Mxmtoon began casually writing songs as a high schooler. At first, her intent was not to become a full-time musician but her earnest voice was relatable for audiences and her early music garnered a large fanbase. Now, a few years older, Mxmtoon continues to hone her reflective songwriting. Following the release of her Dawn EP back in April, the singer flexes her moodier side with the announcement of her Dusk EP.
Mxmtoon announced the upcoming project with a moonlit video alongside her brand-new track “Bon Iver.” Through the song, Mxmtoon evokes late-night nostalgia and reminisces on nighttime drives, fireflies, and listening to Bon Iver with one she holds dear.
In a statement, Mxmtoon explained the inspiration behind her new track:
“When we think of nightfall, we often associate it to the ‘end’ of something. the ‘Bon Iver’ music video is meant to counter that notion, and to spark thought over the possibilities that are ahead instead. a day does not just end when the sun goes down, you continue to find wonder and joy despite the dark, and a whole other world awaits you as the moon glides overhead. new beginnings are not limited to a rising sun, your world is what you make it whenever you choose to begin.”
After staging one of the wildest free agency coups in recent memory, the Los Angeles Clippers came into the 2019-2020 season armed with one of the most fearsome duos around the league in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. All this despite the fact that Kawhi had just won a championship in Toronto and George was still under contract with the Thunder.
You can now comfortably pencil in the Clippers as a perennial contender in the West, the perfect foil for their in-arena rivals in L.A., whose own superstar duo in LeBron James and Anthony Davis is just as formidable. And though the Lakers have managed to edge them out for the No. 1 seed in the West with a cushy 5.5-game lead going into Orlando, they are very much the biggest threat to the Lakers quest for title No. 17.
We won’t waste anytime before we see their final head-to-head matchup of the season, as the Lakers and Clippers will square off in prime-time Thursday night on TNT to help kick off the remaining seeding games in what could be a tantalizing preview of a potential Western Conference Finals showdown. They’ll be shorthanded for that game, with Montrezl Harrell still out of the bubble, Patrick Beverley waiting to clear quarantine, and Lou Williams in the midst of a 10-day quarantine. Eventually, they expect to have all three back for the playoffs, and when that happens, they’ll be as tough an out as any team in the league.
ROSTER
Patrick Beverley
Amir Coffey
Paul George
JaMychal Green
Montrezl Harrell
Reggie Jackson
Kawhi Leonard
Terance Mann
Rodney McGruder
Marcus Morris Sr.
Joakim Noah
Patrick Patterson
Landry Shamet
Lou Williams
Ivica Zubac
SCHEDULE
Thursday, July 30 — 9:00 PM — vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Saturday, August 1– 6:00 PM — vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Tuesday, August 4 — 4:00 PM — vs. Phoenix Suns
Thursday, August 6 — 6:30 PM — vs. Dallas Mavericks
Saturday, August 8 — 1:00 PM — vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Sunday, August 9 — 9:00 PM — vs. Brooklyn Nets
Wednesday, August 12 — 9:00 PM — vs. Denver Nuggets
Friday, August 14 — TBD — vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
STANDINGS
1. Los Angeles Lakers: 49-14 2. Los Angeles Clippers: 44-20 (5.5)
3. Denver Nuggets: 43-22 (7.0)
4. Utah Jazz: 41-23 (8.5)
5. OKC Thunder: 40-24 (9.5)
6. Houston Rockets: 40-24 (9.5)
7. Dallas Mavericks: 40-27 (11.0)
8. Memphis Grizzlies: 32-33 (18.0)
9. Portland Trail Blazers: 29-37 (21.5)
10. New Orleans Pelicans: 28-36 (21.5)
11. Sacramento Kings: 28-36 (21.5)
12. San Antonio Spurs: 27-36 (22.0)
13. Phoenix Suns: 26-39 (24.0)
EXPECTATIONS
No surprise here, the Clippers have their sights set on bringing home their first championship in franchise history, a goal that eluded the Lob City crew that preceded this iteration of the team. George and Kawhi are among the very best two-way players at their position in the NBA, creating nightmare matchups that most opponents simply don’t have a solution for, and their depth and flexibility up and down the roster is head and shoulders above just about any other contender in Orlando. A tenuous 1.5-game lead over the Nuggets for the No. 2 seed makes the eight-game regular-season slate just interesting enough, but a relatively-light schedule leaves little cause for concern about them potentially slipping in the standings.
X-Factor
The X-factor could very well be that aforementioned depth. The Clippers are loaded, but finding the minutes to spread around in the postseason, when rotations tend to shrink, is something Doc Rivers will have to puzzle out as he goes along. Depending on the opponent, we could see markedly different lineups and rotations in each round of the postseason as Rivers navigates his depth chart to suit his size and defensive needs. Having all that talent and flexibility is a good problem to have.
Biggest On Court Question
With Kawhi once again load-managing his way through the regular season before the shutdown, it’s tempting to say that the biggest question is whether we have a large enough sample size of George and Kawhi together on court to draw definitive conclusions about their potential for dominance. When they have played together, they’ve been nearly as unstoppable as you might expect.
Their start in the bubble hasn’t exactly been ideal. Montrezl Harrell, Patrick Beverley, and Lou Williams all had to leave Orlando for personal emergencies, and in Williams’ case, it turned into a media spectacle that has required an additional 10-day stint in quarantine. Regardless, the Clippers should be back at full strength when it matters most.
The four-month-plus hiatus might have been the biggest boon for a team that has battled injuries all season — particularly George who says he is finally, fully clear of his shoulder issues. The question of whether they can stay healthy for the next few months might be the difference-maker in their quest to take home the organization’s first championship.
Teenage Bounty Hunters is a fun thing to say out loud. Try it: “Teenage Bounty Hunters.” That’s some Buffy the Vampire Slayer-level camp right there (it’s also more appropriate to mention in casual conversation than the original title: Slutty Teenage Bounty Hunters). The Netflix series, from Orange Is the New Black and GLOW producer Jenji Kohan, is about two teenagers who are also — and I cannot stress this enough — bounty hunters.
The teens in questions are fraternal twins Sterling (Maddie Phillips) and Blair (Anjelica Bette Fellini), who despite being close, “they have opposite personalities. Sterling is an overachiever with a quick wit and a strong imagination, and she takes her school and religious studies seriously. Blair is outspoken, opinionated, and a non-conformist.” They link up with bounty hunter Bowser (Kadeem Hardison), who brings them into his world after a chance encounter. Based on the fun trailer above, explosions ensue.
Here’s more on Teenage Bounty Hunters:
Rebelling against their buttoned-up Southern community, sixteen-year-old fraternal twin sisters Sterling (Maddie Phillips) and Blair (Anjelica Bette Fellini) Wesley team up with veteran bounty hunter Bowser Jenkins (Kadeem Hardison) for an over-the-top adventure as they dive into the world of bail skipping baddies and suburban secrets while trying to navigate high school drama — love, sex, and study hall.
Teenage Bounty Hunters premieres on Netflix on August 14.
The Weeknd debuted his vibe-heavy record After Hours at the beginning of the pandemic lockdown. The record quickly soared to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and stayed there for an impressive four consecutive weeks. Ever since, the singer has shared a handful of mind-bending, animated videos to accompany his songs.
Now, The Weeknd is taking virtual form to perform a live concert through the social media app TikTok. Dubbed The Weeknd Experience, the singer will adopt an animated avatar to perform music from his latest record to fans in the digital realm.
Along with offering fans a much-needed source of entertainment, The Weeknd Experience will also benefit charity. Funds raised during the show will benefit The Equal Justice Initiative, an organization committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. Fans can donate directly through TikTok and they will match all donations made up to a “generous amount.”
In a statement, TikTok organizers said they hope the event will be unforgettable: “#TheWeekndEXP will gather everyone from all walks of life to create legendary memories through a combination of featured hashtag challenges, creative effects, and a must-see experience.”
The Weeknd Experience kicks off 8/7 at 8:30 pm ET. RSVP to watch the virtual concert on TikTok here.
Jaden‘s always been a bit of a flower child — and taken an undue amount of online abuse over it — but in the video for his new song “Cabin Fever,” he fully embraces that characterization, cruising his candy-colored convertible on the way to a beach hang in pursuit of his quarantine crush. Although the brightly-colored video truly leans into the eye-popping hippie aesthetic, it doesn’t shy away from commenting on the moment, drawing parallels to protests in both eras.
Will and Jada’s son has seen quite a career evolution in the past few years. Although he started out making relatively straightforward hip-hop on his first studio album, Syre, then inverting it for a smart satire on its follow-up, Erys, “Cabin Fever” finds him following the footsteps of his close friend Tyler The Creator, leaving the constraints of the genre behind in favor of more free-flowing experimentation. Where Tyler’s Igor adopted elements of ’60s soul, Jaden seems to be looking to that era’s pop rock for inspiration, finding his groove on the song and in the video, which sees him whip out some pretty nifty dance moves in his signature New Balances.
Whatever is up next for the 22-year-old, his latest song is giving fans plenty of reason for excitement.
The NBA is back. After a four and a half month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league will restart the 2019-20 season at Disney World on Thursday evening with a double-header of games on TNT: The New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz will square off at 6:30 p.m. EST, followed by a tilt between the Los Angeles squads at 9 p.m.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen basketball, and for the 22 squads that are in the bubble, they’re going from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye, as eight seeding games will determine who plays for a championship this year. Before that begins, we wanted to look at each of those squads and try to answer their biggest questions before things tip off and the race to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy begins, starting at the bottom of the standings.
Washington Wizards: Can they pull off a miracle?
The bad news for Washington is that John Wall won’t be able to return for the bubble, while Bradley Beal is out with a shoulder injury and Davis Bertans has decided to opt out of the restart as well. It would take a miracle for them to make up the gap on the eight seed — the Orlando Magic are 5.5-games up right now, but the Brooklyn Nets (currently six games up on Washington) are dealing with a thin roster of their own. Maybe Rui Hachimura morphs into a killer wing scorer, or Isaiah Thomas is able to explode, or Thomas Bryant cannot be kept from imposing his will in the paint. But in all likelihood, this is about getting younger dudes run before next season, when a healthy Washington side will have postseason aspirations. They only need to get within four games to force a play-in series, but even that seems like an exceptional long shot.
Phoenix Suns: Can they set the table for a playoff push next year?
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Phoenix is in a similar boat to Washington, although they’re heading into the bubble healthy and ready to battle. The Suns are a team that has struggled to establish a foundation in recent years, but the bubble gives them a chance to do just that — Devin Booker is playing in meaningful basketball games for the first time in his career, as are other young pillars like Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges. Jumping five teams and getting the 8-seed seems nearly impossible, especially considering they’re six games back of No. 8 Memphis right now. They’ll be a handful to deal with, though, and at the very least, we’ll get to watch Booker cook dudes on offense, Ayton continue his development as a two-way player, and Bridges do ludicrous stuff like this on defense.
San Antonio Spurs: Is this the last time we’re going to see Pop?
The rumblings about Gregg Popovich having an eye on retirement at some point in the not-too-distant future have been around for awhile, but he’s continued to stick around. Unfortunately for the Spurs, it’s hard to see a way for them to leap four other teams, especially because they’re four games back of the 8-seed and will not have the services of LaMarcus Aldridge in tow. Then again, if anyone can figure out how to take some bubble gum, a straw, and a paperclip and MacGyver the kind of rocket ship San Antonio would need to strap on their backs en route to pulling off a miracle, it’s Pop. Still, here’s to hoping that the next time we see him after this all comes to an end isn’t during next summer’s Olympics.
Sacramento Kings: Do they have the horses to leapfrog three teams?
Prior to the season going on hiatus, Sacramento was one of the hottest teams in the league, winning 13 of their last 20 games and getting within striking distance of the 8-seed. Finding that form as soon as they can once games starts, especially considering they have a pair of tilts against the Pelicans, will be crucial. It would help plenty if both De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, two very good players, can make something of a leap and go from a pair of very good players to a pair of superstars. They’ve been the forgotten team in a lot of discussions about the race for 8th in the West, as they’re tied with Portland and New Orleans, and can force the acknowledgement of the basketball world by getting into a play-in.
New Orleans Pelicans: How do they handle expectations?
The Pelicans have been in a pretty interesting situation this season. No Zion Williamson for the first half of the year or so meant that their job was to stay afloat, then upon Zion’s return, they looked and played like a playoff team. Now, New Orleans faces the easiest schedule of any team in the league in Orlando, and even their toughest game will occur against a Los Angeles Clippers team that is not at full strength. Veterans like Derrick Favors, Jrue Holiday, and J.J. Redick will be gigantic in this endeavor, but the Pelicans’ numerous youngsters are getting thrown head-first into the deep end, and guys like Williamson and Brandon Ingram will learn early on if they’ll sink or swim.
Portland Trail Blazers: Can a suddenly stout frontcourt make up for a questionable wing rotation?
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Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic are back, which is a gigantic boost for a Blazers team that was relying heavily on Hassan Whiteside and Carmelo Anthony in the frontcourt. With two legitimate centers and two legitimate power forwards, Portland can roll out some gigantic lineups in support of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. The issue is at the three, where the Blazers are basically a gigantic question mark. Anthony likely doesn’t have the quickness to play there for lengthy stretches anymore (but it seems they’ll try that), and it might come down to hoping one of Mario Hezonja, Nassir Little, or Gary Trent giving them consistently solid minutes.
Orlando Magic: Can a healthy team give a top-2 seed problems?
Currently the 8-seed in the East, Orlando seems like a safe bet to leapfrog the 7-seed Nets, which sit a half-game up entering the bubble but have issues we’ll dive into momentarily. While picking them to go on a run in the playoffs is a stretch, Jonathan Isaac being back from a knee injury is huge as the lynchpin of their defense. It’s a good chance to get run for their youngsters — Mo Bamba, Markelle Fultz, and Isaac — alongside the vets who are going to be in Orlando for a long time after they went all-in on bringing this group back last summer.
Brooklyn Nets: Can they survive?
Here’s a list of players who Brooklyn won’t have in the bubble: Wilson Chandler, Spencer Dinwiddie, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, and Taurean Prince. While Jarrett Allen, Joe Harris, and Caris LeVert are wonderful players, and we cannot wait to hopefully watch a game or two where Jamal Crawford gets thermonuclear hot, this is going to be a monstrous undertaking for Brooklyn. The cushion they have on the Wizards should all but guarantee a playoff berth — and at absolute worst a play-in series — but doing much of anything against a team like the Bucks or Raptors is going to be brutally difficult.
Memphis Grizzlies: [see question posed to New Orleans Pelicans, only with a harder schedule]
Most everything has gone right for the Grizzlies this season — both of their first-round draft picks have been sensational, to the point that Ja Morant is the Rookie of the Year frontrunner and Brandon Clarke should make a whole lot of ballots. Seemingly all of their younger players have improved, while their veterans like Jonas Valanciunas have all been great at doing whatever has been asked of them. But now, they have five teams gunning for their 8-seed and have a brutally difficult schedule while they’re in Orlando. The good or bad news for Memphis is they face all three of their chief competitors for the 8-seed early on. Losses in those games brings those teams much closer to them, but it also gives them the chance to pull away. If they just take care of business, what those teams do won’t matter.
Dallas Mavericks: What does Luka magic in the bubble look like?
Is anyone else overjoyed at the thought of watching Luka Doncic play basketball again? Dallas is kind of playing with house money, insofar as no one expects them to get out of the Western Conference, but unless they’re playing the Lakers, Clippers, or Rockets, they will have the best player in the court in any series in they play thanks to Doncic. This is a great first taste of (extremely weird, mind you) playoff basketball for him and Kristaps Porzingis, and with Dallas hoping to go star hunting in free agency sometime soon, those two showing out on a team that’s a bit ahead of schedule would certainly help.
Philadelphia 76ers: Take your pick of about 10,000 different questions.
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In no particular order: Is Ben Simmons shooting threes a thing now? Is Shake Milton at the point the answer, and if not, how does the rotation change with Simmons presumably needing to move back there from the four spot? Can things work with Al Horford coming off the bench? Can Joel Embiid stay healthy? Can Brett Brown put this funky roster in position to win games and potentially convince ownership he should stick around? Can Tobias Harris play like a max player on a nightly basis? Are guys like Josh Richardson and Matisse Thybulle able to space the floor enough? Will the indomitable home team or the limp road team show up in the bubble? If things don’t work, what does this offseason look like? The Sixers are, quite possibly, the weirdest team in basketball, and have a wildly high variance of possibilities for how this restart goes, as everything from “unmitigated disaster” to “win the title” on the table.
Indiana Pacers: Can Victor Oladipo be Victor Oladipo?
The Pacers got a gigantic boost when All-Star guard Victor Oladipo announced he had done a 180 on his decision to sit out the bubble to continue rehabbing his surgically-repaired quadriceps. While he hadn’t always looked like himself during the 13 games he played after returning from injury, Oladipo has had an additional four months to work on getting his body right. Him playing to the level we all know he can achieve is particularly huge following the news that All-Star Domantas Sabonis had to leave the bubble to seek treatment on a foot injury. Keep an eye on how Oladipo plays during the Pacers’ first game, a tilt against the Sixers that is monstrous for seeding purposes in the East.
Houston Rockets: How does hyper-small ball work now that teams have seen it?
Right around the trade deadline, the Rockets decided to embrace a small ball to an extent we’ve never seen. Instead of being a card the team can throw out every now and then, Houston traded Clint Capela and decided that players like P.J. Tucker, Robert Covington, and Jeff Green — all of whom are 6’8 or shorter — will battle with bigs. When it’s worked, the Rockets have been a wonderfully chaotic team that unlocked Russell Westbrook’s ability to play at a billion miles an hour better than anyone else in the league. There could be justified skepticism about how this works when games slow down in the playoffs, but between the success they’ve had and the fact that James Harden has had four months to get his body right, the Rockets are a dangerous side in the bubble, with, like Philly, a wild variance in potential outcomes.
Oklahoma City Thunder: How much higher can this team go?
Their backcourt trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chris Paul, and Dennis Schröder has been nothing short of magnificent this year — Gilgeous-Alexander is a budding star, Paul should be in MVP consideration, and Schröder will get a ton of love for Sixth Man of the Year. Danilo Gallinari has continued to be quite good, Steven Adams is a load, and every button Billy Donovan has pressed has seemed to work. This is not the best team in basketball, not by a long shot, but everything they’ve done has been effective, and they’re a mere 2.5 games back of the 3-seed in the Western Conference. They’ll have their sights set on continuing to shock teams in the West in Orlando.
Miami Heat: Can their young guns come up big as the playoffs go on?
Miami’s core of veterans — Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala, Meyers Leonard, Kelly Olynyk — are all battle-tested in the postseason. Their head coach knows what a team needs to do to compete for championships. But as we have seen all year, the Heat have some excellent youngsters, and when they are cooking, they can be awfully hard to beat. Players like Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Derrick Jones Jr., Kendrick Nunn, and Duncan Robinson have either had just a scant taste of playoff basketball or are completely new to this, and while this organization takes pride in being able to out-tough opponents when the going gets tough, the metal of these youngsters will be tested like never before once the postseason rolls around.
Utah Jazz: Where do things stand with both halves of their backcourt?
With Mike Conley, things are easy enough. The veteran guard has been up and down during his first year in Salt Lake City, and the Jazz need him to play up to the level he is capable of playing if they want to make any sort of a run. With Donovan Mitchell, playing like an All-Star would certainly be huge, as would him and Rudy Gobert getting on the same page following a … let’s call it tumultuous couple of months. Even if Bojan Bogdanovic wasn’t injured, those two would hold the keys to everything for the Jazz. With him out, it’s now imperative both are firing on all cylinders for Utah to have a shot at making noise in the postseason.
Denver Nuggets: Do they have enough firepower around a slimmed-down Nikola Jokic?
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It can be easy to forget that Denver was a Game 7 away from making the conference finals last year. Still, this team has the All-Star big man who completely transformed his body over the last four months and a collection of players around him who have been banged up or arrived in the bubble late. Jamal Murray consistently playing like someone who just got a gigantic contract extension would help, as would consistent play from Will Barton and Gary Harris. The best version of the Nuggets is one where everyone — those guys, Paul Millsap, Michael Porter Jr., etc. — are spacing the floor and moving around Jokic, providing him the space and flexibility to do all the incredible stuff he is capable of doing. If they can do that, and the svelte looking Jokic’s body can hold up with the physical demands that’ll be placed on it, Denver is going to be a nightmare to play in the postseason.
Boston Celtics: Is Jayson Tatum prepared to win them basketball games?
Jayson Tatum is really, really good. The Celtics have a number of very good players, but Tatum is the one who is looking to get a max deal at the end of this year and might be the best bet to get a bucket in big moments. Add in that Boston isn’t going to have Gordon Hayward at some point this postseason when he departs the bubble to be with his wife as they welcome a new child into this world, and Tatum’s going to have to do a whole lot of heavy lifting. The Celtics’ aspirations of winning the Eastern Conference make a whole lot of sense, and while Kemba Walker is an All-Star in his own right, the third-year forward out of Duke might be in the best position to raise their ceiling from “conference title contender” to “conference winner.”
Los Angeles Clippers: Is Paul George 100 percent back to being Paul George?
A major question is their center rotation — with no Montrezl Harrell for an undetermined period of time and Ivica Zubac joining the team late, Joakim Noah will probably play more minutes than anyone could have anticipated when he joined the team. But when the Clippers went star hunting this past offseason, it was with the hopes of getting a pair of names that could bring them a championship. Kawhi Leonard has been magnificent, while Paul George has been good, but not quite the All-NBA caliber player he’s capable of being. He’s admitted a need to be more accepting of contact after shoulder surgery. He says the hiatus allowed him to finally, fully recover from his shoulder issues, and if he’s able to get over that hurdle and can impose himself on games, the Clippers might win a title regardless of who is playing at the 5.
Toronto Raptors: Is Pascal Siakam ready to be the man?
There is a ton to like about the defending champions, which have carried the title of champions around with immense pride even though they lost a pair of starters from that squad. They’re deep, tough, and smart, but while their 2-12 can go haymaker-for-haymaker with any team in the league, Pascal Siakam is their star. When the going gets tough, he’s the guy who has to battle with Giannis Antetokounmpo, or LeBron James, or Kawhi Leonard, or any other No. 1 they come across in the playoffs. He got a great glimpse of how you do this last year thanks to Leonard, and he’s been really good this year. Life after Leonard had the potential to be tough. Siakam has been a major reason why that hasn’t be the case, and he’ll be the driving force in them continuing to shock people should they make another deep run.
Los Angeles Lakers: How does Anthony Davis handle the spotlight?
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LeBron James is the NBA’s ultimate trump card and there is zero reason to think he won’t be able to do something special during the playoffs. Anthony Davis has made the playoffs twice in his career and ran into the Golden State Warriors at the peak of their powers — once in a first round sweep, once in a second round gentleman’s sweep. He’s now going to be expected to help carry a team to a championship. The good news is that there’s zero reason to think he won’t do this, because he has been outrageously good this year and the perfect player to take the floor alongside King James. The Lakers’ guards entering the playoffs are a bit suspect, so they’re going to need Davis to come up as big as he has all year if they want to bring the Larry O’Brien trophy back to L.A.
Milwaukee Bucks: Can they keep being the best team in basketball during the most important postseason in franchise history?
The Bucks are just so good. When they are able to get into a rhythm, they are the league’s best squad, and it’s hard to imagine anyone beating them four times in seven games in that circumstance. The question, though, is what happens when a side that has mowed through everyone they’ve faced finally gets punched in the mouth — as we saw last year against the Raptors, when Milwaukee is unable to do what it wants to do (a very, very hard thing to pull off) they have struggled to adapt to a Plan B. Is that still the case, especially considering how when they were bounced last year, a report immediately came out saying that the team needs to make the Finals if they want to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo? While he’s said all the right things, and turning down the amount of money he’s going to be offered by the Bucks is going to be impossibly hard to turn down, Antetokounmpo wants to win. The conversation about where he’s best suited to do that will be a pretty quick one as long as Milwaukee does what’s expected and makes a really, really long run this postseason.
Most celebrity memoirs are disappointingly boring, a PR move for an extremely famous people to control their own narrative — and make a lot of money in the process. We, the readers, want the good stuff. Matthew McConaughey, please bring the good stuff.
The Oscar winner, whose breakout role came in 1993’s Dazed and Confused, announced this week that he’s publishing his first memoir, Greenlights. “So, ever since I learned to write, I’ve been keeping a journal, writing down anything that turned me on, turned me off, made me laugh, made me cry, made me question, or kept me up at night,” McConaughey said in a video posted to social media. “Two years ago, I worked up the courage to take all of those journals off into solitary confinement just to see what the hell I had. And I returned with a book.” I’m buying 12 copies based on the cover alone.
Cosmically thoughtful McConaughey is one of my favorite McConaugheys (Professor McConaughey is up there, too). The Interstellar star named the book Greenlights because “it’s a story about how I have and we all can catch more of them in this life we’re living. We don’t like the red and yellow lights because they take up our time. When we realize that they all eventually turn green, that’s when they reveal their rhyme. That’s when life’s a poem and we start getting what we want and what we need at the same time.”
McConaughey will have to make room on his awards shelf for a Nobel Prize. He has space from the time he was sure he and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days co-star Kate Hudson were going to win Choice Movie Liplock at the 2003 Teen Choice Awards, but lost to Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas in Sweet Home Alabama. I’m still upset.
Drake is a wealthy person, and that’s not a fact that he hides. In June, he showed off his massive home in a video of him hitting a long-range cornhole throw, and a couple months before that, he offered a ride on his private jet to raise money for coronavirus relief.
Now, the Canadian rapper is back with another example of his extreme prosperity, and it serves as a tribute to Tupac. He commissioned jeweler Jason Of Beverly Hills to make him a pair of chains featuring Tupac’s face, one wearing a red bandana and the other one opting for blue. Both are wearing crowns of thorns, and the pair wasn’t cheap.
A half-kilo of gold was used to make both pendants, and each one hangs on a 70-carat diamond chain. both pieces took a total of 150 hours over the course of five weeks to make, and they cost $300,000 each, so $600,000 for the pair.
Drake has a long history with loving Tupac. He referenced him in his early music. In 2011, he bought a neon sign that said, “Less Drake, More Tupac,” and explained why he was actually flattered by it. In a 2013 interview, he was asked which song he wished he had recorded, and his response was Tupac’s “Pain.” He paid tribute to Tupac with his outfit at an NBA Finals game last year. Just last month, he showed off a check signed by Tupac that he had bought on eBay.
Tequila has been unfairly labeled either “shooters” or “margarita mixers” for far too long. The truth is, the blue agave-based distillate from the Jalisco Highlands can be every bit as refined as any single malt whiskey or dark rum. There are more than enough potential variations in the production process to keep any spirits aficionado engaged.
One of the best examples of just how good a good tequila can be is Olmeca’s Altos line. The Plata, Reposado, and Anejo were all featured on the @UproxxLife IGTV “Expressions Session” this week. Sadly, I only got to taste two bottles while our guest, chef Isaac Toups, tasted all three. Don’t cry for me just yet. I’ve been to this distillery pre-COVID and I’m very familiar with the anejo, which didn’t make it to my door in time for the tasting.
As far as this tequila goes, it is my personal go-to for all-around enjoyment. I keep this stuff stocked in my house and use it for palomas, margaritas, and tequila highballs. Plus, the anejo is a great sipper that barely needs ice. Check my tasting notes below!
The beauty of Altos is plainly apparent in the unaged Plata. This, arguably, can be sipped with ease. The tequila is grown sustainably in the Jalisco highlands and hand-harvested by jimadors. The pinas (agave hearts) are then slow-roasted before getting smashed by a classic Tahona stone.
The juice is fermented and twice distilled in copper pots. That’s it.
Tasting Notes:
This is a classic unaged tequila. There’s a clear sense of vegetal agave that dances with bright citrus. The sip leans into the lime notes with hints of herbs and a mild sweetness pinned to that roasted agave.
Bottom Line:
This is a stellar go-to for any and all tequila-based cocktails.
This expression uses the Plata above and ages it for six to eight months in 200-liter white oak that previously held bourbon. The aging process may not seem particularly long (especially when it takes at least two years to make bourbon). But the warmer climate and high-altitude help the spirit age more quickly, adding depth in a hurry.
Tasting Notes:
The agave and citrus are still present but now are accompanied by a sense of bourbon vanilla and a hint of oakiness. The roasted agave is the star of the show as the bourbon-seasoned wood leads to a hint of mild spice and whisper of nuttiness. The sip fades quickly and leaves you with all the agave, wood, and spice filling your senses.
Bottom Line:
This also makes for a killer mixing tequila, especially in highballs. But you can absolutely get away with sipping this one on the rocks.
The last tequila in the Altos line was aged for a total of 18 months in old bourbon oak. This expression truly feels like a culmination of the decades of experience Maestro Tequilero Jesús Hernández brings to the table. It’s refined, unfussy, and shockingly easy-to-drink.
Tasting Notes:
Roasted agave greets you with a sense of dark spice and fatty nuts next to an almost butter-fried banana note. The sip’s velvet nature embraces the wood, vanilla, agave, and spice. A late hint of dark chocolate bitterness helps really draw out the spice and nut flavors as the sip slowly fades.
Bottom Line:
Drink it with a single rock after enjoying a mole-based dish.
How is it possible to choose the best Beyonce song? She is an artist with a discography so vast, so influential, so disparate, that it’s possible for nearly everybody on the planet to have their own favored version of their own cherished track. As a performer, her ability to morph and combine songs from all across her catalogue has birthed new renditions over the years, and across six solo albums, prior material with Destiny’s Child, and a collaborative album with her rapper husband Jay-Z as The Carters, the sheer magnitude of music she’s created makes it very challenging to narrow down to song selections.
For the sake of this list, then, of say, her 30 best songs — though at least 30 more remain on the debating room floor, equally deserving of a place here, depending on the argument — the scope includes only Beyonce solo tracks. Nothing from the Destiny’s Child discography, The Carters’ album, or her guests on other people’s songs will be included here.
And though her later work on her self-titled album Beyonce and the visual album Lemonade have had a monumental impact on pop culture in recent years, this list is careful to balance contemporary feelings about those records with the way her early music hit when it was released, and how it has managed to hold up over the last two decades. Which is to say if any intentional scale-tipping has been taken place, it’s to err away from overrating those records simply because they are more recent. It’s to take a look at Beyonce songs across the last seventeen years, and attempt to rank them in order of importance, acclaim, and relevance. On the eve of her next chapter, Black Is King, here is one attempt, from one moment in time.
30. “Best Thing I Never Had”
Album: 4
Most of us have been dumped at some point in our lives, but it takes a whole new level of maturity to get to the place where the dumpee can see it as a blessing. Enter Beyonce, queen of showing every woman, man and child their self-worth — but especially women — letting her ex know that she has absolutely no regrets about how things played out. The clever title is a play on words that will come up again and again with Bey, who is much more lyric savvy than she gets credit for, and the triumphant, piano-ballad feel sets this apart from bitter revenge anthems with a sweet twist. “I’m the one that’s got away,” she asserts, “It sucks to be you right now.” Obviously, all of Beyonce’s ex-boyfriends feel that way every single day.
29. “Partition”/”Yonce”
Album: BEYONCE
I love a hidden track as much as the next girl, so the inclusion of “Yonce” as the second half of “Partition” always made these dichotomous tracks feel all the more resonant. Kicking off the first half by telling the crowd to call her by her married name, she pivots after about two minutes into the track to narrate an even more intimate relationship between her and her partner — but from a very different perspective. It’s a fascinating juxtaposition of what it means to be a wife, a superstar, and a sexual being all at once.
28. “Freakum Dress”
Album: B’Day
Young Beyonce seems like exactly the kind of girl I’d want to go to the club with. She’s not interested in actually cheating on her man, but loves using the dance floor and the attention of other men to showcase just how stupid he would be not to get his act together. Not only does she offer plenty of feminist and political anthems, but she’s also never afraid to embrace femininity in order to gain the upper hand in a romantic relationship, either. And yes, most of us have that one item of clothing that makes us feel indestructible. It’s nice to have a song in ode to that.
27. “Sorry”
Album: Lemonade
Come on, who else on the planet has a chance in hell of getting Serena Williams to star in one of their music videos? The video is iconic, but so is the total go-to-hell vibe of this whole song. The phrase “song cycle” is frequently used to describe albums, but it suits a collection of tracks like Lemonade that literally do cycle through every stage of reacting to infidelity in a relationship. Beyonce manages to graduate to gracefulness and forgiveness, the rest of us petty b*tches can lurk back at the “Sorry” phase of “boy, bye” with middle fingers up.
26. “I Care”
Album: 4
Heartbreak anthems come and go, but nobody can weave anger into their sadness like Beyonce. Instead of the usual lies that loneliness and recently single people tell themselves, feigning apathy or immediately moving on, Bey isn’t afraid to be honest. “I Care” is cathartic in a different way, letting every moment of how painful dissolution can be ring true. And once you hear the power of admitting just how much you care, it’s hard to shy away from it, even if the end of the relationship is inevitable.
25. “Diva”
Album: I Am… Sasha Fierce
“A diva is a female version of a hustler.” That line is so cinematic, I wish the real Sasha Fierce would play it out across two and a half hours of dance scenes and couture outfits. Or, maybe it was a rebuttal to Jay-Z’s incessant conversation about his early hustling days. One of the best things about this song is it’s basically hip-hop, as Beyonce raps all over the beat long before she was spitting bars on the leaked, pitch-shifted demo “I Been On.”
24. “Get Me Bodied”
Album: B’Day
Another early classic from the Beyonce discography, “Get Me Bodied” showcases Swizz Beatz at his best — and this song was also a co-write with Beyonce’s sister Solange. Sonically, Bey would build on this song for “Single Ladies” but it also shares DNA with the unstoppable party attitude of “Party” and the feeling-myself energy of “Freakum Dress.” The version of the song we’re all most familiar with is dubbed “extended mix” and comes in at a whopping six minutes, yet every moment feels essential.
23. “Daddy Lessons” Feat. Dixie Chicks
Album: Lemonade
Remember when the Dixie Chicks stood up for what they believed in politically, and had their whole career torched? Well, Beyonce remembers. And as a bit of karmic grace, she recently appeared with newly-christened The Chicks at one of their first public performances in a long time, adding them to a country-infused track off Lemonade. “Daddy Lessons” was good on its own, but with the additional harmonies from The Chicks, and the fact that Beyonce went and performed it at the Country Music Awards for a pretty notoriously conservative, white audience, it rose in the ranks as one of her finest and most subversive moments.
22. “Déjà Vu”
Album: B’Day
On an album that had a total of three Jay-Z features and not a single appearance from any other rappers, “Déjà Vu” still managed to be one of the best collaborations the pair ever did. Or maybe these earlier collaborative works feel more impactful because they came before we knew the whole saga and dynasty that these two would build together? Nah, it’s definitely the impeccable brass, funk, and Darkchild production. Sort of a sister song to “Crazy In Love,” this cut didn’t have near the critical and commercial acclaim, but it’s definitely still notable.
21. “Freedom” Feat. Kendrick Lamar
Album: Lemonade
It’s easy to see that Beyonce likes to challenge herself by constantly selecting new styles and collaborators, trying to create music she hasn’t done in the past. “Freedom” is the perfect example of that, as she enlists the current greatest rapper alive, Kendrick Lamar, to bring another politically-charged angle to Lemonade. It might not be in the top 20 songs she’s ever done, but it definitely deserves honorable mention in the next ten, partially just because it’s such an anthem, and partially because “a winner don’t quit on themselves” is a historic affirmation.
20. “Ring The Alarm”
Album: B’Day
There are a lot of arguments to be made as to why you should stick with your two-timing dude, but not wanting the girl he’s cheating on you with to get access to a luxury lifestyle has to take the cake. Then again, in the era of a divorce rate that’s close to 50%, who has a better perspective on the nitty-gritty of how these things actually play out than the Beyonce generation? The real, intense anger that she imbues her voice with on this track is spectacular, necessary catharsis. “Ring The Alarm” walked so Lemonade could run.
19. “Pretty Hurts”
Album: BEYONCE
A pop song written by Sia for Katy Perry, that was later put on hold by Rihanna’s manager, and finally snatched up by Beyonce, “Pretty Hurts” isn’t a perfect ballad by any means, but it’s definitely one of the most interesting ones of the last few decades. It’s not that women haven’t quietly revealed just how much pain and suffering they go through for the subjective, sickening, patriarchal standards of beauty that have dominated a woman’s place in society for eternity, it’s just that no one has done it with quite the dramatics that Beyonce possesses. It’s an instant classic, and something that Bey’s younger and more impressionable female fans in particular, will always need to hear.
18. “Dangerously In Love”
Album: Dangerously In Love
If a new project from Beyonce is hotly anticipated these days, it’s hard to imagine how eager critics and fans were to hear her first solo album ever back in 2003. As the title track for her first-ever album, this song stands as an example of where she started, and how much she already had going for her. Even though it’s a relatively downtempo track, she still manages to find pockets of drama and flair. Not quite a wedding love song (unless?), but definitely a fascinating representation of what R&B music sounded like in the early 2000s, and how clearly some of her earliest music holds up.
17. “Countdown”
Album: 4
Lots of people I respect and admire consider this to be Beyonce’s best song! I see the argument. It’s an extremely clever, musically complex tune, and in any other artist’s discography it probably would be top five. And as far as the lyrical trope of using a countdown, this is probably the best time that device has been invoked. Somehow, all the bombast, horns, and lyrical trills come together in a song that doesn’t feel overdone.
16.“Drunk In Love”
Album: BEYONCE
Beyonce has already been “Dangerously In Love,” and last time we checked she and Jay-Z were “Crazy In Love,” so “Drunk In Love” gives their status a lighthearted, heady update. Like a lot of songs on her self-titled album, this one is strangely personal, discussing waking up drunk in the kitchen and getting extremely horny when drunk and partying. This is such a far cry from the more buttoned-up and formal version of Beyonce we got at the beginning of her career — aka “Dangerously In Love” era — that it’s fun to watch the progress. As she gets older, she loosens up and settles in. Finally, let’s give a shout to the way this song transformed the word “surfboard” forever.
15. “Halo”
Album: I Am… Sasha Fierce
Wedding song alert! “Halo” is half-reference to faith-based traditions, half over-the-top praise of a partner who is so committed and wonderful that they register as angelic. It doesn’t hurt as a call-in to all her religious fans, that’s for sure. And yet, it’s not so overtly Christian that it alienates anyone chilling in the secular realm. The call and response of the chorus is a technique shes uses elsewhere to great effect later in her career, and for some reason this song always makes my eyes water a little. Total coincidence, not tears at all.
14. “Hold Up”
Album: Lemonade
Although the iconic Lemonade drop definitely worked best as one cohesive film, and individual songs didn’t feel as strong when broken out into tracks, “Hold Up” was one of the standouts from the record. In the video, Bey swings a baseball bat at a car or two, walking through a dystopian town clad in yellow like an avenging angel of infidelity. For those who love the indie music world, this song not only interpolates a lyric from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs beloved song “Maps” — “they don’t love you like I love you” — but was also co-written by Ezra Koenig (of Vampire Weekend) and Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty.
13. “Upgrade U”
Album: B’Day
This might be my favorite Beyonce song, period. Even if you disagree, this is definitely the Jay-Z collab that best sums up their relationship. Jay thinking he doesn’t need help from anybody at all, Beyonce carefully going through each aspect she plans to improve in his life without an ounce of derision. It’s a laundry list of a partnership that makes both parties better, but with allusions to Martin Luther King Jr. and the iconic line “ran by the man but the women keep the tempo,” Bey includes plenty of sly references to the unsung power women have always held, even when it was behind-the-scenes. The other great irony of the Beyonce/Jay-Z partnership is how she has completely eclipsed him in the latter half of their careers. At least she upgraded him early on so he can keep up with her now.
12. “If I Were A Boy”
Album: I Am… Sasha Fierce
Another absolutely iconic music video, “If I Were A Boy” dives into the way society and the overwhelming forces of the patriarchy so often result in men carrying on all sorts of emotional and short term affairs without any consequences. But watching it from the flip side, Beyonce doing all the flirting and line-crossing while her good-loving man looks up jewelry for her and sits alone at the table with breakfast he made, is downright fascinating. Nobody is advocating for either gender to be treated that way by a partner, but her gender-flip is a pretty powerful one — especially for 2008 when this song came out. Also, Beyonce portraying her selfish, unfaithful player as a cop? Chef’s kiss.
11. “1+1”
Album: 4
There are songs about young love, toxic love, and plenty of songs about love gone wrong, but Beyonce also manages to specialize in songs about “marriage love” — long-term, worts and all, in it to win longevity anthems. That’s exactly what “1+1” is, and it has been a staple on plenty of grown and sexy playlists for close to a decade now without losing an ounce of its charm, or commitment. If there’s anyone who can make being with one person for the rest of your life sound sexy, it’s Beyonce.
10. “XO”
Album: BEYONCE
Though the overall tone for Beyonce’s self-titled album was relatively dark and gothic, “XO” stands out as one of the brightest and most carefree songs on the record. She uses the motif of space travel to convey her feelings this time, even including a sample from the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, an aircraft that infamously crashed right after its launch. Though Beyonce later clarified the song was meant to bring to the families of those who lost loved ones, it received criticism for inclusion of the audio footage. But, divorced from that bit of pop culture ephemera, “XO” will continue to shine as another standout in Bey’s pantheon of love songs. And the call and response of the chorus is a great tie back to her earlier classic love song, “Halo.”
9. “Run The World (Girls)”
Album: 4
Beyonce had slowly but surely become an icon for female empowerment, particularly for Black women and women of color, but “Run The World” took the cause to a whole new level. Built upon a sample of “Pon de Floor” by Major Lazer, the song’s unstoppable feel and the tongue-in-cheek slang refrain “who run this mother?” gave it a more intense feel than a lot of her other more sensual work. “Run The World” was the lead single off Beyonce’s celebrated album 4, but didn’t perform as well on the charts as some of her other singles, peaking at No. 29. Retrospectively, it seems like a clue that as her music got more interesting, definitive, and politically-minded, that commercial performance might dip a little, but her core fans would become more engaged than ever.
8. “Crazy In Love”
Album: Dangerously In Love
The whole “name a better duo, I’ll wait” meme might as well have originated with Beyonce and Jay-Z. All throughout both of their careers, the two have collaborated many, many times on songs, and pretty much every time it’s resulted in a better song than either of them would have made alone. As one of the earliest and most public of their duets, “Crazy In Love” dropped multiple hints that the two were together, as their relationship still wasn’t public back then, became a No. 1 hit and won an R&B Grammy. Not too shabby, no wonder they kept repeating the formula for the next seventeen years.
7. “Party” Feat. Andre 3000
Album: 4
In her early career, Beyonce had a good working relationship with Kanye, as he was often closely collaborating with her husband, Jay-Z. This song has a lot of the carefree, lighthearted vibes that made early Kanye productions so beloved, and even the way it samples Doug E. Fresh’s 1985 song “La Di Da Di” has Ye’s fingerprints all over it — and then there’s the 808-beat. But the real cherry on top here? Andre 3000’s absolutely iconic verse, as he’s still such a rarity as a guest, particularly on a pop-oriented song. Not only is this song great to play at parties, it’s great to listen to when you’re home, alone, in need of a pick-me-up. Just try not to smile at the rapid-fire puns 3-Stack comes up with. Along with “Love On Top,” this track ranks up there as one of the best Beyonce songs to play at a wedding.
6. “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
Album: I Am… Sasha Fierce
The music video that sparked a million parody clips, like a good number of songs on this list the accompanying choreography for “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” was almost more popular than the song itself. In a world where divorce rates are at an all-time high, and cohabitating or long-term relationships without traditional commitment are much more common, this song still resonated with plenty of women hoping for that final step in their courtship. Another satisfying kiss-off with a mesmerizing video to boot, it’s also important to note that this video is the reason Kanye and Taylor’s feud began (!) No doubt the VMAs are about as full of regret about not selecting this video as the guy in the song is about losing his girl.
5. “Me Myself & I”
Album: Dangerously In Love
No one does jilted like Beyonce, as the number one song on this list so clearly illustrates, and though there is a time for stewing, a time for tears, and a time for busting out freakum dresses, this song is a tried and true reminder to ground down into yourself. Plenty of songs in her canon are soothing in their own ways, but this one in particular is a very healing balm. Additional note: When you hear a woman blasting this song, it’s best to leave her the f*ck alone.
4. “Flawless”
Album: BEYONCE
Sometimes it seems like Beyonce just wants to reiterate that she can make every kind of music, any genre of song. The gritty, venomous “Flawless” video brings that point home, even as the lyrics hone in on feminism more directly than anything else in Bey’s catalogue. Channeling a lecture from Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie mid-song, “Flawless” turns a self-empowerment anthem into a broader text that, again, ventures into the political realm without abandoning pop song elasticity. There are confidence-boosting songs, and then there’s “Flawless,” the best feminine hype up track to date. And it would be remiss not to mention how she once again turned a simple phrase — “I woke up like this” — into a battle cry.
3. “Formation”
Album:Lemonade
Plenty of people will argue this is Beyonce’s best song, and it certainly had the best and most effective drop of any single she’s ever released. After surprise-releasing her self-titled album a few years earlier, Bey used the same format for her visual album Lemonade, dropping this single first before the rest of the album. Clearly the standout track off the record, it was the political nature of the lyrics that really set it apart from a lot of Beyonce’s other work, and what has made it strike such a chord with critics over the last few years, as pop music is increasingly called to tackle the political realm.
Sonically, it’s a powerful conglomeration of influences like Big Freedia and New Orleans bounce, with essential elements from Mike Will Made It and Rae Sremmurd, but the lyrics and the swag are all Beyonce herself. It felt like a very intimate look inside the mind of a singer who, at that point, had largely stopped giving interviews or letting her private life be known to the public outside of a carefully curated Instagram (or leaked footage of an elevator fight).
While it might not be her best ever, “Formation” is an incredible song, made perfect by the accompanying music video directed by Melina Matsoukas. The visual reimagines Southern history in a way that’s both subversive and inclusive, giving plenty of shine to her self-proclaimed “country” roots, addressing the Black Lives Matter protests that arose after Ferguson, and the way the federal government poorly handled administering aid to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It’s an unparalleled political statement, tackles a number of disparate subjects, and draws them all together into a cohesive pop culture moment. The big shout out to hot sauce in purses doesn’t hurt, either.
2. “Love On Top”
Album: 4
The quintessential wedding, anniversary, and relationship celebration song, “Love On Top” is probably best understood as Beyonce’s tribute to Michael Jackson. This is never more apparent than in the song’s simple, hammy video, where her dance moves and facial expressions are cruise ship-ready, yes, but also seem to be a nod to the Jackson 5 era. Later lyrical allusions let us know she’s a fan (“Formation”) and keep in mind, this was all before the accusations of child abuse were highlighted via the Leaving Neverland doc and changed how his career is viewed.
Back to the music — entire music theory blog posts have been written about the song’s quick, sure-footed modulations, and the fact that Bey spans through five keys through the course of the song is more than just impressive, it’s outstanding. From a music theory standpoint, this is definitely one of Beyonce’s most excellent tracks, and the fact that a mainstream pop star is bringing this kind of heat adds another dimension to the many realms Bey can claim dominion over.
Despite everything she’s been through in her romantic relationship, as of our current moment Beyonce and Jay-Z remain intact, so even though it’s back-dated, this song also functions as a celebration of her own relationship. Happy endings don’t necessarily have to be boring, they’re just more simple and straightforward, and another excellent thing about this song is the lyrics are totally gender-neutral, making it an inclusive love song suitable to celebrate any style or level of relationship. It is, simply, a perfect love song.
1. “Irreplaceable”
Album: B’Day
Just like Beyonce herself, the best song in her catalogue is “Irreplaceable.” I know I’m going to get a lot of blowback on this pick, but stick with me. Though Bey’s place in the music world has shifted considerably in the 2010s due to the impact of her self-titled album, that towering coup de grace, Lemonade, and of course, her historical Coachella performance and accompanying live album and documentary, it’s important to not let our current proximity to those moments eclipse how fantastic her earlier work was, too.
First of all the phrase “to the left” has been plucked from the obscurity of simple direction-giving and turned into a kiss-off for men who can’t get their act together. Even years after the song initially dropped, you can hear cashiers humming it to themselves at the grocery store, teens singing along to it when it comes on in the car, and of course, the Bey Hive using it online to school the less educated on the proper worship of their deity. She’s turned plenty of random phrases into signature moments, but this one is so ubiquitous it’s almost impossible to hear it without falling into a verse or two of the song.
That’s to say nothing of the jilted lovers who can use it as a sort of talisman when in pain, and, who knows the hurt of being cheated on better than Beyonce? Her public airing of the emotional arc she experienced during a period of infidelity in her marriage has helped normalize conversation around that specific betrayal. And while her personal story ended in reconciliation, so many relationships never reach that grand plateau of forgiveness, and it’s the many expressions of pain on this subject she’s recorded over the years that might become her greatest legacy, with “Irreplaceable” as the greatest of them all.
The lyrics to the song are about how easy it is to replace a man, not-so-subtle undercurrent hinting that it’s the woman singing it who is one in a million. There’s the immaculate side-eye she gives in the video, the campy, dramatic filing of her nails, the girl band who joins toward the end of the clip to help keep spirits light. It’s the rare song about a breakup that’s actually about female empowerment, an expression of internal joy and self-confidence instead of mourning what’s lost or missing a man — it hits like a girls’-night-out anthem, not like a breakup song.
Beyonce’s uncanny ability to turn what, for most of us, would be the lowest point in life, into another chance to celebrate her own self is on full display here. This song was a warning shot, a planted flag, and a prophecy. She is, forever, irreplaceable. All other challengers for this top spot can step aside and wait in line where they belong — to the left.
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