Category: Worldwide

In just one week, Deftones will release their anticipated new album Ohms, their first record in over four years. They’re offering another advance look in ahead of then, though, with a video for “Genesis.” The track begins with buzzing synths and atmospheric, post-rock-style guitars. From there, it bursts into a heavy alt-metal onslaught with alternately screamed and sung lyrics from Chino Moreno.

Moreno recently told Uproxx of the new album, “‘Heavy’ is kind of subjective, you know? The last thing I ever want to do is be quoted saying, ‘This is our heaviest record!’ The first thing that’s going to happen is some dude’s going to be like, ‘No way dude! This is…’ You know what I mean? It’s kind of subjective. But I do feel like it’s got a little more energy. I think that is attributed to everybody being engaged completely. Everybody firing on all cylinders. There’s not one of us individually that was sort of sitting back just going along. Everybody was very present physically and emotionally, ready to work and to put the work in.”

Watch the “Genesis” video above.

Ohms is out 9/25 via Warner Records. Get it here.

Deftones is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

UK singer and producer Labrinth just scored his first-ever Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics thanks to his Euphoria soundtrack standout, “All For Us.” The song, which ended the emotional rollercoaster first season, was nominated alongside Pharrell and Chad Hugo’s “Letter to My Godfather” from The Black Godfather, Thomas Mizer and Curtis Moore’s “One Less Angel” from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ “The Way It Used to Be” from Watchmen. Reznor and Ross won the Emmy for the dramatically-titled Outstanding Music Composition For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special award.

Since scoring Euphoria, Labrinth released his second studio album Imagination & the Misfit Kid, which he called a “concept collection about a child who sells his imagination to a businessman in exchange for success.” “All For Us” likewise appears on the album, along with the single “Something’s Got To Give.” Zendaya, who stars in Euphoria as lead character Rue, appears on “All For Us,” while Labrinth duets with “Sia” — with whom he formed the group LSD, also including Diplo — on album closer “Oblivion.” Labrinth is also nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for the Euphoria episode “Bonnie and Clyde.” His competition in that category includes Ludwig Göransson for the The Mandalorian episode “Chapter 8: Redemption” and Nicholas Britell for the Succession episode “This Is Not for Tears.”

After being controversially replaced in an award-winning ad campaign that he created, John Boyega publicly stepped down as the brand ambassador for UK fragrance company Jo Malone. While the company issued a statement apologizing for its mistake, the real life Jo Malone is “humiliated” over how poorly Boyega was treated.

While Malone is no longer involved with the brand after selling it to Estee Lauder in 1999, the company still bears her name, and the British perfumer did not enjoy seeing it associated with the Boyega controversy. “How dare somebody treat him [like that], and he finds out he is replaced on social media?” Malone said on a Friday segment of the UK morning show Lorraine, via Variety. “They never spoke to him. That for me is utterly despicable and is disgusting.”

Malone is also upset over the brand’s second attempt at an apology, which involved simply repeating its earlier statement to Boyega and adding that Malone had no involvement in the controversy. “This is my life, this is his life,” Malone said. “Don’t sit behind an apology, no one’s being human about this. Jo Malone London, Estee Lauder corporation, this is your mess, clear it up.”

In a Twitter thread on Monday, Boyega revealed that he was resigning from the fragrance company after he learned that it repurposed a short film based on his personal life that he made for the brand and reshot it with a new actor for China. Boyega was never given a heads up, nor did the fragrance company ask for his consent.

“While many brands understandably use a variety of global and local ambassadors, dismissively trading out one’s culture this way is not something I can condone,” Boyega tweeted. “It’s back to back but I assure you this will be dealt with swiftly. I don’t have time for nonsense. We press on and strong.”

(Via Variety)

The Boston Celtics find themselves in an unenviable situation during their Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Miami Heat. Despite leading in the second half of both games, the Celtics are down 0-2, and following Thursday night’s 106-101 loss, reports indicated that tensions boiled over in the locker room, with mercurial guard Marcus Smart screaming at his teammates.

One day later and some more details have come out about exactly what went down. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Smart and Jaylen Brown got into it with one another, and while no physical altercation occurred and the two have “smoothed tensions over,” the pair needed to be separated.

Sources told The Athletic that Smart stormed into the Celtics postgame locker room saying that other players needed to be held accountable and not simply point the finger toward him when things are going wrong. As Smart continued and his voice grew louder, sources said Brown snapped back and shouted that Celtics players must stay together and that their actions must come as a team, not individually, and that Smart needed to cool off. Those sources added Smart had verbal exchanges with a couple of the assistant coaches during the game.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN added some details of what went down. While he confirmed that the two did not get physical with one another, Brad Stevens sat down with a collection of players — including Brown and Smart — to talk things over.

Smart is the heart and soul of the Celtics’ locker room, so it’s not a huge surprise that losing back-to-back games in the conference finals is something that irked him. Besides, with how Boston has looked over the first two games of this series, someone bringing a major sense of urgency is something that could be really beneficial for them, so long as things did indeed get smoothed over and this doesn’t rear its ugly head should the Celtics face any adversity over the remainder of this series.

Alabama rap sensation Flo Milli continues her breakout with the double video for “Send The Addy/May I” from her debut album, Ho, Why Is You Here? A relative unknown at this time last year, the 19-year-old Flo Milli has since bossed up in a big way, going from underground rookie to XXL Freshman contender, punctuating her rise with the viral fan-favorite project full of infectious bops and playful trash talk.

The new video reflects the rapper’s increased stature, opening with a flashy scene of Flo Milli rapping on the hood of an elaborately decorated lowrider in braids and knee-high boots and showing off her nameplate bamboo earrings. The bulk of the video is taken up by the “May I” video, filling the trunk of another lowrider with opulent floral arrangements as Milli sits astride a similarly bedecked lowrider bicycle. The final scene is a throwback to the 2000s, as the car club circles up to set the stage for a parking lot dance-off.

With the videos for “Send The Addy,” “May I,” and “Weak” continuing to rack up plays equal to those of her prior hits “Like That Bitch” and “My Attitude,” Flo Milli further endears herself to the fervent fanbase that turn her breakout single “In The Party” into a viral smash and made her a star on the rise. If she can keep up this same steady flow, it won’t be long ’til she’s outgrown Freshman class lists and finds herself the queen of hip-hop’s campus.

Watch Flo Milli’s “Send The Addy/May I” video above.

Between the new normal that is working from home and e-learning for students of all ages, having functional electronic devices is extremely important. But that doesn’t mean needing to run out and buy the latest and greatest model. In fact, this cycle of constantly upgrading our devices to keep up with the newest technology is an incredibly dangerous habit.

The amount of e-waste we produce each year is growing at an increasing rate, and the improper treatment and disposal of this waste is harmful to both human health and the planet.

So what’s the solution? While no one expects you to stop purchasing new phones, laptops, and other devices, what you can do is consider where you’re purchasing them from and how often in order to help improve the planet for future generations.

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Typically, new device models don’t feature that many noticeable advances, meaning waiting in line every September at the Apple store when a new iPhone comes out isn’t necessary. A better solution is to instead buy refurbished.

Back Market, for example, sells all types of refurbished devices, including smartphones, computers and laptops, tablets, wearables, and more from your favorite brands. Plus, their team of experts check each device’s functionality and works to restore it to the best condition possible. You can also rest easy knowing your refurbished device comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a one-year warranty.

Refurbished devices, while not brand new, are certified by an expert and are available at up to 70% lower prices. Not only are refurbished devices better for the environment because less waste is being generated, they’re also better for your wallet.

Back Market also offers amazing deals on the items students need for back to school, plus an extra 5% off the already discounted prices to those enrolled in a college or university, so there’s really no excuse not to buy refurbished.

Back Market

While we can’t reverse the damaging effects e-waste has already had on the environment, making responsible purchasing decisions can help slow down the amount being produced each year and have a lasting impact on the planet.

According to a 2017 Report from the U.N, all the countries in the world combined generated a staggering 44.7 million metric tons, or an equivalent of 13.4 pounds per inhabitant, of e-waste in 2016. Most of this waste is going straight into the landfills.

The same report states that only 20 percent was collected and recycled. But even the e-waste that is recycled is often improperly handled, being exported to developing countries where people work to recover valuable materials from the devices and end up exposed to toxic chemicals, according to Columbia University. E-waste toxins are also known to contaminate the air, soil, and groundwater.

While concern for the environment is high, particularly among younger generations, many people don’t know what e-waste is.

Vivianne Lemay

According to a survey, 71% of millennials and Gen Z consider the environment to be a more important concern than the economy, but 60% of them were unfamiliar with e-waste and its impact on the environment.

With the effects of global warming becoming increasingly apparent, taking measures to slow down the production of e-waste is crucial.

Hip-hop is moving as fast as ever. Luckily, we’re doing the work to put the best new rap music in one place for you. This week, there were videos from Young Nudy, Open Mike Eagle and Kari Faux, Rico Nasty, Saba, Vic Mensa, Action Bronson and Meyhem Lauren. There were also new songs from Moneybagg Yo, DaBaby, and City Girls, as well as Rapsody. Meek Mill also dropped a freestyle. Here’s the rest of the best new rap music:

Baby Keem Singles

Rising MC Baby Keem dropped off a two-pack to his burgeoning fanbase. On “Hooligan” he declares, “I’m the youngest n**** runnin’ it” over a whistling instrumental. On his “Sons & Critics” freestyle he commands, if “you a critic boy shut the f*ck up.”

Berner — “Foolish” Feat. DMX

Berner released his Russ Bufalino project this week. A standout song from the project is “Foolish” with DMX, where the Dog questions, “The devil’s spent so much time ruinin’ my life, but what’s the snake without me?” over a soulful vocal sample.

Bobby Sessions — “Still Alive” Feat. Royce Da 5’9″

Bobby Sessions and Royce Da 5’9” linked up to affirm the resilience of Blackness on “Still Alive,” the intro from his of-the-moment RVLTN (Chapter 3): The Price Of Freedom.

Coi Leray — “Slide”

Coi Leray and Gunna release a sleek, romantic video for their “Slide” single from Coi Leray’s Now Or Never EP. The touchy-feely video is the perfect addendum to the sultry track.

Dbangz — “Been A Long Time”

This week, LA-based artist Dbangz released a video for “Been A Long Time,” a reflective stream of consciousness where the 19-year-old laments, “Mama told me stayin’ stuck in my head’ll be dangerous” and explores his cycle of depression and self-medicating over a classic break loop.

Elzhi — “Smoke & Mirrors” Feat. Monica Blaire

Elzhi offered up another single from Seven Times Down Eight Times Up with the “Smoke & Mirrors,” a reflective track where he figuratively goes down memory lane but affirmed that his circumstances made him “a champ, I’m a leader, I’m a prophet I’m a rebel” all in one.

HoodCelebrityy — “So Pretty” Feat. Kash Doll

Fresh off having one of the hottest verses on Big Sean’s “Friday Night Cypher,” Kash Doll dished off some more powerful bars on HoodCelebrityy’s breezy, Jamaican-tinged “So Pretty.”

Jahmed — “Glimpse” Feat. Freddie Gibbs

Jahmed traded bars with Freddie Gibbs on “Glimpse,” a braggadocious track where the two spitters show off over a mysterious, 808-driven production.

Kipp Stone — “Sprague Street” Feat. Mick Jenkins

Cleveland MC Kipp Stone is set to release his HOMMÈ album on October 20. He set a strong precedent for the project on “Sprague Street,” a lyrical exercise with Mick Jenkins where Stone reminds, “Goin numb don’t make you tough at all / It’s really sayin’ I’ve been hurt so much I’d rather never feel anything”

Marlon Craft — “Time Will Tell”

Marlon Craft takes ‘em to school on “Time Will Tell,” an of-the-moment track where he incisively rhymes about what undoing systemic oppression of BIPOC would look like, urging “it look like excavation, diggin up the inner hatred that this nation gave us.”

MC Eiht — Lessons

MC Eiht released his latest project Lessons today. The project shows him offering up another dose of gangsta rap and OG wisdom alongside a slew of collaborators like Conway The Machine, Dave East, Talib Kweli, B-Real, Kurupt and Havoc. The latter two showed out on album standout “Neighborhood Looks.”

Moneybagg Yo and Blac Youngsta — Code Red

It’s a Memphis thing on Code Red, a collaboration project where Moneybagg Yo and Blac Youngsta are as tough, flashy, and fly as they wanna be over a 13-track suite of thumping, energetic production. Album standouts include “New Chain” with Yo Gotti and the “Said Sum” remix with City Girls and DaBaby.

Papoose — “Kickback” Feat. Conway & French Montana

Papoose breathes new life into the infamous “I Shot Ya” loop on “Kickback” with Conway and French Montana, a menacing barfest that’s not as chill or inviting as the title suggests.

Willie The Kid — “Brewster’s Millions” Feat. Curren$y & Alchemist

Willie The Kid offered up the first taste of his upcoming Capital Gains project with the smooth “Brewster’s Millions,” where he talks lavish alongside frequent collaborator Curren$y on a soulful Alchemist beat.

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

Lady Gaga‘s penchant for pairing her songs with elaborate videos remains as strong as ever with her new single “911.” The latest single from her 2020 album Chromatica is another upbeat dance track, but the scintillating beat belies the heavy the message she shares in the lyrics. Similarly, the cinematic video for the track seems fantastical but is later revealed to hide a chilling dark side.

At first, the video appears to be a pastiche of 1940s movie tropes and medieval medicine, updated with Gaga’s usual touch of surreal styling. The singer awakens in a desert and follows a black-clad rider to an oasis town where she encounters a colorful cast of characters in eye-popping costumes as she dances, poses, and floats in the air. However, just when the viewer can’t make heads or tails of the imagery, Gaga solves the puzzle herself, revealing the whole thing as the dream sequence of an injured girl who was apparently hit by a car while riding her bike near a movie theater. All of the imagery in the video comes from passersby in the street, the medics working to save her, and the driver of the car, who apparently got the worst of it.

Gaga explained the true meaning behind the secretly heavy song in May, telling Apple Music’s Zane Lowe: “I don’t take any pain medication, because it’s not healthy for me. But I’ve flirted with the idea of sobriety. I’m not there yet, but I flirted with it throughout the album. It’s something that came up as a result of me trying to work through the pain that I was feeling.”

Watch Lady Gaga’s “911” video above.

Harley Quinn is an absolute, goddamn delight and the perfect weekend bingewatch. Both audiences and critics have adored this show, which I still feel is what Birds Of Prey should have been, but there’s no use dwelling on the past because Harley is moving into the future. HBO Max undoubtedly made James Gunn’s day by announcing (after last week’s equivalent Doom Patrol news) that Harley’s moving to the next level: a Season 3 renewal. And they posted a crowd-pleasing image for good measure.

Wellll, the above image should keep Conan O’Brien happy. Yes, it’s a little spoilery to reveal that Harley and Poison Ivy had quite the kiss at the end of last season, but c’mon, the writing has been on the wall with comic-book fans for many years. Almost anyone who’s gonna be excited to finally see them couple up has probably already watched it happen, given that the episode aired in late June.

As for what will happen in Season 3, there’s more good news. Here’s what executive producer Justin Halpern recently revealed in a panel: “We want to focus on Harley and Ivy’s relationship.” As for where the focus won’t be, he said, “I’m less, personally, interested in if the Joker gets a new girlfriend than I am of ‘let’s explore this relationship we’ve spent two seasons building.’” Zero arguments there.

Plus more King Shark and Bane, obviously. And this renewal news arrives with the confirmation that DC Universe is shifting out of scripted focus and moving original content over to HBO Max, where it’s finding a larger audience. Halpern told Entertainment Weekly that that the plan was always to have the show play on HBO Max at some point, but things got slowed down by quarantine matters. That’s a thing, but fortunately, it all came together because Harley’s done with being put on ice.

(Via HBO Max, Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly & Gamespot)

David Oyelowo’s directorial debut, The Water Man (which just had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival) feels like a throwback. It’s about a kid, Gunner (Lonnie Chavis) who goes on a great quest to find the mythical man/creature known as The Water Man, who is said to possess healing powers, in an effort to save his mother (Rosario Dawson) who is dying. It’s got that adventure and spirit of some of the great kid adventure movies of the ’80s, the kind we don’t really see anymore. And that’s not an accident.

Oyelowo spent a good portion of his youth in Nigeria where he didn’t have access to a lot of the big films of the ’80s, but when his family returned to the UK in 1989, he devoured them. So his influences range from a lot of movies you’d expect – E.T., The Goonies, Stand By Me, The NeverEnding Story – and maybe one you might not expect, namely the 1987 Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall supernatural romantic comedy, Mannequin.

Ahead, Oyelowo (who has the reputation of being just one of the nicest people in the industry, which I try to convey in the story that starts this interview) explains that a big reason he wanted to make The Water Man is because there just aren’t a lot of movies today made in the same vein as those ’80s classics, and he wanted to make a new one for his kids. And, of course, he also explains just why, when he was a kid, he loved Mannequin so much.

I’ve only met you once before and it was the weirdest thing.

Okay?

It was Sundance 2019. And we were waiting to cross the street. And you knew someone I was with and he did a quick introduction…

Right.

I think I said, “Oh, your first movie.” And I meant first movie of that Sundance. And you say yes, then felt compelled to clarify, “Not my first movie ever, I’ve seen movies.”

[Laughing] Right right.

And I’m like, “No. I know you’ve seen movies.” And then you went further, saying you’ve been to Sundance before, too. Anyway, that’s been our only interaction.

[Laughs] Oh, I’m so glad we got to clear that up. So yes, we can fix things now, Mike.

I remember that whole movie thinking, “Oh my God, does David Oyelowo think I thought he never saw a movie before?”

Oh, dear. Be rest assured I didn’t think that’s what you were thinking. But I’m glad to clear it up.

Though it would be something if you hadn’t, and now you decided to direct one. Because most people watch them first before they start directing.

[Laughs] I’d say it’s a good idea to do that.

I don’t know how many more interviews you have left, but I know you’ve been asked a lot, “Why are you directing now?” And you should say, “Well, I finally watched one and I wanted to make one.”

[Laughing] It would certainly break things up. Oh my goodness.

You said a big reason you wanted to make The Water Man is because you grew up watching movies like Stand By Me and Goonies and they don’t really exist anymore. Which is probably why those two movies are still popular, because there aren’t really new ones to replace them.

Very good point. I don’t know if you have children yourself, but I do. And I think that’s the reason I really noticed it – especially in this time where we’re all home a little bit more and you crave escapism, entertainment, stories to help sort of switch off some of the really quite difficult stuff we’re going through right now. I think what’s starting to happen in my business, in the entertainment business, is that power is being taken away by a small group of cultural curators who are deciding what we should and should not see, what we want and do not want. And, one of the great things about the streamers is that they have sort of democratized, in a sense, what it is audiences are having available to them.

You say cultural curators. Are you just talking about studio heads specifically? Or is it a wider swath of people?

I’m talking about studio heads primarily. I’m talking about people who have green-light power. People who can decide what gets made or what doesn’t. What gets the big marketing budget or what doesn’t. The streamers operate in a slightly different model. They are gravitating towards diverse content. They are gravitating towards content that is headed up by women, made by women; fronted by women in front of and behind the camera. They’re gravitating towards things that are international: All things that studios traditionally shy away from. “Black doesn’t travel” has been an awful phrase that has been Hollywood’s dirty secret for a while or not so secret.

I’d agree it’s not so secret.

Yeah. And it’s just patently not true. But while you still have that old model, old mindset, old mentality curating the culture, we’re not going to move forward as quickly as that it seems we all want to.

Do you think with people being at home has pushed things forward at a quicker rate? They tried butting a movie in theaters in the United States and it didn’t work.

Well, I wouldn’t use the phrase, push things forward. I would just say it’s a restructure, and it’s a refreshing restructuring. There are plenty of wonderful things about studio movies. And I’ve loved watching Marvel movies, Disney movies, Star Wars. I love watching the big tent-pole movies in a movie theater. I craved that experience. I longed for it to return. But those films are a very small section of what I think an audience is craving. I mean, what we’ve tried to do with The Water Man is to make a family film that doesn’t shy away from tougher scenes, while still being adventurous and exciting. A film like The Water Man, you could argue, wouldn’t exist unless there was a restructuring. Because the sheer amount of money you have to spend to corral the audience’s attention when you’re competing with a Marvel movie is twice, maybe three times the budget of what you made the film for. That doesn’t make any business sense.

The movies that influenced The Water Man. I’m curious when you saw those, because it looks like in your age range those came out you would have been in Nigeria then? Did you see those when you were living there?

I saw some of them there, but I saw most of them when I moved back to the UK. I lived in Nigeria from the age of 6 to 13. But in that period particularly, because to be honest, the range of movies I was exposed to in Nigeria was limited. And so when I came to the UK in ’89, I consumed films I had missed. And films that were still coming out at that point. A lot of them made by Amblin. And I remember I can picture the VHS, how worn out they were. I mean, I would have to rewrite E.T. on to the VHS so many times because it got worn out. I did it in pencil, I did it in pen, I did it in a marker – I watched it that many times! So, it was films like that. And Gremlins as well was another one I watched over and over again. Even Mannequin over and over again.

I wasn’t expecting you to say Mannequin.

I just think, again, it sort of had a fantastical element. As a child, your imagination is so alive. But the fact that it’s both imaginative and grounded, I think is the thing that really drew me as a child because that’s where you’re at when you’re a kid. Like my eight year-old daughter, when she’s playing with her toys or whatever, there is a whole entire universe she has created. And when I try to play with her, with her toys, the amount of times she goes, “No dad, that’s not right. That’s not what she wants.” Because she has a whole set of rules of how her universe, that she has built for her toys, is. But she’s playing with them on a real table, on a real sofa. And that’s what I think you have to do with those kinds of films that don’t have bloated budgets.

You have to find a way to be both imaginative and grounded, because you can’t suddenly go into intergalactic space or decide you’re just going to have aliens or monsters manifesting throughout the whole movie. You can’t do that. So you have to be more imaginative, in a sense. And that’s why I was drawn to those kinds of films. Anyway, and as you get older, I think you like being reminded of where you were at with the mindset of a child. Especially in times that are quite tough, because that, in a sense, is still a part of you. But the trials of life sort of dims that, I should say. And it’s always wonderful to step back into that space.

I am imagining you catching up on all these movies in 1989, watching The Goonies and Stand By Me and even The NeverRnding Story, and just thinking, wow, parents in the United States let their kids do really dangerous things.

No! I was quite the opposite! I felt parents of the United States were cool. I wanted to go there! I wanted to live there one day and I wanted to raise my children there, and that was exactly what I did about 20 years later. [Laughs] So yeah, that is what I thought.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.