Category: Worldwide

Last Updated: July 30th

Music is an art form that enhances everyday life in innumerable ways, but sometimes you crave listening to something a little different while away the hours on that morning and evening commute. Over the last decade, podcasts have risen to become one of the new, dominant mediums for intelligent conversation, impactful interviews, and new discovery. Favorite hosts become something like reliable friends you can return to and check in on at any time to seek out their wisdom or humor.

While there are thousands of podcasts that touch on nearly every topic under the sun, the options for music lovers are patently overwhelming. With that in mind, here are 20 of the best music podcasts to help you discover new artists, or go deep on old favorites.

People’s Party With Talib Kweli

What happens when one of the most thoughtful hip-hop artists alive gets in a room with an assortment of legendary musicians, athletes, and personalities? Some of the most insightful and surprising conversations available in podcast form. With guests including Lamar Odom, Jemele Hill, and Bun B, Kweli promises the series, which includes video and podcast forms, “won’t be doing the whole late-night talk show song and dance. No gimmicks, no bullsh*t. We need every second we have to discuss art, culture, politics and social justice.”

Check out the full library here.

Sound Opinions

One of the longest-running music podcasts in the game is also one of the best. Hosted by two of the most esteemed rock critics in the game today, Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis, this Chicago-based pair tackles an impressively wide-range of different topics and genres on a weekly basis, with a kind of authority that only comes from literal decades of experience. With over 650 episodes and counting, there’s no shortage of material here to wade through and discover.

Check out the full library here.

Song Exploder

Song Exploder is one of the most fascinating programs to check out if you’re deeply interested in learning how a song is constructed. The idea is simple. An artist comes in and explains in exacting detail the different pieces of equipment they used on a given track, the ideas that went into it, and even the stories behind the lyrics. Thus far, they’ve had 100 Gecs in to deconstruct “Money Machine,” Tame Impala recently unpacked “It Might Be Time,” Vampire Weekend was on for “Harmony Hall,” and Meek Mill explained “Trauma.” Each episode only runs 20-minutes or so, so they are also incredibly binge-able.

Check out the full library here.

This Is Not A Drake Podcast

This Is Not A Drake Podcast is a limited-run podcast series hosted by Ty Harper, a hip-hop head who has covered the Toronto scene for decades. Throughout each of the six thoughtful episodes, Harper breaks down seminal moments in Drake’s career while also exploring the broader context of the history and evolution of hip-hop in Toronto, R&B, gender dynamics, and Black culture.

Check out the full library here.

Indiecast

Indiecast is a new podcast Indiecast from Uproxx’s very own Steven Hyden and long-time music critic Ian Cohen of Pitchfork and Stereogum fame. Each week, Ian and Steven will talk about all the latest news in indie music. They will review new albums, break down trends, expose exciting new artists, and give you all the necessary context to understand what’s happening in the indie world as well as moments that established the genre’s canon. Of course, they’ll also pointlessly rank things — whether it’s the best indie albums of the aughts, the greatest Phoebe Bridgers tracks, or their favorite chillwave songs. True to its name, Indiecast has you covered on everything indie.

Check out the full library here.

Broken Record

Hosted by Justin Richmond with interviews by legendary producer Rick Rubin, author Malcolm Gladwell, and former New York Times editor Bruce Headlam, Broken Records stands as a modern-day replacement for liner notes on albums. Each episode, a member of the Broken Record team sits down for an in-depth conversation with one of today’s biggest artists ranging from Tame Impala to Pharrell. While the discussion may temporarily divert from music, Broken Record aims to contextualize an album and allow musicians to connect with their audiences on a deeper level.

Check out the full library here.

KEXP Music That Matters

KEXP is one of the best radio stations in the US, hands-down, bar-none. Operating out of Seattle, KEXP gives a platform to a wealth of burgeoning local and national acts you might not hear on any other broadcast. They bring a similar spirit to their weekly podcast, Music That Matters, which features a wide-ranging collection of songs put together by some of the station’s most knowledgeable DJs like Kevin Cole, Cheryl Waters, and John Richards.

Check out the full library here.

All Songs Considered

NPR is maybe the most prestigious music podcast platform out there. While there are several incredible podcasts that operate under their banner — you can never go wrong with Tiny Desk — All Songs Considered is the flagship enterprise. If you’re looking to get an edge on what’s happening right now, which albums are dropping, which tracks are popping, this is the place to find out, courtesy of host and musical director Bob Boilen.

Check out the full library here.

Talkhouse Music Podcast

Who better to talk about music than musicians? Makes sense right? Talkhouse is the premier place to hear some of the best most intriguing and thoughtful artists out there today discuss amongst one another the trials and tribulations they face in the music industry and the effort and inspiration that goes into their every project. Where else can you hear Questlove from the Roots mix it up with Carrie Brownstein from Sleater-Kinney, or Kid Cudi unload with Paul Reubens aka Pee Wee Herman? Exactly.

Check out the full library here.

Rap Radar

There are a lot of talking heads out there in hip-hop who enjoying spouting off just to get a reaction. I’m not going to name any names, but if you’ve been following along for any length of time, you certainly know who they are. Elliott Wilson and Brian “B.Dot” Miller are two of the most well-respected journalists in hip-hop history and bring a breadth of knowledge and insight to their podcast that’s incredible to behold. Their recent, multi-part interview with Jay-Z just after the release of 4:44 is mandatory listening.

Check out the full library here.

Switched On Pop

It’s kind of absurd the lack of good and compelling podcasts that deal exclusively with pop music. As you’ve seen already, the wealth of rock and hip-hop pods are incredible, and it’s disappointing that pop has lagged so far behind the other genres. The best of the bunch is probably the Switched On Pop program hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding. The pair take on their subjects like Demi Lovato, Camilla Cabello, and Justin Timberlake with a passion that never drifts into condescension or snark like others might. Whether you’re a Katy Kat or a Swifty, there’s a lot here to like.

Check out the full library here.

Popcast

The New York Times has long reigned as the paper of record in the US, and lately has rolled out a series of podcasts in a variety of realms to establish its voice in that world as well. Hosted by the esteemed writer Jon Caramanica, Popcast is a semi-weekly series of talks between different writers tackling the major events and album drops of the moment. No topic is too off the beaten path, with chats recently regarding the death of rapper XXXTentacion, as well as American Idol and the Drake Vs. Pusha-T beef.

Check out the full library here.

Hip-Hop Can Save America

Presented by the Center For Hip-Hop Advocacy, Hip-Hop Can Save America explores the innovative and astounding ways hip-hop culture and music has been applied to areas like education, science, health/wellness, theater, and more. With an array of guests from academics to entrepreneurs, Hip-Hop Can Save America has it all.

Check out the full library here.

LSQ

Music writers come and go with every passing era, but some, through sheer wealth of talent and personality manage to stick around for the long haul. Former Rolling Stone writer Jenny Eliscu is certainly among that privileged set. For her LSQ podcast, the writer switches on the microphone to hold engrossing chats with and about an eclectic array of different artists, from Jack Antonoff and Spoon’s Britt Daniel to Angel Olsen and Danielle Haim.

Check out the full library here.

Watching The Throne

No musical artist on the planet today inspires as much heated discussion as Kanye Omari West. Whether that means fans ranking his albums, critics decrying his brash personality, hypebeasts picking apart every piece in his Yeezy fashion line, or casual fans wondering where the f*ck the new album is, it’s hard to keep Kanye out of the conversation. Watching The Throne leans into the skid with an impressive understanding of both his music, and makeup. If you’re a real Yeezy head, this is a can’t-miss.

Check out the full library here.

Disgraceland

Crime podcasts have become all the rage ever since Serial burst onto the scene a couple of years back, and as everyone knows, the history of popular music has its fair share of bodies. Disgraceland combines the worlds of music and murder together to tell incredible, and sometimes, little-known stories involving some of the most impactful artists of all-time. What, you didn’t know that Jerry Lee Lewis might have killed one of his wives? Find out more about it here.

Check out the full library here.

Questlove Supreme

I think it’s probably fair to say that Questlove has one of the most enviable rolodexes in all of popular music. Fortunately for all of us, he isn’t afraid to spin that thing every so often and call in some of the most indelible creators out there for wide-ranging and deeply, fantastically nerdy chats on his regular Questlove Supreme podcast. His recent sit-down with Jack White is a can’t-miss.

Check out the full library here.

Dear Young Rocker

As described by Dear Young Rocker’s host, writer and bass player Chelsea Ursin, the podcast is a story “for the weirdos, the loners, the ugly ducklings.” Executive produced by Disgraceland’s Jake Brennan, Dear Young Rocker is a scripted, narrative podcast that follows young protagonist Chelsea as she struggles to quell anxiety, deals with boys, and tries to find a home in music as an aspiring bass player. The podcast is formatted as a series of letters between Chelsea and her younger self, reminding us all that so many others experienced the same middle school hardships and that women will always deserve a place in rock music.

Check out the full library here.

Dissect

To all the music lovers who can spend upwards of an hour gushing about a single song, Dissect is the podcast for you. Dissect focuses a single album per season while forensically examining the music, lyrics, and meaning of each track on an album, one song per episode. The podcast is currently focused on dissecting Beyonce’s Lemonade but in the past has turned attention to Kendrick Lamar’s Damn, Tyler The Creator’s Flower Boy, and both of Frank Ocean’s albums.

Check out the full library here.

Turned Out A Punk

With 275 episodes spanning over nearly six years, Turned Out A Punk is a binge-worthy podcast. Hosted by Damian Abraham, vocalist to the veteran punk outfit F*cked Up, Turned Out A Punk invites musicians, label executives, and music lovers to explore how punk music has impacted their lives in a variety of ways.

Check out the full library here.

Kyle Meredith With…

Consequence Of Sound has spent the last couple years building out its robust podcast network, including titles like This Must Be The Gig (focusing on interviews with musicians about live performances) and The Losers’ Club (a Stephen King podcast). And of course, there is Kyle Meredith With…, which offers frequent artist interviews with the biggest subjects from across music genres. As a whole, their podcast flight is impressive, but they are equally enjoyable on their own, too.

Check out the full library here.

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

Last Updated: July 30th

“Thriller” is kind of a catch-all term for movies that bleed into multiple genres. It can describe films rich with drama, action, crime, and quite possibly horror. That’s why its Netflix category is such a hodgepodge of entries, varying in tone, subject matter, and quality. A good thriller, though, is going to be suspenseful for any number of reasons. An unstoppable killer. An unsolvable mystery. A gripping world that draws viewers into it. A sympathetic character fighting for survival. Something that can keep an audience on the edge of its seats. And based on that, here are the 15 best thrillers on Netflix right now.

Related: The Best Horror Movies On Netflix Right Now

15. The Platform (2019)

Run Time: 94 min | IMDb: 7/10

This Spanish-language sci-fi flick is all kinds of f*cked up, but in the best way. The film is set in a large, tower-style “Vertical Self-Management Center” where the residents, who are periodically switched at random between floors, are fed by a platform, initially filled with food, that gradually descends through the levels. Conflicts arise when inmates at the top begin eating all the food, leaving the people lower down to fight for survival.

14. It Comes At Night (2017)

Run Time: 86 min | IMDb: 7.4/10

Writer/director Trey Edward Shults followed up his unnerving family portrait in 2015’s Krisha with a look at another family under the most desperate of circumstances. After an unknown illness has wiped out most of civilization, a number of threats — both seen and unseen — come for a family held up in their home out in the wilderness. It’s a subtle, dream-like tale that stars Joel Edgerton and Christopher Abbot as two patriarchs intent on keeping their families safe, no matter the cost.

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13. The Interview (1998)

Run Time: 104 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

What starts out like a Kafka story turns into a tense match between a seemingly innocent man (Hugo Weaving) and a menacing detective with his own demons (Tony Martin). The former is snatched up and interrogated by the authorities for reasons that are slowly revealed to him, and as the hours drag by, both men become more and more desperate. Weaving knocks it out of the park, keeping the detectives and audience guessing as his true demeanor is constantly put in question. Martin is no slouch either as he does his best to expose Weaving’s character for the monster that he sees, even if it costs him his job and sanity. The writing is taut and the environment is claustrophobic, which propels the mysteries behind the two lead characters.

12. Blue Ruin (2013)

Run Time: 90 min | IMDb: 7.1/10

Macon Blair stars in this crime thriller about a man who returns to his hometown to carry out an act of vengeance and discovers he’s in over his head. Blair plays Dwight Evans, a vagabond who learns his parents’ murderer is being released from prison and returns home to kill him. He succeeds but ends up starting a blood feud with the guy’s family that doesn’t end how you expect.

11. Bird Box (2018)

Run Time: 124 min | IMDb: 6.7/10

Sandra Bullock’s apocalyptic sci-fi saga has spawned more than just a ridiculous internet challenge, it’s also renewed our love for monster-driven thrillers. Sure, we never actually see the otherworldly beings that cause people to commit suicide if they open their eyes, but the danger they pose and the fear they instill is still viscerally real. Bullock plays a mother trying to protect her two young children and survive amidst a group of strangers with their own agendas and issues. The supporting cast in this one — Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson, and Tom Hollander — are fantastic which distracts from some of the more questionable story choices.

10. Drive (2011)

Run Time: 100 min | IMDb: 7.8/10

A stone-faced Ryan Gosling steers us through the criminal underworld created by director Nicolas Winding Refn in this high-speed thriller. Gosling plays a near-silent stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway man. When he gets involved with his next-door neighbor and her young son, his carefully cultivated life is thrown into chaos, forcing him to align with criminals and take on risky jobs to protect the pair and keep a firm grip on the wheel.

9. Green Room (2015)

Run Time: 95 min | IMDb: 7/10

When a punk rock group accidentally witnesses the aftermath of a murder, they are forced to fight for their lives by the owner of a Nazi bar (Patrick Stewart) and his team. It’s an extremely brutal and violent story, much like the first two features from director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin and Murder Party), but this one is made even tenser by its claustrophobic cat-and-cornered-mouse nature. Once the impending danger kicks in, it doesn’t let up until the very end, driven heavily by Stewart playing against type as a harsh, unforgiving, violent character.

8. The Invitation (2016)

7. The Invisible Guest (2016)

Run Time: 106 min | IMDb: 8.1/10

This Spanish crime thriller follows a successful businessman framed for the murder of his married lover. A seemingly straightforward plot, until a car accident, a dead body, fake witnesses, and a family out for revenge is thrown into the mix. Mario Casas stars as the man in question, a young husband and father with a bright future who takes part in a terrible crime and is forced to pay for it in the most twisted of ways. You won’t figure this thing out until the end, we guarantee it.

6. The Killing Of a Sacred Deer (2017)

Run Time: 121 min | IMDb: 7/10

Filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos has quickly earned a reputation for delivering highly-stylized dramas, filled with eccentric characters played by more-than-capable actors looking to reinvent and redefine their careers — and he doesn’t change that with this thriller that’s part horror, part mystery. Colin Farrell plays a charismatic surgeon who, along with his wife Anna (Nicole Kidman), must make a terrible sacrifice when a young boy he’s committed to helping begins displaying some sinister behavior. To say anything more would spoil some plot twists that you’ll definitely enjoy.

5. Zodiac (2007)

Run Time: 157 min | IMDb: 7.7/10

Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo star in this mystery crime thriller directed by David Fincher. The manhunt for the Zodiac killer — a criminal who committed several murders in the Bay area in the late ’60s and early ’70s — has spanned decades and garnered plenty of media attention, but the film dives deeper into the cost of the search, particularly the toll it’s taken on the men and women reporting on it. Gyllenhaal plays a newspaper cartoonist who becomes obsessed with the case, decoding ciphers sent by the killer and targeting a man he believes could be the Zodiac. Downey Jr. plays a crime reporter who partners with Gyllenhaal on the case and leaks information to the police. It’s a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse that’s fueled by some gripping performances by its male leads.

4. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Run Time: 118 min | IMDb: 8.6/10

Hannibal Lecter is one of horror’s most iconic characters, but it’s a testament to the creepiness of Anthony Hopkins in a leather muzzle that, no matter how many times the film gets quoted, hearing him tell Clarice Starling that he’s having an old friend for dinner still sends chills up our spines. Jodie Foster plays the FBI agent tasked with catching another serial killer with Lecter’s same M.O., and she does it by striking up unnerving conversations with the guy, but Hopkins is the real star here, playing Lecter with a restrained insanity that makes his small talk of enjoying human liver with fava beans so much more nightmarish.

3. Good Time (2017)

Run Time: 101 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

This gritty crime drama hailing from the Safdie brothers transforms star Robert Pattinson into a bleach-blonde sh*t-stirrer from Queens desperate to break his developmentally disabled brother out of prison. Pattinson plays Connie, a street hustler and bank robber with grand plans to break out of his urban hood while Benny Safdie plays his brother Nick, who gets roped into his schemes. When Nick is sent to Ryker’s Island for a job gone wrong, Connie goes on a downward spiral to get him back. Pattinson’s manic energy carries this thing and there’s plenty of police run-ins, shootouts, and heists (however botched) to keep the adrenaline pumping.

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2. Burning (2018)

Run Time: 148 min | IMDb: 7.6/10

Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun stars this psychological thriller from South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong. Yeun plays Ben, a rich millennial with a mysterious job who connects with a woman named Shin Hae-mi on a trip to Africa. The two journey back home together where Ben meets Shin’s friend/lover Lee Jong-su. The three hang-out regularly, with Lee growing more jealous of Ben’s wealth and privilege while he’s forced to manage his father’s farm when his dad goes to prison. But it’s when Shin disappears, and Lee suspects Ben’s involvement, that things really go off the rails.

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1. Uncut Gems (2019)

Run Time: 101 min | IMDb: 7.5/10

Now, audiences can absorb — from the comfort of their own living rooms — the full gravitational effect of Adam Sandler in the most intense performance of his career. The Sandman arguably got robbed of an Oscar nod for his turn in Josh and Benny Safdie’s electrifying crime thriller that accelerates tension to a fever pitch. He’s superb as a charismatic New York City jeweler who grows increasingly desperate while walking a tight-wire amid relentlessly threatening adversaries, and keep your eyes open for a supporting turn from the always great LaKeith Stanfield.

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Recent Changes Through May 2020:
Removed: The Talented Mr. Ripley
Added: The Killing Of a Sacred Deer

It’s been quite a dramatic ride for The Rum Diary co-stars Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, who divorced four years ago (after one year of marriage) but are embroiled by a lawsuit (filed by Depp) against British tabloid The Sun. The former Tim Burton muse is seeking “to clear his reputation” from potentially irreparable harm, so he desires “vindication” (not monetary damages) after an April 2018 article labeled him as a “wife-beater.” This led to three weeks of mud-slinging from both sides in a trial full of wild revelations that can, in all fairness, be summed up as a circus.

All along, Depp has denied abusing Amber before or during their marriage, and he has, in fact, claimed that she’s the abusive party. His stance has been marred by photos submitted by Heard in 2016 to secure a restraining order. At the time, one of Depp’s ex-managers, Joel Mandel, sided with Heard regarding an alleged violent incident from 2014. And during this trial, former Depp partners Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis stated that Depp was never abusive toward them. However, neither Heard nor Depp has ever filed criminal charges against each other, so instead, both sides presented all kinds of evidence, not only about physical abuse (and how Depp lost part of a finger) but about everything from Amber supposedly taking a “poo in the bed” to Depp allegedly dangling a dog out a car window. Yikes.

Neither ex-spouse comes out looking fantastic here, so, what’s next? Potentially, quite a lot, including verdict fallout and another lawsuit to come. And then there’s the pressing question of whether this trial might help (or hurt) Depp’s career longevity.

– What The Verdict Will Mean: The sensory overload of the trial ended with Depp’s lawyer calling Heard “a compulsive liar” and Heard telling the press, “I stand by my testimony and I now place my faith in British justice.” Now, it’s in the court’s hands.

The verdict isn’t expected to arrive until September, but the burden of proof in United Kingdom courts for libel may be on Depp’s side, since it’s notably lower than within the United States. English law holds that libel suit defendants — in this case, The Sun‘s publisher, News Group Newspapers, and executive editor Dan Wootton — are working against the presumption that the allegation in question (that Depp guilty of domestic abuse) is false. Therefore, the defendants must prove that the allegation is true in order to prevail (which is a reversal of the U.S. standard).

Media attorney Mark Stephens has pointed out to Billboard that, even though the odds are in favor of libel plaintiffs in the U.K., Depp may have done himself more harm than good, even if he walks away a legal victor. That is, his stance in filing the lawsuit is that The Sun‘s story damaged his career, yet this trial has invited a global audience into the allegations made against both sides of the case.

It’s a fine point. Even if Depp wins against The Sun, the world’s still seen photos of him passed out cold while covered in ice cream. That may not inspire too much studio or audience confidence in him. So whether Depp wins or loses, people will be aware that the standard of proof in winning a U.K. libel suit isn’t too high, so it’s not necessarily the reputation-clearer that he’d prefer. (And god only knows how much money he’s spending in legal fees here, apparently without seeking any monetary damages.)

Heard seemed to realize this inevitability when she told reporters that she’d (obviously) have preferred not to spend weeks (in a public forum) wading through the dirty laundry of her marriage. “It has been incredibly painful to relive the breakup of my relationship, to have my motives and my truth questioned,” she declared. “And the most traumatic and intimate details of my life with Johnny shared in court and broadcast to the entire world.”

– Another Lawsuit On The Way: Depp’s also planning to take his chances with a U.S.-based trial. In 2021, he’s heading to Virginia for more legal proceedings, this time against Heard over a Washington Post story about domestic violence. Heard wrote a 2018 op-ed for the paper on that subject, and in doing so, she accused institutions of protecting alleged domestic abusers; it seems that Depp was not pleased, and this time, he’s seeking damages. He’s asking the court to award him $50 million if he wins. Mark Stephens told WaPo that if Depp “loses in London, he’s almost certain to lose that American case. So this is in some ways a dress rehearsal for the second case.”

It’s worth nothing that Heard reportedly donated her $7 million divorce settlement (in 2016) to domestic violence charities after her and Depp’s “irreconcilable differences.” And it looks like their battle will continue, five years after the split.

And meanwhile, this is still happening:

– The Missing Half-Billion (At Least) Dollars: Strangely, that wild 2018 Rolling Stone profile is back with a vengeance and surfaced during the trial. In the piece, Depp admitted to making $650 million from movies and still somehow being in debt. In that piece, he bragged about his exorbitant expenditures with these quotes: (1) “It’s insulting to say that I spent $30,000 [per month] on wine. Because it was far more”; (2) “By the way, it was not $3 million to shoot Hunter [S. Thompson] into the f*cking sky [at his funeral]. It was $5 million.”

On the witness stand in London, Depp reiterated that he’d made $650 million since he climbed aboard the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as Jack Sparrow. And he admitted that he still ended up $100 million in debt but blamed his financial advisors for failing to pay his taxes for up to 17 years. He also talked about the $5 million he spent on Thompson’s funeral, but somehow, he still owns houses around the globe.

His lavish lifestyle remains notorious and undoubtedly weighs into him wanting to clear his reputation, although (for reasons stated above) this trial might not have the healing effect — no matter what the verdict — on Johnny Depp’s career as he’d hope.

YG has spent much of the year working on his upcoming fifth album Laugh Now Kry Later! Three singles have been released, its title track, “FTP,” and “Swag,” meaning the album could quite possibly arrive before year’s end — a fairly quick turnaround from his 2019 4Real 4Real album. YG stopped by the The Morning Hustle radio show to speak about something a bit more personal than his new album, recounting the events of his 2019 house raid.

“The police came, raided my house – like my house, house with me and my family and my kids. They come through like four in the morning. We asleep, the helicopter had come around and all that,” YG said during his interview. “They bang the door in trying to get in the door, so I go downstairs, I open the door – boom! They draw down on me. That’s normal, but my kids at the time were 4 years old and 6 years old. They upstairs in the room with their mama.” YG then went on to explain how the LAPD crossed the line threatening his children as well, despite his compliance with them.

“They go up in the room and they got the big AKs all in my little kids’ face like, ‘Don’t move!’” he recalled. “I’m like bro, what the f*ck is y’all doing? Y’all got me f*cked up! They doing this to my little kids! And these are little girls!” Despite his feelings about the situation, YG suggested he understood why it played out the way it did.

“I been through a lot of other stuff with the police but I’m from the streets though, you feel me?” he said. “So it’s like I got a target on my back already from that and I know that, so it ain’t really nothing to talk about. Because it’s like when you’re from a certain area, the police gon’ f*ck with you.”

There’s simple, straight to the point marketing, then there’s a Beyoncé announcement. Earlier this month, the music icon announced Black Is King visual album with a simple trailer. Few people knew exactly what the visual was, but speculation hit a fever pitch. The moment harkened to the Homecoming documentary announcement, which was a Netflix tweet of a photo and release date.

Beyoncé fanpage @theyoncehub joked that the pitch meeting for Homecoming consisted of Beyoncé telling Netflix to “tweet it the week before with no caption or context,” because “they’ll know.” And even if they don’t, the Beyhive will anxiously anticipate whatever she announces just because.

Beyoncé is a superstar of superstars. There’s a reason that her Instagram posts are loaded with comments from other celebrities acting like stans. Imagine how big of a star one must be to have Drake bringing them drinks at basketball games or incite jokes about Jay-Z being the mere sidekick of their relationship. She’s earned that stature not just with her catalog, but through a prodigious work ethic, an unforgettable live show, and the discernment to nurture her fans’ fascination through image conservation. You’ll never catch her slippin’ cause you’ll rarely catch her at all.

She undoubtedly has a mystique — but she’s relatable at the same time. Fans find personal solace in her love for her hometown Houston and her deep vulnerability about marriage and pregnancy struggles throughout the years. Consider the dichotomy of having fans belt out her “Flawless” lyrics while resonating with an earnest essay in part about embracing her FUPA.

Every star operates in their comfort zone. Some artists are introverted recluses, and some can’t stop oversharing on social media. Somewhere in the middle, high above the fray, is Beyoncé, who is a master of balancing mystery and accessibility.

One could credit Beyoncé’s 30 years of industry experience with shaping her dynamism. She was cultivating her artistry before social media was a thing and TMZ could catch you at the most awkward angles possible. Stardom was protected by PR and limited access in the ’90s, giving stars the ability to tell their own story.

Michael Jackson was the era’s superstar of superstars. Even as the tabloids dogged him, the fans who chose to ignore or disbelieve scandalous allegations could simply feed into the “King Of Pop” mystique. He knew that fans wanted to believe in something bigger than themselves, and he projected it to them. His 1993 Superbowl XXVII performance started with him appearing simultaneously at opposite ends of the stadium (symbolizing his ubiquity) and standing in place for two minutes, radiating that even being in his presence was a privilege. His music video premieres would be simulcast on multiple TV channels, essentially making him a trending topic before it was a thing. Similar to a young Kobe studying Michael Jordan, Beyoncé saw all of this and incorporated the knack for spectacle into her momentous live performance.

In a 2014 letter, she said that Jackson, who is polarizing, but undeniably impactful, “changed her and helped me to become the artist I am.” She recalled her first producer making her watch Jackson’s live performance of “Who’s Loving You” on a “back to back to back” basis for hours. From afar she absorbed his work ethic, careful cultivation of his image, and absorbed the idea that “you could hear his soul,” as she described.

Her own god-given gifts have manifested a similar brand of fandom. It’s harder to maintain privacy in 2020, but Beyoncé does her best. She’s joked about fellow partygoers signing nondisclosures — but the dearth of info that comes out about her infers that maybe she’s only half-joking. Her relationship with Jay-Z is one of the world’s most scrutinized partnerships, but they’ve been meticulous about what they let the public in on. But they’ve both spilled when it was time to let the people hear their soul.

Their 2014 Met Gala incident, in which Solange accosted Jay-Z, was infamously memed as the fight that spawned three classic albums — including the one that most exemplified Beyoncé’s lyrical vulnerability: Lemonade.

Music video director Melina Matsoukas, who directed “Formation,” has said that Beyoncé “wanted to show the historical impact of slavery on Black love” with the 65-minute visual companion to her personal excavation. The project focused heavily on her relationship with Jay-Z, her parents, and how her conditioning — and theirs — affected her womanhood.

Lemonade’s cultural relevance is a form of access in itself. Being accessible isn’t just about being on social media; it’s about engaging an audience on terms they understand, in ways they appreciate. There was a renewed push for more Black imagery in 2010s pop culture, and Beyoncé fed that better than anyone. Lemonade’s lyrical content contributed heavily to already-relevant dialogues of infidelity, generational trauma, self-worth, and body image. And the Lemonade film showed Beyoncé engaging with Black fans through their shared heritage instead of a carefully curated, larger-than-life aesthetic typical of much popular music. It was undoubtedly this generation’s biggest star at her creative zenith — but it wasn’t about supremacy as much as community.

She also keeps up that connection by staying attentive to what’s going on in the culture. It may seem like because she and Jay-Z are secluded they’re detached from what’s going on — but neither of them miss a thing. There are numerous examples of her being aware of what’s going on at the moment, from her aforementioned contributions to progressive discussions, to doing the Shmoney dance in 2014, to her “Apesh!t,” “Top Off,” and “Savage” remix verses, which all sounded fresh and of their moment. One has to stay on top of the game’s movements to stay on top of their game commercially, and Beyoncé embodies that dynamic.

Her work ethic is momentous, and nothing demonstrated that more than 2019’s Homecoming, another personal offering from the Queen. The Netflix documentary chronicled the leadup to her 2018 Coachella performance — a set so spectacular that it spurred debate about who was better between her and MJ. It would have been simple enough for Beyoncé to merely leave fans awestruck at what she did that night, but Homecoming let fans be a fly on the wall while observing the personal obstacles she overcame toward the moment.

Fans were made aware of the difficulties of her pregnancy with Rumi and Sir Carter, and her journey to get down from a post-pregnancy 218 pounds. She allowed candid access to her day-to-day life, showing aspirant viewers the symbiotic relationship between sacrifice, dedication, and achievement. Her fans often joke about her utter perfection, but Homecoming displayed a level of humility and resilience that makes her highs even more impressive.

Cultural ubiquity isn’t given; it’s earned. The most underrated aspect of stardom is being able to handle stardom. There are many celebrities who have offput fans with errant tweets, impulsive comments, and overall grating personalities. But in 20+ years, one would be hard-pressed to find moments where Beyoncé undermined her stardom or overplayed her hand. She’s both vulnerable and exclusive, candid and alluring at once. That mesh is what has allowed her to become — and stay — an icon.

Last week, Taylor Swift surprised many by surprise dropping her eighth album, Folklore. Arriving less than a year after Lover, the album was met with widespread acclaim and quickly found success on the charts, selling over a million copies globally less than 24 hours after its release. Despite all the positive press the album has received, Swift found herself in a bit of controversy after a black-owned business owner accused her and her team of theft.

Amira Rasool, founder of the online retail store, The Folklore, accused Taylor Swift of stealing her company’s logo for her album. She then went on to point out the similarities its design to her products.

“Based on the similarities of the design, I believe the designer of the merch ripped off my company’s logo,” Rasool said in an Instagram post. “I am sharing my story to bring light to the trend of large companies/celebrities copying the work of small minority-owned business owners. I am not going to let this blatant theft go unchecked.”

According to InStyle, Swift’s team removed all the merch that had the “Folklore” phrase on it, switching it out for merch that read “Folklore Album.” Rasool would later show her appreciation for the change made by Swift’s team.

“I commend Taylor’s team for recognizing the damage the merchandise caused to my company @TheFolklore’s brand,” she said. “I recognize that she has been a strong advocate for women protecting their creative rights, so it was good to see her team is on the same page.” Rasool also revealed in a second tweet that her and Swift’s team were in conversation “about the next steps to make this situation right.”

Swift then offered her support to Rasool and her brand. “Amira, I admire the work you’re doing and I’m happy to make a contribution to your company and to support the Black in Fashion Council (launching on 8/3) with a donation,” she wrote.

After weeks and months of anticipation, the NBA season resumed on Thursday evening with a battle between the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans in Orlando. Prior to tip-off, the players, coaches and referees involved in the game took a knee during the national anthem and, with plenty of excitement about basketball, it was clear that there was a bigger focus on issues extending well beyond the court. Still, there was a game to play and, after 48 minutes on opening night, the Jazz emerged with a 106-104 after a last-second defensive stand.

In what was certainly an ironic twist, it was Rudy Gobert that garnered the first bucket of the restart. From there, the first points of the bubble journey for the Pelicans were tallied by none other than Zion Williamson.

The Jazz enjoyed a (very) strong start, using a 10-0 run to take an early 11-point lead and seemingly grab full control of the proceedings.

That was the extent of the positive mojo in the first half for the Jazz, though, as the Pelicans awakened in short order. New Orleans closed the first quarter on an 18-4 run to claim the lead and, along the way, veteran guard J.J. Redick delivered a startling move that drew plenty of attention.

After only a short burst of playing time in the first period, Williamson made an appearance to begin the second quarter, and he almost immediately converted a dunk off a lob from Lonzo Ball.

New Orleans extended the lead to as many as 16 points late in the second quarter and, by halftime, the Pelicans owned a 12-point advantage. While there was plenty to like, Brandon Ingram was a notable standout for Alvin Gentry’s team, scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds in the first half.

On the Utah side, things were ugly, including a 15-for-45 shooting clip from the floor and 4-for-20 from three-point distance. Fortunately, the Jazz did receive a jolt coming out of halftime, climbing within six, but Williamson again left his mark with a big-time dunk and a beautiful assist.

The Pelicans threatened to run away a bit, reclaiming a double-digit lead, but the Jazz were feisty. Utah scored five points in 12 seconds to prompt a timeout from New Orleans with the scoreboard reading 75-69 late in the third quarter.

New Orleans weathered the charge, in part due to back-to-back threes from Redick, but it was clear the Jazz found something in attacking the rim against the Pelicans. Utah kept the pressure on, slashing the lead in the middle portion of the fourth quarter, and the onslaught continued. In fact, the Jazz took the lead with approximately four minutes remaining, overcoming a sizable deficit and making things exceptionally interesting.

The end was an exercise in back-and-forth basketball, including what transpired in the final minute. Donovan Mitchell converted a pair of free throws to give Utah the lead with 48 seconds left but, on the next possession, Ingram answered with free throws of his own to tie it. On cue, Mike Conley did miss a shot for the Jazz but, after an offensive rebound, Mitchell broke down the Pelicans’ defense and flipped the ball to Gobert, who was fouled.

The big man buried both free throws with 6.9 seconds remaining, giving Utah a 106-104 lead. New Orleans then had one final chance to steal a win but Ingram’s contested three-point attempt went begging, giving the Jazz the win.

All told, it was a highly entertaining and strong start to the NBA’s restart, with a pair of intriguing teams putting on a show for 48 minutes. For the Jazz, it was a positive result to kick off what they hope to be a lengthy journey. On the Pelicans side, this is a disappointing loss, not only because the team blew a 16-point lead, but also with an eye toward an uphill battle for New Orleans in order to garner a playoff berth in the Western Conference.

On Thursday evening, Billie Eilish shared her second track of the year with “My Future.” The song, which was first announced late last week, is a continuation of the amazing year she’s had, including sweeping the Grammys with her album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Eilish took a moment to sit down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, revealing the recording process behind her new single and explaining how it differed from her previous releases.

“This was such a satisfying process. It was so, so satisfying. We wrote the song in like two days,” Eilish said in the interview. Calling the process “crazy fast,” she gave a day-by-day account of how she and her brother/go-to producer Finneas brought the record to life.

This is the most we’ve ever worked in one period of time. But we record, we wrote it like a month into quarantine probably. And it was pouring rain… Oh, it was such a perfect setting. And then we recorded the vocal in Finneas’ studio, which is just in his basement in his house…. For me, I’m sure you know, I take f*cking forever to get a vocal take that I like, and I do like a billion takes. And this one… I just, I don’t know, there was something about this one take that I did, and I was like, ‘This is the only way that it can be.’

Eilish grew comfortable with the track’s sound after just one day. She also explained how the track was completed the following day.

We had the song recorded, but we didn’t have, we didn’t know what to do with it. And we popped in the pool. We got out of the pool, and I was literally going to go home. And I was like, ‘Let’s just f*ck around with it a little more.’ And we finished the song that night, like finished completely. It was crazy.”

Eilish’s interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music can be viewed here.

The Umbrella Academy turned out to be a runaway hit for the Netflix audience with its 2019 debut. Based upon the graphic novels by Gabriel Ba and My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, the show proved itself to be a demented (and tolerably quirky) take on the superhero genre and something that not only felt and looked but sounded refreshingly novel. A lot of this was down to the inventive story: seven siblings were born on the same 1989 day to different mothers and adopted by mad billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves, who used their powers for his own ends. He proved to be a terrible father for many reasons, which left the group with varying degrees of trauma to overcome. Even more than the intricate worldbuilding, though, the show managed to eclipse a strange-for-the-sake-of-it vibe, which is quite a feat, considering the inclusion of a hyper-intelligent talking chimp called Dr. Phinneus Pogo.

Let’s face it: a lot of things could have gone wrong while adapting the comic book series for the small screen, but somehow, it all worked, down to a fantastically assembled cast: Ellen Page, striking a careful balance of portraying the sibling who was most the instrumental in triggering an apocalypse while being unaware of those powers for most of the season; Robert Sheehan, boosting his drug-addled, sexually fluid character who communes with the dead into fan-favorite status; Mary K. Blige as a hitwoman in what can only be described as inspired casting. I could go on, but it’s time to discuss whether the second season continues the momentum of the first, which was already a rarity in the inertia-heavy streaming era.

Hell yes, it does. The show even manages, in a few instances, to surpass the musical interludes of the first season, which included a most infectious use of an “I Think We’re Alone Now” dance break, not to mention The Doors’ “Soul Kitchen,” along with Radiohead, Queen, and Gerard Way tunes. Let’s just say that, this year, Klaus gets some of the better moments in the musical department, and although he’s still a tortured soul (who’s haunted by Ben), he’s also now a (benevolent) cult leader.

This is where I should mention that Five’s time-travel rescue of the group has gone awry, and the siblings find themselves landing in separate years in Dallas, Texas. However, it’s the when that allows the series to blossom while the characters continue battling their own internal demons. Not only does the audience rejoin this set of beloved personalities, but the early-1960s setting gives the show room to explore an expansive historical backdrop — including the civil rights movement and JFK’s impending assassination — upon which it can continue to paint its filled-to-the-brim tapestry.

Naturally, the Hargreeves’ arrival also caused disruption in the timeline, which sets the world on the brink of another apocalypse, this time of the nuclear variety. While dodging a trio of Swedish assassins (one of those oddball details that the show consistently manages to pull off), Five must find a way to unite the group and figure out how to save humanity. As always, the show has no shortage of furiously flying plot points while making time to be character-driven as well. In short, each of the siblings (other than Five, who’s still the same old-man-in-a-young-body) have built new lives and/or are still coping with their residual childhood traumas. They’re doing so while adapting to the times in vastly different ways, and it’s a blast to watch all of these big goldfish crash around in their newly tiny little ponds.

Things are, as usual, complicated with the family dynamics on display, but the show manages to tread new territory in that department by separating the siblings again before bringing them back together. New challenges presented by the era loom large, with the show’s queer representation growing even more prominent, and with the other issues that arise, this season doesn’t simply present a matter of fresh obstacles and hairdos. Yet the hairdos do matter, especially when it comes to Allison, who finds that the reaction to her natural hair isn’t the only challenge of finding herself down South during a particularly pivotal time in history.

Meanwhile, poor Luther’s still perhaps the most traumatized of all and turns himself into a literal punching bag. Diego, probably to no one’s surprise, lands himself in an institution, where he acquires a girlfriend who’s even more messed up than his family. Then we’ve got Vanya, whose powers turned out to be the major twist last year. This season, her arc is particularly engrossing, given that she suffers from amnesia and has no bloody idea that she took a chunk out of the moon, or that she’s prone to becoming super-mega-destructive. So, we get to know her on a purer level — which makes the show feel lighter, since Vanya was previously so dreary and angsty — and learn how she might have been without dear old dad’s manipulations. Speaking of which, Sir Reginald Hargreeves does surface, and boy, he’s just as terrible in the past as the present.

That’s not to say that this season gets too serious. Fans know the show will bring occasional dramatic moments, but the show’s chaotic and tragicomic spirit remains consistent with the show’s debut. Somehow, this season manages to be more overstuffed with events as the first one, with the show’s energy staying consistent as ever. You know that saying about everything being bigger in Texas? That’s definitely the case here: the twists are bigger, the impending apocalypse is bigger, and most importantly, the feels (the laughter, the tears, and everything in between) are bigger.

‘The Umbrella Academy’ launches its second Netflix season on July 31.

The reigning WNBA champion Washington Mystics absolutely dominated the Seattle Storm on Thursday to jump out to a 3-0 start to their season in the WNBA bubble at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. That’s the boring and most simple way you could describe what happened because in reality, it was a demolition that was honestly stunning. This is a Storm team that, while missing head coach Dan Hughes due to him being a high health risk, has the majority of its core roster still from the 2018 championship team. Breanna Stewart is back from injury, Jewell Lloyd and Alysha Clark are there, and Sue Bird is back for another go. This team is stacked and entered the Wubble as the title favorite.

And the Mystics crushed them from the word go in an 89-71 victory, despite being without the reigning MVP in Elena Delle Donne, two other starters in Natasha Cloud and LaToya Sanders, and their biggest offseason addition, Tina Charles. This is a team playing the literal version of the next woman up mentality and they crushed the Storm with ease. If this is surprising to you, do not feel bad, because just about everyone projected at least some form of step back from Washington, which begs the question: How exactly are the Mystics doing this?

It has been three total games so we should take all of this with a grain of salt and acknowledge that there’s a long way to go, but given it’s a shortened 22-game season, we are 14 percent of the way through the regular season and Washington has two wins over expected contenders in Phoenix and Seattle.

When watching the Mystics, something that stands out is how the general aspects of their system have remained largely unchanged. You would think that a team missing the majority of their key starters would change the system up to fit the massive changes, but instead they have opted to keep the status quo and just shift roles and workload over to different players on the roster. The result is players looking comfortable playing within a familiar system, even as they take on expanded roles. They already know where they need to be and what they would be doing at any given moment. They’re still firing away from three-point range and seeking out ways to create shots there as much as they can. They led the WNBA in attempts from deep last season and they’ve spent the bubble shooting 25+ times in two of their three games. The only time they didn’t shoot 20, was 17 against the Fever, and they dropped 100 points on them so obviously the deep ball wasn’t really necessary.

This is a high powered offense that knows how to function even without its stars thanks to a system that works. They seek out the deep ball and they shoot it with great accuracy. The sheer volume of shots from deep gives them an edge, but of course, that shot wouldn’t have much weight behind it if the defense wasn’t there to back it up. Defending three-point shooting can at times feel sporadic and random, but the Mystics close out on teams. They force them into bad shots. They have yet to give up 90 points in a game while themselves scoring no less than 89. That 89 came against the Storm after they had already wrapped up the game and rested throughout the fourth. They’re playing incredible defense while at the same time scoring in bunches. This is what elite teams do and the Mystics look elite even without their traditional stars.

Elevating players to expanded roles only works if those players take advantage of that opportunity and no one has done that better than Myisha Hines-Allen. Before this season, Hines-Allen’s career high in points per game was 3.8 which she earned in 10.5 minutes per game of play in her rookie season. Her sophomore year she fell to 7.8 minutes and only scored 2.3 points per game. She wasn’t exactly looked towards as a top offensive option for the Mystics, but through three games now she has scored 27, 17, and 16 and is one of the top three leading scorers on the team.

The two other players that have been taking on starring roles are Ariel Atkins and Aerial Powers. Atkins started every game in 2019, while Powers was a fairly important piece off the bench, so both seemed like strong candidates to take on a heavier load with so many key pieces not in the bubble. They, too, have thrived, shooting a crazy percentage from three-point range and helping propel this offense from the perimeter, but Hines-Allen has truly been a surprise force that has not only taken on a heavy volume of the offense but has thrived in it.

Hines-Allen stepping up out of nowhere is a great example of what the Mystics have managed to do so far. They’ve taken a season that had the potential to be lost due to external forces and have refused to back down from their quest to defend their title. While you shouldn’t feel bad if you doubted the Mystics entering the season, if you continue to doubt them from this point on then you are merely fooling yourself.