Previously on the Best and Worst of Raw:VI-KING RAY-DERS! We have beards … and this segment is weird! VI-KING RAY-DERS! We are in the car, and now our careers won’t go far! VI-KING RAY-DERS! We’re like the guys from the Sonic commercials all of a sudden. VI-KING RAY-DERS! VI-KING RAY-DERS! VI-KING RAY-DERS!
One more thing: Hit those share buttons! Spread the word about the column on Facebook, Twitter and whatever else you use. Be sure to leave us a comment in our comment section below as well. I know we always ask this, and that this part is copy and pasted in every week, but we appreciate it every week. Up next is In Our House: Money in the Bank.
And now, the Best and Worst of WWE Raw for April 27, 2020.
Apollo Cries
In this week’s episode, Apollo Crews flies too close to the sun.
Raw opens in the grand old Smackdown tradition of a talk show segment where the host is condescending to the guests, they speak up only to get interrupted by unrelated heels, and it sets up a tag team match for later in the night. MVP interviewing Rey Mysterio, Aleister Black, and Apollo Crews only to be interrupted by Zelina Vega’s group could just as easily be, I don’t know, Jeff Hardy, Daniel Bryan, and Drew Gulak being interrupted by Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura. And then Gulak would pin Zayn to win the match, challenge Zayn to an Intercontinental Championship match, and then lose. Because the only true thing in WWE right now is that if you’re a bad guy with a championship and it’s on the line, you’re gonna win, but if it isn’t, you’re gonna lose.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
A wild match appeared, and it’s what you’ve come to expect from these Performance Center Raws. It’s not bad, necessarily, but it’s overly long to fill time — this one goes 25 minutes when it absolutely shouldn’t have gone longer than 10 — is hurt by the absence of crowd reactions, and only exists as a cog in the build to some other match you’re going to forget happened by next Monday. It’s also an iffy match to book given you’re putting your three Money in the Bank qualifiers in the ring against what’s ostensibly your only group of heels on Raw now that Rollins’ group is mostly scattered to the wind, and you’ve already spent several weeks feeding them to whomever needed the win. So again, it’s a lot like the Artists Collective. The villains are wildly talented and great hands to have around when you need to make the heroes look good, but if they’re the only option, they start looking like complete fucking goobers.
Continuing the trend of “somebody used permanent marker on the dry erase board” Raw booking, Apollo Crews wins by pinning Andrade. Apollo Crews has pinned the United States Champion! You’ve got to think that puts him into contention for a possible future title shot, King! Words about the decision are exchanged backstage and Crews ends up getting his title shot right here tonight, but not before slapping Andrade so hard it knocks his spirit into the astral plane. This slap was easily the best part of the entire show.
WWE
But … well … you know.
As mentioned, you’ve got a much better chance of beating a champion in a non-title match than in a title match. It doesn’t matter if the champion has an OVR of 65 and you’re in the mid-90s, if the title’s on the line, the stats get reversed. See also, again, Daniel Bryan vs. Sami Zayn at WrestleMania.
During the match, Crews moonsaults from the apron to the floor and tweaks his knee. Like a lot of modern WWE matches, it becomes the focus of the story but doesn’t keep the guy with the tweaked knee from doing standing moonsaults or delayed powerslams or whatever. Ultimately Crews misses a frog splash by landing on his feet, which FURTHER tweaks the knee, and instead of that just setting up the finish they … stop the match on the spot and give the win to Andrade via sadness forfeit. The next time we see him, he’s in the back leaving the arena in his underpants on crutches, crying.
WWE
So many strange decisions here. You rebuilt Apollo Crews by bringing him to Raw and had him qualify for Money in the Bank only to immediately lose because he sucks and get taken out of Money in the Bank? What was the point of that? Will he be more compelling and sympathetic star now that he’s failed on a spectacular level and cried about it? You could argue that him not taking the pin “protects” him here, but shit, when has Apollo Crews not been able to take pinfalls? I think by “protecting” him, you actually hurt him and made him look worse. A guy losing his second 20-minute match of the night to someone who’s supposed to be the second best guy in the company in the United States Champion is one thing. A guy losing because of a worked injury and then being too verklempt to put on his clothes or speak about it is another.
I don’t know. I get what they’re doing, but it feels too much like someone typing the same paragraph and deleting it, over and over. It doesn’t matter how good the paragraph is if you delete it, and you can’t write a cohesive story until you start chaining paragraphs together.
Sorry you don’t get to do standing moonsaults in an office building, Apollo. I sure hope Brock Lesnar doesn’t randomly get your spot and win by tipping over Titan Towers from the ground floor.
Also On This Episode
Wait, we’re there already?
LOL Yes
… shit …
Speaking of strange decisions, the only match WWE advertised for this episode before it aired was a triple threat between Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, and Asuka. Then, instead of, you know, doing the match, they have it end before it begins with Nia manhandling the two most dominant women in NXT history and (for some reason) doing the Ultimate Warrior gorilla press to a ladder.
WWE
Then her music plays, which … means she won, I guess? I don’t know. They don’t know either, it’s fine. Like the opening six-man tag, this was one of those matches you probably would’ve benefited more from not booking. For whatever reason WWE’s still under the impression that the best way to advertise a pay-per-view match is to have the participants wrestle on every Raw or Smackdown leading up to it and look like dipshits for several weeks. Asuka and Shayna Baszler were total losers in a baited-and-switched non-match in service of promoting the one woman in the Money in the Bank match you can’t currently rely on to get through an arm drag and a twist without hurting somebody. Without exaggeratedly bagging on Nia, whom I really do like as a person and a character concept, there are real, visible problems with some of the stuff she does in the ring, and they aren’t going to be softened by giving her a weapon and asking her to climb to the top of a ladder.
Quick question: What is Liv Morgan’s character? I believe the only information we’ve been given is that she took a series of bubble baths and decided to dye her hair and stop eating candy, and she had an affair with Lana.
Last week, Liv defeated Ruby Riott with her finisher, which didn’t have a name. This week, Liv defeats Ruby Riott with her finisher, which now HAS a name. Oblivion. Ob-Liv-ion, get it? Do you get it. She’s still getting better, although I’m sure some of that has to do with Ruby. If you’re gonna push Liv, you need to keep her in the ring with people who know what they’re doing.
After the match, Liv introduces us to the Genesis of Mor-gillicutty:
“I fill like … I’ve had so many chapters, and there’s gonna continue to be so many more chapters with me, but right, now I fill … I fill like a lot of people my age, I’m just still, I’m still trying to figure out who I am and exactly what that means and exactly who that is, but … I’m gonna figure it out and … [tries to remember lines] … I’m confident, that I will figure out.”
On a related note, best of luck in your future endeavors to Ruby Riott. I don’t know if she’s leaving or sticking around or what, but regardless, I hope she her future endeavors are better than these.
Speaking of Lana, Bobby Lashley has to compliment her into inaction so he can concentrate on defeating the Great Value 2015 Angelo Dawkins, Denzel DeJournette. Surprisingly, Donald Trump’s Champion for Trial By Combat is able to score the win over a guy whose only contribution to WWE television to date has been doing Public Enemy’s entrance before getting stomped by Imperium. And he even got most of THAT from Dawkins.
Dawkins and Montez Ford exchange promos with the Viking Raiders, who are back to pretending to be threatening after a week of Carpool Karaoke with dorky chanting instead of songs. And not even chanting as songs. They’re going to have a match next week, which hopefully ends with the Profits going over and the Raiders being penalized one match per “VI-KING RAY-DERS.”
This week’s most important development is the return of Jinder Mahal, star of a WWE Championship run that was terrible, but everyone says was great now. At least it was different? Not every title run has 90% Singh Brothers interference finishes, racist promos about Shinsuke Nakamura, and The Great Khali showing up to help you win a Randy Orton Punjabi Prison match. But yeah, compare it with the bug projector and the House of Horrors and the House of Horrors and Mahal’s run starts looking like Bruno Sammartino’s.
Anyway, if Zelina Vega’s group are Raw’s version of the Artists Collective, Jinder appears to be Raw’s version of Sheamus. A former WWE Champion returns after a long absence with a trimmed down and ridiculously cut physique to beat jobbers every week. Here he goes over Akira Tozawa, who is still stuck on enhancement talent duty despite being in the Interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament. It’s too bad they can only pay attention to one weekly several-hour prime-time TV show from this one empty venue at a time.
Cedric Alexander and Ricochet get a quick, four-minute win over Chase Parker and Matt Martel, formerly known as Team 3.0, currently known as EVER-RISE. If you don’t read the Best and Worst of NXT column, no, the team name does not make any sense, and yes, it somehow manages to sound like both the word “ovaries” and a brand of biscuit flour.
The winners continue the Circle of Life for underappreciated cruiserweight tag teams by debuting a new finisher, a top rope double-stomp and Flatliner combination, which is reminiscent of the Lucha Bros’ top rope double-stomp and Package Piledriver combination, which in itself is reminiscent of Low Ki and Homicide’s top rope double-stomp and Vertebreaker combination. I’m excited for eight years from now when NXT Superstars Eli Everfly and Lucas Riley debut their tag team finisher, a top rope double-stomp and rolling cutter combination.
WWE Network
Triple H Appreciation Week continues, and I swear to God, if I never see this clip of D-Generation X “invading Nitro” on a tank that’s actually a jeep again, it’ll be too soon. Easily the least consequential thing to ever happen but be treated like a cultural tent-pole by WWE. They rode around in the parking lot before the show and pointed at their dicks, it’s not the moon landing.
Additional note: Am I the only one hoping Jinder Mahal would run back out to help Drew even the odds?
Best: Top 10 Comments Of The Week
Mr. Bliss
Zelina’s out here with the 5 biggest heels on RAW….Andrade, Theory, Garza, her left shoe and her right shoe.
AshBlue
Of all things, I would think a contract signing is a perfect example of work that could be done at home.
CFCarboni
“Look at the power of Theory!”
Unless you’re a Board of Education in the South.
Clay Quartermain
Seth: “I don’t want what happened to me to happen to you Drew. You need to stay off Twitter.”
AJ Dusman
Jinder Mahal vs Akira Tozawa followed by Andrade vs Apollo Crews. Jerry Lawler shouldn’t even be doing an internal monologue while watching this Raw.
The Real Birdman
“Jinder Mahal is back in action next!!”
GIPHY
Taylor Swish
Zelina’s pants are like Raw writers’ plots. Full of holes and you can’t figure out how they actually put them on.
ActualKyleArlyn
Byron: “Apollo Crews was written off by people who said he wasn’t good enough. That he’d never be a champion. That his career would never amount to anything.”
Vince:
AddMayne
I’m cool with acting like the Carpool Chanting thing was a gas leak segment
JayBone2
Brandon tomorrow:
Last week Liv Morgan beat Ruby Riott only for Liv Morgan to beat Ruby Riott this week. Tune in next week as Ruby Riott faces…(sighs) Liv Morgan.
(I had to delete this exact sentence when I saw the comment.)
WWE
when you have to watch Raw every week
That does it for another episode of The Best and Worst of Increasingly Depressing Quarantine Raw for one of (if not the) worst empty PC show they’ve done so far. Just an illogical, uneventful slog for three hours. Even the stuff that happened got erased before the episode was over.
Anyway, ss always you can help us out tremendously right now by sharing the column on social media, as well as dropping down into our comments section to let us know what you thought of the show. I will keep trying to watch these and say something constructive about them, but if I fall into existential, nihilistic despair waiting for real episodes with fans to return, throw me in cryogenic freeze.
Join us back here next week for more build to Money in the Corporate Headquarters, Liv Morgan vs. Ruby Riott probably, and the Street Profits vs. VI-KING RAY-DERS VI-KING RAY-DERS VI-KING RAY-DERS. See you then.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has completely put a halt to WWE’s traditional business model. While weekly shows are still airing, they’re all being broadcast from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando in front of an empty house. Furthermore, WWE’s live events — while not the moneymaker for the company that they’ve been in the past — have been practically completely wiped from the calendar. This is impacting the product more than monetarily, as house shows are where WWE Superstars would be able to work out their matches in front of a live audience before taking it to the bright lights of Raw or Smackdown.
Taking a look at WWE’s live events calendar, it’s unclear just what live events are still scheduled. But one trip that won’t be happening is WWE’s tour of Australia and New Zealand, slated for August 6-8. The Raw-branded trek was set to include Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Drew McIntyre and others (including Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson — whoops). Promoter TEG DAINTY shared the following message via social media:
We thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work with WWE to secure our new return dates.
The superstars of Monday Night RAW can’t wait to get back and put on one hell of a show for you in Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland.
In the meantime, let’s keep safe, look after each other and we’ll be back with new details very soon.
TEG Dainty
Additionally, WWE’s upcoming European tour, originally slated for May, has been pushed back to October, yet somehow, WWE’s upcoming Japanese tour in July is still on sale, further illustrating the instability and uncertainty surrounding COVID’s continued impact.
As for domestic touring, Ticketmaster doesn’t have any live events listed until mid-July, with Extreme Rules slated for July 19 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, but it feels less and less likely we will see WWE in any arena, domestic or international, for the foreseeable future. Let that be motivation for all of us to stay home as much as possible: The sooner we flatten the curve and beat COVID, the sooner we can go back to booing Baron Corbin in person.
Livestream concerts have been a big deal in recent months, but that’s not the only option when it comes to livestreamed music entertainment. Rappers and producers have been squaring off in Instagram battles, pitting their discographies against each other to see who has more and bigger hits. An upcoming battle is set for April 30 at 8 p.m. ET, and it features two hip-hop legends: Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s Krayzie Bone.
This battle does not seem to be fueled by any animosity, as it is being billed as more of a celebration than an all-out brawl. Bone wrote while making the announcement on Instagram, “Celebrating over 50 combined years of hits. Limited edition Collab merch available. Share share share, don’t miss this celebration!”
Indeed, the two have had a lot of success between them. Three 6 Mafia have released a number of Platinum-selling hits and a handful of top-10 albums since the mid-’90s. Additionally, their Hustle & Flow track “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” made Three Six Mafia the first hip-hop group to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It was also the second hip-hop song to win an Oscar, following Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”
Meanwhile, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is commonly regarded as one of the top hip-hop groups of all time, thanks to their two No. 1 albums (and their pair of No. 2 albums). Their biggest single is “Tha Crossroads,” which won the group a Grammy for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group in 1997.
Jalen Green, the potential No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, became the first player to commit to the G League Select Team earlier this month, popularizing a potential pathway for highly-regarded high school players who are comfortable with skipping out on college basketball. Green will be joined by Isaiah Todd, a five-star who was committed to Michigan before opting to take this route.
Not everyone who has been offered the chance to go down this road has taken it — Greg Brown, a five-star center in the 2020 class, decided it was best to attend Texas. But on Tuesday afternoon, the Select Team got its latest player, much to the dismay of Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Daishen Nix is headed to the G League. Nix, a five-star point guard in the class of 2020 and the No. 15 recruit in America by 247Sports’ Composite rating, had previously signed his letter of intent to head to Westwood.
Five-star prospect Daishen Nix has decommitted from UCLA and plans to sign in the NBA G League, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA@Stadium.
Charania reports that the deal Nix signed with the Southern California-based squad is expected to pay him handsomely, somewhere around $300,000.
G League deal for Daishen Nix — arguably the best point guard in the 2021 NBA draft — is expected to be in the $300,000 range, sources said. https://t.co/V96P84WInb
It is still unclear exactly how the Select Team will function and what their potential schedule look like, but it’s already putting together quite the roster of talent. Nix stands 6’5, attended Trinity International Schools in Las Vegas, and was a McDonald’s All-American Game selection alongside Green and Todd.
While people across the country remain in quarantine to curb the spread of the coronavirus, musicians have been forced to get creative about releasing videos. To celebrate his recent track with Guapdad 4000, Rich Brian discovered a clever way to record a visual while also raising funds to donate to charity.
For his “Bali” video, Rich Brian decided to give some neighborly love to his friends by sending some gag gifts to their houses with a drone. The rapper attached a bag to the flying camera and filmed it arriving at his friends’ doorsteps. Over the course of the video, Rich Brian sends condoms to Cuco, celery and wine to YouTuber Cody Ko, hair products to his bald friend Noel Miller, Pokémon cards to Thundercat, and a $10 bill to Guapdad 4000 as a cheeky thank-you gift for featuring on the track.
Along with sending gifts to his musician friends, Rich Brian tapped them to donate cash to charitable funds. The combined donations from Guapdad 4000, Cuco, Thundercat, Denzel Curry, Kenny Beats, Lil Yachty, and others raised a large sum. The funds made it possible to donate 125 meals to the LA County Hospital, supplement lease late payments for a local food truck, and give funds, food, and face masks to the organization Asian Americans For Housing.
Watch Rich Brian and Guapdad 4000’s “Bali” video above.
Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
While we’re at it, if you want more music recommendations curated by Steven Hyden delivered directly to your inbox every week, sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter.
The 1975 — “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”
We’ve been talking about The 1975’s Notes On A Conditional Form for the better part of the last year. Somehow, the album is still nearly a month away, but the band has shared another sampling of the 22-track effort to tide us over. “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” is another song from the band that sounds completely different from the last, an 80’s-tinged number that even features a “Kenny G-style saxophone interlude,” according to Carolyn Droke for Uproxx. “If You’re Too Shy” once again shows us how good The 1975 are at writing songs.
Bright Eyes — “Forced Convalescence”
The return of Bright Eyes over the last few months has certainly been welcome, and although the band was forced to postpone their comeback tour, they are still pushing forward with the release of their new album. “Forced Convalescence” is the latest taste of the as-yet-untitled album, and reminds us why we fell in love with Bright Eyes in the first place. Structurally, the song “gradually works its way to an apex before cooling off and ending the song on another build-up,” writes Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx,
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit — “Dreamsicle”
Reunions, the latest effort from Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, is out in just a few weeks, but they aren’t slowing down with the release of new music. The latest offering is both triumphant and nostalgic, opening with intricate finger-picking on the guitar before diving into an almost Springsteen-esque narrative. “With his textured vocals, Isbell narrates the story of a boy coming-of-age and having a difficult time realizing he has to leave the town he grew up in,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
Jónsi — “Exhale”
Jónsi’s work with Sigur Rós has kept him occupied over the better part of the last decade, and his solo work has been dormant in the interim. Now, he has returned to his solo work with “Exhale,” a unique and experimental orchestral single. “Opening with soft, resounding piano, Jónsi’s reverberating vocals wax and wane until a vivid crescendo of synths and percussive elements arrives part-way through the track,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
James Blake — “You’re Too Precious”
A year removed from the release of Assume Form, James Blake hasn’t slowed down with the release of new material. However, “You’re Too Precious” is the first sampling of new music since releasing a deluxe version of the album and several video treatments. The track was originally teased during an Instagram Live stream earlier in April, where Blake also covered songs from Billie Eilish, Frank Ocean, Radiohead, and more, as part of a commitment to playing more piano.
Helado Negro — “I Fell In Love”
Helado Negro has been prolific since 2017, releasing an album every year as well as a handful of supplementary standalone singles. “I Fell In Love” falls into the latter category, and is a sign that Roberto Carlos Lange has no plans of slowing down in 2020. Sonically and thematically, “the song uses rhythm and sound as a medium to explore the euphoric and comforting feeling of first falling in love,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.
City Mouth — Coping Machine
On their latest album, City Mouth sound like a cross between Motion City Soundtrack, The Format, and The 1975. The music sparkles like early 2000s pop punk, but with more depth and a virtuosity that is not often heard from bands of this scene, anchored by Jessica Burdeaux‘s impressive and ear-catching drumming.
Destroy Boys — “Honey I’m Home”
Carrying on the Riot Grrrl legacy, Destroy Boys have earned high-profile fans like Billie Joe Armstrong and Laura Jane Grace, all before graduating from high school. “Honey I’m Home” is the band’s first new music since their sophomore album Make Room earned them slots on tour with the likes of SWMRS and Mannequin Pussy, and very quickly shows why so many are quick to latch onto the band.
Skullcrusher — “Places/Plans”
Ahead of her self-titled debut EP for revered indie label Secretly Canadian, Helen Ballentine has shared “Places/Plans,” a track that fittingly examines solitude and isolation. Ballentine takes a deep dive into her own psyche “armed with an acoustic guitar and her soaring vocals,” writes Carolyn Droke for Uproxx. “I thought a lot about my self-worth during this period of uncertainty,” Ballentine said in a statement. “‘Places/Plans’ attempts to communicate the beauty and vulnerability of being alone and what it means to let someone else in to see that.”
Golf Alpha Bravo — “Stuck Being Me”
You might know Gab Winterfield from his work in Jagwar Ma. Now, the Australian songwriter is unveiling his debut solo album, prefaced by “Stuck Being Me,” a track about being comfortable with yourself. “At a time where we’re all spending a lot of time with no one but ourselves, ‘Stuck Being Me’ seems weirdly apt,” notes Winterfield in a statement. “I think that our greatest strengths can often be disguised as our most perceived flaws, and perhaps the lyrics reflect that.”
The World Is… — “In Circles” (Sunny Day Real Estate cover)
It’s always great when a modern emo band with a really long name covers a classic emo band with a slightly shorter, but still pretty long name. For this reason, this new cover of the classic Sunny Day Real Estate track by The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die certainly does not disappoint. TWIABP have managed to inject the SDRE track with some space, extending the track out to a nearly seven-minute epic.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
WWE just set the lineup for this year’s Money In The Bank ladder matches, but after this week’s Raw, the company will have to make a change. Apollo Crews has been removed from the men’s match after suffering a knee injury during his match with Andrade.
After Crews challenged Andrade with a slap to the face, he and U.S. Champion began a match that Crews was unable to finish. Andrade focused on Crews’ knee during this match and in the clip of the finish above, it looks like the last straw for Crews is hitting an enziguri. He tries to push through and still pulls off some impressive athletic feats. However, he ultimately has to roll under the ropes for the referee to check on him and the match ends due to referee stoppage.
Crews had been featured more heavily on Raw since WrestleMania, with a nearly half-hour match against Aleister Black the night after WWE’s biggest show of the year and a win over MVP to qualify for MITB.
With Crews out of the ladder match, the men’s Money In The Bank lineup is now Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis vs. King Corbin vs. Aleister Black vs. Rey Mysterio, with a seventh competitor likely to be announced.
The country is slowly beginning to open up as several states’ social distancing measures begin to expire and, while we aren’t completely sure what our new version of public life is going to be like, we do kind of have a sense of what it’s going to look like. Get used to seeing people from the eyes up, because it’s looking like face masks are going to be a permanent part of your wardrobe for the foreseeable future, especially if you plan on boarding a flight with JetBlue.
NBC Newsreports that JetBlue announced Monday that beginning May 4th, all customers will be required to cover their mouths and noses for the duration of their travel. Including check-in, boarding, in-flight, and while deplaning. In a statement announcing the change, JetBlue’s president and chief operating officer Joanna Geraghty explained, “Wearing a face covering isn’t about protecting yourself it’s about protecting those around you.”
Though the thought of wearing a face mask during what is already an uncomfortable experience might sound like a drag, we’re with JetBlue on this one. Airlines, by their nature, make safe social distancing impossible — as seen in this video posted to Twitter of a recent American Airlines flight out of JFK. Serious precautions are clearly essential to public health.
Well silly me thinking that an airline would adhere to social distancing guidelines. Currently abroad a nearly full @AmericanAir flight and I’ve never felt less safe or cared for in my entire life pic.twitter.com/sx5STfHKBI
“This is the new flying etiquette…” says Geraghty, “Onboard, cabin air is well circulated and cleaned through filters every few minutes but this is a shared space where we have to be considerate of others.”
After a breakout year, BTS has shelved their massive global tour due to the pandemic. The group recently delayed the South Korean leg of their Map Of The Soul tour along with several US shows. Now, BTS has announced they are postponing the remainder of their world tour.
In an official statement, Live Nation addressed the cancelation: “Unfortunately, due to the ongoing government advisories on mass gatherings, BTS Map Of The Soul Tour – Europe has been postponed. Our highest priority remains the safety of our artists and fans as well as the global community. We ask for your generous understanding that this decision has been made in consideration of the safety and health of everyone involved. We look forward to seeing you all in the future.”
BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment echoed Live Nation’s message in a statement:
“Due to the nature of BTS concerts involving travel by thousands of international fans no matter where the performances are held, it is also difficult to resume the tour with the current strict restrictions on cross-border movement still in place. Moreover it is impossible at this time to predict when the first performance marking the start of the tour will be able to begin. Therefore we have made the difficult decision to suspend the previously-announced tour schedule and develop a new schedule. Big Hit Entertainment will completely reschedule the tour and provide a new tour schedule to our fans as soon as it becomes clear when the tour can begin.”
BTS’ decision arrives after a wildly successful year. The K-pop boyband’s recently-released record Map Of The Soul: 7 became their fourth No. 1 in less than two years. The group also became the first K-pop band to ever have a record be certified Platinum in the US.
Map Of The Soul: 7 is out now via Big Hit. Get it here.
It’s time to accept the fact that the face mask is here to stay. Long a streetwear staple in the fashion centers of Tokyo and Seoul, as well as dusty desert raves, face masks just might be as essential to your fit as a fly pair of kicks right now. Aside from the CDC’s recommendation for all Americans to wear cloth face-coverings in public life during the COVID-19 pandemic, some states have strict measures in place requiring the use of a face mask to enter the market or pick up food from an eatery. And while it’s clear that we aren’t going to be required to stay home forever, COVID-19 isn’t exactly going away once quarantine ends.
As such, wearing face masks in large public gatherings and retail spaces will probably be the norm going forward until a vaccine is commercially available, unlikely until at least February of 2021. If you’ve already been making a habit of rocking a face mask, you’ll probably aware that it’s hard to make them look good. Learning how to fashion a makeshift mask out of a bandana from a viral TikTok was all well and good that first week of quarantine, but now that the face mask is an essential part of our wardrobes it’s time to put some thought and effort into how you clothe your face.
We’re just going to say it — No, you’re not crazy for wanting your face mask to match your bomber jacket. Yes, it would be dope if your socks played off your mask. You could choose to look at the face mask as a hindrance to your look, or as another accessory to help pull your whole outfit together. It’s really up to you and whether you’re down to make some lemonade from these lemons we all got handed.
To help you stay looking as fresh as possible in the era of the face mask, we’ve collected a list of all the hottest labels making masks right now. If this whole scene isn’t for you, there are a million other ways to make a mask — just promise to wear one when out and about. We’re in this together.
Anti Social Social Club
Is there a more fitting brand for the age of social distancing than the Anti Social Social Club? The streetwear label’s take on the face mask keeps things simple with a logo print over your choice of white, black, or pink.
Some iterations swap out the bold italic font for a wavy version of the logo, and both are readily available on Grailed.
Artifact
Pre-COVID-19 Artifact specialized in hand-making premium bags, aprons, and other accessories with a sort of rustic and earthy charm. Now the brand is adapting to the times and adding face masks to their arsenal of hand made products. In your choice of seven earth-toned colorways, each face mask out of Artifact features an internal wire piece for a snug nose adjustment, a built-in pocket for a removable MERV-14 mesh filter, and face ties that allow you to adjust your fit for ultimate comfort.
BAPE has been in the fashionable face mask game for a while, and while they aren’t offering anything currently, there is a near-endless supply of BAPE face masks to be found across StockX and Grailed. From simple single cloth face masks to more heavy-duty reinforced masks that make you look straight out of Mortal Kombat, BAPE has all your camo or shark-faced patterned face mask needs completely covered. Conspicuously, we haven’t spotted a face mask that sports Baby Milo, which needs to be remedied immediately.
Hit up Grailed or StockX to pick up a BAPE face mask from the aftermarket.
Ball and Buck
Ball and Buck are bringing their outdoorsy aesthetic to the face mask game with their simple cotton camo masks. The brand will match each mask sale by donating a mask to a hospital in need. While Ball and Buck’s mask are not medical grade — none of the masks on this list are, nor do they necessarily need to be — the brand points out that they are suitable for all manner of activities, like sanding, sawing, or as a shield to prolong the usability of a medical-grade mask,
Hit up Ball and Buck’s online store to pick up a mask now.
Daniel Patrick
Featuring two elastic bands on each side, Daniel Patrick’s 100% polyester masks are water-resistant and come in fourteen different unique colorways and patterns that allow for a more personalized choice. The design features a slight slope near the nose for a sleek design that contours the face in a one-size-fits-most look.
Equihua is currently hand sewing face masks using Virgen de Guadalupe scarf fabric sourced in Merida, Yucatan, and delivering one of the most vibrant and fashionable masks out there. Featuring polyester on the outer fabric and cotton on the inner, each fest mask features an inner pocket that accommodates HEPA-style filters.
The masks are currently sold out — as each is being hand-sewn by a small team — so follow Equihua on Instagram to be alerted once the next batch is ready.
Eric Emanuel
Instead of selling masks, Eric Emanuel has been including free masks featuring his signature logo with all recent online purchases. Half of the original run of masks was donated to healthcare workers on the front lines and as recently as last week the brand has burned through their entire supply. So for now, you’ll have to wait on grabbing a mask, but that wait will be worth it as Eric Emanuel is currently hard at work on a new supply that features busier psychedelic designs.
Follow the Eric Emanuel Instagram account to stay updated on the next drop.
Los Angeles Apparel
Los Angeles Apparel — owned by former American Apparel head Dov Charney — was one of the first labels to heed New York Governor Cuomo’s call for the fashion industry to aid in the production of masks and now their adjustable 100% cotton masks are commercially available in three-mask packs. Each mask features an adjustable nose strip to contour your face and two-straps that allow you to adjust your fit as needed.
Los Angeles Apparel is offering 26 different patterns, allowing you more variety to match with your current wardrobe.
Profound’s take on the face mask sports a simple flat rectangular silhouette and features elegant sepia-toned patterns that match the brand’s streetwear meets fine art aesthetic. Patterns include a floral painting, an earthy paisley carpet design, a simple sharpie doodle reading “We’ve made it this far, kid,” a retro-leaning checkerboard design, and other iterations on the paisley bandana pattern.
Profound will donate some proceeds of each mask purchase toward the International Rescue Committee’s COVID-19 fund for refugee families, as well as donate funds towards procuring N95 marks to help assist healthcare workers in New York and New Jersey.
Los Angeles-based The Hundreds is currently offering two different face mask patterns, one that adopts the liquor-store staple paisley bandana patterning and the other that reps The Hundreds iconic bomb logo. Both masks are a 50/50 cotton and polyester blend, one-size-fits-most, and are entirely constructed in Los Angeles.
At $19 flat, they’re one of the better bargains on this list and with 25% of the profits going to benefit the Street Vendor Emergency Fund, you’ll be doing a small amount of good while leveling up your mask game. That’s a win-win.
Are you surprised to find the streetwear juggernaut on this list? Supreme has dropped a variety of face masks throughout the years, from their sleek Arabic logo neoprene masks, to their bulkier large-logo mask. A luxury streetwear must-have for the hype beasts who aren’t letting COVID-19 stop them from endlessly flexing.
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