of that meritless lawsuit, and filed his own lawsuit to remedy the harm that Mr. Corcoran caused through his breaches of duty. Mr. Bennett trusts the legal system to reveal the truth of the parties’ relationship in due course.”

While Pat’s lawsuit focuses on the explosive success of Chance’s third mixtape, Chance’s countersuit calls the Coloring Book success a direct result of his popularity from Acid Rap, which he recorded and promoted without Pat’s help. The two made an oral agreement after the mixtape’s success, but Chance says that Pat used his position to “convert Mr. Bennett’s opportunities for himself and to advance his own separate business interests” — among them, requesting Live Nation to invest in his wine business and adding himself as co-producer on a movie Chance was to write and produce.

Corcoran allegedly also requested various kickbacks while negotiating Chance’s business opportunities, such as demanding stock from Lyft in exchange for Chance’s participation in its philanthropic campaign in 2018. And while Corcoran’s suit claimed that The Big Day was a rush job, resulting in its disappointing reception among fans, Chance says Pat failed to live up to his role as “The Manager,” delegating responsibilities, skipping media appearances, and refusing to return inquiries from media. The idea to release Chance’s mixtapes to streaming ahead of The Big Day in lieu of a larger marketing plan allegedly came from Pat, who Chance says didn’t get the proper sample clearances, exposing him to more potential lawsuits. Finally, Chance claims it was Pat’s responsibility to have the debut album pressed on vinyl — but he never did, resulting in a wave of refunds that hurt Chance’s brand.