Category: Worldwide

COVID-19 has upended a lot of conventional wisdom as it pertains to fighting back against a deadly crisis. These days, for most people, the best way to step up to protect the health of yourself and others is to do as little as possible.

This flies in the face of the old adage that “evil happens when good people do nothing.”

2020’s heroes are embracing the old Taoist proverb, “When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.”

The German government is commending those who’ve had the courage, persistence, and bravery to do nothing during the pandemic in a new ad campaign. The country is currently in the middle of an emergency lockdown to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The three-video series starts with an old man recalling his “service” to the nation in the winter of 2020, “when the whole country’s eyes were on us.”

“I had just turned 22 and was studying engineering when the second wave hit,” Anton Lehmann says during an interview conducted decades in the future.

“At this age, you want to party, study, get to know people, go for drinks with friends…Yet fate had different plans for us,” he said.

The video then cuts to footage of Lehmann as a young man indulging in aggressively unhealthy snacking with his eyes glued to the television.

“Suddenly, the fate of this country lay in our hands,” Lehmann said. “So we mustered all our courage and did what was expected of us, the only right thing. We did nothing. Absolutely nothing. Being as lazy as raccoons.”

“Day and night we kept our asses at home and fought the spread of the virus,” he continued. “Our couch was the frontline and our patience was our weapon. This is how we became heroes, back then, during that corona winter of 2020.”

The German government has produced two follow-up videos. The second follows the story of Lehmann’s future wife, Luise. In the video, she says that she was feeling great about the couple’s future before COVID-19 hit.

“The whole country put their hopes in us young people. So we plucked up all our courage and did nothing,” Luise Lehmann said as the video shows the pair lying in bed while eating a bucket of fried chicken.

“We lazed around in bed, met as few people as possible, and with that stopped the spread of COVID-19,” she added, saying they were “special heroes.”

A third video follows the story of an elderly Tobi Schneider who became an unlikely hero in 2020 due to his extreme laziness.

“Before the pandemic, I was, without doubt, the laziest person to tiptoe through this country, I almost never left my flat, played computer games without any kind of ambition, and ate cold ravioli straight from the tin because I was too lazy to heat it up,” Schneider says.

“My friends called me Lazy Tobi but I was too lazy to get annoyed about that,” he says.

“And when the virus spread, I remained the same lazy sack of potatoes that I was before,” he continued. “But unlike me, the world had changed: to contain the virus, people were urged to stay at home, doing nothing suddenly became a public service, laziness could save lives and I was a champion in that.”

The campaign is a great reminder to anyone who ever just wanted to chill out without feeling compelled to achieve anything for a few months, that now’s your time to shine. There will be no other point in your life when you can get away with doing absolutely nothing without being judged. So what not take advantage?

Think if it as taking time to rest up before life returns to normal when the vaccine becomes available.

Ready to be a hero?

The Mandalorian is one of the biggest streaming hits of all time, so it only makes sense that it’s crashing its way into one of the biggest video games of all time. Baby Yoda, Mando, Cara Dune and more are now available in a brand new Star Wars mash-up pack for Minecraft, which is reportedly the largest DLC pack for the building game yet. The pack includes 12 “diorama” planets and 36 Star Wars skins from the classic trilogy all they way up to the latest (and most adorable) addition to a galaxy far, far away. Via Variety:

The 12 Star Wars planet dioramas, which are connected in Minecraft by “Hyperspace” travel, include Tatooine, Endor and Hoth (key planet settings from the original trilogy) as well as Nevarro and Sorgan from “The Mandalorian.”

There are 36 Star Wars character skins for Minecraft including Baby Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, C-3PO, RD-D2, Jabba the Hutt and more. The DLC also features pilotable vehicles like speeders, X-Wings and the Razor Crest (from “The Mandalorian”), among others.

The Minecraft pack marks the first playable video game version of Baby Yoda (officially known as The Child). Shortly after The Mandalorian‘s first season debut, the little guy popped up in a Star Wars Battlefront II mod, which was not officially sanctioned by Lucasfilm and was only available to PC players. Baby Yoda can also be seen in the recently released Star Wars: Squadrons, but he’s only a cosmetic item in your ship’s cockpit. This time around, he’s finally a playable character, so don’t be surprised to see Baby Yoda popping up in all kinds of creative designs in the month’s ahead.

You can watch the trailer for the Minecraft Star Wars DLC Pack below:

And speaking of making surprise appearances, here’s the soup-slurping Child bouncing around a spaceship in actual space. The tiny dude is everywhere.

(Via Variety)

Billie Eilish previously revealed that her recent single “My Future” was completed from start to finish in just a couple days. Now she has spoken more to that point, revealing that the song’s quick incubation period came thanks to an idea from her mother.

In an interview with BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Eilish credits her mother’s suggestion that she and Finneas set a regular work schedule during the pandemic for helping them write the song in just a day, saying, “Probably a month into quarantine, my mom had this idea, because we hadn’t worked at all and we were completely uninspired and we were home all day and we didn’t think about anything. My mom was like, ‘What if you guys made a schedule, you know? Just like, three days a week, this time to this time, making sure that you have time put aside so you guys can work. If it was on a schedule, maybe it would help you guys be more productive or whatever.’ We were like [whiny voice], ‘Oh, that’s so f*cking stupid.’ We did it and on the first day, we wrote ‘My Future.’ The first day.”

Finneas also spoke about his and his sister’s schedule in a recent Vanity Fair video, saying they usually start at around 1 or 2 p.m. and work for a few hours in the studio in his house. He said, “Billie and I have a pretty structured work schedule. We find that the easiest way to be productive. So she comes over on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and we’ll work all day on whatever we feel like making. The rest of the times are divided up between songs of my own [and] songs of other artists that I’m producing or helping write.”

Watch both videos above.

It’s impossible to hear “Jingle Bell Rock,” which is probably playing on a loop in your nearest CVS, without thinking of Mean Girls. In Tina Fey’s teen-comedy masterpiece, the Plastics, made up of Regina (Rachel McAdams), Gretchen (Lacey Chabert), Karen (Amanda Seyfried), and Cady (Lindsay Lohan), perform the Christmas song at the Winter Talent Show, presumably winning the $20 gift certificate to Applebee’s, or whatever, over K.G. and the Power of Three (they were robbed). The performance comes complete with a thigh-slapping dance that was almost even racier.

“The moment written in the script but we couldn’t figure out how to do was, ‘They do some sexually embarrassing dance move.’ It was a lot of effort coming up with, ‘How do we do that?’ They were going to turn and stick their posteriors up in the air,” director Mark Waters told Entertainment Weekly. “And then they showed it to me, and I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s too much! Go with something else.’” Through rehearsals, the Plastics settled on a “stripper thigh slap,” which “ended up being the funniest part of the scene. And Neil Flynn’s reaction shot!” It’s some strong “well I never!” energy from the Janitor.

Mean Girls successfully challenged the MPAA to keep its PG-13 rating over the “wide-set vagina” line. It probably wouldn’t have been victorious if the original moves had stayed in. The Mean Girls Christmas dance isn’t a regular dance, it’s a cool dance.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Billie Eilish run through a mall and the release of a highly anticipated hip-hop collaboration. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

Lil Uzi Vert and Future — Pluto x Baby Pluto

While fans were certain that Lil Uzi Vert and Future’s joint project would be released this summer, their collaborative album, Pluto x Baby Pluto, is out now. The good news for people who enjoy the project is that hours after its release, Uzi teased that he and his collaborator have another project on the way soon.

Billie Eilish — “Therefore I Am”

Going to the mall isn’t high on the list of the best activities during a global pandemic, but Billie Eilish makes it work in the video for her new single, “Therefore I Am.” In the self-directed clip, Eilish runs through an empty mall and enjoys its offerings all by herself as she sings along with the song.

Kanye West — “Nah Nah Nah (Remix)” Feat. DaBaby and 2 Chainz

After sharing the majority of the remix in October, Kanye West officially dropped the new version of “Nah Nah Nah” with DaBaby and 2 Chainz. The latter rapper references recent criticisms of Kanye, rapping, “If one more person call me and ask me, ‘What’s wrong with Ye?’ / That’s a grown man, I can’t tell him what he can and can’t say.”

2 Chainz — So Help Me God!

The Kanye remix wasn’t 2 Chainz’s only collaboration of the week, since he has a bunch of them on his new album, So Help Me God!. Peppered throughout the 15-song tracklist are Youngboy Never Broke Again, Lil Wayne, Mulatto, Lil Uzi Vert, and Kanye.

Lil Nas X — “Holiday”

Prior to last week, it had been a minute since Lil Nas X actually released a new single. He returned with “Holiday,” though, complete with another cinematic visual.

Chris Stapleton — Starting Over

Uproxx’s Steven Hyden writes of Stapleton’s latest, “Starting Over goes down extremely easy, which I suppose is a criticism. But it’s also the best compliment I can pay this record.”

Benee — Hey U X

Benee recently told Uproxx of her new album, “I think with this album, I haven’t really held back on experimenting with genres and even lyrics. Maybe I would have been more hesitant to do some of the things that I’ve done on this album in my previous bodies of work.”

Phoebe Bridgers — “Iris” Feat. Maggie Rogers

Phoebe Bridgers made an enticing promise as the results of the presidential election were in doubt, vowing to cover the Goo Goo Dolls classic “Iris” if Trump didn’t secure re-election. Well, it looks like he hasn’t, so she delivered her cover and even recruited Maggie Rogers to help out.

Foo Fighters — “Shame Shame”

After teasing a new album for a spell, Foo Fighters officially announced Medicine At Midnight and debuted “Shame Shame” with an SNL performance. They then released the studio version of the track, a drum-driven effort that’s not quite like anything they’ve done before.

Run The Jewels — “No Save Point”

Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed so much that El-P and Killer Mike were publicly discussing their work on the soundtrack back in December 2019. As another announced release date for the game creeps nearer, though, the duo have released their Cyberpunk song “No Save Point,” of which Mike said many moons ago, “We want to provide you with the soundtrack for f*cking sh*t up.”

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

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro mostly discusses politics, but sometimes he ventures out into entertainment. Most famously in recent days, he was taken aback by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP,” and a video of him reciting the song’s lyrics went viral. Now he has focused his attention on Harry Styles and his affinity for women’s clothing.

Styles and Candace Owens went viral today after Owens criticized Styles recent dress-filled Vogue photo shoot. Owens tweeted, “There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men.” Shapiro showed support for Owens’ perspective, tweeting this morning, “This is perfectly obvious. Anyone who pretends that it is not a referendum on masculinity for men to don floofy dresses is treating you as a full-on idiot.”

Shapiro continued his series of tweets:

“Masculinity and femininity exist. Outward indicators of masculinity and femininity exist in nearly every human culture. Boys are taught to be more masculine in virtually every human culture because the role of men is not always the same as the role of women. The Left knows this, of course. The POINT of Styles doing this photo shoot is to feminize masculinity. Otherwise why would it be headline-worthy for Styles to don a dress? The Left knows this; they openly say that gender is both important and socially constructed (which is why they tell you that a man can be a woman, e.g., despite no biological underpinning).”

Meanwhile, Owens has since expanded upon her original comments. Fellow conservative commentator Matt Walsh tweeted, “Candace Owens is trending because a bunch of whiney idiots are mad that she said men who wear dresses aren’t manly. Her statement, of course, is true and utterly self-evident, and would have provoked no reaction as recently as a decade ago.” Owens shared the tweet and responded, “Wait until they find out that I also think women should be feminine — and I enjoy cooking for and taking care of my husband. DEFCON 1.”

Find Shapiro’s tweets below.

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

Last summer, the Oklahoma City Thunder shocked just about everyone in the NBA when they traded Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers to help facilitate L.A.’s signing of Kawhi Leonard. Just a year prior, the Thunder had given George a max deal to play with Russell Westbrook and, they hoped, build another contender in OKC.

However, two straight disappointing first round exits led to George quietly asking to be dealt to his hometown team, and the subsequent year and a half has seen the Thunder put together the largest stockpile of draft assets and young players this side of the Process Sixers. Even more incredibly, they’ve done that while still being a playoff team this past season — thanks to the efforts of Chris Paul who they acquired, along with picks, for Russell Westbrook.

On Monday, word broke that the Thunder had agreed to trade Paul to the Phoenix Suns, where he’ll join Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and a young supporting cast that was one of the best stories of the Bubble, going 8-0 but falling just short of the postseason. In that deal, the Thunder have acquired yet another first round pick, alongside Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, and Jalen Lecque. Listing out everything the Thunder have received for their two former stars puts into perspective the massive haul they have gotten as well as illustrates the importance of timing and recognizing opportunity when it presents itself.

From the trades of Paul George and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder now have:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Kelly Oubre Jr.
Ricky Rubio
Ty Jerome
Jalen Lecque
Heat 2021 first-round pick
Suns 2022 first-round pick (protected 1-12)
Clippers 2022 first-round pick
Heat 2023 first-round pick (protected 1-14)
Clippers 2024 first-round pick
Rockets 2024 first-round pick (protected 1-4)
Clippers 2026 first-round pick
Rockets 2026 first-round pick (protected 1-4)
Pick swap rights with the Clippers in 2023 and 2025
Pick swap rights with the Rockets in 2021 and 2025

It’s quite the haul, especially when considering they got all of this, plus Danilo Gallinari who is now an unrestricted free agent and unlikely to stay in OKC, and managed to be the 5-seed out West this past season, pushing the Rockets to seven games in the first round. Now the rebuild seems to be officially on, but with Gilgeous-Alexander, Rubio (who could be moved again), and Oubre, along with their home-grown young talent, they figure to be at least competitive again this season (albeit not with postseason expectations) even as they move on from the likes of Dennis Schröder.

What Sam Presti has done in acquiring assets is spectacular, but the work is really just beginning. The question now is what they can turn all those assets into, either in these numerous drafts or in bringing star caliber players to Oklahoma City via trade.

What do rappers look like? The simple answer is “yes,” given by Nicki Minaj after posing the brazen hypothetical “f*ck I look like, hoe?” on “Up All Night,” a collaborative effort with Drake. While the acknowledgment of her affirmative style is simple, she speaks to the importance of image as a tool to build success in mainstream rap music.

Throughout history, swagger and spirit have etched career-defining moments onto pop culture timelines and boosted some profiles from rap artist to rap superstar. Since hip-hop culture emerged style, beauty, and fashion, began a symbiotic relationship with the genre. Artists at the forefront have pushed the envelope on personal style, amplified designer brands, and created fashion trends that define significant eras and illustrate what a rap artist looks like.

Pioneers of the sound ushered streetwear trends into the mainstream arena. As rap music became a viable industry, the sneakers, boots, caps, and gold jewelry — previously only worn by Black and brown teenagers and young adults — were now on magazine covers, posters, and, eventually, runways. As hip-hop evolved, so did the pathway from the recording booth to the fashion designer showrooms, department store racks, cosmetic campaigns, and now digital storefronts.

Rappers not only look the part, but they also sell it. Rocking designer labels, starting a brand, or launching a collection is a prerequisite to superstardom. Aligning with a brand benefits both the artist and company. For instance, LL Cool J’s Kangol cap or Run DMC’s Adidas jogging suits and sneakers became synonymous with their sound, building an identity that distinguished the artists from their peers.

Industry leaders such as Jay-Z, Diddy, 50 Cent, and T.I. added to their resume beyond their discographies with their own fashion brands to brag about on wax. There are outliers, however, that break the mogul mold. Acts such as Kriss Kross and Dem Franchize Boyz may not be the first rap acts evoked when the conversation is hip-hop style icons but their individual presentations and contributions add to the determination of what rappers look like and how fashion in hip-hop can empower careers.

Gender roles play a huge part in how rappers present, especially for the ladies. Women in hip-hop add to the answer with a defiant, creative expression. Taking on societal pressures and misogynistic double standards, from baggy clothing to spandex pants to purple pasties to pink bangs, artists such as Left Eye, Salt and Pepa, Lil Kim, and the aforementioned Minaj introduced their own version of femininity to a male-dominated game.

So, how to answer the question, what do rappers look like? Taking bits and pieces from every generation and the individual cycles that exist inside these constraints, the answer is a tattooed figure sporting a bold colored lace wig over a head of dreadlocks (also known as “locs”) on one side with a fresh cut fade on the other, wearing leather pants, a tall-tee decorated by gold chains, strutting on stage with one stiletto and one Timberland boot, finished with a bandana tied under a Kente cloth kufi.

In reality, a rapper’s look cannot be bound. They continue to evolve with an homage to the past, awareness of the present, and an eye for the future.

Below are five (but not all) of the looks, moments, and trends that define what modern rappers look like and cemented placements for artists in hip-hop style history.

J. Cole, DJ Drama and Brandon T. Jackson’s “Who Wore It Better” Moment

At the 2013 BET Awards, three men showed up in virtually the same outfit. J. Cole and DJ Drama joined actor Brandon T. Jackson, wearing a Versace print shirt, heavy chain, dark denim, and black shoes. The moment did not place anyone on a best-dressed list, however, it caused the North Carolina rapper to question the notion of looking like a rapper. During a 2019 interview with GQ, Cole shared how the style fail encouraged him to embrace an unconventional look without the pressure to conform.

“I’m like looking in the mirror like, ‘Who the f*ck is this?’” he questioned.

Now, on the rare occasions that J. Cole is spotted, cameras shoot free-flowing ‘locs, non-flashy clothes, and minimal jewelry. Although he is considered one of rap’s biggest talents to emerge this generation, his approach to looking like a rapper counters most of his peers, predecessors, and descendants.

Lil Kim’s “Crush On You” Video

Black women in hip-hop have pioneered mainstay beauty and fashion trends throughout the decades. In February 2020 in a now-deleted Tweet, JT, half of hip-hop duo City Girls, asked, “What color hair should I wear?” She went with a turquoise wig for the appearance. Her question, though simple in nature, highlights the versatility of Black hair and beauty brought to the mainstream by the hip-hop community. Since Lil Kim’s iconic multi-hued looks in the “Crush On You” video, the trend of colorful weaves and wigs officially maneuvered from the “girls on the block” to the girls on stage as the two became one. The primary-colored wigs rocked by Lil Kim are carved in beauty and fashion history, and as women continue to shake up the industry, their weave bundles and braids follow suit. Artists such as Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and Saweetie not only wear multi-colored tresses, they rhyme fluently about the lavish lace front wigs expertly installed on their heads.

Cardi B x Fashion Nova

Cardi B’s career has been unconventional since her early days as an Instagram personality. Now the bonafide rap icon has sold millions of records, won a coveted Best Hip-Hop Album Grammy, and introduced the style of the Bronx “Binderella” to a global audience. Although she has worked with brands like Gucci, dressed in archival Mugler, and released her own sneaker with Reebok, her partnership with fast-fashion brand Fashion Nova is perhaps her most impactful fashion statement. Her curated collection gave fans the opportunity to wear the same clothes as their favorite, helped turn the brand into a household name, and made the company a style choice for other hip-hop artists. Her record-breaking releases highlighted rappers as influencers capable of boosting digital brands and also opened the door for burgeoning rap artists to partner with social media popular retailers.

Busta Rhymes 1997 VMA Kimono

The New York rapper’s eclectic looks never overshadowed the powerful punches landed by his rapid lyricism. Busta’s music videos and personal style helped to redefine what rappers look like by incorporating vivid colors, unconventional fabrics, and long-loc’d ponytails. Georgia rap duo Outkast also had a similar influence, juxtaposing campy fashions and videos against gritty storytelling and metaphors. Today rappers such as Young Thug, Amine, Lil Uzi Vert, and Tierra Whack are embraced for their similarly quirky, idiosyncratic approach to style.

Gucci Mane’s Ice Cream Tattoo

In 2011, a pre-rehabilitated Guwop debuted a fresh tattoo. The rapper sports a body full of ink, so a new piece of work did not surprise many but the location, however, caught some off guard. The Atlanta-bred rapper presented a freshly tattooed ice cream cone on his cheek. The cone reads his adlib “brrr” across the top and the three scoops are decorated with lightning bolts. While he is not the first rapper to pop out with face ink, his approach to the permanent art with a carefree attitude mirrored in his music was adapted by many to add to the definition of what rappers look like. The combined influence of Gucci Mane and Lil Wayne, whose face tattoos are more significant, produced a gang of inky bodies and faces.

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

For years, word has circulated that Christopher Nolan isn’t a big fan of phones, and that’s partially true. He doesn’t like to see phones on film sets, and his movies often feel larger-than-life and geared toward the big screen, so it’s easy to assume that he might not love people watching his movies on phones, but that’s not the case. The Dark Knight Trilogy director has been a huge proponent of the cinematic experience to the point that he was reportedly a major force behind Warner Bros. releasing Tenet in theaters, but a new book reveals that Nolan has always been fine with people watching films on their mobile devices. Why? Because the viewers’ mind will essentially replicate the theater experience for them. Via IndieWire:

“‘Well, do you have a problem with people seeing ‘Dunkirk’ on my phone or whatever?’” Nolan asked himself before answering, “No, I don’t. But the reason I don’t is because it’s put into these big theaters as its primary form, or its initial distribution. And the experience trickles down, to the extent where, if you have an iPad and you’re watching a movie, you carry with you the knowledge and your understanding of what that cinematic experience would be and you extrapolate that. So when you watch a TV show on your iPad, your brain is in a completely different mindset.”

While Nolan has a reputation for being an intense cinephile, at the end of the day, he fully recognizes that movie-making is a business, and his push for getting audiences into theaters is all part of the “bums in seat” mentality. Once that initial theatrical run is over, he has no delusions or expectations that people won’t whip out their phones to catch his latest blockbuster. In fact, Nolan welcomes it, which is probably a good attitude to have as the theater industry is facing some dramatic changes in the months ahead.

(Via IndieWire)

The Chris Paul era in Oklahoma City has come to an end, and the beneficiaries are none other than the Phoenix Suns. Rumblings popped up last week about a potential deal that could see Phoenix acquire the All-Star guard, and according to multiple media reports, that will come to fruition on Monday afternoon shortly after the NBA’s trade season began.

Both Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic report that talks between the two sides have nearly reached their conclusion, with the 35-year-old guard moving to Phoenix.

The pair also confirmed the pieces that will be on the move beyond Paul. Phoenix will additionally acquire Abdel Nader from Oklahoma City, while the Thunder will bring in quite the haul of veteran players, youngsters, and a future first round Draft pick.

As for that pick, Charania offered details on the protections for that.

It is unclear if the Thunder plan on keeping Rubio in particular as they enter their youth movement, but at the very least, they possess a potentially valuable future pick and a collection of youngsters headlined by Oubre. As for the Suns, they landed perhaps the most coveted player on the trade market right now, and give Devin Booker a veteran backcourt mate who gives him a little more flexibility to play off the ball. Phoenix was the story of the NBA’s Orlando Bubble’s seeding games, going 8-0 and narrowly missing out on the postseason, but with this deal, it’s evident that they have zero plans on missing out on the playoffs in 2020-21.