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At long last, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association appear to be actively negotiating a deal for the 2020 season that will reportedly include prorated pay for the athletes and an expanded playoff format that will include more teams.

Reporting from Jon Heyman of MLB Network indicated that commissioner Rob Manfred flew directly to Arizona, where union chief Tony Clark lives, to meet face-to-face with Clark this week. That meeting seemingly allowed each side to get closer to this deal, with the players seemingly nagging two big concessions from the league in prorated pay and the expanded playoffs.

The precise number of games remains to be seen, but outspoken Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer put out a lengthy Twitter thread this week indicating the league could fit more than 70 games in if things moved quickly. On the other hand, MLB has repeatedly put forth offers in the neighborhood of a 50-game season. How an agreement on full prorated pay, which the league had been hesitant to include, changes this math remains to be seen, but it seems the union’s major concession was to waive any grievance against the league.

Expanded playoffs had garnered a general consensus during these negotiations as a way of earning back revenue by putting more high-stakes games on TV. Especially with a shorter season, it’s also a way to ensure high-profile, talented teams don’t miss the playoffs by way of a cold spell at the wrong time.

Despite these concessions, there was quickly pushback on Heyman’s reporting that the deal was close, with indications that it’s more that these are the first serious negotiations, not just posturing, that the two sides have done.

As has been the case for weeks, it seems the talks remain fluid, but there is at least some optimism now that the two sides are negotiating in person.

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.

The introduction of Chloe x Halle found the Los Angeles-bred sisters thriving in two mediums. Within three months of releasing their debut album The Kids Are Alright, the pair kicked off a recurring role on the hit TV-show Grown-ish. In the two years since, Chloe x Halle have lived most of their lives on the screen, with 2020 bringing forth the duo’s musical return as they touch down with their sophomore album, Ungodly Hour.

The campaign for Ungodly Hour began with their lead single, “Catch Up.” The Swae Lee-featuring track is laced with production, supplied by Mike Will Made-It, that lives in the summertime sun and the bustling commotion of backyard kickbacks. Contextually the song finds Chloe x Halle in a never-ending cycle of problems and dissatisfaction with their partner. Pointing fingers at one another and naming their faults, both parties threaten to exit the relationship despite knowing it’s all a bluff.

Weeks later the sisters returned with “Do It,” and with both singles, it was clear a shift in sound would be present on their sophomore album, complete with a few shoulder-shimmies and the occasional pop of the hip. With their eyes set on a girls’ — and girls-only — night out, Chloe x Halle flex their ability to indulge in a night of friendship. “He say, ‘Where you from?’ Tell ’em, ‘Outer space’,” they sing, flicking away any guys who attempt to ruin their plans for the night.

Confirming the assumption from the album’s pair of singles, Ungodly Hour finds Chloe x Halle peeling back their protective layer of innocence. In doing so, the true beauty of what resides under that layer is amplified by the spotlight that shines over them. The album’s title track presents an uptick in maturity and growth, one that finds them aware of the dangers that lie ahead in love. “I know you like to play those silly games / When you’re done, call my name,” they sing in unison on “Ungodly Hour.” The song ends their once naive approach to love, replacing it with the realization that blindly falling head over heels in love isn’t always a pleasurable fall.

Chloe x Halle continue their journey into uncharted territory on “Busy Boy.” Quickly embarking on the more intimate sides of love, they turn away a notorious player’s repeated attempts of getting inside their cookie jar as they’ve caught on to his scheme, singing “I spend a little time, don’t stay with you / You ain’t never gonna get deep inside.” Further down the album, Chloe x Halle battle temptations that look to ruin their current relationship on “Don’t Make It Hard On Me.” Putting their spin on the classic saying “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone,” Chloe x Halle attempt to stop an old lover from disrupting their happiness and their new relationship. However, they soon realize that in their ex’s return, along with their improved behavior, has slowly revitalized feelings that were once gone. “I told you not to love me,” they beg, “and now you’re growing on me.” Taking advantage of feelings that linger like a smoke trail, the once-concluded relationship has been relit, igniting the return of old feelings.

Through all the growth and journeys into previously uncharted zones, Chloe x Halle maintain one common theme throughout the album: remaining unapologetic for one’s true self. Pushing forth an idea presented on the album’s intro — “Don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness” — Chloe x Halle do just that on “Forgive Me.” Proud of the women they see in the mirror, the duo shows no remorse in staying true to themselves while dispelling their partner who chose to be unfaithful. Instead, they deliver a well-deserved backhanded apology, asking forgiveness for being too good and unphased by the now-concluded relationship.

Calls for Chloe x Halle to shed a bit of innocence on their next body of work are answered on Ungodly Hour. The sisters, still in their early 20s, wrestle with new topics like sex, infidelity, mischievous men, and more. Thus, the diversity on Ungodly Hour widens, giving listeners more relatable and alluring content to indulge in. While doing this, Chloe x Halle also find perfection in natural flaws and untouched beauty, a theme they hint at on the album’s artwork. With bright and glowing wings attached to their black dresses, the sisters make it clear they find true happiness in their most unaltered state. The kids were once alright, but now they’re thriving as adults.

Ungodly Hour is out now via Parkwood and Columbia. Get it here.

Fans of the Pokemon franchise got some good news on Wednesday morning during a “Pokemon Presents” livestream. In addition to a handful of other announcements — from updates within Pokemon Go to a toothbrushing app called Pokemon Smile — a remade version of a beloved old release was announced and put on display via a trailer.

New Pokemon Snap is slated to hit the Nintendo Switch sometime in the future. While the game was announced during “Pokemon Presents,” a release date is still unknown. What we do know is that the game appears slated to expand on the original game, which we learned thanks to the following video.

The original Pokemon Snap hit Nintendo 64s back in 1999, and while other releases in the series up until then placed an emphasis on collecting Pokemon and using them in battle against one another, this game sent players on a quest to take as many photographs of Pokemon as they possibly could. It stands to reason that a newer game could take advantage of technological advances and make it so players can explore a world instead of doing what the original game did — the main character, Todd Snap, moved along a straight path — but we’ll have to wait and see.

This was not the only new game that came from the event. A new puzzle game, Pokemon Cafe Mix, is now on the Switch and mobile devices.

And in a bit of fun news, more Pokemon information is on the way — “Pokemon Presents” will return in one week with another event on June 24.

The Aunt Jemima brand of pancake mix and syrups, a shelf staple for over 130 years, will finally be retired as PepsiCo, the brand that owns Quaker Oats (which, in turn, owns Aunt Jemima), finally acknowledges the brand’s racist roots. The Aunt Jemima brand identity has long been a target of criticism, notably in a 2015 opinion piece published in the New York Times by Cornell University professor Riché Richardson in which the professor explained and explored the logo’s links to southern racism. Richardson writes that the original Aunt Jemima logo is based on the racist depiction of a “‘mammy,’ a devoted and submissive servant who eagerly nurtured the children of her white master and mistress while neglecting her own.”

According to CNN Business, the Aunt Jemima brand and logo were originally based on a minstrel show song entitled Old Aunt Jemima, and the likeness of Nancy Green, a real-life “storyteller, cook, and missionary worker” who was born into slavery.

“As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations,” wrote Quaker Oats in a statement provided to CNN Business. Quaker Oats intends to relaunch the brand with a new name and logo sometime this fall, and the Aunt Jemima brand will donate $5 million over the next five years to organizations that will “create meaningful, ongoing support and engagement in the Black Community.”

Throughout the brand’s 130 year history, the logo has changed to offer a less stereotypical depiction of Aunt Jemima, though the brand has never been able to truly escape its racist “Mammy”-depicting origins amongst people familiar with the brand’s roots.

In recent years, Kevin Love has become one of the most outspoken athletes when it comes to discussing their own battles with mental health and trying to remove the stigma of seeking help for one’s depression, anxiety or other mental health problem.

Love opened up initially in a Players Tribune piece in 2018 titled “Everybody Is Going Through Something,” and he and with DeMar DeRozan became the NBA’s two driving forces in the league and players association working out a mental health program for players. Love has continued being an advocate for mental health off the court and will be recognized for that work at the ESPYs this Sunday when he receives the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, which he told USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt is “incredibly” humbling and only signals that he must continue his work.

“I’m incredibly humbled by it,” Love said. “It’s really a profound honor if you look back at that group of men and women who I admire. Billie Jean King, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, to name a few. It’s very, very humbling to see my name next to those. I just feel like I have so much more work to do. Those are people who put in a lifetime of work. With my name next to theirs, I have an obligation and opportunity to make a lot of change in the world of mental health.

“I know what Arthur Ashe stood for and what he was about, especially being around UCLA. It’s just tough for me even now to put it into words what this means because it’s so much bigger than the realm of sports.”

The Kevin Love Fund, which he established, will be a big part of that continuing effort and among his plans for what’s next is to endow a chair at his alma mater, UCLA, in the psychology department for research on mental health.

Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit shared their long-awaited album Reunions last month. While the band still can’t tour behind the record due to the pandemic, Isbell gathered his band to virtually unite for a performance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

Joined by his five-piece band on a video call, Isbell gave an electrifying performance. The singer pulled from his ten-track Reunions record to perform the reflective number “Overseas” as well as heartfelt “Running With Our Eyes Closed.”

In a recent interview with Uproxx, Isbell revisited each one of his albums and described the songwriting process on Reunions. “The changes that I went through in the last couple of years were very significant, psychologically, to me,” Isbell said. “A lot of things wound up coming back up. I think maybe my unconscious mind was writing a concept album, but the rest of me didn’t realize that was happening.”

The singer continued to say that he tries to steer clear of over-explaining his music: “We have a bunch of weird songwriter sayings around the house, but one of them is, ‘Don’t you dare tell people that song is not about what they think it’s about, because that’s not fair. Don’t take that away from them.’ And it’s true. It’s not mine once it’s written and recorded and put out there in the world. It doesn’t really belong to me anymore.”

Watch Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit perform “Overseas” and “Running With Our Eyes Closed” on The Late Show above.

Reunions is out now via Southeastern. Get it here.

All the way back in December, Adam Sandler joked to Howard Stern that if he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for Uncut Gems, he’d make the worst movie possible as revenge. “If I don’t get it, I’m going to f*cking come back and do one again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay.”

As luck would have it, Sandler didn’t score an Oscar nom, but with everything going on in 2020, he hasn’t had a chance to make good on his threat. (Yet.) However, ambitious Reddit user LundgrensFrontKick decided to beat the comedic actor to the punch by conjuring up a fake Sandler movie that’s already going viral. Titled “Jacked Up,” the fake film includes all of the classic Sandler elements: using the same stable of actors (Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Terry Crews, Steve Buscemi, and so on), taking place at a tropical resort so the whole cast basically gets a free vacation, etc. It also has Sandler playing two characters just like he did in Jack and Jill, only this time around he plays personal trainer and shoe salesman Jack Goodheart, as well as his wife, Janet. The couple heads to Costa Rica for a 30-year high school reunion and, well…

During the event, Rob Schneider (playing a terrorist) and his team of henchmen, hijack the event and take everyone hostage, including State Senator Chuck Finley (Terry Crews) and presidential candidate Casey Fitzpatrick (Maya Rudolph). During the melee, Jack and Janet escape, and the two use their past military experience and buff physiques to save the day.

And yes, if you were wondering, it ends with a lazy river jet ski chase.

Reddit users have been loving the concept so much that they’ve been churning out fan posters like the one below all week.

Jacked Up hits theaters, unfortunately, never.

(Via LundgrensFrontKick, IndieWire)

Last year in February, the New York Times published an exposé that shed a light on abuse Phoebe Bridgers, Mandy Moore, and other women faced at the hand of Ryan Adams. Adams was accused of both sexual and mental manipulation, and Bridgers admitted her track “Motion Sickness” was penned as a response to her experience with him. Adams was reprimanded for his actions by many but it took him a full six months to respond to the allegations. Now reflecting on her experience calling him out, Bridgers was upfront about the fact that not everyone is able to speak out against their abusers like she was.

In a recent interview with NME ahead of her album Punisher, Bridgers detailed how grateful she is for the team of people who helped publish her accusations. However, the singer also recognized her unique platform and said there’s more to be done in order for other women to speak out against their abusers while remaining safe: “When a team of amazing fact-checkers and journalists unafraid of actual lawsuits are on your side… I feel really lucky I met so many people who were willing to go to bat for me,” she said. “There’s a big conversation about privilege to be had. I, a young white female, was able to meet other young white females who had contacts with journalists. So many people do not have that.”

Bridgers also reflected on the anxiety she felt before the piece was published. The singer said that a representative from Adams’ team had gaslighted her, falsely informing her that the New York Times piece had been scrapped before one of the journalists reassured her. “Once everybody knew, it was great,” Bridgers said. “The sh*tty thing was before.”

The singer also compared allegations in the music industry to the #MeToo allegations in film, saying oftentimes musicians are more isolated:

“I don’t think it’s anybody’s fault – with movies, a lot of people know what someone pays a screenwriter, or how involved a production manager is. With music, every group is much more isolated. It can happen with power dynamics and #MeToo sh*t, but also with a manager who’s just f*cking every single person over. Or labels that sign you and flirt with you and then don’t release your sh*t. And why can they do it to 10 bands in a row? Because people don’t talk to each other. […] When I met Ryan, I didn’t know anybody in music for the most part. But then I would then meet tons of people who were like, ‘Oh my God – he is a trash person’. I didn’t have that when I was 20, and a lot of people still don’t.”

Punisher is out 6/18 via Dead Oceans. Pre-order it here.

Revisit our interview with Bridgers on Punisher here.

Last year in February, the New York Times published an exposé that shed a light on abuse Phoebe Bridgers, Mandy Moore, and other women faced at the hand of Ryan Adams. Adams was accused of both sexual and mental manipulation, and Bridgers admitted her track “Motion Sickness” was penned as a response to her experience with him. Adams was reprimanded for his actions by many but it took him a full six months to respond to the allegations. Now reflecting on her experience calling him out, Bridgers was upfront about the fact that not everyone is able to speak out against their abusers like she was.

In a recent interview with NME ahead of her album Punisher, Bridgers detailed how grateful she is for the team of people who helped publish her accusations. However, the singer also recognized her unique platform and said there’s more to be done in order for other women to speak out against their abusers while remaining safe: “When a team of amazing fact-checkers and journalists unafraid of actual lawsuits are on your side… I feel really lucky I met so many people who were willing to go to bat for me,” she said. “There’s a big conversation about privilege to be had. I, a young white female, was able to meet other young white females who had contacts with journalists. So many people do not have that.”

Bridgers also reflected on the anxiety she felt before the piece was published. The singer said that a representative from Adams’ team had gaslighted her, falsely informing her that the New York Times piece had been scrapped before one of the journalists reassured her. “Once everybody knew, it was great,” Bridgers said. “The sh*tty thing was before.”

The singer also compared allegations in the music industry to the #MeToo allegations in film, saying oftentimes musicians are more isolated:

“I don’t think it’s anybody’s fault – with movies, a lot of people know what someone pays a screenwriter, or how involved a production manager is. With music, every group is much more isolated. It can happen with power dynamics and #MeToo sh*t, but also with a manager who’s just f*cking every single person over. Or labels that sign you and flirt with you and then don’t release your sh*t. And why can they do it to 10 bands in a row? Because people don’t talk to each other. […] When I met Ryan, I didn’t know anybody in music for the most part. But then I would then meet tons of people who were like, ‘Oh my God – he is a trash person’. I didn’t have that when I was 20, and a lot of people still don’t.”

Punisher is out 6/18 via Dead Oceans. Pre-order it here.

Revisit our interview with Bridgers on Punisher here.

There has been a wide variety of reactions to J. Cole’s surprise new song “Snow On Tha Bluff” since he dropped it last night. Now Earl Sweatshirt has weighed in on the Noname-referencing track, and he’s not the biggest fan.

He tweeted of the song today, “multiple truths baby lets go this aint even complicated.” He followed that with, “lol before i get grouped in to anything let me state that first truth of many is that the sh*t was just corny.. it would b like on one of the nights following big floyds death if a white rapper (one that ppl like) made a ‘im uneducated on ur plight’ track it just taste bad lol.”

Responding to somebody who wrote, “homeboy did not have to let that verse out of the drafts,” Sweatshirt tweeted, “naw frrrrrrrr my whole thing (and this all imma say) is: mfs are reachable through mediums other than song lololllll shoot me a fax or something ill page u.”

Another user asked why Sweatshirt is against Cole releasing the song, and he answered, “it depends on what u want. if u want a bunch of clicks and likes on ya song then ya make a song. if u want to do what u said u wanted to do on the song (which is learn) bang my line. but, i guess the song way is messier but its more honest. and its got everybody talking.”

He continued, “what if yall are mad at yourselves that you look to cole for more than he has to give? bro just laid his cards down on the table ‘i went to college, i dont know stuff’ and hes alot of n****s elected representative.” A user replied to that tweet, suggesting that the situation is “also about the blatant disrespect of a Black woman,” to which Sweatshirt answered, “right. tone policing [Black women] at quite possibly the worst time possible in the past 4 months.”

Find Sweatshirt’s tweets about the Cole/Noname situation below.