Over the past couple of weeks, artists have used the talents they’ve been blessed with to not only show they relate and understand the frustrations of their fans, but to help them find comfort in hard times. Meek Mill aimed for this with his “Otherside Of America” single, while T.I. followed suit on his “They Don’t” single with Nasty C. DaBaby went back to his old work to achieve this goal as he updated his “Rockstar” song with a verse on police brutality and Leon Bridges reflected on the racism he experienced in the past on his Terrace Martin-featured single, “Sweeter.” Adding his own work to the mix, Lil Baby returned with a new single.

Offering a hand to those have who have experienced police brutality or those who are frustrated with its continuation, Lil Baby drops his new single “The Bigger Picture.” Announced hours prior to its release, the song also finds Lil Baby detailing some of his distaste towards police after a few experiences of his own. As for the song itself, Lil Baby reminds listeners that the issue at hand is with the system as a whole as that a change to make things right won’t happen overnight, but a start is needed somewhere. Lil Baby will also donate all proceeds from the song to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Still riding high off the release of his My Turn deluxe album, the song touches down a week after Lil Baby and Gucci Mane connected for “Both Sides.”

Press play on the video above to hear “The Bigger Picture.”

Arriving with great news for fans, news that was welcomed with open arms by the entire hip-hop community, Pop Smoke’s manager, Steven Victor, announced last month that the late rapper’s debut album would arrive in mid-June. The announcement followed constant reports on the album that detailed its possible features, executive production from 50 Cent, and more. While the record was slated to arrive tonight, earlier this week Victor returned to say that the album, titled Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon, would be pushed back nearly a month “out of respect of the [Black Lives Matter] movement.” However, to not make the day a complete waste, he revealed a new single would take the album’s place.

As promised, a new Pop Smoke single has arrived by the title of “Make It Rain.” Upon its announcement, Victor revealed that an artist would feature on the song, but their name would be held back until shortly before the song’s arrival. Keeping to that promise, Rowdy Rebel was revealed as the guest act on the song. Rowdy Rebel was infamously incarcerated with Bobby Shmurda back in 2016 on several charges and set to be released by the end of the year. As for the song itself, it brandishes the high octane energy fans loved to see from Pop Smoke while allowing them to hear Rowdy again as he raps his verse over the phone.

Press play on “Make It Rain” in the video above.

Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon drops 07/03 via Republic.

Musically, 2020 has been a fairly quiet year for Post Malone. The “Circles” singer has watched his Hollywood’s Bleeding album hold on top-10 spot on the Billboard albums chart while teasing the arrival of a possible “quarantine album.” The lone piece of music from Post Malone to arrive this year came on Justin Bieber’s Changes album, where the two worked together on “Forever.” Returning with his second guest appearance of the year, Malone lends a hand to Tyla Yaweh’s latest release, “Tommy Lee.”

Malone and Yaweh have been connected for quite some time. Yaweh is currently signed to Malone’s London Entertainment label which Malone owns alongside Dre London. Yaweh also served a supporting act for Post Malone’s Runaway Tour, which began in the fall of 2019 and came to an early end in March due to the coronavirus. “Tommy Lee” stands as Yaweh and Malone’s first collaboration, and on the track it’s clear that Yaweh aims to make a record that won’t be leaving our heads anytime soon. A smooth melody with a clean rhyme scheme, the song is only aided by Malone who falls in line with the song’s agenda as he delivers on its second verse. The single may serve as the lead single to Yaweh’s upcoming sophomore album which he revealed is slated for a summer 2020 release.

Press play on “Tommy Lee” in the video above.

Tekashi 69 began the week getting ridiculed for an unreleased song as he played a preview of his “Locked Up” remix alongside Akon in his home studio. The backlash would continue into the workweek as Tekashi revealed that his next single, “Trollz,” would feature Nicki Minaj. Among the mass of social media, the reception of the song’s announcement was mixed as some fans questions why Nicki received a worse response compared to Akon, while others used the song as an additional reason for being fed up with Tekashi. With the reactions dissipating for the time being, Tekashi and Nicki have delivered the song as promised.

The single, which was originally set to be released on May 29, was delayed “out of respect” for the George Floyd protests taking place all over the country. Prior to its release, Tekashi and Minaj revealed that proceeds from the single would be donated to The Bail Project Inc., a fund that “provides free bail assistance to low-income individuals who can’t afford to pay bail while awaiting their trial,” as Minaj said in an Instragram post. Paired with a music video that finds him in the same colorful setup as his “Gooba” single, Tekashi and Nicki have a blast with a pool, some cereal, money, and few other models.

Moments before the song’s arrival, Nicki further explained why she worked with Tekashi citing a difference between “street n****s” and “rappers.” The single also followed Tekashi’s accusations against Billboard where he said they were manipulating their charts, blocking him from a top-2 position on the singles charts.

Press play on the video above to hear “Trollz.”

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Like the other leading streamers, Hulu‘s attempting to get serious with its animated original offerings geared toward adults. There’s the promising-looking Solar Opposites coming soon from Rick and Morty co-creator and voice wizard Justin Roiland, and then there’s Crossing Swords, created by Robot Chicken producers John Harvatine IV and Tom Root. The show pulls out the visual stops with some of the finest stop-motion animation techniques, at times popping off the small screen almost as beautifully as Laika’s Coraline or Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Sadly, that’s where the charm exhausts itself, because for every dash of gorgeous, cotton-candy-like burst of dragon fire, there’s an overly plentiful supply of penis jokes. Not that penis jokes are bad, but these start to feel like profanity for the sake of profanity.

I suppose that’s not too much of a surprise for a show named after a sexual euphemism, but it would be sweet to have a dash of depth in addition to what feels like reaching for low-hanging fruit. Any substance atop the show’s crudeness would help justify its clear investment in visuals. Instead, the shock factor is favored over characters who are worth following, beyond wondering who shall get decapitated (yes, it’s also a gore fest). This sort-of vulgarity was once startling, back in South Park‘s early days — bless Trey Parker and Matt Stone — and even later in the duo’s Team America: World Police. Yet as Parker and Stone realized, one simply must inject context into the equation. Mature audiences enjoy a sprinkling of wit, too!

Crossing Swords does not hit that mark. Instead, it sprints out of the gate with context-free lowbrow jokes and nudity, both visually and verbally rendered, and never takes its foot off the pedal. Further, the gore is gratuitous in every sense of the word. It’s a strangely discombobulating affair, unless one wishes to place the ten episodes on mute and let them play in the background as mind-numbing escapism. This tactic wouldn’t be so bad, really, if not for a semi-serialized format. And that’s where this project grows more confounding. With Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken, the sketch-comedy approach worked with the drop-gross-jokes-and-split approach. Here, wonders exactly what this show’s themes might be, and why we should care about these players.

The set-up is super simple: The show does not shy away from Game Of Thrones fantasy vibes, a decision that might not be wise in retrospect, given that every hot take about the HBO show’s final season has already been run into the ground. Still, it’s happening here with a kingdom full of largely unlikable royal characters, who often resort to well-aimed crotch shots and MF-bombs to one-up each other. The protagonist, a peasant named Patrick (voiced by Nicholas Hoult), holds grand dreams to be the king’s squire. However, he enters the pleasure-seeking court proceedings aghast, much more than the show’s audience, and he remains that way until season’s end.

Any seasoned audience member will find it difficult to feel sorry for Patrick’s plight because TV viewers have already endured much of what he witnesses, and the show amps up bawdiness without providing incentives for viewers to stick around. This series doesn’t go anywhere, although a few events happen throughout this season. Episodic flourishes (like a Beast Feast musical festival and a Kraken Week) appear within the serialized structure, and a soap-operatic assassin mystery goes down as a protracted joke. Again, if you simply want chaotic filler-noise that looks pretty (and pretty gross), this might be up your alley. But don’t expect world-building, which presents doubt for future seasons with voice talent from Tony Hale, Luke Evans, Adam Pally, Alanna Ubach, Tara Strong, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Felicia Day

The most frustrating aspect of Crossing Swords, overall, is its refusal to attempt humor beyond profanity — something that not only South Park has recognized a need for, but that Netflix’s Big Mouth, Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty, FX’s Archer, and so many other adult-focused animated TV series have conquered. Crossing Swords fails to reach the existing standard and doesn’t offer much beyond meticulously crafted visuals, with every chip of paint looking on-point, even as the characters ride on toy horses and manage to wield swords despite having no arms. Pulling off these visual touches was no minor feat, but that attention to detail comes across as unsettling without acting in service to something greater.

Hulu’s ‘Crossing Swords’ streams on June 12.

This week on Top Chef, the show followed last week’s truffle hunt in Tuscany with a trip to Parma, to celebrate parmigiano cheese and prosciutto di Parma. On a more personal level, this episode offered Italian-American chef Bryan Voltaggio the promise of being able to get in touch with his roots and really connect with his Italian cousins through a mutual love of food and respect for the culinary traditions.

Let’s check in on how that’s going…

Holy shit, man. Only in Italy is serving cheese improperly tantamount to being unable to please a woman.

This week’s episode took the chefs from the cheese racks of Reggiano to the 14th-century ham cellars of Parma, where Atlanta good ol’ boy chef Kevin got such a huge pork boner that he almost stroked out.

Mmm, meatstroke.

While I’d like to rip on Foghorn Kevhorn for this, I can’t lie, there’s nothing I love more than stuffing meat in my mouth in a dank basement.

Meanwhile, the girls didn’t do much of note this episode, other than dominate. If this had been a double elimination challenge we’d have an all-female finale. All in all though, this was a very Bourdain-esque episode of Top Chef, with lots of food and travel porn for us poor saps still stuck in our drab, pathetically meat cellar-free houses. Ugh, look at all this bullshit ass cheese, I call myself a man?

The food though, my god. At one point they got to eat pheasant ravioli cooked inside an animal bladder. I don’t even know what animal’s bladder that came from but it looks incredible.

Now there‘s a dish worth doing some product placement for. Thank you for this, Top Chef. I forgive you for the Bush’s baked bean challenge if this is what you spent the bean money on.

Also, a lot of the judges licking their fingers this week.

What’sa matter, guys, don’t they have forks in Italy? I said Italians like to talk with their hands, not eat with them, am I right?

The judges for this week’s challenge included Italy’s youngest-ever Michelin starred chef — which is bullshit, give me Italy’s oldest Michelin-starred chef — and Evan Funke (Tobias’ brother?). Who, in old school Top Chef fashion, was introduced as having “created a revolution of how pasta should be made.”

Aw, man, I forgot how much I missed these kinds of hyperbolic introductions. “Oh my God, it’s Sebastian St. George! He’s like the Simón Bolivar of fast-casual French sandwiching.”

Anyway, call it creative editing, but was this week’s elimination the biggest twist of the season or is it just me? Read on!

POWER RANKINGS

4. (-1) ((Eliminated)) Kevin Gillespie

AKA: Hops. Aka Oops All Kevins. Aka Thicc Kev. Aka Foghorn Kevhorn. Aka Meatstroke.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t been the biggest Foghorn Kevhorn fan this season, as I find him to be slightly pompous (see his grandstanding after Restaurant Wars and this week saying he wanted his run on the show to be “a message of hope”). But I did not expect him to go home this week. Not after the Italians questioned Bryan Voltaggio’s masculinity. Though they weren’t exactly complimentary about Kevin either:

I love how intense this guy is. He’s like a meme of a disapproving father. “Son, the texture of this polenta proves that you will never be successful.”

I suppose the theory was that Thicc Kev, high on his own meat fumes, committed the cardinal sin of not highlighting his prosciutto and instead just stuck it on top of some more pork. The classic “you didn’t highlight the special ingredient enough” critique. You could be forgiven for thinking that the way to please these Italians is to just give their ingredients back to them on a fancy plate. “Using your prosciutto and parmigiano, I have made for you… prosciutto and Parmigiano. Put the prosciutto on top of the Parmigiano, mangiamo.”

Anyway, I’ll be pouring out some pork fat for my man Kev. He consistently cooked food that seemed like the thing I’d be most likely to order.

3. (-1) Bryan Voltaggio

AKA: Flatbill Dad. Aka Bry Voltage. Aka Kyle Shanahan. Aka Linkin Clark Griswold. Aka Family Bry.

Incredible. How did Family Bry stay in the competition this week? I’m just grateful that the cameras were there to capture the exact moment when Padma told him that the Italians said he was soulless, heartless, and without passion for aerating their 36-month-old parmesan. I was hoping for some unnecessarily harsh Italian food critiques and boy, this week’s episode delivered in spades.

They also said his pesto was “neutered” and his violin squash “just stands there and watches while its wife has sex with other men.” Or something to that effect… I might not be translating it quite right.

In retrospect, there may have been some foreshadowing that Bry Guy wasn’t entirely on the Italians’ wavelength:

Nice job, man. You are crushing it. Fitting right in. For a second there I was convinced you were a local.

So, the Italians hated his aerated cheese, then they thought his pesto on his fish was bland, and the only thing they complimented him on was how his soulless pasta was cooked. Yet somehow he didn’t go home! It was a big surprise, but I won’t lie to you, I am thrilled that Bry Guy is still in this competition. His constant dad jokes keep me hooked and his staccato dad laugh is this season’s best character. Without Linkin Clark, who would’ve made a joke about cutting the cheese?

2. (+2) Stephanie Cmar

AKA: C-Monster. Aka Underdog. Aka C-Truffle.

The C-Monster has been consistently the funniest contestant the past few episodes (she lost her competition when Nini left the show) and this week she also proved that she’s a legit contender. She had an Italian woman expressly tell her never to cook prosciutto and then made a prosciutto ragu that they loved anyway. The degree of difficulty on that was off the charts. One Italian lady even said “thees eeza like a new paint onna di capella sistina.”

Imagine getting told that you repainted the Sistine Chapel and have it be a compliment and you get an idea how good a week Stephanie had. Besides the fettucini with prosciutto ragu, she made a braised cabbage layered with prosciutto and cheese that one of the Italian judges compared to lasagna. That looked good as hell. Granted it took me 13 weeks to believe that Stephanie could actually beat Bryan Voltaggio but I’m there now.

1. (even) Melissa King

AKA: Zen Master. Aka Dimples. Aka Shutterstock. Aka Valedictorian.

That Stephanie was praised for repainting the Sistine Chapel like it was a compliment and still got beaten by Melissa this week should tell you how much Melissa is dominating this competition. She was even the only chef to acknowledge Bryan trying to speak Spanish in Italy. The show briefly tried to build up Melissa ruining the “egg raft” in her brodo (that’s the thing that makes consomme clear) as if it would turn out to be a costly mistake, but Melissa just tossed it out and made a new one and everything was fine.

This week, she cooked up an anolini en brodo with parmesan and yuzu and a scallop with proscuitto XO sauce and radicchio — tying the local ingredients in with her knowledge of Asian dishes and techniques. Like I said in last week’s rankings, you gotta keep these eye-talians on their heels, and that’s exactly what she did. I was another smash hit for Melissa, giving her three wins in a row. With such a dominant performance, does it even matter if she loses in the finale? Readers, I submit to you that it does not.

Vince Mancini is on Twitter. Read more of his cooking commentary in UPROXX’s Cooking Battles and Viral Cooking. For past Top Chef Power Rankings, go here.

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Surprise! You’ve got HBO Max. What does that mean?

Well, if you’re HBO subscription magically transferred over, it means you know have access to an even bigger library of quality TV shows and movies, ready to stream whenever you want. We’ve filtered through HBO Max’s massive movie queue already, so it’s only right that we take a look at some of the best TV shows the platform has to offer. Of course, HBO originals like Game of Thrones and Succession belong on this list, but we’ve already given them a shoutout on our HBO Go round-up, if you’re looking for other network staples.

Here are the best shows streaming on HBO Max right now.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

6 seasons, 148 episodes | IMDb: 7.9/10

Besides introducing the masses to the undeniable talent of Will Smith, and giving us the dopest theme song to ever exist on television, this classic family sitcom managed to put in some real work with all those laugh tracks. Smith plays a version of himself, a kid from Philly who move to Bel-Air to live with his rich relatives. He teaches them some street smarts, they try to class up his act, and the comedy comes from that disconnect, but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t get emotional from time to time while bingeing this thing.

Doctor Who

11 seasons, 851 episodes | IMDb: 8.7/10

Doctor Who is a long-running British series that follows the adventures of a Time Lord and his companion as they travel throughout space and time in the TARDIS. Doctor Who can be a little cheesy, but it is nevertheless one of those shows that’s difficult not to become completely invested in once you begin. Viewers who may not even consider themselves sci-fi geeks should give it a shot because this may be the show that converts them. It isn’t just a sci-fi show, it is a series about love and heartbreak and loneliness, about coming of age, about humanity and about loss. Maybe even more than that, watching Doctor Who is not just a television experience, it’s a cultural one, one of the rare shows capable of connecting people across the globe.

Friends

10 seasons, 236 episodes | IMDb: 8.9/10

There are some who argue that Friends was an overrated sitcom, with protagonists as unrealistic as they were lily-white. But like a big bowl of mac ‘n cheese, Friends is TV comfort food: not exactly great for you, but sometimes exactly what’s needed. From classic episodes like “The One With the Embryos” and “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” to its sprawling cast of eccentric supporting characters, the enduringly funny Friends will be there for you when you need to kick back and forget about the real world for a while.

Luther

4 seasons, 16 episodes | IMDb: 8.5/10
Maybe the bleakest, grittiest cop show you’ll ever see, Luther is so intense that it may at times rattle your brain stem. It’s got the best elements of other of its ilk as it follows a genius detective who struggles to separate his personal and professional lives. But it is also pummeling great drama, and Idris Elba is a tour de force (Ruth Wilson is fantastic, too).

The Office U.K.

2 seasons, 14 episodes | IMDb: 8.5/10

What can we say about this genre-defining workplace comedy that hasn’t been said before? Ricky Gervais’ mockumentary has influenced some of the greatest works on television and despite its many predecessors, it remains the best example of what a good, mundane comedy series can do. Gervais as clueless boss David Brent, whose desperate attempts at connecting with his underlings are a painful exercise in futility. Martin Freeman is also a stand-out, playing a role that John Krasinski inhabited in the American remake, but it’s the British sarcasm that really elevates this series and makes it worthy of a watch.

The OC

4 seasons, 92 episodes | IMDb: 7.5/10

Another fish-out-of-water type tale, this one skews a bit heavier on the side of melodrama as it follows a troubled kid named Ryan (Ben McKenzie), who’s taken in by a wealthy public defender, his socialite wife, and their nerdy teenage son, Seth (Adam Brody). The two become quick friends, navigating the f*cked-up, elitist world of Orange County, California, falling for society girls, heading South of the Border, confronting criminals who surf. You know, normal West Coast shenanigans.

Rick and Morty

Coupling

4 seasons, 28 episodes | IMDb: 8.5/10

Think of this early aughts comedy series as the British version of Friends. It follows much the same format — a group of six mates, three women, three men, exploring sex, love, and relationships in the city — but it’s got the courage to dig a bit deeper into what makes men and women tick than its American counterpart. It’s also got plenty of that trademark British sarcasm to pass the time in between hook ups and dick jokes.

Conan Without Borders

1 season, 6 episodes | IMDb: N/A

Technically, this “series” is just a collection of late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien’s recurring travel segment, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. In fact, Conan’s frequent trips to places around the world are often more enlightening and fun to watch than the more traditional travel shows. Conan Without Borders has a knack for getting people to open up, lightening the mood with his trademark humor before delving into serious topics, like the humanitarian crisis in Haiti or the war in Israel. He’s not afraid to make fun of himself, which puts his guests at ease and gives us a more authentic travel experience.

Primal

1 season, 10 episodes | IMDb: 8.2/10

Primal is almost like a grown-up take on The Land Before Time. Let us explain. The animated series from visionary creator Genndy Tartakovsky, follows the story of a caveman who befriends a dinosaur and together, they fight to survive the harsh world of the prehistoric age. It’s definitely more violent, with darker, more adult themes at play, but it’s also a beautiful story of friendship packaged in some cool-as-hell illustrations.

The Boondocks

4 seasons, 56 episodes | IMDb: 8.3/10

Watchmen‘s Regina King leads the voice cast of this adult animated sitcom that first aired on Cartoon Network. The show tells the story of the Freemans, a Black family moving from the streets of Chicago to the suburbs. This culture clash fuels much of the plot, with both the parents and the kids struggling to adapt to mostly-white neighborhoods, blatant prejudice, class inequality and more.

Legendary

1 season, 9 episodes | IMDb: 6.3/10

Though this reality competition series opened to some controversy, it’s still an addictive watch and one of the few queer-centered original series that you’ll find on the streaming platform. The Good Place star Jameela Jamil leads a panel of judges as voguing teams battle it out on the ballroom dance floor for a cash prize. To get a better sense of the history and culture at play here, go watch FX’s Pose, then come back and enjoy the show these divas are putting on.

Starbucks sent an internal memo that banned employees from wearing clothing or accessories that support the Black Lives Matter movement, according to Buzzfeed News, which obtained the memo. The directive was sent out in response to store managers who had contacted senior leadership in the company regarding their employees’ desire to wear Black Lives Matter (BLM)-related attire amidst the nationwide protests against police violence that have swept all 50 states. According to BuzzFeed, Starbucks employees are explicitly prohibited from wearing Black Lives Matter attire as part of their dress code, which bans any sort of political, religious, or personal accessories or clothing.

Starbucks management has argued that wearing BLM affiliated clothing could be misunderstood and potentially incite violence, which, according to Starbucks employees who spoke to BuzzFeed, feels disingenuous when you consider that the company regularly ignores its accessory rule when celebrating LGBTQ rights or marriage equality — both of which the company has passed out wearable swag for in the past.

On June 4th, the company issued and pinned a tweet that reads “Black lives matter. We are committed to being a part of change,” and included images indicating their commitment to anti-bias training, pledged to donate $1 million to organizations promoting racial equity, and announced that they’d be actively engaging in conversations with their black employees about racism and how they can do better as a company.

22-year-old barista from Atlanta, Calvin Bensen, expressed his disappointment at Starbucks’ response to BuzzFeed, saying “My skin color incites violence at Starbucks. Should I not come to work? It is silencing and Starbucks is complicit. Now more than ever, Starbucks needs to stand with us.”

Despite the criticism, Starbucks doesn’t seem ready to budge from their position, “We respect all of our partners’ opinions and beliefs, and encourage them to bring their whole selves to work while adhering to our dress code policy,” said a spokesperson for the company. Last summer, the company issued an apology after six police officers in Arizona were asked to leave by a barista because customers in the store felt unsafe, which prompted some to call for a boycott of the company on social media. Now, many on social media are once again calling for a boycott of the brand, this time in response to their new dress code ban.

Over the past two hours, the hashtag #BoycottStarbucks has climbed up Twitter’s trending page with over 24,000 tweets, check out some of the critiques below.