After taking a break for a couple of months in the second half of 2020, Verzuz made its return with the highly-anticipated battle between Jeezy and Gucci Mane. The matchup saw all corners of the music world tune in to watch the ATL rappers perform the best tracks from their 15-year catalogs. The next battle was supposed to be Keyshia Cole vs. Ashanti but the latter tested positive for coronavirus, forcing a delay to January. However, Too Short and E-40 would later put on for the Bay with their own head-to-head battle to close out the year.
While many names have been thrown into the hat for a future battle, Bun B stepped forward to confirm plans of a future Verzuz against Memphis rap duo, 8Ball & MJG.
“I’m doing VERZUZ, it’ll be UGK prolly against 8Ball and MJG. A real Verzuz, not just any… yeah, UGK will represent Texas in Verzuz going up against North Mound,” Bun B said during an appearance on the Donnie Houston Podcast. “It’s kind of pushed back, everything’s kinda pushed back because of the Ashanti and Keyshia Cole and they’re still trying to find the right times to do a lot this stuff but I would imagine before the summer. We’ve been talking about it since last year, since Verzuz started last year. Cause me and Ball just talked about doing it period, and I was like, ‘Let me run it by Swizz and Tim and see if it was something they’d be open to.’ They said yes.” He added that the two sides, fortunately, fit the requirements for a successful Verzuz.
“There’s a certain list of criteria they look for when considering you for Verzuz. Luckily, UGK and 8Ball & MJG checked all those boxes for that. Plus we all get along,” he said. “UGK Ball & G Verzuz is actually gon’ be fun cause we’ve known each other for years, we get along real well. It’s gon’ be interesting to get in there and play the music for the people.”
You can watch his full appearance on the podcast in the video above.
Here in the U.S. many of us had our eyes glued to the news yesterday as a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, disrupting a constitutionally-mandated session of Congress and sending lawmakers into hiding. We watched insurrectionists raise a Trump flag on the outside of the building, flinched at the Confederate flag being marched through its hallowed halls, and witnessed the desecration of our democracy in real-time.
It was a huge and horrifying day in our history. Our own citizens attacking our own government, all because the president refuses to accept that he lost an election. In their minds, they are patriots defending democracy from an illegitimate election. In reality, they are terrorists destroying the foundations of what makes America great.
The disconnect between what these people believe and actual reality could not be starker. Years of misinformation and disinformation, bald-faced lie upon bald-faced lie, and conspiracy theory upon conspiracy theory have led to this place. It was predictable. It should have been preventable. But it was still stunning to witness.
As an American, it’s a little hard to digest in its entirety. We’ve been in this weird space of “alternative facts” for years, and have grown accustomed to hearing blatant lies pushed as truth. We’ve gotten used to being gaslit daily, from the highest office in the land. That constant deluge of falsehood has an effect on our psyches, whether we fall on the side of eating it up like candy or spitting it out like the poison it is.
So seeing what happened at the Capitol through the eyes of another country’s media is really something.
British broadcasters were on the ground with the rioters yesterday as they stormed the building, and they captured footage from outside and inside the building that is just surreal. But it’s not just the visuals that are striking. To hear a foreign country’s media describing an American insurrection really drives home the seriousness of what we all witnessed. To see the domestic attack on our democracy through the eyes of one of our closest allies somehow hits home in a way that seeing it on our news does not.
Watch the incredible coverage from iTV News‘ Robert Moore:
Watch @robertmooreitv’s report from inside the Capitol building as the extraordinary events unfolded in Washington… https://t.co/PjMm60Wbf1
“America’s long journey as a stable democracy appears to be in genuine doubt.” Wow, those words. It’s a bit like having a friend slap you straight when you’ve gotten a bit too wrapped up in your own b.s. It also feels a lot like watching news coverage from a country we would criticize for its anti-democratic elections.
What a sobering perspective of where we are as a nation. “Humiliating” seems to barely scratch the surface, knowing this was what the world just watched transpire in our Capitol. “Grave” is another word that comes to mind.
It’s going to take time and a herculean effort, but let’s all commit to doing our part to repair the fabric of our democracy, restore dignity to the U.S., and regain our standing on the global stage.
Before tip-off against the San Antonio Spurs, James arrived at STAPLES Center wearing a shirt that read “Do You Understand Now?” and went on to share additional thoughts via his Instagram.
Earlier in the week, James shared a desire to lead a group in purchasing the Atlanta Dream, shortly after Kelly Loeffler, who was repeatedly denounced by players from the organization, lost a senate race in Georgia. While the concept of “Two Americas” has been prevalent in many statements, James’ choice to reference “2 AMERIKKKAS” was also pointed in nature in his statement, and it will be interesting to see what kind of thoughts he shares when speaking to the media at the conclusion of the evening.
Finding the best cheap scotch is never an easy task. Scotch tends to get really expensive really quickly, whether we’re talking about single malts or blends. Still, there are some well-priced bottles on the shelf that are worth at least trying, and that’s what we’re here to do today.
For this blind tasting, I’m not trying to guess the prices or even guess which blended scotch I’m tasting (I don’t know the category well enough to even take a stab at naming some of these). I’m simply tasting them and then ranking them by which ones taste good and which I’d want to drink again. As for the price, this is squarely in the cheap-but-not-bottom-shelf category.
The bottle prices range from $20 to $35 and are all pretty easy to find at any liquor store. Accessibility is the key here.
While I did do know a few of these expressions well, I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality and drinkability of each dram. Still, this was about a ranking and that meant there was a first and last — so see which blended scotch landed where!
There’s a clear sense of butterscotch next to whisky malts with a slight sweetness. The taste gets a bit woody with a slight alcohol burn (not a spiced warmth). Still, this did grow on me after the second sip and became slightly woody/sweet. It’s fine but a little jagged.
Taste 2
Zach Johnston
The Taste:
This is a combo of fruity, malty, woody, and nutty, first and foremost. Then a hint of florals arrives with a soil earthiness counterpointed by a hint of buttery toffee, spicy tobacco, and a touch more of oak. The end is a little chewy, which is nice. If I was guessing these, I’d pretty confidently say it’s the Chivas.
Taste 3
Zach Johnston
The Taste:
Hello, Johnnie! There’s a softwood box feel next to mild sweet fruits with a hint of peat and earthiness. The malts shine through with a minor note of spice warmth that leads to a whisper of smoke on the end that’s peatier than smoky.
It’s easy drinking and really mellows/ subtly sweetens as you sip more.
Taste 4
Zach Johnston
The Taste:
Malts and butterscotch dominate with this one. It’s very thin with a sweet cherry candy underbelly that hints at spicy wood as the thinness gets a little thicker and chewier. Interesting.
Taste 5
Zach Johnston
The Taste:
This is tinny yet soft. There’s a mild tobacco spice that’s cut by an apple-esque bridge between tart and sweet. The end builds with a green woodiness that helps keep the sip very easy and, again, soft. It’s super simple and straightforward to sip.
Taste 6
Zach Johnston
The Taste:
There’s a matrix of vanilla, oak, and caramel up top that leads towards malts and Christmas spices with an emphasis on nutmeg. That vanilla gets very creamy and a sweet almost nut brittle edge arrives with a little dried fruit.
The end is velvet smooth. This is really good. Or I’m getting tipsy.
This blend has a high concentration of single malts with Ardmore single malt at its core. The whisky is advertised as using Ardmore’s peated malts in the blend to add subtle smokiness and deeper whisky flavors.
Bottom Line:
I got zero smoke or peat from this. That being said, it was fine, though that heavy butterscotch on the nose was a bit off-putting. Still, it did smooth out and was perfectly drinkable.
I can see finishing this bottle off in highballs or with ginger ale.
Willam Grant & Sons have a deep bench of whisky distilleries to draw their malts and grains from for this expression. The ripple with this blend is the triple barreling with new oak, American oak, and re-fill American oak, hence the name.
Bottom Line:
This started off a little tinny but really opened up nicely with an amazingly approachable softness. That tinniness became more minerality, which made it a nice sip overall and a very good candidate for mixing into a highball with good, fizzy water.
This signature blend from Johnnie Walker is designed to be an entry-level sipper. The whisky is a marriage of nearly 40 whiskies from Diageo’s deep stable of distilleries with a focus on the peat-laden juices from Talisker, Lagavulin, and Cardhu.
Bottom Line:
I’m not a peat monster seeker. But the subtlety of the peat in this dram really appeals to me. Granted, this isn’t Johnnie Green, but it’s still a very accessible scotch for mixing with water or sipping on the rocks, especially when you’re looking for that whisper of peat and smoke.
The Highland’s Strathisla Distillery is where Chivas comes together. The whisky is well-rounded and designed to be a workhorse that’s an easy sipper but also works wonders in a cocktail.
Bottom Line:
This is probably the bottle I know the best on the list. And it still didn’t snag the top spot. It’s complex, super easy to drink even neat — definitely a dram I want to have another one of immediately.
Dewar’s blends malt and grain whiskies from over 40 distilleries with the famed Aberfeldy at its core. The juice is blended and then aged for an additional six months in oak to marry all the flavors before proofing and bottling.
Bottom Line:
This really had a deeply interesting texture and flavor profile. I can see sipping this on the rocks without hesitation and am really looking forward to playing with the juice in cocktails, especially with that spiciness.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Zach Johnston
I was pretty surprised by the Dewar’s 12. Generally, I’ve been a fan of Dewar’s but didn’t expect it to beat out Chivas for me. That’s a very high quality $30 bottle, in my estimation.
I think the biggest standout was Grant’s, though. I really wasn’t expecting a lot. But tasting it blind, it really mellowed and made for a nice, sweet experience. That’s also true of Teacher’s Highland Cream. It was really easy-drinking by the end and that’s saying a lot for a blended scotch that costs just south of $20.
If you ask people who play Madden 21, particularly on last-gen consoles, what they want to see in the game, I have to imagine SpongeBob SquarePants-themed gear in “The Yard” game mode would be high on the list. However, with the NFL set to have a playoff game shown this weekend on Nickelodeon for a kid-themed broadcast, the corporate synergy has demanded we get a SpongeBob x Madden crossover.
Unfortunately, this does not mean any of the SpongeBob characters are in the game, which might actually be incredibly fun in the backyard football mode, but a “Reef-Top” stadium with a SpongeBob-themed look, along with special uniform options that can be unlocked and more.
I fully understand that I am not in the target audience for this, but it feels like a strange investment into the game that I cannot imagine will drive an awful lot of users to play the mode — again, I could be very wrong! It’s certainly not apples to apples, but as players ask for improvements to game play or the ever-stagnant Franchise mode, trotting this out as your big development to start 2021 doesn’t exactly hit the mark.
Now, again, if I could go out there and put together a Bikini Bottom squad to play with, I’d be far more intrigued, and I know the technology exists to do this because the NCAA Football franchise had a mascot mode a decade ago. Let me turn Patrick Star into an elite pass rusher, you cowards.
While the country still reels from the coup attempt from Donald Trump supporters at the Capital in Washington DC on Wednesday, the publishing world is taking actions to condemn a US senator directly involved with inciting the violence and chaos that left four people dead.
Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri was seen cheering on MAGA protesters before entering the building those same rioters later stormed while he and other Republicans attempted to throw out the results of the Electoral College, According to the New York Times, the book was scheduled to be published in June, but publisher Simon and Schuster released a statement on Thursday saying the book will be canceled.
“After witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Wednesday in Washington, DC, Simon and Schuster has decided to cancel publication of Senator Josh Hawley’s forthcoming book, The Tyranny Of Big Tech,” the statement said. “We did not come to this decision lightly. As a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints: at the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.”
Hawley was vocal in supporting Trump’s baseless efforts to overthrow the election he clearly lost, and on Wednesday was photographed with a raised fist in support of protesters at the National Mall. It’s unclear if Hawley will self-publish his missive or if another publisher will pick it up, but one of the most notable bookmakers in the country has moved to deplatform Hawley as a result of his actions and the destruction he helped incite on Wednesday.
After more than two decades of torturing parents and offering a horrible example for preschool-aged children, the era of Caillou has finally ended. The Canadian kids’ show started in 1997, kept churning out new episodes until 2018, and now the will be taken off the air, finally.
As a huge fan and ardent defender of PBS—especially the network’s generally excellent children’s programming—it pains me to launch such a passionate criticism. But seriously, how on Al Gore’s green Earth did this show last for this long?
My children were born during Caillou’s early years. Having been raised myself on a steady diet of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, I felt confident that PBS Kids’ shows would be healthy, educational entertainment for my own children as they entered the preschool phase, and for the most part, PBS delivered. In addition to the awesomeness of Sesame Street, my kids got to explore the alphabet through Martha Speaks, dive into scientific questions with Sid the Science Kid, and build reading skills and curiosity with Super Why. My kids loved learning while being entertained, and I loved that they were learning while being entertained.
Then there was Caillou. I’m not sure if I have the words for my depth of loathing for that character, and I’m someone who loves all (real) children. I’m not the only one who feels this way. For years, Caillou has been a running joke in the parenting world, regularly taking first place in the “Most Annoying Kids’ Show” category. Social media erupted in virtual celebration at the news of its demise.
Check out these moms sharing their undying hatred for Caillou:
The agony is real. The first time I watched an episode of Caillou, I was gobsmacked by how whiny, bratty, and tantrummy he was. He’s four, which is a challenging age for sure. But in my opinion, all Caillou did for parents of young kids was make those years even more challenging.
First of all, the whining was absolutely incessant. And his voice made it worse. Like, I don’t know how any parent could sit through an entire episode of Caillou “Waaaaahhh“ing without wanting to poke their ears out with a crochet hook.
Secondly, his behavior was atrocious half the time. The episode where he pinched his baby sister in her crib until she cried? That’s not an idea I’d wanted to plant in my preschooler’s head. The way he talked to other kids? Ugh. Just no.
And therein lies the major problem with Caillou. Preschool-aged kids imitate what they see. That’s the developmental stage they are in. As a parent, I watched every kids’ show through the lens of “Is this how I want my child to behave?” and when it came to Caillou, the answer to that question was “LORDY NO” nine times out of ten.
But honestly, the adults in the show were almost as bad. It would be one thing if the storylines showed parents helping kids how to work through their feelings or problem solve, but Caillou’s mom was bafflingly hands-off. It seemed like there was never any real resolution to the issues, and preschool-aged kids don’t have the capability of processing a character’s emotional story arc to take a moral from the end anyway. Older kids, yes. But the age of kids who actually enjoy Caillou? Nope.
Check out these few clips and see if this is what you’d want your young child imitating:
I literally didn’t allow my kids to watch Caillou because he was such whiny little douche nozzle, his parents were mostly useless, and I didn’t feel like making parenting any harder than it needed to be.
(For the record, my 20-year-old has thanked me for banning Caillou from our house. She agrees that he would have served as a terrible example to follow and can’t stand to hear his voice either.)
The Brooklyn Nets will play their second game of at least three without the services of Kevin Durant on Thursday night as they host the Sixers, as the star forward is in COVID-19 protocols due to being a close contact of someone who tested positive — Durant announced back in March he had tested positive, but still has to return seven consecutive negative tests under league rules.
Brooklyn throttled the Jazz on Tuesday in their first Durant-less game, but the challenge against Philadelphia, which holds the league’s best record, will be even more difficult than anticipated as they will likewise be without Kyrie Irving (who led the team with 29 points on Tuesday). Irving was a surprise addition to the injury report, as he is simply listed as out due to personal reasons.
Steve Nash was asked about Irving’s absence in his pregame media availability and said he had just found out about Irving not being available and had not yet gotten a reply from the star point guard.
Steve Nash says he just found out about Kyrie Irving’s absence. He reached out to Irving and the guard hasn’t responded yet. #Nets#NBA
Hopefully everything is OK with Irving and his family, as that’s the most important concern in this instance. From a basketball perspective it’s obviously a significant loss for the Nets going up against a fellow top team in the East. Nash has been pretty adamant about keeping Caris LeVert with the second unit even after losing Spencer Dinwiddie and on Tuesday against the Jazz, but it’s possible that without Irving or Durant he gets moved into the starting group — Bruce Brown got the start next to Irving against Utah.
After more than two decades of torturing parents and offering a horrible example for preschool-aged children, the era of Caillou has finally ended. The Canadian kids’ show started in 1997, kept churning out new episodes until 2018, and now the will be taken off the air, finally.
As a huge fan and ardent defender of PBS—especially the network’s generally excellent children’s programming—it pains me to launch such a passionate criticism. But seriously, how on Al Gore’s green Earth did this show last for this long?
My children were born during Caillou’s early years. Having been raised myself on a steady diet of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, I felt confident that PBS Kids’ shows would be healthy, educational entertainment for my own children as they entered the preschool phase, and for the most part, PBS delivered. In addition to the awesomeness of Sesame Street, my kids got to explore the alphabet through Martha Speaks, dive into scientific questions with Sid the Science Kid, and build reading skills and curiosity with Super Why. My kids loved learning while being entertained, and I loved that they were learning while being entertained.
Then there was Caillou. I’m not sure if I have the words for my depth of loathing for that character, and I’m someone who loves all (real) children. I’m not the only one who feels this way. For years, Caillou has been a running joke in the parenting world, regularly taking first place in the “Most Annoying Kids’ Show” category. Social media erupted in virtual celebration at the news of its demise.
Check out these moms sharing their undying hatred for Caillou:
The agony is real. The first time I watched an episode of Caillou, I was gobsmacked by how whiny, bratty, and tantrummy he was. He’s four, which is a challenging age for sure. But in my opinion, all Caillou did for parents of young kids was make those years even more challenging.
First of all, the whining was absolutely incessant. And his voice made it worse. Like, I don’t know how any parent could sit through an entire episode of Caillou “Waaaaahhh“ing without wanting to poke their ears out with a crochet hook.
Secondly, his behavior was atrocious half the time. The episode where he pinched his baby sister in her crib until she cried? That’s not an idea I’d wanted to plant in my preschooler’s head. The way he talked to other kids? Ugh. Just no.
And therein lies the major problem with Caillou. Preschool-aged kids imitate what they see. That’s the developmental stage they are in. As a parent, I watched every kids’ show through the lens of “Is this how I want my child to behave?” and when it came to Caillou, the answer to that question was “LORDY NO” nine times out of ten.
But honestly, the adults in the show were almost as bad. It would be one thing if the storylines showed parents helping kids how to work through their feelings or problem solve, but Caillou’s mom was bafflingly hands-off. It seemed like there was never any real resolution to the issues, and preschool-aged kids don’t have the capability of processing a character’s emotional story arc to take a moral from the end anyway. Older kids, yes. But the age of kids who actually enjoy Caillou? Nope.
Check out these few clips and see if this is what you’d want your young child imitating:
I literally didn’t allow my kids to watch Caillou because he was such whiny little douche nozzle, his parents were mostly useless, and I didn’t feel like making parenting any harder than it needed to be.
(For the record, my 20-year-old has thanked me for banning Caillou from our house. She agrees that he would have served as a terrible example to follow and can’t stand to hear his voice either.)
From the looks of it, Saweetie is close to releasing her upcoming Pretty B*tch Music album, as the West Coast rapper has increased her activity over the past few months. Following her last release, “Back To The Streets” with Jhene Aiko, Saweetie kicks off her 2021 campaign with her new single, “Best Friend” alongside Doja Cat. If there’s one thing the “Say So” rapper can be trusted to do on her guest appearances, it’s to provide a solid verse to increase the quality of the song and that’s exactly what Doja does. Walking together with confidence, Saweetie and Doja Cat show each other love for their appearance, demeanor, material possessions, and more on the uplifting track.
The song also arrives with a video that finds the two rappers enjoying a day filled with sisterly activities. From brushing off thirsty men (including Netflix comedy mainstay King Bach, who gives the pair a great opportunity to teach a lesson in feminism and call out his virtue signaling ways) and shopping their lives away to skinny dipping and tanning by a pool, Saweetie and Doja show why they’ve given each other the “best friend” title.
The song was the subject of some controversy even before its release, as the “Tap In” rapper called out her label last month for accidentally releasing it early. Then, Roc Nation duo Ceraadi accused Saweetie and Doja of plagiarizing the video’s concept based on previews the two shared online. Luckily, it appears both situations only increased anticipation for an official release. That’s ideal for Saweetie, who is preparing for what appears to be a huge year for herself. The Bay Area act is expected to release her Pretty B*tch Music debut at some point this year, but until then, fans can catch her on an upcoming episode of Grown-ish.
Press play on the video above to hear “Best Friend.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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