Though he’s admitted that he’s never voted because he didn’t think he could, Snoop Dogg isn’t afraid to speak out against the president. Last year in January, Snoop laid out his views about the partial government shutdown, calling Trump a “punk motherf*cker.” Now, Snoop is back at it again, this time detailing the long list of people the president has mocked, disrespected, or recently called “losers.”
In a video posted to Instagram, Snoop slammed Trump as “a racist” and called upon the next president to “show up and deliver.” The rapper said the president has been disrespectful towards transgender people, women, Black people, and now, veterans. “Who else is missing from the presidents list,” Snoop asked in the caption to which a fan replied: “U forgot Muslims & Arabs.”
“So me and my homeboys, we up here talking about all the people that Trump disrespected: women, gays, trangenders, Blacks, Mexicans, Asians, and now, veterans. Hm, seems like he disrespecting every color in the world and everything that ain’t what he is, which, is a racist. So, with that being said, people that voted for him got exactly what they wanted. He gave them what he said he was going to give them. So the next motherf*ckin’ president, tell us what we gon’ get for your vote and you better show up and deliver. Period. We just want some peace, love, equality, and tranquility for everybody. All lives.”
Tom Hanks has been clear enough after his COVID-19 experience. America’s dad came for people who refuse to wear masks before declaring that he’s got zero patience left on the subject and questions the patriotism of anti-maskers. A lot of people are onboard with his stance, but it’s also apparent that a lot of people don’t feel the same way. That latter group tends to be highly vocal and (from my experience, at least) even pushes back, publicly, while somehow feeling offended by seeing people wearing masks. And that’s what Kaley Cuoco, TV’s Harley Quinn voice, is dealing with, bizarrely enough, simply for posting a video of herself wearing one in an enclosed setting: the gym.
Here’s the video (and the comments section is a nightmare). I already respect that she’s able to jump rope for 20 minutes because, let’s face it, that’s always a demanding (and arguably miserable) workout. Adding a mask makes things even more difficult, but Cuoco doesn’t seem fazed to the slightest degree.
Plenty of commenters are very here for her masked efforts and called Cuoco both “responsible” as well as a “great example and role model.” However, there’s a vocal contingent that’s rage-typing that she should “Take off the mask !!” It’s a strange statement to toss at someone who’s simply doing their thing and not hurting anyone, but “[w]ith mask workout is very dangerous” or something. Never mind that athletes often wear masks for other reasons, like while they’re outside in cold climates or attempting to simulate altitude training effects. Cuoco ended up stepping into the comments with a self-defense, as quoted by People:
“For everyone and their mask comments. I wear a mask when I’m in an enclosed space around others, which I was. I also wear a mask when I’m outside around others. I’m protecting myself and everyone around me That’s why I choose to wear a mask. Thanks for playing.”
Spillage Village recently announced their upcoming album, Spilligion, would be dropping later this month and today, they’ve followed up the news with the video for the album’s second single, “Baptize” featuring singers Ant Clemons, Gallant, and Luke James. Each of the group’s members take turns rapping electric verses in an empty church and at an outdoor gathering over a snaky, downtempo beat that gives them plenty of room to flex their lyrical skills — even if WowGr8 admits in his verse that he’s over his “lyrical phase.”
The Atlanta-based, Dreamville-signed rap crew kicked off the new album’s promo run with the video for “End Of Daze” in June, sparking speculation that they’d reunited ahead of the official announcement. Fans were naturally excited by the possibility of a comeback full-length album after four years had passed since 2016’s Bears Like This Too Much, especially after the crew’s core members, 6lack, Earthgang, and JID, had broken out and become household names in that time.
While fellow members Jurdan Bryant and Hollywood JB have yet to release projects since then, they are sure to benefit from the halo effect of the group project, while fans may also want to go back and check out Mereba’s The Jungle Is The Only Way Out, as well as the group’s various appearances on Dreamville’s Revenge Of The Dreamers III as a primer.
One of the underrated aspects of 2020, overshadowed by the pandemic, apocalyptic fires, and militias murdering people in the streets, is the gradual mainstreaming of the idea that virtually all of Donald Trump’s enemies are pedophiles. The TrueAnon podcast has been doing some excellent work on these theories, and specifically on the proliferation of “Save the Children” rallies and their dubious origins. Others have noted the theory taking root amongst Mommy bloggers and influencers. Meanwhile, the AP reported today that VP Mike Pence will attend a fundraiser hosted by QAnon believers, as will RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel — showing the extent to which the mainstream Republican party has embraced these ideas.
While believing in the existence of a ring of elite pedophiles doesn’t seem all that crazy in the wake of Jeffrey Epstein (who clearly enjoyed some high-level protection and special treatment), the kind of mental gymnastics required to believe that Epstein’s old acquaintance, Donald Trump, is somehow the guy who’s going to protect us from it all are hard to fathom. This is the same guy who once described Epstein on the record as “a terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Yes, that was in 2002, but it was 2020 when Trump said “I wish her well” of Epstein’s fixer/girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell on camera. But yeah, sure, the born-rich Casino owner/pageant magnate is definitely our best defense against pedophiles.
On that note, Once Upon A Time In The Valley, a wonderful new podcast about 1980s underage porn star Traci Lords, recently made some interesting connections in a discussion of porn, celebrity, the sex tape as a path to stardom. They referenced a 2019 Vanessa Grigoriadis profile of Ivanka Trump from The Cut, which noted, according to Ivanka’s friends, Trump’s obsession with Paris Hilton’s sex tape stardom.
In 2003, when Paris Hilton’s sex tape was leaked on the internet, Donald wouldn’t stop talking about it, saying, “Paris is laughing all the way to the bank, she’s got the last laugh, she’s marvelous.” Ivanka could not believe her father was not only idolizing an airhead heiress caught blowing a guy on a night-vision video but encouraging her to follow Paris’s lead. (Speaking from the White House, [White House press secretary from June-April Stephanie] Grisham says, “This is untrue and is disgusting.”)
In fairness, it’s a fairly gossipy article, sourced mainly to named and unnamed “friends” of Ivanka’s, and it’s slightly hard to tell from the way it’s written whether Trump encouraging Ivanka to follow Paris Hilton’s lead extended specifically to making a sex tape. My guess is he probably said it at some point and probably wasn’t entirely serious, if he ever is, rambling and riffing and forgetting most of it 15 seconds later like an overconfident goldfish.
Much of Anjimile’s debut album Giver/Taker is about variations of loss, written during a time of personal rehabilitation and reprioritization. Interestingly, the album never gets weighed down by the seriousness of its lyrics, with many of the songs instead taking on a more danceable vibe featuring hip-hop beats and funky bass lines. Anjimile’s songwriting process is very freewheeling, with most of the melodies popping into their head on a whim that forces them to pick up their phone and record a voice memo to reference later.
After receiving the Live Arts Boston Grant to fund the recording of Giver/Taker, Anjimile and their collaborators spent a few days at a time over the course of eleven months crafting and re-working the effort. The fragmented recording process allowed them the space and reflection to decide what each song really did and didn’t need, and to focus in on creating a product of which they could all be proud.
The result is an album that sounds quite unlike anything else in recent memory, channeling elements of Sufjan Stevens and more into something unique and truly special. Ahead of the new album, I chatted with Anjimile on Instagram Live to talk about the songwriting process, our mutual lack of knowledge of musical theory, and Elizabeth Holmes, as part of our Fall Music Preview. Check out the full interview below.
Travis Scott’s partnership with McDonalds is confusing elderly employees and exciting fans, leading massive hoards of Gen-Z fans to show up to the fast food restaurant to buy his branded Happy Meal. But 50 Cent has decided to one-up the rapper. 50 and entrepreneur Jay Manzini were feeling generous this week and decided to give back to the rapper’s Queens, New York hometown. The two pulled up to a Burger King on the Southside of Queens on Thursday and surprised employees with stacks of cash.
50 and Manzini rolled through a drive-up Burger King window and urged and employee to call over all of her coworkers. “I’m just trying to pull up and show love to you guys. I know you guys work hard,” Manzini said. He then began pulling cash out of his pocket totaling $30,000, but that’s not all. 50 then came around the corner and employees were beside themselves.
“Me & @50cent had to shut Burger King down in Southside Queens. Passed over 30k me and @50cent to these hard workers, during this pandemic,” Manzini wrote on Instagram. “Fif told me I really like what you’re doing, I told him it’s good karma at the end of the day big bro!!! Change lives & connect with real ones.. Southside Queens stand up!! Ya deserve it.”
50 also shared the clip to Instagram, writing: “@jaymazini is the real deal,he saw me in the hood yesterday so we went tonight and showed everybody some love.”
Michael Porter Jr. ruffled some feathers on Wednesday evening following Denver’s 96-85 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Nuggets’ offense was, as you can tell by the final score, not good, and as a result, the team is facing its second-consecutive 3-1 series deficit this postseason. Unlike last round, the Clippers are a much taller mountain to scale than the Utah Jazz, and it’s hard to see a path that involves Denver winning three in a row.
Porter, out of an apparent sense of frustration with how things went on Wednesday, called out head coach Michael Malone’s play calling in his postgame press conference. He took two shots in the second half after scoring 15 points in the first, and told the media that it wasn’t because of anything L.A. was doing.
Michael Porter Jr. on why he did not get shots in the second half:”That’s really up to the play call and the coaches. We kept going to Jokic and Jamal. They are amazing players but we need to find ways to get others involved.”
Malone, when asked, disagreed with this assessment.
Asked Michael Malone why MPJ only was able to get two shots off in the second half after he had 15 points in the first. He pretty much said the Clippers keyed in on him more, were physical and that the ball didn’t find him within Denver’s offense.
Anyone publicly going after a coach like this is eyebrow-raising, particularly when it’s a young player whose gripe seems to be “the offense was too centered around Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.” His frustration is understandable, but there are plenty of ways to handle said frustration that is not this.
In the aftermath, plenty of individuals opined on how Porter aired this dirty laundry. One such person was Damian Lillard, who was not a fan of Porter’s tactics.
Lillard is no stranger to commenting on what he sees in the world of basketball, and while there could have been some ambiguity about what he did not like here — perhaps he agreed with Porter and was shaking his damn head at the Nuggets’ coaching staff — he clarified in his following tweets that he believed the youngster was in the wrong here.
Porter said that he’s going to speak with his coaches about all of this, so it’ll be worth keeping an eye on what his role is during a must-win Game 5 on Friday. Regardless, it’s not hard to guess what Lillard hopes they tell him as they discuss how he’ll be used for the remainder of this playoff run.
Britney Spears is in the midst of a legal battle over her conservatorship, a situation that seems to be evolving every day. Now, one of Spears’ old friends, Paris Hilton, has weighed in on the saga, and like other Spears supporters, she is disappointed by the situation.
Chatting with Andy Cohen on Andy Cohen Live, Hilton said, “I saw her this summer. We had dinners, saw her in Malibu. I love her so much and I feel if you’re an adult, you should be able to live your life and not be controlled. I think maybe that stems from me being controlled so much, so I can understand how that would feel, and I can’t imagine right now if that was still happening to me. After just working her whole life and working so hard… she’s this icon and I just feel like she has no control of her life whatsoever, and I just don’t think that’s fair.
Cohen then asked if she and Spears have discussed the situation, to which Hilton responded, “No, I don’t like bringing things up like that. She’s so sweet and so innocent and such a nice girl. We just talk about happy things: music, fashion… I don’t know, just fun things. I never like to bring up negative things or make people feel uncomfortable, so I’ve never talked about it with her.”
Travis Scott’s McDonald’s collaboration is causing fan frenzies and bringing his supporters out in droves to acquire the otherwise mundane meal, but it looks like not everyone is excited about Cactus Jack’s crossover with the food giant. According to a profile of the collaboration in GQ, some McDonald’s employees had to have the entire concept explained to them after wondering, “What’s a Travis Scott?”
Naturally, these were older employees, likely the ones way outside the target demographic for the promotion, which is the chain’s way of jumpstarting sales after a slow first quarter blamed mainly on the pandemic. The manager at a Utah location said, “We have a few older [crew members] with us and they say, ‘What is a Travis Scott?’ And we try to explain, he’s a rapper, blah blah blah.” She was introduced to the Houston rapper’s music through her young son and has since been fielding calls about the promotion, which she says both customers and employees “are really excited about.”
Such is the feeding frenzy for the rapper’s merch with McDonald’s that one woman even offered to buy an employee’s shirt “for her son.” Stores were sent a special uniform to wear for the duration of the promotion, which lasts until October, but some stores still reportedly hadn’t received their merchandise by GQ‘s press time. And yes, those memes you’ve seen on Twitter seem to be pretty accurate. An Orange County manager reported that an unusually busy Tuesday was populated mainly by young kids, teens, and early-20-somethings, all scrambling to get their hands on a menu item, that would normally require like three extra button presses at the interactive kiosk. It doesn’t even come with a toy!
It is, indeed, lit.
Check out Travis’ co-branded McDonald’s merchandise here.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
After years of songwriting for some of the industry’s most popular names including Kendrick Lamar, DJ Khaled, and YG, Los Angeles native Blxst looks to take off with his career, one he begins with his debut EP, No Love Lost. The project combines the most ear-pleasing qualities of both R&B and hip-hop, both being genres that he weaves in and out of with ease and impressive finesse. The campaign for No Love Lost dates back to 2019 with his breakout single, “Hurt,” a track that finds him bearing the pain and disappointment of being done wrong by a close friend with a look of undeterred nonchalance. “I can’t sit around waiting on n****s,” he says. “That just ain’t what a hustler do.” The pain cuts deep but his pride is strong enough to handle the grimacing burn that results from the disloyal action.
No Love Lost seeks loyalty, not love, from a ride or die confidant to provide a remedy to the stresses of life’s dangers. It’s a message he makes clear on “Overrated,” as he falls in line with what 21 Savage said on his I Am > I Was highlight track, “Ball w/o You.” “You can love somebody just by being attached / See loyalty is a action / You can love or hate me and still have my back.” Blxst has no interest in having someone who has his heart, rather, he desires someone who has his back and will always be present in his time of need, something the Donell Jones-sampling track highlights. “You know we good, no reason to be explainin,’” he sings. “Just want your loyalty, the love is overrated.” Love as we know it requires too much for Blxst’s liking, from lowering his guard to keeping another person in mind with every move. Loyalty however is a bare minimum commitment and that, to Blxst at least, is enough love for him.
Blxst’s comfort when loyalty leads the way in his relationships is crystal clear. “Wrong Or Right,” one of the many bright spots on No Love Lost, praises his love interest for their unconditional support despite his constant absence while he builds an empire for two. “You be thuggin’ through the lonely nights,” he says. “Always knew you was the soldier type.” Yet, despite this moment of praise, Blxst also seeks confirmation that their tenure as his unconditional confidant will not come to an end in the near future. “You ain’t never folding, right?” he questions. “Even if I’m wrong or right.” However, this bright moment proves to be nothing more than a honeymoon phase that quickly comes to an end.
While the hustle continues for Blxst, the lonely nights also add up for his love interest on “Be Alone.” A once-thrilling ride has been reduced to a boring routine, one that has far lost its appeal and adrenaline-fueled satisfaction. Soon, complaints about his presence (“You be trippin’ on the time we don’t spend”) and fears that come with his occupation (“You be paranoid hearing sirens again”) rain on him. These complaints and fears confuse Blxst as he believed the relationship’s roles were well-defined. “I thought you wanted a hustler, girl, it come with that,” he sings before adding on the chorus, “You signed up, said you’d ride to the end.” Blxst condemns the feelings of his love interest despite being completely worthy of some condemnation of his own as he fails to realize that his perception of love, which emphasizes loyalty above all else, is not common practice to most individuals.
As the EP concludes, passing through “Just Say’n” and “Searching,” Blxst once again ends up as a lone ranger left to wander the streets in hopes of finding a new partner who fits his lifestyle. His perils with love come from approaching it like a written contract, listing the terms that come with being with him while leaving no room for compromise or adjustments down the road. Compromise is a foundational aspect of love, but the unpredictability that comes with its presence is something Blxst can’t cater to as it interferes with his hustler’s ambition and tunnel-visioned focus to make it out of his current situation. While it may be tolerable in the beginning, its inconvenience and the sacrifice it requires from his partner become unbearable in the end.
The phrase “no love lost” signals the continued presence of love despite the end of a relationship, but Blxst himself admits loyalty replaces love in his romantic endeavors and when they fail to last, he seemingly comes out unscathed with love since what was never given can’t be lost. However, the point Blxst seems to make on this project is despite failing to land upon his ideal ride or die confidant, Blxst escapes the mess without having to lower his guard and give away love. Because of this, he may never experience the true beauty of love, but Blxst finds resolve in knowing he’ll also never have to experience its pains. All in all, No Love Lost emphasizes the flaws of a man whose only goal is to be a flawless hustler.
No Love Lost is out now via Red Bull and Evgle. Get it here.
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