When I first heard that Indonesian rapper Rich Brian had released a video freestyling over the beat from Teriyaki Boyz’s theme song for for The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift, my mind was blown. For one thing, it was such an surprising choice for a beat to freestyle over. For another thing, I didn’t think anyone else even remembered that movie now that the franchise has nuclear subs and parachuting personal tanks.

But that’s Rich Brian: Always doing the unexpected. He surprised American audiences as a foreign-born rapper who learned English watching American TV, debuting with the viral single “Dat $tick.” When his former rap name caused controversy, he pivoted, becoming Rich Brian and releasing The Sailor last year. It was another unexpected move; he proved that he could really rap and that he didn’t need a gimmick to capture our attention.

Just a week ago, he released the “Tokyo Drift” freestyle, complete with a homemade music video making light of coronavirus social distancing protocols, turning his boredom into content — much-needed content that not only helped others stave off their own boredom, but showed his talent for crafting self-produced potential hits. Not only did it display his artistic growth, but it also brought him back to his SoundCloud guerrilla releases, showing he has the edge to compete in this new, Wild West world.

In a new interview by phone, Brian talks about his “Tokyo Drift” video, his appearance on Guapdad 4000’s Falcon Fridays release “Bali,” and how coronavirus-sparked xenophobia against Asian people has affected him.

All right. First of all, your “Tokyo Drift” video is incredible. What were you doing when you got the inspiration for it?

I was in just like my little studio set up and then I was just one night, I was just thinking the “Tokyo Drift” beat is so f*cking hard, and I feel like if I tried writing to it would be tight, so I did. This was kind of before the lockdown things started to get crazy.

So I recorded it with my friend Vic, it was a really rough recording, we didn’t have that much time to mix it, I showed it to my manager, and he was like, ‘Yo, this is tight, we should put this out.’ At first, we were going to try to do some sort of video, but then I was like, ‘I don’t really want to get out the house, though, right now it’s kind of scary.’ So, I decided to just make a little phone thing in my living room and then just edit it on [Adobe] After Effects for like two, three days, and then just put it out. It definitely felt like the old times and just kind of like being able to hit ‘upload’ on SoundCloud again.

It’s funny because I didn’t think that people really remembered that song or that soundtrack or that particular entry in the Fast And The Furious movies. Why do you think it was that Tokyo Drift was considered the redhead step-child of the Fast And The Furious franchise?

I heard that song for the first time when I was really young, when I was probably like five or six. And I remember just loving it and just because I was a kid, that melody with that hook just stuck with me. It was just like this is the hardest thing ever. I think that was just a really legendary song.

It’s kind of a legendary movie. It’s kind of known as being the worst one, but some people say it’s the best, some people like it more. And some people think it’s the worst one.

I actually don’t even remember.

Okay. How’s this? Which one’s your favorite?

To be completely honest with you, I don’t remember watching Tokyo Drift. I don’t remember like how it went, but my favorite Fast And The Furious probably would be — and this is for me just you know, like hell, I don’t think that I’ve watched all of them to be honest with you. But I watched like a good, like three or four of them and I think my favorite is the first one with Paul Walker and Tyrese.

Which is 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Do people like that one?

Some people did, some people didn’t. I liked it and I think it’s aged probably better than any of the other really old ones. So, we’ve been stuck in the house for a little while. What kind of music have you been working on since you were stuck in the house?

I’ve been getting back to producing more because before this, I’ve always produced and I started learning how to produce when I was like 16, 17. So, that’s always been a nice little skill to have just because it makes it easier for me to make songs and I don’t have to talk to people about what I want all the time. It just makes songwriting a lot better, and being able to learn arrangements and what these little languages are.

And it’s been a lot of different kinds of music — a lot of hip-hop stuff, then a lot of really melodic stuff, and that’s what comes out when I produce. I can’t really just do one thing because it gets really boring for me. So I try to switch it up.

That’s fire. Challenging yourself is a really great way to get better at any skill or even just get better at like you said, writing things down or finding ways to solve problems. There’s actually a challenge that I heard that goes with the video that has prompted prominent Asian rappers to also jump on the beat for “Tokyo Drift.”

I guess it’s been a challenge that kind of started naturally, people wanting to get on the beat. I think it’s cool to see people doing that without even me just trying to start anything. It’s really interesting to see. I’ve seen some really good ones and right now, I’m currently trying to get my other rapper friends on it, but we’ll see.

Absolutely. So, I know you’ve probably seen how in the news that there’s been a rise in anti-Asian sentiment and xenophobia lately because of the coronavirus. What would you say to someone who believes or repeats some of those anti-Asian sentiments?

This virus is not an excuse to just be racist to random Asian people. And what’s been happening is not cool. And I’ve seen a lot of the news and even my friends have gotten into their share of weird encounters and altercations relating to this whole pandemic situation. It’s really fucked up. It’s a weird situation to be in and I just hope that more people realize that it’s not cool.

And as an Asian person myself, I don’t feel safe walking outside just by myself. And I never thought I would feel that, like in a million years.

You’re now seen as sort of a role model for a community of people that don’t necessarily get a lot of representation in hip-hop. Can you just talk about what does that position mean to you?

That position is so big to me and most of the time I don’t really get pressure from it. Most of the time it’s motivation. But there are times where I’m really, really thinking about it and I’m like, ‘Whoa, this could be a lot of pressure sometimes.’ But a lot of times, it’s what keeps me going. It’s great that I’m able to make money off of something that I enjoy doing, but at the same time, outside of all that, I like being able to do it and inspire a lot of other people in the process and be that role model that I didn’t really have that much of when I was a kid.

I also hear you’re working with another rapper from the Asian-American community: Guapdad 4000, who’s part Filipino.

Yeah, the new single’s called “Bali” and it’s featuring Guapdad 4000 and it’s coming out today. It’s just a really fun song, it’s really melodic and catchy. At the same time, there’s also rapping in it that’s kind of like that rap-melodic stuff that people do sometimes and I haven’t done too much of it because it’s kind of a new territory for me. It has kind of like a reggae vibe on the beat.

I worked on it with Bekon and the Donuts. We produced it together and Guapdad 4000 was amazing to work with. We never met before, but we were just like texting about it. He was really cool because he did his verse and then he sent it to me. Usually, when I collab with people, they send me their verse, whatever, and they’re just like, ‘Alright, I did my verse, this is what you get.’ But he was actually asking me what do I think about it and he was down to take notes and stuff like that.

So it was a great collaboration and I can’t wait for it to come out because it’s definitely, again, a weird time to be in right now. I’ve never seen anybody just like globally staying home. I don’t think this ever happened before in this world. And the thing that I feel like keeps a lot of people sane right now is music.

Rihanna is jumping on the livestreaming wave to celebrate the release of her new Fenty clothing line with the Fenty Social Club. The party celebrates the launch of the Fenty brand’s faux leather capsule. Launching later today (April 10) at 3pm PST, 6pm EST, and 11pm BST, the party will feature DJ sets from DJ Pedro, Kitty Ca$h, and Stretch Armstrong, with a performance from grime star Octavian. See below for the flyers.

Rihanna also donated quite a lot of money to coronavirus relief on top of providing entertainment, donating $5 million via her Clara Lionel Foundation to organizations all over the US and overseas, which helped food banks serving at-risk populations, provided medical equipment to hospitals, and helped speed up distribution of testing kits in Haiti and Malawi. Her home country, Barbados, received $1.4 million for ventilators.

She also teamed up with Jay-Z to distribute $2 million collectively to organizations in New York and Los Angeles to help vulnerable populations such as children of frontline healthcare workers, the elderly, the homeless, the incarcerated, and undocumented workers.

But of course, with so many fans — including Drake — clamoring for new music from the Bajan star, she’s also been hard at work on just that during quarantine. Hopefully, she’ have something new to play for fans who tune into Fenty Social Club this afternoon.

Check out the announcement for Fenty Social Club above, along with a preview of what to expect.

Hip-hop is moving as fast as ever. Luckily we’re doing the work to put the best music in one place for you. This week, there were videos from Rico Nasty, Lil Tjay, Trippie Redd and Young Thug, and Smino. Here’s the best of the rest:

Tory Lanez — New Toronto 3

Tory Lanez’ week didn’t start off the best, but all’s well that ends well. After a brief stop to his Quarantine Radio sessions, the Toronto artist got his in-demand live streams back online yesterday. And he also released his latest mixtape, the 16-track New Toronto 3. The track shows off the Toronto artist’s polarizing versatility. He goes in on most tracks alone aside from features with Mansa and LilTjay.

Kevin Gates — “Wetty” Freestyle

A week after Fivio Foreign dropped the video for his “Wetty” single, the beat is already inspiring freestyles. Kevin Gates jumped on the beat earlier this week to lend the track a Southern-fried influence, proclaiming, “my heart goes out to Young Chop and the industry, they gon’ blackball him” after weeks of puzzling online antics.

Love Mansuy — “Count On You” Remix Feat. Lil Wayne

This week, Montreal singer Love Mansuy became a part of a pretty select group: upcoming artists that Lil Wayne actually knows of. The famously oblivious Weezy lended a verse to a remix of “Count On You,” telling his boo that, “even with these bloodshot eyes, I can still see the upside.”

Mozzy — “Pricetag” Feat. Polo G & Lil Poppa

Kindred artists Polo G and Mozzy connected for “Pricetag,” a single from Mozzy’s upcoming Beyond Bulletproof where they take turns talking gruff along with Lil Poppa. The video features a cartel theme, which fits the Latin vibe of the India Got Them Beats and Steph Got The Waves production.

Machine Gun Kelly — “What’s Poppin”

We’re sure you’ve heard this before: Keeping relationships is important in the music industry. It can be the difference between freestyling over one of the hottest of the moment and a 75-cent-on-the-dollar YouTube remake. Machine Gun Kelly hit up Jack Harlow for the beat to his buzzing “What’s Poppin” single, then dropped bars like on a two-minute freestyle.

BlocBoy JB — “Out West” Freestyle

Blocboy JB dropped some bars over Young Thug and Travis Scott’s “Out West,” riding the hypnotic production and letting us know, “I ain’t with the wrestlin’ my name ain’t Umaga.”

Azealia Banks — “Mamma Mia”

Azealia Banks jumped on the drill wave with her one-of-a-kind mic presence on “Mamma Mia,” eschewing the subgenre’s popular bouncy cadence for a slurry delivery packing bars like, “I seen them checks coming in that tarot deck b*tches.”

Problem — “Don’t Be Mad At Me”

LA rapper Problem provided the anthem for many a quarantine couple with “Don’t Be Made At Me,” a slick plea for forgiveness over a trademark West Coast slapper. He released the track along with his Compton Story film, which is exclusively streaming on Tidal.

Skyzoo & Dumbo Station — “Good Enough Reasons”

Skyzoo is preparing to release his The Bluest Note album, an ode to his love for jazz and its influence on his craft. He gave fans a taste of what to expect on “Good Enough Reasons,” a lyrically dense track where he implores the listener to “ante up for whatever you believe in.”

Aesop Rock — Freedom Finger (Music From The Game)

Aestop Rock released Freedom Finger (Music From The Game) EP, a collection of songs and beats on the soundtrack to the Freedom Finger videogame. The project features three lyrical exercises, as well as the instrumentals to those tracks and four extra beats. He also dropped a video for “Drums On The Wheel.”

Lady Leshurr — “Quarantine Speech“

The UK’s Lady Leshurr offered up one of the catchiest coronavirus PSAs yet on “Quarantine Speech,” where she offers future generations a time capsule of today’s madness and demands, “please don’t cough around me, keep your salivas.”

Renni Rucci — “Solid B*tch”

Renni Rucci put her foot down on “Solid B*tch,” a track where she lets her man know he messed up by not staying solid and loyal to her.

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

RMR made a splash online earlier this year with his video for “Rascal.” The song is a tender country ballad, but that wouldn’t come across at all if the video was on mute, as the clip featured the rapper surrounded by gun-toting associates in the hip-hop-styled visual. He said at the time that he “grew up on country and rap music,” and his latest song, “Dealer,” is more indebted to the latter style.

Wearing his signature face mask, RMR raps on the beach and rides around in the back of a car. The track has the rapper going back and forth between rapping and singing, and his lyrics address the trappings of the hip-hop lifestyle, like drugs, wealth, and women: “Go ‘head, sip it, bet I’ll keep on sippin’ / Drinkin’ bottles after bottles, feelin’ all exquisite / F*ckin’ models after models, all these hoes junkies / Can’t see me, tinted inside my Bentley.” The song’s title stems from a line in the second verse: “I’m a dealer, not the addict, n****, I’m a boss.’

RMR previously indicated that he was set to drop a Matchbox Twenty-inspired single, but “Dealer” is his first new song since “Rascal,” so it’s not clear if this is the song in question. Regardless, he plans on releasing an EP titled Drug Dealing Is A Lost Art at some point this spring.

Watch the “Dealer” video above.

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

Fame has a way of amplifying who a person is deep inside. Someone who is good-hearted can do amazing things with the power and money that comes with being a celebrity.

However, someone who’s rotten to the core will use fame to subjugate others and behave in a petty fashion.

So it’s ways interesting to learn whether the celebrities we see on the big screen or on stage are nice people or tyrants. Reddit user willis1988, asked the online forum, “What celebrities have you encountered that were either really nice or really horrible?” and the stories were overwhelmingly positive.

So we decided to focus on the positive stories about celebrities who haven’t let fame completely decimate their souls.

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Dave Chappelle is Cool

Met Dave Chappelle a few years back. Long story short, a friend of a friend got me and two friends into an after party. We were sitting at the bar when his manager offered us some shots. We talked with his manager for a while. Then Dave sat down near us. Dave was kind of sitting by himself and he looks over at us and goes “What’s going on fellas?” And we talk to him for about an hour. We thanked him for coming to our town, talked about music, sports, all kinds of stuff. Super cool dude. One of my favorite memories. — nstb21

Right after the opening act he came out and immediately noticed us and asked if we were all Filipinos. Well, he definitely guessed right! He started talking about how we are his family and went right into the details about his family. the food, culture and his own family. Like having a humorous conversation during his set. Pretty surreal.

Anyways after a killer show, everyone was filtering out when one of the producers stopped us and asked if we can be in some of the B roll footage along with Katt Williams since he was also there checking out the show. Of course, we agreed and sat next to him.

As soon as it was over, Dave was on stage smoking a joint and I told him it was my birthday that night. He asked what my name is, I said, amour-y-moi! He then grabbed the microphone and with everyone else still around he said, “Today’s Amour-y-moi’s birthday and I’m buying shots for everyone!!”. Got to do a shot with him. One of the best random birthday moments ever! — amour-y-moi

Dolly Parton is Radiant

I met miss Dolly Parton when I was just a wee kid in Illinois. I’ve described it as being like meeting the sun. She was just so happy and warm and wonderful, and she was the first person I’d met in real life with a southern accent. — tweak0

Years ago working hotel security in Edmonton I was escorting Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers at 0400 in the elevator down from their rooms to the lobby to get in their Airport Limo. I am 6’5″, and so I towered over her. Dolly looked me up and down and said in her cute southern drawl “they sure grow ’em big up here in Canada!” She was just as sweet as you could imagine.

Kenny, on the other hand, and I feel bad for saying this, due to his recent passing, treated me like the help (which I of course was) and even made a huffy impatient noise when, slightly flustered by Dolly’s remark, I struggled to find the key to put the elevator into independent service. Dolly touched my arm, looked me in the eye, and said “Darlin’, don’t you pay him any attention, we appreciate y’all!” — LOUDCO-HD

I guess I got the good and the bad in one shot. — LOUDCO-HD

Ice-T Has Manners, Good Taste in Music

Went with my parents to a function for some charity group and we shared a table with Ice-T. Super nice guy, down to earth and not high on himself. He has a mouth on him but when he found out my Dad is a retired preacher never heard a bad word again the rest of the night. I ended up talking music and how he goes from Rap to Metal. Man is cool and knows his sh*t about the metal and Punk scene. — Gundamsafety

John Candy Was a Sweetheart

I met John Candy on a plane when I was a little kid while traveling with my family. He was a big man. He had the whole row to himself in front of us with the armrest up between seats so he could be more comfortable. The stewardesses were blocking anyone from coming up and bothering him, even though they themselves were not exactly leaving him alone what with talking to him constantly and laughing at his enjoyable banter the whole trip.

At some point he got up to go to the bathroom. When he came back he looked at me, pretended to do a double-take like he was surprised and said , “hey, you’re the quietest kid ever, don’t you talk?” The way he said it was so friendly that I just smiled and giggled. Then he had a pleasant conversation with my parents, who had been DYING to talk to him the entire flight, but were too polite to bother him.

Not even 2 weeks later we heard he had passed. — starstarstar42

The ‘Quiet Beatle’ Likes Kids

When my dad was about 9 (1964ish) he was on a plane from LA to Heathrow in coach with his mom. The stewardess came back and excitedly asked him if he wanted to ‘meet a Beatle??’

My dad said sure but didn’t really know the Beatles at that age, and only said yes because that’s kinda what you do at that age. He sat on the couch next to George (different time, airlines treated you like people), George folds up his newspaper and says, “soo, do ya like my music?”

My dad says (like a confused 10 year old) “um, no”. Apparently George smiled and went back to reading his newspaper. My dad sat there like a doofus for like 5-10 minutes until the stewardess came and got him.

So George Harrison was cool to children, and my dad’s the most Stone cold 10 year old ever — Beej1030

Everyone Loves Adam Sandler

I ran into Adam Sandler outside of a Planet Fitness in Brooklyn in early 2016.

As I was leaving the Planet Fitness, it looked like he was walking in. We made eye contact, so I stopped and held the door for him. He got to the door and stopped right before he walked through, in one of those fake poses that little kids make when you tell them to freeze. I stood there holding the door, plenty confused. For about five seconds, we just stood there- him, motionless and I, standing there holding the door. Finally, he turned his head and said in the stereotypical Adam Sandler voice, “Ahhh, who we kidding? I’m not going in there!” Giant grin on his face. We both laughed and then he continued down the street. — WatchTheBoom

He was in my town in NY shooting something for Netflix a few years ago. When he was done for the day he went down to the local park and started playing pickup games of basketball with people. — norcaln8

I met him down in Nantucket one summer a few years ago. I had no money and so he bought me and my friends a pizza and shared it with us. Probably the greatest moment of my life. — Pacadoo

He shook my hand before I went to pee. Then when I reentered the comedy club he asked me how it went.

It was glorious.— SufferingWithYou2

Robin Williams Was a Pure Soul

I was working in a little boutique store in Seattle with my girlfriend and it was a particularly slow day when all of a sudden Robin Williams walks through the door. He was the only one in the store and my girlfriend didn’t know who he was. We left him alone and when he came up to purchase his things he started barking at my Boston terrier in a cute way. It scared the crap out of my Boston terrier and he started barking back at Robin. He was so genuine and nice and I really do remember how hairy his arms were. For some reason that really stuck out. He walked out the door and instantly was surrounded by a bunch of tourists trying to take pictures of him. He put his bags in the back of his mini Cooper and drove off. He bought a little piece of artwork and three Goorin Bros hats. — noradam22

Paul Rudd May Be the Coolest Celebrity

I met Paul Rudd on a flight from NY, sat next too him on the plane. My buddy leaned over and told me that he wanted to compliment him on this band shirt he wore when making Clueless, but he “didn’t want it to be weird”. So his solution was to write him a note and slip it to him, lol. So he does this, and Paul just gets this nervous look on his face, opens the note and reads it. Starts cracking up laughing, leaned over to us and said “best note ever”. He then told us the whole story of the shirt, how he fought with the costume dept about it because it was the shirt he wore to set that day. We talked the whole flight, dude was super cool. — _Glibnik_

So I have a fun Paul Rudd story.

I worked at CVS at the time, and my manager had just eliminated smoke breaks- so I’m on edge and going nuts. Paul Rudd walks in, and sees me. For reference- I am generally disheveled in appearance. I had a wizard beard braided down almost to my nuts, and I had worked overnight unloading the truck before popping on register.

He looks at me and just goes- “rough night?” I laughed, nodded. I slurped at my coffee, which was more or less empty at this point. My boss comes out of the office to yell at me about something, and Paul drops what he’s doing, runs to my counter, and rings the little bell to interrupt the boss. I run over and he has a single butterfinger on the counter.

I ring him out, and he laughs. He says- “how long you been here?” Truthfully, I told him- 10 hours. I sputter something about loving him in “Fundamentals of Caring.” He looks at my boss and says the best thing ever.

“I need [my name] to help me to my car with my purchase. My back hurts. Mind taking over for him?”

So i go outside, he bums a cigarette off me, and bought me coffee- then wouldn’t let me inside until i finished a whole cigarette and half my coffee. Boss came out to bitch, he laughs and says “I still need his help loading my car.” Honestly, its actually probably the single best customer-moment I’ve ever had in my time in retail.

Dude’s goddamn awesome. — Malakoji

Word to Your Grandmother

My Grandma sat next to Rob Van Winkle (Vanilla Ice) on a plane before he was famous for ice ice baby. She knew who he was but didnt want him to know. They had a lovely 4 hour conversation and she said he was really intelligent and nice. — Cnutty_04

Vin Likes to Fish

I met Vin Diesel at a truck stop diner when I was a kid.

It was like 4 in the morning and me, my grandpa and vin and his friend were the only ones in the diner, and we ended up getting sat at the table next to them.

Vin and a friend were getting ready to go on some fishing trip which was made obvious by the clothes they were wearing. My grandpa struck up a conversation about fishing with him, completely oblivious to who he was. He was a really nice guy and apparently knew a great deal about fishing techniques.

I was a bit geeked out and didn’t say much or contribute to the conversation but I spent the next hour of our road trip explaining to my grandpa who vin diesel was and why it was a huge deal we just met him. — weekendbrainsurgeon

John C. Reilly is John C. Reilly

I was working on a set once where John C. Reilly acted as one of the main characters. It was a pretty small set and low budget (not even sure if the show ever aired) so we all found ourselves working closely together for the most part.

I sat across from him during lunch one day and we chatted for a bit about random stuff. The guy talks the same way he acts, which is why I think he plays such a great character in any comedy because he quite literally plays his own attitude in many roles.. at least it seems.

But anyway he was a very nice and down to earth guy, I found it hard not to giggle every time he spoke because I just couldn’t shake the image in my head of all the roles he’s played. — tommyboy6733

The Rock is the People’s Champion

My mom and sister met the Rock when he was still a wrestler. They had a couple car seats and tons of bags having a hell of a time getting off the plane and people were waiting and then this massive guy offered to carry some things for them and they happily took the help, he grabbed some bags and held the baby carrier with my niece in it and helped them off the plane and left. After people kept going up to them asking how they knew the rock and they were very confused until someone explained who he was. — sendgoodmemes

Daniel Radcliffe is very … British

I served Daniel Radcliffe his dessert at an event, and tripped and spilled some of it on him, probably due to seeing that I was serving Daniel Radcliffe, and he stood up and started apologising profusely to ME. Was very sweet and asking if I was ok. — eggsmashumactually

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Let’s step back for a moment and take stock of our situation, shall we?

We are currently living through a global pandemic which, up until a month ago, was a theoretical disaster we’d only ever seen in movies and history books. We now tap into the news each day and watch the numbers of confirmed cases and deaths rising. A growing number of us have family, friends, or acquaintances who have fallen ill or died. Even if we don’t, we may have loved ones who are elderly or immunocompromised or we may fall into that category ourselves, so we fear what exposure to this virus might bring.

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At the same time, we are stuck in our homes without our normal social outlets. Some of us are alone and lonely. Some of us are trapped in homes that are not healthy or safe. Even those of us who appreciate having some extra family time might be feeling the strain of constant togetherness. People are stressed over trying to work and educate kids and try to provide structure and security in the midst of chaos.

Some of us are forced to go to work in essential jobs that put our lives at risk. Some of us are newly and unexpectedly unemployed, while others are watching businesses they’ve built crumble before their eyes. Some of use are wondering how we’re going to put food on the table. Many of us have watched future plans and goals and dreams being swept away, just like that. We know that the economic fallout of this will be huge, but we don’t know how huge or what that will mean for us individually or collectively.

Our lives have been upended, quickly and with very little warning. We’re surviving, most of us, but that doesn’t change the fact that life as we know it has been dramatically altered. And we don’t know when or how or if things will return to “normal.”

Then there’s the human toll of the virus itself. We bear witness to heartbreaking stories from medical workers on the front line. Medical workers who don’t have enough supplies and are having to pile bodies into refrigerator trucks. Bodies of patients who died without loved ones by their side. Patients whose belongings are piling up in hospital storage rooms, waiting for the day when family members can come retrieve them. Family members who can’t even gather together for funerals to comfort one another as humans do.

And that’s just an overview. And it’s only been a month. And we’re not yet at the peak. And we’re being told there may be resurgences in coming months, meaning we don’t know what the next year holds.

This is no small thing, friends.

Trauma is defined as the emotional response to a terrible event. And it’s totally understandable that a global pandemic and sudden, widespread economic hardship would evoke a strong emotional response in most of us. And yet, many of us likely haven’t thought about this experience as “trauma” because it hasn’t been one single event. It’s a slow emergency of sorts, one we had to prepare for before we saw it for ourselves. And now we’re living in a weird state of limbo where nothing feels normal, widespread worry and uncertainty surround us, and yet it’s all covered in a thin veneer of calm.

That veneer is deceptive. On the surface, we’re just being asked to sit at home and watch TV—what’s so traumatic about that? But simplifying it in such a way denies the entire reason we’re doing it—to prevent mass death and suffering as much as possible. That’s a heavy reality. We’ve had to upend life as we know it in order to preserve lives in general.

And yet even with our seemingly extreme efforts, we’re still watching the numbers climb and seeing the terrible stories. Even if we aren’t directly impacted, we’re still immersed in it and experiencing trauma vicariously. If we have any sense of empathy, we will have an emotional response—one that we might not recognize, since this is like nothing we’ve experienced before.

Licensed professional counselor Jennifer Yaeger shared some words of wisdom about our current circumstances and the importance of acknowledging the emotional and psychological toll of it all on Facebook. She wrote:

“I want to acknowledge that living through this pandemic is a trauma.

As a trauma specialist, I think there are a few things that are helpful to know:

– Parts of our brain have shut down in order for us to survive

– As a result, we are not able to fully process a lot of what is going on around us

– Feeling somewhat numb and out of touch with our emotions is normal, especially if you have lived through trauma before

– Some people are also more apt to feel hypervigilant or anxious, while others become hypoactive or depressed. Neither means anything other than indicating your predisposition to dealing with extreme stress

– In-depth processing of trauma happens years later, when we feel emotionally safe to deal with it

– When in the midst of trauma, just getting by emotionally and functionally is okay. Lowering expectations and being kind to yourself and others is vital.”

So don’t judge whatever you’re feeling—or what anyone else is feeling—through all of this. When you feel overwhelmed or stuck or numb—or even guilty for not feeling any of these things when you’re in a state of joy or gratitude—just let it be. Most of us are experiencing a dozen different feelings every hour, so do what you need to do to care for mental and emotional health.

Be gentle and patient with yourself, and do the same with others. This is hard, but we’ll get through it. Our emotions are one thing that unite us as human beings, so if nothing else, we can at least take comfort in the fact that none of us is alone in what we’re feeling.

Imagine going through the grocery store check-out, only to be told that your entire grocery bill had been covered.

That’s been the experience of shoppers in Atlanta and New Orleans this week, as comedian and filmmaker Tyler Perry picked up the bill at 73 grocery stores. Many stores have been offering special hours for seniors and other at-risk groups to do their shopping with less potential exposure to the virus, and Perry has given some of these folks a huge gift.

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Customers were treated to Perry’s generosity at 44 Kroger supermarkets in Perry’s hometown of Atlanta, and 29 Winn-Dixies in New Orleans, where Perry was born. People describe the store manager handing out slips of paper with a huge grin on his face as people entered the store. The paper read: “Random act of kindness. Present to cashier before 8 a.m.”

Kroger thanked Perry on Twitter for easing the financial burden of more than 3000 customers on Wednesday. “You can see how much this means by the look on their faces,” the supermarket chain wrote.

“It was amazing to see their reactions,” Winn-Dixie store manager Suzanne Balaylock told WTVY News. “Some people cried, which, of course, I’m very emotional so it made me tear up. Some people were like ‘this isn’t happening, how can this be this happening, this is just amazing, why would he do this?'”

Perry explained why he did this to Gayle King on CBS This Morning.

“There are a lot of people who are really, really struggling right now, and underprivileged,” he said, “and I wanted to go to the heart of where we are and what we need. And this was my way.”

This is not Perry’s first foray into providing direct financial help to people. He has long been rumored to be a “silent philanthropist” for various causes in addition to multiple accounts of individual assistance for people in need. In 2018, he paid off every outstanding layaway bill for people at two Atlanta-area Walmarts—a gift he tried to keep anonymous without success.

Well done, Mr. Perry. What a great example of how to use wealth in a way that has a direct, positive impact on people.

Too Hot To Handle is to Too Messy Not To Watch!

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Prosecutors released photos showing Loughlin’s daughters, including influencer Olivia Jade, on a rowing machine to show they were “real” athletes as part of their college applications.

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