Category: Worldwide

Angel Olsen released her latest album, All Mirrors, last year, which arrived three years after its predecessor, 2016’s My Woman. Olsen isn’t waiting that long between albums this time, though: Yesterday, she announced that her next album, Whole New Mess, will be out in a month. She also shared the title track, and she gave it its live debut on The Tonight Show yesterday.

Like Perfume Genius before her, Olsen played the song from an empty performance space. It was just her, a guitar, and a microphone on the stage, and the camera moved around the space to capture the performance in a single, lovely shot. Olsen began the stripped down tune, “Won’t be long now before it’s really showing / It’s every season where it is I’m going / I stretch my bones out on the floor / I think I’ll really do the change.”

When announcing the album, Olsen explained the inspiration behind it, saying, “I had gone through this breakup, but it was so much bigger than that — I’d lost friendships, too. When you get out of a relationship, you have to examine who you are or were in all the relationships. I wanted to record when I was still processing these feelings. These are the personal takes, encapsulated in a moment.”

Watch Olsen perform “Whole New Mess” above.

Whole New Mess is out 8/28 via Jagjaguwar. Pre-order it here.

On May 21, 2019, author George R.R. Martin made a promise to his millions of readers: if he didn’t finish The Winds of Winter, the next book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, by July 29, 2020, he should be thrown in prison. Guess what day it is!

“As for finishing my book… I fear that New Zealand would distract me entirely too much. Best leave me here in Westeros for the nonce,” he wrote on his Not a Blog (current mood: amused). “But I tell you this — if I don’t have THE WINDS OF WINTER in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done. Just so long as the acrid fumes do not screw up my old DOS word processor, I’ll be fine.” New Zealand’s CoNZealand (virtually) kicks off today, with Martin serving as “toastmaster.” More like roastmaster, because he’s getting roasted online.

I feel bad for Martin, I really do. Writing is hard, even when you’re not creating a dense fictional universe that was turned into one of the most popular TV shows of all-time, as he is. Maybe an isolated location, with or without sulfuric acid lake, isn’t the worst idea, though; at least it would keep him safe. GRRM, if you need some help, I’ll give you the first line for The Winds of Winter: “It was the best of times, it was the Westeros of times.”

Good luck!

(Via Not a Blog / Fandom)

BBC reports that grime star Wiley has been banned from Facebook and Instagram — which Facebook owns — after another anti-Semitic tirade the company says violated its policies. The British rapper posted anti-Semitic comments on his personal Facebook page after having a similar rant removed from Twitter. Since then, Wiley has been called out by several prominent British public figures, including the Prime Minister, who also called for Twitter to review its anti-hate protocols. Wiley was also dropped from his management and lost his label’s distribution deal as a result of his comments.

According to BBC, the posts “aimed abuse at Jewish celebrities” who had previously called him out over his initial Twitter rant. He also repeatedly mentioned a Jewish majority London neighborhood, Golders Green. The comments on his posts — numbering less than 100 each, per BBC, but still disturbing — also aimed invective at Britain’s Jewish community. Wiley’s fan page was also removed, although the posts did not appear on the fan page. Initially, his accounts were suspended but later, they were removed entirely. A Facebook spokesperson said Wiley’s account had “repeated violations” of Facebook’s policies.

WIley’s actions and the reaction to them mirror Nick Cannon’s fall from grace several weeks ago after he discussed and promoted several anti-Semitic canards on his podcast. He was dropped from his contract with Viacom, later issuing an apology. Along with Ice Cube, who shared conspiracy theory memes on Twitter, none of the rappers involved seem to believe that their actions and words were actually anti-Semitic, suggesting they don’t know what anti-Semitism actually is.

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

Before the streams, Billboard charts, accolades, and other quantitative things the music industry obsesses over, an artist’s enjoyment in their occupation should proceed all else. When undeterred by these industry pressures, it’s a wonderful thing to see an artist enjoying their spotlight and that’s exactly what Flo Milli is doing. With her debut project, Ho, Why Is You Here? the 19-year-old Alabama native has no plans to be anything besides her most authentic self and flaunt it enthusiastically for the world to savor.

Born in a state that isn’t quite known for birthing hip-hop acts outside of YBN Nahmir, NoCap, Yelawolf, and Mick Jenkins, Flo Milli first hit internet stardom with her daring take of Playboi Carti and Ethereal’s track “Beef,” one she dubbed as a Flomix. Landing on her debut project, it’s easy to see why her take of “Beef” went viral on practically every social media app. An explosion of hair-flipping teenage confidence, Flo Milli shows impenetrable zeal for being the most fly, bougie, top-notch woman around. “He love my confidence and that’s what you lack,” she proclaims. “If you think I’m stealin’ swag, b*tch, come and sue me.”

Flo Milli didn’t just stop there. In fact, her debut project Ho, Why Is You Here? is twelve songs of finger-snapping confidence at the highest levels. Maintaining a fierce attitude for the project’s half-hour duration, the Alabama-native is bold in her approach to anything that isn’t herself, something she highlights on “Like That B*tch.” Arriving in the first quarter of the project, Flo walks in with authority and quickly distances herself from those who incorrectly believed they competed with her. “I buy shit with straight cash, b*tch, you broke, you financed,” she brags. “Big top, small legs, b*tch built like a wine glass.” The sharp attack disqualifies all parties from the competition and allows her to stand atop the Olympic podium of elite women.

Ho, Why Is You Here? questions the audacity of others to stand in the same space as Flo Milli. “None of you b*tches is f*ckin’ with me” she repeats on “Pocket Bigger” while sending a brash reality check on “May I” rapping, “I’m not your bestie, not your sis / I’m not the one, I am that bitch / It’s slow for these hoes.” However, as she makes clear on several instances on the album, the guys are not excluded from her reign, one that plays more like a boastful trip. “I smoked all his weed and I told him to leave,” she says on “In The Party. “Use him for his money, that’s all that I need.” Flo Milli refuses to be brought down from her self-built cloud-grazing pedestal, taking a loss is something the Alabama native has unheard and even if it were to happen, the bounce-back would practically erase it from existence.

Flo Milli is a believer in all things herself and her debut project is living proof of that. There is nothing she can’t accomplish and she’s the only person who can get in her own way. The Flo Milli that struts with infectious confidence will be damned if her progress is stunted by someone listed as a nobody in her books. The self-proclaimed “head b*tch in charge,” as she reveals on “Pussy Cat Doll,” assumes her throne and brings order to her people while banishing those opting to talk down on her instead.

Ho, Why Is You Here? finds Flo Milli arriving with a heavy dose of valiance that presents her infectious confidence in a lightly comical tone. Flo Milli is here to establish her position in the rap game and do so firmly, but not without enjoying it in the process. Just like it did for Cardi B, many of the Alabama native’s punchlines bring a smile to the face of listeners all while getting the core message across. Within hours of the project’s release, many of music’s prominent women boosted the young rapper’s album, aiming to spread the word on Flo Milli and ensure she received the moment she truly deserved. Supporting Flo Milli’s rise is nothing short of essential as she holds the talent and charisma to be one of her generation’s next stars.

Ho, Why Is You Here? is out now via RCA Records. Get it here.

Throughout the summer, comedian Dave Chappelle has been hosting social distance-friendly stand-up shows through his “Dave Chappelle & Friends: A Talk with Punchlines” series in his home state of Ohio. That’s where his powerful 8:46 special came from last month, and earlier this week, Chris Rock dropped by to perform for 100 lucky people.

According to Consequence of Sound, “The privacy of the shows has been part of their charm, and little has leaked in the way of photos or clips. It was Rock who broke the embargo, sharing two pictures from the secretive event on Instagram.” He also revealed the night’s secret guest, writing, “So I went to Ohio and did a Covid tested show with Dave and Jim Carrey on FaceTime. Crazy year indeed. Jim closed the show. It’s been a horrible year but this was definitely a bright spot.”

I’m not sure if this technically counts as Carrey’s return to stand-up after he claimed in 2017 that he had “no” interest in doing so, but for those in attendance, it must have been a treat to see the Ace Ventura star returning to his comedy roots. Sure, it was through an app on a phone (the only working phone in the venue), but still! Here’s another look.

No word on if he answered the call by saying “hello” through his butt.

(Via Consequence of Sound)

Seth Rogen’s not afraid to upset countries (see: North Korea back with 2014’s The Interview), and now, he’s speaking his mind on Israel. In HBO Max’s upcoming An American Pickle movie, Rogen portrays a 1920s Jewish immigrant who falls into a pickle vat and wakes up a century later to meet his grandson, also played by Rogen. The outspoken U.S.-Canadian actor, who is Jewish, visited with Marc Maron (also Jewish) on the WTF Podcast. Over the course of the hour, they dug deep into The Pineapple Express actor’s views (with which Maron agrees) on Israel.

While addressing his childhood, Rogen (whose parents met in Israel) revealed that he was never told (while attending Jewish camp) that the Jewish state had been created on land where Palestinians were living at the time. Rogen and Maron candidly discussed the subject with Maron pointing out that “we’re gonna piss off a bunch of Jews.” Rogen wasn’t deterred, stating that “I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel my entire life.” He maintained that he was never told that Palestinians occupied the land, and his schooling made “it seem like it was just like sitting there, like the fucking door’s open.” Rogen then questioned why Israel exists at all:

“If it is for truly the preservation of Jewish people, it makes no sense, because again, you don’t keep something you’re trying to preserve all in one place — especially when that place is proven to be pretty volatile, you know? ‘I’m trying to keep all these things safe, I’m gonna put them in my blender and hope that that’s the best place… that’ll do it.’ It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Maron, who realized that there would be backlash coming their way, pointed out that “I get frightened to talk about it.” To that, Rogen exclaimed, “I’m afraid of Jews! I’m 100% afraid of Jews.” Certainly, the conversation won’t ease any tensions between Israel and many North American Jews. Rogen’s perspective aligns with a refugee crisis that remains unresolved, given that during the 1948 war, a mass exodus occurred (numbering around 700,000 Palestinians) from Israel. The exiting families and their descendants now number several million people.

The Jerusalem Post‘s Lahav Harkov has responded to Rogen in a tweet thread, in which she claims that his “comments are made from a position of really, really great privilege – and ignorance – if he can’t understand why Israel makes sense to millions of Jews around the world. I just hope he appreciates it.”

Rogen and Maron did also talk about An American Pickle during their hour-long chat. In doing so, Rogen revealed that he and Simon Rich first envisioned it back in 2007 when Rogen first hosted SNL. While speaking to the movie’s long gestation, he revealed, “It was a hard movie to crack, the tone is weird and it’s something that I wanted to spend a lot of time making sure we got right.” The HBO Max movie streams on August 6.

(Via WTF Podcast)

At the moment, Megan Thee Stallion is recovering following surgery to remove bullets from her feet. Since the shooting, Megan has received some lovely gifts from two of her peers in music: Rihanna and Lizzo.

Megan shared a couple photos yesterday of herself wearing Fenty lingerie, and the third photo in the post was of flowers and a card that Rihanna and to her. The card reads, “Wishing you a full and speedy recovery, Meg! Just know you’ve got a whole crew over here sending good vibes your way! Love, Rihanna and the Fenty Corp gang.” Megan captioned her post, “Love y’all @savagexfenty @badgalriri.”

Megan also took to her Instagram Story to show off some goods that Lizzo sent her way. Sharing a video of a plush dog filled with candy, Megan says, “Ah Lizzo, I love you! What the hell? This whole thing is filled up full of Lucas [Mexican candy brand] and my favorite sh*t!” In a follow-up video, it’s clear that Megan’s dog doesn’t like the toy pooch as much as she does.

In another recent post, Megan revealed what she plans on getting up to during her recovery. She shared a photo of herself in bed with a sketch pad and a notebook. That same post featured another photo of three sticky notes, which say, “pray,” “take care of skin!!!,” and, “write music.”

When asked about possibly working with Rihanna in a recent interview, Megan said, “Rihanna is that girl, and I always wear Fenty, so… Oh my God, that would blow my mind! If I could collab with Rihanna, I would honestly be super happy.” There were rumors in 2019 that Megan and Rihanna were collaborating, but Rihanna said that news was “a lie.”

As for Megan and Lizzo, they had a pretty unforgettable meet-up last year:

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

The NBA season will restart on Thursday in Orlando, as a four-month layoff comes to an end and the eight-game race to the playoffs begins. Teams will jockey for playoff position and, particularly in the West, the race for the 8-seed is quite interesting given the league’s introduction of a play-in series if the ninth place team is within four games of eighth.

There is going to be a lot of basketball happening over a relatively short period of time, and so we’ve gathered the most important games from each day on the schedule so you can do your best to plan around which games to watch. For the most part, these games have the opportunity to impact races for seeding, although there are some days without much in the way of key battles and for those days we’ve simply selected the game that should be the most entertaining.

Unsurprisingly, the league’s national TV partners have plucked a number of these games for their broadcasts, but some will require a League Pass subscription to dial in on.

Thursday, July 30

Clippers vs. Lakers (9 p.m. ET, TNT)

The first game of the restart, Jazz-Pelicans, is helped by the fact that Zion Williamson appears slated to suit up, but the nightcap was always going to be the marquee attraction. The expected Western Conference Finals preview happening in the first real game back for both teams will be fascinating to watch, particularly with regards to how aggressively each side will approach this matchup given the circumstances.

Friday, July 31

Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers (4 p.m. ET, NBA TV): This game could decide the Blazers fate in the race for a play-in game. A win pulls them to within 2.5 games of Memphis, while a loss drops them to 4.5 back. It is a huge matchup for both teams out of the gate and should give us an early indicator of where each team is as far as playing form to start the restart.

Celtics vs. Bucks (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Another potential conference finals preview that will serve as one of a few stiff tests for this Bucks team. How much we can read into the outcome of this one really relies on where guys like Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton, both of whom entered the bubble late, are at physically. Still, it’s a great litmus test for both teams early on.

Rockets vs. Mavericks (9 p.m. ET, ESPN): Like Grizz-Blazers, this game is very important for potential seeding. A Mavs win would give them a shot at shedding the 7-seed and moving up, which is huge for their chances to make it out of the first round. If you gave every team in the West the choice of facing the Clippers or the Nuggets, they’re all taking their chances with Denver, despite how good that team is at full strength. A Mavs win moves them to just a half game behind Houston for sixth, and sets up a very intriguing race to avoid the Clippers.

Saturday, August 1

Sixers vs. Pacers (7 p.m. ET, League Pass): The best game of this day will be Lakers-Raptors, but that will have no bearing on seeding, so Sixers-Pacers gets the nod here as those two teams are currently tied for fifth in the East (with Indy currently holding the tiebreaker) and the winner will get some early separation.

Sunday, August 2

Spurs vs. Grizzlies (4 p.m. ET, League Pass): Like Saturday, the best game here figures to be Bucks-Rockets, but Spurs-Grizzlies will, like Grizzlies-Blazers, be an early chance for Memphis to either separate themselves from a contending squad or for San Antonio to reel closer to a play-in. The Spurs being without LaMarcus Aldridge makes their path more difficult, and this will give an early indicator of whether they’re going to factor into this race for real.

Monday, August 3

Grizzlies vs. Pelicans (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): It’s rather incredible that the schedule worked out to pit the Grizz against their three closest challengers in the first three games of the restart. If they can somehow go 3-0, they’ll have themselves a substantial cushion — and might set themselves up to avoid a play-in series altogether. If they slip up against any or all, things get far more interesting. On top of that, this should be another Zion-Ja matchup, and that is always fun.

Tuesday, August 4

Celtics vs. Heat (6:30 p.m. ET, TNT): It’s highly unlikely the Heat catch Boston for the 3-seed, but it’s possible if the Celtics drop their opener to the Bucks and Miami starts off hot with two wins over the very good Nuggets and Raptors. If that happens, this game gets real interesting, as avoiding the 4-seed (which likely means facing the Sixers and then Bucks to open the playoffs) is very important for Boston’s hopes of coming out of the East.

Wednesday, August 5

Thunder vs. Lakers (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): This is a possible conference semis preview, and it’s always fun to see LeBron and Chris Paul square off. This will be a week in to the proceedings and as such, I’d expect this to be when teams like the Lakers start really trying to put the pedal down and get the playoff kick going, which should make for some fun basketball.

Thursday, August 6

Heat vs. Bucks (4 p.m. ET, TNT): TNT has a truly spectacular triple-header on this Thursday, starting with a possible conference semis preview of Heat-Bucks, where Miami represents a real threat to Milwaukee given their ability to get scalding hot from three-point range. I would expect Miami, at the very least, to take this game seriously and try to make a statement, it just remains to be seen if Milwaukee will be interested in going into fifth gear for this one.

Clippers vs. Mavericks (6:30 p.m. ET, TNT): Right now, this would be a first round preview, and the Mavs will, like Miami, be looking to send a message with their performance here. Like Milwaukee, we’ll see if L.A. is interested in going all out in this one.

Lakers vs. Rockets (9 p.m. ET, TNT): The Rockets small-ball stuff is really fun to watch when they go up against a big team. If you recall, their first game of the small-ball era was a thrilling win over this Lakers team. It’ll be a fun watch and, depending on how Houston does, could be a conference semis preview.

Friday, August 7

Celtics vs. Raptors (9 p.m. ET, TNT): It’d be pretty shocking if these teams didn’t meet in the second round of the playoffs. There’s a chance this is the best game of the restart, because we’ll be a full week in and these are two teams that can’t help but go all out at all times. There may be some delaying of flipping the proverbial switch for the Lakers, Clippers, and Bucks, but that’s just not really a thing with these two. I expect this to have playoff intensity.

Saturday, August 8

Jazz vs. Nuggets (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT): Like Boston-Toronto, this game ought to have some juice to it. Denver is 1.5 games up on Utah for third so this could be very meaningful for seeding. On top of that, these two have a bit of a rivalry going given they’re the best of the West that don’t reside in L.A. and have followed similar trajectories in recent seasons thanks to tremendous internal development of homegrown talent.

Sunday, August 9

Spurs vs. Pelicans (3 p.m. ET, ABC): This might be an elimination game for that 9-seed race. One would think Zion would be playing at about full strength by this point, although his lack of a pre-bubble slate might complicate thing. Both teams figure to need this win desperately to have any hope of a play-in game so, hopefully, that leads to a competitive matchup.

Monday, August 10

Bucks vs. Raptors (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Milwaukee plays each of the other top four teams in the East, with Toronto as the final one of those and this might serve as a dress rehearsal for the playoffs for each team. Both of these teams have the luxury of going into the playoffs with what should be very easy first round matchups against the Nets, Magic, or Wizards, and as such they might take advantage of this tilt to ramp things up to 10 and test themselves. That’s the hope anyways, and if they do, this could be a lot of fun.

Lakers vs. Nuggets (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN): Likewise, I could see the Lakers doing the same with a good Denver team that they may or may not see in the postseason. Denver, at the very least, will come out looking to notch a huge win, and I wouldn’t be surprised if LeBron and co. see this as an opportunity to put their playoff rotation to the test.

Tuesday, August 11

Blazers vs. Mavericks (5:00 p.m. ET, League Pass): A weird day of games, none of them especially meaningful other than maybe Nets-Magic, but I cannot in good conscience recommend that to you lovely readers. As such, let’s go with Blazers-Mavs, as Portland figures to have plenty to play for, while Dallas could be in a battle for the 6-seed. Dame vs. Luka, if both are playing normal minutes at this point, will be fun.

Wednesday, August 12

Raptors vs. 76ers (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): The first of two possible second round matchups on ESPN is Toronto-Philly, which seems unlikely as most expect Philly to leapfrog the Pacers into the fifth spot, but either way this should be a slugfest between two teams with a healthy distaste (but respect) for one another after last year’s conference semi.

Clippers vs. Nuggets (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN): This is more likely to actually be a playoff preview, and might be where the Clippers put their playoff rotation through a test run after facing the Blazers and Nets in the two previous games. Denver getting the L.A. back-to-back is a tough pull, and might mean they’re fighting to hold onto the 3-seed here.

Thursday, August 13

Bucks vs. Grizzlies (TBD): There is not really much intrigue on the final Thursday of the season the way the schedule fell, and as such we’ll put Bucks-Grizzlies on the watch guide because Ja Morant might try a ridiculous dunk on Giannis and fire the MVP up.

Friday, August 14

Thunder vs. Clippers (TBD): OKC likely will have something to play for in this one as far as seeding, possibly trying to avoid a first round matchup with this very Clippers team. Could be fun! Honorable mention goes to Nuggets-Raptors, as if both of those teams care, that should be a really good game.

John Krasinski and Jenna Fishcher played one of the more iconic couples in TV history in Jim Halpert and Pam Beesley, a.k.a. Jam, but apparently unbeknownst to a lot of The Office viewers, they’re not together in real life. He’s married to actress Emily Blunt, and she’s been hitched to writer Lee Kirk since 2010. On an episode of An Oral History of The Office podcast, Fischer compared the experience of letting fans know that Krasinki isn’t actually the J to her PB to telling a kid that Santa isn’t real (but Belsnickel is).

“People don’t know how John and I are not a couple in real life,” she told host (and target of the longest joke set-up in TV history) Brian Baumgartner. “They don’t understand it. I don’t know how to explain it, because it’s a little bit like telling kids there’s no Santa… The bottom line is that we were playing characters, but I know that if people think of us as John and Jenna, then it’s destroying some of the magic of Jim and Pam.” To be fair, I think season nine of The Office destroyed a lot of the magic of Jim and Pam:

Fischer, 46, explained that she feels like she has to “justify” why she and Krasinski, 40, aren’t “actually in love.”

The actress added that Jim and Pam relationship’s even doubled as inspiration for many real-life couples. “A lot of people say things to me like, ‘I think I found my Pam, I think I found my Jim,’ you know, using us as like… a noun for love,” she said.

Tired: “I think I found my Jim / my Pam.”
Wired: “I think I found my Phyllis / my Bob Vance.”

You can listen to the entire An Oral History of The Office episode here.

(Via People)

Phoebe Bridgers’ new album, Punisher, really ends with a bang thanks to the epic “I Know The End.” Now, the musician has shared a visual for the track, and it’s equally eventful.

In the cinematic clip, Bridgers begins almost fully submerged in a tub. She emerges, wearing her now-signature skeleton outfit and heads to a locker room full of them. A young girl rolls an apple to Bridgers, who takes a bite from it, drops the fruit, and during the song’s climax, runs to an empty stadium. There, she joins her band in performing the rest of the song. At the end of the clip, Bridgers approaches an older woman (who looks like she could be future version of Bridgers) enjoying the performance. They grab each other’s faces, scream, and kiss.

Bridgers told Uproxx about the track in a recent interview, saying, “It’s my first end of the world song. Conor Oberst and I were joking about how he’s been writing apocalyptic songs since the beginning of time. And now his material’s going to feel like old news. I was imagining a giant tornado, or California separating from the rest of the United States. It definitely feels relevant, but in my brain it was just an invention. […] I was talking to a friend the other day about what separates the millennial generation from other generations, and for the most part, we’re the first generation to not really be living for the next generation. So many people fought for a better world before us, like our parents. And now we’re just fighting to even stay alive. People have stopped romanticizing the future. I just feel like I could never imagine a time beyond now. I used to know what my life would look like in eight months, now I certainly don’t. ”

Watch the “I Know The End” video above, and read our recent interview with Bridgers here.