Category: Worldwide

We didn’t get the Western Conference Finals many people were anticipating, but in certain ways, we got something much more nourishing for our basketball souls. There’s a Rolling Stones lyric that feels applicable here. Denver may have spoiled the ballyhooed Battle for L.A., but they earned their spot in the conference finals, and then some.

Little did they know they were in for such a rude awakening in Game 1 as they ran into a Lakers juggernaut that is well-rested and operating at the peak of their powers. LeBron and company came out in full attack mode from the opening tip, throwing the Nuggets’ defense into disarray and bulldozing their way to an easy 126-114 win and 1-0 series lead.

Alas, there would be no signature second-half comeback for the Nuggets, who are now left searching for answers as to how to climb their way back into this series after being categorically dismantled in Game 1 on Friday night. Here’s what we learned from the Lakers’ dominant wire-to-wire victory.

The Lakers’ Matchup Adjustments Are Working

The Lakers did exactly as Frank Vogel said they would and deployed a much bigger lineup against Denver to start the series. This initially featured JaVale McGee starting at center in an effort counter Nikola Jokic, but it was Dwight Howard who entered the game in the second quarter and made a huge impact for Los Angeles.

Howard was everywhere in the first half, coming up with massive highlight-reel blocks on Jokic and Gary Harris and just acting as an all-around nuisance to the Nuggets in his minutes off the bench after sitting the entirety of the previous series against the Rockets.

Dwight is bringing it on the defensive side

(: TNT) pic.twitter.com/F43XMnt5F2

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 19, 2020

Dwight Howard infiltrating the Nuggets huddle pic.twitter.com/NkpFJsZ8Bx

— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) September 19, 2020

Howard continued his solid play in the second half, finishing the game with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting and getting to the line eight times, an outcome that was a particular sore spot for the Nuggets.

Dwight with some extra emphasis!

(: TNT) pic.twitter.com/lwIZJT7zpb

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 19, 2020

Foul Trouble Was A Major Factor

Jokic, Paul Millsap, and Jamal Murray all picked up their third personal fouls midway through the second quarter, and Jerami Grant, Gary Harris, Monte Morris, and Michael Porter Jr. all had two apiece by that point as well. The Lakers scored 22 points from the line on 32 free-throw attempts in the opening half, helping them build a lead the Nuggets never recovered from.

Much of this was a direct result of the Lakers’ aforementioned size, with Howard, Davis, and LeBron all goading the Nuggets into costly fouls with their physicality and aggressiveness at attacking the basket. Jokic picked up his fourth foul in the opening minute of the third quarter and his fifth by the start of the fourth and was a non-factor from there on out, despite putting up 21 points and six rebounds.

LeBron and Anthony Davis Were Too Much For Denver (With Shouts To Playoff Rondo)

Anthony Davis was virtually unstoppable, leading all scorers with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, exerting his dominance on a hapless Nuggets team that had no answers for him all night.

LeBron’s stat line wasn’t quite as eye-popping (15 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds), but as usual, he was masterful at controlling the tempo and orchestrating the offense for the Lakers, while committing just three total turnovers.

Year 17, etc.

(:@NBA)pic.twitter.com/5Fm2n2nqNd

— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) September 19, 2020

The Lakers used a 12-2 run late in the third quarter to push the lead to 20, the largest of the contest, and they did a lot of that damage with LeBron on the bench and Rondo and Davis just eviscerating Denver’s defense. Davis had 13 of his 30 in the third quarter and nine straight points to finish the period, several of those off gorgeous assists from Rondo.

JR’s reaction to Rondo’s dime pic.twitter.com/rguD0dE3HG

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 19, 2020

JR SMITH! pic.twitter.com/gVEqeNQQ3z

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 19, 2020

If there was any doubt, Rondo reminded us that he still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Never was that more evident than on this silly floater from behind the backboard midway through the fourth quarter.

Rondo floater over the backboard pic.twitter.com/k6UXzRfSzo

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 19, 2020

Rondo finished with seven points and nine assists, in the process passing Michael Jordan for 10th all-time in postseason dimes. Denver will try to even the series when Game 2 tips off on 7:30 ET on TNT.

Draymond Green once again joined the Inside the NBA crew for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Nuggets on Friday night, and as usual, he didn’t disappoint. Green is threatening to become a regular fixture on the mega-popular NBA show with his unfiltered approach, which matches the show’s off-the-cuff vibe.

Green’s previous appearance ended up resulting in a hefty fine for his comments about Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns, which the league said amounted to tampering as Green publicly called for Booker to leave the organization. And on Friday, the crew didn’t waste any time before the fireworks started up once again.

Charles Barkley was the one to tee things off this time around, pointedly asking Green whether his 2015 championship with the Warriors, i.e. the one before Kevin Durant arrived, means more to him than the titles they won together in 2017 and 2018. Here’s Green’s response.

Charles Barkley puts Draymond Green on the spot and asks him if the championship the Warriors won in 2015 was “better” than the two they won with Kevin Durant.

Draymond’s answer pic.twitter.com/Pj12OOUyAj

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) September 19, 2020

In the end, Green readily admits that the Warriors’ first title was indeed the most gratifying, but it was still a mostly diplomatic response, as he explained that the first title is always the most difficult and therefore the most meaningful.

Of course, the subtext of the question has more to do with Green and Durant’s fraying relationship over the course of their run together. The two had some high-profile dust-ups that many believe led to their breakup last summer. Still, Green stopped short of diminishing the championships they won together and managed to preserve the integrity of those titles and avoid any further bad blood.

Aside from the Miami Heat, the Denver Nuggets have been arguably the most pleasant surprise of the postseason in Orlando. They’ve overcome historic odds, coming back from a 3-1 deficit in each of their last two series to earn a spot in the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers,

Along the way, their star duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been phenomenal. Murray has averaged 27.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and five assists, while shooting 50/49/91 and logging four 40-plus point games. Those are tremendous numbers for the 23-year-old sensation.

His superstar turn now pits him against the Lakers and LeBron James, who has long been his idol and who he is eager to face off against when Game 1 tips off on Friday night in the Bubble. Here’s what he told Shams Charania of Stadium. [Skip to the 5:45 mark of the video]

Denver star Jamal Murray sits down on @Stadium: Naysayers after $170M max deal (“I stopped listening. It’s what you allow in your head”) — Rise of Nuggets — Leadership (“Chris Paul can give you 15 extra points just by leading”) — facing his idol LeBron in WCF. pic.twitter.com/U7l82pSlHz

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 18, 2020

Murray and the Nuggets certainly have their work cut out for them, but if we’ve learned anything so far, it’s a fool’s folly to count Denver out of anything. Much of this series will depend on matchups, but one thing’s for certain: Murray will have to continue is stellar play to give his team a chance to make the NBA Finals.

The Boston Celtics squandered an opportunity in Game 2 against the Heat on Thursday, blowing a 17-point first-half lead and in the process digging themselves a 2-0 hole in their Eastern Conference Finals series. Boston was haunted by poor execution all night, committing 19 turnovers in the contest, several of which came down the stretch with the game on the line.

The loss reportedly set off a firestorm inside the Celtics locker room after the game, including a heated confrontation between Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown, during which the two had to be separated. Brad Stevens would later sit them down, along with Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker, to talk things over after everyone had simmered down.

But there might be good news on the horizon. After missing most of the postseason with an ankle injury, it appears Gordon Hayward is getting closer to a return. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Hayward has been upgraded from “doubtful” to “questionable” for Game 3 on Saturday.

The Celtics forward has been out since spraining his ankle in Game 1 of their opening-round series against the Sixers. While Hayward isn’t going to solve all the issues that have plagued them through the first two games against Miami, he brings more firepower for a Boston team that could use all the help it can get at this point.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an equality icon and groundbreaking member of the Supreme Court, died at 87 on Friday after a battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Multiple reports spread on Friday evening that the Supreme Court justice had died after a series of medical scares and what was officially reported as complications from cancer.

According to an NPR report on Friday, Ginsburg asked not to be replaced on the court until after the election in November.

Reaction to the news was immediate, with “no no no” trending on Twitter immediately after news of her death spread. The site’s “What’s Happening” tab actually connected the phrase with news of Ginsburg’s death. The court itself also shared a statement about her passing on Friday.

From the New York Times:

“Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said in a statement. “We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”

The development will give President Trump the opportunity to name her replacement, and Senate Republicans have promised to try to fill the vacancy even in the waning days of his first term. The confirmation battle, in the midst of a pandemic and a presidential election, is sure to be titanic.

Ginsburg’s death, while yet to be properly processed by the legal community and nation as a whole, sets up a situation similar to Barack Obama’s final year in office where he nominated Merrick Garland for a spot on the court. Congress, led by Mitch McConnell, refused to consider the nomination until after the election. That was won by Donald Trump, who nominated conservative judge Neil Gorsuch, further swinging the court to the right later in his term with the controversial appointment of Brett Kavanaugh.

If you’d like to learn more about the remarkable life of the late Supreme Court justice, we highly suggest the 2015 biography by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the outstanding documentary, RBG, which can be currently streamed via Hulu.

Over the Denver Nuggets’ first two series this postseason, Nikola Jokic went from merely an interesting basketball weapon to one of the scariest matchups in the NBA. After falling down 3-1 in both series, Jokic sliced through the Jazz and Clippers’ defenses as if they were hardly there. In order to beat Denver, the Lakers will have to keep Jokic in check in a way nobody has since the postseason began.

Los Angeles, understandably, got a lot of credit in the second round for seamlessly sizing down to match the small-ball Rockets, but they will have to make an equally big adjustment in the opposite direction to slow down Jokic. The Serbian big man has earned that. Without the size to stop him one-on-one, the Clippers had to get creative — or at least in theory they should have. Instead, Jokic was masterful against Montrezl Harrell, Ivica Zubac, and everyone who got switched onto him.

With even less size top to bottom than the Clippers, Frank Vogel and the Lakers will have to rely — as they have all year — on the individual intelligence and defensive skill. Still, it bears walking through just how little of a fight the Lakers put up against Jokic in the regular season. Though the Nuggets lost two of three to Los Angeles in the regular season, they actually outscored LA in those matchups by 15, and one of the losses came in a closely-contested overtime battle.

In something that likely won’t come as a surprise, after hardly playing JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard against the Rockets, Vogel said this week he expects his team to “return to form” against Denver. Judging from the regular season and the teams’ matchup in the seeding games, however, that plan may be discarded quickly.

Howard, in particular, struggled to cover ground like he used to when he was competing for MVP and DPOY awards. The vet got shredded in the pick-and-roll time and again trying to account for Jokic’s shooting, as well as his mobility and play-making with the ball in his hands. These mistakes may look familiar to those who watched Jokic go to work against the Clippers. Opponents look downright demoralized when Jokic outsmarts them, and the typical length and mobility that have always served Howard well just stood no chance against a 7-foot battering ram with the handle and mind of a Hall of Fame point guard.

Even with Anthony Davis on the weak side rotating over, Denver’s passing is so crisp and proactive that they could beat Davis’ rotations. That’s why you see Davis swatting at Jokic a beat too late in nearly every clip above. When the point-of-attack defense spouts a hole, even an incredible athlete like Davis can’t make up for the mistake.

That brings us to McGee. The two-time champ is quicker than Howard but still ended up out of position all too often. When McGee dropped into the paint, it forced the Lakers (in this case Danny Green) into a scramble to rotate. That — as the Clippers learned — spells doom against Jokic, who can drill a three or put the ball on the ground to beat a broken defense.

Inevitably, Jokic is going to figure out a way to get into isolation situations against his defender. More often than not, he’ll find a way to beat them. The Lakers can’t just let that happen and watch McGee and Howard get cooked. Though the Lakers’ identity all year stemmed from elite size and rim protection, they may have to look more like the group from the five games against Houston than the 73 prior to that if they’re going to beat the Nuggets.

Jokic’s appearance is deceiving for many reasons. The jokes are all accurate about getting suckered by a guy like this in the local gym, but his bruising interior style also forces teams to think they need to play big. Fortunately for L.A., they have a star who accomplishes both goals and who just put on a defensive masterclass in the second round.

The main problem with the Lakers’ bigs is that they lack the functional strength to move Jokic off his spots in the post or as a screener and facilitator outside. That meant they had to rely on getting a hand in his face or sending double-teams to stop him. But rarely did Davis check Jokic in the regular season or the seeding game. For the Lakers to stifle the Nuggets’ offense (especially in crunch time, where Jokic is unstoppable), Davis will need to accept this matchup and win it.

This reality even prompted Lakers reporter Anthony Slater of The Athletic to promote the idea of potentially starting Markieff Morris in this series as a way to masquerade Davis as a center while keeping another pseudo-big in the lineup. That idea could benefit the Lakers, especially if Morris keeps hitting the wide-open shots Davis and LeBron James create for him. Another possibility that Stan Van Gundy introduced on The Lowe Post this week was, at least late in games, for James to defend Jamal Murray while Davis checks Jokic. That way, when the two Nuggets unleash their lethal two-man game, the Lakers can switch without sacrificing size or quickness. While he didn’t make the expected impact in the Rockets series (L.A. didn’t need him to), Kyle Kuzma is another option in this two-man defense that would allow the Lakers to switch and guard the action with just two guys.

Too often, the slow-footedness of the Lakers’ bigs put the team in a bad situation defensively, either by having to send more help or by forcing wonky rotations. By putting Davis at center and getting creative with matchups, the Lakers stand a chance against Jokic’s screen game with just two guys and force the adjustment back on the Nuggets.

Perhaps the most dangerous thing about Jokic, though, is how he elevates his teammates. The idea of stopping Jokic is inextricable from containing the Nuggets’ entire offensive system. It may feel like the Utah series was Murray’s, and the Clippers series was Jokic’s, but the sum of their talents and chemistry together has become one of the hardest things to guard in the league.

Denver doesn’t have the shot distribution of an elite offense. They’ve generated the fourth-worst expected shooting efficiency in the playoffs, according to PBP Stats, as well as the fourth-lowest proportion of total shots to come from behind the arc or at the rim. But they were second only to Dallas in generating offense off cuts this season, according to Synergy Sports play type data, and between Murray and Jokic, they have two incredible shot-makers from all three levels in the half court.

The whole team also has a sense for how to find one another in their spots. Jokic fills the highlight reels, but both he and Murray are great and confident passers. Playing with Jokic has made every Nugget ready for a pass at any time (see Torrey Craig’s mid-cut assist to Jokic above), and this team can beat even the smartest defenses. Check out how even as James and Avery Bradley switch places to get a body in Jokic’s way at the free throw line, the big man beats the switch with a laser pass.

What this all means for the Lakers is that they can’t wait for Denver to force the issue when it comes to the rotation. The idea of Morris (and Rajon Rondo) makes sense for the Lakers, but as with the team’s traditional centers, Vogel can’t afford to play inconsistent veterans too many minutes if they can’t stay on the court against the Nuggets.

Los Angeles will miss Bradley as an option on Murray, but a few things are in their favor that weren’t before. Alex Caruso is even better defensively and more consistent than he was earlier in the year; the same is true for Kuzma. And they aren’t facing the type of killer wing player that could have posed a big issue for this roster. The Lakers have a few options to switch the Jokic-Murray pick-and-roll and can also use Davis to stop Jokic one-on-one.

Keeping Jokic all the way in check is a tall order, but there are reasonable pathways to doing it for this Lakers team that may prove more tolerable than the matchup problems the Clippers would have posed. Still, the most likely outcome is that Jokic is going to get his. Whether L.A. can limit the damage could be the difference between an early return to California or a trip to the NBA Finals.

Jeopardy! is a game show about order and following the rules. Answers in the form of a question. Run categories from top to bottom. Come up with a good story to tell Alex Trebek or he’ll roast you into oblivion. It’s as close to baseball as far as unwritten rules and decorum as you’ll find in the game show world. And short of Wheel of Fortune creating some disasters when people pronounce things wrong, there’s no other game show that is more closely tied to its rules.

So when an answer in Final Jeopardy was deemed incorrect earlier in the week that seemed to go against the game’s storied rules, fans freaked out. And days later, they’re still buzzing about the fate of Betsy, a contestant whose appearance ended with what was ruled an incorrect answer on a Final Jeopardy question about “The Music Biz.”

Here’s the question: In 2019 at a 60th anniversary event in Detroit, this producer announced his retirement saying he had “come full circle.”

Everyone got the question wrong, but Betsy was ruled incorrect after writing down “Barry Gordy,” which is a slightly different spelling than the actual answer, Berry Gordy. Betsy would not have won, as she had just $2,000 and the eventual champion, Cory, was well above that and did not wager any money on the question.

Still, Twitter lit up with people talking about the differences between “Barry” and “Berry” on Tuesday night, with former show contestants and many popular fan accounts taking exception to the ruling and questioning whether the judges had made a mistake in the moment.

Many fans brought up similar instances in the show’s past where contestants were not penalized for similar misspellings or words largely pronounced the same way.

Many highlighted the show’s rules, the fifth of which states that Jeopardy! is “not a spelling test” unless a category specifically makes it such.

Days later, fans were still talking about it. It’s sparked memes online, and many are still discussing it on Twitter, where the show’s official Twitter account has taken to responding with a form reply that’s a bit revisionist in its ruling: the claim is that the answer Betsy put down was a different name that added “incorrect information to an otherwise correct response.”

That answer didn’t cut it for most fans, who continued to talk about it on basically every tweet the Jeopardy! account has sent out since. And fans keep coming up with different reasons why Betsy should have been given a different ruling. We even got a Teen Wolf reference in discussing the incorrect answer.

It’s certainly not the news the show wanted to make in its return to air, but it does mean big Jeopardy! fans will be talking about Betsy and Berry Gordy for years to come.

NXT UK is finally back. After five and a half months of running clip shows because they had no taping plan amid the pandemic, they’re doing audience-free shows from the BT Sports studio in London, and while it’s no Thunderdome, it looks pretty good. Obviously we’ll miss the ballroom ceilings and singing fans for a while to come, but at least the show is happening again.

Their relaunch episode wasn’t a big extravaganza, which took me by surprise at first, but makes sense on reflection. NXT UK is returning with no momentum whatsoever, and they need a little time to set some things up and get all the pieces running. So this episode felt relatively minor, but it set up one big match, and another important segment for next week, as well as re-starting a bunch of storylines for down the road. Of course I’m laying this out like NXT UK is on its way back to the top, when we all know that almost nobody watches this show. For the record, I still maintain that more people should, because it’s a very good wrestling show.

Ilja Dragunov started the show, reminding Sid Scala and the rest of us that he earned a shot at the NXT UK Championship right before quarantine, and he’s ready for that match anytime now. Then Noam Dar showed up with big quarantine hair, and they set up a match for the main event.

When that match came around, it turned out to be really good, which was no big surprise from these two. Ilja Dragunov brings a bananas intensity that makes him seem simultaneously heroic and unhinged. Noam Dar, of course, is great at both wrestling and coming off like an absolute dirtbag, which some would say is part of wrestling.

The actual first match on the episode featured tag team champions Gallus (seemingly a two-man team for now, with only one remaining Coffey) vs. Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan. It was a perfectly cromulent match, but several minutes into the Face In Peril sequence featuring Jordan, I did find myself wondering it this was the thing to relaunch with.

But then, after Gallus inevitably won the match, the rest of the tag team division came out and they all sort stand around sizing each other up from a distance. South Wales Subculture is there, as well as Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter, Pretty Deadly, and the Hunt. Even Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner, the half of Imperium that’s currently trapped in Florida, show up on a screen. The Grizzled Young Veterans are noticeably missing, but even without them, this is an excellent reminder of how strong the tag team wrestling is on this brand.

The only other match on the card was Isla Dawn vs. Aoife Valkyrie. Valkyrie is definitely somebody they’re setting up for a push, and I get it. She’s a got a great look and she’s very good in the ring. Of course, that means Isla Dawn is still being used as enhancement talent, but I guess it’s a job somebody’s alway got to do.

In more immediate women’s division news, we get an in-ring confrontation between NXT UK Women’s champion Kay Lee Ray, and number one contender Piper Niven. Piper reminded KLR how many times she’s beaten her in Japan and elsewhere, and Kay Lee seemed a bit shaken despite her tough demeanor. Whatever else goes on next week, that much is going to be a must-see.

Over in the men’s division, there’s going to be a tournament for a “Heritage Cup,” which will be contested and British rules similar to the match Kassius Ohno had with Sid Scala some months back. So that should be really fun. Next week, Pete Dunne will be on the show to help with the drawing that sets up the order of the tournament matches. As for the tournament itself, it’s going to feature A-Kid, Noam Dar, Flash Morgan Webster, Alexander Wolfe, Dave Mastiff, Joseph Connors, and Trent Seven, so it looks pretty strong.

With this new reality of wrestling coverage here at Uproxx, I’m not sure if I’ll be recapping every episode of NXT UK going forward. But I’ll definitely keep watching and let you know when anything really cool happens.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the hottest R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear every Friday. Check out the best new R&B music this week below.

Sevyn Streeter — “HMU”

It’s been three years since Sevyn Streeter unleashed her project Girl Disrupted. This week, the talented singer-songwriter is gearing up to release the follow-up as she shares the music video for her song “HMU.” It’s an upbeat R&B bop produced by Smash David with the visual handled by Malakai.

Xavier Omar — “All Our Time”

Xavier Omar‘s “All Our Time” featuring Jae Stephens is the second single to be released off the R&B singer’s forthcoming project If You Feel. With warm production by Bizness Boi, Xavier Omar sings of chilling with his summer boo.

Baby Rose — To Myself EP (Deluxe)

The one and only Baby Rose has released the deluxe version of her project To Myself featuring three fresh songs in the form of “Damn,” “August 5th,” and fan-favorite “Marmot.” Tonight, Baby Rose will be performing a special “socially distanced” show at a secret location in Atlanta.

Ceraadi — “BFF”

R&B duo Ceraadi have finally released the music video for their fan-favorite track “BFF.” The visual sees Saiyr and Emaza turned up on the country road and showing how much fun they have as best friends and sisters.

Nevaeh Jolie — “Screwed Up” Feat. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie

R&B Singer Nevaeh Jolie tapped in with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie for 90s R&B-inspired feel-good cut, “Screwed Up.” Naveah sings a catchy hook that borrows from Mary Jane Girls’ “All Night Long,” creating the perfect cool vibe just in time for the fall season. “Screwed Up is raw and real and I hope this song makes my peeps feel playa and just catch a vibe!” she said via press release. “Shoutout to A Boogie for really making this an East coast bop!”

Sault — Untitled (Rise)

Sault is delivering a soulful spirituality with his latest release Untitled (Rise). It’s an eclectic collection of songs dripping in jazz and R&B.

Sainvil — “Boxed In” Feat. Boogie

R&B singer Sainvil drops off his new single “Boxed In” along with the music video featuring Compton’s own Boogie. The social justice anthem addresses the police killings of Black people at a disproportionate rate in America. This is the first single off Sanvil’s forthcoming EP, 2020 Was Hijacked.

Kingdom — Neurofire

Kingdom’s album Neurofire is here and features guest appearances from Semma, Kayla Blackmon, UNIQU3, and Tiara Thomas. The project also features his previously released track “No More Same” featuring Luvk.

Your Grandparents — “Tomorrow”

Your Grandparents keep coming with some of the best R&B jams of the year and this week they’re dropping off their track “Tomorrow.” The song is set to live on their forthcoming album.

Check out this week’s R&B picks, plus more on Uproxx’s Spotify playlist below.

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

Artist Tom Ward has used his incredible illustration techniques to give us some new perspective on modern life through popular Disney characters. “Disney characters are so iconic that I thought transporting them to our modern world could help us see it through new eyes,” he told The Metro.

Tom says he wanted to bring to life “the times we live in and communicate topical issues in a relatable way.”

In Ward’s “Alt Disney” series, Prince Charming and Pinocchio have fallen victim to smart phone addiction. Ariel is living in a polluted ocean, and Simba and Baloo have been abused by humans.

---

Not all the news is bad though. LeFou form “Beauty and the Beast” has finally come out of the closet and his crush, Gaston, appears to be pretty accepting of the revelation.

Although, was it really such a shock?

Ward believes that his illustration of Artur from “Sword and the Stone makes” a particularly strong point. “I also think the message of Arthur from The Sword in the Stone sitting on his phone has some resonance today,” he said. “He’s too engrossed in his phone to experience other opportunities and realize his true potential in life.”

You can see more of Ward’s work on Instagram. Click through the photos to see the slideshow.

1. Pinocchio’s selfie

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2. LeFou is out and proud. 

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3. Prince Charming is addicted to the ‘gram.

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4. Poachers have devastated Dumbo’s herd.

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5. The kings of the jungle forced to work for human amusement.

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6. Freedom is a bear necessity.

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7. “One more wish. Can you make the Xbox vanish?”

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8. Phone addiction robs us of the wonder that’s right before our eyes. 

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9. We’ve become prisoners to safety. 

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10. The hunt-ed is now the hunt-er.

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11. Life “Under the Sea” is a lot less fun in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 

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12. It’s a lot harder to find anything that’ll make you wanna chase the White Rabbit these days. 

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